Lou Yue’s silence looked like acceptance to someone else.
Xiao Rangchen swallowed the bitterness in his throat. He should be grateful. At least Lou Yue hadn’t shown any obvious disgust in front of him.
He should be grateful.
He couldn’t force her.
Just because he liked her didn’t mean he could demand that she take up man-loving ways as well.
So many people liked her. She had no shortage of admirers.
He had anticipated this outcome from the beginning. His insistence on keeping calm had been rooted in the knowledge that hope was slim.
But whenever he saw her speaking to other women in that tender, indulgent tone, whenever he saw her embracing them, leaning against them, and acting so intimately, he couldn’t stop wondering what else they had done and how far things had gone.
It was as though a ferocious beast lay trapped inside him, poised to strike. Every time this happened, it slammed against its cage in a frenzy, desperate to break free.
Lou Yue could only feel the hand gripping her forearm tightening more and more, nearly crushing her bones.
She looked into Xiao Rangchen’s shifting eyes and felt that even his breath had become dangerous.
She endured the pain and pushed herself backward, intending to put some distance between them, but Xiao Rangchen’s strength was astonishing. She couldn’t pull free at all. Body refinement was truly a cheat.
“Let go first.” She pressed her lips together, her brows knitting.
Xiao Rangchen lowered his gaze. Seeing the unmistakable rejection and desire to get away on Lou Yue’s face, a streak of madness suddenly rose in his heart.
Since she was going to reject him no matter what, rather than cling hopelessly to an impossible wish, he might as well have her first. At least then, before losing her, he would have possessed her.
But the thought was suppressed after only an instant.
He couldn’t treat her that way. She deserved every beautiful thing in the world.
Something as filthy and despicable as this should stay far, far away from her.
Lou Yue could no longer endure the crushing grip. She was just about to speak when the pressure on her forearm abruptly loosened.
She immediately scooted backward, putting as much distance between herself and Xiao Rangchen as possible.
As soon as she settled down, she pushed up her sleeve to inspect her arm.
Sure enough, on the soft flesh on the inside of her forearm near the crook of her elbow were several deep red finger marks, varying in shade and intensity.
Lou Yue was furious. She had just raised her eyes, ready to curse him out, when she saw Xiao Rangchen staring at the exposed skin of her arm. His gaze looked even more dangerous than before.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. With a swift motion, she yanked her sleeve back down, covering the marks.
Still feeling uneasy, she simply turned her back to him and sat down again at the bow of the boat.
A deathly silence spread across the water.
She held it in for a long while before gritting her teeth and snapping, “Are you going to row or not? If you aren’t, give it to me!”
After a brief silence, the oar cut through the water, and the wooden boat began moving forward once more.
Lou Yue gazed at the dark water and shadowy trees ahead as her heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
This was too strange.
She had only wanted to tell him to keep his distance. After all, they were competitors.
Yet somehow, the conversation had inexplicably veered off course.
Her identity had been exposed—but not completely.
He liked her, but he liked her as a man.
What did any of that even mean?!
It was all such a mess.
Lou Yue propped up her cheek with one hand, absently tapping the floorboards of the boat with the other. The more she thought about it, the more of a headache she got.
Forget it. She wasn’t suited to thinking about complicated problems like this. She’d be better off considering how to reach the summit as quickly as possible once they entered the mountain.
Time slowly passed as Lou Yue thought in earnest.
She didn’t know how long had gone by before the brown stone beach at the foot of the mountain came into view.
They had yet to reach the shore when two arguing voices drifted toward them from afar.
When they drew closer, they discovered that the two people seemed to have just been fished out of the water.
Hong Chou stood to one side. Though her clothes had been dried, water was still dripping from the ends of her hair. Liufeng Xin, meanwhile, was bound tightly with red silk, with only her wet, dripping head exposed. The silk had darkened to a dusky red after being soaked.
Hong Chou spotted them first and hurriedly waved. “Oh, there you are! What took you so long?”
Liufeng Xin immediately began writhing desperately on the ground. She didn’t care how much she resembled a caterpillar as she shouted, “Sister, save me!”
Lou Yue leaped ashore before the boat had even reached land and reached out to help her up.
Hong Chou raised a hand and withdrew the red silk.
Liufeng Xin instantly grabbed Lou Yue and tried to run. “Come on, get away from her! She’s completely evil!”
Hong Chou crossed her arms. “Who are you calling evil? I already said I needed to divine our fortunes. You were the one who couldn’t wait.”
Lou Yue glanced at the person dragging the wooden boat onto the rocky beach with one finger and suddenly asked, “Where’s your boat?”
Liufeng Xin looked as though she had been struck in a sore spot. Her voice rose as she launched into her tale at lightning speed.
“We hadn’t been rowing for long when a crack suddenly appeared in the bottom of the boat. I quickly plugged it with something, and since I thought it was just an accident, I didn’t pay much attention. Later, I let her row, and one strange thing after another started happening!”
