Villainous Junior Chapter 55
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 55: Soul Returning
The man's movement was too sudden, causing Meng Chen's mind to go blank. In an instant, his eyes were filled with unconcealed shock.
In the moment he froze, the man had already pressed him down onto the bed. His body and the mattress collided with a faint, muffled sound. This sound suddenly awakened Meng Chen. He immediately reached out to push, but his fingers were forcefully grabbed and restrained in front of him. As they struggled, the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other became particularly noticeable, seemingly carrying heat that made the air around them scalding hot.
Meng Chen couldn't break free and was forced to accept this kiss - it was resentful yet passionate, ecstatic yet painful, frenzied yet tender. Complex and contradictory emotions were transmitted through this scorching kiss, jumbling Meng Chen's thoughts into chaos. A subtle tingling sensation quickly ran from his brain to his spine, making the whole world spin dizzily.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally managed to shakily pull his hand out and forcefully push the person on top of him away.
The young man's lips were crimson, his eyes moist, whether from breathlessness or anger was unclear. His chest heaved violently, and his usually pale cheeks were now flushed. The Demon Venerable looked at his appearance, his eyes dark and deep. His Adam's apple bobbed as he lowered his head again.
A dagger appeared out of thin air in Meng Chen's hand, its tip pointing towards his own heart.
"I can't kill you," Meng Chen stared at him steadily, his expression terrifyingly calm, "but I can end myself."
The Demon Venerable's passionate blood instantly froze.
Even in death, he wouldn't allow him to touch him?
"...Fine. Fine." The pain in his heart reached an extreme, almost becoming numb. He nodded, propped himself up, and got off the bed.
"You should leave." The Demon Venerable turned his back to Meng Chen, seemingly not wanting to look at him again. "Your Xue Lang's last wish before death was for me to protect you safely, so I won't kill you, but I don't want to see you again either - you should go."
His tone was calm, but he deliberately emphasized the words "before death". Sure enough, the color drained from Meng Chen's face in an instant, and even his lips trembled slightly twice. Without saying the last words, he silently opened the palace doors and left.
After his figure had completely disappeared, the Demon Venerable finally bent slightly, as if enduring intense pain, and took a breath. As he turned his face, he saw something. With trembling hands, he walked over and picked up the bottle filled with silver stars from the windowsill. With a roar of anger, he viciously smashed it to pieces.
—
The entire Xiuluo Palace once again entered difficult days.
No, it was even several times more difficult than at the beginning.
When the Demon Venerable first arrived, he only locked himself in his room, making it hard for others to guess his thoughts, thus causing anxiety. But now, not only did he lock himself in, he also spent his days smashing things as if venting. All those treasures he had collected for Meng Chen were completely destroyed. Once, he even rushed to the back garden with reddened eyes, and although he raised his hand several times over the garden full of gently swaying Moon Frost flowers, in the end, he couldn't bring himself to destroy them.
Everyone feared that if this continued, the Demon Venerable might tear down the entire Xiuluo Palace. They hurriedly went to ask the Demon Venerable Qing Hao for help, with tearful faces.
Qing Hao's first reaction was that he absolutely couldn't go. After all, it was his idea to send that Meng Chen over. Now that the person had run away, wouldn't the Venerable tear him apart if he saw him? But then he thought, if the Venarable really went mad and casually destroyed the entire demon realm with one blow, that would be even worse. So he quickly packed up and rushed to the demon palace.
After just a few days, the Demon Venerable's appearance was drastically different from his previous vigor - his hair was disheveled, his chin covered with a layer of short stubble, and his eyes were full of red blood vessels. He truly looked not far from madness.
Qing Hao was terrified, but the Demon Venerable just glanced at him and asked, "Do you have any wine?"
Qing Hao hurriedly called for the demon palace servants to bring several large jars of wine. He opened one jar and handed it to the Demon Venerable, while boldly taking one for himself as well. "My lord, today I'll drink with you until we're both completely drunk!"
He intended to take the first drink as a toast, but the man opposite him had already lifted the jar and gulped down half of it in one go. This was the "Thousand Years Fierce" wine treasured in the demon palace, extremely strong. After drinking half a jar, the man's eyes grew even redder. He wiped his mouth and said fiercely, "Tell me, isn't Meng Chen just not good enough?"
