Chapter 108: When a Star Falls
The two were pressed together, face to face.
Qingying froze. The moment she had acted on her murderous intent, the sword energy within her body flared up, sealing her meridians.
Reduced to the state of a mortal in an instant, she was unable to react in time and tumbled into Chen Yin’s arms.
Their faces and lips touched.
After a brief moment of shock, she pushed Chen Yin away angrily, her eyes blazing.
Chen Yin licked his lips thoughtfully and nodded seriously.
“Mmm. Quite sweet.”
“I hope you die.”
“Not a chance~”
“Then I’ll kill myself.” Qingying calmly picked up her dagger and pressed it against her throat.
But Chen Yin simply waved his hand, and the dagger clattered to the floor.
“Seriously, Sister, there’s a limit to being unreasonable, don’t you think?”
Chen Yin said with a mock-serious tone, “You were the one who kissed me. Now you’re trying to kill yourself? And it’s my fault?”
“If you’re really attracted to my irresistible charm, there’s no need to be so indirect. Just tell me, and I’ll be happy to satisfy your desires.”
He blinked innocently.
Qingying trembled with rage, her voice barely a whisper. “You bastard.”
“Well, bad boys are more attractive, aren’t they?”
Chen Yin said casually, “Of course, if you really want me dead, that’s fine too.”
“Just beg me while crying, and I’ll remove the sword energy from your body. How about that?”
Qingying glared at him for a full thirty seconds, her eyes slightly red-rimmed, but her gaze remained cold. She finally spat out a single word:
“Dream on.”
With that, she turned and stormed out of the room.
Seeing that she had apparently given up on assassinating him, Chen Yin shrugged and went back to his book.
The night was quiet, as if nothing had happened.
But neither of them noticed the small, fox-eared girl standing silently behind a tree outside, listening to their exchange.
After a long while, she looked up at the starlit sky.
The stars seemed to be reflected in her eyes. She reached out a hand, her lips parting slightly.
“Ah.”
A star fell. And along with it, her ears and tail drooped sadly.
“It fell…”
“…Time to go back.” Luo Luo murmured to herself, her long eyelashes fluttering.
She hid the storybook behind her back.
The morning mist hung heavy in the air, but the mountain city was filled with a refreshing fragrance.
Early in the morning, Ya Ya and the others came to wake Chen Yin. Still sleepy and wanting to stay in bed, he couldn’t resist the enthusiastic little foxes as they burrowed into his blankets. He had no choice but to get up and play with them.
“Alright, where are we going today?”
“To the Wooden Leaf Illusion Realm!”
“No, no, we have to go to the Giantwood Path first!”
The little foxes chattered excitedly, but Luo Luo, unusually quiet, kept her head down, a distant look in her eyes.
Chen Yin noticed her unusual behavior and gently stroked her ear, his voice soft.
“What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”
“Ah…”
Luo Luo felt the warmth of his touch and a pleasant tingling sensation, her lips moving wordlessly. After a long pause, she shook her head slightly.
“N-nothing.”
“Maybe I’m just not used to being home yet. My head feels… strange.”
“I’m sorry, Young Master!” She bowed deeply.
“What are you apologizing for?” Chen Yin chuckled. “If you’re not feeling well, ask your mother to find someone to treat you.”
“It’s fine. Now that I know where you live, I can come visit you anytime.”
“We have plenty of time.” He gently stroked her fur, as always.
Luo Luo looked up at him, her eyes wide.
Under the soft, filtered sunlight, Chen Yin’s face was both familiar and strange.
His smile was as gentle and comforting as always.
But it made Luo Luo feel inexplicably sad.
She bit her lip hard, saying nothing, then suddenly turned and ran away.
“Hey! Luo Luo!”
Ya Ya and the others chased after her. Chen Yin’s smile faded, and he looked in the direction she had run with a worried expression.
Luo Luo… is she alright?
But before he could think further, a strange force suddenly enveloped him.
Chen Yin recognized this power. It was Qingmei Niang’s void teleportation ability.
The next moment, he found himself back in the grand and ancient hall.
Qingmei Niang, dressed in a beautiful and alluring robe, sat on the throne, a smile on her face.
“Madam Qingmei.” Chen Yin bowed respectfully.
“Why are you being so polite today, Young Master Chen?”
Qingmei Niang teased, “You were much more imposing yesterday.”
“Ahem, I was blind and didn’t recognize Mount Tai.” Chen Yin blushed slightly.
