Song Jincheng's parents arrived at Tianwu Gate. Having been forewarned by Mr. Yue, they knew about the identity of the Medicine King Immortal Master. Upon seeing Song Qingshi, they performed a grand gesture of respect, thanking him for saving their child's life before using a stick to drag their mischievous child back home.
Song Qingshi finally learned of Mr. Yue's true identity. He was a bit baffled, but what could he do to Yue Wuhuan? His own soulmate, an intellectual prodigy, someone he must cherish above all, he would forgive him no matter what he had done.
Most of those injured at Tianwu Gate were in stable condition. The few with severe injuries were taken by Song Jincheng's parents back to Medicine King Valley for treatment. Yuwen Yu, worried about his friend, initially wanted to follow, but was once again beaten by his father and sent off to cultivate.
Song Qingshi reminded Lady Nian not to forget to send him his scrolls, then took his treasured research subjects in their cage and, accompanied by Yue Wuhuan, boarded the magical ship back to the Immortal Summit.
He had intended to visit the Endless Abyss to check on Anlong's condition, but since Anlong had turned berserk, replacing affection for Song with murderous intent and lacking reason, Song's presence might exacerbate the situation.
Fortunately, years of medical research with Yue Wuhuan had instilled in him a rigorous experimental mindset. Yue had meticulously documented Anlong's demonic transformation using both visual runes and written records, storing them in the archives of the Immortal Summit.
Song Qingshi couldn't stop praising his reliability.
At night, as the magical ship neared the Immortal Summit, Song Qingshi looked out of the window under Yue Wuhuan's guidance. He saw countless lights on the cliffs blending with the starry sky above, illuminating golden palaces and jeweled trees on the side, composing a dazzling spectacle like something out of a fantastical dream.
After admiring the view for quite some time, and feeling confident that he would never be short on research funds, he suddenly noticed something amiss about the beautiful lamps. Upon closer inspection, he saw tormented souls struggling inside each lamp. Were these all soul lamps?
Shocked, Song Qingshi asked, "What are these souls?"
"Don't worry about it. They are all irredeemable trash. Torturing them here pleases me," Yue Wuhuan said, embracing him from behind. "The soul lamp you gave me years ago is also among them. Isn't it beautiful?"
Song Qingshi remained silent for a long while before murmuring, "Three thousand years, and the soul lamp still hasn't gone out..."
He had once gifted two soul lamps to Yue Wuhuan to vent his pent-up anger. They'd made a pact that if Yue Wuhuan could let go of his painful past and stop tormenting himself, he would extinguish the soul lamps, utterly destroying the wicked souls and allowing everything to start anew.
Hundreds of thousands of soul lamps, each representing the hatred in Yue Wuhuan's heart and his loathing of the world.
The more soul lamps, the more hate, the deeper the loathing.
Over so many years, he hadn't let go of a single one...
"How could I forget those things?" Yue Wuhuan said gently, smiling. "As long as I live, as long as the soul lamps burn, my hatred will never fade."
Hesitant, Song Qingshi asked, "Never?"
With certainty, Yue Wuhuan replied, "Never."
Song Qingshi fell silent again.
"Don't worry," Yue Wuhuan, sensing his partner's mood, leaned down to kiss his lips and comforted him, "This world is filthy. Nothing here is clean except you. The air reeks, and garbage is everywhere. It's not worth giving it a fresh start."
After thinking for a long time, Song Qingshi nodded obediently.
...
The magical ship came to a halt, and the cultivators of the Immortal Summit, having heard the news, came bearing lavish gifts, eager to meet the Divine Lord's soulmate. They even eagerly proposed a grand ritual to publicly celebrate the Divine Lord's affection for his soulmate.
Knowing that Song Qingshi was uncomfortable with attention from strangers and disliked formal ceremonies, Yue Wuhuan accepted the gifts on his behalf, declined all the proposals, and sternly cautioned, "Medicine King Immortal Master is male. It's absolutely unacceptable to refer to him as the Divine Consort."
Having recovered his memories from a past life within the Mo Yuan magic array, Yue Wuhuan knew that Song Qingshi was particular about maintaining his masculine identity and felt that their same-sex partnership had no symbolic implications in bed.
