Holding Hands
Silence.
The young man opposite him gave no response, leaving Sun Xuanyi's heart in a constant state of anxiety.
He gathered his courage to sneak a glance at this jinx, only to meet Shuangjian's gaze. The feeling of being scrutinized by a cold-blooded animal was instantly magnified...
Sun Xuanyi shivered, collapsing to the ground like a weak-legged shrimp, trembling incessantly as he hastily muttered, This lowly one... every word this lowly one says is true, absolutely true!
He was terrified of Han Shuangjian.
That fear even surpassed what he felt toward the Sect Master, his teachers, and his own biological father.
The matter had to start from the second day after the collapse of the Repentance Cliff.
Sun Xuanyi still held a grudge about being taught a lesson and kicked out of the thatched cottage by Yingshi a couple of days ago. Humiliated and resentful, he pinned all the blame on Han Shuangjian. Upon seeing him being escorted back to the outer sect by Master Xuanzhen and the others, he immediately went to pick a fight as usual, but he never expected things to be different this time—
Han Shuangjian looked at him calmly, not even pausing his steps, yet Sun Xuanyi felt the temperature around him suddenly plummet.
His breathing tightened, inexplicably unable to catch his breath. His limbs and torso felt as if they were being constricted by a giant python, causing agonizing pain and rendering him completely immobile!
He tried to cry out for help, but his throat felt as if it were being choked, unable to utter a single word. It felt as though he was on the verge of suffocating to death!
In extreme terror, he frantically used his eyes to signal his lackeys to come save him, but everyone around seemed completely oblivious to his abnormality. Only Han Shuangjian, who had already walked past, turned his head and shot him a casual, dismissive glance...
Sun Xuanyi stood there isolated and helpless, actually on the brink of death. If Master Xuanzhen had not returned, frowning as he checked his forehead, he probably would have perished right then and there!
He had never been so humiliated in his entire life—he had actually wet himself in broad daylight!
Incontinence was an uncontrollable physiological reaction before impending death, but to the unaware crowd, it just looked like he had inexplicably trembled and wet his pants in front of everyone.
Since then, no matter if others still acted friendly to his face, they invariably mocked him behind his back!
Sun Xuanyi hated him to the core, convinced that all of this was absolutely Han Shuangjian's doing!
Refusing to believe in this evil, he took a weapon to smash Han Shuangjian's bed, but at the last moment, the handle of the blade chopped down onto his own foot, causing him to faint from the pain on the spot!
Yet when he woke up the next day, his foot was perfectly fine, without a single bruise left behind. Could it be that everything had just been a hallucination?
No matter how arrogant and domineering Sun Xuanyi was, he had never seen such methods before. He knew something was wrong. Even though he wished he could personally slice Han Shuangjian into pieces, he had no idea what the guy had actually done. Growing increasingly terrified and panicky, he had no choice but to report him to the teachers, hoping the sect would order the execution of this wicked person!
Weren't they searching for demonic cultivators lately? To him, this Han Shuangjian looked exactly like that demonic cultivator! With such a massive change in him, how else could it be explained other than him falling into demonic cultivation?!
He prepared a righteous and stern speech, but every time he stood before the teachers, he couldn't open his mouth. His lips felt as if they had been sewn shut with needle and thread, and he could only emit ridiculous wu wu sounds from his throat.
Once or twice was fine, but after many times, even Master Xuanzhen, known for his good temper, frowned at him...
Even worse, he began to suffer from nightmares every night, and was even plagued by sleep paralysis during the day, constantly experiencing terrifying hallucinations!
After just three or five days, he no longer had the strength to struggle. He was in a daze, and whenever he looked at Han Shuangjian, his gaze was like he had seen a ghost!
He went to find him, kneeling down and kowtowing.
He repented and begged for mercy, crying bitterly, but the other party simply walked past his kneeling figure without even sparing him a glance.
But from then on, the nightmares stopped.
What else could Sun Xuanyi not understand?
Han Shuangjian's evil arts could even deceive the various teachers of the Cloud Water Sect... He knew what he should and shouldn't do now; he just needed to keep his little life!
...
Did she really say that?
