Chapter 12
Si Lan had no choice but to cast another barrier, separating their line of sight.
No impropriety was allowed.
Although he had vaguely guessed the outcome, he had not expected the process to be like this. He could tell that at this moment, Lou Yu did not love the Moth King, and everything he did was merely to kill the Moth King.
However, the more it was like this, the more worried he became. Because once Lou Yu’s heart was moved, even if it was just a little, for Lou Yu, it would be an irreversible hell.
Si Lan furrowed his brow deeply, worrying about Lou Yu in his heart.
The Little White Dragon looked up at Si Lan, flicking its dragon whiskers.
Everything in the illusion had already happened.
No matter how much he worried, it wouldn’t change anything.
After an unknown amount of time, Lou Yu’s voice came from outside, with a hint of hoarseness.
“Why is your foot injured?”
“Uh, it happened while walking.” Zhong Mu’s voice was as if it had been soaked in water, inexplicably carrying a soft, sticky tone. “I’m not used to walking.” But ever since he met Lou Yu, he had been walking on two legs like a human.
Lou Yu fell silent for a while and then asked, “Why do you like me?”
“I saw you in a dream a long time ago. I saw you standing under the Soaring Dragon Tree, wearing a red wedding gown. When I walked towards you, you suddenly turned and smiled at me. Your smile was beautiful. But when I hugged you, your figure disappeared with the wind.”
Zhong Mu spoke seriously, but Lou Yu didn’t believe this reason. He closed his eyes, concealing all of his emotions.
He couldn’t understand Zhong Mu’s affection.
Zhong Mu still clung to him closely, seeming a bit shy, burying his head deeply in his neck, mumbling, “Although I have taken on a male form after transforming, I can also treat you like a woman would, and I…”
Lou Yu’s cheeks inexplicably grew hot, interrupting Zhong Mu, “I’m a bit thirsty.”
He was a cultivator of the unfeeling path and didn’t like to talk about matters of romance. What happened just now was simply Zhong Mu helping him recover, similar to the cultivation practice of “dual cultivation” in the cultivation world.
The more Lou Yu thought about it, the hotter his cheeks became.
Zhong Mu immediately got out of bed to fetch water for Lou Yu and almost tripped due to his weak legs.
When he brought the water over, he saw that Lou Yu had fallen asleep again.
Zhong Mu set the water aside, propped his chin with one hand, and lay on the bed, quietly watching Lou Yu.
Si Lan couldn’t help but feel that his friend was acting like a scoundrel who ignored the other person once he was satisfied, as if nothing had happened.
He looked at the Moth King’s affectionate eyes, feeling extremely complicated. This Moth King was somewhat cruel in his innocence and naive in love.
Perhaps spending too much time in the dark Demon Valley, where he only saw soft, white moths, led to his infatuation with Lou Yu, a remarkable and elegant cultivator. He fell in love at first sight.
But he hadn’t thought about how pie could fall from the sky or how a handsome man could appear in the demon realm. All of this was just a trap.
Thinking of this,Si Lan looked at the little white dragon, which he had found unconscious in the desert. Wasn’t it also somewhat strange?
The little white dragon sensed his scrutinizing gaze and instinctively retracted its claws, looking wary.
Because of Lou Yu’s injury, the wedding had to be postponed.
Zhong Mu heard somewhere that in the human world, after a wedding ceremony was held, the husband would devote himself entirely to his wife. If they had children, their relationship would become even stronger. So he was eager to conclude the marriage with Lou Yu, wanting to firmly bind this human to him.
After half a month of recuperation, Lou Yu’s body had fully recovered. Zhong Mu couldn’t figure out the human customs, and Lou Yu was equally clueless. So he brought a few humans to Demon Valley and inquired about the ceremony.
However, those humans were terrified when they saw him and even attempted to attack him with knives. But he suppressed the urge to kill, remembering his promise to Lou Yu. After some coercion and temptation, he finally learned about the wedding ceremony.
