DDAM 9

Jun Jiewu: “…”

He remained silent for a moment before asking, “Every pair having had physical intimacy… What does that mean?”

The Heavenly Emperor did not skirt around the topic. As if he was reading from an official report, he stated flatly, “There is no restriction on how many people may enter the secret realm at once, but every person in the group must have been physically intimate with every other person in that same group. In other words, if three people A, B, and C go together, then A and B, B and C, and A and C must all have been intimate with one another.”

Silence fell over the hall once more.

“Every pair having had physical intimacy” that phrasing alone was enough to make him frown. But after the Heavenly Emperor explained its practical reality, Jun Jiewu’s understanding of the Demon Realm was rewritten. He had always known demons were unrestrained, but he never imagined they were indulgent to such a degree. Such a rule was unthinkable in the Heavenly Realm.

In the midst of his shock, he did not even have time to feel embarrassed that the Heavenly Emperor had just outed his relationship with Li Zhuochen.

“I know you two have just reclaimed your divine thrones and your souls are not yet stable. I should not send you into danger so soon,” the Heavenly Emperor sighed softly. “Yet in this matter, there is no other way.”

Jun Jiewu startled slightly, but he quickly understood the logic.

If anyone from the Heavenly Realm wished to enter the Hehuan Secret Realm safely, there were only two options: win by numbers, or win by strength.

Winning by numbers meant gathering a team big enough where every single pair shared physical intimacy. Yet the atmosphere of the Heavenly Realm was rather conservative. Forget constructing such a vast web of intimacy, finding even a single pair of Shangshen who had been intimate was difficult enough, let alone an entire group. That path was virtually impossible.

Which left only winning by strength: selecting the two strongest individuals among those who had already been intimate, relying on power to make up for the lack of numbers.

When he calculated it like that…

Jun Jiewu raised his eyes to glance at Li Zhuochen, then looked away.

In the entire Nine Heavens, the only ones who met the condition and possessed the strength to shoulder such a task were indeed himself and Li Zhuochen. He could even say there was no one else available.

After a long pause, Jun Jiewu finally spoke. “I understand. Once inside, what does Your Majesty require us to do?”

Li Zhuochen opened his mouth to object, but Jun Jiewu cut him off. “A place the demons ​Read on​use for that sort of thing cannot be overly dangerous. If you are unwilling, I will simply find someone else to go with me.”

Li Zhuochen: “…”

A vein throbbed at his temple. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the Heavenly Emperor trying not to laugh. But when he looked closer, the Heavenly Emperor’s face was serene.

Li Zhuochen ground his molars together, but in the end, he held his tongue.

Seeing that he had no further objections, the Heavenly Emperor nodded slightly. His voice regained its seriousness. “Since neither of you has any complaints, my mind is at ease.”

He reached into his sleeve and produced a translucent white jade pendant. He handed it to Jun Jiewu. “Sealed within this pendant is a strand of my divine consciousness, capable of blocking a full-force blow from a Shenzun. Should you face a life-or-death crisis, shatter it, and I will immediately open the realm from the outside to bring you back.”

He paused and withdrew a bronze mirror. Its smooth surface shimmered with dark-gold patterns.

“This is the Light-Tracing Mirror. While inside, you may use it to record what you see and gather traces of demonic qi. Should you find any clues pertaining to the Demon Realm, make sure to record them and present them to me upon your return.”

The Heavenly Emperor handed both items to Jun Jiewu; his gaze lingered on each visit our siteof their faces for a moment before he warned them gravely:

“The gate to the secret realm will open in ten days. Remember, you are only there to investigate and record. Do not act rashly. The situation inside remains unknown, so prioritize your own safety above all else.”

…

The Hehuan Secret Realm was situated at the border of the Heavenly Realm, the Mortal Realm, and the Demon Realm. Though geographically, it lay somewhat closer to the mortal world. On their way, passing through the mortal realm was unavoidable.

By the time Jun Jiewu stepped out of Lingwu Palace, he had already altered his appearance. Dressed in a moon-white robe with a cyan headcloth binding his hair, gentle eyes, and a scroll held in hand, he looked every bit the refined scholar, handsome, yet not so outstanding as to draw unwanted attention.

Outside Lingwu Palace, a figure clad in black leaned lazily against the wall. His belt hung at his waist, and he was chewing on a stalk of immortal grass picked from who knew where. Everything about him exuded an idle, reckless air. Even under his disguise, his sharp brows and bright eyes remained, though his features were now rougher and weathered, giving him the look of a wandering martial artist.

Jun Jiewu’s frowned as he inspected him from head to toe.

“Didn’t we agree that entering the mortal realm required changing our identities, and that our looks shouldn’t be too eye-cat…”

He stopped himself before he could finish, [stolen content]but it was already too late. A certain someone was smiling smugly.

“You think I look good?” Li Zhuochen leaned in with a grin. “I already made myself ten times uglier than usual, Jiewu. Any uglier and I really wouldn’t be fit to be seen in public.”

Jun Jiewu: “…”

Give him an inch and he would take a mile. Unwilling to entertain him, Jun Jiewu stepped around him and walked past.

Li Zhuochen trailed after him; he hooked a finger around a strand of hair draped over Jun Jiewu’s shoulder and twirled it. “Could it be that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my dear young lover… mmph…”

Jun Jiewu shoved the face leaning into his space back without an ounce of mercy. He asked frostily, “Lover?”

