Magic Circle
The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm shadow on the dining table. Xixi nibbled at the plain noodles Gu Tinglan had made. The soft-boiled egg was golden brown, the noodles were chewy, and the broth was delicious, but she couldn't taste it.
Her eyes were practically glued to the man across from her. He wore simple home clothes, his collar slightly open, revealing his defined collarbone and a small patch of skin that still bore traces of last night's flirtation. He lowered his head to eat his noodles, his eyes concentrating, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow.
But that wasn't what Xixi saw. Her succubus instincts stirred. Her nose was filled with his pure, powerful scent, a blend of the delicate fragrance of shower gel and his own, addictive scent. It was an ultimate temptation, evoking her most primal desires far more than any human delicacy. The noodles in the bowl instantly lost all their allure.
She put down her chopsticks, and almost following instinct, she stood up, walked around the dining table, and sat directly on Gu Tinglan's lap like a bewitched little beast.
Gu Tinglan paused while eating noodles, his chopsticks pausing mid-air. He lowered his eyes to gaze at the person who had suddenly slipped into his arms. He wasn't surprised, nor did he push her away. Instead, a complex, understanding flickered in his eyes. He put down his chopsticks, his arm naturally wrapping around her waist to prevent her from falling.
Xixi buried her head in the crook of his neck, sniffing gently like a coquettish kitten, her nose brushing against his warm skin, feeling the steady, strong beat of his pulse. The smell comforted her, yet also made her hungry. She nuzzled restlessly against his chest, searching for a more comfortable and intimate position.
Gu Tinglan let her do what she wanted, his large hands caressing her back intermittently with silent indulgence. The uncertainty of the future hung like a dark cloud over his heart, and the tenderness of the moment seemed so precious. He didn't even dare to think about what would happen next, only wanting to feel the real touch of her in his arms for a moment longer.
Xixi rubbed for a while, but seemed unsatisfied. She raised her face and looked at him with her wet black eyes. Then she took the initiative to move forward and gently rubbed the corner of his mouth with her lips, with temptation and pure desire.
Gu Tinglan's Adam's apple moved slightly, but he didn't respond immediately. He just looked at her face so close to him, with emotions surging in his eyes. Finally, he said a low, hoarse laugh and teased her, "What's wrong? Didn't you kiss enough last night and become a kiss monster?"
His tone was playful, trying to dilute the overly thick ambiguity and subtle sadness in the air. But the arm around her waist tightened a little, as if to knead her into his bones and blood.
Xixi was a little embarrassed and annoyed by his smile, but she refused to give in. She pecked him on the lips again, and muttered righteously, "...Just a kiss, isn't that okay?" As she spoke, she gently licked his lower lip as if she was tasting something delicious.
Gu Tinglan finally couldn't help himself and chuckled, the vibration of his chest transmitting to her. He lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers, their noses rubbing against each other, their breaths blending.
"Okay, why not?" His voice deepened, with endless indulgence and a barely perceptible sigh, "Please use a little more force, even kiss me to death."
After saying that, he put on an attitude of "let her do whatever she wants", as if he really wanted to let her do whatever she wanted. Xixi had already said it and was too embarrassed to take it back.
So she mustered her courage, no longer restraining herself, and accurately captured his restless lips, reigniting this morning. The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and in the kitchen, only subtle, lingering sounds remained, along with the almost greedy attachment of a woman who, despite knowing the uncertain future, still indulged in the tenderness of the moment.
However, Xixi's kissing skills were obviously immature, and her tongue did not move once it entered his mouth. She just rashly searched around at the beginning, and then did not know what to do next. But she was also stubborn and did not want to withdraw, because she thought it was very embarrassing.
Gu Tinglan chuckled and was about to fight back when Xixi pushed him away.
"Okay, I've kissed enough." She stood up proudly, sat back in her original seat, and ate noodles as if nothing had happened.
"What a cruel heart," Gu Tinglan raised an eyebrow, but did not force her to come back. He just complained aggrievedly, "You just left me alone after you had your fun."
"You already know the answer, but why are you asking?" Xixi remained stubborn.
In fact, she just realized that her kissing skills were worse than his, and she was not very happy.
Gu Tinglan could probably guess what she was upset about, so she avoided talking about it. It wasn't surprising at all. She had always been a strong-willed person in all aspects. If it wasn't for the fact that it was her first time and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control his strength and hurt her, he might have really agreed to let her be on top.
***
A blood-red moon hung above the soaring eaves of the Lin family mansion, casting its icy light across the eerie pavilions and towers. The night mist thickened, but it couldn't dispel the pervasive, uncanny scent of blood and sandalwood.
Gu Tinglan and Xixi stood in the dense forest outside the wall. They needed to find the magic weapon and destroy it before the magic circle was activated. This was the best solution. Otherwise, once the magic circle was activated and nutrients were transported to the heart sealed under the tree, their position would be exposed.
