Mountain Rain
The winter hunt ended in a strangely calm atmosphere.
The imperial procession, winding like a dragon, marched grandly from the northwest hunting grounds towards the capital. The palanquins remained luxurious, but compared to the clamor and anticipation of the journey there, the return trip was exceptionally somber and oppressive. In particular, the emperor's carriage was shrouded in an invisible chill, and the accompanying officials and princes held their breath, daring not to relax in the slightest, much less make a sound, for fear of disturbing the soft, cloud-veiled palanquin.
Since the fright that night, the fox spirit had been in a deep sleep. Murong Jin abandoned all formalities and spent almost all his time in the sedan chair, constantly using pure dragon energy to soothe the fox spirit's meridians and suppress the increasingly agitated demonic poison caused by the backlash from the formation. However, the dragon energy entering the fox spirit's body was like flowing into a bottomless abyss; no matter how much Murong Jin devoted himself, it was all in vain.
Although the attack stopped, Yun Shu's essence and heart meridians had already been severely damaged by the demonic poison, and the intense "backlash" made the soothing effect of the dragon energy much less than before.
Even in his sleep, Yun Shu continued to suffer excruciating pain day and night. His skin became increasingly translucent, as if he had transformed into a fragile glass ornament, which would shatter and disappear at the slightest carelessness. Every slight furrow of his brow or every unconscious whimper in pain drew even gentler movements and more urgent infusions of dragon energy from Murong Jin.
During this period, the Imperial Preceptor requested an audience with the Emperor several times, but was refused entry by the Emperor's attendants each time.
"His Majesty has decreed that no one is allowed to disturb the Fox Fairy until she awakens. Imperial Advisor, please return."
Each time Liu Qing heard this cold and heartless imperial edict, he would stand silently outside the sedan chair for a moment, as if competing with Murong Jin. In the end, it would always end with the Imperial Preceptor retreating silently, his attitude humble and sincere, only the hissing sound from his sleeves revealing a hint of resentment.
Everything seemed to have returned to how it was before the winter hunt... no, it was even more peaceful than then.
The warmth inside Yilan Palace intensified, while the guards outside became even more stringent. Even when Jinzhu returned from the Imperial Kitchen, she had to undergo three rounds of inspections, and the food she brought back had to be tested for poison by the imperial physicians before she was allowed to deliver it to the fox spirit. Murong Jin spent increasingly longer periods in Yilan Palace. Now, he moved almost all the memorials and documents from Yangxin Hall and the Imperial Study into the side hall of Yilan Palace to process them, just to constantly check whether Yun Shu's breathing was stable in the main hall.
Although he awoke briefly the day after returning to the palace and recuperated in Yilan Palace for several days, Yun Shu remained weak and delirious. He spent most of the day in a daze, fast asleep. When he did wake up, he was listless and had no energy for anything. Only when Murong Jin visited and kept him company did he manage to smile and exchange a few words with Murong Jin.
"Xiaoxue, it's time to take your medicine."
"Um."
He obediently drank the medicine Murong Jin fed him; he fully accepted the dragon energy Murong Jin bestowed upon him; he would occasionally chuckle softly when Murong Jin held him and told him amusing stories from the court. But soon, he would fall asleep again in Murong Jin's warm embrace, unable to wake up no matter how strong the wind and rain.
He was like a vine that had lost its vitality and life, only able to barely support himself by clinging to Murong Jin.
However, without the power-drawing formation, the remaining immortal energy within Yun Shu's body was slowly repairing the backlash from the depletion of demonic power and the breaking of the formation. And the brief spiritual connection with Mo Yiheng that day injected some vitality and comfort into his weakening heartbeat.
Late at night, Murong Jin finally fell into a deep sleep due to extreme physical and mental exhaustion from handling government affairs for several days. He lay by the bedside, his hands still tightly holding Yun Shu's icy fingertips.
Murong Jin's brows were furrowed, clearly trapped in a nightmare.
Just then, Yun Shu slowly opened her eyes. Her empty, lifeless gaze fell upon the palace ceiling, but the nine tails seemed to come alive as they enveloped the unusually vulnerable emperor, gently patting him. Murong Jin seemed to sense this, and immediately wrapped himself around her, curling up into a ball with Yun Shu in his arms.
"Mother...don't leave me..."
"It's cold... Little fox, don't be afraid... Huddle together, and... you won't be cold anymore..."
"Brother...don't come any closer..."
"Xiaoxue... I don't want to die... Please... don't abandon Ajin... save me..."
"So cold...so cold..."
With a soft sigh, Yun Shu pulled him closer to her, gently stroking Murong Jin's disheveled long hair. She lowered her eyes and whispered, "It's not cold. A-Jin is the Emperor, and he is currently staying in Yilan Palace. The palace floor is heated, and it's as warm as spring... I never thought of abandoning A-Jin, but now... you're the one who abandoned Xiaoxue first."
