Chapter 28 Li Ye, is it really you?

It was late at night, and Si Yao had been gone for quite some time. Xiao Yezi sat alone in her seat, lost in thought.

A light drizzle began to fall outside, and a cool breeze secretly blew in.

Xiao Yezi's chest rose and fell slightly, a hint of annoyance flashing across her brows.

"Yan Ao".

The black mist arrived immediately, and Yan Ao appeared.

Seeing that Xiao Yezi's expression was not good, Yan Ao asked with concern, "Your Excellency, are you feeling unwell?"

Xiao Yezi glanced at Yan Ao, her gaze cold, but she remained silent.

Yan Ao asked, "Is it because Your Majesty's main and secondary souls have just finished merging that you are feeling unwell?"

During the day, inside the bamboo house, while Yan Ao transformed into black mist to lure Si Yao away, Xiao Yezi finally merged his main soul and secondary soul together.

In other words, from now on, Xiao Yezi's body will house his complete soul, and there will never again be two different "selves" taking over this body.

In addition, Xiao Yezi, or rather Li Ye, possessed all the memories of the main soul and secondary soul since entering the Hehuan Sect.

Seeing his lord lost in thought, Yan Ao called out again.

Li Ye snapped out of his thoughts. "Yan Ao, you saw it yourself just now. Si Yao personally cooked noodles for me. What do you think she meant by that?"

Yan Ao's eyes darted around. "She's probably trying to curry favor with you."

"To curry favor with me?"

"Yes, in this way, His Majesty will be more lenient towards her in the future and will find it harder to harm her."

Li Ye's eyes flashed. "Si Yao doesn't know my purpose in approaching her, so why would she be afraid of me making a move in the future and deliberately try to please me?"

Yan Ao secretly glanced at Li Ye, "Does His Majesty think that woman is genuinely good to you?"

Li Ye paused for a moment, as memories of the past five years flashed before his eyes.

"She didn't seem to be faking it; she even cooked noodles for me herself on my birthday."

Yan Ao narrowed his eyes, his expression serious. "But, the noodles didn't taste very good either, did they?"

Li Ye: "But it was also her good intention."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ao was greatly alarmed. "Your Excellency, you must have been influenced by that soul, which is why you think Si Yao is a good person. How can you convince yourself? I have said before that the women of the Hehuan Sect are naturally seductive and cunning. You must not be bewitched by her."

Li Ye's irritation deepened, and with a flick of his sleeve, Yan Ao vanished without a trace.

A few more cool breezes drifted in from outside. Li Ye looked out the window and saw that the light rain was still falling. He didn't like the sound of the continuous drizzle, as it seemed to disturb his peaceful mind.

The persistent drizzle allowed Si Yao on the other side to get a good night's sleep.

The bedroom window was not closed, and the night breeze blew in, causing the bed curtains to flutter. In the flickering candlelight, Si Yao seemed to see a figure approaching.

In the hazy light, the person's outline became increasingly clear.

Si Yao lay on the bed, not getting up, but softly calling his name, "Xiao Yezi..."

In the interplay of light and shadow, Si Yao saw Xiao Yezi wearing the robe she had given him that morning: a bright yellow inner garment and an apricot-colored gauze outer robe. His high ponytail swayed gently as he took his steps.

He seemed even more spirited than when he stood tall under the locust tree in the morning.

Finally, Xiao Yezi sat on the edge of Si Yao's bed, his deep gaze fixed on her.

"Master, why are you still sleeping?"

Si Yao rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her eyelids were heavy, and she was feeling drowsy. "Isn't it the middle of the night? It's a good time to sleep."

She looked at Xiao Yezi and said, "My dear disciple, what urgent matter brings you to see your master so late at night?"

"Of course it's important." As Xiao Yezi said this, he moved forward a little, thus getting even closer to Si Yao.

Si Yao was slightly taken aback, wondering why Xiao Yezi was suddenly so close. She could even smell his pleasant scent.

This is completely different from the Xiao Yezi of the past.

She didn't think about it any further, and simply said, "Important matter? Tell me about it?"

Xiao Yezi's gaze swept over, carrying an undisguised aggressiveness. "Master, didn't our Hehuan Sect say that after disciples reach adulthood, masters and disciples can improve their cultivation techniques through dual cultivation?"

Si Yao closed her eyes briefly. "In the middle of the night, you came all this way just to tell your teacher this?"

Xiao Yezi smiled faintly, "It's the middle of the night, and since I have questions and can't sleep, I naturally need to ask my master for answers."

His smile made Si Yao pause slightly, sensing that his purpose was not limited to that.

"Yes, I did say before that dual cultivation between master and disciple can improve one's cultivation technique. However, in the Joyful Union Sect, it is not limited to master and disciple. As long as one finds a suitable dual cultivation partner and the mental cultivation technique is used properly during dual cultivation, it can benefit the cultivation of both parties."

After she finished speaking, Si Yao noticed that Xiao Yezi's gaze had become even more intense.

Unaware of what was about to happen, she simply said in a serious tone, "You refused to cultivate the Jade Yang Scripture before, are you going to change your mind now?"

Xiao Yezi shook his head, "That's not it. Even without cultivating the Jade Yang Scripture, you can still engage in dual cultivation, right? It's just that the effect isn't as significant."

