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Chapter 43: I Know How You Feel Now

The carriage rolled down the long street, jolting slightly as it turned a corner.

Inside the narrow carriage compartment, Cang Shun unhurriedly lowered his head, his chin resting lightly against Chen Moqing's shoulder, and raised an arm to pull him close.

Chen Moqing, tucked into his embrace, lifted his eyes.

Cang Shun met that seemingly calm gaze and said with complete conviction: "It's cramped in here."

Chen Moqing's voice carried no particular ripple of emotion: "Can't Your Majesty the Demon Emperor just change back?"

"If I change back, you'll go back to avoiding me," Cang Shun said, staring into his eyes. "I've been meaning to ask for a while now, why do you sometimes keep avoiding me?"

After all, ever since they'd met, they'd eaten, dressed, and lived together side by side. Through everything they'd been through, their hearts had long since grown close as well.

So why not let him get close.

Chen Moqing fell silent for a moment, and at last understood something from those focused demonic eyes.

The way demons thought, and the way he, as a human, thought—these were not the same.

In Cang Shun's eyes, whether in his human form or his true form, there was no difference between the two. And so, whatever he did in one form—it also meant that if he were in human form, he would do the very same thing.

All this time on their journey, this little white sugar cake had never once left his side.

He liked sticking close to him, and even in human form, he liked sticking close all the same.

Chen Moqing's lashes stirred faintly, and he turned his face aside: "No, you can't."

Cang Shun: "……"

He seemed to freeze for a moment, and then, those eyes drooped slightly.

The Demon Emperor seemed to instantly wilt into one great, droopy ball of fluff, and said, "Why not?"

A gust of wind blew past the carriage window curtains. Chen Moqing didn't look at him, his gaze passing through the long street, watching the passersby coming and going.

"The great path lies ahead, a long road with no end in sight. My great enmity remains unavenged, and this body dares not turn back."

"……"

At first, Cang Shun had been drooping listlessly, gazing at him with a touch of sadness—but with every word Chen Moqing spoke, those crimson demonic eyes grew brighter by degrees, until at last his eyes shone with a particular brilliance, gazing at him, gleaming.

Chen Moqing: "?"

"You said all that, and not one bit of it was because of me." Cang Shun couldn't help but laugh the moment he opened his mouth, tilting his chin up slightly, "So, you don't actually dislike me!"

Chen Moqing was silent for two seconds.

"Your Majesty the Demon Emperor's ability to read between the lines truly has no equal, past or present."

"I think so too," Cang Shun said, nodding. "You just like saying nice things to me." So it still wasn't that he liked him.

Chen Moqing: "……"

Cang Shun gently tugged at his sleeve, giving it a little shake, and said with a soft laugh, "I already know how you feel now."

Chen Moqing: "?"

There's a limit to what one can put up with. Chen Moqing crooked a knuckle and knocked it against the Demon Emperor's head.

Cang Shun blinked, watching him without a word, looking, of all things, rather well-behaved for once.

Before Chen Moqing could withdraw his hand, it was caught in Cang Shun's palm, his clearly jointed fingers closing around those slender, jade-white fingertips. Cang Shun's voice was deep and pleasant, carrying a bold, unrestrained confidence: "I'm very strong. I'm not like any of them. Looking across this entire world, the only one who can stand beside the you of the future is me."

"You don't need to worry about your great path. Keep moving forward, and I'll catch up with you, never leaving your side, not even a single step."

"You don't need to give me an answer right now either. We have plenty of time ahead of us. We can take it slow."

"……"

The carriage rolled down the long street. The driver faintly heard some sound stirring within the carriage compartment, though he couldn't quite make it out, and soon enough, all was quiet within once more.

Suddenly, a commotion rose up ahead on the street, and the carriage pulled over and stopped. Along the wide avenue, passersby all cleared a path down the middle of the road.

A slender hand lifted the curtain over the carriage window. Chen Moqing sat by the window, a little snow-white beast bouncing about on his lap.

Chen Moqing paid no mind to the lively little fluffball, his expression calm as he looked outward, watching a long procession pass through the city gates, advancing into the city.

"It's Young General Ji!"

"The Ji family's army has returned in victory!"

The neighing of horses and the clanging of iron armor swept forward, carrying with it the cold, stern chill of frost-forged steel. Riding at the head on horseback was a broad-shouldered, powerfully built old general with eyes sharp as a hawk's, a scar running clean across his face, striking fear into all who beheld him.

Beside him, mounted on a tall, sturdy horse, clad in bright crimson armor, rode a female general, valiant and spirited, her brows and eyes sharp as blades.

