Snow fell again on Mount Grimwrath, instantly blanketing the summit in white.
Huan hurried over with a cloak, draping it over Elysia's shoulders. "My lady, why are you waiting for the Demon Lord again? You have a delicate constitution. The Demon Lord said you needn't always wait for him here"
Snowflakes filled Elysia's hair. She stretched out her hand, watching the snow melt in her palm, and couldn't help but smile. She happily told Huan, "Did you know, in the human realm, the twelfth month is also the coldest season"
Huan shook her head with a smile. As a ghost cultivator, she naturally had never been to the human realm. But from what her lady described, it sounded like a beautiful place, making her yearn to see it.
The harsh weather made Elysia's small face appear carved from ice and snow, even her once rosy lips paling. But her eyes shone brightly, because this month, her husband Lucian Umbra, who had been out battling the fairy clans on all fronts, would return.
She took Huan's hand and asked, "Are my clothes alright? Is my hair messy?"
Huan replied, "My lady, you have the beauty of a celestial. Everything looks perfect. When His Majesty sees you, he surely won't want to leave again~"
Elysia's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
Huan felt happy for her. In her view, the Demon Lord was always off fighting battles after marrying her ladyship, and was too busy to spend time with her. Sometimes he would only return to Grimwrath once every few years to accompany Elysia, and would have to leave again after a few days.
Now that the eight realms were gradually stabilizing and peace treaties had been signed, the Demon Lord no longer needed to constantly rush about. With the war between fairys, demons, ghosts and devils over, the world was at peace.
'Without those pressing matters, his majesty could stay with lady Ely and calmly focus on producing an heir'
Seeing Elysia rubbing her hands from the cold, Huan couldn't help but advise, "My lady, let's go wait inside the palace"
Elysia shook her head with a smile. Her cultivation was low and her origins humble, so there was little she could do for Lucian. But for the few things she could do, she put her heart into each one, doing them personally.
A century ago, she remembered standing on Mount Grimwrath waiting for him. At that time, he returned riding his vermilion kite, and upon seeing her waiting and waving on the mountain, his eyes lit up as his lips curved slightly for the first time.
Elysia blinked, bubbling with joy. Although they were dao companions, she rarely saw him smile.
He was the Demon Lord and also the Ghost Lord, the supreme ruler of both realms. He was always stern-faced year-round, making her timid. That time, she sensed his delight, so from then on, whenever he returned from battle, she would wait at the entrance to the ghost realm on Mount Grimwrath, so he could see her first thing upon arriving home.
The waiting stretched on endlessly. Sometimes he would send word on the first that he planned to return, but with the war raging, it would be the fifteenth before she saw his figure, always returning covered in the stench of blood.
Because of this, Elysia especially cherished their moments together.
She didn't feel that waiting on Mount Grimwrath in the bitter cold was torturous. In fact, the ghost realm behind her made her feel even worse. Her original form was a small blue fairy herb from the human realm's Azure Lake. Although her spiritual power was low, she still had an fairy body. Living in the oppressive ghost realm with an fairy body, if not for Lucian's unfathomably deep cultivation occasionally dual cultivating with her, the spiritual energy leaking from his fingertips enough for her to clumsily advance her cultivation, she absolutely could not have endured it.
Although the ghost realm wasn't as cold as the entrance at Mount Grimwrath, the threads of chilling ghostly energy made her entire body uncomfortable, unwilling to take a single step out of the palace.
Lucian had also told her to live in the warmer demon realm, but she refused.
He was fighting for the turbulent ghost realm. If she returned to the demon realm, Elysia wouldn't be able to see him. To her, nothing made her happier than seeing him and nestling in his arms.
Huan waited with her for a very long time. Seeing how late it had gotten on Mount Grimwrath, she immediately said, "My lady, let's head back first. His Majesty may not return until tomorrow. Seeing you like this will make his heart ache"
Elysia nodded, deciding to come again the next day. He would return within the next few days anyway.
Elysia formed a seal and a giant blue bird flew over from the horizon.
The giant bird had beautiful, iridescent feathers. It obediently landed in front of Elysia.
She stroked its neck. "Let's go home, Luan"
Luan carefully carried her, flapped its wings, and soared into the air, streaking across the blood-red sky of the ghost realm.
Elysia's Luan and Lucian's Yuan were originally a pair of ancient demon birds. He obtained them by chance in his youth and they followed him for over seven hundred years. The two demon birds were exceptionally devoted to each other.
After she married him, she coquettishly begged Lucian for one of them. She pestered him for a full half year before he finally gave her Luan as a mount.
To tame the demon bird, Elysia spent several more decades painstakingly learning to groom its feathers, coming up with ways to win Luan's affection. Only then did Luan willingly protect her and allow her to command it.
Luan could travel tens of thousands of miles in a day, so it didn't take long to reach Mount Grimwrath.
The Ghost Gate Palace stood somber and eerie. Several dozen ghost cultivators with pale ghastly faces guarded the palace entrance.
Elysia glanced at the blood-red air above and gently inhaled. She gripped Luan's feathers tightly, not wanting to reveal her innate fear of this place.
