CH 63

The jade slip remained silent for a long while.

Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow. “Don’t stay quiet. I know you can hear me.”

The jade slip flickered, and after a moment, a low and pleasant voice drifted out, soothingly saying, “If Master is unhappy, then punish him, punish him as you wish. Disciple won’t dare to retaliate.”

By the bedside, Zhou Xuanlan’s expression turned strange. His thin lips slightly parted, but he hesitated to speak.

Shen Liuxiang narrowed his eyes and gave a disdainful look at the faint red mist surrounding Zhou Xuanlan. He scoffed, “The Blood Moon is protecting him; it won’t hurt him.”

If he could be hurt, there would be no need to hold the jade slip and shout.

Zhou Xuanlan said, “Master, find a place where the moonlight doesn’t reach.”

Shen Liuxiang suddenly understood, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. “Is it fine for you to be selling off your split consciousness like this?”

“I will let Master deal with my split consciousness however you wish. I won’t be around. Master, please don’t be angry with me.”

The voice from the jade slip filled the room. Zhou Xuanlan’s eyebrows furrowed, and his dark eyes, now restored, stared fixedly at the jade slip. The more he listened, the deeper his gaze became, and a hint of redness seemed to emerge.

Satisfied, Shen Liuxiang nodded, put away the jade slip, got off the bed, dressed himself, gathered his waist-length black hair, and said coldly, “Come with me.”

Zhou Xuanlan lowered his gaze, sensing the chill in his words. He looked both perplexed and aggrieved.

….It wasn’t him.

The outside was shrouded by the Blood Moon, but Shen Liuxiang pushed open the door, searching the courtyard for a while and failing to find a suitable place.

Zhou Xuanlan followed behind him, saying nothing.

Shen Liuxiang turned back, realizing it was a bit excessive to make the punished one find a place for punishment. So, he said politely, “Is there a place without any light? Show me.”

Zhou Xuanlan replied, “Master meant a place where light can’t reach?”

Shen Liuxiang nodded.

He intended to lock up his disciple in a dark cell to vent his frustration.

Zhou Xuanlan changed direction and led the way. “There’s an empty cellar.”

Stepping onto the stone path, Shen Liuxiang’s presence stirred the night wind, causing a few fallen leaves to twirl. A crisp “snap” sounded as he broke a twig underfoot. He bent down to pick it up, examining it in his hand.

The short, broken twig had a forked end, emitting a faint red glow under the moonlight.

Shen Liuxiang inserted it into his hair on a whim, then took a step and followed the person in front of him.

The cellar was empty, with the skylight shut, rendering it pitch black inside—no trace of light.

Using his senses to locate the person, Zhou Xuanlan gazed into the darkness, hearing a voice devoid of emotion but clear in its instructions. “Any last words to say?”

Zhou Xuanlan fell silent for a moment, softly defending himself, “After I drank, my control over the split consciousness became chaotic. Generally, at this point, it would be handed to the dominant consciousness… to take over.”

Shen Liuxiang asked, “Hmm? What do you mean?”

“…It’s nothing,” Zhou Xuanlan said, his scarlet eyes gleaming. “If Master wants to punish, disciple will accept it.”

Upon hearing his tone, full of reluctance and frustration, Shen Liuxiang couldn’t help but sneer. “You still don’t realize your mistake. You rely on the protection of the Blood Moon, so you dare to suppress me with your cultivation. Don’t you see me as your master anymore?”

Zhou Xuanlan was taken aback. “Disciple naturally respects Master.”

Shen Liuxiang furrowed his brow. “Then I told you to stop, why do you still… transfer spiritual energy.”

Zhou Xuanlan fell silent, unable to justify himself. “Master, please punish me. I won’t resist with my spiritual energy.”

Shen Liuxiang’s lips curled into a cold smile.

He brushed his hair back and, in the midst of the darkness, reached out his other hand. “Extend your hand.”

In an instant, he captured the long fingers.

Zhou Xuanlan’s eyebrows twitched slightly, allowing him to be held, speaking in a tone void of any emotion, “Master, do you intend to cripple disciple’s hand?”

“Close enough,” Shen Liuxiang said.

As the words fell, he grabbed an object and brought it down with a faint breeze, making a “thud” against Zhou Xuanlan’s palm.

Zhou Xuanlan’s expression stiffened in disbelief.

Pa, pa, pa—!

After three strikes, Shen Liuxiang paused for a moment and asked, “Will you dare to do such a thing again?”

“…I don’t dare.”

