I Reborn on the Night I Divorced the Sword Deity, My Childhood Friend - Chapter 16

The two abandoned their boat and went ashore, entering the Demon Realm across the White Jade Bridge.

Stepping onto the bridge, Shen Junyu looked as far as the eye could see. The prosperous capital in the distance was teeming with people, bustling and thriving. High-rise buildings rose from the ground, flags fluttered, and various shops and stalls lined the streets, their cries vibrant and enthusiastic.

Aside from the pedestrians on the street having unique appearances and the clothing and local customs being more revealing and uninhibited, there was not much difference from the Central State. It seemed that folk rumors were truly not to be entirely believed.

Thinking of this, Shen Junyu’s eyes flickered slightly. “I truly didn’t expect the Demon Realm to look like this.”

Beside him, Wen Su smiled upon hearing this. “What did you think the Demon Realm looked like? Ghostly winds, volcanoes and swamps everywhere, and everyone living off miasma?”

Shen Junyu was speechless.

Seeing what Shen Junyu was thinking, Wen Su added, “When the three races first divided the territories, it was indeed like that. But back then, the Human Race was only given barren hills and wild lands, and the Spirit Race was given the vast deep seas. However, after thousands of years of cultivation and transformation, none of the three races are as they were at the beginning. Yet people still cling to old history to attack each other; it’s quite pointless.”

Shen Junyu couldn’t help but smile after listening.

Wen Su: ? “What are you laughing at?”

Shen Junyu said seriously, “Your way of speaking is very interesting. It sounds quite amusing.”

Wen Su’s expression became nuanced for a moment, and he didn’t know how to respond. Sometimes, the points Shen Junyu found interesting were themselves quite interesting.

At this time, Shen Junyu asked again, “However, why do you call your Demon Realm the ‘Heaven-Gifted Divine Realm’?”

Wen Su regained his composure, feeling that the question had touched upon his expertise. He raised an eyebrow and explained slowly, “Speaking of this, it’s quite interesting. Originally, we of the Demon Race called ourselves the Divine Race. After all, the first great power to ascend among the three races was that Heavenly Saint Sovereign of the Demon Race. The Demon Race took pride in this and called themselves the Divine Race. As for ‘Demon Race,’ that was a derogatory term spread by the Human and Spirit races.”

“But gradually, as the name was used more, some demonic cultivators felt the title was quite domineering. Plus, as mixed-bloods among the three races increased, both names were used. Later, somehow, the ‘Demon’ label took the lead. But at the entrance of the Demon Realm, this plaque was personally written by the oldest Demon Sovereign. Out of respect, successive Demon Sovereigns have never taken it down.”

Shen Junyu nodded. “I see. To think there was such an origin.”

Seeing that Shen Junyu enjoyed hearing these things, Wen Su smiled faintly and began to search his mind for local customs and anecdotes of the Demon Race to tell him.

Shen Junyu listened quietly, very absorbed. Wen Su talked the whole way, and Shen Junyu listened the whole way.

Later, Wen Su grew somewhat thirsty, so he led Shen Junyu into a street-side tavern. They requested a quiet, secluded spot on the second floor, ordered some exquisite fruits and wine, and sat down.

The tavern bordered the street on the right and the river on the left. Fearing the street side would be too noisy, Wen Su chose a seat by the window overlooking the river.

The great river surrounded the entire Demon Realm, and a clear breeze blew across the shimmering water. In the distance, an exquisite white jade galley floated on the river. A group of brightly dressed, attractive demon maids and men were singing and dancing on the galley; the scene was vivid and passionate.

However, because it was quite far away, it wasn’t too noisy.

Seeing that Shen Junyu didn’t seem to mind, Wen Su poured a cup of wine for him and teased, “Good luck today; there’s even free singing and dancing to watch.”

Shen Junyu smiled and took the wine cup, raising it slightly. “Thanks to you.”

The sunlight hit Shen Junyu’s fair, clear face, making it look as translucent as jade. Wen Su couldn’t help but daze for a moment. But quickly, the corners of his mouth curled up secretly as he withdrew his gaze and discreetly poured a cup of wine for himself.

The two clinked glasses. Wen Su moistened his throat and continued telling stories to Shen Junyu.

Shen Junyu held half a cup of spiritual wine, resting his chin on one hand. He listened to Wen Su talk about the customs of the Demon Race while his gaze unconsciously swept over the river and that galley.

Suddenly—

Shen Junyu’s fingers gripping the wine cup tightened abruptly. His gaze was like it had been burned by something, and he immediately withdrew his eyes discreetly.

Wen Su hadn’t been paying attention to the galley, but seeing Shen Junyu’s strange expression, his curiosity was piqued, and he took a look instead.

As a result, Wen Su’s brow twitched violently once, then again.

In the most open area of the galley, two muscular demon men with painted, bronze skin were embracing, their necks entwined, kissing loudly. One had his legs wrapped around the other’s waist, brazenly moving up and down.

Wen Su: “………………..”

Then, he expressionlessly placed his hand against his forehead, turned his face away toward the stairs, and knocked on the table. “Waiter, come up. Change us to another table.”

Half an hour later.

The two moved to the side facing the street. Wen Su felt apologetic and somewhat dared not look directly at Shen Junyu.

In contrast, Shen Junyu, sensing Wen Su’s embarrassment, gave a discreet smile. “In your Demon Race, shouldn’t this be a common sight? Why do you look even more shy than I do?”

