Chapter 54: Adorable Pets

He raised his brows sharply. "Didn't you touch that bastard's chest?!"

"Oh..." She finally understood what had angered him, muttering, "I did touch... He was half dead, I couldn't help it..."

"How did it feel?"

"How did it feel?" She recalled the fine, smooth sensation beneath her fingers, almost forgetting herself. "It felt—" Suddenly she caught sight of his displeased expression and quickly changed tack, "Terrible. Like rubbing a washboard."

His expression finally eased a little. He said gloomily, "You're not allowed to use the Feather Summoning technique without permission again."

She wiped a bead of cold sweat from her brow, suddenly realizing something. "You never taught me the Feather Summoning technique because you didn't want me to touch him, did you?"

He affirmed decisively, "Exactly. If you touch trash like that, you deserve to lose your hand."

Another bead of cold sweat trickled down her forehead. He shot her a glance. She immediately widened her eyes and echoed, "Exactly! If I ever touch him again, if you don't cut off my hand, I'll do it myself!"

Only then did a satisfied smile tug at his lips. She nervously wiped her cold sweat away. Since this lord awakened, he had become so much harder to please.

A cold snort came from behind. "Turn your back for a moment and you start bad-mouthing me? Care to see if I kick you both into the abyss?"

Qingyin turned to see Jiuyu carrying tea into the room, setting it down on the table with a bang. She inwardly groaned. Sandwiched between these two ill-tempered men, it was impossible to please anyone. Seeing Jiuyu about to leave in a huff, she hurried to block his path, timidly asking, "Jiuyu, about the Star Lord..."

She truly feared he had already made some empty promise to the Star Lord, and now the Star Lord would come to collect.

Jiuyu curled his lips. "I never went to him. Because I knew a certain black-haired one was just pretending to be dead."

"Pretending... dead?!" Qingyin was thunderstruck, frozen in place, and even after Jiuyu swept out, she still hadn't recovered.

After a long while, she turned, clenched her fists, radiating murderous intent as she approached the man leaning against the headboard. Her voice was chilling. "You were pretending?"

He lowered his lashes, silent. Her anger mounted, her claws flexing, aching to strangle him. Yet seeing his pale and frail face, she couldn't bear to act, and instead clenched her teeth so hard they ground audibly.

She recalled the days past, when at every moment she worried about his fragile breath stopping, waking in the dead of night to despair, then at dawn desperately mustering hope again, her heart suffering as if plunged in boiling oil, day and night.

And he—he had been pretending! Pretending!

Just as she could no longer restrain herself and was about to strike, he spoke softly, "Every divine beast has a loyal soul. It's not some intangible thing. On the day the Star Lord adopts us, an immortal seal is etched directly onto our heart. The moment he bestowed that loyal soul, I recognized him as my immortal master and vowed never to leave or betray him. Yet I betrayed him—twice. When I decided to defy him, my heart felt as if it was being cut apart piece by piece, worse than death—the power of the loyal soul's seal at work. I don't know what force kept me going, though in agony, I still betrayed him. Such betrayal must be atoned for by death. So... I didn't resist. I just let myself slowly die."

His quiet, sorrowful words stirred no sympathy in Qingyin. Instead, her forehead veins throbbed, and if not for his grievous injuries, she would have dearly loved to strangle him. He was committing suicide. Suicide! Even more hateful than pretending to be dead.

Her voice trembled with rage. "A master who relies on seals and spells to force loyalty—what's worth holding on to? Seeing how cruelly he treats you, decreeing execution as he pleases, locking you away in some frozen hell, he treats you like a slave, uses you up, then crushes you underfoot. Betrayal? A heartless master like that, you should have kicked him away ages ago! And you would die for such scum?"

Her fist shook before his nose, itching to strike, but he caught her wrist and pulled her forward, making her lose her balance and fall onto him. He wrapped around her and rolled, lying on his side with her cradled in his arms, his chin resting atop her head, speaking in a muffled voice, "The Immortal Lord has abandoned me. I have no master. Divine beasts cannot be without a master."

"I want you!" Tears welled in her eyes. "I want you. I will be a master a thousand times better than the Star Lord. I will cherish you, care for you, protect you, and never abandon you."

"You must keep your word."

"I will, always."

The two settled temporarily in Jiuyu's cliffside residence.

Jiuyu explained that the surrounding mist was an enchantment he'd set, concealing the whole house; even immortals passing nearby would hardly notice it, making it very safe.

She regularly changed the medicine for Motu's back wounds; his broken spine had healed, but needed time to strengthen. The skin lacerations, caused by the Immortal Lord's powerful weapon, healed slowly.

