After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 27.2

The dream matched the Empress’s words almost perfectly, though she had hidden one thing: she loved A-Rou, and had even helped raise Hongyan. The relationship between the three was not like the petty jealousies of wives and concubines in stories; rather, both women disliked the Emperor and had secretly developed feelings for one another.

San Meng and Hongchen chattered for a while and decided to enter the Empress’s dreams again to uncover more secrets. San Meng only collected dreams; entering them uninvited was a forbidden art, and outsiders thought she couldn’t do it. In truth, it was a forbidden technique that damaged her own essence.

After discussing it, San Meng decided to cast the spell again. Yan Lai suddenly spoke up: “If the Empress notices, San Meng, beware of being punished.”

San Meng’s excitement died down, but she was still unwilling. “High Goddess, are you not even curious?”

“I am not interested in the Heavenly Empress’s private affairs. I only want to know why Hongyan studied under me and why she fell to the dark side to become the Demon Sovereign,” Yan Lai said concisely. After all, it was the Empress’s bedchamber; peering in constantly was highly improper. Furthermore, the Empress was not someone to be trifled with; for her to remain hidden at the Emperor’s side for so many years proved her formidable character.

Where did A-Rou go back then? And was the other mortal soul truly A-Rou? Yan Lai sat on her couch, lost in deep thought.

“Could it be that A-Rou went to the Demon Realm, which is what the immortals call ‘falling to the dark side’?” San Meng mused. “Since her mother became a demon, Hongyan was naturally implicated. Perhaps Phoenix Mountain kicked her out, she went to find her mother, and became a demon herself?”

“What a touching drama of mother-daughter devotion,” Hongchen sneered. “Do you think you’re living in a storybook?”

San Meng gave an awkward laugh. “Is it not possible?”

“You should ask High Goddess Yan Lai. Would Phoenix Mountain truly be so cold-hearted?” Hongchen redirected the tension toward Yan Lai, even flashing her a provocative, defiant wink. She held her chin high, her eyes full of disdain.

Yan Lai looked at Hongchen and remained silent for a long time. If Hongyan had truly become a demon, she herself bore an inescapable responsibility—perhaps the primary responsibility. A sense of helplessness washed over her.

Phoenix Mountain always prided itself as the foremost immortal sect, known for its strict discipline. If the scenario San Meng described had occurred, Hongyan would undoubtedly have been expelled from the sect to prevent the mountain from being implicated. Immortal sects always valued their reputation above all else, let alone a lineage as prestigious as the Phoenix bloodline.

Yan Lai did not need to think twice to know how difficult Hongyan’s situation must have been. But what did I do back then? If I had protected her with all my might, would she have ever turned into a demon?

Self-reproach swelled in Yan Lai’s heart. San Meng, sensing the gravity, whispered, “If there is regret, there is a way to find redemption.”

“Redemption?” Hongchen asked, puzzled.

“Phoenix Mountain has an artifact that can return to the past. If you know the mistake, you can avoid it,” San Meng suggested.

Hongchen immediately spat in her direction. “Get back to your Nine Heavens, you wretched thing!” The Demon Sovereign spat out curses, standing with hands on her hips like a common brawler.

Yan Lai found it amusing and hid her smile. San Meng blushed at the abuse. “I was just saying! Why are you so worked up? Besides, why does a Demon Sovereign care so much about our Celestial affairs?”

“Nonsense! I’ve finally achieved my current status. If I go back ten thousand years and you kill me out of malice, what then?” Hongchen was deeply dissatisfied. Moreover, her past self was someone easily bullied; why would she ever want to relive that misery?

After San Meng left to rest, Hongchen sat beside Yan Lai, leaning against her as if she were boneless. Yan Lai, filled with guilt, couldn’t find it in her to push her away. Her voice softened. “Are your injuries any better?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you look?” Hongchen began to undress right then and there.

“Have some reserve,” Yan Lai said helplessly. Undressing at the drop of a hat—how was this the behavior of a lady?

Hongchen paused, her hands still at her waist. “Reserve? What use is reserve? I want to pair with you; why should I care about being reserved?”

“Fine, fine. My mistake.” Yan Lai surrendered and gently pulled Hongchen’s hands away. “Let me.”

“Yan Lai, did you do something wrong to me?” Hongchen asked suspiciously. Yan Lai’s sudden tenderness was hard to handle.

Yan Lai looked at her. “I did something wrong to you?”

The girl pursed her lips, a glint of pure, bright light in her eyes. “You’re being so gentle; you must have a guilty conscience.”

She was right. Yan Lai felt an immense weight of guilt. As a Master, she had failed to protect her own disciple.

Yan Lai’s expression remained unchanged as she eased the outer robe from Hongchen’s shoulders. The girl was unbothered, but Yan Lai’s face turned red all the way to her ears.

Hongchen teased her. “I’m the one being exposed, so why are you blushing? You’re great in every way, except for this constant blushing.”

