Two men alone

But why would the illustrious son of the Demon Realm appear in the Demon-Slaying Sect, entangled with its disciples?

"Give me back my senior brother!" Sword in hand, the youth advanced step by step, like a grim reaper bearing a scythe, mercilessly claiming lives.

Knowing he was outmatched, the Octopus Monster hooked a tentacle around Xiao Qinghe and dragged him into Black Water Lake.

Xiao Qinghe coughed up blood.

Why was he always the one getting hurt?!

Mustering the last of his strength, he bit the Octopus Monster.

The Octopus Monster apparently hadn't expected him to have any strength left to struggle. As he recoiled in pain, Xiao Qinghe broke free and swam toward the shore.

But his limbs refused to obey. Instead of rising, his body sank toward the bottom of the lake.

The air in his nasal passages ran out too. He could no longer breathe.

A second before he suffocated, a dark figure swam toward him.

A powerful arm hooked around his waist, and his body seemed to collide with a solid chest.

The next second, a hand pressed against the back of his head. Something soft touched his lips, and air flowed into his mouth.

[Ding! Ding! Ding!]

Amid the system's sudden barrage of donation alerts, Xiao Qinghe passed out.

When he groggily regained consciousness, he could clearly feel that he was no longer underwater.

A fire crackled nearby.

The aroma of grilled meat drifted through the air.

"Senior brother?" Xie Jun's voice reached him.

The scene before he lost consciousness kept circling through Xiao Qinghe's mind. Unsure how to face her, he simply played dead.

The system suddenly announced:

[Main storyline completed. Distributing rewards.]

Xiao Qinghe: "..."

Are you fucking kidding me?

No hero rescuing a damsel, no risqué sex scene between the Female Lead and Xie Jun—how the hell did that count as completed?

Exhausted in body and mind, Xiao Qinghe raised his eyes and found himself lying in a dark cave.

A white robe that wasn't his had been draped over him, barely covering his body.

Right.

That damned octopus had torn his clothes to shreds, so the white robe had to belong to Xie Jun.

By now, the demon marks on Xie Jun's face had faded. She wore only a thin inner robe, through which her lean, powerful body was faintly visible.

Wasn't this a scene from the original novel?

Xie Jun had fought with all her might to rescue the nearly naked Female Lead, wrapped the Female Lead's delicate body in a white robe still warm from her own skin, and become trapped with her in a cave. They had encouraged each other, kept each other warm, and quietly begun to fall in love...

So where was the Female Lead?

Why was he here instead?

"Senior brother?" Xie Jun called softly.

Xiao Qinghe couldn't help remembering the sensation before he passed out at the bottom of the lake. As if bewitched, his gaze settled on her lips.

Xie Jun possessed a devilishly beautiful face and was the most handsome man in the original novel. Her lips were naturally perfect, their upturned corners exuding a wicked, seductive allure that made one want to taste...

No!

Xiao Qinghe, you did not want that!

That sensation at the bottom of the lake had to be false too!

Xie Jun had an extreme phobia of men. How could she possibly have given him air mouth-to-mouth?

An illusion. It had to be an illusion!

Refusing to recall what had happened at the bottom of the lake, Xiao Qinghe changed the subject. "Junior brother, where are we?"

"This is the Octopus Monster's lair. After I severely wounded him, he hid in Black Water Lake to recuperate and released venom to poison the water. He's trying to take revenge on us by trapping us here."

The lake water was now filthy and gave off a powerful stench. The plants along the shore had either withered or rotted, a testament to how toxic the water had become.

Ripples stirred across the lake, and a black head slowly emerged. It was the Octopus Monster, barely clinging to life.

His face was haggard. Knowing he was outmatched and unable to do anything to Xie Jun, he could only hide in the poisoned water and cackle sinisterly.

"This cave is cut off from the world. The lake is the only way out, but unfortunately for you, you can't touch the water. The moment you do, it'll eat away every scrap of flesh and turn you into skeletons. That's the price you pay for daring to hurt me!"

