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Chapter 41: Be Your Mother

His body felt as though it were being torn apart inch by inch, the wails of thousands echoing in his ears. Chen Moqing closed his eyes, forcibly swallowing the metallic bitterness in his throat, his eyes cold at the corners as his spirit sank into meditation.

The spiritual sea churned violently. The Nascent Soul stage, originally seated upright, furrowed its brow as wisps of black flame burned against its golden body.

The Withered Wood Spring Revival Decree had already fallen dormant, and had not yet revived. Chen Moqing sat cross-legged within the spiritual sea, using his soul directly to resist the black flames burning the Nascent Soul.

In days past he had slaughtered his way through seas of blood in the Demon Abyss more times than could be counted—why should he fear its corrosion now!

A streak of golden light lit up between his brows, like a flowing flame scorching the dim heavens, enveloping the Nascent Soul and solidifying its golden body.

The black flames were suppressed by the golden light, slowly dying out—the next instant, the spiritual sea surged with massive waves, a great swath of murky darkness gushing up from its surface, as though the gates of the underworld had opened, countless wailing spirits filling the spiritual platform.

Chen Moqing's spirit shook violently, and amid the grief and lamentation of all living beings, he heard a familiar, long sigh beside his ear.

"To liberate living souls and guide them through the cycle of reincarnation, one must bear the karma of the dead from their lives before."

"To dissolve the corrosion of the Demon Abyss and dispel the evil of the world, one must bear that evil upon oneself."

"Karma placed upon the body weighs more than the world's highest mountain, its deepest sea."

"This is the path you must walk—a road ahead without end, a road behind with no retreat. If you do not ascend to the heavens, then it is a dead-end road where you offer your body in death to the Dao……"

Sigh after sigh, drifting far away.

Chen Moqing slowly closed his eyes.

So it was—to guide departed spirits through reincarnation, to seek liberation for all living beings, one also had to bear the consequences of evil, taking upon one's own body the karma of thousands of people, past, present, and future.

This was the Dao of Heavenly Dao itself, one that a mortal body was never meant to bear.

The golden light between his brows, once dim, blazed fiercely once more. Above the spiritual sea, two great paths rose up side by side, one filled with the deathly stillness and killing intent of pitch black, the other with the golden light of cyclical life—the Path of Slaughter and Reincarnation!

His spirit and his Nascent Soul both blazed with golden light at once, burning again through the great swath of darkness corroding the spiritual sea—the black flames of the Demon Abyss receded, bit by bit, at an excruciatingly slow pace!

The spiritual sea boiled, and his own body was likewise consumed by raging flames. Amid the agony, Chen Moqing's expression remained unchanged, sitting perfectly upright, like a green bamboo clinging to rock amid a fierce gale.

He had already taken this step, and he would never turn back!

In the mortal realm, a pair of crimson demonic eyes blazed with boundless fury. The massive demon beast took a step forward, countless demonic markings exploding outward all at once, transforming into a brilliant, roaring sea of stars that surged and swirled around the blood-stained young human clansman in white.

——And yet, no matter how boundless the Demon Emperor's power, he could not command life, death, and reincarnation, nor could he dispel the corrosion of the Demon Abyss.

Cang Shun's eyes were locked unwaveringly onto Chen Moqing's figure, his heart as though pierced through by an icicle. Amid a cold that stabbed to the very marrow, even the pain grew numb.

His crimson eyes burned once more, like a blazing sun scorching the endless sky. The Demon Emperor's seething demonic power poured out without any restraint, flowing toward the young human clansman.

If he must endure the corrosion of the Demon Abyss, then let it be endured together!

The moment the thought arose, Cang Shun's gaze fixed.

An invisible chain wound around both his and the young human's wrists, binding them together.

A contract!

Cang Shun grasped the chain without hesitation, his demonic power surging throughout his body. The chain trembled, and the pitch-black markings around Chen Moqing's neck faded bit by bit toward his wrist, drawn along the invisible chain, absorbed entirely into Cang Shun's own body.

