He stubbornly activated his Glazed Sword Heart.
And so it went: igniting, extinguishing, igniting, extinguishing...
Over and over, in an endless cycle.
Most importantly, each ignition lasted less time than the last.
Until finally...
No matter how he urged his Glazed Sword Heart into motion, his Sword Heart no longer responded. It proved how unsettled his heart had become.
So unsettled that he could no longer maintain his composure.
It was like a lake.
No matter how still a lake was, a single pebble tossed into it would send ripples spreading across its surface.
Calming those ripples was no simple matter.
"My cultivation is still lacking."
Ye Qinghong sighed.
Without the aid of his Glazed Sword Heart, he could no longer maintain that detached, observing stance.
As the scenes in his mind grew increasingly intense and absurd.
He clenched his fists, and a veil of mist seemed to cloud his cool eyes, hazy and confused.
Even his breathing grew heavy.
With a muffled grunt, he drew his sword and rose.
He began practicing his sword art in the darkness.
Graceful as a startled swan, sinuous as a roaming dragon.
Fallen leaves swirled through the bamboo grove.
Yet his swordplay gradually grew disordered,
Radiating wave after wave of killing intent.
He could neither shut them off nor ignore them, no matter how he tried to distract himself.
Those scenes were branded into his mind, impossible to shake off.
Most importantly, the person in those scenes had far too much stamina.
There was not a moment's pause.
Even his breathing grew increasingly erratic, his gaze increasingly unfocused.
In the end, he could no longer even wield his sword.
Only when dawn approached.
Did those outrageous scenes gradually shatter.
Without a moment's hesitation, he flew straight toward the Back Mountain Hot Spring.
Chapter 16: Bird's nest soup
The spring water rippled on the back mountain.
The Demon Cult's hot spring was enormous, almost comparable to a small lake.
Ye Qinghong rarely came here, usually bathing in a wooden tub at his own residence.
But today, the moment he arrived, he leaped straight into the lake and submerged his entire head.
Only then did the agitation in his heart subside considerably.
At Wutong Courtyard, Fang Yang had already left.
Some breakfast dishes sat on the table.
They were still steaming.
The room was still the same disheveled mess.
And its occupant was still disheveled and despondent.
The Princess Consort lay on the bed, her face flushed, unable to move even a finger.
The young maid stood beside the bed, watching her anxiously.
"Last night?"
"The same."
The young maid bit her lip as she answered, keeping it brief.
Her meaning was simple: everything had happened exactly as it had the night before last.
Utterly dejected, the Princess Consort lay in bed for a long time before finally recovering a little strength.
With the young maid's support, she struggled upright.
That fiend!
He's gone too far!
She staggered over to the table, only then noticing the breakfast dishes set out on it.
It was so early. The young maid had spent the entire night lying beneath the bed, and dawn had only just broken.
She could not possibly have had time to cook.
"Who brought this?"
"The D-Demon Venerable."
Ling'er answered cautiously.
Those words made the Princess Consort's phoenix eyes widen in a glare.
"What is this supposed to mean? Does he think he can win me over with some lousy breakfast? In his dreams."
She snorted coldly.
"Ling'er, throw all of this out and feed it to the dogs."
"But, Princess Consort... you haven't eaten yet. And this is bird's nest soup. You might need something to restore your strength."
The young maid's voice grew softer and softer.
But she was only thinking of the Princess Consort's well-being.
They had lived in Wutong Courtyard for the past three years. Though their days were peaceful, life was inevitably rather austere.
They rarely had the chance to eat bird's nest soup like this.
"Nonsense. I don't need to restore anything, and I certainly won't eat his food. It's a matter of principle."
The Princess Consort's expression was icy. Under her intimidating gaze, the young maid had no choice but to carry the bird's nest porridge outside.
There were no dogs, but there was a White Snow Lion Cat. The bird's nest soup could go to the Lion Cat instead.
The Lion Cat had covered its ears with its paws all night, and was now meowing resentfully.
Its cries were like tearful complaints.
Only when it saw the Princess Consort having the bird's nest soup brought over did it stop meowing, ready to savor the food at its leisure.
The next moment...
"Wait!"
"Bring it back."
"???"
The White Snow Lion Cat raised its head, utterly bewildered, only to watch the bird's nest soup that had belonged to it being carried back.
Then the Princess Consort picked up a spoon and began eating in great mouthfuls.
"Why shouldn't I eat it?"
"That fiend owes me so much. This is merely the interest. I should eat as much as I can and eat him into poverty."
As she spoke, she kept bringing the spoon to her mouth.
Before long, she had finished a bowl of bird's nest soup. Of the two remaining bowls, she gave one to the White Snow Lion Cat and pushed the other in front of Ling'er.
"Eat. Thank you for your hard work last night."
"I-it was nothing. You're the one who suffered, Princess Consort."
The young maid's eyes reddened. She looked at the bird's nest soup, reluctant to eat it.
After all...
This was compensation for the Princess Consort being mistreated.
That fiend was truly awful.
After finishing a bowl of bird's nest soup, the Princess Consort held the cat and reclined lazily on the bed. Only after resting for quite some time did she set off toward the back mountain.
Her legs felt weak the entire way.
She walked in fits and starts, taking a long time to arrive.
The Lion Cat followed her all the while, seemingly intending to bathe as well.
The Princess Consort felt rather guilty and uneasy about it, even wondering how she might make it up to the cat a little.
After all...
Her behavior over the past two days really had been rather excessive.
Dawn had broken, though the sky was still dim.
Layers of thin mist drifted above the hot spring.
Before you continue