Chapter 96: Yao Ji
Outside the mural.
Lu Chaoyang's tall figure approached, casting a long shadow under the light that fell on the mural, as if he was one of the many demons worshiping the goddess.
Lu Chaoyang stood in front of the mural, looking up at the Witch Mountain Goddess entwined by a giant snake, seemingly indecisive, hesitating whether to open the seal and check inside.
Just as he was about to reach out, another figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
Lu Chaoyang immediately withdrew his hand.
Lu Xiu had arrived.
"Witch Mountain Goddess," Lu Xiu's voice echoed down the hallway.
"Witch Mountain Goddess," Lu Chaoyang, examining the mural, responded.
Lu Xiu arrived behind Lu Chaoyang, looking up at the mural with him.
Lu Chaoyang asked, "Has Little Wang seen her?"
Lu Xiu replied, "No, at that time, my focus wasn’t on the demon race. But I know this legend—Witch Mountain Goddess Yao Ji, the mother of the Celestial Demon. Every thousand years, the ancient Bashe awakens to pass the demon seed to the Goddess. She absorbs the world's resentment to nourish the demon seed, giving birth to the Celestial Demon."
Lu Chaoyang spoke with a hint of sigh, "The reincarnation cycle of the Celestial Demon spans a thousand years. Upon rebirth, it becomes the god of the inner world, commanding the demons to reclaim their homeland and expel humans."
"But among the human race, there seems to be another interpretation."
"Yes, you’re right," Lu Xiu replied. "Humans believe this to be the 'Calamity of the Divine Land.' When the Earth's negative energy accumulates through a millennium of war, plague, famine, and natural disasters to uncontrollable levels, the demon seed absorbs this energy to give birth to the Celestial Demon. Then, exorcists vanquish the demon and shatter the seed, thereby healing the world's wounds."
"Whose demon is being exterminated? Whose path is being protected?" Lu Chaoyang laughed and shook his head, clearly skeptical. "Twenty-four years ago, Yao Ji fell in love with a human exorcist. She was then hunted by humans, exorcists gathered at Witch Mountain, and Yao Ji, with nowhere to escape, eventually died at their hands."
Lu Xiu said, "I’ve heard about this. The demon seed was then given to Xiang Cheng, who bore the calamity of the Celestial Demon's birth. After a series of events, he shattered the newly born Celestial Demon, and thus the Divine Land has enjoyed ten years of peace."
Lu Chaoyang turned to glance at Lu Xiu.
"I remember Little King has been enlightened for 160 years now," said Lu Chaoyang, "yet has never intervened in the conflicts between demons and humans."
Lu Xiu did not answer but stared into Lu Chaoyang's eyes.
"Whoever holds absolute power," Lu Chaoyang said, "has the right to interpret everything. The demon, originally a deity of the demon race, is interpreted as a calamity for the Divine Land. The Demon King, for over a thousand years, has been under human control. Initially, they used human tactics like emotions, fate, love, etc., to bind the demon race's supreme leader. In recent centuries, even the position of the Demon King has to be directly appointed by the Exorcism Bureau."
"It's not that simple," Lu Xiu said gravely. "Xiang Cheng, as Yao Ji's son, is also another form of the Celestial Demon. Ultimately, after being recognized by humans, he ascended to become a dragon. I remember the demon race also acknowledges him."
"He is the king of mixed blood," Lu Chaoyang said, "ultimately leaning towards his paternal lineage. You are the first pure-blooded demon king in six hundred years, born from the dark land, glimpsing the heavenly way through cultivation, ascending as the most noble and powerful being, a dragon."
Lu Xiu said, "Xiang Cheng once said the same, but whether the bloodline is pure or not is no longer significantly related to being fit for the demon king."
Lu Chaoyang: "He was well aware that, with his identity, he could never truly make all demon race members submit. Even if no one speaks of it openly, they all understand it in their hearts."
Lu Xiu gazed at Lu Chaoyang.
Lu Chaoyang said, "To be honest, I was very much looking forward to what direction Your Highness would lead us."
