After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 33.2

Yanlai was deeply disappointed. Lady Yun, however, spoke sharply: “You should leave. Do not linger in the Crystal Palace any longer.”

The two were driven out.

Standing on the shore under the bright moonlight, the sea shimmered and a light mist rolled in. Hongchen remained silent for a long time before saying nonchalantly, “She’s so fierce. She has such a gentle face, but who knew she could be so mean? Tsk tsk, I want to destroy her palace. It’s one thing to be mean to me, but how could she be mean to you?”

She gave a casual kick, swinging her slender right leg. “I’m hungry. I hear this place has plenty of grilled fish and shrimp. Tsk tsk, and with two cups of wine, it would be pure joy.”

Yanlai was silent, her expression unreadable in the moonlight. Hongchen stepped forward and patted her shoulder. “Don’t be sad. It’s just Wangchen. I’ll go back and learn it. Or Qilin could teach me. Why don’t we let Qilin try?”

Hearing this, Qilin poked her head over. “I know the Wangchen spell, but if the person who set it has higher cultivation than me, I won’t be able to break it.”

“Try it,” Hongchen commanded, stepping back. Spiritual energy gathered at her fingertips. “I’ll help you.”

Qilin swallowed hard. Yanlai, looking troubled, did not refuse. Qilin pinched a spell, chanting under her breath before shouting, “Vanish!”

In the next heartbeat, a beam of light rebounded from within Yanlai, striking violently at Qilin. Qilin was terrified, and Hongchen quickly pulled her out of the way.

“Master! What a powerful spell! It even attacked me!” Qilin was still shaken. If that sharp blow had hit her, she would have been dead.

Wangchen was not supposed to cause physical harm; it was only meant to take memories. That was the only reason Qilin had dared to try. The spell on Yanlai was clearly aggressive, designed specifically to prevent anyone from breaking it.

This meant the person responsible not only had staggering cultivation but was also determined that Yanlai should never recover her memories. Qilin’s legs went weak, and she only remained standing because Hongchen supported her. Both had been pushed back a hundred paces by the shockwave.

Hongchen frowned. Such a domineering technique made it clear that whoever Yanlai had provoked was incredibly powerful.

The Emperor? Hongyan?

Hongchen sensed the danger involved. She paced back to Yanlai’s side and offered comfort. “I think Hongyan set it. She wanted you to forget her. Maybe you shouldn’t look for it. Look at us: you have no memory, and I have no soul. Aren’t we a perfect match?”

Yanlai glanced at her. “Are you trying to say the Emperor stole my memory?”

“Wait. Wangchen is a spell unique to demons. If the Emperor knows how to use it, then… then has he become a demon?” Hongchen speculated before bursting into laughter.

The great Emperor of Heaven, the ruler of the Ninth Heaven, had fallen into a demonic state. The beings of the three realms truly were blind of eye and heart.

Hongchen laughed mockingly, but Yanlai could not. She stood with her hands behind her back under the moon, her figure thin and her shadow looking exceptionally lonely. Whether it was Hongyan or the Emperor, neither was a good prospect. She turned back to the smiling girl and asked, “Do you remember Liuguang (Flowing Light)?”

“What kind of thing is Liuguang?” Hongchen shook her head.

Qilin jumped up. “A demon artifact! It requires a blood sacrifice to make a pact with a devil to return to the past.”

Hongchen touched her own delicate cheek. “A devil? Is there a devil more wicked than me?”

Qilin explained, “Liuguang is an artifact. Its spirit is an ancient devil. Making a deal with it means dealing with a devil even more wicked than the Demon Lord.”

“Why was a demon artifact on my Phoenix Mountain, and why has it now become an Immortal artifact?” Yanlai was baffled. She had too many questions, one after another, and no way to answer them. Her mind was a tangled mess.

Hongchen stomped her feet. “What is there to fear? I’ll just learn Wangchen and break your seal. What is there to fear? Oh, right, there’s one more thing: what is up with this?”

She pointed to the bracelet on her wrist and leaned in close. “Spirit, want to come out for grilled fish and wine?”

Yanlai frowned, staring at the bracelet. Recalling the Empress’s total indifference toward Qinggu, everything suddenly became clear.

“She killed A-Rou!”

Only if Qinggu had killed A-Rou would the Empress hate her enough to abandon her own flesh and blood.

As the words fell, a figure emerged from the bracelet. Qinggu floated in the air, looking at Hongchen. Hongchen pursed her lips. “I’ll treat you to grilled fish. You tell me about the past. How about it?”

“I’m sorry. I swore an oath. I cannot speak of it.” “What kind of oath?” “If I speak, Yanlai will be struck by five bolts of lightning from the heavens.”

In an instant, Hongchen burst into laughter, squatting on the ground. Yanlai rubbed her forehead; the situation was absurdly funny.

Qinggu, confused by the laughter, landed on the ground and stomped her foot. “Keep laughing and I’ll ignore you!”

The innocent Yanlai pulled Hongchen up from the ground. “Let us go. It is not wise to linger here.”

Hongchen laughed until tears came to her eyes. “Did you offend her? Why did she use you to swear an oath? This is too much! She actually used you to swear her oath. Oh, Yanlai, Yanlai, you truly are a magnet for trouble.”

Shamed, Qinggu vanished back into the bracelet in a flash.

