Dark Cinnabar Mountain was not originally called Dark Cinnabar. It used to be a spiritual land belonging to a branch of the Ji Clan. When those venerable old ancestors of the Ji family succumbed to demonic possession one after another, the immortal clan fell into internal turmoil. The great family that had dominated the world of cultivation for thousands of years collapsed as swiftly as an anthill washed away by a flood.
In just over a hundred years, even the Demon Clan was able to claim a piece of the pie from the Ji family's hands.
This spiritual land was occupied by Xuan Dan and renamed Dark Cinnabar Mountain. The highest point of Dark Cinnabar Mountain was where the branch family used to make offerings to the main family. After being occupied by demons, it had long been abandoned.
But today, in order to humiliate that immortal lord, Xuan Dan reopened the altar, forcing Ji Hanyi to stain her hands with the blood of innocent people, wear a wedding dress, and perform the ceremony of bowing to heaven and earth with her at this altar.
Colorful silks were hung all around the altar, along with red lanterns that hadn't been taken down. The ground was covered in firecracker debris, and in some places, dried blood had seeped into the stone bricks.
The lingering smell of gunpowder inevitably reminded one of the demons' wild celebration during the day. Huai Li was reluctant to step into the altar, feeling guilty that she couldn't save the immortal lord.
So Yu Yi told her to stay on top of a locust tree outside the altar. The five-colored bird landed on a branch and transformed into a young girl wearing a ru skirt. On the deep green hem of her skirt, golden embroidery reflected a faint light, complementing the locust flowers around her.
From here, one could see the entire layout of Dark Cinnabar Mountain.
The deep night shrouded the foot of the mountain, with the red glow of lanterns floating in the darkness. Most of the courtyards had quieted down, with only a few places still brightly lit where demons continued their all-night celebrations.
Huai Li asked puzzledly, "What are we looking at here?"
"Just enjoying the night scenery," Yu Yi replied casually, turning her neck to carefully survey every part of Dark Cinnabar Mountain, noting the differences between tonight and usual nights.
Huai Li obediently began to appreciate the night view, thinking that Yu Yi must like this place because she often asked her to transform into a bird and fly around Dark Cinnabar Mountain, wanting to look at this and that.
The night on Dark Cinnabar Mountain was indeed beautiful. The air was rich with spiritual energy, and the locust flowers bloomed all year round. The drooping flower clusters emitted a soft glow, like natural crystal lamps adorning the green waves of branches and leaves.
When the night wind rose, flower petals would be tossed into the air, like stars scattered across the sky.
"The stars are so bright," Huai Li said, sitting on a tree fork and swinging her feet back and forth. She plucked a cluster of locust flowers from the branch and ate them one by one.
There were no stars in the sky. Yu Yi knew she was talking about the flowers. Tonight, the locust flowers were indeed brighter than usual, not overshadowed by the lantern light.
Under the glow of red lanterns all over the mountain, those spots of snow-white starlight stood out even more prominently.
Yu Yi savored the sweet taste of flower juice in her mouth, her gaze following the flying locust petals. When the night wind first rose, these petals flew out sparsely, scattering on treetops and roofs. As time passed, the spiritual energy in the flower petals would dissipate, and their glow would gradually dim.
But tonight, the locust flowers' glow was brighter than usual, and after the petals fell to the ground, their light faded more slowly. Layer upon layer of flower petals accumulated, vaguely forming a pattern.
Yu Yi suddenly jumped up, startling the other soul in her body.
Huai Li exclaimed, "What's wrong?"
"Look at the falling locust flower petals," Yu Yi pointed downward. The pattern formed by the locust flowers was still incomplete, with only a blurry outline, but it was clear that this should be an array.
Huai Li said puzzledly, "It seems to be some kind of diagram. Strange, we've never seen this before."
"Because tonight the glow of the flower petals lasts longer than usual," Yu Yi said, standing still holding onto the tree trunk, wanting to wait for the outline of the array below to become clearer so she could make out what kind of array it was.
Just then, the crown of a tree not far away suddenly began to shake violently, making a rustling sound. Yu Yi turned her head, alertly looking in that direction.
A lithe figure suddenly sprang into the air, his curved back in the moonlight like a flexible bow, with six long tails flaring behind him, revealing the identity of the newcomer.
Yu Yi bent her knees, intending to use the springiness of the branch to jump to another tree.
