With a warmth lingering on his forehead, Chi Xiyan knew this was Beisi’s kiss.
Feeling the other’s body temperature, he inevitably recalled past events.
After his battle with Beixuan Shang, his vitality had been severely damaged. Fortunately, it was a blessing in disguise; upon breaking free from the Pond of Emotional Threads, he unexpectedly unlatched the Soul-Devouring Curse on his body and was no longer under anyone’s control. He had altered his appearance to look as he did now.
Having casually entered a village Chongyuan Village, specifically he learned that a demonic entity had recently emerged, murdering countless people.
He had no spirit stones or copper coins on him; he was truly, utterly destitute. The simplest method he could think of was to rob someone else, figuring that the demon should also possess countless treasures and had no family members, which would save a lot of trouble and eliminate the need to worry about exposing his whereabouts.
Finding a demon was naturally effortless; Chi Xiyan merely needed to wait quietly among the crowd.
A few prying gazes came from the shadows. He looked back to see several sect disciples; their clothing styles differed, indicating they were not from the same sect.
He ignored their uncomfortable stares and caught sight of a graceful figure in the crowd—slender and swaying, with a back profile that suggested a great beauty.
The person was accompanied on their right by a man, who looked to be the next target the demon intended to kill. The two of them, looking like a match made in heaven, stepped into an inn.
Night fell quickly, and the moonlight spilled across the ground.
The demon emerged, entering a narrow alley.
Chi Xiyan thought it was a perfect opportunity, but then he heard footsteps echoing around him. He halted his steps; the path ahead was blocked by someone, and the way behind was blocked as well. He was caught in a dilemma between advancing and retreating.
It was the same group from earlier in the day.
The newcomer had upturned eyes, sprinkled with light freckles across his face, wearing a thoroughly patronizing expression as he said, “Little brother, how about we make a deal? I see that you are also penniless and have nowhere to go.”
Chi Xiyan ignored him, observing that people occasionally passed by this place, which would probably make it convenient for him to take action.
“I suppose you must be down on your luck. If you spend a night with me, I will give you plenty of benefits.” The freckled cultivator wore an expression that said “you’re getting a great deal,” entirely certain that Chi Xiyan would agree.
This attitude left no room for negotiation; it seemed the person was prepared to resort to force if things didn’t work out.
Chi Xiyan let out a soft laugh. His previous face had been far too conspicuous, and though he had thought this new face wouldn’t cause any trouble, it still managed to attract unwanted attention.
In truth, a true beauty lies in their bone structure rather than superficial skin, and furthermore, his temperament was extraordinary, carrying a sharp edge akin to the young master of a wealthy household.
How ridiculous. No one had ever spoken such filthy words to him before, yet he was actually amused enough to laugh without striking down on the spot. With a playful air, he asked, “What capital do you have?”
The freckled cultivator patted something at his waist a command plaque with a boldly written “Kun” character carved on it. The brushstrokes were fierce and powerful, flowing like a startled dragon, and he declared, “Kunhan Sect, the greatest sect in the world. The benefits I can give you will certainly not be few.”
Upon hearing the name Kunhan Sect, the first image that surfaced in Chi Xiyan’s mind was Beixuan Shang’s face. Immediately following that, looking at the person from the same sect right before him, his murderous intent surged. He smiled and regulated his breath.
All of a sudden, the legs of the people beside him snapped with a series of loud cracks, forcing them to their knees on the ground. The loose gravel on the ground dug painfully into their flesh.
“What is going on?!” the freckled cultivator cried out in shock and uncertainty, struggling hard to prop his body up, but to no avail. His body was completely immobilized, and he asked in panic, “Who is it?!”
He raised his head and looked around, discovering nothing unusual.
The sword in his hand vibrated without reason, attempting to break free from his right hand with an irresistible force.
Chi Xiyan lifted his hand slightly, and the sword flew into his palm, behaving with unusual obedience.
