Chapter 102 Demon Lord 102%
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Little Snow Lotus is the consciousness possessed by the first heavy snow of this winter.
This is a wonderful world, with the sound of wind, snow, and people and animals coming and going. This should be the world she longs for and likes, but she inexplicably feels repulsed.
【Don't transform.】
[Just treat it as a simple flower, forever remaining in an extremely cold place that ordinary people cannot touch.]
The thought of transforming came to Xiao Xuelian again and again, but was repeatedly stopped by the voice in her heart. She saw many people expecting her to transform, and some called her "Yaoyao". What impressed her the most was a person who always loved to wear red clothes.
The eye-catching red dress, with a heat that made her shiver in fear, he always liked to secretly visit her in the middle of the night, standing by the pool and talking to her in words she couldn't understand, and always stubbornly touching her.
This guy is so annoying.
Because of his appearance, the little snow lotus no longer wanted to transform. It just remained a snow lotus quietly, listening to the whispers from heaven and earth every day, feeling the changes in the breath of all things, and sealing off its own consciousness.
until--
The man turned into a huge, hot bird and carried her back to his nest.
Xiao Xuelian couldn't stand it anymore.
Ever since the bird had forcibly taken her back, she had lost her peaceful life. She could hear the bird talking to her every day. He also loved to hold it in his arms, taking it with him when he went to bathe in the icy pond. Worst of all, he loved to sleep with it in his arms.
Little Snow Lotus froze herself to warn him again and again, but the bird would melt her ice again and again and then touch her provocatively. That night, he hugged the flower pot and it felt as hot as the sun in the sky. Little Snow Lotus could no longer endure it and ran out of the flower pot with a whoosh, fell on the bed and turned into a human body.
With a human body, Xiao Xuelian also had eyes. She rested her head on the big bird's arm, lying beside him, and finally saw his face clearly.
Such long eyelashes.
Xiao Xuelian blinked, staring blankly at that stunning face for a moment. She thought the flame lotus totem on his forehead was ugly. Just as she was about to reach out and touch his thick, fan-like eyelashes, she felt a surge of heat, filled with the very aura she dreaded and avoided.
Fire is the feeling of flame.
Xiao Xuelian opened her eyes wide, quickly scooped up the koi carp from the flowerpot, and with a whoosh, she leaped out of the palace gate, transforming into a faint streak of white light and landing in the back garden. She placed the bouncing koi carp back into the pond and stirred the water with her hand, washing away the lingering scent of the large bird from her fingers.
"Do you know how to leave here?" Xiao Xuelian looked up at the moon in the sky, half-knelt outside the pool, grabbing the edge of the wall, trying to get the koi to help her.
She didn't like the big bird, nor did she like its gloomy, maze-like nest. She wanted to return to the quiet and leisurely cold pond.
The surroundings froze from her chill. Xiao Xuelian watched the koi fish leap back and forth in the water several times, but she still didn't get the answer she wanted. She puffed her cheeks and was about to stand up to find her own way when a flash of red light suddenly appeared beside her. A red lotus blossomed from the ground, and a man in red emerged from the lotus.
...It's that big bird.
Xiao Xuelian looked up at him.
No longer a mortal body, now a small snow lotus possesses ten thousand years of spiritual power, nurtured by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It can be considered a divine body on par with Chao Yuan. This pure and clean spirit, with skin as white as cream, black eyes and red lips, and a small snow lotus mark between its eyebrows, is a refinement of Qu Yaoyao's appearance, leaving no one behind but a glimpse of a divine being.
Xiao Xuelian had such a face, staring at Chao Yuan without blinking. Chao Yuan lowered his eyes to meet her face, his heart trembling, his throat rolling for a long time before he found his voice and called out softly: "Yaoyao."
"Who is Yaoyao?"
"Are you calling me?" His face was clearly reflected in Xiao Xuelian's eyes, without joy or anger, and without any impurities. She was just like the girl he saw when he entered the dream of Xuanqihua, so clean and pure, but the only thing missing was the passionate love she had for him.
Chao Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned over to the kneeling little girl. This time he answered her seriously: "Yaoyao is your name, so you can be called Yaoyao."
Xiao Xuelian tilted her head slightly and replied calmly, "Oh."
Something is wrong.
Chao Yuan vaguely sensed the problem and deliberately lowered his voice to ask, "Do you remember who I am?"
