Chapter 44 Dreaming "I won't care whether you live or die."
"The wedding dress is too wide at the shoulders and body; it should be shortened by an inch or so."
"The shawl is a bit narrow; it would look better if it were wider."
"The Fairy Qingjiao possesses celestial energy; perhaps the magic array on her wedding gown can weaken some of the demonic energy..."
Hua Xun carefully tried on her wedding dress, pointing out a few minor imperfections to her employer, without showing the slightest hesitation or disappointment.
Baili Sheng stood to the side, silently staring at the meticulous girl.
She was the one dressed in her wedding gown, yet it seemed she was the one who remained detached.
After an unknown amount of time, Hua Xun finally finished speaking with her master and turned to Baili Sheng: "I have finished testing. I wonder if the Demon Lord is satisfied?"
Baili Sheng snapped out of his daze and stared intently into Hua Xun's eyes.
The shimmering golden pearls dangling from beneath his crown made his eyes sting.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Hua Xun paused for a moment, then raised her hand and took off her hair ornament.
Baili Sheng's long eyelashes furrowed slightly as he watched her eagerly remove the pill. He then chuckled and asked, "Miss Hua Xun, do you really want the Childhood Essence Pill so badly?"
Without hesitation, Hua Xun nodded firmly: "Yes."
Baili Sheng remained silent, unwilling to look directly at her expression any longer. He turned away and said in a hoarse voice, "Now that you have finished your test, I will grant your request."
“But the Childhood Flower Pill is located below the Crimson Moon River. If you want it, you can go and get it yourself, or…” He paused for a few breaths, “ask someone to get it for you.”
Hua Xun was already prepared. The Crimson Moon River was fraught with danger, and she had no acquaintances in the Demon Realm, so she didn't need to put others in danger for her.
Furthermore, even the Divine Lord said that her wind manipulation technique had improved rapidly, so if she really failed, she would simply run away.
"Thank you," Hua Xun said calmly.
Baili Sheng froze for a moment, then suddenly transformed into a cloud of crimson light mist and returned to the Demon Palace in the blink of an eye.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Qu finally appeared: "My lord, I have arranged for Miss Hua Xun to stay in the Brahma Sound Hall."
Baili Sheng's pupils twitched slightly, and he managed to squeeze out a single "hmm" from his throat.
Shang Qu quickly left, leaving him all alone in the vast main hall.
Baili Sheng stood in the center of the palace, expressionless. After a long while, he walked up the stone steps and returned to his high seat.
With each step he took forward, the demonic energy surrounding him grew stronger.
Finally, demonic energy permeated the entire palace, and everything seemed to spiral out of control.
Until a faint, fragrant scent wafted over, the surging demonic energy paused briefly, then surged even more fiercely, sweeping away and devouring that sweet, spiritual energy that did not belong to this palace.
But in just a moment, that faint fragrance vanished completely, leaving no trace.
Baili Sheng suddenly opened his eyes.
Sanskrit Hall.
*
Perhaps because she was still in Baili Sheng's territory, Hua Xun found it difficult to sleep.
She lay on the jade couch, looking at the ethereal purple gauze curtains above her head, her mind filled with thoughts of Chiyuechuan and Zhihua Dan.
I wonder how the deity is doing now?
Although Qian Zhichou's attitude towards the god is strange, it is not fierce. She should be fine, right?
The God-King and Qian Zhichou have known each other for nearly ten thousand years. Will they have something to reminisce about?
Countless questions crowded Hua Xun's mind. She sighed in frustration and decided to stop overthinking and instead review the magic techniques.
Thinking this way, Hua Xun forced herself to calm down and enter a meditative state, exhaling deeply.
After an unknown amount of time, it was indeed quite effective. Her state of mind gradually became peaceful, and her thoughts flowed like a gentle stream, continuously.
Until a slight noise was heard from the palace gate.
Hua Xun opened her eyes almost immediately, but did not turn around. She clenched her fists and stared at the gauze curtains on the inside of the bed, motionless.
The footsteps entered without any attempt to conceal themselves, approaching the black jade couch step by step.