“This… This is my natal sword…” the freckled cultivator stammered in shock and panic. He looked at Chi Xiyan with pupils trembling violently and lips shaking uncontrollably, attempting to find reassurance for himself. “How could this be? How could this be… You… Aren’t you a…”
A natal sword obeys only its master’s commands and is used solely by its master. Once it broke away into someone else’s hands like this, it proved that the person’s strength completely and utterly crushed the owner’s.
The freckled cultivator clearly realized that his current state was the handiwork of the person before him, and he instantly trembled all over with fright.
Chi Xiyan leisurely raised the sword and rested it against the freckled cultivator’s shoulder, less than an inch away from his neck. The sword’s biting coldness pressed directly against his throat, as if it would claim his life in the next second.
Daring not to dwell on anything else, the freckled cultivator looked up at Chi Xiyan with humble, pleading eyes and begged for mercy, “I was blind and failed to recognize a master! As long as you can spare us, you can have whatever you want!”
“I haven’t used a sword before.” Accustomed to wielding a whip, Chi Xiyan momentarily found using a sword felt awkward and unaccustomed in his hands, whereas that fellow Beixuan Shang could wield this sort of trinket with roaring momentum.
Seeing these few people kneeling on the ground, he calmly said, “Then let’s practice with the sword.”
Seeing a glimmer of hope, the freckled cultivator’s face flashed with joy. He attempted to move his legs and found that he could stand up. Seeing this, the remaining few people also got up and, almost instantly, charged straight at him with their swords, attempting a sneak attack.
The moment Chi Xiyan struck, he almost ended up using the sword like a whip. Fortunately, his reflexes were exceptionally fast; his sword technique was simple yet swift.
These people couldn’t even touch the hem of his garments! He sealed their throats with a single sword stroke each, without even the sound of blades clashing.
Before Chi Xiyan could even taste the flavor of the battle, it was already over. He sighed with mild regret, “Trash.”
Turning around, he saw the freckled cultivator at the corner of the wall attempting to slip away silently by hugging the wall.
The alley was dead silent. Seemingly realizing he had been exposed, the freckled cultivator halted his movement for a fraction of a second, then bolted with all his might to run away.
Chi Xiyan raised an eyebrow and flicked the sword. Like an arrow leaving the string with unstoppable momentum, it pierced straight into the area between the freckled cultivator’s legs.
The freckled cultivator’s most treasured possession was pinned to the ground, causing his entire body to pitch forward and fall flat, eating a mouthful of dust. He screamed in agonizing pain, making a hideous, ear-splitting racket that was impossible to bear.
Chi Xiyan had excellent aim; this had been an intentional shot. After crippling the freckled cultivator’s precious assets, he retrieved the sword and cleanly lopped off the screeching head, separating the head from the body.
Leaving such a mess here would truly be troublesome if the villagers woke up and saw it tomorrow. Besides, since they were sect members, their sudden disappearance would easily draw attention, and he did not intend to expose his whereabouts.
So, he simply pinned the blame on the demon.
With a wave of his hand, the scene was instantly filled with the demon’s aura.
As soon as he finished, a sharp pain churned in his chest. Damned Beixuan Shang otherwise, such a simple matter wouldn’t have caused him pain. For now, he simply had to recuperate.
“To think you’re so shameless, framing me like this?” A soft, feminine voice echoed from the dark, and a figure emerged from the shadows it was the demon.
Chi Xiyan finally saw the demon’s face clearly. Even though its cheeks were narrow and painted with rouge, it could not conceal the fact that this was a man!
He leisurely said, “You are quite welcome to go tell those sects the truth.”
The demon choked back its words. Go tell them? That would be walking right into their jaws to deliver its head, terrified as it was that they wouldn’t catch it!
“Crawl to your death!” The demon lost its temper, its entire face distorting and lengthening. Its moist cheeks caved in and wrinkled, while its hands transformed into tiger-like claws with sharp nails.
