Chapter 16:

Xie Xuechen walked back in a daze, his mind filled with Mu Xuanling’s face, when he encountered Fu Lansheng and Nan Xuyue.

Fu Lansheng’s Binding Spirit Chain was wrapped around an unconscious person. The two were discussing something seriously when they saw Xie Xuechen approaching and immediately went to greet him.

“Master Xie, something unusual might be happening in Yongsnow City,” Fu Lansheng said solemnly. “Just now, we detected fluctuations of a formation outside the residences of the five elders of the Immortal Alliance. Someone has entered.”

Xie Xuechen regained his composure and said, “Yongsnow City is protected by a barrier. A one-way formation cannot be entered unless a two-way formation is first activated from within the city, allowing outsiders to enter. Did you see who activated the formation?”

Fu Lansheng shook his head. “When we arrived, there was no one there.”

Nan Xuyue said, “Not all formations need to be activated instantly. As long as the required materials are prepared, they can also be activated with a delay.”

The implication of Nan Xuyue’s words was that anyone not present at the scene at that time was a suspect, including the five elders and sect leaders currently attending the Immortal Alliance assembly in the Hall of Justice.

Fu Lansheng continued, “It was Nan Xuyue and Miss Ling’er who first arrived at the scene. She has a Treasure-sniffing rat that can sense fluctuations of treasures, so we followed its guidance and found the suspect.” Fu Lansheng pointed at the person with his toe. “I bound this person with my Binding Spirit Chain, but he knows nothing. He doesn’t seem to be pretending. I wonder if we caught the wrong person. But if we did, why did he run away?”

Fu Lansheng felt a bit frustrated and then remembered something else. He teased Nan Xuyue with a grin, “Nan Xuyue, your cousin is quite impressive. She actually managed to keep up with my speed.”

Nan Xuyue smiled faintly.

Fu Lansheng said, “Well, everyone has secrets. I’m sure she couldn’t fool you, a clever person like yourself.”

Nan Xuyue said, “I wonder if Ling’er caught up with the other mysterious person.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Xuechen felt something was off. “Another?”

Fu Lansheng said, “Yes, this person had an accomplice who ran away. He was even faster than this one. Since Ling’er has the Treasure-sniffing rat, she went after him.”

Xie Xuechen’s expression changed instantly. Before the other two could understand what had happened, Xie Xuechen was already gone.

Mu Xuanling had fallen into a coma, surrounded by an inescapable darkness so thick it was suffocating. At first, she felt a bit frightened, but then she felt relieved—good, she was unconscious, so it wouldn’t hurt anymore.

But soon, she felt confused—why did it hurt?

Her consciousness began to scatter, and she lost track of time and even who she was.

“Xuanling, come here.”

She heard a voice that made her tremble in the darkness.

“Master!” Mu Xuanling shuddered and instinctively stood up.

“It’s time to practice cultivation.” Sang Qi’s voice was indifferent and merciless. Hearing his voice was like having ice spears pierce her marrow, the chilling cold and pain making her limbs numb and stiff.

She feared approaching him and feared the punishment for failing to escape.

She didn’t know where to go. She groped forward in the darkness and faintly saw her master’s back. He was hidden under a black robe, and a few strands of silver hair could be seen, emitting a faint silver glow.

He extended a hand toward Mu Xuanling, a hand cast from silver metal, engraved with eerie runes that had the power to confuse one’s mind.

“Master.” Mu Xuanling trembled and knelt down.

The hand pressed on top of her head. In the next moment, a surge of demonic energy poured into her body, rampaging through her meridians and flesh, invading every inch of her body, like tiny venomous insects gnawing at her body.

She trembled violently from the pain, drenched in cold sweat.

“It hurts…”

Sang Qi’s voice came from above. “Do you want power? Do you want revenge?”

Mu Xuanling bit her lip and didn’t answer. But she remained kneeling. Not answering was itself an answer.

“Feel the demonic energy and bring it into your body.”

