As the saying goes, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Back when Long Yin had been betrayed by his own heart demons, he had suffered miserably, but by now, he no longer remembered any of it.
Yet now Feng Qingyun’s heart demon, so weak it could barely maintain human form, had planted a mine for its original self before disappearing.
One could only call it karma.
Long Yin’s pupils contracted sharply. Before he could process the hidden meaning behind those words, the heart demon merely smiled faintly rather than explaining further, then dissolved into a cloud of starlight and passed through the window, returning to Feng Qingyun’s body.
After all, it had only been born from Feng Qingyun’s obsession with him. Now that he had truly returned to the world, the heart demon no longer had any reason to exist. In truth, Feng Qingyun had only needed to see him once to dissolve all the obsession and suffering buried in his heart.
But Long Yin knew none of this.
Seeing the heart demon vanish, his heart skipped violently. What was going on? Wasn’t that the heart demon born from Senior’s attachment to his dead spouse? Why had it disappeared the moment it appeared before him?
Amid his uncertainty, an absurdly hopeful thought rose in his mind: Could it be that Senior had already fallen in love with him, and thus let go of his obsession with his dead spouse… which was why the heart demon disappeared so completely?
Even in his wildest dreams, however, he only dared think this far. He never once dared place himself and Feng Qingyun’s “dead spouse” on equal footing.
He had no past life, no memories. The very first person he saw upon opening his eyes had been Feng Qingyun, and every bit of his heart now revolved around him. And yet the heart demon’s few casual words had shaken him to the core, leaving him unable to stop thinking about that sentence:
The thoughts you hear are only what he wants you to hear.
Was that true?
Or had the heart demon simply disliked him and deliberately lied to deceive him?
It was a dilemma with no good answer.
If he believed the former, then he had to wonder… Did Feng Qingyun not actually like him at all? Had even those heartfelt confessions been fabricated just to coax him?
But if he believed the latter…
The heart demon was still part of Feng Qingyun. If even it disliked him, then everything circled back to the same conclusion… that Feng Qingyun himself didn’t care for him very much either. That he was merely a substitute summoned to relieve boredom.
At the thought, countless bitter emotions welled up in Long Yin’s chest.
Earlier, when he had confessed himself so earnestly, he’d insisted over and over that even being a substitute didn’t matter. But now that he understood the implications of both possibilities, all his confidence instantly wilted.
A sense of fear even rose within him, so strong that he didn’t dare go out and confront Feng Qingyun about it. And just as he was drowning in those thoughts, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. Long Yin snapped back to himself and turned his head, only to meet Feng Qingyun’s gaze. He immediately straightened like a guilty criminal caught red-handed.
Feng Qingyun raised a brow at the sight. Folding the letter in his hand, he walked over casually.
“You saw him just now?”
Long Yin swallowed nervously, like a thief caught in the act.
“…Saw who?”
“My heart demon, naturally,” Feng Qingyun replied meaningfully as he stopped before him.
The heart demon had clearly been Feng Qingyun’s own, and the one deliberately masking his thoughts had also been Feng Qingyun himself. Yet Long Yin suddenly felt sweat break out on his back.
“…I saw him.”
“And what did he say to you?”
Feng Qingyun and the heart demon had always been one entity. Now that it had returned to him, he naturally knew everything that had happened in the room. Yet he still deliberately chose to tease Long Yin about it. Unfortunately, Long Yin wasn’t honest, as his eyes shifted away.
“…Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Feng Qingyun slowly placed the folded letter into his storage ring before looking at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “He didn’t ask whether you liked him or me more?”
“?!”
…Why did he have to answer this fatal question twice?!
Long Yin’s heart nearly leapt into his throat.
He was already half a head taller than Feng Qingyun, and now, lowering his head in visible panic, he looked exactly like a puppy begging forgiveness after doing something wrong. Feng Qingyun nearly burst out laughing internally, but he still lifted a hand and patted Long Yin’s cheek, saying, “Stop pretending to be mute. Answer me.”
Panicking, Long Yin suddenly blurted out the first thing that came to mind: “Then, compared to your dead spouse, which one does Senior like more?”
Feng Qingyun clearly hadn’t expected him to improve this quickly. After a brief pause, he raised a brow and laughed.
“Well, look at you growing clever.”
Long Yin already lacked any sense of security. After last night’s madness, and after being frightened and toyed with by the heart demon just now, he was terrified that Feng Qingyun had only coaxed him into bed and would discard him after discovering he wasn’t satisfactory.
So when Feng Qingyun didn’t answer directly, he immediately looked wronged.
“Senior… doesn’t dare choose?”
