He was truly adept at learning and applying, so confidently using her own words from not long ago against her. It seemed he had been hiding in the shadows, eavesdropping on their conversation all along.
The silk flower carried away by the wind was likely not a coincidence either, but rather his deliberate attempt to attract the little bird spirit's attention. He knew well that once the little bird spirit saw Ji Hanyi, there was no way it would abandon him.
Yu Yi stared at Xue Chenjing with a complex expression, unable to understand how things had suddenly taken such a strange turn.
In any case, she now found herself sitting in the stone chamber where the Ji family imprisoned their errant disciples, negotiating with the novel's main villain about whether or not to keep a dog.
Xue Chenjing sat obediently on the rush mat, his eyes wrapped in gauze painted with demon-sealing blood symbols. Beneath the gauze, his face was as pale as jade, with a straight nose bridge. A hint of unwashed lip rouge left a hazy red mark on his thin lips.
His scarlet wedding robes embroidered with golden dragons and phoenixes were now in complete disarray after all the commotion. His topknot had come loose, with strands of jet-black hair falling over his shoulders and trailing onto the red hem of his wedding dress.
If not for the wildly dancing tentacles filling the room, he would have looked like a beautiful bride abducted by bandits on her wedding night - lovely and vulnerable, his entire being exuding an aesthetic of helplessness ripe for violation.
Even if Yu Yi's heart was made of iron and stone, unmovable as a mountain, she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her chest at this moment. Jokes aside, even if Liu Xiahui were here, he wouldn't be able to remain unmoved.
Especially since Xue Chenjing was so pitifully "offering himself", wanting to be her dog.
Yu Yi certainly didn't believe that Xue Chenjing could have any true feelings for her - it was just a system task after all. But she truly hadn't expected that such a ruthless villain would be coerced to this extent by a system task.
Xue Chenjing was now truly like a persistent mange-ridden dog, able to follow her scent and find her wherever she went, wagging his tail and begging for affection, impossible to shake off or drive away.
She now had a firsthand experience of what it meant to be in a situation where "she flees, he pursues, both unable to escape even with wings."
Yu Yi withdrew her Green Bamboo Sword and slowly walked towards Xue Chenjing. The tentacles filling the room writhed and hissed, making way for her steps.
She stopped in front of Xue Chenjing and grabbed his disheveled topknot, deliberately using some force to pull it back, forcing him to lift his head. "But, I only like obedient dogs."
Xue Chenjing was forced to tilt his head back, the lone vermilion hairpin in his hair teetering on the verge of falling. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his posture almost humble to the point of groveling in the dust. He said, "I'll be obedient. I'll be even more obedient than that cat spirit, as long as you let me stay by your side."
Yu Yi frowned, releasing his long hair from her fingers. She deliberately pinched his earlobe, which still bore traces of blood, then slid her hand along his jaw to the corner of his lips, smearing the remnants of lip rouge on his lips.
"You are not allowed to use any of your hypnotic or bewitching tricks on me anymore. You cannot do things I don't like, and you certainly cannot force me to do things I don't want to do."
Yu Yi pinched his cheek again, and Xue Chenjing belatedly understood, obediently opening his mouth. Her slender fingers slipped past his lips, the pad of her finger pressing against his slightly pointed canine tooth.
"Most importantly, good dogs don't bite their masters. So, you can never bare your fangs at me again. You can never harm me. If you can do this, make a solemn vow, and I might agree to your request."
Xue Chenjing's breathing gradually became heavier. He had never been touched so frivolously before. Yu Yi looked down at him from above, indeed as if she were petting a dog, caressing a plaything.
If it were anyone else, that hand would have become food for demonic creatures before it even touched him.
Yu Yi's gaze flickered as she observed his instantly reddening face. She inwardly sneered - he was indeed angry. Unable to endure even this little humiliation, yet still wanting to be her dog. Did he really think she could be fooled by mere words?
"If you can't do it, then forget it. Don't bother me in the future." She tried to withdraw her hand, but her wrist was quickly grasped.
Xue Chenjing's heavy breathing wafted over the inside of her wrist. He obediently kept his mouth open, his soft tongue licking her fingertips. He even tilted his head to nuzzle her wrist, nodding as he said, "Alright, I'm willing. I'm willing to do all of it."
He had actually agreed.
Yu Yi was stunned for a moment. She forcefully pulled her hand back, wiping her fingers on her skirt to remove the wetness. She could hardly believe it.
— To agree even to this, had he truly abandoned all his self-respect?
Xue Chenjing's submission, so utterly without bottom line, did not reassure her. Instead, it made her feel afraid. Yu Yi felt the urge to retreat, wanting to take back her words: "Never mind, we don't really need to do this..."
There was no need to go this far, no need to form a binding contract, no need to become so deeply entangled.
But before she could finish speaking, the enraged tentacles behind her pushed her into Xue Chenjing's embrace.
Xue Chenjing clung to her like a blood-red water ghost, his arms encircling her back, tightly gripping her waist.
