Volume Two: A Fleeting Life on Kunlun Chapter Sixty-Seven

A few days later, Tianyu noticed that although the youth’s wounds had healed, he still looked frail and sickly. Jing Ye himself knew he had to return to the Sacred Domain to cleanse the demonic energy, but he did not know how to broach the subject with Tianyu.

That day, shortly after Tianyu had gone out, Jing Ye again coughed up blood. The black blood quickly burned through his robe. His brows furrowed in a deep frown.

The demonic energy could no longer be suppressed.

Tianyu returned home, humming a tune, eager to share the day’s amusements with Jing Ye, only to find the house cold and deserted.

“If you wanted to leave, you could have just left. Why go without a word, as if I’d try to keep you here by force?” she muttered, lips pouting, angrily spreading out herbs to dry.

She had never imagined that after three months together, he would leave without so much as a note. Not a word, not even a hint.

Then she thought, perhaps he had gone out to look for her and hadn’t come back yet; or maybe something had held him up. But after waiting three days, she could find no more excuses to deceive herself. He was truly gone, and gone with such finality.

Men, it seemed, were liars—especially the handsome ones, who were the biggest liars of all.

The lotus blossoms in the pond bloomed in radiant splendor, swaying in the wind. On the breeze, the faint fragrance of lotus flowers collided headlong with the sense of loss in the young girl’s heart.

Ten days passed, and he still did not return.

Tianyu resolved to wait a little longer. But after a month, an unexpected guest arrived at her solitary dwelling.

Returning from the lotus pond, she saw the door to her house open and thought Jing Ye had come back. Overjoyed, she entered with lotus blossoms and seed pods in her arms, feigning anger as she said, “So you do know how to come back. You left without a word, and now you return the same way…”

But when she looked up, it was not Jing Ye she saw, but a woman in celestial robes, with a divine mark on her brow.

The woman was strikingly beautiful, her entire bearing as elegant as the lotus flowers Tianyu held.

“And you are…?” Tianyu began.

The woman’s red lips curved in a smile so enchanting it was unforgettable. “I am Yun Mu, a celestial attendant under Lady Yousu of the Sacred Domain’s Temple.”

Sacred Domain? Temple? Lady Yousu?

Though Yun Mu’s face wore a smile, inwardly she looked down on these impoverished, ignorant mortals. Especially this one before her, muddy and disheveled, though her eyes were clear and bright, complementing the lotus flowers in her arms.

Lady Yousu had sent Yun Mu to repay the debt owed to the mortal who had saved the God-Lord. Lady Yousu herself had instructed her to show proper gratitude to this “benefactor.”

But Yun Mu had served Lady Yousu long enough to recognize the deeper meaning in her words. Lady Yousu had long admired the God-Lord, her heart wholly devoted to him.

This, Yun Mu resolved, was a task she must carry out flawlessly—never letting the God-Lord see through anything.

After washing her face and changing her clothes, Tianyu opened the door. Yun Mu saw her then, her face now clean, her eyes bright, the young girl’s beauty enough to make even the celestial attendant stare in wonder.

“You mean, the person I saved was the God-Lord?” Tianyu asked.

Yun Mu nodded.

“Then why is it Lady Yousu who comes to thank me, and not the God-Lord himself?”

Yun Mu was instantly irritated. A mere mortal, yet she dared hope the God-Lord would thank her in person? She felt a surge of indignation on Lady Yousu’s behalf.

“Mind your words, girl. The Ninefold God-Lord is master of the Three Realms. Lady Yousu is the daughter of the former God of War, and the fated companion of the Ninefold God-Lord. Her words are as his own. As a mortal, you should show proper respect to the divine and not overstep your bounds.”

Fated companion.

Though disbelief filled Tianyu’s heart, anger at being deceived soon overwhelmed her.

“Fated companion? So, Lady Yousu and the God-Lord are in love, then?”

“You are perceptive,” Yun Mu replied.

Tianyu’s hand tightened around her teacup before she set it down, her face breaking into a bright smile. “I’ll remember what you’ve said. But as for your request that I leave this place, I’m afraid I cannot comply.”

Seeing the stubbornness in the girl’s lively eyes, Yun Mu realized this mortal was not as simple as she appeared.

“Lady Yousu has already found you a fine place, one well-suited to your tastes.”

Tianyu stood, looking at the celestial attendant at the foot of the steps, her eyes filled with displeasure and growing impatience.

“Give my thanks to Lady Yousu,” she said, lowering the blue curtain at the eaves. “But I will not move.”

Yun Mu clenched her fists, said nothing more, and vanished in a swirl of celestial mist.

Tianyu sat, thinking back over the past three months—the memories, the confusion, the unwillingness. He was a God-Lord; she had no recourse. Perhaps she could write a letter for Yun Mu to deliver, but she suspected it would disappear before ever reaching Jing Ye’s hands.

