Yin Xuanlin was not the sort of person who would mistreat himself.
Although he had suffered a streak of terrible misfortune and in the pouring rain, had howled in grievance for quite some time, he quickly began to think of where he might go next.
Fortunately, in the past he had been generous and sociable, making friends far and wide. Outside the Tangdi Immortal Sect, he still had a few close companions with whom he had often freeloaded meals and drink.
Thus, his first stop after descending the mountain was decisive, he went straight to seek refuge with the wealthy and powerful Golden Toad Sect, throwing himself into the lavish embrace of the siblings Jiang Qianxue and Jiang Qianjin!
At once, he was treated to fine food and drink, showered with spiritual pills and medicines and his days passed in utter comfort and indulgence.
Yet after being happily “kept” for several days, he began to feel, perhaps it was only his imagination, that something was off.
The siblings had recently taken to staring at him more and more often and the way they looked at him was growing increasingly intense… and strange.
Sometimes they would even huddle together, whispering and pointing at him behind his back, which made his skin crawl.
Then one day, after several rounds of wine, when the banquet was at its most lively,
Jiang Qianxue broke into a radiant smile and, with lightning speed, moved to seize both his wrists. At the same time, Jiang Qianjin was even quicker, “whoosh!”, he yanked loose Yin Xuanlin’s waistband, forcibly pulling his trousers halfway down!
“Hey, hey! Wh…. what are you two trying to do?!”
He knew it! For days now, the two of them had been staring at him like hungry wolves, it was obvious they had no good intentions. No wonder the Golden Toad Sect always had such a questionable reputation out in the world!
“In broad daylight, under the open heavens! Ah, ah, help! Indecency!”
B… but surely it wouldn’t come to both siblings simultaneously… assaulting his backside, right?! Th… this… this was far too improper, far too indecorous!
What he didn’t know was that behind him, the siblings’ gazes were fixed with precision upon his left bare buttock, where, unmistakably, there was a coin sized, gleaming golden birthmark shaped like an ingot.
Their eyes lit up as they exchanged a knowing glance and nodded.
Within the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Yin Xuanlin had already been bundled up and tightly tied, then thrown into a room before a middle aged couple adorned in jewels, their faces flushed with excitement and tears streaming down their cheeks.
“My son!!!”
“Wuwuwu, we’ve finally found you, my poor, suffering child!”
“You must have endured so much all these years!!!”
It was only about a month later that Yin Xuanlin finally pieced together the situation.
It turned out that Jiang Qianxue had a sworn sister out in the martial world with whom she shared a deep and harmonious bond; likewise, Jiang Qianjin had a close friend with whom he had shared life and death experiences.
Unfortunately, both that sworn sister and that close friend came from families that were sworn enemies of the Golden Toad Sect.
As a result, both families had strictly forbidden them from associating with one another.
But now, what a stroke of heavenly fortune(?), the true young master of the Golden Toad Sect, who had been lost in the outside world and bore the ancestral ingot shaped birthmark, had finally returned to his rightful place!
Jiang Qianxue and Jiang Qianjin immediately cheered with delight and vanished without a trace.
After all, the feud was with the Golden Toad Sect itself; what did it have to do with them, the former “false” young master and young lady?
At last, they could roam the world freely and openly with their friends!
Alas.
Their wandering did not last long before demonic energy surged across the land, bringing devastation to all living things.
The siblings had no choice but to once again set out with their friends, rushing from place to place to subdue demons and save lives.
During that year, all the major sects were likewise engaged in the task of exorcising evil and slaying demons. As the newly appointed young master of the Golden Toad Sect, Yin Xuanlin naturally led his own disciples on campaigns across the land.
Along the way, it was not as though he never encountered members of the Tangdi Immortal Sect.
And among them, someone he had once thought he would never see again.
Xie Chen had grown far too thin; the sight of him gave Yin Xuanlin quite a shock.
It was clear that compared to the last time he had seen him, the entire person had grown far more somber and oppressive, even carrying a kind of lifeless exhaustion, like a lamp nearing the end of its oil.
