Chapter 60 First Taste of Love
A few days later, Gu Zhi told him that he would be coming down the mountain in five days.
Mingjian breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the message.
It's not that he's spineless; he's been driven almost mad by Xiao Bumian's constant pestering these past few days. No matter where he goes to sleep or how many layers of restrictions he sets up, he always wakes up the next day in Xiao Bumian's excessively soft bed.
He felt that going down the mountain for a period of training would be just right, allowing him to catch his breath and get away from the suffocating yet inexplicably addictive stickiness.
After hesitating for several days, Mingjian finally found an opportunity and casually mentioned to Xiao Bumian that he wanted to go down the mountain for training.
Xiao Bumian paused, his fingers stilling as he played with a strand of Mingjian's hair. He raised his excessively beautiful eyes, gazed at Mingjian quietly for a moment, tilted his head, and spoke with a naive question in his voice.
"Hmm, so you mean you're leaving tomorrow, is that right?"
Seeing the flicker in Ming's eyes, he pursed his lips and mumbled a reply, "Mm."
“Mingjian,” Xiao Bumian suddenly curled his lips, but there was no smile in his eyes, instead they were frighteningly dark, “You’re really something.”
Despite it being summer, Mingjian inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't dare meet Xiao Bumian's gaze and forced himself to say, "...Huh? Don't I remember telling you that?"
Xiao Bumian's dark pupils stared unblinkingly at him. His face, which always held a faint smile, was now completely devoid of any curve, cold and icy, exuding a world-weary listlessness. He hadn't spoken a single word to Mingjian all day.
Mingjian tried to coax him with a few words, offering tea and snacks, but Xiao Bumian still wouldn't even lift his eyelids. Exhausted from trying to coax him, Mingjian simply gave up and ignored him completely.
Within my consciousness, the system was still incessantly trying to stop me.
[Host, your redemption value has steadily increased to 70%! This is a crucial time. You should create more opportunities to be alone with Xiao Bumian and deepen your bond, instead of going down the mountain now!]
Mingjian replied absentmindedly, "Oh, okay, I know."
He was so tired that his eyelids were drooping, so he simply lay down on the bed and fell asleep soon after, leaving the system anxiously waiting in his silent consciousness.
The system fell silent, a rare occurrence. It wasn't that it was particularly anxious about the task, but rather that it was increasingly aware that Mingjian's persona was crumbling quite badly.
The protagonist in the original work is diligent, ambitious, and determined, prioritizing improving his cultivation and saving the world.
The person it was bound to, Mingjian, was exceptionally easy and pleasant to get along with. He was intelligent and completed tasks efficiently, completely unlike the other system colleagues who complained about his "dumb task partner," "love-struck," and "always courting disaster"...
But the system still found it very strange.
Especially recently, after not knowing what Mingjian was thinking, that strange feeling has become more and more obvious.
Compared to the system's wild thoughts and the almost tangible low pressure surrounding Xiao Bumian, Mingjian slept soundly.
The next morning, Akemi woke up to a deep, almost suffocating kiss.
He was pinned down on the bed by Xiao Bumian, and it took him a while to catch his breath before he struggled to sit up.
At that moment, Xiao Bumian's eyes were slightly red at the corners, moist, and his usually pale lips were swollen and rosy from the kisses. His gaze was misty, carrying a hint of unfulfilled longing, as he softly asked, "Aren't we going to cultivate together today?"
His voice was low and husky, captivating and alluring.
Mingjian glanced at the sky outside the window and decisively refused: "Forget it, let's talk about it when I get back."
Xiao Bumian seemed unable to understand. He rested his head on Mingjian's lap, his satin-black hair cascading down his back, and tilted his head to look at him: "Why?"
That posture was languid and innocent, carrying a pure allure.
Mingjian blinked, his heart beating faster than usual.
He had no concrete evidence, but he strongly suspected that Xiao Bumian had been intentionally or unintentionally seducing him recently.
"I arranged to go down the mountain with Gu Zhi at noon. The time is almost here, and I can't keep him waiting too long."
"Oh." Xiao Bumian suddenly straightened up and leaned very close, almost touching nose to nose.
Mingjian's breath hitched. He saw Xiao Bumian's lips curve into a beautiful smile, his voice low and seductive, carrying a hint of coquetry and pleading.
"Can you come with me? Please don't go, okay?"
