Chapter 85. Why bother distinguishing right from wrong? ...
That night.
Inside the bedchamber, Huanlu helped Sheng Zhiyi sit at the table. Looking at the dressing case in front of her, she said with some concern, "Miss, you are not yet fully recovered. Why do you need to do this?"
The dressing case was filled with rouge and face powder, which shimmered with ambiguous and bright colors under the flickering candlelight.
“Huanlu, have you ever heard the saying?” Sheng Zhiyi smiled inexplicably, “Beauty fades and love wanes.”
When she first heard this, she felt a little resentful. The emperor and the empress were clearly very much in love, but the empress refused to see the emperor one last time on her deathbed, only worried that her sickly appearance would disgust the emperor. Could their feelings for each other be so shallow?
But now, she dares not gamble anymore; she no longer knows what feelings truly are.
"Please apply makeup to me, just a light touch, to slightly conceal my sickness."
She needs something from me tonight, and her physical appearance is one of the few bargaining chips she can offer.
Huanlu had no choice but to agree and carefully do her makeup.
The bronze mirror was slightly blurry, and Sheng Zhiyi looked at Huanlu's focused profile in the mirror.
This mortal woman, how she ended up in the Demon Palace, is unknown. Perhaps Huanlu has a thrilling story to tell, but she has no interest in exploring it now.
Within the Demon Palace, only Huanlu showed her any genuine concern.
Huanlu quickly finished her makeup. She took a step back and asked in a low voice, "Miss, is this alright?"
Sheng Zhiyi looked in the mirror and nodded, "Not bad."
It only improved her complexion, making her look slightly more like someone from the past.
Huanlu smiled slightly, still maintaining her cautious demeanor.
Such a woman, with no cultivation whatsoever, would likely only be able to survive by clinging to the cracks in the Demon Palace.
At that time, both of them were mortals, and the situation was like that. Now that Sheng Zhiyi has recovered her cultivation, her situation does not seem to have changed much.
Footsteps sounded at the door, and Ji Fuguang brought dinner again.
This time he came alone, without any maids or servants surrounding him.
Upon seeing this, Huanlu immediately came over, carefully arranged the food, and meticulously pulled out chairs for the two of them, serving them until they sat down before quietly leaving and closing the door.
"Junior Sister," Ji Fuguang naturally didn't care about this lowly maid. He looked at Sheng Zhiyi and said, "I made extra soup tonight. Take a look and see if it suits your taste."
Sheng Zhiyi looked down and saw crucian carp soup, four-herb soup, red date and longan stew... It seemed that they had put in a lot of effort this time, choosing light and nourishing dishes.
"Thank you, senior brother. These are all good."
She lowered her eyes, the candlelight deliberately placed to illuminate her profile, and her hair was still styled in the old double-loop bun.
"What are you wearing today..." Ji Fuguang began hesitantly.
“Yes,” Sheng Zhiyi lifted her eyelids, a hint of unease in her voice, “I had Huanlu find a similar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), is it… not quite appropriate?”
The half-sleeved ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) embroidered with silver thread and mimosa flowers, along with the twelve-panel grass-green Xiang skirt embroidered with clusters of cloud patterns, was her attire when she was in the Tianyan Sect.
“No, this is quite good.” Ji Fuguang’s eyes held a hint of inquiry. “Junior Sister, is this because…?”
"Senior brother, we were both at fault for what happened before." Sheng Zhiyi sighed softly. "Now that things have come to this, knowing how complicated and complicated it is, why bother to determine who is right and who is wrong?"
Ji Fuguang curled his lips into a half-smile, "Junior Sister, do you really mean that?"
Upon seeing this, Sheng Zhiyi immediately understood that, given Ji Fuguang's suspicious nature, he would not completely believe such an obvious approach.
But the highest level of lying is to only tell the truth.
She didn't rush to explain, but simply picked up the porcelain bowl in front of her and ladled a spoonful of crucian carp soup for herself.
Upon catching a faint fishy smell, she instinctively gagged.
"What's going on!"
Ji Fuguang quickly took away the porcelain bowl in front of her, and she slowly stopped.
