After His Demise, the Demon Lord's Doted Canary Finally Sees the Light - Chapter 13

The scarlet moon was as red as blood.

Qiu Fuxue woke up from his dream in a daze. A few scattered fragments flashed through his mind, accompanied by waves of a splitting headache.

“Ugh…!”

His fair body pressed against the chains, leaving red marks. He curled into a ball, clutching the blanket that smelled of Jiufang Cangze.

Soon, the rationality that was about to break through was forcibly pushed back.

After enduring the pain, his forehead was covered in a dense layer of sweat. He let out a long breath and reached up to wipe it away.

At that moment, the scarlet moon hanging outside the window caught his attention.

The descent of the scarlet moon meant that the power of the demons had greatly increased. It was the best time to absorb the demonic energy of heaven and earth for cultivation.

But tonight’s moon was exceptionally red. Qiu Fuxue didn’t understand why, but he knew that Jiufang Cangze was going to use this scarlet moon to accomplish a very important task and had no time to spend with him.

He wrapped the golden chains into a bundle, casually threw on a piece of clothing, and walked out the door.

For some reason, his dependence on Jiufang Cangze had diminished in the past few days. It was as if the other person had burst into his world, made a lot of noise, and then left on his own. That sincere affection was also gradually disappearing.

When this thought surfaced, Qiu Fuxue was startled. How could his love for the Demon Lord fade?

There were no guards outside the sleeping chamber. The crisp clanking of the shackles echoed in the silent night. He skillfully took the small path in the back and came to the Flowing Light River, where he saw an unexpected figure.

“Oh? Long time no see, little immortal.”

Lun Ling greeted him warmly, still looking like his usual slouchy self, but with a few bloody marks on his face, as if he had been injured in a fight.

Under the influence of the Joy Parasite, Qiu Fuxue’s mind was in a haze, and he didn’t really want to deal with Lun Ling. However, the other person clung to him like a piece of plaster, chattering endlessly.

“What’s wrong? You look terrible. Running out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. Could it be you’re looking for the Demon Lord?”

“Is the Demon Lord here too?” Qiu Fuxue finally had the mercy to speak to him. He stood on his tiptoes, looking from side to side behind Lun Ling, but he couldn’t see Jiufang Cangze.

“Do you like the Demon Lord so much?” Lun Ling’s lips twitched. He looked at Qiu Fuxue’s “adornments” and once again sighed at how the Demon Lord’s methods of torment had become more refined.

“I… like him…” Qiu Fuxue involuntarily blurted out the words.

Seeing that the Joy Parasite was making the man almost lose his mind, Lun Ling quickly pointed out the way, pointing to the Flowing Light River. “The Demon Lord is in there, but you can’t go down, or no one will be able to save your little life.”

“Demon Lord…” Qiu Fuxue squatted down. It was as if a beautiful galaxy was spread out before him. “What is he doing in there?”

This dazzling place brought back bad memories. He could still clearly remember the pain of the Jiaoren taking his eyes.

Lun Ling glanced at him thoughtfully. “Butterfly Feather. The Demon Lord is absorbing the Butterfly Feather’s magical power.”

The Butterfly Feather was one of the Nine Evils that Qiu Fuxue had exhausted his cultivation to seal.

He opened his palm, his expression becoming more solemn. He clearly remembered everything that had happened before, but when he connected the pieces, he couldn’t figure out how it led to the current result.

When did he start to like the Demon Lord? And these shackles, and the golden cage that imprisoned him day and night, were things he fundamentally despised.

“Ah—!!” Another wave of headache hit him. Qiu Fuxue desperately hit his head.

His hand, clenched into a fist, was raised high. Just before it was about to fall, with a splash of water, the slender, fragile wrist was seized, along with the golden shackles.

The headache stopped abruptly.

Jiufang Cangze emerged from the water, his eyes a deep crimson as he met Qiu Fuxue’s gaze.

His wet, ink-black hair was plastered to his muscular body. A few drops of water occasionally slid down the ends of his hair, passing over the jagged demonic tattoo, then merging into the unseen parts of the water below.

“Demon Lord.” Qiu Fuxue knelt upright, his eyes on a level with Jiufang Cangze’s.

Jiufang Cangze released his hand and gestured with his chin. “Dare to come down?”

At first, Qiu Fuxue was a little hesitant, but he quickly nodded. “With the Demon Lord here, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

A smile appeared on Jiufang Cangze’s lips. Then he looked up at Lun Ling, who, being very tactful, bowed and left.

With no one else around to disturb them, Qiu Fuxue immediately took off the robe he was wearing and cautiously stepped into the Flowing Light River.

The starlit river came up to his calves. Suddenly, a strong force grabbed his arm. He lost his balance and fell forward.

Jiufang Cangze caught him steadily. He held the forearm, which he could completely grasp with one hand, and rubbed it for a while. “You’ve gotten thin again.”

To make a person’s body and mind completely submissive, drug control was not a long-term solution. Fortunately, he had never intended to get Qiu Fuxue’s real affection.

Qiu Fuxue leaned against his embrace, his eyes lowered, concealing the turmoil in his heart.

He felt something tickling his neck. He looked down and found a small, exquisite pendant had been placed on him.

Its shape… was a bit like a butterfly.

“This is the remains of the Butterfly Feather. It looks good. Wear it.”

Under the scarlet moon, Jiufang Cangze held Qiu Fuxue, immersed in the starlit flowing water, idly playing with his long hair that was spread out on his shoulders.

