Passing through a long corridor, they entered a world within a world—the stone chamber was as spacious as a palace, its ceiling inlaid with luminous pearls that cast a cold, ethereal light. Ancient murals adorned the stone walls, depicting scenes of ancient battles between demons.
In the center lay a bed of cold jade, emitting wisps of chilling white mist.
Sha Qian Mo walked to the front of the cold jade bed, sat down, crossed his legs, and propped his chin on one hand, his purple eyes fixed directly on Hua Qian Gu.
“Speak,” he said lazily. “How can a mortal save me?”
Hua Qian Gu stood in the middle of the stone chamber, holding Tang Bao's egg, and looked around.
She had been here in her previous life. At that time, Sha Qian Mo was severely injured, and she had stayed by his side on this cold jade bed for three days and three nights.
“You have very serious internal injuries,” Hua Qian Gu withdrew her gaze and looked at him. “It’s not a new wound, but an old one, at least two hundred years old. You were in seclusion for half a year, not cultivating, but suppressing your injuries.”
The hand Sha Qian Mo used to prop his chin paused slightly.
“How do you know?”
“I can tell,” Hua Qian Gu said. “Your complexion is too pale, not naturally pale, but pale from excessive blood loss. Your breathing rate is faster than a normal person’s, indicating damage to your internal organs. Your fingers—”
She pointed to the hand resting on his knee.
“Your fingers are trembling slightly. It’s not from the cold, but a sign of damaged meridians.”
Sha Qian Mo looked down at his hand; his fingers were indeed trembling slightly. He clenched his fist, stopped the trembling, and looked up at her again.
“Are you a doctor?”
“No.”
“Then how do you understand these things?”
Hua Qian Gu was silent for a second. She couldn't say she had learned it while taking care of him in her previous life.
“My father was in poor health, and he became knowledgeable about medicine through long illness,” she said.
Sha Qian Mo stared at her for a few seconds, unsure if he believed her. He shifted his posture, placed his hands clasped on his knees, and leaned forward slightly.
“Even if you are right. An injury that I, a Demon King, cannot heal, can you, a mortal, heal it?”
“Yes,” Hua Qian Gu said. “But not now.”
“Then when?”
“After I become stronger.”
Sha Qian Mo was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed. This time it wasn't a cold laugh, but genuine amusement.
“You want to become stronger? A mortal, wanting to become strong enough to heal the injuries of a Demon King?” He shook his head. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“I know,” Hua Qian Gu said, neither humble nor arrogant. “Whether you believe it or not, I’m here to tell you—your injuries can be healed. Until then, don’t force your cultivation, or the injuries will backlash, and even gods won’t be able to save you then.”
Sha Qian Mo’s smile slowly faded.
He looked at Hua Qian Gu, his gaze becoming complex.
Everything this young girl said struck a nerve. His injuries were indeed backlashing, and they had worsened in recent months. During this seclusion, he had intended to heal completely, only to discover that the injuries were deeper than he had imagined and he couldn't suppress them at all.
But these were things only he knew. How did she know?
“Who exactly are you?” His voice deepened.
“Hua Qian Gu. From Maoshan. A mortal,” Hua Qian Gu listed them one by one. “No background, no backer, no cultivation.”
“Then where did you get the courage to come alone to the Demon Realm?”
“Because I wanted to.”
Sha Qian Mo stared at her for a long time.
For some reason, he always felt this girl was familiar. Not a "seen before" kind of familiar, but a deeper, ingrained sense of recognition.
He closed his eyes, and fragments flashed through his mind—blurry, indistinct images. A girl's figure, a sea of flowers, a light laugh, strands of hair blown by the wind.
He tried to grasp these fragments, but they slipped through his fingers like sand.
“You…” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Have we met before?”
Hua Qian Gu’s heartbeat skipped a beat.
“No,” she said, her voice calm. “Today is the first time we’ve met.”
“But I always feel…”
“Feel what?”
“Like you resemble someone,” Sha Qian Mo frowned. “But I can’t remember who.”
The stone chamber fell silent for a few seconds.
Hua Qian Gu hugged Tang Bao’s egg tighter, her fingernails digging into her palm. She couldn’t say she knew him, couldn’t say it was from her previous life, couldn’t say he had waited for her for two hundred years. It wasn’t time yet.
“Perhaps you’re mistaken,” she said.
“Perhaps,” Sha Qian Mo leaned back on the cold jade bed and closed his eyes. “You can leave. I appreciate your kindness, but this is not a place for you to stay.”
Hua Qian Gu didn’t move.
“Why haven’t you left yet?” Sha Qian Mo opened one eye to look at her.
“I have nowhere to go,” Hua Qian Gu said.
“You have nowhere to go, what does that have to do with me?”
“Didn’t you say you always felt I looked familiar?” Hua Qian Gu tilted her head. “Then consider it repaying this familiarity, let me stay for a few days.”
Hua Qian Gu’s words choked Sha Qian Mo.
He had been the Demon King for thousands of years, and no one had ever dared to speak to him like this. This young girl’s courage was extraordinary.
“Stay for a few days?” he asked.
“Until your injuries are healed.”
“My injuries won’t heal in hundreds of years.”
“Then I’ll stay for hundreds of years.”
Sha Qian Mo stared at her for three seconds, then suddenly laughed. This time, it was a genuine laugh, amused from the bottom of his heart.
“Fine,” he said, standing up and walking towards the depths of the stone chamber. “Follow me.”
Hua Qian Gu followed him, passing through another corridor, and arrived at a small stone chamber. Inside, there was a stone bed, a stone table, and on the table, a vase holding a few dried flowers.
“This is where I used to rest when I was in seclusion,” Sha Qian Mo said. “Make do with it.”
Hua Qian Gu looked at the dried flowers, and her nose stung.
In her previous life, she had mentioned liking flowers, so he had ordered Demon Soldiers to fill the Demon Emperor Palace with fresh flowers every day. Now, these few dried flowers, kept for who knows how long, were withered, yet he still kept them.
“Thank you,” she said.
Sha Qian Mo walked to the doorway, suddenly stopped, and said without looking back, “Hua Qian Gu.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t care who you are, or how you know about me. But since you’re staying, you have to follow my rules.”
“What rules?”
“Don’t die,” Sha Qian Mo said, then strode away.
Hua Qian Gu stood in the stone chamber, holding Tang Bao’s egg, and finally, tears fell.
In her previous life, he was just like this, pretending to be cold when he clearly cared deeply.
“Silly,” she wiped away her tears and smiled.
In this life, it was her turn to watch over him.
【End of Chapter·Comment Section: When do you think Sha Qian Mo will remember the past life?】
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