Chapter 8: Stained with His Scent
The female cultivator next to Sang Ying blinked and nudged her, "It's you! You're so lucky. Not only did you get to work with the Jade Sword Master on such a big case, you'll definitely get a promotion when you come back."
Sang Ying could only manage a couple of dry laughs, clutching the fox head mask and wishing she could die.
Xie Lingyu was always unapproachable and had a very cold personality. The leader of the Immortal Alliance was already puzzled by Xie Lingyu's sudden request, but when he saw the sneaky little fox in the crowd, he immediately understood.
He waved his folding fan and smiled, "The Immortal Alliance still has many outstanding disciples. Sword Lord, won't you take a second look?"
Xie Lingyu said calmly, "The demon realm does not tolerate human cultivators. This disciple's concealment technique is exquisite, making him the most suitable candidate."
The leader of the Immortal Alliance glanced at the little fox in the corner, whose body was stiff, and his smile widened. "Since Sword Lord has made up his mind, then so be it."
Sang Ying: "..." Does nobody care about her opinion?
Obviously not.
Sang Ying was hastily assigned to Xie Lingyu, and amidst the envious gazes of many Immortal Alliance disciples, she boarded the teleportation array to the Demon Realm with him.
The Immortal Alliance's teleportation array is not on the same level as the small teleportation array that Sang Ying used before; it can accommodate multiple people.
An eerily quiet atmosphere prevailed. Sang Ying stood beside the young man, head bowed, picking at her fingers, not daring to utter a sound.
In the end, it was the young man who broke the silence.
"Isn't it stuffy to wear it all the time?"
"..."
Sang Ying took off the fox headgear. Her face was flushed, her hair was messy, and her eyes were watery.
She pursed her lips and awkwardly said, "I clearly covered my face this time, how could you still recognize me?"
"That silver fox headgear was made from leftover material from making a fox fur cloak one winter. You wore it and scared me once."
Sang Ying: "...Is that so? I don't remember doing that. I actually scared you?"
The young man said calmly, "Of course I don't remember. When I came back, my junior sister was already asleep in my closet."
Sang Ying: "..."
Okay, it was an attempted scare.
Sang Ying gritted her teeth secretly, determined not to make such a technical mistake again, and that Xie Lingyu would definitely not see through her next time!
Why did Junior Sister appear at the Immortal Alliance today?
Sang Ying froze, fidgeting with her fingers as she mumbled, "Well, you know, staying home for too long can have a negative impact on a person's mental health, leading to things like a dark or abnormal mindset, which can even lead to crime."
"so?"
Sang Ying's face turned serious, and she spoke without hesitation: "Therefore, in order to eliminate the possibility of such heinous incidents from the root, I came to the Immortal Alliance to study the law, to understand the tragic fate of the criminals in the prison, and to purify my own heart. Maintaining peace in the cultivation world is our inescapable duty!"
The sword spirit Luo Qing, who had been listening in the whole time, clapped: "Well said!"
Sang Ying tapped the sword with her fingertip and gave it a high five.
Xie Lingyu: "..."
The girl smiled with her eyebrows slightly curved, but her face was sickly pale, her forehead was covered with a layer of fine sweat, and her body was unconsciously curled up.
Xie Lingyu looked away from her face and hummed in agreement, "We've arrived."
Sang Ying was surprised, "Hey, Xie Lingyu, do I really have to go to the demon realm with you? Isn't it a bit redundant for you to take me with you when you go to rescue people? I can't be of any help anyway."
The light dissipated, revealing the surrounding scenery. The teleportation array had transported them to the border between the cultivation world and the demon world.
Sang Ying smiled and waved her hand, "Go ahead, I can go home by myself..."
Suddenly, her wrist was gripped by long, slender fingers. The young man, with a cold expression, pulled her forward. Sang Ying was stunned for a moment, then followed behind him, somewhat bewildered. "Xie Lingyu?"
The young man's voice was flat, revealing no emotion: "Many demons in the demon realm know me. This trip might alert them, so I need my junior sister's disguise technique."
Sang Ying immediately understood, "You should have said so earlier, what kind of transformation do you want?"
"Junior sister, you can make the decision."
Sang Ying took out a talisman from her bosom, thought for a moment, and then slapped it onto his shoulder. The white-robed youth immediately became shorter, and his figure transformed into that of a slender boy.
Xie Lingyu paused, then turned to look at her. Although his face, which was usually full of flirtatious behavior, had been replaced by an ordinary-looking young man, Sang Ying's heart still skipped a beat when those dark eyes looked at her.
She blinked, then quickly pulled out a small mirror and covered her face. "What do you think?"
A clear, spring-like voice came from behind the mirror: "Why a boy?"
Sang Ying calmly replied, "You're asking me to make the decision, so don't I have to come up with a plausible character?"
"Alright, now your persona is that of the youngest junior brother in the entire sect, and I am your senior sister. We've relied on each other since we were little. Come on, junior brother, call me senior sister."
Xie Lingyu: "..."
"Sang Ying".
He took the mirror from her hand and looked at her calmly. "How long have you been thinking about this?"
Sang Ying turned her face away, feeling guilty.
