Great Demon - Chapter 90 Part 1

“It’s too clean,” Huoshu couldn’t help but say.

The water demon had followed along for quite a while. Perhaps tired from walking, she collapsed to the ground bonelessly, like a sheet of paper, slowly flattening herself onto the floor. Crawling forward a few steps, she lifted her head and asked, “What’s clean? There’s dust everywhere. It’s not even as good as my lake.”

Huoshu cast her a glance, flicked open her fan with a swish, and said, “I meant this place is so empty that there’s not a single possession. How could a living person reside here? Even Wu Buzhi’s house, full of paper-folded furniture, feels more lived-in than this.”

Indeed.

Zhuyou stood in the main courtyard, turning her body slightly as she surveyed her surroundings. The place was far too spacious, and there wasn’t even the slightest trace of life. It seemed as though it had been abandoned for a long time.

That tiger demon only returned once every half month, but surely the place shouldn’t feel this desolate.

Suddenly, Changying strode toward the side room. Before she even reached the door, she raised her left arm. Her slender fingers closed together, and immediately, a layer of white mist appeared over the side room. Looking closer, it seemed almost like a cocoon, tightly sealing the room.

Zhuyou frowned as she watched. She saw Changying pull her hand back, and the cocoon-like barrier immediately distorted under the force.

With a sharp crack, the white mist split apart, tearing into two halves.

Changying lowered her hand and sent out a pulse of spiritual energy, pushing open the tightly shut door.

A loud thud rang out, as if something had fallen inside, startling the three demons into a brief shudder. They all turned toward the sound, only to see that the doorway was empty. Then, with a creak, the door swung open on its own.

Dust billowed out in waves from the door that had remained shut for so long. But inside, it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

Zhuyou frowned. Seeing Changying already stepping into the room, she quickly raised a hand, flicking her wrist. The courtyard lanterns and the lanterns hanging at the entrance all lit up at once, even the lamps inside the house ignited with flames.

The courtyard was suddenly bathed in light, no longer appearing so desolate.

Several rooms glowed warmly, candlelight flickering against the window paper. Yet apart from the shifting candlelight, nothing else was reflected—there wasn’t a single silhouette. The rooms seemed utterly empty.

Zhuyou said in an even tone, “Since the door is open, we might as well go in and take a look.”

Huoshu stared, thinking to herself—so, the one who opened the door wasn’t you, huh? She looked down at the water demon, who, in turn, tilted her head up to look at the cat demon. The three demons were speechless for a long while.

They had lived as demons for so many years, but they had never encountered anything like a haunting. Someone like Wu Buzhi, a ghost that had been around for centuries, had already developed an incredibly steady temperament—far beyond the point of bothering to cause mischief.

Zhuyou glanced at the three of them, who remained rooted in place, and let out a soft snort. “You lot said you wanted to follow me, and this is how you do it? Do I need to find a rope and drag you along?”

Huoshu wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, careful not to smudge her face powder. She rolled her eyes and hurried forward, asking, “Your Grace, was it you who opened the door?”

Zhuyou shook her head, inwardly sighing at how utterly useless the three demons were. They hadn’t even noticed how the barrier had been torn apart. In a calm voice, she said, “The wind is rather strong today—it must have blown the door open.”

Huoshu felt a chill run through her. Was it really just the wind?

Zhuyou quickened her pace, and the three demons scrambled to follow, not daring to lag behind.

Upon stepping inside, Zhuyou lowered her gaze and immediately noticed that the door had been bolted shut from the inside. The sound from earlier had been caused by the wooden latch falling to the ground.

She stepped over the fallen latch and saw Changying standing by the window, her sharp eyes fixed intently on something.

The room was indeed barren. Forget furniture—aside from the layers of dust, there wasn’t even a single scrap of trash. It was eerily, unnaturally clean.

Huoshu followed closely behind, only to stumble over the wooden latch lying on the ground, letting out a startled yelp.

The water demon crawled over, picked up the latch, examined it, then glanced at the wooden door. She nervously looked at Huoshu and sent a thought to her, So now the wind can turn corners and push out a wooden latch?

The wind in Shangxi City is quite lively today, Huoshu responded dryly.

Changying stood before the window, her gaze dark and steady. As she lifted her arm, her sleeve slid slightly down to her elbow. She swept her palm across the window frame, and instantly, a restriction dissolved into nothing.

“This window…” Zhuyou frowned.

Hearing her speak, the three demons quickly moved closer.

Huoshu asked in surprise, “Your Grace, what is it?”

“The doors and windows all had restrictions placed on them,” Zhuyou replied evenly.

Setting up restrictions on one’s own house was usually meant to guard against thieves. But this place was completely empty—not a single valuable treasure in sight, not even a decorative vase or screen that could fetch a price in the human world. There weren’t even a bed or tables and chairs. What exactly was being protected?

Huoshu glanced around and found it equally strange. “That tiger demon is overly cautious—this rundown place, and he still needed to lock it up?”

Changying placed her hand against the window frame, the warm yellow candlelight reflecting off her pale skin. Half of her face was illuminated by the glow, softening even the sharp aura around her, as if ice was slowly melting.

“There’s nothing particularly special here,” she murmured. “But faintly… it carries someone else’s presence.”

Zhuyou leaned closer, sniffing the air lightly.

