Outside the window shrouded in moonlight, a thick vine suddenly emerged, flying through the air at high speed and shooting inward, writhing like a venomous snake.
Before Su Yu could speak, he felt a sudden tightness around his waist, and in the next instant, he was pulled outside entirely.
“Muqing!” Chu Liuxiang grabbed Su Yu’s hand in a flash as another vine rapidly wrapped around his own waist.
“Brother Chu!” Su Yu looked at Chu Liuxiang in panic.
Chu Liuxiang held him tightly. He had never experienced nor seen a situation like this before. To bind them using a tree vine was definitely not a method any ordinary person could achieve.
He pulled out a dagger and slashed fiercely at the vine. With a sharp “clang,” the dagger struck out a shower of sparks, yet failed to inflict the slightest damage on the vine.
“Limitless Heaven and Earth! Righteous Law of the Universe! Sever!” A flying sword flew over at lightning speed from afar, swishing twice through the air and severing the vines.
Once severed, the vines instantly lost control, baring their claws and fangs as they attacked the flying sword. The clanging sound of clashing metal resounded endlessly.
Holding Su Yu, Chu Liuxiang landed on the ground and raised his head to watch the flying sword battle the strange tree vines.
The flying sword was knocked away by the vines. A figure flipped and leaped in midair, reaching out to catch the sword before slashing down fiercely at the vines. At the same time, the figure threw out a handful of yellow talismans, which detonated continuously upon the tree vines.
In the end, the tree vines had no choice but to retreat, disappearing into the night sky.
“Thank you, brother, for saving us,” Chu Liuxiang cupped his fists in gratitude. Who would have thought that a streak of cold light would instantly thrust toward him?
Holding Su Yu in his arm, he turned sideways to dodge it. “Brother, what is the meaning of this?”
Failing in his first attack, the man thrust his sword several more times in succession, with every single strike aimed directly at Su Yu in Chu Liuxiang’s arms.
Chu Liuxiang was completely baffled, but he dared not be careless and focused fully on coping with the attacks.
“Mortal eyes and physical frames, blind to disaster!” the man shouted coldly. “A pink skull deceiving the human heart, it deserves to be killed!”
Chu Liuxiang held Su Yu in his arms and kept dodging. “Brother, I appreciate your help just now, but if you continue to be so rude, I will not be polite.”
His lightwork was extraordinary; even while holding Su Yu in his arms, he showed no sign of fatigue or defeat.
The man snorted coldly, and his sword techniques grew even sharper and swifter. Flashes of cold light enveloped the two of them like a net.
A formidable sword qi condensed into sharp blades in the air, swirling around and slicing several wounds into Chu Liuxiang’s arm.
“You are injured?” Su Yu exclaimed, his eyes filled with deep worry.
Dodging the man’s attacks, Chu Liuxiang said, “I am fine, do not worry.”
“On the verge of death and still flirting with seductive words!” The man’s eyes suddenly turned sharp, and the long sword in his hand split into two, attacking Chu Liuxiang’s hand that held Su Yu’s waist from both front and back in a pincer movement.
Su Yu’s pupils shrank, and he immediately pushed Chu Liuxiang away.
Seeing the two of them separate, the man thrust a long sword at Su Yu with extreme speed. Chu Liuxiang flew over and blocked the way in front of Su Yu. “Brother, please show mercy.”
“Get out of the way!” The man’s sword-like eyebrows raised sharply, his eyes filled with impatience. “Block this Daoist master again, and be careful lest I show no mercy to you either!”
Chu Liuxiang’s eyebrows were tightly knit as he intercepted the man’s sword strikes at every turn. However, the man’s long swords could fly around without being held by hand and could even split into two, making them truly impossible to defend against completely.
After a few exchanges, Chu Liuxiang inevitably suffered a few more injuries on his body.
Unable to bear watching this, Su Yu could only fly off into the mountain forest with tears in his eyes, disappearing from sight.
“Muqing!” Chu Liuxiang was about to give chase, but he was stopped by the man. “You are not allowed to go!”
