CH 37

“Will Master leave with me?” Zhou Xuanlan asked in the dimly lit cave, with half of his face hidden in the darkness, his facial features deep and three-dimensional.

Shen Liuxiang hesitated and asked, “Have we ever kissed before?”

Earlier, some fragmented memories flashed through his mind. It seemed like the person in front of him had kissed him under an ancient tree.

He was startled by the sudden emergence of these memories, which made him freeze and not push the person away.

Zhou Xuanlan’s lips curled slightly as he kissed Shen Liuxiang’s smooth forehead. “Master, you have kissed me like this.”

“In that case, it wasn’t you,” Shen Liuxiang said, puzzled. When did he become so intimate with someone else? “Then who was it?”

Zhou Xuanlan’s smile froze on his face.

It wasn’t him, then could it be…

A series of names involuntarily popped up in his mind. Zhou Xuanlan fell silent for a moment, feeling a bit helpless and frustrated. “Master, why do you attract so many people?”

Shen Liuxiang had a bewildered expression.

Zhou Xuanlan looked at his fluttering eyelashes, his beautiful appearance full of confusion and incomprehension, and his eyes darkened slightly. In a low and deep voice, he said, “Am I not the most important one to you? This is my bottom line, Master…”

Shen Liuxiang didn’t answer, his eyes lowered as he tried to figure out who this person in front of him was.

What exactly was going on?

At this moment, the “little demon” took advantage of the dim light and the tranquil surroundings and kissed him again.

“…”

The person on the bed suddenly moved, and the people in the room’s faces changed, and they all held their breath.

In the silence, Shen Liuxiang mumbled, “Little demon..”

Everyone: “…”

Ling Ye, with a smile in his eyes, placed a cool finger on Shen Liu Xiang’s forehead and asked, “Who is Junior Brother calling for?”

Shen Liuxiang slowly opened his eyes, scratched his messy black hair, and looked around the room.

When his gaze fell on Zhou Xuanlan, he paused slightly, then quickly averted his eyes, a puzzled expression on his face. “Why am I here?”

“Don’t remember?” Lan Xiaosheng poured a cup of tea and handed it to him. “You were trapped by the nightmare in your sea of consciousness. You should have some memories.”

Shen Liuxiang took the teacup and took a sip. “Is that so? But I don’t remember.”

Absolutely cannot admit it.

The memories of his Senior Brother and Ye Bing Ran were not a big deal, but the other one…

Shen Liuxiang’s hand trembled slightly.

Last time, it was understandable that Zhou Xuanlan kissed him under the ancient tree due to the influence of a spell, but this time, he did it while awake and kissed his lips.

Were all Master-disciple relationships in this world like this?

Shen Liuxiang felt a little flustered.

“Master, this is a Nightmare Beast,” Zhou Xuanlan stepped closer and removed the black mist entwined around his wrist.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to it.

Lan Xiaosheng’s expression turned stern, and he was about to ask a question when the nightmare beast opened its scarlet eyes wide and screamed in agony. In an instant, it lost its breath.

Outside the room, Su Baiche crushed the withered leaves in his hand, his expression indifferent.

Tong Xi was shocked. “You put so much effort into taming it, and you just killed it like that?”

Su Bai Che took out a silk handkerchief and wiped away the bloodstains in his hand. “When it falls into the hands of others, there are only two outcomes: being turned against and it betrays me, or enduring torture until death without confessing. So, at this moment, I’ll give him release, killing two birds with one stone.”

Tong Xi stood there in shock.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t bring his memories to me,” Su Baiche said with a wry smile as he threw the handkerchief aside and rubbed his brows.

“But there was a gain; his memories were interfered with by the Heavenly Dao. Do you know what that means?”

“And,” he continued, a smile in his words, “Tong Xi, the Heavenly Dao is on your side.”

Feeling as if he was being stared at by a venomous snake in the darkness, Tong Xi shivered but managed to calm down after a while. “You’ve crossed the line; these are not things you should be considering.”

