While Bai Wujin was still busy speculating wildly, Qian Xuelang spoke again, though this time he was not addressing either of the two demons.
“You saw for yourselves. The demon and Bai Wujin were merely fighting. There was nothing especially remarkable about it, so there is no need to make such a fuss.”
Bai Wujin had assumed that since this man had come out here, he would at least make the demon’s acquaintance, if not take him back with him. He had never expected the Daoist to have come solely to reassure the infant spirits, and was greatly surprised.
Seeing Qian Xuelang turn to leave, Bai Wujin had no choice but to call after him. “Hey, are you really just going to leave him here?”
Only then did Qian Xuelang stop and turn his face slightly, looking puzzled. “Why should I do anything about him? If he cannot bear the demonic qi here, he will leave on his own. Once he recovers his senses, he will come find me himself.”
Bai Wujin was speechless for a moment. It sounded quite reasonable. Then he suddenly realized something. “Wait. What do you mean, ‘recovers his senses’? Are you telling me he’s completely out of his mind right now? I thought that was just how he was!”
“I would have thought the Demon Lord would be better at reading people,” Qian Xuelang said coolly.
“Hey, what sort of remark is that? Never mind that I didn’t choose to become the Demon Lord. When have you ever heard that a Demon Lord needs to read other people’s faces? What would be the point of being Demon Lord, then? Isn’t the whole idea that other people have to watch my face?”
Qian Xuelang had no intention of explaining the mutual restraints of worldly power to Bai Wujin. He said nothing and continued on his way.
Bai Wujin watched him go without paying the slightest attention to him. Scratching his head in bewilderment, he turned to the nameless demon. “He really left! Well, this is awkward. So are we going to keep fighting or not? If what he says is true, are you genuinely stupid or just pretending? Would fighting you count as bullying?”
Ever since Qian Xuelang left, the demon had stared after him blankly. Even once that figure had disappeared completely into the mist, he did not react.
Only now did Bai Wujin see that the demon was not merely rather foolish but also deeply infatuated. It was baffling. Two such extraordinary people had appeared in the Third Veil out of nowhere. He simply had to get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately, one was currently besotted, while the other had an icy and eccentric temperament. Neither looked easy to deal with.
Still, someone who could talk was better than someone who could only breathe. Bai Wujin smiled. “My friend, I’m going after that Daoist of yours, the one I can’t tell is your lover or your enemy. Want to come with me?”
The demon watched him silently for a while, then suddenly started walking, giving Bai Wujin a fright.
As Bai Wujin saw the demon about to disappear into the mist as well, he suddenly burst out laughing. “Interesting! Very interesting! It’s rare to have two such amusing neighbors. Even if neither of you likes talking, I’ll make you talk to me for a while!”
Since withdrawing into the Third Veil decades earlier, he had seldom dealt with the outside world. Living alone was certainly comfortable, but it could also become boring. He had no pressing business at present, and this strange encounter had thoroughly caught his interest.
Even if the demon had not attacked him first, he would have insisted on pestering him.
The two demons traveled side by side through the mist. Far ahead, Qian Xuelang’s figure in white appeared and disappeared in the haze, only to vanish entirely in the next instant.
Bai Wujin exclaimed, “Huh? Does he not want us to catch him? Has he used some art to shrink the earth beneath his feet?”
The demon gave him a look of profound disdain, strode forward, and vanished too. Only then did Bai Wujin notice a hole in the ground. He found it rather funny. Well, look at that. What rotten scoundrel dug a pit out here and turned it into a great grave? Are they saving someone the trouble of burying themselves?
He jumped straight down. The cave was deep, but once inside, he found the demonic qi had abruptly disappeared. A dim light glimmered around him. Within the cavern was a round pool beneath a covering, and the Daoist was already immersed in it.
Surprised, Bai Wujin reached out and tried to scoop up some water, only to discover that he could not touch it at all, much less the person within.
The demon, meanwhile, sat silently at the water’s edge without saying a word.
“Come here.”
Seeing the pair arrive one after the other, Qian Xuelang did not hurry. He merely called softly, summoning back into the pool the infant spirits that had been trying to approach the demon. He had clearly seen what Bai Wujin had done just now. He understood that if the infant spirits did not wish to play with Bai Wujin, Bai Wujin probably could not hurt them.
The infant spirits all came to wheedle affection from him, but Qian Xuelang ignored them. Lowering his face, he said mildly, “If you want to fight, go outside. Do not dirty this place.”
Bai Wujin looked around. He could tell there was something highly unusual about this place, but there were plenty of strange places in the world, so he did not find it especially remarkable. He laughed. “I didn’t come here to fight. I came to clear something up.”
“Clear up what?”
Bai Wujin said, “Who are you? Where did you come from? What is your relationship with this demon? Why are you staying here?”
None of these questions was difficult. Although Bai Wujin was Demon Lord, many of his deeds in earlier years had shown a considerable sense of righteousness. Qian Xuelang did not particularly like him, but neither did he dislike him. He therefore patiently explained each matter in turn.
