After this, my brother often returned to the immortal realm, while Yinze stayed with me constantly, living in Suozhao for two months. During these two months, we were inseparable day and night: I brought him to taste Suozhao’s food and wine—he particularly loved stir-fried fluffy tail meat and Xuanqiu aged wine, with tastes so heavy they ran counter to his appearance; we went to the library together, where he bought all the literary collections of the “Five Masters of Suozhao” and finished reading them all in one day; he was very interested in Suozhao’s ice carving art and even taught himself to make many ice sculptures, half of which were in my likeness…

Besides this, I was always learning from him. He taught me many principles of governing a country, warning me that the nation should be based on its people, with virtue as the foundation and wealth as secondary. When drought struck, one should follow the rains to bring relief. For the solitary Yinze to say “the nation should be based on its people” seemed strange, yet was perfectly normal. After all, he was a Divine Lord.

After being with him, I read less on my own—he would force me to read books together with him. We read ancient immortal realm texts that, though interesting, were quite obscure and slow to read like a snail. Knowing he read quickly, I would anxiously try to find other things to do, but he would hold my face and explain word by word.

His calligraphy was exquisite. When he taught me hand by hand, I experienced what it meant to see dragons and snakes moving, coiling, and striking like startling lightning.

Being with him, even when he didn’t actively teach me, I could “steal lessons” in many things. For example, before sleeping, he always liked to use magic to create a block of solid ice in his boots, making them perfectly stretched, so that when he woke the next day, his shoes would look brand new. His constant, elegant, and proper appearance was inseparable from such life habits.

In short, the longer I spent with Yinze, the more I could feel the benefits of being with him. Not only was it blissful, but I often felt myself rapidly becoming a mature and outstanding person.

Oh, we also participated in Pearl Gathering Day and joined group hunts together.

Suozhao’s hunting was quite interesting—riding flying birds or beasts, shooting small water bags in the forest. When the water bags approached wild animals, we’d use water manipulation to turn them into ice blocks, piercing the animals’ vital points to give them a quick death. In the evenings, we often sat by Luoshui appreciating the moon and strolling through the city’s interconnected streets.

At such times, the streets were always filled with couples, and we were just the most ordinary pair among them. One evening, we even encountered Second Sister and Kongshu in disguise on the street. The sisters exchanged smiles and then teased each other.

Of course, ginger gets spicier with age—no matter how much I said, Second Sister silenced me with one question: “When will you two marry?” She left comfortably, leaving only me to face Yinze in embarrassment.

“Don’t take Second Sister’s words seriously,” I scratched my head. “I won’t marry you.”

Yinze said, “Why don’t you want to?”

“Just having you accompany me is enough. Whether we marry or not isn’t important. This is all for your good.”

“You keep saying it’s for my good, but I don’t see how any of it benefits me. If we don’t marry, what about children? Should children call out ‘father’ and ‘mother’ when their parents aren’t husband and wife?”

“Then, of course, we can’t have children either.”

He laughed instead of getting angry: “I treat you so well, yet you won’t even bear children for me—truly my good Wei’er.”

I waved my hands repeatedly: “No, no. Of course, I’m willing, it’s just that I won’t live long. If you marry me, after a happy hundred years, you’d be a widower for a thousand years. If we add children, and the children are half-spirits… it isn’t worth it. The mother’s bloodline is also very important, isn’t it?”

The ice wheel showed no favoritism, illuminating thousands of li. In the sky, Suozhao people danced, looking at the moon, their shadows on the ground overlapping and swaying with falling flowers.

After a long while, Yinze slowly spoke: “Just because you think you won’t live long, you don’t want to leave any trace in my life, is that it?”

“This… I just don’t want you to feel pain when seeing objects that remind you of me or when scenes trigger sad memories.”

“Do you think I haven’t considered these problems? Before you returned to Suozhao, at White Emperor Mountain, I asked you some questions—I wonder if you still remember.”