“That’s right.” Si Yao looked up at Xiao Yezi, and her gaze was quickly captured by his.

Those burning gazes sent a shiver down Si Yao's spine.

What's wrong with her? Why is her heart racing under his direct gaze?

Moreover, she could also feel that she was uneasy at this moment.

Looking at his apprentice, a terrible thought suddenly came to mind.

She felt that through Xiao Yezi, she saw a completely different person.

Another person whose oppressive aura made it hard for her to breathe.

"So," Si Yao asked tentatively after a moment, "what are you trying to say, disciple?"

But then Xiao Yezi leaned closer, stretched out his well-defined hand, and gently touched Si Yao's cheek.

The sensation from those dry fingertips startled Si Yao so much that she held her breath.

“Disciple…”

Before she could continue speaking, her chin was gently pinched by the other person. "From now on, I will be Master's dual cultivation partner, okay?"

Will you be my dual cultivation partner?

Si Yao thought she had misheard.

At this moment, Si Yao's constricted pupils and disordered breathing were enough to prove how shocked she was.

Xiao Yezi actually made such a direct suggestion.

Is this still Xiao Yezi?

"You didn't come here on purpose to make fun of me, did you? Coming here so late at night just to play this joke on me! But this joke isn't funny at all; in fact, it's frightening."

Si Yao was very skeptical and couldn't understand Xiao Yezi's actions at all.

Xiao Yezi tightened his grip on Si Yao's chin slightly, moving even closer to examine her beauty. "I'm serious, my master."

"Seriously?" Si Yao's breath hitched, as if the air in the room had suddenly become thin, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Under the lamplight, Si Yao lowered her eyes, then gently removed Xiao Yezi's hand, and moved her body to the innermost part of the bed.

"Haha, Xiao Yezi, don't scare me. Did you bump into something unclean today? You're so different from usual, even a little strange!"

Xiao Yezi chuckled softly and shook his head. "Master, are you scared?"

Si Yao was genuinely scared.

If it were someone else, given her experience of reading countless erotic novels, she might even be able to flirt with them without restraint.

However, she was at a loss when faced with Xiao Yezi.

“Master, do you know that you were much more proactive that night than you are now?”

That night...

Si Yao gasped. Was the night Xiao Yezi mentioned referring to the night at Qingfeng Stream?

He's Xiao Yezi, how could he know?

Suddenly, Si Yao felt dizzy and her brain seemed to stop working, and she couldn't understand anything.

The lights in the room flickered for a moment, and when she looked up again, she found that Xiao Yezi, who was sitting by the bed, had transformed into Li Ye.

Just like that day in the Valley of Broken Souls, when she was in a daze, she mistook Xiao Yezi for Li Ye.

"Si Yao."

Li Ye, standing at the edge of the bed, cast a sinister glance his way over, calling Si Yao's name, "Surprised?"

At that moment, Si Yao's heart felt as if it were being violently pounded, making a thumping sound like a drum.

Li Ye...

Is he Li Ye?

Si Yao's shoulders trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but lean forward. She opened her eyes wide and looked at the man in front of her. "Is it really...you?"

Li Ye parted his thin lips slightly, looked at Si Yao who was leaning closer, and actually pulled her into his arms.

They were instantly inches apart. He stared intently into her beautiful eyes and said in a low voice, "It's me, don't you see?"

Si Yao dared not breathe; at that moment, her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat.

Wasn't Li Ye already dead? How did he come back to life?

How did it appear right in front of me?

Si Yao couldn't understand any of it.

While Si Yao was flustered, she was also filled with deep-seated fear.

Facing the man before her, she felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity that she couldn't fathom, and his cold eyes instilled a touch of fear in her.

He is none other than the Demon Lord Li Ye, rumored to be capricious and capable of killing at will.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Li Ye's voice lingered in my ears again.

Si Yao took a deep breath and nodded. "I saw it clearly."

She didn't forget to ask, "Where's Xiao Yezi? Where did you hide my apprentice?"

"You're still thinking about him."

A wicked smile played on Li Ye's lips. "Master, take a good look at who I am."

The word "Master" startled Si Yao, causing her eyelids to twitch.

Just as she thought, when she saw Xiao Yezi transform into Li Ye, she thought it was an illusion.

"So, there was no such thing as Xiao Yezi at all; you've always been Li Ye."

After Si Yao finished speaking, Li Ye reached out and gently stroked her face, "Hmm, not too stupid."

As soon as she finished speaking, Si Yao slapped Li Ye's hand away and turned her face away.

Li Ye smiled, unconcerned, and increased the pressure of his hands, pulling her directly into his arms.

Si Yao was shocked. What was this Demon Lord up to?

"Li Ye, what do you want to do?"

But at that moment, the scene before my eyes suddenly distorted.

Her emotions suddenly surged, and the scene before her eyes became distorted.

Si Yao cried out, and in an instant, Li Ye, who had been tightly holding her just moments before, had vanished.

When she opened her eyes again, she sat up; it was just getting light outside.

Si Yao was momentarily dazed, unaware of what day it was.

"Was what I just had just a dream?"

Si Yao muttered to herself.

But this dream was too bizarre.

She quickly got out of bed, put on a gauze dress, and went to the window to look out at Xiao Yezi's room across the street.

She wondered if this dream was hinting at something.