Chapter 36: Homecoming

Unbeknownst to them, they had already spent thirty days in the secret realm.

It was time to leave. The harvest had been bountiful.

But that also meant parting with the little puppet, Wei Xuan.

Chu Ge couldn’t bear leaving the child alone here. He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you… want to come with us?”

But Wei Xuan shook his head without hesitation. He refused.

“I’m going to stay here and wait for my parents to come back. I won’t go anywhere.”

Chu Ge’s lips moved. He wanted to say they wouldn’t return, but he just couldn’t bear it. Keeping hope alive in his heart was better than forcing him to accept that brutal truth.

So, he said nothing more.

Su Zhuozhi and the others each gave the child a gift. Su Zhuozhi had the most toys, and Wei Xuan loved them. He hugged Su Zhuozhi and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

But in the next second, he was pulled away by Xie Jue, who wore a dark expression.

Finally, Wei Xuan saw them off.

Su Zhuozhi looked back and saw the little puppet waving his short arms with all his might, his smile bright and lovely. In a crisp voice, he said, “Bye-bye, Daddies! I’m really happy to have known you. Come see me again!”

“Okay.”

Su Zhuozhi’s eyes curved, and he waved back to him.

On the way back, Nie Kai was still brooding over the image he saw in the cave. His heart was burning with indignation. He clenched his fists and said, “If it weren’t for the demon lord, those two seniors wouldn’t have sacrificed themselves, and Wei Xuan wouldn’t be alone. Demonic cultivators are truly detestable. I wish I could kill them all!”

Chu Ge sighed, feeling quite in agreement, but he still had a shred of rationality left in his mind. “Of course the demon lord deserves to die, but not all demonic cultivators are bad. There are those who do evil deeds, but there are also those who are kind-hearted and good.”

“Good people?” Nie Kai didn’t believe it. He turned to Su Zhuozhi to see which side he was on. “Do you think demonic cultivators can be good people?”

Su Zhuozhi was thinking about going with Xie Jue to see a medical cultivator and didn’t hear clearly at first. After a moment, he belatedly replied, “Probably… not.”

Based on what he had seen on the recording stone, those demonic cultivators were generally as black as could be. They followed the demon lord almost fanatically, disregarding everything for their own benefit, with plenty of blood on their hands.

“Exactly! Who would want to associate with demonic cultivators? They’re all disgusting, vicious, and utterly despicable scum.” Nie Kai’s spittle flew as he cursed vehemently.

Su Zhuozhi nodded in agreement. Then, noticing Xie Jue’s gaze beside him, he asked casually, “You think so too, right?”

Xie Jue, who was himself a demonic cultivator and had recently succeeded to the position of Demon Lord, paused for a moment. Then, without changing his expression, he nodded. “Mm.”

He calmly cursed all demonic cultivators, including himself.

However, he had never killed indiscriminately. The demon cultivators and rogue cultivators who had died by his hands had all committed crimes; they were far from innocent. Among the demonic cultivators that the young master despised, he was absolutely not included. He had nothing to do with that demon lord who had been sealed five hundred years ago.

That said, Xie Jue had never mentioned this matter. He was considering how to bring it up so that the young master wouldn’t resist or resent him. Or perhaps, he would keep it a secret for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to see a trace of disgust in Su Zhuozhi’s eyes.

Xie Jue said, as if casually, “Speaking of which, Young Master, do you know? That cultivator who was used as a substitute—he developed a heart demon, killed his own senior brother with his own hands, and ruined his master’s spiritual root.”

Su Zhuozhi was shocked. “What? Yan Ruishi? He fell into demonhood?!”

Chu Ge and Nie Kai also looked incredulous.

Xie Jue nodded. “The Tianyan Sect wanted to suppress the news, but it has already spread. Their sect has declared that they will hunt down this demon who betrayed his sect and committed heinous crimes.”

Because the young master was concerned about these matters, Xie Jue paid attention to such news. He didn’t expect it to come in handy now.

Chu Ge had also interacted with Yan Ruishi before. He simply couldn’t believe that such a thing could happen. He quickly opened a light mirror to check. Beside him, Xie Jue was telling Su Zhuozhi the whole story.

Yan Ruishi had given a large sum of spirit stones, intending to sever ties with his sect. But he hadn’t expected that his gentle master, who had once cared for him, would completely change his face. He went back on his word and, even after receiving the spirit stones, still wouldn’t let go of Yan Ruishi’s golden core, wanting to forcibly take it. Yan Ruishi, who had held onto a sliver of hope, completely collapsed. He went mad and fought them with the determination to take them down with him, nearly dying. At the critical moment, the magic tool Su Zhuozhi had given him saved his life. The resentment in his heart attracted a demon, and his cultivation surged instantly. He killed them in one fell swoop and then fell into the demon realm.

