175: Chapter 175 Guiding the Way Home

Though she didn't know if Su Chen was truly wronged or if he was trying to mislead her...

Su Daji was certain of one thing.

The unfathomable tyrant before her definitely knew some of the inside story regarding why she was lurking by his side.

“Demon Concubine Su Daji.”

Su Chen continued to speak, seemingly just carrying on with his little astronomy lesson for her.

“When you look at the galaxy, perhaps you always think that every star has its own trajectory.”

“That they are all being pulled by an invisible force, following a predestined path of fate.”

“Cycle after cycle, eternal and unchanging.”

“But what I want to say is...”

“It is not like that.”

“In truth, they also have the possibility of breaking free.”

“Gravity can be broken, and orbits can be changed.”

“It's just that once they break free, they become like the comets of legend.”

“Suddenly deviating from their normal course, they streak across the sky, leaving behind a trail that is both breathtakingly beautiful for eternity and soul-stirring.”

“Even if they eventually burn up in the atmosphere or drift away into deep space.”

“But that moment of breaking free...”

“...is their own unique way of being ‘alive’.”

“I... compared to those stars that run along fixed orbits, would rather become a comet.”

Su Daji leaned against the cool, carved wooden railing.

This mode of interaction between the two of them made her feel somewhat unaccustomed.

In the past, whenever they were together, Su Chen would always be taking liberties with her.

And she would use those fox-like eyes, accustomed to ensnaring souls, to steal his very spirit away.

But at this moment...

He was actually standing with her at the top of the Star-Plucking Tower.

Attempting to teach some grand philosophies to this 'Demon Consort' who, in his eyes, might only be used to vent his desires.

“If one breaks free, where does one go?”

“To merely bloom with a moment of brilliance in this night sky and then quickly return to nothingness, falling into a deeper darkness?”

“Heh... Great King, is this the path you wish to take?”

“The trajectory is set; even if one forces a deviation, I fear there will be no destination ahead.”

Su Chen was, after all, the King of the Yin Dynasty.

He had the capital to be willful.

But what about her?

If the Hehuan Sect was her predestined trajectory, then what would happen after she broke free?

The world was vast; the immortals and gods saw her as a chess piece, mortals saw her as a demon, and the blood feud of her parents followed her like a shadow.

In this enormous world, there was actually no place for her to belong.

Where could she, this 'comet' that had deviated from her 'trajectory', possibly go?

Su Chen did not answer.

He just looked at her quietly for a moment.

Then he stood up and took a snow-white, pure fox fur cloak that had been prepared beforehand from a nearby sandalwood rack.

The fur of that cloak was thick and lustrous, soft and warm to the touch—clearly no ordinary item.

He walked behind Su Daji, gently unfolded the fox fur, and draped it over her slender shoulders.

“Beloved Consort.”

“What kind of life do you think is meaningful for a star?”

“If I turn into a bright comet and streak southward across the night sky...”

“Not only do I point the way home for lost travelers...”

“But I also provide another possibility of freedom for other planets bound within their orbits.”

“If it is like this...”

“The instant my remnant body flashes across the night sky, it can be called eternity.”

The fox fur cloak was very large; it must have been worn by Su Chen.

The heavy coat, carrying his body heat, wrapped around her delicate frame.

It brought a bit more warmth to her heart.

“The night is deep and the wind is strong; don't catch a cold.”

He made no further moves, merely draping the fox fur over her before stepping back half a pace and sitting back in his original spot.

It was as if that considerate act just now was nothing more than the most ordinary care a monarch would show his consort.

Su Daji gripped the soft edges of the fox fur, her fingertips sinking deep into the fluff.

She felt the warmth flowing from her shoulders to her four limbs and hundred bones.

In her heart, she felt a complex mix of emotions.

As the night deepened, the galaxy slowly turned.

A long silence fell between the two of them.

In this stretch of silence, Su Daji's thoughts drifted uncontrollably toward the past.

Her memories of her biological parents had long since blurred.

Only some fragmented images remained.

The songs her mother gently hummed, her father's broad and sturdy arms, and the osmanthus tree in the family courtyard whose fragrance filled the yard when it bloomed.

Then, there were the sky-high flames and the shrill screams.

She had even long since forgotten the faces of the executioners who had burst into her home.

The clearest memory of that bloody disaster was a sentence her master, the Sect Leader of the Hehuan Sect—that old hag—had repeatedly nagged her with since childhood, for fear she would forget.

“It was done by that young king in Chaoge, who was only in his teens.”

“With a single order, he could frame a city for colluding with rebels and have the entire family executed.”

“Your parents died because of this.”

The time after that, she spent in the Hehuan Sect.

The master who was strict to the point of cruelty, and the jealous gazes of her fellow disciples as they looked at her peerless beauty.

She was born with peerless beauty and natural charm.

This was originally the best talent for practicing the Hehuan Sect's techniques.

But as it happened, she was a pure virgin.

Those female disciples who had used countless male Cauldrons were jealous of her to the point of harboring secret hatred.

After all...

If those disciples could have her looks...

Perhaps they could have had more and higher-quality Cauldrons voluntarily engaging in intercourse.

Later, under her master's arrangements...

She became a weapon born only for revenge, meticulously polished.

Her master required her to be registered as the adopted daughter of Su Hu, the Marquis of Jizhou.

But it was merely a shell to facilitate her reasonable appearance in the world.

With this identity, she could better walk the mortal world and be sent into Su Chen's palace to become his Demon Consort.

Breaking free from the Hehuan Sect was easier said than done.

She practiced the secret methods of the Hehuan Sect.

As long as she did not engage in Dual Cultivation, the backlash of this technique would haunt her like a maggot on a bone.

Even after obtaining the mirror Su Chen gave her, she could not completely escape the influence of this technique.

Furthermore, she always suspected...

That old hag likely had other ways to control her.

Setting aside the pervasive control of the sect...

Even if she broke free, then what?

Before she uncovered the true culprit of her parents' bloody case...

She did not have the courage to let go of those bloody fires that entered her dreams every night and live a life of nightly revelry with the most likely suspect.

Just as her thoughts were tangled and tearing like a mess...

The crisp sound of wine being poured reached her ears.

Su Chen had brought a pot of wine at some point.

And two jade cups.

He filled a cup for himself and tilted his head back to drink it.

The clear wine slid down his beautifully lined jaw and disappeared into his collar.

Under the moonlight, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his profile appeared even more unrestrained and free.

“Great King!”

Su Daji blurted out almost subconsciously.

“You have injuries on your body; the imperial physician warned that you should not drink wine these days!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she almost laughed at herself.

The person before her was her mission target.

If he died from excessive drinking, that would truly fulfill her wish.

Next time, she definitely wouldn't remind him, hmph.

Su Chen's drinking motion paused; he pinched the wine cup and turned his head to look at her.