Evil Spirits

Late at night, in the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

Three thousand palace lanterns burned brightly, illuminating the majestic imperial city as if it were broad daylight.

The glazed tiles reflected a cold, piercing light. Beneath the red walls and golden roofs lay a suffocating, deathly silence.

Ye Xuan walked with his hands behind his back, strolling leisurely along the white jade corridor of the imperial garden.

He walked very slowly, his steps light and his white robes purer than snow.

If one were to ignore his eyes, he looked exactly like an exiled immortal taking a stroll beneath the moonlight.

But if one looked into his eyes, they would find no moonlight there, only two slowly rotating gray vortexes.

"Master..."

Ying'er, who was following behind him, could not help but shiver.

She pulled her small padded jacket tighter around herself. Looking at the familiar figure ahead, an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity welled up in her heart.

Over the past year, her Master had changed.

He had changed far too much.

The former Master, although glib and calculating, did those things to survive, to stay alive.

There used to be light and warmth in his eyes.

But ever since he began cultivating the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Scripture...

Master had become very strange. He no longer showed anger, no longer showed fear, and rarely even laughed aloud.

He always wore a gentle smile that made one's blood run cold, speaking the most heart-wrenching words in the softest of tones.

"Ying'er, are you cold?"

Ye Xuan suddenly stopped walking, turned his head slightly, and asked with a smile.

Ying'er was startled and hurriedly shook her head. "No... I am not cold, Master."

"That is good."

Ye Xuan reached out and helped tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips as cold as jade.

"The Yin energy in this imperial palace is too heavy. After all..."

"Every inch of land here is soaked with my blood."

Ying'er dared not reply.

Over this past year, she had witnessed too many horrors with her own eyes.

Three women who once stood at the pinnacle of this realm had fallen. Xia Lengyue had become a blood slave, bled daily; Wu Lingxiao had become a frightened bird, plagued by nightmares every night; and Zi Yao had become a groveling wretch, constantly denying her own worth.

And the instigator of all this was the gentle man standing right before her.

"Let us go."

Ye Xuan withdrew his hand, a playful curve tugging at the corners of his lips.

"The night is long, and I have no desire for sleep."

"Let us go see if my disobedient concubines are obediently reflecting on their mistakes."

At the end of the imperial garden stood a high terrace.

At this moment, Demon Venerable Zi Yao was sitting alone on the roof, facing the moon. She held a jug of wine in her hand but could not bring herself to take a single sip.

She was staring blankly.

Or rather, she was doubting herself.

Over the past year, she had tried to please Ye Xuan, trying to prove her value. She went to the extreme north to slay an ice dragon, traveled to the southern borders to seek the Gu King, and even went so far as to expend her origin essence to refine pills for him.

Yet, all she ever received in return was Ye Xuan's indifferent glance and a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.

"Sigh..."

Zi Yao sighed, her eyes filled with confusion.

"What is it? Sighing here all alone?"

A gentle voice sounded from behind her.

Zi Yao trembled all over, nearly dropping the wine jug in her hand.

She turned her head abruptly and saw that Ye Xuan was already standing behind her, looking at her with a face full of concern.

"Hus... Husband!"

Zi Yao stood up in a panic, clumsily smoothing out her dress.

"I... I was not slacking off! I just finished cultivating, I was just... just..."

"Shh."

Ye Xuan stepped forward and extended a finger, pressing it against her lips.

He took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Zi Yao's slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.

This should have been a warm and tender hug.

But Zi Yao felt as if she had been coiled by a cold, venomous snake.

"Zi Yao."

Ye Xuan spoke right next to her ear. His voice was soft, but his tone carried a helpless disappointment, like one mourning iron that failed to become steel.

"Why are you... so useless?"

Zi Yao's body instantly stiffened.

That phrase again.

Over the past year, those words had echoed repeatedly in her ears like a nightmare.

"I... I am not useless..." Zi Yao's voice trembled as she tried to defend herself. "I am already at the Mahayana realm... I am a Demon Venerable... I have found many things for you, Husband..."

"Shh, stop lying to yourself."

Ye Xuan interrupted her with a light chuckle, his fingers slowly trailing down her spine.

