Several days passed since Lucian said he would come to accompany Elysia when he had time, but he never showed up.
Instead, his subordinate Sulon, who was originally a brown-furred fox, came to visit. He brought a box of peach blossom pastries and said with a smile, "Your Highness, I hope you are well. Please take a look at the gift I brought for you. Do you like it?"
Although the Fox Clan was known for their natural beauty, Sulon was an exception. His appearance was average, lacking the alluring charm of his clan.
He was born with eight apertures and had ordinary skills in other aspects, but he excelled in understanding and pleasing others. Whenever he accompanied Lucian on his trips, he never forgot to bring gifts for Elysia.
"Thank you, Sulon," Elysia accepted the gift. "Why did this conquest take so long? Weren't the terms of the Six Realms Treaty already established? And who severely injured Lucian?"
Sulon's eyes flickered as he smiled, "It shouldn't have taken this long. His Majesty was guarding the Ghost Realm, and some old demons from the Demon Clan had thoughts of rebellion. It took His Majesty some time to deal with them"
Elysia said, "Sulon, you must have had a tiring journey"
"Actually, I came today for another matter. Your Highness, your constitution may not be suitable for staying in the Ghost Realm. Would you like me to escort you back to the Demon Realm?"
Elysia took a small bite of the peach blossom pastry, her movement pausing slightly, "Is this your idea or... his?"
Her clear eyes, like a pool of water, looked at him, making even the silver-tongued Sulon feel a bit guilty.
"Your Highness, you are overthinking. Of course, it's not the Demon Lord's idea," Sulon said. "The Demon Lord can't bear to be separated from you. It's me who is worried that your fairy body can't withstand the gloomy atmosphere of the Ghost Realm. Now that the war has ended, you and the Demon Lord still have a long future ahead. It's important for you to take care of your health"
Elysia's tone was gentle and soft, "It's alright, I'm fine"
Sulon smiled and didn't mention it again. He shared a few interesting stories with her before taking his leave. As he walked out of Elysia's courtyard, he dropped the smile from his eyes.
"Lord Sulon, how did it go?"
Sulon curled his lips and said, "Her Highness still refuses to go to the Demon Realm. So be it. Anyway, she doesn't like walking around in the Ghost Realm, so she probably won't discover anything for now. Report this to the Demon Lord as it is"
"Understood"
Sulon opened the fan in his hand and shook his head. He had intentionally told a lie to give the Demon Lord one more chance to choose.
That person inside was sincere and simple. In the first few decades, lying to such a pitiful and adorable creature came easily to him. But now, even with his thick skin, he was starting to feel uncomfortable.
In the entire world, she was probably the only one who could remain so happy while being surrounded by a group of people with black and evil hearts.
After Sulon left, Lucian still did not appear in the Ghost Realm.
Even the ghost butterflies thought the Demon Lord was not in the Ghost Realm and started to dance around Elysia's swing again. Elysia was disappointed for a few days, and then she remembered the twin fish jade pendant she had cherished for a long time. Strange cracks had begun to appear on it.
This jade pendant was a gift from Shao when he left. Why did it start to crack now?
She sat under the phoenix tree, and green spiritual power flowed from her fingertips like fireflies, covering the twin fish pendant, trying to repair it. The phoenix tree swayed its leaves, and large red flowers fell like teardrops, forming a red halo around her feet.
The jade pendant still had unsightly cracks, and her spiritual power had no effect at all!
Huan stood outside the door for a while. Seeing her dazed appearance, he hurriedly came in, "Your Highness?"
"Is His Majesty back?" Elysia's eyes lit up as she asked.
Huan hesitated for a moment and finally shook his head, "I came to ask you what you would like to eat for dinner"
Elysia put away the jade pendant. Although Lucian was usually busy when he returned to the Ghost Realm, he would always take some time to accompany her because she was clingy. But this time, she didn't even see a glimpse of him.
"Anything is fine, just keep it light," Elysia remembered something and smiled. "Huan, when you have time, find me some bright-colored silkworm silk"
"What does Your Highness want to use it for? And how much do you need?"