“Don’t resist it. Demonic energy is the source of your power.”

“People will betray you. Feelings will betray you. The only thing you can rely on is power.”

Mu Xuanling followed her master’s teachings. She tried to draw the dissipating demonic energy into her body but found it infinitely more difficult than before. Whether it was demonic energy entering or escaping her body, for a half-demon, it was an excruciating punishment worse than death.

“Master, why is cultivation so painful for half-demons?”

“Because we are born with sin.”

“During the battle, Mu Xuanling accelerated the dissipation of demonic energy. She also suffered several external injuries afterward, which, though not severe, left her unable to maintain her focus to contain the demonic energy,” Nan Xuyue said helplessly, looking at Mu Xuanling lying on the bed, her face pale like gold paper. “Although I am skilled in medicine, I am powerless against demonic cultivation techniques.”

Xie Xuechen’s expression was cold and stern. “I understand. You may leave now. I will figure out a solution.”

Mu Xuanling was a half-demon with a demonic body. This could not be allowed to reach others’ ears. Nan Xuyue could be trusted, but even Fu Lansheng must be kept in the dark. Nan Xuyue understood Xie Xuechen’s concerns. He nodded gravely and quietly left the room.

When Xie Xuechen returned to the snow, she had already completely lost consciousness. She feared sunlight the most. At that moment, she curled up, seemingly trying to bury herself in the snow, powerless to pull her hood back on. Xie Xuechen hurriedly embraced her, using his body to shield her from the sunlight, and quickly returned to the room. Mu Xuanling’s breathing was uneven, her body lightly convulsing, as if enduring immense pain.

Xie Xuechen couldn’t help but indulge in wild thoughts—if only he had turned around at that moment.

If only he hadn’t left at that time.

Even if she had deceived him again or played a prank, it wouldn’t have mattered much.

Thoughts like these swirled in his mind. His mind had always been clear and serene, just like his sword path, straightforward and simple, never this chaotic and complicated, filled with hesitation, regret, confusion, and doubt…

Even if she really died from severe injuries, what of it?

It wasn’t you who killed her. She’s just a half-demon girl.

She…

“It hurts…” A faint and muffled groan escaped from Mu Xuanling’s mouth.

Xie Xuechen hurriedly leaned down to check on her.

Mu Xuanling’s eyes were slightly open, her thick, curled lashes adorned with tears. Her pupils had lost focus and did not see the person in front of her; her consciousness was still in a coma.

“Xuanling…” Xie Xuechen softly called.

She probably didn’t hear him. Those eyes closed again, her breath growing even weaker.

Xie Xuechen’s throat tightened. He found a black demonic pill from Mu Xuanling’s storage pouch. It was a demonic pill containing one-third of the Lust Demon’s demonic energy. If she took this pill, she could be spared from such torment.

But…

This went against his path.

Xie Xuechen held the demonic pill and placed it on Mu Xuanling’s lips but hesitated. Her lips, usually delicate and full, were now completely drained of color, with tooth marks on the lower lip, like a withered flower.

Either violate his path or watch her die.

Xie Xuechen closed his eyes, sighed inwardly, and gently pushed the demonic pill into her soft lips.

The demonic pill instantly transformed into a surge of demonic energy rushing into Mu Xuanling’s body. Her body seemed to have a vortex crazily absorbing the demonic energy. It was an instinct from years of cultivation, a desperate desire for survival from a dying person. Before Xie Xuechen could react, his fingertip was bitten by Mu Xuanling. Her unconscious bite could not harm a body like his but brought a strange prickling and tingling sensation from his fingertip to his heart.

Xie Xuechen suppressed the sudden flutter in his heart, turned around quickly, and set up a barrier. He was worried that the fluctuation of demonic energy here would alert others.

“Hu…” A hot breath sprayed on his ear. A pair of pale, delicate arms circled over his shoulders, tightly embracing him.

Xie Xuechen immediately froze.

