The young man was still here, lingering in my courtyard. Watching him endure the harsh wind and snow for days without falling ill, I grew certain he wasn’t an ordinary mortal. It was more likely that my weakened abilities had dulled my senses, making me unable to discern his true nature.
After some thought, I concluded that I probably couldn’t defeat him if it came to a fight. So, I decided not to chase him away anymore—better to avoid the humiliation of a lost battle. As for his purpose in staying here, I left it as a mystery. A fox always shows its tail eventually.
“Fish stew.”
A steaming bowl of fragrant fish stew was set before me. I licked my lips and took it without hesitation, not bothering with any pretense of politeness.
Liu Yue sat down beside me naturally, tilting his head as he stared at me intently. Feeling the weight of his gaze, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and suddenly found it hard to swallow the stew. “What are you staring at me for? Hoping I’ll sprout flowers?”
I had meant to mock him, but to my surprise, he was utterly shameless—something I’d never encountered before. He nodded. “That’s right,” he said. “To me, you’re like the flowers of the mountain and the moon among the clouds...”
A shiver ran down my spine. In my old age, I’ve grown intolerant of such honeyed words meant for young girls. Goosebumps rose on my arms as I tipped my head back and gulped down the stew. “Wash the dishes,” I ordered curtly.
He accepted the task without complaint and, as he walked toward the door, asked, “The sun is out today. How about going for a walk this afternoon?”
It felt like he was looking after an elderly person.
“No, I’m feeling tired. I’ll be napping this afternoon.”
His brows furrowed slightly, a hint of worry crossing his face. But before long, his gaze shifted beyond the courtyard, turning cold and sharp.
I didn’t understand the sudden change in his demeanor, but a moment later, I felt the demonic energy creeping up from the foot of the mountain. Not long after, a gust of wind swept into the courtyard, carrying the chill of that demonic aura.
A woman in black robes appeared. Her eyes flicked briefly to Liu Yue before settling on me. She looked me up and down, and for some reason, her expression twisted with anger. Without a word, she lashed out with a whip.
The strike was fierce, but before I could react, Liu Yue raised a hand and caught the whip mid-air.
The woman’s gaze darkened, her voice harsh as she said, “You left my wedding and came all this way—for her? And now you’re protecting her?”
I raised an eyebrow. This sounded like quite the story. I almost wanted to fetch a bench and some melon seeds to watch it unfold.
Liu Yue flicked his wrist, his strength sending the woman flying three zhang (about ten meters) back. “This is not where you should be. Go back.”
Her expression turned livid as she gritted her teeth. “No one,” she hissed, “has ever dared speak to me like this!”
Well, well—what a bold tone. I gave her a once-over, my gaze lingering on the faint phoenix embroidery on her sleeve. That emblem, coupled with her black robes, made her identity clear: she was likely the Demon Realm’s newly chosen Spirit Maiden.
The Demon Realm hadn’t had a true king since their Great Demon King fell into the Demon Abyss and never returned. For generations, their realm had been ruled by the Spirit Maiden, a figure akin to a queen who wore the phoenix-marked black robes and the Spirit Phoenix hairpin.
Since I had been out of touch with the world for so long, it wasn’t surprising that I hadn’t seen her before—or that she didn’t recognize me.
Having pieced this together, I turned my attention back to Liu Yue, and my thoughts grew even more tangled.
If this Liu Yue was engaged to the Spirit Maiden, his status in the Demon Realm must be extraordinary—likely a prince at the very least. So why was he here, clinging to an aging, irrelevant recluse like me?
But wait...
Why did his name suddenly feel so familiar?
“Leave this place,” Liu Yue said, ignoring the Spirit Maiden’s words. His tone was cold and commanding, utterly different from the gentleness he usually showed me. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
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