Chapter 60
The fox demon finished speaking and leaned closer to examine the portrait again. The person in the painting had a cascade of black hair flowing behind them, with an enchanting and affectionate expression. At first, she couldn’t recognize who it was, but upon closer inspection, she started to feel that this woman was none other than that bald donkey?
Yet, the man beside this woman in the painting, the fox demon recognized at a glance—it was Yu Wuxia.
She couldn’t help but cover her mouth, pointing at the portrait, and looked up at Haowei, “How could you depict such a painting when Yu Wuxia hates that bald donkey so much? Isn’t this insulting Yu Wuxia?”
Haowei and Si Lan remained silent.
The two couldn’t bear to tell her that this portrait might have been painted by the very Yu Wuxia she was referring to.
Haowei glanced again at the figure in the painting and asked, “Are you sure this woman in the painting is Immortal Jiaheng?”
“Yes, she was deliberately depicted as a woman,” the fox demon muttered as she recalled, “Looking at it like this, the appearance of this bald donkey’s long hair bears a resemblance to several of my sisters.”
Si Lan and Haowei exchanged glances, suddenly understanding something.
Initially, when this fox demon seduced Yu Wuxia in the Immortal Hall and wasn’t killed by him, it might not have been because Yu Wuxia harbored desire for her, but because she bore some resemblance to Immortal Jiaheng.
As for the other female demons later on, they probably bore some resemblance to Immortal Jiaheng to varying degrees.
They hadn’t previously considered the relationship between Yu Wuxia and Immortal Jiaheng in this way. One reason was that Immortal Jiaheng had an elderly appearance and was tens of thousands of years older than Yu Wuxia. Another reason was that Immortal Jiaheng had long been respected across the Six Realms, and placing romantic sentiments on such a revered monk seemed like tarnishing his reputation.
However, they hadn’t expected that this most unlikely speculation would turn out to be the correct answer.
Haowei rolled up the scroll and put it into his spatial pouch. “Where is Yu Wuxia now that he has fallen into the demon path?”
“Yu Wuxia is in the Floating Pagoda Hall, a palace he established himself. However, it was later destroyed by that bald donkey, and then I was sealed in Linglong Mountain, knowing nothing,” the fox demon said, her eyes darting around as she tentatively continued, “Why are you so curious about Yu Wuxia’s affairs? Has Yu Wuxia done something…”
Having been trapped in the demon-sealing cauldron for these days, the fox demon had thought over many things. Although these two in front of her hadn’t disclosed their identities, she couldn’t sense their aura at all, realizing their cultivation was much higher than hers.
Two people with such profound cultivation had been asking about Yu Wuxia all along, indicating that Yu Wuxia must have caused a big stir.
Haowei did not respond to the fox demon’s question. He picked up the demon-sealing cauldron, intending to seal her back inside. Seeing that she was about to be enclosed in the ethereal cauldron once more, she hastily pleaded in a coquettish tone, “Immortal Lord, whatever you want to know, this servant will tell you everything. Can you let me breathe some fresh air a little longer, Immortal Lord… Ah…”
Before the fox demon’s finger could touch Haowei’s body, she was already sucked into the demon-sealing cauldron. Thinking she was now inside the cauldron and that no one outside could hear her, her sweet voice instantly turned sharp and biting, teeth gritted as she muttered, “Pah, looks like a widower, just like a man who’s lost his wife.”
Haowei remained silent.
Si Lan raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
Firefly Illusion Technique was on the verge of collapsing. The disciples of the Immortal sects who had fallen into the illusion beneath the sacred altar were slowly waking up. Haowei and Si Lan decided to leave the sacred altar first.
The Immortal of Parinirvana had already learned that Immortal Jiaheng hadn’t died, so the subsequent handling of affairs would be left to the Thirty-Three Heavens to decide.
These past few days, Haowei and Si Lan had been under great mental strain, traveling from Mount Gushu to the Thirty-Three Heavens without proper rest.
Haowei brought Si Lan back to the Yuqing Palace, intending to eat, bathe, engage in intimacy, and then sleep. However, just as they were bathing, a group of celestial beings gathered outside the hall.
During this period, Haowei had rarely been in the Celestial Realm. Even when he returned, he stayed only for a few days before leaving again. The celestial beings had accumulated a pile of matters for him to handle. Despite knowing he was currently bathing, they still came looking for him.
Haowei rubbed his temples. He had just spent a lot of effort persuading Si Lan to bathe together with him, and their bodies weren’t even fully wet when this group arrived.