Faced with such blatant provocation, Feng Qingyun merely smiled faintly.
“What is there to be afraid of? Naturally, I like you more.”
Long Yin froze, as he had never expected such an answer. Feng Qingyun looked at him steadily, affection shimmering in his eyes.
The unease from moments ago vanished instantly.
Long Yin carefully pulled him into his arms, burying his face against him. “Then… Senior wasn’t disgusted by what happened last night?”
“How could I be?” Feng Qingyun raised a hand and tidied the collar the heart demon had mussed, soothing him with shameless sincerity. “Everyone has a first time. You already did very well last night.”
“Besides,” he added softly, “you yourself called him my dead spouse. How could he compare to the person standing before me now? Why would I take my feelings toward him out on you?”
At that, Long Yin immediately became overjoyed, and his lips curled upward uncontrollably. Feng Qingyun smiled indulgently and let himself be dragged into the man’s embrace and kissed.
After being thoroughly ravaged all night, his waist still ached terribly. He truly wanted to smack this little bastard a few times, yet couldn’t bear to.
So instead, he smiled sweetly while quietly burying future landmines.
He really wanted to see whether Long Yin could still smile this happily once all his memories returned.
Previously, Long Yin had hated hearing anything about Feng Qingyun’s “dead spouse.” He wouldn’t even ask the man’s name, wishing only that he had never existed at all, unwilling to let him occupy even the slightest place in Feng Qingyun’s heart.
But now, after hearing Feng Qingyun say he was better than that man, Long Yin instantly became smug. Like a peacock needing someone dull beside it to make its feathers shine brighter, he kissed Feng Qingyun before asking almost coquettishly: “Compared to that person… what does Senior like about me more?”
For the sake of appearing magnanimous, he had even used an honorific for the “dead spouse.”
Feng Qingyun was laughing so hard internally that his stomach hurt, but outwardly, he simply looped his arms around Long Yin’s neck and whispered softly: “He was so much older than me. Though he knew how to dote on others… how could he compare to your youthful charm?”
Long Yin became even more delighted. “Though I’m young and inexperienced right now,” he vowed immediately, “I’ll definitely study hard… and one day surpass him a hundredfold.”
Feng Qingyun pressed his lips together to suppress a laugh. His fingers trailed slowly down Long Yin’s neck, lightly brushing across his chest.
“There’s no need to learn,” he murmured. “Just the fact that you listen obediently already makes you a hundred times better than him.”
That single touch hooked directly into Long Yin’s heart. Half his body went numb instantly, while the other half lost itself entirely in Feng Qingyun’s gentle words. Overwhelmed, he failed to notice the deeper meaning hidden beneath them. Wrapping an arm around Feng Qingyun’s waist, he lowered his head to kiss him again.
Feng Qingyun smiled and let him, wearing a perfectly indulgent expression. Only after the kiss ended did Long Yin finally regain a bit of reason from the haze of affection. Holding Feng Qingyun in his arms as they sat by the bed, he cautiously asked: “May I ask who sent the letter Senior received earlier?”
“My Junior Sister,” Feng Qingyun replied while leaning comfortably against him. “I am the Sect Leader of the Xiān Gōng Sect. Now that the great calamity has passed, everything there must be rebuilt. The elders hope that before I ascend, I will preside over a grand ceremony and recruit new disciples to continue my Master’s legacy.”
Hearing he planned to return, Long Yin froze, as visible tension spread through him immediately.
“…Senior is returning to the Xiān Gōng Sect?”
“What?” Feng Qingyun curled his lips and glanced at him. “You don’t want to come back with me?”
“…I do!”
Long Yin had assumed that once Feng Qingyun returned to proper business, he himself would become some shameful hidden lover left behind in the shadows. He never imagined he’d be allowed to follow, and his eyes lit up instantly.
“Of course I want to! More than anything.”
“And how willing are you exactly?” Feng Qingyun teased deliberately. “Would you still be willing even if you had to become my second husband?”
Unexpectedly, Long Yin lowered his head obediently, answering, “As long as I can stay beside Senior, let alone being second… I’d even accept having no status at all.”
He truly didn’t think there was anything wrong with acting this way before the person he loved. But Feng Qingyun, imagining how this man would behave once all his memories returned, found his smile almost impossible to suppress.
Hooking an arm around Long Yin’s neck, he tilted his head up and kissed him again. Their lips brushed together as he laughed softly: “With how much joy you bring me, how could I ever bear to let you be second?”
To Long Yin, those words were like spring wind against his face. He immediately lowered his head and kissed Feng Qingyun fiercely, as if determined to prove himself all over again.
…………………….
