Chapter 59
Translator: hiohbye
Editor: PlayerProphet
Everyone else, frightened, immediately halted their advance.
The Demon King, still in the air, regarded the group disdainfully from the corner of his eye. Then, with a cold snort, he tightened his hold on Bai Yang and disappeared.
Bai Yang knew that the Demon King was trying to present an untouchable image. The Human Realm’s boundary formation was already suppressing his cultivation, but with the added stress of his recent qi deviation, having to transfer cultivation to Bai Yang, and battling others in the middle of it, his body was overwhelmed.
If they continued to fight, they might not be able to escape.
Their trick bought them some time. By making it difficult for others to guess their strength, their enemies were too scared to pursue them.
The Demon King, with Bai Yang in his embrace, flew in the direction of the pa.s.sageway.
As they arrived at the pa.s.sageway’s entrance, a figure flew to their side from a distance, fell to their knees and said, “This subordinate didn’t know Your Highness had arrived and, thus, failed to a.s.sist. Your Highness, please forgive me.”
The person who knelt down was Luo Jianfeng. The Demon King must have summoned him.
The Demon King waved his hand. “Your role is special, and it’s not easy for you to leave it. It’s good that you came so quickly. Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Luo Jianfeng stood up, then looked at Bai Yang with some doubt. “I heard someone in the Soaring Cloud Sect mention that the Jade Cloud Pearl was stolen. Could it be…”
“Don’t worry about that,” the Demon King said, waving his hand. “Return to the Sect and find out which elder raised the Rebirth Gu, then kill him.”
Luo Jianfeng’s expression became even more confused. “The Rebirth Gu?”
“Yes,” the Demon King nodded. “Remember my words. Find him, and kill him.”
“This subordinate obeys,” Luo Jianfeng said.
After killing the elder who had raised the Gu, no one would know where Bai Yang was, and the growth of the Gu would slow. Although it wouldn’t be enough to cure him, it would delay the threat of the Gu.
The Demon Lord deserved to be called the master of an entire realm. Even when things were dire, he was making a plan about the Gu while Bai Yang wasn’t thinking about it at all.
Lou Jianfeng left to complete his a.s.signment.
The Demon King indicated for Bai Yang to follow him back to the Demon Realm.
Bai Yang wasn’t keen on returning because he was worried about the Male Lead. The Male Lead had befriended him and attempted to plead leniency for his sake. Now that Bai Yang was revealed to be a demon, how would the Sect Head deal with the Male Lead when he returned?
But the Demon King wasn’t going to let him stay in the human realm, and Bai Yang didn’t dare to say anything. He could only follow obediently through the pa.s.sage back to the Demonic Realm.
As soon as they pa.s.sed through the pa.s.sageway, the Demon King paused.
“Your Highness?” Bai Yang asked, peering at the Demon King. His face was extremely pale.
“Your Highness, are you injured?” Bai Yang asked anxiously.
The Demon King took a deep breath. His face flooded with an unnatural rush of blood, then faded, and his face returned to normal.
“It’s nothing,” the Demon King said, and scoffed. “How could a few trifling cultivators hurt me?”
Bai Yang studied his expression. After ensuring that nothing seemed amiss, he exhaled in relief.
The two returned to the Palace of Eternal Darkness. As they approached, Bai Yang let down his guard, thinking he was safe.
“Did you eat the pill that I gave you a few days ago?” The Demon King asked out of the blue. “If you didn’t, hurry up and eat it. That pill can increase your cultivation and slow down the effect of the Gu.”
Bai Yang stared at him. Did the Demon King not remember?
“What are you staring at? I asked you a question.” After not getting an answer, the Demon King raised an eyebrow.
Bai Yang hesitated for a long time over whether he should tell the truth or not. The stuff that happened that night was too embarra.s.sing. If the Demon King never remembered, that would be for the best!
It seemed like the Demon King did not remember.
But how could he explain where the pill went?
He couldn’t think of an excuse, so he attempted to change the subject. “Your Highness, you were really handsome just now.”
“Oh?” This time, it was the Demon King’s turn to be dazed. He didn’t expect that Bai Yang would say something like that. He coughed. “Really?”
Bai Yang continued to push the conversation down another lane and flattered the Demon King shamelessly. “I thought I was dead for sure back there. I didn’t expect that Your Highness would be able to beat them all up with just a pair of feet. It was too cool!”
The Demon King didn’t say anything, but his ears had turned red. After a long time, he said, “You really think so?”
“Yeah, I think so. I always felt that Your Highness was handsome, unrivalled in his cultivation, and extremely intelligent. This time, I got to see these talents in action.”
Bai Yang continued to shamelessly praise him.
The Demon King coughed again, then stepped forward toward Bai Yang. “Apart from these, you don’t feel anything else?”
Bai Yang blinked, not quite understanding what the Demon King meant.
The Demon King stared at him, as if antic.i.p.ating his next words.
Bai Yang stared at him. Luckily, his mind cleared and he was able to think of what to say next. “In order to save me, Your Highness put himself in danger. This subordinate is moved! This subordinate will strive to do my best until my dying day. I will definitely repay Your Highness for this kindness!”
The Demon King clenched his fist and coughed into it. “And how are you going to repay me?”
“This subordinate is willing to pay with his life!” Bai Yang said reverently, as if he was willing to die any moment.
The Demon King looked at him for a moment. With some disappointment, he said, “That’s all?”
