Chapter 68

Translator: Redolens

Editor: PlayerProphet

Bai Yang’s face was thin, and he said, “Your Highness, let’s go. The Rebirth Gu doesn’t bother me that much.”

He tried pulling the Demon King away as he spoke. Who would have thought that no matter how much he pulled, the Demon King wouldn’t budge.

“You really want the jade cloud pearl? It can’t be anything else?” The Demon King’s voice was as steady as before.

“I really want it.” The black-haired youth bit his lip. “Big Brother Demon King, don’t worry. If you give me the jade cloud pearl, you won’t regret it. I promise.”

As he said it, Long Bing shot a glance at the worried Bai Yang and then batted his eyes at the Demon King.

Bai Yang didn’t pay any attention to the youth. He only saw that the Demon King was reluctant to leave, and so Bai Yang grew more anxious. “Your Majesty, if you give the City Lord the jade cloud pearl in exchange for curing me, I won’t accept it!”

The Demon King didn’t seem to hear him and was silent for a moment. Then he faced the young City Lord and said in a deep voice, “Alright. It’s a deal.”

Bai Yang’s eyes widened. “Your Majesty!”

The Demon King patted his head gently. “Don’t be nervous. It’s okay.”

How is it okay?

If you give away the jade cloud pearl, how will you deal with qi deviations?

Right now, you can control it, but what about the future? What if one day you can’t control it?

“I disagree!” Bai Yang said through clenched teeth.

Unfortunately, the Demon King didn’t take his words to heart at all. He stretched out his hand and a fine, delicate box appeared in his palm.

The young City Lord’s eyes brightened, and he reached for the box.

“You can’t!” In an act of desperation, Bai Yang forced open the Demon King’s hand, grabbed the box, and tried to run out of the hall.

The only thing he could do to stop the deal between the Demon King and the young City Lord was to take the jade cloud pearl and leave FireThorn City.

However, just as he was leaving, a figure barred the way.

Long Hai stood before him with a faint smile on his face. “Apologies, but you cannot leave.”

Bai Yang scowled, but there was a glint in his eye. He threw out a hand to attack Long Hai.

Long Hai smiled even as he raised a hand to block. As quickly as they came to blows, they stopped. Long Hai’s face betrayed his surprise, but he quickly tempered his expression.

“I never thought there’d be anyone, aside from Lord Demon King who could keep up with the people from FireThorn City in hand-to-hand combat,” the young City Lord said with a grin from his position off to one side.

Bai Yang’s arm was numb after trading blows with Long Hai, and the pain was almost unbearable.

He was also surprised. He had enough power to run wild in the Demon Realm without fear. He didn’t expect to be left with half of his body feeling numb after only one move. Moreover, Long Hai didn’t look like he was taking it seriously at all. FireThorn City’s strength was terrifying!

But for the sake of the Demon King, he could not hand over the jade cloud pearl!

Bai Yang grit his teeth, and prepared his next move. He knew he couldn’t beat Long Hai, so his best option was to flee. Instead of engaging, he spun around and ran in the direction he came from, rushing out of the hall.

In the blink of an eye he burst through the palace gates. Suddenly, the outside was bathed in multicolored rays of light, and what was supposed to have been a street became a courtyard. Beyond it was a ma.s.sive and unfamiliar yard.

Bai Yang froze.

What’s going on?

“No one can enter or leave without the City Lord’s permission.” Long Hai walked out of the main hall and stretched out a hand to Bai Yang. “Hand over the jade cloud pearl to me.”

Bai Yang gripped the box tight and retreated a step. With a serious expression and a steady gaze, he said, “I can’t!”

“In that casek2026; I apologize.” Long Hai said politely. Then his figure disappeared and in a flash he stood in front of Bai Yang.

But Bai Yang was prepared and reacted quickly. In one step, he floated backwards like the branch of a willow tree swaying in the breeze.

Long Hai appeared at his side, like some kind of a ghost, and reached out to take the little box from him. Bai Yang flung it from his right hand to his left and spun upwards to avoid his attack.

The two figures moved as fast as lightning, rapidly clashing and separating.

Just as Bai Yang was preparing to smack Long Hai down, he heard the sound of rustling sleeves beside him.

He automatically raised a hand to slap the person, but they grabbed his wrist before he could make contact. Bai Yang dropped the box and it fell into their hand.

Realizing who sneak attacked him, Bai Yang was furious. “Your Highness!”

He reached out to try and grab the jade cloud pearl in the Demon King’s hand.

