Wei Xing didn't even get the chance to process what had happened when Xiu Xiang bolted out of the room. He was frozen on the spot, still thinking about how tasty her lips were and how soft her body was, fitting right against him. His body was ablaze, and he simply wanted nothing more than continue where he left off. It was like his throat was on fire and Xiu Xiang's body was the water that would only quench his thirst.
But no matter how much he was dying of thirst, he could not ignore that alarming fearful look on Xiu Xiang's face. It was as if she had accidentally caught a sneak peep at a vicious beast. He remembered kissing her in the past. She didn't react this harshly so why did she react like this? Didn't the two of them enjoy each other's embrace just seconds ago?
As a fool in love, Wei Xing didn't understand why Xiu Xiang had fled. Did the plan fail? He was sure that it didn't. He could only go to the one person who could teach him all this.
"Guards."
A few demon guards' voices sounded from outside of the harem.
"Yes, my lord."
"Bring Hua Jian and the Night Guards to the main hall."
...
This wasn't good!
Xiu Xiang wanted to rip her hair out. What was she thinking? She nearly let herself get eaten! What was she doing with another person's man?!
I swear I'm not like that!
She finally came to a stop to catch her breath. After several bouts of breathing in and out, she finally looked up to see where she had arrived to. In front of her was an open entrance with a large signboard above it.
The sign above the entrance was carved out of silver. It still looked brand new as if someone had placed a spell on it to keep it looking pristine even after thousands of years.
"Nightless Courtyard..."
When Xiu Xiang ran away from the harem, she had let her legs do the thinking. Who would've thought that her legs had taken her all the way to the Nightless Courtyard?
She had read in old reports about this courtyard. Her late master had created this courtyard for his only consort. Of course, the consort wasn't named and even after the courtyard was finished building, no consort ever moved in.
In the past, Xiu Xiang never once came to this area. When she was the Demon Lord, she kept countless playmates within the harem but no consort, thus the courtyard remained empty even until now.
There were no guards watching the courtyard but it wasn't necessary for a barrier was erected where the entrance was. There was a strange red sheen to the barrier. It casted a red glow all around her. Now that she was here, she couldn't help her curiosity. She stepped forward to touch the barrier with her fingers. She had expected her finger to bounce back, only it didn't. The barrier trembled upon being touched. Then, it started to dissolve, starting at her fingers. It dissolved faster and faster until it disappeared completely.
She had only taken a few steps when she stopped to take in the sight before her. In the Demon Realm, it was impossible for plants to grow, however within the courtyard, it was abundant in multitudes of plants. She couldn't help but reach out to touch some of them only for her hand to go right through it.
"An illusion..." she thought.
Up in the sky was even an illusion of a full moon. It lit up the beautiful garden. Her eyes swept up the scenery and she couldn't help but marvel at the sight. It was a specially made moonlit garden.
She walked down the stone pathway until she came upon a pavilion sitting in the middle of a large pond. The pond was filled with countless lotus flowers. There was no breeze, but the flowers seemed to sway back and forth. Sometimes, even strange beautiful glowing balls of light the size of a coin would jump out from the pink petals, flying around as if it was a firefly.
Inside the pavilion was a set of bamboo tables and stools. On top of the table was a set of white jade tea set and a guqin. A thick layer of dust covered the tea set and the guqin. Neither tea set nor guqin looked used, which could only mean that it had been placed here expecting for its owner to use it but never did.
"I wonder who Master created this courtyard for...?"
Xiu Xiang strolled out of the pavilion and walked further until she found a bamboo hut. Compared to the rest of the lavish palace, this place was extremely humble. It almost reminded her of Tian Ling Sect. She pushed open the wooden door and entered the dusty hut. A large bed enough to fit at least three people sat off to one corner. A large bookshelf filled with all kinds of cultivation books and techniques sat off to the opposite side. Nearby the bed was a table with an empty sword stand. There were even sets of white male clothing inside the worn dresser.