Little Xuelian wasn't very interested in him. When he approached, she leaned back and replied honestly, "You're the big bird that carried me out of the cold pond."
A hot, nasty big bird.
It was the first time that Chao Yuan heard someone call him a "big bird". Instead of being annoyed, he was amused by her. After regaining his memories of two lives, Chao Yuan lost his sharp edge when dealing with Qu Yaoyao, and unconsciously became gentle and patient.
"Well, I'm the big bird. You can also call me Chao Yuan."
Xie Qingxun was the name he used to fool the other cultivators. It was given by Wanfa Daozun, and he disliked the name's watery undertones. Emperor Feng was merely a title bestowed upon the king by the Phoenix Clan; Chao Yuan was his true name.
"Oh." Xiao Xuelian replied him with one word, still calm and without much reaction, and had no curiosity about him.
...She didn't remember him, and it seemed like she had forgotten everything.
Chao Yuan couldn't tell whether he should be happy or sad about the situation. He moved closer to Xiao Xuelian and raised his hand to help her brush off the snow on her shoulders.
"Call me."
"What?"
"Call my name."
Xiao Xuelian was very resistant to him. She shrugged and asked him hesitantly, "If I call your name, can you take me back to my home?"
"Your home?"
"Yeah." Little Snow Lotus gestured, "It's the cold pond where I was before. There are several big snow lotuses like me in it."
"That's not your home." Chao Yuan said calmly, "This is your real home."
As he spoke, he grabbed Xiao Xuelian's arm and pulled her up from the ground, "The ground is cold, don't kneel on it."
Xiao Xuelian stumbled two steps, and was pulled into his arms. Xiao Xuelian still had a cold aura, and when she threw herself on Chao Yuan, it was like ice falling into fire, and she felt like she was about to be melted by him.
Something unknown and inexplicable appeared in her mind. Xiao Xuelian seemed to see flames burning and heard crackling sounds in her ears.
She panicked, like a cat with its fur standing on end. She quickly pushed the person in front of her away, took a few steps back, and said, "Don't touch me."
Perhaps realizing her tone was bad, she sniffed and explained helplessly: "You, you're so hot, I don't like it."
She didn't like him anymore, she hated him now.
Chao Yuan stared at her with his scarlet eyes, knowing full well that she wasn't afraid of the flames or warmth, but of him. He closed his eyes. Although he wanted to hold Qu Yaoyao in his arms, he felt compelled to give her the distance and sense of security she deserved. He hummed softly, "Then I'll touch you after I shower."
After soaking in the ice pool, his body temperature can be temporarily reduced.
Xiao Xuelian gave him a strange look, "Aren't you a firebird?"
She was afraid of fire, and fire was also afraid of ice water. She didn't understand why Chao Yuan would torture her by making her soak in the cold water. Chao Yuan didn't correct her on the way he addressed her, but simply chuckled and said, "Although I am a fire element, I love cold water the most in my life."
Before Qu Yaoyao disappeared, Chao Yuan thought that what he hated most were cold water and darkness. It was not until Qu Yaoyao disappeared from his sight and he spent a hundred years in a bright and warm life that he realized that his previous hatred was nothing.
What he fears most now... is Qu Yaoyao leaving.
If he could keep this cold-loving little snow lotus, he would be willing to soak it in cold water every day.
…
Qu Yaoyao had indeed lost her memory. What she forgot was not only Chao Yuan, but also those people she cared about and loved.
Without resentment or hatred, without the expected enthusiasm or curiosity, the little snow lotus that has transformed into a new form seems smart and beautiful, but it has lost its most sincere and soft soul. It cannot learn to love, nor can it feel loved.
Even if she is an emotionless god, surrounded by fairy air and detached from the mundane world, she has a human body but is still a cold flower.
"The Demon Lord means that Madam Yao is missing a soul?"
Di Shu stared at the looming figure behind the curtains and asked in a low voice, "How could this happen? Is it Mo Xuanxiao..."
"No." Chao Yuan soaked in the ice pool, letting the cold freeze his blood and bones. He closed his eyelashes and said, "Mo Xuanxiao would rather Yaoyao retain her memories and hate me. How can he extract a part of her soul to help her forget the past? This will only harm him, not benefit him."
Furthermore, Qu Yaoyao had only just regained consciousness, making it difficult for Mo Xuanxiao to even approach her, let alone forcibly extract her soul. Chao Yuan had just specifically probed her soul and found it intact, without any damage or lesions. It was impossible for someone to forcibly extract her soul.
