Chapter 33
That night, Kunlun Mountain was quieter than usual.
The stars stretched endlessly across the sky.
The ancient peaks glowed beneath silver moonlight.
Earlier, Ying Zhao had finally explained what needed to be done.
“The star formation cannot be opened by one person alone.”
The old mountain god pointed toward the constellation array carved into the mountainside.
“Zhu Yin and I will maintain the formation.”
“Wen Xiao will serve as the bridge of the Baize Order.”
Then his gaze landed on Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhou Yi Chen.
“As for you two…”
Everyone immediately became suspicious.
Ying Lei especially.
“You two only need to activate the Baize Order from inside the formation.”
“That’s all.”
Ying Lei nodded.
“Sounds easy.”
Ying Zhao looked at him.
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Not easy at all.”
“Oh.”
The old mountain god paused.
Then added casually:
“Especially considering your relationship.”
Zhou Yi Chen immediately stood up.
“We’re leaving.”
The discussion ended there.
Or at least-
everyone pretended it did.
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Later that night…
The mountain paths were empty.
The wind carried the scent of pine trees and cold mist.
Zhou Yi Chen found Zhao Yuanzhou sitting alone on a cliff overlooking Kunlun.
For once-
the demon wasn’t smiling.
Wasn’t being annoying.
Which was honestly alarming.
Zhou Yi Chen approached quietly.
“What are you doing here?”
No response.
The demon simply stared at the distant horizon.
That alone was enough to make Zhou Yi Chen concerned.
After a long silence, he sat beside him.
“Zhao Yuanzhou.”
The demon finally looked over.
His smile appeared.
But it looked tired.
Far too tired.
“What?”
“You’re thinking too much.”
“Nothing.”
“What’s troubling you?”
The smile disappeared.
The silence that followed felt heavier than any battle they had fought.
Finally-
Zhao Yuanzhou spoke.
“Tomorrow is Blood Moon Night.”
The mountain wind suddenly felt colder.
The night when powerful demons were most vulnerable.
The night when resentment, guilt, grief, and rage became impossible to suppress.
The night when even ancient demons could lose themselves.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Zhao Yuanzhou laughed softly.
Not because anything was funny.
But because the alternative was worse.
“You know…”
“Many of the things I regret happened during Blood Moon Nights.”
His voice grew quieter.
“The things I couldn’t control.”
“The things I can never take back.”
The smile vanished completely.
Then he looked directly at Zhou Yi Chen.
And for the first time-
there was no teasing.
No jokes.
No masks.
Only pain.
Raw and honest.
“I killed you on a night like that.”
The words shattered the silence.
Even the mountain seemed to listen.
Zhou Yi Chen froze.
Because this time-
the demon wasn’t speaking about some distant story.
Or a mystery.
Or half-truths.
He was speaking about him.
About them.
About whatever past neither fully remembered.
Zhao Yuanzhou lowered his gaze.
“I remember your face.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“I remember your blood.”
“I remember you looking at me…”
“As if you still trusted me.”
“I’ve lived for thousands of years.”
“And somehow…”
“That memory still follows me.”
Zhou Yi Chen had never seen him like this.
Never.
This was not the shameless demon who flirted at every opportunity.
Not the powerful monster who laughed in the face of danger.
Not the ancient being who always seemed untouchable.
This was simply-
someone hurting.
Someone who had been hurting for a very long time.
“Zhao…”
The demon continued speaking.
As if the words had finally become impossible to contain.
“I don’t understand.”
“Why am I always bound to you?”
The question sounded almost helpless.
“Every lifetime.”
“Every encounter.”
“Every ending.”
“I only seem to bring you pain.”
“If something goes wrong tomorrow…”
“If I lose control…”
His golden eyes trembled.
“Use the Baize Order.”
“Kill me.”
“It has been my wish for years.”
For once-
Zhou Yi Chen couldn’t immediately argue.
Because the sadness in Zhao Yuanzhou’s eyes frightened him.
So he did the only thing that felt right.
He moved closer.
And wrapped his arms around him.
Zhao Yuanzhou froze.
Completely froze.
Like his mind had stopped working.
The great ancient demon.
The terror of countless legends.
The being feared throughout the wilderness.
Short-circuited.
Immediately.
“Y-Yichen?”
For several seconds-
nothing.
Then:
“Wait.”
Another pause.
“Are you hugging me?”
“No.”
“You are.”
“Shut up.”
“You are absolutely hugging me.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“…No.”
The answer came so fast that Zhou Yi Chen almost laughed.
The demon immediately looked embarrassed.
Which somehow made it worse.
For a while they simply sat there.
The mountain wind passing around them.
The stars shining overhead.
Then Zhou Yi Chen spoke quietly.
“We’ll activate the star formation.”
“We’ll stabilize the Baize Order.”
“We’ll stop you from losing control.”
The demon looked at him.
“You make it sound easy.”
“It isn’t.”
“Then why are you so confident?”
“Because I’m tired of listening to your nonsense.”
“…That’s fair.”
A faint smile finally appeared.
The first genuine smile all evening.
But then Zhao Yuanzhou sighed.
“Still.”
“What?”
“I don’t understand why you’re always so kind to me.”
Zhou Yi Chen rolled his eyes.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“You’re starting again.”
“I’m serious.”
“Unfortunately.”
“Yichen-“
“Stop talking.”
“But-“
“Stop.”
“But-“
“Stop.”
“But-“
To silence him-
Zhou Yi Chen leaned forward.
And kissed him..