“Truly the flesh of my heart.”
Gao Ruoxi stared at Shi Li with a face full of astonishment.
The “treasure inside your sleeve” that Shi Li mentioned was precisely the escape talisman Yan Moxiao had granted to Gao Ruoxi.
How did Shi Li know he possessed this talisman, and how did he know it was placed inside his sleeve?
No matter how he found out, this item could absolutely not be given to him! Otherwise, he would truly lose any chance of leaving alive.
Gao Ruoxi took a deep breath, drew the Qintan Sword from behind his back, untied the brocade wrapping, and revealed the blade.
“Junior Brother, do you still remember this sword?”
The Qintan Sword was completely greenish-white. This was not a particularly powerful or famous sword, nor did it possess a sword spirit. It was only suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators. To higher-stage cultivators, this sword was like a wooden stick used for playing house.
Yet Shi Li cherished it deeply; there was not a single trace of damage on this blade.
Shi Li’s gaze fell upon the sword, a shred of sorrow appearing in the depths of his eyes. “This is the sword my adoptive father gave me.”
“When you reached the age of majority, the Sect Master gifted you this sword, and you loved it immensely at the time,” Gao Ruoxi said, looking directly at Shi Li. “But when you turned your blade against the Sect Master, you used this very sword as well. The Sect Master was so furious that night that he spat blood. As I attended to him by his side, he kept calling your name.”
Shi Li closed his eyes, concealing the emotions within them.
“Junior Brother, do you really hold no regard at all for the father-son relationship between you and the Sect Master?”
Shi Li stared intently at the sword, as if wishing to see it more clearly. He stood up from his throne and walked down the steps.
Jun Yanye looked sideways at Shi Li.
Seeing Shi Li’s expression, Gao Ruoxi knew he had succeeded.
He held the sword up with one hand and stepped forward.
Shi Li kept his eyes fixed forward and accidentally missed a step, his entire body falling forward.
“Be careful, Junior Brother.” Gao Ruoxi used his other hand to support Shi Li’s arm.
When Shi Li raised his head again, the sorrowful expression on his face had long since vanished, replaced by a light smile.
“Eldest Senior Brother, you are far too gullible.” Shi Li’s smile carried a faint hint of apology as he reached out and took the Qintan Sword.
“What?”
Gao Ruoxi’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
It was all too late.
Seated on the throne, Jun Yanye held a gleaming golden talisman between his fingers; it was precisely the one Gao Ruoxi had been clutching inside his sleeve all along.
Just now, when Shi Li feigned a fall and Gao Ruoxi reached out to support him, Jun Yanye took the opportunity to strike and seize the talisman.
“You- you actually colluded with the demonic path!”
Gao Ruoxi was incredulous. His sword spirit sensed the critical danger, and his personal sword unsheathed in an instant. However, before it could even touch a strand of Shi Li’s hair, a burst of demonic qi knocked him to the ground, leaving him completely unable to move.
“Junior Brother!” Gao Ruoxi clutched his injury. “Cough, cough.”
Gao Ruoxi was Yan Moxiao’s most prized eldest disciple, considered an outstanding talent across the entire Sacred Domain. He had reached the late Nascent Soul stage at a young age, but in front of Jun Yanye, there was no difference between a Foundation Establishment stage and a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
“Disarm him of his sword, bind him up, and place him in the Black Snake Cave,” Shi Li called out in a raised voice.
“Understood!” The little demons guarding outside entered in an orderly line.
Jun Yanye walked down the steps to Shi Li’s side. Shi Li looped an arm through his, saying intimately, “Thank you for striking on my behalf just now. You are truly the flesh of my heart.”
Hearing a title like “the flesh of my heart,” Jun Yanye nearly shuddered. Hearing such words from Shi Li’s mouth was always quite terrifying.
Meanwhile, the little monsters thought nothing of it, having long since grown accustomed to Shi Li. They frequently felt that Shi Li belonged to their kind, finding him very approachable.
Hearing these words, Gao Ruoxi’s face flushed entirely with shame. He lay prostrate on the ground, taking several ragged breaths. “You… how could you… you are shameless! Cough, vile!”
Jun Yanye said in his heart, You are entirely correct.
“Oh my, look at how angry my pure-hearted Eldest Senior Brother is,” Shi Li burst out laughing. “Drag him down quickly, and pour a few bowls of Immortal-Degrading Soup down his throat to calm his nerves.”
