Blue Sky Over Chu Palace, Part 2

The blood rain in White Tiger City persisted for two months before ceasing.

Two months later, the White Tiger Guards, defending the main city and its territories, had undergone a thorough purge by the new city lord—
Those who indulged in cruelty and slaughter, regardless of rank or cultivation, were personally dispatched by the new lord to “accompany” their predecessor.
Those who resisted were stripped of their cultivation and thrown into White Tiger Prison.

Opinions on this new city lord among the new White Tiger Guards were starkly divided: some said he was gentle, refined, and aloof, unlike a demon; others claimed he was the most brutal and bloodthirsty, his slaughter of the lord’s manor on his first night in White Tiger City—treading over bodies like grass—proof enough.

But on one point, all agreed—

He must be hideously ugly, likely from the wolf-demon clan, whose slender, elegant figures belied faces that could stop a child’s cries at night.

Why else would someone with such an immortal-like aura wear such an grotesque bronze mask?

As for White Tiger City’s change of lordship, it stirred moderate ripples in the Demon Realm—neither too loud nor too quiet.

Hundreds of years ago, after the last Demon Sovereign fell, the Demon Sovereign Hall at the realm’s core sealed itself, and the royal city collapsed into the “Skyfall Abyss,” a pit of endless demonic flames at the Demon Realm’s center.

Since then, the four main cities governed independently, their territories seeing countless power shifts.

The steadiest, like Azure Dragon City, had a deep-rooted lordship passed down for centuries without upheaval. The most volatile, like White

Tiger City, saw short-lived lords like the last one—beheaded within a year—not uncommon.

Thus, the Demon Realm saw this bloodbath as just another routine power shift.

—Until a frail, zither-playing figure, followed by a pale maid clutching a battered wooden zither, stepped into Fenghuang City.

*Plop.*

A lingering raindrop fell from the city wall’s eaves, splashing into a moss-covered stone step.
Ripples spread across a puddle.

Xiao Ling, pale with fear since nearing Fenghuang City miles away, looked even worse at the city gate, clutching her zither tightly, hurrying to keep pace with the white-robed figure ahead.

Barely a few zhang into the city, they passed a patrol of Vermilion Bird Guards. Xiao Ling buried her head, as if hiding in her chest for safety.

When the sharp clank of their armored steps faded, her racing heart slowed, though it remained on edge.
“Three zhang, four zhang, five zhang, six zhang…”
She counted silently, teeth chattering.

Just as the guards’ sounds vanished, and she was about to relax—

“Let’s rest here,” the weary voice of the ragged zitherist said, stopping abruptly.

“—?”
Xiao Ling looked up, incredulous, at the zitherist.

He was heading straight for the first half-open tea stall inside Fenghuang City.

“S-Sir!”
Xiao Ling, clutching her zither, scrambled after him, legs trembling with fear.

By the time she caught up, the zitherist had settled at the nearest empty table.
He brushed off dust, his slightly worn robes folding in layers under his elbow, revealing a pale, jade-like forearm.
“Hm?”
Beneath the bronze mask, his long lashes lowered, responding casually.

“Sir, this is Fenghuang City,” Xiao Ling whispered, trembling, “less than a hundred li from Vermilion Bird Main City, the most patrolled area by their guards. Any disturbance, and their forces could arrive in half an hour…”

A low scoff came from the grotesque mask. “I know Fenghuang City better than you.”

“Then why—” Xiao Ling nearly bit her tongue, not daring to overstep. “Shouldn’t we… be cautious, avoid the guards?”

“Why avoid them?”

“Sir, you don’t understand…”

After two months together, through cautious probes, Xiao Ling concluded this frail, elegant, yet ruthless zitherist was likely a great demon who’d secluded himself in some remote forest for centuries.
His actions were erratic—either locking himself in a room for days or, on a whim, entering a White Tiger territory to slaughter its corrupt guards.
All seemed driven by mood, with little care for consequences.

As for his lordship, it felt like a casual game to him.

For her own survival, Xiao Ling explained, “For centuries, the four main cities have an unspoken rule: no interference, each governs its own. If one city acts, the other three will unite to crush it.”

Beneath the mask, no reply came.
Through the ugly metal, Xiao Ling glimpsed his long, dark lashes resting on porcelain-white lids.

It was hard to believe someone with such eyes could be an ugly wolf-demon…

Lost in thought, she saw those lashes lift—
Cold, piercing eyes, black as if they could see through souls, met hers. “What are you staring at?”

“…N-Nothing!” Xiao Ling stepped back, bowing her head. “I-I just wanted to remind you, sir, your reputation is rising, but your power isn’t stable. We must be cautious, lest the other three cities misunderstand.”

A low, bewitching laugh came from the mask.
“Who said it’s a misunderstanding?”

“?” Xiao Ling looked up, meeting eyes blazing with killing intent, her heart trembling. “S-Sir?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if the three cities united in enmity, stirring the entire Demon Realm into chaos?”

The zitherist smiled, draining his tea.
He gazed at Fenghuang City’s dilapidated execution platform. In a fleeting play of light and shadow, he seemed to see a faint red-robed figure from three hundred years ago.

The teacup turned to dust in his grip.