"Mahayana realm?"

"Do you not know in your heart how you achieved this Mahayana realm?"

Ye Xuan released his embrace and walked to the railing. With his back to her, his voice became ethereal and mocking.

"In your past life, to help you break through your bottlenecks, I secretly aided you so much."

Ye Xuan suddenly spun around, staring dead into Zi Yao's eyes, a deeply sarcastic sneer tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Demon Venerable Zi Yao?"

"How laughable."

"If everything I gave you was stripped away... what would you be?"

"You are nothing but an ordinary-talented cauldron who would have been drained to death long ago if not for me."

"Your current glory, your status, your cultivation..."

"Even every piece of flesh and drop of blood in your body."

"Which of them does not belong to me?"

"No... stop talking..." Zi Yao covered her ears, squatting on the ground in agony.

Every single word pierced her heart.

They not only negated her present but utterly destroyed the entire meaning of her life.

Ye Xuan, however, did not stop.

He crouched down, forcefully pulling away the hands Zi Yao used to cover her ears, forcing her to look at him.

"Zi Yao, you are just a parasite."

"You grew up sucking my blood to become a lofty Demon Venerable."

"And now you want to use this stolen power to flaunt your might in front of me? You want me to praise you?"

"Do you even deserve it?"

The last few words were spoken lightly, yet they carried the weight of a thousand mountains.

Zi Yao broke down completely.

She lay sprawled on the ground, wailing loudly. Grabbing the hem of Ye Xuan's robes, she kowtowed frantically.

"I am sorry... I am sorry, Husband! I am trash! I am a parasite!"

"I was wrong... I should not have thought I was anything special..."

"Everything I have is yours... please do not despise me... please do not abandon me..."

Looking at this Demon Venerable who once commanded the winds and clouds and killed without blinking, now writhing on the ground like a lowly maggot.

The gray vortexes in Ye Xuan's eyes spun even faster.

He reached out and patted Zi Yao's head as if petting a dog.

"That is more like it."

"You must know your place."

"Since you are a parasite, you must have the awareness of a parasite. From now on, be obedient and serve as a blade in my hands."

"If I do not allow you to move, do not move. If I do not allow you to think, do not think."

"Do you understand?"

"I understand! I understand! I am my Husband's blade! I am my Husband's dog!" Zi Yao cried out, actually feeling a trace of sick, twisted relief at this insult-laced acknowledgment from Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan stood up with satisfaction, took the handkerchief that Ying'er handed him, and wiped his hands.

"Let us go."

"Let us go see the other one."

Late at night, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The ambergris incense inside the hall burned vigorously. It was a tribute incense meant to soothe the mind, but right now, to Wu Lingxiao's nose, it smelled like deadly, life-claiming smoke.

The hand holding her vermilion brush trembled violently. The tip of the brush hovered over a memorial, unable to strike down. Drops of ink fell, blooming into a shocking patch of red.

She was afraid.

Afraid of that man's arrival.

"Your Majesty is truly diligent in governance and loves her people."

A familiar voice echoed through the great hall like a ghost, carrying a trace of spine-chilling mockery.

Clatter.

The vermilion brush fell to the ground.

Wu Lingxiao jerked her head up, only to see Ye Xuan leaning against the doorway.

He wore a dark ink-colored robe today, his long hair casually tied back, and that signature, gentle-as-jade smile hung on his lips.

But in those eyes, gray vortexes slowly swirled, capable of devouring all the light in the world.

Hus... Husband.

Wu Lingxiao forced a smile that was uglier than crying. She stood up in a panic, even knocking over the foot warmer beside her:

Why have you come? You didn't even have anyone announce your arrival...

Announce?

Ye Xuan slowly walked into the hall, his boots stepping on the floor tiles, making a crisp sound.

He casually picked up a memorial from the desk and tossed it back without even glancing at it:

What, is there anywhere in this Great Xia Imperial Palace that I cannot go?

Or perhaps Her Majesty has some shameful secrets she is afraid I might see?

No! Absolutely not!

Wu Lingxiao's face was deathly pale as she shook her head desperately:

We... Everything I have belongs to my husband. How could I dare to have secrets.

