On the way to the Demon-Beast Realm, Chiti and Jiangbu stepped on auspicious clouds as fine as gauze, sauntering side by side at a leisurely pace. Every now and then, they would nudge or rub against each other, not forgetting to gaze affectionately into each other’s eyes and exchange amorous glances, acting truly cloyingly sweet.
Watching this scene, Qi An felt a slight bitterness in her heart. She could no longer understand the ways of this world; she, a dignified Upper Immortal, was actually forced to witness two spirit beasts showing off their affection right in front of her. Her own life was not even as flourishing as those of two spirit beasts; heaven was far too unfair to her.
Seeing her resentful and unhappy expression, Mo Qing smiled and consoled her: “They haven’t seen each other for several days; a brief parting is more intense than a new marriage. You should be understanding.”
Hearing this, Qi An felt aggrieved at first, then a thought crossed her mind. “Since their affection is so deep, it isn’t right for them to be separated all the time. Mo Qing, you have always been kind-hearted; you must also be unable to bear letting your beloved spirit beasts suffer the agony of separation and taste the bitterness of lovesickness. Why not find a way so they no longer have to be apart?”
As she spoke, she gently covered Jiangbu’s ears and deliberately lowered her voice, saying, “For instance… taking Jiangbu back?”
Accepting someone’s gift always makes one’s hands feel short. With this precious spirit beast in her possession, she always felt a sense of unease when discussing the annulment of their marriage. If she could convince Mo Qing to take back this Demon Imperial spirit beast, she would have more confidence when negotiating the matter later.
However, Jiangbu was no ordinary spirit beast; its ears were incredibly sharp. Even through Qi An’s hands, it heard every single word. It immediately grew angry, struggling to shake off its back, and mimicked a human’s “woeful” weeping sound to register its protest.
After making a scene for a good while, Qi An, unable to withstand the tossing, hurriedly hugged its neck and soothed it in a soft voice: “I was only joking! I won’t return you, I won’t! You are so cute; I couldn’t bear to return you.”
Upon hearing this, Jiangbu immediately returned to its well-behaved posture, resumed its leisurely stroll, and began nuzzling up to Chiti again. Qi An couldn’t help but click her tongue—the ability to switch emotions so freely truly put her to shame.
Mo Qing witnessed the process of Qi An being thwarted and couldn’t help but let out a few muffled chuckles. However, when Qi An’s blade-like gaze swept over to him, he instantly corrected his expression and selectively picked up the topic she had just dropped. “Qi An, actually, I am not kind-hearted at all. I am only kind to you.”
Qi An ignored the deliberate intimacy in his words and stated her true thoughts objectively. “No, you are kind-hearted. If I were you, I don’t believe I would have the magnanimity to accept Yuejiao’s existence, let alone raise her myself and protect her as she grew up. Her straightforwardness and innocence today are proof of how well you treated her.”
“To spare her from the pain of knowing the truth, you deliberately concealed the past, preferring that she misunderstand you as the ‘wicked brother’ who locked her away.”
“Moreover, if it weren’t to ensure her happiness, you wouldn’t have deliberately let her go to the Heavenly Realm.”
Back at the Heavenly Clarity Palace, when Mo Qing asked Yangxu and the Heavenly Emperor if they wanted to break the engagement, Qi An had realized that he had intentionally let Yuejiao go to the Heavenly Realm. He wanted Yuejiao to show her unknown side in front of Yangxu and the Heavenly Emperor, confessing his previously undisclosed family history to let them see the darkest part of Yuejiao. If, after knowing everything about Yuejiao, they were still willing to accept her, then he could rest easy entrusting Yuejiao to them.
After being called out by Qi An on the little schemes he hadn’t intended to reveal, Mo Qing gazed at her with a complex expression. Dark currents seemed to surge in his eyes, carrying with them too many unspeakable emotions. A moment later, his eyes returned to calm, leaving only joy. He laughed heartily: “Qi An, as expected, only you understand me.”
“I don’t understand you that well,” Qi An said solemnly. “Yuejiao said she saw a book in your room about utilizing one’s own kin to forge divine artifacts. Although I don’t believe you would have such thoughts, I still found it very strange why would you read such a book?”
Mo Qing seemed to recall for a short moment what she was talking about. “I heard that mortal novels are filled with all sorts of chaotic stories, and I was curious about the content of demonic novels, so I had Bu Nianjiao find me a few. What Yuejiao mentioned was just content from one of those novels.” He then discovered that, in comparison, the content of mortal novels was actually quite normal.
After the clarification, he drove Chiti to nudge one step closer to Qi An. “If there is anything else you would like to know about me, or any other misunderstandings, I will tell you everything.”
This was the first time Qi An had encountered someone so eager to have others ask them questions, though she did have something she wanted to ask. “You don’t seem to like the Heavenly Emperor or the Third Prince much. When you were in the Heavenly Realm, you were very friendly to the immortals of the Hehe Immortal Palace, so why is it that when you speak to them, your words are always layered with hidden meanings?”
“I am friendly to those immortals of the Hehe Immortal Palace because they are your colleagues, and can be considered half of your maternal family.”
As Mo Qing said this, he saw Qi An give him a sidelong glance. He raised an eyebrow, and the playful tone in his words diminished. “As for the Heavenly Emperor and Yangxu, I do not favor them because they wanted to abandon you back then.”