Hua Xun held her breath; the Wu tribe's keen sense of impending danger made the hairs on her body stand on end.
Fortunately, the familiar footsteps stopped when they passed a soft couch not far away where people could rest. After a rustling sound, it seemed that the person had lay down on it.
Hua Xun pursed her lips tightly, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
For a moment, she recalled her time in Dahe Village.
Sometimes, when she was tired from gathering herbs, she would go to bed early. Baili Sheng would then spend time alone in the courtyard, either drying herbs or admiring the moon. Her footsteps would be heard as she slowly returned to her room.
But that's all in the past now.
Dahe Village is gone, and most of its villagers have died.
Hua Xun listened carefully to Baili Sheng's silence. Knowing that the two would have no further connection after retrieving the Zhihua Pill tomorrow, he remained silent, facing the wall as if he knew nothing.
On the soft couch, Baili Sheng lay fully clothed, facing the direction of the jade couch, watching the gently swaying gauze curtains, her eyes fixed on the faintly fragrant figure from behind.
Her slowed breathing, tense body, and defensive posture all revealed the same truth: she was awake.
But he also knew that if he spoke up, the current peace would vanish in an instant.
Baili Sheng remained silent.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't been able to fall into a deep sleep for too long, or perhaps it was because he had expended too much of his magical power recently, but unknowingly, Baili Sheng gradually fell asleep.
He had a dream in which he did not destroy Dahe Village, nor did he plant the Lingxi Gu in Hua Xun.
Instead, as he promised, he took her back to the Demon Palace.
She lived in the Brahma Sound Hall every day.
And he... slept peacefully every night, just like today.
*
Falling Moon Tower.
Qian Zhichou walked to the table with a jade pot in one hand and a wine cup in the other, placed one of the wine cups in front of the deity, and filled it with wine.
"I haven't seen the Divine Lord for thousands of years, shouldn't we have a drink together?"
The god looked at the sake in front of him but did not touch it.
Qian Zhichou's face darkened, and he downed his wine in one gulp: "Could it be that Lord Jiuqing is truly waiting for that little black demon?"
"Don't even mention that she might not come back alive. Even if she does, do you really think I can't handle a mere demon?"
The deity raised his eyes, his voice like a low sigh, devoid of sorrow or joy: "She will not die."
"Is Lord Jiuqing so certain?" Qian Zhichou narrowed her eyes, then laughed. "Yes, when Lord Jiuqing saved me, he was just as compassionate yet ruthless."
As she spoke, her voice became almost incoherent.
That colossal Dharma form that stretched across all living beings, that divine figure that single-handedly saved a city, and...
Noticing her severe injuries, he bestowed upon her a drop of morning dew imbued with divine power. His divine voice echoed gently, without the slightest ripple: "Heaven and earth have created you, not to cause you to perish at this moment."
Such a lofty deity shall not be desecrated by anyone.
She was saved simply because her life was not meant to end.
But she went against the grain and harbored a desire to defile.
“Ah Xun is different from you.” The gentle voice was like a breeze and the murmuring of a stream.
Qian Zhichou snapped out of her daze, her expression changing drastically: "A-Xun?"
The deity pondered for a moment, considering whether the title was appropriate, and after a few breaths smiled and said, "A-Xun".
"How is she different from me?" Qian Zhichou sneered. "Or is it that the God-King truly cannot see through that little demon's thoughts?"
That was nothing more than a crow demon, harboring the same delusions as her, but even weaker and more laughable.
The deity lowered his eyes, and the girl's eyes, unable to conceal anything, appeared in his mind.
A subtle feeling welled up in his heart, and the God sighed, "A-Xun will not exchange her life for his."
Qian Zhichou suddenly stood up, and the wine glass beside her fell onto the table, rolled a few times, and then fell to the ground.
With a "crack," it shattered into pieces.
"For whom do I live?" Qian Zhichou's eyes reddened. "How could a god who can live for ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, a million years, whose life ends at any time, know how much effort the beings of the lower realm have to expend to venerate you?"
