The young man’s smile remained faint. He always seemed unserious, as though he didn’t care about anything, indifferent to life and death.
“Me?” the young man chuckled. “Miss Shi, don’t you have your own judgment?”
Shi Yao’s eyes darkened with coldness. “You never wanted to kill her, did you? When Ying Heng was surrounded and nearly killed in the Beast Realm, why did you save him and bring him to Guixu to gather his soul? You split Ying Heng’s spiritual root into three parts, supposedly to lure Sang Dai, but why did she easily obtain two parts? Now that Ying Heng is back by her side, he will remember everything sooner or later. The Guixu Spiritual Vine was taken by Sang Dai. Killing her will be far from easy.”
“Everything you’ve done is not to kill her. You’re disloyal to the Heavenly Dao.”
A heavy silence fell, while the waves of the Bohai Sea surged, their power crashing like the beating of drums on one’s heart.
The black-clad young man suddenly laughed aloud. “Miss Shi, you’re so worried that Sang Dai won’t die because you want to use her spiritual root to restore your body, which has been eroded by the Four Sufferings, or is it to complete the mission the Heavenly Dao gave you?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it does. You say I’m disloyal to the Heavenly Dao, but you’re the same.”
He stepped forward, and as he passed by Shi Yao, he looked down at her and said, “Miss Shi, when you made a deal with the devil and gained its benefits, did you ever think you would end up like this?”
Shi Yao’s expression didn’t change, but the hand hanging by her side tightened into a fist, her nails digging deeply into her palm.
“Don’t blame me for getting to this point. I did everything I was supposed to do. At Linglong Town, it was your own failure to kill her, and instead, you allowed her to grasp the Dao Heart and enter the Grand Ascension realm. You took on the task of killing Sang Dai, but you couldn’t do it…”
The black-clad young man’s tone became playful as he added with a smile, “You’re just incompetent.”
In the distance, the red-clad young man saw Shi Yao’s dark expression and furrowed his brows, ready to step forward. “Get away, don’t touch the young lady!”
The black-clad young man suddenly turned to look at him, and the black mist around him solidified into chains, which shot toward Bi Fang.
Bi Fang couldn’t dodge in time and was struck, falling to his knees while clutching his chest, coughing up large amounts of blood.
“Bi Fang!” Shi Yao immediately rushed forward in a panic to support Bi Fang, glaring at the black-clad young man. “What are you doing?!”
The chains formed from the black mist dispersed, and the black-clad young man curved his lips into a smile. “What gives him the right to shout at me? What’s wrong with me teaching him a lesson? Miss Shi, you’re so anxious over a mere servant?”
Shi Yao’s expression darkened.
The black-clad young man sneered, withdrew his gaze, and leisurely walked in the direction away from the sea.
—
The barrier of the Beast Hall had been in place for twenty-five days.
Now it was November, and from mid-November onward, the Beast Realm had been experiencing continuous heavy snow. The entire Beast Hall had been cleared out, and the vast hall was completely empty. The barrier in the back mountain encompassed the entire mountain, enveloping the whole of the back mountain within.
Zhenhua Crossing was large, with a spacious hot spring and the cave residence of Su Xuan, a place he had personally crafted years ago. He had always dreamed of bringing his precious sword cultivator here, holding onto his beloved sword while they arrived.
In the depths of the cave stood a Hellfire Ball. The curtains hanging from the main bed post completely covered the bed, and Su Xuan had placed another Hellfire Ball inside the bed. One was for lighting, the other to warm the body of a certain sword cultivator.
Su Xuan’s mind was hazy at this moment, and Sang Dai couldn’t say a coherent word. The bed, large enough for more than a dozen people to sleep comfortably, was covered with the marks of their entanglement. Her forehead rested on the brocade pillow, thankful that he had laid down several layers of brocade blankets. Even though they had been quite restless these past few days, their skin hadn’t been scraped.
The little fox came every day, doing whatever was drawn in the book. The sword cultivator had never known there were so many playful tricks. These twenty days had been an eye-opener for him. He only felt that Cui Shao was right when she said the Nine-Tailed Fox clan was lustful, especially Su Xuan, who had been isolated for a hundred years.
Sang Dai groggily opened her eyes, and Su Xuan’s body was covered in sweat. They had to bathe several times a day, and almost every time he finished, he had to bathe. The little fox was so straightforward, her voice hoarse and compelling. Her silver hair was drenched in sweat, and her glass-like eyes were dark red, filled with deep, intense desire.
“Dai Dai, Dai Dai…”
He was calling her.
Sang Dai was too weak to do anything but grasp the brocade blanket and take deep breaths. Her voice was very pleasant. Sang Dai’s tone had always been cool, and her appearance reflected the same.
In the past, when speaking to Su Xuan, there was not a shred of emotion in her voice, only endless indifference. Now, her eyes were filled entirely with him, and when her lips parted, it was only a soft murmur. Her face, flushed with a delicate and vibrant red, bloomed because of him.
This realization drove Su Xuan mad. While it satisfied him, it also made him crave more.
They were both Heavenly Grade spiritual root awakeners, with no real difference in physical strength. Sang Dai didn’t know why she was powerless before Su Xuan. Her whole body was weak, while Su Xuan was full of energy.
The little fox suddenly became fierce. Sang Dai tilted her neck back, her nails digging into Su Xuan’s arm: “Su, Su Xuan…”
Su Xuan leaned down and kissed her red lips, silencing her fragmented words. He captured her tongue and kissed her deeply, his kiss trailing down to her ear, where he softly whispered sweet words.
