“My Prince,” Yuan Zhi appeared with Xiao Hu. “Is it over?”

Xue Lan turned around and nodded, “It is over.”

Yuan Zhi exhaled a cloudy breath and looked at the jarring sinkhole below them. When Xue Lan said that he would erase the whole capital from the face of the earth, he didn’t expect it would be this…extreme.

“In our last life, something like this didn’t happen although Qi Ming got all three clues. They must’ve interpreted it wrongly,” Yuan Zhi sighed.

“Even if they deciphered it correctly, it would still be impossible for them to accomplish this I suppose,” Xue Lan added.

Breaking into the Dragon Palace would already be a heavy task for a normal human, not to mention finding the secret passage.

“I have spread the news to neighbouring countries that a disaster befell upon Qian Jin’s capital city. Their spies all over the capital can’t report back to them after all,” Yuan Zhi informed.

“Thank you, Yuan Zhi…” Xue Lan smiled, “…for everything.”

Yuan Zhi felt like there was something odd about Xue Lan’s smile. He couldn’t exactly put a finger on it, but it made him inexplicably nervous.

He suppressed his strange restlessness and asked, “My Prince, what are your plans now?”

Xue Lan looked at Mo Shen, “…Go somewhere far away. Somewhere unreachable.”

Mo Shen’s eyes flickered at Xue Lan’s gaze.

“Be careful on your trip then. Though with Attendant Mo accompanying you, there is no need for me to worry about anything,” Yuan Zhi lightly laughed.

Xue Lan took out a key from his robe and handed it to Yuan Zhi, “Please accept this. It is the key to my old residence.”

Yuan Zhi accepted it, “I’ll take good care of it.”

“I’m sure you will,” Xue Lan didn’t doubt it. “But make sure to stay out of war.”

“I’ll be heading to my family at dawn. We’ll probably return when everything settles down,” Yuan Zhi took Xue Lan’s hand and kissed it. “It was an honour serving you, My Prince. I hope we’ll see each other again.”

“I’m glad we met,” Xue Lan gently squeezed Yuan Zhi’s hand. “Goodbye, Yuan Zhi. Live a good life.”

Yuan Zhi felt that foreboding again. It was as if the moment he let Xue Lan’s hand go the other would disappear into the snow.

“My Prince…” Yuan Zhi hesitantly said, “…let’s meet again when summer arrives.”

“…” Xue Lan was silent for a few seconds before he faintly answered, “…Yes, let’s meet up.”

Yuan Zhi struggled for a while before he could finally let go of Xue Lan’s hand. He looked straight at Xue Lan and saluted.

Xue Lan watched as his friend turned on his heels and walked away. He stood still with unknown thoughts before he faced Mo Shen.

“Let’s go.”

Mo Shen stared at Xue Lan’s unwavering eyes and couldn’t resist caressing them.

His master was truly beautiful.

He pulled Xue Lan close and enveloped him with his arms, “This will hurt just a bit. Bear with me, My Lord.”

Xue Lan hummed, “I’ve been through worse.”

Mo Shen chuckled and kissed Xue Lan’s neck, “Indeed, you have.”

Xiao Hu watched from the side with his bright blue eyes as a slender, jet-black dagger formed in Mo Shen’s hand.

Yuan Zhi hadn’t gone halfway down when he stopped in his steps. His fists opened and clenched before he finally ran back up.

As he thought, something was not right. Xue Lan’s last promise…was a lie.

But when he arrived back at the top, the scene in front of him dropped his heart and freeze his blood.

With Xue Lan’s body in his arms, Mo Shen pierced his master’s heart through his back. His deep blue cloak turned into dreadful violet as Mo Shen tightened his hold and deepened his blade.

Xue Lan’s eyebrows tightened in pain and he clenched Mo Shen’s robe in his endurance. Tears escaped his eyes and Mo Shen soothingly kissed his shoulder.

“Sleep,” Mo Shen whispered. “I’ll be there to wake you up.”

Xue Lan weakly rested his head on Mo Shen’s shoulder. He could feel his soul detaching itself from his shell with his body and mind getting lighter and cloudier.