Yanlai patted Hongchen’s shoulder. “Keep laughing, and I will ignore you too.”

The three of them left the East Sea coast together. Under the pitch-black sky, they traveled swiftly until they arrived at an inn, where they took a suite for the night.

The night was as cool as water, and moonlight spilled through the window. Qilin slept on the bed in the outer room, while Hongchen and Yanlai lay in the inner chamber. Hongchen, as carefree as ever, fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Yanlai, however, could not sleep. She tossed and turned before getting up to stand by the window, gazing at the bright moon in the sky.

In the middle of the night, Hongchen reached out and felt the empty space beside her. She blinked, seeing the silhouette by the window, and woke up completely.

“Not sleeping in the middle of the night—waiting for me to kiss you?”

Yanlai turned around, looking at the person on the bed through the moonlight. Seeing how lighthearted she was, Yanlai couldn’t help but frown. “Do you not hate me?”

“Hongyan slaughtered the entire Phoenix Mountain. Do you not hate her?” Hongchen yawned lazily. Her robes were half-open, revealing the snowy, lustrous skin of her neck. She casually pulled her collar back up, her movements full of a free-spirited grace.

Yanlai watched her quietly, unable to understand her lack of resentment. Why did she not care about the past? The past was a part of one’s being; how could it be discarded so easily? Furthermore, could the grievances she had suffered simply be forgotten?

“I started with hate,” Yanlai admitted. “But later, I found you were different from the rumors. I am your master. If you did wrong, the guilt is naturally mine.”

“Yanlai, you have the hatred of a massacred clan. I do not,” Hongchen said plainly.

Yanlai shook her head. “You do. Your mother died at the hands of the Immortal Clan.”

“I don’t clearly remember that past,” Hongchen said after a moment’s hesitation. “One is born for good, and turns to evil for selfish desires. Right now, I have no selfish desires. Why should I be evil?”

Yanlai realized then that their perspectives were fundamentally different.

The rooster crowed at dawn, scattering the night. Qilin had woken up early to buy a mountain of mortal breakfast foods, covering the entire table.

The moment Hongchen woke up, she saw the feast. She rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a chicken, and took a large bite. Qilin sat perched on a bench, gnawing on a chicken foot. The master and servant were eating with great joy.

Yanlai smelled the heavy aroma before she even left her room. Crossing the threshold, she saw Qilin squatting there, eating. Qilin friendly offered her a chicken leg.

“I practice inedia,” Yanlai declined.

Qilin gave her a strange look. “I do too, but I just want to eat. It’s so fragrant!”

“Ignore her. She’s suited for fasting and living on pure energy,” Hongchen said, pulling Qilin back and snatching the chicken leg to stuff it into her own mouth.

Yanlai sat to the side, watching the two of them eat greasy food so early in the morning. “Where are we going today?”

Hongchen was busy chewing. After a moment of thought, she said, “Qilin and I are going to the Crystal Palace.”

Lady Yun must have discovered something yesterday. Hongchen intended to go back today and have Qilin erase her memory. Hongchen herself didn’t mind, but she feared for Yanlai’s reputation. Collusion between an Immortal and a Demon was a grave sin. Yanlai understood her intent and did not stop her. Hongchen was not one to kill the innocent, so she didn’t need to worry for Lady Yun.

After the meal, Hongchen and Qilin entered the Crystal Palace once more. Lady Yun’s expression changed the moment she saw Hongchen, but she didn’t call for guards. Instead, she invited her to sit. “Has the Demon Lord returned to ask something?”

“I’m not here to ask anything. I want you to shut your mouth,” Hongchen said bluntly. Lady Yun’s face paled. Hongchen tilted her head, realizing she had been a bit too harsh, and corrected herself: “I won’t kill you. I’ll just take your memory. Cooperate with me. If you don’t, I’ll get angry.”

Hearing this, Lady Yun relaxed and said candidly, “I didn’t expect the Demon Lord to be such a young girl. Since you are merciful, I will tell you this: you bear the traces of the Liuguang (Flowing Light) Array.”

Medical Immortals were different from regular Immortals; they excelled at healing and could diagnose old wounds like a mortal doctor.

“The Liuguang Array?” Hearing the name again, Hongchen’s eyes flickered.

Lady Yun’s words meant she had indeed made a pact with a devil. Hongchen tilted her head with an air of innocence. “What do you mean, My Lady?”

“The Demon Lord offered herself to the spirit of the Liuguang artifact, which is why your soul cannot return. Even with an incomplete soul, you can still rule the Demon Realm. If your soul were to return, no one in the four realms—Immortal, Demon, Underworld, or Human—would be your match.” Lady Yun was honest. This beautiful woman before her seemed so pure and harmless, yet she was the ruler of the demons.

Lady Yun felt a sense of regret. Despite the divide between their races, she didn’t feel deep hatred for the Demon Lord, but she could not let her stay.

Hongchen accepted this calmly. She smiled and said, “I understand. I am sorry for what I must do today; consider it a debt I owe you. Rest assured, if I ever encounter your children, I will not harm them.”

Lady Yun looked at her in surprise and gratitude.

Hongchen looked at Qilin. As Qilin prepared the spell, Hongchen asked, “Have you told anyone else?”

“A healer has her secrets,” Lady Yun shook her head.