Chapter 125: Malice

The Immortal-Slaying Pavilion had been desperately shorthanded lately, which also meant that countless traitors who refused to submit to the new Master were being purged.

In the midst of the parched blood covering the ground, the tragic death of a youth from the Pavilion was quite ordinary, failing to cause even a ripple. He was killed by his own parents; the couple placed his head in a wooden bucket, laughing and crying simultaneously as they sought credit from Master Zhi, whose prestige had skyrocketed in a short time.

The man and woman knelt before the Master, tears and snot flowing freely, genuinely grieving for their son's tragic death, yet when they spoke, they said: "Master... we discovered our son was actually passing information about the Pavilion to the outside. This is undoubtedly a betrayal of the Lord..."

The woman sobbed in despair: "Though he is my son... the affairs of the Pavilion are your life’s work, Master. How could they be defiled? Thus, we could only... use this method to let Lu Qing apologize to the Master, hoping you will forgive him."

Zora lay sideways on a lounging chair, her hand resting lazily on the headrest, extending slightly as her fingers dangled casually. Beside her, Vane knelt on one knee, his eyes lowered as he peeled the skin of a grape before feeding the emerald, crystalline fruit into her mouth.

Zora did not look at him; she opened her mouth and ate it, her eyes fixed on the head in the bucket, whose eyes remained wide open in death.

...To be honest, she didn't quite understand how a dead person was supposed to apologize.

Was there any point? Dead is dead.

Zora’s gaze was strange, similar to how she looked at those life-and-death shadow puppet plays in the mortal world.

The couple's wailing was deafening. Vane remained unmoved, peeling the plump grapes with meticulous yet swift movements, appearing entirely like a servant with zero threat.

Zora gave a few perfunctory "mhms": "Anything else?"

The couple's crying paused; they hadn't expected the Master to be so indifferent.

The man, as if offering a reminder, said cautiously: "Lu Qing was the successor the former Master favored..."

Fearing the mention of the former Master might provoke her, he hurriedly continued to cower: "Of course, he cannot compare to you, the new Master. Since you ascended, Lu Qing is but mud beneath your shoes."

He was reminding the new Master of Lu Qing's importance, thereby indirectly highlighting how significant their act of "sacrificing kinship for justice" was to the Pavilion.

There was no response for a long time.

A drop of sweat slid down the man's temple. He suddenly realized that usually, at a time like this, his socially adept son would have stepped forward to speak some lies to achieve their goal. Lu Qing had always looked down on his parents for being unable to speak or act properly; in his presence, the couple always acted as if they were mute.

The man had never imagined that facing a high-ranking person who could crush him at any moment would be such a chilling experience.

As time passed, Vane glanced at the increasingly terrified pair and indifferently looked away.

Incompetent fools.

An unknown amount of time passed—extremely long for the two, but for Zora, it was just enough to reach out and poke Vane’s cheek, then point behind him to signal for a different fruit.

The youth tilted his head slightly to nuzzle her hand when she poked him, revealing a smile. He rose to change the fruit and continued peeling it for her.

The couple kept their heads down, not daring to look up; they didn't see the interaction and only heard the Master's voice finally land.

"The Young Master? He was actually so weak that you managed to kill him." She seemed curious, her tone flatly remarking on the fact.

"Fine, dismiss yourselves."

"...?"

That... that was it?

But—this was their only chance to climb the ladder!

Their biological son might have spared them out of sentiment, but he had controlled his parents, penning them up like livestock. In Lu Qing’s view, this might have been a god-given favor, a merciful act.

But for the couple, it was a staggering blow delivered by the son they had been proud of since childhood. They thought Lu Qing was exactly as he appeared: filial, well-spoken, and honest.

Peeling back that skin, Lu Qing was just one of the thousands of cold-hearted people in the Demon Realm.

He even felt he possessed good intentions—after all, how was keeping his foolish parents in a courtyard not a form of protection?

He locked them in a dark, sunless well, tossing down pieces of food daily at a fixed time. He would stand by the well, looking down at his cursing parents, and even shook his head with understanding: "If you are unsatisfied with me as a son, you can mate at any time and produce another. Rest assured, I won't stop you. This is likely my only act of filial piety toward you."

The couple had been shaking, trembling under his gaze that seemed coated in honey but was actually filled with morbid interest.

Being treated as livestock did not feel good.

So, when a person rescued them and gave them miraculous medicine, instantly restoring their health, the hatred within them for Lu Qing burned fiercely.

There was also a feeling of "as I thought."

It wasn't a failure of their teaching; on the contrary, Lu Qing had been taught perfectly by them to the point where he could navigate the Demon Realm like a fish in water—he had simply turned those methods and that cold heart toward his parents.

The cowering pair, upon seeing the face of their rescuer, immediately lost their cowardly fear of running away. It was as if they had gained a false sense of backing; endless courage and killing intent filled their limbs.

They remembered him.

Vane, Protector Yan, the claw and fang of the new Master. Aside from the Master, his prestige was the highest in the Pavilion.

What did this mean? Him saving them must be a hint! It had to be!

Protector Yan saved them, so they weren't isolated and helpless. Killing Lu Qing was no big deal... they couldn't survive at all if they left the Pavilion!

They could never leave this place. They didn't want to go back to the filthy life outside where one had to fight for every bit of money and food.

The two could no longer accept an environment without luxury.

...Even... even when their son imprisoned them, he didn't make them work and gave them food every day, didn't he!

It was just that the well was too dirty, the food was tossed in haphazardly and too coarse to eat, and the ground was hard... The longer they stayed, the more they loathed Lu Qing.

Perhaps this was a path to greatness offered by Protector Yan.

