"What are you doing?"
The Little Demon Empress ignored his question and countered coldly… Yet the icy tone in her voice was noticeably softer when speaking to him compared to her subordinates; she hadn't done it on purpose, and it had been like this ever since they left the Golden Crow's Ancestral Land… though he had only realized it now.
Ren Zu merely shrugged and answered, "I'm refining pills…"
"Refining pills? Without a cauldron, a furnace, or any artifact—how exactly are you doing that?" the Little Demon Empress asked expressionlessly.
"Even if others can't, that doesn't mean I can't." Ren Zu smiled calmly. With a casual wave of his hand, the box containing the [Sun and Moon Pill] he had refined earlier appeared before him. He opened it carefully and, looking at Caiyi, said with tranquil confidence, "You arrived at the perfect moment. This pill was something I refined especially for you."
"For this empress?" The Little Demon Empress faintly furrowed her brow. "Why would this empress need a pill?"
"…Because this pill will literally solve your problem of having only three years left to live." Ren Zu gave a faint smile and walked toward her, stopping just a few feet away. He continued, "I can't let my wife die. You will live a long, long life by my side."
For an instant, the air between them seemed to freeze.
The Little Demon Empress stared at him in silence, as though his words had pierced through every wall she had built over the years. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. A gentle night breeze stirred, making the black strands of her hair dance in the air, and for the first time, Ren Zu saw hesitation in those eyes that were always firm and distant.
"You… are you serious?" she finally asked, her voice lower than she intended. "This empress's fate was proclaimed by the Divine Golden Crow God itself. Since even the Golden Crow Divine God declared it, what being in this world could possibly change it! The condition of this body is something this empress understands far better than you. Even if we used every spiritual herb the Yun Family has accumulated over the past ten thousand years and every Purple Veined Divine Crystal in the entire Illusory Demon Realm, it couldn't extend this empress's life by even a little… It would be a waste!"
She didn't truly doubt him—not really. She simply… didn't know how to react. Ever since she had received that cruel fate—that her life flame would extinguish in three years—she had resigned herself to it. She had accepted that this would be her end. Now, suddenly, he appeared with a solution that, by her knowledge, bordered on the miraculous. She couldn't bear to raise her hopes only to watch them crumble. It was easier to believe he was deluding himself, or that this was merely a foolish attempt to comfort her. Rejecting the possibility of hope was less painful than allowing herself to "feel" and then losing everything once more…
That was why she looked at her "husband" with the same expressionless face as always and said, "All you need to do is help this empress keep this secret and tell no one! As for everything else, you don't need to worry—you don't have to meddle!"
Ren Zu smiled faintly, without a trace of arrogance—only that calm, carefree smile that seemed so natural on his face.
"…When have I ever joked about something like this, Caiyi?" He took one step closer. "You know me. If I say I can save you, then I can… Not only will this pill extend your lifespan, it will also give you a chance to step into the True Divine Profound Realm…"
The empress's heart beat faster. She averted her gaze, trying to hide the slight tremor in her hands. Her black eyes remained cold, but a subtle gleam flickered within them—an oscillation she could hardly conceal. Without a word, she raised her hand, and with a flick of her long sleeve, the pill floated from the box into her palm. She sighed and said, "…Seeing how hard you worked, this empress will accept it just this once."
Ren Zu watched in silence, a serene smile on his lips.
"Refine it slowly…" he said calmly, his voice firm yet gentle. "I'll be right here. Nothing will disturb you."
The Little Demon Empress merely nodded slightly. She took the pill and slowly brought it to her lips, swallowing it with care.
Instantly, a gentle warmth spread through her body, expanding in waves that mingled with the silence of the night—like a river of light flowing beneath her skin. The pill's power penetrated deep into her flesh, bones, and soul, causing every strand of profound energy in her body to vibrate in perfect harmony. An exuberant life force began coursing through every cell, pulsing with a vigor that seemed to rebirth the very essence of life itself.
So warm and comforting… yet at the same time so vast and overwhelming that her heart trembled!
So much life force!
It was as though the vital essence of thousands of people had been extracted, purified, and condensed into that single divine pill. Every particle fused with her body and spirit, strengthening, nourishing, and extending the "time" of her existence!
