Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Chu Yunliu looked at him, somewhat taken aback. "That's not what you told me before."

Qi Wuyu gave a self-deprecating smile. "I was just talking big."

Chu Yunliu didn't believe his nonsense and asked, "So you're really just giving up?"

Qi Wuyu's words sounded fine, but in reality, he couldn't let go. His heart ached as if gouged by a knife.

He remained silent for a long time before saying, "No."

Xu Shengyu had taught him to do his utmost and have no regrets, but never taught him to wallow in self-pity, especially not over such an unclear outcome. He couldn't accept it. When Liu Nanzhou left, his condition was so poor. Actually, Qi Wuyu couldn't even guarantee whether Liu Nanzhou was still alive, but he could only tell himself that he was.

Chu Yunliu patted his shoulder. "That's more like it." He rummaged around and picked up a snack. "The rumors outside are too outrageous. On my way here, I heard people saying that all these incidents were Xiao Zhou's doing, that he's the next Demon Lord, a bigger demon than Dan Cangke. The most absurd part is they claim you two severed all ties at Tianmen Five Cities and that he stabbed you with a sword. What a joke!"

Chu Yunliu laughed a couple of times, then saw Qi Wuyu staring at him expressionlessly. The smile died on his lips.

Chu Yunliu: "...It's not true, is it?"

Qi Wuyu ignored him and took a swig from his own wine.

Chu Yunliu nearly choked on his snack. "No way, how could he possibly...?"

Forget about harming Qi Wuyu—given the way Liu Nanzhou was with him, even when furious, he couldn't bring himself to say a single harsh word, let alone stab Qi Wuyu with a sword?

Chu Yunliu looked Qi Wuyu up and down, even standing up and circling him several times. Qi Wuyu looked at him as if he were an idiot. "What are you doing?"

Chu Yunliu sat back down, incredulous. "In your current shape, could you even withstand a sword strike?"

Qi Wuyu said, "I couldn't. So I brushed shoulders with death, lay there for over a month and barely pulled through."

Chu Yunliu: "..."

The situation between them was too complicated. He felt his brain, used to dealing with scrap metal, couldn't possibly comprehend such intricate matters, so he decisively gave up.

"As long as you're happy, haha."

Chu Yunliu settled down at Fengsheng Wutong. Qi Wuyu wouldn't let him touch Liu Nanzhou's room, so he had to settle for staying in a side room usually used for storage. Qi Wuyu cleaned it out for him; the room was spacious and bright. Living there, he ended up busier than Qi Wuyu every day.

Disciples from the sect all wanted to catch a glimpse of this master artificer, to see what this legendary "eccentric" genius was really like. They flocked to Fengsheng Wutong every other day, making the place unusually lively. Then these disciples discovered that this master was nothing like the rumors—he was almost too "down-to-earth." The novelty wore off after about six or seven days.

Chu Yunliu stayed for nearly a month, until both he and Qi Wuyu started getting a bit tired of each other's company. Knowing when he wasn't wanted, Chu Yunliu decided it was time for him to leave.

Qi Wuyu walked him down the mountain. "Thank you for this time."

Chu Yunliu waved a hand. "Don't mention it." He sighed. "You... well, try to take it easy. If you want to go out, you can come find me."

Qi Wuyu nodded. "Mm."

After Chu Yunliu left, Qi Wuyu wasn't in a hurry to return either. It had been a long time since he'd last wandered around the market at the foot of the mountain. But he hadn't gone far when he faintly felt he was being watched. The gaze was cold and sinister, sending chills down his spine—like prey being stalked by a beast.

Yet, however hard Qi Wuyu looked, he couldn't spot anyone suspicious.

Either he was being paranoid, or the person tailing him had cultivation above his own.

But there were too many people with cultivation above his. Seeing that the person had followed him for a long time without making a move, Qi Wuyu ignored the gaze and went about his business, nonchalantly buying a jar of wine before heading back.

Even at the entrance of the Tianyao Sect, the gaze still clung to him like a shadow. He turned around, addressing no one in particular, "Thanks for escorting me all this way. Why not show yourself? I'll treat you to a drink."

Out of the corner of his eye, Qi Wuyu caught a glimpse of a dark shadow. His hand holding the wine jar tightened, and he took a step, wanting to follow, but the person vanished in an instant.

