Chapter 74
Translator: Raven
Editor: Aeonsiac
Bai Yang let out a breath, saying: “Okay, I’ll accept the gifts. Go back and tell His Highness that I didn’t take what happened last night to heart.”
Heheh, so he knows to apologize?
Then can he stop being so overbearing?
“Is Lord Xie not going to see what the gift is?” The old, white-bearded chamberlain asked.
Seeing as he asked, Bai Yang could only pretend to be interested, “Oh? What is it?”
The old man walked over to the chests, opening one of them. Bai Yang glanced at it and saw a small container of medicinal pills, and a few boxes of pearls.
Bai Yang didn’t need to increase his Qi, nor was he interested in pearls, so he simply glanced it over before facing the second chest.
The old man paid close attention to his expressions as he opened each chest, taking in each subtle change.
Bai Yang looked over all four chests, apart from the valuable jewels and cultivation elixirs, there was a sword that could cut iron as easily as metal. All very valuable treasures, but it wasn’t at all of interest to Bai Yang.
“Many thanks to His Highness.” Bai Yang half-heartedly said to the old man.
The old man respectfully bid farewell before turning to leave Xie Mansion. He quickly entered the Palace of Eternal Night, returning to the main hall to make his report.
The Demon King just happened to be free after finishing his work. Hearing of his return, he promptly summoned him in.
“What did he say?” The Demon King walked over to the old man from the throne.
The old man respectfully replied: “Lord Xie said, “Many thanks to His Highness.””
The Demon King continued to prod: “He didn’t say anything about loving the gifts?”
The old man shook his head.
A hint of disappointment showed in the Demon King’s eyes, with him asking again: “Then how did he react?”
“There was nothing out of the ordinary about Lord Xie’s expression.” The old man described the details to the Demon King one by one.
The Demon King listened attentively, thinking for a moment before saying: “Alright, I got it, you can go for now.”
The old man excused himself.
The Demon King of Eternal Night fell into his thoughts in the empty hall. From the old man’s descriptions, Xie Zetian had no interest in his gifts.
What now?
Maybe I should give him something else?
So he walked out of the main hall into his treasure storage.
At noon the next day, Bai Yang was at his residence deepening his relationship with Qing He. The main point was to find out more about the Demon King’s love life through her.
“The kind of people the Demon King liked in the past? I don’t know.”
“People he likes now?” I don’t know.”
“Has His Highness dated anyone before? I don’t know.”
Bai Yang: “……”
Facing the innocent Qing He with absolutely no idea what was going on, Bai Yang could only give up.
At this moment, Shifty-Eyes ran over: “Lord, His Highness sent you more gifts.”
Bai Yang was very surprised, “More gifts? What are they?”
“I don’t know, you can see for yourself, Sir.” Shifty-Eyes replied.
Bai Yang curiously went over to the hall, and saw that same old man standing there in the middle.
Seeing Bai Yang, the old man held up a small box and passed it over to him, “Lord Xie, His Highness picked this out of his treasury with the utmost care. He wishes for you to like it.”
Yesterday was a couple of chests, today was a small box with something unknown inside.
Bai Yang accepted it carefully, and saw that there was a protection spell around the box. After pressing his palm to it, the box opened automatically.
Inside lay a book, with “Demonic Secret Arts” written on it in big letters.
“Demonic Secret Arts”?
Bai Yang was a bit shocked, these were secret arts passed down through the Demon Lords. It wasn’t accessible to ordinary people, and it needed another Demon Lord’s cooperation to put into practice.
Hehe, trying to trick me into dual-cultivating with him again.
Bai Yang won’t fall for it.
He snapped the lid shut, returning the box to the old man with a blank face: “This Xie can’t accept a treasure like this, I ask you to return it to His Highness.”
He left the hall after speaking, full of suspicion. What is the Demon King trying to do?
The old man rushed back to the Palace of Eternal Night, and recounted Bai Yang’s reaction in full detail to the Demon King. After hearing this, the Demon King was very puzzled.
“You’re saying he looked somewhat angry?” If he didn’t like it then it is what it is, but the Demon King never would’ve thought he would be angry.
The Demon King of Eternal Night felt utterly defeated.
This was the first time he picked a gift for the one he liked with utmost sincerity, but he was rejected.
