Celestial Master's Birthday

Wuming Demon Mountain was cloaked in an eerie silence as Hua Ruoying hesitated outside Hua Qiuyuan's door, unsure whether to enter.

"Ruoying sister, there you are," Qingping approached, having been looking for her.

"Weren't you supposed to wait for me in the room? How come you're out here again?" Hua Ruoying chided gently.

"You said you'd be right back, but after waiting a long time without seeing you, I came out looking for you," Qingping explained, noticing that Hua Ruoying seemed preoccupied with the medicine bottle in her hand, not really hearing his words.

"Ruoying sister, what are you waiting here for?" Seeing Hua Ruoying's troubled expression, Qingping inquired.

Hua Ruoying clenched the hibiscus-colored medicine bottle tightly, her gaze falling thoughtfully before she looked up again at Hua Qiuyuan's door, debating whether to knock.

"Whose room is this, and why don't you go in?" Qingping, sensing Hua Ruoying might have something urgent with the occupant, asked.

"It's my brother's room," Hua Ruoying said softly, her voice laced with a tinge of melancholy.

"Then why don't you go in? Is your brother not there right now?" Qingping asked, puzzled.

Inside, Hua Qiuyuan had already noticed Hua Ruoying lingering at the door for a while but remained silent, sitting lost in his memories.

Years ago, when Hua Qiuyuan and Hua Ruoying were destitute and near death, they were taken in by the Lord of the Demons and brought back to Wuming Demon Mountain.

Expecting a hellish existence within the demon realm, they were surprised to find life there quite different from the legends. The citizens of Fanli Valley lived peacefully, and the demon soldiers of Wuming Demon Mountain did not abuse their power. If not for the world's inherent darkness, this place could almost be mistaken for the idyllic Peach Blossom Spring.

Hua Ruoying and Hua Qiuyuan enjoyed a relatively easy and pleasant life here. The Demon Lord, noticing Hua Qiuyuan's unique talents and quick reflexes, trained him as a demon soldier. Hua Ruoying, with her acute sense of smell and a keen ability to distinguish herbs, became adept at using poisons to heal, due to the abundance of toxic plants around the mountain.

One day, after a period of seclusion, the Demon Lord's demeanor drastically changed; he grew to despise the sibling affection between Hua Qiuyuan and Hua Ruoying. One day, he presented a chilling choice:

"This pill, you can choose whether you or your sister takes it," the Demon Lord toyed with a blue pill in his hand.

Without hesitation, Hua Qiuyuan swallowed the pill. Immediately, he felt his body temperature plummet, the bone-chilling cold searing through him.

Hua Qiuyuan collapsed, curling into a ball on the floor, his limbs slowly frosting over. Despite his confusion over the Lord's sudden cruel streak, his trust, borne from gratitude, never wavered.

"That was decisive," the Demon Lord remarked coldly, unimpressed by Hua Qiuyuan's quick decision.

"I thought, given your status as a demon soldier leader, you would not so readily swallow an unknown pill. The other pill, I gave to your poison-loving sister. I wonder if she has taken it yet," the Demon Lord explained, stepping closer and pinching Hua Qiuyuan's face.

The effect of the pill rendered Hua Qiuyuan unable to speak, his eyes wide with incomprehension as he looked up at the masked Demon Lord.

"Rest assured, the pill she took won't harm her for now. I just despise seeing the deep bond you siblings share. The deeper your bond, the more I want to separate you," the Demon Lord said venomously, then released Hua Qiuyuan's distorted face.

Gasping, Hua Qiuyuan tried to rise but coughed violently instead.

The Demon Lord flicked his fingers, halting the frost forming on Hua Qiuyuan's body.

"The cold poison in your body won't activate easily, but it will flare up whenever you get near that 'little wretch.' So, best you stay put if you don't want to suffer constantly from this freezing poison," the Demon Lord tossed out before leaving.

Since then, Hua Qiuyuan had tried to approach Hua Ruoying stealthily, but every time he came within a certain range, the cold poison and the warming pill in Hua Ruoying would react, forcing him to keep his distance.

Standing at the door, Hua Ruoying tightly gripped the medicine bottle, instinctively taking a step forward. Yet even that small movement

 triggered a reaction from the warming pill inside her, and Hua Qiuyuan inside felt the frost creeping over his hands.

Feeling the change in her body, Hua Ruoying quickly stepped back, knowing that any reaction in her pill would also activate the poison in Hua Qiuyuan.

"Ruoying sister, what's wrong?" Qingping saw Hua Ruoying step back nervously and asked.

"It's nothing, Qingping. Can you place this bottle at the door for me?" Hua Ruoying shook her head slightly and handed the medicine bottle to Qingping.

"Oh, okay," Qingping obediently took the bottle and placed it at the doorstep.

The Liao Yin Immortal Realm was unusually bustling these days, as in a few days, it would be the birthday of the Celestial Master Situ Fanzhi, and the entire realm was busy with preparations.

