CH 87

TL: Moonlit

Yin Shao tightly clenched the inner core in his hand.

Bai Yu’s inner core was radiant, like a translucent piece of glass, emitting a dazzling light.

Yin Shao had never seen the crimson fruit before, so when he saw this inner core, he immediately thought it was the crimson fruit.

After all, he had seen other inner cores before, usually black or gray in color, with very few appearing grayish-white.

He had never seen a red one.

So Yin Shao didn’t have any doubts.

Now that he had obtained the crimson fruit, he should leave this place.

However, at this moment, he stood outside Bai Yu’s house in a daze and didn’t leave.

He still remembered the heart-wrenching expression on Bai Yu’s face when he handed over the Red Fruit.

His heart inexplicably panicked, and his eyes had already closed.

He pressed his palm against his chest.

He could feel his heart beating chaotically, a disordered sensation that made him feel like his heart was about to jump out of his body.

He didn’t know why. He had a bad premonition.

Everything had developed according to his plan.

Bai Yu didn’t give him too much trouble and had already handed over the crimson fruit.

The efforts of this past month had not been in vain.

With this crimson fruit, he would soon be able to cure his junior brother’s illness.

Yin Shao still remembered how his junior brother had been weak and sickly since childhood, enduring a lot of suffering.

Now, he would finally be cured.

His junior brother should be very happy when he heard this news…

But why did he feel so uneasy in his heart?

His mind was in chaos.

His fingers had already clenched into a fist.

He even had the urge to knock on the door and take another look at the person inside the room.

Now that he was leaving, he would never see him again, right…

Yin Shao’s hand was already raised.

But he didn’t knock.

The sense of righteousness in his heart told him not to!

Humans and demons were fundamentally different…

Even if he knocked and opened the door to take another look at Bai Yu, what would it change?

Was he really going to stay here?

He had already done something absurd once.

There was no need to do it a second time.

Yin Shao’s expression gradually turned cold.

He was forcing himself to be cold.

Forcing himself to be heartless.

Not to think.

Not to think anymore…

He finally put his hand down.

He turned around and walked step by step forward.

He knew that he would never be able to come back to this place in his lifetime.

Let’s just treat it all as a dream…

His footsteps didn’t hesitate anymore.

He didn’t even look back once.

But what Yin Shao didn’t know was that there was no one left in that room at this moment.

Even if he opened the door, he wouldn’t see Bai Yu again.

Inside, there was only a dying rabbit.

—

Yin Shao spent a whole year outside, going through various trials and tribulations.

In this year, he didn’t know how many demons he had killed.

He had achieved remarkable results.

Except for this last time…

He encountered a rabbit demon but couldn’t kill it…

Now, after a year had passed, Yin Shao returned to his sect.

But for some reason, he felt as if it had been a lifetime ago.

The sect still appeared the same as before.

Even the large tree planted at the entrance hadn’t changed much, still tall and erect.

“Senior Brother!”

A voice full of surprise suddenly sounded.

The one calling out these words was Yin Shao’s junior disciple, Fang Xiao.

Fang Xiao had already shouted when he saw Yin Shao from afar.

Before Yin Shao could react, Fang Xiao ran over and threw himself into Yin Shao’s arms.

“Senior Brother, you’re finally back!”

Fang Xiao’s voice was filled with indescribable excitement. Most of the senior brothers and sisters in the sect went out for trials, leaving only him behind due to his poor health, always staying in the sect.

So, every year, at the end, he liked to sit here and wait for his senior brothers to return…

Especially his senior brother Yin Shao, the man who, in his eyes, was unexpectedly gentle.

Fang Xiao had secretly liked him in his heart.

He also particularly hoped to see him…

So now, seeing Yin Shao return, he felt indescribably happy.

Fang Xiao looked at Yin Shao, his expression extremely delighted, and his mouth already raised in a high arc, revealing his white teeth.

“Senior Brother, did you bring me a gift this time?”

As he said these words, he winked at Yin Shao.

The person looked incredibly lively and adorable.

Yin Shao smiled and ruffled his hair, his voice carrying a gentle tone. “Of course, I did.”

“Really? Senior Brother, quickly show it to me.”

As Fang Xiao spoke, he took the package from Yin Shao’s hand.

Without waiting for Yin Shao’s permission, he started searching through it.

However, Yin Shao’s package contained nothing but a few pieces of clothing.

There didn’t seem to be any gifts on his person either.

Fang Xiao immediately felt disappointed. “Senior Brother, you didn’t bring me any gifts.”

As he spoke, he pouted his mouth.

Yin Shao stared blankly at the person in front of him, feeling a bit dazed.

Suddenly, a delicate figure flashed through his mind.

That person had a similar expression when angry.

Looking pouty. But as long as they were coaxed, they would immediately smile at him.

In his daze, Yin Shao somehow felt that the person before him was Bai Yu…

His eyes slightly lowered, a hint of tenderness flickering in them.

But when he raised his gaze, he didn’t see the figure he imagined, only his junior disciple.

“Senior Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

Fang Xiao looked at Yin Shao strangely, feeling that he seemed distracted.

“Oh, nothing. Of course, I brought something good for you.”

As Yin Shao spoke, he took out a fiery-red bead from his waistband.

“Guess what this is?”

Fang Xiao looked at the bead with a pleasantly surprised expression, feeling that it was exceptionally translucent. It emitted a dazzling light.

This bead seemed to possess tremendous energy.

Just by getting close to it, one could feel a hint of warmth.

“Senior Brother, is this the crimson fruit?”

Although Fang Xiao didn’t know what it was, he had been plagued by a chronic illness. From the moment he touched the bead, he could feel a comforting warmth spreading from his fingertips throughout his body.

