Chapter 40#
Falling into the Demonic Path#
Li Guanghan did not know how he walked out of the palace gates. He was an unwelcome sinner; the person he cherished most looked at him with only coldness and mockery. He didn’t dare approach, couldn’t speak, and could only turn around in silence so as not to disturb.
The twilight gathered, and the shadows of the locust trees fell on the red walls. The late spring evening breeze brushed against his face, and a pale moon began to climb the eastern sky.
He once possessed a piece of moonlight, but he had lost it.
Li Guanghan returned to the State Preceptor’s Manor in a daze. Snow fell year-round at the manor; the snow remained, the plum blossoms remained, but the person was different.
The snow mist blurred his vision. In a daze, he saw someone walking from the path, calling him with a smile—
Calling him what? Li Guanghan concentrated to listen, but could no longer hear. When he looked up again, the front was empty; it was actually just his hallucination.
Li Guanghan was stunned and continued to walk forward.
He passed a plum tree and suddenly remembered that Yin Yuheng liked to practice his sword here. He would occasionally come to watch, and the youth would be very delighted, stammering that there were still many things he didn’t understand. Li Guanghan understood the little thoughts in the youth’s words and couldn’t help but soften his features: “It’s alright, I’ll teach you.”
As the words fell, only the cold wind sounded in his ears, and plum blossoms spiraled down onto Li Guanghan’s shoulder.
The moonlight was ghostly, and a layer of snow had accumulated under the plum tree; no one had been here for a long time.
“…” The hand Li Guanghan had raised dropped again.
He continued forward. Li Guanghan didn’t know where he was going or what he was going to do. Instinctively, he tried to grasp a shadow of the past. He passed Yin Yuheng’s courtyard, hesitated and knocked on the door, but there was no response. He cautiously entered the room and frowned as he surveyed the furnishings inside.
Too simple, too desolate.
The bedding on the bed wasn’t soft enough, the material of the tables and chairs wasn’t good enough, and the decorations on the table weren’t exquisite enough. The most fatal part was that it was too cold… Yuheng’s health wasn’t good; how could he live in such a place?
No wonder Yuheng wasn’t here; he surely didn’t like this room. Li Guanghan was somewhat vexed. He leaned over and felt the quilt on the bed, thinking he must replace everything with the best… warm stones must be laid down, so that when Yuheng returned, he could wear a single layer and read by the window.
Thinking this way, Li Guanghan gave a light smile, didn’t disturb Yin Yuheng’s things, quietly withdrew, and closed the door.
Further ahead, Li Guanghan saw a lake as smooth as a mirror.
Li Guanghan felt it was somewhat strange; he felt something was missing here… suddenly, he remembered that there should be lotuses here.
This was originally a pond of swaying green lotuses, the leaves shockingly green and the flowers brilliantly red. In the wind and snow, the youth had come by boat and asked him with a smile: “Teacher, the lotuses have bloomed; have you thought of me?”
“I’m thinking of you, I’ve always been thinking of you.” Li Guanghan hurriedly replied, and in the blink of an eye, the small boat disappeared into the layers of green lotuses. In another blink, the lotuses were also gone, only snow falling into the empty, desolate lake, with a few lonely, charred remnants of branches standing at the edges.
Li Guanghan was dazed for a long while, then suddenly became somewhat panicked. He looked around and called to a passing small Taoist boy.
“Where are the lotuses here?”
The small Taoist boy respectfully lowered his head, but felt somewhat strange in his heart, stammering: “The lotuses have already been burned… Didn’t you say you would plant some new flowers another day?”
Li Guanghan said angrily: “How could they be burned! These were planted by Yuheng; how could they be moved?”
“But… the flowers were burned by His Highness.”
Li Guanghan’s voice came to an abrupt halt. He suddenly remembered that the flowers had been burned by Yin Yuheng—burned cleanly, with nothing left.
Looking at the dazed and silent Li Guanghan, the small Taoist boy cautiously asked: “Lord, shall we… shall we plant other flowers?”
The surrounding wind and snow became chaotic for a moment.
How could other flowers be planted? This was a pond of green lotuses planted for him by Yuheng.
“Replant the lotuses.” Li Guanghan said softly, “Give me the seeds… I’ll plant them.”
The small Taoist boy was stunned for a moment and was somewhat troubled: “But we can’t find the seeds… the lotus seeds that could bloom in the wind and snow were found by His Highness, and we don’t have any…”
What has passed can never be found again.
Li Guanghan stood by the lake, feeling only that the lake wind was bone-chillingly cold.
Li Guanghan murmured to himself: “Has it always been this cold here?”