Mu Xuanling was burning hot all over. The Lust Demon’s demonic energy was rampaging inside her body, seemingly searching for an exit. She felt both pleasure and discomfort, emitting a painful groan.

“Xie Xuechen…” She tightly hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder, rubbing against him with a thick nasal tone. “I hurt…”

Her head hurt, her heart hurt, her hands and feet hurt—everywhere hurt.

Xie Xuechen let out a long breath, pulled Mu Xuanling’s hands down, faced her, and saw that the paleness on her face had faded but was replaced by an unnatural flush. Her eyes were filled with tears, her demeanor alluring. He guessed it was due to the Lust Demon’s demonic energy.

“Where does it hurt?” Xie Xuechen pressed her back onto the bed.

Mu Xuanling raised her hazy tear-filled eyes, her voice quivering. “My body hurts.”

As she spoke, she raised her hands to tear off her clothes, as if the clothes clinging to her skin felt like knife cuts.

Xie Xuechen tightly grabbed her hands, pressing them to her sides, his voice deep. “If you cultivate and absorb the demonic energy, it won’t hurt anymore.”

But at this moment, how could Mu Xuanling listen to what he was saying? All she knew was that she was in pain, hot, numb, and itchy, as if she were poisoned. Yes, poisoned. She needed an antidote. Where was the antidote?

She raised her gaze and beheld her antidote—the one she had yearned for all these years! The surging demonic energy within granted her strength yet corroded her will. Her peach-blossom eyes swirled with desire, deep and intoxicated. Abruptly, she wrenched free from Xie Xuechen’s grasp, catching him off guard, clambered onto his shoulders, and pulled him fiercely toward herself.

She bit Xie Xuechen’s lips fiercely, greedily drawing the breath from his lips.

It tasted like the antidote.

Cool and soft, like snowflakes melting in her mouth, sweet.

She wanted more of the antidote, so much that her eyes turned red. She used both hands to tear open the elaborate white robe, feeling the warm, smooth skin beneath. There was a cool aura that could extinguish the fire in her heart. Panting, with a sobbing voice, she called the name in her heart repeatedly: “Xie Xuechen, Xie Xuechen, Xie Xuechen…”

Xie Xuechen used his hands to support his body. The fiery body beneath him was scorching enough to melt the snow that had never melted in Yongsnow City for thousands of years. Her lips moved aimlessly across his lips and face, leaving scattered kisses, wanting to be even closer, inseparable.

Xie Xuechen’s hands gripped her smooth shoulders, his movements gentle. Those hands, which had never faltered in swordsmanship, now showed hesitant tremors for the first time. The soft, smooth skin under his touch quivered lightly at his caress.

Suddenly, Xie Xuechen recalled her delighted voice saying those words—You could have dodged it…

In her daze, Mu Xuanling heard a sigh, followed by a tingling sensation at the back of her neck, causing her to fall into unconsciousness once again.

Xie Xuechen looked at the sleeping Mu Xuanling with a complex expression. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen, her chest rising and falling violently. Her clothes were in disarray. And he himself probably looked even worse, his clothes already torn to shreds.

He could have dodged it, but dodging was not the heart of a swordsman.

Xie Xuechen gently picked up Mu Xuanling and placed her back on the bed. From his storage pouch, he took out a Luli Mingxin Pill. This pill was a precious remedy for cultivators to save themselves when they were about to lose control of their cultivation, capable of suppressing heart demons and restoring clarity.

Xie Xuechen fed the pill to Mu Xuanling. Soon, her breathing became more stable, and her aura gradually stabilized.

Cultivating demonic techniques was not the right path for a half-demon. She had endured too much.

Xie Xuechen tidied up Mu Xuanling’s disheveled clothes, covered her with a blanket, and only after her breath became completely steady did he change into a new set of clothes and walk out the door.

Nan Xuyue happened to be coming in from the outer room. Seeing Xie Xuechen come out, he quickened his pace and said, “Brother Xie, I think I might have a method to alleviate her pain.”

