Er Sheng clung to Chang Yuan, crying so pitifully it was hard to watch. At first, she could still manage a few coherent words through her sobs, but eventually, she couldn’t even choke out the two syllables of “Chang Yuan.”
Chang Yuan, having gone so long without such intimate contact with Er Sheng, remained somewhat stiff. It took quite a while before he gradually relaxed. After several moments of hesitation, he finally wrapped his arms around Er Sheng’s back, holding her gently as she soaked his shoulder with tears and mucus.
Under the swirling yellow sands, Er Sheng knelt while Chang Yuan crouched – they embraced silently, one tear-streaked and disheveled, the other gentle-eyed but stiff-bodied.
Yet they shared one thing in common – neither wanted to let go of the other.
After what seemed like an eternity, when the dust had been swept away by the wind and absolute silence returned to heaven and earth, Er Sheng finally managed to stop crying. With swollen eyes, she looked pitifully at Chang Yuan and asked, “You’ve been gone so long… so very long… Outside, did you perhaps find another woman? Otherwise, why wouldn’t you even come to see me once?”
Hearing this, Chang Yuan stared at Er Sheng for a long while, caught between laughter and tears, before honestly shaking his head: “I’ve never had any other woman.”
This only made Er Sheng feel even more wronged, her barely-dried tears threatening to fall again: “Then… then do you hate me? Hate me so much you couldn’t bear to look at me? Is that why you left without a word?”
Chang Yuan sighed: “Your talent for misunderstanding truly is first-rate.” He stroked Er Sheng’s hair, “I found you very early on, but you didn’t recognize me.”
“Nonsense,” Er Sheng said, “I would recognize you even if you were turned to ashes.”
Chang Yuan fell silent, ultimately deciding not to tell Er Sheng about the extremely embarrassing incident of being turned into a small snake.
He was a dragon – no matter how long he had been imprisoned, he still had the pride of an ancient divine dragon. Yet time and again, Er Sheng had mistaken him for a snake. This was truly mortifying for Chang Yuan, so he changed the subject, unwilling to discuss it further.
“I… hadn’t eliminated my previous pursuers. I thought once their wounds healed, they would surely come to trouble us again, so I chose to hide in the shadows to recover, never revealing myself to you.”
Er Sheng froze: “You mean to say, Chang Yuan was by my side the whole time?”
“Yes.” Chang Yuan nodded seriously, afraid she wouldn’t believe him.
Er Sheng excitedly grabbed Chang Yuan’s hand: “Then you saw me learn to read and write? I also learned painting and playing the zither. Though the teacher said I have no talent for either, I think I did quite well. Another day I’ll paint for you and play the zither for you, alright?”
How could Chang Yuan not have seen her paintings or heard her play the zither? He knew the teacher was being kind in saying Er Sheng had no talent in these areas. But what did it matter if they were ugly or discordant? They were treasures offered by Er Sheng-Chang Yuan would never refuse them.
Seeing Chang Yuan nod, Er Sheng grew even more delighted: “I know many spells now, and can wield the Scale Sword. Another day I’ll demonstrate them all for you, alright?”
Chang Yuan indulgently agreed: “Alright.”
“Then the other day when Chen Ru confessed to me, I disposed of him – what do you think about that?”
“Good…” Chang Yuan paused, his fingers unconsciously tightening, “How did you dispose of him?”
Er Sheng explained naturally: “Why, disposed of him like a demon, of course! I already have Chang Yuan, what would I want him for? He only confessed his feelings to me, and I rejected him. If he comes to bother me again, we’ll deal with him together like a demon, alright?”
Chang Yuan nodded solemnly: “Very good.”
With Chang Yuan’s companionship, even this desolate realm without sun or moon or life didn’t seem so frightening anymore.
Er Sheng enthusiastically recounted every detail of her life these past three years – her first time hunting demons with Senior Sister, the first time she saw Master and Senior Sister argue, her first time studying in class with other children, her first time writing a story to share with classmates only to have it confiscated by the teacher. She told him everything, big and small, whether Chang Yuan already knew it or not. She demanded tyrannically that Chang Yuan share every detail of his life these past years as well.