The two of them lingered together in Fengdu for another half a day before returning to the Xiān Gōng Sect that afternoon with little Beichen in tow.
Outside the Heavenly Gate, auspicious clouds drifted peacefully beneath the vast tolling of bells. Several elders and hundreds of disciples had long since gathered before the Main Hall. The moment Feng Qingyun ascended the steps, they immediately called out in unison:
“Your disciples welcome the Sect Leder back to the Xiān Gōng Sect!”
Feng Qingyun casually lifted a hand and waved it lightly. “Rise.”
Only then did the crowd respectfully stand.
Long Yin froze for a moment at the sight.
For an instant, he felt as though the beautiful person who had leaned in his arms earlier, whispering softly with him about moonlit nights and gentle scenery, had merely been an illusion. That tenderness had only been a fleeting dream Feng Qingyun had whimsically granted him.
The decisive and merciless ruler of the Xiān Gōng Sect standing before him now, that was Feng Qingyun’s true nature.
“Senior Brother.” Bai Ruolin lifted her gaze toward the person beside Feng Qingyun and voiced the question lingering in every disciple’s heart. “And this is…?”
Long Yin abruptly snapped back to himself, instantly tensing.
“Him?” Feng Qingyun glanced at him with a smile before turning back to the crowd. “He is the Dao companion I have chosen. You may address him as Young Master.”
Long Yin stared blankly for a second, utterly stunned. Then it was as though joy exploded inside him all at once, leaving him visibly radiant with pride. But at his words, the surrounding disciples all revealed varying degrees of shock, especially Mu Hanyang’s three disciples.
Feng Qingyun was not Mu Hanyang. He would never drive people to complete ruin. Thus, although they had lost their Master, they still remained disciples of the Xiān Gōng Sect.
Unfortunately, like everyone else in the world, they had entirely lost all memories concerning Long Yin. Looking at the man now basking smugly in delight, they felt as though they were seeing some pretty little kept man barging through the front door and taking their Master’s place outright. Their expressions grew uglier by the second.
Bai Ruolin was the first to recover herself. She stepped forward and bowed politely.
“I am Bai Ruolin. Greetings, Young Master.”
Long Yin hurriedly returned the gesture. “I have long heard of Sword Master Changle’s great reputation. Seeing you today, it truly lives up to its name.”
Since Bai Ruolin herself had acknowledged him, the other elders naturally could not object. One after another, they stepped forward to offer their greetings as well.
Only Mu Hanyang’s three disciples stood among the crowd, silently taking everything in.
Hua Ying pressed her lips together but said nothing. Liu Wu merely clenched his fists and lowered his eyes.
Wei Fang, however, was different.
As Mu Hanyang’s most devoted supporter, he believed his Master had indeed wronged Feng Qingyun, but without any memories of Long Yin, he still considered this an internal matter of the Xiān Gōng Sect. Now that Mu Hanyang had already paid for everything with his life, this pretty boy who had suddenly wormed his way in was practically trampling all over their lineage.
Back when the little mermaid had shocked everyone at the grand assembly, disciples of Wei Fang’s level had not been present. As such, they knew nothing about the world’s altered history. And precisely because of that, their dislike toward Long Yin remained especially pure and uncomplicated.
At first, Long Yin himself was completely unaware that this group disliked him.
The day after he returned to the Xiān Gōng Sect with Feng Qingyun, the other man became completely occupied with preparations for the disciple acceptance ceremony.
The Xiān Gōng Sect had numerous branches. Counting each sect lineage, calculating how many inner and outer disciples to recruit, and dealing with all the countless miscellaneous affairs was more than enough to keep anyone busy for quite a while.
As a result, Feng Qingyun barely had any time to rest each day. After working nonstop from morning until night, by evening, he no longer wanted to speak at all. He only wanted to relax.
So at night, he practically treated Long Yin like a consort summoned for bed service. There was no coaxing anymore. After bathing, he would simply hook an arm around Long Yin’s neck and shove him onto the couch, climbing onto him in silence and using him outright, fully embodying the attitude of someone who had already tricked another person into bed and now could not even be bothered to pretend anymore.
And yet Long Yin himself didn’t feel remotely taken advantage of. On the contrary, he adapted remarkably well.
Compared to Feng Qingyun’s exhausting schedule, Long Yin’s life in the Xiān Gōng Sect was absurdly easy. He genuinely resembled a husband who had married into the family. Aside from his nightly “overtime,” his days were leisurely to the point of boredom.
The people of the Xiān Gōng Sect also treated him respectfully on the surface, partly out of regard for Feng Qingyun, partly because of his strength, and none dared to voice any complaints.