"And now?" Lu Xiu asked calmly.
Lu Chaoyang and Lu Xiu both fell silent for a moment, as a peculiar surge of spiritual energy occurred around them, like the clash of two strong auras.
In this silence, after what seemed like prolonged contemplation, Lu Chaoyang said, "I guess in your heart, what you truly recognize is…"
"You're wrong," Lu Xiu interrupted him coldly before Lu Chaoyang could finish, "If that were true, how could Xiang Cheng trust me with the demon race?"
However, at that moment, a third person arrived in the corridor.
"Um... excuse me," a clear voice with a hint of hesitation asked, "I think I'm lost. Is this the way back to my room?"
Instantly, the spiritual energy vanished under this disturbance. Yi Feng, still blindfolded, didn't have his guide stick with him. He stood in the corridor, unnoticed by Lu Xiu and Lu Chaoyang until his approach.
Inside the mural, Jiang Hong looked around, slowly climbing the steps.
As the mist cleared, a vast platform appeared, adorned with flowers from every season, reminiscent of Alphonse Mucha's illustrations. Among the myriad of blossoms sat a long-haired girl in a white dress, turned sideways towards Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not get any closer, even though he knew the other person couldn't see him.
The girl seemed to sense something and slightly lifted her head, revealing that she was wearing a thin mask made of pure gold.
The scene before him was extremely bizarre, yet with the gold-masked girl set against the backdrop of blossoming flowers, it carried a strangely sacred atmosphere.
"Have you come?" the girl murmured. "How is it outside?"
Jiang Hong didn't dare to speak, only moving slightly closer to her.
Somehow, the girl sensed Jiang Hong's presence. Recently, even his mother and Lu Xiu could see him – the conditions for the pot's effectiveness were sometimes really perplexing and confusing to him.
"Can I go out now?" the girl asked softly.
Jiang Hong didn't dare respond, and with no reply, the girl let out a low sigh.
She seemed like a princess! At this moment, Jiang Hong felt like he had become a knight, bound by duty. Was she imprisoned here by Lu Chaoyang, like those replicated exorcists?
Thinking this, Jiang Hong removed his aluminum pot and asked, "Who are you?"
"Ah!" The girl was startled by the sudden voice, asking, "Who? Who's speaking?"
Jiang Hong asked, "Are you a princess of the sanctuary? Are you a demon or a human?"
Jiang Hong moved a bit closer. Her skin was very pale, her hair pitch black, barefoot, with long hair nearly reaching her ankles, and her figure was slender and frail.
"Did Xiang Liu send you?" The girl recovered from her initial nervousness.
"Xiang Liu? Who's that? Ah, I remember now!" Jiang Hong said, "You mean Lu Chaoyang, right?"
"Who is Lu Chaoyang?" The girl turned her face towards Jiang Hong, the gold mask facing him, and asked curiously.
This "who is who" conversation would seemingly have no end unless one party broke it first. Thinking that Lu Xiu was outside, probably holding off Lu Chaoyang, Jiang Hong relaxed a bit.
"My name is Jiang Hong," Jiang Hong said seriously, "But if anyone else asks, please don't say you've seen me, okay? What's your name?"
The girl hummed in response, "My name is Yao Ji."
Jiang Hong: "！！！"
Jiang Hong was stunned, Yao Ji! Wasn't she the one from the mural... But she was supposed to be dead, wasn’t she?
Suddenly, everything seemed to connect. She clearly knew Xiang Liu, Lu Chaoyang, which meant they had met. Yao Ji resurrected, but how did Lu Chaoyang do it? It must be related to Yinghuo!
But why could Yao Ji see him? Was it because she was a demigod?
"Why... are you here?" Jiang Hong asked again, "When did you wake up?"
Yao Ji answered, "I don't know. When I woke up, Xiang Liu was already here. He said that it's the end of the world outside now, and only I... only I can save everyone, but it's not time yet, so he asked me to wait."
Jiang Hong: "How long have you been here?"