Qing Hao immediately replied, "Exactly! This person is really ungrateful. My lord, you treated him so well, yet he had the audacity to betray you. He's simply an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. I'll send someone to capture him right away and cut him into a thousand pieces-"
Before he could finish speaking, the Demon Venerable had already snapped with a murderous aura, "You dare!!"
Qing Hao: "..."
Damn, weren't you the one who started cursing him first?
The Demon Venerable picked up the wine jar and gulped down the other half in one go. Trembling, he exhaled, "I... my heart and eyes are full of him. It's one thing that he doesn't like me, but he even thought about killing me! He stayed by my side for so long, accepted my flowers, accepted my stars, but in the end, he was always thinking of another man, even wanting to kill me for it!!"
He violently threw the empty wine jar to the side and grabbed another one. Under Qing Hao's dumbfounded expression, he gulped down half of it again.
"He... he really is too much," Qing Hao really didn't know how to comfort his cuckolded lord, and could only stammer, "But I don't see anything special about that Meng Chen, he just has a slightly better face, a bit more exceptional aura... there are plenty of that type, I can find you another—"
"No!" The Demon Venerable interrupted him again with a murderous aura, saying fiercely, "I only want him!"
Qing Hao was completely at a loss. He could see that his master was truly devoted to that Meng Chen, unable to let go even after being betrayed. So he said, "Actually, this can be easily solved. You can capture him back, strip away his cultivation and lock him in a small room. If he still dares to resist, just erase his memories. This way, you'll be the only one in his heart."
The Demon Venerable paused for a moment, saying nothing, and lifted the wine jar to take another big gulp in silence.
After reading that secret letter from an unknown sender, he had thoroughly investigated Meng Chen's background and experiences again, learning about what he had been through in the Taixuan Sect.
Although he hated Meng Chen for deceiving and hurting him, he wouldn't treat Meng Chen in that way.
Not only because he couldn't bear to do so. But also because he disdained such methods.
He wouldn't use such despicable means, turning himself into someone he couldn't even respect.
It was also after learning about those things that he understood why Xue Lang was so important in Meng Chen's heart.
"I know he was good to you..." He had drunk too much too quickly, the strong alcohol going to his head, his consciousness already somewhat blurry, "But wasn't I good to you?"
"I like you so much..." The wine jar in his hand fell to the ground as the man slowly lay down on the table, murmuring, "My heart and eyes are full of you..."
—
"My lord..."
"My lord, please wake up. Demon Lord Fu Cang says he has urgent matters to report!"
The Demon Venerable's head was splitting with pain. It took great effort to open his eyes, and he found himself lying in bed. Outside, it was already bright daylight.
He had drunk himself into a stupor yesterday, actually sleeping for an entire day.
He shook his head and sat up, barely regaining some clarity. "Let him in."
The servant hurriedly went out to relay the message. Soon after, Fu Cang strode into the hall and bowed to him. "Although I shouldn't disturb the Venerable's rest, there has been a sudden disturbance in the Ten Thousand Demon Cave. It seems something unusual has occurred. I dare not make decisions on my own, so I came to report to the Venerable."
The Demon Venerable's thoughts were in chaos, taking half a beat to respond. "Ten Thousand Demon Cave?"
"Yes," Fu Cang said, "That place has always imprisoned the most wicked demons who violate the rules of the demon realm. Recently, they have been restless. I suspect they might be harboring thoughts of rebellion."
The Demon Venerable frowned, and in the next moment suddenly remembered something—
Wasn't the Ten Thousand Demon Cave the place where the Soul Returning Grass was located in the "Record of Returning to Heaven"!?
His brain fully awakened, his expression changed drastically, and he disappeared from the spot without a word.
—
Ten Thousand Demon Cave.
This place was desolate and barren, without a blade of grass, never seeing daylight, because everything in sight had been devoured and occupied by overwhelming demonic energy.
In the air were howling cold winds and the piercing laughter of countless demons. They danced wildly, roaming freely, excitedly and maliciously revealing pairs of eyes of various shapes behind the black mist, greedily staring at the intruder who dared to enter this forbidden land.
Meng Chen swung his sword, once again cutting a demon that pounced at him in half.
He had lost count of how many sword strikes he had made; the last strike had almost become an instinctive action. His entire body was soaked in blood, some his own, but mostly from those demons.
His arms were already so sore they could barely be lifted, and the spiritual power within his body was also on the verge of exhaustion.
But he couldn't retreat.
He hadn't yet found what he was looking for.
The young man wiped the filthy blood from his face, parted the black mist, and continued to walk forward resolutely, step by step.
