The Last Immortal

Chapter 86

After hearing Sen Yu's words, Ayin didn't sleep all night. At dawn, she spent two hours tinkering in the kitchens before finally managing to produce a plate of mung bean cakes, following the method Qing Yi had taught her. She had been pampered by Gu Jin and everyone on Great Marsh Mountain for all these years and had never set foot in a kitchen. Not only did the mung bean cakes look unappealing, but they also tasted a bit burnt from steaming.

Now that A Jin had undergone Divine Transformation, she figured he wouldn't care for her little snack. Ayin hesitated for a long time but couldn't bring herself to throw them away. Brazenly, she found a bamboo box, placed the mung bean cakes inside, and carried it to Sunlit Palace.

The Immortal Attendant in front of Sunlit Palace saw her coming. He glanced at the bamboo box in her hand, his smile cordial yet as distant and polite as the day before. "Lady Ayin, are you here to see His Highness?"

Ayin nodded. Before she could speak, the Immortal Attendant had already said, "His Highness and Immortal Lord Chang Que have left the palace and have not yet returned. When His Highness is back, this lowly one will certainly go to Phoenix Roost Palace to inform you, Lady."

Ayin hadn't expected Yuan Qi to be away from Sunlit Palace. She clutched the bamboo box in her hands tighter and nodded in disappointment.

"Did you bring this for His Highness, Lady? You can leave it here."

"There's no need." Ayin shook her head. The Immortal Attendant didn't insist, merely watching her with a placid smile—neither rude nor fawning, treating her like an outsider to the Heavenly Palace.

Ayin understood in her heart. Great Marsh Mountain was destroyed. After Yuan Qi's Divine Transformation, the people of the Immortal Tribe saw him as the Divine Lord of Clear Pond Palace, no longer the Master of Great Marsh Mountain. As for the current Great Marsh Mountain, all that was left was her and an unconscious Qing Yi, which was no different from the sect being annihilated.

The Heavenly Palace was the supreme authority in the Immortal Realm. If Yuan Qi didn't still hold the title of her senior brother, these Immortal Attendants probably couldn't even be bothered to put on this polite and courteous act.

The thought of Great Marsh Mountain left a bitter taste in Ayin's heart. Before she could turn to leave, she saw the Immortal Attendant at the gate look past her, his expression changing as he abruptly bowed low.

"Your Highness!"

A figure in white walked over. He gave the Immortal Attendant a faint glance and didn't respond as he usually would. The Immortal Attendant grew even more anxious, beginning to regret that he had treated Ayin so coldly after listening to a few words from the Eagle Clan's maids.

She was, after all, the Divine Lord's junior sister. Judging by the Divine Lord's expression, he had clearly crossed a line.

Ayin had come to see Yuan Qi, but now that he had appeared, she stood frozen, not daring to turn around.

"Come in."

Yuan Qi didn't say much. He spoke faintly and was already walking into Sunlit Palace.

Ayin hadn't snapped back to her senses, her gaze following Yuan Qi's indifferent figure in a daze. Chang Que patted her and winked. "Ayin, come on in."

Perhaps because they had both accompanied Yuan Qi through different periods of his life, the two of them shared a unique rapport despite never having interacted. Ayin gave him a grateful nod and followed Yuan Qi's steps, clutching her bamboo box.

But she always remained three steps behind him, no longer the girl who used to pull Yuan Qi along, jumping around and behaving improperly with him.

Yuan Qi walked all the way to the study, with Ayin following his every step. By the time she realized it, she had already been staring blankly at Yuan Qi for quite a while.

At that moment, Yuan Qi was sitting at his desk, holding an ancient text. The early sun had not yet risen, and the candlelight cast a shadow across his handsome face.

This scene was strikingly similar to that night in the Scripture Pavilion on Great Marsh Mountain, when A Jin had been searching for an ancient remedy to prolong her life as a Water Condensation Beast.

Ayin murmured, calling out, "A Jin."

The hand holding the book paused, and he looked toward her.