Xie Xuechen said, “She is fine now.”

Nan Xuyue was slightly taken aback.

“Watch over her. I need to go out for a moment.”

Nan Xuyue looked at Xie Xuechen’s retreating figure with some confusion.

—What method did he use to cure her?

—Why did he suddenly change clothes?

At Wensnow Cliff, the snow had stopped, and the sky was clearing.

Yet a sword dance stirred up another blizzard.

A solitary figure stood silently in the blizzard, a ten-thousand-ren sword thrust diagonally into the rock.

Xie Xuechen closed his eyes, feeling the fine snow falling on his face, unable to extinguish the heat in his heart.

Twenty-one years ago, he was at Wensnow Cliff, asking about the Dao, the sword, and the heart.

To establish a destiny for all beings, to emulate the emotionless Dao.

Why did his sword ring?

Why did his heart move?

Closing his eyes, only one voice remained in his mind.

Someone was calling his name passionately, turning around repeatedly, with tender affection.

Whether she was human, a demon, or a monster, it no longer mattered.

He should not have fallen so easily, yet he could not restrain himself. He even thought that it was not her deliberate seduction that led him deeper and deeper, but himself, who had always liked such a vibrant life. She was different from him. She could passionately and sincerely express her affection, her eyes and heart focused on only one person. If that person was not himself, perhaps he would have felt envious…

And when he saw her in danger, he lost his Dao.

Xuanling…

Xie Xuechen slightly opened his eyes, looking at the endless majestic snowy mountains in the distance.

Suddenly, he understood the meaning behind his father’s words from twenty-one years ago.

Between all beings and her, he could only choose one.

He could only give his life to one of them.

Mu Xuanling’s consciousness continued to drift in a sea of darkness. Vaguely, she felt she had grabbed a hand, like grasping a life-saving float, and she tightly refused to let go. After an unknown amount of time, she finally had the strength to lift her eyelids. Her thick lashes fluttered lightly, and the scene before her gradually came into focus from blur.

It was already dark outside, but no candle was lit in the room. The doors and windows were all closed, yet moonlight still seeped through the cracks in the window lattice, faintly outlining the contours of the room’s interior.

Mu Xuanling felt her fingers clutching a hand—cool, slender, and long. From gripping it for so long, her palm had become slightly damp with sweat. The person sat by the edge of the bed, moonlight outlining his blurred silhouette. In a hoarse voice, Mu Xuanling softly called out, “Xie Xuechen…”

The figure stirred slightly and turned his head toward her.

“Miss Mu, you’re awake.”

Mu Xuanling was taken aback and instinctively loosened her grip.

“Master Nan.”

In the darkness, Nan Xuyue let out a soft chuckle—seeming both helpless and relieved.

“It’s me. I came to check on you. You must have had a nightmare; you held my hand tightly, so I had no choice but to sit here with you. I hope I haven’t offended you,” Nan Xuyue explained gently.

“No, it was I who intruded…” Mu Xuanling replied in a hoarse whisper.

Nan Xuyue moved away from the bed, slowly walking toward the table. He lit a match and ignited the oil lamp. The light gradually spread throughout the room. Then he picked up the kettle from the table, lit the small stove beside it, and placed the kettle on it to heat. Mu Xuanling felt too weak to move, only able to lie there watching his slim, tall back as he busied himself with these mundane tasks.

“The water is cold. I think it’s better to warm it before drinking,” came Nan Xuyue’s gentle voice from across the room.

Mu Xuanling was momentarily dazed, responding only after a brief delay, “Okay.”

It took her a while to recall what had happened—how she had collapsed in the snow, her demonic energy dispersing, causing unbearable pain… Xie Xuechen…

His retreating back appeared again in her mind.

Nan Xuyue returned with a cup of warm tea and softly asked, “Do you have the strength to sit up?”

Mu Xuanling gave a faint smile, weakly replying, “I can manage.”

