Yu Yi could understand his feelings. Xue Chenjing's desire for power was evident from the very beginning when he endured humiliation to accept the system's tasks. Especially since he was born a demon, losing power meant losing freedom and becoming prey.
"I used to think this world was utterly vile. If I ever regained my power, I would turn it upside down. But now I realize, it's not that detestable."
Xue Chenjing brushed away her fingers and placed his hand over hers, gently holding it. "This world has sweet soup you love, beautiful dresses that suit you, vendors who praise us as a perfect match, and the hustle and bustle you enjoy watching."
He saw a red-crowned crane flying back with a fish in its beak and added, "And fish that Crane Senior Brother loves to eat. So, I don't want to destroy them anymore."
The system was deeply gratified to hear such a confession. Although it had initially bound the wrong person and started off on the wrong foot, the outcome was correct. The villain had ultimately changed due to the heroine's arrival.
Yu Yi turned to look at Xue Chenjing fixedly, and after a while, she slowly shook her head. "Your thinking is wrong."
System: "???" No, no, no, his thinking is perfectly right!
Yu Yi met Xue Chenjing's puzzled gaze and asked, "What if I said I also hate this world? Would you destroy it for me?"
System: "?????????" Heroine, what are you saying?!
Xue Chenjing nodded without hesitation. "If that's what you wish."
Yu Yi laughed. "The gods and demons couldn't destroy this world in their war. Could you?"
Xue Chenjing frowned, wanting to boast that he could, but he closed his mouth. He knew better than anyone that this world wasn't so easily destroyed. Gods and demons could perish, mortals could be wiped out, but the mountains and rivers would remain, the sun and moon would not dim, and life would not end.
Yu Yi tightened her grip on his hand and continued, "It's normal for people to have likes and dislikes, representing that they are independent individuals with their own thoughts and emotions. Ah Qiu, you too are an individual with your own thoughts and feelings, not an appendage of anyone, let alone mine. You don't need to love something because of me; just be yourself. Your heart likes what it likes, and dislikes what it dislikes."
Xue Chenjing widened his eyes. For the first time, someone told him, "Just be yourself. Like what you want to like, and dislike what you want to dislike. Your likes and dislikes won't be judged as evil just because you're a demon."
Yu Yi stood up from the rattan chair and walked to the edge of the balcony, looking out at the sky filled with stars and the vast sea.
"But people can't act solely on their likes and dislikes. For example, if we have two bowls of soup in front of us, one sweet and one salty, and I love the sweet one but hate the salty one, should I tip the salty one over?"
"But what if there's someone else who loves the salty soup as much as I love the sweet one?" Yu Yi turned back to look at him seriously. "There are so many people in this world. If everyone acted according to their likes and dislikes, the world would be in chaos without anyone needing to destroy it. It's still functioning well because most people know how to restrain their desires and understand what is permissible and what is not."
"You were born a demon, but your heart isn't filled with only evil. The mirror of your heart reflects your desires. You want love, but first, you have to give love. Otherwise, why should anyone love you?"
Yu Yi didn't care if Xue Chenjing was listening; she just wanted to express her views.
She wasn't here to redeem him. Even now, even though she had fallen for him, Yu Yi didn't feel she should redeem him or take on his likes and dislikes. It would be too tiring and absurd to be a saint who saves demons, making him rely on her for the balance between good and evil in the world.
"Ah Qiu, I don't want you to bind your likes and dislikes to me. I am me, and you are you. I have my principles, and you should have yours. We can be together if our goals align, and if not..."
Xue Chenjing had been quietly listening. At this moment, he suddenly reached out, grabbed her sleeve, and urgently interrupted, "I don't want to part!"
Yu Yi looked back at him. Under the light of the stars and moon, her eyes were clear and bright. With a wave of her hand, the Green Bamboo Sword materialized in her hand, its tip resting against his neck as she coldly said, "We don't have to part, but if I don't approve of you, I will still draw my sword against you."
Her fingers loosened, and the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a stream of light and disappeared.
Xue Chenjing reached out again, grabbing her hand, looking up at her, and suddenly doubting, "Ah Yi, you like me, right?"
Yu Yi hesitated for a moment. Though brief, this hesitation was enough to make Xue Chenjing uneasy again. He called out in his heart, "System, affection level, I need to know her affection level."
The system's voice and Yu Yi's answer sounded simultaneously in his ears.
System: "Reporting to the host, the current affection level of the target is ninety percent."
Yu Yi also didn't want to deceive him or herself on this matter. She nodded frankly, "Yes, I like you."
Xue Chenjing's tense nerves relaxed as he pressed his face into her palm and looked up at her. "Ah Yi, I understand what you mean. I understand."
Yu Yi rewarded him with a pat on the cheek, secretly wondering, ninety percent already?
Xue Chenjing leaned against her hand, gently kissing her fingertips. Yu Yi's fingertips trembled, and she lowered her gaze to see the undisguised infatuation on his face, her heart swaying along with it.
He wanted to lift his head to seek a kiss but was gently patted on the cheek and had to restrain himself, only his eyes showing some unfulfilled longing.
Yu Yi looked at him thoughtfully, her gaze lingering over every detail of his eyes and brows. From his eyes, she could feel his naked and straightforward infatuation.
Ninety percent, was the affection in his eyes also at ninety percent now?
