Chapter 146: Exiting the Secret Realm
For a moment, Mo Cunzhi had the urge to bite him hard, to hurt him just as Yu Le had done to him before.
But when he felt the warmth and softness of Yu Le’s lips, he couldn’t bring himself to be rough. He didn’t want to leave any marks on him.
It was like holding a rose wrapped in thorns. Even as his hands bled from the pricks, he couldn’t bring himself to blame the flower for wounding him.
He could only wonder why he had fallen in love with such a delicate and beautiful flower. Why had he been drawn in, held back, unable to break free?
Why, despite the pain, couldn’t he let go, but instead wanted to hold on tighter?
Mo Cunzhi’s actions were forceful, but not harsh. Between the two of them, it was Yu Le who was the more aggressive one.
Yu Le was a pure hedonist. Once he found pleasure in Mo Cunzhi, he had no intention of letting him go.
Like an untamed wild animal, whether happy or upset, he would leave light or heavy marks on Mo Cunzhi’s body—scratch marks and bite marks were especially common.
The entanglement that Mo Cunzhi had initiated didn’t continue; he restrained himself and stopped his movements before things could go further.
With a hoarse voice, he said, “It’s time to go.”
Yu Le had no choice but to follow him, reluctantly licking his moist lips. “Senior Brother, are you really in such a hurry to leave this place?”
Mo Cunzhi wasn’t in a hurry. He could train for ten years without change on Hanya Peak, could stay for a year under the bamboo grove in the forbidden area behind the mountain, sharpening his sword and questioning his heart. Naturally, he wouldn’t mind being trapped here.
“If you hadn’t lost your memory, you’d be in a hurry to leave right now,” Mo Cunzhi said.
A few strands of hair fell over the side of his face, and his long brows were always unconsciously furrowed, as if he constantly carried worries.
He knew very well what Yu Le had done, what he had sacrificed and given up in order to become the Lord of the Demon Realm.
It had taken so much effort to reach this point. Who knew what was happening outside? Now, trapped here, who could tell when they would be able to get out?
If his junior brother remembered everything, he should be the one most eager to leave right now.
Yu Le knew the plot. Once a month passed, he could leave immediately, and as long as he fully absorbed Xie Que’s artificial demon core, he would be the strongest in both the immortal and demon realms. There would be nothing left to worry about.
But Mo Cunzhi didn’t know that, which was why he was anxious and worried. He was worried for him.
Yu Le had long known that his senior brother loved him, but it wasn’t until today that he realized his senior brother might love him even more than he had imagined.
As Mo Cunzhi walked ahead, he suddenly felt a warmth in his hand. His hand was firmly grasped by Yu Le.
“Senior Brother, I’m not in a hurry at all,” Yu Le said with a bright smile, pulling him back. “If I were really in a hurry, I would definitely remember. The fact that I don’t means there’s nothing to worry about.”
His delicate fingers slowly massaged Mo Cunzhi’s broad palm and the distinct joints of his fingers.
Mo Cunzhi wanted to pull away, but Yu Le easily slipped his hand in and fit it perfectly, gripping his tightly.
“I feel very happy staying here with Senior Brother and want to stay a few more days,” said the hunter softly, as though coaxing the prey he had just startled.
“If you still remembered, you wouldn’t say something like that,” Mo Cunzhi replied.
Yu Le clicked his tongue.
He began to consider what would happen if he told his senior brother, “Hey, Senior Brother, I actually tricked you again—I never lost my memory and remember everything.” Would his senior brother get so angry that he’d run off on his own?
After much hesitation, Yu Le decided not to say anything and opted to drag it out a bit longer.
Though his mind always turned to crooked schemes and plots, capable of making life worse than death for others, there were still things he wasn’t good at.
For example, he wasn’t good at untangling his senior brother’s stubborn and knotted thoughts.
He genuinely wanted to coax him, so he restrained his usual reckless temper a bit, and the days they spent in the secret realm that followed were unexpectedly peaceful and harmonious.
Every night when they rested, Yu Le leaned against Mo Cunzhi to sleep, sometimes resting on his arm, shoulder, or chest.
