The setting sun bled crimson, casting an eerie glow on Xie Rong Jing’s face. Standing amidst the scarlet flower field, his thin lips curved into a faint smile. His striking peach blossom eyes, clear as ink on paper, seemed to pierce through layers of obscurity, penetrating straight into one’s heart.
He had encountered people like Yu Sui Sui before—more than one.
When he first arrived at the Tian Zhao Sect, having been personally brought back by Yu Qianqiu, few had given him trouble. On the contrary, some had even sought to approach him.
These humans—men and women, young and old—all carried an air of condescending pity and hypocritical savior complexes. Their methods of approaching Xie Rong Jing varied, but they shared a common goal: to redeem him.
They wanted to mold him into a symbol; a demon raised in the human world, yet tamed, self-restrained, and bound by propriety.
Because of this, the moment he displayed any demon-like traits, those who had showered him with concern would instantly transform.
Some would be seized with terror, others would look upon him with utter disgust. Some would curse, lamenting their wasted sincerity, while others would flush with rage, determined to eliminate him at all costs…
Their reactions were always spectacular, greatly amusing him.
Xie Rong Jing delighted in seeing them like this. He yearned to witness more expressions interwoven with fury, disappointment, and tears. At such moments, a strange ecstasy would surge within him—extreme fear and brutality acting as potent catalysts, making his entire body tremble with irrepressible pleasure.
So, what would this young mistress’s reaction be?
Would it be incredulous accusations, desolate sorrow, or… hysterical weeping?
Whichever it was, he looked forward to it.
Xie Rong Jing’s expression grew increasingly gleeful. It had been so long since he last experienced this—strangely nostalgic, in a way.
His world was woven from malice that came from all directions, and he lived up to expectations as a truly wicked being.
If it pleased him, he would even stake his life for a good show.
Thus, he was willing to play the role the young mistress expected, humoring her in this tedious savior game.
But now, he had grown weary of it.
It was time to enjoy himself.
He stared intently at Yu Sui Sui, unwilling to miss even the slightest shift in her expression.
At first, Sui Sui was indeed briefly surprised.
After all, Xie Rong Jing had never shown his aggressive side—this was the first time.
But, but…
She felt she ought to be afraid, yet she had long been forewarned, deeply acquainted with his capricious nature. So now, her face was filled with an “Ah, so that’s how it is” realization.
Commonly known as giving up.
Still, seeing Xie Rong Jing’s expression, which practically screamed “I’m a villain,” she felt that not showing any fear would be disrespectful.
Wait—wasn’t his favorability rating -50?
Why bother giving him face? She wouldn’t.
If she left this world, she might forget this matter, but unfortunately, every time she saw Xie Rong Jing now, she was reminded of that -50.
With that thought, she decided to let his words go in one ear and out the other, pretending she heard nothing.
Not only did she ignore him, but since she was here, she might as well complete her tasks and fulfill this month’s workload.
“What nonsense are you talking about.” The innocent little white flower Yu Sui Sui persona activated as she stared into his eyes, enunciating each word clearly: “Xie Rong Jing, I’m not here to redeem you.”
The interest in Xie Rong Jing’s eyes grew increasingly intense as he examined her carefully, as if looking at a favorite toy.
“Do you know why the flowers here bloom so vibrantly?”
Who would know that?
She didn’t know how to grow flowers anyway.
Before she could answer, Xie Rong Jing continued speaking, his tone gentle as if telling a bedtime story—except this story was somewhat horrifying.
He released Yu Sui Sui, bent down, and gently brushed away the flowers and soil, revealing a white human skull.
Xie Rong Jing picked up the skull. Its interior was filled with soil, with two clusters of flowers sprouting from the eye sockets, blooming with decadent yet beautiful blossoms.
The scene looked utterly sanity-draining, yet Xie Rong Jing acted completely normal, his fingertips gently caressing those dazzling petals.
“Do you like it, young mistress?”
As if anyone would like that.
What kind of strange aesthetic is this!
Yu Sui Sui looked at him with disdain. She simply disliked red flowers paired with green leaves. If the leaves were trimmed away, leaving only the red and white color scheme, it would look much more pleasing.
Yes, this is exactly the kind of look I want.
Xie Rong Jing narrowed his eyes, as if reminiscing.
The last person who wanted to save him seemed to be a woman quite similar to Yu Sui Sui.
Two years ago when he was fifteen, that person was at most eighteen. She brought him meals every day… until she saw the half-rotten corpse pieces beneath the Scarletglow Flowers.
“You… you killed someone?” The young girl was terrified out of her wits, trembling as she backed away.
Actually, Xie Rong Jing hadn’t intended to scare her at the time, but when he saw the panicked young female cultivator, he found the situation quite interesting. So he smiled and pointed toward the east: “No, I brought it from over there.”
That place was the cemetery on North Peak, where the Outer Sect Disciples who died each year were buried.
