FFSC_31

Chapter 31: He Likes You

The huge snow-white demon beast stepped through the air into the tall, spacious cave abode, lay prone on the stone bed, its snow-white fur spreading over more than half the bed like a thick blanket.

Amid the undulating snow mountain of fur curled a stalk of green bamboo—Chen Moqing sat with eyes closed, his body sunk among the mass of fur. Under the lustrous glow of the night-luminous pearl, his long eyelashes fell over pale skin, casting shallow shadows.

Cang Shun unconsciously raised a paw.

Glanced at its own paw, bigger than the young human's head, silently withdrew it, stared unblinkingly at those faintly trembling eyelashes, slowly leaned in.

【Feeling any better?】

The huge demon beast's breath fell against the side of his face, leaving behind a faint heat.

Chen Moqing said nothing, quietly composing himself. Cang Shun saw his beautiful lips part slightly, his suppressed breathing rising and falling unevenly, and unable to hold back, lowered its head, rubbed against him with its soft fur.

Chen Moqing: "……"

His fingers trembled slightly, his teeth clenched, after a moment he slowly raised a hand, palm pressing against the Demon Emperor's head, with a slight motion pushed it outward a few inches.

Cang Shun didn't understand his meaning, thought he wanted to pet it as before, rubbed its palm against him again.

Chen Moqing withdrew his hand.

After a few breaths, his voice rang out again, calm yet with a faint, barely perceptible tremor: "Would Your Majesty the Demon Emperor please move several feet further away."

Cang Shun thought to itself, am I too big, did I crowd him?

Obediently shifted aside a few paw-lengths' distance.

The billowing hot breath wrapping around him receding somewhat, Chen Moqing was finally able to compose himself again, his spiritual sense sinking into his spiritual sea, slowly sat down.

The Nirvana Fruit's potency was too overbearing; his spiritual sea had suffered a severe injury before, and in a short time couldn't fully withstand it, which was why the Nirvana Fruit's spiritual power overflowed, ceaselessly crashing against his spiritual sea, stirring it up and giving him no peace.

After forcibly calming his mind to endure the fierce initial collisions, he finally adapted somewhat, focused his full attention, slowly digesting that scorching spiritual power.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes to cultivate, while Cang Shun kept watch beside him.

The furry great demon beast lay quietly beside the young human, its crimson demon eyes reflecting that figure sitting still within its own cave abode, its slender tail swaying back and forth.

Above the spiritual sea, change arose once more.

The absorbed spiritual power sank into the spiritual sea, the sea's surface rippling and surging, boiling without rest, raising waves that, in the air, transformed into a tall, slender figure.

White robes loose, black eyes deep and dark, gave a faint, eerie smile toward the calm and unruffled Chen Moqing.

That person shared the same face as Chen Moqing, his bearing exquisitely beautiful, yet like a vicious flood dragon lurking in a deep pool.

The inner demon.

Whenever one approaches the Nascent Soul stage, a inner demon is born. In the past, his Dao heart was firm and resolute, and he would cut down the inner demon with a casual strike. But now, Chen Moqing sat quietly within his spiritual sea, letting that inner demon walk step by step until it stood before him.

Long sleeves drifting at his sides, the inner demon circled him unhurriedly, and with each step, dropped a mocking remark: "If back then you hadn't left home following Yu Bai, hadn't set out on the great path to ascension, but stayed in Yecheng, taken the imperial examinations, cared for your mother, supported Uncle Wen and Aunt Wen in their old age, lived as an ordinary mortal, you could have peacefully lived out a hundred years."

"If later you'd been willing to sever the divide between immortal and mortal, not fetched life-extending elixirs for them, not brought them to Baiyu City—your mother, Master Liu, Aunt Wen… those you loved most, those who loved you most, none of them would have died in that fire, would not have entered the cycle of reincarnation, unable to be reborn!"

