After Liu Shuang obediently walked out of the hall, several elders turned around and stared at Su Lun in unison.

“This Immortal Lady of Chi Shui doesn’t seem that discourteous after all. Besides, Chi Shui Chong only had one daughter in ten thousand years, so, understandably, he treasures her.”

“Indeed, she’s quite sensible. Her earlier greeting was also thorough.”

“That’s right. This time, the little girl not only didn’t cause trouble, but she seemed to listen particularly well to our Young Master—learning by example, doing whatever he says.”

“So—”

“Young Master, would you reconsider the marriage alliance?”

Su Lun swept his gaze across them: “In your view, does this Young Master change his orders from dawn to dusk? Can I act arbitrarily on such important matters, hmm?”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh, growing increasingly outrageous in their teasing. In front of outsiders, these elders naturally showed complete respect to Su Lun as their Young Master. However, everyone present had been trusted ministers to Su Lun’s father. Since Su Lun had lost his mother at a young age, all the elders had carefully nurtured him. Though they were subordinates in title, they were essentially like elders to him.

Now that these old men saw Liu Shuang restored to her true appearance, they all began instigating Su Lun to reconsider the marriage alliance.

Su Lun remained composed, his expression calm as he listened to their clamor.

When the old men grew tired of their noise, he slightly raised his eyes: “Have you finished speaking?”

Everyone fell awkwardly silent.

“Alright, elders, please return to your duties. Before long, my father will face his tribulation, and Kun Lun will need to rely heavily on all of you. Regarding the depletion of spiritual veins, we need to look inward for the source and cannot place the burden on one woman.”

Everyone bowed and departed.

Wo Jiang walked to the doorway, turned back with a grin toward his disciple who sat in serene stillness, and teased: “Su Lun, is the Young Lady of Chi Shui beautiful? Ha! Why pretend to be so mature and serious? If you’re so capable, then why did your face redden when she smiled at you just now?”

Su Lun helplessly said: “…Master!”

“Don’t be angry.” Wo Jiang left with a hearty laugh. The Sword Immortal of Kun Lun was pure and genuine. Though burdened with the weight of the realm since birth, he was still youthful at heart.

As Liu Shuang left the great hall, she pondered the matter of her appearance. The world rarely contained people with such identical features, and her soul had completely merged with Liu Shuang’s body. Could there be some connection between her and the original owner?

She touched her face—the skin soft, fair, and delicate.

It was fortunate to have this face, one that felt familiar and gave her a sense of belonging. She had accomplished her purpose in coming to Kun Lun and unexpectedly reacquainted herself with her dear friend Su Lun, turning hostility into friendship. Liu Shuang felt this journey had been worthwhile. Now she could return to Purple Lady and Chi Shui Chong with an acceptable explanation.

Liu Shuang headed toward the Immortal Pavilion. Along the way, every Kun Lun disciple she encountered, male or female, froze at the sight of her, barely able to continue walking. Some bold young disciples even stepped forward to ask her name.

Liu Shuang tilted her head to look at the disciple blocking her path, causing his heart to race chaotically and his words to become jumbled.

Liu Shuang inwardly sighed. The last time she encountered such a situation was during her life as a mortal daughter. On that occasion, the entire city had emptied into the streets, nearly breaking down her family’s gate. Even the Emperor had interfered, issuing an edict to make her a consort. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t favorable—everyone mistook her for a demon, and her parents painfully drove her from home.

Later, after marrying Yan Chaosheng, such incidents never happened again.

No one dared covet the Demon Lord’s woman. Afterward, no one dared target her, and neither the Ghost Realm nor the Demon Realm dared bully her.

Too much time had passed, and Liu Shuang had almost forgotten the allure of this face. Mi Chu had once been acclaimed as the foremost beauty of the Eight Wildernesses, so her appearance couldn’t be far behind.

Someone noticed the distinctive blossoming begonia flowers at the corner of her garment and finally realized, exclaiming in shock: “The… the… the… the Young Master of Kung Sang?”

Liu Shuang nodded, confirming they hadn’t mistaken her. She originally didn’t want to attract such attention and had put her veil back on, but then thought that her previous life had been stifling enough. She couldn’t choose how she looked, so why torture herself?

As the Young Master of Kung Sang, why should she hide from anyone?

She returned to the Immortal Pavilion, where Bai Zhuixu and Bai Yuxiao were playing a game of chess.