“Okay…” Mingjian blurted out almost immediately, then jolted back to reality and abruptly changed the subject, “No!”
Damn it! It seems Xiao Bumian is really controlling his consciousness.
He almost forgot that Xiao Bumian had learned puppetry from Xiao Yun when he was young.
The system seemed to have sensed the anomaly as well, and quickly spread a clear stream through his consciousness, dispelling the invisible bewitching influence.
As Xiao Bumian watched the clarity quickly return to Mingjian's eyes, his own gaze grew increasingly unfathomable. He sighed softly with a hint of regret, raising his hand to stroke Mingjian's cheek, his tone tinged with melancholy.
"Fine. You always choose them, never me."
Mingjian: "..."
"Not only will I not choose you, I'll also want to bite you," Mingjian said irritably.
Xiao Bumian was taken aback by Mingjian's words. He chuckled softly, his eyes filled with genuine pleasure and even a touch of innocent curiosity as he asked, "Where do you want to bite?"
Seeing that he hadn't replied yet, he continued to say to himself, "Why don't you bite my shoulder? Shoulder wounds are the hardest to heal. If you bite here, it won't heal, and there will always be a faint pain reminding me... and I will keep thinking of you."
Mingjian remained silent for a long time. The sorrow and parting feelings in his heart were instantly shattered by this shocking statement, leaving only one thought: This person is indeed seriously ill.
He looked into Xiao Bumian's eyes, and whether it was because they were going to be apart for a while, or something else, Mingjian suddenly cupped Xiao Bumian's face, leaned in, and shared a long, suffocating kiss with him.
Their lips and tongues intertwined, their breaths mingling, as if trying to etch each other's essence into their very bones.
Then he said, "Now I really have to go."
Seeing that she was afraid this yandere would go crazy again, and wanting to control him, she quickly rolled off the bed and left the room almost as if fleeing in panic.
Behind him, the smile that had appeared on Xiao Bumian's lips from the kiss slowly faded, gradually turning cold and empty.
Strands of dark demonic energy uncontrollably seeped out of his body, swirling and rising around him.
Xiao Bumian lowered her eyelashes, showing no intention of suppressing them. Instead, she allowed the thick demonic energy to spread freely, seeping through the cracks in the floor and quickly enveloping the entire room in a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere.
He thought to himself, "This must be the Demon Tribulation stage that Ye Tanzhou was talking about."
Logically speaking, he shouldn't have arrived so early, but it's probably because he transferred the abnormal heat from Mingjian's body to himself a few days ago, causing the Demon Tribulation stage to start ahead of schedule.
Xiao Bumian was slightly out of breath. His body felt like it was being roasted over a fire, or like something was frantically gnawing at his reason, bringing waves of unfamiliar and turbulent restlessness.
That's strange.
Why did this period of demonic tribulation make him crave physical intimacy with Mingjian more than ever before, to the point of almost losing his mind?
He even wanted to merge himself into Mingjian's very being.
I want to never be separated from Mingjian.
But he had no way to truly make Mingjian stay by his side willingly and never leave.
Xiao Bumian collapsed weakly onto the bed, his eyes slightly moist from the turmoil within his body and the intense, unquenchable desire.
This was the first time in many years that he had felt such a surging and uncontrollable body temperature.
The demon race's tribulation period arrives when they reach adulthood at the age of one hundred, but Xiao Bumian is a half-demon, so his tribulation period seems to be different from that of other demons, more intense and more difficult to endure.
Xiao Bumian didn't know what the inexplicable restlessness in his body was, but he suddenly felt that it was good that Mingjian had come down the mountain. Otherwise, if Mingjian were here, he didn't know what he would do.
Finally, he suppressed the surging demonic energy within his body and slowly spread his divine sense, covering the entire Evernight Mountain.
He "watched" Mingjian walk down the stone steps while muttering curses at him.
Xiao Bumian smiled.
Gazing at the figure that Mingjian clearly saw in his consciousness gradually receding into the distance, Xiao Bumian's rationality was like a candle flickering in the wind, threatening to go out.
His breathing grew heavier and heavier, a strange and surging feeling surged wildly through his body, as if all the blood in his body was rushing out of control to one place, bringing waves of unbearable heat and emptiness.
Xiao Bumian curled up slightly in discomfort, his dark hair spread out on the messy bed. He didn't move, but his deepest instincts as a demon made him involuntarily crave touch and a closer fit.
