CH 43

T/N: Quick major thank you to Queli for their support and ko-fi donation MWAH

Xu Xingchen was stunned. He looked at the lean figure splashing around in the spring, appearing relaxed and content, completely at ease.

Was all the previous suffering just an act?!

In his mind, there was only one word – shameless.

Shen Liuxiang first pretended to be afraid of pain, letting his guard down and making Xu Xingchen believe he was far superior, and then, in his moment of pride, he played a trick, all the while acting like a petty person in front of Emperor Yuhuang.

In addition to his anger, Xu Xingchen also felt a sense of defeat.

He had been in the medicinal spring for only half a tea’s time, and he was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat and unable to speak, yet Shen Liuxiang had endured soaking in a more painful medicinal pool every day. How did he manage to persist?

Xu Xingchen’s heart was filled with a mix of emotions. He looked at Shen Liuxiang emerging from the water, his phoenix-like eyes slightly narrowed, and he provocatively pursed his lips, an unwarranted sense of challenge apparent.

In an instant, his anger surged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He, Xu Xingchen, was born as the young master of the imperial palace, a proud son of heaven. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

A cry of surprise erupted by the spring.

Xu Xingchen fell from the water.

Shen Liuxiang stared dumbfoundedly. He had seen Xu Xingchen soaking in the black spring water, his cheeks reddened and colorful, but he couldn’t help but chuckle at his current appearance.

Why did Xu Xingchen look as if he had been so insulted, spitting out blood into the spring water?

Perplexed, he grabbed Xu Xingchen’s arm, helping him up. “Are you alright?”

The group of people by the spring who had been about to save Xu Xingchen paused in their actions. Seeing Shen Liuxiang helping him up, their gazes toward him softened a bit.

As Xu Xingchen was lifted out of the water, in a dazed state, he vaguely saw Shen Liuxiang’s slender and fair fingers, resting on his arm, holding on tightly.

He hesitated for a moment, and then a burst of strength erupted from his previously immobile body. He struggled desperately.

Get the **** out of here! No way would he would ever degrade himself to the point of needing Shen Liuxiang’s help!

Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow, lightly clasping Xu Xingchen’s hand. He glanced at him, a naturally aristocratic face adorned with dark water droplets, a few strands of hair scattered, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance.

Shen Liuxiang sighed, “Alright, seeing you in such pain, I’ll help you.”

The crowd was bewildered, not knowing how he would help him.

Amid the confusion, they saw Shen Liuxiang grab Xu Xingchen, his hand rising and falling with a crisp sound as it struck the back of Xu Xingchen’s neck cleanly.

Xu Xingchen’s struggling halted, and he fainted.

Shen Liuxiang remarked, “After fainting, the pain will subside.”

Everyone: “…” It seems to make sense.

…

Xu Xingchen slowly woke up, his neck sore. He found himself in his room.

An attendant waiting nearby quickly came forward to help him up, offering a bottle of pills, “These are Condensing Pills. The Emperor asked you to take two.”

Xu Xingchen swallowed the pills, gradually regaining his awareness. His face alternated between pale and green.

Shen Liuxiang dared to lay hands on him. But indeed, after fainting, the pain had subsided. “Where’s Shen Liuxiang?”

The attendant replied, “The Emperor is teaching him transformation techniques.”

Xu Xingchen’s expression was subtle. Going to the demon realm required suppressing one’s aura, and apart from that, transforming into various types of monsters with transformation techniques was also a form of security.

“I mastered such techniques when I was six years old.”

Xu Xingchen scoffed, “Where are they? I’ll go take a look.”

The attendant provided the location.

Warm sunlight fell upon the soft grass, with willow fluff drifting in the air, creating a tranquil and peaceful scene.

“Boom—!”

A wisp of smoke dissipated, and something strange appeared on the grass.

Emperor Yunyu stood with hands behind his back, his gaze falling upon the peculiar creature on the ground. It had one large eye and one small eye, three furry legs, a tail longer than its body, and it blinked with its pitch-black eyes.

He remained silent for a moment and asked, “What have you transformed into?”

“A wolf,” Shen Liuxiang said, “A fierce and menacing wolf, doesn’t it look like one?”

Emperor Yunyu didn’t respond, seemingly unsure what to say. He flipped his hand and presented a bronze mirror to Shen Liuxiang.

Shen Liu Xiang stretched his neck to look.

He looked hideous.

He sighed softly, his claws scratching the ground in frustration.

This transformation technique was akin to disguise arts. He hadn’t quite mastered the essence of it. He had intended to transform into a fierce wolf, but now it seemed too difficult. Perhaps it would be better to go for something simpler.

Shen Liuxiang silently chanted the incantation.

With a ‘boom,’ a fluffy little white rabbit appeared on the ground.

It huddled on the grass, a small bundle with bright and transparent red eyes, its two erect ears twitching slightly in the wind.

“Does this look like one?”

Shen Liuxiang leaned over to the bronze mirror, assessing his appearance, reluctantly satisfied.

Just then, a massive figure rushed over and slapped him on the back, holding him down. “Turning into such a small thing, where’s the fun in that? If you can’t learn, you might as well ask me. I can teach you a couple of moves to become as imposing as me.”

The form Xu Xingchen had taken, a white tiger, bared its teeth and grinned, triumphant as it gazed at the rabbit in its grasp.

Shen Liuxiang squinted and activated his spiritual power. With a kick of his rabbit leg, he sent Xu Xingchen tumbling through the air, flipping over before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Xu Xingchen shook his head and stood up for revenge. Shen Liuxiang quickly dashed to Emperor Yunyu’s side.

Emperor Yunyu said, “No more mischief.”

Xu Xingchen held his breath but could only suppress his emotions.

