Sha Hualing didn't understand why Luo Binghe would suddenly react with such fury. Though she struggled to hold back her tears, they escaped in rapid currents down her face, blurring her vision.
As she tried to figure out what she had done to be punished, she happened to look at Shen Qingqiu's face. Suddenly, her expression looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Terrified, she shrieked, "My lord, forgive me! This subordinate knows her wrong, but this subordinate swears that it was all a coincidence! My lord, forgive me, it really wasn't me who did this!"
Sha Hualing's heart was extremely bitter since she already had a black mark on her record. Back when she was first recruited by Luo Binghe to serve under him, she had seen the way that he treated Shen Qingqiu's body and had a vague impression of what it meant to him. Thus, fancying herself clever, she managed to find someone who looked around fifty-percent similar to Shen Qingqiu. Using one of the demon race's techniques, she eventually managed to make the fake look exactly like the real, to the point where it was almost a perfect copy. She proudly presented the copy to Luo Binghe, not expecting that not only was he not pleased, he also went into a rage and almost destroyed the entire cave.
Sha Hualing would never forget that moment and naturally didn't want to see Luo Binghe with that expression ever again. From then on she was always cautious, never daring to broach the topic in any way. Who knew that the vessel she was eyeing now would actually resemble Shen Qingqiu by quite a bit? This no doubt enraged Luo Binghe's wrath!
Luo Binghe said, "Didn't I warn you not to get any ideas about using this face?"
Sha Hualing was suspended in the air. Her face turned red from the lack of oxygen, and she could only make choking noises again and again. With great difficulty, she managed to say, "...this time...it really wasn't this subordinate's plan..."
Although Shen Qingqiu wasn't very clear on the details, he could guess that the matter had something to do with that face of his. He closed his mouth, thinking to himself: He has been dead for five years, and yet Luo Binghe still becomes angry when he sees someone who resembles him. It looks like l deeply traumatized Luo Binghe that time.
Suddenly, Shen Qingqiu felt a sharp pain in his stomach. It was as if a thousand needles were threading through his internal organs.
Even if he had an abundant amount of spiritual energy now, it was useless. His eyesight darkened as he spat out a warm mouthful of bright red blood.
The air pressure around Luo Binghe's body was extremely heavy. He looked at Shen Qingqiu as if he were staring down at a dead animal.
The Heart Devil sword on his waist began to shudder with excitement, buzzing without end, as if it would tumble out of its scabbard at any moment. With one hand, Luo Binghe forcefully pressed down on the sword hilt, his eyes overflowing with a blood red color.
Shen Qingqiu wiped away the blood on the sides of his face, staring at the scene blankly.
In the original course of events, Luo Binghe should have adjusted to a relatively balanced mental state after entering the demonic world. Every month he would absorb the cultivation of one or two people, only taking in more for the purpose of strengthening himself. But why did Shen Qingqiu feel that Luo Binghe's current state of being was becoming increasingly worse? It was even more violent than when he had so helpfully detonated his soul to suppress the Heart Devil sword's influence.
Sha Hualing was being hoisted higher and higher into the air. Seeing Shen Qingqiu spit out blood, she knew that Luo Binghe had steeled his heart and was currently manipulating his body's Heavenly Demon blood. With all her might, she yelled, "My lord... you must not kill him... today is the full moon. He will definitely be useful—there is no one more suitable than him..."
Of course, she wasn't actually concerned about Shen Qingqiu living or dying. Rather, if she allowed Luo Binghe to lose himself in his fury and take this strange person's life, she would definitely suffer even if he didn't lose himself to his demon side. Thinking about this, Sha Hualing felt that she must have been born under an ill star.
As sincerely as she could, she hoarsely shouted, "Even if you don't care about this person, or about me, at least think about... think about that..." She used all her effort to raise her voice on the final phrase: "Think about the Holy Mausoleum!"
Hearing the last two words, Luo Binghe's movements instantly became sluggish.
