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Chapter 54: Do You Want to Cultivate Together?

Under the night sky, a white-robed cultivator with black hair scattered like clouds walked ahead, followed by a tall, upright, but pitifully wronged-looking man in black.

"I was wrong."

The night wind was still. No one paid him any mind.

Getting no response, Cang Shun looked at Chen Moqing's expressionless profile, not daring to make a sound, lowering his eyes as he slightly raised his arm, trying to hook a finger around those slender fingers beneath the white robe.

The fingers slipped away, the white sleeve sweeping past, brushing over the back of his hand.

The Demon Emperor instantly became a little sapling struck by frost, trailing wilted behind the young cultivator, his shadow under the moon looking like a drooping, downcast fluffy demon beast.

He's ignoring me.

...Does he not like me anymore?

Cang Shun's footsteps stopped, and he pressed a hand to his chest.

Even though his heart was now covered by the array, no longer prone to the piercing pain of thorns, the instant that thought surfaced, it still felt like a blade slicing through his heart.

Behind him, all was quiet. Chen Moqing walked a few more steps, then turned his head with seeming casualness—

A wilted little ball of fluff floated in midair, its round, soft ears drooping almost flat against its skull, its tail hanging limp as well, every strand of downturned fur radiating an air of having lost all will to live.

From a round little white sugar cake to a flattened little white sugar cake.

Chen Moqing: "……"

His steps paused briefly, and after a moment, he silently raised his hand.

The little white sugar cake stopped short in midair, stealing a glance at him, then plummeted, flopping straight down onto his arm.

Fluffy paws gripped his sleeve tight, head pressed against his chest, a pair of round beast eyes lifted up toward him.

"Meow."

【It's my fault, I made you upset】

The low voice was soft, matching the gentle force with which the Demon Emperor kept nuzzling his lowered head against the young cultivator's chest.

【I won't ever hide anything from you again, please don't ignore me, okay?】

The snow-white little beast stretched out its paws, hugging the person beside it as best it could.

Chen Moqing lowered his lashes, looking into those crimson demon eyes, his voice clear and cool as the moon-frost scattered at his side: "That's not what I'm upset about."

Cang Shun quickly began racking his memory for what he'd just said.

Was it the last line? That he hadn't told him because he didn't want to distract him from his cultivation...

The red in Cang Shun's eyes faintly stilled.

He knew that his human companion had always regarded his own Dao path as the most important thing—at the very start, that Dao had been the path of vengeance, and it was the deep, sea-vast hatred for his slain kin that had carried him forward; how could such a debt go unanswered.

Later, beyond that hatred, his human companion had also come to see the wider world, taking on the weight of more people's hopes, and the Dao path he walked had grown ever more resolute, ever heavier.

A hundred years of lifespan was, for most cultivators, barely the first step onto the path of cultivation, not yet a true glimpse of that vast and boundless world. But every step his human companion took carried a weight equal to this world's highest mountain, its deepest sea.

So, that was why he hadn't wanted to distract him, hadn't wanted to hold back his Dao path because of himself.

But now, he'd made him angry.

That meant—

Cang Shun stared unblinkingly at Chen Moqing.

In his human companion's heart, he mattered just as much as his own path of cultivation did.

The path of cultivation was every cultivator's Dao heart. To Cang Shun, the three words "Chen Moqing" had long since been carved into his own Dao heart, inseparable from it.

So it turned out, the name Cang Shun was also one part of Chen Moqing's Dao-heart.

Those ruby-red eyes seemed to fall into an endless expanse of stars, a brilliant river of stars shimmering within them.

The snow-white little beast perked up in an instant, fur puffing out, head held high and chest out, and with a "meow" he was about to leap down off Chen Moqing and shift into human form—

only to be caught by the scruff of the neck by a slender hand, lifted straight up into midair.

"Not allowed to change back."

The Demon Emperor obediently lowered his head, dangling there, swaying gently as his human companion held him aloft.

Those bright demon eyes still stared at him, unblinking, quickly filling with a smile.

He nuzzled his fluffy self against Chen Moqing's fingers, climbed up his arm, and buried his entire furry little head into his palm, rubbing back and forth.

Chen Moqing was quiet for a moment, then gathered up this clingy little white sugar cake, palm settling over the fluffy fur, coming away covered in shed fluff.

