Within this mountain cave temple, there was no distinction between day and night. The light from the eternal lamps filled every corner of the cavern, enveloping this eerie shrine in a layer of holy frost.
Yu Yi had been here for three days and could now discern the time.
Because the group from the Ji Family, revered as immortals by future cultivators, would punctually chant sutras and make offerings outside at dawn, even more precisely than the elderly folks doing their morning square dancing.
After the ceremony, the Ji Family Head would enter the mountain cave alone, coming to the inner sanctum. The several layers of doors and windows of the sanctum would be sealed shut, all the eternal lamps within lit, reflecting off the golden-lacquered totems to create a dazzling array of light.
Yu Yi couldn't clearly see what they did within the light array, but after about fifteen minutes, the Ji Family Head would lead the group of young Taoist acolytes out.
The acolytes all carried black jade boxes identical to the previous day's, which they would place in the alchemy furnace outside at noon.
Yu Yi watched as the group exited the temple and entered the long, dark corridor. Each little Taoist acolyte was about the same height, and in fact, they looked quite similar, moving mechanically and only following orders.
The only people who could command them were the Ji Family Head and Xue Chenjing.
The acolytes all respectfully called him "Young Master," but from Yu Yi's observation, it seemed less like Xue Chenjing was ordering them and more like these acolytes were regulating Xue Chenjing's every word and action.
When it was time to do something, the acolytes would go to ask for instructions. If they didn't receive the correct answer after asking, they would circle around Xue Chenjing like malfunctioning dolls, only knowing how to surround him.
Only when he gave the correct command would they happily go to execute it.
The Puppet Children weren't really living beings after all, and most people wouldn't be constrained by such things.
But the Young Master's heart was especially soft, even caring for these clay figures, unwilling to see them troubled.
Yu Yi turned back to look at the youth sitting with his back to her in the inner sanctum. Xue Chenjing sat in the center of the sanctum, looking up at the statue of the holy and merciful deity, his hair trailing to the floor, forming winding curls on the marble tiles.
Today's scene was identical to yesterday's, and the day before that. She had even gone out to listen to the pair of siblings whispering at the end of the Ji Family procession.
Even their conversation was exactly the same.
Yu Yi tugged at the neck feathers of the crane and sighed, "They repeat the same day every day."
She had searched the entire surroundings and, as Xue Chenjing had said, she couldn't leave this place. The only one she could communicate with intermittently was him.
Yu Yi walked into the inner sanctum, crouched in front of him, looked at the youth's particularly pale face, and skillfully inserted the Green Bamboo Sword into his body.
The signal between them was really poor, but after trying many times, Yu Yi firmly believed that stabbing him with the sword could increase the chances of their "phone call" connecting.
See, this time, Xue Chenjing felt it.
He lowered his brows and eyes, touched his chest, and his pitch-black pupils reflected the eternal lamp at the base of the deity's statue. There was no additional human reflection, but he seemed to see her and spoke to the empty space: "You haven't left yet? He must be very busy outside."
The youth smiled gently as he spoke. His smile was different from before, the corners of his lips slightly raised, a clean smile spreading in his eyes, like a clear spring rippling with sparkling waves touched by the spring breeze.
Over these three days, Yu Yi often saw him smile, at those dull-witted Puppet Children, at her, this stranger of unknown origin.
His entire being exuded a gentle and pure quality from the inside out, something very difficult to fake.
Previously, when Xue Chenjing was trying to curry favor with her, he would pretend to smile gently, but the smile never reached his eyes, clearly reluctant and unwilling.
He was truly like a different person from before. Either his acting skills were incredibly good, or they were indeed two completely different people.
But Yu Yi couldn't be entirely certain, after all, their time together had been very short, too short to see through appearances to the essence.
Yu Yi pondered, glancing at the crane beside her, and said, "Crane Senior Brother, why didn't you peck him this time? Do you also think they're different?"
Crane Senior Brother let out a "ga" sound and nodded.
Yu Yi gripped the sword with both hands, speaking along the blade, trying to transmit her sound waves through the Green Bamboo Sword, "Who is he outside? Is he another Xue Chenjing? Did he imprison you here and then occupy your body?"
The youth listened carefully for a moment, though it wasn't clear how many words he actually heard, and murmured, "Xue Chenjing?"
He opened his mouth, repeating this name on the tip of his tongue a couple of times, his eyes actually showing a trace of envy, "He has a name now."
Yu Yi found this utterly perplexing and wanted to ask more, but suddenly saw a figure rush into the inner sanctum from outside like a violent storm.
The newcomer had beautiful, slightly curled black hair that flew as he moved rapidly, with two vibrant golden-red ribbons intertwined in his hair strands, instantly approaching her.
Two identical faces entered Yu Yi's vision, but one face was calm and gentle, eyes reflecting the silver frost of the eternal lamps.
The other face was full of murderous intent, his pupils reflecting her image, his gaze fierce, as if he might bite at any moment.
Such a stark contrast made their differences immediately apparent.
"Xue Chenjing!" Yu Yi pulled out her sword and chopped down at his head.
Having suffered several surprise attacks before, Xue Chenjing was now on guard. He twisted his body to avoid the strike, and simultaneously, something emerged from the shiny marble tiles beneath, skillfully wrapping around Yu Yi's body.
This was his inner world, how could he possibly be injured at will again?
A cold, slippery sensation enveloped Yu Yi's hands and feet like a cocoon. The crane was also caught up in the tentacles, its cries becoming muffled.
"Are you a rat? Sneaking into any place you can!" Xue Chenjing said irritably, his face gloomy as he reached out towards her. His eyes flashed with murderous intent, clearly intending to kill her at that moment.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and held back, only covering her eyes with his hand.
