Chapter Ninety-One: I’m Switching the Script

Later, I somehow made it through that year in the valley. By then I had turned ten, and my master kept her promise as well, appearing at last to take me away from that place.

After that, my master brought me back to the Sacred Land of the Immortal Moon, a place inhabited entirely by fairies and celestial maidens. There, immortal mist curled through the air, and the land seemed to stand high above the heavens, like a paradise in the mortal world.

Only then did I learn that my master there was one of the Nine Holy Lords, and above her were eight others. As I came to understand more and more, I discovered that the Sacred Land of the Immortal Moon had actually been founded six thousand years ago by the nine wives of the Blood Demon Ancestor, namely the Nine Holy Lords together with the other eight Holy Lords.

The Blood Demon Ancestor was a figure from six thousand years ago, and for the past ten thousand years he had been hailed as the one most likely to ascend the throne of an emperor. Yet for reasons unknown, after the final battle of the Twilight of the Emperors three thousand years ago, he had never returned.

My master and the other eight Holy Lords had actually followed the Blood Demon for more than two thousand years. Now, with the Blood Demon having vanished for three thousand years, he still had not appeared.

Back then, my master told me of a strange rule: every direct disciple of the Sacred Land of the Immortal Moon must keep her face covered. No one was allowed to see her true appearance. Anyone who did, whether mortal or god, had to be killed—or else the one seen must take his own life.

I still remember that when my master spoke of this rule, I asked her a question. I asked her whether it meant we would never be able to remove our veils for the rest of our lives.

My master said, "If you want to take off the veil, it can only be with the Ancestor's own permission. Otherwise, even we would not dare abolish this rule. Besides, in the Sacred Land of the Immortal Moon, wearing a veil is an honor. It is not something just anyone can do."

From that day on, I never removed my veil again. Only later did I learn that the veil was actually a magical treasure, capable of preventing others from spying on me. Anyone within a yard of it would be shrouded in a thin mist. Others could not see through your face, nor through your cultivation.

"Senior, you have my master's aura on you. Have you met my master? It has been so long since I last saw her. Although my master is very strict with me, without her I would have been eaten by wolves long ago."

The Saintess murmured as she gazed at the sleeping Night Without End. She gently touched his white hair, then looked again at that scarred face crisscrossed with deep blue marks, and exclaimed in shock.

"Senior, you also look like our Ancestor. I have seen a portrait of the Ancestor in the Sacred Land of the Immortal Moon, and you have the same long white hair..."

The deep night sky revealed a faint, almost imperceptible glow, like the calm depths of the ocean with not a ripple upon its surface. The silver moonlight clung to the stars, cold and unyielding, without the slightest warmth. The drifting wind carried the sorrow of moonlight into the embrace of the night sky, sinking in silence.

The Saintess gazed at the countless stars above, large and small, bright and dim by turns. A smile curved her lips. One star after another adorned the night, scattering their radiance over the earth, whether famed or nameless.

In the river, the moon's reflection shimmered beside the fireflies flying along the bank. The moonlit image in the water rippled, while the fireflies glowed with their own light. In the corner, crickets sang a hushed autumn lament, and autumn cicadas in the leaves gave forth a bleak, mournful cry. I looked out the window at the sky full of stars, those stars and the moon's reflection in the water answering and reflecting one another.

At dawn.

The sky had only just begun to lighten, and the pale blue heavens still held a few scattered remnants of stars. Dawn, like a sharp blade, split the silent curtain of night and welcomed the first rise of sunlight.

The sun ascended, light shrouding the earth, and darkness receded like a tide.

The dawn's first glow lifted the thin veil of night and breathed out brilliant morning light.

Night Without End lay on the ground, covered with a woman's immortal robe. Beside him, a veiled girl sat on the floor with her knees drawn to her chest, staring dreamily at the rising sun.

"My master said that the sun now no longer contains the Golden Crow. From what she meant, it seems the Golden Crow inside was roasted and eaten by the Ancestor..."

As she spoke, the Saintess even smacked her lips, looking every bit like a little glutton.

Night Without End rubbed his eyes, propped a hand against his forehead, and sat up. Without even opening them, he brought the immortal robe to his nose and sniffed it.

"So fragrant!"

Seeing his reaction, the Saintess's ears turned red, and she said shyly, "Senior, you're awake?"

At her words, Night Without End opened his eyes and looked over, only to see a veiled girl gazing at him with delight.

"Are you the little girl from yesterday? The one who gave me wine?" he asked. Hearing the Saintess of the Sacred Land of the Immortal Moon call him Senior, he guessed she still had not recognized him.

He touched the scars covering his face and gave a wry smile. In this state, his own parents probably would not recognize him, let alone this little girl who had never even seen the Blood Demon. How could she possibly tell who he was?

At present, perhaps only the nine wives of the Blood Demon could recognize him. Even those enemies who had once crossed blades with the Blood Demon might not be able to.

He had crossed into this world in body, not in spirit. As for his aura and such, so long as he did not use the Blood Demon's abilities, it ought to be impossible for anyone to recognize him.

Still, that was fine. It spared him many troubles. The only thing that made Night Without End somewhat vexed was that he now had to begin pretending to be some peerless elder once again.

Well, if he had the strength, that would be one thing. But he had no strength at all. At most, he could only grind his way through cultivators at the Form-Condensation level.

"Mm, Senior, it was me!" the Saintess said with a nod.

"How many bottles did I drink?" Night Without End asked. Since he was going to pretend, he might as well commit to it. Bluffing was bluffing, after all, and in front of his own people at that. Surely heaven would not strike him down for it.

"Senior, you drank a total of sixteen bottles of Celestial Drunkenness! I can barely manage one bottle before I get drunk!" the Saintess replied teasingly, even using her own poor tolerance to set off his astonishing capacity.

"Celestial Drunkenness? Just hearing the name tells me it is no ordinary wine," Night Without End grumbled inwardly. He rubbed his groggy head. Even a cultivator at the Golden Core level like this little girl could only manage one bottle. What on earth had he done last night? He had no memory of anything at all.

Out loud, he said, "In that case, I cannot drink your wine for free. Calculate how much it all comes to."

"Senior, how can you say that? This wine was a token of respect from this junior to you. If you like it, I still have a little more here..."

"No, that will not do. I cannot drink your wine for nothing. Just calculate the price."

Night Without End put on an insincere look of embarrassment and sighing.

"Ah, ah! Very well then!" The Saintess nodded and really did begin to calculate. She felt that an expert senior like Night Without End would generally mean what he said and say what he meant. He certainly would not care for such a small amount of wine money. She had already repeated herself twice; if she kept insisting, what if the senior got annoyed and sent her away? That would not be good at all.

As she thought that, she kept counting.

Night Without End: "..."

I want to change the script.