The wind chimes beneath the eaves rang incessantly, signaling that the lady of the house was in mortal danger. These were restriction wards Yan Chaosheng had set up in Liu Shuang’s courtyard; they normally remained still, but would sound one after another once she was in danger. Yan Chaosheng carried Liu Shuang through the corridor back indoors and commanded, “Someone, prepare water.”

Shortly after, several ghost servants with lowered heads appeared from nowhere and quickly brought water. When Yan Chaosheng placed Liu Shuang in the hot water, her entire body had been corroded by ghost energy, with frost nearly forming on her eyelashes.

Yan Chaosheng’s face remained cold as he spread his five fingers, drawing the ghost energy from her body. She trembled slightly from the cold, and only after a good while did she begin to feel the warmth of the hot water.

Without a word, Yan Chaosheng moved his fingers slightly, and Liu Shuang’s clothes tore apart, finally allowing her to be completely submerged in the water.

Yan Chaosheng’s cold, domineering gaze from above made Liu Shuang feel slightly afraid. She had never seen him so angry before, not even when she had challenged his boundaries by trespassing into Xiang Zedian.

The man’s long, pale hand caressed her neck. “If you don’t want this life, I can help end it for you. Why bother standing in the ghost rain? It would save me the trouble of rescuing you.”

He smiled faintly, a cold smile filled with a fearsome chill. “Answer me, do you still want to live?”

Liu Shuang couldn’t help feeling scared, vaguely understanding that this was the mercurial, ruthless, and cruel Demon Lord everyone feared—the reason so many people dreaded him.

She had liked him before, believing Yan Chaosheng liked her too, and so she had been fearless and unrestrained. But today, her helplessness made her see clearly that this man, before being her husband, was the Demon Lord whose name made people throughout the Eight Wildernesses tremble.

His anger was so evident that, although the hand on her neck exerted no pressure at all, Liu Shuang still felt suffocated.

After a hundred years of marriage, for the first time, she feared him.

Liu Shuang moved her lips, and under his interrogating gaze, she instinctively wanted to explain that she only wanted to protect her home in the Ghost Domain, not deliberately stand in the ghost rain to summon him back, or to seek death out of despair.

But she couldn’t make a sound, her teeth chattering.

All her fears seemed to gather in this moment—the fear from earlier in the day, and the helplessness of nearly facing death just now.

She breathed rapidly, feeling she might die unjustly.

Yan Chaosheng’s gaze remained cold as he watched her. His fingers slowly tightened. Liu Shuang thought she would truly be strangled like this and instinctively struggled to pry his hand away. Unexpectedly, his fingertips emitted a soft white light that covered her slender neck, transmitting a warm sensation.

Liu Shuang’s hand, which was about to touch Yan Chaosheng’s, froze in mid-air. He was healing her wound.

Looking at his stern countenance, for some reason, she felt a surge of bitter sorrow.

Yan Chaosheng lifted her chin and saw that the glaring wound on her body had disappeared.

She had lost weight at some point. He remembered when he first met Liu Shuang a hundred years ago—her eyes were as clear as water grapes, and her cheeks still had a touch of baby fat. Now her cheeks had thinned, making her more strikingly beautiful, but the joy in her eyes had diminished, replaced by fear that even he could detect.

She was afraid of him.

His movement paused.

This was the first time Yan Chaosheng had seen Liu Shuang afraid of him. Outside, he was venomous and domineering; the Eight Wildernesses never lacked people who feared him, and Yan Chaosheng had grown accustomed to this. Even Fu Hang and Su Lun were no exception. Only she had never feared him, always wanting to nestle in his arms at every opportunity.

Now, her clear eyes also showed fear—fear born from a lack of trust.

She feared him, actually believing he would kill her.

He slowly released his hand and stepped back.

Calming down, it was easy to understand everything—why she would brave the strong winds and ghost rain to appear in the courtyard. She wasn’t deliberately defying him or refusing to explain; it was an instinctive reaction under his imposing pressure.

Her true form was a small immortal herb, instinctively afraid of him, like a rabbit facing a giant beast, trembling, teeth chattering, unable to utter a word of explanation.

Yan Chaosheng lowered his cold eyelids and swept out of the room.

After he left, Liu Shuang finally felt the warmth of the room, her stiff limbs able to move again. From the water, she saw her reflection—the wound on her neck had disappeared, restored to its fair and tender state.

But Liu Shuang knew her real wound wasn’t on her neck, but beneath her third rib, in her heart.

Liu Shuang bathed herself, washing away the ghost rain. After dressing, she came out, thinking Yan Chaosheng had already left. To her surprise, under the night-luminous pearl, Yan Chaosheng was still there.

He stood at the window where she often gazed out, his overwhelming spiritual power flowing toward the courtyard.