But Huai Li, who had been startled by this cat for years, already had a psychological shadow of him. Li Su's sudden and shocking appearance made her feet go weak. Her foot slipped, and she fell from the branch with a scream.
The cat demon swooped down, grabbed her shoulder, and forcefully pressed her into the grass at the base of the tree.
With the back of her head hitting the hard tree trunk, both Yu Yi and Huai Li were stunned. Before they could recover, someone grabbed her chin and lifted her head. Li Su had his back to the light, his face hidden in darkness, only a pair of cat eyes glowing green, staring at her with intense pressure.
"What magic did you use to knock me away in the demon palace? Who taught you?"
"It... it was taught by grandmother," Huai Li choked out. Just seeing those cat eyes made her want to cry. Yu Yi had said Li Su liked her, but if he really liked her, how could he be so fierce?
He clearly just wanted to eat her.
Li Su applied more force with his hand, his fingertips sinking into her smooth cheeks. He lowered his voice sternly, "You're lying. Do you think I don't know what magic you've learned? What you used clearly wasn't demon magic. Have you met that human cultivator? The way you looked at him earlier today was very suspicious."
"I haven't," Huai Li raised her hands to pry at his fingers, trying to remove them.
Li Su didn't believe her at all. His fingers remained as immovable as iron pliers as he continued to glare at her. "When that guy was performing the ceremony with the Mountain Lord, you were almost crying. Now you've come here in the middle of the night. You still say you haven't?"
"I just came to see the night view..."
Yu Yi saw that the little bird demon really couldn't withstand Li Su's onslaught. She said to Huai Li in her mind, "Step aside, let me take over."
Huai Li's soul immediately shrank into a corner.
Yu Yi raised her eyes to look at the young man pressing down on her. His mouth was opening and closing, still speaking, saying she was a cowardly, lazy, and useless bird who even felt sympathy for human cultivators, saying she smelled of humans, saying she was shameless.
Yu Yi heard these words and could feel Huai Li's sadness at these harsh words. She flexed her fingers and raised her hand to slap him hard across the face.
Stupid thing, the trope of bullying the one you like went out of fashion long ago. If it weren't for the fact that he eventually sacrificed himself in a sea of fire to save Huai Li, Yu Yi wouldn't even bother dealing with him.
Slap—
The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the forest. Li Su's words cut off, stunned by this slap. He said in shock, "You dare to hit me?"
The little bird demon was already dumbfounded by Yu Yi's action.
Yu Yi raised her hand and gave him another hard slap, turning his head to the side. "I'm not some useless bird. I'm the most precious five-colored bird."
The cat demon's cheeks burned as if on fire. He bared his fangs, about to get angry, but when he looked down, he saw the young girl beneath him looking up at him timidly yet stubbornly. The scattered light from the locust flowers above fell into her tear-filled eyes, more beautiful than any crystal jewel.
Her gaze was also as cold as crystal as she said, "Li Su, you always scold me, belittle me, bully me. If you keep doing this, you'll only make me despise you."
Li Su wanted to laugh. What was the big deal about being despised by a useless bird demon? But looking at the serious expression of the girl beneath him, his heart inexplicably clenched, realizing that she really would come to despise him.
Yu Yi didn't try to pry his fingers off anymore. She just looked up at him like this, not avoiding his gaze as she usually did.
With his excellent night vision, Li Su could clearly see the red marks his grip had left on her fair face. Her brows were furrowed, the five-colored demon markings shimmering, truly showing an expression of disgust.
Li Su's wrist trembled, and he unconsciously loosened his grip.
Yu Yi raised her foot to kick him off her, massaging her sore jaw where he had grabbed her.
The cat demon looked down at his own hand. The delicate feeling of the girl's cheek still lingered on his fingertips. Half of his face throbbed with pain, and he could feel his skin swelling up.
This was the first time anyone had slapped him, and it was Huai Li who did it.
How dare she?!
And he had actually been cowed by her.
Li Su couldn't quite discern what he was feeling at that moment. Anger churned in his throat, his golden cat eyes nearly igniting in the dark night. Demonic energy swirled around him as he turned to glare irritably, only to see her raised hand once again.
The demonic aura around Li Su instantly congealed. With agile movements, he flipped backwards through the air, landing lightly on bent knees, cautiously putting distance between them.
However, Yu Yi had no intention of hitting him. Her raised palm held a warm white light - a healing spell. Sobbing, she said, "Li Su, you're too fierce. I hit my head on the tree, and my dress was torn by branches. I was just so angry earlier, that's why I hit you."