His words were hard to forget, even if I wanted to. At that time, he said some things I found unbearable might be a thousand times harder for others. After all, when people die, they have no more worries—it’s the living who suffer… Thinking of this, I suddenly looked up: “At that time, were you referring to my lifespan?”

“Yes.”

“Yinze…” My brow was practically twisted into a knot.

“From that moment, I understood. So even if you could only live two days, I would still marry you as my wife.” He spoke plainly, yet with unusual firmness that brooked no argument.

Hearing this broke my heart. I stepped forward and tightly hugged his waist. He embraced me back, but with extremely light force, very carefully, as if I might disappear the next moment: “Don’t say such things anymore, understand?”

He sounded very tired and cautious—my words had probably made him uncomfortable. I wiped all my snot and tears on his chest, whimpering like a child who had made a mistake: “Yinze, I’m sorry. I just like you too much and don’t know what to do, how to make you happier, how to owe you less. I don’t know…”

“Just maintaining things as they are is fine.” He smoothed my head, gently stroking my hair. “I know you can’t leave Suozhao and can’t return to the upper realm with me now. However, after we marry and you and Second Sister both have heirs, Suozhao can be handed over to them. Then you’ll be my wife and can return to the divine realm with me. By then, perhaps all problems will have solutions.”

I was overjoyed, grabbing his collar and looking up at him expectantly: “Really? When can I marry? Next year or the year after?”

“If we marry then, do you want to enter the door with a big belly?”

“Wait! Wait!” I said anxiously. “Enter the door with a big belly? Why?”

“Given our current frequency of sharing a bed, if you’re not pregnant by then, am I still a man?”

I cried out mournfully: “It won’t be that fast—I’m completely unprepared…”

Yinze kissed my lips and said softly, “Our child will surely be very adorable.”

I first felt dizzy and confused, then shook my head: “This isn’t about whether it’s adorable or not!”

“Then why? Are you still unwilling?”

“Of course I’m willing! You treat me so well.”

“Then that’s settled.” Yinze smiled faintly and whispered in my ear: “Knowing your goodness, I offer my mixed precepts in return.”

Then he took my hand and slipped something cool onto my thumb. Looking down, it was the jade ring he’d always worn on his right hand. Though he’d never said so, I knew this was something very important to him. I stared for a long time, then suddenly looked up at him.

At this moment, the quiet night unfolded a landscape painting, depicting a scene of Moon City: the round moon falling on spring trees, dark birds passing through courtyards, withered flowers like red clothes lightly draped on pedestrians’ shoulders. At the center of this painting was my devastatingly handsome beloved.

I fingered the ring, picked fallen petals from his shoulder, and leaned against his chest with burning cheeks.

At this moment, even blinking felt difficult—all my strength was consumed by sweetness, leaving only breath for breathing.

Indeed, from the moment I fell in love with Yinze, I had always feared my short lifespan would become the greatest obstacle between us. From the moment we fell in love, I worried he would one day be lonely after losing me. But fate played a great joke on us.

Because such worries never came to pass.

We had originally decided to return to the immortal realm in half a month to marry, but three days later, three uninvited guests arrived: Lord Kaixuan brought Immortal Lord Huangdao and Ruyue Weng to attack Suozhao for the second time. Coincidentally, my brother also returned to Suozhao that day. Without even needing Yinze to act, I assisted my brother in thoroughly defeating these three scoundrels.

These three were truly vicious beyond measure—having already destroyed our family last time, they dared come again. Lord Kaixuan was a hypocrite: he was the most provocative when entering Suozhao, but also the first to flee when he realized things were going wrong.

Regrettably, Immortal Lord Huangdao was somewhat difficult to handle. We were busy fighting him and couldn’t catch Lord Kaixuan. However, seeing my brother’s Purple Void sword dancing in the air, striking those two men down in one blow, I felt immensely gratified. Finally, we captured Immortal Lord Huangdao and Ruyue Weng alive and brought them before Second Sister.

What greatly surprised us was that as soon as he was brought in, Immortal Lord Huangdao glanced at Yinze, immediately bit something in his mouth, rolled his eyes back, spat blood, and died. Only Ruyue Weng remained, trembling like a wrinkled old rat.