"Young General Ji! She looked at me!"

The people of Yao Kingdom lined the streets in welcome, tossing flowers and fruit. The female general, riding tall on her horse, was soon showered in flowers, and she arched a brow at the crowd, smiling with bold, unrestrained warmth.

Chen Moqing gazed quietly in that direction, and only once the armored procession had passed down the long street did he let the carriage curtain fall.

【Not her?】 Cang Shun asked.

"…She resembles her," Chen Moqing said, shaking his head slightly, "but no, it isn't her."

Long ago, within Senior Liukong's Great Dream of Floating Life Array, he and Cang Shun had traveled back to the Changyao Sect of ancient times, sharing a stretch of time together with their fellow sect disciples.

The Changyao Sect's senior martial sister, the first to call him "little junior martial brother," who in the end had single-handedly faced down thousands of demonic creatures and detonated herself in a final, defiant act—the Changyao Sect's foremost sword cultivator—bore more than a passing resemblance, in brow and eye, to the young, spirited female general who had just ridden past in her bright armor.

"Perhaps a descendant of her family line, still remaining in this age," Chen Moqing said, tapping his fingers lightly against the window frame, his tone calm.

Or perhaps, the heroic spirit of days past had entered the cycle of reincarnation, forgetting all that came before, returning once more to the mortal world, becoming a similar soul once again.

Qingyue Prefecture, the Changyao Sect—so this was, after all, a place tied to old friends. Had Senior Xingyun meant for him to come here, to see an old friend again?

Something soft and furry brushed against his cheek. Chen Moqing lowered his eyes and saw the little fluffball, having leapt up onto his shoulder.

The little fluffball met his gaze, rubbing happily against his face.

It leaned in close to his ear, and murmured something in a low voice.

Chen Moqing: "……………"

He clapped a hand down, smothering the little fluffball at once.

The carriage came to a stop—they had already arrived back at the moon estate.

A young man in white robes stepped down from the carriage, cradling a thoroughly energized little snow-white beast in his arms.

For some reason, this little snow-white beast wore an air of smug satisfaction, shaking out its fluffy fur every so often, perched on Chen Moqing's arm with its little head held high, looking for all the world like a sovereign who had just conquered the realm, surveying the world beneath him.

It had turned into one puffed-up little ball of fluff.

Chen Moqing glanced down at it, and couldn't help himself—he tapped that fluffy little skull once more.

The little snow-white beast turned its head to look at him, then flopped straight down onto his arm, wriggling about, every bit a clingy little glutinous rice dumpling.

Madam Yue stood by the carriage up ahead, glancing back at the white-robed cultivator and his little white tiger, seeming as though she wanted to say something but held back.

"There's no need to worry, Madam," Chen Moqing said, the pad of his finger pressed against the top of the little snow-white beast's head, ruffling up a small tuft of its fur, his tone calm. "There's no trouble at the moon estate."

"No, it's Prince Ning's estate I'm worried about." Madam Yue looked even more hesitant to speak. "Young Immortal Master, you... you really mustn't silence everyone there, will you? Prince Ning has only the one son, do at least leave them an heir."

Chen Moqing was silent for a moment, then said, "Madam worries too much."

Madam Yue drew a deep breath, pressing a hand to her chest: "So it really will be the whole household, then?"

"……"

Afterward, Chen Moqing learned a few things about that Young General Ji from Madam Yue.

The Ji family, great generals of Yao Kingdom, had guarded the border for a hundred years, and had returned today at the summons of the crown—Young General Ji, by the name of Ji Duanxue, was the sole daughter of the general's line, having accompanied Old General Ji on campaign for ten years now, having brought Yao Kingdom several great victories.

Back in his guest room, he sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the little snow-white beast pressed tightly against him.

Those round, beast-like demonic eyes were full of bright, glimmering amusement, occasionally burying its head against him, lying perfectly still.

Chen Moqing raised a hand, pinching the little snow-white beast by the loose skin of its scruff, lifting the little fluffball aside, and setting it down gently.

The little fluffball darted straight back to his side at once, pressing against his leg, rubbing its fluffy body against him.

Chen Moqing lifted the little fluffball up again, and set it aside once more.

The little fluffball darted right back again, leaping onto his lap, grabbing hold of the hem of his robe.

Chen Moqing reached out to do it again—

The black-haired man appeared beside him, arching a brow slightly, arms crossed over his chest, watching him with unhurried composure.

Chen Moqing calmly withdrew his hand.