Even her profound veins, nourished by that torrent of life force, began pulsing with dazzling brilliance. Power flowed through them like rivers of divine lava, expanding and pressing against the internal barriers of her cultivation. The bottleneck that had confined her slowly began to loosen, trembling under the impact of that magnificent force.
To think that she was a Half-Step Divine Profound Realm cultivator—someone who had already touched the supreme limit of the mortal world! One more step… just one small breakthrough, and she would cross into an entirely different realm, ascending to the domain reserved only for the divine existences of legend.
Her heart shook with an indescribable emotion as she felt her foundation growing and solidifying with every breath.
While her body underwent this miraculous transformation, the moment the Little Demon Empress consumed the pill, the air around them grew denser, more vibrant, as though the world itself were responding to her presence. A majestic aura rose, blending the gentle glow of moonlight with the searing warmth of a rising sun.
The Little Demon Empress's delicate figure was enveloped in divine light, and a mixture of gold and silver began to shimmer across her skin, as if every cell reflected the perfect harmony of yin and yang. Heaven and earth energy converged upon her, swirling in resplendent spirals that made space itself tremble, while a sacred pressure emanated from her body—as though she had cast off her mortality.
Ren Zu watched silently, never interfering, his gaze fixed solely on her.
The life force within her continued to surge for long minutes, churning like a vast ocean in a storm before gradually calming. The divine aura radiating from her body stabilized, and the glow cloaking her skin slowly receded, dissipating completely into the air.
The Little Demon Empress opened her eyes gently. A soft sigh escaped her lips—light, yet carrying the weight of years of tension finally released.
Her entire body felt relaxed, warm, wrapped in a comfort so profound it bordered on ecstasy. It was as if she were immersed in a celestial hot spring, where every drop of that life force caressed her cells, purifying them and freeing her from pains and burdens she hadn't even known she carried.
She had completely refined the [Sun and Moon Pill]. Within her, the balanced power of yin and yang flowed like intertwining currents of gold and silver in perfect harmony.
The ancient burden that had been corroding her vitality vanished without a trace!
"…Unbelievable," she murmured, her voice trembling slightly. If any lingering skepticism about the pill Ren Zu had refined remained, it was now utterly gone. She could feel with absolute clarity that the sensation of her life force being consumed by the Golden Crow's flames had disappeared entirely.
As a woman, she should have perished upon receiving the Golden Crow's legacy; without Ren Zu, she would never have endured it. When she inherited that power, she had come to deeply understand the reasons behind its limitations—knowing her own "condition" better than anyone. And now, with the help of the pill her husband had given her, those barriers that once restricted her had been completely dissolved. A sensation of freedom and vitality coursed through her body, and in her heart she knew with absolute certainty: nothing would stop her from living thousands of years.
Her black eyes fixed on the beautiful young man before her, filled with shock and gratitude. He had resolved something the Golden Crow itself had declared impossible!
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and finally voiced her thoughts: "It's as if… every part of my body has been reborn."
Ren Zu approached, his footsteps nearly soundless on the grass. Moonlight bathed his figure, and in his eyes was a calm confidence—as though the outcome had never been in doubt.
"Now do you believe me?" he asked with a faint smile.
The Little Demon Empress gazed at him in silence for a long moment. Her lips parted as if to speak… but the words simply wouldn't come. Inside her, a tangle of old and newly awakened emotions fought for space, and even she didn't know how to untangle them.
For a hundred years, she had been alone. Solitude had become her constant companion, shaping her heart until it turned cold and unyielding. There had been no affection, no tenderness, no comfort—only memories she preferred to bury. But everything changed when she met Ren Zu. During that one week spent with him, everything changed… And when she learned the truth about the deaths of her father and brother… when vengeance became the sole purpose of her existence, she sacrificed the rest: her humanity, her compassion, her desires… and even the love that, against all logic, had begun to bloom for the young man standing before her.
She had buried it along with her dreams, believing that was the inevitable price of her path. But fate was always cruel. During those three months when she had given herself to him without reservation, what she discovered shattered her inside. She discovered that he truly loved her.
At first, all she felt was a suffocating emptiness. A bitterness she had never known, mingling with her loneliness and burning hotter than any infernal flame. It was as if his every touch reminded her of what she believed she didn't deserve. She had "forced" him—not out of emotion, but solely to fulfill her revenge! Yet she stayed. And three months later, she treated him with a certain indifference—not from lack of love, but from fear.
