After His Demise, the Demon Lord's Doted Canary Finally Sees the Light - Chapter 4

He lay on a soft pile of torn rags. The faint light from the (Youyou Minghuo) burning outside the bars gently illuminated his pale, bloodless face.

Qiū Fùxuě’s tightly closed eyelids fluttered. He then turned over in the pile of rags, causing the shackles on his wrists to rattle.

“Ugh…”

The sound of the iron chains woke him from his sleep. He groggily sat up and looked at the dark-blue sky outside, recalling what Lún Líng had said to him.

“You really are a handful. You’ve only been here for a few days, and you’re already being picky about your cell! How can you be so trusting of that mermaid, one of the Nine Fiends?”

In ancient times, the Nine Fiends had emerged, wreaking havoc on the mortal world. The Divine Lord of the Beginning, unable to bear the suffering of mortals, used his divine power to create the Wall of Moon’s Shadow, sealing the Fiends in the Demon Realm.

The Butterfly, whom Qiū Fùxuě had exhausted his power to seal, was one of the Nine Fiends, just like the mermaid who had tried to bargain with him.

Vicious spirits never kept their word. Qiū Fùxuě knew this well, yet he had almost been deceived by the mermaid’s spell.

In that sense, Jǐufāng Cāngzé’s timely arrival had saved him.

He sat on the ground in a daze for a while. Back at the Sect of a Thousand Thoughts, resolving demonic evil and cultivating had filled all his time. He had never had such a moment of idleness.

Qiū Fùxuě was being held in an abandoned tailor’s workshop. Most of the Demon Realm’s dungeons were connected to underground waterways. Lún Líng had pulled his hair out trying to find a place that wasn’t damp, but because he dared not disobey his master, he could only set up a temporary cell in the abandoned workshop, fortified with a barrier.

It was only now that Qiū Fùxuě learned that the Nine Fiends didn’t have a good reputation in the Demon Realm either. These past few days, he had overheard the guards gossiping outside. The mermaid’s trespass into the water prison had made Jǐufāng Cāngzé exceptionally busy.

Compared to his own idleness here, Qiū Fùxuě felt that as long as they didn’t use those terrible methods of torture, life wasn’t so bad, aside from the lack of freedom.

After the mermaid escaped, Jǐufāng Cāngzé was so enraged that he ordered his men to force feed Qiū Fùxuě a large amount of demonic water. The malevolent demonic energy rampaged through his body, and his bones felt as if they were being pulverized. Qiū Fùxuě was tormented to the point of a daze, trapped in a nightmare for a long time.

The barrier on the cell door was removed, and Lún Líng pushed the door open. The man sitting on the ground instinctively shrank back, a guarded look on his face.

Seeing his wariness, Lún Líng scoffed. “No need to be scared. Without His Highness’s command, I wouldn’t dare touch you.”

So, the torture he had suffered in the dungeon had all been at Jǐufāng Cāngzé’s command…

Qiū Fùxuě said sullenly, “Then what brings you here?”

“Oh, listen to you,” Lún Líng said with a frivolous expression. “You’re just a prisoner. Can you stop me from seeing you?”

Qiū Fùxuě clenched the rags beneath him, frowning and deliberating for a long time, as if he really had no argument against it.

This was a demon’s territory. His very existence was an act of grace from that demon lord.

Immortal Lord Fùxuě, though a fierce fighter, was simple-minded and appeared to be foolish at times. It was easy to fool him with just a few words, and Lún Líng never tired of teasing him.

He waved his hand grandly. “Forget it, I, your great Shadow Master, am too magnanimous to argue with you!”

“I came to warn you. His Highness has been in a bad mood lately, so don’t cause any more trouble. If you enrage him again, I won’t be able to save you.”

A bad mood? Did their bloodthirsty demon lord even have feelings?

“Is it because of that mermaid?” Qiū Fùxuě asked, puzzled.

Vines had wrapped around the small window, sealing it. He could barely fit a hand through the gap before, but after the reinforcement, only a sliver of light could pass through.

After inspecting the flawless cell, Lún Líng clapped his hands to remove non-existent dust, then turned to glare at Qiū Fùxuě before leaving. “Don’t ask questions that aren’t your business.”

A bitter smile formed on Qiū Fùxuě’s lips. He relaxed his body and lay back on the ground.

He was just a captive. Why would he expect others to be polite to him?

He picked up a handful of fabric, holding it up to his eyes. He found it a bit familiar, as if he had seen it on one of Jǐufāng Cāngzé’s robes.

He was too weak to think much about it, so he tossed the fabric aside and closed his eyes, falling back asleep.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he heard a sound from the cell door. He assumed it was Lún Líng and didn’t pay much attention, turning over and tugging his chains to continue his sleep.

However, after that sound, he heard no footsteps.

Something was wrong.

Qiū Fùxuě’s eyes snapped open. He climbed up, only to see that the barrier was still in place. The cell door was ajar with a small gap, and it was pitch black outside.

But there was still light seeping through the vines. How could it be dark outside the door?

For some reason, Qiū Fùxuě’s heart began to pound nervously. He had a premonition that the person outside was not one of Jǐufāng Cāngzé’s people.

The thing outside seemed to sense that someone was watching it and pushed the gap wider.

If anyone else were there, they would have heard Qiū Fùxuě’s trembling body, causing his shackles to rattle.

Suddenly, a blood-soaked head squeezed through the door, its crimson, empty eyes meeting his directly.

Qiū Fùxuě’s mouth hung open in terror. He tried to scream, but it felt as if someone was strangling his throat. No sound would come out.

