heart
……Headache.
This was Mo Yiheng's first thought upon waking. The instant his consciousness returned, he subconsciously touched his chest, then chuckled softly, realizing what was happening. He then began to circulate his demonic energy to fill the empty space in his chest. Beneath him lay soft fabric, but it was clearly not made by demonic craftsmanship.
The calming scent emanating from the bedding seemed somewhat familiar.
It is one of Murong Jin's temporary palaces in the human realm.
Ah... I wonder if that annoying emperor is dead or not.
Just as he was about to get out of bed, the movement aggravated his throbbing head, causing him to gasp involuntarily. His blood and qi surged within him, causing him to cough uncontrollably, and a wave of dizziness washed over him, nearly causing him to collapse to the ground.
"If you don't want to die," the newcomer said, catching the Demon Lord's collapsing body just in time. The ambergris still smelled pungent. "Just lie back down and don't move."
"If I weren't afraid of your death, how could I have been ambushed?" Mo Yiheng snorted coldly, but did not resist. Instead, he lay down as Murong Jin moved, closing his eyes to avoid wasting any more energy.
"The Demon Lord's mouth is still as stubborn as ever."
Despite this, the emperor, casually draped in an outer robe, offered no further sarcastic remarks. Murong Jin sat back down at the table not far from the bed, his face still pale, but he had regained his former imperial majesty, his eyes clear and deep, no longer troubled by nightmares or inner demons—at least not for now. He held a vermilion brush, reviewing the mountain of memorials. At the other end of the table were the pair of dragon and fox pendants, and… Mo Yiheng's shattered jade fragments, devoid of any spiritual energy.
The gift from his master... Mo Yiheng couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. He was eager to try using his demonic energy to gather the jade stone, which had been shattered into hundreds of pieces, into his palm and stubbornly began a second repair.
Perhaps his appearance seemed too pitiful to Murong Jin, or perhaps Murong Jin saw a bit of herself in him... In any case, the Emperor sighed softly, and in the midst of his busy schedule, he took a moment to speak to the Demon Lord: "You saved my life, thank you."
"No." The Demon Lord didn't even raise his head, but carefully pieced the broken jade back together. "Your life was saved by Senior Uncle Yunhe and Wuying. At most, I only played a role in calming your nightmares. Furthermore, our political and personal relationships have not been offset by this."
Zhu Bi paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting Mo Yiheng to let go of this good opportunity for blackmail. But it was only for a moment. The next moment, Murong Jin chuckled and the tip of his pen methodically traced characters: "If I am not confused, the Demon Lord should have already repaired that jade once."
"Thanks to you," Mo Yiheng replied irritably.
"I understand your resentment. After the Yilan Palace incident, I also hated myself." Murong Jin finally turned his head to look at him and asked, "I was just curious... Xiaoxue has never felt romantic love for anyone. The Demon Lord is so infatuated with him. If, after this matter is over, he still cannot see your feelings... will you still be so patient in repairing the broken jade a third time?"
The aloof and magnanimous fox spirit, the gentle and approachable, innocent and pure Yun Shu... Murong Jin couldn't imagine what it would be like for the other to fall in love with someone—even though he had imagined countless times in his heart the scene of the other falling in love with him.
Perhaps the best outcome for Yun Shu would be to successfully resolve this matter and transcend her tribulation, becoming a true immortal lord revered and loved by all, rather than spending the rest of her life with a particular individual.
He had given up. As the human emperor who had lost the favor of the White Fox Immortal Lord, the people needed him to settle everything before his death and choose a qualified successor—of course, he had already found a promising candidate in the mortal world, but it just needed time to nurture him. He now believed that Yun Shu would not reciprocate his feelings.
Then what about Mo Yiheng, who is much younger than him? As Yun Shu's only remaining disciple, how long can Mo Yiheng's infatuation last in the face of endless waiting for an answer?
Demon Lord, is your one-sided infatuation just a passing fancy?