His eyes slowly closed, trusting himself into the demon’s embrace.

“Mo Shen!!” Yuan Zhi’s body trembled as he unsheathed his sword, seething in anger, anguish, and disbelief. “What is the meaning of this!? His Highness trusted you!”

“You shouldn’t have come back,” Mo Shen carefully took out the dagger and carried Xue Lan up. “It was difficult for him to lie to you regardless of his excellent acting skill.”

Yuan Zhi rushed to attack, but he was blocked by Xiao Hu. The giant beast pounced him to the ground though it didn’t have any intention to hurt him.

“Mo Shen, His Highness knew that he was going to die by your hands, didn’t he!?” Yuan Zhi struggled to free himself. “Why did you have to take his life!?”

“It is the price he is willing to pay in exchange for Qi Ming and Qian Jin’s destruction. People of Qi Ming are now slaves and Qian Jin is dying with its heart gone. Children of the future generations will never know they had once existed and prospered.”

“Why does he have to pay with his life!?”

“You know best that he’s supposed to be dead,” Mo Shen looked at Xue Lan’s tranquil expression. “I’m just claiming him back now that his matter has finished.”

A black, stone path formed from the edge of the cliff. A turbulent black storm swirled at its very end and formed a dark, whirling portal.

Yuan Zhi used all his strength to kick Xiao Hu away. When the restrain loosened, he took the chance to free an arm, grab his sword, and slashed Xiao Hu’s leg.

He quickly freed himself and stumbled to Mo Shen with desperate eyes, “Take me instead! I’ll pay his debt of life for him! He has suffered too much! He doesn’t deserve this death!”

“You can’t,” Mo Shen walked towards the portal. “His soul is already bounded to me.”

Yuan Zhi chased after Mo Shen but the path crumbled just when he stepped on it.

Xiao Hu timely caught Yuan Zhi’s arm with his teeth and pulled him back up.

Mo Shen disappeared into the portal without looking back and Xiao Hu leapt straight in afterwards.

Yuan Zhi watched the portal closed and slumped to his knees in despair.

***

Xue Lan felt like he was drowning and floating at the same time. His mind was in limbo and he couldn’t tell where he was or who he was.

Time passed by but the passage of time itself didn’t seem to exist. Nothing was moving, nothing was in motion.

There was nothing but coldness.

The cold soon ceased to exist as well when a silhouette of a man entered his vision. A burst of heat flared in his chest and warmed the blood coursing through his veins.

The silhouette took him and he accepted him. The firmness on his waist felt comfortingly familiar to him and he followed his instinct to part his lips.

Their cold lips met and their warm tongues tangled. Xue Lan chased after the familiarity wanting to swallow it whole and he could feel that the other was also eager to devour him.

“Take me away,” Xue Lan dazedly murmured. “I’ll be yours.”

He saw the silhouette smile before kissing his ears, “You’re already mine.”

Xue Lan's entire body was engulfed in flame. The fire bit and burned into his flesh and bones without actually scorching him.

As if apologizing, the silhouette kissed away the tears on his lashes, “It’s going to end soon.”

Xue Lan nodded and clung tightly to the silhouette’s coldness.

He couldn’t tell how long he had endured when the lava in his body finally receded. He opened his eyes to see that he was no longer in the empty void.

Above him was a high dark ceiling and below him was a cold stone floor. The sides of the hall were lined with coverless windows with different kinds of blackbirds perching on them.

Their blood-red eyes were focusing on him, unknown from curiosity or something more sinister.

Xue Lan slowly sat up. His ink-black hair was unbound and fell like the finest silk by his side. He saw that he was only wearing a single black robe with one side fallen off his shoulder.

The demonic seal on his chest was gone.

On the floor underneath him was a complex blood rune with him placed at the centre. Circling around it were countless red candles with ghostly purple flames dancing on their wick.

In front of him was a throne made out of unknown black stone which glimmered with golden patterns written on the spikes and thorns forming behind it. Above the throne was a magnificent sculpture of a snake with 2 pairs of bat wings on its back and a pair of horns on its head.

Its eyes which were of gold and ruby pried deeply into his soul.