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墨書 Inktalez
The Demon Realm excels at striking from the shadows and is skilled at concealing its presence. Even though Qiongqi possesses immense power and is valiant in battle, holding the Blood Flame in my hand does not provide an advantage. The surrounding Miasma grows thicker, threatening to envelop us completely.
This is not something that can be easily severed.
Watching the others outside, who are similarly surrounded by Miasma, the man smirks with a sense of triumph. "Come with me! Someone wishes to see you. As long as you follow me, they will be safe; otherwise, these mere humans will turn to ash in the blink of an eye."
"If the Demon Realm had any integrity, would it still be the Demon Realm?"
Though I felt anxious, I could not let it show.
Now, the Blood Flame obeys my command. Lin You had also advised against trying to learn how to wield it deliberately; everything should be Mindfulness. I could feel the Blood Flame resonating with my heart's rhythm.
"Hey."
The man chuckled ominously, sending chills down my spine. Then I heard a voice calling me from behind.
"Mommy, Mommy, I am Heart Eyes. Mommy, I am Heart Eyes."
The tender child’s voice was identical to one buried deep in my memories. With Jun Jun's return, my longing for Junxin intensified. Each call of "Mommy" struck at my heart, stimulating my nerves and compelling me to turn around in search of the voice's source.
At that moment, the man flashed behind me. Qiongqi roared but could not match his ghostly speed. He struck my neck with a single blow, and my body went limp as I fell into his grasp.
"Anxin!"
The brilliance of the Six Sacred Snow Lotus Seal illuminated the sky as Lin You broke through the encirclement, but he was still a step too late; the man in black had embraced me and vanished without a trace.
My body felt weightless, like a feather floating in the air. This sensation was all too familiar. Ever since I encountered Jun Chong, I had experienced so many similar situations that I seemed to have grown accustomed to them.
Thus, when I woke up, I did not feel fear despite being in a perilous situation. My first instinct was to touch the seal on my chest.
To prevent the box given by Hikaki from being taken away, Chitaki had sealed it within me, and it could only be opened upon seeing Jun Chong's seal.
"You're awake?"
A heavy voice, like a pendulum, rang out. I turned to see an elderly man in his sixties sitting in a chair nearby, sipping tea as if waiting for me to awaken. He had a snow-white beard and exuded an air of authority.
"Who are you?"
"I am a confidant of the Demon King. You can call me Elder Rong."
"I'm sorry, but I'm human and won't address a demon as 'Elder.'"
"What a stubborn girl. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"Kill me?" I chuckled lightly and sat up in bed. "If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of bringing me here! Even a three-year-old would know that. The intelligence of the demon realm should be higher than that."
In response to my sarcasm, Elder Rong did not get angry; instead, he continued to sip his tea leisurely and said, "I brought you here because I want you to marry our Second Prince. I know that the Seven Souls within you belong to the prince's wife, Xiao An. That is why the prince has always treated you differently. Xiao An is dead and cannot return; now only you can take her place by the prince's side."
I had a good idea of what this old man was planning. After all, as a trusted aide of the Demon King, no matter how much power he wielded, it could never surpass that of Qi Zhi. Yet, he took it upon himself to bring me here and arrange things this way. It seemed that Lin You's information was correct; Qi Zhi was indeed under house arrest.
"But I am already married."
"That doesn't matter; Jun Chong will definitely die in the end." Elder Rong slammed his cup down, causing my heart to tremble. He stood up from his chair, and despite his age, his robust figure still exuded strength. "The wedding is the day after tomorrow. If you refuse, your friends in the human realm will die. The Demon Realm may not be able to do everything, but killing is something they can certainly accomplish without hesitation."
The Demon Realm had always been ruthless. Even without direct contact, one could see from various sources that they would not hesitate to kill countless innocent people to open the passage between the Demon Realm and the Underworld. Only they could carry out such acts with a straight face.
"I want to see Qi Zhi."
Elder Rong paused in his steps and smiled. "You can."
He wasn't lying. Shortly after he left, someone came in to groom me, forcing me into black attire typical of the Demon Realm before leading me outside.
I didn't bother asking where they were taking me; I knew I wouldn't be leaving this place anytime soon. All my hopes rested on Qi Zhi. If I wanted to escape from the Demon Realm to the Underworld, I could only rely on him.
The Demon Palace, like the Underworld, was filled with pavilions and towers surrounded by mountains and rocks, breathtakingly beautiful. However, its beauty carried a dark undertone—a stifling atmosphere that made it impossible for anyone to feel truly happy.
As we walked deeper, I suddenly heard the faint sound of a child's cries—soft sobs that came intermittently.
Seeing me stop in my tracks, the demon leading the way urged me impatiently, "Hurry up."
"What is that place?" I asked, pointing towards a cave-like opening behind the rockery.
“Demon Palace Forbidden Zone,” the person seemed reluctant to linger, a slight tremor in their voice as they urged, “Hurry!”
I had initially wanted to ask why there was a child's cry, but seeing how terrified they were of the Demon Palace Forbidden Zone, it was clear that whatever was locked away there was not good. So I decided not to stay any longer, especially since the crying had ceased.
