Lu Qingkong had expected gaining an audience with Na Lian to be a daunting task. However, after simply telling a servant at Yueyue Tower that he was a friend of Bu Hui, someone quickly arrived to lead them to the Nan Residence situated behind the tower.
Even after entering Nan Qinghe’s estate, Lu Qingkong felt as though he were in a dream. He whispered, "We just... walked right in?"
Zhou Fuxue, far less timid, replied tonelessly, "If they had refused you, did you plan on fighting your way in?"
Lu Qingkong pursed his lips. "I can't win a fight like that. If there’s any fighting to be done, it’s on you."
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Soon, the two followed their guide through the garden, past a covered corridor, and into a side courtyard of the Nan Residence.
Inside the study used for business, Na Lian sat upon a soft couch before a desk. He was idly spinning a jade token between his fingertips, his expression somewhat somber.
He didn't look up until Lu Qingkong and Zhou Fuxue entered. Casting a cold, indifferent glance at them, his enchanting eyes curved into a half-smile. "You're here for that Seven-Apertures Exquisite Jade?"
Seeing that Na Lian was getting straight to the point, Zhou Fuxue didn't beat around the bush either. "Yes. We ask that Lord Na Lian might part with it. We are willing to exchange anything you desire for it."
This piqued Na Lian’s interest. He crossed his legs, propping his chin on his hand as he watched them lazily, his curiosity evident. "Then tell me—what do you have that I do not?"
Zhou Fuxue was momentarily silenced. Lu Qingkong, seemingly a bit intimidated by the man, stammered, "Then... what do you want? As long as we have it, we’ll give you anything."
Na Lian let out a sudden burst of laughter, sounding somewhat exasperated. He slowly closed his slender fingers, his sharp nails tracing a light arc through the air toward the two of them. In an incredibly casual, airy tone, he asked, "Then what if I said I wanted the life of one of you? Would you give that as well?"
Lu Qingkong’s expression instantly soured.
Zhou Fuxue, however, didn't even blink. "I would."
"Fuxue!" Lu Qingkong cried.
Na Lian laughed outright. "The entire Five Provinces rumors that we Ghost-Fragrance demon cultivators are wicked and lack all sense of right and wrong. Do you really trust me that much? If I take your life and then refuse to give you the jade, what could you possibly do to me?"
Zhou Fuxue replied, "It is a risk I must take."
Na Lian stared at him fixedly. That gaze, which usually looked upon others as if they were mere ants, finally flickered with a change. He tapped his cheek with interest, his eyes curving. "I see."
He finally understood why this man—whose cultivation wasn't peak-level and who seemed rather dull and unromantic—could keep Bu Hui’s heart entangled for so many years.
Na Lian smiled. "I’ve suddenly changed my mind. As long as you destroy your own cultivation, I will give you the Exquisite Jade."
*Destroy his own cultivation?*
Lu Qingkong’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head, but he was so suppressed by the terrifying aura radiating from Na Lian that he didn't dare speak.
From start to finish, Zhou Fuxue’s expression never wavered. He said simply, "Very well."
The moment he finished speaking, before Lu Qingkong could even react, he pressed his hand against his heart meridian. A surge of spiritual energy violently erupted; in an instant, the meridians throughout his body flowed in reverse, utterly shattering the cultivation he had spent decades building.
Zhou Fuxue was a ruthless sort who would swallow his own broken teeth along with the blood. Despite the agonizing pain, his body only gave a single violent shudder. A trail of blood slowly leaked from the corner of his mouth, which he wiped away with total indifference.
Lu Qingkong found his voice. "Fuxue!"
Seeing him act so decisively, Na Lian clapped his hands and laughed. "Excellent."
With a flick of his finger, a blood-red pill floated before Zhou Fuxue. Na Lian said tonelessly, "Eat it."
Zhou Fuxue complied. As soon as the pill entered his mouth, it transformed into a warm current, slowly beginning to repair his ravaged meridians.
He was somewhat surprised but showed nothing on his face. He merely looked at Na Lian coldly and said, "The Exquisite Jade."