One hand moved up to threateningly grasp the nape of her neck, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, his hennaed nails nearly digging into her flesh. His breath was rapid and heavy against her ear as he gritted out, "You can't take it back. Why do you want to take it back? I can agree to everything you said. What else are you unsure about?"
It was precisely because he had no bottom line that she felt unsure. If not for the system's constraints, Yu Yi had no doubt that Xue Chenjing would be the first to kill her.
Being with him was like dancing on the edge of a knife.
Almost instinctively, Yu Yi had already conjured a sharp sword of light in her hand, threateningly pressing it against his back, right over his heart. She said, "Xue Chenjing, let me go."
Xue Chenjing still held her tightly, refusing to let go. He even wrapped his tentacles around them, binding them tightly together.
He buried his face in Yu Yi's shoulder, his lips pressed against her ear as he pleaded softly, "Do you despise me so much? Am I not even qualified to be a dog by your side? Then tell me, what should I do for you to agree? What should I do for you to like me?"
Yu Yi almost laughed from anger at his act. "Xue Chenjing, don't you find yourself ridiculous? Do you truly like me? What right do you have to demand that I like you?"
Xue Chenjing was silent for a moment before declaring firmly, "I like you. I truly like you."
Yu Yi: "..." I don't believe you one bit! You lying scoundrel, not a single word of truth comes out of your mouth.
Yu Yi's gaze grew colder. The sword of light in her hand burned through his clothes, pressing into his back over his heart. She warned him once more, "Let me go, or I'll run you through with my sword."
Xue Chenjing could already feel the sword energy piercing into his heart. Her sword energy was scorching, like magma flowing into his body, melting flesh and blood. The sword light also contained a terrifying electric current - Xue Chenjing had experienced her prowess before.
Without the protection of his demon spirit, a sword cultivator at the Golden Core Stage could kill him as easily as turning over their palm.
Xue Chenjing's entire body was trembling, yet he still didn't let go. Dense demonic energy seeped out from his back, constantly eroding Yu Yi's sword energy.
"I won't let go," he suddenly laughed, his tone finally shedding the facade of obedience and humility. He said sinisterly, "Master, you have no other way out. Either agree, or die."
He had finally revealed his true face, the surging malice in his heart now laid bare before Yu Yi without any reservation, almost solidifying into tangible form.
Yu Yi heard the system's out-of-control screech, judging that his threat to the target of his pursuit was too high. If he didn't restrain himself, he would be punished.
Amidst the system's countdown warning, Xue Chenjing burst into uncontrollable laughter. Damn system, damn task, damn Yu Yi.
He didn't want to play this boring game of redemption with them anymore. He had already died many times and didn't mind dying once more.
If he could just die completely this time and never wake up again, it would be a release for him.
As the system's countdown ended, Xue Chenjing's body suddenly convulsed, and a suppressed groan of pain escaped his throat.
Yu Yi didn't know what punishment the system was inflicting on him. She could only hear his rapid breathing and pained groans by her ear. Tears quickly seeped through the gauze over his eyes, dampening her neck.
But his arms around her only tightened, nearly crushing her bones. He laughed brokenly in her ear.
Xue Chenjing nuzzled her ear affectionately, genuinely feeling joyful, and said with a trembling voice: "Just holding you like this, dying together in this sealed room until our flesh rots and bones turn to ash, inseparable - it's not so bad, don't you think, Master?"
He really was insane, truly insane!
The demonic aura emanating from Xue Chenjing grew stronger, seeping into the other soul within him. Ji Hanyi screamed in agony amidst the demonic energy. He had been trapped as an Earth-bound Spirit in these painful memories for thousands of years, enduring repeated torture and devastation without succumbing to demonic influence.
Now, however, he was about to lose himself to the corrupting demonic energy.
Dense black shadows spread from around him, flashing with some grotesque shapes - the demonic entities Yu Yi had seen in his heart sea before. The weaker Xue Chenjing became, the more wildly these things writhed, nearly bursting out from his body.
Even if she killed him, she couldn't escape these out-of-control demonic creatures.
Yu Yi had no doubt that he would truly die together with her.
"I agree," Yu Yi said, crushing the sword energy in her hand. She was being strangled so tightly she could barely breathe, gasping like a fish out of water as she uttered her compromise.
She certainly didn't want to die here with him.
The tentacles binding her from behind didn't loosen, but continued to tighten. Not just around her - even Xue Chenjing's bones began to creak and crack. His shoulders were nearly crushed by his own tendrils, veins bulging in his neck.
They were pressed tightly together. Yu Yi smelled a strong scent of blood, possibly from Xue Chenjing, or maybe from herself.
Her chest ached from the pressure, every breath painful. She struggled to turn her head and shouted: "I agree! I agree! Xue Chenjing, I agree, stop going crazy..."
Yu Yi's vision began to darken, speckled with golden stars. The blood rushing made her heart race, every inch of her flesh throbbing with pain, her entire body feeling like it was about to fall apart.
Xue Chenjing pressed against her ear, saying happily: "Good, I'll obey. I've agreed to so many of Master's requests, so can Master make one heart oath for me?"
Yu Yi didn't even hear what heart oath he wanted before flatly refusing: "No. No dog would turn around and make demands of its master."