Xue Chenjing felt a bit embarrassed under Yu Yi's clear gaze. Suddenly, he reached out and lifted her leg, lifting her onto his lap.
Yu Yi sat on his lap, their bodies so close that their breaths mingled. Something fell from behind Xue Chenjing and landed on the wooden balcony, writhing restlessly. Some restless pseudopodia rose at the ends in the night, their shapes faintly outlined by the moonlight.
Yu Yi felt the agitation of the tentacles around her, but without her permission, none of them touched her.
The master of the tentacles had crimson corners of his eyes, his breathing growing heavier. He was desperate and thirsty, and even without her doing anything, he was already aroused to this extent.
Yu Yi sensed something and looked down.
Xue Chenjing remembered her previous aversion to this and, despite his instinct to hold her tighter and rub against her, his remaining reason made him lift her waist slightly, explaining, "Ah Yi, I can't control it..."
Yu Yi's cheeks flushed, but she was still amused by his flustered appearance. She sighed softly, "You're so silly."
With that, she pulled away his hand on her waist and sank down.
Their bodies, separated only by fabric, pressed together. Yu Yi trembled and reached out to touch his forehead with the back of her hand, puzzled, "You're not feverish anymore, are you?" Why was he still so hot?
Xue Chenjing had never experienced such a feeling, a shiver running through his spine, and he gasped, lifting her waist again with one hand while the other pulled away the unnecessary clothing between them, pressing her down.
He learned how to move without being taught.
With only the thinnest undergarments left between them, the sensation became even clearer, almost palpable.
Yu Yi's eyes were misted, making Xue Chenjing's face appear even more blurred in her vision. The tentacles danced wildly around them, and the murmuring of the tide, mixed with the creaking of tree branches, echoed in their ears.
"Ah Yi Ah Yi Ah Yi Ah Yi—"
"I like you, I like you, Ah Yi, I like you so much—"
The invisible tentacles finally seemed to have received some kind of permission, all wrapping around her, slipping in through her sleeves and skirt, as if countless fingers were causing chaos on her body. Xue Chenjing was mesmerized as he whispered in her ear, "Ah Yi, you smell so good."
Yu Yi heard Crane Senior Brother's cry approaching from afar. She suddenly raised her eyes, pushed away Xue Chenjing's lingering kisses, placed her hands on the back of his head, and after several attempts, finally formed a complete sword seal.
The Green Bamboo Sword suddenly shot into the sky, emitting a sound and covering a barrier, like a perfect crystal ball, enveloping the top of the tree island's wooden building. From the outside, it looked like a round moon hanging among the leaves, a white expanse that made it difficult to see what was happening inside.
Crane Senior Brother slammed into the barrier and was bounced away, falling from the sky unexpectedly, flapping for a while before hurriedly flying up again, returning to the sword light barrier.
The barrier of the Green Bamboo Sword actually blocked it?
Crane Senior Brother couldn't believe it and stretched its neck to peck at the barrier a few times. Inside the barrier, Yu Yi bit her lip, feeling a bit torn, "Ah Qiu, hurry up."
Xue Chenjing was lost in the moment, burying his head by her neck, tears uncontrollably wetting the clothes on her shoulder, clearly unable to pay attention to the outside world's noises. He misinterpreted Yu Yi's urging as something else, his actions becoming increasingly unrestrained.
Yu Yi couldn't deny that she also found some pleasure in it and didn't want to stop.
But Crane Senior Brother kept hovering outside the barrier, its cries echoing in, pecking at the barrier incessantly, becoming quite annoying. Yu Yi's sword mark on her forehead lit up, and the hovering Green Bamboo Sword emitted a hum, releasing a sword spirit.
The Crimson Crane spread its wings and soared into the sky, its fiery feathers illuminating the surroundings. Its invincible sharpness, upon realizing there were no enemies around, turned into confusion.
No need for battle, what was it released for?
Crane Senior Brother saw the Crimson Crane spirit appear and immediately shifted its attention, flapping its wings to fly towards the spirit.
The Crimson Crane glanced back at it, arrogantly raising its head and not paying it any attention. It flapped its wings in the air, circling once, trying to return to the Green Bamboo Sword. It bumped into the sword once, unable to get in, and hovered puzzledly on top of the sword hilt.
What was its master doing?
Crane Senior Brother joyfully circled around the spirit, spreading its wings and dancing skillfully.
The spirit glanced at it twice, then pecked at its wing, causing Crane Senior Brother to slide down the sword barrier and fall into a bush of branches, crying for a while before regaining its spirit and continuing to flatter the spirit.
The Crimson Crane spirit turned its head and stuck it into its wing, choosing to ignore it.
As dawn approached, the hovering Green Bamboo Sword finally fell with a thud, embedding itself in the wooden floor of the balcony. The spirit flew down and saw its disheveled master inside the room, blushing furiously, kicking a semi-transparent tentacle out from under her skirt.
Xue Chenjing retrieved the tentacle, sniffing it, and without thinking, licked it.
Yu Yi widened her eyes, her head almost steaming, grabbing a pillow and smashing it hard onto his head, "Can you not be so perverted!"
Xue Chenjing felt wronged, muttering softly, "You were clearly enjoying it just now."
Yu Yi: "..." I enjoy your head.
