The cat demon, who had always been arrogant in front of her and loved to mock and bully her, was now prostrating himself at the hem of her skirt, frantically confessing his feelings.
He liked her. He had always liked her.
But he didn't know how to express these feelings. Huai Li's temperament was too gentle and soft-hearted. She was so kind to everyone, always showing that warm smile to all.
When Li Su realized that he wasn't special in her eyes compared to others, he became both angry and jealous, almost gnashing his teeth in hatred.
He began to bully her, scare her, belittle her, deliberately making her out to be worthless. When he saw that her gaze towards him contained more fear and trepidation than when she looked at others, Li Su would secretly feel pleased.
In her eyes, he was finally different from others, right?
But when she actually said out loud that she would despise him, he still became afraid. When she walked towards that human cultivator, he still felt jealous hatred.
That was a human cultivator, a celestial lord who had once slain countless demons. He wasn't like those demons who could be scared away with a few intimidating words. If Huai Li chose Ji Hanyi, she would absolutely not be accepted by the demon race.
The fear of losing her made the cat demon bend his proud back, kneeling at her feet, begging her to choose him.
Huai Li stood stunned in place, hands covering her lips. She had never seen Li Su like this before, nor had she ever looked down at him from this angle. Every time he appeared before her, he was always high and mighty, his golden cat eyes filled with mockery and derision.
Now, it was as if their positions had been reversed, with Li Su looking up at her pleadingly.
The little bird demon's heart began to race. She believed it now. Yu Yi was right, Li Su did like her, which was why he had lowered himself like this.
So what should she do now? How should she answer him?
Huai Li wanted to find Yu Yi to give her some advice, but at this moment, Yu Yi had become like before, no longer interfering in the entanglement between her and Li Su, telling her to decide for herself.
The little bird demon was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead. She remembered what Yu Yi had once said, that she could use Li Su's feelings for her to manipulate him, to shape him into what she liked. At that time, she had listened with longing, wanting to try it out on him.
But now, seeing Li Su begging her so humbly, her heart softened.
How could she use Li Su's feelings for her to bully him?
Huai Li hesitated for a long time, but eventually crouched down, cupping his bleeding fingertips in both hands, lighting up a white healing glow. Behind the white light were her gentle eyes. She smiled and said, "Li Su, how can a bird be a cat's master? I don't want to be your master. Let's just be like before."
She paused, then corrected herself, "No, not like before. You said you wouldn't bully me anymore."
Li Su wished he could swear to the heavens, "I'll change, I won't bully you anymore, and I won't let anyone else bully you either."
The little bird demon was easily satisfied. Without holding grudges, she patted his shoulder and said happily, "Alright then, I'll like you too."
Li Su's eyes widened, his cat eyes shining so brightly they almost glowed. He excitedly pounced forward to hug Huai Li, feeling happier in this moment than if he had inhaled catnip.
Yu Yi wasn't surprised at all by Huai Li's reaction. If she had really been able to harden her heart, she would have kicked this annoying cat demon far away long ago. How could she have let him keep bouncing around her all this time?
She also knew that the "like" in Huai Li's mouth was far different from what Li Su understood it to be. This little bird demon was very loving, liking cats, liking celestial lords, and liking her too.
On the other side, Xue Chenjing, who was silently "observing" this scene, felt a mixture of emotions.
Why was that little bird demon so easy to coax? Why was Yu Yi so hard-hearted? Such a stark contrast and disparity made him feel resentful.
Xue Chenjing had been in a state of agitation, "wanting to be touched again," and now stimulated by those two cats and birds, his tentacles kept curling and uncurling, itching to grab his own tentacles and gnaw on them in frustration.
The system routinely defended Yu Yi, arguing, "The female lead isn't hard-hearted. She's also a very warm and kind girl. As long as you treat her sincerely, she will definitely be moved by you. Master, only true sincerity can be exchanged for true sincerity."
Xue Chenjing laughed coldly in anger, withdrawing his tentacles and demon spirits from the void, sealing himself in darkness, choosing to turn a blind eye.