Second Sister and I felt the same extreme hatred for Ruyue Weng’s vicious old face. She heavily slapped her chair back and angrily said: “Shameless wretch! You killed my parents and dare to attack Suozhao again! I’ll kill you today!”

“Your Majesty, please wait. I have questions for him.” Yinze stepped forward, looking down at him condescendingly. The water pattern marks on both sides of his cheekbones appeared briefly, then quickly faded. “Speak—who ordered you to come?”

Ruyue Weng suddenly understood the current situation and wanted to commit suicide, but heard Yinze say: “Immortal Lord Huangdao—I wonder how history will record him as a cowardly creature. But he definitely can’t keep his whole corpse. Wei’er, feed him to Xuanyue later.”

I said, dissatisfied: “Xuanyue doesn’t eat dirty things. Feed him to dogs—Suozhao’s dogs love eating hearts and lungs. I just fear this old fellow doesn’t have those two things.”

Ruyue Weng’s legs trembled and he fell directly to his knees: “Yin… no, Ancestor, please show mercy and leave this lowly immortal a whole corpse. This lowly immortal was also deceived by that Lord Kaixuan’s divisive schemes—I regret it deeply now…”

“Stop talking nonsense. Who ordered you?”

Ruyue Weng looked around, seeming reluctant to speak openly. Yinze took him outside the hall. Second Sister walked over and whispered in confusion: “Weiwei, why is Ruyue Weng so afraid of Yinze? Could he be some high immortal, even higher ranking than Chenzhi?”

I nodded: “Pretty much.”

“How do you write Yinze’s name? Why do I find it so familiar?”

I honestly wrote those two characters in her palm. Second Sister pondered for a long time, then suddenly turned pale: “My god!!”

“Shh… he doesn’t like to make a show.”

Second Sister covered her chest, gasping: “What kind of joke is this? Have you gone mad? You want to marry the Cangying God? He’s… he’s… he’s our faith in Suozhao! You marrying him is just too…”

While Second Sister was still in shock, Yinze returned from interrogating Ruyue Weng and used magic to throw him at my feet: “Wei’er, kill him. But since he answered my questions honestly, don’t feed him to dogs.”

Of course, I wouldn’t easily kill anyone, leaving it to Second Sister to decide. Second Sister had Yinze destroy his immortal body, permanently remove his immortal status, demote him to a mortal old man, and throw him in Suozhao’s dungeon to await death.

We were lamenting that one person had escaped when guards reported that Lord Kaixuan had fled to Luoshui and been caught by a group of citizens. The people had long held grudges against him—they rushed over and beat him to death with random sticks. Later, they carried Lord Kaixuan’s corpse into the hall. Indeed, he was swollen like a pig’s head, covered in spit and rotten vegetables, with only his outline barely recognizable.

We searched his body and found the Mixed Origin Banner and Immortal-Slaying Sword. Yinze said, “Strange, these are both Zixiu’s things—how did they end up in his hands?”

I said: “Zixiu? Who is Zixiu?”

Fu Chenzhi said, “The Demon Lord.”

“Demon Lord? Impossible—Lord Kaixuan is so weak, how could he defeat the Demon Lord?”

Yinze hooked his finger, and another copper bell flew out from Lord Kaixuan’s chest. He observed the bell for a while, then looked at those two primordial spiritual treasures: “I understand now. Lord Kaixuan was Zixiu’s man. This copper bell is his magical treasure for communicating with Zixiu. The Immortal-Slaying Sword can summon poisonous dragons—it’s a weapon to protect the Mixed Origin Banner. And this Mixed Origin Banner contains what Zixiu wanted him to guard.”

I suddenly understood: “So that’s how it is. All these years, I always thought Lord Kaixuan was just a despicable person who coveted wealth and glory. I never imagined he was a demon realm spy.”

Fu Chenzhi said, “What his purpose was, we’ll know once we go inside and investigate.”

