Sang Dai stepped forward and snatched her sword back. “Su Xuan, leave my sword here, and you can go now.”
Placing the Zhiyu Sword on the table, Sang Dai turned her back to Su Xuan. Finally, she could no longer hear his inner thoughts.
Neither Cui Shao nor Su Xuan understood why her face suddenly turned cold.
Cui Shao looked at the Lord with a puzzled expression, only to find that he seemed just as bewildered.
Su Xuan even glanced at Cui Shao, his gaze almost asking: What’s wrong with her?
How could Cui Shao know?
Afraid of being punished by the Lord, she quickly lowered her head and said, “It’s about time for the meal. Does the Lord wish to stay and dine?”
Sang Dai: “He doesn’t—”
Su Xuan: “Sure. I’m hungry too.”
Their words landed one after the other.
Cui Shao froze. Meeting the Lord’s gaze, she quickly recovered and nodded. “Alright, this servant will prepare the meal immediately.”
Sang Dai’s brows furrowed slightly as she glanced over. Su Xuan casually sat down beside her.
Whether intentionally or not, among all the chairs available, he chose to sit right next to her.
Su Xuan lived a life of luxury. Even his casual attire was exquisite and expensive. The wide, dark robe he wore happened to brush against Sang Dai’s body as he sat, bringing with it his unique scent—a faint, cold fragrance that was distinctly his. All these years, she had never encountered a similar scent on anyone else.
Noticing her gaze, Su Xuan said coldly, “What are you looking at? This is my Beast Palace. If I’m hungry and want to eat something, what’s the problem?”
Sang Dai turned her head away without a word, not bothering to respond.
Her body had weakened without spiritual power, and even though she had already reached a state where she could abstain from food, she occasionally needed to eat to replenish her vitality. But Su Xuan, a cultivator in the Grand Ascension Stage, could not possibly feel hunger.
Perhaps because Su Xuan had already given orders, the Beast Palace’s meals were ready in advance. Cui Shao only needed to bring them in.
As Cui Shao set the table, Sang Dai fell silent at the sight of the medicinal dishes spread across it.
Even though she lived frugally, she had seen her fair share of rare treasures. These dishes, made from celestial herbs and spiritual beasts that could sell for thousands or even tens of thousands of top-grade spirit stones, were typically used by cultivators to advance their cultivation. Yet now, Su Xuan had turned them into ordinary medicinal meals for her to eat.
The dish in front of her was smoked fish, and Sang Dai immediately recognized it as winter fish from the South Sea. It was incredibly rare, its spiritual flesh immensely nourishing, with the ability to nourish one’s Golden Core. A single fish could sell for thousands of spirit stones on the market.
Without a word, Su Xuan pushed the plate of smoked fish toward her. “The ghostly energy in Bairen Alley is too heavy. If you want to accompany me there, you need to recover your meridians and take care of your body in advance. Half a month from now, Liu Lixue will repair your meridians.”
Sang Dai silently glanced at him.
Su Xuan seemed to realize his tone was overly gentle and concerned. His expression stiffened, and he added awkwardly, “Don’t overthink it. These weren’t made especially for you. I need to eat as well.”
Sang Dai had long become immune to his words. Whatever Su Xuan said could usually be taken as the opposite.
She nodded. “Mm, then thank you, Beast King, for your generosity in allowing a humble girl like me to taste such delicacies.”
Su Xuan was momentarily at a loss for words, withdrawing his hand in silence.
With Su Xuan sitting beside her, Sang Dai felt uncharacteristically restrained. She only picked from the dishes closest to her. Lifting a small bowl of smoked fish in front of her, she took a bite.
The fish was tender and delicate. Sang Dai had always preferred light flavors, and this smoked fish was prepared accordingly. However, the natural freshness and smooth texture of the South Sea winter fish, combined with the precise control of the cooking time, made it exceptional. Sprinkled on top was a seasoning Sang Dai had never tasted before—likely a unique condiment from the Beast Realm.