The Holy Mausoleum was the eternal resting place of the demon race's elders. No one was allowed to enter except for the current ruler; any violators were met with death.
As generations passed, all sorts of magic weapons and spirit tools were buried as funerary objects within the mausoleum. Not only were they countless in number, but the quality was of a rare sort unable to found anywhere else, enough to make anyone drool at the thought.
It was also rumored that within the mausoleum, there was an item that was able to raise a person from the dead. The original Luo Binghe, with Sha Hualing's help, achieved the premier position and entered the Holy Mausoleum. There was no question as to whose bag all those rare items ended up in.
By bringing up the Holy Mausoleum, wasn't Sha Hualing reminding Luo Binghe that he couldn't dispose of her yet?
In any case, she was clearly on the right track.
Hearing the last two words, Luo Binghe's eyes flashed with a red light. Sha Hualing's body slammed downwards until her toes were barely touching the ground.
"You've reminded me." Luo Binghe's fingers gently stroked the Heart Devil sword, comforting the restless blade. Lowering his voice, he said, "That's right, there's still the Holy Mausoleum."
Sha Hualing was finally about to breathe when she heard Luo Binghe ask, "So you're threatening me?"
Her soul nearly flew out of her body in terror. "This subordinate doesn't dare!"
...too tragic. How had one of the two domineering female leads of the Proud Immortal Demon Way, ranking top three for the most popular (female) character for years on end, been reduced to this state!
Shen Qingqiu didn't even have a chance to lament before he felt someone grab his chest, dragging his body forward.
His eyes became blurry. A sudden freezing feeling emanated over his upper torso. When he lowered his head to look, one of Luo Bing's hands were pressing against the left side of his chest.
It felt like he had been shot in the chest, the ammunition being the sinister demonic energy. After entering his body, the energy spread through his veins and extended to all four of his limbs.
The system's sudden, lucid beep distracted him from the pain.
[Touch verification successful!]
[The power source has been connected. Storing power!]
[System self-evaluation: all system operations normal. Thank you for your continued usage!]
Wasn't this system inspection a bit too advanced?!
The original spirit energy in Shen Qingqiu was akin to a full pond. This time, a good amount had been sucked away by Luo Binghe.
But this emptiness lasted only for a second. The body formed from the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Seed quickly began to gather spiritual energy, replacing the missing energy taken away by Luo Binghe.
Shen Qingqiu felt that his current body was like a powerbank.
Inwardly, he roared: So maybe in my previous life I might have been too excessive with some of my novel reviews, but the things I blasted were all about Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky's writing ability, and never anything against the actual male lead! So why is Luo Binghe always getting involved with me?!
Luo Binghe made an exclamation of surprise, withdrawing his hand.
This meat vessel was unlike any of the vessels he had used before. Though he had already extracted most of the spiritual energy away and infused it with a huge volume of demonic energy, it appeared that it was able to regenerate quickly. It looked like Sha Hualing's insistence on capturing this person had its merits.
Sha Hualing fell onto the floor with a loud bang. She knew she had made the right decision in capturing this person and probably escaped death by a narrow margin, passing by a great tribulation. Still, she was extremely terrified, unable to stop her knees from shaking. She hurriedly attempted to straighten her posture as she knelt on one knee.
Luo Binghe said, "I don't care if this really was something that you did. But remember that I don't want to ever see him using this face."
Sha Hualing hurriedly lowered her head. "As you say!"
Luo Binghe raised his hand and sliced open a rift in the space in front of him, stepping through it. His arrogant way of leaving was enough to make most people furious. The two of them were left behind inside of the barren wasteland just like that as if Luo Binghe didn't care if Shen Qingqiu tried to run away or not.
But then again, there was no need for him to worry. Shen Qingqiu had already ingested his blood, so if he tried to flee, Luo Binghe only had to flick a finger to find Shen Qingqiu's whereabouts and cause him a pain worse than death.
Shen Qingqiu had a sudden thought: so... he could be considered to be this Big Brother Bing's follower?
