I like you too

Lou Yunxiao could not see, but that did not stop him from remembering page numbers.

Ning Ke's mouth twitched. I'm doomed.

He sat up and shakily picked up the book, still trying to put up a fight. "Senior brother, everything in this book is made up. It's all stuff the author wrote to fool people. There's no point in us doing what it says..."

But Lou Yunxiao said, "I don't think he's fooling anyone."

Ning Ke looked up at him and discovered that, for once, Lou Yunxiao was sitting perfectly upright, his gray-blue eyes "staring" straight at him.

His face was full of anticipation.

Ning Ke lowered his head and turned to page 86. When he saw its contents, he froze for a moment.

Lou Yunxiao had been reading the first volume. On page 86, the imprisoned master wanted to escape the palace, so for the first time, he abandoned the icy demeanor of someone who cultivated the path of heartlessness and lied to his disciple, telling him he liked him.

This was also one of the book's rare tender moments.

And there was not a single erotic description.

His worries had been unnecessary.

[Hehe, were you actually looking forward to something, host?]

Xiao Yuan, who had been cowed by his scolding, sneakily resurfaced to butt in.

Ning Ke froze.

[Like hell! I wasn't looking forward to anything!]

He asked Lou Yunxiao, "So the reward you want is for me to say these things to you?"

Then he saw Lou Yunxiao nervously clutch his black robe and nod. "Mm-hmm."

"You've never said you liked me before."

"Yunxiao likes A Ke, so Yunxiao wants A Ke to like Yunxiao too."

"..."

Ning Ke lowered his eyes.

Like him?

This was possessiveness, nothing more, along with his task of playing the devoted fool.

Besides, even if he did like him, what would it change? He still had to return to his own world. Sooner or later, he would have to sever his ties with the people and things in this world.

But since Lou Yunxiao wanted to hear it, he did not mind granting that wish.

After all, actors were all liars.

He could play this liar well.

And so, like the master named Yu Tang in the book, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Lou Yunxiao's forehead.

He said,

"Don't worry. I won't run away again, and I won't think about leaving your side anymore. I..."

"Like you too."

"Very much."

The corners of Lou Yunxiao's lips rose, then rose even higher.

He threw his arms around Ning Ke's waist, rolled over, and pinned him beneath him.

He nuzzled against his neck like a puppy.

"Then A Ke and I will stay together forever and ever!"

He raised his head as though he had made an enormous decision. "I don't want to hand A Ke over to Master anymore, either!"

"A Ke is mine! From now on, I'll eat A Ke all by myself. I won't share him with anyone!"

Ning Ke understood that once Lou Yunxiao's spiritual power broke through to the nascent soul stage, his Demonic Aura and spiritual energy would begin to reach a balance. If Ning Ke then helped restore his heart, Demon would no longer be able to restrain him.

It was only natural that he could say something like this.

So he smiled and ruffled Lou Yunxiao's hair. "All right. Once you reach the Nascent Soul Peak, we'll escape together."

"Okay!"

The Secret Realm Forest.

Inside a cave, the injured disciple who had regained consciousness loudly complained to Ning Xiaoxiao, "Believe me or not, Lou Yunxiao has been possessed by a demon! He nearly killed me with his own hands!"

"Even if he comes back alive, he won't be the same Lou Yunxiao anymore! You should kill him! Purge this traitor for your Sword Sect and the entire Human Clan!"

Ning Xiaoxiao's face was grim as she said coldly, "My brother said you were brought back by the Pale Silver Sword. That means my eldest senior brother saved you."

"Bullshit!" The disciple had narrowly escaped death and had yet to recover. All he remembered was what he had heard the demon inside Lou Yunxiao's body say just before he passed out.

It had said it would drain his blood and eat his flesh raw!

"I swear by Heaven's Way that he was the one who injured me. If I've told a single lie, may five bolts of heavenly lightning strike me down!"

His declaration shocked the many disciples around them.

Over the past two months, Ning Xiaoxiao had gathered them together. Aside from the ten who had died in the desert and the Volcano, and Lou Yunxiao and Ning Ke, whose whereabouts remained unknown, the thirty-odd others were all here.

Now, having heard his words and seen no punishment descend from Heaven's Way for a false oath,

they exchanged uncertain glances.

They began discussing it in hushed voices.

"I heard Lou Yunxiao was once locked up in the Sword Sect's Demon-Sealing Pagoda. They said he already had Demonic Aura inside him. Has it flared up now?"

"He actually harmed one of his own kind. By any standard, he deserves to be put to death."

"But Ning Xiaoxiao said there was a demon in the desert and wouldn't let us investigate. Then this disciple came back and said he hadn't seen any demon, only that Lou Yunxiao injured him..."

"Could the other disciples who died in the desert have been killed by Lou Yunxiao too?"

"Maybe there isn't any sealed Great Demon at all? I think Lou Yunxiao is the only demon in this Secret Realm."

"That's fucking bullshit!" Ning Xiaoxiao tightened her grip on the Jinglan Sword, finally unable to take any more.

She said, "My eldest senior brother has Demonic Aura inside him, but he's never harmed any of us!"

"He would never become a bloodthirsty demon!"

"The demon I saw was at least at the mahayana stage! That's why I warned you not to go to the desert! Yet you suspect me like this. You're utterly unreasonable!"

The python also raised his body and flicked his tongue. "I don't care about the Human Clan's infighting, but I can tell you clearly that there is indeed an Underground Palace in that desert, and a Great Demon is indeed sealed inside."

The little sand rat stood on his head, stamping his feet in anger. "You humans just love suspecting one another! This girl barely escaped with her life and brought you the news, and you don't even appreciate it!"

The python said, "...Haven't I told you plenty of times not to stand on my head?"

"Watch out, or I'll eat you."

The little sand rat folded his arms across his chest and snorted twice. "This mighty rat isn't afraid of you."

He said quietly, "I saved that girl's life, you know. If you eat me, Lord Nine-Tailed Fox won't let you off!"

The python: ...This little thing is throwing his weight around by borrowing someone else's power. Shameless!

"Ning Xiaoxiao, you're Lou Yunxiao's junior sister. Of course you'd speak up for him!" A female disciple could not help stepping forward. "My senior brother disappeared after being taken by the red willows. I think he must have been killed by Lou Yunxiao after his Demonization too!"

"He's hiding in the desert now, too scared to come out. I think he has a guilty conscience and is afraid we'll hold him accountable!"

"Well said." Zhuang Yusheng returned from outside the cave just in time to hear these remarks.

He wore a smile and even applauded the female cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Zhuang." Ning Xiaoxiao looked at him with a frown.

Zhuang Yusheng winked at her and continued with a cheerful smile, "I wholeheartedly agree with what this fellow Daoist said."

"After all, none of us has seen the demon, so naturally we have plenty of questions."

"And since the fellow Daoist who just woke up insists that Lou Yunxiao injured him, it's perfectly normal for everyone to be upset."

"So, my suggestion is..." At this point, Zhuang Yusheng's expression darkened, his eyes filled with coldness.

He continued, "Get out."

"Anyone unwilling to believe Fellow Daoist Ning can get the hell out."

"Leave the territory of these nascent soul stage spirit beasts, who are only protecting you out of regard for Fellow Daoist Ning."

"Go investigate the desert yourselves. You'll find the answers you want!"