Chapter 23:

After the discussion at the Immortal Alliance concluded, everyone departed for their respective destinations. Xie Xuechen also moved back to the Chui Xue Tower, where he focused on recovering his strength while managing the reconstruction of Yongxue City and reviewing the battle reports from Liangjieshan.

The sun set early in Yongxue City. Xie Xuechen only noticed the dimming light when he lifted his head from his paperwork. A familiar yet unfamiliar set of footsteps approached the Chui Xue Tower, echoing across the snow-covered stone floor.

Familiar, because he immediately recognized who it was.

Unfamiliar, because her steps were much more unstable—evidence of an injury that had yet to heal.

Before Xie Xuechen could think of how to face her, the slender figure had already arrived at the door, locking eyes with him.

Mu Xuanling’s face was much paler and thinner than before, giving her peach-shaped eyes an even more striking appearance. The setting sun outlined her soft features with a faint golden glow, which reflected in her dark eyes, igniting a small spark of hope and joy as she looked at him.

“Xie Xuechen,” she softly called, her eyes gleaming with delight as she lightly stepped across the threshold and ran toward him.

Xie Xuechen had just risen when she threw herself into his arms. Just like always, she liked to leap into his embrace. He instinctively opened his arms slightly, catching her in a warm, sweet hug.

“I was worried you wouldn’t be here,” she said with a smile, showing no trace of resentment or bitterness over the loss of her cultivation.

Xie Xuechen looked down at her and asked in a calm voice, “You came looking for me?”

“I haven’t seen you since I woke up. I heard you were busy, so I didn’t want to disturb you. But I heard today is your birthday,” Mu Xuanling blinked her eyes. Seeing Xie Xuechen’s indifferent expression, she smiled and added, “Have you forgotten?”

Xie Xuechen replied, “It’s not an important matter.”

“But to me, it is important,” she said, holding his hand firmly. “I don’t even know my own birthday. Being able to celebrate a birthday is a very significant thing.”

Xie Xuechen recalled that she was an abandoned half-demon. Many half-demons didn’t know their birth dates or ages. Some would even choose a day they liked as their birthday. What was insignificant to him was something she had longed for but could never attain.

“When I was little, I saw other human children celebrating their birthdays. Their families would cook a bowl of longevity noodles and place two eggs in it—one chicken egg and one duck egg,” Mu Xuanling said wistfully. Back then, she had watched from afar, but she could still clearly smell the tempting aroma of the food.

Xie Xuechen said, “I’ve been practicing fasting for many years. I haven’t eaten longevity noodles in a long time.”

Previously, his spiritual channels had been sealed, forcing him to consume grains. Now that his body had recovered, he only needed to cultivate to replenish his energy. Ordinary grains were no longer beneficial to him.

Mu Xuanling felt a slight sense of loss: “I haven’t eaten them in a long time either…”

Or rather, she had only eaten them once, seven years ago.

Xie Xuechen suddenly had an idea and asked, “Do you want to eat some?”

Without hesitation, she nodded. The next moment, she felt Xie Xuechen wrap his arms around her shoulders. Her body lifted into the air, and in an instant, they were soaring ten thousand feet above the ground.

The cold wind stung her delicate cheeks, causing a slight pain. She could only tightly hold onto Xie Xuechen’s narrow waist and bury her face in his chest. Xie Xuechen glanced down. Knowing that she had lost all her demonic powers and could no longer resist the cold wind, he raised one hand and created a barrier, shielding them from the fierce wind above the heavens.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Mu Xuanling cautiously lifted her head from Xie Xuechen’s chest and saw the rising full moon slowly ascending from the snowy mountains, its clear and pure light spreading across the world.

“It’s so beautiful…” she sighed.

An alchemy core cultivator could fly on a sword, but a cultivator at the Formation Manifestation stage could ride the wind freely without any aid. At this moment, Mu Xuanling was suspended in midair, her light body entirely supported by Xie Xuechen’s right arm. She had never seen the world from such a height before. Initially, she felt afraid, but the strong arm around her waist gave her a sense of security. Soon, she forgot her fear and became immersed in the breathtaking scenery below.

