The cup rested gently between the pale, jade-like fingers of the Little Demon Empress. The steam still rose slowly from the amber surface of the tea, tracing spirals in the cold air as if they were fleeting thoughts she herself was trying to avoid.
Her black eyes, deep as abysses hidden beneath the night, remained fixed on the liquid that swayed within the porcelain. There was an almost unnatural stiffness in her unmoving shoulders. To any outside observer, it seemed she was searching for some secret in the reflection of the drink. But the truth was, she simply didn't want to face that man's face again.
That face… so absurdly perfect.
Did she hate him?
Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Even she wasn't entirely sure. And that infuriated her even more.
After losing her father and her husband, who was also her brother, she had grown accustomed to solitude. To become an Empress worthy of her title and preserve her position in the Illusory Demon Realm, she had been forced to freeze all her emotions over the past century. She had lost count of how many lives she had taken from those who opposed her ideals. She was relentless with everyone, to the point that most obeyed her out of fear rather than loyalty. That was the only way she found to keep the royal family's position intact.
She had spent so much time playing this role that she forgot what it was like to feel anything. She should have been immune to this kind of childish turmoil…
It was that man's fault.
She hated the way her memory betrayed her will every time she looked at him, mentally tracing every inch of his abdomen as if it were a painting that refused to fade. She hated that uncomfortable warmth that bloomed in her chest, crept up her neck, and flushed her ears, as if every cell in her body mocked her self-control.
The cup returned to her lips with a slow movement. Lost in thought for a few minutes, the amber liquid no longer released as much steam as before, but the gentle warmth still lingered.
It was then that his voice cut through the silence.
"The tea… is it good?"
She didn't respond. She merely huffed lightly, turning her gaze away as if the question were unworthy of a verbal reply.
Ren Zu smiled in a resigned manner.
"I know I've already apologized and also blamed you before for the whole incident that led us here… But I think we just got off on the wrong foot, Your Majesty. I'm sorry for the entire incident," he said after a brief sigh. "It wasn't my intention to cause so much trouble. But… whether you like it or not, you'll need to stay here for at least a week. Until the effect of my attack wears off and your cultivation returns to normal…"
Silence.
She continued staring at the tea, as if it still held secrets to reveal. As if she could ignore that voice and everything it brought.
"But, if you want, I can go down the mountain and call someone to take you back to your palace. It's not like I have the right to keep you here."
"…"
The Little Demon Empress finally raised her eyes.
Her face was a mask of unmoving, unperturbed porcelain. Her black eyes, like the deepest abyss, let no spark of emotion escape.
Yet, inside, a silent storm consumed her.
In these hundred years, it was common knowledge among the citizens of the Illusory Demon Realm that the Yun Family had hurriedly gone to the Profound Sky Continent to save the Demon Emperor, who had clearly sent a message of death. In the end, not only did they fail to save the Demon Emperor, but they also lost their lives in the Profound Sky Continent, along with the Demon Emperor's Seal… Because of the loss of the Seal, the heart of the Little Demon Emperor was filled with sorrow and despair. After getting heavily drunk on his wedding night, on impulse, he headed to the Profound Sky Continent…
This was the version everyone in the Illusory Demon Realm knew, making the Yun Family an utterly sinful family in the hearts of all the citizens of the Illusory Demon Realm… Severing the Demon Emperor's lineage, her husband, was a completely unforgivable crime.
But she was far from foolish. If she weren't at least minimally intelligent, she wouldn't have discarded her emotions and been ruthless to maintain her position.
Who caused the Demon Emperor's despair? Who forced the Little Demon Emperor to have no choice but to save his father alone…? If, at that time, all twelve Guardian Families had collaborated with the Yun Family and entered the Profound Sky Continent as one, even if the former Demon Emperor still couldn't be saved in the end, how could they have allowed the Little Demon Emperor to feel such despair that he risked going to the Profound Sky Continent alone!?
