Since the news of the Myriad Ghost King settling in Black Mountain became known, the four cities became less peaceful.
People were in a state of panic, with households closing their doors. Even the usually bustling streets appeared desolate and deserted.
It seemed the Myriad Ghost King had left too much fear in their hearts, to the point where merely hearing his name sent shivers down their spines.
Let alone the prospect of him rising to power again.
However, there were two people who seemed to be just like before, one chasing the other, evoking envy from those who had grown accustomed to their solitary lives.
Yue Jiuceng, in pursuit of Liu Mei, arrived at the official road leading to the Western Purple Kingdom, just as a troop of black-armored soldiers marched forward in an orderly fashion.
He landed on a branch, with Liu Mei ahead of him. He felt a sense of confusion, as he had never seen such a scene in his hundred years.
Just as he was about to call out to warn Liu Mei, he saw her fly down alone, landing among the soldiers.
The already tense soldiers, without question, shouted,
"Assassin! Assassin!"
With that shout, everyone drew their swords and surrounded her.
She leaped up to escape the crowd, but the leading general immediately swung his sword, slicing her arm. She faltered slightly and fell weakly.
The continuous travel had already exhausted her body and mind, making her unable to retaliate even against a light blow.
Seeing this, Yue Jiuceng flew out from the side, drew his sword, repelled the surrounding soldiers, and then, carrying the fallen Liu Mei, he fled.
They ran swiftly until they reached a river not far away, named the West Water River.
He held her in his arms, tore off a corner of his clothes to bandage her wound, and then brought some water for her to drink.
She then slowly woke up, seeing the person before her and showing a sweet, happy smile.
But Yue Jiuceng couldn't understand why Liu Mei, the one he cared about most, kept avoiding him.
Although they used to play this chase game, she had never been so distant.
He tore off another piece of his clothes, bandaging her while asking,
"Liu Mei, why have you been avoiding me?"
She did not answer, turning her head slightly.
Yue Jiuceng felt a sense of helplessness, thinking he must have done something to upset her.
"It's my fault, I'll listen to you from now on."
Though he didn't know what he did wrong, he felt this might be better.
Liu Mei turned her head slightly, weakly raising her injured hand to caress his face.
She dared not say anything, her eyes filled with tears like a fragile woman.
Seeing the tears in her eyes, he felt immense pain. He gently held her cold hand, seemingly guessing something, and reached out to touch the black headscarf covering her.
Liu Mei grabbed his hand, her sad face filled with worry.
Yue Jiuceng comforted her,
"I swore under the moon that in this life, I would only love Liu Mei. No matter what happens, I will only have eyes for you."
Liu Mei looked at his determined eyes and smiled slightly, realizing this was still her "Ninth Brother." She decided not to hide anymore and said softly,
"Ninth Brother, my face is ruined. I'm no longer the beautiful Liu Mei."
Yue Jiuceng tightly grasped her hand upon hearing this, filled with confusion.
"When did this happen?"
"Do you remember the day the restaurant in the Western Purple Kingdom caught fire?"
He shook his head.
"I remember. I looked for you, but you weren't inside."
"I had already left, but later I heard someone say you were inside, so I went back."
Yue Jiuceng was still puzzled.
"With your martial arts, you could have escaped."
She suddenly became helpless, forcing a bitter smile.
"I entered the sea of fire, searching everywhere for you, but I could never find you.
Suddenly, I felt a blow to my back, and I fainted. When I woke up, my face was disfigured."
"How is that possible? How is that possible?"
Yue Jiuceng shook his head desperately, unwilling to believe it.
Seeing Yue Jiuceng's pained expression, her heart felt uneasy.
Knowing she was no longer worthy of him, and even if he didn't mind, she had no face to stay. So she said,
"Ninth Brother, I am now disfigured, a grotesque creature. I am no longer worthy of you.
I think that girl from Muye is quite good. You should go to her."
Yue Jiuceng said helplessly,
"She and I are just friends, nothing more. Besides, I have sworn to love only you in this life."
Although Liu Mei was deeply moved, after her disfigurement, she became self-conscious. Now, facing the perfect Ninth Brother, she felt even more inferior.
"Ninth Brother, I know you are good to me, but now that I look like this, I don't want to delay you any further."
If it were the Liu Mei of the past, she would never have said such words. She was so cheerful then, like a brave man.
Now, she was filled with worry, melancholic like a girl who had endured hardship.
His heart ached even more. If he didn't give her more encouragement, how would she live?
There were many things he had never told her before, and he felt today was the right time to say them with peace of mind.