Qiu Fuxue held the pendant. This scene was almost identical to the day Jiufang Cangze gave him the Jiaoren scale.

“Two of the Nine Evils have died…”

The Jiaoren’s remains were eventually ground up and thrown into the Abyss of a Myriad Tribulations. Thinking about everything that had happened, Qiu Fuxue realized that Jiufang Cangze giving him the Jiaoren scale was nothing more than a trap.

He blamed himself for being too anxious to escape and not questioning why he had gotten the scale so easily. The arrogant Jiaoren also hadn’t sensed anything was wrong. They had both fallen into a trap, like a praying mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Jiufang Cangze lightly kissed his cheek. “It’s just the beginning. There will be more than just the two of them in the future.”

“Demon Lord, since you’ve seen the Moon Shadow Wall, could you tell me what the other few Evils are?”

The world knew that the Nine Evils were nine brutal malevolent spirits, but they didn’t know what they looked like or what their names were. When the Butterfly Feather invaded, they treated it as a regular demon. It was only after Qiu Fuxue used up all his cultivation that he truly realized the power of the Nine Evils.

He had said a bit too much tonight. The hand Jiufang Cangze used to stroke his hair paused. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Qiu Fuxue was also aware of his own unusual behavior. He quickly lowered his eyes, afraid of being found out. “…I’m just curious.”

He heard a low laugh from Jiufang Cangze’s chest. Then he was held even tighter. A hint of warmth arose in the cool river water.

“Little one, haven’t you heard that curiosity killed the cat?”

His body was trembling with tension. After a long period of consumption, the Joy Parasite had lost its effect. His clumsy acting was full of flaws in Jiufang Cangze’s eyes.

Qiu Fuxue was still racking his brain for a way to fix it when he looked up and saw a playful expression on the other’s face.

He had been fooled by this demon lord again.

“Fuxue Immortal Lord, how does it feel to pretend to like me?”

“…Get lost!”

Since he had been exposed, Qiu Fuxue no longer pretended. He angrily broke free from the embrace. Recalling every night he had been controlled by the Joy Parasite, he wished he could die of shame.

He might not understand love, but he knew that Jiufang Cangze was humiliating him.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang in the sky. The scarlet moon, which should have receded, was still hanging high. Jiufang Cangze got out of the water, put on his clothes, and extended his hand to Qiu Fuxue.

“I’ll remember the account of you deceiving me. Didn’t you want to see the other Nine Evils? Let’s go, I’ll take you.”

Since the pretense was broken, Qiu Fuxue naturally wouldn’t take his hand. He swam to the shore on his own. When he tried to climb out, it felt like something was holding his body, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t escape.

Jiufang Cangze pulled him up by the arm. “Didn’t Lun Ling warn you? The Flowing Light River isn’t a place you can just come and go as you please.”

Qiu Fuxue, who was naked, quickly put on the thin robe. The cool evening breeze made him shiver. “So Lun Ling was hinting at me to get close to the Flowing Light River? From that moment on, I had already fallen into your trap.”

“You’re quite clever, but it’s too late. I didn’t even expect that the always cold-blooded and merciless Nine Evils would lose their lives because they felt sorry for you.”

His hands were bound by a rope made of demonic energy. Jiufang Cangze pulled the other end, forcing him to follow.

A bright light flashed. Qiu Fuxue subconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was already at the perilous border between the immortal and demon realms.

The barrier had a large hole in it. The ancient power was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The loud bang just now had come from here.

As long as he crossed this barrier, he could go back…

Thinking this, a short spike suddenly flew at him, carrying a chilling aura. Qiu Fuxue came to his senses but was unable to dodge. The sharp spike, propelled by the air current, was heading straight for his forehead. His light-colored pupils shrank.

“Clang—!”

The brief ringing sound of colliding weapons echoed. Jiufang Cangze, holding his long spear, struck the short spike back in the direction it came from.

Not far away, a few figures were locked in a fierce battle with a shapeless black mist. Both sides’ moves were ruthless, inevitably affecting the innocent.

His heart was pounding with tension. Qiu Fuxue glanced at Jiufang Cangze and subtly moved behind him.

He had to admit, this demon lord was occasionally quite reliable.

“Scared?” Jiufang Cangze had seen all his little actions. “The Evil Shadows are dealing with one of the Nine Evils, Tribulation Cloud. Since you’re so curious, you should get a closer look.”

“Cats have nine lives, but I only have one,” Qiu Fuxue calmly retorted. He then frowned. “The Nine Evils are so hard to deal with. Why are there only three Evil Shadows? Where’s Lun Ling?”

Tribulation Cloud was an intangible evil spirit, much harder to deal with than a physical entity like the Jiaoren that could be killed. However, as he looked around, there were only three Evil Shadows fighting Tribulation Cloud, missing the most powerful one, the Shadow Lord. As time went on, they were beginning to lose.

But Jiufang Cangze seemed completely unconcerned. He put his hand on Qiu Fuxue’s shoulder and smiled maliciously. “If the three of them can’t even deal with a small Tribulation Cloud, they don’t deserve to be called Evil Shadows.”

“As for Lun Ling,” he said, turning Qiu Fuxue’s face to look past the barrier, “Tribulation Cloud brought a little tail along. He’ll come back after he’s dealt with it.”

“Arrogant!” Qiu Fuxue mumbled a curse.

However, when he got a good look at the person entangled with Lun Ling, his voice began to tremble. “Elder Dong Ze…”