Valuable jewels, cultivation elixirs, secret arts…… He didn’t like any of them, so what does he like?
The Demon King of Eternal Night was at a complete loss.
This was one of the hardest questions he’d encountered ever since entering the Palace of Eternal Night four thousand years ago. It troubled him deeply. He considered dragging him over to the palace to ask, but was afraid of offending Bai Yang, afraid it would push him further and further away.
After all, for two hearts to beat as one in marriage, one must not force it. Although the Demon King was used to being overbearing, he at least understood this point.
The Demon King tossed and turned in bed all night thinking about this problem. He decided to look for outside help, and so he called over Hua Fei Hua to come up with a big plan together.
Hua Fei Hua thought something major had happened when he was suddenly called back to the Palace of Eternal Night. The meeting place was set for the garden. At the garden’s pavilion, he rushed up to ask: “What has Your Highness called his subordinate over for?”
The Demon King thought about how to bring it up.
With his silence, Hua Fei Hua’s mind ran wild——What could have happened in the Demon World for His Highness to be this worried?
Did Zhong Shuo’s side fail to suppress the ten borders?
Is some other Lord rebelling?
Or did something happen in the human world?
He summarized all the recent information in his head, realizing all was at peace in the demon world, and the human world seemed to be progressing smoothly. Nothing to be worried about.
Hua Fei Hua was a bit curious about what the Demon King wanted to say.
“Hua Fei Hua, I have something I want to ask.” The Demon King slowly began talking.
Hua Fei Hua immediately perked up, “Whatever Your Highness asks, this subordinate will answer truthfully.”
The Demon King tapped at the white jade table with a finger, with a cough, he began: “Let me ask you, if someone doesn’t like valuable jewels, doesn’t like cultivation elixirs, and also doesn’t like power, then what do you think he would like?”
Hua Fei Hua started, and asked himself why His Highness would ask him this. In the end he didn’t voice his concerns, thinking for a moment, he replied: “Maybe he likes beauties?”
“Beauties?” The Demon King tilted his head back, chin lowered in unhappiness. “No, he doesn’t like beauties。“
Hua Fei Hua was puzzled by his behavior, and became even more curious. He thought for a moment and said: “Maybe he wants to be known? Like being number one in the world or something……”
The Demon King frowned in thought, before shaking his head, “No, he doesn’t like that.”
He’s never seen Xie Zetian do anything for fame. In the year at the Palace of Eternal Night, all he did was eat and sleep. That cute way of wanting nothing and simply eating good food and waiting for death, there was no way he would care about power and reputation.
Hua Fei Hua couldn’t see through him, and questioned: “Then does he have any interests in his daily life? One is always pursuing something in life, even if it’s hidden well, there would still be a hint of something.”
The Demon King thought about it. Who knows what he thought of to make his face go slightly red a moment later. He coughed: “I think…… His only interest is me.”
Hua Fei Hua: “……”
Hua Fei Hua opened his mouth and “oh”ed.
The Demon King hmphed: “What do mean by ‘oh’, I never noticed any interest of his, only that his heart is really set on me.”
Hua Fei Hua: “……”
As the head of intelligence, his mind ran wild after getting over the initial shock, immediately catching on.
“Your Highness, the person you’re talking about, it can’t be Lord Xie right?” Hua Fei Hua asked carefully.
The Demon King was a bit surprised that he guessed right, and nodded after a moment of hesitation.
He wasn’t stupid, he could see that Bai Yang didn’t go around flaunting their relationship, but Hua Fei Hua already knew of them, so it wasn’t a big deal to tell him.
“……”
Hua Fei Hua opened and closed his mouth, then opened it again to speak: “Your Highness called me here today just to talk about how to gain Lord Xie’s favor?”
The Demon King nodded with a noise of affirment, looking at him in all seriousness.
“……” Hua Fei Hua didn’t know what to say.
Thinking back to the massive attacks on his mood these past few days, Hua Fei Hua suddenly wanted to cry out. He never would’ve thought that His Highness whom he loved so dearly would be stolen away by some unrestrained pig.
He didn’t know what was wrong with His Highness either, to be so blind as to fall for someone like Xie Zetian. Now he even spent this much effort worrying over how to gain his favor.