"Liu Mei, you know, my heart has never been about your face.
So, whether you become a petal, or green grass, or anything else.
I will take you to see flowers in spring, take you boating on the lake in summer, and in autumn, I will take you to the mountains to pick wild pears.
If winter comes, I will take you to the vast snowy land and build a row of snowmen as cute as you.
And then, we will grow old together, hand in hand."
Upon hearing this, she finally couldn't hold back, turning her face away and weeping profusely. Yue Jiuceng held her tightly and said firmly,
"I will never let you leave my side again. I will always, always protect you."
At this moment, Liu Mei finally solidified her heart and her feelings for Ninth Brother. She said,
"Yes, we will never be separated again."
Just as they were cherishing each other, a strange laughter suddenly came from the weeds behind them.
"Hahaha..."
Yue Jiuceng turned around and asked sternly,
"Who!"
The person did not reply but softly recited a poem,
"Delicate flowers easily bloom, intoxicating a thousand gold. With charming eyes, who recognizes me?"
Then, a gust of fragrant peach blossoms blew, and from beneath the falling petals, a figure emerged.
Both of them looked in unison. They saw a beauty in a pink dress, with a large peach blossom pinned to her hair, looking somewhat alluring.
The beauty smiled shyly, then conjured two peach blossoms from the air. Her eyes were gentle, and with a slight effort, she sent the blossoms flying towards Yue Jiuceng and Liu Mei.
Yue Jiuceng drew his sword and slashed, cutting the two peach blossoms in half.
The fallen blossoms turned to ash.
The beauty frowned slightly and sighed,
"Such beautiful flowers, and you've broken them. What a pity."
Yue Jiuceng, unsure of the visitor's intentions, asked,
"What do you mean, girl?"
He felt her words held a deeper meaning.
The beauty glanced at him, shook her head slightly, and said regretfully,
"I never expected that in this world, there could be such touching love of never abandoning each other."
Yue Jiuceng shielded Liu Mei and asked her,
"May I ask why you have come here?"
His tone had become more cautious.
"Nothing, I just happened to pass by and overheard a conversation between two lovers. I don't know if I was so captivated that I stopped without realizing it."
"Since you have no other business, please leave."
She smiled slightly, with a hint of allure, and said,
"I can heal the girl's face and restore her to her former beauty."
A flicker of hope appeared in Yue Jiuceng's eyes, but he cautiously replied,
"We appreciate your kindness, girl, but if you have nothing else, please leave."
Yu Jiao suddenly burst into laughter and asked him,
"What? Your beauty is so badly injured, and you don't want to save her? It seems your vows of eternal love are just a show."
Yue Jiuceng lowered his head slightly, his heart wavering.
Liu Mei said softly,
"Ninth Brother, I'm fine. This person's origin is unknown, and she doesn't seem like a good person. Don't be misled by her."
Yue Jiuceng was in a dilemma. If she could truly heal Liu Mei, he was willing to take the risk.
Seeing his long silence, Yu Jiao knew he was wavering and said,
"Whether to save her is entirely up to you. If you don't save her, she will have to show her face to the world for the rest of her life.
Even if you don't mind, over time, you might envy other women."
Yue Jiuceng remained silent for a long time, finally making a decision.
"Can you truly save Liu Mei?"
"Have you heard of someone?"
"Who?"
"The Drought Demoness."
Yue Jiuceng frowned, suddenly recalling something from long ago.
"I heard of her in my early years. Legend has it she was a female demon, but she was captured and imprisoned in the desert hell of the Northwest."
She couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.
"Hahaha, captured? Is that what they all say? Clearly, she went in herself."
Liu Mei seemed to have understood something and asked,
"Could it be that you are..."
"That's right, I am the Drought Demoness."
Yue Jiuceng was startled and immediately shielded Liu Mei tightly.
Yu Jiao said,
"Don't be afraid. I'm not here to harm you. I see that her face is not an ordinary injury.
I think only I can save her, but I have a condition."
Yue Jiuceng hesitated, but still grasped at any means to save the one he loved.
"Alright. As long as you can save Liu Mei, I will agree to any condition."
Yu Jiao said slowly,
"I want you to help me kill someone."
He was stunned and then asked,
"Kill whom?"
"The owner of Qian Ji Palace... Jin Yulan."
Liu Mei felt this woman was increasingly suspicious. She might be trying to use her Ninth Brother. She quickly advised,
"Ninth Brother, she must be lying to you. Don't listen to her."