He stood there for a long while, sighed, and finally entered the mountain gate.

Liu Nanzhou concealed his aura. Only after seeing Qi Wuyu return to the Tianyao Sect did he let out a sigh of relief, then immediately turned and left Rifu Mountain.

"I heard you severed ties with him?" Dan Cangke's voice echoed in Liu Nanzhou's Spiritual Platform. "Then why are you so nervous? I just came to see him. After all, he's an old acquaintance of mine."

"Shut up!" Liu Nanzhou snapped harshly. "Don't even think about targeting him."

Dan Cangke chuckled and fell silent. He had slipped out earlier while Liu Nanzhou was distracted, coming here to observe Qi Wuyu, which had taken a lot out of him. He wasn't in the mood to bicker with Liu Nanzhou.

It had been a long time since Liu Nanzhou had seen Qi Wuyu. Even from such a distance, Liu Nanzhou felt his heart skip a beat, followed by an intense urge to return. He bit the tip of his tongue, tasting blood, forcing himself to leave.

Ever since Dan Cangke's Divine Sense had attached itself to his Heart Demon via the Demon Seed, the Heart Demon's appearance had started to look less like Qi Wuyu. Recently, it was reduced to just a faint outline.

But perhaps that was for the best. It saved him from being distracted by that face. The moment he let his guard down, Dan Cangke would invade his Divine Sense like moss growing into every crack.

Dan Cangke hadn't revealed his identity, but Liu Nanzhou could easily guess who he was with a little thought. He seemed different from the rumors—sometimes a bit delusional, dreaming grandiose dreams of unifying the world.

Liu Nanzhou returned to their dwelling place. It wasn't actually far from the Tianyao Sect—a quiet little town near Lei Yuan.

Wu Lan, fearing he might run off, had initially wanted to restrict his movements. But later, realizing Liu Nanzhou showed no intention of leaving, and with Mo Chen constantly nagging beside him, he stopped bothering. Liu Nanzhou was sensible enough, rarely going out.

Wu Lan was somewhat surprised to see him return. "Where did you go today?"

Liu Nanzhou said, "Guess."

He clearly wasn't waiting for an answer, turning and heading straight back to his room. Wu Lan narrowed his eyes, sensing something off. He said to Mo Chen, "Don't you think he seemed a bit... happy today?"

Usually, Liu Nanzhou would only give him a glance or say, "What's it to you?" Today, he had almost cracked a joke.

Mo Chen glanced at Liu Nanzhou's closed door. "Not really."

"Definitely."

Mo Chen didn't argue, falling silent.

At night, Liu Nanzhou lay awake, staring at the ceiling, his mind filled with images of Qi Wuyu from the day.

He seemed thinner. Was he not eating well? Had his body recovered after all this time? Would he... think of him? And when he did, would there be hatred?

That single glance had dredged up all the memories he had deliberately sealed away and refused to think about. He suddenly realized he had underestimated the word "feelings" before. He thought that reciprocated feelings, even without a result, could sustain him. Now he knew that wasn't enough.

Some people, when unseen, could be buried in the heart, allowing one to deceive oneself into believing they didn't care. But once seen, even for a moment, it became clear that self-deception was just that—self-deception.

It felt like a backlash. His longing for Qi Wuyu surged with unprecedented intensity, impossible to suppress. He even wanted to cast aside all consequences and return to the Tianyao Sect.

But the blood on his hands told him that even if he ignored the consequences, he couldn't go back—especially since these very hands were stained with Qi Wuyu's blood.

In the depths of night, he would always dream of that disciple whose throat he had slit. Curses echoed in his ears, telling him he had nowhere to go, no path to follow.

Liu Nanzhou's mind was in turmoil. The mark of the Heart Demon appeared on his forehead. Dan Cangke sensed his disturbance, and demonic energy instantly began to corrode Liu Nanzhou's Spiritual Platform, only to be forcefully expelled by Liu Nanzhou.

"Is it worth it?" Dan Cangke chuckled softly. "You don't seem like someone who's cut ties with him. You look rather pitiful. Why not tell me about it? After all, I'm a few years older than you. Hmm... Qi, uh, Qi Wuyu. Is Qi Wuyu good at being a master? Was he good to you?"

