The black horse, lazily chewing grass, lacked the grandeur of a steed, more like a nag. Sensing Lian's affection for the "two-legged creature," it snorted, pawing the ground, itching to trample Feng and claim Lian for itself.
"Burp…" Lian, calming the horse, accidentally belched. The undigested, dragon-scented horse essence odor rose from her stomach, and she clamped her mouth shut, fearing Feng might notice.
"Roar…" The demon "Holy Lord," standing obediently by Xian Lilith, stirred with primal urges beyond hunger. After consuming a cultivator's essence, the demon's black hide at its groin twitched faintly, signaling awakening desires.
"Breeding…" Once a tempter of immortal gods, the demon now muttered like a witless fool, driven by fragmented instincts.
It deemed Xian Lilith's frail body unfit for bearing demonic offspring. Through their invisible link, it funneled chaotic demonic energy into her delicate frame, reshaping her.
The sudden influx hit Xian Lilith, her eyes flaring purple, pupils mirroring the demon's. An indescribable sensation rose from her abdomen, a mix of heat and primal urge, stirring her body in ways she couldn't suppress.
"Hmm…" She stifled a groan, snapping Feng to attention. "Xian Lilith, are you okay?"
"Hmph!" Lian, atop her horse, huffed, her jealousy palpable across the distance.
Feng gave an awkward chuckle.
"I'm fine," Xian Lilith said, taking a deep breath to suppress the demonic energy's effects.
Unseen, a faint pink pattern bloomed on her smooth abdomen, visible on her pale skin before fading, lurking within her body.
Feng didn't know that tonight, he'd lost more than one.
Days passed in the Spirit Mountain Realm, but in the mortal world, mere hours elapsed, the sky still dark, dawn yet to break.
Last night's New Year's Eve lantern festival was, for Bright Hua's capital citizens, just another celebration. The new emperor, after months in the palace, joined the people, revealing the empire's new ruler since Ming Jiang's death.
The common folk, unaware of the night's upheavals, were pitiable yet fortunate. Demonic factions struck, righteous sects stood idle, and the Xuanwu Army formed ranks. Prince Tao, using his jiao dragon energy, disrupted Bright Hua's dragon fortune, reviving past dynasty remnants. The Wanmin Star Array faltered, and the immortal ruins above nearly crashed, threatening millions. Emperor Ren, with bold resolve, turned the tide at great cost, using the Mountain River Cauldron.
Oblivious, the people revealed in the new year's joy. The sky's tremors and continent-like mirage? Merely novel fireworks, they believed. With cultivators in the world, such spectacles weren't impossible.
But for those who stayed in the capital, knowing the dangers bound by ties, memories, or faith they waited.
Amid fading lanterns, dragons danced, children with masks and fireworks darted through crowds. Scholars caroused in warm taverns and brothels, lovers reunited, and idlers enjoyed foreign circuses or local plays. Riddles on lanterns stumped bookish youths.
Amid the bustle, fires were inevitable. A prominent tower in the city's southwest burned fiercely for hours, undimmed. The authorities evacuated in time, preventing deaths, though one person reportedly perished.
The night marked a farewell to the old, a welcome to the new, a joyous renewal.
At a lamplit railing, Suya sat, her slender legs swaying. Her delicate features bore a sickly pallor, yet her beauty was serene, like a gentle stream. Her willow-like brows framed her face as she hummed a folk tune, gazing at the faint mirage in the sky, waiting calmly for Feng's safe return.
"Hey!" A child in a fox mask plopped beside her, dressed in black-and-gold robes. He patted her shoulder, startling the frail girl.
Surprised but kind, Suya said to the masked child, "Little one, it's late. Your parents will worry."
"Heh!" The child removed the mask, revealing a cherubic face, exquisitely carved like porcelain, with boyish charm yet a delicate, almost girlish beauty.
"You're… from Rex Zhen's household?" Suya, seeing the boy's striking face, was more surprised but recognized his origins.
"Heh, you remember me?" The boy blinked, seeming surprised.
