Chapter 20 Demon and Righteousness He was covered in her scent. ...
Shen Zhou's observation skills were always exceptionally sharp. Before Hua Deng could speak, he raised the back of his hand and touched her cheek, asking, "Are you feeling unwell?"
“…A little.” Hua Deng grabbed his sleeve and turned around. “What should we do?”
"You still don't want to find someone to practice dual cultivation with?" he said.
"I don't want to." Hua Deng shook her head firmly.
“You can pick anyone you want from the entire Nine Provinces,” Shen Zhou said. “Once you’ve chosen, I’ll knock him out and deliver him to you.”
"Really, we don't need to!" Hua Deng was so angry she wanted to kick him. "Can't we think of a more innocent way?"
"Humans are products of mating, what can't we do?" Shen Zhou frowned. "Being too stubborn will only make you suffer."
"I'd rather suffer!" Hua Deng felt a tightness in her chest, unsure if it was from her illness or Chen Zhou's words. The urge to vent made her speak without thinking:
"You make it sound so easy. So, are you going to 'mate' with me?"
……day.
What did she say?
She's really been led astray by this guy!
Hua Deng closed her eyes in despair. She could feel Chen Zhou's scrutinizing gaze and heard him say, "Oh, so you wanted to be with me—"
"I didn't!" Hua Deng exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I didn't want to... have anything to do with you..."
Stared at by Shen Zhou, he couldn't bring himself to say those two words.
Her scalp tingled, and she waved her hand weakly: "Can we skip this topic? I'm really feeling unwell right now."
Shen Zhou glanced at her, grabbed her wrist, and the two of them moved to the secret room just like yesterday, landing directly in the pool.
This time, Hua Deng was immersed in the ice pool while fully conscious, and instantly shivered from the cold: "Quick, use the same method as yesterday, I can't take it anymore..."
Shen Zhou didn't move, but gently pressed her shoulder to stop her from running away.
He asked, "Do you know what it means to accept my true energy?"
The streetlights were freezing, and they nodded haphazardly, "I know, I know, let's begin!"
Shen Zhou grabbed her head and forced her to shake it: "I don't think you know."
Hua Deng: "..."
Then hurry up and tell me!
Shen Zhou continued, "This means that you have a barrier on your body that cannot be removed no matter what. From now on, all elixirs and ordinary spells will be ineffective against you, and if you suffer a fatal injury, you will have a higher risk of dying than others."
"Besides, once I lose control, this true energy will go out of control within your body. It won't harm you, but it will affect or even hinder your cultivation, your life, and every breath and heartbeat you take."
"Oh, I see... then why don't you just stay?" Hua Deng thought she was being very clever.
Shen Zhou said, "I will not stay."
Hua Deng said, "You didn't even ask me what kind of conditions I was willing to offer?"
“No need.” His tone left no room for argument. “I can’t stay.”
Hua Deng sighed and helplessly shrugged, "Alright then."
Shen Zhou looked down at her: "Want to continue?"
"Yes, I want to," Hua Deng said in a lighthearted tone.
“You don’t seem to understand,” Shen Zhou said. “This is your last chance. Tonight, my true energy will be completely integrated into your spiritual palace. If you regret it afterward, even I won’t be able to help you.”
"Okay, okay." Hua Deng tugged at his hand, unable to suppress a laugh. "You're so troublesome! I don't care, so why do you? Hurry up, I'm ready!"
Shen Zhou was pulled by her and touched her collarbone.
The girl invited him without any warning or resistance. Her wet black hair clung to her face, but she was oblivious to it. A smile played on her lips, and her bright eyes were filled with trust.
Heartless.
How can there be such a heartless person in the world?
This heartless guy said to him, "Let's leave tomorrow's problems for tomorrow. Anyway, I feel terrible today, so I need your help now!"
Hua Deng's thinking was very simple. In her previous life, she had many concerns, but they were all in vain. She was destined to die, so she didn't care.
