Demon King?
Zanxing was taken aback.
She had never seen what the Demon King looked like. There were many miscellaneous books about the Gui Diaotang in Douzhou, but none of them included a portrait of the Demon King. She could only guess the appearance of the Gui Diaotang from what people said. She had imagined that the Gui Diaotang might be handsome and cold-blooded, with a cold and arrogant demeanor, but she did not expect him to look so… elegant.
As if he were a noble young man passing through the water towns of Jiangnan.
One had to admit, both Fairy Qinghua and Bu Jiang had excellent taste in men. The two of them standing here, just in terms of appearance, were dazzling.
“Demon King?” Bu Jiang looked at the person before her, puzzled, and said, “Aren’t you dead?”
Zanxing: “…”
This question did not seem like it came from a spouse and was entirely different from the warm and affectionate tone from Gu Caiyu’s side. Zanxing glanced secretly at Master Mingjing and Shaoyang Zhenren standing aside, feeling a bit uneasy. With such a complex relationship, wouldn’t these people end up fighting here? Why are these troubles everywhere!
However, Bu Jiang herself was not as unsettled as Zanxing. She furrowed her brows and stared at the Gui Diaotang for a while before realizing, “Wait, are you a remnant soul?”
The Gui Diaotang looked at her indifferently and said, “Yes.”
“Remnant soul?” Gu Baiying suddenly spoke, instinctively looking at Gu Caiyu, “What does that mean?”
Gu Caiyu sighed, “You should know about the events of that year. During the battle at the Golden Gate Ruins, this rascal sent a fragment of his soul into my body. We lived and died together, ‘cause how could I let him succeed? Of course, I died with him.” Gu Caiyu spoke of this matter not with sadness but with a hint of pride, “Who would have thought that the spiritual energy here was so special that both of us left behind a remnant soul, which fell onto this magical artifact.”
Everyone looked at the broken Xiao Jue in front of the huge pit.
“However, this remnant soul is of no use.” Gu Caiyu continued, “It cannot repair the original soul, cannot form a physical body, and cannot leave. It can only stay here, doing nothing but sleeping every day. Today is the most lively it has been in over twenty years.” He curiously looked at everyone, “You guys haven’t said anything yet. What are y’all doing here? Has something happened in Douzhou again? But the Demon King has been dead for so many years. What could possibly happen in Douzhou?”
Before anyone could answer his question, a voice clearly came from the wilderness.
“Are you the Demon King?”
The speaker was Gui Yansheng.
Just now, using the Ten Thousand Heart-Eating Ghosts Technique, which was already self-destructive, he was on the brink of death. After Zanxing took away the Xiao Yuan Pearl, Gui Yansheng was now no different from an ordinary person. He had been leaning against the cliff, his body and face covered in dirt, blood, and injuries. With his eyes fixed intently on the Demon King, he slowly asked again, “Are you Gui Diaotang?”
Gui Diaotang looked at him, and his gaze shifted when it touched those golden eyes.
He asked, “Who are you?”
“Who am I?” Gui Yansheng slowly replied, suddenly laughing. The more he laughed, the more blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. Despite this, he continued to grin ferociously, gritting his teeth as he said, “Who do you think I am?”
“Your Majesty.” Bu Jiang, unable to bear it any longer, coldly spoke up, “He is your son, Gui Yansheng.”
Gui Diaotang was taken aback.
“I do not intend to meddle in your private affairs. But because of a momentary lapse in your judgment, the bloodline of the Demon King was lost to the human world, causing hidden grievances that later brought disaster to Heishi City. This is the fault of the Demon King,” Bu Jiang said flatly. “You should settle your own matters.”
Gu Caiyu looked somewhat confused, probably not understanding what this sudden situation was about. The people around also dared not say much. Even if it was a remnant soul, it was still the Demon King’s remnant soul, and intervening at this moment was not a wise decision.
The wind blew, but the young man’s golden robe could no longer flutter, as it had long been soaked with blood. He looked at the Demon King and suddenly asked, “Do you still remember Jiang Yiru?”
Gui Diaotang looked at him calmly, and after a long while, he said, “I remember.”
“Remember…” Gui Yansheng chuckled softly, lowering his head and speaking to himself, “It’s truly rare. A noble Demon King like you actually remembers a mortal.”
The Demon King was silent for a moment before speaking, “Did she die?”
“She died a long time ago!” Gui Yansheng laughed, “After all, she was an inept mortal. Poverty and illness easily took her life. Didn’t the Demon King understand the frailty of mortals long ago?”
Gui Diaotang was momentarily stunned, his cold eyes showing a hint of emotion.
“Don’t put on a look of deep affection,” Gui Yansheng said with disgust, “If you’ve decided to abandon her, don’t pretend to be sentimental after her death. It’s an insult to her and to yourself.”
“Abandon?” Gui Diaotang’s expression faltered, “I never abandoned her.”
“Being a Demon King, abandoning a human woman is nothing. Are you still trying to cover it up?” The young man suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood and, after catching his breath, continued, “If you do something, you should face the consequences.”
“I did not abandon your mother,” Gui Diaotang said calmly, “It was she who left me first.”
Gui Yansheng was stunned.
Zanxing was also taken aback. She and Gu Baiying had seen Jiang Yiru in the Two-Life Buddha Wheel, impoverished and ailing, clearly a pitiable woman abandoned by a heartless man.
“Do you expect me to believe that?” Gui Yansheng sneered at him.
“She discovered my demon identity,” Gui Diaotang said.
Before Demon King Gui Diaotang married Bu Jiang, he had a woman he cherished. This woman was gentle and kind, innocent and lovely, the daughter of a wealthy merchant in a small town in Douzhou.
At that time, he was practicing in the mountains. When he encountered a fierce beast harming people, he rescued the girl from the beast’s jaws. That girl was Jiang Yiru.
He was cold and handsome, with no trace of a demon’s ferocity, and Jiang Yiru never suspected his true identity. She thought he was a sect disciple out for training. A young and naive girl fell deeply in love with her savior and gave her heart to him without reservation.
Gui Diaotang also deeply loved Jiang Yiru.
The Demon King was not always a Demon King. In Heishi City, demon women were often bold and uninhibited, while human women were more reserved and gentle. He devoted himself to cultivation to become stronger, and Jiang Yiru was like a rare flower blooming in his otherwise dreary life, bringing vitality and charm to his otherwise mundane existence.
When Gui Diaotang’s romance with Jiang Yiru was at its peak, he even considered giving up cultivation altogether and never returning to Heishi City, choosing instead to live a simple life with Jiang Yiru as an ordinary couple. To this end, he willingly sacrificed his own cultivation and endured pain to suppress the chaotic demonic energy within him, pretending to be an ordinary person hiding in the mortal world.
He knew that paper could never completely contain fire, and lies would eventually be exposed. If Jiang Yiru ever discovered the truth, she would certainly be very angry. As a demon, he didn’t know how to comfort an angry lover. Before that day came, he needed to think carefully about how to explain himself and learn how to make an angry beloved happy.
However, fate had other plans. Before he could figure out how to explain himself, Jiang Yiru discovered his deception.