Back To When The Demon Lord Was A Beggar - Chapter 13

It was nothing more than arrogant blustering. Neither of them took her words to heart, deciding that rather than arguing with her, it was better to head back to their rooms and sleep until noon. They hadn’t closed their eyes for over a day, and exhaustion had seeped deep into their bones. Zhi Shiyi appeared no different than usual, walking with his typical grace and poise, but the moment Chu Nanzhen stepped through the door, his frame began to sway. His eyelids were so heavy they twitched, giving the impression that he might collapse onto the floor and fall into a deep slumber at any second.

When he finally opened his eyes again, it was because of a persistent knocking. He sat up and glanced out the window, noticing that the sky was only just beginning to brighten with the dawn. Another round of knocking followed, so forceful that the wooden door groaned and rattled.

“Who is it…” His voice was raspy from sleep. He rubbed his eyes, stood up, and stumbled over to the door. Upon opening it, he found Wu Xiang staring at him with a face full of fury.

Chu Nanzhen froze for a moment before turning around to scan the room. He distinctly remembered carrying the man back yesterday. Logically, he should have been inside the room, so why was he standing outside?

Seeing his reaction, Wu Xiang couldn’t help but let out a mocking scoff. He pointed a finger at him, sounding thoroughly annoyed. “What? Still looking for me in there?! Do you even know where you dumped me? You tossed me right under a tree without so much as a blanket! I nearly froze into a cat-flavored popsicle last night, and not a single soul cared!”

“Ah.” Hearing Wu Xiang’s rant, the memories began to trickle back. After returning yesterday, he had indeed intended to carry Wu Xiang to the room. However, he recalled looking down at the dark, fuzzy lump in his arms and, in his sleep-deprived daze, forgot what he was holding and simply tossed it aside. He never imagined it was Wu Xiang. For a moment, he was at a total loss for words.

But Wu Xiang had been unconscious at the time. How did he know who had carried him? A seed of doubt planted itself in Chu Nanzhen’s mind.

Wu Xiang huffed indignantly, hands on his hips. “And then there was that girl, whoever she is. I’m a stranger in this place, so I asked her for a blanket. Not only did she refuse, she actually rolled her eyes at me!”

Chu Nanzhen ignored the complaints, focusing on his own question. “How did you know it was me who carried you back?”

In truth, he already had an inkling. There weren’t many people present that day, and even fewer who lived in the manor. Aside from Guyu, there was only Zhi Shiyi. Guyu wouldn’t pull a stunt like that, but Zhi Shiyi was a different story.

Sure enough, Wu Xiang’s answer confirmed his suspicions. He started with a confused “Huh?” before adding, “That guy you were with told me.”

Hearing this, Chu Nanzhen mentally rolled his eyes. He looked at Wu Xiang and said, “Be grateful. At least I carried you back. Zhi Shiyi couldn’t be bothered to look at you.”

At the mention of Zhi Shiyi’s name, Wu Xiang’s excitement became visible. His eyes practically sparkled. Suppressing his enthusiasm, he asked, “What did you say that man’s name was?!”

“…Zhi Shiyi,” Chu Nanzhen repeated. He looked the man up and down as if he were an idiot. He wondered if Wu Xiang had some kind of mental affliction, given how quickly his mood swung. Besides, he had called out Zhi Shiyi’s name several times back in the Foggy Forest, had the guy really not heard it?

“You’re up early today.”

It was Zhi Shiyi’s voice. Speak of the devil. He walked up to Wu Xiang’s side and addressed Chu Nanzhen.

The moment Wu Xiang saw him, he threw his arms open as if asking for a hug. He looked up with a bright smile and pitched his voice into a high, flirtatious trill. “Benefactor! I want a hug”

“Are you ill?”

Zhi Shiyi shifted his gaze from Chu Nanzhen and frowned, asking Wu Xiang the question in a flat, clinical tone.

