Chapter 979: The Man in the Painting
The sky was cloudless, yet the sunlight was not particularly intense. Though the warm banks of the Red River still held some heat, it was ultimately the deep winter season. A slightly chilly wind swept across the stone platform, not stirring the dust in the crevices of the bluestone, but causing the white blossoms piled on the ground to tremble faintly, making them appear even more sorrowful and poignant.
Luo Luo stood outside the blanket of pear blossoms, her figure somewhat lonely.
On her still youthful and even more beautiful little face, no obvious emotion could be seen. But thinking of the resolution just passed in the stone hall, listening to the ceremonial music that had once again flowed smoothly from the Whale Fall Platform, and considering the imperial edict soon to be proclaimed to the world, many clan chiefs and generals could not bear to look at her, lowering their heads or turning away.
Luo Luo seemed not to notice this as she walked forward. Her small leather boots stepped on the soft white blossoms, making no sound at all.
Still some distance from the pear tree, she stopped, because an immensely towering figure, like a great mountain, blocked her path.
She looked up and found it was the Great Elder, who had doted on her most since childhood.
The chieftain of the Xiang Clan looked at her silently, saying nothing, but many complex emotions flickered in his eyes, like the wrinkles at their corners—difficult to untangle.
In his calm gaze were warmth, affection, apology, and a plea.
Luo Luo understood his meaning and said in a gentle voice, “I didn’t expect this.”
The apology in the Xiang Clan chieftain’s eyes grew thicker. “This is His Majesty’s will,” he said.
Luo Luo tilted her small face up at him and said calmly, “So what?”
The viewing platform was very quiet, especially after she appeared.
Though her voice was soft, it clearly reached the ears of all the great figures of the demon race.
The Xiang Clan chieftain was stunned. The Deer Clan Grand Elder was stunned. The Carp Clan chieftain was stunned. All the great figures on the viewing platform were stunned.
Because they had not expected that the princess, known for being adorable yet sensible, obedient, and well-behaved, would utter such words.
“So what?” These four simple words seemed merely a question or a challenge, but who could miss the coldness and firmness hidden within them?
…
…
Luo Luo walked to the pear tree.
She looked at the young demon beneath it and found that he was indeed very handsome, and the aura he exuded did not disgust her.
Her gaze fell on his hair, confirming there were no demon horns. She found it somewhat interesting, then a trace of bewilderment arose.
As the most honored princess of the demon race, whether in the capital or in White Emperor City, she had always been under the tightest protection. So she had never had the chance to participate in the Grand Court Examination, to enter the Heavenly Book Mausoleum with others to observe the steles and comprehend the Dao, nor was she permitted to enter the Zhou Garden for trials.
Thus, she had few opportunities to meet real demons.
Only once, many years ago at the Academy of State Teaching, on that unforgettable night, had she encountered one.
That demon with horns had fallen into Zhou Tong’s hands—he must be long dead by now, right?
Back then, he hadn’t even succeeded in marrow cleansing. When he stood before her, wasn’t he afraid?
A white blossom fell from the branch, brushing past her temple, snapping her back to the present.
She asked curiously, “So you are the Demon Lord?”
Her eyes were clear, like a stream, revealing all her true emotions.
Clearly, she bore no anger toward this young Demon Lord—only genuine curiosity.
“Yes,” the Demon Lord said, gazing at her quietly. Then he suddenly added, “You may call me by my name—Nero.”
There was nothing unusual about these words or the slight pause between them.
But if the Black Robe or the Demon General had been present, they would have been extremely shocked.
If the nobles and ministers of Snow Old City had been there, they might even have fainted.
Though his calm tone concealed true arrogance, he had told her his real name and allowed her to use it.
Luo Luo knew nothing of these demon royal customs and paid them no mind.
She looked at him and asked, “You want to marry me?”
The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow slightly. “Indeed,” he said.
Luo Luo asked, “Why?”
The purpose of a marriage alliance was naturally to seal a pact.
This was a very clear answer, and the Demon Lord believed she knew it, but he could not respond that way.
It was a matter of a sovereign’s dignity, the reserve befitting royalty, and the respect owed to the other party.
So his answer was still admiration.
He said he had admired her for a long time.
Luo Luo naturally knew this could not be true, just as she knew why he wanted to marry her.
But she pressed on: “Did you know of me before?”
Many great figures, including the Xiang Clan chieftain, thought they understood why she insisted on questioning him.
She wanted to prove the Demon Lord was lying.
She wanted to prove he had not known her before, so there could be no long-standing admiration.
But even if she proved this, what meaning would it have?
In their eyes, at this moment, Princess Luo Luo was like a child biting the tip of a pen, racking her brains to solve a puzzle.
Even if she solved it, who would care whether she was right or wrong?
“Of course,” the Demon Lord said, looking at her calmly, exuding great confidence. “Because I knew of you, I came to appreciate you. I believe that one day, you will feel the same.”
Luo Luo suddenly stepped back several paces, leaving the patch of white blossoms, and looked at the tree again.
She tilted her head, her brows slightly furrowed, looking troubled by something—very adorable.
A single glance, and it was a painting.
Beyond the railing was the blue sky, vast and serene.
A pear tree, covered in delicate white blossoms.
He stood beneath the tree.
The wind rose, and blossoms fell like rain.
They landed on his shoulders.
They landed on his clothes.
This painting was truly beautiful.
…
…
The Demon Lord said nothing, letting her look at him.
Because at that moment, he stood within the painting.
A faint, elusive smile played on his face, but deep in his eyes, a trace of weariness and boredom gradually appeared.
At first, Luo Luo had not shown the fear that the noble girls of Snow Old City displayed toward him, nor had she put on the deliberately aloof and cold demeanor of his sisters. Instead, she had simply opened her bright eyes with curiosity, like an ordinary girl. This had indeed piqued his interest.
But as time passed, that interest had faded considerably.
Especially now, seeing Luo Luo’s expression.
This painting was something he had created for her to see.
He thought with slight mockery: Women are women, after all—still drawn to these empty, laughable things.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a voice.
“Have you seen my painting?”
The speaker was Luo Luo.
The Demon Lord’s smile faded, and he looked at her calmly. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Three days ago, I painted a picture,” Luo Luo said, looking at him. “I didn’t expect to see the real scene today.”
The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? What a coincidence.”
“This is no coincidence. Mother must have known I loved that painting very much and showed it to you. ‘In the deep of winter, a spring breeze arrives overnight, filling the tree with pear blossoms’—you standing beneath it… the details were well executed. The pear blossoms are beautiful, and you are handsome too. The technique of evoking emotion through scenery was very natural. But both Mother and you got one thing wrong.”
“What did we get wrong?”
“Because even if everything is perfectly orchestrated, you can never become the man in my painting.”
“Why?”
“Because that painting was not something I imagined out of thin air—it already existed.”
Luo Luo looked at him with sympathetic eyes, like a child biting the tip of a pen, racking its brains to solve a puzzle.
You thought you had found the right method to solve the problem, but you didn’t even understand the meaning of the question.
The Demon Lord vaguely guessed the answer and asked, “Who was the man in the painting originally?”
Luo Luo opened her eyes wide and said seriously, “Of course, it’s my Master.”