“Xie Xuechen, the world is so vast, and humans are so small,” she murmured, gazing at the lights of the city below.

Yes, the world is so vast, and humans are so small…

Her casual remark struck a painful chord in his heart. He lowered his gaze and saw her face, even more radiant than the moonlight, and he wanted to etch her image into his heart while also trying to erase it completely.

After a short flight, they landed in a secluded area. As they walked a few steps forward, they saw a bustling street. The lanterns had just been lit, and the streets were filled with people. Shops lined both sides of the road, and street performers had set up stalls, filled with the lively atmosphere of the human world.

Mu Xuanling was drawn to a young street performer. A tall, muscular man was performing fire-breathing with a torch, while a thin man, blindfolded, was throwing knives at a circular target with a person tied to it. Each knife narrowly missed the person, causing the onlookers to gasp in awe and fear.

Mu Xuanling immediately recognized the trick and muttered, “He’s cheating. I can do this too.”

Fortunately, she spoke softly and didn’t attract attention, or else she would have ruined the performance.

Xie Xuechen wrapped an protective arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, saying in a deep voice, “Stay close. There are many people here.”

This was the most prosperous part of Yongxue City, especially lively on the night of the full moon, when people of all ages gathered for the market. Xie Xuechen’s dignified appearance and imposing aura quickly drew the attention of passersby. Someone shouted, “City Lord!” and soon the crowd was in an uproar, calling him “City Lord” and “Master.” Xie Xuechen nodded to the crowd, then awkwardly pulled Mu Xuanling away from the enthusiastic crowd.

They hid in a quiet alley, and Mu Xuanling, leaning against Xie Xuechen’s chest, softly laughed.

“I forgot to hide my appearance,” Xie Xuechen said, slightly embarrassed. He raised his hand and gently brushed it across their faces. A subtle ripple of spiritual energy spread across their faces. Those with high cultivation might see through the illusion, but ordinary people would not notice anything unusual.

Xie Xuechen took Mu Xuanling’s wrist and led her back to the street. This time, no one recognized them. Although some people noticed the extraordinary aura of the white-robed swordsman and looked back a few times, they couldn’t detect any clues.

Xie Xuechen led Mu Xuanling to a small noodle shop by the bridge. The shop was small, with only four tables, all of which were occupied. Xie Xuechen ordered two bowls of noodles, each with two eggs, and waited patiently for a seat.

“What’s special about this noodle shop?” Mu Xuanling asked, resting her chin on her hand.

“The owner used to be a cultivator, but he was severely injured by demons, losing all his cultivation. He opened this noodle shop to make a living,” Xie Xuechen explained. “His senses are still sharper than ordinary people’s, so his cooking is quite good.”

While Xie Xuechen spoke, Mu Xuanling’s gaze had already drifted to the noodle shop owner. What surprised her wasn’t the owner’s background, but the woman standing beside him. Her hands had been completely severed, and she used her bare wrists to help serve bowls, yet she was surprisingly nimble.

Seeing Mu Xuanling’s surprised expression, Xie Xuechen lowered his voice and said, “She is a half-demon fox. Her hands were born in the form of fox claws.”

Mu Xuanling suddenly understood: “She cut off her hands out of fear of people’s hatred, so she could be with him.”

Xie Xuechen remained silent in response.

Mu Xuanling lowered her head, picking up a steaming strand of noodles and putting it in her mouth. The hot steam blurred her vision.

“Actually, this is the only noodle shop I know,” Xie Xuechen said, tasting the noodles. He didn’t know if they suited Mu Xuanling’s taste, but food no longer had any meaning to him. “That half-demon was originally a demon slave in Yongxue City.”

Mu Xuanling felt as if she understood something, yet at the same time, she didn’t understand anything at all.

She lowered her head and quietly said, “It’s quite delicious.”

