As dawn approached, the Clear Ripple Jade was discovered missing. When the news reached the Realm Master’s sleeping chambers, Chi Shui Chong immediately ordered the entire Immortal Realm sealed off to capture the thief who had stolen the Clear Ripple Jade.

Before the orders could be fully transmitted, Liu Shuang obediently knelt with a “thud” in front of the main hall.

The immortal attendants outside were surprised: “What is the Young Lord doing?”

“I’ve come to confess my crime.”

Shortly after, she was told that Chi Shui Chong wanted her to enter. Once inside, Liu Shuang knelt again without saying a word.

Chi Shui Chong rubbed his brow and said, “The Clear Ripple Jade is missing. I don’t have time to deal with whatever mistake you’ve made. Go back and stay put. After I find the Clear Ripple Jade, I’ll settle accounts with you, you little troublemaker.”

Liu Shuang folded her hands and bowed her head to the ground, saying, “I’ve come precisely about the Clear Ripple Jade. Father, you don’t need to search—I’ve already destroyed it.”

Chi Shui Chong was stunned for quite a while: “You say the Clear Ripple Jade was destroyed by you?”

Liu Shuang nodded.

Chi Shui Chong instinctively asked, “You have such great ability?”

Father and daughter stared at each other. After a long while, seeing his daughter’s innocent expression, Chi Shui Chong finally realized that the damn point wasn’t whether Liu Shuang could destroy the Clear Ripple Jade, but that she claimed it was already destroyed!

Chi Shui Chong’s expression turned cold: “Liu Shuang, do you know what you’re saying? The troubles you’ve caused in the past could all be overlooked. But now, you’ve been so audacious as to tamper with the Clear Ripple Jade. The Clear Ripple Jade is a supreme treasure to the immortal clan. Do you realize that soon, people will demand your punishment? Even if they don’t speak up, I, as Realm Master, absolutely cannot let you off lightly!”

His expression was icy and imposing, yet a flash of helplessness passed through his eyes, as if he had aged considerably in an instant.

Chi Shui Chong was first and foremost the Realm Master of an Immortal Realm, and only secondarily Liu Shuang’s father. With Liu Shuang causing such a huge problem, not to mention others, as a strict ruler, he would be the first to punish her.

Liu Shuang bowed again, feeling guilty inside.

Without the original host’s memories, she used to view Chi Shui Chong only as an imposing figure, feeling afraid that he would discover the anomaly in her soul. Now, with accumulated memories of her interactions with Chi Shui Chong, the person before her had become her father.

Only Chi Shui Chong knew how painful it was to be a father who must punish his daughter.

“Father, daughter had to destroy the Clear Ripple Jade because it wasn’t a celestial treasure at all, but a demon bone stone.” Liu Shuang didn’t conceal anything and related everything she knew. She came forward to confess what she had done to avoid any subsequent misunderstandings. Chi Shui Chong was both understanding and strict; he would surely listen to her explanation.

After listening, Chi Shui Chong’s brow furrowed more deeply.

“If what you say is true, no one has ever known that the Clear Ripple Jade was a demon bone stone. How did you come to know this?”

Liu Shuang couldn’t say she was a person from seven hundred years in the future, so she could only say, “An ancestor informed me in a dream that the demon bone stone must be destroyed. Otherwise, while it appears to remove the impurities from the immortal clan members, it makes everyone’s inner demons stronger, endangering all of Kung Sang.”

Chi Shui Chong: “Nonsense!”

Liu Shuang looked at him: “Feng Fuming was born with auspicious signs, Ji Mo Shao You’s birth transformed a spiritual spring—what’s wrong with me having ancestral dream guidance? Father, you’re not inferior to them.”

Chi Shui Chong was momentarily speechless, wanting to say, How can you compare yourself to those two?

After this explanation, although Chi Shui Chong didn’t fully believe her, he began to harbor some doubts.

First, he knew his daughter well; if she hadn’t genuinely believed there was a problem with the Clear Ripple Jade, she wouldn’t have been bold enough to destroy the divine jade. Second, inner demons should be overcome by oneself, not with external assistance. The immortal path was quiet and followed the cycle of cause and effect. The purpose of the Clear Ripple Jade was to take shortcuts, to avoid the steady cultivation of one’s heart. Wasn’t this also a deviant path?