Is that so?

Ye Xuan walked up to her. He didn't sit down as he usually did, but instead sat directly on the armrest of the dragon throne, the very symbol of the pinnacle of imperial power.

He looked down at Wu Lingxiao standing below, his slender fingers gently tapping the desk.

Tonight, while strolling through the Imperial Garden, I passed by an abandoned courtyard and suddenly recalled a very interesting memory.

Ye Xuan looked at her, his eyes becoming somewhat hazy, as if lost in some sweet recollection:

I remember in my past life, when I was Consort Xuan.

During the Lantern Festival that year, on a late night just like this, Your Majesty was not in the Hall of Mental Cultivation reviewing memorials...

If I remember correctly, Your Majesty was at... Elysium?

As soon as the word Elysium came out, Wu Lingxiao's legs gave way, and she collapsed directly onto the floor.

Her pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpricks, a manifestation of extreme fear and a guilty conscience.

No... don't say it... Wu Lingxiao's voice was trembling, her teeth chattering.

Why shouldn't I say it?

Ye Xuan smiled, leaning forward and bringing his face close to her ear. His voice was as soft as a lover's whisper, yet he spoke the cruelest words:

I remember that night, Elysium was brightly lit, with red candles burning high.

Your Majesty... you were there, drinking and talking merrily, sharing a beautiful night with the suave and charming Holy Son Yeyou, weren't you?

I heard that the Holy Son had a sweet tongue and coaxed Your Majesty into a state of sheer delight.

That night, in Elysium, Your Majesty must have experienced boundless bliss, as happy as a fairy, right?

Wu Lingxiao covered her ears, tears streaming down wildly:

Stop! Husband! I was wrong! I was possessed by demons then... He and I broke it off long ago! We really did!

I was deceived by him... Please don't bring it up anymore...

I don't blame you, really.

Ye Xuan reached out his hand, gently stroking Wu Lingxiao's trembling back, his tone even carrying a trace of eeriness:

After all, back then, you were the lofty Empress, and I was the lowly Consort Xuan.

Who you wanted to favor, who you wanted to find pleasure with, that was your freedom.

It's just...

Ye Xuan's fingers suddenly stopped. He viciously grabbed Wu Lingxiao's hair, forcing her to look up.

His originally gentle gaze vanished in an instant, replaced by tyranny and chilling coldness:

It's just, Your Majesty, did you know.

At the exact same moment you were in Elysium, rolling in the sheets and making merry with that wild man.

Where was I? What was I doing?

Wu Lingxiao's body stiffened, her eyes hollow and terrified.

She naturally knew what Ye Xuan was doing.

Ye Xuan looked at her dazed expression, the smile on his lips growing increasingly malicious and twisted:

It seems Your Majesty truly is a noble person who forgets things easily.

Then let me help you.

That night.

Your good Prime Minister, Shangguan Wan'er.

Dragged me into the dungeon of the Department of Punishment.

Ye Xuan's voice became extremely calm, so calm it was as if he were telling someone else's story:

She drove ten bamboo splinters under my fingernails.

She used a red-hot branding iron to sear the word slave onto my chest.

She wanted me to submit, to become her man. Not only that, she wanted me to betray you.

I was in so much pain that I was delirious, but I looked at the small window of the dungeon, looking at the red light shining from the direction of Elysium outside.

I thought, Her Majesty is busy. If Her Majesty knew, she would definitely come to save me.

Ye Xuan laughed, laughing so hard that tears almost came out:

So I bit off half my tongue, preferring death to submission.

I forcefully didn't make a single sound, forcefully didn't bow my head to Shangguan Wan'er even once.

I thought I was keeping my chastity for you, I thought I was keeping your secrets.

And the result?

Ye Xuan suddenly leaned close to Wu Lingxiao, the tips of their noses almost touching, their breaths mingling:

The result was that night.

My blood bled dry, and I passed out in that freezing cell.

While my Majesty.

Was in that spring-warm Elysium, moaning joyfully beneath that man.

Isn't it ironic?

Isn't it laughable?

Wu Lingxiao finally broke down.

The truth was too cruel.

Kill me!