The sharp claws lunged straight for Chi Xiyan’s heart, but Chi Xiyan nimbly sidestepped and dodged them. After the momentum spent itself, the demon turned around and came at him again, pursuing him relentlessly.
Chi Xiyan had no desire to kill the demon, as explaining the pile of corpses later would be troublesome, and he must not expose his whereabouts under any circumstances.
Yet this demon was dead set on taking his life, and he was not one to simply swallow his grievances.
He leaked a sliver of dark demonic power, fiercely pressing down on the demon. Overwhelmed by the natural submission owed to a superior powerhouse, the demon froze mid-action, revealing an expression of terror identical to the freckled cultivator’s. It shivered and stammered, “You… You are…”
Out of the corner of his eye, Chi Xiyan caught sight of a man in white in the distance. Judging by his posture and physique, he was also a cultivator.
An idea flashed through his mind instantly: killing with a borrowed knife. He reined in his demonic energy, leaving the demon’s claws still hanging frozen in mid-air.
Chi Xiyan smoothly collapsed to the ground and shouted, “Murder!”
The demon wore a bewildered expression, standing frozen in place in utter shock.
In the next second, right before Chi Xiyan’s eyes, the demon’s entire body flew backward in a blur. The tremendous impact drove it straight into the wall, pinning it there.
A flash of surprise crossed Chi Xiyan’s eyes. He had been prepared to secretly employ some covert tricks against the demon if this passerby turned out to have low martial prowess; he hadn’t expected this person’s strength to seem rather impressive—at least their speed was exceptionally fast.
The demon wedged in the wall remained motionless, and no breath of life could be felt from it anymore. Chi Xiyan knew the demon was dead. He sized up the person who had just arrived.
Before he could study him for long, he was caught red-handed by the rightful owner. Those cold, deep, mysterious eyes were exceptionally striking; he rather liked them. If he could carve them out and hide them away, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
The owner of those eyes was exceedingly detached. After sweeping his gaze over the shadows on the ground, he locked his focus entirely on this sole “survivor.”
Realizing that being the only survivor looked rather suspicious, Chi Xiyan showed not a shred of fear, maintaining a steady gaze at the other person.
“A mortal?” the passerby asked.
Chi Xiyan had already concealed his demonic aura, leaving not a trace of immortal cultivation about his entire person. Without a shred of guilt, he nodded.
The other person squatted down and seized his wrist. Chi Xiyan immediately threw a palm strike out, though he suddenly realized the timing was wrong. He reined in most of his power, but couldn’t completely stop the momentum so a soft, harmless little slap landed squarely on the other’s arm.
The other person glanced at the spot where he had been struck, then raised his eyes to look at Chi Xiyan. Knowing this wasn’t the time to be stubborn, Chi Xiyan averted his gaze, dodging eye contact.
After checking his pulse, just as Chi Xiyan had anticipated, the passerby detected nothing unusual at all. The person stood up, clearly having concluded that he was a genuine, ordinary mortal.
“Why are you here?” the passerby asked.
Chi Xiyan decided to imitate the demon: softening his voice and looking pitiful, he pointed at the demon’s corpse and said, “That monster dragged me out… When I opened my eyes, it was already like this…”
The other person gave a slight nod, squatted back down, and inspected the corpses one by one. Chi Xiyan remained entirely unruffled, confident that the traces he left behind would not be discovered.
The man turned the corpses over, picked up the plaques hanging at their waists, paused for a few seconds, and said nothing.
In the end, those corpses were buried.
Thinking that he couldn’t just walk away empty-handed since his injuries still required spirit stones to recover, Chi Xiyan returned to the burial site later on.
Only to spot a familiar figure standing beside those mounds of earth. When the person turned around and revealed his face, Chi Xiyan instantly recognized who it was.
It was the passerby.
And obviously, the other person must have seen him, too.