Shen Zhou didn't speak again, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
A moment later, the hand on her collarbone moved to the back of her neck, while the other hand held her waist to prevent her from breaking free.
This is a hugging gesture.
The sudden appearance of the streetlights caught me off guard, and I gasped for breath.
Fragments of last night suddenly flashed through her mind, and she belatedly remembered how they had been entangled in this pool of water.
Shen Zhou's palms continuously warmed her.
The heat dispelled the chill of the pool water, but it also stirred up another kind of heat within her. Just as the system had said, except for the first night, she would feel unbearably hot afterwards.
Gradually, her consciousness began to fade. She leaned on Shen Zhou's shoulder, her fingers gripping his collar tightly, and gasped for breath as if sobbing.
She began to struggle, to try to escape.
However, the hand on her waist left her no gap, and she could not escape. She could only lean against his chest and gently bump her head against his chest.
The sun remained steadfast and unmoved throughout the day.
His hand, gripping the back of her neck, tightened, forcing her to tilt her head back slightly and release her teeth from his shoulder.
“Like a dog,” Shen Zhou said softly.
The streetlights didn't hear her. She was no longer cold; her whole body was burning hot from the inside out.
She was so upset that she kicked Chen Zhou's calves and pulled hard on his clothes belt with both hands.
Shen Zhou commanded, "You are not allowed to take it off."
Surprisingly, the dazed Hua Deng listened to him, clutching his belt for a moment, then lost in thought.
Then she turned around and started tearing off his clothes.
Shen Zhou: "...You're not allowed to take mine off either."
This time, the streetlights didn't listen.
He pressed down on the lantern's claws that were rubbing against him, and with a grim expression, he took out the Immortal Binding Rope from his spatial storage and bound her tightly.
However, with his hands and feet bound, Hua Deng was unable to maintain his balance and plunged into the water, tumbling around and choking on his own bathwater several times.
Shen Zhou's expression was beyond description.
He closed his eyes, then untied the ropes binding Hua Deng, and simply pulled her out of the water and moved her to the low couch by the pool.
He sat down, letting Hua Deng nestle into his arms, and warned her, "Don't move."
Without the sudden change in temperature, Hua Deng became much more obedient, clinging to his waist and drifting off to sleep.
Shen Zhou let out a long sigh. What he had originally planned to finish in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had to be slowed down, and he had to give her a whole night to adjust.
He was used to cultivating every moment, but tonight was an exception.
The room was quiet, with only the faint sound of water.
Shen Zhou sat upright on the couch, feeling the slowed breathing of the person in his arms, guessing that she was about to fall asleep.
Unfortunately, she never played by the rules. Suddenly, she came to her senses, raised her head, nuzzled her head, and sniffed him all over.
Shen Zhou said with his eyes closed, "You really have become a dog."
Hua Deng made a "hmm" sound, then smiled contentedly: "It's my favorite perfume."
Shen Zhou lowered his head and brushed away the strands of hair that were scattered on her face.
yes.
He smelled of her all over him.
*
When Hua Deng woke up, she found herself on the bed. She was a little surprised and almost thought she had returned to the Qingyang Sect.
She spent the night before last lying on the cold, hard floor.
But the damp air and flickering candlelight reminded her that this was still the same secret room.
She tried to recall what happened last night and was horrified to find that her memory was much clearer than the last time.
Even though she didn't look up, she could still feel Shen Zhou's gaze. He stood in the water looking at her, asking expressionlessly, "Don't you remember this time either?"
Hua Deng said dejectedly, "...I remember."
She kept her head down like an ostrich, but Shen Zhou walked over and pressed her for details: "Remember what?"
Hua Deng's face flushed, and she lowered her head even further: "I remember you transferring your true energy to me, and then..."
Such things should be understood implicitly, so she remained vague and didn't elaborate.
However, Shen Zhou seemed to have misunderstood, and said with a light chuckle, "You regret it?"
Hua Deng looked up blankly: "Regret what?"
