Hu Xiaoli let out a soft moan, swayed weakly a couple of times, and actually fell in Shuangjian's direction.
But inexplicably, he did not reach the destination he had in mind; instead, he crashed headfirst into a stone pillar.
What the hell! Was he really that dizzy?
Hu Xiaoli covered his forehead and cursed softly, hurriedly glancing up covertly to see if these two had recognized him again.
Impossible!
After losing a life, he went back and analyzed everything all night, realizing he had indeed made a slight error in his aura-concealing technique, which was why he was caught red-handed by these two real-and-fake cultivators as soon as he appeared.
Now he was absolutely in a perfect aura-concealing state. Even if he sneaked into some major sect and met with their elders or sect leader, no one could possibly smell his demonic aura; they would only see him as an ordinary mortal woman.
Even if these two extremely young cultivators had heaven-defying abilities, they shouldn't be able to see through his true form.
Hu Xiaoli was always one to hold a grudge. Just based on the fox tail he lost here, he wouldn't let things go, not to mention he hadn't managed to trick that Bodhi Heart into his hands, nor had he avenged the grudge of being forced to work like a horse... Look how bright this stone chamber had become, wasn't that proof of his exploitation?
This time, Hu Xiaoli simply decided to change his approach and chose that demonic cultivator as his breakthrough point.
Seeing his dumb and foolish appearance, his heartbeat messing up just by having the Bodhi Heart touch his palm, it was obvious he was a lustful fool who would go crazy for women!
He, Hu Xiaoli, was a fox demon. If he threw himself into his arms using this sexy, charming, and delicate clone, he didn't believe the man could hold back!
He was going to seduce him ruthlessly, cause trouble ruthlessly, and sow discord ruthlessly!
Right, did the Bodhi Heart know that the person beside her was a demonic cultivator walking a completely different path from hers? Hehe.
Hu Xiaoli squeezed two large teardrops from his eyes, looking timidly at Shuangjian, just about to speak, when a familiar rope suddenly whipped toward him at lightning speed!
"You ran away but still knew to come back. That saves us some trouble," Yingshi sighed.
"...?!" Hu Xiaoli was horrified, bound so tightly by the immortal-binding rope that he couldn't move. Pale-faced, he insisted on keeping up the act, "If you two are unwilling to take me in, so be it, but why must you attack a weak, defenseless woman like me?"
By what standard did these two determine he was a demon?
If it was just guessing and deduction, they should have overturned those thoughts since they couldn't smell any demonic aura! Did they have the Heavenly Eye or something?
"There's no stage set up in the village, yet you're putting on quite a show." Yingshi pulled the rope and tied him to that familiar pillar once again. "You already had the chance to escape, so why come back? Are you that desperate to unleash the last bit of warmth in your life half a month from now, you stupid fox!"
Without the enhancement of moonlight and missing a tail, Hu Xiaoli had absolutely no power to resist at this moment.
Staring at Yingshi, he gritted his teeth and said, "How dare you call me a stupid fox... You're the cultivator who's so stupid it angers both humans and demons! Do you think you can be smug just because you saw through my true form? Why don't you open your eyes wide and take a good look at exactly what kind of thing the man standing next to you is?"
Hu Xiaoli believed he had said something extremely shocking. Immediately, a good show of trust and betrayal, misunderstanding and rupture, redemption and abandonment would break out between the Bodhi Heart and the demonic cultivator over his words—he originally planned to sow this seed of doubt at the very end, but having no other choice now, he had to blurt it out all at once, though the effect might not necessarily be diminished!
He held his breath and waited, but the expected look of astonishment and hurt on Yingshi's face never appeared.
Yingshi didn't even blink, saying calmly, "Tell us something we don't know."
"...?"
Hu Xiaoli furrowed his brows tightly, unable to understand.
He clearly saw that the moment he said those words, the black mist swimming around the demonic cultivator's heart began to boil frantically. It was impossible for him not to be panicked and afraid.
He stared closely at his eyes; it was the kind of look only someone afraid of being exposed would have.
Hu Xiaoli had once seen this look in the casinos of the mortal world—when a ruined gambler tampered with his final bet, and the dealer's suspicious gaze swept over, the gambler would look up, and his eyes would look just like that.
Half of the emotion was the fear of imminent exposure and falling into the abyss, while the other half was the cold ruthlessness of someone driven to a dead end who would do anything.
This kind of desperate apprehension still carried immense deterrent power, making Hu Xiaoli satisfied but also chilled to the bone.
So, if even the person involved was this guilty, why did the Bodhi Heart react so indifferently?
Hu Xiaoli gathered his courage and made it clear: "It seems you really are hopelessly stupid, not even knowing he is a demonic cultivator! I, a demon who has never harmed anyone, am punished like this by you, yet you trust a demon despised by the righteous path in every possible way!"
But the moment the words left his mouth, his heart sank heavily, and he began to feel regret.
It's over.
Something went wrong, but where?
Why did the apprehension in the demonic cultivator's eyes disappear after he made it clear?
The man was still calm and collected, but it was no longer the deliberate disguise from before; rather, his pressure had truly vanished.
