The youth had heard many similar stories; they were usually summed up by four words: 【love, hate, and sorrow】.
A genius girl of the Demon Abyss was taken in by a mortal demon in her youth.
Affection grew in secret.
Breaking through worldly prejudice, they finally became a couple on an unknown night.
After a ten-year pregnancy,
The night she gave birth to a daughter,
The entire clan was enraged.
Then, they sought to bury the matter to avoid being spurned by the world.
They killed the mortal demon and intended to kill the child as well.
Motherhood makes one strong.
Especially when Jin Qing was already a powerful demon god?
She made the same choice as her mother but walked a completely different path.
Xu Xian thought the story must have gone something like that...
With just a few concise words, the youth had summarized her past.
Jin Qing was momentarily lost in her memories, unable to pull herself away.
"Yes..."
"They wanted him dead,"
"He told me not to seek revenge for him,"
"Because he wanted me to live..."
"But what did the child do wrong?"
"They told me to abandon her to preserve the Jin family's reputation..."
"A mortal demon and a heavenly demon being together—this is a sin, a heinous sin!"
"Heh,"
"I've experienced it—wandering, displacement, hardship. It was truly bitter. I've tasted that bitterness, and I didn't want her to taste it too. So, I killed them. I killed them all. Not a single one left..."
"Weren't they afraid of people finding out?"
"If I killed them all, then no one would know..."
"....."
The woman's voice grew increasingly excited, a hint of madness brewing in her eyes.
Xu Xian listened.
He knew clearly that he had guessed correctly.
And Jin Qing's subsequent explanation indeed confirmed his thoughts.
Actually, the reasoning was not that complicated.
It was simply because, in the Demon Abyss, bloodline theory reigned supreme over everything else.
Was Jin Qing wrong?
Love was not wrong.
Was the Jin family wrong?
Perhaps.
But being born in the Demon Abyss, bloodline theory was the law of survival and inheritance for the heavenly demon race.
They had no reason not to uphold it—they did in the past, and they still did now...
This concept had been passed down for tens of thousands of years; how could it be changed overnight because of one person or one event?
"Back then,"
"The demon sovereign protected me. Everyone said he thought highly of me. What a joke. He just felt that I was a useful blade."
"The Heavenly Demon Court pardoned me, yet they all acted so reluctant."
"Laughable,"
"When the Jin family was wiped out, which of them didn't gorge themselves until they were bloated with wealth?"
"Lei Yunche rampaged through the Demon Abyss, the demon sovereign fell, and out of hundreds of demon gods, only twelve remained. The Nether Capital was left leaderless, so they nominated me as the High Priest to rule the Demon Abyss."
"They seemed to submit on the surface, but when have they ever truly accepted me in private?"
"It was all just the best choice after weighing the pros and cons."
"They just happened to need someone, and I just happened to be suitable..."
"Some people accept their fate, but I refuse to. I want to change the Demon Abyss, to change these worldly prejudices."
"I want my love to be able to stand openly before others..."
"I want the demon race to one day be able to stand under the sun..."
She stopped speaking and looked up at the star-filled river, letting out a long sigh.
"Four thousand years,"
"It really feels like a dream..."
Xu Xian didn't know what to say. After composing himself, he only uttered two words.
"My condolences."
Jin Qing glanced at him and suddenly smiled. "It's in the past. It doesn't matter much anymore."
Xu Xian didn't say a word. He simply took out another jar of God-Demon Drunk and opened it.
Did Jin Qing just tell a story?
Xu Xian didn't quite understand.
He didn't understand why Jin Qing would talk about her past with him... These things didn't seem to have anything to do with him.
However,
Xu Xian didn't believe Jin Qing had mentioned it on a whim.
He also didn't think they had become such close confidants that she would pour her heart out to him.
So...
What was the point of saying all this?
Was she seeking sympathy?
The youth truly couldn't hear any subtext.
After finishing her story, Jin Qing briefly calmed her thoughts and paced over to sit in front of Xu Xian. Her gaze was deep and focused, her tone intriguing.
"Your turn."
Xu Xian was stunned. "What?"
Jin Qing said, "My story is finished. In exchange, you should tell yours."
Xu Xian smiled and said calmly, "Didn't I say it long ago? In my youth, I was a wanderer. I fell off a cliff, met an immortal, and learned divine arts..."
"That's the story of Bai Mang."
"Exactly."
Jin Qing stared straight at him and said word by word, "The story I want to hear is the story of Xu Xian."
Xu Xian set the wine jar on the table and met her gaze, stubbornly saying, "The story of Xu Xian? Then you'll have to ask him."
"I am asking him right now," Jin Qing said as if it were only natural.
The two of them stared at each other under the bright moonlight and the gentle evening breeze.
For a long time.
Xu Xian thought to himself that his suspicions were confirmed...
He picked up the wine jar again and took another sip. Feeling a bit tipsy, a faint flush appeared on his cheeks as he asked indifferently, "When did you find out?"
Jin Qing took control of the conversation, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Not long ago."
It was indeed quite recent.
"How did you find out?" Xu Xian asked one more question.
Jin Qing said softly, "Many things piled together didn't seem reasonable. It wasn't until outside the Blazing Fortress, when the Wendao Sword Sect stepped in to protect you, that I realized. A million Shadow Soul Stones, your breakthrough to the seventh stage coinciding with frost in midsummer at the Wendao Sword Sect, and now your breakthrough to the eighth stage coinciding with spring in autumn... So, it wasn't that hard to guess, was it?"
Xu Xian thought silently. If everything was linked together, there were indeed many coincidences. It was only natural she could guess it.
It could only be said that Jin Qing was not a fool.
Xu Xian raised his wine to toast Jin Qing and smiled with relief. "We're even."
Years ago, in Vagrant Alley, Xu Xian had seen through Jin Qing's identity.
Today, in the Nether Hall, Jin Qing had torn off Xu Xian's disguise.
One for one.
A match for each other.
A bitter smile hung on the corner of Jin Qing's mouth as she looked away.
She didn't feel happy or excited because she had exposed Xu Xian; instead, she felt a sense of melancholy.
Even though she was already certain,
Even though she already knew,
She couldn't deny that before hearing Xu Xian admit it personally, she still held onto a glimmer of hope.
She had hoped countless times that she was right, yet she cared deeply about whether she was.
Because being right was important.
But this time,
She hoped she was wrong, yet she was right.
The youth's personal admission shattered her last bit of hope.
The new king of the Demon Abyss, Young Lord Bai Mang—their pride, their hope, and even their new faith—was actually Xu Xian of the Wendao Sword Sect?
How absurd.
How ridiculous.
She should have guessed it sooner, but she would rather have never guessed it at all.
After his frank admission, Xu Xian got straight to the point. "So? What do you want to do? Kill me? Or..."
Jin Qing shook her head. "Kill you? If it were before, I might have been able to, and I might have done it."
"And now?" Xu Xian asked with interest.
Jin Qing took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, saying with resignation, "The heart is willing, but the strength is lacking."
Xu Xian nodded in agreement. "That is indeed the truth." He added a word of praise, "You are indeed very clever, and a rational leader."
It was undeniable.
The reason Xu Xian dared to admit it so openly was not because of their good relationship or his trust in her, but simply because he was strong enough now.
The High Priest could do nothing to him, and neither could the twelve demon gods together.
Jin Qing suddenly said, "Young Lord."
"Hmm?"
Jin Qing proposed, "Let's make a deal."
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