“By your command!”
Gao Ruoxi was tied up inside the Black Snake Cave. After downing a few bowls of Immortal-Degrading Soup, his cultivation had already been suppressed to the Qi Refining stage, and it would take several days to recover.
Just as Gao Ruoxi was leaning against a boulder, reflecting upon his actions, he heard numerous footsteps.
Surrounded by a crowd of little demons, Shi Li walked gracefully into the cave wearing his crimson robes, looking exactly like an elf.
This was completely distinct from the Shi Li whom Gao Ruoxi knew.
The little demons attended to Shi Li as he sat down, and then they filed out.
“Junior Brother.” Gao Ruoxi struggled to sit up. “Has your mind been bewitched by that demon?”
“Yes,” Shi Li said, looking into Gao Ruoxi’s eyes. “He is far too good-looking. I have fallen for him and cannot extricate myself.”
“Junior Brother!” Gao Ruoxi was in no mood to joke with Shi Li. “I am not begging you to release me. You can keep me here as a hostage, or beat me to vent your anger. I only beg you to return and see the Sect Master once to clear up the misunderstanding.”
Shi Li looked at Gao Ruoxi, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “Eldest Senior Brother, it is precisely because you truly regard me as a junior brother that you plunged headfirst into my trap. Back when I was ridiculed and insulted by so many people, you never spoke a single harsh word against me. I know your character, Senior Brother. You strongly urge me to return to the sect because you do not wish for the Sect Master to be disappointed. I do not blame you.”
Shi Li continued, “However, it was the Sect Master who abandoned me back then, severing two centuries of father-son affection with a single stroke. Now that his true young master has met with disaster, he thinks of me, the counterfeit. Should I immediately return to the sect, heal the young master, and then everyone lives happily ever after?”
“I am doing this not only for the Sect Master, but also for you,” Gao Ruoxi’s brow furrowed tightly. “The matter of you mixing with that demon has already spread throughout the Sacred Domain. If you do not pull back from the brink now, do you really intend to follow him back to the Demon Realm? His failure to cross the tribulation means he will certainly not last long. Now all the realms intend to crusade against him. Once he dies, our Sacred Domain and the Demon Realm will be locked in battle. At that time, how will you find a place for yourself, Junior Brother?”
“Senior Brother, you speak as if my life expectancy is very long. I should die much earlier than Jun Yanye; he will be the one keeping a widow’s vigil for me.”
“If you are willing to return, how could the Sect Master not do his utmost to treat you?”
Shi Li laughed in spite of himself. “Senior Brother, you have followed the Sect Master for so long, yet you still do not understand him.”
“You are his only family. He was merely acting out of fitful anger at the time…”
“Very well, the hour has arrived.” Shi Li stood up. “I must leave.”
“Where are you going?” Gao Ruoxi asked.
“The hour for dual cultivation with the Demon Venerable has arrived,” Shi Li turned his head and smiled. “Eldest Senior Brother, eat well and sleep well here, and do not think too much.”
“Junior Brother! You.”
At Yuanlan Lake, Jun Yanye was already waiting ahead of time.
The weather was hot, so Jun Yanye had stripped off his clothes and soaked himself in the lake water. After waiting for a good while, the reflection of a beauty appeared on the surface of the water.
“The Emperor has arrived,” Shi Li said with hands on his hips. “I have kept my beloved concubine waiting for a long time.”
“Uh.” Jun Yanye did not turn around. “I am merely somewhat curious. If spiritual energy cannot circulate within your body, how are we supposed to engage in dual cultivation?”
“Have you never heard of the kind of dual cultivation method that does not exchange spiritual energy?” Shi Li said.
Jun Yanye blinked. “You mean, lovemaking.”
The most primitive kind.
“Exactly.” A smile floated up to Shi Li’s eyelashes.
Jun Yanye felt he had been deceived. He wanted to go ashore, but Shi Li pressed him down firmly.
“On such a hot day, one must always find something to do, would you not agree?”
Jun Yanye suppressed the urge to strike someone.
No one had ever dared to make sport of him in this manner.
“Alas, what a pity. I originally deduced a portion of your memories and intended to tell you all about it. Since you are unwilling, then forget it. I shall go back and chat with my Eldest Senior Brother for a while longer.” Shi Li turned around.
One step, two steps, three steps.
“What memories?” Jun Yanye’s voice resounded from behind Shi Li.