And the Bodhi Heart said nonchalantly, "This episode already played out during the Karmic Fire Trial."
Although Hu Xiaoli didn't understand it completely, he grasped her meaning—she had known about this all along!
In an instant, he felt as if something had exploded in his brain.
He widened his eyes in disbelief and shouted, "You know? You've known all along? And you accepted it?! This is a demonic cultivator! Irreconcilable enemies with you people!"
"Does it have anything to do with you?" Yingshi also put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
This kind of trust, transcending the distinction between righteousness and demonic paths, almost blind and indestructible, completely overturned all of Hu Xiaoli's understanding of human nature, interests, and factions throughout his long demonic life.
Demonic cultivators should be hated by everyone, and the Bodhi Heart should be a spotless, sincere, and pure heart, yet the owner of this heart associated with a demonic cultivator and held such an unorthodox attitude... Was he mistaken?!
A sense of defeated and terrified bewilderment swept over him. If Hu Xiaoli hadn't been bound by the rope, he probably would have collapsed on the spot.
He tried to correct that mistake, but he couldn't grasp a single clue about it.
The demonic cultivator glanced at him indifferently.
Just that one look made him shudder, belatedly worrying about his revenge.
This person struck cleanly and ruthlessly—he had already experienced it once, dying without sensing the slightest bit of danger beforehand, which was exactly the most dangerous part.
But this demonic cultivator didn't seem to have any intention of settling the score with him immediately, merely returning to the stone chamber alongside the Bodhi Heart.
Only a pink and black pig was left swaying and lingering in the courtyard.
The accusation he had just tried to use to stir up a storm now seemed like a clumsy joke.
Hu Xiaoli exhausted his lifelong intellect to recall, and suddenly whispered, "He has other secrets related to his identity that he's afraid of being exposed... Could it be, he isn't him?"
But no one was listening anymore.
...
Inside the stone chamber.
Yingshi poked Shuangjian's arm, her expression serious.
"Shuangjian, I have something very important to ask you."
"..."
Shuangjian's brow twitched, but he nodded, trying his best to look nonchalant.
Yingshi would not connect the fox demon's provocation to his ultimate secret.
He had already made up his mind to keep it hidden until his dying day.
After all, he had verified that the ice crystals could be taken out of the Marrow-Cleansing Spring's domain. When he followed Yingshi to her world, why couldn't he be a true "transmigrator" too?
He and Yingshi did not share the same past, but they could have the same future.
He had found a way to make his lie flawless, so it would no longer be a lie—he could deceive Yingshi for a lifetime.
As expected, Yingshi didn't bring up the topic of "secrets." She got straight to the point: "In the altar, after I drank the Drunk Life, Dream Death, what exactly did I do? Tell me everything, in full detail. You can't hide even a single second."
Shuangjian paused slightly and asked in a low voice, "Did you remember some fragments?"
"No," Yingshi shook her head. She moved closer, pressing against his waist, and looked up at him, whispering, "But did I bully you?"
"Never. You were just... very close to me."
"How close?" Yingshi stared at Shuangjian's face, her eyes fixed intently on his lips as he answered.
A faint blush crept up the tips of Shuangjian's ears. He lowered his eyes to meet Yingshi's gaze directly: "Getting close, pressing tightly, some interaction..."
"...Interaction like last night?"
Yingshi's persistent questioning made her mouth a little dry. She almost forgot the original purpose of her "investigation." Who could blame her when beauty was so distracting? Even when trying to focus on serious matters, she was bewitched by Shuangjian!
"Similar," Shuangjian's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
In his mind, it was similar. It was all embracing, touching, and kissing; the only difference lay in the specific areas.
"But at that time, your mind was clouded by the Drunk Life, Dream Death, and you completely forgot about it afterward. I..." He pursed his lips. The word "deceived" rolled on the tip of his tongue, but he eventually changed his phrasing. "I chose to hide it."
"Why did you hide it from me?" Yingshi muttered.
Shuangjian remained silent for a moment before saying softly, "Because of fear."
He finally said the word.
"I was afraid that if you found out, you would feel violated, that you would regret it, that you would... distance yourself from me. I took advantage of your clouded state of mind, Yingshi. That was not an honorable thing to do... You were confused, but I was fully awake."
Even though his demon core was acting up, he knew he was awake. He knew he shouldn't cross the line... but he did.
Even though he was driven by the blood pact, he knew he wasn't completely powerless to resist... but he complied anyway.
He was the guilty one who had actually "bullied" Yingshi.
"...But even when my mind was clouded, my instinct was to be close to you. Don't you understand?" Yingshi lowered her head and began to slowly poke Shuangjian's chest with a single finger.
Shuangjian loosely wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from losing her balance. His heart felt itchy and numb from her poking. Yingshi stopped her little movements and simply hugged him, rubbing against him. She looked up at him with bright eyes: "I like Shuangjian, and Shuangjian likes me too."
"..."
Shuangjian's breath hitched.
His mind involuntarily chewed over Yingshi's blurted words, replaying them over and over again.
