Edited by: Bree
Lin Xuanzhi patted Yan Tianhen’s head while he secretly marked King Zhang’s name in his head. Heh, King Zhang seems to have two sons. Who knows if he’ll have to marry off his son one day? If not, I’ll have my subordinates think of a method to marry off one of his sons.
Yan Tianhen felt depressed for a long time. When he saw Lin Xuanzhi standing beside him wordlessly with his eyes down, he felt that the situation seemed a little wrong. He stood up and pulled Lin Xuanzhi. “Dage, did you go see that Lord Yuxu today? Do you think there’s something wrong with him?”
When Lord Yuxu was mentioned, Lin Xuanzhi’s expression became slightly more complicated.
Yan Tianhen was stunned. “What happened?”
Lin Xuanzhi gazed into his eyes and asked, “Ah Hen, do you think there will be someone exactly like you in this world?”
Yan Tianhen didn’t even need to think about it. “Of course it’s impossible. Even a puppet that’s made based on my real body will still have emotional differences. Isn’t it the same with the magic treasures you refine?”
“Originally, I also believed this. Do you know what Lord Yuxu looks like? He actually looks like Youshan Lingyu. Not only was his face similar, but even his expression and tone were the same as Lingyu’s. For a moment, I actually couldn’t tell whether he was real or fake.”
Yan Tianhen, “…”
Yan Tianhen opened his mouth.
To be perfectly honest, Youshan Lingyu died very thoroughly back then. His demonic core was destroyed, all five of his veins were broken, and all the demonic and evil Qi in his body returned to heaven and earth, dissipating into smoke.
“He’s definitely not me.” Yan Tianhen immediately denied, “That was actually a blow with Sword Venerable Chang Sheng’s full strength ah. If someone can still live after that, then they wouldn’t be giving you any face.”
Lin Xuanzhi, “…Don’t be mischievous. I’m serious.”
Yan Tianhen cleared his throat. “Anyhow, he’s definitely not me. Maybe he just looks like me? But Dage, why do you think he’s exactly the same as me?”
How could Lin Xuanzhi not know what kind of person Youshan Lingyu was? Even if the appearance was the same and the gestures were similar, every person was different after all. People with clear eyes would always be able to find clues from the details.
Lin Xuanzhi, who was so observant and perceptive, shouldn’t fail to see any difference. “Originally, I didn’t believe it either, but then I saw something.”
Lin Xuanzhi’s dark eyes were like stars. He looked at Yan Tianhen calmly. “On his back, I saw the red spider lily that I personally tattooed. During my life as Chang Sheng, I’ve only ever tattooed this kind of thing for one person, and that was Lingyu.”
Yan Tianhen immediately froze.
The human realm had Nine Lands, while the demon realm had Seven Regions.
The demon realm’s Seventh Region was probably the darkest and most terrifying place in this world. There were flame mountains that burned all year round, extending forever into the distance for tens of thousands of miles. Countless flame demons were born every day. There were also many demons thrown inside the Seventh Region, forced to look for rare treasures. That place often became their burial ground.
The Seventh Region was the deepest part of the entire demon realm. Even the Venerables who commanded the entire demon realm didn’t want to visit such a place. It was because the environmental conditions here were truly horrendous. Even demons created from fire or ice found it hard to step into the Seventh Region. The vast majority of demons who grew up there would later become the leaders of the demon realm, because they would have to withstand the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, endure the blade mountains and flaming seas, and escape from the hands of the ugly but extremely strong undead ghost clan. Those who could accomplish that showed that they were not only leaders of outstanding talent, but they were also blessed with luck and fortune.
Youshan Lingyu walked out from the Seventh Region.
At first, because he had no parents and no background, he had been sent into the Seventh Region’s Dark Abyss by a Demon Venerable’s spoiled youngest son.
At that time, he was nothing more than a little demon born less than 50 years ago. He stumbled around and bumped into things in a muddleheaded manner. After experiencing countless hardships and miseries, he was finally brought out by Dao Zu, who was passing through that area.
The first time Chang Sheng bathed Lingyu, he saw a large purple and black wound on his back that covered a wide expanse of skin. Chang Sheng felt shock, followed by heartache.
He held that soft handkerchief but dared not touch those ghastly injuries. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Lingyu had already been here for three months. If Chang Sheng didn’t get the sudden impulse to give Lingyu a bath today and experience the feeling of taking care of a child, then even until it healed, would he still be ignorant of the fact that Lingyu actually had such a serious injury?
The child, however, was unconcerned as he looked at Chang Sheng’s face with his big, grape-like eyes. Although his back hurt, he was already used to this kind of pain. Moreover, compared with other injuries he received, this was nothing at all. Chang Sheng was actually the one making a fuss about nothing.
Chang Sheng probably would never have imagined that he was being looked down upon by a small child.
Lingyu thought about it, then shook his head and didn’t speak.
He always kept silent like this. Even when people pointed at him in the two days when he first came, he just kept silent as if he hadn’t heard.
Chang Sheng felt his heart hurt more and more. He took Lingyu out of the hot water, held him in his arms, and placed him on the soft futon. Lingyu was extremely nervous. He was naked on the soft futon, rubbing his legs nervously as he fixed his gaze on Chang Sheng without blinking at all.
