Wuming Demon Mountain,
Hua Qiuyuan felt a sudden shock as the icy poison in his body disappeared.
"What is this feeling?" Hua Qiuyuan was puzzled, attempting to summon the demonic energy in his hand. His body and palms were no longer cold.
"The Crystal Orchid poison is gone," Hua Qiuyuan muttered softly.
"Commander, a secret report from the dark guards."
Hua Qiuyuan took the report, his eyes trembling as he read it. His pupils contracted, and he momentarily forgot to breathe, standing frozen in place as the report fell from his hands.
The gates of Nan Zhe's residence were still eerily decorated in red, but the original double happiness character had been replaced with another word.
"I heard the new bride was killed by an assassin before the wedding night," whispered two demonesses passing by the gate.
"Whoever attacked Lord Nan Zhe's bride must have a death wish."
"Probably seeking revenge. Couldn't kill Lord Nan Zhe, so they killed his bride instead."
In the dungeon behind Nan Zhe's residence, Mi Xingzhe knelt on the ground, his hands bound and suspended behind him, forcing his body forward. His face and body were covered in wounds, with two golden soul nails embedded in his shoulders, glowing faintly purple. The slightest movement caused the nails to twist deeper, and the dried blood around his knees bore witness to his constant agony.
The dungeon door opened, and Nan Zhe walked in with a cold expression.
Suppressing the pain, Mi Xingzhe struggled to look up at Nan Zhe. Despite his exhaustion, a glimmer of consciousness remained in his eyes.
"Do you like it? These are Soul Fixing Nails, specially prepared for you. Even the strongest golden core can't exert any power with these embedded. As you can see, the Floating Light Golden Seal can't protect you indefinitely. Once its spiritual power is exhausted and it enters dormancy, that's when I'll take your life. Enjoy these last moments; you'll soon realize this is your most comfortable time," Nan Zhe said, sitting in the chair his ghost guards placed in front of Mi Xingzhe.
"Who... who are you?" Mi Xingzhe asked hoarsely, suppressing the pain.
"You don't need to know who I am, but I know very well who you are," Nan Zhe said, leaning forward, his dark mask close to Mi Xingzhe's face, eyes filled with silent fury.
"You... you killed..." Mi Xingzhe tried to speak, but blood choked his words.
"Mi Xingzhe, you should know that none of this would have happened without you," Nan Zhe said, yanking Mi Xingzhe's hair, forcing his head up, and looking down at him with disdain.
Mi Xingzhe winced in pain, his eyes shut tight, his brows furrowed, and warm blood dripped from his shoulders.
"If you have the guts... just kill me!" Mi Xingzhe roared, using all his strength, glaring at Nan Zhe's mask, wishing to tear him apart.
"Kill you? You think I don't know that with the Floating Light Golden Seal protecting you, unless your golden core is shattered, you won't die. But I have a more interesting game. Your golden core is a rare treasure; I won't waste it," Nan Zhe said mockingly, patting Mi Xingzhe's face.
"I've heard that the Floating Light Golden Seal can recognize its master. If it's forcibly removed, it's just an ordinary core. The host must willingly give it up. I wonder how long it will take for you to give up your core," Nan Zhe said, summoning his fan and laughing lightly.
"Dream on," Mi Xingzhe spat out, gritting his teeth.
"A dream? I never dream, but I can give you one. 'Under the flower leaves hides the thorn, the human heart is hard to predict.' This poison will awaken all your deepest fears and unbearable memories, magnifying them before you," Nan Zhe said, twisting the Soul Fixing Nail on Mi Xingzhe's shoulder before forcibly opening his mouth and shoving the poison inside.
"(Ugh... cough cough) Just nightmares, do you really think... I'll be afraid?" Mi Xingzhe gasped, thrown to the ground, his voice strong.
"Of course not, but my dream can be seen, heard, and the people in the dream can touch you. Who will you meet in your dream? Yun Qingyi, whom you got killed? My bride? Or Li Luoning, seeking revenge? Enjoy your last comfortable moments," Nan Zhe said, pulling out the Soul Fixing Nail from Mi Xingzhe's left shoulder, reveling in the sight of the splattering blood.