He sank into his own sea of consciousness, where a twisted shadow immediately enveloped him. They craved him, wanting to devour him. He was born like a magnet, attracting these dark creatures to worship him. If he didn't want to be swallowed by them, he could only swallow them.
Without realizing it, he had already become a dark thing like them.
Xue Chenjing stirred up his sea of consciousness, not knowing where to find the so-called love and gentleness to heal her.
He stirred around in his cesspool-like sea of consciousness, but ultimately stood before a faint white light deep within. Inside was locked another version of himself, another him who was pure in both body and mind.
It was him, yet not him. If he were to release that version, how would it be any different from killing himself? Xue Chenjing didn't think Yu Yi was worth going to such lengths for.
He buried that ball of light deep in his sea of consciousness again, letting layers of demonic shadows obscure its radiance.
Xue Chenjing had deliberately led Yu Yi to this secret chamber under the altar, intending to spend time alone with her, undisturbed by others, to gain points.
Now that a cat had burrowed in as well, whenever the little bird demon stayed by his side for even a moment, he would start howling, which was extremely annoying.
Xue Chenjing used his injury to gain sympathy, causing Yu Yi to come bandage him. Seeing this, the cat deliberately reopened the wound on his shoulder, leaning weakly against the wall, pretending to be on the verge of death.
Xue Chenjing lost completely, because his master wouldn't show him any extra pity. He couldn't even compare to Ji Hanyi; at least the little bird demon always kept her celestial lord in mind.
For most of the day, the little bird demon was in control of the body. Xue Chenjing watched her cuddling with the cat demon, occasionally receiving hostile and gloating looks from Li Su, who put on the air of a primary consort.
Xue Chenjing wanted to skin that cat and use his fur as a cushion.
The system sighed, "A world of three people... no, four people. Actually, to be precise, a world of five souls is still too crowded. The unloved one is really pitiful."
Xue Chenjing bit through something, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Looking sinister as if he were the lingering ghost unable to let go of his grudges, he questioned inwardly, "You said she would be especially partial to things that belong to her."
Where was the love? Where was the partiality?!
System: "..." It had made a mistake. It shouldn't have rashly provoked him.
As the point gain was unsatisfactory, Xue Chenjing didn't want to stay here anymore. Coincidentally, Yu Yi had no intention of lingering here either. She still needed to investigate that Phoenix Tree Formation, wanting to quickly end this Ghost Realm that had persisted for a thousand years.
For the first time, their intentions aligned, although Yu Yi was thinking about getting out of this secret chamber, while Xue Chenjing was thinking about getting out of this Ghost Realm.
Without Yu Yi's permission, Xue Chenjing had never removed the demon-sealing charm on his eyes, even though the charm's inscriptions had blurred into indistinct red marks, long since losing their effect.
He turned his head slightly, black hair falling on both sides of his face, and said to her, "To get out, we just need to find the seam between reality and this place. It should be on the big phoenix tree at the center."
"I've already instructed Senior Crane to call from the tree. Once we hear its call, we can follow the sound to get out of here."
Li Su heard something amiss in these words and became very alert. "What seam to reality? Where are you planning to go?"
He grabbed Yu Yi's wrist tightly and said urgently, "I can help you send him out of Dark Cinnabar Mountain, but you can't go with him. Huai Li, he's a human cultivator, and we're demons. Humans and demons walk different paths. There's no place in this world where humans and demons can live together."
"I'm not leaving," Yu Yi said soothingly, patting his hand to indicate he should let go. "Right now, Dark Cinnabar Mountain is at its most vigilant. It would be very difficult to send the celestial lord away at this time. We'll have to trouble the celestial lord to continue hiding in this secret chamber. Once the mountain lord relaxes his guard, we'll find a way to send the celestial lord out."
Li Su's bristling fur settled back down. He reluctantly caressed the slender wrist twice before letting go, saying, "I think so too."