Su Baiche kept smiling, seemingly wanting to inquire further, but suddenly, an irresistible force pulled him from behind, sending him soaring into the air.

“Why didn’t you inform me when you went out to play,” Nan Yaoquan said as he held Su Baiche’s shoulder, his expression seemingly amused.

Behind him, a group of people from the Demon Realm followed, their cultivation levels ranging, the Golden Core realm being the lowest, clearly looking for trouble.

The commotion stirred numerous people from their sleep.

Lights lit up in all directions, and the disciples of various sects hurriedly came out of their residences. When they saw hundreds of demonic cultivators hovering in the air, and the person leading them, they were instantly frightened.

The Demon Venerable came to the Sword Sect for what purpose? Could it be to provoke a war between the two realms?

“Don’t sleep! The Mountain-guarding Array has been broken, the Demon Venerable is attacking!”

“Run! The Demon Venerable is a ruthless killer, no one is his match!”

“Stay calm; the sect masters of various immortal sects are here. He won’t dare to act recklessly!”

The people who had come to the Sword Sect for the banquet were all in a panic until they noticed several more figures appearing in the air, which finally helped them regain their composure.

“Why did the Demon Venerable come here?” Lan Xiaosheng stood with his hands behind his back, calm and composed.

“Of course, I came to offer my congratulations,” Nan Yaowuan said, grabbing Su Baiche and surveying the surroundings. “Where is Immortal Jianzhen? Why hasn’t he come out to meet me?”

Ling Ye glanced at the person in his hand and said coldly, “If you came to offer congratulations, then do just that. Why do you have to capture our disciple?”

Seeing this, Su Baiche’s delicate face showed delight, and a tear almost formed at the corner of his eye. He trembled as he said, “Master, save me.”

Back in the Demon Realm, he would have to drink several bowls of lotus seed soup every day… and then vomit.

Shen Liuxiang stood in the corridor, gazing at the sky, lightly pursing his lips.

Wanted to eat melon seeds, “sigh~”

But all the snacks were with Zhou Xuanlan, and he couldn’t ask for any.

Just as he was in a dilemma, Zhou Xuanlan silently appeared behind him and called out, “Master.”

Shen Liuxiang’s body trembled.

Zhou Xuanlan held his hand, placed some fragrant melon seeds on it, raised an eyebrow, and looked at him with dark eyes. “After waking up, why are you avoiding me, Master?”

Shen Liuxiang inadvertently met his gaze, quickly shifted his eyes away, and dryly replied, “I’m not avoiding you,” then grabbed a melon seed and started nibbling.

The situation in the air remained the same, with Nan Yaoquan confronting several sect masters.

No one knew what he was planning. If he came to capture Su Baiche, why didn’t he leave after catching him? If he intended to attack the Sword Sect, why hadn’t he given the order yet, causing anxiety among the disciples on the ground.

After a while, Nan Yaoquan broke the deadlock, directing his gaze towards one place. “Little Brother, come over here.”

Everyone was stunned, their gazes following suit.

The Demon Venerable actually had a little brother.

Is it him?

Suddenly, the melon seeds in his mouth lost their taste. Shen Liuxiang didn’t hesitate and turned to run, but Nan Yaoquan’s skill in capturing was unparalleled. With a simple grab from his slender fingers, Shen Liuxiang’s body was uncontrollably pulled towards him.

The ground was filled with astonishment.

“Shen Liuliu?! It’s him again!”

“Don’t call him Shen Liuliu; he is Shen Liuxiang, Qingling’s Immortal Shen.”

“He is not only entangled with the Sword Sect, but he is also the Demon Venerable’s little brother?! It’s too unbelievable!”

Shen Liuxiang sighed lightly but remained calm. The Binding Spirit Technique couldn’t restrain him, and even if they took him away, it didn’t necessarily mean they had won.

At this moment, he felt a tightness around his waist.

In the moonlight, a long silver ribbon wrapped around Shen Liuxiang’s waist, pulling him away and dropping him onto a roof.