Bai Yuxiao held the black pieces while Bai Zhuixu used the white ones. When they saw Liu Shuang enter, Bai Zhuixu quickly put down his piece and exclaimed with delight: “Has the Young Lord extracted the Illusion Beauty Pearl?”

Liu Shuang said, “It’s here.” She took out the golden pearl from her robes.

Bai Zhuixu: “The Shen Nong Cauldron is truly miraculous, able to reverse established conditions. This time we are indebted to the Kun Lun Young Master’s magnanimity and virtue.”

“I told you before, Su Lun is a good person.”

Bai Yuxiao lounged lazily in his chair: “Look, now that you’ve finally changed back, don’t keep holding that wretched pearl. It’s unlucky. Give it to my brother instead, in case you someday lose your mind and swallow it again.”

Liu Shuang: “I’ve learned my lesson and certainly won’t use it again.”

Bai Zhuixu pondered for a moment, then extended his hand: “Young Lord, please let me keep it safe for you.”

Bai Yuxiao smiled with schadenfreude. Seeing Bai Zhuixu’s insistence, Liu Shuang reluctantly handed the Illusion Beauty Pearl to him.

She was currently in desperate need of cultivation and treasures. Even though the Illusion Beauty Pearl wasn’t considered a rare treasure, throughout heaven and earth, it was the only pearl that could change an immortal’s appearance permanently. Even if she didn’t use it, it would be nice to have it in hand.

Though Bai Zhuixu had a gentle temperament and indulged her, he was incredibly stubborn regarding matters that might harm her. Liu Shuang knew she couldn’t win against his determination and had to relinquish the Illusion Beauty Pearl.

Never mind, she would find other treasures in the future.

Liu Shuang asked: “When shall we return to Kung Sang?”

“Naturally, it depends on the Young Lord’s wishes.”

Liu Shuang considered: “Let’s depart tomorrow, then. We’ve imposed on Kun Lun for too long, and Father is still worried about the spiritual veins. If we return sooner, perhaps we can help.”

Bai Zhuixu smiled: “Good. Soon it will be the Four Seas Banquet, and the Young Lord must return to prepare properly.”

“Four Seas Banquet?”

“At that time, the Celestial Lord will host the various clans. In previous years, the Young Lord lacked a soul fragment and couldn’t attend. Now that the Young Lord’s soul is complete and appearance restored, it’s a perfect opportunity to attend and meet the immortal lords and ladies of the other three major clans.”

Oh, now Liu Shuang understood—it was essentially a social gathering for the immortal realm’s elite.

Going forward, she would have to manage Kung Sang, so she couldn’t afford to be unfamiliar with the other immortal realm clans. The Celestial Lord probably also wanted to meet her as the future leader of Kung Sang.

Bai Zhuixu: “In that case, Yuxiao, make preparations. We’ll set off for Kung Sang tomorrow. I’ll go inform Yan Chaosheng.”

“Wait!” Liu Shuang remembered something. “I’ll go tell Yan Chaosheng.”

Having finally brought Yan Chaosheng—that harbinger of disaster—out of Kung Sang, how could she possibly let him return? This was the perfect opportunity to persuade him to seek training elsewhere.

Their Kung Sang temple was too small to support such a great Buddha.

Liu Shuang turned the corner, heading toward Yan Chaosheng’s Immortal Pavilion. In all their time at Kun Lun, this was her first visit to his quarters.

Yan Chaosheng lived in the most remote corner, matching his personality in her previous life—except for his battle frenzy and necessary affairs, he often immersed himself in cultivation, disliking social interactions.

Arriving outside Yan Chaosheng’s door, about to knock, Liu Shuang hesitated. She pondered how to politely dismiss someone without arousing resentment.

This was too difficult.

For most people, once they entered an immortal sect, they remained disciples for life. Being expelled was tantamount to destroying their spirit. But convincing him to leave voluntarily would be seen by outsiders as betraying his sect.

Moreover, they hadn’t yet given him Mi Chu.

This was a miscalculation; the matter required careful long-term planning.

Just as Liu Shuang withdrew her hand to leave, a cold, alert voice came from inside: “Who’s there!”

A black and gold whip lashed out, its angle vicious and devious.

Liu Shuang hadn’t expected him to suddenly attack. Instinctively wanting to dodge, her mind turned quickly. She merely shifted slightly, allowing the whip to graze her arm.

It barely brushed her when suddenly the door opened, and a hand gripped Liu Shuang’s throat.

