Dao Heart Unobstructed

After Liu Kui died, the tags were swapped back.

Fang Huai's head spun with dizziness, and he nearly collapsed. It took him a long while to steady himself before walking toward the three people in the Human-Catching Trap.

Stopping in front of Liu Xiange, Fang Huai's sleeve shifted slightly. The Blood Gu Centipede shot out, crawled back up his arm onto Liu Xiange, and immediately began sucking out the toxins.

During the fight just now, Fang Huai had planned to swap [Blood Drain] and [Paralysis Toxin] onto the Liu Brothers respectively, making them taste their own medicine. But something unexpected happened.

[Paralysis Toxin] turned out to be white, and his remaining points weren't enough to swap it.

Even so, he still had a backup plan.

Before the fight, he had held an Antidote Pill in his mouth, and Liu Xiange had secretly hidden the Blood Gu Centipede in his sleeve. But the toxicity of the Wooden Arrow far exceeded his expectations, and it still managed to poison him.

If not for some unknown force suppressing the poison, he would have died.

After treatment, Liu Kui and Zhang Zhu were fine, and Shen Yuan's life was also saved.

On the way back to Servant Valley, Liu Xiange supported him, while Zhang Zhu carried the still-unconscious Shen Yuan on his back.

The whole journey was silent. The group tacitly said nothing until they returned to Servant Valley. Liu Xiange exchanged a glance with Fang Huai and opened her mouth:

"Senior Brother..."

Just as she spoke those two words, Fang Huai cut them both off: "If there's a next time, I won't save you!"

Back in the Stone House, Fang Huai's tense nerves finally relaxed.

Although the Liu Brothers had died without revealing the mastermind behind it all, he could figure it out with his gut—it could only be Pei Long.

This time, though his injuries were severe, the gains were not small:

Six bottles of Sha Qi, various pills for healing, detoxification, and repelling miasma, numerous hidden weapons and strange poisons, and those two withered Clear Spirit Grass stalks used as bait.

Before parting ways with Liu Xiange and Zhang Zhu, he picked out some healing and detox pills, handed them over, and instructed the two to take them and take good care of Shen Yuan.

He knew full well in his heart that although this incident was triggered by Shen Yuan's greed, the Liu Brothers' blades were clearly aimed at him.

That blade hung there—even if it hadn't been triggered by Shen Yuan this time, it would have been triggered by someone else next time.

In the following days, Fang Huai shut himself in to recover from his injuries. He resolved not to go out until his condition was restored, to avoid being targeted by the Pei Family.

He had plenty of stored Wild Grass and Wild Yams, but lacking Poisonous Grass as seasoning, the food always felt tasteless.

Fortunately, Liu Xiange and Zhang Zhu were worried about him and often came to visit. He had them bring all sorts of random Poisonous Grass, which finally satisfied his craving.

Over time, he grew familiar with the two, no longer as stiff as before. Occasionally, they could even chat about the strange tales and interesting news in the valley.

Humans are social creatures. In this demon sect where life and death hung by a thread at every turn, having a few friends to talk to was a rare stroke of luck.

One day, near dusk, Liu Xiange was sweeping inside Fang Huai's room when a few light knocks came at the wooden door, followed by a woman's soft call:

"Senior Brother Fang, open the door."

Fang Huai had just answered "Coming," when Liu Xiange put down the broom and opened the door. Standing outside was Shen Yuan, dressed in clean, plain clothes.

Seeing that it was Liu Xiange who opened the door, Shen Yuan's face instantly flushed bright red: "Senior Brother Fang, Senior Sister Liu... the two of you?"

"Junior Sister Liu came to clean the room."

A man and a woman alone in the same room—he feared Shen Yuan might misunderstand, so he quickly explained.

Hearing this, Shen Yuan's expression relaxed a little. She raised the things in her hand and shook them: "Senior Brother, look what good stuff I've brought."

Fang Huai didn't know where Shen Yuan had found rabbit meat and Clear Wine, but it satisfied their cravings.

It was Fang Huai's first time tasting the wine of this world. He found the Clear Wine sweet and smooth on the palate, with none of the sour or astringent taste, so he couldn't help drinking a few more cups.

After a few rounds of drinks, the sky darkened. Liu Xiange's face had turned bright red from the alcohol. She propped herself up on the table and stood, taking her leave: "Senior Brother Fang, I'll come visit again tomorrow!"

With that, she reached out to pull Shen Yuan beside her, but Shen Yuan didn't move. She said softly, "Senior Sister, you go back first."

Liu Xiange paused briefly, then her expression returned to normal: "Then I'll be off, Junior Sister."

