Chapter 71#
Chapter 71#
Xue Jingci couldn’t help but sigh softly.
His usually cold expression was tinged with a hint of confusion, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to do.
When his grandmother named him, she gave him a mirror and told him that as long as he was good to others, others would be good to him too.
Therefore, what he could least ignore was the sincerity of others.
If Pei Huang’s kindness towards him was like others, with an ulterior motive, wanting to gain some benefit from him, or merely being enchanted by his appearance and simply admiring his looks, then this matter would be extremely easy to resolve.
Xue Jingci would only need to withdraw the benefits he had casually bestowed earlier, then find a few pills to temporarily disfigure himself, and he could swiftly cut off this relationship.
But Pei Huang’s feelings for him were sincere and genuine, which made Xue Jingci unsure how to act.
He felt that he should reciprocate Pei Huang’s feelings, just as his grandmother had taught him.
However, emotions were not like cultivation, which would naturally grow with accumulation over time.
Xue Jingci had lived for so long, yet he had never experienced any fervent emotions.
The system sensed Xue Jingci’s entanglement and distress, and couldn’t help but advise: “Host, you don’t have to worry too much about this.”
It placed its paw on Xue Jingci’s hand and said earnestly: “Pei Huang chose to like you himself; you didn’t force him to. So, it’s perfectly normal if you can’t reciprocate his feelings.”
Xue Jingci pursed his lips and remained silent. After a long while, he looked up at the River Demon again and asked about Pei Huang’s childhood.
He remembered that when they first met, Pei Huang was still a young hooligan.
Xue Jingci remembered how stubborn he was; even if he said “sorry,” his fists were still tightly clenched when he lowered his head.
That person was also a bit clever and very good at assessing the situation. Once he realized his strength was completely suppressed, he would immediately soften up and obediently accept punishment.
Xue Jingci saw that Pei Huang had innate wisdom and understanding, which made him keep him by his side for several months, teaching him how to write, practice swordsmanship, and understand principles.
However, the two of them were merely passing acquaintances after all.
As the time to complete his mission approached, Xue Jingci left directly, without even saying goodbye to Pei Huang.
Recalling the past events of that year now, Xue Jingci couldn’t help but want to know more.
He wanted to know what kind of life Pei Huang had lived in places he couldn’t see.
The River Demon’s face showed a hint of difficulty when he heard Xue Jingci’s question. He didn’t have much interaction with Pei Huang when he was young, and only gradually became familiar with him later.
He was carefully considering how to speak when a young man in black suddenly flashed and landed beside him.
A’Su casually tucked the small knife in his hand into his waist and silently walked up to Xue Jingci, raising his hand to greet him.
He was accustomed to killing in the shadows, always coming and going without a trace. After greeting, he subconsciously wanted to hide back into the darkness.
But the River Demon reached out and pulled him back, not letting him leave, and whispered something.
A’Su’s body stiffened upon hearing this. He looked up and met Xue Jingci’s gaze, then reached out for paper and pen.
What he wrote was a segment of “new grudges and old hatreds” between himself and Pei Huang back then.
The so-called “old hatred” referred to A’Su once being Pei Huang’s subordinate, but the two eventually parted ways unhappily.
Although Pei Huang was young at the time, he was born with divine strength and had gathered a group of followers while living in the marketplace, making him somewhat influential.
One day, he saw a cultivator selling children, seemingly preparing to sell them as human cauldrons. He then secretly acted with his subordinates, injuring the cultivator and helping the children escape.
All the other children ran away without a trace, but only A’Su was clever and calm.
Not only did he not run away immediately, but he also squatted down, curiously flipping through the cultivation manual that the cultivator had dropped in his panic.
Pei Huang saw that A’Su was literate and very clever, so he had an idea and asked him to follow him from then on.
A’Su still wanted to continue studying the manual, so he nodded in agreement.
At first, Pei Huang thought A’Su was an orphan like himself, without parents, so he always treated him better than others.
A’Su didn’t explain. Although he was young, he often heard his parents talk about Pei Huang and his group.
His parents said that they were a bunch of wild children without parents, causing trouble when they gathered, and told A’Su to stay far away from them if he saw them.
So A’Su didn’t mention his parents, but he would occasionally sneak home, and eventually, Pei Huang noticed.
That day, he was eating with his parents when he looked up and saw someone standing outside the window.
It was a cold, snowy night, and Pei Huang didn’t know how long he had been standing there; his entire body was almost swallowed by the heavy snow.
A’Su frantically put down his chopsticks, pushed open the door, and wanted to find Pei Huang to explain a few words, but Pei Huang grabbed him by the collar. He looked up and met Pei Huang’s angry gaze.
“So you have parents… and they love you so much.” Pei Huang released A’Su, glanced at him coldly, and took a few steps back.
“You clearly have a home, why are you still following me?”
The commotion between the two attracted A’Su’s parents. Although his mother was small, she rushed over with a broom, pulled A’Su behind her, and threatened to beat Pei Huang away.
Pei Huang coldly dropped a sentence: “I’ll leave by myself.”
A’Su tightly gripped the broom and turned to see Pei Huang walking into the wind and snow without looking back.