Moreover, most of them had already lived through the events of the previous life and had witnessed Feng Qingyun coldly slaughter immortals like chickens. Not even behind his back did they dare say much anymore.
By all logic, Long Yin’s life as a live-in husband should have been quite enjoyable.
Unfortunately, a handful of people became increasingly upset after realizing he had actually moved into Feng Qingyun’s sleeping quarters. They secretly seethed with resentment behind the scenes, with Wei Fang being the prime example.
Originally, Long Yin did not even know who Wei Fang was. However, during one occasion when Feng Qingyun was discussing matters with others in the Main Hall, he happened to overhear a few things. At the time, several elders had come to inquire about disciple allocation among the various branches. Long Yin just so happened to be peeling lychees for Feng Qingyun nearby.
A moment earlier, Feng Qingyun had still been smiling at him, and Long Yin had vaguely felt there was hidden meaning behind that smile. But the moment the elders explained their purpose, Feng Qingyun’s expression immediately cooled.
The elders hurriedly lowered their heads, reported the total number of new disciples needed, then stood there stiffly like wooden posts.
After flipping through the jade slips they had submitted, Feng Qingyun finally spoke.
“There is no need to reserve slots under the Second Palace. I intend to ascend soon and have no need for inheritance. All my inner and outer disciple slots will simply be transferred to the First Palace, under Master’s name.”
“As for the Third Palace…” He turned toward Bai Ruolin. “Ruolin, what do you think?”
“I’ll temporarily take three inner disciples. Any more than that would be difficult to teach properly. As for outer disciples, the more the merrier.” Bai Ruolin then looked toward the elders. “And regarding the elders’ quotas… what does Senior Brother think?”
Feng Qingyun lifted his eyes toward the elders.
“Each elder may take one inner disciple and ten outer disciples. Those unwilling to accept disciples may transfer their quotas. Those willing to take more may simply work harder… Do any of the elders have objections?”
Naturally, none of the elders dared object and immediately voiced their agreement.
The matter should have ended there.
But one elder cautiously spoke up anyway.
“And under Mu Hanyang’s branch…”
Feng Qingyun lifted his eyes indifferently and swept him with a glance. The elder instantly shut his mouth.
Long Yin paused at the sight, only to hear Feng Qingyun say coolly:
“Mu Hanyang’s branch will follow the previous custom and retain three inner disciple slots. For now, they will be registered under Hua Ying and Liu Wu’s names. Wei Fang’s slot will go to Hua Ying. As for outer disciples, the three of them may discuss the distribution themselves, so long as the total does not exceed twenty.”
The others immediately fell silent and dared say nothing further, merely bowing their heads in acknowledgment.
At the time, Long Yin only thought Feng Qingyun looked impossibly beautiful while calmly controlling the entire situation. His heart itched at the sight, and he instinctively lifted a peeled lychee to Feng Qingyun’s lips.
Feng Qingyun paused, then lowered his head and bit into the fruit.
Only, whether intentional or not, despite this being a solemn discussion regarding the Xiān Gōng Sect affairs, Long Yin distinctly felt something soft and wet curl teasingly across his fingertips.
He froze.
Then his ears instantly flushed crimson.
Feng Qingyun had actually licked his fingers right there in front of everyone!
The man even cast him a faintly smiling glance where no one else could see.
That single look was enough to steal Long Yin’s soul entirely, making him immediately forget everything else. Including the heavily implied matter regarding Mu Hanyang that the elders had so carefully avoided discussing moments earlier.
That afternoon, however, while Long Yin was idly accompanying the little merfolk in the alchemy room, making pills for fun, he suddenly heard noisy voices coming from next door.
Most disciples in the Xiān Gōng Sect specialized in sword cultivation. Moreover, Long Yin was already half a step into the Nascent Soul stage; aside from Feng Qingyun, no one in the sect could probe his spiritual sense.
Thus, the three disciples in the neighboring room naturally assumed no one was nearby and began speaking without restraint.
The first thing Long Yin heard was a male disciple gnashing his teeth angrily: “Why did Martial Uncle just take away my inner disciple slot like that?!”
A female voice immediately followed: “We should already be grateful that the Hanyang name hasn’t been erased entirely… Second Senior Brother, why are you speaking so loudly? Are you trying to let the entire Xiān Gōng Sect know you’re dissatisfied with Martial Uncle?”
The disciple snapped back furiously: “Of course you’d think it’s fine! You’ve got two personal disciple slots in your hands already, practically no worse than Martial Aunt herself…”
“Enough!” another male voice interrupted coldly. “Is the Hanyang name not already enough of a joke within the sect? Martial Uncle preserving our branch at all is already the greatest mercy possible. Junior Brother, stop talking.”