“Are you afraid?” Chang Sheng took some bottles and silver needles over. He could always easily sense this child’s emotional changes, even if this child didn’t like to talk.
He could feel that Lingyu was afraid right now.
Lingyu lowered his eyes and looked at his hands, afraid to say a word.
Chang Sheng touched his head and had him lie down on the futon. He took out the silver needle, and a cluster of blue flames jumped out from his fingertip, burning the silver needle for a moment. Only then did he say, “Lingyu, it will hurt a lot later. Bear it for a while.”
Then, he added, “There’s poison from the Departed Spirits Flower in this wound. If it’s not removed, this wound will never close up. It will extend to your limbs and bones, and it’ll be even more uncomfortable when that happens. If you just endure it this time, you’ll get it done once and for all.”
Lingyu layed down on his stomach without saying a word.
Chang Sheng said, “If you don’t speak, then I’ll take it as your agreement.”
As soon as his voice fell, the silver needle that had been burnt red was inserted along a wound. Lingyu gave a muffled grunt as his hands tightly gripped the cushion under his body. His entire body was shaking nonstop; it was obvious that he was in extreme pain.
Chang Sheng’s speed was fast, and his hand movements were steady. In less than an incense’s worth of time, he had already made the silver needle baptized by fire pass all the wounds on Lingyu’s back, absorbing all the remaining poison into the silver needle. Lingyu’s back was drenched with blood, flesh and blood blurring together. It was too horrible to even look at.
Even Chang Sheng, who was used to seeing the big wind and waves, couldn’t help feeling heartache right now. How painful must this be?
But from beginning to end, this child never once shouted that it was painful. It was probably because he had suffered too much and received too much blame before that he was used to enduring everything now.
Who wasn’t afraid of pain?
Chang Sheng sighed gently and applied the spiritual medicine on Lingyu’s wounds. “I’ll change this medicine for you everyday. It will scar in a few days. It’s just that these scars can’t be removed, even with a miraculous pill or medicine. The venom of the Departed Spirits Flower should be unique to the Seventh Region, right? Once the venom penetrates, even if it’s removed later, the wound will still remain forever.”
Lingyu closed his eyes and didn’t speak, but his body was still trembling slightly.
Chang Sheng continued, “If you are injured in the future, you should speak up. Don’t keep silent and endure it.”
Lingyu felt something cool touch his mouth. He opened his eyes and saw Chang Sheng holding an amber ball and placing it by his mouth.
“Try it?” Chang Sheng asked.
When he was in the Seventh Region, Lingyu firmly remembered a rule in his heart — he couldn’t casually eat things given by the nearby demons. If he wasn’t careful, he would lose his little life.
But right now, he wanted to eat it.
He stretched out the tip of his tongue and rolled the amber thing into his mouth. A strong sweet taste diffused in his mouth, which lessened even the pain on his back.
Lingyu felt the candy in his mouth. “What is this?”
“It’s candy I made using Bodhi Fruit, Spring Jasmine, Ice Poria, and some other things.”
Lingyu said, “It’s delicious.”
Chang Sheng took out a bottle and placed it in front of Lingyu. “If you answer Shixiong’s questions, then Shixiong will give you all the candy in this bottle, okay?”
He looked like he was abducting children, but he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Lingyu hesitated for a moment. In the end, he couldn’t resist the lure of candy and nodded nervously.
Chang Sheng asked, “Why didn’t you tell Shixiong if you’re hurt?”
Lingyu whispered, “It doesn’t hurt too much. I’m used to it.”
Chang Sheng paused, stunned. “Used to it?”
“And……” Lingyu’s voice became smaller and smaller, “They said, don’t make trouble for Shixiong and Master, or else I’ll be driven out of the sect. I don’t want to go back to the demon world. I don’t want…… Shixiong, don’t drive me away. I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
Chang Sheng’s eyes, which were black as ink, gradually sank. However, his voice and actions were very gentle. He rubbed the child’s head, thought about it, then kissed him on the forehead. He said softly, “Lingyu is the best. Shixiong likes you, so how can I send you away? Once a disciple of Spirit Sect, always a disciple of Spirit Sect. In the future, Shixiong will protect you and won’t let anyone bully you.”
Then he said, “Take a good rest. The schoolwork during this period will be paused for the time being.”
Chang Sheng left the bottle to Lingyu and turned to find the disciples who bullied his youngest Shidi and settle accounts with them. Scars that covered his whole back like a cobweb still remained on Lingyu’s back. At first, Lingyu didn’t care. At that time, he didn’t pursue beauty. In other words, he wasn’t yet the Lingyu in the future who was so vain that he had to take good care of every single strand of hair.
However, one day after he grew up, he suddenly wanted to cover up the scars on his back.
“You want to get rid of the scars on your back?” Lian Hua raised his brows and felt like the sun was rising from the West. He smiled and said, “Our family’s Little Yu’er has also begun to pursue beauty now. Don’t tell me that you understand human affairs now, after taking a trip down the mountain?”
“Understand human affairs?” Chang Sheng’s voice came from behind them. He walked to their front and asked, “Just what did you experience when you went down the mountain to eliminate monsters?”
While asking, Chang Sheng looked at Lian Hua as if he had corrupted Lingyu. His gaze was full of accusations.
Lian Hua shrugged and put on an innocent expression. “This is not my fault. Who let the monster we had to catch this time be a flower thief?”
