Chapter 263 – A Year Later, The Fourth Wife, Something Amiss, Commanding the Eternal Demon Bloom - Part 2

Another half-month flew by.

By then, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair hung loose, and sharp pains pulsed between his brows. It felt as if clusters of flowers had attached themselves to his mind, staining everything he saw a vivid crimson.

That red multiplied—1 turned to 4, 4 to 16, 16 to 256—until his head was crammed with the same blood-red images, crowding out every other thought.

Such was the eternal demon bloom’s nature. To establish a spiritual link with it, he had to fully accept its essence. Luckily, Li Yuan had maxed out Wood Demon Subjugation, and the eternal demon bloom happened to be in a severely weakened state; otherwise, not even he could have succeeded in taming it.

At last, his efforts paid off.

“It’s done...it’s done!”

Though Li Yuan had mastered countless skills in his lifetime, the burst of joy he felt at that moment was almost overwhelming.

Still, he had no intention of revealing his success right away. Deliberately, he spent another half-month within that small building, forcing himself to look utterly haggard before stepping outside.

When Li Yuan emerged, hair in disarray and too exhausted to stand straight, Jing Shuixiang was still waiting for him, gazing at him with worried eyes.

He had a sudden idea. His voice raw, he murmured, “I did it,” then promptly staggered forward as if fainting.

Jing Shuixiang let out a sharp, piercing scream, dropping to her knees by his side.

“Wake up, please, wake up!” Tears streamed down her face. She looked terrified, trembling from head to toe.

“You can’t die, my husband—you just can’t... Help! Somebody help! Come quickly!” Her cries cut through the chill air with startling force.

Li Yuan felt a pang of guilt; he was putting on this act to show everyone just how hard it was to tame the eternal demon bloom. But as he watched Jing Shuixiang’s hysterical panic, he couldn’t shake a sense of unease. Something about her behavior was decidedly...unnatural.

In no time, people arrived. Through the commotion, a physician had arrived to check on his condition.

“He’s simply exhausted,” the physician said.

Soon, a carriage raced over. Jing Shuixiang helped him inside and tucked a thick blanket around him, her fear and worry painfully clear.

“Are you certain my husband is all right?

“He can’t die—he just can’t,”

“I-I don’t know what I’d do if he dies! I’d...”

From the frantic way she repeatedly asked those around her, Li Yuan sensed her near-hysteria. Lying there, listening to her raw anxiety, he felt an unexplainable chill run through his heart.

Back in his room, Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Jing Shuixiang was still there, teary-eyed and trembling with alarm. The moment she saw him awaken, she let out a relieved smile before blurting, “Please take care of yourself. If anything happens to you, what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?”

No sooner had she spoken than she broke down into sobs again.

Li Yuan took hold of her hand and asked abruptly, “Did the Jing Clan threaten you?”

Jing Shuixiang frantically shook her head. “No, no,” she insisted.

He pressed on. “We’re husband and wife. Is there anything you need me to do for you?”

Even though tears still streamed down her cheeks, she forced a placating smile. “As long as you’re safe and well, that’s all I need.”

Li Yuan eyed her tear-streaked face, then cast a sideways glance at the faintly visible numbers floating beside her—210~215, with it being 950~1,000 at peak condition.

After a moment’s silence, he simply nodded.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

That evening.

Jing Shuixiang knelt by the bed, playing the part of the most submissive, gentle spouse as she served him dinner. No matter how many times Li Yuan asked her to stand, she refused, murmuring only, “I hope this brings you joy.”

Li Yuan sighed. “I’m not happy when you act like this.”

Jing Shuixiang gave him a look of sheer terror. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll change, I promise!”

In a flash, she hurried to a corner of the room, stripped off her thick outerwear, and donned a revealing gauzy robe. Then, in the biting cold, she knelt once again at his side, head held high, carrying his meal and gazing at him with a pleading kind of eagerness.

Li Yuan started to speak, then stopped. He’d seen this routine many times. No matter his intentions, she would always misinterpret them—seeing only greed and desire—then force herself into some extreme display to please him. Lately, it seemed to have spiraled further out of control.

Without a word, Li Yuan finished eating. Pulling Jing Shuixiang quickly under the covers, he let her do everything she could think of to entertain and delight him.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next morning.

Sunlight fell through the oil-paper window, illuminating the bed.

The instant Li Yuan made a move to get up, Jing Shuixiang scrambled to the door, hoping to prepare whatever he might need. But he held her down, speaking softly, and dressed himself while keeping her pinned in place.Then, in a gentle tone, he said, “Sleep a little longer.”

Stepping outside, he found a refined-looking man waiting—Jing Banfeng, the head of the Jing Clan. These days, whenever business with Li Yuan arose, Jing Banfeng handled it personally, never sending anyone else. It was his way of treating Li Yuan with the highest respect.

“How are you feeling, Master Li?” Jing Banfeng asked. “You seemed exhausted yesterday, so I didn’t come by. Are you better now?”