At the Chu family head's estate, a secluded courtyard had been set apart, quiet and clean, with desert water channeled in to form a pool of jade-green. Beyond the courtyard wall, a mountain spring wound around stones, and through the window, the clear shadow of a bamboo grove could be seen beneath the corridor.

Chen Moqing sat beneath the corridor, eyes closed in cultivation, his white robes layered like petals spread out beneath him, overlaid with a hem of dark gold.

Cang Shun sat beside him, shoulder to shoulder, his clearly-jointed fingers threading through those soft locks of black hair, braiding them into a slender, beautiful plait, wound through with a silver chain, scattered among the black strands.

"I'll be just fine."

His low, pleased laughter drifted through the corridor, the mountain spring in the courtyard trickling clear over the stones.

"I'll stay by your side always, until the end of time."

The young cultivator's lashes stirred slightly, listening to the rustling shadows of the forest, fallen leaves scattered across the corridor.

Beyond the walls of the Chu family city, the desert endured a night of fierce wind.

The next day, Chen Moqing and Cang Shun left the Chu family city together, crossing several hundred thousand li via a teleportation array to arrive at another region of Luowu Prefecture.

The Sima family.

They had originally concealed their presence, intending to infiltrate the place in secret—but once they truly arrived above the Sima family's territory, the two of them dispelled their concealment at the same moment, without a word between them.

Below their feet, the ground lay in ruins, walls broken and crumbling, the towering fortress collapsed, nothing left but scorch marks and black char from raging fire, the stench of burning lingering in the air, refusing to fade for a long while.

A great silver array spread across dozens of li. Chen Moqing searched for souls three times over, and found not a single living soul.

The Sima family—in a single night, the entire clan had been wiped out.

"At least Mahayana stage cultivation," Cang Shun said. "The traces of what was done here have been wiped completely clean, not a shred of aura left behind."

Chen Moqing stood still high in the sky, gaze sweeping across the ground below, his voice as deep and cold as frost-laden water: "The black markings on Sima Bu'ao's body came from a certain evil technique."

"Using living people as sacrifice, taking their souls and life force, refining it for one's own use. Even a cultivator with no natural talent could see their cultivation surge through such an evil technique."

——Just like the ruined secret realm in Qingluan Prefecture.

Demon-race life force was even more abundant, but hunting demons came at a higher cost; if hunting humans produced the same effect, only somewhat weaker than with demons, the practitioner's body would also show obvious black markings.

——Just as with the Haoran Sect of the past, where all five hundred sect members had cultivated this same evil technique. In the war against the Demon Abyss, they had slaughtered countless mortal cultivators, while telling the outside world that those deaths were the Demon Abyss's doing.

The bitter wind carried the lingering stench of scorched earth and fire, refusing to dissipate. Chen Moqing closed his eyes, and before him, faintly, rose the memory of that year's raging, unquenchable fire consuming Baiyu City, tearing at the corners of his eyes.

A warm, strong palm pressed against his hand, slender fingers slotting between his knuckles, interlacing with his own.

"It's alright now." Cang Shun said in a low voice. "Whoever set today's scheme in motion, I'll kill every last one of them."

Chen Moqing opened his eyes, his fingertips pressing lightly against Cang Shun's fingers.

"Cut out the roots, sever the trail. The Sima family was nothing more than an abandoned pawn."

"Let's go."

He sent word to the Chu family, informing them of the matter with the Sima family; since it had happened within Luowu Prefecture, it was best left to the people of Luowu Prefecture to investigate.

Only two years remained until the Grand Cultivation Tournament. Once he returned, he would need to go into seclusion for cultivation once more.

Yellow sand stretched across the sky, a town nearly the same color as the desert around it—this was Huangye City, well known far and wide throughout Luowu Prefecture.

Huangye City had a restaurant owner named Boss Huang, whose restaurant was renowned as one of the finest in Luowu Prefecture, limited to just twenty tables a day. Chen Moqing and Cang Shun arrived late, and today's twenty tables were already fully booked—but with one pouch of spirit stones set down, Boss Huang's limit of twenty tables somehow became twenty-one.

Inside the elegant private room, the aroma of dishes filled the air. Chen Moqing picked up half a fish with his chopsticks and set it in the bowl of the person beside him: "Congratulations, Mimi's three years older now, a proper adult."

Cang Shun leaned in close beside him, smiling, his tone light: "I'm older than you."