"Why'd you stop pinching?" Cang Shun said, the corners of his eyes curving slightly, reaching to pull Chen Moqing's hand and place it against the back of his own neck. "Pinch away, however you like."

Chen Moqing closed his eyes: "I'm not speaking to you anymore."

Cang Shun: "!"

Cang Shun sat obediently beside him, the very picture of good behavior.

After a while, he turned back into a little snow-white beast, tumbling straight down onto Chen Moqing's lap.

Chen Moqing opened his eyes. The little ball of fluff on his lap tilted its head, blinking up at him with an utterly innocent expression.

He held its gaze for two seconds, a hint of amusement flickering at the corners of his eyes, then reached out and stroked the soft fur.

The little fluffball wrapped itself around his hand, its round, soft ears pricking up, mewling and nuzzling against him.

The moon hung bright, stars scattered thin across the sky, a full moon suspended at the treetops, the night wind stirring the shadows of the forest before the window.

With a creak, the door slowly swung open, moonlight spilling into the room, illuminating the figure in white robes sitting quietly by the window.

In an instant, countless white cranes rose up from level ground all at once, the beating of wings startling the still night, snow-white crane feathers scattering down in a flurry, and a figure clad in dark robes, every bit the bearing of an immortal sage, parted the white feathers, arriving upon the moonlight.

Inside the room, the young cultivator with hair like dark clouds still sat with his eyes lightly closed, cultivating quietly, seeming not to have noticed the grand spectacle beyond the door at all. A round little ball of fluff lay curled on his lap, lazily flicking its tail.

That figure in dark robes stood in the doorway, smiling coolly: "To die by this one's own hand—that, too, should count as an honor for you."

He slowly raised a hand—

Fierce flames blazed, lighting up the startled night.

Along the rolling, continuous rooftops of the imperial capital, a man in black fled in desperate haste. Each time he glanced back, a tall, slender figure in white robes was there behind him, stopping precisely twenty zhang away, no more, no less, the night wind lifting his dark hair and white robes, drifting like an immortal.

To the man in black, fleeing for his life, that graceful figure in white looked nothing short of a vengeful ghost come to claim his life.

He had miscalculated! This person wasn't merely at Qi Refinement cultivation—at the very least, he was the same as him, at late Foundation Establishment stage!

The man ran about like a headless fly, and soon came to the base of a tall wall. The corner of his mouth curved up at once, all fear vanishing from his face, and he pressed one hand against the wall's surface. The tall wall rippled like water, swallowing his body whole in an instant, making him vanish from the spot entirely.

Chen Moqing came to an unhurried stop in midair, cradling a bored, yawning little snow-white beast, looking down at the towering walls on all four sides.

The imperial palace.

By the laws of the cultivation world, cultivators were forbidden from interfering with members of the royal family, forbidden from entering the imperial palace.

The next instant, Chen Moqing took a single step forward, his figure appearing directly above the largest palace hall within the imperial grounds.

At the foot of the hall's steps stood a middle-aged man, clad in a moon-white dragon robe, his bearing dignified and noble, gazing up at the moon. Seeing a tall, slender figure suddenly appear in the sky, he furrowed his brow slightly.

"Guards."

The royal imperial guard sprang into action, shielding Yao Kingdom's ruler at the center.

"What an audacious cultivator, to think nothing of this emperor's presence." Yao Kingdom's ruler wore a stern, dignified expression, his voice cold. "Who gave you permission to intrude upon this place."

Chen Moqing lowered his gaze, saying coolly, "Disturbing His Majesty was truly unintentional. I've come in search of someone."

"What a joke! The imperial palace is forbidden ground, do you think you can simply come and go as you please? Withdraw at once!"

Yao Kingdom's ruler gave a stern shout, an invisible surge of energy rolling off his body. All around him, the imperial guards felt a crushing, heavenly authority bearing down upon them, nearly unable to keep their footing—the sovereign of a nation, cloaked in the aura of the dragon!

A colossal moonlit dragon, invisible to mortal eyes, rose up from Yao Kingdom's ruler's body, opening its furious eyes, sweeping toward the white-robed cultivator beneath the moon—

Cang Shun glanced over, lazily flicking his tail.

The moon-white colossal dragon scattered into nothingness in an instant, dissolving into a surge of energy that shrank back into Yao Kingdom's ruler's body in a flash.

In the ruler's eyes, wide with sudden shock, that tall, slender figure in white stood beneath the clear, round moon, his smile mild and gentle: "Your Majesty, might you permit me to search for someone?"

Yao Kingdom's ruler took a step back behind his guards, composing his expression: "Why ever not?"

"Immortal elder, please, come in."

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