Chapter 58 Longing: "I wish to return with the God."

Hua Xun had secretly fantasized in her heart that the God himself would descend to the mortal realm to find her.

Perhaps it was when she had captured the monster and the townspeople gathered around praising her;

Perhaps it was when she had just changed into a beautiful dress;

Perhaps it was during her heroic battle against those demon hunters who were secretly hunting down demons...

Back then, she was incredibly powerful and could prove to the God that she was no longer the weak little demon she once was. For the past six months, she had been living a carefree and comfortable life on her own.

He doesn't need to feel burdened by her departure or guilty for failing to fulfill his responsibilities to her.

But she never expected that, on her way to Baixiang Tower, she was wearing a drab gray dress and her hair was just casually styled. As soon as she stepped out, she bumped into the God standing in the flower bushes.

In that instant, the words I wanted to say stuck in my throat, my throat tightened, and I felt a lump in my throat.

“My Lord,” Hua Xun heard her own tense voice, “what are you doing here?”

With a smile, Shenjun Jiuqing's jet-black hair swayed gently like flowing water as she said softly, "I've come to fetch you."

Hua Xun's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Pick me up?"

"Yes," the deity nodded, "A-Xun has lost weight while all alone abroad."

Hua Xun unconsciously touched her cheek. The spiritual energy of humans was thin, indeed not as nourishing as the spiritual energy of immortals, but...

"Humans are now in the trend of being slimmer, which is good too." She smiled, her eyes crinkling.

The deity gazed at her smile quietly for a moment, then said, "A-Xun was already very good; there's no need to lose weight."

Hua Xun felt both joy and melancholy as she listened to the God's undisguised protection.

She rejoiced in his unconditional praise and affection, yet felt a pang of sadness... for she was but a tiny speck among the masses he loved.

“My Lord,” Hua Xun lowered her eyes, “I know that leaving without permission back then was very unfair to your protection and care all this time, but the situation forced me to do so…”

“A-Xun is innocent,” the deity said softly, walking up to her. “The peace of the Three Realms should not be borne by one person alone.”

"Now, no one dares to force you anymore."

Hua Xun was slightly taken aback. She looked up at the gentle god and remained silent for a long time before whispering, "But I don't want to go back to the Immortal Clan."

The deity bowed his head: "I do not want you to return to the Immortal Clan, but to return to White Mist Cliff."

Hua Xun's breath hitched, and her pupils widened rapidly, revealing obvious surprise.

Looking at the girl's incredulous expression, the deity felt a strange pang of heartache welling up inside him.

When he drove her away, she was alone among those immortals who disliked demons, and she must have been heartbroken.

The deity's fingertips twitched slightly: "A-Xun..."

“My Lord,” Hua Xun spoke first, interrupting the Lord’s remaining words, “I don’t really want to go back to White Mist Cliff anymore…”

She spoke softly, lowered her head, and a strand of hair drooped listlessly.

The divine light surrounding the deity suddenly stopped flowing, his voice abruptly ceased, and the smile on his lips gradually faded.

He looked at the girl with her head down, not daring to look at him, and wanted to say something, but the awkward pain in his chest made it difficult for him to speak.

Don't you want to go back...?

"Has Ah Xun already grown tired of White Mist Cliff?" he murmured softly.

“No,” Hua Xun shook her head quickly and forcefully, afraid that the Divine Lord would be sad, and hurriedly said, “White Mist Cliff is very good, I like White Mist Cliff very much too…”

"If you like it, then go back." The deity's tone was unusually cold and hard as he cut her off.

Hua Xun was taken aback.

The deity awkwardly raised his hand and straightened her slightly loose hairpin, his fingertips casually brushing across the top of her head: "After you left, Liu Huo missed you terribly."

"Me too," the god's voice sighed softly, "I also miss Ah Xun very much."

Hua Xun suddenly looked up.

For a fleeting moment, she felt as if she saw a tender, lingering affection between a man and a woman in the eyes of the deity.

But he is the god of all living beings.

Having been delusional about her feelings so many times, Hua Xun naturally dismissed her chaotic thoughts and smiled, saying, "I really like White Mist Cliff, but, Divine Lord, I'm also very happy here."

The deity's expression turned lonely once again.

Hua Xun thought about the past six months in Liangyi Town, and her smile gradually became genuine: "The townspeople are very kind to me. They are not afraid that I am a demon, nor do they despise or look down on my wings. They even praise them for being beautiful."

"Actually, I really like my wings. They have saved me many times, but I used to be afraid of being disliked, so I always covered them up. Now I don't have to hide them anymore."

"The townspeople would also give me lots of food and flower seeds, and teach me how to paint my nails. Although the spiritual energy wasn't that pure, everyone was very kind..."