The wind whistled in his ears, causing Shen Liu Xiang to stagger. He almost fell, but a hand caught his arm, steadying him.

“Are you okay?”

A familiar voice.

Shen Liu Xiang raised his eyes and met a pair of clear and icy eyes.

Silence spread on the ground.

Especially the disciples of the Sword Sect, when they saw the appearance of the silver ribbon, a sense of unease and familiarity struck them. They noticed that the Sword Sovereign was waiting early at Shen Liu Xiang’s landing spot, looking concerned as he supported him.

In an instant, as if a bucket of cold water was poured on them, everyone was awakened.

Tonight, there was only one word to describe it—cold!

“Our Sword Sovereign is truly kind-hearted. Although he clearly dislikes Immortal Shen, he still used his cultivation to save him. Haha.”

“Yes, Sword Sovereign even helps an old woman who falls by the roadside; it’s nothing new. Haha.”

“Right, Sword Sovereign seems to have a pair of peach blossom eyes; he looks affectionate towards everyone. Not surprising at all. Haha.”

With a string of “haha,” an inexplicable bitterness seeped through.

So the disciples of the Sword Sect involuntarily fell silent again.

Silence enveloped them tonight.

Dark clouds covered the moon, and soon, it started to rain.

Shen Liuxiang thanked him.

He hadn’t forgotten about the illusion, suspecting that the meeting from his childhood had planted deep emotions toward the Sword Sovereing, leading to their entanglement for so long.

But no matter how he looked at it, the original Shen Liuxiang didn’t seem to have fallen for him.

Instead, it was Ye Bingran’s actions…

His thoughts paused, and his hair seemed to have something extra.

A piece of tender green lotus leaf, freshly picked, exuded a refreshing and pleasant fragrance.

Raindrops fell on the leaf, making a tinkling sound.

Shen Liuxiang was slightly taken aback and looked up.

Ye Bingran’s tall figure stood in the rain, his eyes downcast, not saying a word, but his whole body exuded an unmistakable sorrow.

In his line of sight.

A young man with long black hair down to his waist, half of his face hidden by the lotus leaf, revealing only the graceful jawline and slightly moist cherry lips.

And when he lifted his head, those lively phoenix eyes were revealed.

A slight uplift at the corner of his eyes could easily touch people’s heartstrings.

It looked exactly like him.

Why had he never recognized him…

Seeing Ye Bingran’s expression, Shen Liuxiang felt that if he didn’t do something, the other person might cry.

He hesitated for a moment, then took off the lotus leaf and placed it on Ye Bingran’s head. “I don’t need this rain to water me; you can wear it instead.”

Ye Bingran’s lips moved, and he spoke softly.

As the rain intensified, Shen Liuxiang couldn’t hear clearly for a moment, so he turned his ear toward Ye Bingran. “Say it again.”

Ye Bingran’s usually indifferent voice trembled slightly as he said, “Do you still like me?”

Shen Liuxiang hadn’t expected to be asked such a question again and shook his head helplessly.

It seemed that Ye Bingran still didn’t trust him, fearing being entangled or causing misunderstandings, especially with Su Baiche present. He wanted to take this opportunity to clarify their relationship.

Putting aside other matters, considering the debt of gratitude from Ye Bingran’s recent rescue, he had to handle this matter to Ye Bingran’s satisfaction.

So, Shen Liuxiang cleared his throat and raised two slender and fair fingers, making a public statement to exonerate Ye Bingran.

“If I ever harbor any feelings of admiration for the Beiluan Sword Sovereign, may I be struck by lightning and never be able to stand again for eternity.”

As he finished speaking, he smiled at the person across from him.

“How about that? Are you satisfied?”

A metallic taste welled up in Ye Bingran’s throat, and he clenched his teeth, making an effort to swallow it down.

His eyes were filled with blood-red color.

After a while, he looked towards the young man smiling beautifully in the misty rain and slightly lifted his lips, revealing a rare, radiant smile.

“I understand, thank you…”

T/N: Yikes!!!