Volume One: Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 138: Tarnished

"Thank you, Imperial Father!"

The Fourth Prince felt a warmth in his heart.

"I know everything you have done in the East. I am very gratified; you have done well. The bond between us as father and son is a rare fortune, one that I cherish deeply," the Sovereign of Jin said to him. "What you did today in Yangcheng was also right—it was good, so do not overthink it. As for what might happen in the future, we shall deal with that when it comes. Let the past remain in the past."

"In fact, you, I, and Chuan'er—we are all very much alike in this regard, are we not?"

"Does Imperial Father truly feel that I am still inferior to Wang Chuan?" the Fourth Prince asked, meeting his gaze directly.

"The Imperial House... the Imperial House! I have always feared that brothers would turn against one another, yet that day may truly be coming!" The Sovereign of Jin spoke with deep anguish, suddenly breaking into tears. "Fourth, I have always hoped that all of you would be well; you are all my sons! He is returning soon, and I wish for us to be able to talk properly. After all, we are family. My time is running out."

"Imperial Father, what is wrong?" The Fourth Prince was startled and hurriedly checked his condition.

"Fourth, I know what you want, and I know what he wants. In truth, there has never been any deep enmity between you. When he arrives, simply offer a sincere apology; this is a father's final wish." The Sovereign of Jin sat upon the steps. "I often recall the days when I hunted with him and taught you how to play chess. You are both excellent, and you have both grown up well. I can finally be at ease."

"Imperial Father, I will listen to you. I will get along with him," the Fourth Prince said, his heart stirred with emotion.

"Fourth, I also know that you hate being compared to him, but the world is full of busybodies. Why can you not be more broad-minded?" the Sovereign of Jin said earnestly. "For over a decade, your brother bore the reputation of the 'Gluttonous Crown Prince,' yet did he ever care?"

"Why have you still not understood? One does not live to satisfy the opinions of others. I also wish for the day when you can be like him, when you can shock the world—and when that happens, how will they view you then?"

The Sovereign of Jin grasped his hand and said, "You are already very successful today. In fact, your starting point was far higher than his! Is that not so? Do you not know your own mind? Do you truly feel you are inferior to him? If you are not, then what does it matter?"

"I understand," the Fourth Prince nodded earnestly. "Imperial Brother will arrive soon. I will go to the city gates to welcome him."

The Fourth Prince took his leave. He turned and walked slowly out of the palace, his eyes flickering.

"Shi!"

The Sovereign of Jin called out to him.

The Fourth Prince stopped.

"What does it matter whether one cultivates the demonic path or the righteous path? We are all merely pursuing what we desire," the Sovereign of Jin’s voice echoed again. "But we are human. No matter what we do, we must not lose our humanity. Some things can be discarded, while others cannot. When you have time, spend more of it with your mother."

"I understand," the Fourth Prince replied, and truly departed.

The great hall fell into silence once more. The Sovereign of Jin dissolved into the shadows. Everything returned to stillness.

...

By cultivating with the power of moonlight, he finally stabilized his foundation and began to slowly condense his Yin spirit.

The soul of the man in blue had a hideous, terrifying appearance, and his soul-form was twisted.

"Damn it! To be wounded by such a wretched mortal—what a supreme humiliation! When I return, I shall tear him limb from limb and scatter his ashes, making him regret how he treated me!"

Relying on his cultivation techniques, the soul sensed his companion's location and darted toward it.

As the night deepened, the moon grew faint. He threaded through the mountain forest until he saw a desolate, ruined temple ahead; that must be the place. A faint, lonely candlelight flickered within.

As he approached, he suddenly heard a strange sound. Uncertain, he stilled his breath to listen closely; in his Yin spirit form, it was even easier for him to conceal his presence.

He heard the sound of soft, shallow gasps coming from within, and he almost doubted his ears. The aura inside belonged to the white-clad fairy who had come with him. The sound was low and shallow, like water flowing under pebbles in a stream, like the falling of light snow. Yet, he heard it clearly and distinctly.

Suddenly, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in his ears.

He had heard a man's voice!

He listened intently to the movements inside, his heart shaken and restless. Had he still possessed his physical body, his face would surely have paled; this was the first time since his descent to the mortal realm that his Daoist heart had been so stirred. Even when the Fourth Prince had nearly erased him, he had not been this agitated.

He quickly calmed his mind. Outside the door, he struggled for a long time, pacing back and forth. Finally, he peered through a crack.

The woman's voice was melodious and pleasant—enough to make anyone’s mind wander—but now it only filled him with growing agitation. The intense sounds were clearly that of an intimate encounter, and they were growing more frantic. The low, restrained moans became much more hurried.

He could not imagine who would dare to toy with the fairy. Back at the Martial Arts Academy, she had countless young talents bowing at her feet; she was his own dream lover. It was said that her Daoist heart was clear, devoid of desire. How could the passions and lusts of the mundane world affect her?

The man in blue could not help but stare. In the dilapidated temple, the murals were eroded and broken, though one could still discern celestial cranes and phoenixes amidst auspicious clouds. On the stone platform, a man’s figure loomed over her. Beneath the folds of clothing, the woman’s body was half-exposed. Beside them lay robes of magnificent silk, the cuffs embroidered with gold thread.