Once, someone foolishly called Song Qingshi 'Sword Master's Wife,' leaving him speechless and so aggrieved that he refrained from eating for three days, pondering over what part of him looked like a 'wife.'
In short, terms like 'Divine Consort,' 'wife,' or 'daughter-in-law' were all taboo.
These were absolutely not to be mentioned in front of Song Qingshi.
Yue Wuhuan prudently issued fifty-six new prohibitions for his subordinates at the Immortal Summit. These included not disturbing Song Qingshi's research, not touching the experimental equipment, not gawking at Song Qingshi, not casually conversing with him, and not using improper titles, among other things.
Hao Long, not comprehending, mindlessly supported, "Mother is right!"
Everyone was a bit bewildered.
A research lab had already been prepared at the Immortal Summit, and capable assistants were sent over from Medicine King Valley. Song Qingshi dove into his research and never emerged.
He used various instruments to analyze the structure of the Filth Demon, researched a variety of toxins that were effective against it, dissected several corpses, and observed the rate at which these bodies disappeared. He then commissioned Yue Wuhuan and the Heavenly Workshop to collaboratively design a completely sealed transparent space. The Filth Demon, bound by the Blood King Vines, was placed inside, injected with lethal toxins, and its disintegration was observed post-mortem.
The average disappearance time of a demon corpse ranged from twelve to twenty-four hours.
The demon corpse in the sealed space took seventy-two hours to disappear, noticeably slowing down.
Song Qingshi found this extremely interesting and decided to improve the sealed space further by adding formations that isolate various forms of essence, energy, smell, and magnetic fields.
Both the sealed space and the isolation formation were high-level magical designs. When combined into a large transparent magical tool sturdy enough to prevent the Filth Demon from escaping, the complexity increased exponentially. The master of the Heavenly Workshop, along with his apprentices, brainstormed continuously, their submitted proposals rejected multiple times by the Divine Lord, until they were at their wit's end.
While waiting for the magical tool to be completed, Song Qingshi immersed himself in books.
Having been away from this world for three thousand years, he found many new and fascinating developments, including in the field of medicine. Certain puzzles he couldn't previously solve now had new solutions and research methodologies. He was so engrossed in reading that he neglected sleep and meals, his mind brimming with academic curiosities.
Song Qingshi mused, "If the effects of the Longevity Sand had been discovered earlier, we wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of searching for the ancient turtle."
Yue Wuhuan had once mentioned, during the restoration of his memories, that the three of them had ventured to the bottom of Moon Feast Lake once again. There, they were attacked by a water monster and triggered the Nightmare Heart-Eating Formation. After breaking the formation, they discovered the traces left by the Ink Abyss Sword Master and phoenix blood.
Recalling the incident, Song Qingshi felt that something was off. When he and Yue Wuhuan had gone to Moon Feast Lake to slay the ancient turtle, they hadn't acquired the phoenix blood, and their swordsmanship wasn't as advanced either.
Could it be that Yue Wuhuan had ventured into the Nightmare Heart-Eating Formation once again after his death?
Song Qingshi posed a question.
"Yes," Yue Wuhuan felt equally uneasy about that past life memory, "I was a bit unhinged at that time, acting without rationale. After you left, I missed you terribly and returned to the Nightmare Heart-Eating Formation. Although the formation subjected me to recurrent nightmares of losing you, at least I could see you in my dreams and savor brief moments of happiness."
Song Qingshi didn't know what to say. He tightly held Yue Wuhuan's hand, affirming his presence.
"It's rather ludicrous," Yue Wuhuan said with a self-mocking tone. "Trapped in that formation and not quite lucid, I grew accustomed to it. Once the formation could no longer produce nightmares that tormented me, it expelled me. In a fit of rage, I struck a few blows within the formation, venting my spite. Then, in a daze, I somehow lost the phoenix blood and the note you left."
Song Qingshi looked puzzled. "A note?"
Yue Wuhuan pondered, "After your transformation into a demon, you seemed aware of your fate. You wrote 'No Solution' on a piece of paper and thrust it into my hand to keep. I sought the answer tirelessly, and before my death, finally glimpsed the Grand Design—revealing the futility of it all."