Wu Lingxiao frantically tore at her own hair, rolling on the floor and letting out beast-like wails:

Kill me! Ye Xuan! I beg you to kill me!!

I didn't know... I really didn't know...

If I had known you were suffering, I would never have gone there... I would have killed Shangguan Wan'er! I would have killed Holy Son Yeyou! I would have hacked them into ten thousand pieces!!

Remorse.

Monstrous remorse gnawed at her heart like venomous insects.

She remembered the pleasure of that night, and now she only felt disgusted, so disgusted that she wanted to peel off her own skin and pull out her organs to wash them clean.

Looking at the Empress who wished for death, the gray vortexes in the depths of Ye Xuan's eyes spun even more madly.

He had not the slightest bit of pity.

On the contrary, he felt an unprecedented thrill.

It was the thrill of revenge, the thrill of manipulating people's hearts.

Shh...

Ye Xuan raised a finger and pressed it against his lips:

Don't yell so loudly.

If the people outside hear, they'll think I've done something treasonous to Her Majesty.

He crouched down and gently patted Wu Lingxiao's cheek, like soothing a mad dog:

Is Elysium still there?

Why doesn't... Your Majesty take me to see it tonight?

I want to visit that tender land that made Your Majesty forget to return.

And by the way...

Ye Xuan's gaze became as cold and sinister as a poisonous snake:

I also want to see if that Holy Son Yeyou is still alive.

If he is alive, I'd like to ask him.

That night, was Your Majesty really that luscious?

No! It's gone! Elysium was destroyed! Destroyed long ago!

Wu Lingxiao clung desperately to Ye Xuan's legs, crying with snot and tears streaming down, completely devoid of any image:

Husband! I only have you now! I really only have you!

I know I'm dirty... I know I don't deserve you...

"Please don't look at me like that... Please don't say those words..."

She wasn't afraid of death.

But she was afraid of Ye Xuan's calm humiliation.

Ye Xuan looked at her. There was no hatred in his eyes, only a lofty, condescending indifference.

"It's ruined... What a pity."

Ye Xuan stood up, took out a handkerchief, and meticulously wiped the fingers that had just touched Wu Lingxiao. Then, he casually tossed the handkerchief onto her face.

"Since that place is gone, let's forget it."

"However, Your Majesty."

"You had better focus on reviewing these memorials tonight."

Ye Xuan turned and walked toward the outside of the hall, his voice drifting back lightly:

"After all, half of the Great Xia's empire was bought with the blood I shed in my past life."

"If you can't even hold onto it, then you truly are worse than trash."

"As for me..."

"I won't disturb Your Majesty's reminiscing about the glorious days of the past."

Reaching the door, Ye Xuan suddenly stopped, tilted his head, and delivered the final straw that broke the camel's back:

"Oh, right."

"Where is Shangguan Wan'er's grave?"

"When I have time some other day, I'd like to burn a stick of incense for her."

"After all, she was the only one who witnessed my loyalty. Compared to Your Majesty, she actually understood me much better."

"Pfft!"

Hearing these words, fury attacked Wu Lingxiao's heart. She violently spat out a mouthful of blood and instantly fainted dead away.

Outside the hall.

The night breeze was slightly cold.

Ying'er had been waiting outside the whole time. Hearing the commotion inside, her small face turned pale with fright.

Seeing Ye Xuan come out, she hurriedly went to greet him, only to find that there was no expression of anger on her master's face whatsoever.

On the contrary, he looked quite pleased.

"Master..." Ying'er called out cautiously.

"Let's go."

Ye Xuan looked up at the moon in the sky, an eerie light flickering in his eyes:

"The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful."

"Just like that sliver of moonlight I saw through the window when I was in the dungeon that day."

"Only back then, I felt it was cold."

"Now..."

Ye Xuan reached out his hand and grasped at the empty air, as if crushing the entire moon in his palm:

"I feel it is very obedient."

Looking at Ye Xuan's back, a deep chill welled up in Ying'er's heart.

She knew.

The gentle master of the past was completely dead.

The one living now.

Was a creature that had crawled back from hell, wearing human skin, taking pleasure in toying with people's hearts and devouring their pain...

A demon.