The culprits were obviously several of the Guardian Families at the time: the Helian, Jiufang, Nangong, Chiyang, Lin, Xiao, and Bai Families…
A bunch of people harboring malicious intentions… Because all this wasn't caused inadvertently, but by the greed and vileness many of them possessed! If it hadn't been just the Yun Family heading to the Profound Sky Continent back then, but all twelve Families, working as one heart and going to the Profound Sky Continent together, what would there have been to fear about the Four Great Sacred Grounds?! It might even have been possible to safely save the Demon Emperor, and the Demon Emperor's Seal wouldn't have been lost; even the Little Demon Emperor wouldn't have had to die…
Knowing all this, how could she return to the palace now? With her cultivation sealed, it wouldn't be a good idea…
She would have to stay here…
One more week by the side of the man she couldn't entirely hate. But at the same time, found irritating because he could stir her heart…
One week…
It seemed so short.
It seemed like far too long.
"There's no need. I'll stay here until I recover. After that, we're even. Forget what you saw at that lake. If you spread any rumors, no matter how strong you are, this Empress will rip your head off. Understood?" As she spoke, a chilling killing intent instantly appeared in her eyes.
Ren Zu nodded, unsurprised.
"I understand…"
He then leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, calmly.
She observed his silhouette and found his indifference acceptable. She looked at the tea again, now almost cold, and took the last sip with her usual cold elegance.
"I want another…"
That was all she said.
Ren Zu let out a sigh and stood up, beginning to prepare another herbal tea to help her recover faster.
She watched him in silence.
And somewhere within her… something small bloomed. Something faint and quiet, like the first sprout breaking through the snow at the edge of spring.
It didn't take more than a few minutes before the young man approached the bed, carefully balancing the new cup between his fingers. The aroma of the freshly infused herbs mingled with the cold breeze entering through the cabin's cracks.
"Here…" he said, extending the cup naturally.
The Little Demon Empress said nothing, merely taking the porcelain between her pale, jade-like fingers, as if it were his duty to serve her while handing him the cup she had used before.
Ren Zu took the cup and walked back to the chair, settling in without haste, gazing for a few seconds at the steam dancing over the drink in her hands.
"…"
"What is it?"
Her voice was low, calm like the cold glass of a frozen lake.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Ren Zu?"
He blinked slowly, as if waking from a reverie.
A faint smile curved his lips…
"It's just… you truly live up to the title of the Number One Beauty in the Illusory Demon Realm…"
The Little Demon Empress didn't respond immediately. Her black eyes remained fixed on him for a long moment, expressionless. The cup was still between her fingers, the steam rising lazily between them. Despite her icy exterior, her heart was beating faster, whether due to the compliment that meant more to her than usual or the smile of that immortal before her eyes…
"Now that I think about it, I believe I was a bit foolish not to have guessed it was you from the moment I first saw you…" Ren Zu lamented with the same calm and indifferent expression.
"Foolish? You're being generous with yourself." Despite her emotionless expression, a certain turmoil appeared in her black eyes as she spoke.
Ren Zu let out a light laugh, unoffended.
"Perhaps…" he admitted, with a touch of irony. "But, in my defense, who would expect to find the fearsome Demon Empress, naked, in an isolated lake?"
She nearly choked on her tea, her eyes narrowing dangerously, and the temperature in the cabin seemed to drop a few degrees.
Ren Zu raised his hands in a pacifying gesture.
"I know, I know… I'll forget that matter, as difficult as it may be. And just for the record, there was no innuendo. It was merely a geographical and tragic observation, considering the outcome."
"Tragic?" The word escaped her lips with a dry tone.
"Yes. To be honest, I didn't want to meet you that way. It would have been much better to meet you at some gathering or something like that." He let out a sigh…
"This Empress no longer blames you for that incident, but avoid mentioning it again. Now that I know you're Yun Canghai's grandson, if I harmed you, I wouldn't know how to face him after death…" said the Little Demon Empress calmly.
"Now that you bring it up…" Ren Zu brought his hand to his chin, as if pondering something, and then asked naturally, "Little Demon Empress, do you know what happened twenty-two years ago? When my father and mother went to the Profound Sky Continent? They never told me anything… But I'm not foolish enough to believe I share the same blood as both of them."
Why was he asking that now?
There were two reasons.
The first: to start a conversation with the Little Demon Empress, someone difficult to approach. And the second… more cunning: later, when confronting his parents, he could say it was she who revealed the truth about his origin.