The Demon King held the box up, avoiding his attempts. But Bai Yang didn’t give up. He chased after the box and, in the end, they were practically glued together.

The Demon King wouldn’t hit him and so could only lift the box with one hand and jab Bai Yang’s weak points with the other. He took advantage of Bai Yang being frozen to seize him by the waist, pull him against his chest, and crush him there.

“Let go of me! Your Highness, let go and give me back the jade cloud pearl!”

Bai Yang b.u.mped into a very hard chest. His body was captured, but he still struggled with all his might.

“You already gifted the jade cloud pearl to me,” the Demon King said helplessly. “Naturally, it’s mine to do with what I will.”

“You can’t give it to other people!” Bai Yang was still furious. “It’s yours!”

He wanted to say, “what will you do if you have another qi deviation?” but he remembered that this was a secret only he and the Demon King knew, so he forcefully shelved the topic and only hinted at it.

“Be obedient. Don’t make trouble.” The Demon King patted Bai Yang’s back. With his other hand, he tossed the box to the young City Lord who waited nearby.

The black-haired youth caught the box and grinned from ear to ear. “Thank you, Big Brother Demon King.”

Bai Yang felt a burst of despair. Too angry to pay attention to social hierarchy, he yelled at the Demon King, “Are you crazy? I don’t need you to rescue me! The jade cloud pearl is so important, but you gave it to him! If… if….”

The Demon King let him go and gently put a hand on his shoulder. There was a hint of a smile in his pitch-black eyes. “You were that worried about me?”

“…” Bai Yang almost fainted from anger. The Demon King was flirting with him, even now? Was his head full of rocks?

Seeing that Bai Yang was genuinely worried, the Demon King said, “Don’t worry. The jade cloud pearl isn’t the only way to restore my health.”

Bai Yang looked at the young City Lord and Long Hai, but saw on their faces that they were unsurprised.

“Don’t look at them. They know about my Qi deviation,” the Demon King said.

“That’s right,” the young City Lord said with a smile. “When Big Brother Demon King lost control of his power before, I was the one who sent him some incense that made him feel better.”

Bai Yang was shocked. Then he grew even angrier and said, “Since you know, why do you still want the jade cloud pearl? You must know that the jade cloud pearl can cure his Highness, and yet you still want to take it. What are you thinking?”

The black-haired youth looked at the pearl and said “Big Brother Demon King said the jade cloud pearl wasn’t the only way to heal him. What are you worried about?”

Then, for some reason, he smiled, and with a meaningful look, said, “Lord Xie, once again I promise you that since Big Brother Demon King gave me the jade cloud pearl, I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.”

His expression was calm, and his words were full of such confidence that Bai Yang couldn’t help but be skeptical.

“Really?”

“Really,” the young City Lord said, putting the jade cloud pearl back in the box. He then gave it to the man in black robes waiting beside him who received it with a respectful bow.

The Demon King let go of Bai Yang and addressed the young City Lord, “I already gave you the jade cloud pearl. Please cure him as quickly as possible.”

The young City Lord smiled and said, “Okay. No problem.”

He indicated to Bai Yang with a meaningful glance. “Follow me. It’s still the same place as before.”

Out of the three of them, Bai Yang was the only one against the deal, but it was of no use.

“Go. It’s alright.” The Demon King pushed his shoulder gently.

Bai Yang had no alternative but to glare at him. Crestfallen, he followed the black-haired youth into the side hall.

Bai Yang once again stood inside that strange hall. The young City Lord stood before him, bit his index finger, and let a drop of bright red blood drip onto the floor.

Suddenly, the air filled with the scent of jasmine.

Something began to stir in the four corners of the room. The black-haired youth mumbled some words in a strange language, and a moment later, a wave of black insects once again bubbled up from the corners of the room.

This time, the insects were larger. Each one seemed as big as a c.o.c.kroach. Bai Yang could see their mouths and trembling antennas.

He shuddered.

The insects scuttled towards Bai Yang, who forced himself to remain still. They followed the line of his leg and crawled up his body. It didn’t take them long to cover him.

The smell of jasmine enveloped him. Bai Yang grew dizzy and felt an insect crawl into his mouth, followed by a second, a third…

Bai Yang nearly threw up.

Aside from his eyes, he couldn’t move an inch. He could only look on helplessly as each c.o.c.kroach-like insect crawled into his mouth.

Soon after, he thought he heard a chewing noise, like the insects were gnawing at his internal organs.

When he realized the insects were chomping away at his insides, Bai Yang practically lost it.

Get out!

Get out!

He screamed wildly in his heart.

