chapter 32

The day was getting late and the setting sun cast a brilliant glow on the surface of the water .

It was a gorgeous view rarely seen in the demon realm . Shen Li drank her wine as she gazed at the water .

“I have suspected it for a while, but I couldn’t figure out why you would want to go the lower realms, and as a mortal at that . ”

“Hm . ” Xing Zhi shook his head . “You get bored when you live as long as I have . And when you’re bored you do strange things . I went to the lower realm with the desire to incarnate as a mortal and experience the ordinary life of a commoner . ” Xing Zhi gave a helpless laugh . “I drank from the river and I gained an ordinary body but my god knowledge could not be erased . ”

Shen Li looked at Xing Yun in surprise . She had not expected him to drink from the water of forgetfulness . Unfortunately one bowl was not enough to wash his memories away . That was why he knew so many arrays and was able to see the spirits of the dead even though he had no magical aura .

“No mortal body can bear the burden of a god . No wonder you were so sickly . ” Shen understood now . “But since you remembered, why did you pretend not to know me?”

Xing Zhi glanced at Shen Li out of the corner of his eye . “The same reason you left for the demon realm with Mo Fang and the Demon Emperor . ”

He hadn’t wanted to delay her on his behalf . Besides that, as Xing Yun, he hadn’t replied to her declaration before she returned to the demon realm . It was only more awkward after returning and meeting her again as Xing Zhi .

Shen Li understood he couldn’t reciprocate her feelings so had pretended they were strangers in order to douse any lingering affections . She looked down .

Sever all ties of affections huh?

Shen Li laughed then sighed . “So what you were trying to do was make me not like you? You know, your behavior was the complete opposite . You were acting like a man trying to seduce someone!” Is he really that unaware of himself?

“Were you seduced?”

Asking a question like that when he was trying to cut off relations . . . this guy was too reckless .

Shen Li spoke into her wine bottle . “How is that even possible? High god is thinking too much of it . How can I, the Azure Sky King, behave so inappropriately? That time in the mortal realm, I met and fell for an ordinary mortal name Xing Yun . That was in the past . Now you are an ancient high god . How could I possibly feel the same way about you?”

Xing Yun retained an aloof smile but his hand had tightened into loose fists .

Shen Li continued . “Your current identity is too troublesome . Like the prince who had to kill his brothers to gain the throne . Prince Rui loved his princess, but in the end in order to produce an heir, he had to accept an imperial concubine . He didn’t do anything wrong; it was simply something required of him because of his identity . If one day we were to meet on the battle field I wouldn’t just be Shen Li, I would be Shen Li the Azure Sky King . ”

Xing Zhi stared at Shen Li with a fixed gaze as she continued . “The marriage to unite the Demon realm and the Heavenly realm should be happening soon . What I want to say today is just this: You are unwilling to be Xing Yun so Xing Yun doesn’t exist for me anymore . As far as I am concerned, Xing Yun died in the mortal realm long ago . The you facing me now is the Immortal High God Xing Zhi, so there is no need for further subterfuge on your part . ”

“Shen Li, from the start, both identities have always been mine . ” Xing Yun was simply the mortal him in the Mortal realm . His body changed but he was still the same person, with the same memories . He didn’t want Shen Li to see him as two separate individuals .

Shen Li resisted this idea . Shaking her head she said, “As far as I’m concerned you are two different and distinct individuals . Xing Zhi, you and I do not share a fate, nor do we have anything to do with each other so you need not be concerned about any lingering feelings on my end . ” Shen Li held her wine bottle up next to his as she solemnly spoke . “Immortal High God Xing Zhi, as the Azure Sky King I will obey the heavenly edict and marry Fu Rongjun . ”

She tapped her bottle with a “clang” against his .

It was a crisp sharp sound that echoed all the way to the pit of his stomach before finding its way to his heart and bleeding into a thread of pain . It left him silent for a moment, then with a with a slight smile he said, “Indeed Your Highness, that would be good . ”

The sun had set but the afterglow still colored the sky . Shen Li finished her wine bottle and threw it into the river . It made a “crack” sound as it broke in to pieces . The sound was like a resounding firm punctuation for their conversation .

Shen Li stood up and dusted herself off as she said, “The gates should be closed but I have no desire to return to the capital . My plan is to head to Yangzhou to search for Fu Rongjun . Where does immortal high god plan to do from here?”

Xing Zhi didn’t answer so it was silent between them for a couple of seconds . The silence was broken by the sounds of footsteps behind them . Both knew it was impossible for it to be mortal foosteps . The feel and sound were too heavy .

Shen Li surveyed the land . The waters were shallow but the grass was high . Combined with the dimming sky it would be easy to stay hidden .

One look at her face and Xing Zhi could tell what she was thinking . “Why hide?”