He was about to instruct the attendants to send them away when Si Lan spoke up, “Why not see them first? What if there’s an urgent matter?”
Haowei managed affairs across the Five Realms, inevitably encountering major events. Besides, even if these matters weren’t resolved today, they would still need attention tomorrow. It was better to handle them sooner rather than later.
After speaking, Si Lan cleverly restrained his demonic aura, transforming into a small “wild chicken” floating like a doll in the wisps of steam. Unless one looked closely, his figure was practically invisible.
Seeing Si Lan take on this tiny form, Haowei found it exceedingly adorable. He gently propped up Si Lan’s small body from the hot spring water with his hand. Si Lan stiffened for a moment, then pushed away Haowei’s fingers and glided into the mist with a flick of his wings.
Haowei smirked faintly. “Let them in.”
Upon receiving the order, the celestial beings hurried inside, kneeling around the hot spring pool. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Haowei had his back to them, arms resting on the edge of the pool rocks. His voice carried an inherent authority, calm yet commanding, “What urgent matters do you have that require you to disturb Us in such haste?”
Perhaps due to the moisture in the air, his voice, besides its authoritative tone, also carried a deep, magnetic quality that sounded particularly pleasing as it mingled with the rising steam.
Si Lan, who was diving in the water, heard this and pursed his small beak.
Not bad for putting on airs.
“Your Majesty, please intercede for this old minister. The flowers and plants I painstakingly cultivated were trampled to pieces by Lord Rixiao’s mount, the great water buffalo!” Yuanmo Immortal Sovereign rushed in first, covering his face with his sleeves as he tearfully complained, genuine or not.
Rixiao Immortal Sovereign defended himself nervously, “It’s not a water buffalo, it’s a battle rhino.”
Haowei sighed inwardly as he rubbed his temples. He never expected they would barge in on him even while he was bathing, just for matters concerning flowers, plants, and animals. He spoke in a stern voice, “Rixiao, about your mount…”
“Your Majesty, it’s not a water buffalo, it’s a battle rhino,” Rixiao Immortal Sovereign argued persistently. More concerned about his mount being mistaken for a water buffalo than the complaint itself.
Haowei fell silent for a moment. “Regardless of what it is, you failed to discipline it properly, leading to the destruction of Yuanmo Immortal Sovereign’s flowers and plants. You should compensate him.”
“Your Majesty, I’m willing to compensate him, but he needs to stop calling my battle rhino a water buffalo,” Yuanmo Immortal Sovereign retorted coldly. “It was originally a big water buffalo. Just because it’s covered in armor and flies in the sky, does that mean it’s no longer a big water buffalo? What’s the point of calling it a battle rhino? Has it ever seen a battlefield?”
“You…”
Seeing the two about to argue again, Haowei interrupted them. “Enough. Yuanmo, refrain from ridiculing Rixiao’s mount in the future. Rixiao, compensate Yuanmo for his losses promptly. This matter is settled. If you two are not satisfied, you may argue outside and refrain from disturbing Us again.”
The two exchanged glances, still disgruntled, before leaving in a huff.
Haowei cast a sidelong glance at the immortal lords behind him. “If you have trivial matters concerning flowers and plants, there’s no need to waste my time.”
The immortal lords fell silent.
After a moment of hesitation, one of the lords stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, a few days ago, Prince Er of the Jing River caused torrential rain in the mortal realm due to drunkenness, neglecting his duties for a full twelve hours. This resulted in eight cities being submerged, causing great suffering among the people. My palace has received countless complaints demanding punishment for Prince Er. However, although he is not a Dragon King, he has close ties with the East Sea. Punishing him may have widespread implications. Your Majesty’s decision is needed.”
Haowei asked, “Prince Er of the Jing River is…”
“He is the second son of the Chief of the Blue Shrimp Clan.”
Si Lan, who had already started to leave, heard this and turned back. His head surfaced, his two wings lightly paddling like oars.
Suddenly, Haowei remembered that Si Lan had mentioned before that the Blue Shrimp Clan of the Jing River was responsible for wiping out the Quze family. His voice turned cold, “Handle it as it should be. There’s no need to favor the East Sea.”
“Yes,” the lord replied and retreated.
After hearing the gossip, Si Lan was about to leave again but was caught by Haowei gripping his wings. He dared not struggle, fearing the immortals behind him might notice something amiss. He stiffened as Haowei pulled him close.
His back pressed against Haowei’s chest, but his front was restrained by the other’s distinctively fair fingers, almost like a hostage, tightly held in place.
