Li Minghan stood before the painting on the wall, lost in thought. The black-and-blue fur cloak draped over his shoulders, paired with a black-and-gold hair ornament, made his presence feel colder still.
The painting depicted him and Shentu Zhajia together—zither and sword, a scene frozen in ink and color. At the memory, beneath the icy mask he wore, the corner of Li Minghan's mouth lifted into the faintest smile.
"My lord."
A slender girl with her black hair gathered into a bun hurried up behind him and dropped to one knee.
Beneath her thin, long brows were bright black eyes, their gleam edged with ferocity. She wore a fitted black dress, a short purple-plum dagger at her waist, along with several colorful sachets.
"Hua Ruoying." Li Minghan turned slowly, regarding her from the corner of his eye.
"I'm here, my lord. What are your orders?" The girl lowered her head.
"I've always known you have a talent for poison," Li Minghan said in a low voice. "Your brother, Hua Qiuyuan—commander of the Demon Army—has long been in my favor. As for you… it seems you have never cared much for such matters."
"My lord raised us and showed us great kindness," Hua Ruoying replied firmly. "I only wish to fulfill my duties. I dare not entertain expectations."
"What you say aloud, I understand," Li Minghan said. "But what you truly think… I'm not so sure."
A black-purple aura gathered in his hand. He reached out and touched it lightly to Hua Ruoying's chest.
Hua Ruoying shut her eyes in thinly concealed disgust, yet her voice remained steady. "I have always been loyal to my lord."
"Oh?" Li Minghan withdrew his hand. "Do you not resent what I did to you and your brother?"
"My lord has reasons for what you do," she answered. "I would not presume to speculate."
Li Minghan's voice cooled. "Then let me send you to kill someone."
Hua Ruoying's body trembled before she could stop it. She loved brewing poisons, but her hands had never been stained with blood. Such work had always been done by Hua Qiuyuan. Why would it fall to her now?
Had something happened to her brother?
"Well?" Li Minghan asked when she did not answer at once, his tone sharp with impatience. "Unwilling?"
"…Understood," Hua Ruoying said, her voice shaking.
"I'm sending you because you've never shown your face in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm," Li Minghan said evenly. "No one there will recognize you. But if you refuse, I can send your brother instead—though I don't know how long it will take."
He rubbed his fingers lightly, disdain flickering in his eyes.
"If my antidote is not ready next month…" His voice sank. "And considering how many immortals he has killed at my command, do you think the people of the Liao Yin Immortal Realm will cure him of the cold poison? Or will they capture him…"
Hua Ruoying drew in a cold breath. She had always known Li Minghan's ruthlessness. Over the years, she and Hua Qiuyuan had obeyed for two reasons: survival, and the chance—however slim—to find a cure for the bitter poison binding their lives.
"Hua Ruoying is willing to serve the Demon Lord as a dog," she said, biting her lip and forcing sincerity into her voice.
"Good." Li Minghan stepped forward. "Remember this: you and your brother are merely dogs I keep at my side. Only obedient dogs are worthy to live in my presence."
Power infused his fingertips as he traced through her hair—gentle, almost intimate—then without warning, he seized the back of her head and forced her to look up at him.
His voice was ice. "Understand?"
While he spoke, Hua Qiuyuan entered, as if to report something. He stopped beside Li Minghan, expression cold beneath the black half-mask, making no move to intervene—watching as though the one being held was a stranger.
Noting his arrival, Li Minghan lifted one brow. With a flick of his hand, he tossed Hua Ruoying aside.
She stumbled and fell hard to the floor, fighting to steady her breathing. The oppressive weight of his gaze had made even the air feel thin.
"Do you have something to report?" Li Minghan asked coldly.
"Yes, my lord." Hua Qiuyuan's voice emerged from behind the mask, indifferent and sharp. He glanced at Hua Ruoying as if waiting for her to leave.
"No matter. Speak." Li Minghan rolled up his sleeves.
"I learned that Yanding Dragon King recently invited Li Luoning over—without clear reason," Hua Qiuyuan said, eyes lowered.
"Oh?" Interest stirred in Li Minghan's tone. "And why?"
"It's said the Dragon King suddenly felt unwell. Our people saw Li Luoning leave with a solemn expression—and heard a name."
"Who?"
"O Shinan."
"O Shinan…" Li Minghan repeated slowly. Two fingers tapped in a steady rhythm against his arm. The name was not unfamiliar.
"Send someone to choose fine items from our stores and deliver them to the Dragon King's palace," Li Minghan ordered. "Add nourishing medicine."
"Lord," Hua Qiuyuan reminded him, "the gifts we sent before were all refused."
"I know." Beneath the mask, Li Minghan's voice carried a note of weary resignation. "Send them as usual. If he won't accept them, leave them on the shore as before."
"Understood."
Li Luoning. Always Li Luoning—whenever someone needs something.
Anger simmered hot and dense in Li Minghan's chest. His fist tightened.
Unwanted memories surged—his mind dragged backward by force: a study in chaos, robes soaked dark with blood, a voice behind a veil worn nearly hoarse. The flood of images struck like a blade, splitting pain through his skull.
He pressed a hand to his temples, breathing carefully until the ache dulled.
When it eased, his gaze drifted back to Hua Ruoying.
"Qiuyuan," Li Minghan said suddenly, "I've heard you and your sister have always been close."
"Nonsense," Hua Qiuyuan replied flatly. "Don't believe it."
"Oh?" Li Minghan's words sharpened with a deliberate edge. "So you're calling me a liar?"