Xue Chenjing lowered his head, and Li Su immediately looked over. If his eyes weren't covered by gauze, Li Su would have thought he could see their movements.
Of course, it would be even better if he could see, preferably enough to kill any thoughts of abducting Huai Li.
What Li Su wanted most was to tie up Ji Hanyi and bring him before the master of Dark Cinnabar Mountain. Not only would it clear his name, but it would also earn him merit.
But Huai Li was unwilling. She still remembered the immortal lord's life-saving grace and was determined to help him escape from here.
Li Su couldn't persuade Huai Li otherwise, so he could only try to help her.
Xue Chenjing raised his head again and asked in confusion, "Why? If you're not leaving, do you intend to stay here forever?"
"If I leave, I'm taking them with me, understand?" Yu Yi said. Of course she wanted to leave this place, but after she left, the little bird spirit would still be trapped here, repeatedly dying in the blazing fire.
She had spent so much time with the little bird spirit, drinking her fermented flower nectar and eating her steamed flower cakes. How could she just leave without a second thought? She had to do something for her.
Xue Chenjing once again experienced that stark disparity. Well, it seemed she was indeed as kind-hearted and compassionate as the system had said, with the heart of a bodhisattva.
However, her bodhisattva's heart was only generous to others, while being stingy towards him.
Li Su listened to their cryptic conversation, his mind nearly in knots, and pressed further, "Huai Li, speak more clearly. Are we leaving or not?"
Yu Yi said, "We're leaving, but first we need to get out of this stone chamber."
"If you want to leave, you must take me with you," Xue Chenjing took a deep breath, trying to soften his tone. "Only I know how to get out."
He couldn't possibly agree to stay here alone. By staying close to Yu Yi, he could still find opportunities to make her touch him. If they were separated, there would be no chance at all.
The cat spirit immediately retorted, "Does the immortal lord have a choice right now? The master of Dark Cinnabar Mountain must be ordering people to search for you everywhere. As soon as you show your face, you'll be captured by the mountain master. It doesn't matter if you get caught, but don't drag us down with you!"
Xue Chenjing ignored him and only spoke to Yu Yi, "Whatever you want to do, I can help you. This used to be Ji Family territory. I definitely know more about this place than you do."
After suppressing the earth-bound spirit, he had searched Ji Hanyi's soul and learned about the origins of this Ghost Realm from his memories.
After the master of Dark Cinnabar Mountain married Ji Hanyi, their peace didn't last long. When the Ji Family fell, most of the resources under their control flowed into the hands of the Ji Family's former non-blood-related retainers.
The people of the Jiang, Yao, and Yun families quickly became the new powers in the cultivation world. They still had to keep up appearances for the surviving members of the Ji Family. Upon learning that Ji Hanyi was imprisoned on Dark Cinnabar Mountain, they quickly gathered a group of cultivators to attack the mountain.
The master of Dark Cinnabar Mountain was a vicious snake. She sacrificed herself, extracting the spirit vein beneath Dark Cinnabar Mountain and causing it to self-destruct, burying all the humans and spirits here.
Xue Chenjing quite admired that snake.
Hearing him speak this way, Yu Yi pondered briefly and understood the meaning behind his words.
Xue Chenjing must have also read Ji Hanyi's memories. Ji Hanyi naturally knew more about Ji Family territory than outsiders. The master of Dark Cinnabar Mountain had occupied this place for so many years but didn't know there was a secret chamber beneath this altar.
Moreover, Huai Li had died too early, and she was just a clueless little bird. Yu Yi couldn't get much useful information from her.
After considering this, Yu Yi took out a small thread-bound notebook from her treasure pouch. Inside were drawings of the locust tree flower pattern she had seen a few nights ago.
She handed the notebook to Xue Chenjing and said, "Take a look at this pattern. It might be some kind of formation, but what I saw was incomplete, so I couldn't tell what kind of formation it was."
Xue Chenjing took the notebook and opened it. Inside was an incomplete pattern sketched with charcoal.
