Standing before the wreckage, Bai Shuo was momentarily stunned by the teasing, lost in thought.
All these years, she had played the obedient, cheerful fool, carefully hiding her true self and temper, trying to survive in this bizarre world of immortals and demons, where everyone seemed capable of crushing her. She didn’t fear death—she wanted to live because only by living long enough did she have the faintest hope of fulfilling a promise she had once made.
“A hundred years, a thousand years—wait for me. I’ll become immortal, find you, and repay you.”
From that night onward, her life’s purpose seemed bound to this vow. It meant more to her than her own life.
But now, Hua Hong was saying her true nature had surfaced. Why? Bai Shuo didn’t need to ask herself; she already knew she was angry. But what exactly was she angry about? Was it because the noble Hall Master of Hao Yue brought back a stranger without explanation? Or that he used his divine energy to care for the injured girl despite his own wounds?
No, none of that. What made her angry was the thought that all the favoritism and special treatment Fan Yue had shown her would no longer be hers alone.
Slowly, her eyes cleared as she looked at Hua Hong, realizing this truth.
Hua Hong crossed her arms, smiling. “Figured it out?”
Bai Shuo nodded and turned, running toward Fan Yue’s bedchamber without a moment’s hesitation.
“Well, she doesn’t mince words,” Hua Hong chuckled softly.
Bai Shuo ran all the way there, only slowing down as she neared the bedchamber. She raised her head, looking ahead.
Beneath the vast moonlight, on the stone pavilion, Fan Yue stood in a dark robe, gazing up at the moon.
The moonlight highlighted his profile, his brows sharp as ink. Bai Shuo’s heart skipped a beat as she slowed her steps. She had so much to ask and even more to say.
“Is there really no way to remove the demon energy from her body?”
She stopped mid-step, realizing he wasn’t talking to her.
Long Yi flew out from some corner of the stone pavilion, muttering, “Not exactly.”
Fan Yue lowered his gaze, staring at Long Yi.
Long Yi flew up to him, saying, “All demonic energy originates from the Demon God, Jing Yuan. If you can find the Demon God, then yes, it’s possible to extract it. But no one knows where the Demon God is.”
Fan Yue gave him a look, and Long Yi quickly raised one wing in a pacifying gesture. “Hold on! If you can’t find the Demon God, there’s still the Demon Gathering Banner. It’s an artifact of the Demon God, commanding all demons, and it holds a trace of true divine power from the Demon God. It should be able to draw the demon energy out of that girl.”
Impatience flickered in Fan Yue’s eyes, and Long Yi quickly raised his other wing, adding, “The Demon Gathering Banner is in Jing You Mountain.”
Fan Yue’s gaze sharpened. “The fox clan?”
Long Yi’s wings flapped nervously. “You don’t plan to break the barrier around Jing You Mountain, do you?”
“What if I do?”
Long Yi hesitated, “Listen, if you’re thinking of stirring things up, know your limits. That barrier was laid by Hong Yi. Even if you weren’t injured, even at full power…”
Fan Yue’s look made it clear he wasn’t listening, and Long Yi couldn’t hold back any longer. “Is this girl really the one you’ve been searching for all these years?”
Though the question was intended, it left both Fan Yue and Bai Shuo momentarily stunned.
Who had the Great Demon been searching for? Bai Shuo only knew Fan Yue as the Hall Master of Hao Yue. But what about before he took that title? Who was he then? Had he ever cared about anyone, hidden deep within his heart?
For an instant, Bai Shuo felt an overwhelming tension. She tilted her head slightly, waiting for Fan Yue’s answer.
“I’ve never seen her face clearly,” Fan Yue’s calm voice finally replied. “But I know she is related to that person.”
“You’d take this risk for something as vague as ‘related’? What you should be doing is gathering the remaining Bodhi tree pieces. If you don’t, you’ll die!” Long Yi protested, voice thick with frustration.
“Why else would I seek to become a god?” Fan Yue replied in only ten words, as if discussing a matter as light as wind and clouds.
Bai Shuo’s hand tightened in her sleeve, her chest heavy as if suffocating.
Long Yi fell silent, finally sighing as he too looked up at the hanging silver moon.
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