Li Yuan rubbed his forehead. “Just tired, but I’m fine.”

A flash of excitement crossed Jing Banfeng’s face. “I heard you’ve already tamed the eternal demon bloom?”

Li Yuan replied, “Clan Head, you can release it now. I’m able to control it.”

“Really?!” Jing Banfeng looked overjoyed, nearly hopping with excitement.

Li Yuan nodded. “Shall I give you a demonstration?”

“Yes, please!” Jing Banfeng exclaimed.

Observing his expression, Li Yuan realized his permission to come and go would soon be restored.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A month later.

Li Yuan received orders from the temple master to join a team of elites for an external reconnaissance assignment. Their task was to use condemned criminals to explore a ghost domain and learn its rules, ensuring the Holy Tree Temple wouldn’t suffer more casualties like Mu Chen, when large-scale battles broke out.

Li Yuan’s specific job was to construct a

barrier zone

to keep any potential troublemakers from breaching the ghost domain. Anyone who truly wanted to attack would have no choice but to fly over it, which would deter most of them from trying at all.

A gust of frigid wind whipped at their cloaks, sending them flapping in the cold air high above the valley floor. Li Yuan and Cui Wuji stood side by side atop the sheer cliff.

In his new role as Li Yuan’s partner and protector, the Cui Clan patriarch had taken it upon himself to guard this exceptionally valuable genius of weaponsmithing and beast taming.

Li Yuan glanced at his own 2,600~3,350, then at Cui Wuji’s 1480~3010.

“Many thanks,” he said politely.

Cui Wuji smiled. “No need for formality. Let’s get to work.”

“It’ll take no more than three days,” Li Yuan replied.

At that, he reached into his robe, which seemed oddly bulky, and from the neckline emerged a vivid crimson blossom—the eternal demon bloom.

Its petals rustled, and spindly roots uncurled, crawling swiftly across the ground.

Within moments, those roots had burrowed in and scattered seeds.

Time passed, second by second, minute by minute.

On the mountainside, a single spark of red began to spread like wildfire in both directions, growing into a great scarlet flower wall.

At first, the wall’s growth was slow, but within several hours, its expansion sped up at a rate almost beyond belief.

After two and a half days, the crimson barricade stretched around the area like a mighty fortress wall.

Staring down from above, Cui Wuji clicked his tongue in amazement. He edged closer to one of the blossoms and caught a whiff of a heady, illusory fragrance, layer upon layer of scent blending together until he felt momentarily dizzy.

“Incredible,” he murmured. “Anyone under sixth rank would be completely stymied by this.”

Then, a thought occurred to him. “But what if someone tunnels underneath? Could they just dig through the ground and bypass it?”

Li Yuan answered, “I instructed the eternal demon bloom to spread anywhere it can take root. If someone tries digging a tunnel, seeds and petals will cling to them and fill the passage. The petals carry a sticky toxin, the first wave of attack. And if that doesn’t stop them, the seeds themselves will lodge in the intruders’ flesh, sprouting immediately. That’s the second wave.

“A sixth rank martial artist might endure it. A seventh rank could hold out briefly. But for an eighth rank, those roots would tear right through the skin and sprout in their flesh almost instantly. And getting close in the first place is no simple matter. The air here is heavy with hallucinogenic pollen, which is a constant attack in itself.

“If by some chance they manage to avoid all those obstacles, they’ll only have an hour or so to make their move before causing an enormous disturbance—plenty of time for us to raise the alarm.”

Fascinated, Cui Wuji asked, “Sprouting in their flesh? If it feeds on them, won’t the demon bloom grow stronger?”

“Never tried,” Li Yuan said with a slight shrug.

“Well, we should,” Cui Wuji replied. “The temple master would definitely support it. If the demon bloom can consume flesh, maybe we can plant it in the meat fields and see what happens?”

Li Yuan shot him a quick look. “We’ll test it back at the temple.”

Still brimming with excitement, Cui Wuji continued, “I’ve heard this demon bloom can spread infinitely. Could we transform all of Silkfloss Province into a labyrinth so no outsiders could ever break in? People trying to leave would have to use the map we provide.”

Li Yuan shook his head. “Not quite so dramatic. Everything depends on the eternal demon bloom at the center. Once it uproots itself for more than an hour, the blossoms it spawned lose their vitality and wither away.”

That was information the Jing Clan higher-ups had tried to hide. But ever since Li Yuan had tamed the eternal demon bloom, there were few secrets left for him.

“Ah,” Cui Wuji murmured. “I see. Even so, it’s still formidable.”

Gazing at Li Yuan with unabashed admiration, he declared, “Master Li, you truly are a treasure.”

Li Yuan fell silent at that.

Far below at the foot of the cliff, hundreds of gray-clad condemned prisoners moved within the towering wall of demonic red blossoms.

Disciples of the Holy Tree Temple drove the prisoners onward, forcing them to probe the outskirts of Happyland, keen to uncover the secrets of this ghost domain.