When Su Xuan carried her to the hot spring to bathe, she lay on his shoulder, unable to move, still not fully recovered. The little fox stirred the water to bathe her. Sang Dai closed her eyes, feeling too weak to move. Su Xuan wouldn’t let her sleep, so she could only rest for a while to regain some strength.
These past few days had given her a clear understanding of Su Xuan’s routine. After a period of the Nine-Tailed Fox’s mating cycle, there would be a break of about an hour, followed by another surge. Su Xuan’s sessions with her were different. Once he started, it wouldn’t end in less than two hours, and that was enough time for the little fox to drive the shy sword cultivator to the brink several time.
The Zhenhua Crossing was encompassed by the barrier, and during these days, Sang Dai did not feel cold. Even though it was November, the depths of winter, Zhenhua Crossing remained warm.
After washing her, Su Xuan lifted his gaze to the snowflakes falling on the spiritual energy protective barrier. The sky was covered with heavy snow.
He lowered his gaze to the sword cultivator lying on his shoulder. The redness on her face had not yet faded. Her eyes were closed, and glistening tears still clung to her delicate lashes. She appeared to have no strength.
Su Xuan kissed her lips, his nose gently rubbing against hers, and softly spoke: “Dai Dai, it’s snowing today.”
“Hmm… It’s snowing today?”
Sang Dai opened her eyes, still a bit dazed, looking quite adorable.
Su Xuan smiled, his eyes curving as he kissed her forehead. “Good girl, this is the first snow you’ve seen in the Beast Realm. The snow here is really heavy.”
It rarely snowed in the Immortal Realm, mostly sunny days and warm weather, but in the Beast Realm, both rain and snow were common, especially after autumn.
She lifted her head to see the snowflakes drifting down from the sky, the large snowflakes falling and then melting under the spiritual shield.
Sang Dai was completely suspended in the air, held by him. She simply rested her chin on his shoulder and tilted her head back to watch the snow.
Su Xuan asked her softly: “Dai Dai, is it beautiful?”
“It’s beautiful.”
Su Xuan kissed her temple lightly. “There will be snow every year. Dai Dai, I’ll watch every year’s snow with you.”
Sang Dai wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting herself to meet his gaze.
She cupped his face and kissed his lips, smiling with her eyes. “Su Xuan, I’m really happy.”
Su Xuan smiled back and asked, “Happy about what?”
“I’m happy that you’ve always stood by me. I haven’t blindly continued in ignorance, but have seen your heart.”
She pointed to his chest. “This place is all me, all of it.”
She still didn’t understand why she could hear Su Xuan’s thoughts, but if she couldn’t hear his thoughts, she would never believe that he liked her.
She would have remained indifferent to him, not killing him, but not loving him either. Instead, she would have continued to walk alone, keeping her heart locked away.
She hadn’t yet realized that Su Xuan knew her secret.
Su Xuan could also understand her words.
The little fox’s eyes softened, and his lips curved into a smile. “I’m happy too.”
“Look clearly at my feelings, I’m happy too.”
The little fox never pursued women, and had caused many misunderstandings with Sang Dai in the past. If not for the fact that Sang Dai could read his thoughts, the proud little fox might never have had a chance with her. He would still have to endure this mating season alone.
He wasn’t surprised by Sang Dai’s special ability, only feeling relieved that she was so unique.
The little fox’s words might be misleading, but his true feelings were always sincere and fiery toward her.
[Dai Dai, I really like you, so much.]
Sang Dai’s smile deepened, spreading across her entire face.
She cupped the little fox’s face. “I like you too.”
Her love for him was growing stronger, and she knew that, in time, she would catch up to his feelings.
Su Xuan kissed her lips, and Sang Dai embraced his neck, kissing him back.
The little fox supported her gently, his other hand moving under the water, exploring her form. Sang Dai was focused on their kiss, not noticing his actions, her attention fully on him. She had always been a focused person.
Until Su Xuan took the opportunity to press forward, Sang Dai suddenly opened her eyes and turned her head away. Her brows furrowed in an instant. Even when she was in an open state, she still found it somewhat difficult at the beginning. She couldn’t help but softly call out to him: “Su, Su Xuan…”
Su Xuan took full advantage of the moment, hearing her muffled moan, and whispered, “Dai Dai, let’s try this here, shall we? Watch the snow?”
Watching the snow was just his excuse. Sang Dai wasn’t unaware of Su Xuan’s intentions. This fox spirit’s mind was filled with all sorts of improper thoughts. She wanted to bargain, but Su Xuan understood her body even better than she did herself. Soon, he had her lose all resistance.
The little fox smiled smugly, using the Guixu spiritual energy with the dual cultivation method to circulate through their meridians. Every day, he would use that broken vine to test his own spiritual energy. The dark energy entwining their spiritual power gradually diminished, and the Four Sufferings were slowly cleansed by the pure Guixu energy.
At the same time, the powerful Guixu energy, combined with the dual cultivation technique, was rapidly improving the cultivation of the two of them, both of whom had Heaven-grade spiritual roots.
They were eager to enter the tribulation. Since they discovered that the Guixu energy could cleanse the Four Sufferings, Su Xuan had found the perfect excuse.
Whenever Sang Dai refused, Su Xuan would plead, “Dai Dai, the Four Sufferings are so unbearable.”
“Dai Dai said she would help me cultivate together to improve our cultivation. Dai Dai promised to help me cleanse the Four Sufferings in my spiritual energy.”
“Dai Dai, look, my Four Sufferings have lessened again, and our cultivation has become stronger.”
Sang Dai’s words were quickly silenced by him.
“Dai Dai, just five more days. Let’s continue.”
Sang Dai slapped him in the face.
She groggily thought to herself, ‘This fox is truly perverted; he never stops.’