Sheng Zhiyi raised her head and gave a wry smile.
"Senior brother, I'm not doing this to forgive you, I'm doing this to let myself off the hook."
“These past few days, since you've been coming over, I've been able to eat normally, but this afternoon, I've found that… I can't even swallow saliva… Whenever I try to swallow something, I start dry heaving…”
Holding the candle closer, Sheng Zhiyi slowly said, "That's why I had no choice but to put on makeup... otherwise I'm afraid I'd look too haggard..."
"This afternoon? What is this all about...?"
Ji Fuguang paused, as if he understood something.
After Sheng Zhiyi woke up, she stayed in the bedroom and he took care of her personally.
Today she was feeling better, and considering that Huanlu had been quite diligent before, she transferred her from Danyang Palace.
But why does she react this way when she sees Huanlu? The two of them had gotten along quite well before.
“I think… it was after seeing Huanlu that I thought of those old things, and my emotions surged up and accumulated in my heart…” Sheng Zhiyi raised her hand and wiped away the rouge with the back of her hand, revealing her bloodless lips.
Ji Fuguang frowned.
That's not wrong. Since she entered the palace, Huanlu has been by her side through all the hardships she has faced, including being imprisoned in the water dungeon, being humiliated in the palace, and being treated coldly.
In this way, Huanlu serves as a constant reminder of her past experiences.
Just like a beggar who becomes rich and then returns to his old home, he might lose control of his emotions.
Sheng Zhiyi smiled bitterly, "I think if I continue to dwell on the past, I'm afraid I won't even be able to take any medicine. That would really starve me to death."
"How could this be?" Ji Fuguang asked instinctively, "I can still channel my true energy into you."
However... the matter of calling for green really needs to be addressed.
They were originally mortals brought to the Demon Palace to accompany Sheng Zhiyi, but now they have been harmed instead, so they are no longer of any use.
"Senior brother..." Sheng Zhiyi said softly, a hint of pleading in his eyes, "I don't want to cause another death because of myself... Huanlu, let her go to another palace?"
After all, it's in the Demon Palace; we might see each other anytime.
After thinking for a moment, Ji Fuguang said, "Don't worry, since she is a mortal, I will have someone send her back to the mortal world."
"That's good, then... thank you very much, senior brother."
The candlelight was dim, and Sheng Zhiyi looked over with a smile. The two sat across the table, seemingly close yet far apart.
——————
Ten days later.
Sheng Zhiyi slowly withdrew her hand, ending her meditation for the day.
In recent days, under Ji Fuguang's instructions, various qi-replenishing and enhancement pills have been continuously delivered to her, and her body has fully recovered. In addition, the spiritual marrow jade bead has been providing a continuous supply of spiritual power, and her cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds. However, the sword spirit has always been suppressed by demonic energy and has not reappeared.
She walked to the window, took down the Jinghong Feather hanging on the wall, and suddenly drew her longsword, unleashing a move called Double Waves.
The sword strike was surging and powerful, its sharpness overflowing, and it thrust straight to the left. Following the direction of the sword, the tip was pointing directly at Ji Fuguang, who had just opened the door.
The longsword came straight at him, but he showed no sign of panic. He raised his hand and extended two fingers, his movements slow but precise, and caught the tip of the sword that was aimed at his brow.
"Junior Sister's swordsmanship has become increasingly refined. However..." He smiled and casually commented, "Your moves are too hasty and lack follow-up."
Jing Hongyu, being from the divine race, didn't particularly like it, but he didn't think much of it either. He glanced at it casually and said, "If Junior Sister likes swordsmanship, the palace's storeroom has many fine swords. I'll take you to see them another day. This sword..."
Ji Fuguang flicked the sword lightly with his finger, and Jing Hongyu immediately emitted a low, resonant sound. He continued, "Senior brother thinks it's not very suitable for you."
What does my senior think...?
Sheng Zhiyi lowered her eyes, concealing the emotions that quickly flashed across them. Sheathed her sword, took two steps forward, and smiled, "Is what you said true, Senior Brother? Can I go and see the palace storerooms with my own eyes and make my own selections?"
