Moonlight Mystique

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Damn it!"

Bai Shuo shoved the person on top of her away and leaped three feet into the air. The quietly burning medicinal flames choked on her scream, flickering uncertainly as if bending over in confusion.

Holy shit! Why is this demon god here? Didn't he take the Bodhi Tree's heart and return to the Yao Realm?

On the ground, Fan Yue lay bare-chested where Bai Shuo had thrown him. But this wasn't the cold, indifferent face from hours earlier—it was the youthful appearance of the boy Bai Shuo had met in the mountains three years ago. His jade-like face was now deathly pale, thin lips pressed tightly together, brows furrowed in pain. His entire body curled into a ball as cold sweat poured down his forehead, trembling violently as if enduring unbearable agony. At his chest flickered a faint Bodhi Heart Flame, seemingly unwilling to be consumed, making its final death throes.

Oh no! Did I accidentally summon him?

Bai Shuo remembered accidentally pricking her finger earlier and wiping it across her forehead—the exact spot where she and Fan Yue had formed their Divine Soul contract.

Gulping, Bai Shuo slapped her hands together hard. Damn it, serves you right for being greedy! You're so dead!

Three hours earlier, on the shores of Fire-Ice Island, Bai Shuo had laid out all her speculations with an ultimate "Aren't I smart? Praise me, praise me!" expression. If she'd been a fox, her tail would have been wagging like a propeller by now.

"Even if you guessed his identity and know his weakness, it's useless," Fan Yue said, stepping on the imaginary fox tail.

"Why not? If I can sneak in and trick him into drinking blood containing your Yao power, then when Your Highness descends like a divine warrior, won't Evil Bodhi be at your mercy?"

"You may be clever, but he's no fool. Now that he's attained semi-divine form, the moment you approach his true body, he'll shield his heart flame with a barrier to block my divine senses. You could enter, but this prince cannot. What use is that? With his spiritual power, even if his Divine Power is damaged, he could still reduce you to ashes with one slap."

Bai Shuo shuddered at the mental image of being turned to dust, her face falling as she paced anxiously. Suddenly she stopped and turned. "I know how to get you past his barrier."

Fan Yue raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What method?"

"Divine Soul Contract!"

Fan Yue's eyes narrowed, his pupils turning cold.

The Divine Soul Contract was a secret art of the Three Realms. It wasn't called secret because few knew of it, but because few dared to use it. Legend said that during the ancient Divine Realm, when the Demon Race rebelled, the Primordial God Qiantian ordered them sealed in the Nine Abysses. The Earth Goddess's beloved had followed Xuan Yi into demonhood, and the goddess, blinded by love, used her divine lifespan to plant her Divine Soul within her lover's, transcending the Nine Abysses' barrier to reunite with him. But when the Demon God discovered her presence, already enraged by the Divine Realm's restrictions, he showed no mercy—shattering the Earth Goddess's Divine Soul with one strike. As the goddess of all living things, her sudden demise caused all life across the lower Three Realms to wither. The furious Primordial God Qiantian declared this method forbidden.

Though the technique was thought lost after the Divine Realm's sealing, it somehow resurfaced in the lower Three Realms. Some immortal must have obtained it, then reinvented this Divine Soul Contract into something entirely new.Nowadays, there are two types of Divine Soul Contracts. The first is formed when both parties willingly establish an equal pact, allowing either to summon the other at any time, disregarding all barriers and spatial laws. The second is a master-servant agreement, where only the master can summon the servant, not the other way around.

Though this practice is known across the Three Realms, few ever engage in it. For one, it offers little benefit to cultivation. Secondly, once bound by such a contract, one risks being controlled by another. Imagine someone in deep meditation or undergoing Tribulation Transcendence being summoned—wouldn’t that easily lead to Qi Deviation?

So when Fan Yue narrowed his eyes with a meaningful look, Bai Shuo hastily grabbed his sleeve and blurted out, "Lord, don’t misunderstand! I wouldn’t dare scheme against you! Master-servant—let’s make it a master-servant contract!"

Though a servant couldn’t summon the master in such a pact, the master could still appear instantly by the servant’s side if they consented. However, this secret method came with a condition: it required an offering of heart’s blood, and the more spiritually powerful party had to initiate the pact.

Bai Shuo shouted loudly, but inwardly, she had no confidence. Offering heart’s blood would deplete one’s Divine Soul—would this great demon even agree?

Meeting Fan Yue’s mocking gaze, Bai Shuo’s heart sank. She timidly withdrew her hand, her shoulders slumping as she forced a dry smile.

What was she thinking? The illustrious Lord of the Moonlight Hall, a demigod of the Yao Realm—why would he deplete his heart’s blood for a few half-immortals?

As if finally remembering her pitifully low status in this world of gods, immortals, demons, and monsters, Bai Shuo wore a self-deprecating smile. She released Fan Yue’s sleeve, dropping her playful act, and turned to leave.

She couldn’t abandon A-Zhao. Even if it meant death, she had to go back and try. At worst, she’d stake her life and the identity of that wicked Bodhi in a gamble…

"A master-servant contract—I accept."

Fan Yue’s indifferent voice suddenly rang out behind her. Bai Shuo spun around in surprise, meeting his pitch-black eyes.

Inside the medicine hut, demonic flames crackled. Bai Shuo stared miserably at Fan Yue lying on the floor, on the verge of tears.

Oh heavens, she shouldn’t have schemed! If this great demon found out she’d secretly established an equal Divine Soul Contract and accidentally summoned him while he was refining the Bodhi Tree’s core, he’d probably slap her dead the moment he woke up!

What to do, what to do… Bai Shuo paced frantically by the bed like a headless fly when suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy rushed toward the hut from the main hall.