The sky has no eyes!
The sky has no eyes!
A storm raged inside of Hua Fei Hua, with a face full of sorrow he said, “Your Highness……”
“I’m asking you a question.” The Demon King raised an eyebrow.
Heheh.
Hua Fei Hua squashed down the rage inside him, he made up his mind——He would have His Highness see the truth behind Xie Zetian.
He knew His Highness had deep feelings towards Xie Zetian. If he forced things, it would have the opposite effect and create resentment towards himself. So he would wait for the opportunity for His Highness to find out for himself.
Seeing is believing, seeing something with your own eyes is ten thousand times better than having another person tell you.
“Your Highness.” Hua Fei Hua lowered his voice, “Lord Xie’s Qi is high and he’s powerful. He wouldn’t like any cultivation elixirs or secret arts. As the commander of the Imperial Guards, he’s under one person and above ten thousand and has great influence. I reckon he wouldn’t like influential power either. As for valuable jewels, Lord Xie would have seen them all already……”
“So you’re saying nothing can move him?” The Demon King was very disappointed.
“No.” Hua Fei Hua shook his head, “Can Your Highness put yourself in his shoes, would you like these things?”
The Demon King thought about it, then shook his head.
“Anything similar, Lord Xie wouldn’t like.” Hua Fei Hua said, “but I know something, something that both you and Lord Xie would like.”
“What is it?” It quickly piqued the Demon King’s interest, he leaned forward slightly and waited for Hua Fei Hua to continue.”
Hua Fei Hua eyes followed the Demon King closely, word by word he spoke: “There’s something called “Wealth is easy to obtain, but sincerity isn’t”. What you and Lord Xie would both like the most might be each other’s sincerity.”
The Demon King had his head propped up on his hand, like he was deep in thought.
Hua Fei Hua continued: “I know of a treasure that can convey Your Highness’ sincerity, an object called the Mirror of Reality. It is said that this mirror will reflect the world’s reality. If Your Highness were to treat it sincerely, and swear in front of Lord Xie that you guys will be together for a whole lifetime, Lord Xie would surely be very moved knowing that it was said with utmost sincerity.”
The Demon King moved the hand that his chin rested on and smiled, “That indeed is a good idea!”
“Your Highness, has Lord Xie ever talked to you about not wanting to be restricted around you?” Hua Fei Hua asked.
The Demon King shook his head, “He’s never said that.”
Hua Fei Hua was very shocked, and pondered over the fact that Xie Zetian surprisingly has never brought that up given his character.
The Demon King said: “Although he’s never said it out loud, I can tell that he doesn’t like to be constrained.”
Hua Fei Hua sighed in relief, “Your Highness, Lord Xie likes freedom, if you want to gain his favor, you can’t restrict him.”
“That won’t do.” The Demon King frowned, “If I go a day without seeing him I’ll feel uncomfortable, I haven’t seen him at all these few days and my whole body feels off.”
Hua Fei Hua cursed inwardly, what’s so good about this man-eating Xie Zetian? Making His Highness this set on you.
He took a deep breath and said: “Your Highness, you can’t always have your eye on him like this. Love is like sand, the harder you squeeze it the faster it flows.“
Hearing this, the Demon King listened attentively, “Then what should I do?”
“Set him free, let him go wherever he wants.” Hua Fei Hua said.
It was clear on the Demon King’s face that he didn’t agree.
“Your Highness need not worry, there is another treasure that I trust you will really like.” Hua Fei Hua said calmly.
“What treasure?”
“The South Sea Mermaid’s Pearl.”
“The South Sea Mermaid’s Pearl?”
Hua Fei Hua nodded, “It is said that the pearl is made by the princess of the Merpeople. Should the princess’ husband leave the South Sea, creating distance between the two, the princess will split the pearl into two halves. One half would be given to her husband, and the other half would be kept by herself. As long as she holds that half, she will be able to see what is happening to the holder of the other half.”
The Demon King relaxed his tensed muscles, “So you’re saying……”
“Your Highness would be able to allow him to walk free, but everything would still be in your control.” Hua Fei Hua hinted.