“That’s easy. I’ll take you there tomorrow,” Ji Fuguang nodded.
“But Jinghongyu is already my natal sword, connected to my soul…” Before Ji Fuguang could speak, Sheng Zhiyi immediately said, “Of course, I know that senior brother must have a way to separate it, but after all, this is not a small matter. I have just recovered, so we need to plan it carefully.”
After saying that, she asked tentatively, "I still want to see the storeroom... but why tomorrow? Is Senior Brother just making excuses?"
Ji Fuguang extended his finger, and Sheng Zhiyi immediately took a step back, covered her forehead, and said repeatedly:
"Senior brother's finger strength just now made Jinghongyu make such a sound. My head can't take it."
Seeing this, Ji Fuguang raised an eyebrow. Without moving his body, he flicked his finger lightly in the air, and Sheng Zhiyi immediately felt a blast of air hit her forehead.
Rubbing her reddened skin, Sheng Zhiyi muttered in dissatisfaction, "Why is it still like this..."
Ji Fuguang picked up where he left off, saying, "Speaking such arrogant words is truly deserving of punishment."
He raised his finger, pointing it at Sheng Zhiyi's neck, intending to say, as was his habit, "Does Junior Sister prefer me to draw a line here?" But then he felt it was inappropriate, so he lowered his finger and said, "We're admiring the lotus flowers today, where would we find the time to go to the storeroom?"
"Admiring the lotus flowers?"
Sheng Zhiyi suddenly remembered the previous agreement. Ji Fuguang had never mentioned this matter in recent days, so she assumed that it was just something he said casually and did not bring it up again.
After all, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. She may seem to be unrestrained and uninhibited in front of Ji Fuguang, but in reality, she is secretly trying to figure out his thoughts. If he is unwilling, no matter how much she mentions, it will be useless. If he is willing, he can mold her however he wants.
"What, Junior Sister, have you forgotten?" Ji Fuguang asked.
“No, not at all,” Sheng Zhiyi said honestly. “I just thought that my senior brother was too busy with official duties and had forgotten about it.”
"Official business..." Ji Fuguang scoffed, seemingly unconcerned. "While I was away, things were still going smoothly in the palace, weren't they?"
Since arriving at the Demon Palace, Sheng Zhiyi discovered that he was not actually enthusiastic about demon affairs. During the last fierce battle when the immortals launched a strong attack, he even fed her grapes, clearly showing that he didn't take these things seriously.
It is said that the demon race reveres the strong, and the position of Demon Lord is held by the most capable. Ji Fuguang seems to care nothing for such things, yet he has managed to ascend to the position of Demon Lord. He must possess profound cultivation...
But he is not old. It is said that he entered the Tianyan Sect when he was young. How did he manage to cultivate such power?
As she was lost in thought, Ji Fuguang raised his hand and beckoned her gently.
A palace maid immediately stepped forward and brought over a light cloak.
Ji Fuguang took the cloak, flicked his wrist, and draped it over Sheng Zhiyi's shoulders, saying softly:
"The view from the lake is beautiful, but the breeze is strong, so it's best to wear an extra layer."
He bent down to tie the ribbon for Sheng Zhiyi, his slender fingers weaving through the long ribbon.
This situation suddenly reminded Sheng Zhiyi of the time when the two of them were in an inn on the outskirts of the city, when she sneaked into Ji Fuguang's room at night and untied the ties of his undergarments.
After tying it up, Ji Fuguang paused slightly, raised his head, and smiled, a mixture of teasing, reminiscence, and pleasure on his lips.
Clearly, he was also reminded of the past.
Ji Fuguang looked relaxed and subconsciously reached out to take her hand, but Sheng Zhiyi simply avoided it as if she were fixing her hair.
His hand paused in mid-air, then he casually withdrew it and placed it behind his back, but his knuckles curled up almost imperceptibly.
"Let's go." Ji Fuguang turned around and walked out of the hall first, his black robe drawing an arc.
Sheng Zhiyi followed half a step behind him, her eyes lowered, watching the reflection of their figures in the gleaming obsidian at her feet. They seemed to touch immediately, then suddenly separated.
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