Chapter 31 Part 1

Zhu Yue twirled a delicate, small jade jar in her hand as she gracefully ascended the stairs. The moment she reached the top, she spotted two figures collapsed in puddles of wine.

She feigned surprise, covering her mouth, and laughed. “I never imagined Daoist Ying had such a fondness for wine. Since that’s the case, let This Venerable One accompany you. But I wonder, how has this wine on the floor turned red? Could it be from A-Yue’s tail… hmm?”

She had called out their names the night before, yet now she was back to “Daoist Ying” and “A-Yue” with a drawn-out, mocking tone. She was clearly toying with them. But if there was one thing Li Jiangying didn’t fear, it was pretense. She only feared a sudden, murderous outburst that left no room for struggle.

Li Jiangying raised her head shakily. Plop. Two bright lines of fresh blood dripped from her nose.

She grinned nonchalantly, wiped her nosebleed with the back of her hand, and used a nearby table leg to stand. “You jest, City Lord. The wine on the floor is red, naturally, because of my nosebleed.”

Zhu Yue sneered. “Daoist Ying certainly has an abundance of blood.”

“Moderate, moderate,” Li Jiangying replied. “What elegant pursuit brings the City Lord to drink with me?”

Zhu Yue’s expression shifted in an instant. She gave her a look that was both plaintive and alluring. “Isn’t it obvious? I was thinking of Little Ying Suanli.”

Thinking of Little Ying Suanli was a lie! She was thinking of Li Yueying! This mercurial woman was definitely planning to get her drunk to make a move on Li Yueying!

From the corner of her eye, Li Jiangying glanced at the snake demon sprawled in a wine puddle, completely drunk. A flicker of anger rose within her. Just how many romantic entanglements had this unlucky kid gotten into?

Truthfully, Li Jiangying could just hand her over. The snake demon was drunk anyway. Ingratiating herself with the relatively more normal Zhu Yue in exchange for a peaceful, comfortable life—wouldn’t that be wonderful? She should be someone who adapts to circumstances. As a mortal with no past, who had even forgotten herself, living a trembling existence by impersonating another… what did a little baseness matter?

But then… that demon was lying in the wine, her tail tip trembling slightly. Her sharp, clawed elbows, still unable to fully transform into human form, were curled inward. In a low, slurred murmur, she called out a name:

“Yingying.”

Li Jiangying could only curse herself. She was destined for misfortune, destined to never rise above her station. With sheer effort, she calmly pulled her gaze back and, facing Zhu Yue, put on a polite and fake smile.

“In that case, I shall drink to my heart’s content with the City Lord!” she declared boldly.

“What courage. It seems Little Ying Suanli’s alcohol tolerance is quite impressive.”

Li Jiangying replied modestly, “It’s moderate, moderate. Perhaps just a tiny bit better than the City Lord’s.”

Zhu Yue let out a cold laugh. With a wave of her hand, thirty small jade jars the size of melons appeared on the table with a whoosh. “Little Ying Suanli, your cultivation isn’t high, but your boasts are mighty. This Venerable One can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Come!”

She was an ill-intentioned guest, aggressively forceful. In her eyes, Li Jiangying saw absolute confidence in victory and malicious intent. Zhu Yue’s gaze drifted towards the snake demon passed out on the floor. She subconsciously curled her lips, her moist red tongue licking over them. She trembled faintly with excitement.

Trying to take advantage of a moment of weakness? Typical Devil Cultivator. Truly despicable and shameless! Li Jiangying cursed inwardly.

Without showing a trace of fear, Li Jiangying proactively opened a jade jar. The moment the clay seal was broken, a rich, refreshing scent of wine, thick with osmanthus fragrance, rushed out. One inhale lifted the spirits; a second made one feel transcendent.

This wine and the cheap, strong liquor spilled on the floor… they were like heaven and earth!

Zhu Yue opened a jar as well. She looked sideways at Li Jiangying, provoking her. “Well? Scared now?”

“Excellent wine.” Scared? What a joke. Lose anything but never lose your nerve! Li Jiangying smiled brightly, tilted her head back, and took a deep gulp. “City Lord, please!”

And so they began, jar for jar. The strong liquor burned down their throats like a warm current searing into their lungs. As she drank, Li Jiangying suddenly began to wonder… had she ever actually drunk alcohol before?

But once a competition started, it couldn’t be stopped. I might not beat you in a fight, but out-drink you? Driven by a mix of resentment and an inexplicable protective instinct, Li Jiangying absolutely did not want to concede easily.

But as she drank, her body grew hotter and hotter, as if she were burning. Her head started spinning. A strange sensation began spreading from her heart, her Dantian, her Spirit Platform.

It felt as if her entire body was tightly bound by something. Uncomfortable, Li Jiangying tugged at her collar. She looked at Zhu Yue and found her opponent’s face already flushed bright red, her gaze drifting unfocused.

Zhu Yue glared at her resentfully, slurring her words. “You… you liar! How can you have A-Yue? A-Yue is mine!”

Li Jiangying sneered back. “Easy for you to say. Why don’t you try being me for a change?”

“Then let’s swap!” Zhu Yue’s expression suddenly showed a flicker of loss. “I’ve been by her side for so long… why won’t she just… look at me?”

This City Lord… she can’t be drunk already?