Countless suppressed thoughts of long companionship and sharing life and death surged from his heart. He was overwhelmed by them, yet he dared not let those turbulent emotions overwhelm Yingshi in return—he wanted to say, that might not be just like.
It was more than just like.
But was their true form actually "love"? The "love" he had always feared?
Wasn't love supposed to be something terrifying and filthy? How could it make him so happy?
Wasn't love something that would make him lose his sense of self? His self... his self had simply fallen in love with Yingshi, along with him.
Then... would he and Yingshi become Daoist partners?
Could it be... as long as he wasn't like that person, as long as he held Yingshi's hand tightly forever, everything he had rejected might not actually be so bad?
"So, does Shuangjian have anything to say to me?" Yingshi continued with a smiling face.
Shuangjian's long eyelashes fluttered, and he said in an almost trance-like state, "...Regarding the formation of our bond as Daoist partners..."
When do you want the ceremony to be?
But his words were interrupted.
"Why would we become Daoist partners?" Yingshi asked.
"..."
Shuangjian abruptly looked up, falling silent once more.
Soaked in the surging tide of love, like a drowning man, his heart suddenly felt a sour heaviness.
He couldn't breathe either, his chest tight and suffocating.
"We are modern people. Why be Daoist partners? Of course, we should be boyfriend and girlfriend," Yingshi hooked Shuangjian's finger with a blushing face. "A relationship that's a little more intimate and a little more special than best friends."
"..."
"Do you disagree?"
Seeing Shuangjian's eerie silence, Yingshi looked up to check his expression.
But as soon as she lifted her head, she was suddenly kissed.
"...Mmh!"
So sudden?
Shuangjian's kiss carried an almost reverent tenderness, blocking the words she had wanted to continue saying.
Yingshi acutely caught the trembling of his heart amidst the turbulent waves of his intense emotions.
Oh my... Her boyfriend was quite a sensitive person!
Yingshi kissed him back reassuringly. At first, it carried a cautious comfort, but soon she forgot everything else.
Then, the situation spiraled out of control once again.
...
The second night of captivity.
The stunningly beautiful woman, delicate as a willow in the wind, was roughly and comically tied to a stone pillar.
Hu Xiaoli couldn't shake off the immortal-binding rope with his remaining two tails. His heart was anxious, yet a sliver of desperate hope remained.
Every time these two caught him, they didn't immediately try to kill him, except for the time he used fox poison at the entrance to the Bodhi Heart.
Did this mean he could actually try harder to negotiate and improve his situation?
While his thoughts were running wild, he heard very light footsteps.
Hu Xiaoli looked over alertly and saw the demonic cultivator walking out of the stone house alone. His expression was half-illuminated and half-obscured by the moonlight, making it hard to see clearly.
Hu Xiaoli widened his eyes. He now understood what it meant to speak human words to humans and ghost words to ghosts. His eyes revealed the perfect blend of pleading and submission as he quickly whispered, "I won't speak nonsense anymore! I will help you keep your identity a secret!"
But after meeting the demonic cultivator's gaze for two seconds, the sliver of hope in his heart shattered instantly—the demonic cultivator wasn't here to negotiate with him. He was here to...
"You..." Hu Xiaoli wanted to scream, but couldn't form a complete sound.
The ghost fog that spread within milliseconds swiftly gripped his neck and enveloped his entire body.
When it dispersed, the immortal-binding rope had long since fallen limply to the ground. The space within was empty, leaving behind only another half-bald fox tail.
His second life, gone just like that!
The fox demon, having escaped death by sacrificing a life, only knew to run desperately into the distance.
His flesh was taut, and in his breakdown and despair, he kept looking back.
It took him years to cultivate three tails, but he lost two in just two days!
He was so unwilling... If only he had greater power!
Why was devouring hearts so difficult? Compared to cultivation, it was clearly supposed to be a shortcut, but what kind of shortcut required him to pay with two of his lives to walk it?!
What exactly is the background of this demonic cultivator... He must have some secret method of gaining power. Why couldn't he possess such a method himself?
"...Ugh!"
The fox demon tripped over a protruding mound of earth as he fled.
He should have ignored everything and kept running as far away as possible from this wretched, terrifying village, yet his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the mound.
An inexplicable desire drove him; he felt an overwhelming urge to dig up the mound and see if something alluring lay hidden within...
Falling to his knees, the fox demon began to claw at the dirt frantically, like a rabid dog.
The sharp stones hidden in the soil soon dyed his fingers red with blood, but he seemed oblivious to the pain. He just kept digging, deeper and deeper...
After an unknown amount of time, his trembling hands pulled something out of the pit.
It was a severed arm.
A severed arm whose flesh and skin showed absolutely no signs of decay.
"..."
The fox demon's nose twitched slightly.
He could smell an aura on it, one very similar to that of the demonic cultivator.
His gaze slowly glazed over, fixated on the severed arm, entirely unable to look away. After a long moment, he suddenly exerted his power and severed his own left arm.
The limb hit the ground, blood pooling instantly, yet his expression remained completely unchanged. He even began to smile.
This severed arm was a treasure; it could make him stronger. He should attach it to his own body—some dark instinct within the fox demon told him so.