She began to pack away the tea things, tossing out the cup the young man had most often used.

How had the love stories from her favorite tales come to visit her own life? She was all alone, after all.

The Solitary Dwelling, in the end, was for one person only.

She grumbled about Jing Ye for several days. There was no hatred left, only a lingering resentment.

She resented his silent departure, his failure to tell her the truth, and resented herself all the more for foolishly hoping that some storybook romance would befall her.

The kingfishers and squirrels never came again; all the spirits in the woods vanished overnight, as if she alone remained in the forest.

When she had first come, she had grown used to solitude, but in three months she had learned how pleasant it could be to have company. Now, returned to loneliness, she found it hard to adapt.

And so, on another New Year’s Eve, she did not descend the mountain, but stayed in her little yard, lying on a rocking chair, watching fireworks light up the distant sky. A cup of tea, a brazier, a blanket—this was enough.

This made five New Year’s Eves since then.

She had grown older, more beautiful, with a touch of grace and sophistication.

She went to the place Shixin had once mentioned. She wished to cultivate, to become someone worthy of standing by Jing Ye’s side.

Cloaked in a cape, dressed in a lotus-pink gown, ribbons trailing from her hair to her waist, her fair hand clutched a jade pendant.

The river before her was calm, the night sky casting shallow ripples that looked like scattered stars upon the water.

It was a beautiful place.

Tianyu approached the ferry, holding out the jade pendant for the ferryman’s inspection.

To her surprise, the ferryman gasped at the sight, fell to his knees, and cried, “Long live the Demon Lord! May he unite the Celestial Domain for ten thousand years!”

So Shixin really had become the Demon Lord.

The ferryman said nothing more to her on the boat, nor did he ask about the origin of the jade pendant.

Gazing out at the vast river, Tianyu asked, “What is this river called?”

“This is the Li River,” the ferryman replied.

Li River—a name she had never heard before.

In a hoarse, aged voice, the ferryman explained, “During the Primordial Era, the Li River was formed from a fallen star of the Heavenly Domain.”

No wonder the river seemed filled with starlight—it had once been a galaxy.

Thus, upon the waters of the Li River, Tianyu finally reached the legendary Demon Realm.

From tales and storytellers, she had always imagined the Demon Realm as a gloomy place, with fierce demon beasts guarding the palace gates, thick black miasma killing intruders, and a stench that turned the air foul.

But the reality was different. Here were winding, romantic rivers of stars, auroras within arm’s reach, towering ancient trees of emerald green, and countless glowing flowers.

Overhead, the flowers hung like little lanterns, lighting the path ahead, and wherever the boat passed, a trail of starry light rippled across the water.

Cascades spilled down like streaming light, the surrounding stones were black diamonds, sparkling at the faintest touch of light. Waterfalls of flowing brilliance, diamond-bright rocks, lantern flowers—was this truly the Demon Realm?

“We’ve arrived,” the ferryman said.

The boat came to a stop. Tianyu quietly steadied herself, disembarked, and turned to thank the ferryman, but he had already vanished.

There seemed to be no one here. She did not know where she was. As she gazed at the path slowly revealed within the luminous waterfall, figures began to emerge.

They were all masked in black, dressed in dark robes, and armed.

The leader carried two swords on his back, clad in close-fitting clothing. Seeing Tianyu, he approached. Though she was afraid, she managed to feign composure.

“Are you Miss Tianyu?”

She nodded.

The young man, his face still boyish, replied coldly in a youthful voice, “My name is Liu Ya. The Demon Lord sent me to receive you.”

Tianyu nodded again. Judging by Liu Ya’s expression, he did not seem to be lying. She followed him into the heart of the luminous waterfall.

They climbed crystal steps, pushed aside a curtain of water, and emerged into a land of light.

Warm sunlight bathed the earth. Liu Ya took out a token and pressed it to the barrier, which vanished, revealing a majestic stone gate carved with sacred beasts.

She followed Liu Ya into the Demon Realm. He performed a spell upon her, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an elegant palace, with walls of deep blue and white, unlike anything she had seen before. In the courtyard, pear trees blossomed.

She had never imagined the Demon Palace could hold such a place.

Looking up, she saw a single powerful character inscribed on the plaque: “Qin.”

One word, yet it suited the place perfectly.

Liu Ya bowed and said, “His Excellency still has matters to attend to. Please wait here for a moment; he will come soon.”

Tianyu agreed, and Liu Ya withdrew.

Attendants in flowing purple gowns brought her tea, thoughtfully providing storybooks as well.

The attendants here were not particularly beautiful; from their appearance, one could guess what kind of spirits they were. So far, the only one with any striking features was the young man in tight-fitting clothes.