Yao Ji: "I don't know, I don’t even remember who I was before. I just remember... bits and pieces of the past, it's very chaotic. I remember humans, remember demons. Is this Witch Mountain? I want to save them, but... whom should I save?"
Jiang Hong was almost certain that Yao Ji wasn't a bad person, judging from the tone of her conversation. She didn’t seem to have any malicious intentions and was different from those ancient gods revived by Yinghuo, emitting dark energy.
"What is it like outside now?" Yao Ji asked again.
"Well..." Jiang Hong thought for a moment and said, "Lu Chaoyang is deceiving you, there is no apocalypse. Everyone is doing quite well."
Yao Ji slightly lowered her head and after a moment, let out a soft sigh.
"Yes, I guessed as much, he was indeed deceiving me," Yao Ji said. "He kept asking me about the whereabouts of the Vajra Arrow. Although my memory constantly reminds me that I once had a connection with the Vajra Arrow, I just can’t remember where it is."
Jiang Hong looked towards the way he came. Yao Ji lifted her head again, asking expectantly, "Can you take me out? I want to see the outside world."
"Not now…" Jiang Hong glanced back and said, "It’s… it's actually a bit dangerous for me to be here."
Yao Ji hummed in acknowledgment, and Jiang Hong said, “I need to hurry and find Lu Xiu.”
“Lu Xiu?” Yao Ji replied, “I know him; I saw him when I woke up.”
Jiang Hong was quite surprised but without overthinking, he said, “I will come back. Are you bored staying here?”
After thinking for a while, Yao Ji answered, “I am slowly recalling, hoping to remember some things from the past.”
Jiang Hong said, “Then next time I come, I’ll bring you a Switch. I'll visit again, but now I have to go.”
“Thank you, Jiang Hong,” Yao Ji said gently, “Don’t put yourself in too much danger, it's okay. Do you know Yuan Kun?”
“Yuan Kun? I don’t know him,” replied Jiang Hong.
Yao Ji said, “No worries. If you can find Yuan Kun, please tell him I am here. He might find a way to save me. After all, his Endless Dream can help me regain some of my memory. But now that Lu Chaoyang has become the king of the aquatic tribe, it might mean Yuan Kun is... never mind, don’t strain yourself.”
“Okay... alright,” Jiang Hong said, “I will go out and ask around.”
Jiang Hong gave her more instructions, thinking to himself how kind and gentle this sister was, then temporarily bid her farewell, feeling anxious as he returned to the entrance.
First, he pressed his ear against the stone door to listen, but it was silent behind. He was unsure whether to summon Lu Xiu, fearing it would be troublesome if he interrupted Lu Xiu and Lu Chaoyang’s conversation.
But suddenly, the stone door opened.
“Lu Xiu! What’s inside is… huh?” Jiang Hong was surprised to see Yi Feng standing behind Lu Xiu.
Before he could understand why Yi Feng was there, Lu Xiu made a “shushing” gesture, signaling him to keep quiet for now.
“Let’s go,” said Lu Xiu.
Yi Feng, who had been listening attentively, heard Jiang Hong's voice and said, “I was just thinking of stepping out for some air, but I got lost.”
“Oh, okay,” Jiang Hong quickly responded, “I’ll take you back.”
Yi Feng said, “The network upgrade is complete, just needs some testing tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Lu Xiu said calmly.
Jiang Hong made a mouth gesture, meaning 'What about Lu Chaoyang?' Lu Xiu waved his hand, indicating there was no need to worry, he had already sent him away.
As Yi Feng walked ahead, for a moment, Jiang Hong almost thought he wasn’t blind.
“We’re here,” Lu Xiu announced, “Turn left, and it’s your room.”
“Thank you,” Yi Feng said, “Earlier at your school, it seemed like a head teacher came up…”
Jiang Hong: “…”
Yi Feng continued, “He was scolding his son outside my room door. I ran out because I’m really scared of head teachers, sorry for the trouble.”
Shocked, Jiang Hong asked, “How did Teacher He Zhi come up?”
Lu Xiu replied, “How would I know? You should ask him.”