“So that’s what happened. Someone ambushed you during a duel and you were poisoned. While you were unconscious, this demon brought you here.” He sounded perplexed. “Now that’s strange. I’ve been here for decades, yet I never knew these infant spirits had a place for healing. How did he know about it?”
“I wondered the same thing,” Qian Xuelang replied, “but I do not know the answer.”
Bai Wujin laughed. “I was only talking to myself. I wasn’t asking you to answer.”
He turned to examine the demon and grew puzzled again. “You say he’s clearheaded one moment and mad the next. Could he have suffered a cultivation deviation that disordered his mind? Hm… let me take a look.”
Just as Bai Wujin moved forward, a chill suddenly rose in his heart. At some point the demon had turned his head and was staring at him coldly, clearly unwilling to accept the proposal.
“He doesn’t seem happy.” Bai Wujin quietly went on guard, though his tone remained as carefree as if he were discussing something trivial.
“Since he is unhappy, let it go,” Qian Xuelang said.
“Fair enough. I might enjoy forcing others to do things sometimes, but going to great trouble for no thanks isn’t my idea of fun.”
Bai Wujin smiled faintly and made no further attempt to approach. Privately, though, he was perplexed. For some reason, when he looked at this demon, he felt an inexplicable warmth and closeness arise within him. He did not wish to do anything that might make matters too difficult and leave them both displeased.
Could this be what people call feeling close to someone at first sight?
Before Bai Wujin could make sense of it, the demon saw that he no longer intended to approach and turned right back to gazing intently at Qian Xuelang.
Bai Wujin: “…”
Bai Wujin tried and tried to hold his tongue, but finally could not resist asking, “Are you absolutely sure this is the first time you’ve met? He looks so hopelessly in love with you. Even in this dazed state, he hasn’t forgotten you.”
“I have never seen him before,” Qian Xuelang said coolly.
Bai Wujin found this amusing. You can’t see anything at all. How could you possibly say you’ve ‘seen’ anyone? But the thought was needlessly cruel and cutting, so he quickly put it aside. No wonder the relationship between these two is so strange. Now I understand why they don’t look quite like lovers. But why is there also something of the enemy about them?
“In that case, he probably fell for you at first sight. Half-demons may not have emotions as extreme as the Heavenly Demon’s, but their feelings are still far more intense than those of ordinary people.” Bai Wujin folded his arms. “But I saw you treat him with such ruthless severity, without the slightest gratitude. Why? Has he wronged you somehow?”
Bai Wujin considered that icy expression, devoid of any trace of joy or anger. Forget seductive charm: the man could not even be called endearing. He could not imagine what had made the demon lose his head over such a person. Did demons simply have a taste for this sort of thing?
On the other hand, even if the demon’s feelings were entirely one-sided, surely there was no need to treat him so mercilessly.
Bai Wujin could not help feeling that an injustice had been done.
“It is true that he saved my life,” Qian Xuelang said coldly. “Does that mean I must offer myself to him in marriage to repay the debt?”
That’s true enough, Bai Wujin thought. Even if you repay a debt by giving yourself to someone, it should mean putting yourself at their service, not literally selling your looks. If he were a pretty girl, that would be one thing, but he’s a solidly built man. This cold Daoist may be handsome, but not handsome enough to appeal equally to men and women. Demon, demon, you’ve really run straight into a wall this time.
Now things were troublesome. Both sides had a point.
Bai Wujin looked from one to the other. Thankfully this absurd business had nothing to do with him. That thought rapidly cheered him up, and he laughed again. “That’s true, but right now your life is in his hands. Mortals have a saying: when you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head. Has the Daoist never learned that?”
“Why must I bow my head?” Qian Xuelang asked, genuinely perplexed.
“If you refuse and he kills you, won’t you lose everything?” Bai Wujin considered for a moment before adding lightly, “Put up with it for now, and later you can repay him a hundredfold or a thousandfold. But if you die that very day, then won’t everything come to nothing?”
Though Bai Wujin’s voice remained composed, it had changed considerably from before. Qian Xuelang guessed there must be some history hidden behind his words. Had Ren Yijue been present, he would surely have pressed for every detail. But he had no interest in knowing.
He had intended to say nothing further, yet for some reason his master’s last words came to mind, and he suddenly asked, “And what if everything comes to nothing?”
Bai Wujin’s eyes widened in surprise, but he answered all the same. “If it comes to nothing, then there’s nothing left.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” Qian Xuelang asked again.
“Bad… well…”
The question left Bai Wujin momentarily stunned. He had never considered such a thing. Throughout his life, the boundary between life and death had always seemed clear. He loved life and loathed death. Yet on closer examination, had he not spent half his own life pursuing something along a path that led toward death? If it came to the same choice he had faced back then, who could say whether he would choose life or death? For a moment, he was lost in thought.
After a long pause, Bai Wujin said, “Well, perhaps it isn’t a question of good or bad. For some people, death means they can finally rest. For others, dying would naturally leave them full of unwillingness and regret.”
Neither of those sounded like the choice his master had made.
Qian Xuelang felt a little disappointed.