Seeing that the person had already disappeared, Chu Liuxiang let out a sigh and turned to look at him. “May I ask what the Daoist master means by this? Why make things difficult for Muqing?”
“A mortal body unable to see the true form. Do you know what that thing really is?”
Chu Liuxiang was silent for a moment, then said, “He is just Muqing.”
“Hmph!” The cold snort was laced with rage. “Infatuated by a ghost! Refusing to wake up to reality!”
Sheathing his flying sword, the man turned around to leave.
Fearing that he would go after Muqing, Chu Liuxiang stopped him. “May I ask how to address the Daoist master? And what was that thing that attacked us so suddenly just now?”
“This poor Daoist is Chi Yangzi. Seeing the demon qi soaring into the sky here earlier, I came to check, only to find a demonic creature kidnapping mortals.”
“A demonic creature?” Even though he had already guessed as much, Chu Liuxiang still could not hide his shock. After all, this was the first time he had ever heard of and seen such a thing.
Chi Yangzi said, “The person in your arms was sent by that demonic creature to harvest your soul, essence, and blood. Hmph, luckily this poor Daoist arrived in time; otherwise, you would have become food in a demon’s mouth.”
“Young man, you had better leave this place quickly.”
Listening to this familiar phrase, Chu Liuxiang suddenly understood why Muqing had urged him to leave this place time and time again.
Was it actually because of this?
Suddenly, his expression changed. Muqing had spared him several times; if he returned just like this, what would his master do to him?
At the thought of this, he could not hide his anxiety. He turned around, preparing to head into the mountain.
Seeing this, Chi Yangzi hurriedly stopped him. “What are you doing?”
Looking at the pitch-black mountain forest, Chu Liuxiang was full of worry. “If Muqing returns like this, I do not know what that demonic creature will do to him. I cannot rest easy.”
“You cannot rest easy?” Chi Yangzi looked at him as if he were a fool. “He is a ghost, and you are a human. What is there for you to worry about? They are birds of a feather; it is better if they fall into chaos among themselves.”
Chu Liuxiang gripped his arm tightly. “Daoist Master, you possess profound Daoist skills. Can you come with me?”
Chi Yangzi shook off his hand. “Have you lost your mind? I think you have been bewitched by a ghost, unable to distinguish humans from ghosts!”
“Daoist Master, since you are a Daoist master, it should be your duty to subdue demons and eliminate evil!” Chu Liuxiang said. “Right now, a demonic creature is entrenched on that mountain. If it is not eliminated, will the common people in the small town below not suffer?”
Chi Yangzi glanced at him. “You certainly know how to talk. Unfortunately, I am currently injured and temporarily unable to eliminate that demonic creature.”
“Daoist Master!” Chu Liuxiang was burning with anxiety, as if he could already see the scene of Muqing being tortured endlessly.
“It is useless to be anxious.” Chi Yangzi frowned deeply. “This poor Daoist really has injuries. Earlier, when subduing a demon, I almost perished together with that monster. However, that monster was afraid of death and withdrew in the end, leaving us both severely injured.”
“When I acted to save you just now, my internal injuries were not yet healed, and I suffered a backlash.” As he spoke, he turned his head and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face turning somewhat pale. “If I am not mistaken, that demonic creature is the very tree demon I severely injured earlier. The tree demon has high cultivation; although it was injured, my injuries are not light either.”
Chi Yangzi let out a long sigh. “Right now, even if this poor Daoist has the mind to help, I lack the strength.”
Hearing this, Chu Liuxiang became even more worried in his heart for Muqing.
The Ruined Temple
In the pitch-black rear mountain, a thick, sturdy tree lay sprawling amidst scattered rocks. Its roots, twisted like demon claws, were exposed above the ground, crisscrossing and spreading chaotically into the dark depths of the mountain.
On the rough tree trunk was a human face with coarse patterns.
“Master,” Su Yu’s voice trembled, not daring to take another step forward.
Qiaomei twisted her waist and stepped forward, laughing coyly. “Master, how is this person? Qiaomei was not wrong, was she?”
