Although he had issued a challenge to Pu Yuemin, Li Changming wasn’t shameless enough to use his Benming Sword, knowing full well that Pu had only entered Rujing a few days prior. Instead, he opted for an ornamental dagger he usually played with.
“Junior Brother, blades have no eyes—you must be careful.”
Li Changming’s dagger was enveloped in Spiritual Power. As soon as the words left his mouth, he lunged toward the youth not far away.
Pu Yuemin didn’t meet the dagger with his serpentine sword but dodged instead, his long black hair intertwining with the crimson hair ribbon in an arc through the air.
He didn’t use Spiritual Power.
Ming Yueyi sat below the stage, her gaze fixed on the youth. She noticed that although he didn’t use a trace of Spiritual Power, his footwork was exceptionally graceful.
The wind lifted his wide snow-white sleeves, revealing faintly bulging veins on his wrists. Unlike his somewhat melancholic, delicate appearance, the turn of his wrist revealed astonishing explosive power.
However, no matter how talented he was, he had only just entered Rujing.
Losing to the Second Senior Brother, who was on the verge of breaking through the third layer, was hardly surprising.
The youth stood motionless as the ornate dagger left a bloody gash on his neck. Instead, he inexplicably lowered his eyelids slightly, his eyes shifting downward as if trying to see where he had been damaged, ignoring the fact that the opposing dagger was about to pierce his throat uncontrollably.
Seeing him suddenly stop, Li Changming nearly failed to rein in his momentum. He hooked his wrist downward, pressing the hilt of the dagger against the youth’s neck instead.
The faint confusion in Pu Yuemin’s pupils gradually faded. He lifted his slender, slightly reddened eyelids and took a step back with good grace, saying softly, “Senior Brother has won.”
“Junior Brother, thank you for yielding.”
With the outcome decided on the stage, the Jiejie vanished.
Li Changming sheathed his dagger, leaped off the platform, and strode toward Ming Yueyi with high spirits.
“Junior Sister, come on, let’s collect the Spirit Stones.”
Ming Yueyi followed him, glancing back as if sensing something.
The loser showed no sign of dejection; he was surrounded by people comforting him, each offering their most precious treasures in an attempt to coax a smile from him.
Bathed in the bright spring sunlight, his figure on the stage was indistinct, his expression inscrutable as he stared at her.
Ming Yueyi felt an illusory chill on the back of her neck, as if something cold had brushed against her.
When she turned back, she saw her senior brother poking her neck with his long sword.
Li Changming said, “Junior Sister, hurry up and take out your Storage Bag. Mine is already full.”
This match had filled both their Storage Bags to the brim, giving them the air of accomplices in a Spirit Stone scam.
Li Changming, who had never won so many Spirit Stones before, felt guilty and split half of his share, saying, “This portion is for Junior Brother. After all, I did bully him a bit.”
Ming Yueyi didn’t mind—it wasn’t as if she was taking half from her own Storage Bag.
After dividing the Spirit Stones, Li Changming looked back and noticed the youth had already left, and the crowd surrounding him had dispersed as well.
“Junior Sister, I won’t be returning with you later. I’ll deliver these Spirit Stones to Junior Brother first.”
“Mm,” Ming Yueyi nodded.
Li Changming summoned a crane and flew toward Fenjing Feng.
Ming Yueyi, meanwhile, walked along Banruo Tai toward Huiguo Ya.
Huiguo Ya was close to Banruo Tai, but the surroundings were so desolate that even in spring, the trees were withered without a hint of green. Not even cranes were willing to come here, so she had to proceed on foot.
The steps were steep, and the youth was climbing them one by one, followed by the Alchemy Cultivation Junior Sister who had spoken to Ming Yueyi earlier.
"Junior Brother Pu, although you lost this competition, your talent is exceptional. Few can achieve Rujing in just over a month and even cultivate a Benming Faqi." The Alchemy Cultivation Junior Sister followed behind him, her lovely face filled with infatuation.
Facing her gaze, Pu Yuemin seemed long accustomed to it, ascending unhurriedly without uttering a single word in reply.
The female alchemy cultivator thought he was still upset about what had just happened and continued to comfort him.
"I believe it won't be long before Fellow Daoist Pu breaks through the realm, perhaps even surpassing Brother Crane of Fenjing Feng."
Upon hearing certain words, the previously silent Pu Yuemin suddenly halted, turned his head sideways, and his cool, thin lips parted: "Have you said enough?"