Li Su crouched on the ground, hands planted, not moving an inch. He only let out a suppressed low growl from his throat.
The little bird demon trembled in fear, but still maintained the healing spell in her hands. Timidly, she asked, "Did I hurt you?"
Through the white light, she looked at him cautiously, tears teetering on the edge of her eyes. Though he was the one who had been struck, she looked even more pitiful than him.
Li Su's lips moved, and immediately a stinging pain shot through his cheek. Her two slaps had been truly vicious - he could even taste blood in his mouth. But such superficial wounds were nothing to him; the insult was far worse.
For a moment, neither of them moved. After a long while, the eyes behind the white light gradually dimmed. She lowered her gaze, and the tears that had been welling up finally spilled over, sliding down her cheeks to her chin, forming a glistening droplet.
Seeing her about to withdraw her hand, Li Su finally couldn't help but leap forward, grabbing her hand and pressing it to his swollen face.
In his heart, he berated himself for being so weak. But when her soft palm touched his face, the healing white light covering half his visage, he felt happier than he had in a long time.
Yu Yi sniffled and smiled at him.
Li Su's gaze flickered. The swelling on his cheek had already subsided, but his face still felt hot. He said fiercely, "Stop smiling. Your face is all snot and tears. Ugly..."
Seeing the look in her eyes, containing that cold light - as if one more harsh word, one more cruel syllable from him would shatter their relationship like fragile glass, never to be restored - just as she had said.
Li Su's voice halted. He pressed his lips together, swallowing back the hurtful words.
Yu Yi smiled at him again, the dimple in her cheek faintly indenting, her eyes shining with joy.
Suddenly, Li Su seemed to find the right way to treat her. His Adam's apple bobbed several times before he finally, rather awkwardly, managed to utter a concerned question: "Your head... is it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Yu Yi smiled at him again, gently wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. With a pleading tone, she said, "Li Su, from now on, can you always speak to me gently like just now? Don't be fierce with me, and I won't be scared and want to hide when I see you."
Li Su opened his mouth, but faced with her expectant gaze, the caustic words that usually sprang to his lips seemed stuck in his throat. After a long while, he finally gave a muffled "Mm."
Yu Yi's smile grew even sweeter, her eyes sparkling like stars. She deliberately leaned closer to his face. "Why is your face still so red? Let me heal you again."
Her breath brushed his face, carrying the sweet scent of locust flowers. Li Su's heart pounded like a drum. He suddenly leaned back, the heat in his cheeks intensifying.
He cast a hasty glance at her torn skirt hem, then turned and plunged into the forest. "Your dress... I'll compensate you for it."
Yu Yi watched his retreating back as he fled in disarray. The smile faded from her face as she spoke to another soul within her body: "Did you see? You don't need to fear him at all. Next time he's fierce with you, just deal with him like this - give him a taste of the stick, then feed him a sweet date."
Huai Li was full of admiration, asking nervously, "Can I do that too?"
"It's precisely because it's you that you can," Yu Yi said, leaping back to the treetop. As she looked down, she patiently explained, "He likes you, so between the two of you, he's at a disadvantage. You can use his feelings for you to put a bridle around his neck, and train him into the shape you like."
Huai Li listened, half-understanding. Her heart began to race, filled with eager anticipation.
Yu Yi tapped her own chest. "But, you mustn't fall for him, okay? Otherwise, you'll be the one with the bridle around your neck."
The night wind swept through the forest, rustling the leaves with a soft susurration. A few transparent magic jellyfish floated away from the deep green skirt, rising and falling with the breeze. A moment later, they landed in a slender hand.
Xue Chenjing sat atop a pure white giant snake, which carried him through the dense forest. Though massive in size, it moved silently, not even disturbing the surrounding branches.
Its body of white scales should have been dazzling in the night, yet when the cat demon brushed past them, he failed to notice the great snake or the man sitting upon it.
The system murmured longingly, "The female lead is so good at training dogs~" If only it had been bound to the female lead, how smoothly the tasks would have gone.
Xue Chenjing let out a derisive snort through his nose, correcting, "That's a cat demon."
The system sighed.
...
Because of Li Su's interruption, by the time Yu Yi climbed back up to look down, the pattern formed by the falling locust flowers had completely changed shape. But still, no complete form could be discerned.
