In the Demon Realm, the Demon Emperor, who had spent most of the past millennium in slumber, was awakened by an inexplicable pain throughout his body.
In a coffin of ice, the man in red who had been cradling a cold corpse slowly sat up. His sleep-dazed eyes were filled with confusion as he touched his left shoulder. There was no wound, yet the pain was sharp. With his thin lips pressed tightly together, he planted a light kiss on the lips of the ice-cold corpse, returned it to the coffin, and slowly climbed out to walk languidly toward the door.
“Greetings, Demon Emperor!” The maid guarding the entrance knelt hastily to pay her respects.
He waved a hand dismissively and continued his slow stroll. He had taken only two steps when he stumbled and fell to the floor.
“Demon Emperor!” The maid exclaimed, rushing forward to help him up.
“Your Highness, my knee hurts a little.” Mo Siye’s beautiful thin lips pouted slightly, his tone carrying a hint of grievance.
“Are you injured?” The maid asked, her eyes wide with concern.
He shook his head. Since his last great battle with that bastard Wen Muli, he had been asleep for nearly half a year, going nowhere. How could he possibly be injured?
“Let me take you to the Ghost Doctor to have a look.” The maid remained unsettled and supported his body as they walked forward.
They had barely taken two more steps when both of them heard a crisp crack. They froze, looking like they had seen a ghost, and looked down at the same time.
“Demon Emperor, have you been possessed?” The maid asked in a hushed, trembling voice.
Mo Siye pulled the corners of his mouth in a forced smile, his eyes turning grave. “It hurts. I suspect it is broken, stepped on by someone, no less.”
The maid: “…”
A quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the Ghost Doctor’s residence.
“It has been half a year, and you are still as bony as ever,” Mo Siye teased, looking at the Ghost Doctor, who resembled a walking skeleton.
“You do not know what you are talking about. Bony is in style! It is the cutting edge of fashion! If you have no business, speak your piece and get lost.” The Ghost Doctor rolled his eyes impatiently.
“The Demon Emperor has been possessed by a ghost!” the little maid shouted, her face pale.
What nonsense is this? They were demons; how could they fear ghosts? Besides, dragons were beings of pure yang energy, possessing innate protective qualities against evil. No spirit could ever get near him.
“I have really been possessed. It hurts here, and here, it feels like it was snapped in half!” Mo Siye nodded solemnly, pointing first to his left shoulder and then to his right knee.
Is this brat trying to scam me? The Ghost Doctor was skeptical, but out of respect for his status as the boss, he patiently removed the Demon Emperor’s outer robe to inspect the skin. As the snow-white skin was revealed, the maid could not help but stare.
“Is it a good view?” Mo Siye asked with a light smirk. The maid nodded frantically.
“Even if you can see it, you cannot touch it. It does not belong to you; it belongs to my Momo.” Mo Siye huffed, his tone overflowing with haughty possessiveness.
The maid: “…”
The Ghost Doctor rolled his eyes so far back they nearly hit his skull, and he reached out to poke Mo Siye’s shoulder forcefully. There was not a scratch on him; he did not look injured in the slightest.
Hiss! Mo Siye gasped in pain. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The look of agony on his face did not seem faked at all.
“There is no wound. Could it really be a ghost? Can you describe the sensation?” The Ghost Doctor was stunned.
“It is a strong burning sensation, searing like fire. I suspect I might have lost a lot of blood; I feel anemic and dizzy,” Mo Siye replied, describing the sensation in detail.
“That sounds like a wound pierced by a spell!”
“My kneecap feels shattered; I can barely stand.” Mo Siye pointed to his right knee.
“Crushed by someone? How strange, it is not broken at all.” The Ghost Doctor poked it again, only to be kicked aside by the Demon Emperor in the next second.
“It hurts!”
The spoiled, deep-voiced groan made the Ghost Doctor roll his eyes yet again. He rummaged through his cabinets, tossed a bottle of pain relief pills over, and gave some honest advice: “I cannot treat demonic possession. These pills are the best I can do. Why do you not consider going to the human realm to kidnap a Taoist priest for an exorcism?”
There is not a single wound to treat!
Mo Siye said nothing, his eyes downcast as if in deep thought. “Could my injury be related to my inverted scale?” he suddenly asked.
The maid and the Ghost Doctor exchanged a look of profound pity. Had the Demon Emperor’s lovesickness acted up again? They all knew he had given his inverted scale to Wen Muli’s wife, Su Mo. But Su Mo had perished a millennium ago. Though he had snatched back the corpse, Su Mo’s soul had long been scattered; resurrection was impossible.
“Take another bottle of my vintage wine. Drink it all and go meet your Momo in your dreams. Stop bothering us.” The Ghost Doctor threw another bottle at him and waved him away impatiently.
“It really hurts. Perhaps, perhaps Momo has been resurrected?” Mo Siye tilted his head, his handsome face filled with such hopeful, pure longing that it was heart wrenching.
“Get out, get out.”
The Ghost Doctor did not have the heart to coddle him, but knowing how dangerous this man was, he did not hesitate to chase him out.
“Demon Emperor, are you alright?” the maid asked with sympathy.
“It must be that Momo has awakened. I must go find him!” Mo Siye was completely lost in his own thoughts, a radiant smile on his face as he vanished on the spot.
He is truly beyond help. The maid sighed at the empty courtyard, rubbing her temples. One Human Emperor, one Demon Emperor, both driven mad by the same man. They had fought over a corpse for a thousand years. It is a good thing he was dead. If he were still alive, the world would surely be plunged into chaos again.
On the other side, shortly after Su Mo killed that cultivator, he had barely caught his breath before the experts of the Nantian Sect, who had sensed the shattering of the cultivator’s life talisman, caught him red handed. Surprised by his cultivation and his ability to kill a Nascent Soul expert barehanded while severely wounding four Core Formation experts, they did not execute him on the spot. Instead, they dragged him back to the Nantian Sect to be imprisoned in the water dungeon.
The heavy shackles scraped against the ground with a rhythmic clatter. Su Mo looked around with curiosity as he walked. The dungeon was located underground, a narrow, muddy corridor lit by dim torches that did little to cut through the dampness. The walls were covered in moss, and the air was thick with the smell of wet earth. It was strangely similar to the water dungeon he had spent time in a millennium ago.
He never expected to have the same experience again. Su Mo curled his lips in self mockery.
“Go in and reflect on yourself. You fool, you truly are an astonishing creature.” The cultivator in charge of transporting him opened the dungeon door, not knowing whether to offer a compliment or an insult.