Even though she had little desire for food, she couldn’t help the slight brightening of her eyes as she slowly finished the bowl of smoked fish, bite by bite.
Su Xuan ate methodically beside her, though his gaze lingered on the sword cultivator next to him.
Sang Dai had a naturally slender frame. Coupled with her exhaustive lifestyle in the Sword Sect—spending her days either practicing swordsmanship or exorcising evil spirits—she rarely ate much and had grown visibly thin. Yet, when wielding her sword, she was extraordinarily steady, eradicating all traces of malevolence wherever she went.
The sword cultivator did everything with a quiet elegance. Even the act of eating was gentle, her long lashes drooping slightly, casting shadows over her eyes. From Su Xuan’s angle, they looked like small, fluttering fans.
A strange itch seemed to stir in his heart, softening it uncontrollably. Seeing her eat the smoked fish he had prepared with his own hands, he couldn’t suppress the faint smile that tugged at his lips.
Sang Dai ate two small bowls of smoked fish in one go. Only when she noticed the empty dish in front of her did she realize something might be amiss.
Su Xuan hadn’t eaten yet.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, she put down her chopsticks, intending to ask Cui Shao if there was more smoked fish so she could serve another plate to a certain fox.
Cui Shao was standing on Su Xuan’s side, and when Sang Dai glanced over, she inadvertently locked eyes with him.
Su Xuan wiped the corner of his mouth and said coldly, “Why are you eating so fast? It’s not as if I’m going to take your food.”
Sang Dai fell silent.
But in her ears, she once again heard his inner thoughts:
[Dai Dai is so cute! Dai Dai ate two bowls of smoked fish today—my dish!]
Sang Dai: “…?”
Her expression turned skeptical.
Su Xuan could cook?
The fox pretended to remain indifferent, not even turning his head as he instructed Cui Shao, “There’s more smoked fish in the kitchen. Bring a few more bowls.”
Cui Shao curtsied. “Yes, Sovereign Lord.”
Sang Dai, intrigued, cautiously asked, “…You know how to cook?”
Su Xuan gave her a bland glance. “I am the Beast King. Why would someone like me need to lift a finger for food or clothing? Miss Sang, you must be joking.”
[Of course I can cook! I can make so much more! Almost everything on this table was made by me!]
“…”
So the reason he asked her what she wanted to eat earlier that afternoon was to personally prepare medicinal dishes for her?
Sang Dai took a sip of soup and glanced at Su Xuan.
[I made this purple pear soup to replenish Dai Dai’s vitality and blood.]
She took a bite of the cold dish and looked at him again.
[I made this Yanglan salad to help Dai Dai nourish her meridians.]
By the end of the meal, Sang Dai’s expression had grown numb. She stopped glancing at Su Xuan altogether, finally earning some peace and quiet for her ears.
She truly hadn’t expected that Su Xuan could cook so many dishes. In her impression, Su Xuan had seized power early on and had been the Beast King for many years, living a life of utmost luxury and indulgence. This demon never allowed himself to be wronged, always using the finest in food and clothing. Even a simple robe was made of premium silks, requiring months or even years of work by a dozen master embroiderers.
Why would such a high-ranking Beast King personally cook?
Sang Dai ate slowly, and as a result, Su Xuan also ate slowly. The meal lasted nearly an hour.
By the time Cui Shao cleared the leftovers, the sky had already gone completely dark.
Su Xuan stood up and waved his hand, illuminating the room with luminous pearls.
These precious pearls, which served as nightlights, were scattered throughout the Beast Palace. To Su Xuan, they were just easily purchased luxuries.
Cui Shao didn’t come back in. Whether it was Su Xuan’s instruction or not, she left immediately after tidying up.
Now, only the two of them remained in the room.
Sang Dai was still seated, finally taking the time to examine her Zhiyu Sword.