The time the locust flowers spent away from the trees varied, so the time it took for their light to dissipate also differed. This caused the pattern formed by the fallen flowers to always be incomplete. If not for the flowers glowing longer today, they would never have noticed this situation.
"These locust trees have been here since the Mountain Lord led us to settle here," Huai Li explained. "This place is rich in spiritual energy, so the locust flowers are saturated with it. Their nectar is sweeter than honey. I love to pick them and steam them to eat, or make them into locust honey, locust cakes, or cook them with rice."
As she spoke, her mouth watered. She popped another locust flower into her mouth, then pointed at the large locust tree in the center, continuing, "Locust trees have heavy yin energy. Some demons don't like locust trees, so when we first came here, many were uprooted. At first, there were several trees as big as that one, but now only one remains."
"So, you don't need to worry needlessly. If there was an array set up with the locust trees, it should have been destroyed long ago."
"But what if the array was formed after the trees were dug up?" Yu Yi asked.
The little bird demon's mouth gaped open, stumped by her question. After a long while, she squeezed out a worried response, "Maybe I should still report this to the Mountain Lord. She's the most powerful demon on Dark Cinnabar Mountain. She'd definitely notice if something was amiss."
Yu Yi shook her head. For all they knew, this could be an array set up by the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord herself. Besides, this array was unlikely to be so simple. Using locust trees to form an array would be too obvious. She had been investigating Dark Cinnabar Mountain for so long and hadn't noticed anything strange about the distribution of these locust trees.
But regardless, there must be something peculiar about this pattern formed by the falling locust flowers.
She rummaged through the treasure pouch hanging at Huai Li's waist, pulling out a charcoal pencil and a small string-bound notebook. Based on her previous explorations of Dark Cinnabar Mountain, she roughly sketched the layout of this area on paper, then drew the pattern formed by the falling locust flowers on top of it.
She then instructed the five-colored bird to fly up high and investigate if there was anything strange about the night wind.
All the while, she remained completely unaware that someone was approaching them.
When still some distance from the mountaintop altar, Xue Chenjing reached out and patted the white snake beneath him. The snake immediately stopped, lowering its head to set him on the ground.
During their time in the bridal chamber, Xue Chenjing had subjugated the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord, reducing this snake demon to a servant at his command.
This development deviated from Ji Hanyi's experiences in life, plunging this earth-bound spirit into confusion and loosening its restraints on Xue Chenjing.
This allowed him to command the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord to bring him to the altar at the back of the mountain.
The spine of this body was already shattered, unable to stand upright on its own. Xue Chenjing could only rely on his own tentacles, firmly attached to his back, using their support to gain some mobility.
He still wore that vibrantly red wedding attire. The voluminous outer robe draped over him concealed any oddities from view.
Xue Chenjing lowered his gaze to the snake demon prostrated on the ground. He extended his hand, a hand accustomed to wielding swords, with long and powerful fingers, yet the nails were painted with gaudy blood-red polish. His lips moved slightly as he commanded, "Go back and do as I instructed earlier."
The white snake raised its head slightly, obediently touching its forehead to his fingertips in reverence three times, then turned and swiftly slithered down the mountain.
Not long after, a burst of fireworks shot out from the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord's chamber with a shrill whistle, the explosive sound awakening all the demons.
As the fireworks scattered, the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord's decree reached the ears of all demons—Ji Hanyi had been rescued by someone, Xuan Dan was furious, and ordered the entire mountain to be on high alert, searching for Ji Hanyi and the traitor.
Lights were lit in all the halls, demons mobilized, and Dark Cinnabar Mountain once again boiled with activity.
The flitting shadows of demons disturbed the night breeze and scattered the locust blossoms fallen on the ground, quickly erasing the outline of the magic formation.
The little bird demon jumped up from the tree branch, the golden threads on her skirt flashing like rippling water, transforming into a five-colored bird with a long, slender tail as it dove towards the foot of the mountain.
Huai Li chirped excitedly, "The immortal lord has been rescued! Someone else besides me wanted to save him."
Yu Yi tried to restrain Huai Li's actions, wanting her to stay out of it for now.
Huai Li hadn't gone to rescue anyone tonight, yet the immortal lord had still been saved. Yu Yi couldn't be certain if this was all still following the pattern of their past life experiences.
If that were the case, this little bird demon rushing down now would be walking right into a trap.