Protector Yan saved them, said nothing, and vanished from their sight.

But the two were already surging with excitement—or rather, the days of imprisonment had crushed their mental defenses. They could no longer think rationally and blindly believed whatever was beneficial to them.

They were already muddled people; after this, their thinking became even more chaotic.

The process of killing Lu Qing wasn't as complex as imagined. Though they didn't know their son's changes, the habits from growing up together could not be disguised.

...

"...Do you think Master Zhi will be happy?"

Shadows of the candles flickered. The woman's face was filled with gloom, her voice soft as she carefully placed her son's head on the table.

"She surely will be. We will rise even higher than before," the man murmured.

The woman couldn't help but cradle the head in her arms, stroking Lu Qing's hair as she had when he was a child, weeping with joy: "Good boy, good boy... Mother didn't raise you for nothing. You did well. It's because Mother was too useless that you locked me up. You did well, so well."

"...But it's also because you were too useless that you were killed by Mother," the woman sighed softly.

The man looked away: "No matter. Lu Qing was taught well by us."

The woman nodded through her tears. Blood splashed against the window, vaguely reflecting the shadows of the two.

In the courtyard outside, the youth in black watched the moon with his arms crossed, his thoughts drifting.

Mhm... I should get some fresh fruit tomorrow,

Vane thought.

The youth felt no ripple regarding what happened in the house. He hadn't actually done anything; he had even done a "good deed."

How they thought was their own business; how they acted was also their own business.

He had merely intervened once.

Furthermore... as a member of the Pavilion, there was no reason to waste labor. This was a waste. Two ordinary people could clear a large courtyard in a day; Lu Qing was truly stupid. He had only done what ought to be done.

The outcome without intervention would likely have been Lu Qing killing his parents—the Pavilion raising a tiger to its own detriment.

The treacherous Lu Qing dared to strike directly at Zora; this crossed the line and he could not be kept.

The moon in the sky was snowy white, like a silver plate hanging in the night.

Vane blinked.

...What a familiar feeling. The ten-plus years of life as a child were ingrained in his marrow; his nature had long ago taken root. Returning here brought an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Any plan he made was merely stirring the already murky and filthy water to change its direction.

There was no need to entice malice; malice had always existed.

It permeated every corner of this land.

The next day, the couple rashly sought an audience with the Master.

Zora knew the details; Vane had told her the story in a soft voice when he returned last night.

At the time, his face was normal. When Zora couldn't understand the trio's motives, he had said indifferently: "In the Demon Realm, such twisted souls are quite common. Once met, there is no need to understand them."

He had smiled: "If there is an obstacle, remove it. If not, just ignore it."

Zora: "Mhm..."

Today, she felt a genuine sense of confusion.

After asking, she found it quite boring, so she spoke with indifference: "Dismiss yourselves."

The man shuddered, realizing something, and crawled on his knees toward the Master—just as he drew near, a long spear appeared out of thin air. The silver tip glinted with a chilling light, hovering inches from the man's face. It was a hair's breadth from piercing his skull.

"..." The man stopped abruptly, eyes wide, a raspy sound like a trapped beast coming from his throat as he shivered with tension.

Vane held the spear shaft with his other hand: "Impudent."

"M-Master..." the woman wept, looking piteous, "W-we cannot leave the Pavilion..."

Zora was confused again: "Who said you were leaving the Pavilion?"

"Because we are too useless. Sooner or later, we will be pushed out by others in the Pavilion and thrown out. Please save us, Master! We are willing to do anything!" the woman cried out in despair.

The voice was so loud.

Zora rubbed her ear.

"Then go to the dining hall and be servers."

With a voice that loud, it would be convenient for shouting.

"..."

Huh?

The woman seemed not to have expected this role in the Pavilion and was stunned.

Vane said noncommittally: "The Pavilion has changed much lately. The old torture rooms and such are canceled. Behave yourselves. If you dare to be lazy..."

He smiled: "You won't want to know the result."

Overwhelming fear took hold; the woman hurriedly agreed.

The man opened his mouth, and after a while, a dry voice came out: "Then the Master..."

Zora dismissed them like one might dismiss a fly: "You go serve food too. Fine, get out."

She glanced at them; her round almond eyes should have been harmless, but in this moment, they provided a direct pressure: "Now."

...

The servants sweeping the courtyard only saw the couple supporting each other as they walked out, seemingly scared out of their wits.

The servant's face was normal.

Not dying was already considered very good.

Inside the room, Zora opened her mouth and bit off a piece of food from Vane’s hand, her cheeks bulging as she quickly finished chewing.

"The first round of clearing within the Pavilion should be finished. That Northern Demon Lord invited me to a banquet?"

Vane wiped the corner of her mouth carefully with a silk handkerchief: "Yes."

"Mhm..." Zora thought for a moment, then leaned back and reached out to pinch his face for fun.

"Hosting a banquet. It seems that Demon Lord isn't that powerful; nothing to fear. I don't know what his scheme is, but as long as I am strong enough, any plan is not worth mentioning."

The youth’s cheek was soft, and he proactively nuzzled her palm.

He curved his eyes slightly, filled with glittering light: "Yes. You don't need to care about those in the dark corners. In the Demon Realm, you can do as you please."

Vane’s voice was gentle as he slowly drew closer. Meeting her clear eyes, a trace of obsession uncontrollably leaked from his gaze.

"...Wanghua-jun’s state of mind is unstable; his realm is tottering. Soon, even in the cultivation world, you can act as you wish."

Zora stared at him, then tilted her head up slightly.

She gave a gentle kiss, a simple press of the lips.

He met her clingily, the kiss deepening, incredibly intimate, their breaths entwining in a moist heat.