“Even if Master made mistakes, it’s not their place to mock him!” the disciple retorted indignantly. “Instead of mocking that shameless bed-climbing slut, they’re mocking Master?! What kind of logic is that?!”
Long Yin had originally been listening to the gossip with great interest, but at those words, he finally realized something was off.
Wait a minute.
Who exactly was this “bed-climbing slut” supposed to be?!
Meanwhile, Hua Ying’s expression abruptly changed. She hurriedly glanced around before hissing angrily once she confirmed no one was nearby: “Stop talking already! If Martial Uncle or the Young Master hears this, you’ll be dead! Have you no shame?!”
Wei Fang, however, only grew more furious, shouting, “What Young Master?! He’s just some pretty boy relying on his face to crawl into Martial Uncle’s bed! Don’t be fooled by his half-step cultivation. I think his foundation is completely unstable! Who knows what sort of dual cultivation techniques he used to steal it from Martial Uncle…”
The rest that followed was even more vulgar.
Only then did Long Yin belatedly realize…
Oh.
They were talking about him.
But after figuring that out, he still did not take it to heart. If anything, he felt rather pleased that everyone knew about his relationship with Feng Qingyun. However, another question soon occurred to him.
Why were these three disciples calling Feng Qingyun “Martial Uncle”?
Logically speaking, only Bai Ruolin’s direct disciples should address Feng Qingyun as Martial Uncle. The disciples of the elders only dared call him Sect Leader Feng.
So, where had this “Martial Uncle” come from?
Could it be that aside from Bai Ruolin, Feng Qingyun also had another Sect Brother or Sister?
For some reason, the moment this thought surfaced, alarm bells immediately rang in Long Yin’s mind.
He instantly abandoned pill refining altogether, stuffed the few supreme-grade Heart Nourishing Pills he had casually refined into the little merfolk’s mouth like candy beans, and said: “Be good. Let’s stop here for today. Big Brother needs to go find your Daddy about something.”
With that, he tucked the child under one arm and stood up.
Little Beichen was absurdly easygoing. It obediently swallowed the pills, letting the man carry it halfway before suddenly speaking up: “Father… Big Brother, you’re holding Dandan upside down.”
Long Yin froze and looked down, only to realize that in his haste, he had carried the little merfolk upside down the entire way. He immediately panicked and hurriedly righted the child.
“Sorry, baby! Does anything hurt?!”
The little child obediently shook his head and stretched out a hand.
“I finished the candy. Does Big Brother have more?”
Long Yin immediately placed several more nourishing pills into the little palm and even stuffed an entire bottle of supreme-grade Heart Nourishing Pills into the child’s tiny storage pouch. Lowering his voice conspiratorially, he bribed: “Don’t tell your Daddy when we get back, okay?”
With cheeks stuffed full of premium pills, little Beichen nodded obediently.
Even then, Long Yin still did not relax. He furtively glanced around like a thief, terrified Feng Qingyun might somehow have witnessed that earlier scene and kick him out of bed tonight. Fortunately, Sect Leader Feng was burdened with endless affairs and had no spare attention to monitor him. Seeing nothing unusual nearby, Long Yin finally let out a sigh of relief.
That night, he at last held the person he had longed for all day. After carefully attending to him for quite some time, he cautiously asked: “Senior… today in the alchemy room, I overheard three disciples calling you Martial Uncle while discussing you… They seemed very close to you. Who are they?”
Feng Qingyun had spent the entire day occupied with disciple recruitment matters. Returning to his chambers at night, he had only wanted to relax for a while. Caught completely off guard by such an unpleasant topic, he abruptly regained a sliver of clarity from the haze of intimacy. Panting softly for a moment, he finally explained: “I once had a Senior Martial Brother who was expelled from the sect… Though he is dead now, for Master’s sake… his title and branch were still preserved…”
Hearing that it was a Senior Brother, Long Yin’s heart tightened. Caught off guard, Feng Qingyun let out a startled cry as he was suddenly jostled: “What sudden madness has possessed you?!”
Long Yin could hardly admit that he was jealous over something so vague and baseless, so he simply lowered his head with the look of someone who had done wrong and moved in to kiss him ingratiatingly.
Seeing him like this, Feng Qingyun suddenly felt as though a puppy were nudging against him and slobbering all over his face. He found it more amusing than irritating, and whatever annoyance he might have felt vanished immediately.
After catching his breath for three seconds, he lifted a damp hand and hooked it around Long Yin’s neck, tugging him down for a kiss before murmuring softly, “Their Master was killed by my own hand. It’s only natural for them to gossip about me… Though, my dear little husband, why are you suddenly asking about this today?”