Just as I stepped out of the Rockery, the cry echoed in my ears once more, soft and gentle, evoking an inexplicable urge to weep. “Mommy, save me.”
Almost simultaneously, I halted and looked in that direction, but there was nothing to be seen. Yet those four short words etched themselves into my heart, impossible to shake off.
I knew asking the Demon would yield no results; perhaps the Prayer Meeting would know.
“The prince is inside.”
The Demon only escorted me to the entrance before stopping. I glanced at the courtyard; it was where Qi Zhi had lived in my past life.
Deep within the courtyard stood a man in a crescent-white robe, hands clasped behind his back, standing beneath the Cherry Blossom Tree. His gaze was distant, and at his fingertips rested a pink petal, quietly suspended in the air, untouched by the Wind Sound. Qi Zhi watched as his fingers tightened into a fist, turning the petal into a cloud of powder.
“Why do you sigh?”
Hearing a voice behind him, Qi Zhi turned around. Upon seeing me, surprise flickered in his eyes. He quickly approached me, casting a wary glance outside the courtyard before ushering me inside.
“Anxin, how did you end up here?”
“An old man named Elder Rong brought me here; I was supposed to go to the Underworld.” I noticed Qi Zhi's displeasure rising in his eyes and continued, “He wants me to marry you; we’re getting married the day after tomorrow.”
"This old man is becoming more unreasonable! The Demon Realm is already in dire straits, and Father's magic is fading. Even if Father is released, it won't be able to regain its former glory."
I was taken aback again. Lin You also speculated that the Demon King's power might be waning. I prayed that this wasn't a lie. Now I wondered if Lin You was hiding something from me; otherwise, how could she know so much about the affairs of the Demon Realm?
"Anxin, don't worry. I know in your heart you love Jun Chong. Even if I die, I won't force you, nor will I let the Demon Realm harm you in any way."
Qi Zhi held my hand with unwavering faith. I could feel his sincerity, and recalling my previous misunderstandings about him made me feel guilty. I had viewed his kindness as merely a means to an end.
"Qi Zhi, I'm sorry for how I treated you before." I sniffled, trying to hold back my tears. "I... I've come to understand the past life."
Qi Zhi's hand trembled slightly, loosening its grip but not letting go entirely. He raised one hand toward the back of my head, as if wanting to embrace me but ultimately hesitated, stopping mid-air.
"I should be the one apologizing. If it weren't for my desire for the Soul-Calling Bell and Soul Bell, Jun Chong wouldn't have gone to Tianshan, nor would he have lost his memory. Without these events, perhaps things between you would be easier. But Anxin, you might think that my feelings for you are just a search for the shadow of Xiao An within you. However, to me, you are Xiao An. It may not be fair to you, but it's my only solace."
He paused for a moment, cautiously asking, "Anxin, may I hug you?" To avoid any misunderstanding, he added, "Just a simple hug."
My nose tinged with emotion, and tears streamed down my face. When had Qi Zhi ever been so passive? Did he really need to ask so tentatively for a hug?
Nodding through my tears brought joy to his face as he finally released his hold and embraced me tightly, his body trembling slightly.
"Anxin, I know you love Jun Chong, but even today I still can't forgive him. Regardless of whether you'll get hurt or not, there will ultimately be a great battle between him and me. Even if you hate me for it, I must avenge my wife and child."
I understood the pain and suffering in his heart. If it were me, whoever killed Jun Chong and Junxin, even if it meant being shattered into pieces and reduced to ashes, I would seek revenge.
"But Qi Zhi, what if Xiao An is not dead?"
Qi Zhi's body stiffened, and he released me. "What did you say?"
I then recounted everything that had happened in the Dark Vortex, including how Jun Chong was taken out by the master of the hands within it.
"I suspect that Xiao An's Three Souls are still in the Dark Vortex. It's just that I failed to deliver the message she entrusted to me from her past life in time. Qi Zhi, have you considered that Jun Chong might have had other reasons for killing Xiao An?"
"Reasons?" Qi Zhi scoffed, his gaze suddenly turning cold. His hands clenched into fists, trembling slightly. "Even souls cannot survive in the Dark Vortex. Even if it was truly Xiao An who saved you back then, twenty thousand years have passed; she cannot still be there." He looked up at the sky, which was shrouded in gray and oppressive clouds. "Aside from the Seven Souls within you, there is no trace of her existence left."
I wanted to say more, but he was unwilling to believe me, firmly convinced that it was impossible, so I held my tongue.
Yet I could always feel that Xiao An might still exist; it was just that I had no evidence. Moreover, the Dark Vortex was not a place one could enter or exit casually; it was far too dangerous.
I settled down in Qi Zhi's courtyard. Elder Rong insisted on holding a wedding despite Qi Zhi's objections, claiming that invitations had already been sent to the Underworld.
Sitting beneath the Cherry Blossom Tree, I gazed at its unknown blossoms while holding the Soul Bell in my hand. Qi Zhi possessed the Soul-Calling Bell; how could I make him hand it over?
The sound of wind began to stir, carrying a fragrant aroma and faint voices from afar.
"Mommy, save me."
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