Murong Jin leaned back in his chair, calmly awaiting the young man's answer.
"...You doubt my loyalty to my master?" Briefly setting down the broken jade, Mo Yiheng gazed towards the Western Regions, his eyes softening. "After being reprimanded by my senior uncle, I've thought many things through... Even if I never receive a response from him, I will stand silently behind him. If he wants me, I will immediately offer all my life in return. If he doesn't want me, I will still grovel at his feet, becoming his most obedient disciple. Some unfortunate believers spend their entire lives waiting for the gods to take notice... But I have already secured a place beside him. Murong Jin, you were once like that too... No, you are far stronger than me—back then, he trusted you more, and because of that, he expelled me from the sect, didn't he?"
So what if there's no reply? Yun Shu doesn't need anyone's pity or love. He is strong enough on his own, he has close fellow disciples and friends, he is the most compassionate god walking in the world... The love of others is dispensable to him, because he already holds something more precious.
In terms of family, Yun Shu has his senior sister Yun He who tirelessly seeks medicine for him, his master Yun Hua who is extremely protective of his two disciples and is willing to sacrifice himself for them, and all the disciples on Yun Hua Immortal Mountain.
Among her friends, Yun Shu has the immortal mountain lord and his younger sister, whom she has known since childhood and with whom she has exchanged letters; the human emperor Murong Jin, with whom she has relied on each other in the cold palace; and the lively and lovely princess of the Flowing Sand Kingdom, Jin Zhu.
In terms of love, Yun Shu has millions of people in the world who admire him.
It doesn't matter if there's one less Mo Yiheng, and having one more Mo Yiheng would just be icing on the cake.
Since that's the case, why should Mo Yiheng care whether Yun Shu will notice and reciprocate this affection? When the White Fox Immortal Lord looked at the world, he had already been looking at him.
He didn't care what his feelings for him were, and perhaps he didn't even care if the other man was looking at him.
As long as he can still look up to him, that's enough.
“…Ha.” Murong Jin chuckled, rubbing his temples. “I underestimated the Demon Lord. I didn’t expect that despite his young age, he would have such a clear understanding of emotions… It would be even better if he weren’t so childish when arguing with me.”
"A complete loss." Murong Jin thought to himself, then couldn't help but smile bitterly: He wasn't as magnanimous as Mo Yiheng... If Mo Yiheng knew that the person he loved didn't love him the most, he would go crazy. Perhaps that was why he had gone to such lengths back then, only to find that he didn't even have the courage to see Xiaoxue now.
But at least, Xiaoxue won't get hurt by someone like him anymore.
Calling him childish caused Mo Yiheng's expression to twitch for a moment, but he quickly put it aside and simply said, "Heh, I'll just assume you're jealous."
"I have no objection."
Naïveness is something that is truly desirable but unattainable for someone like him who is nearing the end of his life.
Before the Demon Lord's cold snort could even finish, the Human Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked again, "Immortal Venerable Yunhe said, although the black energy pierced your heart, it did not damage your essence. So... where did your heart go?"
Since the heart is not inside the chest cavity, the black energy naturally cannot drag Mo Yiheng into nightmares and death.
The inner hall was silent, with only the faint scent of incense wafting from the burner, nervously adjusting the two people's faces.
After a long while, Mo Yiheng released the broken jade, raised his palm and placed it on his left chest, too lazy to use demonic energy to simulate the illusion of a beating heart. His eyes were as black as an abyss, but he smiled exceptionally brightly: "I thought I could keep it a secret for a few more days... Uncle Yunhe is truly insightful."
"Stop talking nonsense." Murong Jin scoffed lightly, then picked up his vermilion brush again to review the documents. "I don't want our allies to die prematurely."
The Demon Lord did not answer directly, but instead plucked a brightly blooming rose from his hair and played with it: "I do not believe that a human emperor who has lived for thousands of years could not guess where it is... Master has already entered the body of a false god, and it is being well taken care of."