At those words, Wu Xiang spun around instantly, hiding his hands behind his back. He wiped away a non-existent tear from the corner of his eye. “If I had slept outside any longer, I certainly would have been.”

He thought to himself, I knew it, my benefactor really does care about me.

“Thanks to you, how could I not be up early?” Chu Nanzhen replied, crossing his arms.

Zhi Shiyi understood the underlying meaning. He lowered his head with a soft chuckle, though by the time he looked up again, the smile had already vanished. “I’m accompanying you to the Middle City today, just as we agreed.”

“When do we leave? Can we stay there for a few days?” Having been away for so long, Chu Nanzhen feared his peach trees had withered. If they could stay for a while, he might be able to coax them into bearing sweet fruit again.

Since he wanted to stay, staying for a few days was no issue. It would also be an opportunity to see where Chu Nanzhen used to live, and to see if he still sought out the most crowded, bustling places just as he had when he was a child. Zhi Shiyi smiled gently. “Very well. Once the Young Master is packed, we can set off immediately. I’ll be waiting at the gates.”

Meanwhile, Wu Xiang, who had been muttering to himself with his back turned, realized neither of them had listened to a word he said. By the time he turned back around, they were already gone. The bedroom door had been shut for who knows how long.

“Where did everyone go?” Wu Xiang yelled, standing alone in a daze.

Initially, Wu Xiang had no intention of going with Chu Nanzhen. The matter of being dumped under a tree was far from settled! However, since Zhi Shiyi was going, and he was his benefactor, Wu Xiang reluctantly decided to tag along.

The carriage was silent. No one spoke. Wu Xiang’s eyes darted between the two of them several times before he finally broke the ice. “Did Ji Chushan leave anything behind?”

He and Ji Chushan had been the best of friends. Now that she was gone, he hoped she might have left something for him, some proof that she had once existed in this world.

“She did,” Chu Nanzhen replied. “But it wasn’t an object. It was a pair of eyeballs.”

Wu Xiang’s eyes lit up. He knew she wouldn’t leave him with nothing. He held out his hand. “Well, give them to me!”

Chu Nanzhen stared at the outstretched hand. “I don’t have them. Zhi Shiyi does.”

Wu Xiang immediately turned his hand toward Zhi Shiyi. “Benefactor! They’re mine, give them here!”

He had already planned it out. Once he had the eyes, he would hang them from his waist. That way, he could see her all the time, and it would be as if Ji Chushan had never left, but had simply changed her form to stay by his side.

Zhi Shiyi glanced at him. “I don’t have them on me. I’ll give them to you when we return.”

Wu Xiang nodded vigorously. It didn’t matter if he got them now or later, as long as they were coming. Zhi Shiyi then asked, “What year did you go to the Foggy Forest, and when did you meet her?”

In front of his savior, Wu Xiang was an open book. He thought for a moment before speaking. “Hmm… I think it was seven years ago.”

He and his brother were twins. Their mother had passed away during the difficult birth before she could even name them. They were raised by an old man who happened across them, but he never gave them names either. The old man said that everything was guided by fate, and that the right person would eventually come along to name them. Later, the old man decided to travel the world, leaving them to beg on the streets to survive. Not only did they fail to find food, but they were also dragged into a deserted corner and beaten by other beggars. The others feared these two young demons would steal their livelihood. He clearly remembered that he and his brother hadn’t eaten in days and had no strength to fight back. Even then, his brother had shielded him with his own body. No matter how hard they were hit, his brother never made a sound, though cold sweat poured down his pale, bloodless face.

At the time, his brother had forced a smile to comfort him. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll always be here for you.”

Even though his brother wasn’t much older, he was always the first to step into danger. But even with protection, a brutal beating was unavoidable. After all, who would care if two nameless, orphaned beggar boys died in the city? Just as they were at death’s door, Zhi Shiyi appeared, saved them, and drove the crowd away.