"I would not dare."
Li Minghan's eyes slid meaningfully to Hua Ruoying. "Then if I took her life today, would you object?"
A purplish-black aura gathered in his hand, coiling with quiet menace. He stared at Hua Ruoying where she knelt on the floor, the intent to strike building—
"No need for you to act, Lord," Hua Qiuyuan said at once. "Allow me."
His arm snapped out. The whip cracked through the air toward Hua Ruoying.
She turned instinctively. The lash tore across her back, leaving a bloody mark. Pain stole her breath. The tearing burn drove her fingers into the floor, her throat locking around sound.
Hua Qiuyuan gave her no time. He raised the whip again and struck—this time across her arm. Her black sleeve split with a sharp red line.
"Ah—!" She finally cried out.
If the Lord had struck her instead, she knew the price would have been far worse.
Tears gathered in her eyes. Through pain-blurred vision, she looked at her brother—helpless, pleading without words.
A flicker of guilt passed through Hua Qiuyuan's eyes. His brows drew together. He lifted the whip again, preparing another blow—
"That's enough," Li Minghan said calmly.
At the command, Hua Qiuyuan eased back, exhaling as if he had been holding his breath. Compared to the power Li Minghan had gathered earlier, these lashes hurt—but at least they would not cost Hua Ruoying her life.
"I was only speaking casually," Li Minghan said indifferently, and walked to Hua Ruoying's side.
"I've heard Li Luoning of the Liao Yin Immortal Realm has taken a new disciple—Mi Xingzhe." A faint, unwavering smile curved at his lips. His tone carried an authority that left no room to refuse. "No matter the means, bring him back to me alive."
"Understood." Hua Ruoying struggled to rise.
"And you," Li Minghan added, turning his gaze to Hua Qiuyuan. Slowly, he flipped his palm.
Frost bloomed across Hua Qiuyuan's neck. The black half-mask frosted over as well. Though his full face remained hidden, the tension in his brows and the veins standing out along his throat spoke plainly of the pain.
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to endure the biting cold, but the stiffness continued spreading.
"When did I allow you to act without permission?" Li Minghan asked, power turning in his palm.
"Lord… forgive me." Hua Qiuyuan dropped to one knee, one hand braced on the floor to keep from collapsing. "I was wrong."
Li Minghan retracted his hand and looked down at him, eyes cold.
"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" His voice was low, almost soft—and all the more dangerous for it.
"I should not have presumed the Lord's intentions," Hua Qiuyuan said hoarsely. "I overstepped."
"Get out."
Hua Qiuyuan rose with a heavy expression and left.
On the other side, Li Luoning returned from Yanding Dragon King's palace. To avoid passing through Pingyan Land, she chose instead to travel through the mortal realm—and along the way, she found herself drawn toward the place that had once been her home.
The Li family residence had been destroyed by an inexplicable fire. Her mother had died in the flames trying to save her. Her father had vanished without a trace. Overnight, the household was scattered—dead and missing, nothing left to hold.
Still only a teenager then, Li Luoning had intended to search for Yanding Gengchen alone. But lacking direction, she had stumbled into the Ice Bamboo Forest. Exhausted, she collapsed by the road and was found by Mu Han, who happened to pass by. He brought her back to the mountain. From that day on, she became his disciple and stepped through the immortal gate.
Without realizing it, Li Luoning had already reached the ruins.
Where the Li residence had once stood, weeds now grew wild. Only scattered remnants remained—charred beams, a few walls that had not fully burned. Trees and overgrowth swallowed the area, and without having lived there, it would have been difficult to find at all.
Li Luoning stood at what used to be the front gate, her mind drifting.
On either side, stone carvings of immortal cranes had worn down to near unrecognizability. On the threshold, the faint outline of a pixiu could still be made out on the screen—carved from a single slab of marble by her father's own hand.
As she stood there, an old blind woman approached from not far away. A broken bamboo stick tapped the ground with each step. When she drew near Li Luoning, she paused and turned her head slightly.
"Is someone there?" the woman asked gently.
Li Luoning startled. She had not spoken. How could a mortal woman sense her presence?
"How did you know I was standing here?" Li Luoning asked, curiosity rising.
"I may be blind," the old woman said kindly, "but my hearing is sharp. And there's a faint medicinal scent on you—how could I miss it?"
"Do you often pass by here?" Li Luoning asked. "It's all overgrown. It must have been abandoned for a long time."
"This used to be the Li family residence," the old woman said, sorrow entering her voice. "Master Li and his wife were good people. They often looked after us poor folk. But one night… a great fire came and burned the Li family to death. What a pity."
"Master Li… truly was a good man," Li Luoning replied softly.
"It's strange," the old woman continued. "That night, when the Li family burned… it came from the sky."
"From the sky?" Li Luoning's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"I'm blind, but my hearing is much sharper than ordinary people," the old woman said. "That night, I happened to be out searching for my old man. He'd gone to gather herbs on the mountain and hadn't come back. As we returned past the crossroads, we heard something falling from above."
She sighed.
"At the time, I didn't think much of it. I assumed it was animals. But when we came back down the road… the Li residence was already swallowed by flames."
"Do you remember anything else?" Li Luoning asked urgently.
"Not much, child." The woman lifted her stick and pointed. "But I heard that ever since then, there's been a stone in the backyard that stays warm—even after all these years. I don't know if it's still there."
"Thank you."
The moment Li Luoning heard that, she could no longer stand still. After thanking the woman, she hurried toward the backyard.