“How could you associate with such a person!”
A’Su’s mother regained her senses, filled with lingering fear.
But when she looked down, she saw the dusty handprint on A’Su’s collar and quickly brushed it off meticulously, muttering: “That boy was born from a coffin; he has a hard life. First, he brought death to his parents, and later even his adoptive father… I told you to stay away from him, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“This person, he’s born to be a debt collector. Look, he’s even come knocking on our door!”
Her voice was loud, and it carried far with the howling wind. Pei Huang must have heard it, as his steps quickened, and he soon disappeared outside the village.
Many people in the village heard the commotion and opened their windows to investigate.
A’Su tried hard to cover his mother’s mouth with his hand, while softly arguing, wanting to say that during these days with Pei Huang, he felt he wasn’t a bad person.
But his mother poked him between the eyebrows, insisting that he wash his hands with ginger to ward off cold and bad luck.
A’Su was young, and although he was clever and intelligent, there were still many things he couldn’t understand.
He didn’t understand why his parents pushed the cattle and sheep into the water.
Nor did he understand why adults always said, “Why doesn’t anyone control this bad seed?” yet no one actually went to control Pei Huang.
Until Xue Jingci descended from the sky, stopped the village’s sacrifice, and returned the cattle and sheep to the shore.
A’Su had never seen such a powerful person and instinctively felt that if it were him, he could definitely control Pei Huang.
He secretly informed Xue Jingci that Pei Huang was the one who had destroyed the divine tablet.
This was the “new grudge.”
…
Xue Jingci looked at the black and white writing on the paper, as if he could see Pei Huang standing alone outside the house, secretly watching the lively scene inside that had nothing to do with him.
He must have watched for a long time to be covered in snow.
Later, Xue Jingci indeed managed this person as A’Su had thought, teaching him to sleep on time, eat properly, and help the farmers with their work…
But it was only for three short months.
Xue Jingci regained his composure and asked in a low voice: “What happened after I left?”
This time it was the River Demon’s turn to speak. As he spoke, he suddenly fell silent, his gaze falling behind Xue Jingci, blinking suggestively.
Xue Jingci realized that Pei Huang had returned. He reached out to destroy the paper on the table, but for some reason, he ultimately folded the paper and put it into his storage bag.
Pei Huang saw Xue Jingci, the River Demon, and A’Su standing together from a distance, and felt a bit relieved.
Now, when he was alone with Xue Jingci, he always felt that the other person was a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it would be better with more people around.
However, by the time Pei Huang walked over, the River Demon and A’Su had already flown away and disappeared into the night.
For a moment, only Pei Huang and Xue Jingci were left in the vast Demon Palace.
The air was eerily still.
Pei Huang initiated the conversation, talking about expelling Xie Zheng and Xiao Xun from the Demon Realm, but he noticed that Xue Jingci looked listless, as if he wasn’t listening.
He instinctively grabbed Xue Jingci’s wrist to check his pulse: “…Are you feeling unwell?”
Xue Jingci gently shook his head. Today, listening to A’Su and the River Demon talk about Pei Huang’s childhood, he felt inexplicably heavy-hearted.
He looked at Pei Huang and suddenly asked: “The River Demon said you always treasured the things I left in Donglai Village. Did you like me from back then?”
He asked too directly, and Pei Huang’s heart almost stopped beating.
After a long while, he finally nodded in resignation, even feeling a glimmer of hope that Xue Jingci, upon learning of his affection, would give a new answer.
However, Xue Jingci only asked him: “Why?”
“When I was in Donglai Village, I wasn’t particularly good to you.”
At that time, he not only made Pei Huang sweep fallen leaves but also took him to help the villagers with the autumn harvest.
Pei Huang had almost no time to rest.
Pei Huang looked at Xue Jingci, knowing that he still didn’t understand this kind of emotion.
But he also couldn’t clearly explain the reason for his liking.
At that time, he was young, at his most stubborn age.
Others cursed him as ominous and kept their distance, so he learned their expressions and mimicked them, hating them.
He didn’t need anyone’s affection, nor would he like anyone.
But during the days with Xue Jingci, he only felt that a ray of light had finally penetrated his dim world.
At that time, he couldn’t even read all the characters, and it was much later that he understood this was a sudden flutter of the heart.
From then on, he subconsciously pursued this person’s figure. He thought he wouldn’t meet him again, but they unexpectedly encountered each other in Luocheng.
“I also thought that perhaps it was just your formidable strength that made me admire you, not that kind of liking.”
“But in Luocheng, when I saw your robes were old and you were ostracized, I actually felt an urge to protect you… even though my cultivation was nothing compared to yours.”
Xue Jingci listened attentively. He wanted to say that he had also protected many people over the years, perhaps out of pity, perhaps out of convenience, but in any case, that emotion quickly dissipated.
This wasn’t necessarily love.
But meeting Pei Huang’s serious gaze, Xue Jingci couldn’t help but repeatedly ponder Pei Huang’s words in his mind.
He seemed to finally perceive the difference between the two.
Xue Jingci protected others because he knew he was extremely powerful, but how old was Pei Huang at that time, to actually want to protect him?