Qian Zhichou sneered, "Nine-fold Divine Lord is omnipotent. He should have known long ago that since you saved me, all the karmic consequences and obstacles that I will cause in the future will be created by your own hand."
"For thousands of years, the Divine Lord has ignored Thousand Shadow City. Isn't that condoning my sacrifice of these mortals for you?"
The deity looked at the woman whose heart had long since turned violent, and sighed softly in his heart.
The world is ever-changing, and so are people.
Nothing is ever truly unchanging.
However, at this moment, the God-King, who rarely reminisced about the past, recalled the image of the girl named Hua Xun smiling and saying, "As long as I am alive, I will never forget the God-King."
There is no need to look up to them, nor to fear aging and death; it is simply to remember them.
Countless people say he is omnipotent, yet a young girl asks him with a downcast expression: "My God, you are always in danger, are you ever injured?"
The deity lowered his eyes quietly, his expression peaceful and holy, and remained silent.
*
Baili Sheng left in the early morning.
Hua Xun hadn't slept all night, and got up the moment he left.
After another hour, Shang Qu came to take her to Chiyuechuan.
Baili Sheng was already standing by the Crimson Moon River. His dark robes were being violently shaken by the demonic energy, but he seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the river below.
It wasn't until Shang Qu stepped forward and said, "Miss Hua Xun has arrived," that his gaze shifted and settled, settling on the girl who had spent the entire night in the same hall with him.
Hua Xun's expression was calm, showing no sign of discomfort.
Baili Sheng pursed his thin lips and waved his sleeve to dispel the illusions used to deceive people on the Crimson Moon River, revealing its true nature.
The surging gale was like a sharp blade, terrifying even before one got close.
The sounds of ferocious beasts and the clanging of chains could be heard from time to time, along with the occasional splash of lava onto the river.
The air was thick with the smell of death and bloodshed.
Hua Xun pursed her lips and glanced at Chuanxia. Another gust of wind swept over, brushing against her face like a fine blade.
Although it stung, perhaps because she had been cultivating by the God's side for a long time, she found it bearable.
Hua Xun recalled what Shang Qu had told her on the way there: there were eighteen levels below the Crimson Moon River, and the deeper one went, the more dangerous it became.
The Chihua Dan is located in the cave on the left side of the second level of the Chiyue River.
“If you’re afraid, you can speak up.” Baili Sheng’s voice was deep, and he kept his eyes down, not looking at her.
Hua Xun tentatively took two steps forward, and was about to transform into flying feathers.
Before she could cast her spell, her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly.
Hua Xun was taken aback and turned her head.
Baili Sheng seemed surprised by his own reaction, looking down at the hand that had involuntarily reached out, which was easily grasping her fair wrist.
"Is there anything else?" Hua Xun asked.
Baili Sheng's lips moved, and after a long while, he said with difficulty, "If you encounter any misfortune, I will not care whether you live or die."
Hua Xun frowned, and her tone softened: "I know."
She wouldn't believe that someone who once wanted her dead would come to save her.
Hua Xun struggled, trying to pull her hand away.
Baili Sheng subconsciously increased the pressure on his hand, but quickly realized what he was doing, his fingers trembled, and he slowly let go.
The moment Hua Xun opened his arms, a huge flying feather instantly materialized, and he soared into the air, heading straight towards the Crimson Moon River against the fierce wind.
Baili Sheng remained standing in the same spot, watching as the pair of originally weak and delicate gray wings gradually turned into a gorgeous lacquer color, shimmering with iridescent light.
His empty palm remained slightly open, then clenched tightly after a long while.
Hua Xun flew down from the Crimson Moon River, feeling a dull pain all over his body from the strong wind. He didn't know how long it had been before he finally saw the dark stone wall under the mist.
Hua Xun hurriedly flew in that direction and landed on a very small stone platform. Behind her was a door as tall as a person, and from behind the door came unstoppable wailing and roaring.
She knew that this was the first level beneath the Crimson Moon River, where prisoners who had once caused great disturbances in the Demon Realm were held.