She knew that some half-demons desperately wanted to become human, so they cut off the parts of their bodies that showed their demonic traits—tails, ears, or hands. But no matter what they did, they couldn’t hide their demonic aura. She didn’t sense any demonic aura from the fox demon, so she guessed that the woman was wearing a magical artifact to conceal her energy.

Xie Xuechen only ate a few bites before putting down his chopsticks. He silently watched Mu Xuanling finish her entire bowl of noodles, and no one knew what he was thinking.

When Mu Xuanling put down her chopsticks, Xie Xuechen was about to call the owner to pay, but suddenly remembered something and froze halfway through raising his hand.

Mu Xuanling looked at his hand and then at his slightly furrowed brow, unable to help laughing. Even the slight gloom in her heart was somewhat dispelled.

“Master Xie, did you forget to bring money again?” she teased softly.

The owner, seeing Xie Xuechen raise his hand, had already come over to calculate the cost.

“Sir, the total is eight copper coins.”

Mu Xuanling chuckled and took off a hairpin, handing it to the owner and saying, “Sorry, I forgot to bring money. Can I use this hairpin to pay for the noodles?”

The owner was surprised: “This hairpin is too valuable. It could buy this entire noodle shop several times over. It’s just two bowls of noodles, not worth much. As long as you two enjoyed the meal, feel free to come back another time.”

Mu Xuanling smiled and said, “Then let’s leave this hairpin here as a pledge. I’ll come back to redeem it another day. My Brother Xie certainly won’t be able to skip out on the payment.”

Xie Xuechen’s expression slightly shifted as he gazed at Mu Xuanling. She was completely unaware, smiling happily as she placed the hairpin down and pulled Xie Xuechen away.

“Hahaha…” Mu Xuanling laughed. “Xie Xuechen, it’s your birthday today, so this meal is on me.”

Xie Xuechen looked at her and softly said, “I should be the one to treat you.”

“Then let’s pretend it’s my birthday today. I’ll treat you. That should be okay, right?” Her eyes sparkled with brilliance, captivating and mesmerizing. “After all, I don’t know when I was born. Let’s just share the same birthday as you. Is that okay?”

Xie Xuechen’s Adam’s apple slightly moved. He didn’t know where the aching feeling in his heart came from. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Okay.”

She smiled and turned around, her skirt flaring, brushing against Xie Xuechen’s robe as she hummed a tuneless melody.

Xie Xuechen slowly followed her, watching her slender back.

“I suddenly remembered there’s one more thing I haven’t done yet,” Mu Xuanling suddenly stopped and turned to look at Xie Xuechen. “I’ve never tasted alcohol. Have you?”

Xie Xuechen shook his head.

“When I was little, I heard that drinking makes people happy, so many people love it. I was always curious. Later, when I met my older brother, I wanted him to take me to drink, but he said I was too young. After I entered the Demon Realm, I had even less opportunity. Xie Xuechen…” She raised her eyes, looking at him with expectation. “Do you have any alcohol?”

Xie Xuechen shouldn’t have agreed to this unreasonable request. She was still seriously injured and shouldn’t drink. But the hope in her eyes made it hard for him to refuse.

Of course, Yongxue City had countless fine wines. Even though he never drank, he could easily find the best wine in the cellar by scent alone.

“Take me to Wenshexia,” she said on a whim. “I saw it in a dream. That’s where you practice swordsmanship, right?”

So Xie Xuechen carried her once again to Wenshexia.

A full moon hung in the clear night sky. The night was cloudless, the stars sparse, and the sky seemed to have been carefully wiped clean with snow, vast and pure.

Mu Xuanling held a jar of wine, staring blankly at the snow pine tree at the edge of Wenshexia. It appeared even more robust than in her dream. Of course, twenty-one years had passed. Yet she knew that beneath the soft snow lay countless deep ravines. Faintly, she seemed to see a young Xie Xuechen, gripping a sword heavier and longer than himself, practicing sword techniques day after day, questioning his own heart. His swordsmanship grew increasingly profound, but his eyes turned colder and colder.

