Xue Chenjing had anticipated that his master would be unhappy and might stab him, so he was prepared.
However, when this prediction came true, when Yu Yi unhesitatingly thrust her dagger toward his heart, the emotions that surged through him in that moment made his eyes turn red. How disappointing - even with forty percent favorability, she didn't hesitate for even a moment.
If she had hesitated for just one breath, he would have been satisfied.
But Yu Yi didn't. The moment she saw him clearly, she immediately gripped the blade and stabbed toward his vital point. Though the blade's tip was blocked from reaching his heart, he still felt the pain.
Xue Chenjing held back her wrist with one hand to stop the blade pressing toward his heart, while his other hand still lifted her bridal veil. Malice boiled in his heart. Since this was how it would be, he wanted to see more of her losing control, more of her showing her hatred for him.
With a smile on his lips and barely restrained tears in his eyes, he deliberately said, "Master, does marrying me make you so angry? Angry enough to kill me? Too bad - no matter how angry you are, it's useless. We've already completed the ceremony, truly bowed to heaven and earth this time, becoming husband and wife."
"From now on, you're my wife. Master- oh no, I should change how I address you. Should I call you my lady, or my beloved? My beloved, what will you do now?"
Yu Yi looked up at him. The fire burning inside her body was already making her dizzy and barely able to think. Hearing Xue Chenjing's deliberately provocative and sarcastic words was like pouring oil on the flames, making her completely explode.
She turned the blade slightly, its face pointing upward.
Fifth Sword of Pursuing Spring, Heart Mirror.
The blade transformed into a bright mirror surface, reflecting Xue Chenjing's image from close range. He instinctively lowered his eyes and saw his own crying reflection in that bright surface, looking as pathetic as a stray dog.
Xue Chenjing threw aside her veil and raised his hand to wipe his face, but felt no tears. He clearly hadn't been crying or begging her!
"You deceived-" Xue Chenjing's angry words were suddenly cut off as an intense light flashed below his eyes, and the sharp blade swept upward from below, aiming straight for his throat.
Xue Chenjing finally released her wrist and hurriedly dodged. He avoided the most fatal spot but was still cut by her blade. A line of blood extended from his left jaw up to his cheek, slowly seeping red.
With a clang.
Yu Yi threw away the unwieldy short blade, and light flickered in her hand as she switched to her Green Bamboo Sword. Her boiling fighting spirit caused the sword to emit continuous humming, and the white mark along its center gleamed blindingly bright.
The blood on Xue Chenjing's face had beaded up and was dripping from his chin. He whimpered in pain, his fingers hovering by his face, wanting to touch but not daring to.
The wound wouldn't heal - she had used the Heart Mirror to wound him.
Memories of being killed again and again by the Heart Mirror surfaced in his mind. Xue Chenjing's whole body trembled as he backed into a corner. He looked at her sword in fear and asked in disbelief, "Do you truly want to kill me?"
Yu Yi's answer was another merciless sword strike.
Outside the room, evil spirits grew restless. They coveted the power within Xue Chenjing but also feared it, surrounding the building with predatory gazes, waiting for them to kill each other, watching and waiting for him to weaken so they could swarm in and devour him.
A white figure shot out from the sea of flowers, lightning-fast through the island's forest, the wind it created stirring up flower petals from the ground. At some point, the rain over the flower sea had stopped, and the sun was peeking through the clouds.
The demon beast bounded through the courtyard, its terrifying demonic aura making all the evil spirits in the yard bow their heads again in submission.
It crashed through the window, opening its sharp fangs. Its spraying saliva instantly dissolved a large patch of the surrounding furnishings and burned several holes in the ground as it lunged ferociously at Yu Yi.
Xue Chenjing quickly grabbed its ear and forcefully pulled it back into his arms.
The demon beast wasn't as obedient as the Earth Impurity or Bone Demon. Its fighting spirit was high, and being suddenly restrained, even by its master who had summoned it, made it show no mercy. It smelled blood and turned to bite Xue Chenjing's shoulder.
Xue Chenjing pressed a magic seal onto its body, compressing its form into dark demonic energy that was absorbed into the magic formation.
