Chapter 7: A Melodramatic Immortal Tale

Chapter 7: A Melodramatic Immortal Tale

"...Is he asleep?"

Nanyan lowered her voice, surprised by how tranquil and quiet he appeared in sleep, and couldn't help but touch his eyelashes.

The person beside her remained with eyes closed, unresponsive.

Encouraged by his lack of awareness, Nanyan cautiously took his hand, interlocking their fingers, a content smile appearing on her face.

Gently lifting Chu Liyue's hand, she admired his fingers, long and elegant like carved bone, with faint blue veins visible under the skin. The scar in his palm added a touch of vulnerable beauty.

She rubbed her cheek against the back of his hand, then whispered, "Demon Lord, would you be angry if I lied to you?"

Chu Liyue, initially intending to open his eyes, refrained upon hearing her words, a flicker of confusion arising. What did she mean? What had she lied about?

Before he could figure it out, Nanyan hesitated, then continued, "Actually, I haven’t lost my memory. The amnesia was just a facade, a way for me to approach you without reservations."

So that was it.

He had long suspected her amnesia was feigned but never bothered to confront her about it.

Chu Liyue wasn't interested in these trivial matters she spoke of. What mattered to him was what else she knew. Did she know where He Nanwan was?

Nanyan's voice faltered, her eyes cast downward, revealing a trace of discomfort, "There's one more thing. I know the person you love is my sister. So... I pretended to have amnesia, deliberately imitating her every move, transforming myself completely into her substitute to stay by your side."

"I don't mind being a substitute for the Demon Lord, nor do I mind living in someone else's shadow... I just hope that one day, when you turn around, you will see me."

"Since... you like that kind of personality, I will pretend to be just like that. Perhaps, seeing me like this every day might bring you some happiness..."

As she spoke, she laughed again, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Her fingertips gently touched his palm, her voice growing softer, "Everyone says the Demon Lord is a tyrannical, monstrous figure, guilty of countless sins. Yet, even so, I am willing to stand by your side."

"So, could you perhaps like me a little? It doesn't have to be much, just a little is enough. I'm not greedy and easy to please."

……

This sudden confession, like a soft knife, unintentionally pierced his heart, causing a stifling feeling in his chest, even making it difficult to breathe for a moment.

How could there be such a foolish person, fully aware of being a substitute, yet not minding at all, even hoping he would treat her as one.

He couldn't understand these emotions... only feeling that strange, unfamiliar sensation in his heart growing stronger than ever.

Chu Liyue involuntarily curled his fingers, suppressing the palpitations in his heart.

Nanyan noticed the obvious fluctuation in his chest and gently tugged at the hem of his robe, deciding to push a little further.

"Do you remember the scene of our first meeting, Demon Lord?"

She tilted her head, lost in thought, "The first time I went to the immortal sect to find my sister, I was unexpectedly attacked by a beast on the way. Fortunately, you saved me. You descended from the sky, surrounded by an ethereal aura, so close yet untouchable."

"You patted my shoulder to comfort me, telling me not to be afraid..."

Nanyan gazed at him, her voice soft and tender, "It was from that moment, I fell for you, Demon Lord..."

Chu Liyue couldn't recall these events, but before his fall, he indeed had slain many beasts and saved numerous mortal villagers.

He had always thought he didn't care about these trivial matters, but for some reason, hearing her words, he felt his heartbeat quicken unexpectedly.

"The Demon Lord probably doesn't remember. Back then, I wore a veil and only dared to secretly glance at you. You never saw my face. Ever since then, I've always wondered, if you had met me first, would I be the one you loved?"

"Unfortunately, there are no 'what-ifs'. I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime, but unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, you came to the He family to propose..."

"Perhaps this is fate," Nanyan murmured, her voice tinged with a hint of joy, "Agreeing to the substitute marriage was actually my willing choice..."

Chu Liyue unconsciously tightened his grip on his sleeve. He had never imagined there was such a past between them, nor did he know she had admired him from such an early time.

But... even knowing this, what could change?

The one he loved was He Nanwan, an unalterable fact; it had always been only her from the beginning to the end.

A substitute, no matter how well they mimic, is still just a substitute.

What he wanted was always just the one true thing.

With these thoughts, Chu Liyue's mood settled somewhat. It was then he realized that Nanyan's voice had stopped, and as he wondered why, he suddenly felt a warm tickling sensation on his lips, as if something had approached.

Chu Liyue was startled, but quickly understood.

This woman...

Realizing what she intended to do, his breath seemed to halt for a moment, the surrounding silence deepening, the air in the hall seemingly frozen.

Once one closes their eyes, the other senses become acutely heightened. Chu Liyue could feel her warm breath dispersing on his face, carrying her unique scent and softness.

Nanyan slowly leaned towards his face, but just as she was about to touch his lips, she stopped, softly saying, "Demon Lord, just this once..."

Unfortunately, before she could finish, Chu Liyue opened his eyes, his eyelids lifting, his gaze directly landing on her face.

Nanyan paused, her eyelashes trembling, meeting his gaze.

For a moment, the room was utterly silent.

Even the sound of breathing ceased, with only the faint crackling from the burning candles on the bronze stand.

When Chu Liyue lowered his head to look at her, the distance between them was so close that a mere inch forward would have allowed him to kiss her lips.

In that moment, Chu Liyue's heartbeat accelerated as he stared into Nanyan's eyes, clear and bright, filled with tender affection, as if laying bare all her innermost thoughts before him.

But she quickly regained her composure.

Her cheeks flushed red, her fingertips clenching the hem of his sleeve before quickly letting go, and then she lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.

Chu Liyue, however, appeared quite calm, at least on the surface, feigning nonchalance as he asked her in a cold voice, “What are you doing?”