He looked down disdainfully at the female cultivator chattering incessantly beside him like a fly, his pitch-black pupils deep and obscure.
Caught off guard by the sight of his beautiful face, the female alchemy cultivator found herself suddenly speechless, staring blankly into his eyes.
Though the youth appeared indifferent toward her, he had driven away all the other fellow disciples who sought to curry favor with him, leaving only her by his side. Whenever she recalled this, her heart seemed to beat uncontrollably, wildly.
After a long while, the female alchemy cultivator regained her composure from the stunning sight, lowering her head shyly: "Junior Brother Pu, could you come down a bit? I still have much to say to you."
Pu Yuemin stared at her, unmoving.
The female alchemy cultivator showed no disappointment, her eyes still filled with adoration: "Junior Brother Pu, could you become my Dao Companion? From the moment I first saw you, I have felt… ah, ah!"
Before she could finish, a dark red shadow suddenly coiled around her feet. Beneath the shadow, countless wriggling little snakes seemed to crawl slowly over her entire body.
They wrapped around her neck, twisting her head until it turned at a bizarre angle, rotating completely.
Yet even in this state, she was not dead, still pouring out her affections.
"Junior Brother Pu, I will be the one who loves you most in this world. I can help you master the Sword Dao, I can do anything for you. Even if you were to kill me in the future, I would do so willingly."
As the female alchemy cultivator spoke with obsession, her snow-white teeth began to rot, emitting the foul stench of a swamp. Smooth black horns gradually emerged on her forehead, and the bones on her back began to protrude, piercing through her human skin to unfold a pair of black butterfly wings.
Throughout it all, Pu Yuemin remained seated on a clean bluestone, propping his chin with one hand, a trace of bored languor in his expression. His gaze fixed on the female alchemy cultivator gradually transforming into a Swamp Butterfly Demon, yet his thoughts drifted to what had happened earlier on Banruo Tai.
Shijie and Second Senior Brother have such a good relationship.
She wasn't like those other cultivators who became infatuated at the sight of him, wanting to possess him, nor did she want to bet on his victory.
Why?
Why didn't she look at him?
The demon's voice, filled with obsessive love, materialized in his ears. Pu Yuemin slowly raised his dark eyes, his empty gaze falling upon the demon's repulsive visage.
It was because this Swamp Butterfly Demon had said something to Shijie earlier, which is why Shijie acted that way.
Like a child born with inherent malice, he blamed everything on others. His black pupils contracted with emotion, until finally, a crimson slit appeared vertically within the whites of his eyes, and faint white scales shimmered beneath his eyelids.
The dark hair cascading beside him grew longer and longer, gradually transforming into countless slender snakes with sharp fangs, directly dragging the frenzied, lovestruck female demon before him.
His neck extended like a serpent toward the female demon as he asked, "What did you say to Shijie?"
The female demon looked up and saw the entire beautiful yet eerie face so close before her. The obsession in her eyes deepened, and the foul-smelling swamp mud in her mouth churned excitedly, emitting a gurgling sound as she recounted what had just happened.
But Pu Yuemin could not understand her words. The stench from her mouth left him expressionless, and he directly used his hair to sever her head.
Even after being decapitated, the female demon's mouth continued to open and close, faintly murmuring, "Pu Shidi, I adore you. Kill me quickly. I want to die on your hair…"
This was a privilege no one else had—only she did.
But Pu Yuemin had no intention of fulfilling her dying wish. He raised a slender finger and pointed toward the female demon. Snakes crawled all over the tree full of withered branches, dropping down one by one beside her severed head.
One snake after another slithered into her continuously opening mouth until it was stretched and torn apart, and the rotting brain matter suddenly burst forth with white fluid.
A few drops of the foul-smelling white fluid splattered onto the bluestone he sat upon.
He listlessly lowered his gaze, clearly displeased by the disgusting misunderstanding, though only for a moment.
Suddenly, something happened. His entire body trembled violently, and he collapsed weakly onto the bluestone, burying his flushed cheeks in the crook of his arm as he gasped for breath. His hair, now restored to its original state, clung messily to his body with his movements.
"Mmm… Shijie, Shijie… Shijie…"
Countless gasping cries sounded like the mating calls of some animal. Trembling, he writhed excitedly on the bluestone in a twisted posture, while beneath his robe, a terrifying bulge gradually formed, slowly revealing a snow-white serpent's tail sweeping across the bluestone.