Of course, Luo Binghe hadn't officially acknowledged him. But if he played his cards right, did that mean that it was possible his future prospects were looking hopeful?
Wasn't it only a once-a-month matter? After a while, he would basically be accustomed to it!
As his thoughts whirled about in frenetic chaos, Sha Hualing suddenly grabbed at his face. Shen Qingqiu extended two fingers, blocking her. "What are you trying to do?"
Sha Hualing gnashed her teeth. "Didn't you hear him? He just said that he didn't want to see your face!"
Shen Qingqiu stared at her blankly. Out of the blue, he reached out an arm and tore a piece of muslin off of her robe.
Sha Hualing shrieked, "Why are you tearing at my robes?!"
Then Qingqiu tore two holes through the fabric, pressing it against his face so that it revealed only his eyes. "My robes have too many holes, so I can only use yours. Do you only know how to tear apart a person's face? Using a piece of fabric is enough. There's no need for disfigurement."
If it wasn't for the fact that Luo Binghe needed to use this person once a month, meaning that every hair on his head was to remain intact, Sha Hualing would have long hacked him into mincemeat. But then again, just because Luo Binghe despised seeing fake versions of that face didn't mean that he would enjoy seeing a shredded, bloody appearance either. Sha Hualing could only swallow her anger, yelling, "Let's go!"
If they were going then they were going. Either way, wherever they ended up in didn't matter; it wasn't worth calculating every step. Shen Qingqiu deduced that after Luo Binghe successfully suppressed the Heart Devil sword, there would be no need for him anymore. At that point, he could say goodbye to the cultivation world, which probably wouldn't be an event too far into the future. As long as he was careful, it would be fine as long as Luo Binghe didn't realize that his soul had escaped into the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Seed's fake body.
Shen Qingqiu's adaptation to his new role was fairly quick. He followed after Luo Binghe into the crack, and with Sha Hualing bringing up the rear, the crack slowly disappearing afterward. The adjustment speed of the Demon race's most outstanding general could also be considered quite excellent; after a few breaths, Sha Hualing was completely calm.
She asked, "What's your name?"
The other side of the crack led to a long hallway. On both walls, complicated engravings could be seen, with all kinds of patterns carved into them. It was just that the lighting was a bit too dim.
Shen Qingqiu felt that this place was somewhat familiar. Without thinking, he replied, "Peerless Cucumber."
Sha Hualing muttered, "Peerless Cucumber?" Soon after, she angrily demanded, "Are you making fun of me?"
The more Shen Qingqiu stared at the carvings, the more he was sure that even if he had never personally seen the patterns before, it was possible to deduce where he was from a previous description of it.
In the process, he completely ignored Sha Hualing. Seeing that she was met with no response, Sha Hualing furiously threatened him, "No matter what your previous history was since you've drunk the Heavenly Demon's blood you are one of the lord's people now. If you have any contrary thoughts about him, dying without an intact corpse can be considered a light punishment!"
When he turned a corner, which revealed several followers dressed in familiar yellow robes, Shen Qingqiu finally realized where he was: the Huan Hua Palace, Luo Binghe's headquarters in the human realm.
But this place was too different from the Huan Hua Palace that he recognized. The Huan Hua Palace was supposed to be majestic and splendorous, dazzling the eyes with luxury. Every wooden plank and stone was made from the most lavish materials.
But the building in front of his eyes could be described with one word:
Lifeless.
The rulers of the previous dynasties had always loved extravagance and Luo Binghe was no exception. However, the supposed luxury was now a bleak dimness. Even the lanterns that lined the corridor flickered as if they would be extinguished any moment.
In a moment, Sha Hualing had changed into the same robes as the rest of the Huan Hua Palace followers. Unable to release demonic energy, she looked the same as any other good-looking human girl.
Luo Binghe passed through the halls, taking a seat inside a large palace chamber. Shen Qingqiu had originally wanted to wander somewhere else, only to be stopped by Sha Hualing: "Where are you going? Don't wander away. Stay with me!"