Xie Jun ignored him and simply offered Xiao Qinghe a fragrant skewer of grilled meat. "Are you hungry, senior brother? Have something to eat first."

It was that aroma that had coaxed Xiao Qinghe awake. He took a closer look.

Well, damn!

Wasn't that the Octopus Monster's tentacle?

"Bastard! Don't eat that!" The Octopus Monster practically steamed with rage.

Xiao Qinghe hadn't forgotten that this damned octopus had shredded his clothes. He deliberately took a huge bite. "Fresh, tender, and pleasantly crisp. Not bad, not bad. Octopus Brother, care for a bite or two?"

"You!" The Octopus Monster's face turned livid. Afraid of Xie Jun's strength, he didn't dare approach to take revenge. He could only watch Xiao Qinghe savor the meat and grit his teeth in hatred. "Do you know who that person in front of you is? She's from the Demon Clan! The Demon Clan and the Demon-Slaying Sect are mortal enemies. How do you know she didn't approach you with ulterior motives? She might protect you today, but one day, you'll inevitably cross swords!"

"Shut up!" Xie Jun swept her sword through the air, sending a streak of sword energy flying at him.

The Octopus Monster's expression changed sharply. He swiftly sank into the lake and fled for his life.

Silence suddenly settled over them.

Xie Jun looked at Xiao Qinghe, her gaze unconsciously drifting over his body.

Xiao Qinghe was wearing her outer robe, enveloped in her scent...

At that thought, Xie Jun quickly looked away. "Senior brother, is there anything you want to ask me?"

She naturally meant her identity as a member of the Demon Clan and her reason for joining the Demon-Slaying Sect. Wasn't Xiao Qinghe curious at all?

Of course I wasn't curious, kid.

Because I knew you were after the Demon Spirit Pearl in the Demon-Sealing Tower. I even knew when you would get it.

But right now, what I wanted to know was where the Female Lead was!

"How is our junior sister?"

"I don't know." Xie Jun's expression remained indifferent.

Whether that woman lived or died was none of her concern.

"Rather than worrying about her, you should worry about how we're going to get out."

Xiao Qinghe pressed a hand to his forehead.

In the original novel, the Female Lead and Xie Jun had been trapped in the cave for seven full days and nights. Only after the entire sect had been turned upside down had the searchers finally followed the trail of the Female Lead's torn clothing and rescued them.

Now the Female Lead's fate and whereabouts were unknown, and there was no telling how long he and Xie Jun would remain trapped.

Xiao Qinghe stared upward speechlessly, utterly defeated.

Then he began shivering from the cold.

The cave was dark and damp, with no sunlight. With so little clothing on him, the chill seeped straight into his bones.

Xie Jun tossed a few more pieces of wood onto the fire.

The flames burned fiercely, but still couldn't keep the cold at bay.

Xie Jun lay down beside Xiao Qinghe. Looking at his back, she could clearly see his body trembling.

He had no spiritual power to protect him. Simply enduring it wasn't a solution.

Xie Jun unconsciously reached out. Just before her hand touched Xiao Qinghe's shoulder, she abruptly came to her senses. Realizing she had actually wanted to touch him, her fingers stiffened, and she quickly rolled over, turning her back to him.

"Crackle, pop..."

The cave was silent except for the faint crackling of the fire.

Gradually, another sound arose.

Very low, very faint, very restrained.

"Clack, clack, clack..."

It was the sound of Xiao Qinghe's teeth chattering.

Xie Jun clenched her fists. After a long while, she finally said quietly, "Senior brother, I'm cold."

Xiao Qinghe went still.

Kid, weren't you the son of the Demon Realm, with demonic energy to protect you?

Had the battle with the Octopus Monster depleted your strength?

"Senior brother, I'm so cold," the youth whispered again, fragile and pitiful.