Gu Tinglan's fingertips slid across the blade, and the specially formulated liquid quickly seeped into it, emitting a barely perceptible glow. Xixi stood beside him, taking a deep breath. A purple light shone from her fingertips, and a hazy mist diffused from her body, gently engulfing both of them, leaving only a vague outline that almost blended into the environment, and the faintest of breaths.
"Follow me closely," his voice was low and went straight into her mind. "Keep your spiritual power fluctuations to a minimum. Every inch of air here could be hiding eyes."
Xixi nodded silently, her cold fingers subconsciously catching the corner of his shirt. Like two shadows blending into the night, they slipped silently over the high wall, avoiding the patrols' strict guards and the occasional halo of detection spells.
The initial smooth progress came to an abrupt end when he entered a deep, enclosed corridor. There were no lights in the corridor, only the faint glow of runes moving on the dark metal walls on both sides. The floor was paved with black and white jade tiles, forming a dizzying rhythm.
"Yin Yang Maze," Gu Tinglan's telepathic voice carried an unprecedented solemnity. "One wrong step, and there's no way back." He suddenly pulled Xixi aside, motioning her to look at the imperceptible ripples of energy on the ground ahead. He picked up a dead leaf from the corridor and gently tossed it toward the area.
The moment the dead leaves touched the ground, something strange happened! Densely packed holes silently slid open in the walls on both sides, and a pale green, bone-corrosive, poisonous mist gushed out. Even more terrifying, it wasn't a sound that accompanied it, but a piercing, inaudible sound wave that pierced the depths of the soul!
"Ugh!" Xixi was caught off guard and her face turned pale as paper in an instant. The succubus's keen perception made her defenseless against this attack on the soul. Her body swayed and her invisibility technique almost collapsed.
Gu Tinglan's pupils shrank, and he suddenly pulled her into his arms, using his body to shield her from some of the impact. At the same time, an ancient silver bell slipped out of his sleeve, and his wrist shook violently!
"jingle--"
The clear ringing sound was like ice water dropped into boiling oil, strangely neutralizing the silent scream. The poisonous mist had spread to his feet. Gu Tinglan embraced the nearly collapsed Xixi, his eyes sweeping across the moving runes, calculating the fleeting patterns.
"Three whites on the left, one black on the right, repeat every three breaths. Go!" He shouted, practically half-holding her. His figure moved like lightning, tapping several jade tiles with uncanny precision. Just before the poisonous mist closed in and poisoned crossbow bolts were about to be unleashed from the walls, he narrowly escaped the corridor. Leaning against the cold pillars, Xixi still trembled slightly in his arms, still reeling from the shock of the previous soul-piercing blow. Gu Tinglan looked down and could see the slightest moisture staining her long eyelashes. He tightened his grip, silently offering comfort.
After a brief respite, the two men sneaked into a spacious inner courtyard. Instead of flowers and plants, the courtyard was filled with dozens of statues—stone beasts, bronze figures, and wooden puppets of various shapes and materials. They reflected a deadly glow in the moonlight. While seemingly chaotic, they secretly formed part of a sinister formation. The air was filled with faint energy fluctuations driven by the magic core.
"Thousand Machine Puppet Array," Gu Tinglan transmitted, his breath spraying on her ear. "Energy sensing is prioritized, invisibility is limited. Follow my steps closely, and don't leak a single bit of magic power."
The two men tread on thin ice, weaving through the motionless puppet forest, avoiding the nearly invisible crisscrossing energy threads on the ground. Just as they were about to pass, Xixi's skirt brushed against a low silk thread with the slightest touch.
"Buzz--" The eyes of the nearest bronze warrior suddenly burst into a terrifying red light, and his head turned stiffly towards them, with the huge axe in his hand already raised!
In a moment of crisis! Gu Tinglan reacted with astonishing speed. He didn't unsheathe his soft sword to block, but instead pointed the end of the scabbard at a hidden rune at the feet of a nearby stone statue of a lion. At the same time, his sharp eyes swept towards a broken puppet in the northwest corner of the courtyard, where the energy fluctuations were the weakest.
Xixi was in tune with him, and almost at the same time as he moved, she forced out a very faint strand of magic power containing her own breath from her fingertips and accurately shot it towards the puppet!
The bronze warrior's red glow was instantly drawn to the alien magic. With a low humming sound, he abandoned the two men in front of him and strode towards the corner. His axe slammed down, smashing the puppet to pieces! The rune Gu Tinglan had tapped took effect, and the stone lion's eyes, which had just lit up, dimmed again.
