Liu Weiyang stood beside the mulberry forest, hands folded behind him, robes drifting in the quiet breeze. Like a figure sealed inside an ink wash painting, he was elegant, distant, and self-contained.
Yan Dan suddenly recalled a line she once heard—even the coldest heart can stir the deepest emotion. Whether he was the feared evil god Xuanxiang or the solemn lord of Shenxiao Palace, Liu Weiyang shone with a restrained brilliance. In him, there was no wavering, no confusion—only the steady resolve of someone who walked his path alone.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke. “In the ancient tomb of Qingshi Town, you sensed my aura. You knew I was outside the Three Realms. And the moment you acted, I knew you were the same as me.”
Yan Dan looked up at the clusters of heavy mulberries above. After a pause, she answered, “You’re right. But there is one thing different. Later… I joined the demon registry on my own.”
She lowered her voice. “Because it was too lonely.”
For years, she had met no one like herself—not even a drifting wisp of smoke or a wandering drop of water could be called her kind. She was a being entirely outside the Three Realms. Even if she vanished one day, no one would ever know she existed at all.
“I couldn’t sense your aura either,” she added. “That day, you didn’t use spells—only mortal martial arts. I couldn’t mirror you. I was with mortals then, yet always felt… set apart. It was suffocating, deep-rooted. I often couldn’t sleep. Living became difficult…”
Liu Weiyang looked toward the other side of the forest and said softly, “What use is all that? I don’t even remember who I am.”
Yan Dan hesitated. “If—just if—you truly are the evil god Xuanxiang?”
“I never speculate without proof,” he replied calmly. “Whether I am Xuanxiang or not—what of it?”
Yan Dan almost choked. “How is there no proof? The Blood Eagle reacted strangely to you, Nan Zhao said you carry evil god blood, and Xuanxiang looks almost exactly like you! You think that’s all coincidence?”
Liu Weiyang turned toward her, eyes calm as ever. “That is your speculation. You can guess Shen Yijun and the others… but not everything else.”
They stared at each other for a long moment. Yan Dan was the first to buckle. “Fine, fine. Then what do you want? Whether you’re Xuanxiang or not, it doesn’t really matter to me. If you have something in mind, tell me—maybe I can help.”
“When Tao Ziqi forced me into the demonic phase, she called herself the Purple Qi Star Envoy—one of the Nine Luminary Stars.”
Yan Dan tapped her chin thoughtfully. “The only woman among the Nine Luminary Stars… ordinary enough, but—ah! Jidu Xingjun! During the war between immortals and demons, it was Jidu Xingjun and the Tianji Purple Void Emperor who first confronted Xuanxiang. Neither found the corpse in the end.”
She sighed. “Jidu Xingjun aside, the Purple Void Emperor was truly a pity. When I trained in Heaven, every little immortal spoke of his grace and knowledge.”
Liu Weiyang was quiet for a moment. “And you? How did you end up outside the Three Realms?”
Yan Dan froze. Why had he suddenly turned the topic on her?
“A-ah… me? I used to be a small immortal in Heaven. Later, I violated a heavenly rule and was supposed to walk the Heavenly Punishment Platform.” She shrugged. “After stepping on that platform, no one knows if they come out alive. So… I ran.”
Liu Weiyang said nothing, waiting.
Yan Dan scratched her cheek awkwardly. “The path I escaped through turned out to be the reincarnation tunnel. The seventh reincarnation was ahead. If something was missing from the underworld registry, I’d be laughed at forever. So I gave up my immortal status and didn’t go through the seventh reincarnation. And that’s how… I left the Three Realms.”
Silence.
Yan Dan suddenly asked, “By the way, the landscape painting in the last stone chamber of the Qingshi tomb—did you draw that?”
Liu Weiyang nodded.
“Do you remember the place?”
“…No. Only a faint impression. I’ve crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, searched even remote towns. I haven’t found it.”
Yan Dan sighed. “Then our experiences overlap. Because that place is in the underworld.”
Liu Weiyang’s expression shifted slightly.
She explained patiently, “I mean the underworld mortals speak of—life and death, the River of Forgetfulness, the Yellow Springs. The scenery is beautiful, not terrifying. And your painting was nearly perfect.”
She spoke softly. “After abandoning the immortal registry, I went to the underworld. It took me eight hundred years to cross Ye Wangchuan. Many forgot their past the moment they reached the shore… but I couldn’t forget. And I couldn’t leave…”
She frowned. “After many years, I finally found a way back. But a thousand years passed, and all my cultivation was gone. I became what I am now.”
Liu Weiyang seemed about to speak when Yan Dan suddenly grabbed his hand.
“I understand your feelings. But Miss Nong Cui really suits you. You should just… follow it.”
He jerked his hand away and walked off without looking back.
Yan Dan called after him, grinning, “Young Master Liu! What I just said—I’ve never told Yu Mo! It’s humiliating, so don’t tell anyone!”
Liu Weiyang paused. Turned. And smiled faintly. “I’ll think about it.”
The rare warmth in his expression melted like thin ice under sunlight.
Yan Dan touched her chin. She used to think Liu Weiyang was lifeless—silent on most days. Now… he didn’t seem so unpleasant.
She squatted by a stream, washing a handful of dark, plump mulberries. Even though the Luo Yue clan was in decline, they hadn’t reached utter ruin yet. If they became too pitiful, she’d actually feel guilty for selling him off.