“First, one of the oars broke for no reason. Not long after, the other one broke too. We barely managed to row with half an oar, but then two more cracks appeared in the bottom of the boat, and it started sinking!”
“We called for you two forever, but you never came!”
Lou Yue felt a little guilty. As she used her spiritual energy to dry Liufeng Xin’s clothes, she asked, “What happened after that?”
“After that, she suggested jumping into the water and pushing the boat along. I saw that she was fine after getting in, so I followed her. But she wasn’t fine at all! The moment she got into the water, aquatic weeds tangled around her legs. She tricked me into getting in so I could help her!”
“Sister, there’s definitely something wrong with her luck. Don’t stay with her. You’ll have terrible luck too!”
Hong Chou pinched her earlobe and flashed a seductive smile. “You can’t put it like that. I was the one who saved you.”
“Saved me?! You call that saving me?” Liufeng Xin instantly exploded, her face full of disbelief. “Every section of the boat she touched broke. So she tied me to a piece of the boat and pushed only me along! She used me as a life buoy!”
Hong Chou muttered, “Who told you not to let me divine our fortunes? I have to perform a divination before doing anything.”
Liufeng Xin pulled Lou Yue toward her. “Come on, come on. She’s a super unlucky person. If we stay with her, we’ll be doomed!”
“Hey! When did I become a fat ball?” Hong Chou had heard only the insult to her figure and immediately stopped holding back. She stepped forward and grabbed Lou Yue’s other arm. “She’s too noisy. I think you should stay away from her instead.”
Liufeng Xin glared at her. “Let go! She’s my sister. Why are you pulling her?”
Hong Chou answered with perfect confidence, “From now on, she’s my sister.”
Liufeng Xin was so angry that she began snorting. She yanked on Lou Yue’s arm, pulling her toward herself, while Hong Chou refused to yield and hugged Lou Yue’s other arm, tugging her in the opposite direction.
Lou Yue was dragged back and forth, one woman clinging to each arm.
Lou Yue: “…”
One was Long Aotian’s white moonlight, and the other was his Red Rose.
And she was Long Aotian’s love rival, universally disliked both inside and outside the novel. Why were they fighting over her?
Had they not noticed that their Long Aotian was glaring at the three of them with a look cold enough to freeze them to death?
Hong Chou also noticed that heavy gaze. She let out a light laugh, her charming eyes curving. “Oh? Jealous? If you want to come over too, I don’t mind.”
Xiao Rangchen’s lips pressed into a hard, cold line.
It was rare to see him at a loss, and Lou Yue couldn’t help curving her lips into a smile.
That heavy gaze shifted onto her face, and the smile at the corners of Lou Yue’s mouth stiffened.
She gave a light cough and looked away, turning her gaze toward the mountain beside them. “Looks like we have to enter the mountain. We should hurry.”
“We’re really going with her?” Liufeng Xin frowned unhappily.
“Let’s go in first.” Lou Yue reassured her, then asked, “Where are the jade tokens?”
Liufeng Xin hooked a finger beneath the jade token inside her clothes and pulled it out. “It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
Lou Yue nodded.
The four of them entered the mountain one after another as pale violet mist rolled toward them.
They had taken only a few steps when the sounds behind them—and the people beside them—vanished in the blink of an eye.
Lou Yue considered the situation. This was probably the first trial described in the book: the Heart Demon Mist Tide.
Everyone had a heart demon born from their deepest obsession. It usually remained hidden, but within the Heart Demon Mist Tide, it would be magnified without limit.
According to the rules of the novel, the mist tide appeared once every half an hour and lasted for an hour each time. It did not distinguish direction, so the safest course was to sit still and wait for it to dissipate, then hurry onward while there was a chance.
Before the violet mist grew any thicker, she found a large hollow in a tree and sat down inside.
Elsewhere, Xiao Rangchen had also been swallowed by the Heart Demon Mist Tide.
“Hmm, this mist is rather interesting. It would indeed be highly effective for guarding the mountain, and it conveniently weeds out those with weak minds. But for you, it should be simple enough.” Yu Youchun gazed lazily at the pale violet mist outside. “The tide must follow some pattern. We can simply wait for it to disperse before making our way to the summit.”
Xiao Rangchen did not respond.
Yu Youchun guessed that he had already begun hearing the voices that lured out one’s heart demon, so he said no more and let him focus on resisting them.
‘You saw the jade token on Liufeng Xin, didn’t you? Lou Yue’s feelings for her are far from ordinary.’
‘That jade token once saved your life. Now she has given it to someone else.’
‘In her heart, Liufeng Xin matters far more than you do.’
‘Kill Liufeng Xin, and Lou Yue will be yours.’
‘Strike now. No one will ever know.’
‘As long as she dies, Lou Yue will look at you.’
……
‘You’re jealous that she can hold Lou Yue, jealous of how close they are. She obtained so effortlessly what you have spent your entire life longing for.’
‘What are you waiting for? Hurry up and do it!’