On the cliff, white mist drifted all around, as if living among clouds. Cavern walls on either side of the gorge were riddled with nests of eagles and vultures, and sometimes a giant eagle would sweep through the mist with iron-gray wings. It felt as if they were in another realm, where even time stood still.

During the days Qingyin spent nursing Motu, she finally learned the truth about the immortal mushroom, and many mysteries weighing on her heart were resolved.

It turned out that during the calamity that destroyed her family, she should have died. Motu, searching for the immortal mushroom on behalf of the Star Lord, happened to pass by and, on a whim, fed her the immortal mushroom, saving her life.

After her rebirth, she had developed inexplicable abilities—such as discerning demons, climbing, lightness—thanks to the immortal mushroom within her.

It was Motu who had given her a second life, and she had been entirely unaware.

She gradually told him everything that happened while he was injured and unconscious—the Mountain Master of Chess Mountain, Hundredfold Cave, returning to Jiaozhou Dong residence for medicine, reuniting with Third Master She, and retrieving the Feather Nirvana...

He listened quietly, eyes lowered, then suddenly looked up at her, feeling a pang of regret. He had selfishly chosen death, leaving her to struggle alone in terror and hardship. He turned away, staring into the distance.

Qingyin, ever mischievous, leaned in close to his face. "What, are you about to cry?"

He scowled. "Nonsense."

"Tch. As your master, I know you’re crying rivers inside. Regret it now, don’t you? It’s good you’ve learned your lesson. Let’s see if you dare be so reckless again!"

He got up, ignoring her, awkwardly retreating to a corner to sulk.

After a while, he returned, gloomily asking, "And then?"

"And then?" Her eyes sparkled. "Then, using the method Third Master She mentioned, I summoned Jiuyu, and Jiuyu brought someone with him—guess who?—" Not waiting for him to guess, she revealed the answer in a rush, "Yulan! Yulan is alive! Yulan survived!"

Motu was thrilled by the news, and after a moment's thought, understood. "Yulan must have survived the calamity, escaped the tree body, and gained freedom."

"Exactly! And Yulan took Yin’er with her, so she won’t be alone as she travels the world." She spoke with delight.

Motu nodded, then continued, "You said Third Master She mentioned the Lord of the Extinction Sea. Does he think the demon tree of infant souls is connected to the Lord of the Extinction Sea? But the Extinction Sea has been gone for centuries, and the lord died in the great war between gods and demons. Besides, your family was just an ordinary mortal household—what connection could there be to the Lord of the Extinction Sea?" He pondered long, unable to find an answer.

Suddenly, he asked coldly, "And then?" His gaze swept over Qingyin, chilling her heart.

"And then? Then I sent Jiuyu to find medicine for you. Hehehe." Suddenly feeling guilty, she looked around shiftily. "Er, I should go prepare your tonic."

His cold voice came from behind. "And then you sent Jiuyu to the immortal realm, to the Star Lord, offering yourself in exchange for medicine to save me."

She stood rooted, unable to hide under his sharp gaze, and finally muttered indignantly, "Jiuyu isn't a blood dove, he's just a blabbermouth magpie. I'll go wring his bird neck. Wait here, I'll be right back~"

"Stop right there." His voice was ice.

She obediently halted.

"Come back." Another command.

She immediately scurried back to his feet, only then realizing, "Hey, kid, aren't I your master? How can you order your master around?" Even worse, she was so obedient...

He glared at her, and her newly raised hackles instantly drooped. She mumbled, "I was at my wits' end then. What else could I do but surrender to the Immortal Lord?"

He seized her arm, yanking her close. She saw the fire blazing in his eyes, feeling for a moment he might rebel and rough her up.

After a tense moment, he pushed her away, face full of defeat and sorrow. "Did you ever ask if I could accept this life you traded for me? You treat your own life so lightly, toss me aside as you please—how am I supposed to rely on such an irresponsible master?"

"You... You were unconscious then; even if I asked, you couldn't answer!"

He said nothing, looking thoroughly disappointed, sitting on the platform all afternoon like a wooden statue, his back radiating deep despair.

She tried repeatedly to tempt him with delicious treats, but he wouldn't spare her a glance.

Finally, she lowered herself, draping over his back, wrapping her arms around his neck, whispering softly in his ear, "Alright, big cat, don’t be angry. I promise, no matter what, I’ll never leave you again."

His expression didn’t soften in the least.

Author’s note: I know I update too slowly. Go ahead and kill me.