Long Yin’s eyes darted away. Pinching the waist of the man in his arms, he complained pitifully, “Those martial nephews said I’m just some pretty little toy who seduced his way upward. They even said I only got where I am by warming your bed… What they say behind my back is even nastier.”
Moonlight spilled across his powerful upper body. The strain in his arms made the lines of muscle stand out all the more sharply. Combined with that deeply handsome face, even Feng Qingyun, who had long grown used to him, was momentarily dazed by the sight.
And yet this devastatingly handsome man was currently putting on the face of someone who had been terribly bullied, looking unbearably aggrieved.
Who knew where he had learned it from? The way he complained was exactly like one of those seductive imperial concubines currying favor with the emperor. No one in the world would ever imagine that Demon Emperor Long Yin possessed such tactics.
Feng Qingyun nearly burst out laughing before finally suppressing it with difficulty.
He knew perfectly well that Long Yin was exaggerating on purpose to act wronged, but instead of exposing him, he slowly lifted a foot and pressed it against the man’s abdominal muscles, sliding downward along the taut lines as his voice softened enough to drip water: “So my dear husband has been wronged…”
Long Yin’s breath hitched. He nearly forgot his own name, much less any grievance he had been nursing.
Feng Qingyun stepped onto his thigh, smiling as he pulled the man down by the neck and whispered beside his ear: “If little husband serves me well tonight… tomorrow, I’ll stand up for you.”
Long Yin abruptly snapped back to himself, heat surging through his chest. How could he still care about those idiots insulting him?! Wrapping an arm around Feng Qingyun’s waist, he said, “Serving Senior is already my duty. Such a trivial matter hardly deserves your concern…”
The young Heavenly Dao certainly had a sweet mouth. Smiling, Feng Qingyun welcomed him in, and moonlight instantly flooded the entire bedchamber.
Truthfully speaking, being served by the Demon Emperor felt extraordinarily good, but the satisfaction was more psychological than physical. After all, memory loss came with its disadvantages. Right now, Long Yin was about as refined as a blunt, wooden stick; no matter how much he was taught, he simply couldn’t learn properly, and he had no idea how to cherish someone gently.
Feng Qingyun was almost laughing from sheer exasperation at his recklessness. Trembling slightly, he teased: “Little husband, with skills like yours in bed… those fools actually dared claim you slept your way to the top…”
Long Yin froze. At first, he didn’t even catch the implication in Feng Qingyun’s words, but the next moment, the man draped over his shoulder laughed softly and continued, “Somehow, I feel like I’m the one being used as the bedwarmer instead.”
“Really, husband ought to be paying me instead… at least then my efforts serving you wouldn’t go unrewarded…”
Before disappearing, the heart demon had already mocked Long Yin once about whether his poor bedroom skills had gotten him abandoned, and it had clearly become a sore spot for him. Hearing this now, he instantly panicked and pushed Feng Qingyun down, determined to prove himself.
Feng Qingyun laughed as he leaned back, pretending to dodge, only to have Long Yin seize his waist and drag him back beneath him.
The fragrance filling the room mingled with the moonlight, turning the entire chamber into a scene of springtime passion.
………………
The next morning, as the only idle person in the entire Xiān Gōng Sect, Long Yin once again wandered aimlessly through the grounds with little Beichen in tow. However, the events of the previous night still weighed heavily on his mind, leaving him distracted even while watching the child.
The Xiān Gōng Sect was crowded and full of watchful eyes, and little Beichen was frightened whenever it saw too many people, so Long Yin could only take them wandering around the mountain paths.
But not long after reaching the mountainside and setting the little merfolk down to study ants, rustling noises suddenly came from the distance.
Long Yin paused. After listening for a moment, he raised a hand and left a talisman on the child.
“Baby, play here by yourself for a bit. Big Brother has something to deal with over there.”
Little Beichen stared unblinkingly at the ants and replied without even lifting their head, “Okay.”
Only then did Long Yin rise and head toward the back mountain. After just a few steps, he caught sight of several figures in the distance and immediately stopped.
The same three disciples stood there kneeling before something, burning paper offerings. Looking more carefully, he realized it was a grave. The memorial tablets of Xiān Gōng Sect disciples were normally enshrined together in the rear hall… why would there be a lone grave on the mountain?
Frowning, Long Yin concealed his aura and silently approached until he reached a boulder behind them. Looking up, he saw a stone stele standing before the grave.
On it were carved the words:
“Tomb of Our Honored Master, Mu Hanyang.”
…So the Senior Brother Feng Qingyun had personally killed was named Mu Hanyang.
