Living Up to You

Chapter 35

When Ling Xi woke up once again, she was in an unfamiliar room.

She was still alive. This was her first reaction.

After her body had experienced the huge pain, she felt very light. The slight discomfort on the body was completely negligible compared to the previous pain. She could move clearly and her mind was still normal. She could remember what had happened. Aside from that she couldn’t summon as much spiritual energy, she couldn’t detect any other abnormalities.

Unfortunately, there was a seal around the room she was in. She couldn’t go out and no one could visit her.

Perhaps because one immortal part and four mortal parts had been peeled from her, her body was still unable to adapt. For a long time, she had been groggy. Not long after she woke up, she would feel tired. Amongst the sleeping and waking up, waking up and sleeping, she didn’t know how many days had gone by.

It was another night again. She woke up from a complicated dream. The moonlight penetrated in through the paper window. The branches on the outside was projected on the window and looked like a beautiful girl. Occasionally, she could hear the rustling of the leaves caused by the wind.

When one had been alone for a long time, the senses would become very keen. Ling Xi heard someone’s footsteps for the first time; light and approaching fast.

After a short while, a figure appeared at the door and the door had been opened.

Long after Ling Xi heard the footsteps, she had sat up. She looked cautiously at the door and saw the moonlight outlined Qing Nian’s young and tender face.

Qing Nian walked through the seal with ease. He didn’t wait for Ling Xi to say anything and took her out.

“Junior uncle Cang Hai sent words on behalf of supremo. Tomorrow, you will be punished with hundred godly flogs. Today, you must go down the mountain,” Qing Nian explained while he managed the sword.

Ling Xi didn’t know why they waited until this day to punish her. But in any case, if the godly lash flogged her, it would damage a year of cultivation. To flog her a hundred times was equivalent to flogging her to death.

“What about you all?” Qing Kui and Qing Lian was presumably still in the water prison.

“Fifty everyone.” Qing Nian lowered his voice and said, “Don’t worry, our cultivation is much higher than yours. We can bear it.”

“If you let me go…”

“Ling Xi, don’t think about it so much.” Qing Nian tightly held her wrist and flew with her on his sword. “These past days, the devil clan harassed the mortal realm and caused chaos. Some small immortal sects had even been destroyed by them. The immortal realm is panicked. They can’t do anything to the devil clan, so they put pressure on Cangjia to punish the culprit. If you don’t leave, you will die tomorrow!”

Ling Xi was terrified. She wasn’t terrified that Qing Nian told her that she would die tomorrow, but it was because the devil clan was doing evil….

Qing Nian knew that he would be definitely discovered after breaking through Cang Hai’s seal. Hence, he had tried his best to be as fast as possible. However, before they were able to leave Cangjia Mountain, a large number of Cang Hai’s disciple chased after them.

“Qing Nian, let me go. Say that I ran away by myself and that it had nothing to do with you.” Ling Xi didn’t want to implicate others. She could still manage a sword now.

Qing Nian didn’t let go of her hand and said, “I have sworn to the moon that no matter what happens, I will stay by your side. I will never forget the grace you showed me and my big sister.”

Ling Xi had long thrown this matter to the back of her head. Even without Qing Nian’s oath, she wouldn’t have watched Xue Ran die that day.

“You go first. I will block them.” Qing Nian suddenly turned his head and pushed Ling Xi. He immediately rushed towards the direction where they came from.

Ling Xi stabilized Bingling. When she turned her head, she saw that Cang Hai was furious. He was leading a few hundred Cangjia’s disciples to chase after them. When Qing Nian went over, he made a seal and blocked everyone.

She couldn’t watch anymore! Ling Xi took a deep breath and tried her best to leave Cangjia Mountain as fast as possible.

However, she had overestimated her remaining spiritual energy after all. Such a fast speed made her body unable to endure it. She barely flew out of Cangjia Mountain. Without the protecting of the immortal aura on the mountain, the discomfort quickly hit her body. She couldn’t even manage her sword stably.

Ling Xi had to stop midway to conceal her aura, so that she wouldn’t be found by those who chased her.

However, the moment she stopped, she was surrounded.

It was a group of demons.

“Haha, sure enough you came down the mountain today. Why wasn’t it Qing Kui who saved you?” Qing Feng’s laughter pierced the night and the demonic aura on her body attacked Ling Xi directly.

Ling Xi was already exhausted. After two blows, she was firmly caught.

“Follow me to the demon realm and play there for a few days!”