Liu Nanzhou swallowed the blood in his throat, refusing to be led. "Get lost."

"Young man, you're too hot-tempered. Why such hostility toward me? I'm just borrowing your Spiritual Platform for a temporary rest. Once I'm better, I'll naturally leave. This is our fate, you see."

Liu Nanzhou rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking, "Yeah, right. Only a moron would buy that."

"Don't you want to know about Qi Wuyu? We used to be really tight."

This was the first time Liu Nanzhou had heard of such a 'kill-or-be-killed' kind of friendship. Annoyed by the chatter, he hadn't realized the Demon Lord was such a shameless motormouth. He sat down cross-legged on the spot, entering a meditative state to shut Dan Cangke out. Dan Cangke, finding himself talking to a wall, quieted down, only watching Liu Nanzhou with a thoughtful, calculating gaze.

Liu Nanzhou's wariness of him was growing, and he had likely already guessed his identity. That didn't matter much, but it meant Liu Nanzhou would be even more on guard, leaving him fewer and fewer opportunities. However, Liu Nanzhou's Divine Sense had been sharpened to a finer edge by this constant mental grind.

Today's brief outing, though quickly cut short when Liu Nanzhou regained control, wasn't a total waste. He could tell Qi Wuyu was someone special to Liu Nanzhou. Just one glance today had thrown Liu Nanzhou's mind into complete disarray. If he could capture Qi Wuyu, controlling Liu Nanzhou would probably be much easier.

He wondered what Liu Nanzhou meant to Qi Wuyu. Wu Lan had told him Liu Nanzhou had once gravely injured Qi Wuyu. Being wounded like that by a disciple he had raised with his own hands—could Qi Wuyu easily forgive Liu Nanzhou? Could he still use Liu Nanzhou to threaten Qi Wuyu?

Dan Cangke pondered this, putting himself in Qi Wuyu's shoes, and shook his head. If his own disciple dared raise a hand against him, he'd have sent them to meet their maker long ago. Forgiveness? Maybe in the next life.

He felt rather regretful. Originally, with Liu Nanzhou in his grasp, he thought tormenting Liu Nanzhou would cause Qi Wuyu more pain than tormenting Qi Wuyu directly—that would have been more interesting. But given this situation, that approach seemed unworkable, which took a lot of the fun out of it.

"Tch. What a pain."

The night was silent. A soft *crack* immediately put Qi Wuyu on edge, and he sat up. He hadn't been asleep. He usually slept well, but lately, with too much on his mind—especially that fleeting shadow today, which he both wanted and feared to recognize—he was too wound up, leading to complete insomnia. Thus, the sound reached his ears clearly.

In Fengsheng Wutong, there shouldn't be any real danger. He got up and walked into the courtyard, finding an unusual "bird" perched on a branch—it was a paper crane.

Puzzled, Qi Wuyu reached out his hand. The bird flew onto his palm and transformed into a piece of paper with a single sentence written on it. The moment he finished reading it, the paper spontaneously ignited, turning to ash.

Qi Wuyu lowered his head in thought for a moment, then turned back to his room, threw on a heavy cloak, and descended the mountain.

The night was dark and murky. Halfway down, a cold gust of wind jolted Qi Wuyu, and he suddenly realized he had actually been tricked into coming out in the middle of the night by a single letter. He laughed at himself mockingly but showed no intention of turning back.

As he neared the foot of the mountain, the dense forest exuded a bone-chilling cold. He tightened his cloak around himself. "Since you've summoned me so late at night, sir, please don't hide. It's freezing. I'm not in great health, you know. If I catch a cold, you're paying the doctor's bill."

The underbrush rustled, and a figure emerged from the darkness. He almost blended into the night itself, nearly invisible if one didn't look carefully.

Qi Wuyu looked at him, somewhat surprised. A smile touched the corner of his mouth, but his gaze turned cold. "It's you."

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Author's Note: Chu Yunliu: Weren't they supposed to be sweet? How did it turn into a tragic romance? Did I miss some crucial plot?

Everyone: A lot.

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Rushed to finish this after work. Still have a lot to do [bursts into tears].