The little boy who had died a horrible death at the hands of the Butterfly had finally found his enemy. He blinked his big, empty, crimson eyes. His appearance was even more terrifying than before as he slowly walked toward him, a path of red blood forming beneath his feet.

“Brother…? Why didn’t you save me? And you even caused my father and mother’s deaths…”

“No… it’s not like that…!”

Qiū Fùxuě shook his head frantically, a look of panic on his face. Perhaps it was because of the prolonged torture, but he had completely lost his usual composure. His sanity was on the verge of collapsing.

Suddenly, the large door was kicked open with a bang. An unbearable stench filled the air, and the little boy’s parents, maintaining their grotesque appearances from their deaths, charged in menacingly.

Slap!

A crisp sound exploded by his ear. Qiū Fùxuě didn’t have time to dodge. He felt a sharp pain on his face, and his vision went black. He had been hit squarely by the little boy’s father.

“You useless bastard! What kind of ‘Immortal Lord’ are you! You only eat for nothing and caused our entire family’s death!”

A metallic taste filled his throat. The slap was not a light one. Qiū Fùxuě’s head was knocked to the side, and he fell to the ground.

The little boy’s mother saw this and rushed forward, pulling hard on his hair, her voice shrill as she screamed for him to pay with his life.

Qiū Fùxuě was yanked back and forth. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, still only able to repeat those three words, “I’m sorry…”

From the moment the little boy was taken by the Butterfly and fell from the sky, Qiū Fùxuě had silently repeated “I’m sorry” countless times in his heart.

But it was no use. His apology could not bring an innocent life back.

His entire understanding of the world came from his master. His master had taught him to devote himself to goodness and never to harbor evil thoughts. Before ascending the Spiritual Destruction Platform, his master had also reminded him that the child’s death was a result of his incompetence, and he must bear the guilt for the rest of his life.

It wasn’t that Qiū Fùxuě had never felt wronged. He had sacrificed all his cultivation to seal the Butterfly and protect everyone. Why was he still being blamed? But his master had told him this was a necessary price to pay for his duty.

The price had to be borne by him, and the mistakes he made were punishments he had to accept on top of it.

His frail body was kicked to the ground, and his shackles rattled. The boy’s parents kicked and punched him. He curled his body, sobbing softly as vulgar insults and the child’s desperate cries before death echoed around him.

It was his master’s teaching that had burdened him with the shackles of responsibility, and this innocent child and his tragically deceased parents had naturally become a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

The scabs on his wounds were viciously torn open. Qiū Fùxuě let out a helpless, pained whimper. Guilt and despair filled his chest.

He endured the merciless beating, kneeling in the little boy’s cries. Then, he bowed his head and knocked it heavily on the ground.

He sobbed, his voice trembling, “…I’m sorry. I couldn’t save you. It was my fault… If you want… then take my life…”

The torture in the dungeon was far more painful than this. Qiū Fùxuě just wanted to die to escape the torment. But this time, when he offered his life to the boy’s parents, it was so they could find an outlet for their rage and to atone for his own guilt.

“You think your worthless life is worth something!” the boy’s father cursed, then wrapped an iron chain around his neck. “But since you said it yourself, come and accompany us!”

Qiū Fùxuě closed his eyes, quietly waiting for death to come.

“Ah—!”

A bloodcurdling scream arrived before the pain.

He hesitated, opening his eyes, only to see the head of the now arrogant vengeful spirit rolling on the ground. In front of him stood a spear, shrouded in a frigid aura.

The man was tall, his dark robes fluttering in the wind. He carried a heavy, malevolent aura, completely shielding the kneeling Qiū Fùxuě behind him. It was clear from the bloodstains on his robes that he had just finished a fierce battle.

“Where do these lonely, wandering ghosts come from? How dare you trespass on my territory!”

Qiū Fùxuě shrank his neck, remembering what Lún Líng had just reminded him.

Jǐufāng Cāngzé was truly in a bad mood.

And it seemed he had caused trouble again.

His guilt had created a nightmare, and the vengeful souls of the little boy’s family, who had not yet dissipated, followed the nightmare to the Demon Realm.

The spear was raised, making a sound as it cut through the air. Seeing that the family of three was about to be obliterated, Qiū Fùxuě pleaded again, reaching forward to grab the edge of the man’s robe. “Don’t! They are innocent souls who died because of you!”

The Demon Lord, who was usually decisive, paused. His gaze turned to him, dark and unreadable. Then, he kicked him away. “When is it your turn to speak?”

“Ugh—ah!”

It hurt so much… Qiū Fùxuě felt as if one of his ribs had been broken from the kick.

He crawled on the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth. When he got up again, the vengeful souls who had died because of him had all been scattered by the spear, Héng Jiāng.

Seeing the miserable scene before him, Qiū Fùxuě lost his strength and fell back. After dealing with a few ignorant ghosts, the Demon Lord’s anger still hadn’t subsided. He turned and placed his foot on the head of the man lying on the ground, applying some pressure and grinding it.

“Qiū Fùxuě, you really know how to cause me trouble.”

Qiū Fùxuě didn’t struggle. His heart was unusually calm. He figured that his life had been too glorious, and now he was finally paying the price.

“Since the Demon Lord finds it so troublesome, why not kill me with one strike? Grant me a swift end, and it will count as a good deed.”

Hearing this, Jǐufāng Cāngzé actually raised his spear. He kicked the man to flip him over, then placed the tip of the spear against his bloody chest.

“I’ll carve out your spiritual core and let you suffer to death. How does that sound?”

The pain he had been giving him all these days had never stopped. Qiū Fùxuě’s eyes turned red. He bit his lip and stubbornly turned his head away. “Please, be my guest.”