Moreover, Chi Shui Chong glanced at his daughter kneeling obediently. In the past, when she made mistakes, she would either try to escape responsibility or blame others. This was the first time she had come forward to admit her mistake without implicating anyone else.

After her soul had returned to its place, she had developed a sense of responsibility.

Chi Shui Chong remained silent for a long time: “Even if I believe you, others won’t.”

Liu Shuang nodded: “I understand.”

This was precisely why she hadn’t told Chi Shui Chong about the problems with the Clear Ripple Jade but chose to destroy it directly. Because no one in the immortal clan would believe her, Chi Shui Chong, as the Realm Master, would have protected the Clear Ripple Jade out of duty. Kung Sang would have guarded the Clear Ripple Jade even more strictly, and she would have lost any chance to destroy it.

Now that the jade was gone, having eliminated the hidden danger to Kung Sang, she would accept any punishment.

Chi Shui Chong closed his eyes briefly and said to Liu Shuang, “Go kneel to the side.”

Before long, the ministers of Kung Sang arrived one after another. On their way, they had all heard about the Young Lord destroying the “divine jade,” and each was filled with righteous indignation.

“Realm Master, you cannot allow the Young Lord to act recklessly.”

“Indeed, if she dares to destroy the divine jade today, she might endanger Kung Sang tomorrow. Realm Master must not show favoritism.”

…

Chi Shui Chong sat on his celestial throne and calmly said: “By my decree, Chi Shui Liu Shuang has interfered with the Clear Ripple Jade, causing its destruction. Today, she is stripped of her title as Young Realm Master and sentenced to guard the Demon Suppression Tower for fifty years, not allowed to leave even one step outside.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers fell silent, looking at each other.

In the past, when the four seas were peaceful and the eight wildernesses were untroubled, various demons had bowed in submission. Only the Demon Suppression Tower remained as an extremely evil place in the world. Through the combined power of the Four Great Immortal Realms, all the great demons who had caused trouble were confined within this divine artifact.

Now, the Demon Suppression Tower was like purgatory. Being banished there, forget fifty years—with the Young Lord’s cultivation level, it was uncertain if she could survive even a few days.

After all, she was the sole heir of the Chi Shui Clan of Kung Sang.

“This punishment is too severe. Realm Master, please reconsider.”

“Yes, it would be sufficient to punish the Young Lord to reflect for a few days at Nine Thoughts Pond.”

“The Young Lord surely understands her mistake now. Realm Master need not be so harsh.”

The Realm Master looked toward Liu Shuang, who kowtowed and said softly: “Daughter accepts the punishment.”

“My decision is final. You may all leave; there’s no need to plead for her.” Chi Shui Chong said, “Liu Shuang, stay.”

After the ministers had dispersed, Chi Shui Chong came down and stroked Liu Shuang’s head: “Do you blame your father?”

Liu Shuang shook her head. Although she was also afraid of the Demon Suppression Tower, she trusted that Chi Shui Chong would not harm her.

Chi Shui Chong sighed, for the first time seeing her as a ruler who could shoulder Kung Sang’s future: “Father believes what you said is true. Liu Shuang, you didn’t do wrong. As a ruler, as long as one can keep the land safe, one can bear countless condemnations, even sacrifice for it. The great way is lonely; sometimes, a righteous deed will never be understood or forgiven. Only by punishing you most severely will others not harbor resentment, and may even sigh with sympathy for you. Father sending you to the Demon Suppression Tower is not to harm you; you will understand when the time comes. As for when you can leave—whether it’s fifty years or five months—everything depends on your destiny.”

Liu Shuang nodded, seemingly half-understanding.

“Go after the competition. You’ve just returned from Kun Lun; spend some time with your mother.” This was all he could do as a father and husband for his wife and daughter.

The news that the Young Lord had been punished to go to the Demon Suppression Tower spread throughout Kung Sang within days.

Yan Chaosheng was the last to know. At that time, his condition wasn’t good; his demon form had been awakened by the Clear Ripple Jade that Liu Shuang had given him.