Although Chang Yuan had personally witnessed most of what Er Sheng was telling him, he still listened with great attention. Those ordinary events became suddenly interesting when told through Er Sheng’s lips. Er Sheng seemed to have a natural talent for storytelling, just like Siming who had told him stories in the Ruins of Ten Thousand Heavens. Every tiny detail became infinitely interesting when she told it.
Time was unknowable within the Desolate City, so when Er Sheng’s mouth had gone dry from talking but still saw no darkness fall, she finally asked: “Chang Yuan, do you know what time it is?”
Chang Yuan shook his head.
Er Sheng froze: “Then we should head back first – Master and Senior Sister will worry if we’re gone too long.”
“Leaving this place may not be so simple,” Chang Yuan said. “To this day, I’ve never heard of anyone who has left here.”
Er Sheng looked around, seeing nothing but endless yellow sand in all directions, and finally thought to ask the most important question: “Chang Yuan, where is this place? How did we get here?”
After Chang Yuan explained everything about their situation, Er Sheng finally realized how dangerous their current predicament was. First, this place had nothing at all – except for occasional sandstorms, not even a drop of rain fell. Second, this place imprisoned only those who had committed terrible crimes. Before being locked in the Boundless Desolate City, they had all been either regional tyrants or people of great ability. Such people generally had bad tempers, and after being imprisoned in the Desolate City with no oversight, while they no longer threatened the outside world, they became uncontrolled tyrants within the city.
It was fine that they hadn’t encountered any yet, but what would happen when they did? How would she and Chang Yuan deal with them…
Would they have to fight constantly?
Er Sheng was very worried, but Chang Yuan remained calm, saying quietly: “If it comes to force, there is no need to fear.”
Er Sheng was no longer the child who blindly believed everything Chang Yuan said. She now knew how to analyze situations. She knew Chang Yuan was powerful enough to handle one or two or even a dozen opponents without issue, but what if they faced thousands? Even Chang Yuan couldn’t fight against so many hands, and what if he was ambushed?
Just as Er Sheng was frowning with worry, a squad of armored soldiers found the two of them in the desert. At first, Er Sheng thought they meant harm and was about to run away with Chang Yuan, but after the soldiers chased them for quite a distance, Er Sheng finally understood – these soldiers had been sent by the Lord of the Desolate City.
The Lord of the Desolate City…
Er Sheng looked at Chang Yuan, asking with her eyes: How could a prison city have a lord?
Chang Yuan answered with his eyes: We’ll find out when we see.
If Er Sheng had been alone, she would have refused to go no matter what. But looking at her right hand tightly clasped with Chang Yuan’s, and gripping the Scale Sword in her left, Er Sheng finally felt secure enough to follow the soldiers to the rumored tower of the Desolate City’s Lord.
The Lord’s residence was the tower above the city gates of the Boundless Desolate City, guarding the gates day and night.
The Boundless Desolate City had only this one gate – entry only, no exit. Anyone who tried to sneak out faced only two possible outcomes: either being torn to pieces by the soldiers’ halberds or being torn to pieces by the barrier outside the city. Therefore, anyone with a brain wouldn’t risk such an attempt.
Er Sheng and Chang Yuan were led by the soldiers to the tower above the city gates. After waiting in the hall for a while, a figure finally emerged leisurely from the side chamber.
Chang Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly at the sight of the Lord, while Er Sheng was startled: “This is the Lord?”
“…It’s a woman?”
“Do you have some objection?” The scarlet robe trailing on the ground swayed as the woman slowly ascended the steps to sit in the highest chair. Her face was pale with deep shadows under her eyes as she stared at Er Sheng with an eerie gaze that made even the usually bold and slow-to-fear Er Sheng’s legs go weak.
What a woman heavy with resentment…
Or perhaps, she wasn’t human at all?
Er Sheng remembered how Jiling always told her not to show fear when hunting demons. She had just straightened her back when she suddenly realized that now that she had found Chang Yuan, there was no need to appear so fearless – she should give her long-separated husband a chance to show off.
So Er Sheng coyly covered her face and retreated behind Chang Yuan, clutching his sleeve while affecting a pinched voice: “Chang Yuan, I’m so scared.”