After a long while, the chewing noises faded. Bai Yang’s whole body broke out in a cold sweat. His hair was damp, and he had a dazed expression.

Each insect crawled out of his mouth, over his chin, and down his neck and chest. Finally, they left him and retreated to the four corners of the room.

The dark-haired youth rapidly made a quick and complicated hand signal, and Bai Yang let out a full-body shiver before falling weakly to the floor.

The dark-haired youth whispered, “You’re okay now.”

It took a long time for Bai Yang to recover from his nausea. He got up from the floor with difficulty and stared at the youth before him with a complicated expression.

The dark-haired youth shrugged and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I just helped you. Those insects ate the worm queen in your body, and I’ve also lost a fair amount of cultivation myself.”

Bai Yang didn’t say a word.

The young City Lord sighed heavily and said in a calm tone, “Fine, you still blame me for s.n.a.t.c.hing the jade cloud pearl from the Demon King.”

“I don’t understand,” Bai Yang said. “Why do you insist on having the jade cloud pearl?”

“It just so happens that I need something like it,” the dark-haired youth said, all smiles. “You really seem to care about Big Brother Demon King’s health.”

“He is my sovereign. That’s to be expected.”

“That’s all?” the black-haired youth asked and c.o.c.ked his head.

“Of course.”

The dark-haired youth circled him slowly. After completing one circle, he said, “Since you’re so loyal to Big Brother Demon King, I wonder if you could help him with something?”

Bai Yang stared. “Help him with what?”

“Help him solve his qi deviation problem and return to form.”

Bai Yang was shocked. “Is there really a way? How can I help him?”

The Demon King had already told him that there were ways to solve his qi deviation without the jade cloud pearl, but Bai Yang suspected he’d been lying to placate him. Now he could see that wasn’t the case.

“Of course there’s a way. Otherwise, how could I take the jade cloud pearl? If there really was no other way, Big Brother Demon King wouldn’t give it to me, no matter how badly I wanted it,” the black-haired youth said with a laugh, his tone innocent and cute. He resembled a perfectly innocent child.

“How?” Bai Yang asked impatiently.

“It’s very simple.” The young City Lord moved close to his ear and whispered, “You need to find someone who shares a mutual trust with Big Brother Demon King. Their power can’t be too different from Big Brother Demon King’s. They need to form a channel to allow for the circulation of energy between them. That way, Big Brother Demon King can transfer some of his more violent magic to them. Using that channel, they can soothe each other. After doing it a few times, the qi deviation problem will eventually resolve itself.”

“Form a channel? How do you do that?” It was the first time Bai Yang had ever heard of such a method. He was amazed.

The dark-haired youth laughed. “It’s formed where yin and yang energy mix, of course.”

“Where do yin and yang energy mix?” Bai Yang asked, his face full of doubts.

“You know, down there,” the youth said with a naughty smile on his lips.

“Down there?” Bai Yang asked, not understanding.

The dark-haired youth moved close to Bai Yang’s ear and whispered something.

Bai Yang’s face turned red in an instant and he stammered, “D-down there?”

The dark-haired youth nodded.

Bai Yang took a deep breath, looked at the dark-haired youth’s unchanged face, and said with difficulty, “So you can’t… can’t change the place?”

The dark-haired youth shook his head.

Bai Yang: “….”

“…isn’t that just dual cultivation?”

Down there, like that, what would it be if not dual cultivation?

Bai Yang’s mind roiled.

“Yes and no,” the dark-haired youth explained. “You have to form a channel, but if he doesn’t move inside you, it’s not dual cultivation. If he does, then it’s hard to say.”

…what is moving? What is not moving?

Even if he doesn’t move, they’ve already touched that way. What was the difference?

“You can ask him not to move, and to separate as soon as you’ve exchanged energy.”

Bai Yang’s face turned red. “I haven’t agreed to help him yet. Don’t talk rubbish.”

The young City Lord blinked innocently. “It would be difficult to find anyone else to do it. Big Brother Demon King handed over the jade cloud pearl for you. You’d rather not be cured for his sake. You both trust each other. It’s perfect.”

Bai Yang was still unwilling to give in. “No one else can do it?”

“And if someone seized the opportunity to hurt Big Brother Demon King, what then? He’ll be weak while forming the channel,” the young City Lord said. “Even if there was someone willing to help him, Big Brother Demon King can’t form a channel with someone he doesn’t trust. Dual- ahem- forming a channel depends on mutual trust, so you don’t hurt each other. Only you can do this.”

Bai Yang: “….”

Bai Yang flushed with anger.