Chapter Sixty-Three: Fallen Into Demonhood

Resting his head on a lap pillow, Yu Daoyi found it deeply uncomfortable. Even though it was a man’s leg, as the saying goes, everything’s the same with the lights off; as long as he didn’t have to see Song Cheng’s face, he could endure it.

He was painfully aware of his own condition: not a single part of his body was spared from agony, several muscles already necrotic. Even standing up was now a near impossibility. That punch had drained him of everything—essence, energy, spirit, and yes, even his kidneys.

A man can fail at anything but never his kidneys! Yet now, ironically, his kidneys ached unbearably. Even his right hand, once his most trusted partner, was now a mangled mess of flesh and blood—a pair of comrades both fallen together. He slowly raised his left hand and glanced at it.

Ah, at least you’re still with me.

He recalled the relentless training in his dreams, hoping that punch would grant him some means of self-defense. And now, it turned out to be a one-time trick. If the opponent had dodged, he would have been finished.

The brief blackout following that punch had felt like a sledgehammer crashing down on his skull. In his muddled mind, strange things surfaced once more—no doubt that little red book growing restless again.

“Demon’s ultimate: Ninefold Transformation, nine changes to match nine realms, each realm refines a law, nine laws lead to the ancient demon’s apotheosis, rending heaven and earth to achieve true freedom! Not immortal, but falling into demonhood!”

Thinking back, that first transformation’s Ninefold Inferno must have been the killer move—yet just one inferno had drained him dry. How would he endure the remaining eight?

Oh well, I do have two kidneys... If I don’t mind losing my heirs, maybe I can manage the second inferno...

And what about the ancient demon that follows? Not immortal—so what am I supposed to become? Half-man, half-demon? Isn’t that just... well, that?

Is this cultivation truly worth pursuing...

The Nine Transformations of the Ancient Demon clearly corresponded to nine cultivation realms. The other changes were likely hidden as three crimson rays within that secret domain. He only had three transformations, enough to reach the third stage, the Golden Core realm. No sense worrying—who knows when he’ll even reach Golden Core...

His gaze grew vacant, a look of utter despair.

Just as Yu Daoyi was spiraling into wild thoughts, then gloom, then hopelessness—finally convinced his talent was hopelessly poor—he realized the leg he was clutching had begun to protest loudly.

“Brother Daoyi, really, we’re family now, yet you still keep secrets from us.” Nearby, Song Cheng sounded a bit aggrieved.

“Family? In that case, you’d better have a serious talk with your sister. And don’t misunderstand—about Lin He, I only know a thing or two. Our cooperation was just to lure Lin Tao out; as for other matters, his origins and so on, I know nothing,” Yu Daoyi replied offhandedly.

“Lin He really hid deep. Who would’ve guessed that good-for-nothing playboy had such a background?” Song Cheng remarked with some feeling.

“Song Cheng, I’m telling you seriously—if you ever see Lin He, keep as far away as possible. Do not get involved with him, not even a little. If you do, you’ll meet an inexplicable end. He’s... dangerous.” Yu Daoyi, hearing Song Cheng’s words, suddenly furrowed his brow and spoke with grave seriousness.

“...Why am I the one who has to stay away?” Song Cheng was speechless.

“Song Cheng, I’m not joking. You’re no match for him; don’t interact with him at all, or you’ll die without knowing why. He’s truly terrifying.” Yu Daoyi repeated his warning, seeing Song Cheng’s lack of concern.

Hearing this, Song Cheng shed his usual joking demeanor—he could sense that the person draped across his thigh was deadly serious about Lin He.

“You’re really that wary of Lin He?” Song Qiuling, Song Cheng’s sister, asked, a trace of confusion in her gentle voice as she watched him warn her brother.

“He’s far deeper than you imagine.” Yu Daoyi, hearing Song Qiuling’s words, cast his gaze at her smooth, delicate thigh, then at the one beneath his head, his air of resignation growing even heavier.