Only then did Na Lian rise from his chair, his ink-black robes trailing on the floor. He was about to say something when a world-shaking tremor suddenly erupted from the adjacent room. The bamboo slips on the bookshelves rattled violently, rustling as they tumbled to the floor.
Na Lian’s brow furrowed. He raised his voice: "What happened?"
Immediately, a man stumbled in from outside and collapsed onto his knees, his voice rasping, "My Lord, Lord Bu Hui... it seems things have taken a turn for the worse."
Na Lian was stunned. "What do you mean, 'a turn for the worse'?"
The demon cultivator physician trembled as he spoke. "Because of the injury to his arm, his spiritual energy has spiraled out of control. If this continues, Lord Bu Hui might..."
Na Lian snapped, "Might what? Don't mince words!"
The physician closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "...He might suffer spiritual exhaustion and fall into an eternal slumber."
Because Ming Zhu’s demon body was so powerful—reaching the very peak of cultivation even among his kind—he could no longer truly die. The worst possible outcome was a slumber lasting thousands of years; the body would remain immortal, but the soul would be trapped within the shell, never to be reborn.
Na Lian’s expression turned grim. He turned to Zhou Fuxue and said, "Wait here. I will return shortly."
With a flick of his sleeves, he vanished.
Once Na Lian was gone, Zhou Fuxue’s previously steady stance wavered. He nearly collapsed, but Lu Qingkong, still shaken, caught him.
Lu Qingkong’s eyes were brimming with tears as he cursed in a raspy voice, "Are you insane? He tells you to scrap your cultivation and you just do it? Since when were you so obedient?! If you could just listen to me once, I’d call you my ancestor!"
Zhou Fuxue’s face was deathly pale. He leaned his head on Lu Qingkong’s shoulder, panting for a moment before straightening up. He shook his head. "I’m fine."
Lu Qingkong wanted to keep scolding him, but the moment he opened his mouth, he nearly burst into tears.
The tremors nearby continued unabated, and the tidy study was soon a shambles.
Fearing the study might collapse, Lu Qingkong supported Zhou Fuxue as they walked outside to wait.
After resting for a while, whether due to his naturally strong constitution or the effects of Na Lian’s pill, Zhou Fuxue quickly regained some strength. He looked toward the side courtyard where dust was billowing and whispered, "That Bu Hui..."
Watching the massive commotion, Lu Qingkong said hesitantly, "He won't be okay, will he? I heard that man say something about an eternal slumber... Isn't he supposed to be incredibly powerful? Is it really that serious?"
Just then, Na Lian’s furious cry echoed from over the wall: "Bu Hui—!"
Another earth-shattering boom followed.
Lu Qingkong said, "Let’s go see."
The chaos in the side courtyard continued. Ming Zhu was so delirious with pain that he didn't even know what he was doing. He only felt a bone-deep agony in his arm, as if he were being torn apart and stitched back together tens of thousands of times.
Na Lian held him down, not daring to let him thrash. He had no choice but to use wind-ropes to bind his limbs. After all this struggle, the wound on his arm had worsened, and blood had nearly soaked the entire bed.
"Master..."
"Thirteen..."
"Father, Fuhua..."
"It hurts... it hurts so much..." Ming Zhu’s white hair was matted with bloodstains. Even while bound, his entire body convulsed uncontrollably, his face a mask of tears.
His white inner robes were drenched in sweat. His legs and one hand were tied; only his injured arm remained free, currently gripped tightly by Na Lian to stop his frantic flailing.
Ming Zhu was covered in sweat, his voice hoarse and full of agony.
From the moment he had returned, he had been piteously begging, calling out various names. He had called out almost everyone from Sun-Dazzle Mountain.
However, in his delirium, he seemed to realize that those people would never come to save him. In his haze, he could only rasp, "Na Lian... I’m going to die from the pain... please, save me..."
Na Lian gripped the wrist that had grown thin beyond recognition. Looking at the wound that was deep enough to see bone, his face turned livid.
Since Ming Zhu had entered the Buhui Forest, Na Lian had never let him suffer such a heavy injury. Usually, even a small scratch would make Na Lian’s heart ache for half a day, let alone a bloody wound like this.