A-Zhao?

Normally, Bai Shuo’s mediocre spiritual senses couldn’t detect fluctuations in immortal energy. But ever since leaving the Fire-Ice Island—perhaps due to the Divine Soul Contract with Fan Yue—her perception had sharpened remarkably. She sensed Chong Zhao’s approach the instant his energy neared.

In a flash, Bai Shuo scooped up Fan Yue from the floor and tossed him onto the wooden bed. She yanked a concealment talisman from her Qiankun Bag and slapped it onto him. Before she could even catch her breath, Chong Zhao’s voice sounded at the door.

"A-Shuo."

Tonight’s events had been tumultuous. After escorting Er Yun back to the main hall to inform Song Feng of everything, Chong Zhao had settled affairs on the island before rushing straight to Bai Shuo without delay.

Terrified that Chong Zhao might detect Fan Yue’s presence, Bai Shuo hurried forward and pulled him outside. "You’re injured—why aren’t you resting? Quick, go back and meditate to heal!"Chong Zhao was completely unaware of the person hidden on the wooden bed in the corner. Dragged outside the thatched hut by Bai Shuo, he caught a glimpse of the burning Bodhi branches in the medicine cauldron inside. Anger and guilt surged in his heart. "A-Shuo, from now on, just focus on being a half-immortal. Don’t meddle in other matters…"

If Bai Shuo hadn’t been so determined to refine a first-grade Spirit Medicine for him, she wouldn’t have been lured to the Fire and Ice Island by the sinister Bodhi. Tonight, if not for that half-deity from the Yao Realm, Bai Shuo’s meager immortal power would have long since dissipated, her Dao extinguished.

Seeing the fury in Chong Zhao’s eyes, Bai Shuo’s heart wavered. Her usual silver tongue turned to stone, and she stammered, unable to speak.

Noticing Bai Shuo hanging her head in silence, Chong Zhao swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and sighed. "A-Shuo, you’ve seen it now. Being an immortal isn’t some fun game. The Three Realms might be even less peaceful than the mortal world. Now that I’ve attained the rank of Immortal Lord, you don’t need to worry about me anymore… Go back to the mortal world."

The path of immortality was treacherous. Bai Shuo had no innate destiny for it and struggled to cultivate the great Dao. Yet, she possessed a body of spiritual blood. If this secret were ever discovered by the Three Realms… he wouldn’t be able to protect her. Once he avenged his family and dealt with that mortal emperor, he would go to the mortal world to find A-Shuo.

"No," Bai Shuo blurted out. "I haven’t found him yet. I’m not going back."

The moment she spoke, Bai Shuo knew it was a mistake. She quickly looked up, and sure enough, Chong Zhao’s expression darkened.

Years ago, Bai Shuo had broken off her engagement and left home to seek immortality and repay a debt of gratitude. Chong Zhao had led the private soldiers of the Chong family to storm Mu Xiao Mountain for her sake, causing such an uproar that his entire family was executed. Later, Bai Shuo rescued Chong Zhao, and together they sought the Dao, relying on each other for survival, never mentioning that incident again.

All these years, Chong Zhao had thought Bai Shuo had long let go of the past. But it turned out she was still obsessed with finding that person whose name and face she didn’t even know.

Even if Bai Shuo didn’t know whether that person was a god, an immortal, a demon, or a fiend, he was her obsession.

"You don’t even know if he’s a god, an immortal, a demon, or a fiend. How can you find him? And even if you do, what then?"

A sudden wave of anger rose in Chong Zhao’s heart. Without another word, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished toward the back mountain.

"A-Zhao!"

Bai Shuo called after him, but it was too late. Watching Chong Zhao leave in a huff, she stomped her foot and smacked her forehead hard. "Can’t you keep your mouth shut? Damn it! The big monster!"

Bai Shuo suddenly remembered Fan Yue, hidden inside the hut. She rushed back in and pulled him out from the corner. Seeing Fan Yue’s pale face, his body curled up as if suffering from Qi Deviation, she panicked, her gaze darting around until it landed on the Bodhi Spirit Medicine that had just finished refining in the cauldron.

Under the moonlight, Bai Shuo tore off half of the Bodhi Spirit Medicine and drew a bowl of her own blood. Just as she was about to drop the medicine into the blood, she hesitated and withdrew her hand.

"Wait, wait, wait. What if I save this monster and he wakes up, only to slap me to death…?" Bai Shuo valued her life dearly and couldn’t help but worry for her own safety.

At that moment, the unconscious Fan Yue let out a groan, his face growing even paler.

"Never mind. If he slaps, he slaps." Bai Shuo pried open Fan Yue’s mouth, trying to force the medicine down. But no matter how she struggled, the Lord of Haoyue Palace’s lips remained tightly sealed, like a gourd with its mouth sewn shut.

Sweating profusely in desperation, Bai Shuo watched as the Bodhi tree heart in Fan Yue’s chest threatened to break free from the young man’s body. In a final act of resolve, she took a mouthful of the medicine and pressed her lips to Fan Yue’s, feeding it to him.The girl's lips were warm and resolute as she finally pried open the demigod's mouth to feed him the medicine. The moment the spiritual blood containing Bodhi entered Fan Yue's body, the struggling Bodhi Heartfire dissipated into specks of starlight across his chest. The pain on the young man's face faded, and a glimmer of joy flashed in Bai Shuo's eyes. Just as she was about to rise, the world suddenly spun, and she was thrown heavily onto the bed.

The creaking of the small wooden board was particularly jarring. Dazed, Bai Shuo looked up and met a pair of icy eyes.

She coughed awkwardly and grinned shamelessly. "Hey, Palace Master, we meet again. What a coincidence, huh?"