Chapter 4 Searching for Someone: "You're still alive."

Before heading to the Demon Capital, Eternal Ashes City, Hua Xun returned to Dahe Village.

The village is now nothing but burnt-out ruins, its former peace and tranquility gone.

Hua Xun found her small courtyard and looked at the collapsed house and the herbs burned to ashes, her gaze sweeping over the broken bricks and tiles.

Memories of the past with Baili Sheng suddenly surfaced.

He recuperated in the inner room, spending three out of the ten years lying on that couch, waiting for his flesh and blood to be nourished and regenerated little by little.

The outer room was where she dried herbs, and the air was filled with the fragrance of herbs. Later, when Baili Sheng was able to stay there, he would also help her organize the herbs.

Regardless of the season, every time she returned home, the small candlelight inside would always cast a dim, yellow glow. Baili Sheng would sit gently in the candlelight, and upon seeing her enter, he would smile and say, "You're back..."

But in an instant, all those past events vanished like bubbles.

Hua Xun snapped out of her daze and began searching through the ruins.

Her clothes had long been burned, but fortunately, although the wooden box where she kept her money was burned, the few spirit stones and small pieces of silver that she had saved up were still there.

Hua Xun put the silver into his small purse, then found a few remaining grass and flower seeds in the flower bushes, put them in his bag, and resolutely walked out of the village.

This was not Hua Xun's first trip to the Demon Realm. In the past, she had also gone to Yongjin City to buy medicine in order to take care of the bamboo demons and mountain spirits in Cuiling Mountain that had developed sentience.

Therefore, this route was quite familiar to them.

When hungry, they would eat some berries; when thirsty, they would drink some spring water. After flying for about four or five days, Hua Xun finally arrived at Yongjin City.

The demon race has short days and long nights, with a day consisting of only three short hours of daylight.

When Hua Xun entered the city gate, the day was almost over, with only a sliver of sky white remaining.

For the demons and monsters of Eternal Ash City, a brand new day has just begun.

There were little demons selling animal hides on the street, and demons running inns with waiters soliciting guests at the door.

Both men and women frequented the brothel. Some deliberately dressed as immortals from Baiyujing to attract customers, while others dressed boldly and seductively as fox spirits, laughing and whispering sweet nothings.

Hua Xun gazed at the Eternal City as night fell, her eyes wide with wonder. After a long while, she looked toward the towering Demon Palace in the distance.

Amidst swirling dark clouds and mist, the Demon Palace loomed over the entire city like a colossal black behemoth.

"Miss, would you like to stay at an inn?" A waiter greeted her as he approached a guesthouse.

Hua Xun withdrew her gaze, touched her purse, and knowing that the Demon Lord was not someone a mere demon like her could easily meet, she nodded.

The waiter hurriedly made a "please" gesture: "Miss, you don't seem to be a demon, but rather you have a demonic aura. Our inn has caves for beastmen, tree hollows for winged people, and even rooms in the water..."

"Just give me the cheapest standard room, that will do," Hua Xun interrupted the waiter.

The waiter reluctantly shut his mouth and obediently led her to the second floor.

The guest rooms are small, but they still have beds, tables, and chairs.

Exhausted from her flight, Hua Xun drank a few sips of water and then fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

Hua Xun slept for a full nine hours.

When I woke up again, the outside world was still a bustling night scene.

Hua Xun went downstairs while pondering how to find out news about the Demon Lord.

Before even descending the stairs, one could hear the waiter in the lobby calling out, "Gentlemen, you're lucky you've chosen my establishment. If you were in another place, you probably wouldn't see this spectacle."

"What a spectacle!" a newcomer asked.

The waiter cleared his throat: "Of course, it's about the Demon Lord dealing with the traitor."

"Back then, the Demon Lord was betrayed. Now that he has returned, he naturally cannot let those demons off the hook. So he decided that every even-numbered day, a group of traitors would be dealt with on the Demon-Slaying Platform."

"Unfortunately, the Demon-Slaying Platform is located just north of the shop."

"That Demon Lord... really returned alive?"

“Of course!” The waiter nodded. “If you don’t believe me, today is a double day. In a little while, those traitors will be executed in public. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see the Demon Lord in person.”

"The Demon Lord is coming too?" The guest hall erupted in commotion. Passersby who had just come to join the fun also started asking to book rooms.

The waiter waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, esteemed guests, there are plenty of empty rooms."

After saying this, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty, since the Demon Lord hadn't shown himself even once in the past month.

Hua Xun's heart skipped a beat when she heard the waiter's words.

She suddenly had a strong premonition: Baili Sheng had regained his magic power, returned to the Demon Clan, and reclaimed the position of Demon Lord.

Why did he keep it from her? He could have at least sent someone to tell her that he was still alive.

Or perhaps he encountered a difficult situation and was afraid of putting her in danger?

After all, the Baili Sheng she knew was the gentlest person and would never do something like leaving without saying goodbye.

"Miss Hua Xun?" A clear, cool voice suddenly came from behind, tinged with obvious surprise.

Hua Xun turned around and widened her eyes when she saw who it was: "Qingjiao..." Fairy.

The last two words were cut off when he saw Qingjiao gently shaking her head, and he changed them to: "Miss Qingjiao".

"Why is Miss Hua Xun here?" Qing Jiao gently curved her lips and walked towards her.

Perhaps to avoid attracting attention, Qingjiao changed out of her snow-white fairy dress and put on a dark blue cloud-patterned skirt.