Kua Yu, covered in iron rust, stood before Ming Zhu with a blank expression, though his rusted fingers were trembling slightly.
Na Lian barked, "How exactly were you watching him to let him get hurt this badly?!"
Kua Yu did not answer.
Na Lian sneered. "You think I won't find out if you don't speak? No matter who it was, once I know, I will grind their bones to ashes! Get out!"
Kua Yu bowed and his form dissipated into the air.
Ming Zhu was still deliriously crying, "Help... help me... save me..."
Na Lian was so enraged his pupils shifted into those of a beast. While soothing Ming Zhu, he turned to the physician. "His throat is full of blood. If this continues, something will go wrong. Go ask Nan Qinghe if he has any spiritual medicine that can rapidly heal wounds."
The physician immediately took his orders and left, nearly colliding with the arriving Lu Qingkong at the door.
Lu Qingkong’s sharp ears had caught the request. He hurried inside and spoke quickly before Na Lian could lose his temper: "Our Sun-Dazzle sect has a secret technique that uses spiritual energy to restore wounds to their original state. I can try."
Na Lian glanced at him, then at the dying Ming Zhu. "Do it."
As he spoke, he moved to step away from the bedside. Ming Zhu, who had been unresponsive to his surroundings, suddenly reached out with his blood-slicked hand and grabbed him, rasping, "Don't go... save me... kill me, I beg you..."
Na Lian pressed down on his shoulder, gently stroking his cold, sweat-drenched forehead. He said softly, "I’m not going, I’m not going. Don't be afraid."
Ming Zhu sobbed, "I'm not afraid..."
But he couldn't stop crying.
Lu Qingkong stared in shock at the wound on the arm. He couldn't believe that someone could be so overwhelmed by pain from such a wound that they would beg for death. But he didn't dwell on it; he pressed his fingers against the cold, pale arm and channeled spiritual energy from his palm.
The moment he touched him, Ming Zhu’s entire body gave a violent jolt, but Na Lian was quick to pin him down.
Na Lian urged, "Faster!"
Lu Qingkong hurried his movements. Within a few breaths, the wound was completely healed.
Even after the wound vanished, Ming Zhu continued to cry out in pain, his voice unchanged.
Na Lian knew he was traumatized by the agony. He untied the restraints on his hands and feet and whispered, "Look, the wound is healed. It won't hurt in a moment."
Ming Zhu curled up on the bed, his white hair spilling over him. His body was still shaking, his sobbing unstoppable.
Seeing the out-of-control spiritual energy finally recede and the crying soften, Na Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief. He said softly, "I originally kept a piece of fine jade to carve a little snake for you to wear, but now that Seven-Apertures Exquisite Jade has another use. I’m going to give it away for now. I’ll find you an even better jade another day."
In his daze, Ming Zhu heard that the jade was being given away. He shook his head, struggling to sit up, and muttered incoherently, "No... don't give it... I want it..."
Na Lian knew exactly what he wanted the jade for. He didn't say anything more, simply patting his back gently. Once the trembling subsided, he led the other two out.
Lu Qingkong was somewhat dazed. After a long while, he murmured, "He really is a snake..."
Na Lian casually tossed the warm Seven-Apertures Exquisite Jade to them. Having no desire to deal with them further, he said, "Take it and leave quickly. I won't be seeing you out."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 南府 | Nan Residence | The estate of Nan Qinghe. |
| 五洲 | Five Provinces | The geographical setting of the world. |
| 鬼芳 | Ghost-Fragrance | The name of the demon cultivator faction led by Na Lian. |
| 灵力枯竭 | Spiritual Exhaustion | A state where a cultivator's energy is completely spent. |
| 长睡不醒 | Eternal Slumber | A state of deep, potentially permanent coma for powerful cultivators. |
| 不讳林 | Buhui Forest | The "Taboo Forest," the place Ming Zhu/Bu Hui is associated with. |
| 夸玉 | Kua Yu | Ming Zhu's iron-rust puppet/attendant. |
| 风绳 | Wind-ropes | A binding technique using wind energy. |
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