Chapter 8: A Melodramatic Immortal Tale

Chapter 8: A Melodramatic Immortal Tale

Although Youdu is part of the demonic realm, it is inhabited by both cultivators and mortals, with the majority being mortals, thus retaining many customs from the mortal world.

With the approach of the July Lantern Festival, Youdu gradually became livelier.

Nanyan planned to use this rare opportunity to commence her journey in the mortal realm.

When the maid came to convey the message, Nanyan had already discerned his stubborn mindset; he probably wanted to see her but was too proud to admit it.

She was initially wondering how to fool him, but then the system informed her that a demonic guard had brought back news of He Nanwan in the mortal world, which would soon be reported to Chu Liyue.

Hence, she didn't refuse and changed into a clean red dress, imitating He Nanwan's style, ready to go to the main hall and invite him to enjoy the city's lanterns.

……

Meanwhile, just as the maid left the palace, a demonic guard hurried in, bringing news of He Nanwan's whereabouts in the mortal world.

Initially, Chu Liyue was surprised to learn she was in the mortal world, but after the guard reported the entire situation,

His expression was indescribable, dark and gloomy as if ready to unleash fury at any moment.

Chu Liyue, with a cold and terrifying look, said, "You mean to say, to evade my pursuit, they fled to the mortal realm and now plan to marry there, living as an ordinary, loving couple from here on?"

The guard trembled with fear, not daring to lift his head, and timidly responded, "Yes, that's right."

Chu Liyue flipped the table in front of him, scattering books and paintings across the floor, "Absurd, do they think I am dead? What marriage are they talking about?"

"My legally wedded wife is marrying another man without my knowledge. What kind of logic is that?" At that moment, Chu Liyue's anger was rapidly boiling, his eyes filled with barely contained fury.

"They won't get away with this!"

He truly hadn't anticipated that He Nanwan would choose to marry Ye Qingsang. It was supposed to be him; he should have been the rightful husband to marry her.

What now?

He Nanwan marrying Ye Qingsang, the two of them becoming a loving couple, while he was left with a fake, a substitute. No matter how similar she looked, she was never the one he wanted from the beginning.

So, was he the only one deceived and played for a fool?

How could he swallow this indignity?

Chu Liyue sneered. Ye Qingsang really had some tricks up his sleeve. He had been the one meddling in the substitute marriage and now had charmed He Nanwan into marrying him. They wanted to be an ordinary, loving couple in the mortal realm? They would have to see if he would agree.

No way!

When Nanyan entered the main hall, Chu Liyue was furiously overturning the table in front of him. A carved lotus inkstone rolled on the floor, stopping perfectly at her feet.

...Landing just in the right spot.

Chu Liyue looked up at Nanyan entering the room, his gaze instantly turning cold and fierce. Suddenly, another possibility struck him - this woman... she knew all along, didn’t she?

Did she always know where He Nanwan was and had been stalling here all this time?

The more he thought, the more it seemed suspicious...

With this suspicion, the anger in Chu Liyue's heart burned even fiercer.

In his rage, he couldn’t hear any reason, and once he was set on a possibility, he would unconsciously look for evidence to support it.

To him, everything Nanyan had done recently was to prevent him from finding He Nanwan.

From the time she married into Youdu, it had all been a deception. If the ruse succeeded, she would become the queen of Youdu; even if it didn't, she had successfully stalled him, giving the other two time to get married.

"They won't get away with it!" he thought, ruefully realizing he was the only one left in the dark.

Chu Liyue abruptly grabbed Nanyan's hand, stepping forward to confront her, "You He family members must have conspired from the start, right? This whole thing has been a sham, marrying off a counterfeit like you to Youdu to deceive me, while He Nanwan takes the opportunity to flee with someone else."

Nanyan, startled by his sudden fury, seemed confused about what was happening, looking at him bewilderedly, "I don’t know what you’re talking about..."

He looked down at her frightened face, his scorn and anger intensifying, "Still lying to me!"

"You’ve been deceiving me all along, claiming amnesia just to fool me from investigating He Nanwan’s whereabouts, when in fact, you remember everything."

"Everything you do, every word you say, is just to buy time for He Nanwan to marry Ye Qingsang, isn’t it?"

Nanyan's face turned pale, panic evident in her eyes, but she still shook her head in denial, "What are you talking about? I really don’t know anything, my amnesia... I just wanted to make you happy, to ease your sorrow..."

"Make me happy?"

Chu Liyue sneered coldly, "Who do you think you are? I’ve known all along you were feigning amnesia, watching you mimic He Nanwan every day like a clown, utterly ridiculous!"

Hearing this, Nanyan stiffened, then looked up in disbelief, tears almost spilling from her eyes, "A clown..."

His demeaning words nearly toppled her self-esteem, her body trembling, lips almost bleeding from biting them so hard.