The two disagreed, and the five-colored bird alternated between folding its wings to dive down and flapping them to return to the locust tree, frantically spinning in mid-air.
As the two were chirping and arguing, a sudden gust of wind blew up from the forest. The five-colored bird's feathers fluttered wildly, its round body spinning in the wind, just in time to catch sight of a crimson silk flower carried by the breeze.
It grasped the silk flower with its claw and looked in the direction from which it had come, seeing a scarlet figure beneath the swaying branches and leaves.
In the dark night, the figure concealed among the branches shouldn't have been so noticeable, but birds have exceptionally keen dynamic vision. Moreover, the person had just approached a locust tree, and the glow of the locust blossoms fell upon him, causing a golden glint to reflect off a vermilion hairpin on his head.
"It's the immortal lord!" Huai Li exclaimed joyfully, rushing over without hesitation, unstoppable even by nine oxen.
Yu Yi: "..." Is that really the immortal lord? That's clearly your roasting rack.
When the bird demon landed on the ground, it clearly startled the immortal lord. Ji Hanyi, using his sword as a crutch to support his severely injured body, tried to flee uphill. Sensing a demon approaching, he immediately gripped his sword tightly, pointing the tip directly at the newcomer.
Though his eyes couldn't see, his other senses were extremely acute. His face, smeared beyond recognition, was filled with wariness.
Perhaps to facilitate his escape, he had torn the skirt of his wedding gown and discarded cumbersome ornaments, leaving only a single vermilion hairpin in his disheveled black hair.
The night wind tousled his long hair, and beneath the flying strands were a pair of dull, defeated eyes. His left eye was injured, the socket swollen and bloodshot, the eyeball itself invisible. A trail of bloody tears had congealed on his face, making him look particularly pitiful.
Without the five-colored bird entering the chamber to rescue him, it was unclear how this immortal lord had managed to escape from right under the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord's nose.
"Dark Cinnabar Mountain is full of demons. Your demonic power is mediocre, and you're burdened with someone whose cultivation is completely ruined. You won't be able to escape," Yu Yi was still trying to prevent her from throwing her life away. "If you capture him now and return him to the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord, you could earn great merit. Otherwise, if you're caught together, you'll have only death awaiting you."
With the immortal lord right before her, in such a miserable state, it was hard not to feel compassion, especially for such an innocent and soft-hearted bird who admired this immortal lord.
Huai Li couldn't heed Yu Yi's persuasion anymore. She carefully approached, speaking in a voice so soft it seemed she feared startling him, "Immortal lord, it's me, the five-colored bird you spared three years ago. Do you remember?"
Ji Hanyi gripped his long sword, struggling to straighten his back. As one who had practiced swordsmanship for years, even with his cultivation completely ruined, he still exuded an aura of inviolable dignity when pointing his sword at someone.
But Yu Yi could see that he was at the end of his rope, barely able to stand against a gust of wind.
Seeing that he remained unmoved, still defensively holding his sword against her, Huai Li anxiously said, "Immortal lord, I won't harm you. I had intended to come rescue you tonight..."
Unable to stop Huai Li, Yu Yi could only think of ways to prolong the bird's life a little longer, as she had no desire to experience being burned to death.
Seeing that some demons were already searching up the mountain, following Ji Hanyi's aura, Yu Yi directly interrupted Huai Li's reminiscing and said, "If you want to save him, stop wasting time. He can't fight you now, just pick him up and run."
With that, she took control, pushing aside Huai Li's soul and taking charge of the body to rush forward. Huai Li was stunned for a moment but obediently went along with her intent this time.
In the void, magical spirit jellyfish floating like dandelion seeds dispersed with the wind stirred by her footsteps, then quickly regathered, densely surrounding the little bird demon.
The magical spirit jellyfish transmitted her every move into Xue Chenjing's mind, even more detailed than if he were watching with his own eyes.
The golden patterns on her skirt, the arc of her flying hair, the rise and fall of her breath, and the subtle changes in her facial expressions—not a single detail was missed.
Thus, Xue Chenjing easily recognized who was running towards him from the look in the young girl's eyes. At this moment, her eyes held no pity for the fallen immortal lord, only finding him troublesome.
It was that cold-hearted Yu Yi.
"Don't come any closer..." He mimicked Ji Hanyi's personality, trying to drive away the person running towards him with a harsh, hoarse shout. The effort caused his shattered throat bones to shift, and he couldn't help but turn his head and spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Xue Chenjing bent his knees, pretending to be unable to support himself as he half-knelt on the ground, reversing his grip on the long sword to thrust it into the ground for support.
