Chapter Twenty-Three Obsession

After settling the newly recruited demon soldiers, Yang Nan carefully instructed them to act with caution and explained the methods they should use. Only when all these matters were handled did he notice Dieyi, the other two women, and Chiyang watching him from the rear hall, all smiling. Yang Nan walked over, puzzled. “Why are you all looking at me so strangely?”

Chiyang, seeing the once young boy now sixteen years old, not only handsome and ethereal but also decisive and measured in his actions, felt both delight and pride. “Nan, with your arrangements, it would be a miracle if those two demon valleys don’t turn against each other. It seems the seventy-two demon valleys will soon be yours. Once you pacify them, you can devote yourself to cultivation and perhaps achieve immortality.”

Letting Dieyi and the other two women help him change and wash his face, Yang Nan sighed softly. “Big Brother, if not for the support of the Kunlun Sect behind me, what room would I have for clever schemes? I’d likely have died the moment I set foot on Jade Clear Peak. These are trivial matters, not worth mentioning.”

Chiyang nodded, thinking it rare for Yang Nan not to be arrogant. He truly was different from ordinary disciples, raised among intrigue and rivalry. If he couldn’t handle such minor affairs, what hope would he have for immortality?

Yang Nan was clear-headed. Which of the seven great demon kings was easy to deal with? Even the Monkey King, with whom he’d fought, was not inferior to him. The king’s supreme demon body, able to withstand a thousand demons with sheer physical strength, was formidable. Yang Nan had to use all his strength and his corrosive weapon to subdue him.

Yet the Monkey King hadn’t used a single magical artifact, proving he hadn’t gone all out.

If even the weakest demon king was so strong, what of the others?

The realm of grandmasters was extraordinary. The old patriarch, with his Confucian grandmaster cultivation, could intimidate the world. Though Confucian techniques surpassed demon magic, it still proved how terrifying grandmasters could be.

If disciples from another sect had come to Spirit Beast Mountain, even grandmasters would perish here. The seven great demon kings united would defeat all but those like the Venerable Bu Xu. Below that level, none could escape destruction.

Rather than attribute Yang Nan’s success to his scheming, it was more accurate to say the Kunlun Sect’s power was unmatched. The demon kings were wary, unwilling to act.

Without Kunlun as his backing, the Monkey King wouldn’t have surrendered so easily, nor would the pig-headed leader and the other demon soldiers have followed.

This was true strength. Who could withstand the Kunlun Sect, with its dozen or more saints, dozens of venerables, hundreds of grandmasters, and over ten thousand disciples?

Seeing Yang Nan exhausted after a day’s labor, Dieyi gently said, “Master, why not rest for a while? Since all matters are settled, there’s no rush. Let us serve you as you change and bathe?” Dieyi and the other two women were his earliest monster followers and closest attendants. Watching Yang Nan worry over the demon valleys, they felt deep sympathy.

Yang Nan’s heart warmed, and he nodded. “Very well, let’s watch those demons perform their drama. When the time comes, I’ll deal with them myself.”

With the master’s consent, Dieyi and Baiyi went forward to remove Yang Nan’s outer robe and prepare hot water. Having spent years at the Duke’s estate, Yang Nan was used to being served by maids and attendants. Though cultivation didn’t prioritize enjoyment, the two women brought him a touch of earthly warmth, which he did not refuse.

In the bathhouse, Baiyi directed several charming clam maidens to pour hot water into the pool. Steam rose, swirling in the room like an unreal dream. Dieyi scattered petals into the pool, but for some reason, she paused and sighed, her clear eyes misted over.

“Dieyi, what’s wrong? Lost in thought again?” Baiyi noticed Dieyi’s melancholy as she held the flowers, walked over, and gently took her delicate, jade-like hand.

“It’s nothing…” A faint blush appeared on Dieyi’s fairy-like face as she shook her head softly.

The two women had grown up together for centuries; Baiyi knew Dieyi’s feelings well. She giggled, her eyes mischievous. “Dieyi, you’ve always been carefree, dancing among the flowers. Now you seem troubled. We’re sisters—what can’t you tell me?”

Dieyi, seeing Baiyi’s playful gaze, knew she couldn’t hide anything from her sister of many years. After a moment’s hesitation, she whispered, “I… I…”

Baiyi laughed, “You like the master! Who doesn’t know? He’s handsome, his magic grows ever stronger, and he’s joined the Kunlun Immortal Sect. What woman wouldn’t like him?” She was frank by nature, especially with her lifelong sister.

Dieyi, her secret exposed, felt overwhelmed with embarrassment. Her snow-white neck turned pink, and she lightly struck Baiyi. “You silly girl, always talking nonsense. What if the master hears?”

Though she complained, her eyes were full of tender affection. Baiyi sighed inwardly, knowing Dieyi’s feelings for their master were deep and inextricable. Yet, both she and Dieyi were merely little demon maidens—how could they be worthy of a distinguished Kunlun disciple, the lord of Jade Clear Hall?