"Haha, how could that be? I just made that up. How could I possibly be thinking of turning the tables and becoming the boss?"
Xie Lingyu glanced at her calmly, unsure whether she believed him or not, then casually looked away and pulled her into a monster-themed inn in the night.
Although the demon realm and the cultivation realm have a poor relationship, there are still trade ties between the two realms. The demon realm has a relatively primitive and simple living environment, has not been developed, and possesses countless natural resources.
Humans are skilled in manufacturing, and the clothes, equipment, and tools they produce are scarce items for demons in the demon realm.
However, due to the prevailing circumstances, the Demon King did not allow trade, so these transactions were all conducted secretly and on a very small scale.
There are many taverns and inns run by demons on the border. Sang Ying had heard about them. These are ostensibly inns, but in reality, they are places where human cultivators and demons trade.
Where there is trade, there is information. Sang Ying understood: "I get it. You want to investigate clues about missing persons here. But Xie Lingyu, aren't you in the wrong place? The tavern is over there..."
"Two hundred spirit stones. Second floor, the innermost room."
The lion-headed shopkeeper, dressed in a red and green jacket, was dozing in his rocking chair. When Sang Ying and her companion entered, he lifted the hood covering his face, glanced at them, tossed a sign onto the counter, and closed his eyes again.
Sang Ying took out four hundred spirit stones: "Please open another room for my junior brother."
The lion-headed owner waved his paw impatiently: "This place doesn't provide romantic games for young couples. If you want to play those games, go home and leave the room for whoever needs them."
Sang Ying: ?
Before she could react, Xie Lingyu had already pulled her by the wrist upstairs, into the room, and closed the door.
Sang Ying was still confused: "No, I've disguised myself like this, how did he know?"
"odor."
Xie Lingyu released her hand and said calmly, "Demons can smell human scents. To avoid being exposed, I covered you up."
Sang Ying leaned closer and smelled the faint sandalwood scent on her wrist. She understood. It was because she smelled his scent that the shopkeeper thought they were a couple.
The tabby cat demon Sang Biao, whom she met by chance today, is also very sensitive to smells. She thought that only cat demons were like this, but it turns out that all demons are like this... Sang Ying suddenly paused. Would Xie Lingyu be like this too?
"Junior Sister, did you encounter any strange people before you went to the Immortal Alliance today?"
Sang Ying exclaimed "Ah," somewhat confused, and thought back, "There were quite a few, but I can't remember them all."
Just then, thinking of Sang Biao, Sang Ying blurted out, "Oh right, I met a tabby cat spirit pet who ran away from home today. When its owner came looking for it, it didn't want to go home, so I helped it out. What's up?"
Xie Lingyu lowered her eyes slightly: "It's nothing."
Sang Ying didn't care; she was preoccupied with something else. The two of them only booked one room, which contained only one bed.
So that means...they're going to sleep together tonight?
Although they had slept together before, that was three years ago on their wedding night, and she didn't even remember how she fell asleep. Besides, she was a very restless sleeper and would toss and turn. And, besides, she was menstruating, and it would be very embarrassing if she got his clothes dirty...
"Junior sister."
Sang Ying stopped clutching her clothes and looked up at him.
“The demons on the border are not highly skilled and cannot detect that this is just a shallow disguise. However, once they go deeper into the demon realm, this method will be exposed.”
Sang Ying seemed to understand but not quite: "So you need a stronger scent to conceal my identity as a human cultivator?"
The boy in front of him remained calm and gave a soft "hmm".
Sang Ying sat on the couch, tilted her head slightly, and looked at him with her clear, cold eyes: "Then what should we do?"
The boy stood in front of her, his slender figure close to her. He bent down and reached out to pull her into his arms.
The cool scent of sandalwood enveloped her, and Sang Ying was first stunned. Then, looking at the jade-like neck so close to her, she realized what was happening and her ears burned as if they had been set on fire, turning red and hot.
In a daze, she saw several beautiful red candles, dim and quiet, and heard joyful sounds as the candlelight flickered.
Lively and festive.
But she was crying.
Silent tears fell in large drops, like a string of pearls, landing on the exquisite and beautiful wedding fan, soaking the auspicious dragon and phoenix cloud patterns and turning them into a mess.
The fan was gently pulled away.
She suddenly looked up and saw...
The breath vanished abruptly, and in a moment the young man released her, took a step back, and said in a calm, businesslike tone, "Like just now, close contact with a demon will leave a strong scent."
"However, if my junior sister feels it's inappropriate, then forget it, and I'll think of another way."
Sang Ying's heart was still pounding, her body was stiff, and her mind was a complete mess. But the words that had already spilled out of her mouth were already out of control: "Oh, what's the big deal? It's just a hug, how could I not like it?"
Xie Lingyu nodded slightly, sat down to the side, raised her dark eyes, and said in a calm tone, "Since Junior Sister has no objection, let's begin."
Sang Ying had just pieced her shattered brain back together when she heard these words. She stiffly turned her head to look at him: "...Didn't we already hug?"
"To do this in secret, it will take at least half an hour."
Sang Ying: ?
...Seize the young master?!
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Who's so jealous about Mei Bao hugging another cat demon? [doge emoji]
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