Mo Cunzhi no longer resisted, and would even take the initiative to hold him in his arms.
As Yu Le slowly absorbed Xie Que’s artificial demon core, his body fluctuated between feeling good and bad.
When he felt well, his mouth was full of sweet words, half-coaxing and half-persuading his senior brother to do some pleasurable things together. When he felt unwell, his whole body ached, his face turned pale, and he couldn’t say a single word.
In these moments, Mo Cunzhi became the most proactive. He no longer hid his concern or worry, holding Yu Le tightly in his arms to prevent him from hurting himself due to the unbearable pain.
After enduring the worst, when Yu Le was weak and exhausted, Mo Cunzhi would carry him to the edge of the pool, wet a cloth, and gently wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
Yu Le gazed at his focused profile and gathered his strength to plant a quick kiss on his chin.
Mo Cunzhi paused for a moment, then continued wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, using his thumb to smooth the hair stuck to his cheek.
“Don’t move,” he said, using those words to hide the turmoil stirring in his chest.
He covered Yu Le’s eyes with a handkerchief to prevent him from gazing at him with those dazzling, captivating eyes.
Looking at him like that would make him unable to resist believing all the things Yu Le said.
With his vision blocked, Yu Le bit down on the corner of the handkerchief.
“Let go,” Mo Cunzhi tugged at it gently, but Yu Le didn’t release it, biting the handkerchief with a smile.
Mo Cunzhi’s eyes darkened slightly, and his fingertips brushed against Yu Le’s lips, urging him to let go.
Yu Le loosened his grip on the handkerchief, then lightly bit down on Mo Cunzhi’s fingers instead, his tongue softly touching and curling around them.
It was unclear who moved closer first, but in the blink of an eye, the two of them were entangled on the ground.
In this secret realm, they spent their days and nights together, never leaving each other’s side—a time far more intimate than their days on Hanya Peak.
When Mo Cunzhi held the person in his arms, he had a strange illusion, as if this person was a part of him, separated from his own body. Otherwise, how could they feel so familiar, so close?
But he also knew very well that this intimacy was only temporary, like the reflection of the moon on the water.
What he could grasp was only its shadow, an illusion and a lie.
As Yu Le’s health gradually improved, the aura and demonic energy emanating from him grew stronger and stronger.
Yet, he still often pretended to suddenly pale, calling out, “Senior Brother, I feel terrible,” and then comfortably lying on Mo Cunzhi, enjoying his comforting touch.
After lying so often, he didn’t feel the slightest pang of guilt.
Eventually, the one-month period came to an end. When the secret realm began to fluctuate, Mo Cunzhi immediately noticed, but he didn’t show any reaction and left the place together with Yu Le.
The exit was not far from the Demon Palace, and the bustling noise of Yeyuan City could be heard clearly.
The Lord of the Demon Palace, Xie Que, had been killed by Yu Le, and with Yu Le disappearing for a month, both the Demon Palace and Yeyuan City had descended into chaos.
In the pitch-black night, Yeyuan City was ablaze with towering flames, and fighting and shouting echoed everywhere.
“Oh my, it’s really lively out there,” Yu Le remarked indifferently, holding Mo Cunzhi’s hand, as if none of it concerned him.
Mo Cunzhi let go of his hand. “Go on.”
Yu Le blinked. “Go where?”
Mo Cunzhi’s serene eyes were calm and all-knowing. “Go take care of what you should be doing. You’ve already become the Lord of the Demon Realm, haven’t you?”
Yu Le was speechless.
Mo Cunzhi continued, “I know you’ve been lying to me. You didn’t lose your memory.”
At first, he had truly believed it. But later, when they were entangled in passion, Yu Le had laughed drowsily and called him “Chief Senior Brother.”
He had only ever mentioned being a “senior brother,” never a “chief senior brother.” So, in that moment, he knew Yu Le hadn’t lost his memory at all; he was simply deceiving him again.
After realizing this, Mo Cunzhi wasn’t even surprised, perhaps because he had already suspected and doubted it in his heart.
