Ming Yueyi finally took a step back, putting some distance between them. "What did you say?"
"I said, Shijie, could you once again place your Fusheng into my Lingfu, just like yesterday?" His pale cheeks flushed with a faint pink hue, his smile light and delicate, yet his words carried a seductive undertone that belied his innocent expression.
"You knew!" Ming Yueyi frowned, staring at him intently.
If he knew she had used her own refined Dharma Tool to enter his Lingfu, then his earlier display of naivety had been nothing but an act.
This seemingly harmless, beautiful youth before her might not be as innocent as he appeared.
"Mmm, I saw Shijie's lotus withdraw from my body…" He bit his lip, letting out a long, lingering sigh from deep in his throat. "It felt… very pleasurable."
Ming Yueyi frowned at his flushed face and replied bluntly, "If you enjoy it so much, find yourself a Dao Companion. Then you can have a Dharma Tool withdrawn from your body every day and feel pleasure all the time."
He smiled, his cold, delicate features softening with a hint of alluring tenderness.
Ming Yueyi looked at his smile, utterly perplexed.
With a gentle smile, he asked, "Then, Shijie, could you become my Dao Companion?"
"No." Ming Yueyi answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Is that so?" His face showed no emotion other than the lingering smile, and he nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."
"Alright, I won't disturb Shidi's leisure time here." Ming Yueyi truly had no desire to continue speaking with him. With that, she turned and began descending the stone steps.
The youth did not follow her. Instead, he stood on the highest step behind her, gazing down at her retreating figure from above. His expression was blank, carrying a lazy yet cold allure.
He raised a hand to touch his chest.
There was no heartbeat, yet it felt as though something was screaming and howling through his hollow body, so clamorous that the nails pressed against his chest grew longer and sharper.
Until they pierced through his clothes and ribs.
He pulled out his lifeless heart, lowered his gaze, and carefully carved words onto it with his sharp nails.
—Shijie refused to engage in Dual Cultivation with him.
But it didn't matter. She would eventually engage in Dual Cultivation with him. When the eldest martial brother was about to achieve a Realm Breakthrough, she would imprison him, fill his Lingfu with the Golden Lotus, and bind his limbs to torment him.
At that time, it wouldn't just be Divine Communion—she would sit atop him, her eyes dazed as she devoured his ugly, ferocious desires.
"Mmm… Shijie." His hands began to tremble, his pupils dilating with excitement. His fingers tightened around his heart, squeezing it as if it were about to burst.
Finally, a single crystal-clear tear traced down the corner of his eye. He collapsed to the ground, panting with emotion, his eyes suppressing a turbulent, chaotic frenzy. From his thin, pale lips emerged a forked tongue, serpent-like.
Once his heightened desires had subsided, he casually stuffed the bruised, purplish-red heart back into his chest cavity. Lifting his elegant, slender neck, he restored his broken ribs with an expression of pure enjoyment.
Soon after, the youth returned to normal, his expression cheerful as he made his way down the mountain.
If not for the blood on his fingers and chest, everything that had just transpired might have seemed like an illusion.
A Swamp Butterfly Demon had been discovered within the sect. It was unclear who had gutted it and crushed its head, but the stench of swamp mud from its splattered remains had spread throughout Banruo Tai.
The mountain gates were protected by a Jiejie to prevent demons from entering. In theory, once a demon entered the sect, the elders in the Daneng Period would sense it. Yet this Swamp Butterfly Demon had managed to sneak in, enroll in Xiudanfeng, and even become an inner sect disciple.
The sect leader personally investigated this matter thoroughly.
Without investigation, it was unclear where the problem lay. Once investigated, it was discovered that not only Xiudanfeng, but also several other peaks—except for Fenjing Feng, which had fewer disciples—had found several Swamp Butterfly Demons.
These Swamp Butterfly Demons did not appear in their original forms but instead parasitized the bodies of the sect's disciples. They consumed the insides of the parasitized disciples and then occupied their skins to hide and avoid detection.
In the world, few demonic creatures could achieve complete parasitism and remain difficult to detect. Only the creatures from Futuhai were capable of this.
Early in the morning, the master summoned several disciples from Fenjing Feng to discuss the matter of the parasitic demons.
Ming Yueyi had been in seclusion consolidating her Spiritual Power. As soon as she emerged, she received a message from her master, instructing her to go to the main hall immediately.
She was unaware that demons had infiltrated the sect. It was only when she encountered Li Changming on the way that she vaguely recalled: the male protagonist's departure from the sect for training began with the discovery of the Swamp Butterfly Demons.
The large-scale appearance of Swamp Butterfly Demons was due to the prophecy made by an ancestor of Fenjing Feng thousands of years ago before their passing, foretelling the imminent arrival of a great demon.
In fact, parasitic butterfly demons had not only appeared in Fenjing Feng but also in other sects. Even demons from all over the world seemed to have sensed the presence of the great demon, frequently emerging to cause chaos and disrupt peace everywhere.
The young man beside her, toying with a dagger, suddenly asked, "Shimei Yueyi, do you think the master summoned us because of the Swamp Butterfly Demons?"
Ming Yueyi snapped back to attention and replied, "Perhaps."
Li Changming's eyes suddenly lit up. "If that's the case, then Qingyun Shimei might be able to come out of Huiguo Ya?"
"Mm," Ming Yueyi nodded.
The disciples of Fenjing Feng possessed the highest Cultivation Base and talent. If they were to go demon-slaying, Guan Qingyun would undoubtedly be among them.
As the two were speaking, they suddenly encountered He Wujiu, who was approaching on Sword-flight.