Yu Yi ignored his warning, a flash of light passing through her hand as she first took away the weapon in his hand, then slid under him before he could fall, using her shoulder to support his body.
Warm blood dripped onto her neck as Yu Yi warned in a low voice, "If the immortal lord doesn't want to be captured and taken back to the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord's chamber, you'd better behave."
This immortal lord was clearly a person who knew when to compromise. Although his breathing was heavy and he seemed quite unwilling to let a demon get so close, he truly didn't resist any further.
Or perhaps this severely injured and crippled body of his simply couldn't resist even if he wanted to.
The sounds of pursuit from behind grew closer. Transforming into a bird and flying away would make them too obvious a target. Yu Yi could only carry him on her back and plunge into the dense forest. Fortunately, although the little bird demon's cultivation was mediocre, carrying a person was still manageable.
Five-colored demonic energy entwined around the immortal lord's body, supporting most of his weight. Yu Yi grasped his hands over her shoulders and sprinted forward.
"Does the immortal lord want to go to the altar? Is there a place to hide there?" Yu Yi asked.
Xue Chenjing lowered his eyelashes. Invisible magical spirit jellyfish surged around them, occasionally seizing the opportunity to silently attach themselves to Yu Yi's body, their fleshy tentacles exploring beneath her hair, into her collar, skirt hem, and boot tops.
The more magical spirits that landed on her, the clearer she became in Xue Chenjing's mind. Enduring the pain in his throat, he breathed with difficulty and said, "Yes... just take me there..."
Yu Yi said no more and carried him into the highest altar. Standing at the edge of the altar covered in firecracker debris, she turned her head and asked, "Immortal lord, what should we do next?"
Xue Chenjing took a couple of labored breaths before squeezing out another sentence from his throat: "Do you know how to perform the Yu Step?"
How could a cultivator skilled in both talismans and swordsmanship not know the Yu Step? But this little bird demon shouldn't know it. Yu Yi hesitated briefly, feeling the demonic energy gradually closing in from below. With no other escape route available, she could only say, "I do."
"Mm." The person on her back gave a low acknowledgment, seemingly not very surprised, and instructed her to enter the altar and stand on a specific stone, saying hoarsely, "There's still... a trace of my spiritual power... left on my sword."
Yu Yi took out the sword she had seized from her storage bag and thrust it into the ground as he had instructed. A translucent, water-like glow flowed down the blade, spreading a layer of spiritual waves on the ground.
Under the lingering spiritual power of the sword, she performed the steps of the Big Dipper. With each step, the spiritual energy on the ground would surge violently, seeping into the bricks below.
As she completed the final step, the ground beneath her feet shook violently. With a rumbling sound, the bricks shifted, revealing a staircase leading downward.
Just then, Yu Yi caught sight of demons climbing up the outer edge of the altar from the corner of her eye. One lithe and agile figure leaped onto the outermost stone pillar of the altar. When its cat eyes looked at her, they widened slightly in surprise, then narrowed in fury as if about to spit fire.
"Huai—" He swallowed his shout, compressing his voice into a thin line as he rushed towards the little bird demon inside the altar, angrily shouting, "Huai Li, you liar! You said you didn't have one! Come back here right now!"
Yu Yi sensed Huai Li's emotional turmoil but had no time to comfort her. She glanced at the cat demon, not hesitating for a moment as she grabbed Ji Hanyi's arms, hoisting him onto her shoulders, and plunged into the downward tunnel with him on her back.
Li Su looked back at the horde of demons pursuing them, condensed a ball of demonic energy in his hand, and forcefully blasted it towards the altar.
The explosive gust of wind and fierce flames dispersed the lingering aura of the immortal lord and Huai Li. He leaped forward, jumping into the billowing smoke rising from the altar.
As Yu Yi entered the underground passage, the bricks overhead quickly sealed shut, blocking out the surging demonic energy from outside and cutting off all the clamor.
They entered a quiet stone chamber. Two dim oil lamps hung on the inner walls, and in the center stood a table with an incense burner on top and a rush mat beneath.
Opposite the incense burner, on the wall, hung an image of a divine official—the Taisui God Statue worshipped by the Ji Clan.
After ensuring their safety, Yu Yi set down the person on her back and asked, "What is this place?"