The youth’s slightly cold eyes momentarily froze upon seeing her face. The next moment, Yan Chaosheng’s pupils contracted sharply. His fingers stiffened, slowly releasing her, and he gritted his teeth, stepping back hastily.

He retreated so urgently that he couldn’t maintain his previous momentary viciousness. His hand trembled slightly behind his back, as if he had touched something filthy.

“You…” Yan Chaosheng looked somewhat flustered as he turned his head away. “You’ve extracted the Illusion Beauty Pearl?”

Now it was Liu Shuang’s turn to be shocked. She was very curious—how had Yan Chaosheng recognized her at first glance?

But that wasn’t important. Recalling her purpose for coming, she turned aside, revealing the arm he had just injured with his whip.

“Yan Chaosheng, you’ve hurt me.”

He frowned as he looked over, but upon seeing her face, he coldly lowered his eyes: “Forgive this disciple, Young Lord. No one usually comes here. Master Bai occasionally visits, but he always knocks directly instead of standing outside silently. I mistook the Young Lord for someone with ill intentions, which is why I attacked. Please excuse me.”

Yan Chaosheng’s explanation was reasonable and convincing, leaving Liu Shuang speechless.

She had deliberately allowed herself to be slightly injured to give him a moral advantage, hoping he would feel guilt and not pursue what the original owner and Bai Yuxiao had done to him previously.

With his explanation, how could she still hold his mistake against him to offset the original owner’s wrongs and smoothly send him away?

She took a gentle breath, searching her mind to emulate Mi Chu’s vulnerability after being injured in her previous life. Pressing her lips together with feigned grievance, she said: “I came to tell you to prepare for our return to Kung Sang tomorrow. Regardless, you’ve injured me—that’s a fact. This is a wound from a celestial weapon; ordinary techniques cannot heal it.”

He raised his eyes, his gaze icy: “What do you want? Do you expect this disciple to apply medicine and treat your wound?”

Liu Shuang considered—that would work too. She needed him to see the wound and learn to feel remorse.

So she nodded.

Yan Chaosheng’s brows were tightly knitted, still avoiding looking at her: “Young Lord, I’ll give you one chance to reconsider. Leave here, turn right to Master Bai’s room, and he will have a way to heal you.”

But then she would have endured this whiplash for nothing. Liu Shuang shook her head: “Whoever causes harm should make amends. Why push your mistake onto Bai Zhuixu?”

Yan Chaosheng smiled coldly: “Fine, you’ve made your choice.”

He stepped aside, gesturing for Liu Shuang to enter.

His Immortal Pavilion was extremely simple, far less grand than those of Liu Shuang and the Bai brothers. Presumably, those who arranged accommodations in Kun Lun knew he was just an ordinary disciple from Kung Sang.

Yan Chaosheng glanced at her, entered the room, and brought out a bottle of medicine.

His expression was cold and detached. He didn’t look at her, seeming less like he was about to apply medicine and more like he was attending her funeral: “Roll up your sleeve.”

For some reason, Liu Shuang felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She rolled up her wide sleeve, revealing her injured forearm.

She had deliberately evaded earlier, so the whip had only grazed her, drawing a little blood and leaving a mark. Yan Chaosheng sat down on the stool beside her, grabbed her arm, and appeared to roughly apply the medicine.

“Hey!” Liu Shuang’s scalp tingled as she tried to pull her arm back. Surely he wouldn’t press directly on the wound? It was an injury after all—it would hurt.

A silver bracelet clamped around her, immediately immobilizing her.

Liu Shuang’s eyes widened. Only now did she remember that Yan Chaosheng still had the Ten Commandments Ring! It was easy to forget since he hadn’t used it on her since their journey began. Not only Liu Shuang but even the Bai brothers had forgotten about it.

He restrained her and finally raised his eyes.

The youth’s pupils were pitch black, with a faint redness at the corners of his eyes. He looked at her with too many strange emotions for Liu Shuang to comprehend, and she stared back at him in alarm.

Yan Chaosheng gave a cold snort, lowered his eyes, and applied the medicine.

Liu Shuang had expected to endure pain, but after waiting with bated breath, she felt nothing. The young man’s fingers descended gently, smoothing the ointment.

The light green ointment carried the fresh scent of mint leaves.

She couldn’t identify the medicine, but it instantly relieved the pain, clearly something valuable. The medicine bottle was small and exquisite. With Yan Chaosheng’s current status, such items must be rare for him.

He applied three layers to the wound, and the shallow blood mark disappeared completely.