"If in the battle at the Demon Abyss you hadn't given everything, you wouldn't have exhausted your life's blood, severely damaged your cultivation, and at your weakest needed to seclude yourself to heal, which gave those beasts the opening they needed, making everything impossible to undo!"

"They all say you're the foremost sword cultivator of the younger generation, second only to Yu Bai, yet why couldn't you even protect your own closest kin, those you loved most?!"

"Why was it that before you cultivated, your mother, Master Liu and Aunt Wen were all safe and well, yet after you cultivated, they died a tragic death in the fire, while you go on living in this world, still walking your great path!"

Each sentence like an arrow, each word like a blade. Arrows piercing the heart, a blunt knife carving flesh.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes, his spiritual sea churning, raising great waves, spiritual energy boiling in chaos, clashing and scattering.

A full while later, he opened his eyes again, the ink-black depths dark and dim, like a deep pool that reflects no light from the sky.

"The mistake is already done. I will use my flesh, blood, and divine soul, to make my enemies fall into the same hell-fire with me, suffer the scorching flames, life after life, never to be freed."

The inner demon clutched its stomach with laughter: "Anyone can spout big words! Go ahead and comfort yourself with such useless talk! Since you think you've already cast aside everything, severed your next life, your Dao heart resolute… then, what about that great demon?"

"You trust him so much, having known him for barely a year, and you'd actually hand your back to him at ease?"

"What exactly is it that you feel toward him?"

"Do you still remember, what path it is you walk!"

Within the cave abode, the young human sitting with eyes closed in quiet meditation spat out a mouthful of blood, his breath shaking violently, his spiritual energy surging backward!

The Demon Emperor beside him had its fur instantly stand on end, shot up like an arrow loosed from a taut bow, one paw supporting his trembling, thin back, the words bursting out: 【Moqing!】

Chen Moqing didn't answer, eyes shut tight, his brow trembling, a few strands of black hair brushing past his pale temple. A full half-incense-stick's time later, he finally managed to steady his breath, slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that came into view, beneath the glow of the night-luminous pearl, was the snow-white fur shimmering with beautiful silver frost.

"…It's nothing."

He raised a finger, wiped away the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Just a small mishap while digesting the Nirvana Fruit."

The moment he finished speaking, he saw this huge mass of fur beside him visibly droop, turning into a slumped little snow mountain.

【It's my fault】

Cang Shun spoke in a low voice, wrapping its fur around the person before it.

【If I'd known you would suffer like this, I should have tested it myself first before letting you eat it, to guard you while you took it】

The Demon Emperor, always so flamboyant, now had its tail drooping limply, its head also lying flat on the ground, looking like it had done something wrong.

Chen Moqing was quiet for a moment, raised a hand, seemingly wanting to stroke that snow-white fur as usual—his palm had just barely extended out, then paused again.

After a few breaths, he still lowered his palm, stroked over the Demon Emperor's head.

Cang Shun raised its head somewhat dejectedly, rubbed against the corner of his forehead, nuzzled up against him, transferring some spiritual power to him.

Chen Moqing shook his head: "No need, I've already settled my breath."

His expression was as usual, his complexion not pale either, as if the disorder in his breath just now hadn't actually injured him.

Cang Shun was about to raise a paw to touch him lightly again, when it saw him directly take out an object.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Chen Moqing's fingers lightly rested on the Demon Emperor's paw, said slowly: "Help me block off the qi of this place."

Hearing this direct request, Cang Shun's demon eyes brightened a bit.

【Okay】

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner, whose true form stood nearly a hundred meters tall, was now only several feet long, gusts of yin wind blowing through it, the banner's surface rippling with wailing, weeping faces.

A great formation woven of black and gold rose up from the ground, Chen Moqing stood at the formation's eye, his eyes turning into flawless silver-white, sorrowful and deep, illuminating within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner the grief of countless souls.

"Please, all souls, pass on to your next life."

The souls were ferried across, sent toward reincarnation!