He didn't understand how to relieve the overwhelming desire he was feeling. In the past, just rubbing against Mingjian, kissing him, and feeling his body temperature and breath would calm that restlessness down a little.
But at this moment, this completely unfamiliar and almost consuming intense desire left him feeling lost and helpless.
After a long while, driven by his instincts during the Demon Tribulation stage, he finally instinctively placed his cool right hand on the burning, agonizing spot.
"Um…"
A suppressed moan escaped his lips unexpectedly, accompanied by labored breathing.
His mind was filled with clear vision.
Mingjian's eyes were glistening with tears, her lips were slightly swollen, she was whimpering with a sob in her voice, and her skin was flushed slightly as her body temperature rose.
All the images intertwined, becoming a feast that catalyzed this solitary descent into depravity.
—
The mind of a yandere is really hard to understand.
Mingjian sighed once again.
Seeing Xiao Bumian's coaxing and pitiful act, as well as his gloomy and sullen demeanor, he thought that this trip down the mountain would be very difficult, and he was even prepared to be forcibly kept there. However, the process went much more smoothly than expected.
Normally, if he just said he was going to attend a certain elder's class, Xiao Bumian would ask him repeatedly when he would be back, but this time he didn't ask.
Could it be that he's sick? Mingjian thought to himself.
Xiao Bumian's condition has indeed been a bit strange these days, and at first he thought it was his imagination, but if he wasn't mistaken, Xiao Bumian's body temperature seemed to be much higher than before.
[Host, there's a mission for you to complete on this trip down the mountain.]
Mingjian felt something was off and asked, "But didn't you tell me not to go down the mountain a few days ago? How come you have a mission again?"
The system was also confused: [051 was also unclear about the specifics. The main system's task instructions were interrupted halfway through transmission, and there were some anomalies in the data flow.]
Perhaps in a few days, once the storyline updates, the complete mission information will be delivered.
Mingjian gave a vague reply: "Okay."
With Xiao Bumian absent, Zhao Ming was quite confident in dealing with Xie Linzhao.
When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, Gu Zhi was indeed already waiting.
Besides Gu Zhi and Song Heyu, Shi Lian and Xie Linzhao were also traveling with them.
Unlike the Xie Linzhao that Mingjian had seen last time, Xie Linzhao's demonic aura had been greatly reduced at this moment.
Mingjian's gaze lingered on Xie Linzhao for a few seconds.
Although Mingjian had been busy with a few tasks assigned by the system after leaving Yunlai Immortal Mansion, such as delivering pills or food and clothing to Xie Linzhao, the pills he delivered were unlikely to have caused such dramatic changes in Xie Linzhao.
But Mingjian always felt that there was something about Xie Linzhao that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Mingjian had doubts in his heart, but he didn't ask them.
They simply followed the others and stepped down the stone steps of the mountain gate.
The town they were heading to was called Qiyun Town, located at the westernmost edge of the Hehuan Sect's territory, beyond which lay the land of Jianming Immortal Mountain. Because of its location at the border of the two major sects, the situation was unique; this mission to train down the mountain involved not only disciples of Jianming Immortal Mountain but also members of the Hehuan Sect.
As soon as they descended the mountain, they encountered the disciples sent by the Hehuan Sect.
The leading female cultivator held an ancient zither in her arms. Her figure was graceful, and her eyes exuded a gentle charm. Her voice was as soft as a spring breeze as she said, "Yun Hanyi, a disciple of the Hehuan Sect."
Behind her followed several female cultivators, also dressed in light pink gauze robes.
Their faces were all covered with a light veil, so their full features could not be seen, but the outlines and eyebrows that could be vaguely seen under the veil were enough to show their stunning beauty.
Gu Zhi had never seen such a scene before. He blinked, his cheeks flushed red, and he stammered as he clasped his hands in greeting, "Gu Zhi, a disciple of Jianming Immortal Mountain, humbly requests guidance from all the senior sisters."
"Pfft—" Behind the female cultivator holding the zither, another female cultivator couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "It's not like it's a sect competition. This young man is really quite amusing. I bet he's staring at our Holy Maiden of the Joyful Union Sect with wide eyes?"
"Don't talk nonsense," Yun Hanyi said softly, scolding him.
The female cultivator named Wangyou had a sparkle in her eyes. She smiled and replied "Yes," then turned and boarded the cloud boat that was moored beside her.
