An awkward silence fell over the room, and the two elders immediately pieced everything together. They glanced from Mu Jiu to Hua Hong, and Chang Sheng turned to Mu Jiu with a stern look. “Young clan leader, come back with us.”
Mu Jiu shook his head.
Chang Sheng sighed, his tone calm but resigned. “Then you may as well kill the two of us right here.”
Mu Jiu froze, “Elder…”
Chang Sheng and Chang Wu both sat heavily on the ground. “You refuse to go back to be married, and the divine fig wine is gone. You know the clan leader’s temper. We’d rather die here than face her wrath at home.”
“Elder! Aunt would never…”
“Are you sure? If there’s another disaster like last time in Yicheng, do you think you’ll escape unscathed?! The nine-tailed fox line has been passed down for generations, and if the bloodline ends, young clan leader, we’ll never be able to face the clan leader.”
“Elder, it’s not that serious…”
“Serious or not, you—”
“I’ll go back with you.” Hua Hong’s voice cut in, unable to bear it any longer.
The three foxes in the hall froze. Mu Jiu quickly exclaimed, “A-Hua, don’t be rash! I took the wine, so I should be the one punished.”
“Who said anything about punishment?” Hua Hong replied impatiently. “Why are they taking you back?”
“To get married.”
“Then let’s go back and get married.”
The hall fell into silence. Bai Shuo nearly choked, utterly shocked by Hua Hong’s straightforward declaration.
“What?!”
Mu Jiu’s eyes widened, thinking he’d misheard, but Hua Hong turned to Chang Sheng and Chang Wu. “If I marry Mu Jiu now, does it mean I’m allowed to have drunk the divine fig wine?”
They nodded in unison, “Yes, absolutely.”
“And no more talk of dying, right?”
They shook their heads, standing up swiftly. “No need for that.”
“Tian Huo,” Fan Yue called from the throne, frowning. But Hua Hong gave him a nonchalant smile. “Hall Master, in matters of marriage, I make my own decisions.”
“There’s no need.” Mu Jiu turned to Hua Hong with a serious look, one Bai Shuo had never seen from him before. “You don’t have to marry me over a jar of wine. I’ll go back with the elders.”
Chang Sheng and Chang Wu frowned deeply. With Tian Huo at the peak of her cultivation and now having consumed the divine fig wine, her rise to demi-godhood was imminent. If she joined the fox clan, it would be a great fortune. The elders were about to speak in her favor when Hua Hong looked at Mu Jiu and asked calmly.
“What makes you think I’d marry you just for a jar of wine? Why couldn’t it be sincere, Mu Jiu?”
Mu Jiu was stunned.
Bai Shuo frowned and instinctively glanced at Fan Yue, noticing the same coldness in his expression.
As the sun set and the moon rose, darkness covered the northern lands.
Fan Yue returned to his chambers from the side hall, where Bai Shuo was already waiting for him in the courtyard. No one had mentioned why Fan Yue had abruptly left his quarters earlier that afternoon.
“You’re keeping Mu Jiu at Hao Yue Hall to use him as a way into the fox clan to obtain the Demon Gathering Banner, aren’t you?” Bai Shuo confronted him directly, and Fan Yue did not deny it.
“Why didn’t you stop Hua Hong from using such a method to enter Jing You Mountain?”
“Bai Shuo, you didn’t want to be part of Hao Yue Hall. So what do my hall’s matters have to do with you?”
“She’s someone who’d give everything for you—even her life. Does she really mean less to you than someone you can’t even remember?”
Bai Shuo’s voice was full of anger; it was unclear if she was speaking up for Hua Hong or for herself.
Under the moonlight, Fan Yue suddenly chuckled. His lips curved slightly, and his voice was cool and indifferent as he looked down at Bai Shuo.
“Back in the King’s subterranean palace, you personally sent away the one person who’d given their life for you, Bai Shuo. Did you ask yourself, then, if you were heartless? Cruel?”
Bai Shuo froze, her eyes instantly welling up, her entire body beginning to tremble.
Her little disciple, the one person in this world who only had eyes for her, had been destroyed by her own hand.
The ones who know you best are the ones who know where to strike the deepest.
Bai Shuo quickly wiped her eyes and turned to leave.
Fan Yue’s face remained cold, and he coughed harshly, blood spilling from his mouth.
A hand came to rest on his back, transferring a steady flow of demonic energy into him, bolstering his strength.
“My demon energy isn’t as good as divine energy, but after drinking divine wine today, it’ll have to do,” Hua Hong’s teasing voice came from behind him.
“You don’t need to go this far,” Fan Yue turned, frowning, his gaze disapproving.
“Oh, now you have something to say. Why didn’t you speak up earlier when she questioned you?”
“Tian Huo!”
“Your divine channels are damaged; breaking through Jing You Mountain’s barrier would make you no match for Chang Mei. The Demon Emperor’s throne cannot fall into the hands of Zhen Yu, or the Yicheng massacre will spread across the entire demon realm.” Hua Hong’s tone was grave. “Since I can’t stop you from entering the fox clan for the sake of that girl in the side hall, I’ll do what I can to help. We leave for the fox clan tomorrow at dawn, so Hall Master, get some rest.”
Hua Hong waved her hand, ready to leave, but Fan Yue’s low voice stopped her.
“Mu Jiu has a pure heart. If he learns the truth someday, what will you do?”
Hua Hong paused mid-step. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes.” She turned back with a faint, chilly smile. “Hall Master, I’m not like you. The princess of the Yicheng royal family stopped believing in true love a hundred years ago.”
She walked away, her figure solitary beneath the moon.
Outside the hall, a shadow lingered behind a tree, observing in silence before disappearing without a sound.
Hello everyone! This is the Midnight Scrolls team. Our translation of the story concludes here, as this is all the author has posted so far. If you see more than 82 chapters available on this link, please let us know, and we’ll continue translating.
2 Comments
Thanks for taking your time to translate this novel. 😍😍😍
ReplyDeleteIt gets more interesting every chapter. When will it be continued?
Hi there! Unfortunately, we don't have any information about author's plans 😔
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