Chapter Four: Awareness, and a Calm Response

Upon entering the Divine Realm, the contrast with the Demon Realm was stark—the days here were ever bright, shrouded in immortal mist and brimming with spiritual energy.

Cang Yi concealed his presence and slipped quietly into Jinglan Hall, where he found Qinglan engrossed in a book, her seriousness a complete reversal from her demeanor in the mortal world.

“Greetings, Immortal Lord Qinglan.” Xiao Cang Yi, not wishing to startle her, offered the formal salute of the Divine Realm. It was his first time saluting anyone, and he found it rather novel.

“No need for such formality,” Qinglan waved her hand absently, her eyes never leaving the page.

“Have you forgotten me already?” With a flicker, Xiao Cang Yi teleported directly before her, resuming his true appearance.

“Xiao Cang Yi!” Hearing his voice, Qinglan looked up. That familiar, stunning face appeared before her, and she cried out in surprise. After a quick once-over, she remarked frankly, “You’ve changed a lot.”

“How so?” Xiao Cang Yi arched an eyebrow, smiling.

“Look at your attire—your looks are even more striking, and your aura has grown sharper. So, you weren’t a mortal after all.”

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid I’ll die before you and you won’t get to see this face again?” Cang Yi teased her affectionately.

“Not at all. Aren’t you a bit full of yourself?” (Though, to be fair, you do have the right to be.) Qinglan’s words were dismissive, but her thoughts belied her amusement.

“I heard you would suffer a backlash from Heavenly Thunder, so I came to check on you. Although you’re unharmed at the moment, you never know when the thunder will strike. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll protect you—what do you say?” Cang Yi coaxed.

Before Qinglan could reply, dark clouds gathered above Jinglan Hall, thunder rolling ominously—the sign of the Heavenly Thunder’s backlash, which meant someone’s fate in the mortal world had been altered.

Sensing the impending thunder, Xiao Cang Yi’s demeanor shifted instantly from gentle to piercing, his gaze sharp, the crimson mark at his brow glowing even redder.

“Stay here in the hall,” he said, and vanished.

Above Jinglan Hall appeared a shadowy figure—Xiao Cang Yi himself. To protect Qinglan, he summoned his divine sword, Illusion, to shield her from the thunder’s backlash. Though only seven bolts would fall, their power was not to be underestimated.

The Heavenly Thunder’s backlash was visible to all the immortals, and several hurried to Jinglan Hall—among them God Lord Yuzhi, God Lord Chiyan, and a few lesser immortals. Their attention focused solely on Qinglan, they failed to notice the figure above.

“Are you hurt, Lanlan?” Chiyan asked anxiously, gripping her shoulders as soon as he arrived.

“I’m fine,” Qinglan replied politely, stepping slightly away from him with a gentle smile.

“Qinglan, you must be more careful when descending to the mortal world. Otherwise, incidents like today’s will happen again and again, and you won’t be able to endure it,” God Lord Yuzhi admonished with sincere concern in her eyes.

“Sister Yuzhi, I only saved a life. I did nothing wrong.”

“Yes, saving lives is right, but your intervention altered the fates of many in the mortal realm. Good men could suffer while the wicked escape unscathed.”

“Then, perhaps I deserve this thunder’s backlash,” Qinglan murmured, troubled by the thought of mortals suffering because of her.

“Why don’t you ever think about yourself?” Yuzhi chided gently, tapping Qinglan’s forehead.

“Lanlan, why don’t you stay with me for a few days? I can protect you well,” Chiyan offered earnestly.

“That’s a good idea. I’ve only just ascended and can’t protect you yet; Chiyan has been an immortal for many years. Let him look after you—it’s the best choice.” Yuzhi nodded in agreement after some thought.

High above, Xiao Cang Yi watched their lively conversation. Not wanting to be discovered, he planned to descend once they had left—until he heard them plotting to take Qinglan away. What, did they think he couldn’t protect her?