Yun Hanyi then turned to Gu Zhi, gave a slight bow, and said with just the right amount of apology, "I'm sorry, sir, it was my junior sister who spoke rudely."
Gu Zhi scratched the back of his neck and said, "Don't worry, Junior Sister Yun, I'm not sorry."
Mingjian: "..."
Song Heyu, who was standing to the side, was silent for a moment, then resolutely raised her hand and quickly cast a silencing spell on Gu Zhi, successfully stopping him from continuing his incoherent rambling.
Song Heyu then stepped forward and exchanged pleasantries with Yun Hanyi. She greeted Yun Hanyi with courtesy and polite words, from asking about her master's well-being to introducing her own junior brothers and sisters. After a conversation, the two boarded the cloud boat together.
Mingjian listened all the way and roughly understood.
This Yun Hanyi is the current Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect, and if nothing unexpected happens, she will be the next Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect.
The strange events that occurred in Qiyun Town this time were quite troublesome, so much so that the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect sent his holy maiden to handle them personally.
As the group walked into the cabin, Yun Hanyi, who was at the front, suddenly stopped.
A gentle breeze carried the faint, cool fragrance of peach blossoms emanating from her.
A faint blush rose to her cheeks, and she lowered her eyelashes slightly, her gaze falling on Xie Linzhao, who was walking silently a little behind. Her voice was so soft it was almost melting into water, "Young Master Xie... how have you been? Do you still remember me?"
Xie Linzhao did not stop walking, only glanced at her indifferently, and did not answer.
Oh ho!
Mingjian and Guzhi, whose silencing spell had just been lifted, quickly exchanged a glance. The two stopped in perfect unison, pretending to straighten their sleeves or admire the cloud-shaped patterns, but in reality, they were listening intently to join in the fun.
Xie Linzhao's beautiful lips pressed into a straight line, and after a long while, he said, "I don't know him."
After saying that, he didn't linger. He walked straight past Yun Hanyi and disappeared into a guest room deep inside the cloud boat. The cabin door clicked shut.
Yun Hanyi's eyes dimmed instantly.
Seeing this, Shi Lian sighed softly, stepped forward to apologize to Yun Hanyi on behalf of Xie Linzhao, and then turned and went into her own room.
Mingjian and Guzhi couldn't continue watching the excitement, and Guzhi was even scolded by Song Heyu with a stern face.
After Gu Zhi finished listening to the reprimand with his head drooping, Song Heyu turned her gaze to Ming Jian.
Gu Zhi immediately looked over with schadenfreude and mouthed silently, "See? Now you're a disciple of Guiyi Peak too. That old fogey Song Heyu will definitely have to scold you."
Song Heyu glanced at Gu Zhi indifferently. Gu Zhi felt a chill on the back of his neck and immediately made a zipping motion near his mouth to indicate that he should shut up.
Song Heyu then spoke to Mingjian, her tone much gentler, "Junior Brother, you don't need to take what happened just now to heart. I didn't mean to blame you." After all, Mingjian hadn't been impolite.
Mingjian breathed a sigh of relief.
Guzhi: "...?"
No, why should I?!
—
Sword Bright Immortal Mountain.
It was summer, and the mountain air still retained some of the daytime heat at night. Stars dotted the night sky, twinkling brightly. A night breeze carried the faint scents of flowers and grass.
Since Xiao Bumian told the sect elders the day before yesterday that he needed to leave Jianming Immortal Mountain for a while because the injuries he suffered during his seclusion had not yet healed, the tension in the elders' hearts seemed to ease a little.
On Tingyun Peak, Shi Yan dismissed his disciples and waved his hand, saying, "You may all leave for now."
"Yes, disciple takes his leave." The disciple bowed and quietly withdrew.
"Hmm." Shi Yan nodded slightly.
After his disciple had gone far away, he set up another layer of barriers around the mansion to prevent others from peeping before turning around and entering the inner room.
He walked around the screen painted with landscape ink paintings, went to the candlestick in the corner of the room, and gently twisted a certain part of the lamp base with his finger.
With a very faint clicking sound, one wall of the inner room slowly slid open to the sides, revealing a hidden stone chamber.
Inside the stone chamber, a figure dressed in a wide black robe stood with his back to the door, leaning on a strangely shaped cane.