He didn’t know why he pretended to be oblivious; it was just an instinctive reaction. Despite his good act, the tightly clenched fingers under his sleeve betrayed his unsettled emotions.

Nanyan dared not look into his eyes. Hearing his question, she blushed again and unconsciously gripped her fingers tighter.

It took her a while to compose herself before pretending nothing happened, “I was just... swatting a mosquito, there seemed to be one... um, buzzing around you.”

“You’re quite bold.”

Her ability to fabricate such a blatant lie was first-rate; had he not been fully conscious from beginning to end, he might have been deceived. Yet, knowing she was lying, he didn’t feel like exposing her.

“What do you mean by that?” Nanyan carefully lifted her head, visibly tensing up.

Chu Liyue narrowed his eyes, “You dare to talk back!”

“No, no, I didn’t talk back.”

She looked up at the man before her, biting her lip, seemingly thinking of something, and asked tentatively, “I just want to ask, Demon Lord... did you hear what I said just now?”

“What you said has nothing to do with me,” Chu Liyue scoffed coldly, his gaze icy, “But you’re quite daring, to think you can mock me.”

Nanyan then realized he was referring to the earlier incident, likely not having heard her recent words.

She breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could relax completely, anxiety set in again, especially upon facing Chu Liyue’s intense gaze.

Instinctively, she threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, and attempted to flee.

Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten far before she was grabbed and stopped.

Chu Liyue had anticipated her reaction. Despite lacking other talents, she was quite adept at deceiving and tricking. It was indeed rare for someone of her character to be a lady from a distinguished family.

Without any hesitation, he grabbed her waistband and pulled with force. Due to inertia, Nanyan couldn't dodge in time and, unable to control her tilting body, was heavily pressed down onto the bed.

"Thinking of running away? You really take me for a pushover..."

His harsh words were cut short abruptly.

For his hand had touched a patch of warm, soft, delicate skin.

This is...

Chu Liyue paused, his face turning peculiar as he realized what he had touched.

His heartbeat uncontrollably skipped a beat.

The woman under him first displayed shock, then disbelief widened her eyes, resembling someone about to cry. Her complexion turned from red to pale and back to red, changing faster than one could perform a face-changing act.

Chu Liyue quickly withdrew his hand. Despite his expressionless face, his stiff fingers betrayed a certain emotion he was feeling inside.

Nanyan too, had now realized what had happened.

Biting her lip, she began to struggle. Luckily, he was in a state of doubt and confusion, allowing her to push him away while he was distracted, "You... you..."

She stammered over the word "you" for quite some time, but couldn't seem to get the rest of her sentence out.

She ran to the palace doors, and only after ensuring her safety, she turned back to glare at him, but her eyes, red and swollen, lacked any real threat.

Perhaps truly annoyed, she mustered more courage. Seeing that glaring had no effect, she even stomped her foot and muttered under her breath, "...Beast!"

After hurling the insult, she turned and ran away, her speed suggesting she was being chased by some monster.

Left behind, Chu Liyue's eyes bore a strange expression as he stared at his palm for a while, then covered his chest, feeling an intense itching as if something was scratching inside.

Then it dawned on him, the woman had dared to insult him? She was his wife, rightfully married, and what was wrong if he touched her? Even if he wanted to do more, wasn’t it his rightful claim?

Although he thought this way, the Demon Lord’s ears still oddly flushed red.

……

Since that day, there seemed to be a change between them. Nanyan hadn’t been to the main hall for several days. Initially, Chu Liyue didn’t mind.

But by the third day, he couldn’t help but feel restless. Even if he was slow to catch on, he knew she was avoiding him. But why? Didn’t she deeply care for him?

The one who couldn’t be driven away now didn’t show up at all... Could it be that she liked him that much?

Chu Liyue couldn’t help pondering the reason behind this change. What went wrong?

Perhaps even he hadn’t realized that he was starting to care more about how Nanyan treated him.

With the Demon Lord in a bad mood, the surrounding maids were also trembling with fear, worried about provoking him and facing his wrath.

After pondering for a long time, Chu Liyue couldn’t suppress his restlessness and coldly asked a nearby maid, “What is she doing?”

The young maid hesitated for a moment, then, seeing the expression on the Demon Lord's face, ventured, "Are you inquiring about the Lady's well-being, Demon Lord?"

Chu Liyue gave her a dangerous look, clearly conveying the message – who else could it be but her?

The maid quickly regained her composure and reported Nanyan's condition truthfully, "The Lady has been ill for the past few days and has been resting in her chamber."

"Her illness seems rather conveniently timed."

Chu Liyue scoffed in disbelief, clearly skeptical. He couldn't believe she was sick, especially when she had been lively and energetic just a few days ago.

"Tell her to come see me."

The maid hesitated for a moment before asking, "But, my Lord, if the Lady is ill, why do you wish for her to come to you?"

Why call her to him?

He wasn't exactly sure himself, just feeling that he couldn't let her rest too comfortably.

The Demon Lord thought for a moment, then his eyes flashed murderously, "You're becoming too bold, questioning your master's orders. Just go and do as I said, or I'll deal with you as well."

The maid's face turned pale, and she carefully retreated.

On the other hand, Nanyan was, of course, not really sick.

Having progressed this far in her plan, she was growing tired of serving him. She anticipated that news from He Nanwan would arrive soon, and Chu Liyue was likely still unable to let her go.

It didn't matter if he couldn't let go, as she was probably going to be pushed towards Ye Qingsang to spite him.

At the moment, Chu Liyue likely did harbor some affection for her, but given his obsessive nature, even if he genuinely fell for her, he might not even realize it.

Only by making him lose and suffer could he possibly realize her significance, so she was pondering how to deal with another scoundrel.