As soon as the demon beast disappeared, Yu Yi's sword came slashing toward his face. Xue Chenjing scrambled to dodge, blood from his face dripping everywhere, while the mist of Earth Impurity surged out to lick up the blood from the ground behind him.
Both in pain and anger, Xue Chenjing shouted loudly, "Yu Yi! If you don't want to marry me, could it be that you'd rather be a concubine to that Ghost King?"
Yu Yi could no longer hear what he was saying. Her abdomen burned unbearably, and even the slightest thought would cause that fire within her to grow into a raging inferno of desire, every spark amplified into a prairie fire.
Her emotions were magnified countless times, every feeling of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness swelling beyond what she could bear.
She was trapped in infinitely amplified hatred and rage, unable to escape.
Now only one thought remained in her mind - she had to kill him. Only by killing him could she extinguish the fire in her heart.
The howling sword energy slashed out from the hall. The evil spirits in the courtyard, fearing the power of the Heart Mirror, quietly retreated from the courtyard into the surrounding forest to observe.
Above the sea of flowers, though the rain had stopped, thick clouds still loomed. Behind the clouds lurked dozens of high-level cultivators from Zhaohua Palace, including six elders. Jiang Xi had originally not wanted to involve them, and had even planned not to act personally.
But the younger generation of Zhaohua Palace had proved disappointingly useless, failing to capture that demon after several attempts.
Moreover, even the Ghost King of the flower sea had suffered losses at his hands. Jiang Xi realized she had indeed underestimated Xue Chenjing. His Golden Core cultivation level was merely a facade - what made him truly troublesome were the demons he could summon.
These powerful greater demons actually obeyed his commands.
"Master, should we act now?" Shen Qingzhi asked quietly.
Jiang Xi frowned in thought. "Wait longer."
Wait until they had both wounded each other severely, and that demon had received fatal injuries.
From inside the building came continuous sounds of beams being cut by the sword, roof tiles crashing down, and creaking noises everywhere. All four pillars of the hall had been cut through, the walls were covered in sword marks, and the structure was on the verge of collapse.
Xue Chenjing fled in a pathetic chase from the sword light. Suddenly, a force of spiritual energy approached, dragging him out of the Earth Impurity's mist and slamming him hard into the ground.
He crashed into the cracked floor, raising a cloud of dust that choked his throat. He had several sword wounds that wouldn't heal, and the wound on his face tore open again.
Xue Chenjing blinked hard to squeeze away the tears in his eyes, and through the flying dust saw Yu Yi's figure pressing down on him from above.
Her knee pressed into his waist and abdomen, her sword suspended above him.
Xue Chenjing's eyes widened, his pupils dilating as he looked up at Yu Yi's cold face through the rolling dust. The light of the Heart Mirror reflected in his eyes, just like the sword light that had pierced his heart countless times before.
What should he do, what should he do, what should he do? If this continued, he would die by her sword.
He didn't want to die, he really didn't want to die.
Xue Chenjing breathed rapidly, his trembling pupils fixed on both the sharp sword suspended above him and the person behind it.
As the sword light drew near, he finally gripped his fingers tightly and moved them. Behind Yu Yi, a dark red arc suddenly appeared in mid-air, with spirit lines crossing within the arc to form a summoning formation for demons.
But the sword tip hovering above him suddenly stopped.
Yu Yi looked down at him, her chest heaving, her eyelashes trembling like startled butterflies, intense struggle visible in her eyes. Xue Chenjing's blood-and-tear-stained face reflected in her eyes, and another emotion welled up in her heart, temporarily diluting her killing intent.
Xue Chenjing's fingers paused, the formation in mid-air stalled, and a glimmer of hope lit up in his eyes.
The whole room was filled with the crackling sound of breaking beams, wood shavings and dust falling from the ceiling, but the two people on the ground seemed frozen in time.
The demon summoning formation hanging in the air needed just one more spirit line to complete, while Yu Yi's sword tip rested against his heart, needing just one more inch to pierce his skin.
By this time, Xue Chenjing had noticed something was wrong with Yu Yi, though he found it hard to imagine that someone like her could be bewitched and controlled by others.
Having already experienced Yu Yi's terrifying anger, with the sword tip suspended at his heart, he dared not provoke her further with careless words.