The laughter in the air gradually diminished, finally turning into a cold silence.
The demons didn't understand why this human, who looked so vulnerable and should have long since become their meal, still hadn't fallen. He was merely at the God Transformation stage, where did he find the strength to swing his sword again and again?
They were irritated and angry, baring their vicious fangs, roaring as they tore through the black mist, pouncing on the young man from all directions.
—
The Demon Venerable rushed into the Ten Thousand Demon Cave. He had no time to slay the demons one by one, so he directly released his Tribulation Crossing Realm pressure to its maximum, charging inward while shouting. "Meng Chen!"
"Meng Chen, where are you? Answer me!!"
With the sudden arrival of a Tribulation Crossing Realm great demon, all the demons and monsters were scared out of their wits, fleeing in panic. The man suddenly waved his hand, summoning a demon out of thin air, grabbing its neck and asking, "Have you seen a young man in white clothes?"
That demon, looking at the great demon before him with a grim and fierce expression, eyes blood-red, appearing a hundred times more terrifying than himself, was almost crying in fear. "S-seen him! He kept going deeper inside!"
He tremblingly pointed in a direction, and the man immediately threw him aside, flashing towards that place.
Looking at the dense shadows of demons all around, his heart was almost trembling with terror.
How long had Meng Chen been in here?
Immortals and demons had always been mortal enemies. How many demons would covet him, entering this Ten Thousand Demon Cave alone?
Was he... still alive?
A suffocating pain surged in his heart. The man, with bloodshot eyes, searched like a madman, finally seeing a figure lying on the ground in a dark corner.
That person was covered in blood, with two demons still clinging to his back, greedily and excitedly tearing at the flesh on his shoulders.
The Demon Venerable roared, destroying those two demons with one palm strike, rushing over to kneel on the ground, his hands shaking as he pulled the young man into his arms.
Still alive.
He felt for the other's heartbeat, exhaling with relief as if having survived a great calamity, his eyes hot. At the same time, he discovered what the young man was tightly gripping in his right hand—
A silver-gray Soul Returning Grass.
—
The Xiuluo Palace became busy again, with the best doctors in the entire demon realm coming in and out, nervously using all their skills to treat the person the Demon Venerable had brought back from the Ten Thousand Demon Cave.
He was severely injured, his spiritual veins damaged, and his body covered in countless wounds large and small. His shoulder had nearly had a chunk of flesh torn off. It was a miracle he was still alive.
Fortunately, cultivators at the God Transformation stage had strong physiques, and with the best medicines in the world nurturing him, his injuries were rapidly improving.
"Is it enough to just take these medicines?" These days, the Demon Venerable had been by his side constantly, caring for him without rest, feeding him medicine and water personally. The doctor nodded and said, "Young Master Meng's body is too weak. Taking too much medicine would be counterproductive. His injuries are already improving now. With good care, he should fully recover in about half a month."
The Demon Venerable nodded and dismissed everyone. He set the medicine soup aside to cool, then turned to look at the person sleeping on the bed.
Meng Chen hadn't woken up yet. Due to excessive blood loss, his face and lips were pale. Thick bandages were wrapped around his shoulder, and despite using the best hemostatic medicine, red traces were still continuously seeping through.
The Demon Venerable reached out and gently held the young man's fingers in his palm.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have sent you away," he said, warming those cold fingers in his palm. "From now on, I will never send you away again."
"It doesn't matter if you don't like me," he said, his eyes stinging as he carefully lifted the young man's hand and gently kissed the back of it. "As long as you're alright."
"...As long as you're alright."
——
Three days later, Meng Chen woke up.
His eyes were vacant, seeming not to realize where he was for a moment. The Demon Venerable, however, was overjoyed and immediately leaned forward to ask if he needed water or if anything was uncomfortable.
Meng Chen closed his eyes again, finally coming to his senses, and immediately remembered something. "Where's my grass?"
The words in the Demon Venerable's throat suddenly got stuck.
"...Where's the Soul Returning Grass I picked?" Meng Chen, disregarding his dizziness and pain, propped himself up with a pale face, staring intently at the Demon Venerable and asking in a trembling voice, "Did you take it away?"
The Demon Venerable took a deep breath and asked, enunciating each word. "Do you know that for that thing, you almost died!?"
"Were you trying to exchange your life for Xue Lang's!?"
