Chapter 23
Following the trail left behind by the demonic wind, Zhou Yi Chen and Zhao Yuanzhou eventually arrived at Lingxi Villa.
The estate stood silently among the mountains.
Its gates were open.
Yet no servants could be seen.
No lights burned inside.
The entire place felt wrong.
As though it had been abandoned for years.
And yet-
someone was clearly living there.
“We split up.”
Zhou Yi Chen immediately said.
“No.”
Zhao Yuanzhou replied just as quickly.
Zhou Yi Chen shot him a look.
“I’m not asking.”
“And I’m not agreeing.”
“Why?”
The ancient demon folded his arms.
“Because every time I let you out of my sight, something disastrous happens.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“You were kidnapped by a dream demon.”
“Once.”
“You nearly died fighting Chenghuang.”
“…”
“You got possessed.”
“That wasn’t my fault.”
“And you keep collapsing from exhaustion.”
Zhou Yi Chen glared.
“Goodbye.”
Before Zhao Yuanzhou could continue, he turned and disappeared into a side corridor.
The demon sighed.
“He’s impossible.”
Then followed another path.
Unfortunately.
For once-
splitting up was exactly what their enemy wanted.
The deeper Zhou Yi Chen ventured into the villa, the quieter it became.
Dust coated the floors.
Ancient paintings lined the walls.
The air carried the faint scent of incense.
And beneath it-
something darker.
Something rotten.
His hand remained on Yun Guangjian.
Every instinct warned him that someone was nearby.
Watching.
Waiting.
A faint sound echoed from the end of the corridor.
A door slowly creaked open.
Zhou Yi Chen immediately stepped inside.
The room was strangely preserved.
Unlike the rest of the villa.
Candles burned quietly.
Fresh flowers rested beside an altar.
And standing beside it-
was a man dressed entirely in black.
A silver mask concealed most of his face.
The moment their eyes met-
both recognized the other.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
“You.”
Zhou Yi Chen’s voice turned cold.
The man in black smiled faintly.
“I’ve wanted to meet you.”
Yun Guangjian immediately appeared in Zhou Yi Chen’s hand.
The sword pointed directly at the stranger.
“Who are you?”
The man ignored the question.
Instead, his gaze lingered on Zhou Yi Chen’s forehead.
As if searching for something hidden beneath the skin.
Then he laughed softly.
“So it’s true.”
Zhou Yi Chen frowned.
“What is?”
“The Baize Order chose you.”
The words immediately put him on guard.
Before he could demand an explanation-
The man moved.
Fast.
Far faster than expected.
A wave of black spiritual energy erupted through the room.
Zhou Yi Chen raised Yun Guangjian.
The sword collided with the attack.
The impact shattered nearby furniture.
For several breaths, neither gained the advantage.
Then suddenly-
A sharp pain exploded behind Zhou Yi Chen’s neck.
His vision blurred.
Poison.
No.
Something worse.
His knees buckled.
The room tilted.
The masked man’s figure became indistinct.
Distant.
Unclear.
Zhou Yi Chen gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
But his body refused to obey.
The last thing he saw was the man’s calm smile.
“Sleep.”
Darkness swallowed everything.
…
When Zhou Yi Chen regained the slightest awareness-
he couldn’t move.
His limbs felt heavy.
His vision remained blurry.
Wood surrounded him.
A confined space.
The scent of incense was overwhelming.
His fingers touched polished wood.
And realization struck instantly.
A coffin.
Someone had placed him inside a coffin.
Outside, faint footsteps echoed through the room.
The lid remained closed.
And somewhere beyond it-
the man in black was waiting.
❄️❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
The moment Zhao Yuanzhou found Bai Jiu, the young doctor was lying unconscious in the middle of the courtyard.
“Bai Jiu.”
No response.
Zhao Yuanzhou crouched beside him and placed two fingers against his forehead.
A warm golden light flowed from his hand.
Moments later, Bai Jiu coughed violently.
“Gege-!”
Zhao Yuanzhou flicked his forehead.
“You sound disappointed.”
“No, no!”
Bai Jiu immediately shook his head…
Before either could continue, Wen Xiao, Ying Lei, and Pei Sijing arrived.
“Bai Jiu!”
Seeing him awake, everyone relaxed.
Only Zhao Yuanzhou remained serious.
His eyes scanned the surroundings.
Then narrowed.
“Where’s Zhou Yi Chen?”
The realization struck all of them simultaneously.
He wasn’t there.
Wen Xiao’s expression changed immediately.
“Commander?”
Zhao Yuanzhou’s face darkened.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Meanwhile.
Deep beneath Lingxi Villa….
Zhou Yi Chen remained motionless.
His eyes closed.
His breathing slow.
The man in black dragged him across a stone corridor before stopping inside an underground chamber.
Qing Geng stood waiting.
Her expression remained indifferent.
“So this is him.”
The man in black nodded.
“The one carrying half of the Baize Order.”
Qing Geng’s gaze drifted toward Yun Guangjian.
The sacred sword rested beside Zhou Yi Chen.
She reached toward it.
The moment her fingers touched the hilt-
A violent burst of blue light erupted.
Qing Geng was thrown backward.
The sword hummed furiously.
Rejecting her.
Qing Geng frowned.
The man in black laughed softly.
“Not surprising.”
Neither noticed that Zhou Yi Chen’s fingers had curled slightly.
He wasn’t unconscious.
Not anymore.
He simply wasn’t moving.
Carefully.
Silently.
Listening.
The man in black crouched beside him.
“Poor thing.”
Qing Geng raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
The masked man chuckled.
“You know who he is?”
“The demon’s weakness.”
Qing Geng folded her arms.
“Li Lun said something similar.”
The man in black nodded.
Then laughed again.
“A weakness carried across lifetimes.”
Zhou Yi Chen’s heartbeat stopped.
Lifetimes?
“What are you talking about?”
Qing Geng asked.
The man in black looked down at Zhou Yi Chen.
“Asleep.”
“Good.”
Then he continued.
“In his first life…”
“He died young.”
“Before he could even understand what he meant to Zhao Yuanzhou.”
Qing Geng remained silent.
“In the second life…”
The masked man’s voice softened strangely.
“He and that demon actually got what they wanted.”
“They married.”
For a brief moment, even Qing Geng looked surprised.
“They had a child.”
The room fell silent.
“But fate doesn’t like happy endings.”
His smile disappeared.
“They were killed.”
Zhou Yi Chen’s fingers trembled slightly.
A child.
A marriage.
Why did those words hurt?
Why did they feel familiar?
The man continued.
“Third life.”
“The cruelest one.”
“Zhao Yuanzhou had to kill him himself.”