“Third Consort of Cold Spring Palace, quite prestigious. You’d have the run of the demon realm. This little hall of mine must feel confining to you,” Fan Yue finally looked up, his gaze cold as ice, and his words sounded as if dipped in frost.
Great! Bai Shuo finally understood—weren’t these the words that dumb mule had used to trick her? Could it be that the great demon actually thought she’d been tempted?
“Hall Master! I’ve been terribly wronged! I was just bluffing the dumb mule! Cold Spring Palace or Hot Spring Palace—I’m nothing more than your humble medicine assistant! Hao Yue Hall is wonderful; the food is warm, and I’m well-fed. Even the immortals don’t have it this good!” Bai Shuo grabbed onto Fan Yue’s sleeve, determinedly exclaiming, “I’m with Hao Yue Hall for life. If you don’t want me someday, I’ll find a place and bury myself! Don’t even mention leaving; I couldn’t live a hundred meters away from you!”
“Pfft!”
“Thud!”
Outside the hall, Hua Hong couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, while Long Yi, shivering with disgust, shook his wings and accidentally hit a pillar.
Heaven help us! Where did this comic relief come from? I’d love to see the Hall Master’s face right now—ha ha ha!
Inside, Bai Shuo’s loud outburst had silenced the hall. When she looked up, Fan Yue was staring at her as though she were a fool.
For once, the shameless Bai Half-Immortal blushed, scratching her head awkwardly before gingerly tugging on Fan Yue’s sleeve.
“Hall Master?”
Fan Yue snapped back to his senses, instinctively wanting to pull his sleeve away. But seeing her small, chubby hands nervously clutching the edge, he paused, snorted lightly, and took a sip of the peach blossom porridge.
“Talking to ghosts when you see them, talking to people when you see them—I’d be crazy to believe you.”
“Honest words, Hall Master! I’m utterly loyal to you; the sun and moon bear witness!”
Unable to help himself, the Hao Yue Hall Master choked on a mouthful of peach blossom porridge.
“Oh no! It’s hot! Slow down, slow down…”
Bai Shuo scrambled to help, patting Fan Yue’s back.
“All right, enough of that,” Fan Yue said, changing the topic as his ears turned red. “The Bodhi tree is divine; you lack the spiritual power to refine it.”
Bai Shuo’s hand froze mid-pat, deflating like a pricked balloon.
Seeing her crestfallen look, Fan Yue’s gaze narrowed.
“There’s enough spirit grass in the northern realm for you to fill a room with first-grade elixirs. Isn’t that enough? Or were you planning to make a divine elixir from the Bodhi tree?”
Bai Shuo hesitated, feeling slightly guilty. Fan Yue’s eyes darkened, and his slight amusement disappeared entirely.
“He’s now a peak-level demon lord; few in the Three Realms can harm him. Don’t waste your energy on it.”
What? Bai Shuo blurted, “I’m not doing it for…”
Fan Yue interrupted her, “Cold Spring Palace has always been ruthless. He now carries the blood of countless disciples from the immortal clans; he’s not the same Chong Zhao he used to be. Besides, the demon clans are nothing like the united sects of the immortal world. Cold Spring and Hao Yue have always been at odds. Whatever ties you shared in the mortal and immortal realms, now that you’re part of Hao Yue, you must abide by its rules.”
Since Fan Yue had brought Bai Shuo to Hao Yue Hall a year ago, this was the first time he’d mentioned Chong Zhao to her. Although his tone was harsh, Bai Shuo knew that the great demon’s intent was kind.
“I understand,” Bai Shuo’s gaze dimmed briefly before brightening up again. “Hall Master, earlier I saw the third star of the Seven-Star Formation light up. Did you find the third piece of Bodhi tree in the eastern realm?”
Fan Yue responded with a lazy “mm.”
“So…” Bai Shuo began softly, “what the mule said earlier—was it true?”
Fan Yue narrowed his eyes, looking up. “What exactly do you want to know?”
His dark eyes seemed to contain stars. The question she was about to ask took an unexpected turn.
“That wooden mule doesn’t have memories from before the Bodhi tree split, but do you?”
Fan Yue paused, momentarily taken aback. “What?”
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