Qing Feng held Ling Xi hostage and was about to leave with a whirlwind. The starlight in the night was blocked by dark clouds for a moment. The wind rose, dispelling the demonic aura and brought the devilish aura.

Ling Xi didn’t know what had happened yet when she was already in the arms of another person.

A somewhat cold aura that no longer had the fragrance of Chinese roses, but that made her still feel familiarity.

She only heard a shout of pain from Qing Feng. Ling Xi opened her eyes and saw that she (QF) had fallen to the ground. There was green demonic blood at the corners of her lips.

“Devil king Nan Zhi is truly powerful.”

She wiped the blood on her mouth. Her smile was sharp. With one gaze, a large number of demons attacked Nan Zhi.

The black clouds in the sky quickly counter-attacked as if an invisible hand was controlling them. The black clouds changed into devilish beings and fought with those demons.

Ling Xi was in Nan Zhi’s arms. She looked at the battle below and her eyes slightly hurt.

She thought of that day on Cangjia Mountain. If she hadn’t stopped Nan Zhi, would it be that day be the same as today?”

Whether they were demons, immortals or mortals; there was no difference in Nan Zhi’s heart.

The moment she thought of that, she asked the question.

“Yes.” Nan Zhi’s answers had always been brief, but after this word, he added another sentence, “You are different.”

The three words had a gentle softness.

“Then, would you still listen to me?” Ling Xi snuggled in his arms. Her voice was slightly hoarse after having avoided the gust of wind.

The softness in Nan Zhi’s eyes seemed to have been blown away by the wind. He narrowed his eyes and kept looking at the demons who returned to their original form after falling on the ground. “I used to only listen to you, but I discovered that I was wrong.”

Ling Xi looked at his dark eyes and found that the things inside of it was surely not the same anymore. Those were a natural born dominance and arrogance and silent fell into the once pure and clean eyes.

He touched the corner of her eye and said, “In the future, you listen to me.”

It happened that at that moment Qing Feng left with the wounded demons. Her laughter came with the wind, “Qing Feng would wait for the day that devil king unifies the six realms! And is willing to bow my head and be your subject!”

A group of devils was stained with green demon blood. They stepped on the bones of the demons, knelt and said in unison, “Congratulating Lord for returning to the devil realm! Congratulating Lord for returning to the devil realm!”

Congratulating Lord for returning to the devil realm!

Nan Zhi really is…a devil!

—

“Nan Zhi, the sky is not beautiful today. Can you make it brighter?!” Ling Xi rested on the window and watched the sky of the devil realm.

Nan Zhi swept once over her. There was a smile in his eyes. His thin lips moved slightly and he made a spell with one hand. The clouds in the sky spread out and the blue washed in.

“Nan Zhi, I still think that a snowy weather is more beautiful.” Ling Xi turned around and smiled brightly.

Nan Zhi’s hand moved again. His eyes darkened. Snowflakes truly fell from the sky.

Ling Xi happily rested on his shoulder, “I thought you won’t listen to me anymore.”

Nan Zhi stroked her hair, “Occasionally, I can listen to you.”

“Then, what about you change into a turtle and play with me?” Ling Xi won an inch, wanted a foot.

- Win an inch, want a foot: give one an inch, he’ll want a mile

Nan Zhi’s smile froze at the corner of his lips. He seemed like he didn’t know whether he should cry or laugh.

When Ling Xi saw him like this, she felt more comfortable. This expression of his made her feel that he was still her Nan Zhi even if they were in the devil realm.

She had never thought that one day she would live in the devil realm. Around her aside from devils, were still devils, although, they changed into appearances of ordinary people.

“Look, you are not obedient again.” Ling Xi pretended to be angry.

Nan Zhi still stared at her not knowing whether to cry or laugh. His eyes reflected her slightly flushed cheeks and blaming eyes. Ling Xi still wanted to say something. Her mouth hasn’t opened yet when it was sealed by a refreshing breath.

The coolness invaded from the tip of the tongue and slowly flowed all over her body, making her seem like she was floating on a light boat. The water carrying the light boat gradually became more turbulent. She floated up and down with more rapid turbulence. The temperature of the water also seemed to get higher and almost boiling.

Until when Ling Xi was covered by the turbulent flow and almost ignited did the fiery heat leave.

Her cheeks were burning. She gently leaned against Nan Zhi’s chest. Her breathing hasn’t steadied yet. She put a hand on his chest and murmured, “Does it still hurt.”

