The Demon God watched with amusement. There were only the two of them in the Dustless Palace. An Yi, who was hiding in the shadows, obviously didn't count. Who was she referring to with that shameless remark?
Well, after teasing Liu Lanyan so much the past two days, it wouldn't be good to keep making her angry. So the Demon God went over and asked, "Lanyan, who are you talking about?"
"Oh, I wasn't talking about you." Liu Lanyan looked at the Demon God innocently. "I was talking about that fame-seeking, scheming guy. He's clearly deceived everyone in the world, yet he's been pushed to the highest position and is respected by everyone. Tell me, how can there be such a shameless person in the world?"
The veins on the demon god's forehead throbbed twice. What did that mean?
Is it implying something?
Is this a case of using a veiled insult to criticize someone else?
"How am I shameless?" Since he had been insulted like this, the Demon God simply accepted it. After all, it was just Lan Yan who was insulting him, so it didn't matter what she said about him.
"Your Majesty, how great! You're dedicated to maintaining peace in the demon realm." Liu Lanyan scoffed, looking the demon god up and down, clicking her tongue in praise. "I wonder how we can be so shameless."
The demon god touched his face with an air of importance and laughed, "It's alright, I guess."
Liu Lanyan almost vomited blood because of his poised and elegant demeanor.
Could he be any more shameless?
"Was it wrong to maintain peace in the demon realm?" The demon god looked at Liu Lanyan's sullen expression with amusement, but he didn't think he was wrong.
“Of course it’s true, the key issue is the second part—rumors stop with the wise.” Liu Lanyan glared at the Demon God.
If others can't tell, how could she not?
He was openly advising while secretly criticizing.
"Rumors stop with the wise. So how did the rumors that you disregarded the interests of the demon realm start in the first place? And how many people were spreading them?" Liu Lanyan snorted coldly. Wasn't this just an insult to those who readily believed the rumors in the first place?
Of course, now that the Demon God's two sentences are linked together, it seems to be saying that people shouldn't speculate about who first spread the rumors to disrupt the peace of the demon realm. In reality, the real meaning is to curse those who started it all.
All right.
Only she could understand the "profound meaning" in the myth of the demon god. If it were someone else, even if they vaguely had the idea in this direction, they would probably suppress it immediately.
How could they possibly suspect that their revered and supreme ruler was indirectly cursing them?
Is that possible?
Absolutely impossible.
Therefore, Liu Lanyan could only curse the Demon God for being shameless here.
That's absolutely shameless.
Upon hearing Liu Lanyan's words, the Demon God chuckled softly, his shoulders trembling slightly uncontrollably. He then threw his head back and laughed loudly, reaching out to pull Liu Lanyan into his arms and holding her tightly, ignoring her struggles and refusing to let go.
"Lanyan, you really know me." The Demon God sighed with satisfaction, breathing in the faint, clean, and refreshing scent emanating from Liu Lanyan, and buried his face in her neck. "I... I'm really happy."
Liu Lanyan was locked in the Demon God's arms with a black line on her face. She rolled her eyes speechlessly. She had never heard of anyone being happy after being called shameless.
As expected, the Demon God's status is different, and the structure of his mind is also different from that of a normal person.
That's unbelievable.
"Don't get so close to me." Liu Lanyan pushed away the demon god in dissatisfaction. When he spoke, his slightly damp and hot breath blew onto her neck, making it itchy and numb, which was indescribably strange.
It seemed as if a strange emotion had been stirred within her, making her feel very uncomfortable.
The demon god released Liu Lanyan at the opportune moment, watching her leap far away and stare at him warily, her nerves like those of a small animal suspicious of its hunter, making him both amused and exasperated.
Does he look that dangerous?
For the first time, the demon god began to doubt his own appearance.
"From now on, just talk, don't always touch me like that." Liu Lanyan said, still shifting her neck uncomfortably, as if the heat that had almost burned her still lingered on it.
"Okay, I'll definitely be more careful in the future." The Demon God nodded with a smile, but this earned him an angry glare from Liu Lanyan.
