After His Demise, the Demon Lord's Doted Canary Finally Sees the Light - Chapter 75

Qiu Fuxue  looked at Lan Shiyi with a slight smile. “The Lan family truly has a lot of talented people.”

“Sect Leader Qiu, you flatter me.” Lan Shiyi’s face was pale, and the dark circles under his eyes were impossible to hide. It seemed he hadn’t rested in a while.

Qiu Fuxue took in these small details. After some polite conversation, he got straight to the point. “Sir, you came here on behalf of the Imperial City?”

Lan Shiyi pursed his lips. “Yes… but it’s mostly for my own personal reasons…”

Lanzhi  looked at his brother with some concern.

Lan Shiyi’s voice was hoarse. “The demons are running rampant. Two days ago, something unexpected happened in Dawn City, and with the Lan family’s influence, I took over as City Lord.”

Qiu Fuxue took a sip of his tea, waiting for him to continue.

The Lan family now controlled two of the four cities. If it weren’t for the various immortal sects keeping them in check, the Lan family would have become all-powerful.

Lan Shiyi said with a bitter smile, “The Lan family’s ancestors have accumulated a lot of power and have long been a source of suspicion for the royal family. I was supposed to marry the Static Peace Princess , but when I returned from Dawn City, the palace sent a messenger to tell me that the princess had been kidnapped by demons.”

Qiu Fuxue set his teacup down with a sharp sound. “With so many immortal sects guarding the Imperial City, how could a princess be so easily kidnapped?”

“I was suspicious as well and sent people to investigate in secret. But the result…”

“The result is that the royal family feared the Lan family’s power and couldn’t find a reason to cancel the marriage. So, when the demons attacked, they personally sent the princess to them.” Qiu Fuxue revealed the truth that the other man couldn’t bring himself to say. The air immediately fell into a dead silence.

The royal family was ruthless. Shallow blood ties were nothing in the face of self-interest.

Human nature, when tempted by profit, rarely stands the test.

Lan Shiyi stood up in silence. Under the gaze of those light red eyes, he slowly knelt down. “Sect Leader Qiu, although the princess and I have no feelings for each other and have only met a few times, her tragic fate is entirely my fault.”

“Ordinary immortal sects do not dare to enter the demon realm. If you are willing to help this time, the Lan family will remember your kindness and do everything in its power to help the Thousand Thoughts Sect in the future!”

With Lunling  in Ye Chu ‘s hands, Jiufang Cangze  was sure to go to the demon realm. Qiu Fuxue had been struggling to find a reason to help him, and now a perfect one had been delivered to him.

When he didn’t smile, his handsome face was as cold as ice. But when he curved his lips into a shallow smile, it was as if the ice had melted away.

Lan Shiyi watched as the other’s expression changed, and then Qiu Fuxue stood up and personally helped him to his feet.

“Sir, please rise. The Lan family has been a great help in my investigation of the Nine Fiends.” Then, he looked back at Lanzhi. “Now that you have a request, how can I refuse?”

Because of the long journey, Lan Shiyi did not return to the Imperial City after getting Qiu Fuxue’s promise. Instead, he went to stay at the City Lord’s residence in Sunset City.

Qiu Fuxue and Lanzhi walked slowly down the mountain. The latter was wrapped in a large cloak, his hands tucked in his sleeves. “Sect Leader Qiu, I’m troubling you again.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Qiu Fuxue smiled. “By the way, how is Shengyan  doing lately?”

That guy had been deeply hurt by his and Jiufang Cangze’s teasing. He wondered if it had left a lasting scar.

“A-Yan has a very carefree personality. He forgets things as soon as they happen. It was a waste of Sect Leader Qiu’s time to take him on that trip. He changed his mind after he got home and no longer wants to be a disciple.”

“Perhaps he has seen how dangerous demons are.” Qiu Fuxue silently suppressed a smile. Shengyan, who had just stepped into the world, had run into Jiufang Cangze, the great demon lord. He now knew just how evil demons could be.

