Back at the Demon Lord's Palace.
Heavy silence filled the air. The sky, dark and turbulent, still churned with that ominous presence, yet within the grand chamber, a low chuckle echoed like a silver bell in the abyss.
The state teacher stood beside the Demon Lord, his laughter laced with unspeakable joy, his sleeves fluttering as his fingers trembled with exhilaration.
"It has bloomed!" He yelled. "The Crimson Flower, at long last!"
The Demon Lord did not speak. He did not turn, nor did his expression tilt even the slightest bit. He stood there as he always did, his black robes merging with his shadows, as he stared at the turbulence in the red sky.
The state teacher's eyes gleamed as he continued, his laughter still lingering in the air. "This is a blessing for the Demon Realm!" His voice rose, almost giddy. "The heavens would cry! A great destiny has awakened! The one star that would lead us to perfect victory!"
Lightning crackled, as though agreeing to his words. Yet the Demon Lord remained unmoved, his gaze locked on the swirling chaos in the sky.
At that very moment, Wu Mei was in the arms of Keeper Huan as he slowly laid her on the bed, her body no longer suspended by the strange force that had caused her pain.
Her breath came in slow, steady draws. Keeper Huan sat at her side, his hands hovering over her wrist before finally pressing against her pulse. He confirmed it. She was alive.
He sharply sighed in relief. Yet his eyes fell upon her, and his mind immediately went blank in awe.
He used to know Wu Mei as the girl so frail that once the wind blew she would stagger to the floor, she had hollow cheeks and marred skin that no one wanted to be close to her. The Wu Mei that laid before him was now different.
Her form untouched from her past scars, her skin fair and luminous like polished jade. Her one-scorched face had been renewed, as if the heavens had sculpted her anew.
Keeper Huan felt his heart go full from just watching her.
Her inky black hair cascaded around her in wild, silken strands, the crimson streak no longer there, and at the center of her forehead burned a mark of deep crimson–a fox flame, pulsing like a living ember.
Keeper Huan swallowed hard. He wondered if she was the same person.
"This…" His voice trembled. "This is not just a breakthrough. This is a rebirth." How can someone who didn't die go through a rebirth? In the demon realm something like that never happens.
Before he could dwell further, hurried footsteps rang outside. His head snapped towards the wooden door, his heart sinking. He knew perfectly well who had come.
The phenomenon had brought the real wolves outside to snoop around for food.
A surge of panic shot through him. Of course, they came. The disturbance was too great—a phenomenon like this couldn't go unnoticed
He ran towards the door, reaching the entrance just as soon as the knock sounded–no, not a knock but a forceful push against the wooden doors that sent Keeper Huan flying.
But even as they rushed into the room, Keeper Huan rushed forward ignoring the ache in his body and blocked their way.
A harsh voice rang out making his body go rigid. "Step aside, Housekeeper Huan."
The person who talked was no other person than the patriarch of the Wu Clan, the great and mighty fox king. Esteemed elders of the Wu family gathered around him in a semicircle, but the only presence that caused Keeper Huan to shake in his booths was no other person than Old Wu, the patriarch.
His eyes, sharp as hawk's, swept over the housekeeper with suspicion. "Who has awakened such a force?" He commanded. "It cannot be you. Let us in. So we can see exactly who this powerful intruder is."
"I am sure he has found another owner, and is planning to betray our clan!" Wu Mei's mother chimed in her words filled with spite and her eyes blazing with rage.
Her son clutched in her arms, while her husband stayed behind her. She wanted to say more but Old Wu raised his hand and silenced her. She scoffed and looked away.
Not one bit, looking towards the bed that Housekeeper Huan protected.
The Housekeeper hesitated, his mind racing. If he showed them Wu Mei, they might try all means to get rid of her.
How could he explain this? Wu Mei, the disgrace of the family, the thrown away fox demon with a ruined body and a curse, was now the cause of this phenomenon? They would never believe it. Worse–if they did, they would either seek to control her, or do exactly as he thought–get rid of her.
"It was nothing but a minor fluctuation from somewhere nearby," he lied smoothly, forcing an apologetic smile. "A mere accident from a demonic beast in the forest coming close to a break through, unworthy of your—"
Old Wu pressed his spiritual force against Keeper Huan's chest, knocking the air out of his lungs.
He did not even see the need to raise his hand, but the sheer weight of his spiritual energy sent the housekeeper stumbling back. Keeper Huan didn't have the time to get back up and stop them when Old Wu with the other family and elders set sight on the lady on the bed.
They gasped.
The elders froze, their eyes wide. For a long moment, none of them spoke, their gazes locked on the ethereal figure leaning weakly against her propped up knees while looking at them.
Then, a single voice shattered the silence.
"Wu Mei…?"
Old Wu's voice wavered. He took an unsteady step forward, disbelief thick in his tone. But then, looking at her sitting that way, a look of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
"That can't be Wu Mei, I thought she would be eaten—" The madam stopped herself before she could say more words.
Wu Mei looked weak, and still looked timid, but Old Wu was the only person who saw that she had changed. There was something within her eyes that burned with something fierce. Something untamed.
Yet he couldn't confirm if it was true or not, looking at her, she still didn't have any cultivation base. She still had that curse so there was nothing to praise about.
A slow, knowing smile curled on her lips.
"Grandfather," She murmured, her voice like the brush of silk against steel. "It has been a long time."