When she was in the Demon Realm, she often heard demons and monsters speak of Xie Xuechen, describing him as a genius with a cold demeanor. She never imagined that the Xie Xuechen of Yongxue City was the same gentle, protective “immortal older brother” from her childhood. They looked exactly the same, yet their personalities were completely different.

She even began to doubt whether she had ever truly met such a person, or if she had only dreamed of him during her suffering, mistaking the dream for reality.

Amber-colored wine gently rippled in the white porcelain bowl, releasing a rich aroma. Mu Xuanling held the bowl with both hands and cautiously took a small sip, tasting a bit of spiciness and sweetness. She frowned.

“It doesn’t seem to taste good,” she muttered.

Xie Xuechen gently swirled the porcelain bowl. In it, there was also a full moon and a pair of cold phoenix eyes. With his cultivation, no earthly wine could ever make him drunk. If it couldn’t make him drunk, what was the point of drinking?

Perhaps the only meaning was to share a drink with the person beside him.

His pale lips slightly parted, and the cold, fragrant wine moistened his lips. Xie Xuechen slightly frowned, tasting the flavor in his mouth—it truly wasn’t that good.

Mu Xuanling, however, was not discouraged. She continued to take small sips of wine, frowning each time. “Maybe it will taste better if I drink more…” she mumbled.

Xie Xuechen turned his head to look at her. Her slightly upturned lips looked like flower petals kissed by dew, both colorful and tempting. He couldn’t help but recall the taste of a previous kiss, and his gaze darkened slightly.

Half a bowl of wine was quickly emptied by her. Her fair face flushed with a rosy hue, yet her eyes sparkled even more, as if she had captured the moonlight within her pupils, shimmering with brilliance.

“I think I’m starting to taste it,” Mu Xuanling licked her lips, narrowed her eyes, and reached out toward Xie Xuechen. “Pour me some more.”

Xie Xuechen pressed his hand over the wine jar, his voice slightly low and husky. “You’re not allowed to drink anymore.”

Mu Xuanling reached out to snatch it, but how could she match the speed of the sword deity? Without even appearing to move, he had already placed the jar into his spatial pouch. She lunged at nothing and turned her gaze toward Xie Xuechen’s half-filled bowl, her eyes gleaming with green light.

Xie Xuechen held her shoulder with one hand and raised the bowl to his lips with the other. Tilting his head back, he drank deeply. His Adam’s apple bobbed as a drop of amber wine trickled from the corner of his mouth, tracing along his beautifully sculpted jawline and down his slender neck into the folds of his robe.

Mu Xuanling stared, unconsciously swallowing, a sudden urge rising in her to pounce and drink it away.

After setting the bowl down, Xie Xuechen looked down and saw her dazed expression. Thinking she was just longing for the drink, he gave a faint, helpless smile. Yet, his usual cold demeanor made even his smile barely noticeable. The wine had gone to his head, a wave of heat rising from his throat, making his voice even hoarser: “Xuanling, sit properly.”

A tingling warmth stirred in Mu Xuanling’s heart as she reluctantly placed her bowl down and scooted to sit beside Xie Xuechen.

Feeling the warmth and weight against his left arm, Xie Xuechen stiffened slightly but did not push her away.

“Sigh…” Mu Xuanling leaned her head on Xie Xuechen’s arm and sighed softly, a thousand emotions twisting in her heart. “Xie Xuechen, you’ve been unusually kind to me today.”

Xie Xuechen slightly lowered his head, watching her long, thick lashes flutter. Vaguely, he wondered—was this truly kindness? He had only taken her out for a bowl of noodles and half a bowl of wine, yet she seemed so content.

She hadn’t lied to him. She truly was easy to please—just a little warmth, and she was practically sold, willingly deceived.

Yet, she had completely forgotten all the times he had hurt her.

Thinking of this, Xie Xuechen felt a lump rise in his throat, making it hard to speak.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked softly.

“Not weak anymore, but not painful either,” Mu Xuanling lazily grabbed his sleeve and gazed at the bright moon above. “Are you being so nice because you feel guilty?”