As a snake demon who had grown up without parents, he had no original form or relatives, nor did he grow up like ordinary little snakes or reproduce like them.

But he knew the most basic common knowledge of his tribe.

Snake demons’ mating could last from several hours to several days.

The lustful snake in the mountains, during every mating season, would entangle with several female demons simultaneously, sometimes continuing for a full three days before stopping.

That day, after Yan Chaosheng consumed the Clear Ripple Stone, he felt something was wrong. He didn’t dare return to the bamboo house and went directly to the stream behind the mountain, sinking to the bottom.

However, it didn’t help. The awakening of his demon body meant that everything latent in his bones was awakened as well.

Bloodthirst, cruelty, and the snake clan’s inherent licentiousness.

As he sank to the bottom of the stream, only one sentence repeatedly echoed in his mind—she had said he could come find her anytime.

Yan Chaosheng swallowed hard and buried himself in the silt.

It couldn’t be; no one would like the snake clan. Among demon types, wolves were loyal, foxes were clever, tigers were brave and good at fighting, but snakes were different. They were cold-natured and despicable, their bodies perpetually cold, yet more licentious than all other demons, unrestrained and shameless.

Great demons of the snake clan would mate with multiple female demons simultaneously. Sometimes it wasn’t out of shameless licentiousness but because… few demon races could endure several days and nights of frenzied demands.

Moreover, beneath his clothes, he had lost the beautiful heart-protecting scale, leaving only black scales. Now, with the awakening of his demon body, these scales appeared even more unsightly.

Yan Chaosheng detested this part of himself and would never let her see it.

Burying himself in the silt didn’t help much, but fortunately, now that his cultivation had returned, Yan Chaosheng simply froze himself, forcefully awakening another instinct—changing the climate to enter hibernation.

For a full seven days, the experience was something he didn’t want to recall. Finally, on the seventh day, he crawled out of the stream and returned to the bamboo house.

Someone saw him and complained grumblingly: “Where have you been? Disappearing without taking leave—don’t you want to stay in Kung Sang anymore?”

Yan Chaosheng paused, then calmly said: “I apologize.”

“Forget it, forget it. With the big trouble in Kung Sang now, no one has time to deal with you.”

“What big trouble?”

Yan Chaosheng finally learned that Liu Shuang, for tampering with Kung Sang’s treasure, the Clear Ripple Jade, had been exiled to the Demon Suppression Tower for fifty years. She would depart in a few days, but before the competition, she was kneeling at Nine Thoughts Pond in reflection.

Before the disciple could finish gossiping, the young man with still-damp hair had vanished.

It was Yan Chaosheng’s second visit to Nine Thoughts Pond.

He remembered the last time he was thrown in here, filled with resentment and despair, almost wanting to devour Liu Shuang’s flesh and blood. Yet now, just a few short months later, he was voluntarily stepping into this place.

The surrounding pond water was tranquil and clear. On the lotus platform, the young woman was curled up, her ink-black hair spread over half the platform.

Her rosy cheeks were somewhat pale, her eyes tightly closed, her lips slightly pursed, looking aggrieved and pitiful.

This three-hundred-year-old little immortal now appeared utterly fragile, like a begonia flower that had just bloomed fully but was already wilting.

The lotus platform moved slightly with her breathing. She was sleeping deeply, her shoulders trembling lightly in her dreams.

Yan Chaosheng stood still. The place where his heart-protecting scale had been felt as if a hand was tightly squeezing it, making it difficult to breathe. The last time he had felt this way was when he was still weak and small, surrounded by a group of Daoists, just before the heavenly tribulation arrived.

That time, he had been closest to death.

But even that day did not make him as uncomfortable as this moment.

Sensing danger, Liu Shuang immediately became alert, meeting the young man’s pitch-black eyes.

That gaze, how to describe it? It sent chills down her spine, almost raising goosebumps. She saw that the lotus platform, previously occupied by her alone, now had Yan Chaosheng sitting across from her.

His complexion was dark and unsightly, looking as if… well, as if someone had desecrated his ancestors’ graves.