Perhaps to confirm her words, the voice of her neighbor, Brother Li, came from outside the door: "Miss Xun, your Aunt Li made some sweet soup and left it outside for you."

Hua Xun responded loudly, walked outside, and returned carrying a bowl of still steaming sweet soup.

The deity watched as the girl responded as if it were commonplace and fetched the soup.

After leaving White Mist Cliff, in the time he never saw, she continued to live earnestly.

He's always been the boring one.

An unusual feeling assaulted his no-longer-pure heart, and the deity coughed again, unable to suppress it.

Hua Xun's expression changed, and she wanted to step forward to help the Divine Lord, but before she could reach out, the courtyard gate was kicked open from the outside: "Hua Xun, guess what I discovered this morning? Bai Xiang Lou..."

Jin Huan abruptly stopped speaking, glanced at Hua Xun, and then looked at the extraordinary man standing opposite her.

Those compassionate and boundless eyes, that holy and pure demeanor, that expression untouched by worldly dust...

Jin Huan had previously mingled among the celebrations of the human and immortal races and had seen immortals from afar. Although they exuded an ethereal aura, they were far from being as elegant and unparalleled as the person before him.

In particular, the Taoist aura and divine light flowing around him made people want to bow down and worship, and feel utterly subdued.

"What happened to Baixianglou?" Hua Xun's voice interrupted Jin Huan's thoughts.

Jin Huan snapped out of his daze and asked blankly, "What?" before suddenly realizing what was happening. He was about to speak, but under the gaze of that holy man, he felt as insignificant as dust and dared not utter a sound.

He quickly pulled Hua Xun to a corner and asked cautiously, "Who is that?"

Hua Xun glanced at the Divine Lord.

He was watching them too.

Her breath hitched slightly as she looked away: "My Lord."

Jin Huan recalled his past impersonation of the God, never expecting that he would actually meet the living God in his lifetime. He felt as if his whole body was about to fall apart and almost collapsed to the ground.

Fortunately, Hua Xun helped him up, and he managed to stand up, his voice trembling: "The legendary Lord Yisheng Zhaohui of the Jade Kun Divine Palace?"

Hua Xun nodded.

Jin Huan took a deep breath and looked at Hua Xun again: "Your magic, was it really taught to you personally by the God Lord?"

After pondering for a moment, Hua Xun nodded again.

Jin Huan's knees buckled, and he felt dizzy. Fortunately, he managed to stand up this time, and he muttered to himself reassuringly, "I'm alright, I'm alright..."

"What did you say happened at Baixianglou?" Hua Xun asked as he gradually returned to normal.

“Bai Xiang Lou…” Jin Huan was bewildered, but then he came to his senses. “Right, Bai Xiang Lou disappeared, leaving only the beggars in the building. They were taken away by the Zhen’an Division early this morning and sent to a charity hall.”

Hua Xun opened her eyes wide in surprise, then remembered something and looked at the God.

The deity was still calmly watching them, but his gaze was slightly lowered.

Hua Xun followed his gaze and looked down.

The deity was staring at the hand that Jin Huan was using to pull her wrist.

Although Hua Xun was puzzled, she still removed Jin Huan's hand and returned to the Divine Lord's side: "Was it you who rescued the children of Bai Xiang Lou?"

The deity looked at her and said, "It is I."

Hua Xun hesitated for a few moments. Besides wanting to rescue the children, she also wanted to ask Qing Yan in person about the matter of repairing the soul.

"Do you know where Qingyan went?" Hua Xun asked softly.

The deity paused slightly as he looked at the girl's cautious and reserved expression, even when she asked him questions.

He remembered how she used to ask him casually with a smile, her tone carrying a dependence she herself was unaware of.

But everything changed after he asked her to move away from White Mist Cliff.

The deity raised his hand, and golden light flashed. A rose vine appeared in mid-air before him, slowly transforming into a human form, which was none other than Qingyan.

The scars on Qingyan's face still covered half of her face, and her hair fell down in front of the scars. She stood there in a daze, and after seeing the Divine Lord clearly, she showed a bit of panic.

The image of Baixianglou being reduced to nothing under divine punishment just two hours ago was still clearly imprinted in her mind.

Hua Xun's eyes brightened slightly when he saw that Qing Yan was still there: "My Lord, may I speak with Qing Yan for a few minutes?"

The deity nodded: "Agreed."

Hua Xun gestured to Qing Yan, inviting her into his room. After thinking for a moment, he set up a protective barrier.

Although it is impossible to isolate the God, given his nature, he certainly wouldn't do anything like eavesdropping.

The room fell silent again. Just as Hua Xun was about to speak, Qing Yan asked first, "What is your relationship with the God-King?"