“No way? Didn’t the Tianyan Sect act unjustly first? How can they have the face to hunt down Yan Ruishi?” Su Zhuozhi was deeply shocked. The Tianyan Sect’s shamelessness once again challenged his worldview.

Xie Jue curled his lips. “Being a demon is already a sin. No matter what he did before or what his motives were, it doesn’t matter.”

These words made Su Zhuozhi waver. “But that doesn’t mean every demonic cultivator is bad. At least Yan Ruishi doesn’t count, right?”

A look of anger appeared on Chu Ge’s face. He felt it was such a waste for Yan Ruishi. He nodded vigorously. “Serves them right! And that so-called ‘moonlight’ is disgusting as well. He wanted to take Yan Ruishi’s golden core, and now it’s gone. He’ll be stuck with that sickly body, and who knows how long he’ll live!”

It was rare for someone so shy and reserved to get angry. However, despite his hatred for demonic cultivators, Yan Ruishi was indeed an exception. He was an innocent and kind-hearted good person. Under the circumstances, anyone would have done the same.

Xie Jue stared at Su Zhuozhi and asked, “So, do you think that if someone is evil and extremely vicious, you wouldn’t want to associate with them?”

Su Zhuozhi shook his head, pondering. “Regardless of whether it’s the righteous path or the demonic path, there is good and evil in both. We shouldn’t judge based on a single label. Take those few masters and disciples, for example—they were hypocritical and selfish, even more detestable than demonic cultivators.”

Xie Jue got the answer he wanted. A trace of smile flickered in his eyes. He said contentedly, “Young Master and I think alike.”

Regarding the Tianyan Sect incident, as disciples from another sect, it was impossible for them to get involved. After hearing about it, they could only continue with their own lives.

Su Zhuozhi went to visit his master to ask about some doubts regarding the swordsmanship he had encountered in the secret realm. But his master was in seclusion, and his senior brother Qin Zhao was nowhere to be found—seemed very busy.

Su Zhuozhi had to go back and figure it out on his own.

But before that, of course, he kept his promise made in the secret realm and first accompanied Xie Jue to see a medical cultivator.

Xie Jue was a man of few words. Su Zhuozhi was uneasy, so he talked with the medical cultivator himself to avoid any concealing of illness and delay in detoxification. He detailed Xie Jue’s unusual condition at that time and asked many questions, such as whether the poison would harm his body, if it would recur, where it came from, how to prevent it, and so on.

He wore out the medical cultivator, who said helplessly, “You don’t need to worry so much. I’ve examined him carefully. His body is in excellent condition; there’s nothing wrong with him. I’ve never seen a healthier patient.”

“Really? Not even a trace of toxin left?”

Su Zhuozhi was slightly startled. “…Ah? Of course not.”

Xie Jue wore a faint smile that was hardly noticeable. He loved seeing Su Zhuozhi care about him. Hearing this misunderstanding at this moment made his heart skip a beat. Naturally, he wouldn’t deny it. If he were to be honest, his demonic energy was practically wagging like a dog’s tail in excitement.

The medical cultivator watched the two of them walk away side by side—one tall, one short. The fox-eared young man was talking, while the other listened intently with his head bowed. The atmosphere was so harmonious that there was no room for a third person. He couldn’t help muttering softly, “You say it’s not? Young people are shy and embarrassed to admit it, huh?”

When they returned to their residence, Su Zhuozhi’s first order of business was to take a proper bath. For those thirty days in the secret realm, he had only used cleansing spells, and it always felt like he hadn’t really bathed.

After a full half-hour, he came out lazily, surrounded by hazy mist, his cheeks flushed a delicate pink—like a sweet, juicy peach, so tender it made one want to take a bite.

Xie Jue watched for a while, then walked over with a dry towel, intending to help him dry his hair. But Su Zhuozhi found it troublesome and simply used spiritual power to dry it.

Su Zhuozhi yawned, waved his hand, and said, “I’m going to take a nap. You should rest too.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the canopy bed.

Xie Jue stared unblinkingly at his retreating back, his lips pressed tightly together, his eyes darkening. He seemed to be barely restraining himself from doing something, but he forcefully suppressed it, not wanting to scare him.

But before long, the receding footsteps returned, quickly walking back toward Xie Jue.

Su Zhuozhi said uneasily, “No, I still need to confirm one more time.”

Xie Jue hadn’t yet understood what he meant when he saw the person he had been longing for day and night come running over and, without hesitation, sit down on his lap.