Her husband was the only demon-ghost in the eight realms, cultivating the ghost dao with a demon body. Staying in the ghost realm was most comfortable for him.
Even if she disliked this place, she was unwilling to have him suffer a loss in cultivation for the sake of her trivial preferences.
"My lady, be careful" Huan stretched out a hand to help Elysia off the bird's back.
Luan sensed something and let out a soft cry toward the palace, appearing a bit restless. Before long, a clear bird call sounded from within the palace. A vermilion kite bird flew out from the ghost realm and intertwined necks with Luan, the two grooming each other's feathers.
Huan exclaimed in delight, "My lady, His Majesty has returned!"
With Yuan here, it meant Lucian was already inside the palace. Elysia's face blossomed with a smile as she lifted her skirt and ran toward the palace.
Huan chased after her with a smile. "My lady, slow down"
Elysia wore a scarlet gauze dress embroidered with large, blooming begonias. As she dashed through the palace courtyard, the begonias flowed with resplendent light, blooming in layers.
Even the lifeless ghost cultivators couldn't help but turn to look at her, bowing and saying, "Greetings, My Lady"
She pushed open the door to her own palace, but didn't see Lucian inside.
Elysia tilted her head and asked the little ghost servant beside her, "Where is His Majesty the Demon Lord?"
The ghost servant replied, "His Majesty returned injured and is currently in Ruthless Hall"
"He's injured! Is it serious?"
"This subordinate does not know"
Elysia sat on the swing in the courtyard, worried sick. She was deeply concerned but didn't dare set foot in Ruthless Hall. Inside Ruthless Hall was a cold pool, the chill there enough to freeze her body, but an excellent place for Lucian to heal.
He had issued a strict order forbidding her from taking even half a step in that direction.
Elysia sat on the swing in a daze, a few thousand ghost phoenix butterflies fluttering around her. She waved them away. "Go play by yourselves. My husband has returned and he's injured. I'm very worried about him"
Hearing that Lucian had returned, the ghost butterflies instantly scattered. The courtyard was a riot of flowers, completely different from the gloomy ghost realm outside.
Originally, the ghost realm was barren, naturally unable to grow such lively things due to the lack of vitality. After Elysia moved in, her fairy qi was gentle and lingering. Bored and lonely, she asked Lucian's subordinates for grass seeds and tried planting flowers and grass in the courtyard, nurturing them with spiritual power.
She never expected to succeed. Gradually, in the cold, dark, oppressive ghost realm, only her and Lucian Umbra's sleeping quarters had blooming flowers and lush grass.
Even the phoenix butterflies that loved bright colors would secretly fly here when Lucian was away.
But if he was present, the pressure from his aura was too great and these little creatures didn't dare come. He had once crushed a ghost butterfly that didn't fly away in time right in front of her.
The wooden corridor twisted and turned, hung with colored glass lanterns.
The sky, red as blood, darkened, but Lucian Umbra still hadn't returned. Huan said, "His Majesty is healing. My lady, please rest first"
Elysia nodded and had no choice but to go inside.
Huan undid her hair, removed her makeup, and carefully applied a layer of fragrant ointment. Elysia nestled into the warm covers, but her heart was on Lucian in Ruthless Hall.
'How was he? Were his injuries serious? Was he in pain?'
Thinking about it, she still tossed and turned, unable to sleep even late into the night. She stared, wide-eyed, until ghost crows flew by outside, their hoarse caws harsh and unpleasant. Only then did she realize with a start that someone was standing by the bed.
He seemed unsurprised. "Still not asleep?"
His voice was cold, but it made Elysia's eyes light up. She crawled out from under the covers. Lucian was silent for a moment before moving a finger. The gentle South Sea night pearls in the room lit up one after another.
Elysia could finally see him.
Her husband, the ruler of the demon and ghost realms, Lucian Umbra.
He wore black robes with gold trim, extremely handsome with thin lips, long brows, and jet-black eyes. He looked down at her from on high.
Elysia reached out to him. He glanced at her and gave her his hand.
That slender hand was as cold as jade, matching his body temperature, cold enough to make one shiver. She trembled from the chill but placed his hand against her chest to warm it. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Dear, are you badly hurt?"
In the lamplight, her small face was flushed, eyes watery, lips also a charming red. She forgot he had demonic snake blood flowing through his body, a temperature she couldn't warm.
His expression didn't change but his eyes softened imperceptibly. "It's nothing"
Elysia didn't quibble over why he didn't pass through Mount Grimwrath when returning this time, making her wait in vain, instead sneaking back to Ruthless Hall using a formation.
She was concerned about his injury and reached to undo his sash. "Let me see"
Lucian stopped her hand. "Don't mess around"
When he forbade someone from doing something, he would often unconsciously release an oppressive aura. Elysia's body feared him. A timid feeling rose in her heart, but her care for him still won out.
She endured the feeling of her heart being squeezed and persisted stubbornly. "Husband, let me see. Otherwise I won't be at ease"
In the end, she still removed his robes.
Lucian Umbra was a ghost cultivator. Compared to ordinary people, his skin had a gloomy, ghastly paleness, but his musculature was beautiful and slender. His physique seemed exquisitely sculpted, unbelievably gorgeous.