His eyes were as deep as an inky abyss. There was still warmth in them, but the tenderness of that time was gone.

A sharp pang shot through Ayin's heart. Without Yuan Qi needing to say a word, her eyes were already filled with disappointment.

Yuan Qi seemed not to notice her expression and said, "How are Yan Shuang and Qing Yi?"

Hearing him mention the two of them, Ayin regained a bit of her composure. "Qing Yi is much better. His injuries aren't severe, but he just hasn't woken up. High Immortal Yu Feng and the medical immortals from the Heavenly Palace have all seen him, but they can't find the reason for his coma." Her expression dimmed. "Yan Shuang was too heavily injured. The Eagle King is using the Eagle Clan's secret arts to heal her every day. I'm afraid it will take many years for her to recover her Immortal Power."

Yuan Qi actually knew all of this. Qing Yi and Yan Shuang had been wounded by Demonic Qi and could only recover slowly. He was merely looking for something to talk about so Ayin could relax.

He had raised Ayin with his own hands; he knew her temperament best. Everything that had happened on Great Marsh Mountain would become a lingering nightmare for her. For the next hundred or thousand years, she would blame herself for the mountain's destruction, never able to forgive herself.

Yuan Qi's expression faltered, and he sighed deeply in his heart. For him, was it not the same?

That was why he and Ayin hadn't seen each other since his ascension to godhood on Great Marsh Mountain. They were the only ones left for each other, as close as lips and teeth, yet at this moment, neither was willing to face the other.

"Don't rush. Let them recuperate slowly. Immortals have long lives; their Immortal Power will eventually be restored," Yuan Qi comforted her. Noticing the dark circles under Ayin's eyes, he frowned imperceptibly. "You just took the Divine Transformation Pill, and it hasn't fully merged with your Inner Core. Why aren't you resting properly? You don't need to worry about matters in the Immortal Realm. Just rest well."

"I... I made you some mung bean cakes," Ayin replied haltingly, a hint of dejection in her voice. "They're not as good as Qing Yi's."

Yuan Qi's breath caught. Under Ayin's expectant gaze, he said faintly, "It's fine. There are immortal chefs in the palace. They make them extremely well." He gave an order to the doorway, "Chang Que, have someone prepare a table of desserts and bring them up."

Chang Que had just acknowledged and was about to go when Ayin's expression inside the room changed. She called out, almost in a rush, "There's no need!"

Chang Que looked at her in surprise. Ayin, however, looked at Yuan Qi. "The things I make have never tasted good. I was just trying my hand today on a whim. It's fine if you don't want to eat them. A Jin..." She finally let go of the hidden hope and anticipation in her eyes and looked at Yuan Qi, her gaze clear. "I came to find you because of what happened that day on Great Marsh Mountain."

A dark current surged in Yuan Qi's eyes. It was unclear whether it was because of the desolation in Ayin's eyes or her words. He didn't speak, quietly waiting for her to continue.

"There might be a hidden story behind what happened on Great Marsh Mountain that day. A Jiu might not have committed those wrongdoings of his own free will. He was controlled by Demonic Qi."

As soon as Ayin finished, Yuan Qi's brow furrowed slightly. "Who told you this?"

Yuan Qi was the only person Ayin could trust, so she didn't hide it from him. "It was Sen Yu, the second prince of the Demon Realm. He came to Phoenix Roost Palace last night..."

Ayin told Yuan Qi everything Sen Yu had said the previous night, not leaving out a single word. Seeing Yuan Qi's expression remain unchanged, she grew anxious. "A Jin, if what Sen Yu said is true, can we postpone A Jiu's lightning punishment in three days? Let's find that Demon first and investigate the truth..."

"You came to see me just for Hong Yi?" Yuan Qi suddenly interrupted, without any warning.

Ayin was taken aback, not knowing how to respond.

"A member of the Demon Tribe says these things without any evidence, and you believe him without a doubt? You believe Hong Yi didn't do it, and you even came to beg me so he could live?"

