Illusory Demon Realm, Far North…
Deep within the far north of the Illusory Demon Realm, the secret location remained completely untouched by the outside world. It was an isolated region surrounded by mountains, where profound energy circulated in a dense and heavy manner—like an invisible tide pressing down on the air—located several hundred kilometers away from the Illusory Demon Imperial City.
Fen Juechen had remained completely motionless the entire time.
Sitting in a cultivation posture, his body seemed like a statue fused with nature itself. No one could sense him, much less see him. If anyone were present and looked in his direction, their senses would become confused and disoriented.
Then—
His eyes opened.
Slowly.
A smile curved his lips.
It was… amused.
Almost lazy.
"So…" His voice came out low and drawled: "It's time to begin."
In that same instant—
Something changed.
His pupils shone with a deep purple hue. The whites of his eyes… darkened. It was as though black ink was spreading beneath the surface, swallowing the white until only an unnatural contrast remained between the luminous purple and absolute darkness surrounding it.
A somber breeze swept through the area.
His hair began to change.
The already black strands deepened into a shade of absolute darkness that reflected no light whatsoever. Thin wisps of black energy started detaching from the tips, like living smoke slowly dissipating into the air. As though that head of black hair no longer belonged to the mortal world.
The invisible pressure that spread afterward caused the very space to vibrate.
Fen Juechen—no.
Ren Zu—tilted his head slightly to the side.
Those purple-black eyes gleamed with cold interest.
It was time to start his plans!
.
.
.
.
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The small courtyard where his father lived with his mother was peaceful, almost cozy. The dark wooden table in the center of the room was not extravagant, but it was set with care—simple dishes, gentle steam rising from the bowls, the light aroma of home-cooked food filling the air.
To anyone else, it would seem ordinary.
To him, it still felt strange—because he had never truly imagined living something like this. Although in his previous life he had shared similar meals with his master and Su Ling'er, and in this life with his adoptive grandfather and little aunt, the feeling was completely different when doing the same beside his actual parents. Even after repeating this routine many times over the past few months he had spent in the Illusory Demon Realm, it was still not something he could simply get used to. Still, he did not dislike it. One could say it was one of the few moments since arriving on this continent that he truly looked forward to in his heart… aside, of course, from contemplating the beauty of his sister-in-law—which, let's be honest, was quite hard to resist…
Mu Yurou served him another ladle of soup, her movements gentle and naturally attentive.
"You've been training nonstop these past few days, Che'er…" she said softly, her eyes filled with maternal concern that Yun Che still didn't quite know how to handle, yet it warmed his heart. "Even geniuses need to rest sometimes."
Yun Che scratched the back of his neck lightly and laughed somewhat awkwardly.
"It's nothing, Mother. I'm just trying to keep up with the family's pace."
The words came out lightly.
But Yun Qinghong, seated at the head of the table, gave him a calm look—one that seemed to see more than Yun Che would have preferred.
"Your progress is already more than sufficient for someone who only started two months ago, Che'er," he said, his voice steady but not harsh. "Too much haste can damage your foundation."
Yun Che paused for a moment.
"Understood, Father."
The silence that followed was not uncomfortable.
It was… peaceful.
Mu Yurou glanced at her son from time to time, as though she were still getting used to the fact that he was really there, sitting at the table with them. There was an almost cautious softness in her gaze, as if she feared the moment would vanish if she blinked too long.
Then she asked in a light tone:
"The sect's disciples haven't been giving you any rest, hm?"
Yun Che nearly choked.
"Ahem—they just… ask too many questions."
Yun Qinghong let out a faint huff through his nose—something dangerously close to suppressed laughter.
Mu Yurou covered her lips with her hand, smiling delicately.
"That only proves you're popular…" she said. "But I heard you've grown quite close to Su Zhixi, who came looking for Zu'er the other day…"
"Yes," Yun Che smiled and said somewhat bitterly, "so I adopted her as my little sister."
"Little… sister?"
"Of course." Yun Che laughed. "What else? Did you want me to marry her so Mother could have a daughter-in-law?"
Mu Yurou was suddenly speechless and said in perplexity, "That child Zhixi is very well-developed. Many young gentlemen in the Demon Imperial City admire her. Do you really have no feelings for her at all?"
Before Yun Che could answer, Yun Qinghong—who had remained seated quietly beside them—calmly took a sip of tea, his deep gaze settling on his son.