Her silver-white hair slipped from her shoulder, cascading down to her chest, nearly brushing against the dusty windowsill. But before it could, Changying reached out and caught it, gently lifting the strands.

With one hand, Changying cupped Zhuyou’s hair, as if holding a handful of clear spring water. The strands of silver hair slipped from her grasp, cascading in delicate threads, catching the light streaming in from the window—truly a beautiful sight.

Changying’s expression remained unchanged, but a subtle itch pricked at her heart, as if those silken tips had settled right upon it. Her fingers closed, capturing the handful of hair in her cool palm.

The three demons were still intently staring at the wooden window, none of them noticing how Zhuyou’s hair had been lifted by an unseen hand.

Holding onto the strands, Changying suddenly asked, “Where is the strand of my hair? Where did you put it?”

Zhuyou had assumed this matter was long settled, yet here it was again. She stiffened for a moment, inwardly thinking that this dragon truly had no sense for conversation. After all these years, she still couldn’t read her expression.

Changying’s slender fingers, wrapped around the silver strands, were pale and smooth, like jade cradling threads of silver.

What does it matter to you? Zhuyou’s lips did not move, her voice transmitting directly into Changying’s mind.

“It was mine to begin with. How could it not matter to me?” Changying answered in her usual composed tone, pausing slightly.

But now that it’s in my hands, it belongs to me. Zhuyou sounded casual, but inside, she felt stifled. She had half a mind to retrieve that strand of hair from her storage pouch and fling it at the dragon’s face.

“If you like it so much, I can give you more,” Changying said plainly.

My mustard seed isn’t big enough for that. Zhuyou scoffed.

“So, it’s in your mustard seed.” Changying gave a slight nod.

Zhuyou fell silent, feeling utterly exasperated. Fantastic—this dragon actually managed to trick her into revealing it.

The three demons continued staring blankly at the window lattice, failing to find anything unusual. The water demon, sprawled limply on the floor like a rug, could barely even see the full window from her angle.

“Your Grace, aside from the restriction, is there anything else about this window?” Huoshu cautiously asked.

Zhuyou raised her hand, swiftly pulling her hair from Changying’s grasp. She shot the dragon a glare, feigning irritation, but Changying remained composed, without the slightest ripple of emotion in her eyes.

So, even after recovering all seven souls, this dragon was still just as cold-hearted and indifferent.

Changying shifted back into her Obsidian Dragon form, coiling around Zhuyou’s wrist. This time, she behaved, staying motionless.

Zhuyou brushed her hair behind her shoulder and leaned in, sniffing carefully. “There’s a devil’s scent here.”

She turned to the three demons and asked, “That tiger demon—he never associated with anyone? This residence has truly remained shut tight all this time?”

“No one, no one at all! He has no acquaintances—absolutely certain!” Huoshu assured.

Zhuyou let out a soft scoff. “His subordinates have been here.”

At those words, the three demons nearly huddled together in fright.

Still sprawled on the floor, the water demon had no choice but to grab onto Huoshu’s skirt hem for comfort.

How do you know? Changying’s voice echoed in Zhuyou’s mind.

Zhuyou flicked her sleeve and retrieved a bloodstained handkerchief from her storage pouch. Holding it delicately between two fingers, she conveniently let the coiled Changying get a good whiff of it.

The handkerchief had originally been moon-white, embroidered with silver-threaded flowers. Now, the silver-threaded orchids resembled crimson plum blossoms instead.

Changying sniffed lightly and indeed caught a strange scent—something like decayed branches, mingled with the dampness of soil, the kind of stench that clung to devils lurking in dark, desolate places.

This is Guanshang’s blood, she stated.

That’s right. Zhuyou kept her lips pressed together, transmitting her thoughts. She quickly stowed the tainted handkerchief away.

The scent on the window lattice was slightly different from that on the cloth—less intense and pungent. It hadn’t been left behind by Guanshang himself.

Changying suddenly lifted her gaze, staring intently at Zhuyou. Her vertical pupils were piercingly cold, as if countless unsaid words rested behind them. In that moment, she realized—Zhuyou must have already placed Guanshang’s soul into a vessel. And now, he was missing. Otherwise, why would she have left the Endless Abyss?

Something must have happened in the Endless Abyss. Yet, Zhuyou had never mentioned a single word about it, leaving Changying entirely unaware until now.

An unfamiliar, fiery sensation surged within Changying, flaring in her chest and making it ache. She wanted to lash out, yet at the same time, she couldn’t bear to. That fire burned so intensely that it threw her breathing into disarray.

She opened her mouth, instinctively trying to take a breath—but the moment she did, memories surfaced, and just like before, when she had yet to regain them, she bit down on the slender, pale wrist in front of her.

With such a delicate wrist, a little more force could easily break it, but she wasn’t willing.

Zhuyou was caught off guard by the bite. Ordinarily, she would have been furious. If this had happened before, she would have flung the dragon straight out the window. But now, strangely, no anger rose within her.

For once, she remained calm. She raised her wrist, leveling her gaze with Changying’s and asked, “Teething?”

She figured Changying must be upset—why else would she be glaring at her without saying a word?

But what was there to be mad about? Was she upset that Zhuyou had Guanshang’s scent on her? Now that she thought about it, she had considered keeping a piece of dragon breath-infused ice in her storage pouch earlier. But with everything that had happened, she’d simply forgotten.