Mi Xingzhe felt dizzy, everything blurring into darkness, and he knew nothing more.
"Lord! Lord!" Hua Qiuyuan ran into the Demon Lord's hall, panic in his voice.
"Qiuyuan? Why are you so frantic? What happened?" Shentu Zhajia asked, seeing Hua Qiuyuan's rare loss of composure.
Hua Qiuyuan handed over the secret report, trembling. Shentu Zhajia's expression turned to shock as he read the contents.
"Go," he said softly, his eyes showing a hint of sorrow.
At dawn, the streets of The Flatland were desolate, a gust of evil wind stirring dried leaves. Occasionally, the sound of someone opening their shop early could be heard.
"Master Xieyi, The Flatland may be small, but finding Yun Wan Nian among all these people won't be easy," Qingyuan said worriedly.
Li Luoning was about to speak when he overheard an argument nearby.
"Lord Nan Zhe's wedding feast turned into a funeral. I spent so much on this celebratory red robe, and now it's all for nothing," complained a demoness, holding the red robe, to the cloth shop owner.
"Apologies, but the shop policy is no returns. I can't refund your money whether you wore the robe or not," the owner said, waving his hands.
"A wedding turned into a funeral? How unlucky must one be to experience that?" Jia Gu Qing heard the conversation and approached out of curiosity.
"Hey, little demoness, this red robe looks pretty and suits you. Why don't you want it?" Jia Gu Qing leaned against the door, a blade of grass in his mouth, teasing.
The demoness glanced at Jia Gu Qing, rolling her eyes. "It's because Lord Nan Zhe's bride was killed by an assassin on the wedding day. Everyone wearing red could get money, so I bought it. But before I could go, the bride was killed, and the wedding turned into a funeral. So I don't need the robe, and I didn't get any money," she complained.
——
"Nan Zhe's bride?" Li Luoning was surprised that anyone would marry Nan Zhe.
"Yes, I heard that this new bride is a poison master sent by the Demon Lord to Nan Zhe. She lived in the residence for some time before suddenly deciding to marry him. To become Lady Nan Zhe must be an unimaginable fortune for generations. We lesser demons hoped to gain some favors when Nan Zhe was in a good mood. But now, with no benefits to gain, who knows how crazy Nan Zhe will get?" the demoness continued.
"Sister demoness, do you know the name of this poison master?" Hearing that the Demon Lord sent a poison master to Nan Zhe, Li Luoning had a guess but wanted to confirm it.
"Well, I don't know her full name, but I heard someone call her Ruoying. On the day of the wedding feast, the entire Nan Zhe residence was in an uproar. Someone came to steal the bride, and then a fight broke out. There were screams from the courtyard, but I only heard that name. As for her surname, I don't know," the demoness said after thinking for a moment.
"Steal the bride? Didn't they say it was an assassin?" the cloth shop owner interrupted.
"It was clearly a bride theft. I live so close, how could I not hear..." The demoness turned to continue gossiping with the shop owner, while Li Luoning and his companions walked away.
"If my guess is correct, Nan Zhe's bride is Hua Ruoying."
"Hua Ruoying? Sounds like a beauty. But what does she have to do with your golden core disciple?" Jia Gu Qing asked.
"Nian'er, he has feelings for Ruoying..." Li Luoning was at a loss for words, unsure how to explain the relationship between Hua Ruoying and Mi Xingzhe.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Your little disciple is the one who tried to steal the bride, isn't he?" Jia Gu Qing instantly understood.
"If the new bride is indeed Ruoying, knowing those two, it wouldn't be surprising if such a thing happened," Li Luoning admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"Got it, got it. Your golden core disciple tried to steal the bride and got himself caught. That's probably what happened. This kid, always causing trouble and using his powers recklessly. Now he's gotten himself captured!" Jia Gu Qing shook his head in resignation.
"Senior Jia Gu," Li Luoning turned around to say something.
"Stop! Don't expect me to help you rescue that golden core brat. I won't disgrace myself like that," Jia Gu Qing refused.