His lowered lashes stirred faintly, and Chen Moqing heard a voice, deep and solid as cold iron: 【Whatever karma there may be, I will bear it for you.】

His lashes slowly lifted, his dark eyes reflecting the stern, dignified Demon Emperor whose snow-white fur flew about him, every strand radiating a pure, silvery frost, like a bright moon descending before him.

The black markings symbolizing decay were all stripped away from his body, transferring onto the Demon Emperor. The black flames flared up once more, seeking to swallow the snow-white fur.

Cang Shun let out a cold laugh, and with the fate bestowed upon him by Heaven's Way at birth, shattered those black flames in an instant.

The Emperor of the Demon Realm was not to be corrupted by evil.

The sea of stars formed from brilliant demonic script flowed quietly, and the massive demon beast lowered its head slightly, pressing against the young human's pale brow.

【It's all right now.】

"Mm."

Cold sweat soaked through his robes, and Chen Moqing's frame swayed slightly. Before he could lean back, he was already caught by a pair of strong arms.

The devastatingly handsome black-haired man sat beside him, raising an arm to steady his shoulder, the pad of his finger lightly pressing against the corner of his lips as spiritual energy stirred faintly, wiping away the trace of blood at his pale lips.

Those clearly jointed hands then pressed against the back of his neck, gently kneading there, warm spiritual energy slowly flowing in.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes, steadying his breath for a moment before saying, "That's enough."

He met those crimson demonic eyes so close before him, a trace of amusement flickering in his own: "This time, I have Mimi to thank again."

Cang Shun said nothing, only lifted his sleeve again to wipe the cold sweat from his brow.

Chen Moqing checked over his spiritual sea, confirmed that the Nascent Soul was unharmed, and released his spirit, silently enveloping the moon estate.

The sudden onset of the Demon Abyss's corrosion, the backlash of karma—he wasn't sure whether it had something to do with Qingyue Prefecture, with the spiritual eye of this place.

Or perhaps, Qingyue Prefecture had once been the old territory of the Changyao Sect from ancient times, carrying within it some mysterious aura of heaven and earth's great path?

Chen Moqing was just about to tell the Demon Emperor beside him that they should go out for a walk, when a strong hand pressed against the back of his head, gently pushing him forward.

Cang Shun said nothing, only held him in his embrace, arms wrapped around his shoulders, saying in a low voice, "I'm glad you're all right."

"Next time, with me here, nothing will happen to you either."

Chen Moqing paused for a moment, smiled faintly, and was about to say something more——

Cang Shun held him a little closer, lowering his head to breathe in the scent of his dark hair, then nuzzling against his cheek.

Chen Moqing: "……"

Chen Moqing: "A gentleman does not touch what is not his to touch."

"Am I a gentleman?" Cang Shun arched a long eyebrow.

Chen Moqing thought to himself, true enough.

He was like a white sugar cake melted soft under the sun, unusually sticky.

Cang Shun found that he was not only taller than this young human, but that with one arm he could circle his waist entirely, and when held close, his chin fit just perfectly to press against that dark hair. Delighted, he kept rubbing his chin against the crown of Chen Moqing's head.

Chen Moqing was silent for several seconds before saying, "Is this how Your Majesty the Demon Emperor used to get along with people before?"

Cang Shun: "??"

Cang Shun lowered his head, looking at the one held in his arms, silk-like dark hair spread beneath the white robe, outlining a beautifully slender back.

The mere thought of anyone else being the one held in his arms instead was enough to turn his stomach, enough to put him off his fish.

He silently tightened his arms.

Good thing it wasn't anyone else.

It was him.

This Demon Emperor, taking full advantage of his long arms and tall build, held the young human tightly in his embrace, pressing against that beautifully curved back, drawing him completely against his chest.

A pity that once he'd taken human form, he no longer had fur.

Otherwise he could have wrapped him up entirely in it, so no one else could see him.