Entering the room with Lu Xiu, it was already 5 am. Old Sun soon came over, saying, “I heard it! Jiang Hong! Do you want me to play it back for you?”
Jiang Hong exclaimed, “What kind of bizarre cleaning robot are you! Why would you record someone scolding his son?! Come here, let me hear what he was saying.”
Lu Xiu said, “Stop messing around, let’s talk about important matters first. How did it go?”
Jiang Hong then remembered the pressing issue, asking, “Lu Chaoyang didn’t suspect anything, right? I was so afraid he might barge in suddenly!”
Lu Xiu explained, “He thinks I was just breaking his seal, triggering the alarm. He didn’t suspect someone else was inside, and he can’t detect your spiritual power.”
Jiang Hong realized, “Right, because I don’t have any spiritual power to begin with.”
Lu Xiu asked, “What's inside?”
Jiang Hong detailed the events, and to his surprise, Lu Xiu’s reaction was even more shocked, leaving him speechless for a long moment.
Jiang Hong remembered clearly, as the matter was significant, and he asked again, “And why could Yao Ji sense my presence there?”
Lu Xiu didn’t answer, lost in thought, leaving Jiang Hong extremely puzzled. This wasn’t the first time.
“Well, that’s normal,” Lu Xiu finally responded to Jiang Hong’s persistent questioning without a hint of impatience.
“Normal? How is that normal?” Jiang Hong exclaimed, “It’s very abnormal!”
It was one thing for his mother to see through the “Pot’s Barrier,” but why could Yao Ji do it too?
“That's not important,” Lu Xiu said, “At least not for now. You’ll understand it yourself one day. What else did she say?”
Jiang Hong said, “Why are you so shocked? She said she’s seen you… wait a minute…”
Jiang Hong suddenly realized: Yao Ji knows Lu Xiu, but judging from Lu Xiu’s current reaction, he clearly hadn’t met Yao Ji…
There was only one possible explanation then.
Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu exchanged looks, neither speaking.
“He’s in the sacred land,” Lu Xiu said, “but he’s never shown himself.”
The situation was becoming more serious.
Jiang Hong stammered, “He, he, he… where is he?”
“With the complex structure of the sacred land,” Lu Xiu explained, “if he wants to hide, it won’t be easy to find him. What else did she say? Think.”
“The Vajra Arrow,” Jiang Hong added, “Xiang Liu was asking her about the whereabouts of the Vajra Arrow.”
Lu Xiu said, “She once loved a mortal, namely Xiang Cheng's father, and the end was death by the Vajra Arrow.”
"Finally, she asked me to find Yuan Kun. Who is Yuan Kun?" Jiang Hong said. "Was he once the leader of the aquatic tribe?"
Lu Xiu was silent for a moment, then said, "Yuan Kun is the enormous skeleton we found in another sealed space, the dead Kun fish. It died a long time ago."
Jiang Hong continued to recall, concluding, "That's all. Then, I came out."
"I understand," Lu Xiu said.
The sky was showing the first light of dawn, but the clouds obscured the morning sun, and it started to rain again. The dim daylight was accompanied by the patter of rain continuously falling from the eaves above the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Jiang Hong yawned, and Lu Xiu said, "You should sleep for a while, I need to make arrangements now."
Sensing danger, Jiang Hong grabbed Lu Xiu's sleeve and said, "Right now, we only know that Lu Chaoyang has rebelled, but what about the other demon kings? They might be a problem too, right?"
Lu Xiu replied, "I understand, don't worry."
If it were just the demon kings' rebellion, or only the dark Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong might have been reassured. But the combination of both seemed too dangerous, perhaps beyond what Lu Xiu could handle.
Jiang Hong held onto Lu Xiu's sleeve tightly: "How can I not worry? You can’t go alone..."
“Just listen to me, go to sleep.”
Suddenly feeling overwhelmingly sleepy, Jiang Hong involuntarily closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Lu Xiu gently laid Jiang Hong down, gazing into his eyes before turning and leaving the bedroom.