Monsters had always been despised by humans. No matter how beautiful, they remained monsters…

Three years had passed, and Yang Nan had grown ever more handsome and powerful, widening the gap between him and Dieyi. Baiyi feared Dieyi’s bitter love would ultimately come to nothing.

“Dieyi, since you like him, you should tell him boldly. Otherwise, the master has more than just the two of us as attendants. If you don’t speak, you’ll regret it.” Baiyi’s eyes sparkled, plotting for her sister. The master gathered more demons daily, many of them alluring: the elegant fish maidens, delicate clam girls, radiant snail maidens. He was never short of beauties. Three years ago, he was still a boy, but now sixteen—if Dieyi didn’t act soon, it might be too late!

To entrust one’s life to the master, even as a concubine, would be a blessing!

But… was she truly only thinking of Dieyi?

Baiyi’s cheeks flushed as she drifted into thoughts, but Dieyi whispered, “Baiyi, the master once said his ambition is immortality, he has no thoughts of marriage or family. I fear… I fear we are nothing but ornaments.” Thinking of Yang Nan’s steadfast and upright demeanor, she felt a wave of dejection. No matter how much affection she harbored, if he was but a block of wood, it would all be in vain.

As Yang Nan grew older, he laughed and talked less with them. If this continued, even the most beautiful women would be as mud and stone in his eyes—what use was her affection?

As Dieyi sank into despair, Baiyi sighed, “It’s strange. We monster maidens, after gaining intelligence, yearn for mortal love, while cultivators like the master go the opposite way. Does cultivation truly mean forsaking family? Are they even human?”

Baiyi, naive about the world, simply compared the master to ordinary mortals, and was baffled by his unusual ways.

“Who’s not human? Are you talking about me?” Yang Nan entered the room, seeing his two lovely attendants looking forlorn, and asked curiously. Smiling, he said, “I’d like to be a monster myself, but my parents are human, so I have no choice!”

The two women were startled, Dieyi nearly lowering her head to her feet. Both wondered, “Did the master hear everything outside?”

Even as monsters, they knew it was shameful and absurd for a woman to discuss a man behind his back. If the master thought them wanton, what would become of them?

It’s said wanton women are often despised—would the master scorn them in the future?

Yang Nan saw them frozen like wooden dolls and smiled lightly. “Dieyi, aren’t you going to help me undress?”

Dieyi snapped out of her daze, softly responding and hurried forward to help him loosen his hair and clothes. The two women saw Yang Nan’s calm demeanor, showing no sign of hearing their secret conversation, and breathed long sighs of relief.

Yang Nan lay by the pool in his underclothes. Dieyi gently untied his hair, washing it for him, while Baiyi used her delicate fists to massage his back. Their service reminded him of three years ago when they journeyed east together.

At twelve, Yang Nan, as New Year approached, had fled his home with Chiyang. On the road, he endured hardship, and Chiyang, being a man, could not comfort him in his sorrow and loss. Only after recruiting these two attendants, Baiyi’s playfulness and Dieyi’s gentleness dispelled his sadness and confusion. As a twelve-year-old, Yang Nan was still young and grew close to the two, gradually accepting the little demon maidens into his heart. Yet, having lived two lives, his feelings for love were faint and indifferent. With his intelligence, how could he not know the sisters’ thoughts?

Baiyi was graceful and elegant, Dieyi ethereal as a fairy. Both were stunning beauties, surpassing mortal women by far. Apart from Bu Xu, no woman Yang Nan had met could match their looks, bearing, and figure.

Monsters, once formed, were often more devoted to love than humans. But monster-human romances rarely ended well. For Yang Nan, without achieving immortality, all was but mist and dream.

The two women, humble in origin and self-effacing, never dared voice a word. If Yang Nan exposed their feelings, who knew how they would interact in the future?

“But love arises from the heart; it cannot be summoned or dismissed at will.”

Sitting in the pool, Yang Nan saw from the water’s reflection Dieyi behind him, her slender arms combing his hair, her eyes filled with deep, hopeless affection. Turning slightly, he saw Baiyi’s gaze was just as devoted.

Monsters lived or died for love! Unlike human cultivators, they lacked a firm Dao heart—upon meeting their beloved, they were like moths to a flame, forgetting themselves in pursuit.

“Love in this world is also a trial on the path of cultivation. Without passing through the gate of emotion, how can one transcend it?” Yang Nan closed his eyes, recalling Chiyang’s words. Chiyang, over thirty yet still unmarried, seemed to have suffered much—what was his past?

“Perhaps Chiyang too once had unforgettable love.” With this thought, Yang Nan decided to find a way to resolve the two women’s emotional knots. Otherwise, how could they ever reach true fulfillment in their cultivation?