“...Indeed.” Murong Jin shook his head, his tone a mixture of helplessness and…excitement. “Young people’s ideas are indeed pure and crazy.”
"The Human Emperor is no less impressive. After all, there aren't many rulers who dare to use their own lives as bait. The things lying in ambush around Yunhua Mountain, the hiding places of the Ming Snake and the Black Sand within the territory... have all been dealt with by your people after this battle?"
“I never do anything I’m not sure of…except for that time at Yilan Palace.”
"Heh. Alright, let's get back to the point." Mo Yiheng sat up straight despite his headache and asked in a deep voice, "Did the black-robed man that Uncle Master brought back... reveal anything?"
The sound of paper and pen rubbing continued, but Murong Jin ignored him and turned the water mirror on the corner of the table so that the two of them could observe the interior of Yunhua Immortal Mountain together.
Murong Jin: "I have to thank you. Yun Huashan finally believes that I am not with the evil cult."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later."
In the water mirror, the Grand Elder sat facing the man in black robes. It was obvious that the latter had suffered multiple rounds of torture and was on the verge of death.
It seems things aren't going too smoothly... Mo Yiheng propped his chin up, about to ask something more, when he saw the Emperor make a shushing gesture to him, indicating that he should continue watching.
Left with no other choice, Mo Yiheng had to suppress his impatience and continue to observe.
Soon, another familiar face appeared on the screen—the Demon God Yunhua.
The Demon Lord, who had just been uninterested, suddenly widened his eyes, unable to believe that Senior Uncle Yunhe would dare to summon Grandmaster Yunhua to personally intervene.
Wasn't Yunhua... delirious, like a child? How could this be...?
Could it be that my master has stabilized my grandmaster's condition? If that's true, then my master's illness...
Having only lived for a thousand years, Murong Jin did not know who the person in the picture was, and therefore could not understand why Mo Yiheng reacted so strongly.
"Demon Lord?"
"...No, I'm fine. It's just that seeing my master as he is, I feel a little...fearful."
The pain of being flung away in the Demon Abyss that day was still vivid in Yun Hua's mind. He couldn't help but wonder about the fate of the man in black robes, and then recounted Yun Hua's life story to Murong Jin.
Inside the water mirror, the Grand Elder respectfully bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Grandmaster."
"Okay. You can go out now."
Yun Hua didn't say much, nor did he pay attention to the black-robed man's screams and trembling. His gaze was indifferent, as if he had only seen an ant. He slightly raised his palm, and the chaotic power of the demon god instantly devoured the man, spitting out a horrifying skeleton half a moment later.
“So that’s how it is…” Yunhua murmured to herself, then looked at her palm with disgust. “The power I despise… Oh well, as long as it can help Xiaohe and Qiuqiu…”
Then, he changed the subject, looking beyond the water mirror: "What are you two looking at?"
Upon being called upon, Mo Yiheng immediately lowered his eyes and cupped his hands obediently: "Disciple Mo Yiheng greets Grandmaster. Is there anything this disciple can do for you?"
"I have seen you before, the current Demon Lord. Although you are a demon... Hmph, you were raised by Qiuqiu after all... Now, this is none of your business. Keep your rebellious ancestors in check... Of course, if you fail to do so, I will personally wipe out the Demon Realm."
Yunhua then turned to another person, her eyes filled with even greater disgust: "As for you, the human who caused Qiuqiu to become so weak... I will spare your life for Qiuqiu's sake. I order you to arrive here within three hours, or you will be gone."
The water mirror went out, and the hall returned to silence.
Mo Yiheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, Human Emperor. You'd better hurry up the mountain before my grandmaster gets annoyed... My master has pleaded for you, he won't take action easily."
“…Sigh.” Murong Jin stood up, sorted out the memorials and put them aside. “The sins I committed myself…it’s alright, I can still bear it. Demon Lord, don’t run around.”
"I don't need you to remind me."
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