She knew she would die in three years. To spare him the inevitable pain, she tried to push him away. She tried to be cruel, distant, cold. But the harder she pushed, the more entangled she became in her own feelings. The heart she thought had hardened centuries ago began to falter every time he smiled, every time he spoke her name with a tenderness not even gods could fake. That was why, after leaving the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, she had declared she would take responsibility and become his wife.
Now, with her vengeance finally complete—made possible only with the help of the young man before her—nothing remained to stop her from facing what was left inside her. The rage had dissipated. The hatred, extinguished. All that remained was him… and a love that persisted, indomitable, despite everything that had happened between them.
She could no longer lie to herself. She had come to him tonight because she wanted him. She wanted to see him, touch him, feel the warmth of his arms one last time. No matter how proud she was, no matter how much she tried to deny it, the desire to be by his side was stronger than any shame.
That was why she had sought him out tonight.
"Husband…" she whispered strangely, her voice trembling slightly. "You… you really did it."
Ren Zu simply smiled, his expression carrying a touch of tenderness and serenity. This was the first time the Little Demon Empress—known far and wide as "heartless"—had ever called him husband.
"…I told you I wouldn't let my wife die," he replied simply, as naturally as breathing.
The Little Demon Empress averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks grow faintly warm.
Stepping closer, Ren Zu gently encircled her waist with hands that contrasted strength with softness, drawing her to him with serene confidence. Their eyes met, and for a moment the world around them seemed to fade—the night breeze, the moonlight—everything scattered like leaves in the wind. Slowly, he leaned in, his lips brushing hers with a tenderness that carried all the care and love he had kept inside.
He kissed her softly.
The kiss was slow, deep, filled with a gentleness that pierced through the barriers she had built over centuries.
Surprisingly, she responded. Her lips—soft and delicate as petals—moved against his, hesitant at first, but soon yielding to the warmth that seemed to melt the ice in her heart. Her hands, which by instinct nearly rose to push him away, hovered in the air before lightly settling on his shoulders—as if, for the first time, she was allowing herself to surrender completely.
When they finally parted, Ren Zu looked at her with that calm, slightly teasing smile that seemed an intrinsic part of him.
"That…" he said, his voice soft yet playful, "was my reward."
The Little Demon Empress furrowed her brow, her black eyes glinting with that familiar cold light.
"Hmph," she murmured, crossing her arms and turning her face away, her cheeks tinged with a nearly imperceptible blush under the moonlight. "You really are shameless… Do you think you can just kiss this empress like that and call it a reward?"
Despite the cold tone and rigid posture, she made no move to pull away. Her feet remained planted where they were, and her eyes—even when averted—betrayed a softness she could no longer fully hide.
Ren Zu chuckled softly, the sound warm and comforting. "Caiyi, you can say whatever you want, but your lips don't lie."
He tilted his head, drawing a little closer, his hand still resting gently on her waist.
"And I know you enjoyed it just as much as I did."
"Arrogant!" she snapped, turning her face even further, but the slight quiver in her voice revealed that her icy facade was on the verge of crumbling. She raised a hand as if to push him away, yet her fingers merely brushed his chest, hesitating before withdrawing.
"Don't think I'll spoil you just because you made one pill. This empress said she would take responsibility and be your wife, but don't push your luck!" she added, struggling to maintain her composure, though the gleam in her eyes and the faint curve of her lips betrayed how hard she was fighting herself.
Ren Zu simply smiled, neither pressing further nor retreating. He knew that behind that mask of coldness, her heart was beginning to open again—like a flower blooming after a long winter.
"You can be as stubborn as you like, Caiyi…" he said, his voice carrying gentle certainty. "And I'm not pushing my luck. We're husband and wife, after all. A kiss is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
She didn't answer immediately, only gazing at him for a long moment—her black eyes reflecting the moonlight and something deeper: a mixture of vulnerability and hope she would never admit aloud. Then, with a resigned sigh, she murmured almost inaudibly, "Idiot…"
But the faint tightening of her fingers on his sleeve—barely perceptible—said everything her words could not.
___________________
(A/N Hello everyone! Thank you so much for your patience these past few days — I ended up getting sick and needed some time to recover. Because of that, I couldn't post new chapters, and even the Patreon updates were temporarily paused.
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