Why had Yu Le lied about losing his memory? Maybe because he found it amusing? That was the only plausible reason—after all, Yu Le had said as much more than once.
But now that they had left that place, Yu Le naturally had more important things to do than amuse himself with him.
The smile vanished from Yu Le’s face as he locked eyes with Mo Cunzhi’s expressionless gaze. Feeling a bit irritated, Yu Le clicked his tongue.
Suddenly, he grabbed Mo Cunzhi’s collar, yanked him forward, and bit his lips.
“What are you thinking now? I…”
“Lord!” Xiao Niang and Su Yugou appeared out of nowhere, their faces lighting up with joy when they saw Yu Le.
“My Lord, you’ve finally appeared! We’ve been waiting here for a long time!”
Before the attack on the Demon Palace, Yu Le had already informed Xiao Niang and Su Yugou that he might disappear for a while and wouldn’t show up until a month later.
During this time, the two of them had waited anxiously in Yeyuan City. Afraid of Yu Le, they didn’t dare to cause trouble like the other demon generals from the Kingdom of Bliss. Instead, they obediently stayed put, waiting for his return.
Noticing that Yu Le’s cultivation had become even more profound and unfathomable, both of them beamed with joy.
But Yu Le turned coldly and said, “Get lost.”
Only then did the two, in their excitement, realize the tense atmosphere. They quickly stepped back, lowering their eyes in submission.
Yu Le’s expression darkened for a moment, but then he suddenly smiled, releasing Mo Cunzhi’s collar. He wrapped his arms around Mo Cunzhi’s neck and coaxed gently, “I know I was wrong. I promise I’ll never lie to Senior Brother again. Please don’t stay mad at me, okay?”
“Once all this is over, I still want to hold a contract ceremony with Senior Brother. So don’t be mad at me now, alright?”
Mo Cunzhi only said, “Go do what you need to do.”
Seeing his cold attitude, which was completely different from how he’d been in the secret realm, Yu Le felt a flash of anger.
In his foul mood, when he turned to deal with the demons and cultivators wreaking havoc in Yeyuan City, his methods were even more ruthless than before.
It didn’t take long before all the demon generals—whether they had been under Yu Le’s command or not—were either captured or killed, each one obediently submitting at his feet.
Whether they were those who thought he was dead and tried to take a piece of the Demon Palace for themselves, or the mindless ones who only knew how to indulge in the city’s pleasures, burning, killing, and looting, Yu Le dealt with them all equally.
—Whoever displeased him, he dealt with. No matter their rank or reason.
After all, there wasn’t a single decent soul here, including himself.
Once he made an example out of them, Yeyuan City and the surrounding towns fell silent.
Yu Le turned back to look for Mo Cunzhi but didn’t see him and thought he had left.
After carefully sensing his presence, he found him in a corner of Yeyuan City.
Mo Cunzhi was holding a longsword, having just killed a demon cultivator who had been recklessly refining human pills in Yeyuan City and had tried to escape amidst the chaos.
Yu Le smiled. “I thought Senior Brother had left, but it turns out you’re here helping me deal with things.”
Mo Cunzhi wiped and sheathed his sword, saying, “Where else would I go?”
His expression was calm, and the bloody wind swept through his long hair, giving him a slightly lonely appearance.
Yu Le walked over and threw his arm around Mo Cunzhi’s shoulder. He tilted his head up and planted several messy kisses on Mo Cunzhi’s cheek, even gently biting his nose and cheeks a few times.
Mo Cunzhi’s cold expression nearly cracked under the barrage of kisses. Turning his face away, he awkwardly asked, “What are you doing?”
Yu Le complained, “I lied to you about losing my memory, but I didn’t lie to you about anything else. Why are you acting so aggrieved!”
“Let me tell you, I can throw a worse tantrum than you. For those last ten days in the secret realm, wasn’t I the one constantly soothing you? I’ve never even pampered my brother like that.”
He said unreasonably, “You can’t be the one throwing a tantrum—I should be the one doing that!”
Mo Cunzhi: “…”
