Chapter 53

"You are like a ray of light in spring, illuminating Leng Huai's sensitive and fragile heart. As long as you pull out those three thick black lines, this heart can come back to life!" The black mist became more and more excited as it spoke.

Mo Xiaoxin frowned. These three thick lines were thicker than her arm, and she probably wouldn't be able to break them with her strength.

"This... I'm afraid it won't work."

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid you can't break it? How would you know if you haven't even tried?"

The black mist kept urging Mo Xiaoxin to walk towards the three black lines.

Just as Mo Xiaoxin was about to touch the black line, she suddenly woke up.

What happened? My body seemed to be out of control just now.

This place is eerie; I have no idea where this black mist came from.

Mo Xiaoxin glared at him angrily: "Who exactly are you? Why are you encouraging me to remove these three black lines? What is your purpose?"

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that if Leng Huai doesn't remove these three black lines, he will probably fall into an abyss of no return and become a heartless and emotionless demon!"

Mo Xiaoxin's lips twitched. Wasn't Leng Huai now a heartless and emotionless demon?

"Trust me, I won't hurt him! I'm just a figment of his imagination, I understand his thoughts best!"

"But... why do you look more like a demon to me? A dark, murky thing trying to prove you're a good person? Who would believe that?"

Seeing that Mo Xiaoxin didn't believe him, the black mist turned into a cloud of white mist again, and he said helplessly, "It's dark and deep here. I'm just used to this form. Why are you judging me by my appearance?"

Mo Xiaoxin exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you could transform!"

Mo Xiaoxin rolled her eyes; she couldn't let the black mist cloud her judgment. She didn't even know where this thing came from, so she couldn't believe its words.

"Alright, since you say you know Leng Huai best, then tell me about Leng Huai's hobbies or the things he hates the most."

"Hobbies?" Black Mist paused for a moment, then said, "He doesn't really have any particular hobbies, but from what I remember, what he hates most is someone interrupting what he's doing with great concentration."

Mo Xiaoxin muttered to herself, knowing what Leng Huai hated most made things easier. Although the scope was broad, she could do things that Leng Huai hated most without restriction, which would greatly increase the probability of her being killed.

Mo Xiaoxin raised an eyebrow, and after getting the answer she wanted, she acted spoiled: "Thank you for telling me all this, but I have to go out now. I'm so sleepy, I need to go to sleep. You're the one who brought me in, so hurry up and send me out!"

The black mist said unhappily, "I've already told you, so why don't you help Leng Huai get rid of his inner demons?"

"If you don't even tell me who you are, I will never do anything for you."

Mo Xiaoxin has her own principles. She never likes to be led by the nose by others. Of course, she was forced into the system incident and had no choice but to accept it. But thinking about it, at least she didn't lose out. She made money and returned to the modern world.

The black mist emitted a chilling aura, which startled Mo Xiaoxin. The powerful aura made her shudder and she dared not underestimate the black thing in front of her.

The black mist approached Mo Xiaoxin, staring at the trembling woman before her who still refused to comply. Finally, it relented: "Fine, why should I argue with a little brat like you? Leng Huai knows me, of course. If you want to know, go ask him!"

After saying that, the black mist disappeared.

Mo Xiaoxin also left Leng Huai's mind in the blink of an eye and returned to her own body.

Mo Xiaoxin slept until the third watch of the night before finally waking up. When she opened her eyes, Leng Huai was nowhere to be found.

Thinking of the task she shoulders, I sighed. It's a long and arduous journey ahead!

She wanted to go to the Illusionary Spirit Abyss to cultivate magic. Her Five Elements techniques had already awakened their intelligence; she only needed to cultivate in seclusion to reach a certain level.

Without Leng Huai's help, she wouldn't have been able to reach the Illusionary Spirit Abyss.

We need to find him.

As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw a barren landscape outside the yard.

What happened?

The night before, she had admired the view outside the window. In the yard stood her favorite pear tree, its branches laden with blossoms, layer upon layer, like a sky full of stars. Or perhaps like the first snow of winter, pure white and flawless, covering the branches.