Hua Xun paused for a moment, thought carefully, and then said, "The Divine Lord once saved my life."

Qingyan waited for her to continue, but when she fell silent, she asked, "That's all?"

Hua Xun shook his head.

Qingyan gave a short laugh: "Aside from the fight last night, I have no connection with you. What do you want to say to me?"

Hua Xun paused for a moment, then asked the question that revealed her intention: "What method did you use last night to repair that child's soul in such a short time?"

Qingyan glanced at her: "Whose soul do you want to repair?"

Hua Xun paused slightly, recalling the way the Divine Lord had covered his mouth and coughed softly just now, and pursed her lips, not responding.

Qingyan seemed to see through something and laughed: "Is it someone extremely important to you?"

Hua Xun did not deny it this time.

Qingyan looked out the window: "If that's the case, I'll tell you."

"Humans are nothing more than flesh and blood, bodily fluids, and emotions. Blood shapes flesh and blood, saliva shapes bodily fluids, and tears shape emotions."

"To repair the soul, one needs a drop of his blood, a drop of his saliva, and a drop of his tears."

Hua Xun's breathing slowed down involuntarily.

Therefore, the divine soul of the God-King can also be repaired, and his clones can truly be restored to their original state.

Hua Xun suddenly remembered something: "You used floral dew last night..."

"Flower dew is formed from the first drop of dew on the petals in the morning. It is a treasure that nourishes the body and helps it recover more quickly."

Hua Xun was taken aback: "So you gave it to that child last night and even ordered people to feed those children, you didn't want to harm them?"

Qingyan stiffened slightly and lowered her eyes: "So what?"

“Just for defiling the divine countenance, I know I am unforgivable. I am nothing more than…”

Qingyan remained silent.

Hua Xun understood.

Having done good deeds for many years, even if it was just to erase the scars on his face, those past acts of kindness are etched in his heart. How could he harden his heart and harm those children's lives in just half a year?

“The Divine Lord is magnanimous and will not hold it against you for defiling his divine countenance,” Hua Xun said softly, dispelling the barrier. “Let’s go out.”

After stepping out of the house, Jin Huan had already disappeared without a trace, only Shen Jun was still standing in the courtyard, quietly gazing at her.

Hua Xun stepped forward, paused for a moment, and asked, "How does the Divine Lord intend to deal with Qingyan?"

The deity looked at Qingyan: "I have already erased Baixianglou. Qingyan, the flower demon, can be banished."

Hua Xun felt a slight sense of relief and was about to turn to look at Qing Yan when she suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "I beg the God to remove the scars on my cheeks. I am willing to exchange half of my magical power for it."

The deity lowered his eyes, gazing at the figure praying.

All beings in the three realms are always attached to this paper body.

In the past, he didn't understand.

But today, for some inexplicable reason, the girl's words came to mind—

"The God-King is very handsome."

"There are good-looking and bad-looking appearances."

"The deity is very beautiful."

"I beg the God to grant my request!" Qingyan's voice was filled with urgency.

The deity regained his senses and said, "I agree."

The moment she finished speaking, golden light, like fluttering fireflies, clung to Qingyan's cheeks.

The horrific marks gradually disappeared, and her face turned pale, but her eyes shone with the light of welcoming a new life.

Having fulfilled her long-cherished wish, Qingyan bowed deeply to the God and soon left the place.

Once again, only Hua Xun and the Divine Lord remained in the courtyard.

“I thought you would say that appearance is just a shell,” Hua Xun broke the silence, jokingly.

The deity gazed at her: "A-Xun doesn't like it, does she?"

Hua Xun's smile faded, and she looked up in a daze.

Does the divine lord know what his words mean?

But his face still held that gentle and compassionate expression, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Hua Xun's heart gradually calmed down, and her hand involuntarily touched the purse, the round soul bead resting in her palm.

“God Lord…” Hua Xun was about to ask the God Lord if he knew a way to repair the soul, but stopped when he saw the God Lord’s pale face.

It's better not to know; it's the hope that is dashed that leads to despair.

"Ah Xun still doesn't want to go back with me, does she?" The deity asked quietly, looking at her troubled expression.

Hua Xun pursed her lips. The difference in status between her and the God-King was obvious, and she didn't think she could stay in the Upper Realm for long after returning.

However, the divine lord's soul was wounded because of her, and the divine lord's avatar, who treated her gently, accompanied her to the mortal realm for training, and took her to see the beautiful scenery of the immortal realm, also gradually dissipated before her eyes.

She couldn't bring herself to ignore it.

This small courtyard is her own home, and it is here; no one can destroy it anymore.

Hua Xun raised her head and said quietly, "I am willing to go back with the God."