In that instant, his pupils constricted sharply, and his breathing and heartbeat seemed to stop.

What… does this mean?

Xie Jue’s mind went blank, as if countless thoughts were flashing through it.

Could it be that he wanted Su Zhuozhi so badly that he was starting to hallucinate?

But then, Su Zhuozhi’s actions exceeded his imagination.

A slender, fair hand rested on his shoulder, while the other hand loosened the collar of his clothes, revealing a long, jade-white neck. Su Zhuozhi asked, “Do you want to bite?”

The blindingly white skin was right before his eyes. The faint sweet scent emanating from the young master lingered at the tip of his nose. All he had to do was lower his head slightly, and he could kiss, lick, and bite to his heart’s content, tasting all that he craved.

Su Zhuozhi had always been worried about his poisoning. But Xie Jue felt that the sweet, fragrant scent on Su Zhuozhi’s body was the real poison. It tempted him every moment. One sniff would make him addicted; he could never leave, never let go.

Xie Jue felt a bit dizzy. A crack of desire tore open in the depths of his heart, becoming harder and harder to control. He froze for a moment, then slowly reached out a hand, about to wrap it around Su Zhuozhi’s waist…

But at that moment, Su Zhuozhi got up and left his embrace.

He said with a smile, “Looks like you’re really fine. You’re not going crazy anymore.”

With that, he turned around with peace of mind and walked away. His long black hair traced a curved arc through the air, brushing past Xie Jue’s fingertips and quickly receding—as if teasing, luring him in before slipping away, not giving any chance to catch it.

Xie Jue sat there. After a moment, he let out a low laugh.

Not going crazy?

Xie Jue lifted his head, his eyes fixed intently on Su Zhuozhi. His gaze was greedy and obsessive, like invisible chains that slowly climbed onto Su Zhuozhi’s body, coiling around like a snake.

Su Zhuozhi was completely unaware. He just had a dream.

A giant wolf, with glossy black fur and powerful limbs, appeared majestic and awe-inspiring.

But as soon as he made a move to step away, that wolf seemed provoked. It pounced fiercely, pinning him to the ground.

Su Zhuozhi trembled all over. He closed his eyes in fright, certain that he would be torn to pieces and devoured.

But after a long while, he still didn’t feel any pain.

Instead, a wet, slippery sensation brushed across his cheek. His eyelashes fluttering, he opened his eyes and found that it was the black wolf, licking him like a dog.

Su Zhuozhi was dumbfounded. Could he have been wrong? Was this not a fierce wolf but a gentle-tempered big dog?

But those dark, bloodshot beast eyes—no matter how you looked, they didn’t seem gentle.

Su Zhuozhi hesitated, trying to find an opportunity to escape. But as soon as he moved, he was pinned down even tighter, making him afraid to move again, fearing that a single paw might crush his insides.

At last, the black wolf stopped and loosened its grip slightly. Su Zhuozhi immediately seized the chance to get up and try to run again, but his legs were hooked by a powerful, large tail. He lost his footing and was forced to tumble onto the back of the ferocious wolf. It began to gallop swiftly with agile grace. Su Zhuozhi hurriedly grasped the fur on its neck to avoid being thrown off in the bumpy ride.

He managed to steady himself, but unlike riding a horse with a saddle, the wolf’s fur was coarse, rubbing his skin red.

In his dream, Su Zhuozhi rode the wolf all night. When he woke up, he even had the illusion of a slight stinging sensation on his skin, as if he were still racing across the grassland, unable to stop.

Su Zhuozhi lay in bed for a long time before he finally got up.

But his mood was still good.

Because it was time for a break—he could go home!

Su Zhuozhi was in high spirits. He took Xie Jue with him on the luxurious spirit boat he had bought, and they traveled smoothly all the way back to the capital, back to the Su residence.

“The young master is back!” The gatekeeper saw him, his eyes lit up, and he shouted joyfully.

Su Zhuozhi quickly dashed through the gate and ran into the mansion.

“Father, Mother, Brother, Grandmother—I missed you all so much!” Su Zhuozhi, like a young bird returning to the forest, threw himself into his mother’s arms.

Madam Su hugged him, her eyes reddening. She touched his head with affection. “Zhuozhuo, you must be tired. Let Mother make you something delicious.”

“Okay.” Su Zhuozhi nodded, his eyes full of dependence.

The entire Su family rejoiced at Su Zhuozhi’s return. They surrounded him, chattering and showing their care.

In the distance, Xie Jue stood alone in the shadow of a tree, quietly watching this scene.

He seemed so out of place.

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