Yin Xuanlin could not help but narrow his eyes. What was going on with the Tangdi Immortal Sect?
Had they become so poor that they could not even afford to give him proper restorative medicines?
Hah.
He had thought that, being together with that little white flower, he would at least be well taken care of and yet, where was that little white flower now?
Later on, during the battle at the Lingshui Filth Core, Yin Xuanlin had been leading his people in another mountain range, exterminating a group of mountain spirits that had been wreaking havoc in the region and thus had been unable to go there in person.
So when the news arrived that “Xie Chen was actually the Demon Lord,” his first reaction, of course, was disbelief.
And yet, he had no choice but to believe it.
After all, both Jiang Qianxue and Jiang Qianjin had been present at the Lingshui battlefield. Having narrowly survived, the two of them vividly described the entire scene to him in great detail.
Over the following year, Yin Xuanlin leisurely went about doing a few “minor things.”
Nothing more than taking advantage of the chaos.
Seizing the moment, he firmly took control of the economic lifelines of the major sects. Now, within the cultivation world, nearly seventy percent of the circulation of spirit stones, the supply of medicinal pills and the forging of magical artifacts were held within the grasp of his Golden Toad Sect.
All the various immortal sects could only watch as he stirred up trouble yet, lacking the strength to oppose him, they could do nothing but force smiles, bow their heads and submit, unable to raise even the slightest ripple of resistance.
A pack of hypocrites, most skilled at changing their faces and fawning over the powerful while trampling the weak.
Especially the Tangdi Immortal Sect, now, whenever they saw him, they were unfailingly respectful, flattering him with praises such as “far sighted and strategic” and “possessing foresight long ago.” Yet the moment Xie Chen was mentioned, they would immediately switch expressions, speaking with righteous indignation: “What a Demon Lord deceiving the world with a stolen name, everyone has the right to execute him!”
Heh.
Over the course of that year, the Demon Lord Xie Chen had proven far from easy to kill.
Those so called righteous factions, a bunch of useless fools, had pursued him from the Eastern Sea to the Western Wastes, from the northern snowfields to the southern forests yet they still could not bring him down and recently, it was said that traces of the Demon Lord had appeared in Qinghe Village,
Which was practically right at the doorstep of his Golden Toad Sect!
What was the meaning of this?
Yin Xuanlin could not make sense of it.
After all, his junior brother had always been known for his unyielding pride, unyielding even to the point of breaking. Even if he were truly driven into a corner, it seemed unlikely that he would swallow his pride and come to the doorstep of the senior brother he despised most, seeking refuge…?
Fortunately, Yin Xuanlin soon came to an understanding.
It was probably nothing more than coincidence.
Most likely, Xie Chen had long since forgotten about him and did not even remember that this was the territory of the Golden Toad Sect.
Heh, heartless thing.
But in the end, Yin Xuanlin still went to save him.
He thought to himself that it was mainly because he was, kind!!!
Indeed, the Golden Toad Sect was a place that nurtured people well. Over the past year, he had lived exactly as he pleased.
Spending money every day, reveling in boundless happiness. With a bold and striking elder sister and a sweet, obedient younger brother by his side, he was surrounded like the moon among stars.
Bit by bit, they had turned him, from a venomous man, into someone almost decent.
To the point that even the matter of the entire Tangdi Immortal Sect, from top to bottom, having once seemed intent on harming him, no longer filled him with as much hatred. Only occasionally, when he remembered, would he take a bit of revenge. As for Xie Chen…
It was not that he would not settle the score, only that the time had not yet come.
And today was the day retribution would come!
Outside Qinghe Village,
The reason Yin Xuanlin appeared in a striking robe of blazing red, descending gracefully from a magnificent formation in midair with his back turned to the Demon Lord, was, of course, for the sake of showing off!
Naturally, he also valued his life.
After all, he was not some “Long Aotian” from a storybook, immune to mishaps. The reason he dared to turn his back on the Demon Lord was largely because beneath his luxurious robes, he wore the Golden Toad Sect’s secret treasure, the Black Obsidian Scale Armor, impervious to blades, immune to water and fire.