Though Xue Chenjing's cultivation wasn't great, he was much more knowledgeable about formations than Yu Yi. After all, he relied on formation symbols to transform the demonic energy in his body, making demonic creatures manifest and serve him.
He stared at the pattern for a moment, then asked Yu Yi for some charcoal. Using the known array lines to deduce, he crouched down and began drawing layer upon layer of formations on the ground.
Yu Yi quietly watched him work. Some of the formations he drew were familiar to her, but most were ones she had never seen or known, exuding an evil aura.
The cat spirit paced anxiously nearby. Unable to help with this matter, he felt he had lost a point to that detestable human cultivator.
After about half an hour, the charcoal in Xue Chenjing's hand was almost used up. His fingertips were stained black. He waved his hand to erase the marks on the ground, then used the remaining bit of charcoal to sketch a few lines in the notebook before turning it over to show her.
"It's a Soul Settling Formation, to settle the souls of the deceased and preserve their primordial spirits," Xue Chenjing explained while rubbing the charcoal from his fingertips.
Yu Yi wouldn't have produced an incomplete formation pattern for no reason. He could easily guess, "There's a Soul Settling Formation beneath this ghost city?"
Yu Yi glanced at the completed formation diagram in the notebook, her eyes showing admiration.
Xue Chenjing's lips curled up. He immediately stepped forward, lowering his head close to her face, his expression clearly saying "pet me," as he said cheerfully, "Master, I told you I'm very useful."
A threatening cat's yowl erupted beside them, and Li Su's fur stood on end.
Before Yu Yi could move, he squeezed between them, baring his fangs. "What master? She's not your master and has nothing to do with you. For a noble immortal lord to acknowledge a spirit as master, you truly have no shame left."
This scolding was quite accurate. To complete his mission, Xue Chenjing indeed had no shame left.
Yu Yi took the opportunity to retreat behind Li Su, keeping her distance from Xue Chenjing and refusing to give him any points.
Xue Chenjing's expression darkened, his jaw clenched tight, nearly grinding his back teeth to dust as he coldly snorted, "Useless cat, only knows how to yowl."
Li Su was so angry that he raised his paws to fight with Xue Chenjing's snake scale-covered tentacles.
Yu Yi walked away from them with the notebook, carefully studying the Soul Settling Formation. Judging from the scale of the locust tree flower pattern she had seen, the Soul Settling Formation beneath Dark Cinnabar Mountain must be quite large.
Could it be that this Soul Settling Formation was binding Huai Li and the other souls here?
Xue Chenjing had beaten Li Su quite badly, with cat yowls occasionally ringing out. Huai Li's soul called out worriedly from within Yu Yi's body, "Yi Yi, Yi Yi, please control that person of yours."
Yu Yi's thoughts were still immersed in the Soul Settling Formation diagram. Hearing the voice, she raised her head and instinctively opened her mouth to call out, "A Qiu..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she quickly pressed her lips together.
The perception Xue Chenjing had implanted in her mind had not yet faded.
Even though she now knew the truth behind everything, knew that the experience of marriage and seclusion was all fabricated, these formed perceptions were still imprinted in her mind.
Like an imprint etched into her brain, she would be influenced by this imprint if she wasn't careful.
Although Yu Yi closed her mouth quickly, Xue Chenjing still heard her call. He immediately turned and came to her side, saying obediently, "Did you call me?"
The demonic spirit floated beside Yu Yi, seeing that her expression was very unpleasant. Xue Chenjing thought she wanted to shield the cat spirit and felt quite indignant. He clicked his tongue and said, "I didn't use too much force on him. He even scratched me."
The cat spirit shouted nearby, his spirit energy clashing with the tentacles, "Get away from her! I'll kill you!"
Xue Chenjing lowered his head dejectedly, mumbling, "See? He's the one who wants a fight to the death."
"Stop pretending," Yu Yi said, somewhat annoyed. She turned her head to look directly at him. "Erase the perception you planted in my mind."
