Tonight, it rained in the Beast Realm.
The main hall was spacious, so Su Xuan arranged several Hellfire orbs. He himself didn’t feel much, as most demon cultivators had high body temperatures, and Su Xuan, being a nine-tailed fox, was even more so. Even during heavy snow, his clothing was usually thin.
But Sang Dai was a human cultivator. After being eroded by the severe cold of Tianyu Snow, her meridians had been slightly damaged, leaving her particularly susceptible to the cold.
Su Xuan lay on the outer side of the bed, while Sang Dai usually slept on the inner side. In the Beast Hall, she often nestled in his embrace while sleeping.
The main bed was covered with thick, soft brocade bedding, and the quilt over them was made of high-quality fire silkworm silk. Su Xuan had placed Hellfire orbs both inside the bed and around the hall. Sang Dai curled up in his arms, her head buried against his chest, and she would hold onto his waist while sleeping.
Su Xuan couldn’t sleep, so he lowered his head to look at the person in his arms.
Her small face was slightly flushed. The temperature inside the canopy was now very high, and Sang Dai seemed to feel a bit hot, instinctively wriggling and trying to lift the quilt.
Su Xuan pulled her, quilt and all, tightly into his embrace.
Unable to move, she simply gave up struggling, clinging to his waist and pressing her small face against his collarbone.
While sleeping in the Beast Realm, Sang Dai let down all her guards because no one here would suddenly burst in to kill her, nor would anyone knock on her jade tablet in the middle of the night to summon her for exorcism.
The little fox’s heart was at peace. He kissed her forehead, brushed away her disheveled sideburns, and gently caressed the corner of her eyes with his fingertip.
In the past century, these eyes had only looked at him with endless indifference. But now, they carried so many emotions, gazing at him with smiles, shedding tears for him, and brimming with love and tenderness.
He was clearly cold and temperamental, but in front of her, he was like a child—petulant and clingy, because Sang Dai would comfort him. Her eyes were filled with affection when she looked at him.
Su Xuan leaned down to kiss her eyes. The sword cultivator’s long lashes were thick and dense, and the little fox couldn’t resist planting a few more kisses.
Then he slid down to her nose, pecking it repeatedly.
He truly loved this face—every part of it, down to his very bones. Su Xuan had never imagined he could love someone so deeply.
He watched her for more than an hour without feeling bored. On the contrary, he felt he couldn’t get enough of her, continuously kissing her face.
Eventually, Sang Dai woke up.
The sword cultivator opened her eyes and met the little fox’s smiling gaze.
He cupped her face in his hands and planted several quick kisses. “Darling Dai Dai, you’re awake?”
Sang Dai: “…”
So why had she woken up? Did he have no clue?
Sang Dai slapped his shoulder. “You’re so annoying.”
She didn’t hit him hard; her palm landed lightly on Su Xuan’s shoulder. He grinned cheekily and leaned in to hug her. “I couldn’t help kissing you.”
Sang Dai deliberately pinched his neck in mock threat. “Haven’t you kissed enough? How much longer do you need to kiss every day?”
Su Xuan was utterly shameless, especially in moments like these. “Never enough, nowhere near enough, because I’m so happy.”
“What’s making you so happy?”
“I’m happy that Dai Dai is mine, that Dai Dai likes me now.” Su Xuan lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, his fingertip tracing the corner of her eye as he smiled. “We’re getting married soon. Dai Dai is mine now, and for the rest of this life.”
[Very excited, super happy, loves Dai Dai the most.]
Sang Dai’s nose tingled with emotion. She loosened her grip around his neck and intertwined her arms to wrap them gently around it.
“So happy?”
“Happy, Dai Dai. Listen to my heartbeat.”
He buried the sword cultivator’s head into his embrace, and Sang Dai’s cheek rested right against his chest. Su Xuan’s heartbeat was deafening, impossible to ignore.
The intense and rhythmic pounding—this was Su Xuan’s heartbeat.
“Every time I’m near you, my heart beats faster. For the past hundred years, every time I went to see you, I would prepare myself in advance, calming my heartbeat before approaching you.”
Sang Dai remembered. Back then, whenever Su Xuan came to find her, he was always dressed exceptionally finely. She had always thought the little fox liked to dress up, and at the same time, it deepened her perception of his extravagance.
“Su Xuan, all these years, always facing my cold demeanor—did you never feel annoyed with me?”
The little fox hugged the sword cultivator, acting spoiled. “How could I be annoyed? Even a single strand of your hair smells fragrant. Every time we fought, I could spend months with you—I loved it to death.”
Sang Dai couldn’t help but laugh. She tilted her head up and kissed his Adam’s apple. “You like me that much?”
“Very much.”
Sang Dai buried her head back into his embrace. “I like you too.”
Su Xuan’s smile couldn’t be suppressed.
The rain outside poured harder and harder, but inside the main hall, it was warm and cozy.
In a soft voice, Sang Dai said, “Su Xuan, my feelings don’t match yours. You’ve liked me for over a hundred years. Wait for me—I’ll try my best to catch up to you. We’ll definitely be equals.”
Every word she spoke seemed to knead his heart. Su Xuan had never dared to imagine a day like this, holding the woman he loved in his arms, lying together in his room. Back when he built the Beast Hall, he had fantasized that she might one day visit, so he had deliberately made the main hall larger.