Xue Chenjing's expression instantly turned cold, but a moment later, he smiled again and said softly: "Mm, Master is right. I really shouldn't make demands of Master. Since I'm being so obedient, Master won't try to run away from me again, right?"
He waited a while, but when Yu Yi didn't respond, he continued: "It's alright. If Master tries to escape again in the future, I'll still find you. No matter how far, I'll find you."
A strand of spiritual consciousness flew out from Xue Chenjing's brow, forming into words in midair, coalescing into an oath document that detailed all of Yu Yi's demands without missing a single word.
Xue Chenjing pressed against her ear, reciting each word clearly to establish the oath, then prompted: "Master."
Yu Yi tilted her head to carefully examine the contents, then released her spiritual consciousness to imprint her mark on the oath document.
The floating text dissipated, reforming into a ball of spiritual light that sank into Xue Chenjing's brow. Yu Yi closed her eyes briefly, watching that strand of consciousness descend into his Purple Palace Heart Sea, forming into an oath stele that would eternally reside there.
The tentacles loosened from their bodies. As the compressed air rushed back, Yu Yi greedily took several deep breaths, her mind somewhat hazy.
In her semi-conscious state, she heard Xue Chenjing's conversation with the system.
The system cautiously spoke up: "Host, the punishment for you was issued by the main system."
Xue Chenjing didn't respond or get angry. He slowly suppressed the wildly dancing demonic shadows back into his heart sea.
After a long silence, the system tentatively asked: "Did you really want to kill the female lead just now?"
Xue Chenjing lay flat on the ground, blood flowing from his nose and mouth, his face very red with many capillaries burst under his skin. Lying among the shattered wooden splinters of the desk, he was still chuckling softly.
He didn't answer the system's question, instead asking: "Do you think she'll come to like her little dog?"
The system immediately replied: "Based on analysis of the female lead's description in the book, yes. The female lead is very fond of cute little creatures like kittens and puppies. She's especially indulgent and doting towards things that clearly belong to her."
Yu Yi was indeed very indulgent towards Senior Crane.
Xue Chenjing lay sprawled on the ground with arms outstretched, his lips curving slightly in satisfaction as he said: "That's good enough then."
He didn't mind being her dog, as long as she stayed by his side properly, helping him complete his mission and obtain everything he wanted. That was enough.
Yu Yi wanted to sit up and ask him what exactly he was - if he was really some kind of jellyfish monster come to life, to be so brainless.
But despite thinking she had exerted great effort, she had barely managed to twitch a finger before losing consciousness completely.
When she woke again, it was to a sharp, angry roar.
Yu Yi raised her head to see an agile figure pouncing through the doorway, golden cat eyes blazing with boiling fury, his face a picture of "catching adulterers in bed".
When those cat eyes met her gaze, they nearly melted into pools of aggrieved tears. "Huai Li, Huai Li, how could you do this to me..."
Yu Yi quickly glanced down at her and Xue Chenjing's current state. They were lying together, clothes disheveled, skin covered in blue and purple marks from the tentacles' constriction. Scattered wooden splinters and damp traces from the writhing tentacles covered the ground.
It was indeed easy to misunderstand.
Li Su was so enraged he seemed about to burst into flames, his demonic aura surging as sharp claws extended from his fingers. With a roar, he slashed towards Xue Chenjing.
He collided with tentacles that blocked him midair, demonic energy and snake-scaled tentacles clashing with a sharp ringing that made the invisible tentacles briefly visible in the air.
Li Su's cat eyes contracted as another tentacle whipped him, sending him flying backwards. While still in the air, a hard, snake-scaled tentacle from behind pierced through his shoulder.
As blood dripped steadily, Yu Yi pressed a hand to Xue Chenjing's stomach and urgently said: "Don't kill him."
Xue Chenjing grunted in pain, clutching his stomach as he sat up, and obediently replied: "Alright."
As he spoke, the tentacles withdrew. The cat demon fell to the ground, staggering as he coughed up blood. His form flickered as he pounced at Xue Chenjing again, baring claws and fangs, only to be blocked once more by a transparent wall of interwoven tentacles.
Li Su spread his hands, sharp demon claws slashing crosswise at the tentacles. Golden light rippled like waves across the snake scales on the tentacles' backs.
"Huai Li, come here, come to me!" Li Su's eyes were blood-red, fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth as his face took on feline features.
He continued slashing at the tentacles, heedless of the blood gushing from his shoulder wound. His cat eyes fixed on her as he called out again and again: "Huai Li, Huai Li, I won't scold you anymore, I won't bully you anymore, come back, okay? He's a human cultivator, and the Sect Leader's man - you two can't be together!"
Yu Yi explained with a slight headache: "It's not what you think between us. We didn't do anything."
The soul of Huai Li within her showed signs of awakening. Yu Yi stood up, intending to walk towards Li Su to calm his current frenzied state, but her wrist was tightly gripped by Xue Chenjing.
He raised his head, bandages covering his eyes. The sealing runes on them had faded, losing their spiritual power, blurred into mottled red streaks by tears.
"You promised me," Xue Chenjing said.