"This wasn't a courtyard for a consort..." Xiu Xiang thought. The only exception would probably be her. She then remembered meeting her master's soul and the soul of the late grandmaster of Tian Ling Sect, Han Ming. She had her suspicions about the two of them but she never asked. In the novel, the relationship between the Demon Lord and the Grandmaster of Tian Ling Sect was never explained. Almost every report mentioned how the two of them were sworn enemies. What if that wasn't the case? Could the two of them had been lovers...?
She suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that the reason why war exploded between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm thousands of years ago was because of their relationship. Before her master sent her soul back into her body, he had told her to not make the same mistakes that he did.
Xiu Xiang wanted to laugh. Her master had warned her too late. She wanted to be free of her role as the Demoness and tried to get power. In exchange, she died and Wei Xing turned into a demon. Now she was nothing more than a human with half her original strength. Wei Xing and Bai Qing had tied the knot. She was all alone.
Sighing heavily, she left the hut and started for the exit of the courtyard. Since her master had sealed off this place that was originally meant for his lover, it was only right to keep it sealed.
She was almost out of the courtyard when she saw a slim figure in a bright yellow dress standing in the distance.
"Bai Qing?" Xiu Xiang furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Bai Qing marvel at the beautiful garden. Xiu Xiang didn't go any further but her presence was quickly detected by Bai Qing. Her beautiful bright almond eyes fell on Xiu Xiang.
As the two of them stared at each other in silence, Xiu Xiang couldn't help but compare herself to Bai Qing. If it was the old her when she was the Demoness, her beauty was naturally incomparable. With the two of them standing in the beautiful moonlit garden, Bai Qing looked like a fairy that had descended from the heavens while Xiu Xiang looked like a peasant. It was no wonder that Wei Xing had kept Bai Qing by his side all this time.
Bai Qing seemed to think differently though. She glared at Xiu Xiang. Despite living in a different body now, Xiu Xiang still gave off a domineering aura. Her sharp eyes made Bai Qing feel small and she hated it. She had always been confident in her beauty and skills over the years but when she stood next to Xiu Xiang, her confidence was greatly shaken. The Xiu Xiang now wasn't a great beauty like before but it was precisely that calm and compose demeanor that made her so alluring. Just remembering how Wei Xing had looked at Xiu Xiang like she was a precious gem, made Bai Qing's hatred surge even more.
"How did you get in here? Even my lord was unable to break the barrier to this courtyard." Bai Qing's tone sounded almost like an accusation.
Xiu Xiang couldn't help but chuckle at Bai Qing. It seems like Wei Xing had spoiled and pampered her Bai Qing to the point where she had forgotten that Xiu Xiang had once been lord of this palace. What did it matter if she entered this courtyard? Even if Xiu Xiang had no right, Bai Qing especially had no right to enter this courtyard.
"How I got in here is none of your concern. This courtyard had been sealed off for a reason. I suggest you leave while I'm asking nicely," Xiu Xiang said sternly.
Maybe it was the fact that Bai Qing had been extremely pampered within the Night Palace, or maybe it was simply the fact that no matter what she did, Wei Xing hadn't once condemned her. She seemed to have gained great courage from deep within. She stood firmly in place, trying mimic Xiu Xiang's imposing stare.
"You have no power to tell me what to do. I'm the lord's most trusted person within this palace. Even Hua Jian can't tell me what to do. What makes you think you can do the same now when you've barely recovered only half your strength?" Bai Qing shot back.
It was true that Xiu Xiang wasn't as strong before, but she was confident that when it came to a fight between her and Bai Qing, Xiu Xiang would win.
In the novel, Bai Qing wasn't known for her fighting skills but rather her skills in creating and breaking illusions. It was this lack of strength that forced Wei Xing to become her protector and eventually her lover within the novel.
"Wei Xing must have spoiled you rotten to the point where you have forgotten one thing. I was the Demoness who was feared by all. Even if I'm only at half my strength, it is more than never to force you down onto your knees," Xiu Xiang retorted.