Wen Su: ?

Shen Junyu misunderstood, showing slight surprise. “Could it be that you have never had a demon companion?”

Wen Su was speechless.

Seeing the faint embarrassment on Wen Su’s face, Shen Junyu went quiet for a moment. He smiled faintly and looked out the window. “Actually, speaking of which, although I’ve had a fiancé for so many years, it’s really no different from having none at all.”

“The one who retreated fifty paces shouldn’t laugh at the one who retreated a hundred.”

Wen Su was still in a subtle state of embarrassment when he suddenly heard this. His heart skipped a beat, and a surge of extreme surprise rose within him. He couldn’t help but look up at Shen Junyu’s currently very calm and indifferent side profile. According to Shen Junyu, he and Yuan Muzhou have never even done the things that Dao companions or even just regular couples do?

I didn’t guess wrong, did I?

Wen Su’s thoughts flashed like lightning. As he speculated, his heart couldn’t help but start thumping. Suddenly—

“Young Marquis Xingyan is competing in astral divination again! The reward this time is a Heaven-grade Demon Soul Weapon!”

“Someone just went up, won five rounds, and then coughed up blood. That Heaven-grade weapon isn’t easy to earn.”

“But it is a Heaven-grade weapon, after all; someone will always be tempted. Look, isn’t someone else going up now?”

“Go, go, let’s go watch the excitement.”

As the voices faded, Shen Junyu, who had been leaning by the window listening intently, withdrew his gaze and smiled with interest. “Your Demon Realm even has competitions for this?”

Wen Su felt displeased at having his conversation with Shen Junyu forced to an end. He said indifferently, “This is mostly a setup, and it’s been running for many years, yet many people still fall for it.”

Shen Junyu: “A setup?”

Wen Su nodded. “Yes. It’s held every year, and the prize is always the same. But the competitors, regardless of their level, always lose miserably—either coughing blood or being seriously injured. I suspect it’s a trick the Young Marquis uses to build his fame.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t understand astral divination. Otherwise, I’d like to see if that kid truly has talent or if he’s using some other means to tamper with the competition.”

Hearing this, Shen Junyu pondered for a moment and smiled. “Then… shall we go take a look?”

Wen Su: ? But then, Wen Su realized something and said dryly, “I forgot; this was originally your trade.”

Seeing Shen Junyu’s high interest, Wen Su suppressed the irritation in his heart and smiled. “In that case, there’s no harm in looking.”

If it were anyone else, they might fear the Heavenly Eye Demon Lord behind Young Marquis Xingyan, but he was not afraid. If that Young Marquis truly dared to tamper with the competition in front of him, whichever hand he used to cheat, Wen Su would chop it off.

Shen Junyu had no idea of Wen Su’s “extremely violent” thoughts at the moment. He found everything in the Demon Realm new and fresh, and having encountered such an event, he planned to join the crowd.

After paying the bill, the two left the tavern and headed toward the direction of the voices.

Shortly after, they arrived at the most prosperous part of the main street. Before them was a red-silk stage half a man’s height. The stage was surrounded by people.

The Heaven-grade Demon Soul Weapon hung high at the top of the stage, glowing brilliantly and making everyone’s eyes turn green with envy. However, at this moment, the eight sides of the stage were guarded by the Young Marquis’s personal soldiers; despite the greed, no one dared to move.

On the stage, two demonic cultivators sat facing each other, the competition in progress. One cultivator had white hair and a beard, looking somewhat like a transcendent immortal. The other wore a pure white, magnificent gold-woven robe; his handsome looks held a trace of wickedness—this must be the Young Marquis, Meng Xingyan.

The content of this astral divination competition was different from usual; they took turns posing problems for each other to solve. The match continued until one party could no longer solve a problem and surrendered. Currently, they had each solved three rounds, and a winner had yet to be determined.

Shen Junyu watched the battle quietly. Because of the crowded and messy environment, Wen Su stood beside him and sent a message via sound transmission.

“Meng Xingyan’s father is the Heavenly Eye Demon Lord, who possesses an innate spiritual eye and has extremely high attainments in divination. He has solved cultivation bottlenecks for the Demon Sovereign several times, so even though his talent is mediocre, he is highly favored. Meng Xingyan inherited the innate spiritual eye, and it’s said his talent is not below his father’s.”

“With your ability, can you see any clues?”

Shen Junyu didn’t answer Wen Su’s question immediately. He watched the match for a while before suddenly speaking aloud, “Young Marquis Xingyan is about to win.”

Wen Su: ?

When Shen Junyu said this, he didn’t use sound transmission at all. His voice was neither too high nor too low, sounding very clear and pleasant. For a moment, the surrounding demonic cultivators all heard him.

But in such a setting, many were making blind guesses, so no one initially cared about Shen Junyu’s judgment.

Until the next second—

The white-haired cultivator on the stage suddenly twitched, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and fell over, unable to get up.

The crowd broke into an uproar!

Instantly, all eyes focused on Shen Junyu. From the moment Shen Junyu spoke to the white-haired cultivator’s defeat, only three breaths of time had passed!

Was he a plant? Or did he truly have skill?

At the same time, a pair of narrow phoenix eyes on the stage looked straight down into the crowd, flashing with a look of extreme surprise and joy, yet also a hint of killing intent.