She pushed herself up, propped against several pillows, and accepted the teacup from Nan Xuyue’s hand. The cup retained a warmth similar to human body temperature—just right. The hand that handed it to her was pale and slender, yet bore a jarring red mark where she had gripped it tightly. Mu Xuanling immediately recognized it as her own doing, and a sense of guilt and embarrassment welled up inside her.

She lowered her head guiltily, sipping the water slowly. The water in Yongxue City had a unique clarity and sweetness, gradually moistening her lips and throat. Yet, her heart still felt an indescribable bitterness.

As if sensing her thoughts, Nan Xuyue suddenly said, “It was Brother Xie who brought you back.”

Mu Xuanling was startled and looked up at him.

The candlelight illuminated Nan Xuyue’s handsome, refined features. He seemed to be smiling, though half his face was bathed in light and half remained in shadow.

“I don’t know what method he used to relieve your pain from the demonic energy dispersal, but from the looks of it now, you should be fine. Brother Xie had urgent matters to attend to and asked me to stay and look after you.”

Knowing that Xie Xuechen hadn’t truly abandoned her, Mu Xuanling felt warmth return to her chest. She lowered her gaze, her lips unconsciously curving into a slight smile. “I understand,” she murmured softly.

Nan Xuyue silently watched the gentle upward curve of her lips and the rekindled light in her eyes, his gaze distant and profound.

“Miss Mu, you truly care for Brother Xie,” he stated with certainty.

Mu Xuanling didn’t deny it. She simply nodded.

“Why?” He sounded both puzzled and doubtful. “I must admit, I once suspected that you approached him with ulterior motives. But one’s breath and heartbeat cannot be faked. I think… that’s why Brother Xie believes in you.”

Those born with ten spiritual openings indeed possessed extraordinary perception. He could sense whose presence quickened her heartbeat and brought joy to her soul.

Mu Xuanling pursed her lips, unable to answer Nan Xuyue’s question.

Nan Xuyue gazed at her exquisite face, as if peering past it to someone else entirely.

“Perhaps, you knew him long before this.”

Mu Xuanling’s breath caught.

“Your breathing just answered me,” Nan Xuyue chuckled softly. “That’s why I wonder—why your gaze toward him carries longing and sorrow, not just affection and admiration. Your eyes hold many secrets. The person involved is blind; the observer sees clearly.”

“Master Nan, you’re too perceptive,” Mu Xuanling closed her eyes, sighing gently. “I have nowhere to hide.”

“He doesn’t remember. Why don’t you tell him?” Nan Xuyue asked.

“He doesn’t need to remember.” A tender, lingering smile appeared at the corner of Mu Xuanling’s eyes. “It was I who owed him. It’s enough that I remember.”

“I see…” Nan Xuyue’s voice was as soft as a sigh. “And what about me? Do you remember me too?”

Mu Xuanling’s smile froze in her eyes. With difficulty, she lifted her gaze to meet Nan Xuyue’s.

There was a faint smile in Nan Xuyue’s eyes, yet it felt like a black vortex, slowly drawing her in.

“Your heartbeat already told me the answer,” Nan Xuyue murmured with a low chuckle. “Meeting you for the first time felt like reuniting with an old friend. Under the same moon across the horizon, longing fills the heart morning and night.”

“Though your appearance has changed, I still sense a familiar aura from you,” he suddenly reached out, gently ruffling her hair. His long fingers slipped through her soft, smooth black strands, brushed past her slightly damp temples, and finally rested on her cheek. “Back then, I didn’t know your name, but I still remember—you wore a bell ring on your foot, and there was a demonic mark on your face.”

Nan Xuyue closed the distance between them. A faint scent of agarwood drifted from him, enveloping Mu Xuanling.

At some point, the teacup had slipped from her hand, spilling water onto the bedding. Her hands tightly clenched the sheets beneath her, panic flashing in her eyes as her heartbeat suddenly quickened.

He… he truly recognized her!