Even if it wasn't ethereal white, it couldn't hide her ethereal beauty and jade-like complexion.

Hua Xun smiled slightly and said demurely, "I'm here to find someone," then, as if remembering something, added, "Has Miss Qingjiao found your old friend?"

Qingjiao's brows darkened slightly, and she gently shook her head: "Never."

Even when a beauty is downcast, she is still extremely beautiful. Hua Xun couldn't help but comfort her, saying, "The demon race stretches for thousands of miles; finding even one person is no easy task."

“I know where he is, but… he doesn’t want to show himself,” Qingjiao smiled bitterly. “However, I was wrong in the past, so I’ll just have to wait a little longer.”

Hua Xun stared at her in a daze, wondering what kind of "old friend" could bear to make such a beautiful woman sad and disappointed.

"Where is Miss Hua Xun?" Qing Jiao quickly composed herself and looked at her. "You said you came looking for someone? Did you find her?"

Hua Xun moved her lips, but considering that it was best not to easily reveal Baili Sheng's identity, she finally said only, "I've come to find my family."

"We were together for ten years, but we were separated in a fire not long ago."

Seeing that she looked unwell, Qingjiao offered a few words of comfort.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the inn, with drums and music filling the air. The once bustling demon street immediately parted to create a wide passage, and many people squeezed towards the north.

Hua Xun couldn't help but look outside.

"It's starting again..." The woman's voice was very soft beside her.

Hua Xun withdrew his gaze, only to see that Qingjiao's cheeks seemed to have paled instantly, her eyelashes drooping, and her expression blank.

Hua Xun was puzzled, but recalling what the waiter had said earlier, she vaguely guessed that the sudden commotion outside was probably due to the punishment of those traitors.

Thinking that this was the only chance to see the Demon Lord, Hua Xun nodded to Qing Jiao and then walked out of the guest building.

In the marketplace, the demons surged like the ocean currents. As soon as Hua Xun joined them, she felt that her body was no longer under her control. She could only rise and fall with the crowd, sometimes advancing and sometimes retreating.

Before long, she was pushed to the front row and immediately saw a crimson array rising from the ground on the majestic and vast Demon-Slaying Platform in the distance, where hundreds of disarmed demon soldiers were trapped.

By nature, the demons who cultivate with turbid qi are extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. At this moment, upon smelling such a strong smell of blood, Hua Xun immediately heard a burst of frenzied cheers in his ears.

Cheers to bloodshed and slaughter.

An invisible pressure slowly descended from above the magic array, instantly enveloping the demonic soldiers like a rosy glow.

In an instant, wails of agony filled the air. Hua Xun stared blankly as the demonic soldier in the magic circle was slowly stripped of its flesh and bones by invisible magic power, leaving only a shaky skeleton.

It was exactly the same torture that Baili Sheng had endured back then.

But they weren't born with demonic bodies, so once they died, they were simply gone.

Hua Xun heard thunderous cheers in her ears, and witnessed bloody torture before her eyes, feeling her lungs churning as if the sea were raging.

Before she could vomit, Hua Xun turned around and walked against the flow of people to leave.

Before she could take more than a few steps, a powerful demonic aura suddenly surged above her head, and the cheers around her abruptly stopped, leaving only deathly silence.

The next instant, Hua Xun felt herself being pressed down by that demonic energy and forced to her knees with a thud. Looking around, she saw that everyone was kneeling on the ground, a vast expanse of people.

"Lord Lord!"

"It's the Demon Lord!"

A few excited whispers could be faintly heard from the crowd.

Hua Xun froze, stopped breathing, and looked up.

A tall figure descended through the air, standing atop the crowd, his long, ink-black hair bound up with a golden and jade hair ornament. He was no longer dressed in simple cloth robes, but in a heavy, dark robe.

The robes seemed to be woven from the darkness of night and demonic energy, with flowing magic runes embroidered on the fabric, making one's heart tremble with fear at the sight of them.

His face was as pale as ever, like cold jade, his lips tinged with a thick, lustrous blood, exuding a fierce and handsome aura.

He stood there, as if the entire gloomy sky were pressing down on him.

Hua Xun stared blankly at the familiar face, yet it felt utterly foreign.

It wasn't until a familiar smile curved his lips and his gaze casually searched through the crowd that Hua Xun finally found something similar to him.

Is he looking for her?

Hua Xun thought to herself, clenching her fist, wanting to call his name as she had done in the past ten years.

Before she could speak, a familiar, shattering sound rang out, clear and sharp, like the sound of broken jade: "You're still alive..."

Then a pale pink fairy light swept by, and Hua Xun saw that opposite Baili Sheng, a beautiful fairy in peach-colored clothes flew to stand opposite him, her eyes red, and said again: "You are indeed still alive."

"Baili".

That is... Fairy Qingjiao.

The old friend that Fairy Qingjiao spoke of is... Baili Sheng?

In an instant, Hua Xun's mind was as if a gentle breeze had blown away the fog, and the truth slowly emerged.

She finally understood why the Fairy Qingjiao looked so familiar when she first met her.

When Baili Sheng casually saved her back then, a figure behind him called out "Demon" and was surrounded by a light pink light;

When Baili Sheng was lured to his death, there was a light pink light in the killing formation besides him.

The pale pink light gradually overlapped with the celestial light in front of Baili Sheng.

The two people standing silently in mid-air at this moment looked perfectly matched.

A note from the author:

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