“So hot.” Li Jiangying felt unbearably overheated. She started rolling up her sleeves, hoping it would cool her down a little.

Zhu Yue’s true feelings spilled out with the alcohol. “If you lose… give her to me!”

Li Jiangying said stiffly, “Win first, then talk.”

The two of them buried themselves in their drinking contest once more. But it was just too hot. The more Li Jiangying drank, the hotter she became. Finally, it felt as if she were being scorched by flames!

She simply couldn’t stand it anymore!

Boom—

Something broke free, igniting with a roar.

Li Jiangying stared down, dumbfounded. The pink wine on the floor had inexplicably caught fire. The flames seemed alive, twisting and dancing, connecting with Li Jiangying in a continuous blaze. It was hot, but it didn’t hurt.

The fire burned silently within the room. Instinctively, she looked to Zhu Yue, thinking it was her doing, but she saw the same look of shock on Zhu Yue’s face.

Zhu Yue stared at her, astonished. Then she suddenly stood up in agitation, knocking over the table in her panic. The small jade jars crashed to the ground, shattering.

“You… you really are…”

“Jiangying.”

A soft call came from somewhere. At some point, the drunken snake demon had risen to her feet. A smile lingered on her lips, her eyes dazed and intoxicated. She walked through the quietly burning flames and embraced the stunned Li Jiangying, who stood rooted to the spot.

Li Jiangying turned back to look at her, vulnerability hidden in her eyes. The snake demon lightly kissed the corner of her eye.

Like a block of ice pressing coolly against her back, the snake demon’s breath smelled of wine. She murmured a soothing chant, as if singing. “It’s alright. Jiangying. It’s alright now.”

She picked her up, moving as fluidly as drifting clouds, and glided over to the window. Turning over, they both plunged into the lake.

The lake water extinguished the flames on Li Jiangying’s body. They sank deeper and deeper, their long hair spreading out in the water. The underwater shadows were like ghosts. Li Jiangying felt suffocated. She began to struggle, wanting to swim upward.

But Li Yueying held her tightly. She mouthed something silently near her ear, then pressed a hand against the back of Li Jiangying’s head, watching her serenely.

Powerless, Li Jiangying opened her mouth. A string of bubbles escaped. Li Yueying suddenly smiled. Leaning in, she pressed her icy lips to hers.

A liquid—fishy-sweet and mixed with a bizarre fragrance—slid down Li Jiangying’s throat. At the same time, a hand covered her eyes. Darkness descended. The pain gradually faded away. Li Jiangying’s consciousness sank into a haze…

Splash.

A dripping wet, ghostly figure emerged from the lake. She had long black hair and a mottled pink and black, eerily dull snake tail. Lying horizontally in her arms was a person. Quietly, she swam into the Star-Picking Tower.

On the third floor, the flames on the ground had been extinguished by Zhu Yue. She stood where she was, her expression unreadably dark.

Hearing the sound of scales scraping against the floor, she stumbled as she turned around. Zhu Yue frowned deeply and asked urgently, “Li Yueying, is that person in your arms truly a Descendant of the Divine Phoenix?!”

Li Yueying looked up at her. Her wet black hair clung to her pale cheeks. Her blood-red pupils reflected a cold, merciless light, yet seemed to hold countless tangled, unresolvable emotions. But without a doubt, every single one of those threads of thought was connected to the person in her arms.

The snake demon tilted her head, her lips curving slightly at Zhu Yue. It was as if she understood her words, or perhaps she didn’t.

For some reason, looking at this Li Yueying, Zhu Yue suddenly felt fear. Even when she’d seen her go mad all the time in the Moon Shadow Devil Palace, the feeling Li Yueying gave her then was nothing like this.

It was as if… as if the madness bred in darkness had been forged into a blade. A lunatic was terrifying enough, but far more frightening… was a lunatic with reason.

Zhu Yue instinctively took a step back.

But Li Yueying took the initiative to glide toward her.

“Li Yueying… what are you trying to do?” Zhu Yue held her own woozy head, gritting her teeth to stay alert as she questioned her.

“Shh. Don’t make a sound.” Li Yueying raised a single finger to her lips. She looked at Zhu Yue the same way one would look at a meaningless pebble.

Gently, Li Yueying laid Li Jiangying down. The sleeping woman’s clothes had been scorched ragged by the fire. Now soaked through, black and gray stains from the ash had spread into blotch after blotch, making her look utterly pathetic.

Li Yueying brushed aside her hair and placed a soft kiss near the corner of Li Jiangying’s lips. Then she straightened up and faced Zhu Yue.

“I remember you now.”

Zhu Yue let out a light laugh, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of resentment. “Only now you remember me? Li Yueying… what are you doing?”

Li Yueying was right before her, a pair of crimson eyes fixed intensely on her. She suddenly smiled. “You saw nothing just now. No fire. And no me.”

Zhu Yue was about to demand what she meant by that. She then saw the ghostly snake demon before her suddenly open her mouth wide, revealing eerily white, ferocious fangs aimed directly at her.

Unaware, the sky had grown dark. Jiang Sujin was sprawled over a table. A book lay open before her. She held a blank notebook and pen, copying rapidly. Only when she finished writing the last character did she put down her pen with satisfaction, rub her eyes, and stretch.