Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 458 Emperors and Demons

Yuan Muyu didn't expect Lu Xingzhou to return so quickly after "handling business," and that he would come straight to her upon his return.

A surge of joy welled up within him, and he unexpectedly went to greet her, asking, "You're back?"

Ah Nuo blinked her eyes behind her.

This scene was just like a young wife waiting at home for her husband to return, something even Pei A-lu and Sister Yao had never experienced.

But Lu Xingzhou had once greeted Yuan Muyu like this, wheeling his wheelchair out of the house: "Sister is back?"

That fleeting interplay of light and shadow gave Ah Nuo a sense of profound change, making her realize how much she had grown up.

She's grown up quite a bit, and she's not much younger than Sister Fish anymore, haha. Turns out, adults are only that big after all.

Lu Xingzhou was also a little surprised, but he didn't say anything about it. He just said, "One of the important differences between you and your sister back then was that you thought the Great Qian Dynasty was not worth protecting?"

Yuan Muyu hummed in agreement: "For example, the Huo family oppressed the villagers and slaughtered your family, but they got away with it and rose to prominence... I didn't know about your case back then, but such things were common throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, and there were even more serious cases. Also, back then, there were already demons serving as officials, but there seems to be no difference between humans and demons here. They are just beasts enjoying the food of the emperor."

Lu Xingzhou suddenly questioned what he thought he knew about Yuan Muyu.

Because of our past interactions, we had never discussed our past. For example, I hadn't told her my name was Huo Qing, and I only found out her name was Ye Fuyao after going to the Tianyao Holy Land.

Although the controversy between the Ye sisters was triggered by a struggle over the Dao, their differing understandings of the Dao lead to more specific views on worldly affairs and disputes over the path and direction of the Tianyao Holy Land.

At the beginning of their business, Yuan Muyu had mentioned some disagreements with his family. Ye Tinglan had also mentioned some of them in Tianshuang Kingdom, but neither of them went into detail. Since the matter was not in front of him at that time, Lu Xingzhou would not ask about it in detail.

Looking at it now, although Yuan Muyu is extreme, she is actually more progressive than Ye Tinglan.

Seeing Lu Xingzhou's thoughtful expression, Yuan Muyu carefully observed his face and spoke somewhat cautiously: "I told you a long time ago that I wanted to kill a lot of people. Originally, it didn't refer to the general public, but to people like the Huo family, who could only be restored through slaughter. It's just that I was a bit more extreme back then, so I... so I killed more indiscriminately..."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

This isn't entirely Yuan Muyu's fault; he had his own factors. At that time, he was also full of resentment. The two demonic disciples hit it off immediately, never thinking about anything as noble as trampling on the bones of nobles. But then again, initially it was for "start-up capital," so naturally they targeted the local tyrants and bullies, robbing their wealth to help their own poor, definitely not the common people. And the result seems to have been pretty much the same.

On the contrary, after the assassin organization was established, they became even less selective, accepting any mission and doing whatever they could to offend, thus venturing deeper into the demonic path.

Yuan Muyu watched Lu Xingzhou's changing expression and whispered, "You... don't like this anymore, do you?"

Judging from Yuan Muyu's observations of Lu Xingzhou's actions over the past two years, he does seem to have lost much of his former hostility; the remaining resentment is entirely directed at the Huo family. His behavior seems to be increasingly similar to Ye Tinglan's…

"Uh, not exactly." Lu Xingzhou came to his senses and smiled. "So, when necessary, the Underworld is for you to rebel? To trample the bones of nobles and officials in the Heavenly Streets?"

Yuan Muyu shook her head: "I have no intention of rebelling, nor am I interested in the Great Qian Dynasty. But I want to prove something to Ye Tinglan—her appeasement and so-called supervision and interference are meaningless. She can only drag herself into the National Temple, turning herself from a hermit sect into a secular national teacher. A life of melancholy and stagnation on her path will be her only end. I told her back then that this was like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree, and that's the name I adopted after leaving home."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

I initially thought it was a rebellious girl who ran away from home; Ye Tinglan is such a good person, so the one who must be wrong is Yu. But looking at it this way, it turns out Yu's judgment was correct, which feels really strange...

Yu was not a young girl; she had always been a backbone genius of the Tianyao Holy Land and a strong contender for the next sect leader. In fact, it should be said that a cultivator overlooked the human world, accurately predicted her sister's future path, dismissed it as a futile endeavor, refused to associate with her, and went to forge another path for herself.

Yuan Muyu finally sighed: "But I never thought she would have you. After I learned that she stepped out of the Great Qian Dynasty and began to establish the Tianshuang Kingdom, I suddenly realized that although she was wrong, I was also narrow-minded. Is our controversy just a joke in your eyes?"

“Not exactly,” Lu Xingzhou finally spoke up. “People’s perspectives are always limited by their environment or by the times. Even the most outstanding people find it difficult to break free from these constraints. As for your dispute alone… I agree with you, and I still do now.”