Li Zhuochen felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

In the next instant, Jun Jiewu transformed. His refined, handsome face changed into that of a middle-aged man who bore an eighty-percent resemblance to Li Zhuochen’s current disguise. Heavy with maturity and weathered experience, he looked more than a decade older in an instant.

Jun Jiewu pulled his hand back and neatly adjusted his sleeves. stolen content“After you, Zhuochen Shangshen,” he sneered. “From now on, you had best address me as your father.”

Li Zhuochen: “…………”

…

At the foot of Mount Shuangwu.

It was late spring, and the town bustled with activity. Tea stalls and taverns lined the streets, while children occasionally ran through the crowd, drawing scoldings mixed with laughter.

The most bustling place in town was the Yunlai Inn, a two-story establishment crowded with patrons. Merchants traveling from north and south filled the main hall. Their conversations constantly drifted toward the strange occurrence of recent days.

“Have you all heard? The western sky has been odd these past few days,” a bearded man lowered his voice as he set down his wine bowl. “The night before last, when I got up to feed my horse, I saw a red glow coming from the western mountains. It painted half the sky red.”

“You saw it too?” A young scholar across from him put down his chopsticks. “I saw it yesterday evening while enjoying the view outside the city. It wasn’t just red either; purple and gold bled together afterward, making the sky look like it was about to tear. I’ve lived twenty-odd years and never witnessed such a sight.”

“That was no ordinary light,” an old man at the neighboring table stroked his beard. “If you ask me, it’s an auspicious sign. Ancient texts say: When the sky ​stolen content​fractures with golden light, a sage shall emerge. Perhaps a great figure is about to be born.”

“Come off it, old man. You call everything an auspicious sign,” the bearded man teased with a chuckle. “Last time when locusts plagued the east, you called that an auspicious sign too.”

Laughter echoed through the hall.

As they joked, the light at the entrance dimmed, and two figures walked in one after another.

In front was a scholar in white robes, looking to be in his early thirties, with refined features and a calm air, holding a scroll in hand. Following behind him was a young man in his twenties, clad in black, with sharp brows and bright eyes. He resembled the scholar, though his demeanor was far more flamboyant.

At first glance, they looked just like father and son.

Only, the “son’s” behavior was anything but well-behaved. He tugged at the scholar’s sleeve with hurried, restless steps; his lips moved as he murmured. Snippets like “I was wrong” and “I won’t do it again” drifted through the air. The scholar remained completely indifferent, his face calm and unbothered as he headed straight for the counter.

They were Jun Jiewu and Li Zhuochen in disguise.

All the way from the Nine Heavens to the mortal world, Li Zhuochen had tried [stolen content]every trick in the book, coaxing and pleading alike, but failed to make Jun Jiewu change his mind and revert his looks.

Li Zhuochen was suffering immensely; he cursed himself for opening his mouth in the first place. Now look at him, stuck sitting at the same table as Chu Huaiji.

Amidst his misery, the waiter greeted them warmly, a white cloth draped over his shoulder and an eager smile on his face. “Welcome, gentlemen! Looking for a meal or a room?”

Jun Jiewu reached into his sleeve, placed a few pieces of silver on the counter, and said flatly, “A room, please. Thank you.”

A day in heaven was a year in the mortal realm. By mortal time, several days still remained before the Hehuan Secret Realm opened. Since Mount Shuangwu sat right on the boundary between the mortal realm and the Demon Realm, they would inevitably have to stay here for a short while.

The innkeeper flicked the abacus beads, and looked up with an apologetic smile. “You arrive at an unfortunate time, sirs. The regular rooms are all taken, and we only have two premium suites left. Would you like one room or two?”

“One.”

“Two.”

The two voices rang out at the exact same time.

The innkeeper’s eyes moved back and forth between them before settling on the older-looking Jun Jiewu. This white-robed scholar had an authoritative aura, he was clearly accustomed to being the head of the household.

“Shall I prepare two rooms for you then?” the innkeeper asked tentatively.

Jun Jiewu gave a slight nod.

After receiving confirmation, the innkeeper jotted down the details while offering a word of advice to the sour-faced young man. “Young sir, when traveling away from home, it’s always best to listen to your elders.”

“Besides, no grudge lasts forever between father and son…”

He put away his abacus before turning to lead them upstairs, unaware that the young gentleman’s face had turned even darker than before.

Li Zhuochen forced a tight smile. He extended his long arm, and abruptly pulled the slender waist of the white-robed man beside him into his embrace.

Jun Jiewu was standing one Read onstep higher than him; caught off guard, he lost his balance and crashed into his chest.

Startled and annoyed, Jun Jiewu raised his eyes. Beneath his wide sleeve, his hand began forming a spell, but as if his movement had been anticipated, an overbearing hand grabbed his fingers.

The innkeeper turned his head, and gasped in shock. The two men he had just dubbed father and son were now leaning intimately against each other, looking every bit like a devoted couple.

With his beloved in his arms, the young gentleman’s mood visibly brightened. The dark scowl vanished, his smile turned radiant, and he held the person in his arms tight. He reached into his robes with his free hand, and placed a silver ingot on the counter.

“Lead the way, innkeeper.”

He looked down at the ash-faced man in his arms and smiled.

“My spouse simply looks a bit mature for his age. Pardon us.”