If his suspicions were correct, then it was almost certain she knew, at least according to the original story of this world, she should know…
"Regarding that matter, this Empress can give you answers! But are you sure you want to know the truth…?" The Little Demon Empress asked slowly, a bit surprised to receive that question out of nowhere.
"Yes, you're the only person I think must know what happened that year besides my father and mother. I don't want to miss this opportunity…" said Ren Zu calmly.
"Alright, I'll tell you. But only as thanks… for the tea, that's right. I don't want to owe you anything…" Her eyes were like cold stars, and she said frigidly, "At that time, my imperial father and the Demon King were both imprisoned in the Profound Sky Continent. Although there were no more messages, we still hadn't seen their bodies. So, this Empress was unwilling to fully believe that my imperial father had already passed away, and Patriarch Yun didn't give up on finding news of the Demon King."
"A hundred years ago, from the Profound Sky Continent, they constantly sent scattered messages, saying the Demon King wasn't dead and wanted our Illusory Demon Realm to exchange the Mirror of Samsara for his life. Although a large number of Patriarchs and Dukes insisted it was a scheme from the Profound Sky Continent, the matter involved the Demon King's life, and both this Empress and Patriarch Yun chose to believe rather than not believe!"
"It's known to the entire world that twenty-two years ago, Patriarch Yun and his wife secretly went to the Profound Sky Continent… And at that time, it was actually under this Empress's command! Otherwise, with Patriarch Yun's loyalty, he definitely wouldn't have taken the Mirror of Samsara, which he was protecting of his own accord. Although the Mirror of Samsara was a valued artifact of the Demon Emperor's lineage, in the end, it was still a lifeless object. If it could truly be used to exchange for the Demon King's life, this Empress would definitely not have been the least bit unwilling to do such a thing."
"As for what happened afterward, you must already be aware." The Little Demon Empress coldly shifted her gaze forward. "Patriarch Yun and his wife returned three years later with severe injuries, their profound strength crippled, and they even brought back a son. When Patriarch Yun came to confess his sin of losing the Mirror of Samsara, he told this Empress everything that happened. At that time, this Empress learned that your father and mother indeed had a son in the Profound Sky Continent, but that child wasn't you, the one they brought back!"
"…"
"Not long after Patriarch Yun and his wife had a son in the Profound Sky Continent, they were hunted for a long period. When they were about to reach a dead end, they met a good friend they made in the Profound Sky Continent. Not only did he guide Patriarch Yun and his wife to an escape route, but he was also afraid that their child would face uncertainties during the escape and that they would lose their only descendant. So, he swapped his own son with Patriarch Yun's son…"
"In other words, you are the son of your father's friend, as far as I know… But your parents must never have denied the rumors about you being adopted, so I believe this is within your expectations…"
After saying everything, the Little Demon Empress looked at him with the same morbid expression as before.
"I see…" That was all Ren Zu said as he sighed. He then looked at the woman half-lying in bed, calmly sipping tea, and asked, "So, even if I'm adopted, you still stand by what you said about not harming me because of my grandfather?"
"… I believe that even if you're not of the Yun Family's blood, being adopted by his son, Yun Canghai would still consider you his grandson regardless. So, I still stand by my word…"
Ren Zu gave a faint, brief smile that betrayed no deeper emotion.
"Thank you, Little Demon Empress."
With the same calm, he rose from the chair, adjusting the sleeves of his robe, and walked to the door. As he opened it, a gust of cold air entered the cabin, bringing with it the scent of the damp, distant forest.
"I'll go get some things to prepare dinner," he said without looking back, before disappearing outside.
Silence reclaimed the space, heavy but not suffocating.
She remained still for a few seconds, her gaze lost in the cup in her hands. The steam was almost gone, but she didn't drink the last sip. Her fingers, so steady, betrayed her for a moment, lightly squeezing the porcelain as if seeking warmth from it.
It was irritating how his words still echoed in her mind, even when he was no longer there. Irritating how his voice didn't feel intrusive, but rather… close.
Her gaze shifted to the half-open door, where a trace of the cold breeze still lingered.
And so, the days passed quickly…
_____________________
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