Chapter 089: The Immortal Lord Falls to Darkness

The reason Murong Qingyi dared not return to Yan City a month ago was not only due to fear, but also because two matters were at the height of public attention: the disappearance of the four immortal masters from the Seven Star Sect and the rumored successor of Yu Muqiu. Cultivators poured into Yan City, drawn by these scandals, and Murong Qingyi, feeling guilty, could not bring herself to return during such tumult. As time passed and the so-called Yu Muqiu successor failed to appear, and there was no news of the missing immortals, interest waned, and the flow of cultivators diminished.

Recently, a greater scandal had shaken the cultivation world: the illustrious Immortal Lord Huayao was rumored to have fallen into demonic ways, massacring over a hundred of his fellows in Xianyu Sect. The vast army of gossiping cultivators flocked to Xianyu Sect, eager for the latest spectacle. Most cultivators eventually hit bottlenecks in their cultivation and cannot progress, leaving them idle and ready to join the crowds chasing after drama.

Thus, because the incident at Xianyu Sect drew away those who loved a spectacle, Yan City regained its former serenity, and Murong Qingyi finally dared return.

Even so, as she entered Yan City, anxiety gnawed at her heart. She walked with her head lowered, silently pleading, "Sang He, please do not kill recklessly here. I beg you, control yourself!" She knew the sword could sense her thoughts, so she believed it would understand her silent plea.

Upon her return, Murong Qingyi hurried straight to the Murong estate, hoping to find news from her mother in Luocheng.

Murong Qingyi's mother, Murong Xue, was the daughter of the current patriarch Murong Xiao. However, Murong Xue had concealed her love affair with a demonic cultivator from her father, eventually eloping and giving birth to Murong Qingyi. Later, the demonic cultivator was slain by a family enemy, and Murong Xue and her daughter were discovered and brought back by the Murong clan. Murong Qingyi was only seven at the time.

Murong Xue, born to an immortal family, had committed a grave sin by engaging with a demonic cultivator. Murong Xiao despised her, punished her with fifty lashes of the thunder whip in public, and placed her under house arrest. Murong Qingyi, as the daughter of Murong Xue and a demonic cultivator, became a stain on the clan, enduring endless humiliation and scorn, allowed to visit her mother only once a year.

Murong Jingtian and Murong Jingliu's father was Murong Li, while Murong Jing was merely Murong Li's adopted daughter. Murong Li, Qingyi's maternal uncle, was spiteful and small-minded. He resented that his niece's cultivation surpassed that of his precious sons. Murong Qingyi knew this well and never dared to display her true power at the clan's martial tournaments, repeatedly feigning defeat to Jingtian and Jingliu.

Now, she was willing to let Jingtian and the others treat her as a servant, only so that Murong Li and his ilk might show a little mercy to her imprisoned mother.

Yet this time, upon returning, Murong Qingyi received devastating news from Murong Jing: "Your mother is dead. The patriarch wished to keep it quiet and buried her in secret. Before her death, your mother left you a letter, which the patriarch sent here yesterday. Since you weren't home, the letter was given to Murong Jingtian for safekeeping."

The blow hit Murong Qingyi like a thunderbolt. She had endured years of hardship for the sake of her mother's peace. Now, with her mother gone, the pillar supporting her life had collapsed. Yet, at the same time, she was freed—no one could bind her anymore. In that moment, the seed of vengeance was quietly planted in her heart.

She knew well that her mother's death was not caused by anyone else, but by the Murong clan itself. The elders, seeking to punish Murong Xue for her forbidden love, decreed she be subjected to brutal lightning punishment each year, which slowly ruined her health.

Murong Qingyi bit her lip until it bled, swearing silently that one day, she would force the entire Murong clan to answer for her mother's death.

The black choker around her neck seemed to sense the hatred brewing within her, pulsating with a faint dark glow. Murong Jing, busy admiring her new jewelry, noticed nothing of these subtle changes in Qingyi.

"Where is Murong Jingtian? I need to retrieve my mother's letter from him," Qingyi asked coldly, showing no outward sign of grief.

Murong Jing was surprised; she had expected Murong Qingyi to collapse in tears upon hearing her mother's death.

"Murong Jingtian and some clan scions went out hunting. They'll be gone several days," Murong Jing replied.

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know. Just wait in the city for his return."

"Very well. I will wait." With that, Murong Qingyi turned and left the Murong estate.

...

The next day, at dawn—equivalent to five o'clock in the morning—before the sky brightened, Song Ye dragged Qin Xuanxi up onto the rooftop to await the sunrise. As expected, a woman of Qin Xuanxi's caliber hardly needed sleep; the moment he knocked, she opened the gate.

Song Ye mused that someone like Qin Xuanxi, a great demon cultivator, only needed rest when suffering from severe internal wounds. Like the time he had brought a gravely injured Qin Xuanxi home, her only concern had been to sleep in his room.

Since the sun had not risen yet, Song Ye sought to fill the silence. "Young lady, this is my first time marrying. I know little of what to do, so please correct me if I make mistakes."

He had never imagined he would marry in this world.

Qin Xuanxi pursed her lips. "It is my first time as well, so... I am just as clueless."

She had lived over three centuries and never dreamed she would one day marry, let alone wed a mortal. Though she did so under the identity of Li Qingyu, daughter of the Duke of Xiang, it was an experience she would remember for the rest of her life.