She gradually came to her senses and said helplessly under Shen Zhou's cold gaze, "You're overthinking it again. Did I ever say I regretted it? Besides, I'm actually very grateful to you. I didn't expect your true energy to be so powerful."
Speaking of this, she rubbed her sore neck and asked curiously, "Is it because you have such a powerful thing that those people are chasing after you?"
After all, his so-called true energy was truly unbelievable; it could even cure diseases that the system deemed "incurable."
Shen Zhou said, "No."
He said calmly, "It's because I have a secret. This secret concerns the entire land of Kyushu, and it concerns many people."
Hua Deng rested his chin on his hand, seemingly lost in thought: "So they want to use this secret?"
Chen Zhou remained noncommittal.
After waiting a while and not hearing the sound of streetlights, he glanced at them and asked, "Aren't you curious?"
Hua Deng honestly shook his head: "Not curious."
If being curious would mean being hunted down by the whole world, then of course she couldn't be curious.
She asked another question: "Is it because of this secret that you can't stay with me?"
Shen Zhou paused for a moment, then sat down beside her: "There is something I must do. It is more important than anything else in this world."
He paused, then seemed to smile as if he were thinking of something, but the streetlights failed to capture that smile.
He said casually, "Perhaps I can come back to see you while you are still alive."
...In my lifetime, how long will it last?
Hua Deng didn't want to talk to him, but couldn't help but complain, "How do you know I'll definitely remember you?"
Shen Zhou said, "You will."
"I won't," Hua Deng scoffed. "By then, my hair will be all white, and I'll have completely forgotten about you!"
“It doesn’t matter if you forget.” Shen Zhou looked at her. “My true energy will remain in your body forever, and I will always be able to recognize you.”
He spoke calmly, but Hua Deng's heart skipped a beat for some reason.
What kind of true energy is this? It's like... like a mark!
A marker that would allow him to always locate her.
...
Today, the lights of the city have been given the opportunity to step out of their confinement.
Strictly speaking, she sneaked up to push the iron gate, and when she found that Shen Zhou did not stop her, she ran out without any restraint.
The world outside the iron gate stunned her for a long time, even though she had grown up surrounded by wealth and luxury.
She thought the secret room was luxurious enough, but little did she know that the palace outside was truly magnificent, with its vermilion roofs and green tiles almost blinding her.
The only strange thing was that there wasn't a soul in sight throughout the entire palace; it was as if everyone was hiding from them. While admiring the lavish architecture, Hua Deng asked, even more perplexed, "Where are we?"
Shen Zhou walked slowly behind her and said, "The Demonic Sect."
Despite having guessed, Hua Deng was still shocked: "You're a demonic cultivator?"
Shen Zhou, however, said, "No."
Hua Deng was confused: "Then why are you in the Demonic Sect?"
Shen Zhou stopped and glanced at her: "You care a lot?"
"Huh?" Is that a strange question? Then she won't ask it.
Hua Deng readily changed his tune: "Which evil cult is this?"
There are countless demonic sects in Kyushu, and she really doesn't know which one she belongs to.
Shen Zhou did not answer. He said, "You should leave."
As soon as the words were spoken, a commotion arose in the sky, and countless dark figures descended from the heavens, wielding weapons and surrounding them.
Shen Zhou remained unmoved, his gaze still fixed on Hua Deng, and said to her, "I'll take you back to Qingyang Sect."
"No," Hua Deng said, looking up at him. "I just want to be with you."
After she finished speaking, one of the people around her rushed forward, only to be crushed by Shen Zhou with a casual gesture.
Hua Deng recognized him as a member of one of the five major sects based on his attire.
The others were all enraged and charged forward, shouting about justice and bonds.
Shen Zhou didn't move, but with a light wave of his hand, the crowd was scattered. He didn't press his advantage, but turned around and said, "See? They are all your companions."
Hua Deng: "?" Wait a minute?
"Do you want to save them?" Shen Zhou stared at her. "If you do, I..."
"You're just going to let them go?" Hua Deng pondered, "If that's the case, then we could save them."