…Last night, driven by his curiosity about Qingmei Niang’s identity, he had devoured the demonology book, reading it cover to cover.
Finally, he found her name in the author’s notes.
So she was the one who had commissioned this book.
Besides that, Chen Yin had discovered something else.
Powerful demon clans like the Azure Foxes lived in seclusion. But they still maintained contact with each other.
And due to their shared wariness and resentment towards human cultivators, these powerful demon clans had formed an alliance, known as the Ten Thousand Demons Alliance.
It was a mutual defense pact. If any human cultivator sect dared to disturb the peace of the demon race, the alliance would retaliate.
The leader of the Ten Thousand Demons Alliance was known as the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, chosen by the powerful demon clans.
But ever since the alliance’s formation, the position of Lord of Ten Thousand Demons had only been held by one person.
…Qingmei Niang.
Technically, the woman standing before him wasn’t just Luo Luo’s mother, but the leader of the entire demon race.
This was far more impressive than being the Sect Master of the Canghe Sword Sect or the Mist Spirit Sect. As the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, Qingmei Niang could command the most powerful forces of the demon race. Her own strength was also unfathomable, unmatched for a thousand years.
She was practically the Yu Ling of the demon race.
No wonder she had been so furious when she discovered that her daughter had been bound by a master-servant contract. How could the daughter of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons be a mere servant or pet to a human cultivator?
Her cultivation was probably on par with Master’s. She had easily severed the contract without harming Luo Luo in the slightest.
Chen Yin didn’t want to offend such a powerful figure. And besides, she was Luo Luo’s mother. It was best to stay on her good side.
Qingmei Niang looked down at him from the throne, her full, red lips parting slightly.
“It seems you’ve done your research, Young Master Chen.”
“I simply have some questions for you, Madam Qingmei. Naturally, I have to be respectful.”
Chen Yin decided to get straight to the point.
“Oh?” Qingmei Niang looked at him with interest, her hand supporting her chin. “What do you want to ask, Young Master Chen?”
“Did you and my Master… know each other a thousand years ago?”
“Perhaps. It was so long ago, I can’t remember the exact time.”
She sighed softly. “Time… can make one forget many things.”
“Then may I ask, how much do you know about my Master? Would you be willing to tell me?”
Chen Yin bowed respectfully. “Anything about my Master, I want to know everything.”
Qingmei Niang raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“Why are you so concerned about your Master?”
“Because I’m worried about that old loli granny.” Chen Yin said seriously.
Qingmei Niang giggled, her alluring eyes sparkling.
“Such a caring little puppy. You’re making my heart flutter.” She licked her lips seductively.
Although he knew it was just her fox nature, her allure was so potent that even Chen Yin couldn’t help but blush.
“About your Master… I do know some things.”
“But,” her eyes turned cold, “there’s not much I can tell you.”
“If you want to hear it, then listen.”
Chen Yin nodded seriously.
Qingmei Niang cleared her throat and began:
“I met your Master about a thousand years ago.”
“Do you know what the cultivation world was like back then?”
Chen Yin did. He had learned about it at the Mist Spirit Sect.
“It was the end of an era. After the fall of the Immortal Venerable and the Demonic Venerable, the world returned to its primordial state, a time of chaos and rebirth. It was known as the ‘Era of the Immortal’s End’.”
“Indeed.” Qingmei Niang said slowly, “In that era of nothingness, the surviving cultivators scrambled to establish their own sects and fought amongst themselves endlessly.”
“We, the demon race, chose to stay out of their conflicts and went into seclusion.”
“But,” a nostalgic look appeared in her beautiful eyes, “among those human cultivators consumed by desire, there was one person who had no interest in power or status. She came to Qinglian City and challenged me, a complete stranger, to a fight.”
Chen Yin was speechless.
…That sounded just like something his Master would do.
“The wager was two jars of immortal wine, and I accepted.” Qingmei Niang lowered her eyes. “But neither of us was good at attacking. I couldn’t kill her, and she couldn’t injure me. We fought for almost half a month without a victor.”
“In the end, we decided to just share the wine.”
And they became friends.
“That was the first time I met Yu Ling.”
Qingmei Niang sighed softly. “Back then, she was young and full of spirit, bold and straightforward. She loved making friends and was always surrounded by people.”
“But later, those people all disappeared.”
“Leaving her alone.” Her voice was filled with regret.
Alone.
Walking the lonely path towards immortality.
For a thousand years.
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