"Lucian's birthday is coming up. I want to make a hair ribbon," Elysia had a hard time giving him birthday gifts every year. Almost everything she had was given by him. If she hadn't absorbed the Demon Lord's blood, she would still be a small fairy grass unable to take human form.
For hundreds of years, she had carefully taken care of his life. She sewed his battle robes, embroidered his belts, and even the fierce beasts on his clothes were personally stitched by her with gold thread, strand by strand.
Although she didn't have much talent in cultivation, she was very clever in this aspect. Knowing his extraordinary identity, she became more and more skillful, making exquisite and beautiful clothes and accessories with a free and easy style.
Although Lucian might not care about these things, Elysia always firmly believed that when he and Chiyuan were out fighting, wearing the things she made gave her a sense of accompanying him.
Huan opened his mouth, but finally said, "Yes, I will go and find some for Your Highness today"
…
The sky in the Ghost Realm always seemed to be covered with a layer of bloody mist, making it difficult to distinguish the time. The ghost crows on the branches became the ones who reported the time.
After Huan left, Elysia suddenly remembered that Lucian's conquest this time was unprecedentedly long, and his battle robes probably couldn't be used anymore.
Although the world had stabilized now, she was used to being prepared for a rainy day. Otherwise, if something happened next time, she wouldn't have time to prepare.
Elysia chased after him, "Huan!"
Outside the palace, Huan's figure had already disappeared. The speed of ghost cultivators was inherently amazing. Huan had been with her for decades and probably noticed that this timid little fairy was a bit afraid of ghosts, so she never floated around in front of Elysia and didn't break off her arms to scratch an itch like other ghost cultivators.
Huan had been raised by her to be more like a mortal she walked with embroidered shoes and even learned to use makeup to cover her pale face without a teacher.
But when her back was turned to her, her ghost cultivator nature still took over for comfort, and she disappeared in an instant.
Elysia walked out and saw countless maids with their heads bowed, passing by outside the palace.
Their lower bodies were ethereal, like a layer of black mist, and they held exquisite jade trays in their hands. The things on the trays made Elysia very curious.
She went over to take a look. As a fairy, just standing beside them, she could sense that the heavenly materials and earthly treasures inside must be extraordinary, even dulling the discomfort brought to her by the Ghost Realm.
"What is this? Where are you going?"
"Your Highness, these are soul-calming elixirs," a ghost cultivator replied in a flat voice. "We are delivering these items to the Fragrant Marsh Hall"
Hearing the words Fragrant Marsh Hall, Elysia was stunned. The Fragrant Marsh Hall was originally uninhabited.
She still remembered that about a few decades ago, when she first arrived in the Ghost Realm, Lucian said that except for the Ruthless Hall that would harm her, she could go anywhere else, but she was not allowed to go to the Fragrant Marsh Hall, and neither was anyone else.
For a long time, the Fragrant Marsh Hall had been a forbidden area in the Ghost Realm.
Once, Elysia got lost and almost stumbled into it by mistake. Lucian, who had been out fighting for half a year, instantly teleported in front of her and coldly grabbed the back of her collar.
That time, he looked at her coldly, not even sending a single word back during his conquest.
Since then, Elysia never set foot in that place again. Originally, Elysia wasn't very curious, so this matter gradually passed. Until one day, when the great demons from the Demon Realm came to celebrate Lucian's birthday, Elysia heard a rumor.
They said that a fairy once lived in the Fragrant Marsh Hall, and her relationship with Lucian was not ordinary. She was once close to becoming the Demon Lord's fiancée. If the fairy hadn't entered the Fairy Palace and become the Celestial Lord's concubine, it was hard to say who would be the Demon Queen now.
Elysia didn't believe it. Although she was only a little fairy of about a hundred years old, she knew that her husband had never had another woman.
Their first time was when he was drunk. He was a bit rough and clumsy, not like a fish in water. Later, when he got the hang of it, his brows relaxed.