Chapter 96: Yao Ji
Outside the mural.
Lu Chaoyang's tall figure approached, casting a long shadow under the light that fell on the mural, as if he was one of the many demons worshiping the goddess.
Lu Chaoyang stood in front of the mural, looking up at the Witch Mountain Goddess entwined by a giant snake, seemingly indecisive, hesitating whether to open the seal and check inside.
Just as he was about to reach out, another figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
Lu Chaoyang immediately withdrew his hand.
Lu Xiu had arrived.
"Witch Mountain Goddess," Lu Xiu's voice echoed down the hallway.
"Witch Mountain Goddess," Lu Chaoyang, examining the mural, responded.
Lu Xiu arrived behind Lu Chaoyang, looking up at the mural with him.
Lu Chaoyang asked, "Has Little Wang seen her?"
Lu Xiu replied, "No, at that time, my focus wasn’t on the demon race. But I know this legend—Witch Mountain Goddess Yao Ji, the mother of the Celestial Demon. Every thousand years, the ancient Bashe awakens to pass the demon seed to the Goddess. She absorbs the world's resentment to nourish the demon seed, giving birth to the Celestial Demon."
Lu Chaoyang spoke with a hint of sigh, "The reincarnation cycle of the Celestial Demon spans a thousand years. Upon rebirth, it becomes the god of the inner world, commanding the demons to reclaim their homeland and expel humans."
"But among the human race, there seems to be another interpretation."
"Yes, you’re right," Lu Xiu replied. "Humans believe this to be the 'Calamity of the Divine Land.' When the Earth's negative energy accumulates through a millennium of war, plague, famine, and natural disasters to uncontrollable levels, the demon seed absorbs this energy to give birth to the Celestial Demon. Then, exorcists vanquish the demon and shatter the seed, thereby healing the world's wounds."
"Whose demon is being exterminated? Whose path is being protected?" Lu Chaoyang laughed and shook his head, clearly skeptical. "Twenty-four years ago, Yao Ji fell in love with a human exorcist. She was then hunted by humans, exorcists gathered at Witch Mountain, and Yao Ji, with nowhere to escape, eventually died at their hands."
Lu Xiu said, "I’ve heard about this. The demon seed was then given to Xiang Cheng, who bore the calamity of the Celestial Demon's birth. After a series of events, he shattered the newly born Celestial Demon, and thus the Divine Land has enjoyed ten years of peace."
Lu Chaoyang turned to glance at Lu Xiu.
"I remember Little King has been enlightened for 160 years now," said Lu Chaoyang, "yet has never intervened in the conflicts between demons and humans."
Lu Xiu did not answer but stared into Lu Chaoyang's eyes.
"Whoever holds absolute power," Lu Chaoyang said, "has the right to interpret everything. The demon, originally a deity of the demon race, is interpreted as a calamity for the Divine Land. The Demon King, for over a thousand years, has been under human control. Initially, they used human tactics like emotions, fate, love, etc., to bind the demon race's supreme leader. In recent centuries, even the position of the Demon King has to be directly appointed by the Exorcism Bureau."
"It's not that simple," Lu Xiu said gravely. "Xiang Cheng, as Yao Ji's son, is also another form of the Celestial Demon. Ultimately, after being recognized by humans, he ascended to become a dragon. I remember the demon race also acknowledges him."
"He is the king of mixed blood," Lu Chaoyang said, "ultimately leaning towards his paternal lineage. You are the first pure-blooded demon king in six hundred years, born from the dark land, glimpsing the heavenly way through cultivation, ascending as the most noble and powerful being, a dragon."
Lu Xiu said, "Xiang Cheng once said the same, but whether the bloodline is pure or not is no longer significantly related to being fit for the demon king."
Lu Chaoyang: "He was well aware that, with his identity, he could never truly make all demon race members submit. Even if no one speaks of it openly, they all understand it in their hearts."
Lu Xiu gazed at Lu Chaoyang.
Lu Chaoyang said, "To be honest, I was very much looking forward to what direction Your Highness would lead us."