The sword rested on a nearby chair. Its silver-white hilt was slender, engraved with intricate patterns. The words “Zhiyu” were inscribed in vigorous strokes. Once, with this sword, she had slain countless demons and spirits, shaking the Nine Provinces of the Immortal Realm with a single strike and earning the title of the number one in swordsmanship.
When Sang Dai entered the Sword Pavilion to choose a sword, no one had expected that the Zhiyu Sword, the sect’s ancestral treasure, would respond to her. For years, this legendary sword had been housed in the Sword Pavilion since the sect’s founding. Numerous sword cultivators had sought to earn its recognition, but none had succeeded.
Yet, the Zhiyu Sword chose Sang Dai as its master.
The solitary aura she carried was overwhelming, eerily similar to when Su Xuan once secretly infiltrated the Sword Sect to observe her.
The sword cultivator often practiced alone in the back mountain. Though she was the Sword Sect’s eldest daughter, she always dressed plainly and lived in a modest bamboo house, repeatedly practicing the sword techniques she had long committed to memory with her Zhiyu Sword.
In Sang Dai’s memory, they had met only a few dozen times over the span of a century.
But in reality, before Su Xuan entered closed cultivation, he would visit her almost every month.
He simply couldn’t resist seeing her.
Su Xuan didn’t dare to approach, afraid she would sense his presence. Most of the time, he merely sat on a distant mountaintop, slowly sipping a jug of wine, watching her tiny figure from afar.
Back then, he had always thought she seemed lonely.
She appeared to have everything, yet also seemed to have nothing.
“Sang Dai,” Su Xuan couldn’t help but call out.
Sang Dai lifted her gaze toward him.
The bright light of the luminous pearls illuminated her face, accentuating her cold, pale skin, making it appear even more radiant and translucent.
“The Zhiyu Sword is broken. I will find you another Heaven-grade sword,” Su Xuan said.
In truth, what he wanted to say was that any sword in Sang Dai’s hands could become the new Zhiyu Sword.
Sang Dai was the strongest sword cultivator he had ever seen.
Her achievements in swordsmanship were her own, not dependent on the Zhiyu Sword.
Sang Dai tilted her head to look at him. They stood and sat, facing each other. Su Xuan towered over her, his figure blocking most of the dazzling light.
Neither of them spoke. Sang Dai didn’t hear his inner thoughts either. The room was silent; Su Xuan wasn’t thinking about anything.
She suddenly broke the silence and asked the question that had always lingered in her mind: “Su Xuan, why did you save me?”
She wanted to hear what Su Xuan would say.
“The Sword Sect abandoned me because I was no longer of any use. My Golden Core is half-shattered, my meridians completely severed. For someone like me, why did you save me?”
“Why did you use the Tianchan Flower on me? Why did you give me new clothes? Why did you make medicinal meals for me? Why are you helping me find a new life-bound sword?”
Clearly, they were enemies, their stances diametrically opposed as mortal foes.
Sang Dai blinked, her lashes trembling gently under the light. Her jet-black eyes were bright and clear.
Even after falling from grace, she accepted it with calm resignation. Fragile yet resilient, her mere presence seemed to turn the ordinary dining hall into a place of splendor.
Su Xuan felt a dry tightness in his throat. The hand hidden within his wide sleeves clenched and then relaxed.
He should have maintained his pretense. Sang Dai despised him, and he couldn’t reveal his feelings for her. The Immortal Realm had always loathed demons, and Sang Dai had fought him for over a hundred years. If she learned that a demon harbored affection for her, she would only detest him more and reject his help.
Yet, faced with the current Sang Dai, he found himself unable to speak insincere words. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
Sang Dai quietly watched him. She had always been patient, as gentle and accepting as water.
In the end, he gave a vague and ambiguous reply.
“You are the strongest opponent I have ever faced.”
[And the girl I like the most.]
Two voices entered Sang Dai’s mind, one after the other.