Humans aren't the only ones endowed with three souls and seven spirits; all living things possess these qualities. Of the three souls of Heaven, Earth, and Fate, the Fate Soul controls the seven spirits, which are divided into seven emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, and desire. What Qu Yaoyao lost was the pure love she once cherished most.
Or perhaps it was not lost, but Qu Yaoyao deliberately discarded this soul when she reshaped the Snow Lotus's body.
There is no hurt without love. Qu Yaoyao is choosing "never to meet again" in her own way. Without love, the past will be over one by one.
After soaking until his entire body was icy cold, Chao Yuan composed himself, emerged from the pool, put on his clothes, and pulled aside the curtains to enter the inner room. Little Xuelian was crouching by the window, watching the moon. It was snowing tonight, and the moon in the sky was half-hidden and dim. She reached out and caught a flake of snow out of boredom. The chill released, instantly freezing the snowflake into a sharp, transparent flake of ice.
"What are you thinking about?" A chill gathered behind her. Chao Yuan moved closer to her, sticking to her back and holding her in his arms as he wished.
Chao Yuan's phoenix body is extremely large, and when it turns into a human form, it is even taller than his previous demonic body. When he hugs Xiao Xuelian, he can hold her completely in his arms and hold her tightly.
Without the warmth she feared, Xiao Xuelian still struggled uncomfortably. Chao Yuan's eyes darkened, and he tightened his arms around her, holding her even tighter. He rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered, "Don't move."
"Let me hold you for a while."
"It will be fine in a moment."
Chao Yuan had waited so long for this embrace, yet the one he held now wasn't the complete her. Little Snow Lotus, missing a soul, constantly reminded him that she didn't love him, that she had given up on him. Chao Yuan slowly closed his eyes, his breath soft and weak, like a drowning bird.
Xiao Xuelian felt it.
She was only missing one soul; the rest of her spirit was intact, capable of laughter and tears, sadness and fear. Outside, the snow fell steadily, and the man holding her was silent and desolate. For a moment, Xiao Xuelian seemed to be touched by a deep sadness, and slowly stopped struggling.
Chao Yuan did not lie to her again. He said it would be a while, and soon he let her go.
But he still leaned behind her, conjured up a comb and combed her long hair. Qu Yaoyao's hair was black and long, tangled with Chao Yuan's hair and difficult to distinguish between them, which reminded him of the folk saying: Married as husband and wife, they love each other without doubt*.
Even though Qu Yaoyao has now become Xiao Xuelian, there is no divorce letter between them, and she is still his wife.
Unfortunately, there are too many grievances and entanglements between them.
Thinking about this, Chao Yuan suddenly felt that it was good that Qu Yaoyao had lost one soul. In her previous two lives, the little flower had desperately chased and hugged her. This time, since she lost one soul, she would not be hurt, and Chao Yuan could chase and hug her instead.
Even though, he will never get Qu Yaoyao's love.
"Yaoyao, will you marry me again?" Chao Yuan wanted to give her a real wedding.
Xiao Xuelian was so sleepy from Chao Yuan's combing that she asked in a daze, "Marry? What does marry mean?"
"It means that you and I will stay together and never leave each other."
Xiao Xuelian replied without thinking: "No."
"I don't want anyone's company. I just want to go back to the cold pond and be a snow lotus again."
Chao Yuan paused for a moment, then embraced her, rubbed her cheek, and sighed softly, "Let's sleep first."
They still have a long time to accompany each other.
“…”
Xiao Xuelian's impression of Chao Yuan improved a little, but she still felt a sense of rejection and fear.
She didn't like her human body, so when she woke up the next day, she returned to the ice pond and became a little snow lotus again. Chao Yuan woke up to feel the coldness in his arms. He put on his clothes, stood up, and looked down at the little flower in the ice pond. After a while, he picked it up and put it in the small flowerpot he brought with him.
"Where are you taking me?" Xiao Xuelian moved her branches and spoke reluctantly.
Chao Yuan touched its soft and cool petals and said gently, "The snow has stopped today. I'll take you out for a walk."
"No." Xiao Xuelian rejected not only Chao Yuan, but also the world she once loved and protected.
She clearly rejected Chao Yuan's request, but the annoying big bird still carried her out the door. He touched her petals again, and smiled slightly with the corners of his lips curled up. "Since you don't like looking outside, then just look at me."