The fierce-looking guards holding weapons in the hall all shuddered at this coquettish act, silently turning their heads away.
Chang Yuan seemed completely unaware of Er Sheng’s performance, patting her hand and softly reassuring her: “Don’t be afraid, there’s no killing intent.”
The woman seated high above watched them, and seeing how Chang Yuan treated Er Sheng, her eyes – with layers upon layers of dark circles – narrowed subtly. Without a word, she waved her sleeve, sending out a burst of extremely yin-natured killing intent.
Pretending to be weak was one thing, but being bullied was another. Er Sheng bravely pulled Chang Yuan behind her, rolled up her sleeves, leaped forward to cleave apart the killing intent with her Scale Sword, and shouted while pointing at the woman in red: “Who dares bully Chang Yuan!”
No one in the hall made a sound, except for Chang Yuan who stroked Er Sheng’s hair and honestly answered: “None of them dare.”
The woman in red showed no anger at Er Sheng’s rudeness, merely flicking her fingernails as she leaned back in her chair and said softly: “I don’t want to fight, but don’t let me see couples being intimate. I become jealous. Cannot control the jealousy.” Her expression remained bland, like a corpse that could speak, her tone completely flat.
Er Sheng studied her suspiciously for a while, and seeing that she truly had no intention of attacking them again, finally put away the Scale Sword. Then, suddenly remembering she had stolen her husband’s moment to shine, she hurriedly scurried back behind Chang Yuan, commanding: “Chang Yuan! Protect me!”
“Mm, alright.”
Another burst of killing intent crashed towards them. Chang Yuan waved his hand to block it, and this time the collision of the two forces shook the entire hall.
Er Sheng raged: “Unable to bear others’ happiness – what kind of problem is that!”
“My apologies, I’m jealous,” the woman said, hiding her hands in her sleeves while still speaking lifelessly. “I couldn’t help attacking again.”
Er Sheng’s mouth twitched, but Chang Yuan understood: “Don’t blame her, she is a demon formed from concentrated resentment. Her nature is filled with jealousy and hatred.”
The woman raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite surprised that Chang Yuan knew these things, but her surprise lasted only an instant before her expression went blank again. She mechanically nodded in agreement: “My name is Nu Yuan, formed from the concentrated resentment of women. I temporarily hold the position of Lord of this Desolate City.”
Formed from women’s resentment, Er Sheng thought – so the resentment of women in the world was being unable to bear others’ happiness?
In the Boundless Desolate City, a place gathering those who had committed terrible crimes, taking the Lord’s throne must require true ability – meaning this Nu Yuan had defeated everyone in the Desolate City to forcefully take the position…
Er Sheng understood – so women’s resentment was the most terrifying thing in the world.
“I most hate seeing people in pairs, it’s an urge to attack that I cannot control no matter what. So please forgive me.”
Er Sheng pouted without speaking, while Chang Yuan said: “It’s fine, you can’t hurt us anyway.”
Saying such a thing to the Lord of the Desolate City was quite disrespectful – after all, they were in her territory. As the strongest existence in the Desolate City, Nu Yuan was quite revered by these evil people who respected strength. Chang Yuan spoke the truth, but to their ears, it sounded extremely dismissive.
The hall grew noisy for a moment.
Er Sheng couldn’t stand hearing anyone speak ill of Chang Yuan. Seeing these people whispering, she immediately grew angry and drew the Scale Sword to stab someone, when Nu Yuan suddenly said: “It’s the truth.”
The guards in the hall all froze, and even Er Sheng looked at Nu Yuan in confusion.
She said: “Even before the young master entered the city, I sensed it – we share the same aura.”
Chang Yuan looked at Nu Yuan, silent, waiting for her to continue.
Nu Yuan narrowed her eyes slightly and said: “What great resentment does the young master harbor? It’s deep in your bones…”
At these words, Chang Yuan lowered his head, silent. Er Sheng stared at Chang Yuan blankly: “Great resentment? Chang Yuan, what do you resent?”
Chang Yuan turned to look at Er Sheng, stroking her hair again with a slight sigh: “This resentment… is not of my choosing.”