I just promised my life to you, what else do you want from me?
Bai Yang couldn’t understand what he wanted.
The two stared at each other. Bai Yang couldn’t understand the gaze the Demon King was sending him. He could only innocently stare back.
A moment pa.s.sed.
“I don’t want your life,” the Demon King said lightly. “This time, you were seriously injured for my sake. I had to look out for you.”
Bai Yang chuckled. His smile was both awkward and carried with it a twinge of guilt.
He’d injured himself for the Demon King, but not just to retrieve the Jade Cloud Pearl. His main purpose was to give the medicinal pill to the Male Lead.
After careful consideration, his original purpose wasn’t pure at all. He wanted the Jade Cloud Pearl to pay back the debt he owed to the Demon King, and instead was saved by him once again. Not only had Bai Yang failed to repay his debt, but he felt he owed the Demon King even more.
If it continued like this, owing more and more and more, who knew when it would end.
He could not allow this to continue.
He could not be further entangled with the Demon King, or else his own mission in this world would be affected.
After all, he would have to leave this world sooner or later.
“Why did you put yourself in such risk to retrieve the Jade Cloud Pearl for me?” The Demon King asked.
Bai Yang used his long-prepared excuse. “Because this subordinate is devoted to Your Highness.”
The Demon King listened. After realizing that Bai Yang was not saying anything else, he said, disappointed, “that’s all?”
…What else do you want?
Bai Yang knelt down on one knee. “Your Highness, all of heaven and earth can testify to this subordinate’s loyalty!”
“Do you feel anything toward me besides loyalty?”
Bai Yang finally understood what the Demon King was asking. He felt a little embarra.s.sed.
Before, he would have said he only felt loyalty without hesitation. However, there was a shadow in his heart now. He didn’t deny it right away.
“Your Highness…”
Seeing his hesitation, a smile appeared on the Demon King’s face and his eyes lit up.
“I understand.”
What?
What the h.e.l.l do you understand?
Bai Yang stared at him. I haven’t even said anything, so what is there to understand?
“I understand your feelings. You’ve endangered yourself so many times for me, so I shouldn’t have doubted your intentions. But why do you always say these empty words to me?” the Demon King sighed lightly.
Bai Yang’s eyes widened. Suddenly, he understood what the Demon King meant. The Demon King was implying that Bai Yang had done all those things because… he liked him?
“Your Highness,” he blurted out, “I didn’t mean what you implied.”
The Demon King smiled, and yet it didn’t feel like a smile. “And what am I implying?”
Bai Yang: “…”
Bai Yang wanted to say, you’re implying that I like you, but found that saying it out loud was too embarra.s.sing and shameful.
“Your Highness…”
The Demon King placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I feel the same as you. You went through great risks for me, and I… cough, cough… do not have a heart of stone.”
As he spoke, his face flushed bashfully.
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Bai Yang stared blankly at him.
What did the Demon King just say? He said… he felt the same as me?
He misunderstood that I liked him. And now, when he’s speaking like this… could it be he likes me too?
Such a convoluted situation was difficult to rectify!
Bai Yang’s head went blank for a second. When he regained thought, he wanted to scream.
Your Highness, why don’t you think about this again! I’m fickle in love and make bad acquaintances, what is there to like? I even took advantage of your feelings to empower the Male Lead. Wake up, Demon King-sama!
It was a pity the Demon King could not hear his inner thoughts. Bai Yang suppressed the turbulent waves in his heart and said, “Your Highness, everything I did was for Your Highness’s great cause. There really isn’t any other meaning to it.”
The Demon King only smiled, but did not seem to have heard what Bai Yang said.
“We don’t need to discuss that,” the Demon King said. “Hurry up and take the pill I gave you.”
After meandering for a while, Bai Yang was unable to avoid the subject. However, he’d bought himself enough time to think of a solution.
“Alright,” he agreed, then fumbled around his clothes. After searching for a while, he feigned not having found anything, and changed his expression to one of shock. Then, he looked around him.
The Demon King furrowed his brows. “It’s not on you?”
Bai Yang turned out all of his pockets, only to remain empty handed. In a panic, he said, “Your Highness, I placed the pill in my Qiankun bag, but it seems the bag has disappeared!”
In a normal situation, a Qiankun bag was difficult to lose, and the Demon King would not have believed this excuse. But now…
“I might have been fighting too hard, and was concentrating on fleeing. I don’t know when I might have lost it,” Bai Yang said, his expression filled with guilt.
His heart raced in his chest. Would the Demon King notice that he was lying?
Perhaps it was because he was too agitated, but the Rebirth Gu began to flail about in his heart.
Bai Yang groaned, then bent over himself in pain.
“It’s acting up again?” the Demon King asked, holding him up. “It’s alright, as long as you’re alive, that’s all that matters. If you lost the pill, that’s fine. I’ll just make you a new one.”
Bai Yang raised his head and stared at the Demon King, not daring to trust what he’d heard. The Demon King wanted to make another pill? Would it consume another thousand years of his cultivation?
No, he wouldn’t allow it!
“Definitely not!”
“It’s alright,” the Demon King said.
TL NOTE: h.e.l.lo, this is hiohbye, the co-translator for this series! I’ll be posting semi-regular chapters until Rosanna comes back. Expect weekly/bi-monthly releases every Sunday, depending on how heavy my school workload is ?