Zhi Shiyi gave them food, a home, care, and companionship until they grew into adulthood. One day, his brother said that since they were grown, they shouldn’t just stay with Zhi Shiyi being lazy and useless. So, his brother took him away, planning to start a business elsewhere. If they made money, they could treat Zhi Shiyi to the finest meals.

Zhi Shiyi didn’t stop them when they decided to leave. Instead, he gave them names. They were no longer just “brother” and “little brother,” they were Wu Xiang and Wu Xin.

The mind should act without being attached to anything.

It turned out that this was the “fated person” the old man had spoken of.

They traveled north until they reached Langya City. Calling it a city was a bit of a stretch, it was more like a massive cluster of villages. The people there were kindhearted, and neighbors would always pitch in to help those in need. When the brothers first arrived, many locals took it upon themselves to teach them a trade. Gradually, they settled in. But the good times didn’t last. Seven years ago, a sudden fire broke out in Langya, consuming everything in its path. No matter what they did, the flames wouldn’t die down. The fire was massive, destroying half the city in no time. Some people couldn’t run fast enough and were burned alive. The fire seemed to have a life of its own, lunging at people with purpose. Countless citizens curled up on the ground in agony, and many were turned to ash before they could even scream for help.

From the start of the fire to the destruction of half the city, it took no longer than the time it takes to boil a pot of tea. Wu Xin gripped his hand tightly and ran toward the city gates, but they couldn’t outrun the speed of the flames. When Wu Xiang looked back, he saw the fire coalesce into a terrifying human face, its giant mouth a void of darkness. Fear gripped his heart.

They were cat demons, so they were naturally faster than humans, but the demonic fire eventually caught up. Its spiritual power far exceeded their own. In his final moments, Wu Xin threw him toward the city gates. But how far could a toss really go? To ensure his survival, Wu Xin detonated his own demon core. The massive shockwave blasted Wu Xiang out past the city gates.

Wu Xiang watched with his own eyes as Wu Xin was swallowed by the inferno. The demon fire couldn’t leave the city, but the sky, which had been perfectly clear moments before, was stained red by the sudden blaze.

In the end, some people did manage to escape, mostly those living near the city entrance. His life had been saved by his brother, so he had to keep living. He left Langya and headed north, eventually entering the Foggy Forest.

Back then, the Foggy Forest wasn’t the place it is now. It was just an ordinary woods with plenty of wild fruit, enough to keep him fed. The change began a month later. A man entered the forest that day, wearing golden robes and a white mask. He couldn’t see the man’s face, but he remembered him throwing a pair of eyeballs onto the ground. He performed a ritual, and the eyes instantly transformed into a black mist. The vitality of the forest withered the moment she arrived.

The man told her, “I will bring you food periodically.”

Wu Xiang watched for a while and realized the black mist wasn’t malicious. She spent all her time alone in the depths of the forest. When he finally spoke to her, he discovered she was mute. Well, not entirely mute, she could make some sounds. Thinking of the man who had brought her, Wu Xiang felt he was likely a villain, so he taught her a few words, like “danger” and “run.”

Eventually, she learned to speak. The first thing she ever said was her own name, “Ji Chushan.” Gradually, they became close, and Wu Xiang was no longer alone. It was only later that he discovered the “food” the man spoke of was living people…

“And you know the rest. That’s pretty much how it happened,” Wu Xiang concluded.

As Chu Nanzhen listened to the story, his eyes filled with pity. He had thought his own life was difficult, but he never imagined someone could have it even worse.

Based on what happened in the Foggy Forest, everything was being controlled by someone behind the scenes. There were six points on that formation. If you excluded the forest, there were five left. It was highly likely those five locations were just like the Foggy Forest.

Furthermore, regarding the place called “Langya,” Chu Nanzhen remembered Zhi Shiyi telling Lin Feng that he had saved his master there. Since Wu Xiang was also in Langya, it was likely the same place.

Yet, in the entire Kingdom of Qiming, there was no place known as Langya.

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