The two beauties had tacitly agreed that this was a battle neither wanted to lose. It was a battle of pride.
Right as soon as Bai Qing pulled out her sword, Xiu Xiang had already jumped into the air. Her left hand shot out holding a fire made bow. In her right hand she notched a fire arrow. She took aim and let the fire made arrow fly. It sliced through air and sped forward right towards Bai Qing's chest. It was just inches away from piercing her when Bai Qing's sword swung upwards to deflect the arrow. What she hadn't expected was, during the impact of the arrow and the sword, the arrow exploded like a bomb. Fire erupted all around Bai Qing.
Bai Qing gasped at the powerful fire and quickly erected a barrier around her before jumping out of the raging fire. She landed a good distance away and immediately casted a spell before swinging her sword. A powerful blast of strange dark energy came hurling at Xiu Xiang.
"Dark energy...?!" Xiu Xiang jumped out of the way to avoid the attack head on. She watched the dark energy blast a hole in the garden of illusion before it slowly reformed itself into a beautiful landscape again. The dark energy was similar to the dark energy that emitted from Wei Xing. What was going on?!
"That dark energy is similar to Wei Xing's," Xiu Xiang commented calmly.
Bai Qing sent a smirk her way as she replied, "Of course. My devotion to my lord has given me the chance to gain this power. I'm no longer the same Bai Qing you once knew."
Xiu Xiang's eyes flashed a dangerous red as she listened to Bai Qing's explanation.
"My lord has realized my sacrifice for him thus he granted me his powers. It might not be as strong as my lord's but it's enough to beat you."
Xiu Xiang didn't know what Wei Xing and Bai Qing had done but she knew not to take Bai Qing lightly. She quickly closed the gap between them, engaging in close combat. Within a few short moves, she knocked Bai Qing's sword out of her hand. Hundreds of moves were exchanged between them, causing a whiplash of wind. The plants created by the illusion swayed harshly from the whiplash of fists exchange.
Noticing that the garden was slowly being affected by their fighting, Xiu Xiang had a moment of carelessness. A dark energy attack came hurling at Xiu Xiang. The attack seemed to have increased twofold in strength. It hurled past Xiu Xiang, destroying another chunk of the beautiful courtyard. Was Bai Qing trying to kill her or was she trying to destroy this courtyard?
"What do you think you're doing?!" Xiu Xiang spat angrily at Bai Qing.
Bai Qing seemed to have grown a brain over the years. She knew that attacking Xiu Xiang head on wouldn't hurt her as much as destroying the beautiful courtyard that seemed to hold sentimental value.
She watched as the illusion tried to reform itself but the strength behind the dark energy was too strong. It was too slow in repairing itself. If they kept fighting any longer, the courtyard would be demolished soon.
Xiu Xiang's master had created this courtyard for his lover and even sealed it off like a shrine. There was no way she was going to let Bai Qing destroy it.
After hundreds of moves, Xiu Xiang finally found an opening. She ducked around Bai Qing's fist and thrust out her leg. Bai Qing had been a tad bit slow and wasn't able to dodge the attack in time. Xiu Xiang's leg made contact with Bai Qing's abdomen and she was sent flying out of the courtyard.
Bai Qing slammed hard onto the ground. She attempted to stand up only to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Standing at the entrance of the courtyard, Xiu Xiang stood in front of it protectively. She raised her palm up, a ball of fire already condensed within it. Her eyes narrowed on Bai Qing.
"Maybe it's about time you remember your place within the Demon Realm," Xiu Xiang sneered. If Bai Qing hadn't touched her last nerve then maybe Xiu Xiang wouldn't feel the need to burn Bai Qing into a crisp. Right when she was about to strike, she remembered that Bai Qing and Wei Xing were together now. If she were to kill Bai Qing, what are her chances of surviving within the palace?
No matter, she thought. Her anger at watching her master's only preserved courtyard almost destroyed by Bai Qing outweighed her concerns for her life. Her hand shot forward and the ball of fire left her palm.