For some reason, Liu Shuang suddenly felt nervous. She held her breath and watched as, under Yan Chaosheng’s palm, the seasons gradually revived—decayed plants sprouted new branches and leaves, the phoenix tree regained its vitality, and fire-red blossoms opened in the silent night, unusually vibrant.

The glazed lamps in the corridor emitted a warm glow, and a transparent barrier silently appeared above this small world.

Her courtyard had returned, no—this time, it wouldn’t be damaged even by the heaviest ghost rain.

Liu Shuang looked at Yan Chaosheng with some bewilderment.

At some point, Yan Chaosheng had withdrawn his hand and was now lying on the couch. Still in his dark robes, his pale skin appeared cold, maintaining that inherently aloof demeanor.

Seeing her watching him, he opened his eyes and said coolly, “Had enough looking? Come to bed. Next time you run out in the middle of the night into the ghost rain, you might as well go straight to the Thousand Blade Pond.”

She didn’t approach, standing in place. When she spoke, her fingers twisted tightly, squeezing so hard that the sorrow in her heart nearly overflowed.

“My lord, if you don’t like me, you needn’t do these things for me. You know I’m not as clever as Lord Su Lun, able to see through people’s hearts.”

He let out a cold laugh, swept his sleeve, and pulled her down into his embrace.

“Are you so idle all day that you have time to think of these nonsensical things?” Yan Chaosheng said. “I don’t know from whose mouth you heard about Mi Chu, but you should understand this: no matter how despicable I may be, I have no interest in stealing another man’s consort.”

It took Liu Shuang a moment to realize that Yan Chaosheng was, in his way, explaining.

Her heart fluctuated up and down, and after a long while, she couldn’t help but ask, “Then why did you bring her back? And why is Xiang Zedian listed as a forbidden area?”

Yan Chaosheng snorted, turning Liu Shuang so that she was lying on top of him.

“When I found her, she had already jumped into the Eternal Mirror. That thing leads to the mortal realm; if I hadn’t pulled her out, she would have likely lost her soul. Her father once did me a favor, and I swore on my heart demon that one day, when in a position of power, I would look after her.” He paused, then added, “She doesn’t want to return to the Heavenly Realm. Letting her stay in the Ghost Domain isn’t a long-term solution either. Once her soul is stabilized, I’ll send her away.”

If daytime had been a nightmare, now it felt like being in a beautiful dream.

Her heart and body reflected her joy faster than her consciousness could. She smiled, her eyes curving as she embraced Yan Chaosheng’s lean waist. Her bright eyes reflected the light of the glazed lamps, like slowly rising stars.

He covered her eyes, his tone harsh and gloomy: “Control that look in your eyes. This lord hasn’t settled accounts with you yet for getting soaked in the rain tonight.”

Though he said this, she now felt warm and no longer afraid.

At that time, Liu Shuang hadn’t fully understood that liking someone meant experiencing life and death, joy and sorrow, all at once. Her happiness and sadness were intricately connected with another person, linked by countless threads. If you like a good person, you’ll be safe and happy; if you fall in love with someone heartless, you’re destined for hardship.

The stone weighing heavily on her heart seemed to fall away in an instant.

Fatigue from the ghost energy invading her body washed over her. She couldn’t even remove Yan Chaosheng’s hand to see what expression lay beneath his cold tone.

As drowsiness made her hazy and nearly unconscious, urgent footsteps echoed from the corridor.

Someone knocked on the window lattice.

“Your Majesty, the Demon Lord, my mistress is still in pain even after consuming the Spirit-Gathering Snow Lotus. Please save her.”

Half-asleep, Liu Shuang didn’t know if the voice was from a dream or reality. She instinctively tightened her grip on Yan Chaosheng’s sleeve.

A low laugh came from above her.

That person spoke in an unrestrained, cold tone: “Where are the ghost generals? Since when is this lord’s bedchamber a place anyone can intrude upon at will?”

Outside, the maid Xiao Qiu’s face turned deathly pale. Soon after, ghost generals took Xiao Qiu away.

Yan Chaosheng looked at the curled figure in his arms, reached out to touch her soft, pale cheek, then realized what he was doing. His eyes darkened, turning cold. With a wave of his hand, the night-luminous pearls in the room all lost their light.

That night was the most peaceful sleep Liu Shuang had had since he left for war three months ago.

Su Lun had been uneasy, but early the next morning, he saw Mi Chu’s maid Xiao Qiu kneeling outside the hall.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtfully glanced at Liu Shuang’s bedchamber, and his smile deepened.

“What is Fairy Xiao Qiu doing? If others saw this, they might think our Ghost Domain was neglecting its guests.”

Seeing him, Xiao Qiu instinctively bit her lip. She couldn’t quite explain why, but she always felt that this humble and respectful man seemed to see through everything, making her uneasy.

