Chapter 96 - Blood Drinking
“No.”
“You promised you'd never lie to me.”
Ye Hao gazed into Tang Pianpian's sparkling eyes, paused for a moment, and then said, “I just had a talk with Xiao Ming. He advised me to avoid getting romantically involved with women.”
“Why?”
“He's concerned that I might get caught up in love one day.”
“What do you think about that?” Tang Pianpian asked, biting her lip.
“Reality will compel me to steer clear of women,” Ye Hao replied.
“I don't understand.”
“I do.”
“Are you going to leave?”
“No.”
“You have to tell me before you go.”
“Okay.”
Silence enveloped them both.
Back in her room, Tang Pianpian slipped into some casual clothes and headed to the kitchen to cook.
But today, she was clearly distracted, and the dish she stir-fried turned out somewhat tasteless.
Nevertheless, Ye Hao enjoyed his meal thoroughly.
Tang Pianpian tried a few bites, then sank into despair, saying, “It tastes awful. Let's eat out instead.”
“It tastes great to me,” Ye Hao reassured her with a smile.
“Don't try to console me,” Tang Pianpian chastised herself. “I'm so useless; I can't even cook properly.”
“Don't be so hard on yourself,” Ye Hao said, setting down his chopsticks. “You're the kindest girl I've ever met.”
Tang Pianpian's eyes brightened, but then she sulked, “You're lying to me again.”
“When have I ever lied to you?” Ye Hao offered her a piece of vegetable. “Vegetables are meant to be light. You've captured the true essence of cooking.”
Tang Pianpian didn't go for the vegetable but instead fixed Ye Hao with an intense look and asked, “Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“I want to practice cultivation with you.”
“It's not as simple as that.”
“Is it because I'm not qualified to cultivate?”
“You lack the natural aptitude for cultivation.”
“But I'm very smart.”
“The aptitude for cultivation is known as a spirit root. Only those born with a spirit root can practice cultivation.”
“So, I'll never have the chance to cultivate?”
Ye Hao observed Tang Pianpian's look of disappointment, hesitated, and then said, “There's still a chance for you.”
Ye Hao waited in silence. It took about an hour before Tang Pianpian finally drifted off.
Quietly, Ye Hao rose and affixed the Demon Slayer Talisman to Tang Pianpian's forehead, then he watched her closely.
Before long, Tang Pianpian's expression twisted in pain, and a sharp, agonized scream pierced the silence.
At that moment, the Demon Slayer Talisman transformed into a beam of golden light and plunged into Tang Pianpian's consciousness sea. Shortly after, the golden light emerged, carrying a cluster of ashes out of Tang Pianpian's consciousness sea.
Ye Hao eyed the ashes and mused, “Could this be the remains of the Nightmare Incarnate?”
With this thought, Ye Hao summoned a streak of lightning to his fingertip and directed it at the ashes. He was confident that the formidable lightning would prevent any chance of the Nightmare Incarnate's resurrection.
Subsequently, Ye Hao gently roused Tang Pianpian.
She gazed at him, bewildered, “What happened to the Nightmare Incarnate?”
“It's gone.”
“Does that mean we can start cultivating now?”
“Yes.”
As he spoke, Ye Hao produced a silver needle and pricked his finger, squeezing out a single drop of Divine Blood.
“I'm not sure about the potency of my blood, so let's start with just one drop.”
The drop of blood lingered on Ye Hao's fingertip.
Tang Pianpian hesitated briefly before parting her lips and drawing near to Ye Hao's finger.
Her tongue lightly grazed his fingertip, absorbing the drop of blood.
In that instant, Ye Hao's breath quickened.
A flush spread across Tang Pianpian's cheeks.
Yet, she soon felt a warmth spreading through her body.
“It feels a bit warm.”
“You're only feeling a bit warm?”
“Yes.”
“That means the blood you drank wasn't enough.”
Ye Hao then retrieved the bronze dagger and made a small cut on his wrist, allowing a stream of blood to flow freely.
Upon witnessing the scene, Tang Pianpian hastily seized Ye Hao's arm and began to draw blood with her mouth.
To her astonishment, as she continued to drink, she noticed that Ye Hao's wound was healing.
“Has your wound healed?”
“My body heals at a rate that's ten times faster than an average person,” Ye Hao murmured, “How are you feeling now?”
“I'm feeling even hotter than before.”
“Can you bear it?”
“I can.”
“When I first drank Divine Blood, the pain was so intense that I lost consciousness.” Realizing that Tang Pianpian hadn't consumed enough blood, Ye Hao suggested, “You need to drink more generously this time. Otherwise, I'll have to make another cut on my hand soon.”
With resolve, Ye Hao bit down hard and sliced open his artery. Blood surged forth immediately.
Tang Pianpian quickly pressed her lips to the wound, taking deep draughts of his blood.
Before long, Ye Hao's complexion began to turn a ghostly white.