Jiufang Cangze had stayed down the mountain to take care of Xiao Chang  and hadn’t come back all night. Qiu Fuxue had expected him to come and ask for his help, but he waited all night and never saw him.

He felt it was a loss of face to go and find him himself.

Qiu Fuxue felt a pressure building inside him, and his aura turned very cold. He went down the mountain in a huff early in the morning.

The disciples of the Thousand Thoughts Sect who were practicing early saw the sect leader’s gloomy face and immediately held their breath. They wondered who was so unlucky that the sect leader was going to give them trouble.

Qiu Fuxue found the wooden house, raised his foot, and then put it down. He pushed the door open with force.

The loud “bang” woke Jiufang Cangze from his sleep.

Xiao Chang was still in a coma from his severe injuries. Jiufang Cangze looked exhausted, and his eyes were full of a weary sadness. “…A-Xue?”

Qiu Fuxue’s face was stony. “You don’t want to save Lunling?”

Jiufang Cangze was familiar with his emotions. He knew he was angry, but he didn’t know why. He could only answer honestly, “…Of course I do.”

At his words, the other person seemed to get even angrier. “Then why didn’t you come to me for help?!”

“…Huh?”

Jiufang Cangze wondered if he was still dreaming. He raised his hand and slapped himself.

It hurt.

Qiu Fuxue scoffed coldly. He turned and strode away. The wind whipped around him, and no matter how Jiufang Cangze called out, he didn’t turn back.

He felt like he must have gone crazy. In the past, when Jiufang Cangze pestered him, he would speak coldly and drive him away. But now he was annoyed that the other person hadn’t come to him for help.

Jiufang Cangze was not stupid. After he figured it out, he immediately followed Qiu Fuxue. “A-Xue!”

The voice behind him got closer and closer. Qiu Fuxue pretended not to hear until a shadow suddenly covered him and he was held firmly in an embrace.

The familiar breathing was right by his ear. He had fallen asleep in this embrace on countless terrible nights.

“A-Xue.” Jiufang Cangze’s arms wrapped around his slender waist. He rested his head in the hollow of his neck, which gave off a faint fragrance, and prepared himself for a beating at any moment.

“A-Xue, I didn’t come to you for help because I didn’t want you to be in danger for my sake.”

Qiu Fuxue’s clenched fist by his side tightened. This was the first time that he, who had the ability to do so, hadn’t pushed the other person away.

“How do you know I wouldn’t want to take a risk?” If you listened closely, there was a hint of a wronged feeling in his voice.

“Because I feel pained for you.” Jiufang Cangze’s chest was filled with the feeling of getting something back that he thought he had lost. He sighed in contentment.

“A-Xue, I…”

Before he could say the last two words, Qiu Fuxue broke open the arms wrapped around his waist. He turned and said with a serious expression, “Someone from the Imperial City came to ask for help. Their princess was also captured and taken to the demon realm. The Thousand Thoughts Sect’s interests are involved, so I must go on a dangerous trip to the demon realm.”

Jiufang Cangze found his awkwardness of wanting to help but needing an excuse to be very cute.

His voice was low, mixed with an indescribable tenderness. “Alright. I’ll listen to A-Xue.”

Qiu Fuxue felt the atmosphere was a little awkward. He avoided his gaze and said stubbornly, “Consider this a debt of gratitude. You’ll have to work for me for ten more years… No, twenty years!”

“How can I pay you back like that?” Jiufang Cangze said with a smile. “Why don’t I just stay at your Thousand Thoughts Sect for a lifetime? Just give me food to eat.”

His silent heart thumped. It was a different feeling from the calm he felt with his junior brother.

In truth, the walls around his heart had already been broken down. He had just been lying to himself.

“Jiufang Cangze.” He suddenly called his name and looked into those bewildered eyes.

His soft, thin lips parted. His tone was gentle, but his words were unusually cruel. “…You really should just die.”