Entering the interior of the Mixed Origin Banner again, the scene was not much different from last time. I said, “Is this the demon realm?”

Yinze said, “Not necessarily the demon realm, but built by the demon clan. Let’s go in and see.”

This time with Yinze and my brother present, I wasn’t as afraid as last time. Passing through gate after gate, we went deeper and deeper. Finally, our vision opened up, and a void palace appeared before us. This palace was deep purple overall, covering hundreds of acres. High towers rose in the northeast, vermilion ridges were built in the southwest, with carved beams and painted pillars, full of flying canopies. However, looking around, in the vast square, there was only one beast.

The beast had deep blue long fur, crystal red eyes, looked like a tiger with dragon whiskers and tail. Its tail twisted like a snake, and its entire body emanated dark, sinister qi.

Fu Chenzhi said, “Why is there a Taowu here?”

“Taowu…” Yinze murmured. “This is Zixiu’s territory. In the demon realm, only he loves raising Taowu.”

Taowu, together with Taotie, Hundun, and Qiongqi, comprised the four great ancient fierce beasts. Placed here, it was definitely to resist foreign enemies. Logically, we were already close to it—it sat directly facing us, yet showed no reaction. I remembered the crazed woman I encountered here last time, who also passed directly through my body. Could this time be the same situation?

I told them about this. After thinking, Yinze said: “It seems everything we see here are illusions. Let’s go in and look.”

Then we entered the massive palace before us. This palace had no guards or sentries, only palace maids. Like the Taowu, they couldn’t see our existence at all. They wore deep blue painted skirts, moving in files through the dark, splendid palace, carrying gold pearls, jade hairpins, silks, and satins. It appeared that a woman lived in this palace.

We followed the direction of their procession and finally found a bedchamber. But before entering, we heard screaming from inside: “Ahhhh—give him back to me! Give him back! Give my child back to me!!”

Then a woman with disheveled hair rushed out, trying to escape the palace, but was surrounded by powerful fire light and dragged back into the bedchamber. Following them in, we discovered another figure inside.

It was a man wearing dark magnificent robes and a dragon crown, with gold ornaments and purple pendants, lips pale as water, but beautiful deep purple eyes.

He forcibly pressed the woman onto the bed without courtesy, yet spoke in a voice as gentle as coaxing a child: “Being disobedient again. Lie here obediently and recover your health. I’ll come to see you often.”

The woman didn’t appreciate it, pushing him away as if he were a venomous snake or fierce beast, trembling stubbornly: “Let me out! Let me out! I don’t want to see you!”

Yinze said, “Zixiu, it is him, then—” His gaze shifted to the struggling woman at the bedside.

“This person is Zixiu?” My brother had been curious, but seeing the woman on the bed, he cried out softly: “…Mother?”

Yinze moved closer, saying in amazement: “Shangyan.”

This woman was Shangyan? Wasn’t she dead? How could she appear here? Could everything before us be phantoms of the past? Or had she never died? But last time she had looked so elegant and refined—now she was like a crazed demon. What had happened in between…

My brother flew forward shouting, “Demon! Release my mother!”

Of course, no magic worked on these two phantoms—the sword my brother swung passed right through Zixiu’s chest. Yinze said, “It’s useless.”

Zixiu pressed down Shangyan’s wrists, his black hair falling on her like a clear stream: “Yanyan, have you made enough trouble? When you’re done, rest well.”

Shangyan seemed bewitched, her eyes still blood red, but tears seeped from the corners: “Give him back, give me Tianheng back… I can’t live without him…” The rest of her words disappeared in Zixiu’s kiss.

Fu Chenzhi knelt beside the bed, unable to rescue his mother, only clenching his fists with red eye sockets: “Master, what’s happening? Are these my mother’s memories from when she was alive? Didn’t you say she died of illness? Why would she fall into the Demon Lord’s hands and suffer his defilement…”

Shangyan’s tears fell like streams down her cheeks, soaking the gold-embroidered pillow. Zixiu’s actions were heartless, yet he appeared more tender than anyone. He carefully kissed Shangyan, kissing away her tears. Seeing this, I noticed Yinze frowning and looking away, apparently unable to bear watching.