Chu Liyue met her tearful gaze with a smirk, "Yes, exactly, you’re nothing but a clown."

"You thought you were fooling me, but I was merely amused, watching you perform. However, your acting is so poor, you’re not even a match for your sister's little finger. You’ve been a fake from the start."

It was all a calculated scheme!

After these words, Nanyan's tears fell freely, her lips colorless, her complexion ashen, feeling a tearing pain inside.

"You hate me this much..."

Chu Liyue violently released her hand, his eyes fierce, "The person I wanted to marry was never you."

He knew he was displacing his anger towards He Nanwan onto her, but who else to blame when her marriage to him was a deception from the start?

Nanyan's fingers trembled slightly, and she clenched them tightly, trying to regain some strength, but to no avail. Her face was filled with indescribable fragility and pallor.

Seeing her expression, Chu Liyue felt a brief, needle-like pain in his heart, a sensation that quickly passed. He forcibly suppressed the discomfort and avoided looking at her.

Nanyan, with downcast eyes, seemed to have lost all her strength, exuding a deeply dejected aura, "Fine, if the Demon Lord despises me so much, I will leave. I won’t come before you anymore to be an eyesore..."

Before she could finish, Chu Liyue sharply interrupted her, "No, you can't leave." He didn't even notice the panic flashing through his mind, followed by even harsher words.

"I want you to marry Ye Qingsang. Since you could marry as a substitute once, you can do it again. I will not let He Nanwan marry Ye Qingsang."

He was aware of how cruel his words were, like a sharp dagger mercilessly piercing her heart.

Indeed, upon hearing this, Nanyan's body trembled more violently, her tears falling like broken beads.

She raised her eyes, but her vision was blurred. She weakly reached out to grab his sleeve, "Do you realize what you’re saying? How can you..."

"We are already married. I am already your wife. How can you... ask me to marry someone else?"

"If you resent me, I can leave... I’ll go far away and never appear before you again, just... don’t do this, please?"

Watching Nanyan like this, Chu Liyue suddenly felt a sense of suffocation in his chest, a momentary pang of reluctance, but then it was washed away by the anger over He Nanwan marrying Ye Qingsang.

Avoiding her gaze, he said coldly, "It doesn’t matter, the person I intended to marry was never you. The humiliation the He family and Ye Qingsang have heaped upon me will be returned in full. Since you’re so keen on being a substitute, I will oblige you."

In his heart, He Nanwan still held the upper hand. Unwilling to harm his beloved, he vented all his fury on Nanyan.

He suddenly remembered what had happened a few days ago, her declarations of love for him, so convincing that even he almost believed, and for a moment, he...

Thinking of those words, Chu Liyue's heart involuntarily tightened, and he stared at her intently.

"Didn’t you say you loved me? If you do, why can’t you do this one thing for me?"

Nanyan instinctively stepped back, unable to cry anymore, her heart filled with desolation and despair, "How can you..."

She shook her head, "I won’t agree to your demand..."

But Chu Liyue, consumed by his obsession, couldn’t let her go. Watching her distraught state, he felt a perverse satisfaction, along with an indescribable discomfort, which he quickly dismissed.

Chu Liyue sneered, "Hah, you think I'm asking for your opinion? I've never failed to get what I want. I’m merely informing you."

Just like the initial charade of a substitute marriage, did anyone ask for his consent? They all played him like a pawn.

Nanyan stumbled uncontrollably, retreating step by step until she reached a wooden shelf, steadying herself against it.

She suddenly looked up at Chu Liyue, tears glistening in her eyes, but a desolate smile on her face, "Is the Demon Lord making me marry Ye Qingsang just to humiliate him and me?"

Chu Liyue, seeing her expression, felt an inexplicable pang of pity, but quickly replied, "What if it is?"

"So, the Lord hates me this much..." she bit her lip so hard that blood started to seep out.

Yet Nanyan seemed indifferent to the pain.

After receiving his response, the warm, smiling eyes that once shone brightly dimmed suddenly, as if losing their light, falling into silence.

Nanyan abruptly wiped away her tears, turned her head so he couldn’t see her face, and said lightly, "I can agree to the Demon Lord's request."

"But, I have a condition too."

Nanyan exhaled softly, her eyes, just dried, quickly filling with tears again, but she didn’t care, and continued, "I want the Demon Lord to spend a whole day with me. Just for one day, I don't want to be anyone's substitute. I want to live as He Nanyan."

"After that, I will obediently marry Ye Qingsang. Is that acceptable?"

After speaking, she gave him a calm, untroubled smile.

Chu Liyue felt as though something was blocking his heart, causing a suffocating discomfort.

He looked again at Nanyan's reddened eyes, devoid of any expectation. His heart faltered, and for some reason, he heard himself agreeing, "Alright."