The cold, damp palm firmly adhered to her face, and Yu Yi's vision instantly plunged into darkness. She heard the Young Master's question, "Who is she to you?"
Yu Yi felt herself being forcefully pulled, her back pressed tightly against the cold body behind her.
Xue Chenjing's moving Adam's apple was close to her ear as he spoke with extreme disgust, snorting a laugh, "You'll never know."
Then, a gust of wind rushed past her ears.
When the hand covering her face relaxed, she had already left that eerie mountain cave temple and arrived at an unfamiliar concave platform.
This platform wasn't large, like a round basin with walls on all sides and a smelting furnace in the center.
The furnace was blazing bright, flowing with molten iron like lava, resembling a volcano about to erupt. Just a glance could burn one's retina.
Endless waves of heat emanated from the furnace, sealed within this concave basin by the arrays carved on the surrounding walls, making it unbearably hot, even the air was distorted.
Every breath Yu Yi took felt like swallowing burning coals, making it difficult to breathe. She struggled to ask, "Where is this place?"
Xue Chenjing, however, seemed completely unaffected by the heat. He stood very close to the furnace, the boiling heat distorting his figure as if he might melt.
"The Weapon Tempering Platform within the Sword-Sealing Stone," Xue Chenjing replied casually, his attention focused on the central furnace.
The air around Yu Yi began to smoke, the vapor from the evaporating tentacles wrapped around her body.
The scorching temperature quickly penetrated the tentacles, and those transparent limbs turned red-hot, finally revealing their true appearance to Yu Yi.
Her eyes widened in shock, pupils reflecting a large mass of writhing tentacles.
These tentacles extended from Xue Chenjing's feet, spreading to every corner of this place, turning this concave basin into a nest of intertwined tentacles.
Wet, sticky fluid hung everywhere, even the boiling heat from the furnace couldn't evaporate all that transparent, viscous liquid.
The air was filled with the squelching sounds of the tentacles moving, a sound Yu Yi had heard before.
They looked similar to octopus tentacles, with the thickest parts wider than her waist, and suction cups on the underside that opened and closed as they writhed. The semi-transparent backs, steamed by the furnace's heat, were adorned with golden wave-like patterns.
Yu Yi raised her Green Bamboo Sword and thrust it at one of the tentacles wrapped around Crane Senior Brother. The sword tip slid off the golden pattern on the tentacle's back.
The clash of metal rang out as the sword struck sparks off the tentacle. The golden wave patterns on the tentacle bristled angrily, and as it swept across the ground, it effortlessly carved a deep groove.
Only then did Yu Yi realize that those weren't patterns at all, but rather a layer of hard scales.
Xue Chenjing heard the sound of the sword and turned to look at her, a smug expression on his face. He sneered, "This time, you won't be able to cut through it so easily."
Yu Yi: "..." Good grief, she thought. She distinctly remembered that these tentacles didn't have these snake-like scales when she last encountered them up close.
Could it be that Xue Chenjing was capable of evolving?
What kind of bizarre novel was this? What sort of monster was she supposed to have a happy ending with?
"You'd better not move, or I'll flay that stupid bird alive right here," Xue Chenjing threatened in a low voice.
Crane Senior Brother let out a shrill cry of alarm and, wisely choosing discretion over valor, didn't dare to move an inch.
Yu Yi withdrew her Green Bamboo Sword and sat in this strange fleshy nest, her entire body entwined by these snake-like octopus tentacles, covered in cold, slimy fluid.
With utter disgust, she asked, "What on earth are you? Do you think you're a Pokémon or a Digimon?"
Xue Chenjing didn't understand what she was saying, but the system immediately chimed in with an explanation: "Master, Pokémon and Digimon are cartoon animations, equivalent to children's picture books in the human world. The little creatures in them can evolve into stronger forms, just like how you added defensive snake scales to your tentacles."
Although the female protagonist's fondness for the host had plummeted to new lows, the system still tried its best to cheer up its host, exaggerating, "They're all super cute, Master! When the female protagonist compares you to them, she's complimenting you on being adorable!"
Yu Yi: "???" She wasn't, she didn't! She was just trying to probe whether Xue Chenjing was also a transmigrator.
Could this damned system please stop over-interpreting everything?
Xue Chenjing scoffed disdainfully, muttering, "Who needs her compliments?"
After all, her goodwill towards him was now only at two percent.
He raised his hand and stroked one of the thick tentacles beside him. All the tentacles on the platform writhed in response, forming two tight cocoons that separated and imprisoned the crane and Yu Yi.
"Stay put," Xue Chenjing said, then turned towards the central Weapon Tempering Platform. The intense heat distorted his form.
As he approached the furnace, his hair spontaneously combusted, bursting into sparks like scattered stars. Flames licked at the hem of his robe and sleeves.
With each step Xue Chenjing took, a sizzling sound erupted beneath his feet, like the sound of raw meat being placed on a grill.
He finally reached the center of the Weapon Tempering Platform, standing at one end of the furnace. He looked down at the dazzling flames below, where molten iron, heated to a bright yellow, churned in the furnace.
Then, without warning, he dove in.
Through layers of semi-transparent tentacles, Yu Yi watched in shock as sparks flew up from the furnace, flames engulfing his figure in an instant.
She found it difficult to comprehend. Xue Chenjing had gone to such lengths to curry favor with her, trying to unlock the plot and enter the Sword-Sealing Stone. Surely he hadn't come all this way just to jump into a fiery pit? Even if he was extremely cold-natured, this seemed excessive.
Perhaps he intended to forge a sword? This was the first time she'd seen someone jump into a furnace to consecrate a blade.
Yu Yi thought with relief that at least he hadn't dragged her in with him when he jumped.