"Answer carefully," he said in a light but meaningful tone. "Matters of the heart are not to be taken lightly."
Yun Che gave a somewhat helpless smile before speaking frankly:
"Of course I have feelings for her. But that kind of 'feeling' is definitely not the romantic kind between a man and a woman. It's simply the admiration of a beautiful woman and nothing more than possessive desire… or what could be called a man's instinct—or the most detestable barbarism. I can't attack someone just because of that, right?"
But Mu Yurou laughed and said, "You two only met for the first time recently, so of course it's impossible for romantic feelings to develop so quickly. But since you at least feel this 'admiration,' it means you don't reject her and you even like her to some extent. That beginning is already enough—you'll develop a relationship with her very soon."
"Mother, you really seem to like Zhixi a lot. Do you want her to join our family by marrying me?" Yun Che said with a face full of helplessness.
"Of course." Mu Yurou smiled. "Anyone who sees Zhixi would like her. Even if the Su Family hadn't brought her to meet you, I—your mother—had already planned to raise the matter with them. In the entire Illusory Demon Realm, there aren't many girls who could be worthy of my son, but Zhixi certainly qualifies as one. If you keep hesitating and let young masters from other families get to her first, it would be a real pity."
Yun Qinghong set his cup down with a soft sound.
"Yurou…" he said calmly, "Che'er's future should be decided by himself."
His gaze turned toward Yun Che—deep and firm.
"But if you truly have no intention of pursuing her, it's better to make that clear as soon as possible. Don't give a good girl unnecessary expectations."
"Hm… I know, Father…" Yun Che rubbed his forehead in frustration and said: "To be honest with you both—I'm incompatible with her… and extremely incompatible, at that."
"How exactly are you two incompatible?" Mu Yurou's eyes seemed to say they were compatible in every way.
Yun Qinghong also furrowed his brows slightly, clearly curious, but remained silent.
Yun Che let out a small sigh of relief before slowly saying:
"I once owed a girl… very, very deeply. She gave everything for me, but I… From that moment on, I swore I would never owe anyone else in this life. But… I couldn't control myself, and out of weakness and helplessness, I ended up owing one person after another. To the point that…"
Yun Che's voice faltered. In his mind flashed the beautiful image of Chu Yuechan. He had never told his parents about her—otherwise, if they knew there was a very real possibility they had a grandson wandering somewhere far away, they would worry every single day.
And Cang Yue… they had been married for more than three years, but the actual time they had spent together was pitifully short. What had been left for her was worry and disappointment again and again.
Yun Qinghong watched his son in silence, his deep eyes revealing an almost imperceptible trace of understanding.
"Mother, you must have noticed and felt during this time that there are many unusual things about me. And all of them have decided that my life is destined to never be peaceful. Even if I pursued the most ordinary life, different conflicts would still be continuously drawn to me." Yun Che said calmly. "And Zhixi—although she was born into a Guardian Family—has an introverted personality, gentle as water, waiting to be betrothed before marriage and then staying at home afterward. For most men, she would be the perfect wife candidate… but she definitely isn't suited to me. If she married me, I would most likely disappoint her."
Yun Qinghong nodded slightly.
"At least you're aware of that," he said. "That's already a good thing."
Seeing her still somewhat lost, Yun Che said helplessly: "Mother, besides… you're not without a daughter-in-law. Why are you so eager for me to marry Sister Zhixi…? Fine, fine—I promise you, Mother—your daughter-in-law will definitely not be inferior to Sister Zhixi."
"Would her appearance also not be inferior to Zhixi's?" Mu Yurou asked with a slightly forced smile. It seemed she cared quite a lot about her daughter-in-law's looks.
"Of course." Yun Che said without hesitation.
Seeing this, Mu Yurou still looked doubtful. He raised his head and said very seriously:
"Mother, I'm telling you this very responsibly. Your daughter-in-law—forgetting all other qualities—just based on appearance alone, she would defeat Sister Zhixi by a huge… huge… huge margin!"
"Oh?" Mu Yurou's eyes narrowed slightly. "Mother really doesn't believe that. Zhixi is no ordinary beauty. In the entire Demon Imperial City, only very few can compare to her. Could the daughter-in-law you found for Mother possibly be like the Little Demon Empress—an angel who fell from the heavens, your brother's wife…?"