Fang Huai continued savoring the wine, relishing its sweetness: "Junior Sister, is there anything else you need my help with?"

Shen Yuan's lashes drooped. After a long silence, she spoke: "Senior Brother, do you have a dao companion?"

"In the demon sect, we live from dawn to dusk. There's no time to seek a dao companion." Fang Huai's tone carried a hint of self-mockery. "Besides, who would take a liking to a freak covered in scars like me?"

Fang Huai muttered inwardly. This Shen Yuan's eyes were shifty, and she was saying strange things. He had no idea what was on her mind.

"I would!"

Though Shen Yuan's words were soft, they struck like thunder, freezing Fang Huai's entire body. Much of the Clear Wine in his hand spilled out.

Before Fang Huai could react, Shen Yuan rose and knelt down, her eyes reddening as she spoke:

"Senior Brother, I've been living in fear every day in the Corpse Sha Sect. It wasn't until I met you that I understood what safety feels like.

Senior Brother risked his life to save me. This humble woman has no way to repay you, and wishes to serve by your side for the rest of her life!"

With that, her fingers undid the buttons on her clothes, her face flushed with shame.

Fang Huai sighed. In two lifetimes, he had always been alone. The only women he had ever touched were demonesses like Jin Xiaoxiao.

He had already seen Shen Yuan's tags. There was nothing special about them. She was destined not to go far on the path of cultivation, and would eventually scatter like dust in this chaotic world.

He had saved Shen Yuan purely out of moral duty. If he let her few words cloud his judgment and took her, he would only gain another burden to protect, disrupting his own plans.

Besides, he felt nothing for Shen Yuan. If he acted on impulse, both of them would suffer in the end.

"Junior Sister Shen, it's late. Go back."

Fang Huai draped her clothes over her and helped Shen Yuan to her feet.

"Senior Brother..."

"Nothing happened tonight. If you three ever face trouble in the future, I'll still do my best to help."

After Shen Yuan left, Fang Huai sighed.

They said the ancient path of love only bred regret, but he, Fang Huai, had never been the type to wallow in romantic entanglements.

Just as his irritation mounted, the door was knocked on again.

Fang Huai frowned. Could Shen Yuan have turned back?

He didn't want to open the door, but remembering that the hour of rampant demons was nearly upon them, he couldn't bear to let her die outside.

"Junior Sister Shen, why haven't you left? Do you want to die in the Demonic Tide!"

Fang Huai scowled as he spoke, only to find Liu Xiange standing outside the door.

His expression turned awkward, but Liu Xiange took the chance to slip into the room. Spotting the empty bowl on the table, she asked:

"Did Senior Brother agree to Junior Sister Shen's request?"

Fang Huai sighed. "How could I? I'm no common mortal—how could I indulge in lust before advancing my cultivation?"

"Is that so?" Liu Xiange leaned close to him, her eyes curving into crescents. "I heard that two weak Senior Sisters once walked out of your room, Senior Brother!"

"Ah, that was all cultivation matters. Don't misunderstand. Your senior brother is pure of heart and firm in his Steadfast Dao Heart."

"Such a firm Steadfast Dao Heart. Just now, Junior Sister Shen was here, and we didn't drink our fill. How about we continue?"

"The hour of rampaging demons is almost here..."

Fang Huai finished speaking, but the howls of Demonic Beasts already echoed from outside. Helpless, he said, "Then let's continue."

Both had their own thoughts, drinking in silence.

"Senior Brother, what did you do before?"

"I was a beggar. Can't you tell?"

"Senior Brother, that day I bet you would save us."

"You bet wrong. I didn't go to save you—those two blocked my escape route."

"..."

The wine had a delayed kick, and his vision began to blur. Fang Huai, drinking the wine of this cultivation world for the first time, had misjudged his tolerance.

In his daze, a soft weight pressed against his back, and a voice whispered by his ear: "Senior Brother, I'm sleepy."

Fang Huai sighed. In his past life, he'd heard countless tales of drunken indiscretions, but experiencing it firsthand, he knew most were just self-deceiving excuses.

Even this drunk, he held onto his last shred of reason.

Pushing Liu Xiange away, he stood up and said, "I'll take the floor. You sleep on the bed."

Drowsiness washed over him, and Fang Huai closed his eyes. But he didn't guard against the sudden heat covering his lips, as Liu Xiange's soft voice reached his ear:

"Senior Brother, cultivators value an unobstructed Dao heart above all. We're both lonely souls—why not pity each other, share a vivid dream, and when tomorrow's sun rises, forget what happened tonight?"