A sword stab caused by her.

“Mm.”

Ling Xi’s heart ached, “Nan Zhi, can you recall all the devils outside of the devil realm?”

This way, it would also be fine if they stayed forever in the devil realm. No one would force her again to make a choice. They would also not face each other again with swords.

Nan Zhi’s slightly cool fingertip caressed over the outline of her face. The dark eyes suddenly stared at her.

Ling Xi looked into those eyes and frowned, “You don’t agree?”

Nan Zhi smoother her brows and said in a low voice, “After they have finished doing one thing for me.”

“What thing?” Ling Xi looked sideways.

Nan Zhi dodged her gaze.

For a long time, Ling Xi only stayed in her and Nan Zhi’s house. This the devil realm after all. Even if it appeared the same as the mortal realm on the surface, Ling Xi was unable to be at ease. Also, even when she went out, when those devils saw her, they were very respectful as if they were afraid to provoke her. They could only go by a roundabout route.

Most of the time, Nan Zhi would keep her company. Occasionally, someone would come to look for him and he would leave for a short while. Ling Xi seemed to have returned to three years ago at Xuwang Cliff. Every day, she would be with Nan Zhi: practice together, read the same book, paint the same picture and sometimes she would try to provoke him. However, her small tricks didn’t work anymore now. The more she deliberately teased him, the stronger the laughter in his eyes was. He was would no longer be cold and angry like in the past.

“This doesn’t look like me.” Ling Xi frowned. The face of the girl in the painting was rumpled. Her eyes were empty and confused. How could she be her?

Nan Zhi gracefully painted the last stroke. With a smile in his eyes he swept over Ling Xi and said, “Eleven-year-old Ling Xi.”

“No wonder senior brother Qing Kui would call me Ah Chou (ugly) at that time.” Ling Xi held up the painting with both hands and stared at the girl in the painting.

Nan Zhi took another piece of paper and sketched again. A short time later, another woman jumped on the paper.

“Mm…this one is better, but she is still very ugly…” Ling Xi was dissatisfied.

“Twelve-year-old Ling Xi,” Nan Zhi said with a smile.

“You remember? Then what about thirteen-year-old me?” Ling Xi looked at Nan Zhi.

Nan Zhi painted again. It wasn’t much different from the previous one except that the girl’s eyes were much clearer and she was taller.

“What about fourteen-year-old? It wouldn’t still be this ugly, right…,” Ling Xi muttered.

The brush in Nan Zhi’s hand hadn’t stopped. It was as if the past Ling Xis stood in front of him.

“Fourteen-year-old Ling Xi.”

“Fifteen-year-old Ling Xi.”

“Sixteen-year-old Ling Xi.”

When the night arrived, there were already several paintings. The face of the girl in the painting gradually unfolded and she became taller and taller. The bearing was different in each painting.

“What about seventeen-year-old?” Ling Xi didn’t even think about it when she blurted this after seeing her sixteen-year-old self.

Nan Zhi’s paintbrush suddenly stopped. The candlelight in the study suddenly made a “pop” sound and became brighter.

Ling Xi’s heartbeat also paused. Nan Zhi had never seen the seventeen-year-old Ling Xi.

“Eighteen-year-old Ling Xi.” Nan Zhi only paused for a slight moment before he painted another painting.

Ling Xi was full of smiles and wanted to have a closer look. The tip of Nan Zhi’s brush had been resting on the woman’s bun in the painting. His brows furrowed slightly.

“Didn’t you finish yet?” Ling Xi leaned over to look and smiled, “So similar.”

She reached out for the painting, but Nan Zhi’s hand pressed the painting down and never left it. He said in a low voice, “Something is missing.”

“What is missing?” Ling Xi rested her chin on one hand and looked carefully. She didn’t feel that something was missing. Every gesture and smile of the girl in the painting and even the look in her eyes was exactly the same as hers.

Nan Zhi didn’t spoke again and put aside eighteen-year-old Ling Xi.

Someone entered at the right time to seek his attendance. He kissed Ling Xi’s forehead and left.

Ling Xi took that painting and looked at it from top to bottom. What was missing?

“Ah, I know!” Ling Xi’s eyes lit up. She went out while holding the painting.

Eighteen-year-old her had Bingling sword given to her by Cang Yu. It was not in the painting.

She walked through the long corridor and bypassed several vacant rooms to go to the main hall to find Nan Zhi, but she stopped when she passed a courtyard.