"It's none of your business!" Meng Chen hissed. He was breathing rapidly, staring fixedly at the person in front of him. "Is the Soul Returning Grass with you or not?"
The Demon Venerable also stared at him, raised his hand, and a silver-white grass appeared in his palm. Meng Chen immediately reached out to grab it, but the man clenched his fist and avoided him.
Meng Chen's eyes instantly reddened. "Give it back to me!"
"Give it to you?" The man gritted his teeth and said, "Isn't this Soul Returning Grass meant for me to use?"
After saying this, under Meng Chen's stunned gaze, he swallowed the Soul Returning Grass in one gulp.
In fact, he had long known that the Soul Returning Grass wouldn't bring Xue Lang back to life. The grass could indeed recall scattered souls, but the "Record of Returning to Heaven" had omitted one point: if the possessing soul was several times stronger than the original soul, the latter would never be able to return to its own body.
Xue Lang was only at the Golden Core stage when he died, and it was impossible for him to reclaim his body from a Tribulation Crossing Realm cultivator like himself.
He ate the Soul Returning Grass in front of Meng Chen, momentarily overcome with anger, hating that Meng Chen cared so little for himself that he would recklessly try to exchange his life for Xue Lang's. Moreover, he couldn't control the jealousy and malice in his heart anymore.
You were willing to do anything to bring Xue Lang back, weren't you?
Unfortunately, he was already completely dead.
Even the world's only soul-calling Soul Returning Grass couldn't save him now.
Meng Chen had been holding his breath waiting since the Demon Venerable swallowed the Soul Returning Grass. His hands were tightly clenched together, knuckles white, veins protruding from tension.
But he waited and waited, until the time it takes an incense stick to burn had passed, and still nothing happened.
"Have you faced reality now?" The Demon Venerable looked at the light in his eyes and said heartlessly, "Xue Lang is dead. He will never come back."
— He will never come back.
Meng Chen stared at him blankly, his tightly clenched hands slowly loosening, and then, without warning, a tear fell.
His expression was bewildered, but the tears kept flowing more and more, faster and faster, as if a floodgate that had been closed for who knows how long had suddenly opened, wanting to drain all the moisture from his body in one go.
— He will never come back.
He opened his mouth trembling, letting out a hoarse and muffled "Ah" from his throat. His pale, bony fingers dug into his hair as he cried out in despair.
——
After crying, Meng Chen developed a high fever and fell into a coma.
The doctors were urgently summoned again, but this time after examining him, they all fell silent.
"Young Master Meng's... condition is very dangerous."
The Demon Venerable was almost driven mad with anguish, roaring. "What kind of danger? Didn't you say he was almost recovered!?"
"Before... he was indeed almost recovered," the doctor said, sweating profusely and lowering his head, not daring to look at him. "But now his condition has suddenly worsened. Most importantly, Young Master Meng... no longer has the will to live."
The Demon Venerable's heart shook violently.
"Once a person has resolved to die, even divine pills and miraculous medicines can't save them," the doctor said. "We really... have no way."
Meng Chen's fever wouldn't break. He couldn't be fed medicine or water, and even infusing him with spiritual power was like throwing a stone into the sea - there was no response.
The thread that had supported him to the end in the Ten Thousand Demon Cave had broken. His last faith and hope had completely collapsed, leaving not a trace of attachment to life.
The only thing the Demon Venerable could do was to stay by his side day and night, constantly calling his name.
"Meng Chen... weren't you always stubborn?" he said. "You've only tried one method, are you giving up so quickly?"
"There's the 'Record of Returning to Heaven', surely there must be a 'Record of Raising the Dead' or 'Record of Resurrection'. Wake up, and when you're better, I'll accompany you to find them."
"Let me tell you, Xue Lang's soul hasn't entered reincarnation. Even if you die and reincarnate, you won't meet him. Are you content to just die like this?"
Perhaps because he had been talking so much, Meng Chen finally showed a slight response. His face was red with fever, his lips cracked, and he faintly uttered two words through his lips, still calling Xue Lang's name.
The Demon Venerable looked at him, closed his eyes, and slowly chanted a spell.
In the next moment, the man's body visibly began to change, gradually returning to the appearance of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth.
— Xue Lang's appearance.
He lay down beside Meng Chen, carefully avoiding the unhealed wound on Meng Chen's shoulder, and drew him into his arms.
"I'm here," he said softly. "I'm Xue Lang, I'm here."
"Meng Chen, open your eyes."
"Open your eyes...and you'll see me."