Shen Li glanced at him . “Don’t you feel it?” She focused on the dam farther down the river . “The air just turned strange . It’s not something good . ”

Dusk was a time when evil manifested in the mortal realm, so Shen Li was more alert .

She had yanked Xing Zhi over and hid in the grass .

“Still, did you really have to pull me along to hide with you? I don’t think I need to hide . ” He looked bemusedly at her hand holding his on the top of the grass .

Ah! How could she forget . Even when he was the weakling Xing Yun, he was ridiculous enough to tease the crown prince about his weight . No matter how benign his expression, he was still the same impudent person!

Shen Li coughed lightly and pulled her hand back . She had talked big earlier, but her action just now was that of a person protecting another . She had unconsciously reacted to the situation like he was that same sickly, weak-bodied mortal she used to know, instead of an incomparable high god who everyone in the three realms would bow to .

The sound startled the group of four people walking along the river bank, one of whom had his wrists tied behind his back . His head was covered in a huge scarf . The shape seemed to suggest antlers . Remembering where she was she called out, “Hu Lu?”[notes]

The person did not reply, but the tremble that shook his entire body at her call confirmed her suspicions .

Though Hu Lu did not have heaven’s mandate he was an immortal earth spirit, a minor land god .

The group holding him captive were clearly not soldiers of heaven, so who were they to dare capture him? They were dressed entirely in black from head to toe, even their faces were covered . Shen Li furrowed her brows and approached to query .

Their leader pulled his sword and attacked before she had could ask .

Shen Li didn’t have a chance to show off her spear’s fearsome abilities, when from over her shoulder a column of water rushed past . With a “crash” it slammed into the attacking man and drenched him in water . A sudden cold air that sprang from the ground . He was rooted to the spot as ice crystals formed from the combination of chilly air and condensed water .

The other two, upon seeing this, decided to flee . Xing Zhi waved his hand before they could take a single step, and they, like their leader were also rooted in place .

Shen Li raised her brows . “Ice spell?”

“No, water limiting spell . ”

Shen Li wasn’t familiar with all the different types of water spells nor was she impressed by any of them . They all sounded the same to her . She strode over to Hu Lu and pulled the fabric covering his head .

A trail of light wound around his antlers, much of his head, mouth, and neck like a collar .

Shen Li frowned . “What kind of spell is this?”

Xing Zhi looked down in thought . “An immortal binding spell . ” He formed a ball of light on his fingertips and pressed it lightly against Hu Lu’s bindings, breaking the seal .

Freed, Hu Lu bent over at the waist and took a great big gulp of air . Tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked at the two people in front of him . “Thank you! Thank you great immortals for saving my life! I thought for sure I would die! Huu! Huu!”

Shen Li’s lip quirked at the corner . This big crybaby hadn’t changed one bit .

She and Xing Zhi waited for him to finish crying .

Hu Lu wiped his face with his arm after the flood of tears stopped . He gasped once he got a good look at his saviors, specifically at Shen Li . “You… you’re…”

Shen Li nodded . “Yes I am . But don’t worry, this time I’m not here to coerce you into doing anything . ” She pointed a finger at the three men . “What’s going on with them?”

“Huuu huuu! It’s a long story! It all started when someone from an immortal sect came and started trouble!” Hu Lu sighed . “Three months ago a person named Fu Shengmen came by representing some immortal sages from a school . I guess it was some well-known sect in the martial world . We didn’t care who they were but they set up a banquet and invited us to meet with them . A bunch went, but none came back . Another banquet invitation arrived and another group went . They never came back either! By then we were all leery of them . No one accepted the third invitation . Who would have guessed when we said no they would forcefully kidnap us?”

Xing Yun narrowed his eyes . “What you describe is a serious crime . Why have you not reported it to the heavens?”

Hu Lu cried out in grief, “We wanted to! The first messenger we sent was found dead in the woods . The next was also found dead . There were never many of us to begin with so between that and the banquet, there was barely anyone left . Everyone scattered . ” Hu Lu got teary-eyed just thinking about it .

“The woods around the capital aren’t that big . I was afraid I’d be caught if I stayed so I went and hid in the city . I was able to stay hidden until today . That’s when they caught me . If it weren’t for you two… huuu huuu! Who knows what would have happened to me?!”

Shen Li was confused . “You’re a land god with an immortal body . Your magic isn’t strong, but it shouldn’t be that weak . Why are you such a pushover? Why is everyone able to do what they please with you?”

Hu Lu gave Shen Li an aggrieved look . “It’s not that I didn’t resist… there were other immortals with strong magic who tried to resist too . But the other side has some magic that specifically deals with immortal beings like us . We can struggle as much as we like, but we can’t break free . I heard from other immortals that the magic this sect uses doesn’t resemble normal immortal magic…“

He looked at Shen Li and hesitated for a moment before continuing . “It was like a demonic technique…”