**"Roadside Interlude"**

At Wuming Demon Mountain, Hua Ruoying hesitated outside Hua Qiuyuan's door, unsure whether to enter.

"Ruoying sister, you're here," Qingping called as he approached.

"Weren't you supposed to wait for me in the room? Why did you come out?" Hua Ruoying reproached gently.

"You said you'd be back soon, but when you didn't return, I came out looking for you," Qingping explained, noticing Hua Ruoying was preoccupied with the medicine bottle in her hand and might not have heard his words.

"Ruoying sister, what are you waiting here for?" Seeing Hua Ruoying seemed troubled, Qingping asked.

Hua Ruoying unconsciously clenched the hibiscus-colored medicine bottle, her gaze thoughtful before she looked back at Hua Qiuyuan's door, undecided whether to knock.

"Whose room is this, and why don't you go in?" Qingping, sensing that Hua Ruoying might need to speak with the occupant, inquired.

"It's my brother's room," Hua Ruoying spoke softly, her voice laden with an undeniable melancholy.

"Why don't you go in? Is your brother not there right now?" Qingping asked, puzzled.

Inside, Hua Qiuyuan had long noticed Hua Ruoying lingering at the door but had remained silent, lost in his own thoughts.

Years ago, Hua Qiuyuan and Hua Ruoying, desperate and on the brink of death, were taken in by the Lord of Demons and brought to Wuming Demon Mountain.

Expecting a hellish existence within the demon realm, they were surprised to find life there was quite different from the legends. The citizens of Fanli Valley lived peacefully, and the demon soldiers of Wuming Demon Mountain did not abuse their power. If not for the world's inherent darkness, this place might have been mistaken for the idyllic Peach Blossom Spring.

Here, Hua Ruoying and Hua Qiuyuan enjoyed relatively peaceful and pleasant times. The Demon Lord, noticing Hua Qiuyuan's unique talents and quick reflexes, trained him as a demon soldier. Hua Ruoying, with her acute sense of smell and sharp ability to distinguish herbs, honed a skill in using poisons for healing, thanks to the abundance of toxic plants around the mountain.

One day, after a period of seclusion, the Demon Lord's demeanor changed drastically. He grew to despise the siblings' affection. On a fateful day, he presented a chilling choice:

"This pill, you can decide whether you or your sister takes it," the Demon Lord toyed with a blue pill in his hand.

Without hesitation, Hua Qiuyuan swallowed the pill from the Demon Lord's hand. Immediately after, he felt his body temperature plummet, a bone-chilling cold searing through him.

Hua Qiuyuan collapsed, curling up on the floor, his limbs slowly frosting over. Despite his confusion over the Demon Lord's sudden cruel streak, his trust, born from gratitude, never wavered.

"That was quick," the Demon Lord remarked coldly, seemingly unimpressed by Hua Qiuyuan's immediate decision.

"I thought, given your status as a demon soldier leader, you would not so readily swallow an unknown pill. I gave the other pill to your poison-loving sister. I'm curious whether she has taken it yet," the Demon Lord explained, stepping closer and pinching Hua Qiuyuan's face.

Paralyzed by the pill's effect, Hua Qiuyuan was unable to speak, his eyes wide with incomprehension as he stared at the masked Demon Lord.

"Don't worry, the pill she took won't harm her for now. I just despise seeing the deep bond you siblings share. The deeper your bond, the more I want to separate you," the Demon Lord said venomously, then released Hua Qiuyuan's deformed face.

Gasping, Hua Qiuyuan tried to rise but coughed violently.

The Demon Lord flicked his fingers, halting the frost forming on Hua Qiuyuan's body.

"The cold poison in your body won't trigger easily, but it will flare up whenever you get near that 'little wretch.' So, you'd best stay put if you don't want to suffer constantly from this freezing poison," the Demon Lord tossed out before leaving.

Since then, Hua Qiuyuan had tried to stealthily approach Hua Ruoying, but each time he came within a certain range, the cold poison and the warming pill in Hua Ruoying reacted, forcing him to maintain his distance.

Standing at the door, Hua Ruoying gripped the medicine bottle tightly, instinctively taking a step forward. Yet even that small movement triggered a reaction from the warming pill inside her, and Hua Qiuy

uan inside felt the frost creeping over his hands.

Feeling the change in her body, Hua Ruoying quickly stepped back, knowing any reaction in her pill would also trigger the poison in Hua Qiuyuan.

"Ruoying sister, what's wrong?" Qingping saw Hua Ruoying step back nervously and inquired.

"It's nothing, Qingping. Can you place this bottle at the door for me?" Hua Ruoying shook her head slightly and handed the medicine bottle to Qingping.

"Oh, okay," Qingping obediently took the bottle and placed it at the doorstep.

The Liao Yin Immortal Realm was unusually bustling these days, as it was soon to be the birthday of the Celestial Master Situ Fanzhi, and the entire realm was busy with preparations.