Satisfied, Shen Liuxiang released his hand and said contentedly, “Alright, let’s go.”

Zhou Xuanlan was taken aback. “Master, are you already feeling better? Are you forgiving me now?” It wasn’t even a severe punishment; it couldn’t be considered torture, let alone tickling.

“Is this not enough?” Shen Liuxiang rubbed the forked twig he picked up on the way, teasing, “The mighty Demon King got his palm struck by a small twig. If word gets out, you’ll lose face in the demon realm.”

Zhou Xuanlan, still dazed, pulled his hand back, his palm slightly tingling.

It wasn’t until Shen Liuxiang went to push open the skylight that he snapped out of his daze. He was slightly moved and blurted out, “Disciple wants to hug Master, is that allowed?”

Shen Liuxiang, who had just opened the window slightly, closed it with a “smack” when he heard this, turning around with wide eyes. “Without the Blood Moon, you’re no match for me. And if you keep saying such things, I won’t just be hitting your palm next time. Be careful, next time I will hit—”

Shen Liuxiang clenched his lips, holding back the last two words, his voice turning cold. “No, you’re not allowed.”

A hint of disappointment flashed across the clone’s face.

In the distant wasteland, Zhou Xuanlan stood amidst the ruins, his robes fluttering in the wind. He lifted his hand and stared at it for a long time, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

Next to him, Ao Yue was furious, roaring, “Enough, enough! Can’t you be more serious? If it weren’t for the Blood Moon’s protection, Ling Ye would have caught up with us! I don’t want to die!”

He used to think that he was on par with Ling Ye in terms of cultivation. He didn’t expect that in just a few years, the other party seemed to have reached an unfathomable level of enlightenment.

Fortunately, Zhou Xuanlan returned, and he narrowly escaped.

However, the situation seemed to have worsened.

“At the very least, you were Qingling’s disciple. Why does he want to kill you?”

Zhou Xuanlan looked up into the distance. “I also want to know.”

Ling Ye had repeatedly targeted him lethally, while being somewhat lenient with Ao Yue and the other demons. It didn’t seem to be because of their demonic heritage.

He brushed it off. “Never mind, he’s after us. Let’s go.”

…

Shen Liuxiang emerged from the cellar, dusted off his sleeves, and heard hurried footsteps approaching.

Luo Yu hadn’t found anyone in the room, so he searched around and rushed to the cellar, saying in a hurry, “My lord, there’s activity outside Qilin City!”

Shen Liuxiang was surprised. “What kind of activity?”

Luo Yu and the others had been monitoring him outside the city, but they weren’t sure what exactly they were keeping watch for.

Zhou Xuanlan spoke in a deep voice, “Not long ago, a group of disciples from the Sword Sect disappeared at the intersection of the two realms.”

Shen Liuxiang furrowed his brows. “That area is filled with many monsters. They might have met with an accident. Why suddenly mention this? Is it related to Qilin City?”

Zhou Xuanlan replied, “It’s just speculation.”

Shen Liuxiang said, “If that’s the case, I’ll go too.”

Zhou Xuanlan nodded and walked to the main gate, where he was met by Xu Xingchen dressed in fine clothes, with a flustered girl following behind him.

Upon seeing Shen Liuxiang’s figure, Nan Xiang leaped towards him without thinking, but halfway there she noticed the person next to him. Startled, she stumbled and ended up pouncing onto Luo Yu. She spoke, “My lord, I found Xiong You.”

Luo Yu: “??”

Shen Liuxiang asked about the situation, pondered for a moment, and decided to head to the Fragrance District.

According to Nan Xiang, Xiong You had suddenly returned earlier and instructed her to quickly find the City Lord. But halfway through his message, his expression changed, and he began saying incomprehensible things.

When Shen Liuxiang saw Xiong You, he was tied to a chair with a whip, his forehead veins bulging, and his face occasionally displaying eerie demonic patterns. “Nan Xiang, release me quickly! The City Lord is in danger!”

Nan Xiang replied, “Just wait a moment. You wanted to hurt me earlier.”

Shen Liuxiang’s gaze flickered over the whip before landing on Xiong You. “What danger?”

Xiong You was about to speak when his eyes suddenly glazed over, and his gaze turned vacant and numb. Nan Xiang pointed at him and said, “My lord, see, it was like this earlier too.”

Xu Xingchen frowned. “Given his appearance, he’s being controlled.”

Nan Xiang’s face turned pale. “Who’s so despicable? I’ll make them pay with their life!”