I knew Shangyan was no longer in this world, and I knew Yinze had once loved her, but only now did I realize I was a selfish, despicable person. Even his momentary remembrance of her, this brief absent-mindedness, filled me with bitter resentment.

Seeing Yinze’s silence while Zixiu continued kissing Shangyan tenderly, my brother trembled with rage, stood up, and strode toward the door: “I’m going to kill Zixiu!”

Yinze said, “You probably can’t kill him.”

My brother stopped, gripping his sword hilt: “A gentleman’s revenge may take ten years. I’m no match for him now, but someday I can defeat him.”

“I don’t mean you can’t kill him—I mean you mustn’t kill him. Anyone can kill him, just not you.”

“Why?”

“He’s your father.”

Hearing this, both my brother and I were shocked. As if unable to bear this fact, my brother’s body swayed, his lips dry: “Impossible. I’m an immortal, he’s a demon—how could he be my father?”

Yinze said, “You’re half-demon, half-god. Since birth, your body has been sealed by Shangyan.”

So after sealing my brother’s divine and demonic qi, he appeared no different from ordinary immortals. When Zhaohua Ji carried a newborn child, the gods all thought it was the result of illicit relations with a mortal. Therefore, she lived incognito with my brother in the immortal realm. People thought she was too ashamed to show her face, and rumors said she committed suicide from shame. But no one knew the real reason was that the child’s father was the Demon Lord Zixiu.

Since ancient times, divine-demon children who didn’t fall into the demonic path but remained in the divine realm would only face heavenly punishment with no chance of survival. Zhaohua Ji did this only to preserve my brother’s life. However, due to excessive grief, her health deteriorated daily, often bedridden. Knowing she wouldn’t live much longer, she abandoned my brother with a Daoist family in Jiuzhou.

Sixty years ago, Shangyan came alone to Suozhao and spent her final years there. Learning of her death, Yinze never approached Suozhao again.

In recent years, as my brother aged and his power grew, the seal could no longer suppress his demonic qi, hence the two episodes of madness I witnessed. Yinze was taking him to the divine realm only to use greater power in the upper realm to seal his demonic qi.

Learning the truth about my brother’s origins left both him and me somewhat unable to process it. But what truly surprised us was Zixiu’s next words: “Stop crying. Tianheng is now in the immortal realm, already an Immortal Lord. He’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

The three of us looked at each other, stunned and speechless.

Yinze looked back at Shangyan, a trace of joy in his eyes: “I understand—this place is a parallel phantom of another realm. This other realm is the entrance to the demon realm, truly located where Suozhao used to be. Chenzhi, your mother is still alive.”

“You mean… sixty years ago, when my mother came to Suozhao, she didn’t die but was imprisoned by Zi… my father in the demon realm passage near Suozhao?”

“Correct. Shangyan loved Suozhao very much—Zixiu surely couldn’t bear to destroy it, but feared others might enter and discover her, so he had Lord Kaixuan guard Suozhao. However, Lord Kaixuan wanted to claim Suozhao for himself, so he told Immortal Lord Huangdao and Ruyue Weng that water demons lived here, controlled by the demon realm, and showed them evidence of the demon realm entrance. Thus came the disaster of Wei’er’s childhood.”

I said indignantly: “Lord Kaixuan was truly detestable!”

Yinze said, “Later, when Immortal Lord Huangdao saw Wei’er’s father perform the Flowing Water Shadow Exchange technique, he discovered Suozhao was built by me. He said even if they couldn’t find the divine-demon entrance, just capturing a Suozhao citizen and proving to the Heavenly Emperor that he knew my techniques would make the Heavenly Emperor believe I was secretly cultivating power, and someday Suozhao would be found.”

So that’s it—I remember before Suozhao moved, I did hear Immortal Lord Huangdao say “I discovered something interesting”—this is what he meant.

I said: “But weren’t they targeting the demon realm? Why did it involve you?”