Could it be that this is what love is, to make the weak feel strong?
Pei Huang did not continue speaking.
He still maintained the posture of gripping Xue Jingci’s wrist. At this moment, feeling Xue Jingci’s suddenly erratic pulse, his own heartbeat also trembled.
Xue Jingci was sometimes as straightforward as a blank sheet of paper, never concealing his emotions.
Therefore, Pei Huang could tell at a glance that Xue Jingci simply didn’t understand the “liking” he spoke of, rather than truly disliking it.
He had originally planned that after returning this time, he would find a way to take a step back, to a position where Xue Jingci felt comfortable, and never again make any presumptuous moves.
He didn’t want to become like Xie Zheng and Xiao Xun, who entangled Xue Jingci in every possible way just for their selfish desires, causing such a cold and aloof person as Xue Jingci to feel disgust.
But now, he had unexpectedly glimpsed a possibility.
It made him want to bet everything.
After this day, the relationship between Pei Huang and Xue Jingci returned to normal.
Pei Huang cultivated the revised techniques given by Xue Jingci, and his cultivation progressed rapidly, with the power of his bloodline becoming increasingly stable.
For a time, the demon cultivators who had been observing and testing him gradually began to truly consider him as their Venerable.
Fu Yin proactively sought out Pei Huang, bringing along his disciple Xi Feng.
“Previously, our agreement to participate in the martial arts competition was actually just an excuse for the various demon clan forces to unite. The Demon Realm has been in chaos for a long time, and everyone has long wanted to see if it would become stronger after unification, but they were too proud to admit it.”
In the past six months, trade among the major forces had resumed, resources flowed, and many demon cultivators specializing in artifact refining and alchemy had advanced their skills, producing many top-grade pills and artifacts.
There were many other benefits, too numerous to list.
Pei Huang had already seen this point and said indifferently: “The one-year period has not yet arrived. Regardless, I am still the Venerable on the surface.”
Fu Yin laughed heartily: “I didn’t come here to depose you, but to help you become the true Venerable.”
With that, he reined in his laughter, his expression becoming serious: “All previous Demon Realm Venerables had to endure the power of the Royal Seal to be recognized by their ancestors. If you want to become the true Demon Realm Venerable, you must pass this trial.”
Pei Huang hadn’t been in the Demon Realm for long and had only vaguely heard of the Royal Seal, but from Fu Yin’s serious tone, he knew that the power of the Royal Seal was absolutely extraordinary.
“What exactly is the power of the Royal Seal?”
Fu Yin explained: “You’ve heard of the Soul-Searching Technique, right? The first king of the demon clan, in order to preserve his inherited memories, did not hesitate to use the Soul-Searching Technique on himself, sealing all his lifelong knowledge into a single seal.”
“Enduring the power of the Royal Seal allows one to gain his memories, but it can also lead to being overwhelmed by his powerful spiritual energy.”
Pei Huang nodded almost without hesitation: “I am willing to try.”
Fu Yin, however, shook his head: “That power is still too strong for you. If you truly wish to try, you will need a dao companion to bear this power with you.”
With that, he looked at his disciple Xi Feng.
Xi Feng stepped forward and bowed to Pei Huang, saying neither subserviently nor arrogantly: “I also desire the power of the Royal Seal. How about we pretend to be dao companions and bear the power of the Royal Seal together? Once we’re done, we can go our separate ways.”
Pei Huang was stunned. He remembered that his only interaction with Xi Feng was a sparring match at the martial arts competition. How could this person make such a request?
Seeing Pei Huang remain silent, Xi Feng blinked and smiled slightly: “Venerable, don’t worry, I won’t bother you afterwards. If you don’t believe me, ask my master.”
Fu Yin nodded, clearly understanding his closed-door disciple very well: “She only likes eighteen-year-old boys. Once they’re past that age, she doesn’t like them anymore.”
Pei Huang: “…”
He shook his head: “No, I have someone I like.”
Both Fu Yin and Xi Feng showed surprise. These days, Pei Huang had been cultivating almost exclusively, much like those who cultivated the path of heartlessness among the righteous.
He actually had someone he liked?
Fu Yin said: “If that’s the case, you can form a dao companion contract, and then you can bear the power of the Royal Seal together.”
Pei Huang did not commit, but instead asked in detail about inheriting the power, intending to try it alone.
After all, when he inherited the power of his bloodline, he also endured immense pain, and his spiritual consciousness was several times tougher than his actual cultivation realm.
He walked towards the Demon Palace, and from a distance, he saw Xue Jingci practicing calligraphy.
The person’s cold aura, mixed with the scent of ink, was like a giant net, completely enveloping him.
Pei Huang did not disturb this tranquility; all the chaotic thoughts in his mind were smoothed out.
He quietly watched Xue Jingci, and suddenly noticed something unusual.
Xue Jingci’s brush seemed to have stopped for quite a while?
It wasn’t until the ink bled onto the paper that Xue Jingci belatedly came back to his senses, remembering the news he had heard from Guan Zi during dinner earlier.
Fu Yin wanted to set up his disciple Xi Feng with Pei Huang as dao companions.