Li Luoning chuckled softly and said, "I want to ask Senior and War God Qingyuan to return to The Liao Yin Immortal Realm. With Senior's reputation, the Immortal Lord will not trouble his disciples."
"That matter... five jars!" Jia Gu Qing stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then waved his hand in front of Li Luoning.
"Deal," Li Luoning agreed with a smile.
"You said it. No backing out! Silly boy, let's go," Jia Gu Qing happily confirmed, calling out to Qingyuan.
Qingyuan, puzzled, pointed at himself, then followed after Jia Gu Qing reluctantly.
As the two left, Li Luoning's expression grew serious as he headed towards Nan Zhe's residence.
In the dungeon, the poison in Mi Xingzhe's body began to take effect,
"Yun Wan Nian, return my life!" Yun Qingyi, his face pale and bloodied, strangled Mi Xingzhe, eyes full of hatred.
"Murderer of your brother, killer of your sect, you traitorous scum!"
Even though it was a dream, the reality of it made Mi Xingzhe struggle to breathe. He clawed at his neck, leaving bloody marks on his pale skin.
Just as Mi Xingzhe felt he would pass out from lack of air, Yun Qingyi vanished. Mi Xingzhe collapsed, coughing and gasping for breath.
Surrounded by darkness, he couldn't see any light. Ripples occasionally appeared on the ground but felt no cold. A pair of ragged shoes appeared before him,
"Grandpa Mi."
Mi Xingzhe slowly looked up at the old man who had raised him. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Ugh~ Ah~"
Before Mi Xingzhe could understand, Grandpa Mi's thin wooden stick pierced his ankle.
"You ungrateful child! You didn't even prepare a coffin for me."
Grandpa Mi twisted the stick with all his might, his bony hands terrifying. His once furious eyes now only deep, bottomless holes, and his tattered clothes revealed ghastly white bones.
"Grandpa, no, it hurts, Xing'er hurts," Mi Xingzhe cried out in pain.
Although Grandpa Mi was the person closest to him, his rotting corpse in the ruined temple had been Mi Xingzhe's childhood nightmare. He couldn't move the corpse and could only watch it rot away.
Soon, Grandpa Mi's figure also disappeared.
Mi Xingzhe was about to catch his breath when he saw a man in his thirties, richly dressed, holding a baby, with a handsome young man standing beside him.
Both looked at Mi Xingzhe with eerie expressions.
Seeing the young man, Mi Xingzhe realized it was Yun Qingyi.
"If that's Brother Qingyi, then the other must be... Father." Mi Xingzhe couldn't believe his wealthy, distinguished father was standing before him.
But before Mi Xingzhe could think more, the expressions of the two became increasingly strange, sending chills down his spine.
"A useless waste without spiritual power, unworthy of being my son," the man's voice was cold and merciless.
"Father, having me in the family is enough. This useless thing, throw it away," the young Yun Qingyi said coldly, glancing at Mi Xingzhe.
Mi Xingzhe's pupils dilated in fear, watching as the two lifted the baby high and slammed it down.
"No, no, don't do this!" Mi Xingzhe felt a sharp pain in his heart, instinctively trying to catch the baby, but his legs felt boneless, and he stumbled to the ground.
Li Luoning had arrived at the gates of Nan Zhe's residence,
"Breaking in recklessly is not wise. Although I met Nan Zhe before as Piaocheng, we never had any conflict. It's better to come openly with congratulations. With Nan Zhe's nature, he shouldn't start a fight publicly," he thought. After adjusting his appearance and transforming his hair into a tied-up crown with a spell, he stepped into Nan Zhe's residence.
"Who goes there?" Ghost guards immediately stopped Li Luoning.
"Please inform Lord Nan Zhe that Piaocheng is here to pay respects," Li Luoning said with a smile.
"My lord is in mourning and won't see anyone. Get lost!" the guard shouted, waving his staff to drive Li Luoning out.
"When did my affairs become your concern, you worthless creature?"
Nan Zhe's voice came from a distance. The guard's leg bone snapped with a crisp sound, and he fell, wailing in pain.