The three disciples kneeling before the grave did not notice Long Yin’s presence. One of them, the male disciple named Liu Wu, burned paper as he spoke: “Master, your disciples are unfilial. We only managed to visit you today. Recently, aside from the Xiān Gōng Sect recruiting new disciples again, there hasn’t been much news, except…”
He hesitated before finally continuing:
“Except Martial Uncle has taken a new lover and ordered the entire palace to address him as ‘Young Master.’ It seems he may become Dao companions with him…”
“What Dao companion?! Martial Uncle’s obviously just amusing himself!” Wei Fang interrupted furiously. “If Master were still alive, we should be calling Martial Uncle ‘Martial Mother’ instead. How could it possibly be that slutty pretty-boy’s turn to act so arrogantly?!”
Long Yin jolted violently at those words and looked toward them in disbelief.
“There’s no point saying all this now,” Hua Ying sighed, wiping away tears. “Back then, Martial Uncle was blind and stayed married for so long while still being strangers sharing the same bed. If they have no fate together in this life, then that’s only natural…”
Before she could finish, Wei Fang exploded: “Junior Sister, are you even Master’s disciple anymore?! Were two personal disciple slots enough to buy you off?”
Hua Ying wiped away her tears and sneered.
“What?! Did that hit a sore spot, Second Senior Brother? You don’t dare blame Master for things turning out this way, so now you take your anger out on me instead?”
“Stop arguing already,” Liu Wu sighed helplessly. “If that person hears this and goes crying into Martial Uncle’s pillow…”
“Hear it then!” Wei Fang snapped angrily. “Martial Uncle and Master at least held a proper Dao ceremony in their past life; they were lawfully wed! No matter how many faults Master had, that pretty-boy has no right barging in and taking his place!”
“Second Senior Brother, read fewer mortal romance stories,” Hua Ying mocked him immediately. “I think you’ve gone mad. Master’s grave can only be hidden in a place no one sees, and you still don’t understand what that means? Stop dreaming about some noble first wife sending off a concubine. Has Martial Uncle ever even looked at you directly?”
The words were vicious enough that Wei Fang instantly flew into a rage. Just as the two seemed about to erupt while Liu Wu failed to calm them down, a sudden rustle sounded behind them.
All three froze and turned at once.
Long Yin stood not far away, his expression cold to the extreme as he looked down at them from above. They had argued for so long without realizing he was there.
“!?”
All three went pale, but Long Yin paid no attention to their expressions. He merely asked coldly:
“Your Master had a marriage contract with Senior?”
Hua Ying’s expression shifted several times, but Wei Fang only sneered.
“What, you run crying to him at every little thing, yet you don’t even know who your precious Senior really is?”
Liu Wu and Hua Ying immediately turned deathly pale, staring at their crazed brother in horror, yet Wei Fang acted as though he noticed nothing and continued: “More than a marriage contract. My master and Martial Uncle were proper Dao companions in their past life! Everyone under heaven knew they were husband and husband!”
“Even if they’re fated not to be together in this life, that’s between the two of them. What business is it of an outsider like you?!”
Long Yin’s expression darkened completely. He was clearly furious beyond measure, yet still forced himself to ask calmly: “So, according to you, your Master was Senior’s deceased spouse?”
Within the Xiān Gōng Sect, anyone who dared pin the title of Feng Qingyun’s dead spouse onto Mu Hanyang was simply asking for trouble. However, in his stupidity, Wei Fang paused, then gave a scornful laugh.
“If you already know, then good!”
Long Yin turned slowly toward the stone stele, his face dark enough to drip ink. No one in the Xiān Gōng Sect had ever seen this “Young Master” make a move. At first, Liu Wu didn’t even realize what he intended to do.
Only when the overwhelming spiritual pressure condensed into something tangible and crashed downward did his expression abruptly change.
This man intended to destroy Mu Hanyang’s gravestone outright!
Liu Wu’s face changed dramatically as he immediately turned and shielded the gravestone, shouting, “Young Master! Junior Brother merely spoke carelessly. Please don’t lower yourself to a junior’s level…!”
Long Yin remained expressionless. With a casual wave of his hand, he directly seized Liu Wu through the air and hurled him into Wei Fang. He hadn’t held back in the slightest, and Wei Fang coughed up blood instantly upon impact.
Even Hua Ying, coldly detached as she had been, snapped out of it in alarm and drew her sword to stand before her two Senior Brothers. Yet just as tension reached its peak, the sound of footsteps crunching through grass suddenly came from behind them.
The atmosphere froze.
All four turned simultaneously to see little Beichen standing there with wide, round eyes.
Seeing Long Yin look over, the child blinked and asked innocently:
“Father, where did Daddy go…?”