She loved to sit by the window and watch the pear blossoms fall in the breeze. Now, how come the courtyard is empty?

She called to a servant who was sweeping the yard: "What's going on with this yard? Where are the trees and flowers?"

When the servants saw that Mo Xiaoxin had woken up, they hurriedly came over and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, you're awake." She glanced at the courtyard and hesitated, stammering, unsure how to reply to Mo Xiaoxin.

Mo Xiaoxin looked at the servant with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong? Is it hard to say?"

The servant nodded.

Mo Xiaoxin: "Could it be that Leng Huai did it?"

The servant shook his head, glancing at Mo Xiaoxin out of the corner of his eye. It was clearly her who did it, so how could she have the nerve to say that it was the Demon Lord?

Mo Xiaoxin noticed the unusual look in the servants' eyes.

"Then, I made it?" Mo Xiaoxin pointed to herself.

The servant nodded.

Mo Xiaoxin suddenly remembered the flames she had sprayed when she dealt with the black mist.

Could it be from that time?

She patted her head in regret and waved to the servants, "Never mind, let's transplant some more trees into the yard."

Servant: "The Demon Lord has already instructed him to make the arrangements."

"Huh? He already knows!" Mo Xiaoxin was shocked. Leng Huai knew that he had burned down his courtyard, but he wasn't angry?

Mo Xiaoxin placed her hands on the maid's shoulders, stared at the maid's face, and asked solemnly, "Did the Demon Lord say anything else?"

The maid thought for a moment and then shook her head.

Something's not right! Something's not right!

In the past, Leng Huai would have already dragged her out of bed and questioned her, so why was he so calm today?

The maid was held in place by Mo Xiaoxin and dared not move, just standing there blankly.

Mo Xiaoxin asked again, "Is Leng Huai angry with me?"

The maid shook her head again.

Seeing that she couldn't get any information from the maid, Mo Xiaoxin finally let her go.

The maidservant ran away as if fleeing.

Mo Xiaoxin stroked his chin; something was definitely amiss.

She still needs to confirm her mistake even if she did something wrong.

Of course, her purpose was not to admit her mistake.

Leng Huai should still be handling official business in the main hall, so she can wait for him outside the hall.

Leng Huai seemed unusually busy today, and didn't come out of the main hall until sunset.

As Leng Huai walked out of the main hall, he saw a small head leaning against the door, nodding from time to time like a chick pecking at rice. A faint smile appeared on his lips, and he walked over silently.

He crouched down to carefully examine the woman's sleeping face.

Mo Xiaoxin sat leaning against the door, asleep. A few strands of hair slipped from behind her ears and gently fell onto her fair cheeks, trembling slightly with her even breathing.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if a trace of unease lingered even in her sleep, and her long eyelashes cast a fan-shaped shadow under her eyes.

She kept muttering to herself, "My task... I need to finish it quickly..."

His gaze remained fixed on her, unwavering. He raised his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but hesitated, his fingertips hovering in mid-air for a moment before finally lowering it slowly.

He just squatted there quietly, unwilling to look away.

Task……

Leng Huai's eyes held a deep, unfathomable quality.

After an unknown amount of time, Mo Xiaoxin's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. Through her blurry vision, the first thing she saw was a pair of deep eyes.

She was a little stunned, not fully awake from her sleep. She blinked unconsciously and met his gaze. The air seemed to freeze instantly.

Their eyes met, and neither looked away first. Time seemed to stand still, and the only sound in the space was their soft breathing.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he said softly, "Awake?"

Leng Huai's deep and gentle voice broke the somewhat awkward silence.

Mo Xiaoxin then came to her senses, a blush quickly spreading across her face. She hurriedly lowered her eyes, frantically tidying her slightly disheveled hair, and stammered, "Um... I, how did I fall asleep?"

He stood up, casually extended a hand, and said to her, "Get up, the ground is cold."

Mo Xiaoxin looked up at his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then gently placed her hand in his palm.