“Ruyue Weng confessed earlier—he and Immortal Lord Huangdao’s superior are another divine lord from the Water Domain Heaven. He’s also from water god origins and has always disliked me, constantly wanting to overthrow me.”

I worried: “Are you in danger then?”

“No problem. He’s disliked me for thousands of years. It’s Chenzhi we should worry about—since your mother is still alive, we must rescue her.”

“Yes, we must save her!” My brother said urgently. “Master, you must help me.”

“Alright.”

They strode toward the door. I quickly followed, but heard Shangyan let out a soft sob. All three stopped and looked back again. The red in Shangyan’s eyes had faded.

After regaining consciousness, her face was covered in tears. Unwilling to meet Zixiu’s gaze, she said weakly: “Zixiu, how long do you intend to torment me like this?”

“You’re my wife. You won’t live with me, won’t follow your husband’s lead, or teach children together—that’s one thing. But saying that being together day and night is torment. Yanyan, being so heartless and fickle, hurts me.”

“Enough—we severed all ties long ago.” Shangyan was much calmer now, just speaking in tones of despair, lifeless. “Now I only regret disappointing Yinze back then. If given another chance, I would choose him.”

“Never imagined that just because he built you a moon-viewing city, you’d miss him so much. If you like it, I’ll build ten moon-facing cities for you.”

Shangyan laughed mockingly: “Our daily interactions, our most sincere emotions—how could you, a demon who recognizes no family, understand?”

Zixiu paused, his violet pupils contracting slightly, then smiled: “No matter—regretting now is a bit late. Yinze and I are mortal enemies. What I’ve used, no matter how beautiful, he wouldn’t be interested in.”

Seeing Shangyan still unmoved, he gripped her chin. Though smiling, he was quite dangerous: “Shangyan, I’ve never been this patient with any woman. You’d better not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. If I hear another man’s name from your mouth again…”

He didn’t continue, just squinted and shook her chin before turning to leave.

After being with Yinze, this was the first time I felt genuinely afraid. All because of Shangyan’s words: “If given another chance, I would choose him.” Though there was no obvious evidence, I didn’t know what kind of past they shared, and Yinze left no comment whatsoever. He just patted my brother’s shoulder, urging him to leave and rescue Shangyan.

Wanting to save my brother’s mother, I truly understood that. But why did it have to be like this…

Throughout, Yinze never looked at me once. As if forgetting someone else was here, they just walked straight out.

I stood dazedly in place. Just as I was about to leave, I saw Shangyan sit up from the bed and begin grooming herself before the mirror.

Candlelight swayed red, shadows hazy. Shangyan remained expressionless throughout, cold as ice and frost, yet more enchanting than ordinary girls standing amid ten li of peach and plum blossoms in brilliant laughter. Previously, the only time I’d seen Shangyan was also in a phantom. I only remembered her devastating beauty, but forgot her appearance.

Finally, I understood the deeper meaning in Goddess Qingwu’s words before departure. From the first time she saw Goddess Qingwu, she had praised my looks and treated me with extreme kindness afterward. I was puzzled then—the divine realm shouldn’t lack beautiful people, so why did she single me out? Thinking carefully, she was a clever person, probably just wanting to please Yinze.

Beauty in the mirror, old comb in cloud-like hair. The distance between Shangyan and me remained as vast as heaven from earth.

If I had to say we shared some connection, perhaps it was six or seven parts resemblance in features. If I had to name another link between Shangyan and me, it was that Yinze mentioned Shangyan died sixty years ago, and I happened to be sixty years old.

I had thought Divine Lord Yinze was unfeeling, but didn’t know he was far more devoted than I.

I had lived only sixty years, while his heavy longing had lasted far more than sixty years.

He didn’t even need to say a word—these past days, every deep gaze during passionate moments, every night’s lingering at the neck, that confession that burned even breath to ash on that rainy night, that touching gentle smile under the peach blossoms years ago—all had told me how deep this feeling ran.

Compared to this, my short decade of love and hate was truly overreaching myself.