She rarely went out and hadn’t paid attention to this yard. The yard was empty. There wasn’t even grass. A few people stood there now.

The figure of the person in the lead was too familiar. Even if it was just his back view, it was like a charm that couldn’t be ignored by people.

“Lord, the king of hell insisted on that he had never taken it. He said…,” The man who answered respectfully hesitated slightly.

“Say what?” Nan Zhi asked coldly.

“Say that Lord had slept for ten thousand years. It…it is you who had forgotten. Naturally, you will remember in the future.”

A cold wind blew over. Ling Xi couldn’t help but shudder. She was immediately discovered. The person next to Nan Zhi immediately attacked her. The fierce devilish energy rushed to her, frightening her so much that her face paled. She backed away and fell onto someone’s arms. The person in front of her immediately knelt.

This night, Ling Xi tossed and turned in Nan Zhi’s arms. She couldn’t sleep.

Some moonlight spilled in through the window. The room wasn’t dark. There were a few shadows of bugs crawling under the moonlight and they seemed to scratch Ling Xi’s heart. Nan Zhi pulled her into a tighter embrace and kissed her lips, but she turned and faced him with her back.

“I don’t remember…some things of the past.” Nan Zhi’s cool breath sprayed on Ling Xi’s ear and calmed the turmoil in her heart.

She turned and nestled in his arms. She muffled, “From ten thousand years ago?”

“Mm.”

“You want to remember very much?”

“Mm.” Nan Zhi grabbed Ling Xi’s hand and put it on his chest. “A piece is missing here.”

After that night, Ling Xi went out even lesser. One, it was because she didn’t want to go out. Two, she had fallen sick.

In the past when she roamed the world with big brother, her body would occasionally feel uncomfortable, but she had never gotten sick. Afterwards, when she went to Cangjia Mountain, she had suffered various minor and major injuries, but even if her body was weak, she had never fallen sick. However, after she went to the devil realm, she only slept and was lazy, but became inexplicably sick instead.

The high fever made her muddle-headed. She sweated all over her body. She could feel that Nan Zhi hasn’t left her side at all, but the coldness on his body didn’t made her have a turn for the better. Instead, she felt hotter as if someone had burned a torch in her heart and in a moment of carelessness made her feel so hot that she shivered all over her body.

She woke up and slept while being groggy. Often when she met Nan Zhi’s dim eyes, they were as dark as the outside sky. In addition to the damp heat, there was a touch of anxiety in the air.

One day, perhaps it was because the weather was getting colder that she didn’t feel that her body was so hot and uncomfortable anymore. Her consciousness became a bit clearer. When she opened her eyes, she saw Nan Zhi’s sometime bright and sometime dark eyes mixed with various unknown emotions stare at her.

He sat by the couch, some distance from her. Seeing that she had woken up, a glimmer flashed through his eyes.

Ling Xi reached out, wanting to grab him. She said with a smile, “Nan Zhi, I’ve actually fallen sick.”

Her voice was slightly hoarse as if it had been scratched by a sharp weapon. Nan Zhi’s brows furrowed. The hand that originally wanted to grab her hand also paused. Ling Xi was dumbfounded, “Nan Zhi, what is the matter? I’m sick, but it would be fine if I just take medication.”

She laughed again.

Nan Zhi’s aura came at her and hugged her. He said softly, “I will take you to go take medication.”

—

Nan Zhi brought Ling Xi out of the devil realm. It was also strange. When they arrived in the mortal realm and didn’t even found a doctor yet to look at Ling Xi, Ling Xi suddenly got better and returned to be a lively dragon and animated tiger.

- Lively dragon and animated tiger: vigorous and lively

“Nan Zhi, why…don’t we go to the northern city? I like it there.” Ling Xi hugged Nan Zhi full of smiles.

“Alright.”

Returning to the northern city after two years, Mrs. Li still recognized them. She smilingly praised Ling Xi for getting more beautiful. She enthusiastically helped them find the village head to give them an empty house.

Ling Xi took Nan Zhi to clean the house with joy and decorate the courtyard. It took half a month before she was satisfied.

Nan Zhi no longer mentioned the affairs of the devil realm. Ling Xi also threw the immortal realm to the back of her head. The two truly seemed like an ordinary married couple at the northern city. Life was quiet and profound.