She saw his shoulder where black blood seeped out, the wound so deep his bones were visible. Elysia's heart ached terribly.
'These days, he had few opponents in the eight realms. Who could injure him to this extent?'
She raised a hand to cover the wound, trying to use an endless stream of spiritual power to help him heal. He grabbed her wrist and closed his robes. "Don't you know your own limits? I don't need you to help me heal. Go to sleep"
Her original form was a small fairy herb, so she cultivated healing arts the best. Although she had been in the ghost realm for many years, she never dared neglect it, fearing the day Lucian would return injured and she wouldn't be able to do anything for him.
Now he pressed down on her wrist. He didn't need to use much strength. With a light push, Elysia sank into the cloud-patterned quilt, unable to move.
He propped himself up on either side of her, with cold eyes as he looked down at her from above.
This was the gaze a ghost dao cultivating ruler used most often on others, usually making people flee in terror. But Elysia nestled in the quilt didn't feel that way.
In Lucian's eyes, she saw her own appearance.
Cloud-like hair, flower-like face, eyes like spring water.
The colored glass lamps cast a bright, beautiful glow. Bathed in the light, she wore nothing but a delicate, sheer garment that clung to her full chest and accentuated her slender waist.
Meeting his gaze, Elysia's cheeks unconsciously reddened. "Dear?"
Her toes curled nervously. Although they hadn't made love many times, each time left her heart pounding and face flushed.
His ghost cultivator constitution was on the cold side. Even though her original form was a naturally gentle fairy herb, she couldn't quite take it. But in Elysia's eyes, even if he was cold, he was wonderful in every way, delighting her everywhere.
Seeing he didn't object, she suppressed her shyness and made space beside her, hugging his neck. "Love, come rest"
He was injured, so of course she didn't want to do anything with him. She just wanted to nestle in his arms and softly whisper intimately with him.
He stared at her flower-like charming face. After a while, his eyes deepened. He expressionlessly removed her soft little hands from his body.
"No need. I won't stay here today"
Elysia blinked in confusion. The cawing of the ghost crows indicated it was past 3. Since he had come out from Ruthless Hall, he normally wouldn't go back.
'This late, if he wasn't going to hold her as they slept, why did he come back? Where is he going?'
"Is the Ming Seal Pearl still here? Lend it to me"
Hearing him say this, she immediately rolled out of bed and picked up the jade horse figurine she used for storage. The little horse was something Lucian had crafted for her with his powers two years ago for her birthday. She loved it to pieces.
Seeing her delight, Lucian had put in more effort to turn it into a spirit device for storing things.
"It's all here" Her slender, fair fingers lightly tapped and the jade horse was filled with things he had given her over the years.
It was packed full, a dazzling array.
She sat cross-legged and obediently took out the Ming Seal Pearl for him. Most of the items in the jade horse were gifts from Lucian. Only the Ming Seal Pearl was different, a gift from an old friend that could block heavenly tribulation lightning and secure the seven hun souls.
She looked at him curiously. "Dear, is someone undergoing tribulation?"
Lucian took the pearl. It still carried her unique warm temperature, nestling against his palm. He lowered his gaze and unintentionally saw her innocent affectionate eyes. He said indifferently, "No. Stay here obediently. Don't wander around. I'll come keep you company when I have time"
Elysia nodded.
He paused. "The Ming Seal Pearl...I'll return it to you after using it"
Elysia said, "It's fine. There's still some time before my tribulation. Without the Ming Seal Pearl, I have you. You promised you would be with me during my tribulation. With you here, the heavenly lightning won't hurt me" To her, that bit of heavenly tribulation was a devastating calamity, but to Lucian, he could disperse it with a wave of his hand.
Lucian didn't comment.
"Be good. I'm going now"
Although he knew saying this to her was superfluous, she was always very well-behaved. When he was around, she obediently stuck to him, able to say all sorts of shameless things. When he was away, she was also good. When he didn't return to the ghost realm, she rarely even went out, often tending to her flowers and plants in the courtyard, almost never leaving.
As he was about to step out the door, his robe with golden beasts fluttering in the wind, Elysia felt a sudden pang in her chest. She hadn't seen him for two months.
She chased after him barefoot and hugged his waist.
Lucian didn't turn around. "What is it?"
She tiptoed and kissed his cold cheek, saying softly, "I just wanted to tell you, I missed you very much"
His black lashes cast a shadow on his face. From beginning to end, he didn't bend his waist at all. He said indifferently, "Mm, go back"
Lucian walked out of the exquisite corridor she had arranged. The colored glass lanterns on the corridor swayed gently.
These strange things had all been gathered from the eight realms at her request. Lucian took out the Ming Seal Pearl from his robes and frowned. Even he himself didn't know when he had given her so many things.
He touched his cheek where she had lightly kissed him. That spot seemed to still retain a temperature different from his own icy skin.
Lucian's eyes were calm and without ripples. He walked out of the corridor. The hovering ghost crows scattered, respectfully making way for their ruler. He never lingered or looked back at her even once.