Yuan Muyu's face lit up with surprise.

"It's been almost four years since I stepped back from the power of the Yama King's Palace, and there are some changes that I'm no longer aware of," Lu Xingzhou said calmly. "In these years, you've still been pushing forward with the original plan for the Ten Kings of Hell, and it seems you're still laying the groundwork for what you want to do... So, what's the current status?"

Yuan Muyu's light of surprise dimmed, and he said in a low voice, "I have set up a killing scheme based on the Great Qian Dynasty... At a certain time, I will simultaneously plot to kill the officials in the corresponding locations. At that time, the country will be stained with blood, the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty will collapse, and this will become the basis for my killing formation, to help my Qian Yuan Dynasty, this is the sacrifice of the mountains and rivers."

Lu Xingzhou's eyes widened. A Nuo dropped the sweet potato in her hand and forgot to swallow the bite she was taking.

As expected, he is the King of Hell, not a fish.

It seems that your initial struggle with your sister has changed; you have completely turned to demonic ways.

Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but ask, "You weren't afraid I'd object, were you?" Yuan Muyu whispered, "Yes, a little. I know you're actually very kind. I... I was afraid you'd end up hindering me, and Ji Wenchuan and the others... they listen to you more..."

Lu Xingzhou blurted out, "But back then, even if you asked me to kill everyone in the world, I would do it!"

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Ah Nuo subconsciously craned her neck, watching the expressions of the two with bated breath. What she was thinking most was that Sister Yao must activate her supernatural powers at this moment, or she would regret it.

Yuan Muyu grabbed Lu Xingzhou's sleeve: "Xingzhou, I know I was wrong..."

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Alright, let go."

Yuan Muyu didn't let go, but continued, "Xingzhou, at the time I thought, once I've done what I wanted to do, I can give you the entire Yama Palace... I'll just have to suffer for a few years, a few years will be fine... But I..."

"It doesn't matter who gets the Yama's Palace, what would I do with it?"

“I know, I know, you’re only angry about my attitude, but you’re even angrier about my legs,” Yuan Muyu said. “Long Qinghuang scolded me, saying I couldn’t empathize, but that’s not true… I…”

Even Ah Nuo couldn't help but ask, "What is that?"

Yuan Muyu did not answer this time.

Because it's actually harder to talk about.

If you marginalize him, you'll naturally be afraid he'll run away... How can you explain to someone that kind of sickly, obsessive desire to break his legs and lock him up for life? Who can understand this? Do you think Lu Xingzhou will think you love him if you say it like this?

No, it will only make you more annoyed and deepen that feeling of being a "toy," which is even worse than "not being able to empathize."

But Lu Xingzhou understood a little about the yandere heart that no one in this world could understand, and his expression was rather strange.

You might find yandere characters cute when reading novels or playing games, but you only realize how frustrating it is when you actually encounter one.

But is he really a yandere? Lu Xingzhou still believes it's just a matter of not loving her.

Anyway, what's past is past. Lu Xingzhou himself doesn't like it now and doesn't want to dwell on these old grievances, so he didn't ask any further questions. He simply asked, "In that case, is the preparation of the Yama Palace almost complete?"

Seeing that he didn't ask, Yuan Muyu breathed a sigh of relief: "It's not the right time yet. Our influence hasn't spread to every inch of land. But we have some major prefectures... Oh, right, about shipping..."

"Ok?"

"I've noticed that some of the prefectures that Gu Zhanting has been deliberately arranging recently correspond to many of the positions I want for the Mountain and River Sacrifice."

Lu Xingzhou's heart skipped a beat: "Are you sure?"

“Confirmed.” Yuan Muyu said, “Not only that, I also discovered that there are several places where the prefects are demons, and these places correspond to this ritual, such as Dongjiang Xia Prefecture.”

Lu Xingzhou paced back and forth, vaguely forming a framework of judgment in his mind.

What Gu Zhanting wants to do is perhaps very similar to what Yuan Muyu wants to do...

Ironically, Yuan Muyu is a demonic cultivator, while Gu Zhanting is the emperor.

The misfortune of being lost and confused signifies a reversal of the ruler's way. Ye Tinglan's divinations are always incredibly accurate.

Lu Xingzhou stopped pacing and asked very carefully, "Could you mark those places for me? Don't worry, we won't disrupt your killing formation. We can discuss this later."

Yuan Muyu said, "You're only starting to deal with it now? How can you possibly have enough time?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "We have to do it."

Yuan Muyu stared at him intently, then suddenly said, "I've already had Situ Yue and Ji Wenchuan heavily guard those places. They're your friends too, so just ask them for help. Why send someone else?"

Lu Xingzhou nodded and said, "Alright, then please ask my sister to inform them? We'll arrange to meet then."

Yuan Muyu smiled and said, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)