A little tail

The aroma of tea filled the room.

Liu Weiyang flicked his sleeve and pushed the dark ceramic cup to the center of the table: "Please use it."

Yan Dan picked up one of the cups, glancing down at the color of the tea—a pale, clear green, with a delicate fragrance. The tea leaves, like hooks, slowly sank to the bottom. She took a small sip and asked, "Now that you know you're the Purple Void Emperor, you'll probably return to the Heavenly Court, right?" As far as she knew, few demons in the world didn't aspire to ascend to immortality, and most mortals were also deeply devoted to seeking immortality. Moreover, with such a long list of immortal titles, even in the Heavenly Court, there were few who could stand on equal footing with him; he was truly incredibly prestigious.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Weiyang said nonchalantly, "I haven't thought about going back yet."

Yan Dan couldn't help but say, "You're just as strange as that Prince Xuanxiang. Why would he demolish the Demon Realm for no reason..."

“Xuanxiang’s bloodline isn’t pure. He was only chosen for this position by the clan elders because of his competence. I, on the other hand, grew up in the Heavenly Court. It was only when I met him at the Cloud Heaven Palace that I learned I had brothers.” Liu Weiyang took a sip of tea and continued, “Xuanxiang believed that their ancestor deserved to be killed by the goddess Nuwa because he didn’t abide by the laws of heaven and earth. He also strongly opposed the later war between immortals and demons.”

Yan Dan was both disappointed and regretful. What was supposed to be a magnificent battle had turned into a mess because Xuan Xiang had turned against him at the last minute: "Then why did he want to reincarnate later, and even seal his soul in paper ink? Shouldn't evil gods look down on mortals?"

Liu Weiyang's lips curled slightly as he gently blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface. Yan Dan was immediately horrified. Was he smiling? Or was it a sinister smile?

"I only remembered this recently. I heard that Xuanxiang somehow found someone he loved, and that person was reincarnated. He tried every means to go with him. I didn't expect it to be true."

"But judging from his appearance, it's hard for anyone not to be attracted to him at first glance, right?"

"That woman didn't know him at all; he was just being delusional."

"...Cough!" Yan Dan choked.

Over the next few days, Yan Dan explored the entire Shenxiao Palace, even finding the pharmacy Liu Weiyang used for grinding medicine and refining pills. The shelves were filled with bottles and jars, and the walls were covered with all sorts of human skin masks—ugly, handsome, and neither fully ugly nor handsome—she counted them and found that there were still seven more ugly ones.

That night, Yan Dan had a nightmare in which she was turned into a skin. Just as she woke up in a cold sweat, before dawn, she turned her head and saw a vague figure in the distance. Yan Dan's hair stood on end. Was this still the Divine Firmament Palace? If a thief dared to break in, he must be the number one thief in the world.

The figure stood up and walked to the bedside, looking refreshed, and asked, "You're awake?" Judging from the tone of voice and the appearance of the person, it was indeed Tang Zhou.

Yan Dan pondered for a moment, then asked, "You're Palace Master Liu in disguise, aren't you?"

The other person frowned but didn't say anything.

"You dressed up so well, I almost thought it was Tang Zhou himself."

The other person pulled a talisman from their sleeve, their face expressionless: "Tell me who I really am?"

Yan Dan hurriedly said, "To be able to draw a talisman with such extraordinary power, it can only be you, Senior Brother. But it's not even dawn yet, what do you want with me?"

Tang Zhou lifted his robe and sat down on the edge of the bed, his long eyebrows slightly furrowed: "You said there was something you'd always wanted, and after finally getting it, you realized it wasn't what you wanted. So what?"

Yan Dan thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "So you came here to ask me Zen riddles? Do you not want to be a Taoist priest anymore and want to become a monk instead?" Before she could finish speaking, she received a tap on the forehead. Tang Zhou withdrew his hand, his face darkening. "Who told you I'm a Taoist priest?"

Yan Dan pouted slightly: "Then what exactly do you want to say?" She originally wanted to tell him that men and women should not be intimate, and even if she was a demon, he couldn't just barge in without saying a word. But then she thought that Tang Zhou didn't have such traditional virtues at all, so it would be pointless to say anything.

Tang Zhou hesitated for a long time before carefully choosing his words and said, "Brother Liu promised to do something for me. Anything is fine as long as he can do it."

"Then let him help you find the whereabouts of the divine artifact, Di Zhi. Since he can find Chu Mo, it shouldn't be too much to ask."

"Do you think I should have him find Di Zhi?"

Yan Dan pulled the blanket tighter around her and said, puzzled, "Didn't you always want to stop and find the person in your dreams? Are you just a hypocrite?"

Tang Zhou lowered his head and said softly, "Sometimes, I feel that the person in my dream looks a bit like you..." Yan Dan stiffly turned her head to look at him, her heart trembling: Was his next sentence going to be, "Then just treat her as the person in your dream?"

"...Although I only remember her back view, I felt that she was not only beautiful, but also understanding, kind and gentle. Just being with her would make me happy." Tang Zhou kept looking into her eyes and shrugged slightly. "Thinking about it this way, she really has nothing in common with you."

Yan Dan took a deep breath, then suddenly grabbed his collar with overwhelming force: "Where am I not kind and gentle? Where am I not understanding? Am I that ugly?" She shook Tang Zhou violently twice, then slammed him down onto the bed with a thud: "Even if I'm not exactly handsome, I at least have my own charm, right? I'm much prettier than that Mrs. Hu from the Shen family!"

Tang Zhou sighed softly, "Even if you're much prettier than Aunt Hu, there's nothing to be proud of, is there? Besides," he reached out and pulled his collar back up, which Yan Dan had just loosened, "aren't you afraid someone will see you like this and misunderstand?"