Xue Chenjing turned his head towards the divine official image on the wall, only turning towards her when he heard her question.
Yu Yi waved her hand in front of his eyes, but seeing how they were corroded by demon poison and his left eye was bloodshot from injury, she figured he probably couldn't see at all.
"Confinement room... for punishing... errant clan members and disciples..." Xue Chenjing's throat made a rasping sound, speaking with great difficulty.
Yu Yi looked down at the purple finger marks on his neck, understanding that his throat was damaged and speaking must be painful for him. She interrupted, saying, "I understand."
This place was well-sealed; no sound from the outside could be heard. It required an immortal lord's spiritual power and the steps of the Big Dipper to open, so the demon clan probably couldn't break in.
The other soul stirred restlessly, so Yu Yi willingly relinquished control of the body.
Huai Li immediately knelt in front of the immortal lord, dumped out a pile of items from her treasure bag, found the healing tools, and began treating his horrific wounds while reciting healing spells.
Xue Chenjing listened as the little bird demon stuttered about when and where they had met before. At that time, she was being chased by a cultivator, and Ji Hanyi, seeing no bloodshed on her, interfered and let her go. He even fed her a pill that healed her injured wing.
The little bird demon had secretly followed Ji Hanyi for several days. In the life-and-death struggle between humans and demons, he still adhered to his principles, only killing evil demons and not indiscriminately slaughtering like other cultivators.
It wasn't until the immortal lord returned to one of the Ji Clan's immortal residences that the little bird demon could no longer follow him and reluctantly left.
Little did she expect that when she saw the immortal lord again, he would be a prisoner of the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord, suffering such torture.
The chirping and crying bird sounds in his ears were truly soporific. Combined with the constant healing spells the little bird demon was casting on him, Xue Chenjing felt warm all over. His mind unconsciously relaxed, and he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
When he woke up again, he was alone in the stone chamber. He suddenly propped himself up, received information transmitted back by the demon spirits, and then relaxed again.
While he was asleep, Yu Yi had searched the stone chamber thoroughly and managed to open the connecting doors between the confinement rooms. She was now exploring the other chambers.
The little bird demon had been somewhat useful. Although she hadn't completely healed his injuries, Xue Chenjing's throat and eyes felt much better, not as painful as before.
He rubbed his brow and asked inwardly, "How many points do we have now?"
The system, like an ever-ready customer service representative, immediately responded, "If you're asking about the points for this temporary mission, it's still zero, Master."
"She touched me," Xue Chenjing said, dissatisfied.
The system replied matter-of-factly, "Master, it was the five-colored bird who healed you, not the female protagonist."
"Fine," Xue Chenjing gritted his teeth. If they wanted to be so pedantic, he wasn't afraid to argue with this broken system. "Initially, it was Yu Yi who rushed over to carry me on her back. She supported my shoulder once, held both my hands continuously, her ear touched my face three times while running, and she held my waist once when setting me down in the confinement room."
While others were busy saving him, he was calculating mission points in his mind.
The system silently listened to him finish, then replied, "Master, this temporary mission aims to increase your favorability through necessary physical contact, but the prerequisite is that you both need to know each other's true identities. If you don't recognize each other, there won't be any point rewards."
In other words, from Yu Yi's perspective, the person she had been touching was Ji Hanyi, not Xue Chenjing, so there were no points.
Very well, very rigorous.
Xue Chenjing took a deep breath and angrily knocked over the incense burner on the table.
The bronze incense burner crashed to the ground with a loud thud, spilling ashes everywhere. The rising smoke enveloped a group of demon spirits floating in the room, the ash outlining their silhouettes.
The jellyfish-like demon spirits shook their large heads, their tentacles rising as they tried to shake off the ash clinging to them.
Xue Chenjing pressed his lips together as he called the demon spirits back, wiping them with his sleeve. Suddenly, he smiled and said unhurriedly, "Fine, anyway, it's just the two of us in this secret chamber, and we have plenty of time."
A year in this ghost realm was only a day in the outside world. This temporary mission had a time limit of twelve hours. When he entered the ghost realm, there were still eight hours left, which translated to about half a year in ghost realm time.
He didn't mind being trapped here with her for that long.
The system, hearing his mental calculations, belatedly realized, "You planned from the beginning to lure her here just to make it easier to earn points?"
Xue Chenjing curved his lips in pleasure.