He hadn’t thought the dream would one day come true.
“Dai Dai.”
“Mm.”
Su Xuan’s voice was soft. “It really feels like I’m dreaming.”
Sang Dai’s nose tingled again. “It’s not a dream. I’ll always stay by your side from now on.”
Su Xuan said, “I’ll treat you very, very well. You can trust me with everything.”
“I know, Su Xuan.”
She had never imagined that one day there would be someone who liked her this deeply, so overwhelming that it felt impossible to bear.
“At dawn, let’s head to Divine Healer Valley. That little monster has been staying there, and perhaps he can offer another solution to Immortal Lord Ying Heng’s injuries.”
The “little monster” of Divine Healer Valley was named Nangong Zhu. That was not just a nickname—everyone across the Four Realms called him that.
Although he was the young master of Divine Healer Valley, he preferred the deadly art of poison over the life-saving art of medicine.
At the age of ten, he created the lethal poison “Three Feet of Crimson.” His medical skills were also remarkable, mastering both healing and poison. Despite his young age, he rose to fame as a teenager, earning him the moniker “little monster.”
While Liu Lixue’s medical skills were renowned across the Four Realms, Nangong Zhu’s fame surpassed even Liu Lixue’s.
Liu Lixue never delved into poison, focusing solely on healing, but Nangong Zhu excelled in using poison to save lives.
His temper was eccentric, and his methods were equally unconventional.
Sang Dai couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. “Nangong Zhu’s whereabouts are unpredictable. We might not be able to find him. Your mating season only has a few days left, and if it starts, it could last a month… Su Xuan, I’m worried we won’t find him in time.”
Su Xuan didn’t respond, resting his chin against the top of her head.
“Su Xuan?”
“That month when you were gravely injured, I went to find him. That little monster’s parents had once received kindness from my mother. Some of the life-sustaining pills you used were given by him. I’ve already inquired—he’s recently been at the valley. However, he doesn’t know Immortal Lord Ying Heng’s identity. But if we take Ying Heng there…”
Sang Dai understood what Su Xuan meant.
The destruction of the Guixu spiritual veins by Ying Heng was common knowledge, even among children. Across the Four Realms, everyone said Ying Heng was a sinner who deserved to die, that he must die. Almost everyone hated him.
And Nangong Zhu detested evil with a passion.
Sang Dai unconsciously tightened her grip on Su Xuan’s collar.
Sensing her heavy mood, the little fox sighed and said, “I’ll go with you. If Immortal Lord Ying Heng is innocent, then we have nothing to fear. At daybreak, we’ll set off.”
Sang Dai raised her eyes slightly and asked, “Let’s bring my master as well. I still think he should personally take my master’s pulse.”
Su Xuan stroked the back of her head. “Alright, we’ll bring the Immortal Lord along.”
The little fox kissed the sword cultivator’s eyes, planting a few gentle pecks, his voice soothing. “Be good, Dai Dai. Go to sleep. It’s still early.”
Sang Dai found it hard to sleep and shook her head. “Let’s wait a while. I can’t sleep just yet.”
Su Xuan patted her back and asked softly, “Are you thinking about something?”
“Mm, my mind is a bit jumbled,” Sang Dai said. “The identity of the man in black is still unknown. We’ve always been in the open while he remains hidden. This time, he lured me to Linglong Town, but I didn’t find my master’s third spiritual root. However…”
However, she found Ying Heng.
However, she passed the tribulation and entered the Grand Ascension Stage’s peak, and Su Xuan’s cultivation also advanced by an entire realm.
“My master said it was the man in black who saved him, claiming someone had entrusted him to do so. But who would entrust him to save my master?”
In the vision of the past Sang Dai had seen, Ying Heng had been ambushed near the Demon Domain, fell off a cliff, and into the sea. From then on, Ying Heng disappeared, and everyone said he was dead.
So, the man in black must have saved Ying Heng at that time and hid him for over a hundred years.
Su Xuan asked, “But if he saved the Immortal Lord, why would he extract the Immortal Lord’s Heaven-grade spiritual root? Save him only to harm him?”
Sang Dai couldn’t figure it out either. “I’ve never understood the stance of that man in black. Every move he makes seems designed to harm me, yet the end result has only made me stronger.”
Su Xuan continued lightly patting her shoulder as they lay face-to-face, both lost in thought.
“He is indeed strange, and the techniques he uses are bizarre—not from the current Four Realms’ cultivation methods. They’re unorthodox and chaotic. On top of that, he isn’t from the Four Realms…” Su Xuan paused, cupping her face to look into her eyes. “Dai Dai, have you ever considered one possibility?”
Sang Dai saw the icy sharpness in his gaze.
Of course, she knew what Su Xuan was referring to. She had suspected it as well from the beginning.
“He isn’t from the Four Realms, nor is he some kind of spirit beast. The black energy he uses… it’s very similar to the black energy in your and Tan Huai’s spiritual power.”
Su Xuan added, “Isn’t it possible that he doesn’t have a physical body at all?”
His voice turned grave. “Without a physical body, he isn’t bound by the laws of the Four Realms’ Heavenly Dao. He doesn’t cultivate using spiritual power; he’s always used that black energy. His martial skills are not strong, his techniques are disorganized, but he has one advantage over us: we can’t kill him.”
Cut off his arm, and it would immediately grow back.
Sever his head, and he could regrow a new one.