The moment they heard him address Long Yin that way, all three disciples’ expressions changed violently. Long Yin himself, however, showed little reaction.
After all, the little merfolk had already mistaken him for his father once during their very first meeting. Still simmering with anger, he forced himself to answer gently: “Good child, you called the wrong person. Your Daddy is busy discussing matters in the Main Hall.”
Little Beichen nodded obediently.
“Ohhh… Then can Big Brother take Dandan to see Daddy? Dandan misses Daddy.”
As it spoke, it lifted their arms, asking to be picked up. Long Yin instinctively lifted the child into his arms, but immediately afterward, his heart skipped violently.
No, wait.
Feng Qingyun had said this child belonged to him and his deceased spouse. Yet after seeing Mu Hanyang’s gravestone, the little merfolk showed absolutely no reaction. Instead, he called Long Yin “Father.”
And those three disciples, upon seeing the child, hadn’t reacted like people spotting salvation; instead, they looked like they’d seen disaster descending.
If the child truly belonged to Mu Hanyang and Feng Qingyun, why would they react that way?
Therefore, the deceased spouse Feng Qingyun spoke about was absolutely not Mu Hanyang.
Thinking this through, Long Yin finally tore his gaze away from the grave and asked the question he should have asked long ago:
“Little Beichen, can you tell Big Brother your Father’s name?”
Wei Fang, who had only just managed to crawl back up after being beaten half to death, looked utterly dumbfounded hearing that question now. Nestled in Long Yin’s arms, little Beichen looked at him as though the answer were obvious, answering, “Father’s name is Long Yin.”
Under Long Yin’s stunned gaze, the child began counting on his fingers as he recited the things Feng Qingyun had taught him years ago: “Father is the Demon Emperor, the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, Daddy’s beloved person, and Daddy’s Dao companion!”
Then he added proudly, “Daddy also said Father is the great hero who saved the world! But after Father returned to his position, everyone forgot him. Only Dandan remembers!”
Long Yin’s entire body shook violently.
At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to lose all color, and the remaining three disciples stood frozen as well. Memories surged in from every direction like a flood, crashing into Long Yin until he stood there dazed and unmoving for a very long time.
Inside the Xiān Gōng Sect’s Main Hall, Feng Qingyun suddenly paused, looking at Bai Ruolin in confusion after the young woman abruptly stopped speaking mid-report.
“Ruolin… what’s wrong?”
At long last, the Heavenly Dao had reclaimed all of his memories and authority. Everything that had once been erased from heaven and earth was finally restored to its original state. But what should have been a cataclysmic upheaval, mountains overturning and heaven and earth reversing, had instead been suppressed by the Heavenly Dao’s own peculiar sense of humor.
Still, countless cultivators experienced once again the same overwhelming sensation from the day the Heavenly Dao had first returned to its rightful place, leaving them rigid with shock.
Only Feng Qingyun, who had regained his memories long ago, looked around the suddenly silent hall in bewilderment, still entirely unaware of what had happened.
Up on the mountain, the three disciples slowly came back to themselves. Their expressions shifted from stiffness to terror, until finally all color drained from their faces.
Long Yin closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his entire demeanor had utterly changed.
He leisurely admired the three trembling figures before him, his expression composed and superior once more, his tone laced with unmistakable amusement, as he asked:
“What was it my martial nephews were saying just now? This Lord seems to have forgotten.”
That tone was horrifyingly familiar.
The fear carved into the bones of the entire cultivation world instantly flooded the three disciples’ hearts. This was the Demon Emperor Long Yin, who had crippled one man’s cultivation and destroyed another’s eyes during the great Dao ceremony all those years ago.
Wei Fang’s legs gave out immediately. He collapsed to the ground, too terrified to speak coherently.
“Your Majesty… I… I… this disciple failed to recognize Mount Tai…!”
Long Yin let out a mocking laugh. He couldn’t even be bothered to exchange another word with him. With a flick of his hand, a streak of demonic energy shot forth, and Wei Fang’s voice instantly died in his throat. But the attack merely brushed past his ear before smashing directly into Mu Hanyang’s gravestone.
The explosive crash of shattering stone rang beside the three disciples’ ears, leaving their expressions blank with shock.
After utterly destroying the offending gravestone, Long Yin turned and walked back toward the Xiān Gōng Sect with little Beichen in his arms, not sparing the three of them a single extra glance.
Little Beichen blinked and stared up at him.
“Father? You remembered?”
“Shh…” Long Yin whispered with curved lips, smiling and looking down at his child.
“When we see your Daddy later, remember to call me Big Brother.”
“Don’t let him notice.”
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