The flickering lamplight elongated his shadow, and he stood precisely at the boundary between the warm yellow candlelight and the deep shadow, his face indistinct, with only a cold and gloomy aura emanating from him.
Shi Yan jogged forward and knelt down in front of the black-robed man with a thud, his voice filled with excitement and sorrow, "Welcome back, Master, from seclusion!"
The man, or rather, the long-deceased Ji Sui, fixed his cold, venomous gaze on Shi Yan, who was prostrate on the ground. After a long silence, he spoke in a voice that was hard to decipher, as if it were sandpaper rubbing against the ground, "Are you sure Xiao Bumian has left Jianming Immortal Mountain?"
Shi Yan lowered his head even further, his tone absolutely certain, "Reporting to Master, this disciple is absolutely certain. After Immortal Venerable Hanwei left, this disciple immediately used his divine sense to carefully explore the entire area of the Immortal Mountain, and indeed could not sense the slightest trace of his aura!"
Ji Sui fell silent again, and only the faint crackling of the candlelight remained in the stone chamber.
After a long silence, he asked again, his voice tinged with cautious skepticism, "...He said himself that his strength was greatly diminished because his injuries had not yet healed?"
"Yes, Master." Shi Yan nodded quickly. "Immortal Venerable Hanwei did indeed tell the elders that he needed to leave the Immortal Mountain to find a place to heal his wounds, and his return date was uncertain."
"Hanwei...Immortal Venerable?" Ji Sui seemed to have heard something extremely ridiculous, letting out a low, hoarse laugh, filled with mockery and icy chill. "Wangjuan, I never knew you would now address a lowly half-demon as...Immortal Venerable?"
Shi Yan's heart skipped a beat. He looked up tremblingly into Ji Sui's eyes, but before he could see clearly, a powerful pressure suddenly descended.
"Ugh!" Shi Yan felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a hot, metallic liquid welled up instantly. He hurriedly lowered his head, no longer daring to look directly at his opponent, and begged for forgiveness in a trembling voice, "Master, please calm down! This disciple knows his mistake! This disciple spoke without thinking, please punish me, Master!"
"Very well." After a long silence, Ji Sui finally spoke, his voice still icy cold. "But next time, Yuanjing, you must not make the same mistake again."
"Yes! Your disciple will follow your teachings!" Master Yan prostrated himself on the ground and answered respectfully, his back already soaked with cold sweat.
"Do you know when Xiao Bumian emerged from seclusion?" Ji Sui suddenly asked.
Shi Yan broke out in a cold sweat and said, "It must have been about half a month ago."
"Half a month ago?" Ji Sui scoffed. "If it really was only half a month ago, I wouldn't have failed in the Merfolk Ruins. I originally intended to use that stupid woman to lure some powerful rogue cultivators for me to absorb, but I never expected Xiao Bumian to appear there. Now, that formation still requires the souls of a thousand people to activate. Yuanxiang, what do you suggest we do?"
Shi Yan remained silent for a long while. His master had told him that as long as he sent his disciple to Yunlai Immortal Mansion, everything would be fine. He thought there was nothing to worry about, since his master had already promised him that he would return all the disciples of Jianming Immortal Mountain safely.
After listening to Shi Lian's account from beginning to end, Shi Yan's heart wavered. It turned out that his master did not want the disciples of Jianming Immortal Mountain to return. Not only did he not want them to return, he also wanted to keep the disciples of Jianming Immortal Mountain as sacrifices to the array.
Shi Yan didn't consider himself a model of righteousness, but he couldn't bring himself to push his own disciple to his death.
“Master,” Shi Yan suggested, his voice hoarse, “why don’t we…abandon this method? Although Junior Brother’s current body has limited talent in cultivation, he is young and strong, perhaps…”
Upon hearing this, the cave instantly fell silent.
"Tick-tock...tick-tock..."
Water, seeping from an unknown source, slid down the cold stone wall and crashed to the ground, making a muffled sound that sent chills down the spine in the deathly silent cave.
Before Shi Yan could finish speaking, Ji Sui suddenly threw his head back and burst into a maniacal laugh, "Hahahaha—give up? You want me to give up?!"
The laughter stopped abruptly. He suddenly squatted down, and the hood of his black robe slipped slightly with the movement, revealing an unusually young and even handsome face. That face bore a resemblance to Xiao Bumian's true appearance, or rather, to Gu Guanlan's face.