Hearing this question with an unclear tone, Sun Xuanyi's body jolted, feeling immense pressure. However, he felt he wasn't exactly lying; wasn't that what Yingshi was trying to express?
Why doesn't he come see me himself meant I want to see him.
Thus gaining a bit of confidence, Sun Xuanyi spoke again, She indeed said that. Senior Sister Xu was even a little sad that you asked me to deliver a message instead of going over personally! Of course, I have already explained the reason to her...
He still wanted to claim credit and elaborate on those few hurried words of conversation, but Shuangjian softly interrupted him.
I know, he said.
He knew Sun Xuanyi's relayed message definitely contained elements of exaggeration, but the guy didn't have the guts to completely distort Yingshi's words.
Therefore, Yingshi must have had the thought of wanting to see him, which also aligned with her usual behavior.
Shuangjian felt inexplicably uneasy. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his gaze dropped to the ground, seemingly looking at the weeds swaying in the wind.
...Perhaps he really should go see Yingshi in person, even at the risk of being discovered.
After all... after all, it was still uncertain how long the red string's efficacy would last. If he couldn't have close contact with Yingshi for a long period and it reverted back into an ordinary inanimate object, what would he do then?
He truly shouldn't let the situation slip out of his control for even a moment... So, going to see her should actually be the rational thing to do, right?
No longer paying attention to the small fry still lying on the ground, Shuangjian turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks at the last moment.
An unusual cold wind blew past his ear, and the path of the falling leaves inexplicably paused for a moment—someone was coming.
Shuangjian's expression remained unchanged; he simply threw a strike of demonic energy behind him with a backhand motion.
The energy clashed against another strange force coming from the opposite direction. The two collided right above Sun Xuanyi's head, separated upon contact, and mutually dispersed. A visible shockwave instantly spread through the air, and Sun Xuanyi, being the closest, fainted before he could even react.
Of course, if that strange force hadn't been scattered, it probably wouldn't have just been a simple fainting spell.
Hah... The uninvited guest wasn't annoyed that his murderous attack was intercepted. Instead, he chuckled softly and teased, As a demonic cultivator, how come you keep saving people, one after another?
Shuangjian turned his head and locked eyes with Mi Ruotian.
This demonic spy, who had left and returned, leisurely stepped over Sun Xuanyi's body, walking over by stepping right on his palm, and stopped in front of Shuangjian.
He flicked his whisk and parted his lips to say, Could it be that my eyes have deceived me? The person before me isn't an evil ghost... but rather a Buddha?
Shuangjian naturally did not possess the merciful heart of a Bodhisattva aiming to save all sentient beings.
It was just that if Sun Xuanyi died here, it would inevitably bring a lot of subsequent trouble.
Once he and Yingshi left the Cloud Water Sect, the people here could die however they pleased.
Meeting Mi Ruotian's probing gaze, what came to his mind was the moment the stone door of the prison cell broke open, and Yingshi, sobbing in his arms, accused: It was Mi Ruotian who brought me here!
And right now, the accused stood calmly before him, asking with great interest, Who exactly are you?
"..." Shuangjian's fingers rubbed gently inside his sleeve. He blinked lightly and returned a smile. "The one who will kill you."
"...Oh?"
Mi Ruotian should have been amused, but for some reason, the corners of his lips, which had curled up, dropped, and the playfulness in his heart suddenly vanished.
It seemed he shouldn't have come back—a strange sense of regret faintly lingered in his heart, and he only felt it was incredibly absurd.
"Interesting." Mi Ruotian suppressed that indescribable wave of irritation and said coldly, "Then let me give it a try."
The whisk in his hand extended infinitely. Those white threads seemed to have a life of their own, swiftly attaching to Shuangjian's body and wrapping him tightly. In mere milliseconds, he was trapped in a giant silkworm cocoon!
Mi Ruotian turned his wrist slightly, pulling the whisk to gradually tighten the cocoon. He finally regained his familiar confidence from this sense of control.
Young demonic cultivators were truly arrogant. To think he was actually bluffed for a moment. The boy clearly didn't even have the strength to struggle and resist, yet he dared to threaten to kill.
"Ah, how boring."
Sensing the ghost mist spilling out, Mi Ruotian felt somewhat disinterested.