Song Qingshi felt that the real memories of the Ink Abyss differed from his experiences within the magic formation. He wanted to understand the variations between the two.
"The events and experiences were mostly consistent, though there were slight differences in details," Yue Wuhuan carefully recalled. "Back then, you were not just mute but also rather dull, lacking the sharpness you possess now. When we first met, you brought me medicine, and I beat you with a stick until you bled. Yet, you just stood there, shedding tears in pain, without any idea to move away."
At that time, Song Qingshi was like a stone—unaware of human feelings or how to express emotion. Yet, he stubbornly kept Yue Wuhuan company, taught him how to read, and helped others with their illnesses.
Yue Wuhuan continued, "During our journey, I taught you many ways to adapt in society. You took the learning seriously, becoming a bit more flexible in action, gradually evolving into who you are today. I remember you had never even tasted delicacies. When I first made ice cream for you, you wrote many words in the palm of my hand, calling it the best thing you'd ever tasted. I had to rephrase every statement you wanted to say to patients, afraid your bluntness would invite retribution. You didn't understand and thought I was wrong, tugging at my clothes frantically."
Though memories of the previous life held painful moments, there were also countless enjoyable and joyful recollections that words could hardly exhaust.
Song Qingshi leaned on Yue Wuhuan's shoulder, engrossed in listening and feeling somewhat sentimental.
"Wuhuan..."
"What is it?"
"I suspect you're the one who turned me into what I am now."
"Don't be absurd."
"What if I was born for you?"
"Then I won't hold back."
"..."
The next morning, Song Qingshi woke up with an aching back and sore waist. Last night, Yue Wuhuan, claiming not to hold back, left his personal mark on him, keeping them busy the entire night. Now, his body was covered in marks, and his voice sounded somewhat hoarse. He resolved to cultivate his body more rigorously, foreseeing tough days ahead if he didn't.
Yue Wuhuan briskly went off to attend to his official duties, allowing the other to rest in bed a while longer.
Song Qingshi lay on his bed reading for a bit, but soon grew restless and thought about visiting his lab.
As he passed the garden, he suddenly heard soft sobs coming from the direction of the pond...
Song Qingshi approached and saw a strikingly beautiful young woman. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes in disarray, her shoes and socks missing; she looked as if she'd just risen from bed. Holding an embroidered handkerchief, she sat by the pond, gazing at her reflection as tears fell. He felt a pang of compassion at the sight.
A slight glimpse of her collarbone revealed scratch marks, and her arm bore some bruises as well.
Song Qingshi, usually engrossed in his research, walked over without a second thought. After taking a few steps, he realized something was amiss. He took a closer look at the marks on her body and arms; they were vicious signs of pinching and scratching, indicative of some intimate yet brutal encounter. Even her neck bore deep bite marks!
Neither he nor Yue Wuhuan, both grown men, would ever engage in such violent behavior even in the height of revelry.
What sort of violent ordeal had this young woman endured? Her gaze into the pond was so focused, could she be contemplating drowning herself?
Song Qingshi felt a sense of urgency. Preparing for a possible rescue, he moved closer, cautiously.
Sensing his presence, the young woman turned around, her eyes red from crying, and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"I'm new here," Song Qingshi asked cautiously, "Why are you crying here?"
"I upset Brother Zihao," she said, bursting into even sadder tears, her words tinged with chaos. "Last night was his birthday. I made him a new set of clothes and did everything to please him. We finally spent the night together... But this morning, for some unknown reason, he lost his temper and kicked me out, saying he wants to break up."
Song Qingshi found it inconceivable. How could such a beautiful and virtuous woman be abandoned like this?
The young woman was gasping for breath between her sobs, "He can yell at me, he can hit me, but I don't want to break up..."
Song Qingshi was even more stunned, "He hit you?"
The young woman nodded sadly, "Yes, it's my fault that I got hit. If Brother Zihao is angry, it must be justified..."
Song Qingshi became furious. Wasn't this a classic case of emotional manipulation?
Could there be such despicable men prone to domestic violence even at the Summit of Immortality?
He needed to inform Yue Wuhuan immediately; it was time for a purge.