After His Demise, the Demon Lord's Doted Canary Finally Sees the Light - Chapter 43

Night fell, and lanterns were lit.

The clamorous songs and dances from the brothels and courtesan houses masked the desperate sobs coming from a certain room.

The young boy wore a loose, thin shirt, exposing his collarbone and the unsightly marks all over his body. His lifeless eyes were filled with tears.

He tore off the bed curtain, twisted it into a long strip, and threw it over a beam. Grabbing both sides, he prepared to hang himself.

He kicked away the wooden stool from under his feet. The moment he felt himself suffocating, a dark figure suddenly darted in from the wide-open window.

The curtain snapped, and the flickering candlelight was snuffed out. Before the boy’s panic could turn into a scream, a hand that smelled of blood clamped tightly over his mouth.

“Don’t move,” the person said, their voice sounding weak.

The boy was so scared he didn’t dare to breathe. The person pressed him down onto the bed and covered him with a blanket.

In the confined space, the smell of blood grew stronger.

The window was still open. One moment it was quiet, and the next, a fierce gust of wind suddenly blew in.

The boy felt the person opposite him tense up, seemingly very nervous.

The heavy scent of perfume concealed the person’s tracks. The gust of wind swept past the window, saw that the room was dark, and didn’t linger, chasing after the faint scent.

“…My Lord…”

“…My Lord!”

In a daze, Jiufang Cangze (九方蒼澤) felt someone calling his name.

He slowly opened his eyes. Before him was an unfamiliar face, but the person was wearing a disciple’s uniform from the Thousand Thoughts Sect.

The person was excited to see him awake. “My Lord! This subordinate is here to rescue you!”

With that, he began to unlock the chains that bound Jiufang Cangze.

The great selection had gone on for three days, and Jiufang Cangze had been bound in the trial ground for all of them. The moves used by the participants in their matches were like adding salt to his wounds, grazing his already bruised body.

After the trial, Li Yun (黎雲) had ordered him to be locked up in the woodshed, calling it a place for him to “reflect on his mistakes.”

He had been cruel to Qiu Fuxue (秋負雪) in the past, but he had always been open and honest. He had never wronged him in a dishonest way. He only regretted how deceitful Li Yun was.

The chains had been tied tightly, leaving bruised marks on his skin when they were released. The fake disciple helped Jiufang Cangze stand up. He moved his sore arms and noticed a demonic symbol behind the other person’s ear. “Whose subordinate are you?”

The fake disciple bowed respectfully. “Reporting to my Lord, the Shadow Master sent this subordinate.”

“Lun Ling…” Jiufang Cangze’s voice was low. He narrowed his eyes, as if deep in thought.

The guards outside had already been dealt with. The spy was eager to take Jiufang Cangze and leave, but the latter was in no hurry.

“What’s the situation in the Demon Realm?”

The spy scratched his head. “All the generals are behaving themselves, just waiting to welcome my Lord’s return.”

“Is that so?” Jiufang Cangze gave him a half-smile. Despite his shabby appearance, the imposing aura that emanated from him made the other person break out in a cold sweat.

“Good. I’ve had my fun. It’s time to go back.”

With that, he picked up a wooden stick from the woodpile and weighed it in his hand.

Just then, the half-open wooden door was kicked open with a bang. Sunlight poured in, and a snowy white figure stood there, looking glaringly bright.

“Going somewhere?” The cold voice sounded like ice that hadn’t melted in a thousand years.

Jiufang Cangze touched his nose, feeling the awkwardness of being caught doing something wrong.

The spy suddenly rushed out, his sword drawn, blocking Jiufang Cangze. “My Lord, you go first!”

“Ah…” Jiufang Cangze sighed. “A hero can’t escape the charm of a beauty. There’s no running away.”

For a moment, the spy’s face was blank. His hand holding the sword trembled, but then he revealed a sharp, shining dagger hidden in his other hand behind his back.

“Swish—!”

“Urgh…!”

A gust of wind from a wooden sword swept by. At almost the same time, Qiu Fuxue knocked away the dagger hidden behind the spy, while Jiufang Cangze used the wooden stick in his hand to stab through his body.

“You…?!”

The spy spat out blood and fell backward onto the ground. He breathed his last before he could finish what he was saying.

Jiufang Cangze dusted his hands. His handsome eyebrows raised slightly. “Guess which of the Rakshasa generals sent him?”

Qiu Fuxue gave him a sideways glance. “How boring.”

After the body died, the demonic energy leaked out and was quickly devoured by the Thousand Thoughts Sect’s spiritual energy. The demon on the ground reverted to its true form and was ultimately reduced to a skeleton.

Fearing that Jiufang Cangze’s identity would be exposed by those with ulterior motives, Qiu Fuxue personally cleaned up the mess and walked out of the woodshed.

The door was left open, so Jiufang Cangze followed him out. “A-Xue, do you feel bad? You’re not going to lock me up anymore?”

Qiu Fuxue held him at a distance with his sword scabbard. “So many people want your life. You’d better be careful. If you die in the Thousand Thoughts Sect, no one will collect your body for you.”

“No matter.” Jiufang Cangze waved his hand. “Dying for a beauty is worth it, even as a ghost. It’s enough to just have you look at me before I die.”

Qiu Fuxue stopped and gave him a strange look.

“Sect Leader!” At that moment, a disciple ran up from the mountain in a hurry, interrupting their conversation.

“Sect Leader! There’s a demon at the foot of the mountain! Elder Li Yun has already gone to confront him!”

“A demon?” Qiu Fuxue clenched his wooden sword and glanced at Jiufang Cangze.

Jiufang Cangze raised his hands. “Don’t look at me. It wasn’t me.”

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Fuxue’s pale red eyes lowered. “Let’s go and see.”

When they got to the foot of the mountain, they saw Li Yun, looking furious, with a few disciples. A longsword was held to the neck of a boy, and facing them was a lone Lun Ling (侖靈). It seemed they were arguing fiercely about something.

Qiu Fuxue gestured for Jiufang Cangze to stay silent and hid behind a rock.

“…Let Qiu Fuxue come out! I will only give the item to him!”

“I am not negotiating with you.” Li Yun applied a little more pressure, and the blade left a trail of blood on the boy’s neck.

“Wuwu…” The boy trembled in fear, his dark eyes filled with terror.

Lun Ling was furious. “You… you’re despicable!”

Li Yun sneered. “What if I am? I was the one who designed the plot to destroy Jiufang Cangze’s spiritual core. Who do you think you are?”

Hearing this, Qiu Fuxue, who was hiding in the shadows, glanced at the person behind him.

Li Yun had always tried to hide what happened before he woke up. If it weren’t for today, he would never have known that Jiufang Cangze’s spiritual core had been destroyed in such a way.

Having heard enough, Qiu Fuxue appeared and called softly, “A-Yun.”

Li Yun’s body visibly stiffened. He was unsure if his senior brother had overheard their conversation. “Senior Brother…”

Lun Ling saw him as if he had found a lifeline. “Sect Leader Qiu, you must honor your word! Don’t you see what your subordinate is doing?”

Qiu Fuxue signaled for Li Yun to lower his sword, giving the boy his freedom.

As soon as the boy was out of danger, he ran to Lun Ling, sobbing softly. Lun Ling shielded him tightly behind him.

“Tsk.” A familiar low voice came from behind the rock where Qiu Fuxue had been hiding. “Lun Ling, you’ve come up in the world. Where did you find such a little beauty?”

“…My Lord!”