She was certain that she was the only love in his long life. How could her husband possibly like someone else? If he liked someone else, why would he marry her?
But she was born too late. By the time she took human form, he was already famous and had become the Demon Lord that no one in the world dared to provoke easily.
'Could it be that hundreds of years ago, he had someone he held dear to his heart?'
So many demons spoke with great enthusiasm and certainty. These old demons had lived much longer than her, and she indeed had not been a part of his youth.
Her distraction was noticed by him, and she couldn't help but ask him if he had ever had such a relationship.
He pinched her chin and looked at her eyes coldly, "What do you think?"
Looking at his indifferent eyes, she trembled from the bottom of her heart for some unknown reason. It was well known that the Demon Lord did not like anyone talking about his past.
It was said that when he was young, he did not have a good life. He cultivated the righteous path with a demon body and was discriminated against in every way, making it difficult for him to move forward.
Looking at his dark eyes, as if tempered with ice, she suddenly realized that coming to question him was utterly wrong. Why didn't she trust him? Elysia thought that if he suspected she had something with Shao, she would definitely be angry too.
So she rubbed her red eyes and didn't pursue the matter further, saying, "Dear, when the summer thunder is frequent, can you accompany me to stay at Azure Lake for a few days?" As long as he went back to stay for a few days, he could save countless of her fellow creatures at Azure Lake.
He looked at her for a long time and grunted in agreement.
The verbal promise was as sweet as honey to her heart. She was all smiles, and from then on, she never asked about the Fragrant Marsh Hall again. After all, it was just a palace. He was hers, and his heart was hers. How could a cold and empty courtyard take him away? That fairy had already become the Celestial Lord's concubine. Fairies should all be good people and definitely wouldn't fight with her for Lucian.
But after that day, she vaguely understood that between her and him, there was not only a difference in status but also a gap of seven hundred years.
She had never shared the hardships of his difficult past with him. She even knew nothing about that period.
Now, hearing about the Fragrant Marsh Hall from the ghost cultivators, for some reason, she felt an uncomfortable feeling in her heart.
Perhaps every woman naturally had the ability to sense a crisis. Why was the long-sealed Fragrant Marsh Hall suddenly opened, and countless ghost cultivators were delivering good things for calming souls into it?
Why did her husband not share a bed with her again after returning from the conquest in the Fairy Realm this time, even though he had pacified the world and could slowly handle major matters?
'It was as if... he was staying faithful for someone…'
Although his feelings were not fiery, Elysia knew that he was not indifferent when facing her. When he was moved to the extreme, even if she stepped on his shoulders with her little feet, he would not hold it against her and would only pinch her face expressionlessly, "Insubordination, how presumptuous"
He was majestic and ruthless, but he also indulged her mischief.
Elysia also remembered that on the night he came back to ask her for the Ming Seal Pearl, she affectionately hugged his neck but was pushed away by him. Something inside her sprouted and grew into a giant beast, opening its bloody mouth at her and laughing harshly.
She came up with a guess that made her tremble all over, not daring to think about it herself.
When Huan brought the fabric over, she saw her standing blankly on the small path of the Ghost Realm palace and hurried over, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"Huan, they said that someone is living in the Fragrant Marsh Hall. Do you think the Demon Lord hasn't come back these past few days because he's staying in the Fragrant Marsh Hall?"
Huan's fingers trembled. Seeing the fragile and nervous emotions in her eyes, he calmly said, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? His Majesty was so severely injured this time. I asked Big Brother a few days ago, and he said that the Demon Lord was healing his wounds in the Ruthless Hall at night"
Elysia bit her lip and nodded reluctantly.
Huan quickly showed Elysia the things he brought, "Your Highness, I found the fabric you wanted. His Majesty's birthday is coming up soon. If we don't hurry, I'm afraid we won't make it in time"
"Mm" Her husband was the Demon Lord and also the Ghost Lord. As the monarch of two realms, he dealt with major matters every day, far from the romantic feelings in her heart.
Elysia sighed. Twenty years ago, she had a fit of jealousy and even caused an embarrassing incident: Lucian was locked in the main hall with someone for three days and three nights without coming out.