Since both he and Lou Yu had no parents, they regarded the Soaring Dragon Tree as their father and mother.
On the day of the wedding, Zhong Mu wore a red wedding gown, the first time he had worn so many clothes in his life, and he felt a bit nervous and excited.
He walked up to Lou Yu and looked at him expectantly. Lou Yu’s gaze flickered, but he didn’t say anything.
Seeing this, Zhong Mu sighed. He probably wasn’t suited for human clothing.
The two of them stood in front of the Soaring Dragon Tree, paying their respects to heaven and earth, to their parents, and to each other.
Si Lan could see that on that night, the Moth King was very happy. He drank a lot of wine and didn’t even notice Lou Yu’s covert actions.
Si Lan, though not directly involved, felt a heavier heart than those directly affected. The festive red that filled Demon Valley seemed to be replaced by a sinister shade of red.
This relationship began with slaughter, bonded through slaughter, and ended with slaughter.
Zhong Mu, in a drunken stupor, leaned against Lou Yu.
Lou Yu placed him in front of the bed and, in the darkness, silently watched him.
Zhong Mu, with a half-smile, absentmindedly tugged at the corner of Lou Yu’s clothing, like a child, pressing his head against Lou Yu’s clothes.
“The groom in the dream will fade away, but in reality, I’m holding the groom. It seems that dreams are not always reliable.”
Zhong Mu finished speaking with a smile but didn’t hear Lou Yu’s response. He lifted his head and saw Lou Yu’s face shrouded in shadows, unclear.
In the next moment, a burst of firelight outside the window illuminated Lou Yu’s cold features.
Zhong Mu felt an inexplicable unease and before he could say anything, the moths outside suddenly screamed in agony.
The sea of fire silently approached, like a raging fire, spreading from the Soaring Dragon Tree, consuming Demon Valley along with its red lanterns and banners.
The Soaring Dragon Tree was a spiritual form created by the thoughts of past Moth Kings, weaving a powerful protective barrier around the entire Sacred Demon Valley. Now, the Soaring Dragon Tree was being devoured by the flames.
The barrier was broken, and numerous human cultivators arrived.
Zhong Mu finally realized that something was wrong, stumbled out, and saw that Demon Valley was engulfed in flames. The gory redness was unmistakable.
These human cultivators, who appeared from nowhere, wielded their swords like the wind and moved like phantoms.
The moths, weakened by not consuming meat and now without the protection of the Soaring Dragon Tree, were no match for the cultivators.
Demon Valley was filled with the desperate cries and screams of the moths.
“Your Highness, run.”
An injured servant rushed over, grabbing his arm, trying to take him away.
He pushed the servant aside, turned around, and saw Lou Yu approaching step by step.
“Why?”
“Zhong Mu, Xuan Zhi is just my pseudonym. My real name is Lou Yu.” Lou Yu’s voice was unfamiliar, cold and ominous, like a demon in hell.
Zhong Mu’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t help but stagger backward. In his ears, he heard the words Lou Yu had spoken to him when they first met.
“Do you know that Lou Yu, the Sect Master of the Xuanling Sect in the mortal world, has a mission to exterminate demons and monsters? The Water Monster of the Qing River and the Eagle Demon of the Enchanted Forest have already perished by his hand. The next might be you.”
So, this man was Lou Yu.
Zhong Mu seemed to find it hard to accept and asked, “Why?”
“As you said, it’s a world where the strong prey on the weak. You devour humans, and now, humans are exterminating demons.”
Zhong Mu burst into laughter at the phrase “the strong preying on the weak.”
Ridiculous!
Clearly, Lou Yu had deceived him!
Deceived him into preventing the moths from consuming meat and revealing the secret of the Soaring Dragon.
At this moment, a cultivator swung his sword toward Zhong Mu. The servant rushed forward to shield Zhong Mu from the attack but was torn in two by the sword’s force, yet he used his last breath to plead.
“Your Highness, run.”