Tens of thousands of souls leapt out, gathering into a vast ocean of spirits, howling and surging, circling the young cultivator several times, then rising up within the radiance of the black-gold formation, rushing off toward the distance.

Cang Shun quietly watched that figure at the center of the sea of souls, once again seeing, from beneath this young human's feet, two intertwining great paths.

The path of slaughter and the path of reincarnation, pitch black and brilliant gold—the place where they met, once clearly distinct, now seemed to show signs of merging.

The gradually thinning sea of souls raised a small ripple, a soul giving off a faint golden glow drifted before Chen Moqing, bowed deeply.

"Immortal, I am of the Yue clan of Qingyue Prefecture, named Yue Zhaoshuang. I went out traveling, and was killed by Wu Hao."

"If the immortal should pass by my hometown someday, please bring a word to my family… tell my mother, your unfilial child, please don't grieve for me, eat well, and dress warmly. This life's debt of mother and daughter, I wish to repay again in the next…"

The young soul wavered, hearing that immortal's voice, clear and soul-steadying: "I understand."

As the words fell, the soul bowed deeply once more, turned into a faint mote of spirit, and drifted away.

Under the illumination of the black-gold formation, the sea of ten thousand souls all returned to the great path of heaven and earth, entering reincarnation once more.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes, opened them again, and his inky black eyes reflected a huge mass of fur nudging up against him.

【Come on, I'll take you somewhere good】

Cang Shun's tone lifted slightly, and before Chen Moqing could say anything, he was pushed by that slender tail onto the Demon Emperor's back.

Cang Shun carried the weightless young human, traveling across the Demon Realm, spanning several hundred thousand li, arriving at a fertile grassland, and in one go caught a hundred plump spirit beasts, preparing to bring them back for the human beside him to stew and eat.

"I've already given up grain."

【Doesn't matter, you're too thin, you need to build yourself up more!】

【The spirit beasts of the Demon Realm are different from the ones your human race raises in pens, with more abundant spiritual energy, tender meat, just the right balance of fat and lean, the most delicious—you'll know once you taste it】

"Oh? Your Majesty the Demon Emperor is so experienced, I imagine your cooking skills are quite good."

【…eating it raw is also very tasty】

Chen Moqing laughed despite himself, pointed toward a lake not far off: "Fish."

The snow-white demon beast spun around at once.

Because of Cang Shun's restriction, the outside world hadn't noticed that the Demon Emperor's cave abode now had both the Demon Emperor and a young human living in it. During this time, fragrant aromas occasionally drifted out from within the cave abode.

Soon, a great stir arose in the Demon Realm—the Vermilion Bird Demon King, most renowned among the demon kings, initiated the Ten Thousand Demons Assembly, all demon kings required to leave their territories, hurrying to a towering peak ten thousand zhang high, a hundred li from the Demon Emperor's cave abode, to attend the gathering.

These days the sky often shifted color, the stirrings of great demons resounding for a hundred li. Within the cave abode, Chen Moqing finished cultivating, opened his eyes, said: "Will you go meet with old acquaintances?"

【No need】Cang Shun swished its tail beside him, staring at a pot not far off stewing spirit beast and fresh fish soup: 【We weren't close to begin with anyway】

Moreover…

The young human beside him stood up, walked over to the brand new stove, picked up the ladle and stirred the steaming pot.

Amid the drifting mist, the young human's brows and eyes were clear and tranquil, elegant, like a landscape scroll slowly unrolling.

Cang Shun's eyes didn't blink.

The cultivation world all knew that the former head disciple of the Tianshu Sect's sect master, Chen Moqing, had fallen in the northern border of Zhou Kingdom—which was also the burial place of the Demon Emperor of five thousand years ago.

If news of my revival got out, his ramshackle sect would inevitably make the connection, which wouldn't be good for him, nor would it help his path of vengeance.