They had planted many flowers and plants in the front yard. In the autumn, the yellow chrysanthemum bloomed brilliantly. There was a rattan chair in the backyard. The fence was covered with grape vines. Ling Xi slept more than in the past. When the weather was great, she and Nan Zhi would sit in the rattan chair to bask in the sun. Usually, she would fall asleep in his lap and sleep till the afternoon.

She thought the grape vines would grow denser next year and would grow grape flowers. After some bit more, they might produce delicious grapes

Aside from the front and backyard, the two also newly made a kitchen.

Originally, there was a kitchen in the house but unfortunately, Ling Xi prohibited Nan Zhi from using spells to cook. The kitchen was completely burned on the first day. Ling Xi watched his hand go down with the knife. The vegetables together with the cutting board turned into nothingness. She watched his hand go down with a spatula. A hole appeared in the pot. She could only do it herself. Fortunately, she was talented. After a few dishes, her dishes looked quite like the delicacy.

Although, they also had meals in the devil realm, it was Nan Zhi who used spells to make them. Naturally, it couldn’t be compared to the meals she made herself. In the past, Nan Zhi almost never ate these things. He would only sit at a side and watched Ling Xi eat. However, now he would accompany Ling Xi ate the meals she prepared.

One day, he put down his tableware and said with eyes full of smiles, “Delicious.”

Ling Xi had to admit that it was both his melting smile and the rare “delicious” coming from him that gave her great encouragement, making her be immersed in cooking for a long time.

As for the two people’s livelihood, at first, the neighbors gave them a lot of things and it was enough. The two also didn’t eat often. Later, Ling Xi suddenly got the mood and let Nan Zhi paint another lantern for her. After the lantern was made, they hung it on the door. From time to time, people would come ask whether it could be sold. It turned out that here were very few people who had studied at this place. It was even more rare to see such exquisite painting. Since then, the two would made some lanterns or sold some calligraphy and paintings of Nan Zhi.

Every half month, the town not far away would have big markets and temple fairs. Generally, Ling Xi wouldn’t miss them. She would go listen to stories, watch plays and buy some gadgets that she likes. However, Nan Zhi would never eat the food of the restaurants. Ling Xi felt that they were better than hers, but he insisted that they were not delicious.

Coincidentally, the play they watched today was the same as two years go…A fairy of the god realm fell in love with a common folk. Ling Xi still looked at it with great pleasure and asked Nan Zhi laughingly, “Do you still remember what you said two years ago?”

Nan Zhi’s voice remained unchanged. He nodded slightly, “Cultivate into a mortal and stay by your side.”

“What about now?” Ling Xi wanted to ask him what he thought now.

Nan Zhi was expressionless and said, “It’s very good like this.”

“Like this is like what?” Ling Xi was puzzled.

“Cultivate to be a devil and lock you at my side.”

Ling Xi was stunned and laughed helplessly.

On the day of the winter solstice, it began to snow at the northern city.

Ling Xi very happily boiled a pot of warming soup. After dinner, she pulled Nan Zhi to sit on the rattan chair in the backyard and watched the snow.

In the winter, the grapevines couldn’t block the wind and snow, but Ling Xi didn’t let Nan Zhi use spell. She wore a thick coat. Her whole body was covered inside, only revealing her head. She leaned on Nan Zhi’s lap.

Nan Zhi had never been someone of much words. He quietly brushed Ling Xi’s long hair and from time to time, he would touch Ling Xi’s cheek to see whether she was cold.

Ling Xi lay quietly on the rattan chair, looking at the snowflakes turn bigger and fell down like goose feathers. Occasionally, a few pieces would fall on her face. It felt cold. Before it melted, it had been swept away by Nan Zhi.

The body inside the coat was warm. The person she leaned on was also warm. The beating heart also felt warm. Only the floating snowflakes were cold. However, it was only that cold that would make those “warmth” feel so real.

Ling Xi was a bit tired and wanted to sleep.

In fact, she didn’t want to sleep. The days and nights of being together like this, even three lifetimes were not enough. How could she be willing to go sleep? She wanted time to be slower, a bit more slower. She wanted every inch (of time) to stay at her fingertips to let her carefully reminisce before it went away.

Two strings of instrument were in perfect harmony. The time was calm and right.

Due to the warmth from Nan Zhi’s body, her face turned slightly pinkish. Snowflakes reflected in the clear eyes. The corners of her eyes were curved and the snowflakes seemed to melt in her eyes.

She hugged Nan Zhi’s waist and looked up at him, “Nan Zhi, if this is a dream, let’s not wake up…alright?”