Then don't blame him for leaving after it's over and never seeing him again.
It was unclear how much Murong Jin had taken in, or if the dream had simply vanished without a trace. The Emperor's breathing gradually calmed; he was clearly the Son of Heaven revered by all, yet tonight he trembled like a frightened bird, whimpering and rubbing against anything that might cause him to "lose" something. Only when Yun Shu was held tightly in his arms could he feel slightly at ease.
That's enough.
Yun Shu sighed again and let him go.
While soothing the child, he also sent out a wisp of his divine sense. The fox spirit's divine sense moved silently, bypassing Murong Jin and the Imperial Guards, crossing the towering mountains and rivers, and evading Liu Qing's spies, directly reaching the Demon Realm.
Unlike the silence of Yilan Palace, a kind of suppressed excitement permeated the Demon Palace. The new Demon Lord's mood had been unusually good lately, leaving everyone in the palace bewildered.
Mo Yiheng practically counted down the hours of each day. He didn't act rashly again, nor did he abuse drugs to restore his strength. Instead, he no longer found Wu Ying's nagging annoying and patiently conditioned his body. While sorting out the chaotic demonic energy within his body, he also diligently handled the backlog of affairs within the demon realm, much to the great satisfaction of the Master of Ceremonies—during the Demon Lord's absence, he had preemptively reviewed and approved all government affairs. After months of this, the Master of Ceremonies was so exhausted that he almost collapsed from exhaustion and died on duty. Now, he and Mo Yiheng had taken a long leave and gone on vacation all over the country.
"Knock, knock."
Night Demon knocked symbolically on the palace door and presented a jade slip.
"Your Majesty, the background of that Imperial Advisor—Liu Qing." He sat down and mechanically reported, "His original name was Liu Zhijun. He was born in a desolate village in the southern border. Later, he fled north with his parents to avoid disaster and disappeared for a hundred years. When he reappeared, he changed his name to Liu Qing. Soon after, he adopted the pseudonym 'Master Qingming' and began to make a name for himself in the capital with his magical arts that allowed him to communicate with the yin and yang, observe celestial phenomena, and control evil spirits. After several years, he was appreciated by the Emperor for predicting a once-in-a-century drought and saving the people from famine. About two hundred years ago, he was summoned to the palace and, after years of accumulation, became the Imperial Advisor."
The jade slip also contained several places with unusual spiritual veins that might be related to Liu Qing.
Ye Xiuluo pointed to one of the spots and said, "This is the epicenter of the drought he predicted. The message reported that within a hundred miles of this place, the underground water veins have dried up, the spiritual energy is waning, and strange noises are heard. Upon deeper investigation, the caves and rivers are found to be crawling with poisonous insects, all greedily devouring the source of the spiritual veins. If the person who entered had not withdrawn in time, he would have been engulfed in the darkness, his demonic energy dissipated within. Therefore, I dare to speculate that the natural disaster of that year was actually a man-made disaster orchestrated by Liu Qing himself."
Mo Yiheng's gaze was deep as he asked only, "What is your grudge against Yunhua?"
Night Demon snapped his fingers, and the servant standing outside immediately entered respectfully, presented a brief report on the outer disciples of Yunhua Sect, and then bowed his head and withdrew. The scribe opened the marked page, smoothed it out, and handed it to the Demon Lord. He continued, "Upon verification, during the hundred years between Liu Zhijun's northward journey and her reappearance under her new name, she traveled to Yunhua with her parents."
On the yellowed text message, two names were specially circled in vermilion.
"It is said that his parents wanted to become disciples of Yunhua. They deliberately waited at the foot of the mountain to stop the returning Immortal Yunhe and explain their intentions. However, Immortal Yunhe saw that their aptitude was mediocre and declined on this basis. Helpless, the two insisted on going up the mountain, so the Immortal assigned them to the outer sect as menial disciples, saying that once they had mastered all the outer sect techniques, he would make an exception and allow them to enter the inner sect to cultivate. Later, for some unknown reason, the two took their son and left the mountain for the northwest. After crossing the border, Yunhua lost all news of them. Later, when war broke out in the northwest, Liu Zhijun returned to the country and found Liu Qing all alone."
Looking at the text message, after the two people's cultivation techniques were left blank, and after listening to Ye Xiuluo recount his past, and then recalling what Liu Qing was doing now, Mo Yiheng felt that it was somewhat laughable.
He noted down a few key points and then burned the jade slip and the message.
"Immortal Venerable Yunhe, is there any news?"
"The Immortal Venerable's whereabouts are elusive, and your subordinates have been unable to find any trace of him."
"...Never mind."
Just as he was about to release Ye Xiuluo from the hall, his senses suddenly caught that familiar divine consciousness. He immediately restrained Ye Xiuluo, then reverently held that pure white, crystalline power, as endearing as his master's: "Master, you've come! What does Heng'er want to do?"