Xiao Rangchen changed direction, avoiding Liufeng Xin not far away, and walked toward another part of the mountain.
‘You’ll regret this. You’ve given up the perfect opportunity.’
‘If you can’t bring yourself to do it, you’ll never have Lou Yue in this lifetime.’
‘From now on, Lou Yue will only grow closer to her, while you can do nothing but hide in some dark corner and watch from afar.’
“Shut up,” he cut in coldly.
‘That woman will kiss Lou Yue. She’ll do everything with her that you only dare imagine in your dreams.’
‘Oh, no—perhaps they’ve already done it all. Your beloved Lou Yue already belongs to someone else.’
‘Her body is covered in another person’s scent, another person’s marks.’
“Shut up.”
‘I’m merely giving voice to the thoughts in your heart. These are your own heart demons.’
‘Admit it. You’ve always been this dark inside.’
‘Why keep suppressing yourself? Even if you did something, what could Lou Yue do to you?’
‘If you don’t seize this opportunity, she’ll always belong to someone else.’
“Shut up!”
‘Once the inheritance trial is over, Lou Yue will leave. How many years will pass before you see her again?’
‘Perhaps you’ll never see her again. Who knows whether you’ll die at Cangya Xun’s hands?’
‘She won’t even know you’re dead.’
‘Perhaps when you die, she’ll be intimately entangled with Liufeng Xin.’
“Shut up!”
His voice suddenly rose.
Then, from within the pale violet mist ahead, a voice tinged with uncertainty called out, “Xiao Rangchen?”
His footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
It was Lou Yue.
The voice of his heart demon grew soft and vicious once more.
‘Look. Even the heavens are helping you.’
‘If you let her go as you let Liufeng Xin go, you’ll never be able to approach her again in this lifetime.’
After confirming that it was him, Lou Yue slowly walked over and asked casually, “Have you seen the others?”
‘She only cares about that woman.’
‘She didn’t even ask whether you were all right. There has never been a place for you in her eyes.’
‘Even if you died right in front of her, she wouldn’t shed a single tear for you.’
When Xiao Rangchen remained silent, his jaw tightly clenched, Lou Yue could not help frowning. At that moment, a familiar figure appeared in their line of sight.
Lou Yue was just about to call out to Liufeng Xin when a broad palm suddenly clamped over her mouth.
In the next instant, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into the tree hollow where she had been hiding.
Xiao Rangchen gripped her waist and pinned her against the rough tree roots, preventing her from making a sound or moving.
She raised a hand to pry his palm away. Not only did she fail, his grip tightened. At last, she gathered her spiritual energy and struck him directly in the chest.
Xiao Rangchen abruptly released her and seized both her wrists.
Lou Yue immediately took advantage of the opening and shouted, “Liuf—”
Before she could finish, her eyes widened.
Xiao Rangchen lowered his head and sealed her lips with his own.
“Xiao—mmph!”
The moment she opened her mouth, the man’s tongue swept inside.
At the instant their tongues touched, a tingling current shot through all four of their limbs, and both of them froze.
Then came a sudden, helpless surrender, as impossible to stop as an army overrunning a city.
Xiao Rangchen kissed her deeply and fiercely, leaving her no way to retreat.
Lou Yue tried to push him away, but he hooked her tongue and tangled with her, leaving her no time to swallow. A silvery thread of saliva clung wetly to the corner of her lips.
The crisp, wintry scent of frost and snow filled her nose, dense and inescapable.
The hand that had originally held her wrist moved upward as well, forcing its way between her fingers and locking tightly with them.
Just as Lou Yue thought she was about to suffocate, he finally drew back—but his lips still lingered over hers, turning and caressing them as though unwilling to leave.
Lou Yue’s breathing was hurried and ragged, and the corners of her eyes had long since flushed crimson.
“Lou Yue…”
Xiao Rangchen rested his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses brushing. He murmured her name against her lips, his voice hoarse and filled with lingering desire.
Lou Yue’s mind was blank, her heart pounding wildly inside her chest.
“Lou Yue…”
The warm, sweet fragrance of flowers and the crisp scent of frost and snow mingled together, wrapped in moist heat as they slowly eroded each other’s defenses.
His kiss descended once more.
Only after a long while did it finally ease.
Lou Yue’s legs had gone weak. If Xiao Rangchen had not been holding her around the waist, she might have performed the spectacular feat of dropping straight to her knees.
Her mind had been dazed from beginning to end. It was only quite some time after the kiss ended that she finally reacted.
Xiao Rangchen had kissed her.
And not just a kiss—a deep one.
She tried to find some trace of disgust, but there was none.
Yet even if it was not as unpleasant as she had imagined, that could not erase the fact that he had kissed her by force.
Smack!
A sharp crack rang out as her hand instinctively flew up and slapped him.
Xiao Rangchen watched her raise her hand, but he did not dodge.
“Bastard!”
Lou Yue panted, her voice hoarse and trembling.
-----------------------
