Two brilliant rays of light streaked across the sky, accompanied by an earth-shaking roar.
The Moon-Water Pond collapsed, a mix of ice and stones cascading down. Any remaining demons vanished without a trace amidst the spectacular roar. As the dust settled, Kong Muhua sheathed his two massive, multi-colored axes, adjusted his skirts, and gracefully walked into the cave with dainty steps. Shyly, he said to Bai Zihao, "Zihao, you've had such a hard time finding me."
For Bai Zihao, it was too late to escape; his face turned pale.
Back then, ignorant of the nuances of demonic cultivators, he naively thought that this individual was a girl. Though Kong Muhua spoke with some affectation and behaved somewhat dramatically, he seemed adorable and of good character. Kong Muhua didn't care about his past and pursued him passionately. Moved, Bai Zihao mistook his feelings for a heterosexual attraction. All was fine until a fateful drunken night led to a shy confession and an unexpected encounter on a bed—by which point, it was too late to realize something was amiss, and he was tormented for an entire night.
Afterward, all he wanted to do was activate his "Ice-Bound Vastness Scroll" and kill this shameless, flamboyant peacock.
He deeply regretted the affair and wanted to put some distance between them.
As a result, everyone at the Peak of Immortality bore witness to their thunderous breakup. Besides the God Emperor, everyone else was merely enjoying the drama.
"Zihao, it was my fault," Kong Muhua said tearfully, clinging to him in apology. "I gave you my pure self because I wanted to build a life with you. You can beat or scold me, just don't abandon me. You promised to marry me when we were in bed…you can't take that back."
The peacock wasn't lying; it was indeed his first time, and he was indeed pure.
Therefore, he didn't even know the basic preparations for the act, and had to wing it with sheer force and instinct.
Bai Zihao was so disoriented by Kong Muhua's crying that he reflexively reached for a handkerchief and comforting words. But then he shifted on the bed, and the long-absent soreness snapped him back to reality. Having barely managed to escape from the Golden Phoenix Manor, and the fate of being under another man, how could he go back now?
He coldly rejected Kong Muhua's unreasonable demands, determined to break up.
Kong Muhua was incredibly persistent, doggedly pursuing Baizihao every day. He employed every trick in the book—coquettishness, emotional appeals, even dramatic outbursts. Not even the sum total of tragic heroines in all of literature could match his devotion. After a millennium of relentless pursuit, Baizihao finally yielded on several occasions.
Each time, Baizihao would regret it immediately and take out his frustration on the shameless Kong Muhua. Though a demon cultivator with seemingly frail looks, Kong Muhua was incredibly resilient, unfazed by the blows of human cultivators. Yet to appease his beloved, he would feign extreme suffering and lament, even acting like a grievously injured patient in bed. Baizihao would relent, giving Kong Muhua the upper hand.
Somehow, this drama was witnessed and reported in the gossip columns of the cultivation world.
As a result, Baizihao was labeled as the most callous and heartless scoundrel in the cultivation realm for beating his "fragile" "girlfriend." Kong Muhua was criticized as a "foolish woman," abandoned by her dignity, devoid of principles, and willing to be trampled upon for love. Multiple stories were published based on their relationship, each featuring cruel men and foolish women in torturous romances.
Kong Muhua bought all of these stories and read them with great relish, even recommending them to his colleagues.
Baizihao suspected that his own twisted sense of humor had something to do with these tales, but he had no proof.
...
Accustomed to Baizihao's moods, Kong Muhua feigned ignorance and sidled up to him, wrapping an arm around him. "Did you know? The Summit of Immortality will soon have a divine queen. The divine king is selecting gifts suitable for her," he said, surreptitiously gauging Baizihao's surprised expression before adding, "The one the divine king has eyes for must surely be the most beautiful woman in the world."
He deliberately elongated the word "beautiful woman."
Baizihao paused for a moment before recalling the visage of the Medicine King Immortal, realizing that Kong Muhua must have misunderstood. "The divine king's love interest isn't a beautiful woman; it's a man. I remember he's not particularly handsome, but…"
"Don't be jealous," Kong Muhua interrupted, consoling him expertly. "You should give up on the divine king. Even though I may not be as good-looking as him, my devotion to you is undeniable."
Back in the day, the divine king had taken Baizihao out of the Golden Phoenix Manor and personally mentored him through brutal methods. Baizihao persevered and, upon reaching the Golden Core stage, started to actively take care of minor issues for the divine king. Now, he runs the Snowfall Tower, a subsidiary of the Summit of Immortality, specializing in bounty missions. In essence, he is an assassin under the divine king, exterminating vermin hidden in society.
Kong Muhua had always sensed that the divine king treated Baizihao a bit differently—more patient. Where others would receive severe punishments for similar mistakes, Baizihao's were noticeably lighter. Although Baizihao would always claim his feelings were solely of gratitude, whenever he mentioned the divine king, his eyes would sparkle with a touch of admiration.
Kong Muhua felt some jealousy, but he couldn't bring himself to resent the divine king, for he knew he couldn't compare.
Kong Muhua asked, torn, "Are you really not upset?"
Baizihao was puzzled. "Why would I be upset?"
Kong Muhua emphasized again, "The divine king has someone he likes now."