Who could that man be?

"The Martial Arts Academy—you've been ruined by your cultivation. You aren't even able to endure this; once the gates of desire are opened, they are like a bursting dam, impossible to hold back," the man sneered.

Whether by his voice or his features, to them—who had just arrived in the mortal world—he was a complete stranger.

The man in blue’s mind was filled with the swaying candlelight, the woman’s melodious, soft gasps, and her trembling body.

"Who are you?" the woman in white asked coldly.

"Just a discarded student of the Divine Academy. You don't need to be so interested in me. I have already told you what you need to know. A great demonic power has emerged in the Northern Territory. Even if Wang Chuan solves it, there will be lingering threats; the shadow of the Demon God remains. Those lurking in the Central Plains, like Ying Qian—those are Demon Commanders. You surely know better than I. In the end, the Demon Race is also beginning to stir."

The man suddenly grabbed her hair tightly and sneered, "But I really dislike this high-and-mighty attitude of yours. Can you still act like a fairy? Like a piece of worn-out clothing, just serve me well and make me happy."

As the mysterious man spoke, he ravaged her, and the entire temple seemed to shake. The woman in white was filled with fear and awe.

The candlelight danced, and a faint, hidden fragrance drifted through the air. The two of them were most shocked when he revealed his identity—a discarded student of the Divine Academy? How could there be such a person in the mortal realm, one so familiar with the world's grand trends, knowing them like the back of his hand? How long had he been lurking here?

The man in blue could no longer think clearly; the sounds inside were becoming more intense, and he grew flushed, his own aura nearly destabilized. That man actually dared to desecrate the fairy!

The beautiful figure let out soft whimpers, her legs trembling slightly, her crystalline toes curling under the candlelight. The mysterious man seemed slightly displeased, raising his hand to strike her snow-white buttocks heavily, leaving a handprint.

"How truly unromantic. I thought I had caught a sow."

The woman in white could not help but wrap her arms around his body, meeting his movements. The person outside the door never expected that in just these few moments, she would succumb to the man's dominance. Drenched in sweat, there was no trace left of the fairy from the Martial Arts Academy. From his vantage point, he could see her profile—a body he had never seen before, now soft and powerless.

"If I didn't have important matters to attend to, you wouldn't be able to leave this bed."

The mysterious man kneaded her forcefully, then climbed down and dressed.

"I won't see you out," the woman in white said, her voice still cold, though a hint of allure now lingered in her brow.

"Hmm, women... you must take care of yourselves," the mysterious man said, as if moved by a thought. "As for the Demon Realm, be careful of someone named Ying Qian. With the Demon God not yet out, the others are not worth worrying about. That man is someone you cannot imagine. If you are smart, you might survive if you meet him. Oh, and there is also someone called the Void Saint, the leader of the Demon Cult. I don't know where he has gone. By the time he appears again, he will be a True Saint!"

He offered this warning out of kindness.

"What about Wang Chuan?" the woman in white asked hurriedly.

"Wang Chuan..." At the mention of this name, the mysterious man’s expression became complex. "Don't even ask about him; don't be curious. The Martial Arts Academy doesn't have any expectations for you anyway, do they?"

"Where can I find you later?" the woman in white asked.

"Oh, missing me already?" the mysterious man said, surprised, reaching out to pinch her neck. "The first and fifteenth of the month. I will find you myself. But I don't like my things being defiled by others; otherwise, I will have to destroy everything! What happened before is in the past; I only care about what comes next."

His tone turned colder, carrying an unquestionable air, and then his figure vanished.

Long after he had left, the woman in white donned a single robe and said calmly toward a certain direction, "Come out."

The man in blue had never expected to remain hidden; he could sense her, and she still possessed her full cultivation base. He sighed and walked in slowly. Looking at the fairy who had been wantonly toyed with by a stranger, he found it impossible to connect her to the ethereal, untouchable beauty worshipped by so many young talents at the Martial Arts Academy. He desperately wanted to ask why, but found he did not know how to begin.

The woman in white had not yet tied her sash, revealing her fair skin and delicate frame, looking utterly disheveled.

"You saw everything?" the woman in white asked as she slowly dressed. Her slender, graceful fingers reached for her sword.

"If I said I didn't, would you believe me?" the man in blue sneered.

"No," the woman in white replied expressionlessly.

"Then are you going to silence me?" the man in blue said. "Fine. With my current cultivation, I cannot escape anyway. You can just blame it on someone else."

The woman in white could not help but smile, her face like a peach blossom, her snow-white skin flushing pink. The man was momentarily dazed, his heart still stirred.

"Why would I need to blame anyone else? Who else cares whether people like us live or die?" the woman in white said. "Since we have known each other, take care of yourself."

"Why?" the man in blue asked after a moment.

"Do not come looking for me again," the woman in white said.

"I am asking you why!" the man in blue demanded.

"Senior brother, we have been inferior to others since we were young. And now that we have been exiled here... we have already been abandoned!" the woman in white laughed.