Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 323 - Affection (2)

That night, when Zanxing and Gu Baiying returned to the Chaos Hall, both of their faces were red.

Facing the sharp, scrutinizing gaze of Mend Dong, Zanxing, who was usually calm, felt a bit guilty. After giving Gu Baiying a few quick instructions, she quickly retreated into the Chaos Hall to calm her heartbeat.

The young boy glanced at Gu Baiying, who averted his eyes awkwardly and said, “What are you looking at?”

Men Dong shook his head, sighed, and said, “Martial Uncle, you’ve finally become the eighth favored concubine of the Chaos Hall. But how are we going to explain this to the sect master and the others?”

The people of the Taiyan Sect were unaware of what had happened on this Qixi night in Heishi City, while it started raining on Gufeng Mountain.

The rain was continuous, falling for several days, and the waterfall at Chu Hong Terrace surged more fiercely than usual.

Inside Miaokong Hall, Xuan Lingzi was packing several large chests, muttering as he did, “We need to bring these long incense pills. Who knows if Heishi City has anything like them? The persimmon tree in the courtyard bore fruit earlier, and I saved a few for Zanxing. I’ll bring those along too. Should we also take some local products from Gufeng Mountain? Heishi City is such a barren place, I bet they can’t even grow a single green onion there. Fangfang said Zanxing has lost weight—she’s probably not eating well. What good food can the demons have anyway? Let’s bring some eggs. These are wild mountain chickens, and their eggs taste way better than the ones from farm-raised chickens.”

Outside the hall, Li Danshu and Cui Yufu walked in. Li Danshu pulled out a handful of medicine bottles from his sleeve, saying, “Let’s also bring some pills. I recently refined some Rejuvenation Pills, which are helpful for boosting cultivation.”

“I’ve got something too.” Cui Yufu pulled out a large stack of books from his Qiankun Bag. “These are the talisman books I’ve written over the past two years. No one’s been reading them. I’ll send them all to her. Even if she’s joined the demon clan, she shouldn’t neglect her studies!”

Xuan Lingzi looked at the large chests in front of him with some hesitation and said, “Senior Brother, isn’t this a bit much?”

“I say,” Zhao Mayi leaned against a pillar in the hall, watching them, “you all should at least make an effort to keep up appearances. That girl Yang Zanxing is now the Demon King’s daughter, and all the major sects are watching. You’re making such a big show of sending things to the demons—isn’t our Taiyan Sect’s reputation good enough for you? Be a little more discreet.”

“What’s the point of being discreet?” Xuan Lingzi said nonchalantly. “Whether we keep up appearances or not, people will gossip behind our backs anyway. We might as well just go all out.”

After the Demon Extermination Army returned from Yue Mountain, they revealed everything that had happened at the Five-Wheel Pagoda. When the Taiyan Sect heard that Zanxing had not only survived but also became the next ruler of Heishi City, they were all shocked. But after a brief moment of surprise, Xuan Lingzi and the others quickly accepted the reality. After all, even Gu Baiying and Meng Ying had gone to Heishi City, which was enough to show the Taiyan Sect’s stance on the matter.

“You can’t say it like that,” Zhao Mayi sighed. “The people from Chihua Sect and Xiang Ling Sect came to our sect again today to demand an explanation. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to clear the accusation of colluding with the demons.”

“What colluding with the demons? What right do they have to bark about such things?” Xuan Lingzi, who was usually amiable, showed rare anger on his face. “If not for my disciple stopping Gui Yansheng from turning the Buddha Wheel inside the Five-Wheel Pagoda, the Demon Extermination Army would have been wiped out long ago. Moreover, during the two years Zanxing was absent, didn’t all the major sects get chased around like stray dogs by Gui Yansheng? What, now they’re picking on the weak? If they’re so capable, why don’t they kill Gui Yansheng themselves and go to Heishi City on their own? They hide behind others, playing the weak, then turn around and act high and mighty in front of others. Have they no shame?”