The two of them seized the opportunity, swiftly escaping the puppet formation like two wisps of smoke. Glancing back at the bronze warrior still chopping wood chips in vain, Xixi let out a soft breath and exchanged a glance with Gu Tinglan, each seeing in the other's eyes a tinge of near-death experience and a tacit understanding that needed no words.
Finally, a massive door, forged from an unknown black metal, blocked their path. Countless blood-colored veins, like veins, twisted and wriggled across the door, forming a vast and sinister formation. The terrifying energy pressure nearly negated their invisibility spell, and the two figures became distinctly visible. A thick, bloody odor seeped from the cracks in the door.
"It is a blood-marked restriction. Anyone who touches it will die if they are not members of the Lin family or have a token of their loyalty. It will also benefit this formation." Gu Tinglan's face was as solemn as water. He tried to use a silver needle to break the formation and probe the energy node. The silver needle instantly turned black and shattered.
"Tinglan! Look up!" Xixi suddenly whispered, pointing to an inconspicuous dark blue gem embedded in the metal above the door lintel. "Its vibrations... are exactly the same as the core of the barrier that Lin Mo used to imprison the succubus!"
"This might be related to the transference spell. Do you have any way to remove it?"
Gu Tinglan's eyes flashed: "The Demon-Suppressing Stone fragment! It turns out that it is providing the core energy! I can only try my best to use 'Returning to the Heart'!" He took out the rusty copper nail without hesitation and poured his own spiritual power into it frantically.
Just when "Guixin" was buzzing and vibrating, and was about to fly out of his hand!
"Who are you?! How dare you trespass into this forbidden area!" A thunderous roar erupted from the side corridor! A man dressed in the attire of a Lin family leader, holding a bronze mirror, rushed over with two followers! The mirror shone brightly, instantly illuminating Gu Tinglan and Xixi's figures with unparalleled clarity!
The leader did not hesitate, and turned the bronze mirror. A blazing, soul-scorching white light shot directly at Gu Tinglan, who was trying his best to "return home" and was unable to move!
"Be careful!" Xixi didn't think twice and suddenly flashed in front of Gu Tinglan. Her hands glowed purple and condensed into a thin magic shield!
"Bang!" The white light slammed into the shield fiercely! Xixi's whole body trembled violently, her throat felt sweet, and blood flowed from the corner of her lips. The shield was instantly covered with cracks, but she withstood this fatal blow!
"Looking for death!" The leader saw this and shouted angrily, swinging his knife at Xixi, who seemed to have no power to resist! The knife was sharp!
A critical moment! Gu Tinglan's eyes were about to burst, but at that moment, the "Returning Heart" was gathering power to the peak, and the arrow was on the string!
Just as the blade was about to strike, a ruthless and determined look flashed in Xixi's eyes. She didn't dodge or evade. Her long tail whipped out like a whip, precisely wrapping around the wrist of the opponent holding the knife and yanking it hard! At the same time, with a flick of her other hand, a stone she had secretly prepared during the day, soaked in a powerful paralyzing drug, shot out and struck the leader's neck with precision!
The leader's movements suddenly froze, a look of shock, anger, and disbelief on his face. And at this moment, Gu Tinglan finally completed the infusion!
"Break!" He roared, and the "Returning Home" copper nail turned into a black light that tore through the darkness, and pierced the dark blue gem on the door lintel with unstoppable force!
“Crack!”
A teeth-grinding cracking sound echoed clearly! The gem instantly exploded into dust! The blood veins on the door wriggled like severed blood vessels, and the light dimmed rapidly and dissipated!
"Let's go!" Gu Tinglan didn't even have time to see the result clearly. Under the astonished gazes of the other two followers, he grabbed the exhausted Xixi and quickly slipped in through the gap in the heavy black iron door that had not yet been fully opened!
"Bang!" The door closed heavily behind them, completely blocking out the shouts and footsteps outside.
Inside the doorway was a darker space, its energy surging like a raging abyss. Gu Tinglan leaned against the cold, vibrating door, panting heavily. Xixi, in his arms, looked pale, a glaring blood stain on her lips. He raised his hand, his fingertips trembling as he wiped away the bright red. His voice was hoarse, "Who told you to block it?!"
Xixi leaned in his arms, took a deep breath, and forced a weak smile. Her black eyes looked at him in the dim light, "...What else? Watching you get interrupted?... You cooperated... well..."
Gu Tinglan tightened his grip, pressing her deeper into his embrace. All the fear and rebuke he felt stagnated in his throat, leaving only the pounding of his heart against his chest, remarkably clear in the dead silence behind the door. A brief moment of respite, a reprieve from the crisis, a silent flow of trust and bond forged through life and death, unspoken. Yet, they both knew the true test had only just begun. The terrifying pressure and thick bloody aura that permeated the air beyond the door foreshadowed the road ahead would only become more treacherous.
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