The small Taoist boy thought he was asking him and hurriedly replied: “Lord, you practice the Nine Cold Dao Intention, and the snow in the manor never melts year-round; naturally, it’s cold.”
“Speaking of which, His Highness also felt cold,” the small Taoist boy stole a look at Li Guanghan’s expression. “His Highness didn’t like the wind and snow in the manor and often coughed.”
Li Guanghan’s pupils moved: “Yuheng doesn’t like snow…?”
That’s right, Yuheng’s health was so weak and he couldn’t withstand the cold; how could he like the wind and snow in the manor?
Even a small Taoist boy knew this, yet he had never thought about it carefully. What use was it just to lay warm stones in the room?
The surrounding wind and snow suddenly stopped.
Yuheng didn’t like it, so from now on, there would be no need for it to snow at the State Preceptor’s Manor.
“Yuheng, it’s Teacher’s fault.” Li Guanghan gazed tenderly at the empty surface of the lake, “Teacher was wrong… I definitely won’t do it again in the future. The lotuses will be replanted; I’ll find a way…”
Li Guanghan raised his hand, covered his eyes, and his voice trembled.
“…Every time the lotuses bloom, will you think of me?”
No one answered.
In the small Taoist boy’s surprised and worried gaze, a tear slid down Li Guanghan’s cheek and fell into the dust.
Even though the surrounding wind and snow had stopped, Li Guanghan felt even colder. He pressed his hand against his heart and bent over trembling.
The small Taoist boy said in panic: “Lord! What are you doing?”
Seeing his crazed gaze, the small Taoist boy was so scared he retreated several steps, his voice carrying a sob: “Lo, Lord!”
Demonic energy broke through his Dao heart, permeating every inch of Li Guanghan’s flesh.
Beautiful illusions intertwined with cruel reality; Li Guanghan was in a trance, at times feeling Yin Yuheng was by his side, at times clearly realizing Yin Yuheng had already left him. A Spirit Severing stage cultivator’s divine sense was powerful and shouldn’t have idle hallucinations. But Li Guanghan was immersed in this illusion and couldn’t get out, until he became frantic and went mad—he had fallen into the demonic path.
From eight years ago, he had always been hovering on the brink of falling into the demonic path. Someone had redeemed him, and now had abandoned him. He fell toward the boundless darkness, the despairing black water submerging him.
The small Taoist boy ran away in terror… Li Guanghan didn’t care about him, but instead drew his sword and slashed it across his own arm. Blood surged out in a rush, and the pain maintained his last shred of clarity.
Can’t, can’t go mad…
He still has to find medicine for Yuheng.
Dripping blood all the way, Li Guanghan stumbled toward the Wentian Terrace, intending to close the door and meditate to regulate his breathing and suppress his heart demon. But as soon as he looked up, he saw in the center of the hall, the youth in red prostrate in blood, his face as pale as paper, unconscious.
“Yuheng—”
Li Guanghan’s eyes were nearly splitting as he rushed to the center of the hall, wanting to pick up his youth, but he caught only air.
There was nothing in his arms.
Li Guanghan blankly maintained the posture, and after a long while, an irrepressible, hoarse, and sorrowful cry suddenly came from his throat.
The heart demon could no longer be blocked, and it entangled and tore at the spiritual power within Li Guanghan’s body. Li Guanghan knelt on the ground in pain, right where Yin Yuheng had once collapsed after taking blood.
He was in too much pain to speak complete words, and he couldn’t see the surroundings clearly, just as when he was injured back then.
What use were eyes? He was truly a blind man, blind in eye and mind, unable to recognize who the person he truly should care about was. Clearly having realized his affection, he still cruelly went to hurt him.
“Yuheng…” Li Guanghan reached out his hand in vain, sobbing as he embraced the air in front of him, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’ll heal your injuries right now… I’ll give you my blood… Wake up…”
The sharp blade sliced the skin, one cut after another, blood surging more and more.
But no one answered, no one cared, just as when Yin Yuheng was unconscious and alone at the Wentian Terrace back then.
The surroundings were terrifyingly desolate, with only the ever-burning lamps coldly watching the frantic madman on the floor.
*
Night fell, and lamps were also lit in the palace.
Lu Yan held Yin Yuheng, feeling as if he were in a dream. The lamplight was reflected on his clothes, warm and soft.
Shen Fengxiu looked at the two of them, felt it was inexplicably eyesore, and grit his teeth to interrupt, indicating he wanted to talk to Yin Yuheng alone. Yin Yuheng let go and lightly touched Lu Yan’s cheek. Considering there were still outsiders present, Lu Yan suppressed many things he wanted to say and said in a low voice: “I’ll go decoct medicine for you.”