Regretfully, he nuzzled against him once more.

Chen Moqing: "……"

He finally understood why the Demon Emperor, in his form as a great fluffy beast, liked to nuzzle against him so much.

Perhaps this Mimi simply liked using his fur to nuzzle people.

The next instant, Cang Shun's arms were suddenly empty, and he immediately turned his head—

The young cultivator stood at the doorway, smiling as he said, "Mimi, let's go."

With that, he stepped over the threshold in a single stride, his robes fluttering as he went out.

Cang Shun: "……"

A small snow-white beast darted swiftly out of the room, and the young cultivator bent down slightly to catch it in his arms.

In the back garden of the moon estate, lotus leaves dotted the emerald lake. Though it was no longer the season for lotus blossoms, the lake was still filled with clear lotus plants.

Chen Moqing, holding the small snow-white beast, let his gaze sweep across the lake's surface.

Deep within the emerald lake, a jade token was embedded among the great stones sunk beneath the water, glowing faintly—this piece of spirit jade was the spiritual eye of the moon estate.

【Interesting】 Cang Shun laughed softly, 【so it's a Void Refinement stage restriction】

A small prefecture whose highest cultivation was no more than early Golden Core, a mere mortal estate, and yet it held a spiritual eye left behind by a Void Refinement cultivator, deliberately sealed with a restriction so the outside world would not notice it.

Chen Moqing said, "I'm afraid even the people of the moon estate don't know about this."

He walked a circuit through the back garden and came across a few of the moon estate's servants sweeping the grounds. The moon estate's people kept their mouths quite shut, and he couldn't get much out of them—though before long, they had gotten acquainted all the same, chatting familiarly with one another.

Cang Shun: "……"

Why was he getting so close to others again, even smiling at them.

The small snow-white beast lay silently on the young human's shoulder, wearing an air of calm, unbothered composure.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The small snow-white beast stood up and began to mew and whine, seeming very much like it wanted to scratch someone.

Chen Moqing calmly patted the little fluffy ball and took him away.

The bright lanterns lit up as evening fell, illuminating the imperial capital of the mortal realm. At a restaurant along the river, the waiter's sharp eyes caught sight of the free-spending guest from earlier that day returning, and he hurried forward attentively, leading him to the private room he'd kept reserved.

"The full fish banquet is here, honored guest, please enjoy! This is just the time when the moon-blossom fish are at their fattest and most tender, even immortals who've eaten the fish banquet at our Zuixian Pavilion can't stop praising it!"

Chen Moqing picked up his chopsticks and said with a smile, "Weren't you going to bring flying fish?"

The waiter gave a dry laugh: "That... that fish swims in the river, and when the sunlight hits it, the river water is so clear that it looks just like the fish are flying."

Cang Shun picked up a fish with his mouth, listening as the person beside him asked the waiter about matters around the city. After asking for a while, he let the waiter leave.

The moon-blossom fish truly was delicious, plenty of meat and few bones, and coated in the braised sauce it had an especially distinctive flavor. Cang Shun pushed the plate toward Chen Moqing, gesturing for him to eat it while it was hot, then wandered off toward a nearby dish of steamed fresh fish.

Suddenly, something felt off.

In the blink of an eye, there was now a devastatingly handsome black-haired man in the private room, who moved his stool to Chen Moqing's side, sat down close beside him, and opened his palm, silently waiting for him to hand over some chopsticks.

Chen Moqing met those blinking crimson demonic eyes and thought to himself, quite obedient, actually.

He had just placed the chopsticks in the Demon Emperor's palm when he saw the Demon Emperor pick up his teacup—

Chen Moqing snatched it back and gave him a new one instead.

Not so obedient after all.

The Demon Emperor beside him kept muttering under his breath, but Chen Moqing pretended not to hear, calmly picking up his chopsticks and placing a fish tail in front of him instead.

A light rain fell that night, fine droplets tapping against the window frames, not clearing until dawn.