"And now?" Lu Xiu asked calmly.
Lu Chaoyang and Lu Xiu both fell silent for a moment, as a peculiar surge of spiritual energy occurred around them, like the clash of two strong auras.
In this silence, after what seemed like prolonged contemplation, Lu Chaoyang said, "I guess in your heart, what you truly recognize is…"
"You're wrong," Lu Xiu interrupted him coldly before Lu Chaoyang could finish, "If that were true, how could Xiang Cheng trust me with the demon race?"
However, at that moment, a third person arrived in the corridor.
"Um... excuse me," a clear voice with a hint of hesitation asked, "I think I'm lost. Is this the way back to my room?"
Instantly, the spiritual energy vanished under this disturbance. Yi Feng, still blindfolded, didn't have his guide stick with him. He stood in the corridor, unnoticed by Lu Xiu and Lu Chaoyang until his approach.
Inside the mural, Jiang Hong looked around, slowly climbing the steps.
As the mist cleared, a vast platform appeared, adorned with flowers from every season, reminiscent of Alphonse Mucha's illustrations. Among the myriad of blossoms sat a long-haired girl in a white dress, turned sideways towards Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not get any closer, even though he knew the other person couldn't see him.
The girl seemed to sense something and slightly lifted her head, revealing that she was wearing a thin mask made of pure gold.
The scene before him was extremely bizarre, yet with the gold-masked girl set against the backdrop of blossoming flowers, it carried a strangely sacred atmosphere.
"Have you come?" the girl murmured. "How is it outside?"
Jiang Hong didn't dare to speak, only moving slightly closer to her.
Somehow, the girl sensed Jiang Hong's presence. Recently, even his mother and Lu Xiu could see him – the conditions for the pot's effectiveness were sometimes really perplexing and confusing to him.
"Can I go out now?" the girl asked softly.
Jiang Hong didn't dare respond, and with no reply, the girl let out a low sigh.
She seemed like a princess! At this moment, Jiang Hong felt like he had become a knight, bound by duty. Was she imprisoned here by Lu Chaoyang, like those replicated exorcists?
Thinking this, Jiang Hong removed his aluminum pot and asked, "Who are you?"
"Ah!" The girl was startled by the sudden voice, asking, "Who? Who's speaking?"
Jiang Hong asked, "Are you a princess of the sanctuary? Are you a demon or a human?"
Jiang Hong moved a bit closer. Her skin was very pale, her hair pitch black, barefoot, with long hair nearly reaching her ankles, and her figure was slender and frail.
"Did Xiang Liu send you?" The girl recovered from her initial nervousness.
"Xiang Liu? Who's that? Ah, I remember now!" Jiang Hong said, "You mean Lu Chaoyang, right?"
"Who is Lu Chaoyang?" The girl turned her face towards Jiang Hong, the gold mask facing him, and asked curiously.
This "who is who" conversation would seemingly have no end unless one party broke it first. Thinking that Lu Xiu was outside, probably holding off Lu Chaoyang, Jiang Hong relaxed a bit.
"My name is Jiang Hong," Jiang Hong said seriously, "But if anyone else asks, please don't say you've seen me, okay? What's your name?"
The girl hummed in response, "My name is Yao Ji."
Jiang Hong: "！！！"
Jiang Hong was stunned, Yao Ji! Wasn't she the one from the mural... But she was supposed to be dead, wasn’t she?
Suddenly, everything seemed to connect. She clearly knew Xiang Liu, Lu Chaoyang, which meant they had met. Yao Ji resurrected, but how did Lu Chaoyang do it? It must be related to Yinghuo!
But why could Yao Ji see him? Was it because she was a demigod?
"Why... are you here?" Jiang Hong asked again, "When did you wake up?"
Yao Ji answered, "I don't know. When I woke up, Xiang Liu was already here. He said that it's the end of the world outside now, and only I... only I can save everyone, but it's not time yet, so he asked me to wait."
Jiang Hong: "How long have you been here?"