"Master, Master." Xue Chenjing carefully observed her expression, calling out to her softly, trying to wake her, "Master, I was wrong..."
Seeing Yu Yi's brows furrow and her grip tighten on the sword, he immediately fell silent, his pupils trembling with apprehension.
What should he do? How should he handle this situation?
The fire in Yu Yi's belly hadn't subsided, her emotions were infinitely amplified, and the passion and desire in her body were like a powder keg ready to explode. Earlier, anger had taken the high ground, and she had only wanted to kill him to vent her fury.
Now another kind of desire was sprouting in her heart, rapidly catalyzed and expanding, transforming her rage into a different kind of fire coursing through her veins.
A rosy blush spread across Yu Yi's cheeks like clouds at sunset. Her vision seemed to have a soft filter over it, her mind blank except for the image of him looking at her so cautiously and helplessly.
Whether it was the tears at the corners of his eyes or the blood on his cheeks, everything became fuel catalyzing the desire within her body. Yu Yi swallowed hard, her throat so parched that every breath felt like fire. Her rationality had long since burned to ashes, leaving only swelling desire to manipulate her body.
Xue Chenjing finally thought of a solution. He tried his best to soften his expression, attempting to show a gentle, reassuring smile, forcing himself to wear the expression of the person he despised most, and called out softly: "Ah Yi."
Isn't that how Xue Mingyuan called her?
He opened his mouth, intending to pretend to be Xue Mingyuan, to tell her that he was now Xue Mingyuan, not Xue Chenjing, hoping that since she liked him so much, she wouldn't want to kill him anymore.
However, before he could speak, Yu Yi suddenly dropped her sword and bent down.
The Green Bamboo Sword still threatened his neck, but simultaneously, soft lips fell upon his eyes, kissing away his tears, leaving a trail of pecks before finally capturing his lips.
Xue Chenjing's eyes widened in shock, his entire body stiffening like a stone statue, until Yu Yi's movements touched his wound, and he suddenly seemed to come back to life, his body violently trembling.
Yu Yi immediately pressed him down, her thumb pressing on his chin, forcing his mouth open. Her soft tongue swept across his lips before exploring his mouth.
Whether killing him or kissing him, the person before her was the best outlet for the overwhelming emotions in her body.
The fire in her belly burned too intensely; she just wanted release.
Xue Chenjing's fingers were still gripping spirit threads, but this sudden kiss made his mind waver. The spirit threads slipped from his control, and the summoning array suddenly formed in mid-air. A wisp of black smoke drifted out from the array, transforming into a slender poisonous snake that shot down, its mouth aimed at Yu Yi's nape.
Though Yu Yi was dizzy and disoriented, the threat behind her still triggered an instinctive response. As she tried to turn her head, the person beneath her wrapped his arms around her.
Xue Chenjing pressed his open palm against the back of her head, preventing her from pulling away. The descending snake bit his hand instead, was deflected, and returned to black smoke that was absorbed back into the array.
The poison spread through his meridians, numbing Xue Chenjing's entire arm, which slipped from Yu Yi's shoulder, but his other hand still firmly held her, gripping the back of her neck.
He could no longer feel the pain in his body or the numbness in his arm. All his senses were focused on the soft sensation covering his lips - her lips were so soft, her breath so hot, her body so fragrant.
The tip of Yu Yi's tongue had gone numb from his sucking, making it difficult to breathe. The fire in her belly seemed to be partially drawn away by him, and her inflated emotions finally began to subside. Her mind cleared somewhat.
Looking down at the person beneath her, his eyes half-closed in the kiss, Yu Yi's pupils contracted, and she immediately tried to pull away.
But Xue Chenjing persistently raised his head to follow her, his thick black eyelashes wet, his eyes unfocused. He even used his spirit threads to wrap around her body, refusing to let her retreat, as if he wanted to stay glued to her lips, not allowing them to part for even a moment.
"Xue..." Yu Yi managed one syllable before her lips were sealed again. Familiar rushing, rustling sounds echoed in her ears, "Master, Master, Master—"
These sounds resonated in her ears for a while before changing: "Ah Yi—"
"Ah Yi, Ah Yi—"
"Ah Yi, Ah Yi, Ah Yi, Ah Yi—"