The demon god pretended not to understand the meaning in Liu Lanyan's eyes. How could he understand if she didn't say it?
Therefore, he doesn't understand.
Liu Lanyan gritted her teeth in anger, thinking, "I'll be more careful next time. I'll let this go this time."
That damn guy is shameless!
This incident left no trace on Liu Lanyan and the Demon God; it was something they could have easily handled.
They can face it calmly, but the other party involved is not so lucky, such as Qin Ming.
After settling his men in, he returned to his residence, utterly exhausted.
I thought this trip would be very fruitful, but I never expected it to end like this, a defeated and utterly devastated force. It's truly pathetic.
Dragging his tired legs, he slowly made his way back to his room. As he passed the garden corridor, the servants and maids bowed, but Qin Ming didn't even have the strength to glance at them. He felt completely exhausted, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
Slowly, they finally reached the bedroom door. As he pushed the door open, he paused, and a sharp glint flashed in Qin Ming's lifeless eyes. There was someone inside!
Without a second thought, he kicked the door open and lunged into the inner room, raising his hand to strike down hard. But when he saw the back of the person inside, he stopped abruptly.
The person with their back to Qin Ming turned around upon hearing the noise, their brows furrowing slightly: "What's wrong?"
"Madam?" Qin Ming stared at the person he had been worried about with surprise and disbelief.
"What? Don't you recognize me?" Liu Xinya said with a reproachful smile, which was more like a coquettish act than a complaint. Qin Ming couldn't help but smile foolishly and lowered his raised arm.
She turned around and went out to close the door to the outer room before returning and asking worriedly, "Are you feeling better? Why did you come back? Is it because you didn't handle this matter well, and Elder Li is angry?"
"Elder Li isn't that petty." Liu Xinya glanced at Qin Ming, complaining that he had wrongly accused Elder Li.
"Yes, I was overthinking it," Qin Ming said, scratching his long hair, embarrassed.
"I'm just worried that if things don't go well this time, Elder Li will blame you, and you'll be in a difficult position." Qin Ming said while carefully observing Liu Xinya's expression, and cautiously asked, "Are you really alright?"
"I'm fine," Liu Xinya said with a smile. "This injury was all thanks to Elder Li, but he's not feeling well and needs to rest for a while."
"Yes, of course." Qin Ming knew that Liu Xinya was seriously injured this time, so he nodded repeatedly and said, "Madam, please rest well. If you need anything, just tell me and I will find it for you."
"I know." Liu Xinya smiled at Qin Ming, then waved to him. "I have something to tell you."
Qin Ming glanced at Liu Xinya but didn't move.
"What's wrong?" Liu Xinya asked curiously. Why was Qin Ming, who usually listened to her, being so disobedient this time?
"Madam, I almost didn't make it back this time I went out." Qin Ming suddenly blurted out this seemingly incongruous statement.
"I know." Liu Xinya nodded and continued, "Come here, I have something to tell you."
Qin Ming nodded, walked over, and sat down with Liu Xinya.
“This matter is really serious. Elder Li wants to protect us, so he has no choice but to consider the bigger picture…” Liu Xinya said as she hugged Qin Ming. Then, Qin Ming felt a sharp pain in his chest.
“Therefore, someone has to bear the consequences.” Liu Xinya released the dagger in her hand and slowly distanced herself from Qin Ming.
The dagger pierced deeply, leaving only the metal handle outside Qin Ming's body; the blade was completely embedded in his heart.
"Hmm." Qin Ming seemed completely oblivious to the fatal blow he had just received, nodding as usual.
The overly calm reaction made Liu Xinya frown slightly. What was going on?
"Actually... I already understood on the way back that there always has to be a sacrifice." Qin Ming, as expected of a warrior of the Demon Realm, was capable of using all his strength to hold onto the last glimmer of hope.
He wanted to say everything that was on his mind.