Shi Yan was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head, not daring to look closely.
Ji Sui suddenly reached out, his withered yet incredibly strong fingers gripping Shi Yan's neck tightly, lifting him so that his feet were almost off the ground.
Shi Yan's face flushed red instantly, and he had difficulty breathing.
"This shouldn't be!" Ji Sui's voice became sharp and distorted, filled with resentment and bitterness. "I am the founding ancestor of Sword Bright Immortal Mountain, a peerless genius with a Heavenly Grade Spiritual Root! How could I be trapped in this lowly and broken body forever?! It's all Yun Guiyuan's fault! It's all that liar's fault! If he hadn't lied and said that the demon was dead, how could I have ended up in this state!"
“Oh, right,” Ji Sui’s manic expression suddenly vanished, his eyes becoming as still as dead water. He said, word by word, “Yuanjing, Master has summoned you here today because there is something he needs you to do.”
The intense feeling of suffocation caused Shi Yan's face to turn from red to purple, and the veins on his neck and forehead bulged menacingly. The shadow of death instantly gripped him. In his extreme fear, the image of Gu Guanlan incongruously flashed through his mind.
That junior brother he used to be extremely jealous of.
Back then, Ji Sui brought Gu Guanlan back to the mountain and personally taught him swordsmanship, imparting secret techniques that even his direct disciples had never had the chance to see. He took the young man with him wherever he went.
As a fellow disciple of Ji Sui at that time, it would be a lie to say that Shi Yan was not jealous. He hated that Gu Guanlan could so easily steal all of his master's attention and favor, and he hated that Gu Guanlan was born with a sword bone and had a talent that was rare even in ten thousand years.
Later, when his master's life lamp suddenly went out, he arrived at the cave earlier than the other peak masters, only to witness a terrifying scene that he would never forget.
Ji Sui's remnant soul is forcibly taking over the body of Gu Guanlan, who is still conscious, beside him.
It was only then that he realized that all the "favoritism" had been a meticulously planned deception from the very beginning. Gu Guanlan was nothing more than a perfect vessel that Ji Sui had prepared and nurtured for himself.
He never expected that by then, Xiao Bumian had already taken away Gu Guanlan's Heavenly Grade Bone. Out of fear of being abandoned by his master, Gu Guanlan had kept this a secret. What allowed Ji Sui to successfully possess Gu Guanlan was merely a body with some cultivation talent, but far from perfect.
Compared to Ji Sui's original immortal body, which had been tempered with countless rare and precious materials, Gu Guanlan, who had lost his foundation, was worlds apart.
But at that time, Ji Sui was worried that Xiao Bumian would find out and come back to kill him, so in the end he left Jianming Immortal Mountain and went into hiding.
Later, Shi Yan did not see Ji Sui for nearly five hundred years.
It wasn't until two years ago that Ji Sui sent him another message, claiming that he had found an ancient forbidden technique that could use living people as sacrifices to reshape a body that perfectly matched his soul.
Shi Yan was not without hesitation and resistance, but Ji Sui's words were like a curse: "Use the lives of thousands of ants to exchange for the return of the founding ancestor of Jianming Immortal Mountain, so that my sect can continue its glory for ten thousand years. Vision, you say, why not?"
Shi Yan had no choice but to shut up.
He indeed found it difficult to refute Ji Sui's words, because deep down, didn't he also agree with this logic of the strong preying on the weak and using any means to achieve one's goals?
Sacrificing a few insignificant people in exchange for the sect's longevity and the return of the grandmaster is an extremely worthwhile trade.
But ever since he realized that Ji Sui was not willing to let go of even Shi Lian and Lou Jing, a silent change had quietly occurred in his heart.
At this moment, facing the desperate situation of being swallowed up, Shi Yan tasted the bitterness of regret for the first time in his life.
Ji Sui's withered fingers gripped his neck like iron clamps. At the same time, countless scarlet, piercing blood lines suddenly emerged from Ji Sui's body, frantically drilling into Shi Yan's seven orifices as if they were alive, just like the scene Shi Yan had witnessed before.
In a daze, he seemed to see the scene from a thousand years ago again, where Ji Sui, covered in wounds, used his last breath to connect Gu Guanlan and his own body with blood threads.
Now, he could clearly feel his soul being forcibly pulled out of his body by a brute force.
It was an extreme pain, like his soul being torn apart. His forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, but he couldn't even let out a scream.