Ahem, in any case,
When he stood there in red robes and ink black hair, his features peerless, his brows and eyes carrying a trace of the noble ease and languid refinement cultivated by the Golden Toad Sect, slowly turning back amidst the chaos and demonic miasma,
That was, without a doubt, the most pretentious and exhilarating moment of his entire life.
Especially when his gaze met Xie Chen’s and he caught that fleeting flash of disbelief and dazed confusion in those dark eyes,
That instant alone felt absolutely intoxicating!
Handsome, aren’t I?
Blinded by the brilliance, can’t even recognize me anymore?
Hah. Back then, you ignored me, now I’m far beyond your reach!!!
Of course, Yin Xuanlin only became more ostentatious afterward.
The Demon Lord, whom the combined forces of the major sects had failed to subdue, was brought down by him with apparent ease, he merely extended a single finger and lightly tapped his forehead and Xie Chen’s body swayed before collapsing straight into his arms.
Everyone: “……”
The battlefield fell into dead silence, while Yin Xuanlin glanced down at the person in his embrace.
After years of wandering, exposure to the elements and constant flight, Xie Chen, still so young, had already lost much of his former bearing. His face was gaunt and smeared with blood, exhaustion written plainly across it. The weight in Yin Xuanlin’s arms made him frown unconsciously.
Far too light.
As he lifted him, he could not help but feel a hint of disdain.
How could he be this light? Wasn’t this supposed to be the Demon Lord, overflowing with demonic power and unmatched in strength? Why did he feel as though he might shatter at the slightest touch?
What was almost laughable was that the person in his arms was clearly already at the end of his strength, barely able to keep his dark eyes open, their focus scattered and dim.
And yet, when their gazes met, Xie Chen instinctively turned his head slightly away.
Yin Xuanlin: “……”
In full view of the crowd, under countless watchful eyes,
He acted at once. Reaching out, he almost roughly brushed aside Xie Chen’s sweat damp, dirt streaked hair, forcibly pressing that unwilling head against his own burning chest.
The crowd fell silent once more.
Only Xie Chen, with a trace of stubbornness still remaining, used the last shred of his strength to shift his head slightly aside again, slowly, resolutely.
The veins at Yin Xuanlin’s temple throbbed.
Without the slightest courtesy, he reached out again, nearly viciously forcing that disobedient head back onto his shoulder.
Damned Xie Chen.
Saving you is already me showing mercy, if you want to die, just say so!
Don’t you understand what it means to bow your head when you’re under someone else’s roof? And you still won’t play along, still won’t play along, still won’t play along!
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!
What a waste of effort saving him. Yin Xuanlin almost wanted to throw him aside right then and there.
But when his gaze swept over that utterly haggard profile, the ghastly wounds covering his body and when he drew in a breath and felt the faint trembling of the figure in his arms,
He was kind!
He wouldn’t stoop to argue with a fool!!!
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Their journey continues. Their coffee cup, however, does not.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Once a chosen one of heavenChapter 2 · Why didn’t you crawl in the shadows?!Chapter 3 · They would rather fight each otherChapter 4 · I’ll do a handstand and run naked three times!Chapter 5 · So what if I’m showing off!Chapter 6 · If you look again, I’ll gouge your eyes out!Chapter 7 · The young couple is fighting again.Chapter 8 · I’m back at the Jinchan SectChapter 9 · Sour, sourChapter 10 · To seize credit for someone’s workChapter 11 · The Golden Toad Sect has come to our aid to annihilate the Demon LordChapter 12 · Sect Leader’s HusbandChapter 13 · The stone, fox, tree, and scarecrow are named XuanlinChapter 14 · My junior and I have had sweet moments in private!Chapter 15 · The truth behind their first falling out back thenChapter 16 · Hate lasts longer than loveChapter 17 · Xie Chen was actually the Demon LordChapter 18 · Slaying the Demon LordChapter 19 · From resistance to enjoymentChapter 20 · Xiao Xie’s perspective begins!Chapter 21 · Only because it was Yin XuanlinChapter 22 · Xie Chen was not a foolChapter 23 · The End