She thought her husband didn't want her anymore, but it turned out that the person who was having a secret discussion with her husband in the main hall was a big, bearded male demon. When he walked, the ground would tremble.
When Lucian found out about her misunderstanding, his face turned black.
This time, she couldn't misunderstand him again with wild thoughts. She took the silkworm silk and slowly walked back to the palace.
Huan watched her back, biting her lip and silently following her.
…
At night, the ghost crows cawed three times, entering the third watch.
Elysia rested her head on her arm, unable to fall asleep, watching the bright light dancing in the glazed lantern. Beside her lay the cut silkworm silk. For some reason, she gradually thought of the cracks on the twin fish pendant.
The twin fish pendant and the Ming Seal Pearl were two things that Shao had given her before he left.
She still remembered that day when the wind was gentle and the air was warm. He was dressed in white, as gentle and refined as jade, "I'll ask you one last time. Are you willing to come with me, travel through the mountains and rivers, and go to Jiangnan Prefecture that I mentioned to you before?"
She shook her head with a smile and bright eyes, "I like being with him"
Shao's eyes darkened, "Then keep these two things safe. Consider them my wedding gift to you. Don't lose the twin fish pendant. As long as it remains intact, you will be by his side. If it... shows signs of cracking, immediately leave and go back to Azure Lake or return to the human world. Don't stay by his side anymore"
"As for the Ming Seal Pearl, your spiritual power is low, and it's not suitable for you to cultivate by his side. When you go through your blood lineage tribulation, it may be able to help you withstand some of the tribulation thunder"
After that, Shao left these two things and never came back, not even attending her wedding. She didn't understand the value of these two things, but what Shao gave must be good. Shao was originally a collateral branch of the ancient bloodline of the Peach Wood Clan, which could barely be considered the same species as her original form.
He was born skilled in healing and divination, and he was modest and gentle in nature. She met him in the human world not long after taking human form, and she walked with him through the paths between the mortal rivers, learning many things from him in a daze.
To Elysia, Shao was a good teacher and also a close friend. She once folded her hands in front of her forehead, wanting to respectfully kneel down and call him "Master"
Shao pressed his lips tightly, and peach wood wrapped around her knees, "I won't be your master"
Because of this, she thought she was stupid and despised by Shao, and she was quite sad for a while.
Now, the twin fish pendant that Shao gave her actually started to crack on its own.
'Why would a perfectly good jade crack?'
She remembered that his divination skills were unmatched in the world, and she clutched the brocade quilt tightly, feeling uneasy.
After thinking for a long time, Elysia got dressed and walked out.
It must be because her spiritual power was low that she couldn't repair this jade. She couldn't do it, but her husband definitely could. He was so powerful that it definitely wouldn't be a difficult task for him. Shao must have miscalculated. She didn't believe such an ominous prophecy. She wanted to accompany him for a long, long time, to spend this life with him.
She carried the glazed lantern and walked through the ghost-wind-howling Ghost Realm at night, finally stopping at a palace built with jade stones.
This was the Ghost Centipede Main Hall, where Lucian handled major matters. He was fond of war and killing, had a great vision, and was fearless. He single-handedly changed the prosperous era of the Fairy Realm into an era where humans, fairies, demons, and ghosts coexisted.
The history books said that seven hundred years ago, when fairies were revered, the descendants of the Demon Clan lived worse than livestock. She had never seen such a scene. When she was born, the demons already had dignity.
Although she shouldn't disturb him, she couldn't care about much at the moment.
"Your Highness, why are you here?" The attendant outside the hall stopped her, "It's late at night. Please go back, Your Highness"
"I'm here to find His Majesty"
"His Majesty is not here"
She glanced at the majestic and dark palace, which indeed didn't seem to have anyone inside. If he wasn't here, where else could he be?
A voice seemed to state a location with certainty.
Elysia's palms were sweating. She tightly held the cracked jade in her hand and walked towards the Fragrant Marsh Hall.