Yue Jiuceng was silent for a moment. As long as Liu Mei could be saved, he was willing to do anything, let alone kill someone. So he said,
"Alright, I promise you."
She smiled with satisfaction and flicked her wrist, sending peach blossoms to entwine Liu Mei and suddenly pulling her to her side.
"What are you doing!"
Yue Jiuceng stood up, drew his sword, and was about to rush forward.
"Don't worry. Your Liu Mei will be under my care for now. I'll wait for you to bring me Jin Yulan's head."
"Where will I find you then?"
Yue Jiuceng asked.
"If you want to find me, come to this place."
With a charming laugh, Yu Jiao grabbed Liu Mei and leaped up, disappearing into the falling peach blossoms.
Despite his immense helplessness, Yue Jiuceng could only follow Yu Jiao's arrangement and go to assassinate Jin Yulan.
He murmured to himself on the way.
"I'm sorry, Jin Yulan."
As dawn broke, he arrived at Nanhai City and leaned against the entrance of the "Xilai Restaurant," just one street away from Qian Ji Palace.
With eyes full of hope, he stared intently at the two-meter-high main gate.
Then, effortlessly borrowing some gold from others, he handed it to the doorman and easily entered Qian Ji Palace.
Just like before, everyone's face was filled with smiles, and this place, like a fairyland, was a haven for everyone who came here.
However, only he wore a gloomy expression, remaining alone in a corner until sunset.
His gaze was openly observing until he saw Jin Yulan come downstairs at dusk and return to his room alone late at night.
He then followed Jin Yulan to his small courtyard. Jin Yulan smiled faintly and calmly entered the house.
Sitting at the tea table, he poured himself a cup of tea and savored it slowly.
At this moment, a flash of white sword light streaked before his eyes, extinguishing the candles in the room, and then a figure landed behind him, sword pointed directly at him.
Jin Yulan, however, was not flustered. After finishing his cup of tea and wiping his mouth, he spoke,
"How strange. Everyone says you are the Moon Shadow Swordsman, only appearing to kill on full moon nights. Why are you making a move tonight when there's no moon?"
Yue Jiuceng was stunned. His sword at Jin Yulan's neck suddenly stopped, and he asked curiously,
"You knew I was coming?"
Jin Yulan smiled faintly and said,
"From the moment you stepped into Qian Ji Palace, I knew you were here."
Yue Jiuceng did not hide anything and said directly,
"Don't blame me. I need your head to save Liu Mei."
Jin Yulan smiled faintly, not worried at all, and instead teased,
"I never thought that after living for so long, my head would still be useful.
However, compared to my head, I think if you killed that person, she would truly help you.
And I am merely an excuse for that person."
Yue Jiuceng was somewhat confused, not understanding what he was saying. Jin Yulan explained,
"Yu Jiao is probably the only one in this world who hates me. But compared to me, she hates the Myriad Ghost King even more.
Wasn't her former lover seriously injured and disappeared after a battle with the Myriad Ghost King a thousand years ago? If anyone should be killed, it should be him."
Yue Jiuceng was somewhat confused, but Yu Jiao's words still echoed in his mind.
"Kill Jin Yulan."
He then resolutely said,
"She told me to kill you, not the Myriad Ghost King."
"You're mistaken. If you killed the Myriad Ghost King, it would be justifiable both emotionally and logically.
Not only would she be grateful to you and save your Liu Mei, but she would also give you her treasured Hundred Flower Pearl."
Yue Jiuceng was wavering, and the sword he held seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, unable to be lifted.
Jin Yulan sensed the change in his emotions, walked over, patted his shoulder, and said,
"It doesn't matter who it is to you; what matters is saving your Liu Mei.
I've seen your Liu Mei and her suffering. Compared to me, the Myriad Ghost King will bring you more peace of mind."
After saying this, he walked out of the room without looking back. Yue Jiuceng was at a loss, standing there in a daze, organizing his thoughts.
He had indeed heard some rumors about the Drought Demoness.
Legend had it that her old lover fought with the Myriad Ghost King a thousand years ago and then disappeared, and Jin Yulan had absolutely no connection to her.
Drought Demoness Yu Jiao:
"Delicate flowers easily bloom, intoxicating a thousand gold. With charming eyes, who recognizes me?"
Yu Jiao, a flower maiden from Beishendu, her true form is the ancient Xun Cao.
She is a woman who loves planting flowers, but because wherever she goes, she brings disaster, she is called the "Drought Demoness."
She fell in love at first sight with Li Xingye and has been pursuing him for thousands of years.