She waited a moment, but Xie Xuechen offered no reply. She murmured to herself, “You don’t have to. I’ve already told you, as long as I can stay by your side, losing my powers doesn’t matter. Three hundred years of imprisonment isn’t a punishment for me—it’s just changing locations to be a demon servant. I can now control my demonic energy well enough that the Spirit Binding Ring no longer harms me.” She stretched out her foot, revealing the charm around her ankle, which emitted a soul-captivating bell sound when her magic was activated.

“I originally had another Spirit Binding Ring, but the wound it left was too deep. A scar from residual spiritual energy never faded, so Sangqi forged this charm for me to cover the mark.” She lightly kicked her foot, letting the charm fall. A dark brown scar, grotesque and terrifying, appeared on her pale, slender ankle, hinting at the pain she must have endured.

“Can you give me a prettier Spirit Binding Ring?” Mu Xuanling lifted her head to look at Xie Xuechen, her bright eyes shimmering with anticipation and joy. “I’ll be very well-behaved.”

Suddenly, Xie Xuechen leaned forward and embraced her.

Startled at first, Mu Xuanling slowly wrapped her arms around him. Resting her head on his chest, she joyfully yet proudly said, “You’re not drunk, and I didn’t force you. You hugged me on your own.”

Xie Xuechen’s body trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, as though a sword were sawing back and forth across his heart, forcing him to abandon what he cherished most.

“Xuanling…” his voice seemed to suppress something, low and hoarse, “you don’t have to be a servant.”

“Hmm?” Snuggling into his embrace, she mumbled, “Then… are you going to lock me up, like the Lust Demon?”

“You will go to Yunxiu Villa,” Xie Xuechen said, “and Nanshi Yue will protect you.”

Mu Xuanling remained lost in thought for a long time before finally understanding his words. She pushed herself up from his chest, pulling away slightly, and looked up at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You will become the lady of Yunxiu Villa,” Xie Xuechen said, “and the Immortal Alliance won’t harm you.”

Mu Xuanling gazed into his eyes for a long time. Eventually, her eyes reddened slightly. She smiled, but her voice betrayed a hint of sorrow. “So this meal, this bowl of wine—it was your farewell.”

She withdrew her hands, hugging herself instead, and turned her gaze toward the vast, desolate snowy mountains, not looking at Xie Xuechen again.

“Actually, I’ve thought about this long ago,” her voice was laced with weariness, a faint smile curling her lips without joy. “You made me watch that half-human, half-fox couple, just to show me that half-demons and humans can’t end up well together, right?”

“I already knew that. But I don’t care. So what if I lost my hands? So what if I lost my demonic powers? I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“But I also know that I’ve been selfish. I only thought about how much I loved you and wanted to be with you, without considering whether you truly wanted it.”

“I could feel it, you know. You did have a little affection for me. At least when I kissed you, you didn’t pull away. Even just now, you hugged me first.”

“Xie Xuechen, I’m very easy to please. Just a little affection from you is enough to make me happy.”

“But for you, that little bit of affection probably isn’t enough, is it? Not enough for you to decide to keep me by your side—even just as a small demon servant.”

“Sigh…”

Mu Xuanling sighed deeply, tears glistening in her eyes, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She reached down, picked up the charm, and carefully fastened it back around her ankle.

“Xie Xuechen, maybe you should lock me up after all. After all, the Immortal Alliance sentenced me to three hundred years of imprisonment. If I go to Yunxiu Villa, it will trouble you, and Nanshi Yue as well.” Mu Xuanling gave a self-mocking smile. “You don’t have to feel guilty toward me. Because all along, it was I who owed you. You owe me nothing.”

Struggling to her feet from the snowy ground, she staggered slightly, steadied by Xie Xuechen’s hand. Gently, she pushed him away.

“There’s one more thing I’ve never told you—maybe because I only just figured it out myself.” Mu Xuanling smiled at him. “I think… I might have mistaken you for someone else. Although you look very much like him, you’re not him.”

“Master Xie, I’m sorry for troubling you.”

She walked forward alone, softly humming a tuneless melody, never once looking back.