At this rate, Liu Weiyang would have to marry whether he wished to or not. Nothing was in his hands. She was merely going with the flow.
She bit into a mulberry and suddenly spotted two familiar figures. Tossing the fruit aside, she rushed forward joyfully.
“Princess! And Senior Brother—oh?”
Tang Zhou stepped toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace. A faint breath brushed her temple. Yan Dan froze. He released her moments later, studying her carefully before smiling.
“You seem unharmed.”
Her face heated—something she blamed on her thick skin. “Looks like I’m lucky.”
She turned to Yu Mo—and gasped. “Yu Mo! Can you still see from your left eye?” The wound at the corner had worsened since last she saw it, swollen and angry red.
Yu Mo touched it lightly. “It’s fine. Just a bit tiring.”
Yan Dan exhaled in relief. “As long as it can heal…” She supported him gently. “Where I’m staying is just ahead.”
Tang Zhou asked, “Where is Brother Liu? We were together until halfway down the mountain.”
Yan Dan gritted her teeth. “I sold him! Who told him to push me off a cliff without saying a word?!”
Tang Zhou didn’t seem surprised. He sighed softly. “So you’re married.”
Yu Mo chuckled, voice low. “Oh, so you’re angry.”
“And if I am?” Yan Dan puffed out her cheeks defiantly.
“Nothing. I was only thinking… at least he pushed you. Brother Tang and I were kicked. How shall we settle our accounts?”
Yan Dan silently admitted Liu Weiyang’s ruthlessness could fill volumes.
Yu Mo’s eye wound had cracked open again, dirt staining the edges, almost suppurating. Even a spell wouldn’t heal it immediately.
Yan Dan lay beside the bed, cheek propped on her hand, watching him sleep. Her spell was crude—if Yu Mo didn’t cooperate, it wouldn’t work. Perhaps she was the only person he would entrust his life to. And she, too, entrusted all of hers to him.
For twenty years, she had never said it aloud.
She didn’t know how.
“All the injuries you’ve suffered these years… they’re all because of me.” She whispered. “If only I had half of Young Master Liu’s skills… you wouldn’t always forget yourself just to protect me.”
She sighed. “I try learning demonic techniques, but I’m still a half-hanging novice.” Holding the quilt, she drifted off. “And Yu Mo… can you stop using that disemboweling witchcraft…? It’s so bloody…”
A faint scent of agarwood surrounded her. She vaguely remembered Yu Mo’s peculiar fondness for it in the Lanshan Realm. After so many years, even her own clothes carried a soft hint of it.
Half asleep, she heard someone sigh beside her ear.
“Because it’s late… there’s nowhere left for me.”
Yan Dan frowned. She didn’t understand at all.
Since entering the demonic phase, sleep overcame her easily. When she woke, sunlight filled the pavilion. She was lying under a thin quilt.
Something felt wrong.
She turned her head stiffly.
The door was wide open.
Liu Weiyang leaned against the frame, jade flute resting on his arm, one leg slightly bent—handsome and unrestrained in a way she had never seen.
Tang Zhou sat leisurely at the table, tea in hand. His gaze swept over her collar and paused before turning away.
Yu Mo stood by the window, back straight as a blade.
“This is… quite hard to explain,” Yu Mo said slowly.
Yan Dan nearly spat blood.
WHY were all three of them here?!
“Why are you here…” she whispered in disbelief.
Tang Zhou set down his cup. “Even if we wanted to stop it… we wouldn’t have been able to.”
Liu Weiyang nodded. “Since we’re in the demonic phase, we must follow its rules.” He looked to Yu Mo. “You understand illusion formations best. What do you think?”
Yu Mo smiled slightly. “Following demonic rules is indeed simplest. There’s no murderous aura in the center of the formation now. If we pass this level, we may find a way out.”
Tang Zhou added, “Hard to say. They’ve likely decided the culprit is among us.”
“Hey—hey! You three—” Yan Dan tried to speak.
Yu Mo glanced at Liu Weiyang. “Brother Liu, how do you plan to handle it? The Luo Yue people still respect you—three points, at least.”
Yan Dan slammed the bed. “What are you three doing here?! Do you have to talk here?!”
Liu Weiyang finally looked at her. “You’re awake?”
“I’ve been awake for a long time…” she muttered through clenched teeth.
Tang Zhou smiled. “Why so angry? You only just noticed.”
Yan Dan wanted to throw herself into the river. “I’m not angry… It’s just… not everyone wakes up to find extra people in their room! What are you doing here?!”
Yu Mo sat on the edge of her bed, long legs folding naturally. “Last night, someone from the Luo Yue clan died suddenly.”
Yan Dan stiffened. “Who?”
Liu Weiyang straightened his sleeves. “I’ll explain.”
Yan Dan gasped. “Don’t tell me—it was your lord father? Or my mother-in-law? Or the wife-to-be that hasn’t even crossed the threshold?!”
Tang Zhou smiled. “Your mother-in-law.”
Yan Dan blinked. “Oh, then that’s—wait. What? Liu Weiyang’s mother-in-law died? Doesn’t that fall on us?!”
Yu Mo pulled her back gently. “They didn’t say that. Only that until we find the murderer… we can’t leave.”
Yan Dan covered her face.
Of course.
Misfortune never comes alone.
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