Only Yin Yuheng and Shen Fengxiu were left in the room.
Shen Fengxiu coughed lightly: “Today was a bit sudden; you won’t blame me, will you?”
Yin Yuheng didn’t seem to have recovered from the matter yet, paused for a moment, and then said: “…No, I know you were worried about me; thank you.”
Shen Fengxiu then breathed a sigh of relief and said muffledly: “I didn’t expect the person who saved you would be Lu Yan. It’s quite good, at least better than Li Guanghan.”
Yin Yuheng smiled and quietly looked at Shen Fengxiu.
In this moment, Shen Fengxiu had an illusion of being seen through. He suddenly said stammeringly: “I’ll confess something to you… do you know about the incense named ‘Transference’?”
Yin Yuheng blinked.
Shen Fengxiu simply repeated what he had said to Lu Yan, and then added: “Guess if Lu Yan agreed or not?”
The night was quiet, and Yin Yuheng tilted his head slightly: “Did he agree?”
“If I said he agreed, would you…”
Shen Fengxiu suddenly stopped speaking. Clearly the surroundings were as quiet as usual, but Shen Fengxiu suddenly felt the hair on his body stand on end, with an inexplicable chill. Yin Yuheng’s posture looking at him hadn’t changed, and the smile on the corners of his mouth was also gentle, but Shen Fengxiu sensed an extreme sense of crisis.
He said decisively: “No! He didn’t agree.”
The surrounding chill dissipated, and Yin Yuheng chuckled: “He didn’t?”
“He didn’t,” Shen Fengxiu rubbed his nose, “although this person doesn’t show it, actually… he’s quite a proud person.”
A proud person would hold such means in contempt. He would rather not have the affection obtained through deception.
“He told me that liking is liking, and affection obtained through deception is always fake. If ‘Transference’ were used, it wouldn’t be any different from Li Guanghan. When he said it, the look in his eyes was quite hostile… as if I were intentionally sowing discord.”
“He said that?” The lamplight was reflected in Yin Yuheng’s pupils, twinkling slightly.
“Yes, I originally…” Shen Fengxiu didn’t finish, then suddenly sighed, “Alas.”
Shen Fengxiu muttered another sentence: “I always feel like Lu Yan is the type who would tattle. Yuheng, I’ve told you everything exactly as it happened!”
Yin Yuheng gave him a sidelong glance and smiled: “It’s quite good; if you hadn’t told me, and I found out about this myself, we might not even be able to be friends.”
Shen Fengxiu thought to himself, If I had hidden this, we wouldn’t even be friends… If Lu Yan had agreed to the idea of ‘Transference,’ what would have happened?
Shen Fengxiu didn’t dare to think deeply.
Yin Yuheng asked again: “Besides you, who else has Transference incense?”
“This incense is very rare; it’s an extremely rare treasure collected by the Shen family. It’s said that in this life and the next, anyone with feelings cannot escape it,” Shen Fengxiu said. “I have one portion here, and there’s another portion in the Shen family treasure vault.”
After finishing, Shen Fengxiu gave a dry laugh: “I’m leaving. If Lu Yan tattles on me later, don’t be angry with me!”
*
Yin Yuheng sat down; there was no one around, yet he still had a smile on his face.
He thought a lot and suddenly said to Xiao Bai: “Open the section about Lu Yan in the original plot.”
Xiao Bai did so, thinking that no wonder Brother Heng was happy.
In the original plot, Lu Yan had also obtained “Transference” by a series of coincidences and used it on Yin Yuheng almost without hesitation.
—This was also what Lu Yan later relied on to completely control Yin Yuheng.
In the plot, Yin Yuheng was infatuated with Li Guanghan; after the transference, he was deeply infatuated with Lu Yan from then on. Because of liking, he was hurt. Lu Yan took him, who had lost his memory, to the Demon Race, locked him in bed to bully and toy with him, and watched coldly as he suffered every hardship. Yet until he was later killed by Lu Yan’s sword, he was still calling out Lu Yan’s name.
The plot was bound to happen; Yin Yuheng was suddenly very curious about how this part of the plot would go.
Does being locked in bed by Lu Yan and fed medicine count as being toyed with?
Thinking of the plot where he was bullied until he cried by Lu Yan, Yin Yuheng blinked his eyes.
“Lu Yan.” Yin Yuheng murmured the name, and in the next moment, the door was pushed open.
Lu Yan came in carrying a bowl: “Take your medicine.”