Unexpectedly, after this explanation, the girl became even more distraught, her eyes wide with disbelief as if seeing him for the first time: “You madman! Have you no humanity? How… how could you dig up a fellow disciple’s body and then… chop it up to nourish your flowers?”
Xie Rong Jing’s smile froze, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes.
He didn’t understand why she was so agitated. When Demons died, their bodies would turn into pools of black liquid, but humans didn’t. Their corpses retained some Spirit Energy, which happened to be perfect for feeding his Scarletglow Flowers.
He couldn’t comprehend it, only knowing this might be another “demon-like characteristic”?
Perfect to display for this naive young mistress before him.
The naive young mistress nodded: “It’s alright, I prefer white flowers. They’d suit this, well, flowerpot better.”
Yu Sui Sui lived in an era of information explosion and had seen quite a few bizarre decorations. Using a skull as a flowerpot was nothing—she even had a skull-shaped night light on her desk, with both eyes lighting up by voice control, illuminating her path to the bathroom every night.
Crack—
The white skull was slowly crushed in Xie Rong Jing’s bare hand as he stood up. Even more unsettling than this was his expression, which maintained a slightly sickly smile the entire time.
…
Fine, he won.
Yu Sui Sui admitted this was somewhat frightening now.
If this had been half a month ago, she might have genuinely been scared.
Yu Sui Sui felt a pang of disappointment on Xie Rong Jing’s behalf.
What a pity—just one step too late.
You should have scared me earlier.
Thus, she maintained an indifferent expression, at most offering a reminder: “Be careful not to prick your hand.”
Xie Rong Jing: .
“I killed two people last month,” he raised an eyebrow, enunciating each word clearly.
Yu Sui Sui didn’t ask who they were—she could easily guess with her toes.
Her: “Oh, oh.”
Seeing the big villain still examining her with keen interest, as if awaiting her follow-up…
…But she had already finished speaking.
After all, she had prepared for the worst, so Yu Sui Sui was now quite accepting of anything Xie Rong Jing did.
So why was he still staring at her?
Could he be fishing for compliments?
Surely he wasn’t that twisted…
Phrases like “You look so handsome when you kill people” were really hard to say out loud!
Fortunately, Xie Rong Jing didn’t press further. He simply studied her with a novel, slightly puzzled gaze, as if she had transformed into a giant Scarletglow Flower.
He took a step closer to Yu Sui Sui, who instinctively retreated.
Witnessing this, Xie Rong Jing finally let out a soft chuckle.
He stood almost a head taller than her, blocking all the light in front of her. They were so close that Yu Sui Sui could catch the faint, elusive chill of his scent.
Their shadows overlapped on the carpet-like field of Scarletglow Flowers, resembling an affectionate couple deeply in love.
Xie Rong Jing brushed the leaves and soil from his palm, then gently pulled Yu Sui Sui even closer.
His lips hovered by her ear, whispering as if sharing a secret.
“When I killed the first person, he didn’t even realize what was happening. By the time he reacted, there was already a gaping hole in his chest.”
“I saw his heart was dark red, you know…”
Xie Rong Jing took Yu Sui Sui’s hand and guided it to his own chest: “Right about here.”
Yu Sui Sui: …
Sorry, she took back her earlier thought.
This guy really was that twisted after all 🙂
“The second person was killed by his own Spirit Energy,” Xie Rong Jing’s beautiful Peach Blossom Eyes sparkled with amusement. “It seems having Meridians isn’t always a good thing. Don’t you agree, young mistress?”
Damn it, when will this end?
Although she now possessed absolute defense, this big villain was purely launching psychological attacks.
She wasn’t exactly scared, just thoroughly creeped out.
“I think you should focus more on planting flowers and tending grasses instead of dwelling on these things,” Yu Sui Sui said, as if counseling a troubled student. “I won’t tell anyone about what happened between you and me, especially since they hurt you first.”
Xie Rong Jing: “…”
As if his spellcasting had been interrupted, the hand Xie Rong Jing used to hold her stiffened momentarily.
Yu Sui Sui seized the chance to successfully withdraw her wrist.
If she left it there any longer, she feared Xie Rong Jing might have an episode and tear off a chunk of his own flesh.
The sun was gradually swallowed by the horizon—night would soon fall.
Cultivators possessed excellent vision. Yu Sui Sui gazed southward and spotted Steward Niu waiting several miles away to escort his superior back to South Peak. Though the distance was too great to make out anything more than a round dot.
Oh, she almost forgot what Steward Niu had asked of her.
She distanced herself from Xie Rong Jing, poking the momentarily stunned great villain with her index finger: “If you don’t want to go to the Sect Celebration, then don’t. If anyone asks, just say I told you to.”
“……”
Xie Rong Jing looked at her with a complicated expression, letting the night gradually swallow his silhouette.