"After much thought, I believe the two most likely candidates to be sacrificed are myself, who led the attack on the demon realm, and you, who instigated this whole affair," Qin Ming said calmly, seemingly oblivious to the pain of being stabbed in the heart.
He had long harbored feelings far more painful than this, and had been in pain for many years. So what was a little bit of pain from a knife to his body now?
“I thought there would be an ambush on the road. In fact, I had long been prepared to be ambushed. My cautious demeanor was just for show for my men, but…” Qin Ming’s lips trembled with pain, his eyes filled with unconcealed grief, “No one ambushed me. I thought, I thought… you were killed by them.”
"They killed you, pinned all the blame on you, and that's how this matter can be dropped." Qin Ming, a man who wouldn't blink an eye in the face of death on the battlefield, slowly had tears welling up in his eyes.
She took a deep breath, forcing back the mist that had formed on her face: "I thought something had happened to you. Do you know how happy I was when I saw you sitting here safe and sound?"
"You're still alive..." Qin Ming said softly. No one would have imagined that such a rugged-looking person would have such a gentle voice and gentle eyes.
If it weren't for the blood slowly seeping from his chest, it might have been a beautiful scene under the moon and flowers.
With a soft sigh, Qin Ming gave a resigned, bitter smile: "The fact that you're still alive means that it wasn't that no one was lying in ambush on my way, but rather that I was stopped by someone for some reason. So, you came. To see me off on my final journey."
Even if Liu Xinya had the thickest skin, she couldn't help but blush slightly upon hearing those words.
"I don't blame you. Really, I'm so happy to see you alive." Qin Ming smiled sincerely, but the smile was so bitter, so sorrowful, that it was heartbreaking to see...
"After all we've been husband and wife, let me give you one last piece of advice... you shouldn't follow Elder Li anymore. Wanting power isn't wrong, but Elder Li is truly not someone you can entrust your life to." Qin Ming stared intently at Liu Xinya.
His sincere and earnest gaze, filled with fervent affection, made Liu Xinya unable to meet his eyes. She could only turn her gaze to the side, refusing to look at Qin Ming.
Looking at Liu Xinya's still indifferent profile, Qin Ming sighed softly, "Take care of yourself..."
"If I had a choice, I really don't know if I should have met you..." Qin Ming said, then closed his eyes, a smile on his lips that was a complex mix of happiness and bitterness.
As soon as he finished speaking, the last bit of strength that had been protecting his life dissipated on its own, and the wound, now out of control, suddenly gushed out a large amount of blood, soaking his clothes and gradually turning the ground red.
The crimson spray that splattered in the air was like Qin Ming's tears that would never fall, a helpless murmur and a soft sigh...
Liu Xinya stared blankly at everything before her, gazing at Qin Ming, who lay beside her, lifeless, lost in thought.
After a long while, she slowly squatted down, gently stroked Qin Ming's cheek, and whispered, "It's not that I want it all, but you've never experienced what it feels like to be trampled underfoot. I don't want to experience it again."
After saying that, she hugged Qin Ming's body and suddenly burst into tears: "General, why did you take your own life? What am I going to do now that you've left me here?"
The servants who heard Liu Xinya's cries all rushed over. What happened? How could their mistress have died so suddenly?
Having lost his physical body, Qin Ming's almost transparent soul floated in the air, his feet treading on the void, looking down at everything with a complex expression.
Watching the servants and maids bustling in and out, and looking at the woman he loved most, he "inadvertently" revealed the cause of his death while weeping.
Because of his selfish desires, he attacked the demon realm, which is why he felt so guilty that he committed suicide to atone for his sins.
Qin Ming stared blankly at it, then remained unresponsive.
That's it. Love or hate, it's all gone.
He awaited his final journey; death would be the end of everything.
He felt a force slowly pulling him in another direction.
It's time to leave.
Qin Ming squeezed his eyes shut, turned around and left without resisting the force.
He didn't even open his eyes the whole way, just relaxed his whole body and let that force envelop him, letting that force take him wherever it took him.
The underworld, isn't that all there is to it?