Hua Xun pursed her lips and flew down again, finally reaching the second floor this time.
A pebble fell into a bottomless abyss. Hua Xun quickly looked away, telling herself not to look any longer, and calmed herself down before entering the second-floor gate.
According to Shang Qu, Hua Xun walked to the left and after walking for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he finally saw a cave.
She was overjoyed and hurried forward, but her steps froze when she saw the scene inside the cave.
The enormous, ferocious beast Chiwen was coiled around the pitch-black jade platform. It had a dragon's head and a fish's body, with deep purple scales, a single horn on its head, the tip of which gleamed with a cold light, and a fish tail that spread out like a fan, flashing tiny lightning bolts when it moved.
It was sleeping soundly at the moment, and with each breath it exhaled, even the boulders around the cave trembled.
On the dark jade platform, an exquisite gold-carved vase remained undisturbed.
That must be the container that held the Chihua Pill.
Hua Xun silently exhaled, held her breath, and stepped forward lightly. The sound of her skirt brushing the ground was masked by Chiwen's breath.
She used a tiny bit of magic and cautiously stepped forward on the wind.
Hua Xun breathed a sigh of relief when her fingertips touched the cool golden bottle, and the Zhihua Pill obediently fell into her palm. She was about to leave quietly.
But the moment she turned around, a pair of dark yellow eyes that had been open for who knows how long were staring intently at her.
That eye, almost half the size of her body, was narrowing dangerously.
The Chiwen's figure slowly unfolded, its deep purple scales rising one by one.
Hua Xun was terrified. Unconsciously, she activated all her magical power and rode the wind to fly away.
But then a roar was heard, and the cave was instantly filled with turbulent winds and clouds.
Chiwen spewed out bluish-purple lightning and attacked Huaxun.
Hua Xun quickly dodged, and lightning struck the stone wall, filling the air with a strong smell of burning.
Hua Xun dared not linger in the battle and rose up to fly upwards.
With a loud crack, lightning grazed her arm and struck down from above...
Hua Xun's body swayed violently, and a wave of numb pain shot through her arm. Only the Zhihua Dan she was holding tightly in her hand remained firmly in her grasp.
Baili Sheng stood on the river, staring intently at the girl who was constantly flying through the gale and gray fog.
Unbeknownst to him, she gradually grew stronger, eventually escaping from the jaws of ferocious beasts thousands of years old.
Despite being extremely afraid of pain, she kept her lips tightly pressed together and remained silent despite her injured arm.
He could easily have given her the Zhihua Dan if she had simply shown weakness to him, but he refused to say a word.
Chiwen struck again, this time with lightning that hit her right hand.
Blood beads spilled from the back of her hand, sliding onto the golden bottle containing the Zhihua Pill, but it did not make her loosen her grip even slightly.
She simply remained pale and continued to stubbornly negotiate with the Chiwen.
Baili Sheng stared intently, his hands clenching so tightly they spasmed.
He had seen Hua Xun act so resolutely before.
She used to protect him in the same way.
She stubbornly carried him on her back, never turning back.
With a long howl, the Chiwen, which had been unable to succeed for a long time, revealed its primordial spirit as tall as a small mountain, spewing out a ten-foot-wide bolt of lightning from its mouth, and attacking the girl directly.
A powerful demonic aura gathered in Baili Sheng's palm, raging as if he were about to devour blood and carnage.
At that moment, Hua Xun felt a lightness in the purse at her waist, and the peace charm that had been blessed by the gods suddenly shone brightly with golden light.
One second Hua Xun was still in a state of fear, the next he felt himself enveloped in a familiar and gentle divine power.
Golden light blocked Chiwen's all-out attack and carried her flying towards the Crimson Moon River.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the golden light slowly coalesced into a tall, semi-transparent figure.
"God?" Hua Xun murmured in disbelief.
*
The man hovered above the ground, looking down at the girl in front of him with gentle eyes.
The girl looked up in surprise and delight, her eyes sparkling, and gazed quietly at the man.
This is what Baili Sheng, standing not far away, saw.
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