Cang Shun pondered silently, then spoke again: 【No need to worry, they won't recognize me as I am now, a thousand years ago, no one ever saw my true form】

Since waking, he also hadn't used his former techniques in front of outsiders, the thunder he'd displayed being merely the most common method of attack in the cultivation world.

Chen Moqing gently put the lid on the pot, turned around, sat at the edge of the stone bed layered with several thick soft blankets, fingers stirring through the little snow-white beast's fur: "Is it because Your Majesty the Demon Emperor looks like this that you don't reveal your true form?"

The fluffy little ball of a Demon Emperor: "?"

The little snow-white beast lifted its small head, loudly went "meow": 【That's not it at all!】

Then lowered its head to look at itself.

Is this not good-looking now?!

"Good-looking," Chen Moqing said, "Extremely valiant and dashing."

The little snow-white beast crouched on the soft blanket, puffed up its soft little chest.

Indeed.

The Demon Realm's commotion continued for a few days, then gradually quieted down.

In the days when the former Demon Emperor still lived, with one command, all the demon kings would bow before him—but now, the Ten Thousand Demons Assembly initiated by the Vermilion Bird Demon King to discuss important matters had drawn response from less than half the demon kings, and the Sacred Sparrow Demon King wasn't among them either.

So, many more demon envoys were sent rushing to the territories of demon kings who hadn't yet arrived, to invite them to the assembly—Chen Moqing, disguised as a sparrow demon, was one of them.

The Sacred Sparrow clan had remained in seclusion for many years, their traces hard to find. However, under the pressure of the Ten Thousand Demons Assembly and the Vermilion Bird's show of authority, this clan, once the Demon Emperor's deputy general, still came forward on its own initiative, receiving that demon-summoning envoy.

Green mountains, jade-blue lake, mountains and water reflecting each other's hues.

Chen Moqing, holding the little snow-white beast, walked through the green mountains and waters, and the one who came to receive him was the young clan head of the Sacred Sparrow clan, son of the Sacred Sparrow Demon King Qing Fen, Zhu Ran.

This young clan head was the youngest child the Sacred Sparrow Demon King had borne four hundred years ago, appearing no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in gold-and-green splendid robes, holding in his arms a spirit cat with fur all black.

The black cat lay obediently on his arm, its build light and graceful, its limbs slender, like a piece of black, slender mutton-fat jade.

Chen Moqing glanced over that way without a trace, then looked again at the little snow-white beast in his arms.

Round and plump, a little glutinous rice dumpling.

Cang Shun: "?"

The little snow-white beast immediately stretched out its paws, flattened its body, turning into a long white rice cake strip.

I'm longer than that one!

Chen Moqing silently withdrew his gaze.

Zhu Ran was lively by nature, and seeing that this envoy also had a nimble, adorable, round-headed snow-white spirit leopard, immediately felt a sense of closeness, chatting with him about cat-raising experiences the whole way there.

That black cat stayed quietly in his arms, and after walking the whole way, this young Sacred Sparrow clan head already had quite a bit of cat fur stuck on him.

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the little snow-white beast rolling around between his arms, recalling that when they'd first met, this Demon Emperor used to shed fur every time it rolled around, often leaving him covered in fluff.

Later, Cang Shun had cast a spell on its own fur, and stopped shedding everywhere after that.

He said casually: "Do spirit cats also shed fur?"

Zhu Ran laughed heartily: "Demons aren't ordinary beasts, why would they shed fur, unless—"

The little snow-white beast suddenly stopped rolling around.

Zhu Ran didn't notice that snow leopard's gaze suddenly fix in place, scratched the spirit cat in his arms along its back, the spirit cat let out a purring sound, leaving more fur on his hand again.

Zhu Ran smiled brightly, raised his hand, revealing a few strands of cat fur in his palm: "Unless—he's fond of you."

"All demons only shed fur in front of someone they're fond of."

Chen Moqing's footsteps paused slightly.

After a moment, he slowly lowered his head.

Cang Shun: "……"

Cang Shun: "…………"

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