Shi Yan wanted to escape and resist.
However, Ji Sui, who was occupying Gu Guanlan's body, was far less powerful than at his peak. Yet Shi Yan found himself stiff as iron, unable to move an inch, and could only watch helplessly as it all happened.
Perhaps the horror and despair in his eyes were too obvious, for Ji Sui chuckled softly.
As if having enjoyed watching the prey's dying struggle enough, she mercifully answered his question, her pale lips curving into a smile, "Wangjuan, have you always thought that Master only placed the restriction on Guanlan?"
Shi Yan's mind went completely blank.
A nearly forgotten memory suddenly crashed into my mind.
When he first joined the sect as a child, Ji Sui personally fed him a strange, wriggling, blood-red Gu worm, gently telling him that it could cleanse his spiritual roots of impurities. At that time, he did feel that his cultivation had improved, and there were no further abnormalities for the next few hundred years, so he gradually forgot about it.
I was only awakened at this moment.
An overwhelming chill instantly shot from his tailbone to the top of his head, and Shi Yan felt only utter despair.
It's laughable that he was happy that Ji Sui had taken over Gu Guanlan's body instead of him, and that Ji Sui valued Gu Guanlan more than him at that time. He never imagined that every disciple under his master's tutelage was just a vessel he had carefully cultivated from the beginning, a vessel that could be replaced at any time.
"Master...respect..." Shi Yan used his last strength to squeeze out these two words from between his almost crushed teeth, filled with an incredulous lament.
Ji Sui seemed to hear a satisfactory response, sighed softly, and more blood threads surged out, tightly binding and connecting the two.
A near-maniacal smile spread across his lips: "Wangjue, you understand your master, don't you? Your junior brother's body is far too frail; it's long since lost its harmony with my soul... Now, your master only has you left..."
The bloodline connecting the two grew increasingly hot, as if it wanted to melt his flesh and soul together.
Shi Yan began to regret why he had dismissed all his disciples and why he had entered this secret chamber alone, leaving himself in this desperate situation where he could not call for help from heaven or earth.
At the critical moment, suddenly, with a very slight click of a mechanism, the heavy stone door of the secret chamber slowly opened a crack inward.
Ji Sui and Shi Yan's gazes shifted to the door, where they saw it wide open and a blood moon hanging high, casting an ominous red glow over the night.
Xiao Bumian stood quietly in the moonlight, his shadow stretched extremely long, almost extending into the depths of the secret room.
He held a plain white oil-paper umbrella, its surface slightly tilted, partially obscuring his face. Only a few strands of long, dark hair fluttered gently in the blood-stained night wind. Beneath the umbrella's edge, the corners of his mouth curved into an extremely handsome, yet inexplicably chilling, smile.
He didn't even glance at the horrific scene inside, but simply raised his hand. Several white bone chains wrapped around his pale wrist suddenly flew out as if alive, transforming into incomparably sharp sword lights in the air, slashing precisely at the crimson blood lines connecting Ji Sui and Shi Yan.
"No—!" Ji Sui's pupils suddenly contracted, and he let out a shrill roar.
However, it was too late.
A flash of sword light, and the bloodline snapped instantly.
Shi Yan's soul, which had almost completely detached from his body, shuddered violently and was forcibly pulled back into his body by an invisible force.
"Oh dear..." Xiao Bumian slowly stepped into the secret room, her tone carrying an almost naive excitement and a faint smile, as if she had just interrupted a boring game. "Sorry, I just heard you."
Ji Sui: "..." Due to the backlash from the forbidden technique, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, and his eyes were filled with deep hatred and fear as he looked at Xiao Bumian.
Although Shi Yan was lucky enough to survive, his soul was severely damaged. He looked at Xiao Bumian with complicated eyes, and finally closed his eyes helplessly and fell into a coma.
Xiao Bumian didn't bother with him.
He had been in a bad mood these past few days, and on this night of the full moon, Xiao Bumian's mind was now filled with only one clamoring thought.
Kill all living things in front of you.
He slightly curved his lips, squatted down in front of Ji Sui, and lowered his eyelashes. "Hmm, how come you actually used his body?"
Even after hundreds of years, Ji Sui could still vividly recall the excruciating pain and icy chill when Xiao Bumian's bone chains pierced his immortal body. If he hadn't decisively dispersed his cultivation and fled at that moment, he would probably have been utterly destroyed, let alone successfully possessing Gu Guanlan.