He gently pulled her up, and Mo Xiaoxin lost her balance, stumbling forward and almost bumping into him. She quickly steadied herself, took a small step back, and lowered her head, not daring to look at him again.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Mo Xiaoxin couldn't help but shiver. Only then did she come to her senses and remember the purpose of her visit.

She coughed, trying to hide her embarrassment: "Um, I didn't mean to burn down your yard..."

Leng Huai was somewhat surprised: "It's alright. I was planning to remove the trees in that courtyard anyway, and then transplant the trees from the Illusionary Spirit Abyss, so that we can absorb the essence of heaven and earth while resting in the house."

Leng Huai's earnest explanation made Mo Xiaoxin suspicious. Why had Leng Huai become so agreeable? It seemed like he was covering up her mistake.

She was a little confused. Leng Huai's emotions seemed to have become much more stable and peaceful lately, which was quite unlike him.

Since Leng Huai didn't seem inclined to pursue the matter, she decided not to dwell on it.

Recalling Hei Wu's words, Mo Xiaoxin still had some doubts in her heart. She wanted to ask, but didn't know how to start.

Leng Huai spoke first: "How did you know about the existence of the secret room? I never let anyone into this place, so how did you find out?"

Leng Huai clearly looked displeased, and his gentle demeanor from just moments before had vanished.

Men are indeed fickle.

"It was the black mist that led me to the secret room and found you," Mo Xiaoxin said truthfully.

She asked curiously, "What exactly is that black mist?"

Upon hearing the mention of the black mist, Leng Huai's expression suddenly changed, clearly showing signs of anger.

Mo Xiaoxin had seen this expression before, when she first came to this world to do a mission. Leng Huai was very wary of her, and he would show this expression every time before killing her.

This expression was terrifying, giving people an unprecedented sense of despair, which came from the suppressive aura of the powerful demon lord.

"Don't meddle in other people's business, or I'll kill you."

Sure enough, she touched on something he didn't want to talk about.

She couldn't help but swallow, both anticipating and trying to remain calm as she accepted Leng Huai's accusations.

However, the action she had imagined did not happen to her. Leng Huai seemed to force himself to calm down, and the anger in his eyes subsided.

The fire just mysteriously disappeared.

Mo Xiaoxin felt that completing the tasks was very difficult.

Leng Huai brought Mo Xiaoxin to the Illusionary Spirit Abyss. While Mo Xiaoxin was practicing her spells, Leng Huai began searching for suitable trees to transplant.

Mo Xiaoxin was practicing so diligently that she didn't even notice when Leng Huai had disappeared.

When she came to her senses, she seemed to remember that Leng Huai had been gone for quite some time.

It's just finding a few trees, why does it take so much time?

Mo Xiaoxin frowned and began searching for Leng Huai's whereabouts.

She searched all over but couldn't find Leng Huai.

Strange, has he already left?

But Leng Huai isn't the type to leave without saying goodbye. Could he have encountered some kind of accident?

Thinking about this, Mo Xiaoxin felt it was a bit unlikely. Someone as powerful as Leng Huai, who could be his opponent? But when she remembered when the two of them fell into the White Snake's trap, she hesitated. Maybe they had encountered a trap after all.

But this Illusionary Spirit Abyss has always been inhabited only by the two of them; no one else has ever been here.

Leng Huai had told her before that only those with a certain level of magical power could come up, and there were very few of them in the world. Therefore, she once thought that it was a paradise, a fairyland, and very safe.

It seems that Leng Huai also thought so, which is why he left her alone here.

As she was pondering, Mo Xiaoxin caught a glimpse of a figure flashing past behind a tree not far away.

Seeing that the figure seemed to be Leng Huai, Mo Xiaoxin quickly chased after him.

"Hey, Leng Huai!" Mo Xiaoxin shouted loudly.

Leng Huai didn't stop; instead, he walked even faster. Mo Xiaoxin had to jog to keep up.

Why is this guy walking so fast?

It was obvious that he had heard her voice.

Are you trying to mess with her again?