The wind stirred the window, and the youth’s ink-black hair cascaded like a waterfall. His eyebrows and eyes carried a cold, beautiful quality.

He finished applying the medicine, his eyes still downcast, refusing to look at her. He didn’t release her either, leaving them in an awkward, tense atmosphere.

Liu Shuang hastily said, “I’m better now, please release me.” For all her calculations, how could she have forgotten the Ten Commandments Ring? She felt extremely uneasy now.

Yan Chaosheng ignored her. He stood up, moved to the other side, and poured her a cup of tea.

Liu Shuang could only see but not drink it, unsure of the meaning behind his gesture.

Yan Chaosheng sat beside her and poured himself a cup as well, sipping it slowly.

The wind rustled the papers on a distant table. Liu Shuang sensed Yan Chaosheng’s gaze occasionally falling on her face.

Unfortunately, though her eyeballs ached from trying, she couldn’t see his expression.

Liu Shuang grew somewhat angry: “Yan Chaosheng, I am the Young Lord. Using the Ten Commandments Ring to restrain me without cause is utterly audacious!”

The youth’s voice was lightly cold: “Is that so? Wasn’t it the Young Lord who insisted that this disciple apply medicine? This disciple merely feared the Young Lord might move carelessly before the wound healed, wasting the medicine’s efficacy. After all, the Young Lord may not know that this lowly disciple has only one bottle of this medicine. If you were injured again, I would have nothing else to offer.”

“I don’t need your treatment anymore. I’ll go find Bai Zhuixu!”

Yan Chaosheng sneered: “How could this disciple’s mistake be shouldered by Master Bai?”

“…” Liu Shuang took a deep breath. Fine, fine, it wasn’t the first time she’d been restrained anyway. The important matter took precedence: “You’ve injured me this time. Can we consider it a fair exchange for when I foolishly wronged you before, and call it even?”

He softly replied: “Mm.”

Just like that? He agreed?

Liu Shuang could never have imagined it would be so easy. Both delighted and suspicious, she asked: “You’re not deceiving me, are you?”

He looked at her: “Why would I deceive you?”

“You’ve truly forgiven me?”

Yan Chaosheng was silent for a moment: “Did you think I ever blamed you?”

Liu Shuang felt he was blatantly lying. When they passed through Taichuan City, he had wanted to kill her—wasn’t that holding a grudge?

“Then… do you still blame Bai Yuxiao?”

Yan Chaosheng remained silent.

From his reaction, Liu Shuang understood. Poor Bai Yuxiao—it seemed Yan Chaosheng was determined to kill him. Liu Shuang noted mentally: this was the first unsettled debt.

Liu Shuang pondered: “Has anyone else in Kung Sang mistreated you?”

“Whom does the Young Lord mean? The other gate disciples, teaching masters, the immortal lords of the spiritual weapon repository, the immortal ladies in the tailoring department, or those who stole my spiritual treasures and tried to kill me?”

Liu Shuang: “…” This was terrible! The enmity between Yan Chaosheng and Kung Sang ran so deep! No wonder he wanted to destroy Kung Sang.

After hesitating, she said softly, “Then I apologize on their behalf. Is that acceptable? If you have any desired compensation, you can tell me, and I’ll try my best to provide it.”

The young man beside her remained silent for a long while.

Suddenly, he waved his hand, releasing the Ten Commandments Ring from Liu Shuang: “The wound has healed. You may leave. Don’t speak of apologizing for others again. What I want, you cannot give, nor would you be willing to give. I need to rest now.”

Liu Shuang turned to look at him, but he had already turned his back to her, too lazy to even look in her direction as he lay down on the inner couch.

“If you don’t say what you want, how do you know I won’t give it?”

He turned his head to look at her, his gaze focused, without coldness, yet also without the slightest hint of a smile, causing Liu Shuang to step back.

Liu Shuang tentatively said: “Supposing—I’m just supposing—if our Kung Sang gifted you spiritual treasures and granted you a beautiful woman, who happens to be your beloved, what would you do? Could you let bygones be bygones?” Would you take Mi Chu and stay far away from Kung Sang?

Unexpectedly, upon hearing these words, Yan Chaosheng suddenly coughed. That layer of feigned ice shattered as he sat up, his face instantly turning bright red.

See? She was indeed his true love. Just mentioning Mi Chu made him choke and flush.

Liu Shuang: “Would you be willing?”

Yan Chaosheng glanced at her, gritting his teeth, his face reddening further: “Do you know what you’re saying? Get out! I never said I was willing!”