After watching it for a long time, you might get used to it and no longer hate it.
Xiao Xuelian was upset and ignored him. She ignored his resistance by closing her flower buds and didn't even want to look at him.
Chao Yuan had taken care of Qu Yaoyao for too many days, and there were a lot of matters to deal with in Fenyuan Palace. He went straight to the study with the flowers and placed her in the upper right corner of the desk so that he could see her when he raised his head.
Di Shu came in with a pile of memorials, her sight blocked from the small flowerpot on the table. Chao Yuan waved his hand to cast a protective shield over her, then leaned back in his chair and quietly reminded her, "Don't touch her."
Di Shu immediately took a step back and stayed away from Xiao Xuelian.
He was Chao Yuan's longest-serving disciple, witnessing his various phases of joy and anger. For the past century, the Demon Lord had been sullen and violent, only mellowing out for two days each time he returned from the Immortal Ruins. Only since he had snatched Qu Yaoyao back to his side had his expression gradually become more expressive.
"Demon Lord." Seeing that his master's mood was relatively calm at the moment, he reported: "A demon has found Huang Ying in the Wanmen Immortal Sect. Let's go to the Immortal Ruins to rob her..."
Receiving Chao Yuan's glance, Di Shu changed his words: "On the day when Madam Yao was brought back, Huang Ying also went to the Wanmen Immortal Sect."
"What was she doing there?"
Di Shu shook his head. "I've been searching for a few days but haven't found anything. However, the previously quiet Eastern Demon Realm has indeed become much more active recently. Tu Ling even captured a spy from the Eastern Demon Realm in Fenyuan Palace."
The Eastern Demon Realm is Huang Ying's territory.
One hundred years ago, Huang Ying betrayed Chao Yuan, secretly sheltering Tu Huan and other demons whom she had intended to execute. She led them to retreat to the eastern corner of the demonic realm and declared herself king. While the demonic realm today appears to belong to Chao Yuan, Huang Ying still oversees a portion of it, and these demons address her as "Sir."
Over the years, Chao Yuan has devoted himself to Qu Yaoyao and has no mood to deal with other things. Now that Qu Yaoyao is back, his lost ambition and murderous intent have returned. When he heard the name Huang Ying, he smiled coldly.
"Back then, she deceived me so badly."
If it weren't for her, the tragedy of a hundred years ago would not have happened, and his Yaoyao would not have turned into a snow lotus, preferring to stay in the flowerpot rather than look at him any more.
Some blood debts really need to be settled.
Perhaps anticipating Chao Yuan's intentions, Tu Ling soon came in to report, "Demon Lord, Huang Ying is leading that group of scoundrels towards Fenyuan Palace."
"You go and stop him first." Chao Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, stood up, held the small flowerpot in his arms, and sent his flowers back to the bedroom first.
Huang Ying was no longer the same person Chao Yuan remembered. Her cultivation was uncanny, and she had never revealed her true strength. For the past century, she had retreated to the Eastern Demon Realm and disappeared. With Qu Yaoyao's reappearance, she suddenly attacked. Chao Yuan didn't think the two were just coincidences.
"Stay here obediently and don't come out." Chao Yuan put the little snow lotus into the ice pool and set up several layers of barriers inside and outside the bedroom.
Xiao Xuelian didn't say anything, and Chao Yuan didn't rush. He just reached out and touched her petals and repeated his words again, adding at the end: "Answer me, yes."
Xiao Xuelian didn't like being touched, and she was also afraid that he would use this as a threat to keep touching her, so she replied muffledly, "Okay."
But what good would it do to answer him? Would she have to obey him just by saying "yes"?
Chao Yuan seemed to have forgotten how high Xiao Xuelian's cultivation level was as a divine body. She couldn't be trapped just by his words. It was rare for him to leave her. After Chao Yuan left, Xiao Xuelian transformed into a human body and emerged from the water. After studying for a moment, she broke Chao Yuan's barrier.
She didn't want to stay with him.
She wanted to leave here and return to the cold pond where she felt comfortable and loved.
The author has something to say: Married as husband and wife, they love each other without a doubt*Quote from Tang poetry.
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Gu Bei 20 bottles; Qiang Qiang 10 bottles; 42249675 8 bottles; Flora 5 bottles; Mo Yusheng 2 bottles; Ba Jiu Yan Huan Chou Geng Chou 1 bottle;
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