Yun Shu was in low spirits, and his excited words made her both laugh and cry. However, she also remembered that she had mistakenly expelled him from the sect, and she felt boundless guilt and heartache. Her delicate, fox-like consciousness throbbed gently, and she lovingly ruffled Mo Yiheng's hair.
"Heng'er... I'm so sorry to have wronged you."
"I'm not wronged! I'm willing to do whatever I can for Master!" He eagerly showed his loyalty, but tears welled up in his eyes. "It's just... Master, please don't send me away..."
Night Demon skillfully turned his back and began to admire the empty palace walls.
"Alright, I won't rush you... Be good, don't cry." Yun Shu sighed helplessly and had to steer the conversation back on track, "Heng'er, the Yunhua ancestral worship ceremony is approaching..."
"Heng'er understands! Uncle Yunhe will be returning to the mountain soon, and I have sent people everywhere to search for his whereabouts, determined to tell him the truth!"
This kid... how come he's already learned to answer questions first? Shen Shi chuckled, finding his appearance adorable, and couldn't resist pinching the Demon Lord's precious little face, only to be grabbed and pressed against by the Demon Lord himself.
"Hmm, Heng'er did a great job," Yun Shu praised. "But be careful, there should be Liu Qing's array monitoring both the Imperial City and Yunhua. I need you to find a way to stop her before she arrives at these two places, so that the venomous snake can make preparations in advance and escape."
"Yes! This disciple will spare no effort to fulfill Master's request!" His heart pounded, not because of the task or the unseen Uncle Yunhe, but because of the heavy trust represented by Yun Shu's seeking his help. After a moment of silence, he said worriedly, "Master, your health... Murong Jin, he..."
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Yun Shu said calmly. "Before the truth is clear, do not act rashly, and do not confront Murong Jin directly. You... protect yourself."
Despite his dissatisfaction, Mo Yiheng suppressed his murderous intent as instructed and told him everything he had found about Liu Qing.
"There is such a grudge... No problem, let Senior Sister handle it when the time comes."
Perhaps the conversation had gone on for too long, and his demonic power was exhausted once again. As soon as he finished speaking, that divine consciousness receded like the tide, leaving Mo Yiheng all alone.
"Master..." Mo Yiheng clutched the jade pendant to his chest, choking back tears, "Heng'er misses you..."
He sat quietly for a moment, sniffing, when he suddenly remembered there was another person in the hall: "Night Asura!"
The summoned man slowly turned around: "Your Excellency."
Whether it was a misperception or not, Mo Yiheng seemed to see a hint of a smile on Ye Shura's machine-like face.
But he didn't have time to worry about that.
"Immediately increase manpower to keep a close watch on all the main roads leading to the Imperial City and Yunhua Mountain. Once you discover any trace of Immortal Yunhe, report back to me immediately."
"yes."
The shadowy figure accepted the order and left.
At the foot of the mountain, less than 500 li from Yunhua.
A woman dressed in a blue robe and wearing a bamboo hat walked slowly into the teahouse. Her demeanor was as restrained as that of an ordinary person, except that the folding fan at her waist swayed slightly with her steps, and the jade pendant touched her waist belt, producing a clear and calming sound.
She found a seat by the window, asked the innkeeper for a pot of tea and two vegetarian dishes, and listened attentively to the conversations of passersby coming and going in the inn.
"Have you heard? On the day of the winter hunt, the Demon Lord actually showed up twice to cause trouble! He even tried to assassinate Lady Fox Fairy!"
"Who hasn't heard about such a big thing! That devil is truly a persistent ghost. It's only thanks to His Majesty's wisdom and foresight in deploying the Imperial Guards to guard against him that he was able to prevent him from succeeding!"
"Tch, you've only scratched the surface! I know that the demon was once the beloved disciple of the Fox Fairy, whom she took in and raised with great care by Yunhua! Who knew that the nature of demons is hard to change, and he actually took advantage of the Fox Fairy's unpreparedness to injure her master's eyes! Poor Fox Fairy, your kind act has brought you this undeserved disaster!"
"What?! There are such scumbags in the world!"
"That's right! Fortunately, His Majesty arrived in time that day, and now he has invited the fox spirit to the palace to take good care of her... I heard from the servants in the palace that His Majesty has searched for all the rare herbs and elixirs in the world to detoxify the fox spirit..."
Yun Shu was assassinated by her disciple? Murong Jin begs for medicine?
The woman paused, her brow furrowing as she held the teacup.
She had been wandering the mountains for a long time, only recently returning due to the upcoming ancestral worship ceremony. It's only been a little over two hundred years, so how could the sect have changed so drastically? And that adorable, soft-spoken fox-like junior brother, whom she practically raised herself, seems to be in dire straits?
Who is the Demon Lord...? Has Little Fox Ball been randomly picking up children from the mountain again?
After paying the bill, the figure in blue quietly disappeared into the crowd outside the teahouse. His direction was straight towards the imperial city.
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