When leaving the clothing shop, the moon had already risen in the east, and the Milky Way looked as deep as the sea. At Mo Qing’s suggestion, Qi An had changed into a set of elegant and scholarly white robes. It was prim and proper, exuding an aura of immortality she looked even more like a celestial being than the immortals themselves.
Qi An felt somewhat complex. It wasn’t just because she had bought clothing in the Demon-Beast style while in the Demon-Beast Realm; it was also because this set of clothes cost ten times what it would in the Heavenly Realm! When she learned the price, her jaw nearly dropped. She had every reason to suspect that the proprietress, seeing they were from another race, had guessed they were unfamiliar with the market prices in the Demon-Beast Realm and had just spouted a random price to swindle them.
Therefore, her initial intention was to leave it, but Mo Qing insisted on buying the set for her. She couldn’t refuse. When she watched Mo Qing take out his money bag, although it wasn’t her money being spent, she still couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. So wasteful, truly so wasteful! Wouldn’t it be better to use this money to buy cultivation pills? I don’t know what he saw in this outfit.
Mo Qing, unaware that he had been labeled a “spendthrift,” followed behind Qi An out of the shop after paying. He glanced down at his own white robes, then looked at Qi An’s new attire. The more he looked, the more pleased he was, the upturned corners of his mouth full of the joy of success.
The Demon-Beast Realm at night was far noisier than during the day; the number of demon-beasts out seeking amusement was more than double what it was during the daylight hours. With the increase in the number of demon-beasts on the street, Qi An and Mo Qing, as outsiders, were like sheep thrown into a pen of oxen—conspicuously noticeable, with demon-beasts staring at them everywhere they went.
Qi An liked looking at beauties, but she didn’t like being looked at by beauties. Under the various wanton gazes, Qi An gritted her teeth and only strolled with Mo Qing for less than half an hour before she could no longer bear the feeling of being the center of attention. She hurriedly returned to the inn to rest.
Qi An had experienced too much over the past two days; after lying down on the bed, she sank into a deep slumber not long after closing her eyes. However, in the middle of the night, she was woken without warning by an indescribable sensation. Perhaps it was a case of not adjusting to the climate, but she felt a wave of scorching heat rolling in her stomach, making her feel like retching several times.
But I haven’t even had a chance to eat any Demon-Beast Realm food today, so why is my stomach upset? More importantly, I’m an immortal who doesn’t get sick—why would I have nausea? Various questions swirled through her mind. Finally, unable to bear it, she got out of bed and walked to the table, wanting to drink a cup of water to soothe herself.
Downing several cups of water not only failed to alleviate the symptoms but even gave her the illusion that the water was boiling inside her stomach. She realized this was no simple physical discomfort. She immediately channeled her magical power to her stomach, wanting to drive away that burning sensation, but as soon as she attempted to exert her power, she felt that searing energy follow her blood vessels and meridians, spreading throughout her body and even consuming her magical power.
Faced with this unknown situation, Qi An panicked. Especially after realizing that, within just a few breaths, the heat surging from within her body was expanding, attempting to swallow her whole, she became completely helpless. Her entire body felt scorching hot, as if wrapped in lava, so hot that she felt breathing had become an issue, and she couldn’t even use magic to save herself.
In this desperate situation, she could only seek help. The first silhouette that flashed into her mind was Mo Qing, just a wall away. Someone as powerful as Mo Qing must be able to save me!
With this thought, she rose, dragging her heavy footsteps, but hadn’t walked two steps before she lost her strength. She collapsed, leaning against the table, limp. Her throat felt as if it were blocked by the heat. She clutched her collar helplessly, silently screaming Mo Qing’s name.
Just as darkness was about to descend, Qi An gave up struggling, lamenting that she had lived her life too casually ascending inexplicably and dying just as muddled. Before she could finish summarizing her life, the door was pushed open.
“Qi An!”
An anxious voice rang out. Qi An exerted all her strength to lift her eyelids and saw Mo Qing walking in through the candlelight, heading straight for her. It had to be said that Mo Qing looked even more handsome at this moment. Unfortunately, her eyes were blurry, and she couldn’t see his face clearly. Mo Qing reached out his arms to scoop her up; although the scorching heat remained, Mo Qing’s unique aura instantly settled her heart. She believed that with him there, she would not come to harm.
Mo Qing carried her to the bed and placed his palm gently on her forehead. A coolness flowed from her forehead into her meridians, and in no time at all, the scorching heat was cleared away. Feeling her body return to normal, Qi An’s vision cleared, and she saw a look of worry on Mo Qing’s usually composed and calm face.
Seeing him like this, Qi An panicked slightly. Could it be that I have contracted some serious illness? She looked at Mo Qing and asked tentatively, “Am I not well?”
