Wei Ji's breath felt like it was caught by a giant invisible hand. His chest constricted. Of all the cursed names, of all the cursed places—this was the one he had prayed not to hear.
Before arriving in this world, he and the great figures of the Upper Middle Realm had sought answers by heaven divination. The result was clear and simple. The only chance to defeat the Demon Queen was to go back—to her past, to the place she came from.
And that place… was the Shen Flame Kingdom.
A chill swept over his spine, so sharp it felt like ice cutting into his marrow.
His gaze snapped back to Wu, desperate. "Tell me her name," he demanded.
Wu blinked, confused by the intensity. "Her name, young master?"
"Yes!" Wei Ji's voice cracked, raw with fear. His heart thundered in his chest. "Your young mistress. What is her name?"
Wu hesitated, scratching nervously at his sleeve. "But young master… you told me never to speak it. You said to forget it, to never mention it again."
Wei Ji's control shattered. His voice rose to a roar. "JUST TELL ME!"
The outburst made Wu flinch violently. He had never seen his master so crazed like this. His shirtless young master looked pale, sweat dripping down his temples, his eyes wild like a man staring into a nightmare.
To Wu, it could only mean one thing—his master was in such despair because of how hideous his bride was. Was her ugliness truly so unbearable?
But Wei Ji could not care less about appearances. His fear ran far deeper than Wu could imagine.
Seeing Wu still frozen, Wei Ji grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard, his fingers digging painfully into flesh. "Tell me, Wu! Say her name!"
Wu trembled, his lips quivering, and at last the words slipped out in a frightened whisper. "Lu Shaunan, young master…"
A rock was dropped from the sky. Wei Ji's body went rigid; every muscle felt as if it were pressed by heavy gravity. His knees wanted to give way. "What did you say again?" he asked slowly. His gaze sharpened, revealing a flicker of genuine fear. "Her name was?"
"Lu Shaunan," Wu repeated without hesitation.
Wei Ji questioned again, "What?"
Wu furrowed his brow and responded, "Lu Shaunan, young master."
"Did you just say Lu Shaunan?" Wei Ji asked once more, another disbelief etched across his face.
Attendant Wu nodded. "Yes, young master, your wife was Lu Shaunan. You married her yesterday, that's why you drowned yourself last night with alcohol."
The name dropped into Wei Ji's ears repeatedly like a curse. His entire world lurched. His knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground. Yes he did. His body went pale, as though all blood had drained from his veins. His eyes stared ahead, wide and empty, fixed on a certain point that wasn't there.
"No…" His voice cracked. Sounding broken and hollow. "No, no, no…"
The weight of countless memories began to pour down to crush his head.
Armies of shadow and flame marching across the skies. His sects—every single one—burning and broken under her relentless hand. The disciples who called him master, the brothers who fought at his side, the families he had sworn to protect—all destroyed, every time, by her. The Demon Queen.
And now, here, in this cursed smaller world… she was his… she was his what again? His wife?
Wei Ji's hands trembled as he clutched at the ground, his nails digging into the wood of the pavilion floor. His chest heaved, his breaths shallow, his vision blurring. He could see nothing but her—her crimson eyes, her cold smile, her armies drowning the Middle Realm in despair.
Attendant Wu looked on, baffled, believing his master was merely overreacting. "Is her face truly that bad…?" he murmured to himself, pitying the young master.
But Wei Ji's despair was deeper than words could explain. His heart hammered as though it would tear itself apart, sweat soaking his back, his soul screaming in denial.
"You don't understand," he muttered, voice hoarse. "You don't understand…"
His mind began to whirl further. He can't believe it, he can't believe it. He had thought, at worst, this marriage would tie him to someone insignificant. Perhaps a noblewoman, perhaps a pawn. But no—it was her. The very one he had sworn to destroy, the very one who had crushed his dreams again and again again.
His wife… was the Demon Queen.
The thought of her and him felt like he's deep below the ocean, drowning out all the reason he could think of why it all came to this? His throat tightened, and his voice rose in a raw, anguished cry.
"NOOOOO!"
Attendant Wu had stepped forward when his young master's cry of despair shook the pavilion.
He stood stiffly beside Wei Ji, his eyes darting toward the horizon as though searching for an answer that wasn't there. Finally, he gathered his courage and spoke.
"Young master… forgive my boldness, but isn't it unfair to judge her so? A woman's face, her outer appearance—these are fleeting things. Beauty fades, and ugliness can soften in time, but the heart… the heart is what matters. To scorn someone for what Heaven has given them, is it not a cruelty? Who among us chooses our features?
"Who among us escapes the hand of fate? Young master, I have served you since you were born, I have seen how people treat you with flattery and false smiles because of your birth and looks. But those who are called ugly—they are treated harshly, mocked, and cast aside, even when they have done no wrong. Shouldn't we, who have been blessed, show mercy instead of disdain?"
He stopped there. He had not meant to speak so long, but the pain in his young master's voice was too exaggerated. He thought that perhaps, with these words, he could soothe his unfair judgement.
But Wei Ji did not so much as blink. "Everything about her is bad."
Attendant Wu was struck dumb. His mouth opened, but no words came out. He swallowed, tried again, and asked carefully, "Young master… Do you mean her personality? Is that what troubles you?"
Wei Ji's gaze shifted, dark and heavy, his answer quiet but absolute. "Her personality was bad–No… It was worse than bad."
Wu stared at him, speechless once more. He had never seen such certainty, such hatred etched into another man's expression. He tried to protest, to find some reason, but the words tangled on his tongue.
Suddenly, he found where? Eh? After a long pause, he finally asked, "But… how could you know that, young master? You only met her yesterday. How can you already despise her so deeply?"
Wei Ji's lips curved into the faintest, coldest smile. His voice was calm, but his eyes gleamed with deep seething hatred. "I know her more than she knows herself."
Wu froze. Something in that tone chilled him. For a moment, he almost believed it—not as the words of a heartbroken young master, but as the declaration of someone who carried lifetimes of grudges. A sigh slipped from his lips.
"Ah… if it is truly as you say, then what can I do? Young master… why not petition your father? If you despise her so much, if this marriage truly crushes you, then seek Master Han's judgment. As long as you bend yourself to his will in other matters, as long as you honor his commands, perhaps he will grant you this mercy and annul the marriage. There is still hope if you only ask to exterminate the agreement."
At those words, Wei Ji's eyes narrowed. "Exterminate?" he repeated softly.
Wu blinked. "Young master?"
Wei Ji's lips moved again, whispering like a mantra. "Exterminate… exterminate… exterminate." His eyes grew sharper with each repetition, a dangerous light flickering to life. And then, suddenly, they blazed with a terrifying gleam. "Yes. Why not exterminate?"