“My mistress’s soul remains unstable. I fear something might happen to her, so I came to seek guidance from His Majesty the Demon Lord.”

“I see.” Su Lun opened his folding fan. “Then you’ve come to the wrong person. Currently, all the soul-stabilizing treasures and spirit medicines from both the Demon Realm and Ghost Domain have been given by the Demon Lord to Heavenly Consort Mi Chu. If these aren’t working, I fear even the Demon Lord is powerless.”

“This servant was just anxious and confused. My mistress hasn’t awakened, and with my limited magical powers, I fear she might perish in her unstable soul state.”

Su Lun smiled and said, “Fairy Xiao Qiu need not worry. Even if her soul were to scatter completely, the Demon Lord would surely find a way to reconstitute it. Fairy Xiao Qiu is as beautiful as flowers and jade, with an immortal body. Kneeling here might be too much for you and could anger the Demon Lord. Listen to my advice and return to your mistress’s side.”

The ghost crow cawed several times. Xiao Qiu felt somewhat embarrassed under his mocking gaze.

The day had already dawned in the Ghost Domain, yet His Majesty the Demon Lord had not yet emerged. Xiao Qiu knew her mission had failed. Fearing that staying longer would be counterproductive, she stood up and curtseyed to Su Lun: “This servant will follow Lord Su Lun’s advice.”

Su Lun raised an eyebrow, cultured and refined, smiling without a word.

After Xiao Qiu left, Su Lun remained standing outside the palace until Yan Chaosheng emerged from the bedchamber. By then, he had been standing there for quite some time.

Yan Chaosheng saw him: “Something to report?”

Su Lun bowed, glanced at the phoenix tree so tall that it towered over the palace, and smiled: “If this servant is not mistaken, this tree has already died, hasn’t it? Is Your Majesty using an illusion?”

Yan Chaosheng said, “If you’ve come just to spout such nonsense, this lord will arrange a good assignment for you—guarding the Ten Thousand Burning Tower.”

The Ten Thousand Burning Towers imprisoned a group of ancient, powerful demons, all rebellious and disloyal. With Su Lun’s cultivation level, going in would likely mean coming out as a skeleton.

Su Lun’s smile froze, and he quickly said: “This servant naturally has important matters to report. This morning, General Fu Hang nearly killed me. Some of the demon envoys refused to leave, saying they had urgent matters to report, and all flocked to General Fu Hang. As Your Majesty knows, this year is a Yin Year—the mortal realm suffers disasters, the Ghost Domain is filled with grim ghost energy, and last night even saw ghost rain. In the Demon Realm, many great demons are restless. It seems that since Your Majesty hasn’t returned to the Demon Realm for many years, some have harbored disloyal thoughts and have been making covert moves.”

Yan Chaosheng’s lips curled, but his eyes showed no mirth, only spreading coldness: “This lord hasn’t returned for many years, and they’ve likely forgotten how the Ten Thousand Burning Tower was built. A bunch of cowards who want to rebel but dare not.”

Su Lun also looked down on those people, but individually, each was a world-damaging great demon who couldn’t be ignored.

Yan Chaosheng said, “For these demon envoys lingering in the Ghost Domain, have them learn from mortals and write memorials. When finished, have Fu Hang bring them to me, and this lord will review them at leisure.”

Su Lun cupped his hands and bowed: “Yes.”

Demons and ghost cultivators weren’t accustomed to such procedures, but sometimes one had to admit that mortal methods were efficient and practical.

After handling official business, Su Lun also reported what he had seen with Xiao Qiu earlier.

Yan Chaosheng did not comment.

“The reason why Heavenly Consort Mi Chu jumped into the Eternal Mirror remains unknown. But this servant knows that after a hundred years, Your Majesty’s state of mind differs from when you married the Lady.”

Yan Chaosheng said, “Are you suggesting I’ve developed genuine feelings for her?”

Before Su Lun could speak, he seemed to find it amusing and chuckled softly. His tone was gentle but permeated with an inexplicable chilliness and danger: “Su Lun, do what you should and don’t be too clever for your good. Do you know what the Ancient Xiang You bloodline is?”

The Ancient Xiang You bloodline, also known as Xiang Liu. Nine-headed serpent demons, ferocious and cold-blooded. They loved bloodshed, excelled at disguise, were cold and venomous, decisive and merciless, and extremely difficult to move emotionally. No descendant of Xiang You would ever wholeheartedly love another person.

Half of Yan Chaosheng’s bloodline came from Xiang You.

Su Lun glanced at the towering phoenix tree and sighed inwardly. What is seen is an illusion, what is said is a falsehood. You respond to her love with pretense.

Hopefully, when the day comes to remember today’s scene, there will be no regrets.