It was as if touching it made his body no longer feel so cold.

“Yes.” Yin Shao nodded at Fang Xiao. Then he placed the bead in Fang Xiao’s hand.

“Go and ask our Master how to use this crimson fruit to cure your illness.”

“Okay!” Fang Xiao grasped the bead and couldn’t wait to run to the sect’s main hall.

Yin Shao didn’t follow but stood still in place, lost in thought.

Without the crimson fruit, his hands suddenly felt empty.

It was supposed to be the gift he gave to his junior brother.

But now it was gone, and for some reason, he felt that his heart had become empty as well…

The crimson fruit was the only thing he received from Bai Yu.

Although they had agreed on it earlier.

But it was Bai Yu who had given it to him after all.

And now it was suddenly gone.

Yin Shao felt an indescribable sense of panic.

It was as if the last thread connecting him and Bai Yu had been severed!

Everything had turned into emptiness…

That one month felt like nothing more than a dream.

“Senior Brother, why aren’t you leaving?”

Fang Xiao thought Yin Shao would accompany him to see their Master, but Yin Shao remained motionless.

“Senior Brother, let’s go together. You just returned, so you should also go and pay respects to our Master.”

As Fang Xiao spoke, he pulled Yin Shao’s hand and walked towards the sect’s main hall.

—

“Shao’er, you have demonic energy on your body.”

These were the first words their Master said to Yin Shao when he saw him.

Yin Shao frowned. He had made great efforts to cleanse the demonic energy from his body, but no matter what he tried, it couldn’t be completely removed.

He had thought of many methods along the way, but he hadn’t expected their Master to notice.

Their Master looked at Yin Shao with a slightly unpleasant expression.

Among his disciples, Yin Shao was the most talented one.

In theory, it wasn’t strange for a demon hunter to have demonic energy on their body. After all, their profession involved constant interaction with demons.

However, demon hunters were supposed to kill demons, and their contact should not be excessive.

Yet the demonic energy on Yin Shao’s body was astonishingly strong.

To have such a strong demonic energy on a demon hunter’s body could only mean one thing.

They had engaged in a relationship.

Their Master’s expression became even more unpleasant.

He said to Yin Shao, “Shao’er, come with me. I have something to ask you.”

“But what about me?” Fang Xiao felt anxious when he heard this. His senior brother had just returned, and now their Master wanted to talk to him.

“Wait here.”

Their Master said as he led Yin Shao into the inner chamber.

The door was closed.

Their Master’s expression turned solemn.

“Shao’er, demons excel at deceiving people. Remember, you must not be swayed by them.”

Yin Shao lowered his head slightly. “Disciple understands.”

“Understands?” A trace of coldness appeared on their Master’s face. “You understand, yet you still had a relationship with that demon? Shao’er, you’re confused!”

Yin Shao’s heart sank. He had known that their Master would find out eventually.

But he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon…

“I only made a deal with that demon. I agreed to accompany him for a month, and in return, he gave me the crimson fruit. That’s why I…”

When their Master heard Yin Shao’s words, his expression became slightly more favorable.

“Since that’s the case, now that you have the crimson fruit, you’ve already killed that demon, right?”

Yin Shao was taken aback by their Master’s words.

“But I have already become the spouse of that demon. So, I wanted to spare his life. Besides… that demon isn’t evil…”

In Yin Shao’s mind, there were only images of Bai Yu.

He had been with Bai Yu for so long and knew Bai Yu’s character well.

Bai Yu was simply a lively and adorable little demon, innocent and carefree. He had never done anything wrong.

That little guy’s biggest concern every day was what to eat.

He had never harmed anyone.

But their Master scoffed at Yin Shao’s words.

“Not evil? There is no single non-evil demon in this world! Shao’er, you have killed so many demons. Have you ever seen a demon’s inner core that is pure white and transparent?”

Yin Shao shook his head.

When a demon’s inner core first emerged, it was transparent. The color of their inner core represented the darkness in their hearts.

The more wicked a demon’s thoughts, the darker the color of its inner core.

Among the many demons Yin Shao had killed, there were plenty with black inner cores.

“So, all the demons in this world are evil. You should kill them all. How can you be swayed by a demon?”

Yin Shao lowered his head, his expression unchanged, but his fingers had already clenched into a fist.

He understood all of these principles.

However, if he were to kill Bai Yu…

He couldn’t bring himself to do it!

Fortunately, their Master didn’t dwell on this matter. Instead, he said to Yin Shao:

“Shao’er, I know you’re not inclined towards the opposite sex. Although society believes that only a man and a woman can form a Dao couple, our sect doesn’t have such rules. And I know that your junior brother has secretly liked you for a long time. Your relationship with that demon, in the end, is also for the sake of your junior brother. Since that’s the case, as your Master, I’ll make a decision and allow you two to be together. How about that?”

Yin Shao was taken aback by the sudden revelation.

In fact, he knew about his junior brother’s feelings for him.

If this had happened before, perhaps he would have agreed to their Master’s arrangement.

His junior brother was lively and adorable, with a pure heart.

Spending a lifetime with such a person should be a good thing.

But at this moment, when he heard their Master say it, Yin Shao’s heart was filled with resistance.

He had already decided to forget Bai Yu.

But at this moment, his heart was filled with Bai Yu.

Bai Yu’s tears, Bai Yu’s smiles…

Bai Yu’s melodious voice.

And the words “husband” that Bai Yu called him…

Yin Shao suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Now their Master was asking him to marry his junior brother.

But what about Bai Yu?

After he left, would Bai Yu find someone else?

And call that person “husband” too?