"Of course." Suya's healer's compassion glowed with maternal warmth. She smiled gently, patting his head. "I'm a healer with a sharp memory… Didn't you have a sore throat last time, staying silent?"
"Haha, thanks for caring! I'm fine now!" The boy grinned at Suya. Without his mask, his sly, narrowed eyes made him seem more foxlike, like a cub sneaking into a henhouse.
"Sister, you look sick," he said, pointing at her pale face.
Suya smiled patiently. "It's not sickness."
She didn't mention the poison untreatable even by her master, the Onyx Elixir Clan's sage. Her unique constitution sealed the toxin, preventing its spread. The poison, capable of turning people into living puppets, was dormant in her body. Though it weakened her, it hadn't worsened, lying quiet.
If it stayed stable, she might one day find a cure.
"Oh, I see." The poison's creator, now feigning innocence, smiled at the frail Suya.
"Where's your home? I'll walk you back," Suya offered, warmed by the boy's charm.
"Rex Zhen's mansion, like I said last time," he replied, blinking.
"Alright… What's your name?"
The boy paused, silent, then asked, "What's yours?"
"I'm Suya, from the Jun household. If you want to play, come to the second house on West Street, call my name, and I'll join you."
The two strolled through the lamplit crowd, soaking in the capital's vibrant night, Bright Hua's flourishing splendor.
Nearby, Wally dodged a group of servants, slipping into an alley near the palace, muttering curses. Suya glanced curiously.
She overheard the hefty, agile man, trembling as if rallying himself, "Damn it! I nearly died…"
"Even if I die today, I, Wally, will die under a beauty, a romantic ghost!"
A swarm of servants chased him, his distinctive bulk impossible to hide. He fled amid chaos, evading capture.
At midnight's end, they reached Rex Zhen's mansion. Suya knocked gently on the closed gate. An impatient voice answered, "Who's there?"
"I'm Suya from the Jun household on West Street," she replied calmly.
"Jun household?" The gate swung open, revealing a cautious face inspecting Suya's robe and the unmistakable 'Jun' crest, a mark of the main lineage. The gatekeeper's attitude shifted to respect. "The marshal's daughter! What brings you here so late?"
"I'm returning your young master."
"Young master?" The gatekeeper, confused, looked at the finely dressed, exquisite boy. No child this age belonged to the mansion.
Before he could object, the boy's gaze turned dark and profound, compelling the gatekeeper to act grateful, nearly weeping. "Oh, my little lord! You're back… The marshal's been frantic…"
Suya's brows furrowed. Her keen intuition, honed by her spiritual clarity, sensed something amiss.
But before she could probe, the boy stepped inside.
He paused, turning back, his porcelain face smiling. "Sister, I forgot to tell you my name."
"I'm Wu Xie."
The gate shut, leaving Suya pensive, a touch lonely. She gazed at the secret realm where Feng was, murmuring, "Wu Xie… innocent and pure. A good name."
Snowflakes dusted her hair as she blended into the lamplit crowd, a vision of beauty.
The boy she called "innocent" sat expressionlessly on the mansion's main seat.
The true master, Rex Zhen, his wife, children, and concubines knelt before him, their faces vacant yet fawning, worshiping Wu Xie.
This was his contingency, planned before entering the capital. His identity was unassailable, vetted even by the capital's astrologers, rooted in a pawn placed during the previous emperor's conquests.
The Evil King leaned back, closing his eyes as if asleep.
His rejuvenated mind recalled a millennium ago a girl with a medicine basket cradling him, her eyes mirroring Suya's: compassionate, gentle, and loving.
She'd said, "No name? Then you're Wu Xie."
"So alike!" He opened his eyes, their warmth replaced by greed and lust.
His reborn body didn't just grant new life it unleashed new desires. His childish frame stirred, a grotesque bulge forming at his groin, like a venomous dragon lurking beneath, signaling his reawakened carnal urges.
"You're mine!" His lustful words, stark against his innocent guise, echoed in the silent mansion.