The mouth on the human face on the tree trunk wriggled, its voice raspy and rough: “Not bad. I did not expect a martial artist so brimming with blood qi to exist in this barren little town.”
“Muqing was supposed to capture this person and present him to Master, but who knew he would harbor personal feelings for him. If Master could obtain this person’s essence, blood, and soul, it would surely be a grand nourishment,” Qiaomei reported to the tree demon.
The gaze of the face on the tree trunk instantly turned sharp, and a vine lashed violently toward Su Yu. “Ungrateful creature!”
“Ah!” Su Yu fell to the ground and rolled several times, yet he thought in his heart: If it were not to avoid leaving any flaws, he would not have put in so much effort. But for the sake of success, everything is worth it.
A triumphant smile played on the corner of Qiaomei’s lips. “Master, this person’s mind and soul have been hooked by Muqing. He should not be leaving the town anytime soon.”
The tree demon looked at Su Yu: “Go bring that person here, or else you know the consequences.”
After saying that, the face on the tree trunk faded into the tree and vanished.
Su Yu got up and walked outward. Qiaomei followed behind, her face full of smiles. “Muqing, I advise you to obediently listen to Master; otherwise, you know Master’s methods.”
“He is just a man. There are plenty of them in the world; do not make a mistake that ruins yourself.”
Su Yu ignored her. Qiaomei sneered, “Let us see how long you can act tough!”
Watching Qiaomei’s figure disappear, Su Yu also returned to the rear courtyard of the ruined temple. Just as he went inside and closed the door, he was held tightly by a familiar pair of arms.
Su Yu turned around in a hurry and saw Chu Liuxiang standing right in front of him. With an anxious look on his face, Chu Liuxiang glanced outside and whispered, “Why are you here?”
“I was worried about you.” Chu Liuxiang’s voice was as gentle as spring water, flowing into Su Yu’s long-dried heart.
Su Yu felt a pang in his heart, and moisture welled up in his eyes. “What is there to worry about me? What about you? How are your injuries?”
Chu Liuxiang curved his lips into a light smile: “I am fine. A few minor injuries are nothing to keep at heart.”
Su Yu broke free from his embrace and found the wound medicine. “Take off your clothes.”
Hearing this, Chu Liuxiang smiled and complied, taking off his clothes.
His honey-toned, strong body had distinct muscle lines; it seemed as if every inch of his skin contained extraordinary power. However, the bloody scars on his arm ruined the perfection of his physique.
Su Yu suspended the medicine bottle in the air and sprinkled the powder onto the scars. Looking at the wounds where the blood had congealed, he subconsciously leaned close and blew gently on them. His rosy lips puffed out slightly, scattering threads of cool air over the injuries.
Chu Liuxiang lowered his eyes to look at the person who was earnestly applying medicine to him, his eyes filled with tender love.
Noticing Chu Liuxiang’s gaze, Su Yu raised his eyes. “Did I hurt you? I will be gentler.”
Chu Liuxiang reached out to touch his eyes, which were still wet with unshed tears, and said softly, “Such a beautiful pair of eyes will not look good if they hold too many tears.”
A tear slipped from the corner of his eye. For some reason, it seemed as if Su Yu had an endless stream of tears gushing forth.
“What am I to do with you being such a crybaby?” Chu Liuxiang let out a sigh and pulled him into his arms. “It seems I am always making you shed tears for me.”
Su Yu shook his head, wanting to say something, but a sour ache rose in his throat, preventing him from uttering a single word.
Chu Liuxiang leaned down and kissed away the tears on his face. “You have turned into a little tabby cat.”
Su Yu could not help but purse his lips, laughing through his tears. “You are the little tabby cat. I am not a child; you are not allowed to speak to me like that.”
The corners of Chu Liuxiang’s lips curled up slightly. “Alright, I will listen to you.”
With that burning gaze resting upon him, Su Yu slightly lowered his head and earnestly applied medicine to his arm, then wrapped the wound with clean gauze.
Chu Liuxiang took his hand and held it tightly. When Su Yu looked up, he crashed right into his eyes, which were brimming with deep affection and tenderness.