Mu Hanyuan lowered his eyes, laughing hoarsely, almost unhinged:

“Let it come faster… I can’t wait to see her.”

—

Ten days later, Yao City.

The teahouse Yun Yao frequented was as lively as ever, but the storytelling had shifted from the Qianmen Incident, which once stirred 仙域, to the Demon Realm’s recent wars shaking both realms.

“Such chaos is unprecedented in centuries! White Tiger City’s lord planned a covert strike, seizing Fenghuang City eighty li west of Vermilion Bird City, but was countered at Vermilion Bird Main City…”

“This wolf-demon lord seems unaware of the Demon Realm’s unspoken rules. His reckless moves have entangled all four main cities. Now, save for Azure Dragon City holding Longyi Mountains defensively, Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird Cities have allied, flanking White Tiger City from north and south…”

“The new lord is trapped in Two City, east of Skyfall Abyss, the site of the old Demon Sovereign Hall’s collapse.”

“With Skyfall Abyss’s demonic flames to the west, none survive entry. To the east, Azure Dragon Guards hold the snowy Longyi Mountains; north, Black Tortoise Guards circle the abyss; south, Vermilion Bird Guards pursue. He’s in a dire trap, wings clipped!”

“Such a calamity is his own doing. In half a month, this chaos will likely settle.”

“But battles shift in an instant—who knows what’s next…”

*Bang!*

The storyteller’s gavel fell, sparking uproar in the teahouse.

“Great! Let those Demon Realm rats tear each other apart!” @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City
“Bravo!”
“…”

In a corner, a black-robed, veiled woman gazed silently at her teacup.

“I called you to listen, not daydream,” Mu Jiutian said, tapping the table. “Heard it? Thoughts?”

Yun Yao held her cup. “You think it’s him?”

“Don’t you?” Mu Jiutian countered.

“…”

Yun Yao frowned, silent.
She recalled Mu Hanyuan’s fall to demonhood in her past life. Though she didn’t believe he’d repeat it, she couldn’t fathom why, if it was him, this life’s chaos differed so vastly.
In her past life, within months, he’d unified the four main cities. Though she hadn’t witnessed it, the Demon Realm cultivators’ loyalty before the Immortal Alliance’s palace spoke to his dominance.

“If it’s him, he shouldn’t be this cornered…” Yun Yao voiced her doubts hesitantly.

“You’re sure your sword through his heart, his fall into the Heavenly Chasm, left no loose ends?”

“…Impossible.”
Yun Yao paled, her fingers on the table clenching into a fist.

Mu Jiutian watched her, pausing before laughing wryly. “One word, and you’re this rattled. If it’s really him in that trap, will you storm the Demon Realm alone with your sword?”

“…”

Silence fell.
Mu Jiutian’s smile faded, eyes sharp. “You’re seriously going?”

Yun Yao hesitated. “I… can’t rest easy. Just a look.”

“A look?” Mu Jiutian laughed, slamming the table. “Yun Yaojiu, I’ve known you over five hundred years—I know where you’re headed the moment you twitch. If it’s him, can you come back?”

Yun Yao pursed her lips. “If it’s him, I’ll save him, send him to White Tiger City. If not, I’ll probe for Yu Yan’s traces in the Demon Realm.”

“Didn’t you say your debts were cleared, parted forever?”

“…” Yun Yao grabbed Naihe Sword. “With the Demon Realm in turmoil, one misstep could affect 仙域 and Qian Yuan’s beings. Even if he’s not there, we must investigate.”

“I knew you’d head here, lingering near Two Realms Mountain,” Mu Jiutian sighed. “You’re set on going?”

“Three months.”
Yun Yao raised three fingers, waving them dismissively. “Whether I find Yu Yan, Jian Xue, or him, I’ll return.”

Mu Jiutian sneered, swatting her hand. “You better.”

Before she could speak, he tossed a porcelain vial from his storage artifact.

“What’s this?” Yun Yao caught it, inspecting it. “I’m past the age of needing healing pills for adventures.”

Mu Jiutian smirked. “Disguise pill.”

“?” Yun Yao touched her veiled hat.

“You think that hat’s concealment spell can fool your disciple?”

Yun Yao sighed. “He’s easy to fool.”

“You misunderstand ‘fool’ or your disciple,” Mu Jiutian scoffed, recalling Mu Hanyuan’s saintly facade tripping him up. “I crafted this in the Demon Realm. It alters appearance and spiritual aura almost perfectly. Unless… special circumstances arise, even immortals can’t see through it.”

Yun Yao shook the vial skeptically. “Really that miraculous?”

“Try it.”
He reached for it. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City
The black-robed woman spun, kicking away, landing gracefully a few zhang off. She pocketed the vial, waving at the chasing Mu Jiutian. “A gift from Senior Brother—I can’t refuse. Thanks.”
Two steps later, she paused. “Oh, what’s this ‘special circumstance’ I should guard against?” @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

“…”

Mu Jiutian’s gaze wavered across the distance.

Yun Yao: “Speak.”

“Deep mutual affection, souls entwined,” he sneered. “In that case, even the Heavenly King can’t save you.”

Yun Yao: “?”
Yun Yao: “…”