Killing an immature fellow disciple from the Nether Realm was as easy as breathing to him, even if this was a disciple who had entered the Domain.
And here he thought this boy might be a promising talent.
Making a special trip back to the Yunshui Sect just for him was truly a waste.
Mi Ruotian watched the fading red light and finally applied force, attempting to crush the cocoon to pieces.
It was about time. The person inside was highly likely dead without a complete corpse, so he might as well serve as nourishment for his magical weapon.
The demonic energy he applied was continuously sent into the cocoon. Mi Ruotian frowned and channeled his qi, finally and belatedly realizing that something was wrong.
There was no end... The strangulation of the demonic energy seemed to have no end!
It was as if what the whisk had wrapped around was not a person, but a bottomless black hole!
All the demonic energy he sent out to kill him was absorbed. Was he... suffering a backlash?!
Mi Ruotian retreated in panic, his eyes nearly splitting open. He gritted his teeth, wanting to throw the whisk away, but he surprisingly found it difficult to withdraw his hand...
The demonic energy in his body was rapidly pouring backward, heading toward the young man he originally intended to kill. At this rate, after the demonic energy was exhausted, his flesh and blood would be sent in, and after his flesh and blood were exhausted, the ghost mist formed after his death would be devoured... How could this be?!
"Ugh, ahhh! Stop, stop! Who exactly are you?!"
A terrifying scream erupted from Mi Ruotian's throat, exactly like those cultivators he had parasitized before.
Under his desperate struggle, his energy scattered in all directions, causing the surrounding trees and houses to collapse and shatter, sending rubble flying.
He caused quite a commotion, but these sounds were all completely covered by the sudden thunder and torrential rain that gathered in an instant!
Crack, boom—
The torrential rain poured down, and Mi Ruotian felt his body shriveling, his flesh collapsing!
Until the very last moment, he couldn't throw away the whisk that was wrapped around him, sucking his marrow.
The rainstorm beat against his sunken eye sockets. He no longer had eyes to see clearly what was happening. Only his remaining consciousness heard the voice of that freak he absolutely shouldn't have provoked, saying with utmost calmness—
"In the Nether Realm, on the scorched earth of burning heavens, at the Wuxiang Demon King Palace, when we meet again..." the person said, "I will kill you a second time."
...
It was late at night.
During the first half of the night, there was a heavy thunderstorm.
The massive flashes of lightning and deafening thunder made Yingshi feel annoyed and restless. However, in the second half of the night, the rain seemed to lessen, turning into a more rhythmic, sleep-inducing pace.
She hadn't planned on sleeping, but suddenly feeling drowsy, she lay down on the couch in the outer hall fully clothed, thinking of taking a short nap.
Yingshi didn't sleep soundly in her solitude. Half-asleep, she felt a gaze land on her, but it quickly shifted away due to her perception.
She rolled from lying flat to lying on her side. Through her half-closed eyes and the unextinguished candlelight on the desk, she saw a figure sitting quietly by the table, seemingly looking at the drawing she had made out of boredom during the day.
"...Shuangjian?" Yingshi mumbled indistinctly.
With messy hair, she half-propped herself up, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
In her dream this time, she surprisingly didn't dream of her past life, but instead dreamed of Shuangjian.
It was obviously a dream. In reality, her courtyard was surrounded by barriers. Even a letter could only be sent in by attaching a spiritual talisman. How could Shuangjian himself appear in her room late at night?
The Shuangjian in her dream heard her call and turned around slightly with reserve to look at her, though he didn't approach.
Yingshi felt weak all over due to sleepiness. Her hand struggled to reach out, grabbing blindly like a sleepwalker, as if she desperately wanted to touch the person by the table.
"Come here..."
Unable to get up herself, she tried to close the distance, her soft and limp tone revealing a hint of urgency.
The other party stood quietly for a moment. Perhaps because, as a person in a dream, he ultimately had to obey her subconsciousness as the master of the dream, he obediently stepped forward, allowing her to grasp the corner of his clothes.
But Yingshi fumbled along the edge of his clothes, slowly and clingingly tracing her way up until she held Shuangjian's hand.
"You..." She looked up sleepily and asked with slurred speech, "Are you Shuangjian, or the original male lead?"