Yao Ji: "I don't know, I don’t even remember who I was before. I just remember... bits and pieces of the past, it's very chaotic. I remember humans, remember demons. Is this Witch Mountain? I want to save them, but... whom should I save?"
Jiang Hong was almost certain that Yao Ji wasn't a bad person, judging from the tone of her conversation. She didn’t seem to have any malicious intentions and was different from those ancient gods revived by Yinghuo, emitting dark energy.
"What is it like outside now?" Yao Ji asked again.
"Well..." Jiang Hong thought for a moment and said, "Lu Chaoyang is deceiving you, there is no apocalypse. Everyone is doing quite well."
Yao Ji slightly lowered her head and after a moment, let out a soft sigh.
"Yes, I guessed as much, he was indeed deceiving me," Yao Ji said. "He kept asking me about the whereabouts of the Vajra Arrow. Although my memory constantly reminds me that I once had a connection with the Vajra Arrow, I just can’t remember where it is."
Jiang Hong looked towards the way he came. Yao Ji lifted her head again, asking expectantly, "Can you take me out? I want to see the outside world."
"Not now…" Jiang Hong glanced back and said, "It’s… it's actually a bit dangerous for me to be here."
Yao Ji hummed in acknowledgment, and Jiang Hong said, “I need to hurry and find Lu Xiu.”
“Lu Xiu?” Yao Ji replied, “I know him; I saw him when I woke up.”
Jiang Hong was quite surprised but without overthinking, he said, “I will come back. Are you bored staying here?”
After thinking for a while, Yao Ji answered, “I am slowly recalling, hoping to remember some things from the past.”
Jiang Hong said, “Then next time I come, I’ll bring you a Switch. I'll visit again, but now I have to go.”
“Thank you, Jiang Hong,” Yao Ji said gently, “Don’t put yourself in too much danger, it's okay. Do you know Yuan Kun?”
“Yuan Kun? I don’t know him,” replied Jiang Hong.
Yao Ji said, “No worries. If you can find Yuan Kun, please tell him I am here. He might find a way to save me. After all, his Endless Dream can help me regain some of my memory. But now that Lu Chaoyang has become the king of the aquatic tribe, it might mean Yuan Kun is... never mind, don’t strain yourself.”
“Okay... alright,” Jiang Hong said, “I will go out and ask around.”
Jiang Hong gave her more instructions, thinking to himself how kind and gentle this sister was, then temporarily bid her farewell, feeling anxious as he returned to the entrance.
First, he pressed his ear against the stone door to listen, but it was silent behind. He was unsure whether to summon Lu Xiu, fearing it would be troublesome if he interrupted Lu Xiu and Lu Chaoyang’s conversation.
But suddenly, the stone door opened.
“Lu Xiu! What’s inside is… huh?” Jiang Hong was surprised to see Yi Feng standing behind Lu Xiu.
Before he could understand why Yi Feng was there, Lu Xiu made a “shushing” gesture, signaling him to keep quiet for now.
“Let’s go,” said Lu Xiu.
Yi Feng, who had been listening attentively, heard Jiang Hong's voice and said, “I was just thinking of stepping out for some air, but I got lost.”
“Oh, okay,” Jiang Hong quickly responded, “I’ll take you back.”
Yi Feng said, “The network upgrade is complete, just needs some testing tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Lu Xiu said calmly.
Jiang Hong made a mouth gesture, meaning 'What about Lu Chaoyang?' Lu Xiu waved his hand, indicating there was no need to worry, he had already sent him away.
As Yi Feng walked ahead, for a moment, Jiang Hong almost thought he wasn’t blind.
“We’re here,” Lu Xiu announced, “Turn left, and it’s your room.”
“Thank you,” Yi Feng said, “Earlier at your school, it seemed like a head teacher came up…”
Jiang Hong: “…”
Yi Feng continued, “He was scolding his son outside my room door. I ran out because I’m really scared of head teachers, sorry for the trouble.”
Shocked, Jiang Hong asked, “How did Teacher He Zhi come up?”
Lu Xiu replied, “How would I know? You should ask him.”