Zhong Mu wanted to escape, but the cultivators were relentless, and he had to transform into his true form. His crimson wings instantly swept away numerous cultivators.
His only thought at this moment was not to disappoint his people; he needed to escape…
However, when he soared out of the sea of fire and into the sky, Lou Yu was already holding a sword, waiting for him.
In the night sky, Lou Yu’s wedding gown fluttered in the wind, and his face remained unclear in the shadows. Only the sword was visible, gleaming with a chilling light.
Zhong Mu looked at the sword in Lou Yu’s hand, self-mockingly curling his lips. It seemed that Lou Yu had long found out how to kill him in secret. Coating the sword with the branch of the Soaring Dragon was an attempt to destroy his soul.
Zhong Mu clenched his teeth, his gaze fierce, and initiated an attack on Lou Yu. However, he had lost the protection of the Soaring Dragon and was no longer a match for Lou Yu. After just a few moves, he sustained several injuries.
He spread his wings, attempting to encircle Lou Yu, but Lou Yu seized the opportunity and drove the sword into his heart.
His eyes widened in an instant, intense pain spreading from his heart throughout his body.
“I originally… ” Lou Yu approached him, and the two were very close, nose to nose. “Didn’t plan to kill you, but why did I discover that you were preying on humans?”
Preying on humans?
He hadn’t preyed on humans!
Suddenly, he remembered that he had captured humans and brought them to Demon Valley, but it was to ask them about human wedding customs…
Could it be that Lou Yu had misunderstood him and thought he was preying on humans because of that?
He wanted to open his mouth to explain, but the longsword was deeply embedded in his heart, causing excruciating pain, making it impossible to speak.
As he fell rapidly, his body was frozen in place, and he gazed at Lou Yu, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face and crossing Lou Yu’s cheek.
It was unfortunate.
Unfortunately, Lou Yu had never loved him, never believed in him.
Unfortunately, he had poured out all his sincere feelings in vain.
—
At first, Si Lan was eager to kill the moths for their treatment of humans. However, when he saw the moths being burned alive by the fire, his mood became heavy once again.
From the moment of birth, life is not equal, but at the moment of death, it is. And in the journey from birth to death, if it can truly be summarized with the phrase “the strong prey on the weak,” then everything becomes simple.
He looked up at Lou Yu in the sky. As a spectator, he had a moment of belief that Lou Yu had fallen in love with Zhong Mu.
But at this moment, he had his doubts.
If it was true love, why could Lou Yu be so heartless?
Is it true that those who practice the Heartless Dao are truly without feelings and desires?
The scene continues, and after leaving the Sacred Demon Valley, Lou Yu returns to the Xuanling Sect.
Lou Yu, alone, successively exterminated three demons and monsters that had harmed humans, earning great fame in the cultivation world. Countless people came to the Xuanling Sect to meet him, including some of the humans who were once captured and taken to the Demon Valley by Zhong Mu.
“Master, thanks to you, we were rescued from the Demon Valley. However, that Moth King is really strange. He captured us but didn’t eat us; instead, he asked us some weird questions.”
Lou Yu, sitting in a high seat, supports his head with one hand. Upon hearing this, he raises his eyelids gently. “What questions?”
“Well, it’s about the human wedding ceremony. Every detail, he forced me to explain to him all night. It’s really funny. He’s a moth, yet he’s asking about these things.”
Lou Yu slowly relaxes his hand and sits on the high seat without uttering a word.
He recalls the words Zhong Mu once said to him, “I’ve heard that you humans have a wedding ceremony, and if a couple becomes husband and wife, the husband must forever protect and not betray the wife. I, too…”
At the time, he interrupted Zhong Mu because he didn’t want to hear that moth talking about love and romance…
So, that unfinished “I, too” was a reference to his intention to marry him according to human customs?
Did he capture those mortals just to understand the purpose of a wedding ceremony?
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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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
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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Omg that was more horrible and tragic than I anticipated. Let them finish talking. 😢