Ayin's face turned pale. She said to Yuan Qi anxiously, "No, A Jin, it's not just for A Jiu. If what Sen Yu said is true, then there must be a conspiracy behind our senior brothers' deaths. If the Demon Tribe is secretly sowing discord, then the century of peace between the Immortal and Demon Tribes will be no more..." Seeing Yuan Qi remained unmoved, Ayin walked to the desk and looked at him in alarm. "The Demon Tribe is unfathomable, cunning, and vicious. The Ancient Divine Realm is now closed. Once the Immortals and Demons are at odds and the Demon Tribe causes chaos, what will you do?"

Now that A Jin had awakened, he was the backbone of the Immortal Tribe in the Celestial Emperor's absence, his rank as high as a High God. Once a war between Immortals and Demons broke out, he would definitely be on the front lines. If the Demon Tribe was bent on throwing the Three Realms into chaos, Gu Jin would be a thorn in their side. How could he ever have a day of peace?

The genuine worry in Ayin's eyes seemed to move Yuan Qi, but that touch of softness vanished in an instant. He looked at Ayin. "Even if what Sen Yu said is true, even if Hong Yi was controlled by the Demon Tribe, so what?"

Ayin was wounded by the coldness in Yuan Qi's eyes and exclaimed in shock, "A Jin! If A Jiu was really controlled by Demonic Qi, then you'd be harming an innocent person!"

"What is innocence?" Yuan Qi slowly rose to his feet and looked at Ayin. "So what if he was controlled by Demonic Qi? Wasn't the entire Great Marsh Mountain and our two senior brothers destroyed by his own hands? Ayin, to you, is Hong Yi's life more important than your own sect?"

"A Jin!" Ayin froze. She stared at Yuan Qi in disbelief, her eyes turning bloodshot as she said hoarsely, "Is that how you see me?" She repeated in a murmur, "In your eyes, am I that kind of person?"

Yuan Qi's hand gripping the edge of the desk slowly tightened, but he did not deny it. He watched as the anger in Ayin's eyes gradually turned into sorrow, yet he remained silent.

"So, in your heart, I'm just someone who disregards her sect and all moral principles." Ayin's voice was very low. Yuan Qi's silence sent a biting chill through her heart, leaving her utterly cold.

"Yes, it's all my fault. If I hadn't saved A Jiu in the Nine Nether Purgatory back then, if I hadn't insisted on bringing him back to Great Marsh Mountain, none of this would have happened. But I really didn't know this would happen. I didn't know our senior brothers would..." Her voice choked with sobs, too overcome with grief and self-blame to speak. "Believe me this once. A Jiu wouldn't do something to destroy Great Marsh Mountain. There must be a hidden story behind what happened that day. Let's together..."

Before she could finish, the voice of an Immortal Attendant reporting from outside the door was heard. "Your Highness?"

Ayin's voice was cut off, and Yuan Qi looked toward the door.

"What is it?"

"Her Highness Hua Shu has arrived." The Immortal Attendant's voice lifted slightly. "She is waiting for you outside the hall."

Ayin's head snapped toward Yuan Qi. Hua Shu? A Qi's feelings for her...

Yuan Qi didn't notice Ayin's gaze. He frowned, and though he wasn't pleased, there was no impatience either. He simply instructed in a mild tone, "Let her in."

"Yes."

That single touch of gentleness from Yuan Qi toward Hua Shu was enough to make Ayin feel as if an insurmountable chasm separated them. She clenched her hands, her lips pressed tightly together.

The Immortal Attendant withdrew. A few breaths later, Hua Shu's footsteps sounded. It seemed Hua Shu had been not far from the study just now, and had probably overheard seven or eight parts of the argument inside. The Immortal Attendant must have deliberately come in to remind Yuan Qi, fearing he would lose face as a Divine Lord.

"Hua Shu greets Your Highness."

From outside the door, Hua Shu's voice rang out, devoid of its former coldness, instead carrying an unconcealable closeness and longing.