As soon as she spoke, the white veil of the Heart-Cleansing Curse appeared over Yan Lai’s eyes again.

“Is everyone at Phoenix Mountain sick?” Hongchen grumbled. “What is the point of this curse? Eyes are meant for seeing. The person who created this spell must have been starved for love and knew nothing of human desire.”

“I created the Heart-Cleansing Curse,” Yan Lai said quietly.

“You…? Were you… starved for love?” Hongchen didn’t hold back. “You’re a hypocrite; you even lie to yourself.”

Yan Lai remained silent. Her gaze fell on Hongchen’s back. The wounds were still there, fresh and unhealed, looking exactly as they had days ago. She was baffled; even without medicine, the wounds should have begun to scab. The sight of the raw, angry gashes beneath the white skin made Yan Lai draw a sharp breath. She reached out to touch the skin; Hongchen gave a tiny, almost imperceptible flinch.

So, Hongchen is also afraid of pain.

Yan Lai immediately pulled the clothes back over her. “Rest here. I am going out.”

“I’m coming too!” Hongchen dressed in a hurry. “Are you going to find that dog, Qing Feng?”

“Why would I find him? Also, he is your elder brother; mind your language,” Yan Lai reminded her. Yan Lai was a traditionalist at heart; no matter how “dog-like” Qing Feng was, he shared Hongchen’s blood.

Hongchen stopped, her clothes half-open. “Yan Lai, if you marry him, I will storm your wedding and beat him until his soul is scattered.” Her tone was cold and arrogant, perfectly matching the “bloodthirsty and brutal” descriptions the world gave her.

Yan Lai didn’t flinch. She simply smiled. “Rest.”

Yan Lai returned to the Nine Heavens to see the Immortal Physician. The elderly physician had lived so long she wasn’t surprised by Yan Lai’s visit.

“You haven’t visited me since ten thousand years ago,” the physician smiled. “You said back then your friend was injured and medicine was useless. How is that friend now?”

Yan Lai was stunned. I came here back then? She had forgotten every memory regarding Hongyan. She forced herself to stay calm. “If she is injured, how can she be healed?”

“Spiritual power. There is no other way,” the physician said. “Have you forgotten?”

“I remember. I just wasn’t satisfied with the answer. Tell me… is she the ultimate medicine? Can she increase one’s cultivation?” Yan Lai asked, testing the waters.

The old woman paused, looking at Yan Lai. “Increasing cultivation is a good thing, but one should not use a human life for it. A ‘Medicine Human’ is a tragic existence, especially one that is half-human and half-herb. They are coveted by the world. As they say: ‘possession of a jade is a crime.'”

Yan Lai clenched her fists. “Was it Prince Qing Feng?”

“Oh, I didn’t say that,” the physician said, her expression shifting.

Yan Lai was done hiding. “That ‘Medicine Human’ was his own sister. How was she used to save him?”

The physician shook her head in pity. “I don’t know the specifics, but her role was greater than any medicine. I never saw that child again after that. She was so beautiful… what a waste of a lovely face.”

Yan Lai’s rage was becoming uncontrollable. The Heavenly Emperor had used his own daughter as a medicinal source to save his son. It was a heinous, forbidden act.

After Yan Lai left, a sudden hurricane swept through the physician’s hall. A streak of light, sharp as a blade, pierced the elderly woman’s chest. The physician, who had saved countless immortals, fell dead, her eyes wide with shock.

Meanwhile, in her palace, the Heavenly Empress received the news. “The Immortal Physician is dead. She was speaking with Yan Lai just before she died. Now, the Emperor is summoning the High Goddess to answer for it.”

The Empress stood up lazily. “How boring. Why would Yan Lai kill her? Tell Si Ming—since her tongue is the longest—that Prince Qing Feng stole someone else’s spiritual roots. His cultivation is stolen from a ‘Medicine Human.’ Let her go to Phoenix Mountain and tell Yan Lai to break the engagement.”

The Empress smiled. Once this secret was out, the heavens would be in chaos.

Back at Phoenix Mountain, Yan Lai found Hongchen and San Meng together. They had used the chance while the Empress slept to enter her dreams again.

This time, the dream was different. In the depths of a forest, amidst a pool of spring water covered in flower petals, two figures were pressed together, their lips touching, their bare backs exposed above the water.

Hongchen was excited. “I want to see more!” She tried to fly closer, but the vision twisted and she was thrown back into reality.

“San Meng! I wanted to see the rest!” Hongchen cried, sitting on the floor.

San Meng, shaken by the intimacy she had glimpsed, backed away from Yan Lai, who was standing there with a cold, dark expression.

Hongchen looked up at Yan Lai. “Are you back from your date with the Prince?”

Yan Lai leaned down and gripped Hongchen’s chin. “Do you not think you are going too far?”

That woman in the dream was the one who gave you birth. The other was the one who raised you. How dare you look upon them with such a desecrating gaze?