The young man descended from his sword, which circled behind him once before transforming into a white shadow and disappearing into his fingertip.
The two approached him.
"Senior Brother."
He Wujiu gave them a slight nod, his gaze resting on Ming Yueyi. He asked gently, "Has the situation with the snakes outside your Dongfu improved recently?"
Their Dongfu were adjacent, and the Zhuling occasionally visited each other. The spread of the snake infestation could not be hidden from him.
Ming Yueyi replied, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. It has improved a lot."
He Wujiu nodded. "It was worth having Xiao Zhu help you catch snakes for several days."
"Senior Brother helped me catch snakes?" Ming Yueyi raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes," he said, his expression gentle. "In spring, many hibernating snakes emerge. Since you just returned from Baihua Gu, the foul smell of snake blood on you would attract other snakes in the sect to gather in the bamboo forest. So, I had Xiao Zhu eliminate all the snakes in your bamboo forest."
Ming Yueyi curved her eyes, a smile spreading across her lips. "I thought it was the sulfur powder I used that worked."
He Wujiu said gently, "Sulfur powder is too slow to take effect on snakes in heat. Before they die, they would have already reproduced many snake eggs."
Li Changming suddenly leaned in from the side and smiled at him. "Senior Brother, help me catch some snakes too."
He Wujiu, with his good temper, did not refuse his junior brother's request and nodded in agreement. "Alright, after meeting with the master, I'll have Xiao Zhu come to help you."
Li Changming wasn't actually serious about catching snakes and quickly waved his hand. "No need, Senior Brother. I was just joking. My Dongfu is so cramped it can't even fit a single tree. There are no snakes there."
He Wujiu did not scold him and remained as gentle as ever. "Then let's go see the master first."
Li Changming nodded.
The two walked ahead, with Ming Yueyi trailing a step behind. Unseen by them, her gaze fell upon the young man in front whose robes remained spotless.
He Wujiu was the senior disciple admired and respected by the entire sect. As the senior disciple, he naturally shouldered the responsibility of promoting the sect's prestige; as a disciple, he was disciplined and adhered to propriety, a model student in the eyes of the elders; as a Dao Companion…
No, he had never been anyone's Dao Companion, which was why each time he would look at her with those gentle eyes, yet his sword would pierce her chest without hesitation.
Ming Yueyi knew that He Wujiu appeared kind to everyone, but in truth, he was cold-hearted and detached.
"Shimei?"
The young man ahead noticed the absence of footsteps behind him and stopped to look back, his handsome face showing confusion.
Ming Yueyi snapped out of her memories in an instant, a bright smile spreading across her face as she quickened her pace to catch up with the two.
Li Changming, with his hands clasped behind his head, glanced at her and asked, "What were you thinking about back there, Yueyi Shimei? You were staring at the senior disciple the whole time, and you didn't even hear us calling you several times."
"Nothing, really. I was just thinking about how to thank the senior disciple for taking care of me all these years." Her eyes curved like crescent moons, revealing two sharp canine teeth between her red lips.
Now, without the demeanor of a senior sister she maintained in front of the other disciples in the sect, she seemed more like a young girl.
He Wujiu shook his head helplessly. "No need to thank me. It's only right for a senior disciple to look after his juniors."
"Is that so?" Ming Yueyi was unconvinced. "I've wanted to thank you for many years now."
He Wujiu was about to speak again when Li Changming pushed open the door to the main hall and turned to the two who were immersed in their senior-junior camaraderie. "Save the thanks for later. Let's see the master first."
"Coming."
Ming Yueyi followed with a slight curl of her lips, leaving He Wujiu standing alone. His gaze followed her lighthearted figure, gradually turning subtle.
Shimei's words just now seemed somewhat insincere.
He Wujiu raised a hand to touch his lightly twitching eyelid, a slow smile spreading across his lips as he followed the two.
The master had already arrived in the main hall. Upon entering, the three first noticed the handsome junior disciple kneeling respectfully below the master before shifting their gaze upward and bowing in greeting.
The master gestured for them to take their seats.
Once the three had settled, the master swept his gaze over them and said calmly, "I presume you already know why I summoned you today."
He Wujiu replied gently, "Master must be referring to the matter of the Swamp Butterfly Demon."
"Indeed." The master nodded. "Recently, not only has Qingyun Zong discovered parasitic Swamp Butterfly Demons originating from Futuhai, but several other sects have also made similar findings. Such a large-scale anomaly indicates that the great demon foretold by our ancestors is about to appear."
"What great demon is about to appear?" Li Changming had never heard of any great demon appearing and looked utterly astonished.
The master explained, "Our ancestor, who was one step away from attaining godhood, used his lifelong Cultivation Base to defy Tiandao before his passing. He glimpsed the secrets of heaven and foresaw that a great demon would appear in the future, devouring heaven and earth. Fearing that this revelation would cause unrest among the people, he kept it hidden. You have not been with the sect long enough to know of this."
Among those present, only He Wujiu, as the senior disciple, was aware of this, along with Ming Yueyi, who had lived through several lifetimes.
But she pretended to be as unaware as He Wujiu, widening her eyes in surprise. Just as she was about to speak, her peripheral vision caught sight of the young man seated not far away.
His posture was dignified and elegant, every strand of his hair exuding refined beauty. He did not seem like someone here to discuss matters but rather like a decorative vase.
Ming Yueyi noticed him staring at her without blinking, and a strange feeling once again flickered through her heart.
He seemed very curious.
But his curiosity wasn't directed at the great demon about to appear in the world—it was focused on her reaction to what would come next.