“Did you discover something?” Song Qiuling pressed, and the others turned to look at him as well.

“Do you know what he looks like to my senses?” After some thought, Yu Daoyi spoke slowly, as if searching for the right words.

“What does he look like?” Song Qiuling asked, frowning.

“He’s very blurry, like... a clay figure wrapped in human skin.” The ‘ornament’ on Song Cheng’s thigh struggled to describe Lin He as he saw him, and after a long moment, managed to utter this single sentence.

“What on earth is that supposed to mean?” Song Cheng was even more puzzled.

“Don’t ask so much. Just stay away from him if I tell you to—I’m not trying to harm you.”

Yu Daoyi let out a long sigh, intending to end the topic. Words simply failed to describe it.

“Do you dare say that last part again with your hand on your heart?”

“I’m not trying to harm you.”

“Say it again.”

“I’m not trying to harm you.”

“Last year, you invited me and my sister out. She happened to be away, so you dragged me along, and right there in the middle of the street you started flirting with other young ladies.” Song Cheng sounded desperate, then paused before continuing, “And you used my name. After that, several young women showed up at the gates of Song Manor, all volunteering to be my wife.”

“That was just once! I’m your brother! It’s my duty to look after your lifelong happiness!” Yu Daoyi declared righteously.

“A few months ago, you came to me again, saying you wanted to experience the joys of manhood. Fool that I was, I believed you, and you ran off to a pleasure house, leaving me alone next door to eat nothing but boiled cabbage.”

“I remember I even paid for that dish. It wasn’t until my muscle-bound father found me and beat me black and blue that I learned you’d used my name for your escapades!” Song Cheng’s eyes grew vacant, staring off into a corner, the light dimming from them.

“Ahem, what nonsense! How could I possibly go to such a place? Song Cheng, watch out or I’ll sue you for slander!” The ‘ornament’ on Song Cheng’s thigh flushed a little, then glared straight back at Song Cheng.

“And just the other day, you came to the manor again, late at night, during that unbearable heat—so hot, in fact, that my sister went to bathe early.” Song Cheng, seeing that the culprit showed no remorse, recounted the events slowly.

“Cough, cough, cough—enough!” Yu Daoyi nearly coughed up blood again, then took a deep breath. “Let’s try that again.”

“Do you dare say that last part again with your hand on your heart?” Song Cheng’s tone was flat.

“No, shut up!”

Yu Daoyi’s voice was thunderous with exasperation—this guy really would say anything! So what if he’d dragged him to peek at his sister bathing? What was the big deal! Sure, Song Cheng got caught because he was too slow, but so what? He himself got away!

How was that his fault? If Song Cheng hadn’t been so slow, he wouldn’t have been caught! He even rewarded him for keeping quiet—a candied hawthorn stick! Even if there was only one fruit left when he handed it over, it was still a candied hawthorn!

......

Song Cheng’s face was expressionless, his heart unmoved, though he almost felt like laughing. Then, his sister approached, cheeks flushed like a ripe peach, each step deliberate and measured.

“So, would you two care to elaborate on what happened during that sweltering hot day?” Song Qiuling asked, her tone sweet and gentle as the girl next door—if one ignored the wild aura in her billowing hair and the spiritual energy ready to burst at any moment.

Xiao Cai: “......”

Song Cheng: “......”

Xiao Cai: “Um, I’m an injured patient.”

Song Cheng: “Um, I’m your own brother.”

Then, the Duan siblings and Yu Yunfan watched as Song Qiuling grabbed each of them by the wrist and spun them into a wild windmill. Faint voices echoed from the spinning duo.

“Come on! I didn’t say anything! Can’t I at least defend myself? I mean, explain! I’m an injured man! My kidneys are shot!”

“Come on! You’ve hit me once already! Then Father hit me again! Then Mother took a turn! I’ve suffered enough! I’m the victim here! I’m your own brother!”