Yan Chaosheng was gloomy from head to toe, giving her the illusion that the person before her was the Demon Lord from seven hundred years later.

But she quickly realized this wasn’t the case—this was still that mentally unstable youth.

Because with that terrifying gaze, he took her hand and placed it somberly on his abdomen: “Young Lord, the Clear Ripple Stone is gone, but I have my core pill.”

“Oh.” Liu Shuang responded blankly. Everyone had a core pill—what was he getting at?

“I’ll dig out my core pill for you.” His voice was hoarse.

“…” See? It was still the crazy one. If someone wanted to dig out her spiritual marrow, she would smash their head.

Was he still half asleep, thinking life was too long?

“I don’t want it,” she said, trying to pull her hand back. The young man’s face darkened terribly as he held her hand like an iron clamp, preventing her from moving at all.

“You stole the Clear Ripple Jade for me. I refined the Clear Ripple Jade and can’t return it to you, so I can only give you my core pill.”

Liu Shuang’s spirit tensed, and she said, “That… I didn’t do it for you, it was for my selfish reasons.”

His gaze grew even more gloomy, tinged with heaviness: “Now I believe you’re serious.”

Liu Shuang nodded too. Yes, she had always been serious—serious about cultivation, serious about destroying the Clear Ripple Jade, serious about sending him away.

“Let go first…” Let go of me.

The young man’s body was ice-cold. Nine Thoughts Pond was already colder than other places. She had just temporarily assimilated the divine artifact her father had sent over and was already freezing. With his touch, her entire body felt unwell, trembling slightly.

The young man was gradually growing taller, developing the beginnings of a man’s form. His abdomen was firm with muscle. She didn’t like this about him at all and didn’t want to touch him—it was repulsive.

However, before she could finish speaking, Yan Chaosheng suddenly released her hand.

That delicate white hand was thrown back onto the lotus platform. Liu Shuang was stunned for a long while. Good grief, was he trying to provoke her?

These past few days, she had understood her father’s good intentions and knew that going to the Demon Suppression Tower would bring unexpected benefits. So, she had been quietly assimilating the power of the divine artifact her father had secretly sent. Her mother occasionally came to see her, and the mother and daughter had chatted happily. Liu Shuang had been in a very good mood and had just fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Now her good mood was completely ruined. After briefly assimilating the divine artifact’s power, her physical body had become fragile.

With that rough treatment, her palm had turned red.

Even allies shouldn’t bully her like this. Was the Young Lord of Kun Lun just for show?

“Yan Chaosheng!”

The young man’s expression was strange, the corners of his eyes flushed a beautiful red, his tone severe: “Chi Shui Liu Shuang, you’d better not come near! Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”

Liu Shuang angrily got up from the lotus platform. Was he looking for a fight? We’ll see who regrets it and begs for mercy! Before she could speak, Yan Chaosheng dove headfirst into the pond water.

Liu Shuang was so angry that she threw several thunder spells into the water, but the young man at the bottom showed no reaction.

After a long while, she peered suspiciously at the edge of the lotus platform: “Yan Chaosheng.”

Yan Chaosheng enunciated clearly: “Don’t speak anymore. I… will go to the Realm Master myself shortly to confess that I stole the Clear Ripple Jade. It has nothing to do with you.”

Liu Shuang said, “You’ll die that way.”

“Mm.”

Liu Shuang felt very tired: “You need to stay alive.” At least for now. Before, she had wanted to kill him every day but couldn’t; now, she had to prevent the young Demon Lord from seeking death in his mental instability every day.

She found it quite distressing. This ally was always holding her back: “If you die, many people won’t survive. I was the one who took the Clear Ripple Stone; you confessing would only ruin my plans.”

“…”

After a long while, the young man at the bottom of the pond flew out, somewhat disheveled as he walked away.

His black hair was wet from the water, water dripping from his eyelashes, yet he hadn’t used a cleaning spell. With his gloomy and silent demeanor, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked back.

“Young Lord, I will come to the Demon Suppression Tower to get you.”

Strangely enough, perhaps due to the rippling water creating an illusion, she heard a faint tenderness in Yan Chaosheng’s words.