Heheh, with Xie Zetian’s personality, his true identity would be revealed in just a few days. With nobody watching, he would naturally go off and start attracting the attention of everyone. Then, His Highness would be able to see what he’s really like with the Mermaid’s Pearl.
If he could get the Mirror of Reality that would be even better. The Mirror is able to see through lies. So long as Xie Zetian tells a lie, His Highness would know, and then he’ll understand just what kind of person Xie Zetian is, and would naturally stay away from him.
Hua Fei Hua calculated all this in his mind selfishly.
The Demon King was moved as expected, opening his mouth: “Where are these two treasures located?”
“If Your Highness doesn’t mind, this subordinate is willing to help in this area.” Hua Fei Hua said.
“Alright, then you’re responsible for these two objects.” The Demon King stood up and patted Hua Fei Hua’s shoulder.
Hua Fei Hua was very satisfied.
The Demon King was also very pleased.
They both got what they wanted and were perfectly content. Hua Fei Hua was about to set off, but the Demon King suddenly spoke: “……One more thing.”
The Demon King shifted his line of sight, expression off.
Hua Fei Hua asked: “What else does Your Highness need? There’s no harm in asking.”
The Demon King expression changed for a moment, like he’d make up his mind, he leaned over and asked quietly: “……How do I improve my technique?”
Hua Fei Hua didn’t understand, staring in confusion.
Knowing he didn’t understand, the Demon King lowered his voice and explained: “We did that twice, both times he passed out and said my technique was bad after waking……”
He coughed and asked embarrassedly: “I just wanted to ask, how do I improve my technique regarding that?”
Hua Fei Hua: “……”
He was shocked!
The Demon King’s words gave him quite a bit of information.
He blanked out for a moment, before quietly seeking confirmation, “Your Highness, forgive me for asking but, who’s on top and who’s on the bottom?”
The Demon King stared at him in doubt, “Of course I’m on top and he’s on the bottom. Is there a problem?”
Hua Fei Hua: “……”
He suddenly felt like he just dug a hole for someone with his two suggestions.
But you can’t blame him, it was Xie Zetian’s fault for creating that misunderstanding, making him think that Xie Zetian was the one that stole away His Highness.
He stared at the Demon King’s thirst for knowledge and forced out: “Your Majesty, I have books of “18 Positions for Men” and “100 Ways to Hit the Spot”, would you like to see?”
“……Yes!”
At the faraway mansion, Bai Yang felt a shiver down his spine. Turning around, he only saw the wall of his study, and faced back to the geographical records of the demon world he was looking through.
He was looking for the appearance pattern of the connection between the demon world and human world. You needed to pass through a tunnel that was controlled by the people in order to go to the human world. It was very inconvenient, if only there was a private tunnel that could be used.
These days he had locked himself in his room to research this question, he had no idea that his disguise as a top in front of Hua Fei Hua had been exposed, and that he’d also been dug a hole.
The thing he was worried about now was that the Demon King only gave him half a year’s time. After half a year he would be forced into becoming the Demon Queen, and his freedom would be greatly restricted, unable to freely travel between the two worlds.
If there was any way to find another tunnel, then he will try every possible method to secretly sneak out.
Unfortunately, he and Xiao Ling searched for days in this room without finding anything of use.
While he was deep in research, someone knocked on the door. Bai Yang opened it to see Qing He.
Qing He would never disturb him unnecessarily, something must have happened.
“Is something wrong?”
Qing He hesitated before speaking softly: “His Highness told me to ask you, when will you remove all of the concubines?”
Bai Yang startled slightly, he’d almost forgotten about this.
Coming back to his senses, he muttered to himself and realized it wasn’t like he couldn’t.
Might as well let them go.
Having so many people under the same roof, and the fact that they kept trying to climb into his bed, he’s also very annoyed.
So he replied: “I’d forgotten.”
He called out towards the door: “Call the housekeeper over.”
A moment later, the shifty-eyed housekeeper trotted over, asking in a flattery tone: “The Lord has called?”
Bai Yang had both hands behind his back, nodding seriously, “Yes.”
“What has the Lord called me for?”
Bai Yang started slowly: “Call all the concubines over, I want to let them go.”
“Let them go?!” Shifty-eyes’ eyes went wide in disbelief, like he just heard something unfathomable.
“That’s right.” Bai Yang was still serious.