After those seven days, Lou Yunxiao had crossed the threshold of cultivating both the demonic and orthodox paths, and the road ahead became much easier.
When he entered the Demon Soul River again, he was no longer utterly helpless.
Later on, he could even chase the shrieking demon souls around the way Ning Ke did when teasing them, then mercilessly devour them into his body and turn them into his own strength.
If the demon souls had possessed minds of their own, they would surely have cursed Ning Ke and Lou Yunxiao in unison: You two sneaky bastards!
The stretch of river he could freeze or boil also grew from one li at the start to two, then three...
For a long time afterward, Ning Ke either saw human-faced fish trapped in the ice or watched them float belly-up through the boiling water.
It was honestly... pretty disgusting.
Lou Yunxiao used the Demon Soul River to temper his Demonic Aura and chased demon souls around, but once he came ashore, Ning Ke would beat him to a pulp with a wooden sword.
For a while, this made Lou Yunxiao suspect that his previous ten years of sword training had been nothing more than playing around.
In front of Sister, none of it was of any use. All he could do was take a beating.
Little did he know that this was all Ning Ke indulging his twisted sense of fun.
When other powerful elders taught youngsters, they knew to protect their self-esteem and go easy on them now and then.
Ning Ke, however, was enjoying this body's badass strength far too much.
For this first stage of the mission, he and the male lead were stuck in this godforsaken Demon Abyss. With only one opponent to practice on, how could he possibly hold back?
Within minutes, he would thrash Lou Yunxiao, whose strength had already plummeted because of his blindness, until he swayed on his feet and had to brace his sword tip against the ground to keep from falling.
"Sister..." The youth looked in his direction and finally couldn't help asking, "Which sect are you a sword cultivator from?"
He remembered meeting quite a few mighty figures from the Human Clan, yet he had never known of a female sword cultivator this formidable.
Meanwhile, Ning Ke was copying the great heroes in martial arts novels, idly twirling his sword.
At the question, he stopped playing with it and carefully considered what exactly the main villain cultivated.
Only after a long while did he answer slowly, "I probably... might not be a sword cultivator."
He was this powerful without even being a sword cultivator?
How was anyone else supposed to live?
Lou Yunxiao's head buzzed. Feeling as though he'd taken ten thousand points of damage, he asked again, "Then, Sister, you're..."
"I'm probably a body cultivator?" Ning Ke counted on his fingers. "I might also know a little alchemy. Swords are too heavy, so I rarely use them."
Most members of the Demon Clan possessed powerful physiques far superior to those of the Human Clan.
Calling this ten-thousand-year-old fox spirit a body cultivator was hardly a stretch.
He also possessed foxfire, and over those long ten thousand years, he had picked up alchemy almost without realizing it.
Add in the villain's love of beauty, and he generally avoided using a sword whenever possible. He found the thing too heavy and thought his little fan was far more exquisite and elegant, so there was nothing wrong with Ning Ke's answer.
Lou Yunxiao: "..."
The sword in his hand trembled, and he nearly stumbled to the ground.
Only now did he truly understand the saying his sect master had always repeated: there was always someone better, always a higher heaven.
Once this Sister of his left the Demon Abyss, she could probably dominate the Great Sects. Even those mighty figures wouldn't dare provoke her.
But then another thought struck him, and he asked, "Then, Sister, why did you come to the demon realm?"
At first, Lou Yunxiao had thought the person who saved him was a demon. Only after spending time together did he discover that Sister had no Demonic Aura at all. Still, he couldn't sense even a trace of orthodox spiritual energy or the aura of the Demon Clan on Ning Ke, either.
He had instinctively assumed Ning Ke belonged to the Human Clan, and a human this powerful couldn't possibly lack a prominent family to manage and support.
So Ning Ke spending year after year in the spiritually barren Demon Abyss was, in itself, deeply illogical.
"Because..." Ning Ke smacked his lips a couple of times and asked the system Xiao Yuan in his mind, Xiao Yuan, we've got work to do. The kid's asking why I'm staying in the Demon Abyss. How should I answer?
I can't exactly say I'm waiting here to save him and then trick him out of the mission item, can I?
[Oh, that's easy.] Xiao Yuan rolled its eyes and offered a suggestion. [Just say you're waiting here for the person you love. That'll also stop him from getting any ideas about you that he shouldn't have. Several birds with one stone.]
Ning Ke fell silent for two seconds, then mentally gave Xiao Yuan a thumbs-up. Brilliant, Xiao Yuan. You really know your melodrama.
And so, Ning Ke lowered his sword, raised a hand to cover his face, and struck a forlorn pose.
A second later, he remembered that Lou Yunxiao couldn't see him and went back to looking utterly unbothered, though he made his voice sound hoarse and dejected.
With affected pathos, he said, "The truth is, there's someone in my heart."
"He was once possessed by a demon, and afterward, he disappeared. I'm staying in the Demon Abyss to wait for him to return."
"..." This was the first time Lou Yunxiao had heard Ning Ke speak in such a tone, so full of vulnerability that it stirred both tenderness and heartache.
Only at this moment did he finally realize that Sister truly wasn't someone he could dream of having.
So... he already had someone in his heart.
"Sister, I didn't mean to pry." The youth tightened his grip on his sword. His slightly slender figure stood straight in the Demon Abyss's chilling wind, yet there was a hint of desolation about him.
"I'm sorry I hurt you."
"But I believe that lovers will find their way to each other in the end. One day, the person you're waiting for will come back."
Ning Ke was still telling Xiao Yuan how lucky it was that Lou Yunxiao couldn't see his expression, or he would have had to fake tears as well.
Hearing this, he hurriedly gave a soft, fragile sigh. "Mm. May your kind words come true."
With that, he rose, flicked the wooden sword a couple more times, and asked Lou Yunxiao, "Shall we spar some more today?"
For the first time, however, the youth seemed to have lost interest in training. He shook his head, and though he struggled to compose his expression, he managed only a faint, bitter smile as he said, "No, Sister."
"It's getting late. Go and rest. I'll absorb Demonic Aura in the Demon Soul River tonight, and we can practice again tomorrow."
With that, he turned away and jumped into the river with a splash before Ning Ke could say anything else. He looked so desolate that anyone who didn't know better might have thought he was drowning himself over lost love.
Ning Ke: "..."
He couldn't help asking, "Xiao Yuan, is he..."
Xiao Yuan spoke with the air of someone who had seen it all: [Don't ask. Everyone's like this after heartbreak.]
[Just leave him be.]
Before you continue