Chen Moqing said calmly: "The ages of demon-race and human-race can't be directly compared. Take cultivators, for instance, eighteen counts as an adult, while for the demon race, eighteen is more often than not still just an egg."

He glanced at Cang Shun, then added: "Or a little white sugar cake that can only go 'meow.'"

Cang Shun: "?"

Cang Shun's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing, waiting to hear what came next.

Chen Moqing ladled out a bowl of fish soup, pushing it over to Cang Shun with two fingers, saying at his leisure: "So, by rights, you really ought to call me Elder Brother."

Cang Shun laughed, propping his chin up with one hand, fingers tapping lightly on the table. "Well, I'm still taller than you!" He didn't even need to make a point of straightening his back to say it.

Chen Moqing's tone stayed light: "In my childhood, my family was poor. Being able to fill my stomach was already something to be grateful for."

Cang Shun fell silent.

Silently, he placed another half a fish into Chen Moqing's bowl.

Chen Moqing raised his chopsticks, tapping lightly on the rim of his bowl: "Let's hear you say it, then."

Cang Shun met those eyes, corners faintly upturned, brimming with amusement, and gazed at him wordlessly for a moment.

So good-looking.

He leaned in slightly, and by his human companion's ear, murmured two words—not "Elder Brother," not "Big Brother," but something else entirely.

Chen Moqing raised an eyebrow: "If you're going to call me that, then I'll call you—"

The remaining two words fell only within Cang Shun's hearing.

Cang Shun: "……"

The Demon Emperor bared his teeth, then instantly fell obediently quiet.

After the birthday feast, the two of them wandered the marketplace. Vendors lined both sides of the street, selling spirit items and treasures. Passing by one small stall, Cang Shun's gaze paused briefly.

Among a pile of unremarkable treasures were two rings, a matching pair, their engravings reasonably distinctive.

A closer look revealed shoddy craftsmanship, and his interest vanished at once.

"Fellow Daoist has a fine eye!"

Seeing a customer linger, the stall owner was about to make a pitch, but noticed the customer's gaze shifting away, about to walk on, and quickly spoke up: "Fellow Daoist, wait a moment! I have another treasure here, perfect for you and your dao companion!"

Hearing the words "dao companion," Cang Shun's steps slowed, unhurried.

The stall owner pressed both hands on the table, leaning in slightly, lowering his voice: "I happen to have a dual-cultivation technique manual here, perfect for a loving pair of dao companions. Twice the effect with half the effort, a thousand li in a single day, easily done..."

Cang Shun: "?"

Chen Moqing, who had been walking ahead, turned, glanced at him, then looked toward the stall owner, unhurried, as if about to speak—

Cang Shun: "??"

He grabbed his human companion and hurried off quickly.

"Don't mind him, it's all a scam!"

He kept muttering and gesturing at Chen Moqing the whole way.

Chen Moqing raised an eyebrow: "Does Your Majesty the Demon Emperor happen to know something about it?"

Cang Shun said loudly: "No, you can tell just from the name it's completely unreliable."

That much, at least, was true.

Chen Moqing looked at his eyes for a moment, smiled faintly, and said nothing more.

Back at the Chu family city, the matter of the Sima family had already stirred up an uproar throughout the Chu family. Chen Moqing truthfully told Chu Langtao what he had seen, then asked to borrow a spirit-rich site for cultivation, saying he intended to go into seclusion for two years.

Knowing that he needed to prepare fully for the Grand Cultivation Tournament two years away and would have no time to spare for other matters, Chu Langtao agreed at once, allotting him one of the Chu family's finest spirit-rich sites.

A desert oasis, a floating island above the water, spiritual energy surging and unceasing.

Cang Shun personally carved out a cave dwelling, clean and tidy, considerably more pleasing to the eye than the last one, and happily pulled his human companion inside, then laid down layer upon layer of barrier formations.

With the restrictions sealing off that space, Cang Shun turned back and saw his human companion sitting at the edge of the stone couch, black hair against white robes, features exquisitely clear, a single tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye—his true form, after all.

Within the dim cave dwelling, the young cultivator seemed to radiate a faint glow all over, luminous as fine jade, skin white as snow, like a clear lotus in full bloom upon the pool.

Cang Shun froze for a moment, his eyes fixed on Chen Moqing for a full three breaths, before he heard that calm, unhurried voice:

"Mimi."

"Do you want to cultivate together?"

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