Shen Zhou said calmly, "I will send you back to Qingyang Sect."
"Then forget it." Hua Deng silently stepped back. "Anyway, I don't know them. Do as you please. I'll just cover my eyes."
Shen Zhou looked at her without saying anything.
Seemingly finally certain that she hadn't said anything against her will, Shen Zhou looked away, grabbed several cultivators from a distance, and clenched his fist, causing them to explode like fireworks.
Hua Deng: "..."
Her answer was clearly from the bottom of her heart, but Shen Zhou seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
Thanks to him, she experienced the villain's perspective for the first time and realized that being a villain was indeed difficult. If she were surrounded by so many people, she would be exhausted to death.
Shen Zhou killed people with incredible speed; he killed almost every person she saw, and his methods were extremely brutal. When Hua Deng couldn't bear it anymore and covered her eyes, and then lowered them again after the noise subsided, all she saw were mangled pieces of corpses scattered all over the ground.
Shen Zhou rarely did this; he used to rarely even draw his sword, probably because he extremely abhorred blood, so he would leave his corpse intact if possible.
Looking at the scene before her, Hua Deng reasonably suspected that he was deliberately showing off to scare her.
She won't be scared.
The stench of blood was too overwhelming, so she had to suppress her sense of smell. Peeking at Chen Zhou through her fingers, she raised her voice and said, "Can we go back to Qingyang Sect now? I have things to do."
She received a new task from the system half an hour ago, and she really had to complete it quickly.
Shen Zhou walked over, stepping on his severed limbs, and slowly said, "If you didn't like it, why did you keep it until now?"
Hua Deng said, "Actually, no..."
Shen Zhou: "Don't you righteous people abhor killing the most?"
Just like when we first met and saw him kill someone, no matter how much she pretended to be calm, the rejection and fear in her eyes could not be erased.
“…Okay, I really don’t like it.” Hua Deng muttered, her tone somewhat indifferent, “That’s why I don’t usually kill people.”
Shen Zhou pulled her hand down, forcing her to face the corpse on the ground, and asked in a low voice, "And now?"
Hua Deng frankly said, "I feel a bit nauseous now."
She heard Shen Zhou laugh, though his expression remained cold, showing no trace of laughter.
“Don’t try to make me stay any longer,” he said, clearly still remembering what happened last night. “It’s common sense that the righteous path doesn’t associate with the evil cult.”
"Then why did you come here?" Hua Deng looked into his eyes. "Weren't you a righteous person before, Xue Wu?"
The fact that his name hadn't been called in a long time made Shen Zhou fall silent for a moment. After a long while, he calmly said, "You and I are different."
The streetlights tilted their heads, remaining silent.
A breeze brushed against his hair, and she saw the blood-red ribbon fluttering in the air.
She reached out and gently touched it; the hairband kissed her fingertips, bringing a slight tickle.
She laughed, put her hand down, took two steps back, and looked him straight in the eye: "Although it sounds selfish, what matters is whether it's right or wrong, of course it's more important for me and the people I care about to live well."
Shen Zhou's thick eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her eyes, backlit, revealed no emotion.
Hua Deng said, "Didn't you promise me that you would come back to see me when my hair turned white?"
She tried to make her tone sound light.
"So, you have to live well too."
Her words carried on the wind, and Shen Zhou heard them clearly.
She stood facing the light, just a step away from his shadow. If he took another step forward, the shadow would completely engulf her.
But he didn't move.
"Forget what just happened," Shen Zhou suddenly said.
"What?" Hua Deng was stunned, thinking he had misheard.
Shen Zhou's dark eyes remained unblinking as he repeated himself, this time using puppetry.
"Forget what just happened," he said. "You don't need to know anyone from the Demonic Cult."
Hua Deng stared at him, her pupils becoming unfocused, unable to utter a single word.
Shen Zhou swept her into his arms and carried her away from the light.
Leave behind the blood and corpses, and return to a clean place.
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