In the morning hours, a visitor came to the moon estate.

"Auntie Lan! I heard my aunt woke up much improved today, did she take the immortal medicine I brought her!"

The man in silk robes hurried through the hall with quick steps, only to be stopped by an elderly woman with snow-white hair: "Thank you for young master Yue's good intentions, but as it happens, it rained all through the night, and there was no morning dew at dawn, so she didn't take that immortal medicine."

The man in silk robes said without thinking, "That's impossible, then how did my aunt—"

"The young lady's friend came by, and brought immortal medicine from the young lady's own sect," Auntie Lan said with a smile. "After the mistress took it, all her ailments were cured by this morning."

The man in silk robes was stunned for a moment: "Sister Shuang's friend... wait, it wouldn't happen to be that person with the utterly plain, unremarkable looks, who goes around everywhere with a tiger, would it?"

"Isn't he a fraud!"

Auntie Lan smiled but said nothing.

In the bright, clean room, Madam Yue, her complexion now rosy with health, held an embroidery needle between her fingers, threading it through.

"In a few months it will be Shuang'er's twenty-eighth birthday. I'm planning to sew her a new set of clothes. It's been so many years since I've seen her, I wonder if the young immortal master might tell me her size?"

Her face was full of smiles, her bright eyes lively, a completely different person from the day before.

On the wooden table beside Chen Moqing sat a stack of moon-blossom cakes. He picked one up to feed the small snow-white beast on his lap, and in a few brief words described Shuang'er's build to her.

Madam Yue's hand, holding the needle, paused: "…She's grown that tall now?"

She lowered her head, slowly set down the embroidery frame, and made her way to the wardrobe in the corner of the room, running her hands over the fabric inside piece by piece: "Back then, Shuang'er only came up to about my waist... These clothes, I'm afraid, won't fit her anymore."

Chen Moqing's gaze swept across stack after stack of new clothes, arranged from short to long, neatly laid out inside the wooden wardrobe, nearly filling it entirely.

The mother who had sewn these new garments wore an expression of both regret and wistfulness, and yet also of comfort.

His lashes stirred faintly. He didn't linger any longer, and rose to take his leave.

A fine rain drifted in beyond the corridor. Cang Shun leapt onto the young human's shoulder, brushing his tail against him: 【Weren't you going to ask her about some things?】

Chen Moqing stood in the corridor, watching the curtain of rain hanging from the eaves, saying nothing.

After a moment, he spoke softly: "My mother made many new clothes for me too."

One every year, hoping he would come home.

A pity that mortal fabric wasn't immortal silk or spirit thread—one fire and it was all gone... In the end, not a single piece had ever been kept.

Cang Shun fell silent, watching the young human standing quietly beneath the eaves, his dark, deep eyes reflecting nothing but a curtain of rain.

That ink-black gaze, soaked through with rain, bled into the crimson eyes that watched him just the same. The Demon Emperor's heart tightened for no reason at all, as though his chest had cracked open, and a slow, cold rain had drifted in there too.

Even a heart as firm as iron, even one forced to leave home and travel far, could never walk free of the single long thread of an embroidery needle.

It was precisely because his heart was clear as a mirror, untouched by worldly dust, that the sight before him stirred such feeling—seeing another was the same as seeing himself.

【You still have me】

Cang Shun raised a paw, resting it against the side of Chen Moqing's face, his voice carrying through the wind and rain.

There was still one more thing he hadn't said aloud.

From now on, I won't let you be alone anymore.

"……"

Chen Moqing's gaze stirred faintly. He heard the sound of the rain, and heard clearly, too, the words within the rain that drifted away on the wind before they could fully fall.

The weight of those words was too heavy, heavier by far than this fine rain scattering over the earth below.

But…

He slowly lowered his gaze, his long, slender fingers gently pressing against the furry paw brushing his cheek.

"Going by age…" He only smiled faintly. "I couldn't possibly be your mother, Mimi."

Cang Shun: "……"

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