“Your Majesty, Queen Phoenix has sent a confidential message, stating that Princess Quyu and Princess Zhuju have both been attacked consecutively by the Demon Sovereign Si Lan. She suspects that the Demon Clan is planning to attack the Phoenix Clan, and requests Your Majesty’s intervention on behalf of the Phoenix Clan.”
Si Lan…
His head, still groggy from soaking in the hot spring, suddenly snapped alert.
He hadn’t expected the Phoenix Clan to have such thick skin, preemptively accusing him of planning to attack them.
Tsk tsk.
Thinking back to yesterday on Gushu Mountain, the Phoenix Clan must have realized the depth of his relationship with Haowei and didn’t dare to accuse him directly. Instead, they found a few unsuspecting immortal lords to step forward on their behalf.
“Your Majesty, the Phoenix Clan has deep ties with the late Emperor Taiwei and the Divine Lord Chiyu. When the Demon Clan bullies the Phoenix Clan, they are bullying us. Heaven cannot stand idly by.”
“The recent chaos in the mortal realm and the slaughter of ten thousand spirits on Yingzhou Island were both orchestrated by the Demon Clan. Now they provoke the Phoenix Clan in Heaven. It seems they intend to break the truce agreement between Heaven and the Demon Realm soon. Your Majesty, Heaven must be vigilant.”
Two more lords stepped forward to speak up for the Phoenix Clan, their words resolute and convincing, as if they had witnessed the Demon Clan’s actions firsthand.
Inwardly, Si Lan couldn’t help but sneer. These lords were distorting facts and reasoning to goad Haowei into confronting the Demon Clan. If they didn’t play fair, why should he? He’d resort to any means necessary.
With this thought, he glanced up through the misty haze at Haowei. Haowei’s head was slightly tilted back, his jawline clear but his expression obscured. Si Lan couldn’t resist a mischievous and indulgent urge.
To tease him. To playfully tease him.
The lords couldn’t gauge Haowei’s current mood, continuing, “Your Majesty, it is said that the Demon Sovereign Si Lan practices forbidden dark arts. Every decade, he conducts a widespread selection of concubines, not sparing even men. By the second day, all those sent to his chambers turn into dried corpses.”
Meanwhile, the demon sovereign they spoke of now slowly slid down within Haowei’s embrace, coming to rest against Haowei’s lower abdomen.
Just as Haowei was about to reach out to lift him, the demon sovereign suddenly transformed into human form, almost submerged in the water, only revealing a fair face, pressed against Haowei’s lower abdomen.
When Haowei lowered his head, his gaze met a pair of dark, watery eyes. Before he could speak, his body tensed, a rush of heat climbing from his lower abdomen.
Si Lan stared at him unwaveringly, his eyes intense, long lashes curled with a hint of moisture, a touch of red in their depths, making his gaze alluring and provocative.
The fair complexion framed by flowing hair behind him accentuated his allure, his full lips now gently touching Haowei’s lower abdomen, leaving a warm sensation. Haowei’s breath caught, his hand instinctively touching Si Lan’s nape.
Si Lan’s kiss slowly disappeared under the water, occasionally letting out a bubble or two.
Haowei’s eyes reddened, his throat moved, suppressing the tense emotions and strange pleasure.
Si Lan was angry.
But this was quite an effective way to vent his emotions.
At that moment, a voice from behind continued heedlessly, “The late Emperor once said that the Demon Realm would become a major threat to Heaven in the future. Perhaps now is a good opportunity to bring the Demon Realm under control, apart from that Demon King.”
Haowei murmured softly, curling his fingers slowly, whether in response to the lord behind him or to Si Lan’s actions in front of him.
Upon hearing this murmur, the lords grew bolder, “Your Majesty, there have been reports of you appearing together with members of the Demon Clan on Linglong Mountain, behaving intimately. You must tread carefully. The demons are cunning and treacherous; some are skilled in seduction magic. Don’t let yourself be deceived or make mistakes.”
As soon as the lord finished speaking, a voice tinged with water and mist suddenly emerged, “Oh, skilled in seduction magic, you say?”
Si Lan’s hands rested on Haowei’s shoulders, his face slowly emerging from in front of Haowei. Perhaps just emerged from the water, his features were veiled with a thin mist, lips almost dripping blood-red, more alluring and dazzling than a beautiful ghost. His half-closed eyes now held a mocking smile, watching them.
The lords stood dumbfounded at the sight of him, as if they had seen a ghost.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
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What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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