“At least the sect master wasn’t foolish this time. I suppose he’s gotten tired of their constant unreasonable demands,” Zhao Mayi mused. “Right now, all the major sects are focused on Gui Yansheng. I imagine they don’t have the energy to deal with Heishi City for the time being. But…” He trailed off, looking out the window, ultimately saying nothing more.

The hall felt emptier than usual since Zanxing’s departure. Hong Su had grown quiet, and Miaokong Hall seemed much lonelier.

Meanwhile, Li Danshu rubbed his itchy nose and sneezed, muttering to himself, “Autumn is coming soon. With the constant rain, the mountain is getting colder and colder.”

*

For two days after Qixi, Heishi City remained peaceful.

The demons sent to track down Gui Yansheng still hadn’t found his whereabouts. However, the spiritual veins on the mountain were becoming even more depleted.

Inside the Yao Ming Hall, Zanxing walked in. Bu Jiang was seated high on her throne, conversing with Mingjing. When they saw Zanxing enter, both looked toward her.

“Mother,” Zanxing sat down at the long table.

“It’s rare that you were obedient and didn’t bring that little Martial Uncle of yours along.” Bu Jiang glanced at her with a half-smile. “I thought you were so infatuated with your little lover’s beauty that you’d forgotten all about serious matters.”

Zanxing: “…” There was no need to make it sound like she was some kind of foolish ruler.

“Don’t think I’m deliberately making things difficult for Gu Baiying. I’m not targeting him,” Bu Jiang said slowly. “But this concerns the secrets of the demon clan. He’s someone from a sect. If he’s not one of us, then his heart will always be different. It’s simply not appropriate for him to be present.”

Zanxing glanced at Mingjing and couldn’t help but point out, “Master Mingjing isn’t a demon either.”

“He’s different.” Bu Jiang chuckled softly. “He is willing to betray the human race for me. Would Gu Baiying go that far for you?”

Zanxing: “…”

Mingjing looked somewhat embarrassed. “Your Majesty…”

“Let’s not talk about all this nonsense,” Bu Jiang sighed, her expression becoming more worried. “Did you check the spiritual veins just now?”

Zanxing nodded. “The spiritual veins have become even more depleted.” The once bright red flow of energy was now as thin as a pinky finger, a pitiful sight. It seemed that before long, the veins would dry up completely.

Zanxing had tried using the Demon King’s power to revive the veins several times, but to no avail.

“Mother, you said the Demon King had once briefly revived the spiritual veins, but he hadn’t yet refined the Xiao Yuan Pearl at that time. How did he manage it?” Zanxing asked.

Bu Jiang gazed into the distance, as if lost in old memories. After a long pause, she said, “Back then, the spiritual veins of Heishi City were gradually depleting, and the demonic energy was diminishing day by day. The entire demon clan was in a state of panic. It was during that time your father happened to obtain the Xiao Yuan Pearl. Initially, after acquiring it, his cultivation surged rapidly, and his Demon King power reached an unprecedented level of abundance. As a result, the nearly exhausted spiritual veins temporarily became rich again.”

“However, this only lasted for a short time, just a few months before it returned to how it was. That’s why your father became so eager to refine the Xiao Yuan Pearl. He believed that by fully refining it, he would gain control over the most powerful celestial demonic force and truly awaken the spiritual veins.”

“Although he ultimately failed, the demon clan has always believed that as long as the Xiao Yuan Pearl is refined, it will rejuvenate the spiritual veins of Heishi City. After all, we have succeeded before.”

“Before you returned from Yue Mountain, I thought the same. That’s why I kept telling you to retrieve the Xiao Yuan Pearl.”

Zanxing’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you saying that you no longer believe this?”

Bu Jiang remained silent and looked at Mingjing. Mingjing spoke softly, “Your Highness, perhaps the depletion of the spiritual veins in the demon realm is not merely a coincidence.”

“What do you mean?”

Mingjing hesitated, seemingly pondering how to phrase his thoughts. After a moment, he looked at Zanxing with a grave expression and said, “To be precise, it’s not just the demon realm, the spiritual veins of all major sects have been thinning over the years.”

“Heishi City is not the only one.”