Mo Qing saw her complexion gradually return to a rosy hue and her breathing stabilize. After breathing a sigh of relief, he said: “Nothing major. It’s just that you were cast with the Life-Return Art, and the magical power you gained is too powerful for you. Although I suppressed it for you, it is ultimately not power you cultivated yourself and hasn’t perfectly merged with your immortal body. Once you practice and your immortal body adapts to this magical power, the symptoms will be alleviated.”
Mo Qing spoke tactfully, but Qi An understood perfectly: in short, she was too weak and needed to cultivate diligently. Qi An had thought she’d found a great bargain this morning; only now did she realize that not everyone could just eat a pie that fell from the sky one needed the capacity to digest it.
For instance, had it not been for Mo Qing, she would likely have been choked to death by this “pie” today. Thinking of this, she realized with a start that this was the second time in just two days that Mo Qing had saved her life at a critical juncture. She looked at Mo Qing with gratitude and said sincerely: “Mo Qing, thank you.”
“Why do you need to say thanks? To me, your well-being is the most important thing.” Mo Qing’s eyes glowed red in the flickering candlelight. He said with regret and lingering fear, “I thought I was going to lose you again.”
Qi An was stung by his gaze, so much so that she failed to notice why he had used the word “again.” Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or perhaps it was a kind of hidden emotion being reborn, but Qi An couldn’t help but touch his slightly furrowed brow, soothing him in a gentle voice: “I’m fine. You saved me, and I’m all right now.”
The pain in Mo Qing’s eyes dissipated, replaced by his usual leisurely smile. “Yes, you are fine, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Qi An looked at Mo Qing’s smiling face and his firm eyes, and suddenly felt a heat surge through her body again. Unlike the previous feeling, this time it was pure warmth. Mo Qing sensed her change and asked with concern: “Why is your face so red? Is there something else that is uncomfortable?”
Qi An didn’t know what was wrong with her either. After thinking for a long time, she made up a story: “Maybe my magical power is running wild again.”
Mo Qing was silent for two breaths, feeling that shouldn’t be the case; he had already smoothed her magic, and it should be in a stable state. He stared at the blush on Qi An’s face and noticed her slightly flustered eyes. Suddenly, he understood. A smile flashed across his face, and he said: “Then I’ll help you smooth it out again.”
As he spoke, he once again placed his palm on Qi An’s forehead, sending streams of cooling magic into her body. Qi An felt the flow of the magic—cool and comfortable—but why did the heat on her face not decrease, but increase? This made her feel a sense of unease, as if something she had been avoiding had reappeared before her. She suddenly didn’t dare to look into Mo Qing’s eyes, so she closed them.
Mo Qing looked at her, as if watching a little turtle retreating into its shell, his smile filled with more affection. He asked slowly: “Are you tired? Want to sleep?”
Just as Qi An was hesitating whether to nod or shake her head, she heard Mo Qing add: “I heard that when mortal children go to sleep, their mothers hum songs to soothe them. Do you want me to sing to you?”
Qi An was slightly startled and opened her eyes. “You can do this too?”
Mo Qing said with pride: “I learned a few tunes while traveling the mortal world; they are not difficult to learn.”
She hadn’t expected that Qi An, in her lifetime, would be treated to the Demon Lord humming a lullaby to her. Qi An instantly felt her life had been elevated. She became interested and didn’t bother with courtesies: “Then I will trouble the Demon Lord.”
Only after she closed her eyes did Mo Qing slowly hum a little tune he hadn’t hummed in a hundred years. As soon as Mo Qing began, Qi An was shocked. The all-powerful Demon Lord was actually tone-deaf! Mo Qing’s beautiful voice, paired with the winding, off-key melody it was pleasant to the ear yet heart-wrenching, truly hard to describe in words.
After Mo Qing finished humming a tune, he lowered his voice and asked: “Qi An, are you asleep?”
How could she possibly fall asleep under such tormenting humming? But she didn’t dare to answer, nor did she dare to open her eyes, terrified that Mo Qing would ask for her impressions. If her mouth had a mind of its own and inadvertently spoke the truth, what if she offended him?
After struggling for a long time, she decided that feigning sleep was the best policy. Mo Qing saw her lashes tremble slightly, let out a soft laugh, and remained silent for a long time. Qi An was anxious, hoping he would leave soon—it wouldn’t be fun if she were exposed.
To her surprise, Mo Qing had no intention of leaving; in fact, he became interested. He muttered as if to himself: “It seems this is indeed quite effective. Then let’s sing another, to help you sleep more soundly.”
Qi An: …Help me! I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back my emotions!
It was too late to open her eyes now; she could only endure through the song. What she couldn’t have imagined was that this was just the beginning of a long night. Mo Qing changed tunes one after another, tirelessly humming. The songs were of various styles, but the melodies all led to the same destination—distinctive and off-key. Yet, miraculously, the more Qi An heard, the more accustomed her ears became. She actually found a sense of peace in these altered melodies and eventually fell asleep accompanied by the music.
The moment before she drifted off, Qi An suddenly remembered that someone had hummed such off-key tunes to her before.