She held Xiong You’s face, tearfully pleading, “My lord, do you have a solution? Although I’ve sent a message asking my cousin to come, he won’t arrive for a while.”

“I don’t know how to break this kind of spell,” Shen Liuxiang replied.

He looked out at the night sky. “Take him outside the room. Maybe he regained his senses due to the influence of the Blood Moon.”

He thought about the Divine Suppression Art—most likely the one controlling Xiong You was Su Baiche. But he couldn’t figure out the purpose.

Under the crimson moonlight, the demonic patterns on Xiong You’s face faded away, and his gaze gradually became clear.

Nan Xiang was overjoyed and leaned into his embrace.

Shen Liuxiang raised his hand to stop her. “Let’s focus on the matter at hand. Is Su Baiche the one controlling you?”

“Yes, he’s the one I fought against that night and has a relationship with Zhu Yan,” Xiong You’s face turned grim, “He used me to get information about the city lord, intending to attack him during the Blood Moon.”

Shen Liuxiang looked puzzled. Even if Su Baiche had a relationship with Zhu Yan, in the end, he wasn’t a demon. On the other hand, Wenren Qin was a true demon and was under the Blood Moon’s protection. Attacking him at this time would be courting death.

Sensing his confusion, Xiong You clenched his teeth. “The City Lord is different from us.”

Xiong You knew that Wenren Qin was a mixed-blood, using some method to conceal his mixed-blood identity. However, during the Blood Moon, when demonic energy was at its peak, his mixed-blood aura would be uncontrollable and leak out, weakening his cultivation.

Normally during the Blood Moon, Wenren Qin would hide away by himself, completely untraceable. He wouldn’t have shared this information, but after being controlled by Su Baiche, he disclosed everything. The latter seemed unsurprised as if he had known all along. He questioned him mostly about the former city lord’s affairs.

Upon hearing this, Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow. “If he’s a mixed-blood, it makes sense. Su Baiche probably wants to publicly expose his identity.”

Xu Xingchen snorted lightly. “This person meddles too much.”

Shen Liuxiang glanced at him and chuckled. “It’s not meddling; bringing down Wenren Qin might let Qilin City fall into their hands.”

The news that Wenren Qin was a mixed-blood would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar. Given the city’s attitude towards mixed-bloods, there was a high chance of opposition.

Nan Xiang gradually regained her composure, but she couldn’t fully accept what she had heard. How could the City Lord be a mixed-blood?

Upon learning that Su Baiche intended to seize Qilin City, she immediately furrowed her brows and changed her expression rapidly. “Putting the City Lord aside, no one will agree to let Che Baisu control Qilin City!”

Shen Liuxiang nodded. “That’s why I think he’ll rescue the former City Lord, overthrow Wenren Qin, and then use the former City Lord to gain control over the entire Qilin City.”

Nan Xiang was taken aback and her face turned red.

Despicable! How could Che Baisu be such a despicable person!

Shen Liuxiang turned to Xiong You. “Why are you revealing all this? Aren’t you afraid that we might have the same intentions as Su Baiche and turn against Wenren Qin?”

Xiong You’s gaze met his, and after a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I saw your portrait in the City Lord’s room.”

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

Xu Xingchen narrowed his eyes and clapped his hands, derisively saying, “Impressive, big brother. You’re quite close to both the Seventh and Ninth Demon Kings.”

Shen Liuxiang replied, “Accusing me without evidence. I didn’t gift him that portrait.”

Xu Xingchen huffed coldly, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly tilted his head to look at Shen Liuxiang.

Realizing that someone was unhappy, Xu Xingchen’s displeasure disappeared from his face, and he even chuckled slightly. He asked, “Does Zhou Xuanlan know?”

Shen Liuxiang choked on his words.

Out of nowhere, don’t suddenly bring up Zhou Xuanlan!

T/N: Okay this chapter might have been a little confusing so in case anyone needs a summary of it here it is. In chapter 55, it is revealed that Su Baiche is going undercover in Qilin City as Zhu Yan’s, the Sixth Demon King, ally under the pseudonym Che Baisu to help overthrow Wenren Qin. In chapter 55, some of you may have noticed Xiong You does refer to Su Baiche as ‘Zhu Yan’ but this was most likely an accident since the text implies they may carry similarities. In any case, Su Baiche’s identity at some point has gone bust and was figured out by Xiong You, probably during or after the fight on the boat.

Anyways #JusticeForZhouXuanlan’sClone