Shen Qingqiu didn't want to go against her, and could only reluctantly stand rigidly beside her with the other followers, arranged in straight lines. Shortly after, a follower stood up to deliver his report.
Several other followers also followed suit, paying respects and deferentially reporting current events. Shen Qingqiu absentmindedly listened to what was being spoken, until the mention of a familiar name pricked into him.
A follower said, "Palace Lord, when you left, that Liu Qingge came over two times. Seeing that you weren't here, he smashed all of the water caltrop blossoms."
Hearing this, Shen Qingqiu's heart became anxious and his teeth ached slightly.
Liu Qingge, he... was he trying to take revenge for him?
Luo Binghe's face was filled with a "Who cares, this old man has plenty of money" kind of security. "Let him smash them. What else?"
The follower looked at him, wiping away his cold sweat. Cautiously, he added, "Also... the Young Palace Mistress... wants to meet with you."
Originally, Shen Qingqiu had thought that Luo Binghe would wear a tender and affectionate expression as he declared his love to his concubine to the entire palace hall. Who knew that instead, a cold and standoffish expression appeared instead. As if he was too exhausted to even speak, he waved his hand, rejecting the subject.
That follower was put in a hard situation. "But..."
"But I've already arrived!"
When he heard this voice, Shen Qingqiu's teeth and skin ached. Faster than could be said, the Young Palace Mistress's fiery temper shone through as she charged into the palace. By her side, in a similar yellow robe, was a slightly older beauty. Her eyes were hazy, as if tears would spill out any moment. This person was none other than Qin Wanyue.
Shen Qingqiu stared at the two of them, feeling that this development was rather unexpected.
These two girls should have been in the blossoming stages of their youth, yet they both looked pale and haggard. It was especially evident on the Young Palace Mistress, whose unevenly distributed red patches on her cheeks were most likely artificially created through cosmetics.
Why was it that she didn't even look half like a young mistress spoiled with luxury by her lover?
The Young Palace Mistress lifted her head to look at Luo Binghe. "You've returned."
Luo Binghe stared at her, silent. Qin Wanyue quietly said, "Young Palace Mistress, let's go back."
The Young Palace Mistress sharply said to her, "Do you think I don't know who you think about day and night? The reason you endure by my side, why you'll do anything, isn't it all to catch a glimpse of him? Why is it then when you actually see him you pretend to be lovable and pitiable? Why was it that before I came here you made no efforts to stop me, and yet only advise me now?"
Qin Wanyue lowered her head, not daring to say anything else. Her ears flushed a dark red.
The Young Palace Mistress once again turned to the palace hall. "Have you found my father yet?"
Luo Binghe said, "The Old Palace Master has disappeared into the clouds. There's no trace of him anymore."
This reply was really too insincere. In Shen Qingqiu's impression, gleaned from several television dramas and FreeWebNovels, the "I don't know his whereabouts" person who typically said that line that was almost certainly the chief culprit who had orchestrated the former leader's disappearance.
The Young Palace Mistress coldly sneered, "It's this phrase again. Could it be you don't even have the energy to think of a new excuse to give me? Alright, I won't mention Father. Let's talk about me."
She shrilly demanded, "If I didn't come and find you, would you have looked for me?"
Was Luo Binghe the kind of brute who would go around push around a sister? Don't insult his dignity as the male lead of a stallion novel!
But it was a pity that Luo Binghe had apparently forsaken this dignity. A few Huan Hua Palace followers appeared onto the palace steps, looking as if they were going to console her, only to forcibly push the Young Palace Mistress outside. As she was dragged out she continuously screamed and yelled, Qin Wanyue awkwardly following her at the side. From time to time she would cast a teary glance at Luo Binghe, as if expecting something.
Sha Hualing, who had previously been standing straight and at full attention, now wrinkled her eyebrows and followed them outside. Standing on the veranda, she berated them, "What are you guys doing? When I told you to watch her you consider this your job done?"