Yan Dan was stunned. The way she was holding Tang Zhou's clothes and pressing him down on the bed clearly indicated that she intended to force him. She hurriedly scrambled to the other side of the bed and said, "This is where I live. Not only did you barge in without saying a word, but you also have the nerve to act like I took advantage of you?"

Tang Zhou smiled slightly and said, "You've certainly gotten a good deal." He sat up, straightened his clothes, and stopped at the door. He turned back and said, "It's still early, I'm going to sleep now. Why don't you take another nap?"

Yan Dan clenched her fists, her teeth grinding together: "Senior brother, don't you think that men and women should avoid suspicion? Is this really a rare virtue...?"

Tang Zhou turned around and closed the door, smiling as he said, "You've already called me senior brother, so it's only right that we're close. How can we be bound by worldly concerns?"

Yan Dan was deeply saddened.

There are many ways to cultivate oneself in this world, the cruelest of which is to inflict physical pain and mental torment, ultimately leading to transcendence.

Yan Dan has now transcended half of that.

"Back when you were incarnated as a human in Heaven, I was on my way to the West to discuss the Dharma, so we missed each other. You have a twin sister, don't you?" A middle-aged man with a crooked mouth and a slanted eye brushed past Yan Dan with a beaming smile, casually tossing out these words. Yan Dan was utterly shocked, and it took her a long time to process what he'd said. That tone and voice... it sounded like Liu Weiyang, didn't it?

She quickly turned around and chased after him, saying hesitantly, "Young Master Liu, it's good that you're slowly remembering the past, but you really don't need to include me in it. I'm just an insignificant little person."

Liu Weiyang said casually, "Of course I remember it clearly. I originally intended to take you under my wing, but your master beat me to it."

Yan Dan said dryly, "Young Master Liu, there's really nothing good about taking me as your disciple. My master lost a lot of hair in those years, he was almost bald." The thought of almost calling Liu Weiyang "master" made her hair stand on end. His perpetually expressionless face, and his overly youthful appearance, made it really hard for her to say "master."

It has to be said that all of this is fate.

They just lacked that master-disciple bond. Thank goodness.

Yan Dan suddenly shuddered and hurriedly said, "Young Master Liu, those things are all in the past, you don't keep them in your heart all the time, do you?"

"It's hard to say. Maybe one day I'll want to talk to someone about it." He dusted off his sleeves and said casually, "There are quite a few people who like to hear stories."

After struggling for a long time, Yan Dan said weakly, "I understand. I'm afraid I'll never need to use the promise you owe me."

Liu Weiyang took a few steps away, then suddenly turned back: "Do you remember the upheaval that occurred during the Demon Realm? I've figured out the reason now." His voice was deep and pleasant to the ear: "One of you shouldn't be in this skin now." After he finished speaking, he turned and strode away, leaving Yan Dan standing alone, trembling with fear.

That night, Yan Dan had another night of nightmares about human skin, with even more terrifying elements than before.

The next night, she had no choice but to take her blanket and knock on Yu Mo's door.

Yu Mo stood at the doorway and frowned slightly the moment he saw Yan Dan. In the candlelight, Yan Dan saw his frown clearly, but after thinking for a moment, she decided to pretend she didn't see it and softened her tone, saying, "Yu Mo, I can't sleep."

Yu Mo's black outer robe had loosened and was neatly hung on the screen; he was only wearing a single robe, indicating he was about to sleep. Upon hearing Yan Dan's words, he frowned again. A sorrowful and delicate expression slowly appeared on Yan Dan's face as she looked into his eyes earnestly and said, "I've been having nightmares these past few days and haven't been sleeping well."

Yu Mo, leaning against the door, said indifferently, "So?"

"I won't take up much of your space, maybe half the bed at most, no, just leave me some space."

Yu Mo stared at her for a moment, then slowly stepped aside. Yan Dan, carrying the blanket, took a few steps and asked him gently, "Do you prefer to sleep on the outside or the inside?"

If she had a choice, she would definitely choose the outside without hesitation. In terms of terrain, the outside is easy to retreat and defend, while the inside is easy to attack and difficult to defend.

Yu Mo maintained his indifferent demeanor: "Whatever you like."

Yan Dan placed the quilt on the outside of the bed and said ingratiatingly, "If you want to drink water tonight, just call me."

Yu Mo didn't respond. He lowered his head, blew out the candle, walked to the bedside, and lay down on the inner side of the bed.

Yan Dan occupied half the bed, and as she turned her head, she saw the crescent moon outside the window. She couldn't help but say, "The moon here looks so big." Yu Mo preferred quiet, and when they were together, she was always the one who talked more. Yan Dan continued, "The moon looks most beautiful when it's reflected in the water, but many people say that's just a mirage, not real..."

Suddenly, Yu Mo said in a calm tone, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Try to think less about those strange things in the future."

Yan Dan pouted and remained silent. She didn't want to think about it too much, but Palace Master Liu solemnly said, "One of you shouldn't be in this skin now." Liu Weiyang never did anything frivolous, so surely he wasn't just saying this to scare her?

That night, perhaps because Yu Mo was there, she didn't dream of herself being made into a bloody human skin. Instead, she dreamed that Yu Mo was shedding her skin, peeling off layer after layer, until she finally became that snake monster that lived in an underground cave with eyes as big as yellow lanterns.

When Yan Dan woke up in fright, she was very sad. Although it is said that what you think about during the day will appear in your dreams at night, she had never imagined that Yu Mo and that snake monster were together.

She decided to ask Liu Weiyang about the meaning of that sentence, but before she could even sit down and speak, she saw Xu'er, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, gracefully walk in with small, quick steps. She lowered her head and said softly, "Reporting to the Lord, the whereabouts of the third divine artifact have been found."