In an instant, he appeared before them all and, in full view, whisked Qinglan away without so much as a word, leaving the others dumbfounded and full of questions.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived in the Demon Realm’s Flame Demon Hall. He set her down in his own throne, where Jin Han was still on guard. Witnessing this scene, Jin Han was so alarmed he quietly slipped out of the hall.

“A’Lan, send word to those two, so as not to cause confusion,” Xiao Cang Yi said, half-kneeling with both hands resting on the black jade throne, his tone tempting.

“Mm,” Qinglan responded instinctively at the affectionate address. Realizing what she’d done, she quickly cast a spell to send a message. In Jinglan Hall, a line of words appeared:

“My friend has taken me away. He will protect me well, so do not worry.”

Yuzhi, who had been about to notify Lord Lingxi, felt somewhat reassured at this.

Chiyan, seeing this turn of events, wondered who this person was—someone whose presence he could not sense at all.

The lesser immortals departed first, followed by Yuzhi. Chiyan lingered in thought before finally leaving the hall—not to return to his own Flame Hall, but to the northern frontier where War God Qianfeng stood guard at the border of gods and demons. There, War God Qianfeng and Lord Lingxi were discussing strategies.

“Chiyan pays his respects to War God Qianfeng and Lord Lingxi,” Chiyan greeted them respectfully.

“So it’s Yan’er! It’s been so many years,” Lingxi greeted him warmly, approaching to look him over.

“This is?” Qianfeng, having always been stationed at the border, had never met Chiyan before.

“This is Chiyan of the Zhu Rong lineage. He and our Lan’er get along well—I was hoping he might be my future son-in-law,” Lingxi laughed.

“Now I recall—Chiyan, God Lord of the Zhu Rong, ascended at ninety thousand years old. Remarkable for one so young; he’s a worthy match for Lanlan,” Qianfeng said approvingly.

“You flatter me, War God,” Chiyan replied with humility, hands clasped before him.

“What brings you here, God Lord Chiyan?”

“I’ve come for Lanlan’s sake. She just suffered a thunder backlash. Do either of you have a solution?”

“Kill the one Lanlan saved, have them possess the dead one, or fulfill the destiny that dead mortal was meant to have,” Qianfeng said hesitantly. “That way, no other fates will be altered. But to change fate is to invite…”

“I will think of a way,” Chiyan assured them.

“That’s good. And how is Lanlan now?” Qianfeng asked, recalling her ordeal.

“She seems unharmed—apparently saved by her friend,” Chiyan mused.

“A friend? What friend could have such power, and yet I’ve never heard of him? I must go see for myself,” Lingxi said, curious.

“I’ll send someone to investigate. Would you really leave me here alone at the border?” Qianfeng interjected, feigning distress at her eagerness to leave.

“Would you be willing to go, Yan’er?” Lingxi considered, turning to Chiyan.

“I would, of course. But I have a small matter to attend to first. May I go after I’m done?” Chiyan accepted readily.

“Of course, you’ve helped enough already.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Meanwhile, in the Flame Demon Hall, after Qinglan sent her message, Xiao Cang Yi’s face was alight with joy, his seductive charm all the more intoxicating. Yet, recalling the thunder’s backlash, his smile faded instantly.

“Jin Han, I won’t be staying in the Demon Realm for the next few days. Matters here will be handled by you and Mo Yan.”

“Yes, my lord.”

With that, Xiao Cang Yi took Qinglan and departed for the mortal realm, appearing in the Xiao residence in the southern kingdom, in the very courtyard where Xiao Cang Yi had stayed.

“So you’re the Demon Lord,” Qinglan remarked, having heard Jin Han’s final address. She’d always heard the Demon Lord was fierce and ugly—clearly, reality was otherwise.

“Does my identity matter to you?” Xiao Cang Yi asked, testing her.

“So long as you haven’t harmed the innocent, I don’t care who you are—I’ll always be your friend,” Qinglan replied without hesitation.

Hearing her unwavering words, Xiao Cang Yi relaxed a little, having feared she would care about his status—after all, gods and demons were meant to be enemies.