Entering the room with Lu Xiu, it was already 5 am. Old Sun soon came over, saying, “I heard it! Jiang Hong! Do you want me to play it back for you?”
Jiang Hong exclaimed, “What kind of bizarre cleaning robot are you! Why would you record someone scolding his son?! Come here, let me hear what he was saying.”
Lu Xiu said, “Stop messing around, let’s talk about important matters first. How did it go?”
Jiang Hong then remembered the pressing issue, asking, “Lu Chaoyang didn’t suspect anything, right? I was so afraid he might barge in suddenly!”
Lu Xiu explained, “He thinks I was just breaking his seal, triggering the alarm. He didn’t suspect someone else was inside, and he can’t detect your spiritual power.”
Jiang Hong realized, “Right, because I don’t have any spiritual power to begin with.”
Lu Xiu asked, “What's inside?”
Jiang Hong detailed the events, and to his surprise, Lu Xiu’s reaction was even more shocked, leaving him speechless for a long moment.
Jiang Hong remembered clearly, as the matter was significant, and he asked again, “And why could Yao Ji sense my presence there?”
Lu Xiu didn’t answer, lost in thought, leaving Jiang Hong extremely puzzled. This wasn’t the first time.
“Well, that’s normal,” Lu Xiu finally responded to Jiang Hong’s persistent questioning without a hint of impatience.
“Normal? How is that normal?” Jiang Hong exclaimed, “It’s very abnormal!”
It was one thing for his mother to see through the “Pot’s Barrier,” but why could Yao Ji do it too?
“That's not important,” Lu Xiu said, “At least not for now. You’ll understand it yourself one day. What else did she say?”
Jiang Hong said, “Why are you so shocked? She said she’s seen you… wait a minute…”
Jiang Hong suddenly realized: Yao Ji knows Lu Xiu, but judging from Lu Xiu’s current reaction, he clearly hadn’t met Yao Ji…
There was only one possible explanation then.
Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu exchanged looks, neither speaking.
“He’s in the sacred land,” Lu Xiu said, “but he’s never shown himself.”
The situation was becoming more serious.
Jiang Hong stammered, “He, he, he… where is he?”
“With the complex structure of the sacred land,” Lu Xiu explained, “if he wants to hide, it won’t be easy to find him. What else did she say? Think.”
“The Vajra Arrow,” Jiang Hong added, “Xiang Liu was asking her about the whereabouts of the Vajra Arrow.”
Lu Xiu said, “She once loved a mortal, namely Xiang Cheng's father, and the end was death by the Vajra Arrow.”
"Finally, she asked me to find Yuan Kun. Who is Yuan Kun?" Jiang Hong said. "Was he once the leader of the aquatic tribe?"
Lu Xiu was silent for a moment, then said, "Yuan Kun is the enormous skeleton we found in another sealed space, the dead Kun fish. It died a long time ago."
Jiang Hong continued to recall, concluding, "That's all. Then, I came out."
"I understand," Lu Xiu said.
The sky was showing the first light of dawn, but the clouds obscured the morning sun, and it started to rain again. The dim daylight was accompanied by the patter of rain continuously falling from the eaves above the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Jiang Hong yawned, and Lu Xiu said, "You should sleep for a while, I need to make arrangements now."
Sensing danger, Jiang Hong grabbed Lu Xiu's sleeve and said, "Right now, we only know that Lu Chaoyang has rebelled, but what about the other demon kings? They might be a problem too, right?"
Lu Xiu replied, "I understand, don't worry."
If it were just the demon kings' rebellion, or only the dark Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong might have been reassured. But the combination of both seemed too dangerous, perhaps beyond what Lu Xiu could handle.
Jiang Hong held onto Lu Xiu's sleeve tightly: "How can I not worry? You can’t go alone..."
“Just listen to me, go to sleep.”
Suddenly feeling overwhelmingly sleepy, Jiang Hong involuntarily closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Lu Xiu gently laid Jiang Hong down, gazing into his eyes before turning and leaving the bedroom.