Qi An was dazed for a moment, realizing only later that he was referring to the fact that when she was subjected to the Life-Return Art, the Heavenly Emperor had chosen without hesitation to protect all the other gods and demons, leaving her behind. Objectively speaking, as the Heavenly Emperor, without knowing how to break the Life-Return Art, that was undoubtedly the most correct decision. Thus, she felt no resentment; like all the other gods present, she had accepted this decision as a matter of course. But she hadn’t expected Mo Qing to feel such indignation and grievance on her behalf.
For a long time, no one had cared about her like this or treated her this well. She unconsciously gripped the hand she was using to stroke Jiangbu tighter. Jiangbu felt the pain, mistook it for Qi An’s dissatisfaction, and let out a pitiful whimper. Hearing the sound, Qi An snapped back to reality, relaxed her palm, and chased away the flutter in her heart. Looking back at Mo Qing, her eyes were clear. “Then may I ask you one more question?”
Mo Qing nodded, his expression welcoming the inquiry. Qi An said directly, “Can our engagement be annulled?”
Mo Qing was slightly startled, then laughed. “Qi An, how can you be so naive? Since I used that method to trick you into signing the Scripture of Fate, how could I so easily go back on this engagement? It took a lot of effort to get you to sign that scripture!”
Look at how proud he is! He wasn’t even blushing. An outsider would have thought he had done something worthy of praise. At this moment, Mo Qing’s smiling face grew half as ugly in Qi An’s eyes. She was so stifled that she simply turned her head, intending to ignore him.
As she turned back, she felt her body jolt, and the scenery before her changed drastically. In the previously empty sky, mountain gorges, misty willows, vermilion pavilions, and jade terraces appeared. Below them, everything she saw was lush green, with mountain hues stretching for ten thousand miles. Looking into the distance, she could see several waterfalls suspended in the sky; the river water seemed to connect with the horizon, and there was no end to be seen as far as the eye could reach.
Qi An was shocked by the scene before her and asked in a daze: “What is happening?”
Mo Qing retracted the hand he had used to break through the barrier and said calmly: “We have crossed the Demon-Beast Clan’s barrier.”
They had arrived at the Demon-Beast Realm. Chiti and Jiangbu landed gracefully with them on their backs. As soon as they touched the ground, several demon guards stepped forward. Seeing that Qi An and Mo Qing were of other clans, they cautiously shouted: “Who goes there?”
Mo Qing gave the guard a sidelong glance. “The Demon Lord Mo Qing, and this one’s…”
Predicting what he was about to say, Qi An cut him off: “This minor immortal is an official from the Heavenly Realm. We have been commanded by the Heavenly Emperor to come and meet the Demon Emperor together with the Demon Lord. Could this big brother please point the way in which direction is the Demon Emperor’s palace?”
The guards scrutinized them from head to toe, their eyes filled with suspicion. “This pretty-boy is the Demon Lord? Do you think we in the Demon-Beast Realm are all idiots? I think you’re here as spies!”
The guard thought himself clever, and his theories grew more and more bizarre: “You even brought a little girl along are you trying to use beauty to seduce us? With your mediocre appearance, a dozen of which could be grabbed by the handful, you want to use a honey trap? We are used to seeing beauties; this trick won’t work on us!”
He grew more excited as he spoke, even pointing a finger at Mo Qing. “But this pretty-boy’s appearance isn’t bad it wouldn’t be half-bad if he became a favored consort for our Emperor.”
Whether the Demon-Beast Clan was foolish or not, Qi An did not know, but she was certain that this guard was indeed a fool. In the face of those whose true identities were unknown, to provocatively offend them so rashly wasn’t this just looking for death? Moreover, could he not sense Mo Qing’s extraordinary demonic aura? Even if Mo Qing could endure, hearing such words would ultimately be unpleasant.
Looking over at Mo Qing, sure enough, his smile had frozen on his lips. As if inadvertently, he leaked one or two tenths of his powerful demonic aura. In the next instant, the guards, along with their demon-beast colleagues, turned pale and collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
Mo Qing acted as if nothing had happened. He turned to gaze at Qi An’s face, pondered for a moment, and murmured, “Such a pretty and exquisite face how could it be ‘grabbed by the handful’? How could it be ‘mediocre’?”
If Mo Qing had said this in a joking tone, Qi An could have just laughed it off. But instead, he said it with that stunningly beautiful face and such seriousness, leaving her completely at a loss for how to respond and unable to feel happy about it. She ultimately chose to ignore his previous comment and focused on the matter at hand. Looking at the unconscious guards scattered all over the ground, she sighed: “There are no demons left to show us the way. What now?”
“Who says there isn’t one?” Mo Qing tilted his chin toward the front. “Isn’t one coming right now?”
Qi An looked up toward the front. Under the shadows of the bamboo and cypresses and the sparse shadows of green peaches, a youth dressed in a cape of fragrant Consort-Xiang-colored clothing was walking toward them. The youth’s features were enchanting, a mixture of rugged handsomeness and delicate charm. His gait was agile, as if he were an immortal spirit among the flowers, beautiful enough to intoxicate anyone.
The previous demon guards’ appearances had been truly lackluster; Qi An had assumed the rumors about the Demon-Beast Realm’s beauty were mere exaggerations. It turned out that they were not entirely false.