Emperor Yunyu glanced at the soft little bundle by his feet, bent down, lifted it up, and weighed it in his palm.

“Rabbit demons are extremely common in the demon realm, gentle by nature. Pretending like this is acceptable, except for lacking a bit of intimidation,” he explained.

Shen Liuxiang realized that Emperor Yunyu’s palm was slightly warm, and lying on it felt quite comfortable. He raised his head, examining it closely. His adoptive father’s face was impeccable, with his shallow eyes slightly lowered, his usual aloofness tinged with a hint of indifference.

Watching this scene, Xu Xingchen’s eyes reddened instantly.

How despicable, even disguised as a weak creature!

What use was this imposing white tiger appearance… he also wanted to be held in his father’s palm. Now, he might not have time to turn into a rabbit.

Xu Xinglian sat inside the pavilion, looking at the trio on the grass, letting out a soft laugh. But a hint of loneliness appeared on her face.

She wanted to leave the palace too.

In the afternoon, Shen Liuxiang and Xu Xingchen went to the academy. Shao Hong pulled out over a thousand books related to the demon realm from the towering piles, allowing them to learn about the situation there.

Shen Liuxiang initially found it boring, but then he discovered a familiar name in the books, and his spirits lifted.

It was a miscellany, detailing the daughter of a great demon king named Yao Mengyue, nicknamed the Demon Clan Princess. She had been captured seven times by Qingling’s Immortal Ling Hua, yet miraculously escaped every time.

Shen Liuxiang pondered for a moment, and a bright smile spread across his face.

Speaking of it, he owed Ling Hua a big favor. On the day his senior brother locked the Heavenly Dog within the sect, Ling Hua learned of the incident at Sword Sect. He had released Ao Yue from captivity, instructing him to take Zhou Xuanlan to the demon realm.

Shen Liuxiang had always been curious about how Ling Hua managed to make Ao Yue listen to him.

During the period when he hadn’t arrived at the imperial palace, Ling Hua barely drank any alcohol. He sighed all day long and received mysterious messenger birds every few days. After receiving the letters, he had to rack his brains to write something to send back.

Now, it suddenly dawned on Shen Liuxiang.

Ling Hua had used the Demon Clan Princess’ identity as leverage to persuade Ao Yue.

He was truly moved. After finishing the miscellaneous notes, he found many interesting stories about the demon realm, sparking his interest. He read several books in a row, but he started feeling tired toward the end. Rubbing his neck, he looked around.

Although Xu Xingchen was quite far away from him, he sensed his gaze almost immediately. he raised his head, his face filled with hostility.

Shen Liuxiang clicked his tongue lightly and retracted his gaze. At that moment, there was a slight movement in his storage pouch.

Shen Liuxiang blinked in surprise, then calmly picked up a few books, found a quiet corner to sit down, and took out a jade slip. In a low voice, he said, “What’s the matter?”

Usually, they contacted each other in the middle of the night.

Zhou Xuanlan’s voice came through, “Is the Master planning to come to the demon realm?”

Shen Liuxiang widened his eyes. He hadn’t informed Zhou Xuanlan about this yet. How did he know? Could it be that the palace had informants?

“Master hasn’t responded, it seems like it’s true,” Zhou Xuanlan’s tone lightened, seemingly indicating a smile. He explained, “I just got some information. It seems the palace is making a move.”

Shen Liu Xiang was surprised, “I see.”

“Where will the Master stay? I’ll prepare for your arrival and greet you properly.”

Shen Liuxiang replied, “I haven’t decided yet.”

Separated by numerous bookshelves, Xu Xingchen held his breath and used his wind-hearing technique to catch snippets of conversation.

“Where to stay,” “I’ll pick you up.”

Xu Xingchen furrowed his brows, then his eyes widened. He quickly used a secret technique to inform Emperor Yunyu.

“Father, Shen Liu… Brother has colluded with a man of the demon clan. The evidence is solid! That person even said they would pick him up.”

In an instant, a faint tremor ran through the library’s atmosphere.

A tall figure appeared behind Shen Liuxiang without making a sound. Light-colored eyes stared at him.

A sudden chill crept down Shen Liuxiang’s spine. He adjusted his clothes and heard Zhou Xuanlan’s inexplicable tone, “I still have something to return to the Master.”

He inquired, “Do you remember the storage pouch you gave me that day?”

Shen Liuxiang replied, “I remember.”

That day at Sword Sect, after Lan Xiaosheng returned him the storage pouch filled with magical artifacts and elixirs, Shen Liuxiang attached it to Zhou Xuanlan’s waist.

Zhou Xuanlan asked, “Have you opened it?”

Shen Liu Xiang looked puzzled, “Just glanced inside. Is there a problem with it?”

Zhou Xuanlan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly recited in a deep and slow voice, “You are my heart, you are my liver, you are the bright moon in my heart, something I’ve sought my whole life but couldn’t attain.”

Shen Liu Xiang: “???”

He froze, somewhat bewildered, while Emperor Yunyu behind him narrowed his eyes slightly.

Just as Shen Liu Xiang was about to ask Zhou Xuanlan for clarification, he heard the person on the other end of the jade slip say in a soft and ethereal voice, “Dedicated to Ye Bingran.”

Shen Liu Xiang: “??!!!”

T/N: Father Yunyu has caught wisps of Immortal Shen’s affairs! Will he be grounded? Find out in the next chapter!

On another note, sorry for suddenly disappearing for a week haha… in a strange turn of events I ended up going on a trip without any stable wi-fi, so I was essentially trapped in the wilderness for a couple of days (Whoops!).

(1) – I cannot remember whether or not the title Emperor Yuhuang was mentioned before, but just in case, the literal title means ‘Jade Emperor’. Yunyu is his actual name.