Ji Sui chuckled twice, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, carrying a hint of dying smugness. "Of all my disciples, the only one you won't kill is this body, isn't it?" He was betting on any lingering affection or concern Xiao Bumian might have for Gu Guanlan.
Xiao Bumian still had a smile on his lips, and he tilted his head in confusion, "Why?"
But he didn't seem to really need an answer. Before Ji Sui could speak, he continued on his own, his tone light and casual: "Never mind, these things are not important."
Xiao Bumian thought about it and concluded that even hundreds of years ago, he would still make wrong judgments based on some insignificant emotions.
The moment he finished speaking, Xiao Bumian casually waved his hand.
The bone sword that severed the bloodline flew back into his hand, and without hesitation, he plunged it directly into Ji Sui's chest.
The moment the sword tip pierced through, no blood flowed from Ji Sui's body. Instead, like a shattered phantom, it suddenly transformed into a thick black mist and quickly dissipated into the air.
Xiao Bumian showed no surprise.
This is nothing more than a puppet of Ji Sui.
He had seen them in the Merfolk ruins, so he figured Ji Sui must have had a cultivator skilled in making puppets.
He stood up, tilted his head slightly, and looked down at Shi Yan, who was lying unconscious on the ground.
Just kill him.
Anyway, there's no use in keeping it.
The reason he was kept alive was to be used as bait to lure Ji Sui back to Jianming Immortal Mountain. He deliberately spread the news of his departure for this very purpose.
Ji Sui did indeed attract them, but he was overly cautious and only sent a puppet.
As Xiao Bumian thought this, his thick, long eyelashes cast a faint shadow on his lower eyelids.
The bone sword in his hand sensed its master's killing intent and emitted a low hum.
never mind.
After a long while, Xiao Bumian thought to himself, Mingjian had told him that he couldn't kill people indiscriminately.
Although I don't quite understand why, I'll listen to him for now.
Xiao Bumian reopened the plain white oil-paper umbrella, turned around and stepped into the blood-red moonlight, his figure gradually blending into the thick night.
He's going to find Mingjian now.
—
The cloud boat sailed steadily across the boundless sea. This sea area was quite peculiar, filled with a mist that could isolate spiritual energy, meaning that for the next ten days or so by water to Qiyun Town, the group would be unable to rely on spiritual energy and would be no different from ordinary mortals.
It was Mingjian's first time on a boat, and he didn't know that he could get seasick.
On his first day on the ship, he vomited so badly that he almost emptied his stomach.
He was listless and lacked energy. He forced down a few sour plums to suppress the nausea, exchanged a few words with Gu Zhi and the others, and then staggered back to his assigned room.
He practically collapsed into the brocade quilt, burying his face in the cool pillow, not wanting to move at all.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but in his half-awake state, he felt a chill. The window of the guest room seemed to be slightly ajar, making a soft creaking sound as the sea breeze blew in.
Mingjian groggily opened his eyes, instinctively pulling the blanket back up and wrapping himself up tightly again. His hazy hearing seemed to catch a slow but clear footstep coming from the hallway outside the door, the pace unhurried yet carrying a strange sense of familiarity.
Immediately afterwards, he heard the sound of the door hinges turning.
The door seemed to open, and a figure in moonlight walked in.
Ming tried hard to focus his vision, but his eyelids felt heavy and his head was spinning. He must be hallucinating from seasickness, otherwise how could he see Xiao Bumian on the sea, so far away from Jianming Immortal Mountain?
He mumbled, "Xie Hanwei?"
"Mmm." The person responded, a slightly cool hand gently stroking his forehead and tucking a stray hair behind his ear, the voice gentle, "Go to sleep."
The touch felt so real it didn't seem like a dream, but the tone was too gentle, quite unlike Xiao Bumian's usual demeanor.
Mingjian's chaotic thoughts were indistinguishable, and an overwhelming drowsiness struck him again. He obediently closed his eyes and almost instantly fell into a dream, shutting out the moon-white figure and gentle whispers from his consciousness.
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Author's Note: Here's my 10,000-word post (I couldn't bear not finishing this plot point, so here it is now). Feel free to criticize me [crying][poor face]
I had two wisdom teeth extracted today, it hurts so much, I can't speak at all now. The only good thing is that I can write at night when I can't sleep, hehe.
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