"Hm, I can't say she's comparable to the Little Demon Empress, but each has her own strengths." Yun Che agreed without hesitation. The Little Demon Empress's appearance was already truly stunning, yet neither Chu Yuechan nor Xia Qingyue was inferior to her. "My first wife is, after all, the number one beauty of the Blue Wind Nation…"
Just as the words left his mouth, Yun Che's voice instantly froze and he had a bad feeling. As expected, Mu Yurou turned and looked at him:
"First wife? Could there be a second wife, third wife, and concubines as well?"
Yun Qinghong also slowly raised an eyebrow, his gaze carrying a hint of pride.
"Che'er…" he said calmly, "explain."
"Uh, well…" The corner of Yun Che's eyebrow twitched. He lowered his face and said honestly, "Fine. I'll tell you the truth. Actually… you have two daughters-in-law. The first is the one I mentioned to you both before—Xia Qingyue, who was childhood betrothed to Brother Ren Zu, and we married six years ago. Her appearance can truly be compared to the Little Demon Empress, and she was publicly known as the number one beauty of the Blue Wind Nation. The other is named Cang Yue. We married three and a half years ago, and she is the only princess of the Blue Wind Nation."
Mu Yurou raised her eyebrows.
"One is the number one beauty of the Blue Wind Nation, the other is the only princess of the Blue Wind Nation… My son's taste really isn't bad. But only women of this caliber are worthy of my son."
Yun Qinghong let out a faint breath through his nose, but there was clear approval in his gaze.
"His taste is at least not low. But Zu'er has a fiancée? I hope this doesn't reach the Little Demon Empress's ears…" he muttered to himself.
On the other hand, Mu Yurou felt somewhat proud of her son. Her brows softened as she said sentimentally:
"Che'er already has two wives. Mother wasn't present at either wedding, and now I haven't even seen what my daughters-in-law look like…"
Yun Qinghong observed Mu Yurou's sentimental expression for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.
"Unfortunately…" he said calmly, his fingers tapping lightly on the wooden table. "In the entire Illusory Demon Realm, probably only Zu'er currently has the ability to cross continents freely."
The words fell simply.
But for Yun Che, it was like swallowing something bitter.
A bad taste silently spread in his mouth. His fingers tightened slightly around the bowl for a brief moment—so subtle it almost went unnoticed.
Again.
Always him.
Yun Che lowered his eyes for a second… then forced the corners of his lips upward.
"Unfortunately I'll have to rely on him—or wait until that profound ark I mentioned to you both before recovers its energy—to return to the Profound Sky Continent." He said in a light tone, as though he didn't mind: "But since I can't wait too long because I'm worried about them, when I meet Brother Ren Zu, I'll ask him to go with me to the Profound Sky Continent. At that time, I'll definitely bring them back to see you both… Uh, but while my princess wife will definitely be willing to return with me, Qingyue's temperament is very different from ordinary women, so whether she'll be willing to come back… I can't be sure."
"Then Mother will have to think about what kind of gifts to prepare when meeting them." Mu Yurou smiled. Looking at her expression, she seemed somewhat nervous about meeting her daughters-in-law for the first time. "If you don't want to marry Zhixi, Mother will speak clearly to the Su Family."
Yun Qinghong gave his wife a sideways glance before speaking, his voice calm but measured.
"No need to rush to refuse completely," he said. "The Su Family is close to ours. It's better to handle it properly when the time comes."
Mu Yurou nodded slightly, but her smile didn't fade. Clearly, at that moment, her attention had already turned to something far more important.
She looked at Yun Che again, her gentle eyes full of maternal anticipation.
"Mother is really looking forward to meeting them…" she murmured.
Yun Che laughed lightly, trying to keep an easygoing air.
"You'll see them soon."
Mu Yurou then turned her gaze to her husband, as though remembering something important.
"Qinghong," she asked softly, "is there still no news about when Zu'er plans to come out of seclusion?"
Yun Qinghong's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He shook his head.
"Not yet."
His fingers tapped once on the table before he continued, his tone growing slightly more serious.
"The Little Demon Empress… refused to mention anything at all about this matter."
The air seemed to grow a little heavier.
Mu Yurou fell silent for a moment, clearly surprised.
"Not even an approximate timeframe…?"
"No." Yun Qinghong replied.
Yun Che kept the smile on his face.
But inside, his eyes darkened slightly.
Seclusion…
Or… doing something no one can know about?
For some inexplicable reason, that uncomfortable feeling in the depths of his chest quietly stirred again.
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