Baizihao chuckled, "He always has."
Quietly, he touched his right wrist, where past lessons remained etched in his mind. No one could afford to be delusional.
...
Three millennia ago, the divine king of the Summit of Immortality descended upon the Golden Phoenix Manor with countless demon cultivators. Spiritual titans fell one after another, turning the once extravagant estate into a blood-soaked hell.
At the time, he was the companion of Jin Feirui, who attempted to flee with him using various magical instruments and teleportation circles.
However, a barrier of flames not only sealed off the entire estate but spread for miles around. Below the surface, strange giant vines slithered, while the air was filled with red butterflies exuding the scent of death. The divine king seemed to anticipate Jin Feirui's every move, thwarting every potential means of escape without leaving a single loophole.
Jin Feirui was forced to fight, telling Baizihao to hide.
But where could Baizihao hide? Everywhere he looked, the glaring red of dismembered limbs and the pungent smell of gore overwhelmed him. He had never seen so much death, such carnage. Demon cultivators from the Summit of Immortality were killing, as were the cultivators from Golden Phoenix Manor. Even some guest cultivators, in their despair, turned their anger toward Jin Feirui, blaming him for the calamity and wanting to kill both him and Baizihao.
Every creature in the manor had lost its reason, giving in to their darkest instincts. The chaos escalated.
Sensing these horrifying thoughts, Baizihao felt tears welling in his eyes.
His mind was a blank slate, unable to think of anything. In the end, he ran instinctively to the courtyard where he first stayed upon entering the manor. It had a small dungeon used to punish disobedient new slaves. Baizihao had a vivid memory of the dungeon, having been punished there once for insubordination.
The dungeon was soundproof, light-proof...
A fact few outside the Golden Phoenix Manor knew.
Baizihao smeared his face with blood, quietly entered the courtyard, and found that most of the slaves had escaped in the chaos. The few who remained sat on the ground, crying in confusion. He led them all into the dungeon, released the slaves already confined there, informed them of the situation outside, and set up a concealment barrier. They all huddled together, shivering, hoping for a chance to escape when the slaughter ended.
But misfortune did not spare them.
Several cultivators discovered the dungeon and raised their butcher knives.
They dragged Baizihao out, saying they wanted to sample the flavor of Jin Feirui's cherished companion, and particularly of his water-elemental single spiritual root.
Although Baizihao had not lost his cultivation, he had spent most of his years focused on flower arranging, tea tasting, and appreciating art. Jin Feirui had told him that he was too frail for cultivation progress and could only rely on elixirs. Accepting this, Baizihao soon saw himself as a wastrel, useful only in pleasing men in bed for a more comfortable life...
Now facing brutality, he had no strength to resist.
He had seen many slaves in the Golden Phoenix Manor treated in such a manner...
Unable to resist and too frightened to do so, he could only close his eyes, pretending not to see, hoping that if he endured, it would eventually become bearable.
Everything he was experiencing was retribution...
Baizihao forced his eyes shut, his body limp, as his robes were torn open, bracing for the horror that would follow.
Just endure and it will pass, he thought. With time, he would grow to accept it, even to like it—whether it was being beaten or violently mistreated. Just endure and it will pass...
But...
"I won't!" Baizihao opened his eyes, summoning all his courage, biting hard like a desperate rabbit at the hand seeking to torment him.
How could he possibly endure such a thing?!
His feeble resistance was to no avail. A resounding slap struck his face, biting through his own tongue and tasting the metallic tang of blood. His head spun, his fleeting courage dissipating. A brute then grabbed him by the hair, threw him onto a table, and spewed nauseating profanities, declaring he would die there and continue serving men even in the underworld.
Silent tears streamed down Baizihao's face. He had tried, but it was futile...
No longer wanting to struggle, he resigned himself to dying.
Just as he was giving up hope, a few beautiful red butterflies flew in, illuminating the dark dungeon like the softest light in hell. He then watched, stunned, as the butterflies landed on the brutes, whose bodies slowly decayed amidst agonizing howls. Baizihao cautiously rose from the table, staring in disbelief at the spectacle before him.
The divine king entered slowly from the main entrance.
A few drops of blood marred his pure white feathered cloak; his beast-skin gloves were stained. Beneath his heavy veil, emotionless golden phoenix eyes coldly met his own.
Baizihao realized his robes were mostly torn, exposing marks from recent nights in bed. Feeling utterly humiliated, he lowered his gaze, avoiding those eerily familiar eyes. His body shook with fear. Given the massacre at the Golden Phoenix Manor, there was no chance of survival for him, the companion of the Manor's master. All he prayed for was a swift death, free from prolonged torture.
He dared not look at anything...
The divine king turned away, ordering his demon cultivators to take Baizihao and the slaves to the main hall for judgment.
Along the way, a demon cultivator tossed him an opulent golden embroidered robe so he wouldn't look too disgraceful.
Baizihao didn't dare look up. Fearing to stain the robe, he carefully wiped away the blood, put on the robe, and adjusted the collar. But his tears fell uncontrollably, staining the embroidery. Apologetically, he whispered, "I'm sorry, it seems I can't repay you for this."
There was no one behind him, just the sound of wings cutting through the air, within which someone faintly murmured, "Fool."