AUOF - 20

The two were pressed very close together.

One of her hands was firmly pressed against his chest. Through the cool touch of her palm and his clothing, she could feel the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.

Sang Li could even see every single one of his eyelashes—

Thick and long, black as if dyed with ink, framing a pair of cold yet bewitching eyes.

She also saw herself reflected in those pupils—her expression somewhat dazed, and a little flustered.

The atmosphere thickened, tinged faintly with an ambiguous tension.

Ji Hengyu’s gaze flickered slightly. “You’re pressing on my wound.”

Realizing this, she scrambled to get up in a panic.

But the more flustered she became, the more mistakes she made. Not only did she fail to rise, but she fell back into him again. In her haste, her knee accidentally brushed against something soft.

Before she could process it, a faint groan sounded from above her. Her heart skipped a beat, fearing she had worsened his injury, and she immediately froze, too afraid to move further.

Ji Hengyu’s breathing grew uneven as he tried to adjust his posture to avoid further contact. However, their bodies were so tightly pressed together that there was almost no space between them.

What troubled him even more was that, despite Sang Li being covered in mud, he still felt no revulsion toward her.

Ji Hengyu was well aware that this was the influence of the poison poison.

He loathed this involuntary loss of control, yet his hands betrayed his inner resistance, wanting to pull her closer, craving more intimacy.

The more disgusted he felt, the stronger his body’s desire became.

It was maddening.

Ji Hengyu closed his eyes, torn between agitation and resistance, tormenting himself with conflicting emotions.

“Lord Ji, may I... get up?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as if he wanted to respond, but no sound came out. The hand loosely supporting her waist slowly tightened by an inch.

—Slim.

But not bony; instead, soft and yielding, making him want to grip her even tighter.

Seeing that he remained silent, Sang Li cautiously propped herself up on her arms. Once she confirmed there was no issue, she practically rolled off him like a log.

“My apologies, Lord Ji.”

Sang Li quickly moved away, her face burning hot.

Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at him. Ji Hengyu said nothing, his lashes half-lowered, leaving her unsure whether she had truly pressed on his wound.

Unable to calm her nerves, she nervously asked, “Lord Ji, are you alright?”

After speaking, her eyes fell on the muddy imprint on his silver robe—

A perfect outline of a human figure.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed another muddy mark near his legs. Recalling the inexplicable sensation earlier and comparing it to the evidence before her, she couldn’t help but wonder… surely not… probably not… most likely…

Sang Li’s face turned pale, then red, then green, then white.

If not for the dirt obscuring her complexion, her embarrassment would have been fully exposed in front of him!

Would it really hurt him that badly?

Feeling guilty, Sang Li hesitated before offering help: “Shall I wash your outer robe for you? The inner one is still clean.”

Ji Hengyu lifted his eyelids slightly. “I originally intended to give you this outer robe, but now...”

Fine. It seemed he truly didn’t have any spare clothes.

Sang Li awkwardly sat nearby, fiddling with her fingers, her gaze wandering without focus.

Ji Hengyu retrieved an exquisite jade porcelain bottle from his storage ring, dripping a drop of green liquid onto the stained area. The mud instantly vanished, leaving the fabric spotless.

“Here.” Ji Hengyu tossed the bottle to her. “This is Purifying Dew—it can cleanse garments.”

“!!!”

Such a miraculous item actually existed in the world!

Sang Li accepted the bottle with both hands, bowing her head obediently. “Thank you, Lord Ji.”

After expressing her gratitude, she ran off to bathe, clutching the small bottle.

Her body was caked with dirt, requiring the big-eyed junior to fetch two buckets of water before she was fully clean. After finishing her bath, fatigue set in once again. Still troubled by the events of that night, she couldn’t fall asleep easily. Glancing over at Ji Hengyu, she found him already asleep, resting on a soft pillow.

Sang Li didn’t dare approach him. She chose a clean patch of ground farther away, lit some dry firewood, and snuggled up with the little Mirror Demon to sleep.

The little paradise was utterly still, with neither wind nor sound. Everything was motionless, even the lake surface resembling a flat mirror, undisturbed by even the slightest ripple.

In such silence, their breathing became particularly noticeable.

Ji Hengyu opened his eyes. Sang Li lay not far from him, tightly cuddled against the small demon, her sleeping face peaceful.

His heartbeat was slightly irregular.

That voice in his heart stirred restlessly once again—

[Love her… love her…]

[Obey her, protect her…]

From subtle hints, it had now escalated to outright control.

Ji Hengyu closed his eyes again, turning away without giving Sang Li another glance.

**

The next day.

When Sang Li woke up, she found herself alone in the little paradise.

Ji Hengyu’s spot was empty, and the big-eyed junior was nowhere to be seen.

Her heart sank, and she hurriedly got up to search for them.

Just as she reached the entrance of the little paradise, she spotted the big-eyed junior flying back—with Ji Hengyu seated on its back.

Thank goodness.

Sang Li had feared that Ji Hengyu had taken the big-eyed junior out to kill it. Seeing them both unharmed brought her immense relief.

“Gurgle.” The big-eyed junior purred as it approached, still in its enlarged form, rubbing its massive head against her affectionately.

Sang Li wobbled slightly under its weight, patting the big-eyed junior while glancing at Ji Hengyu. “Did you go out?”

Ji Hengyu replied indifferently: “I went to check the Heavenly Palace of Earth and Dryness.”

Sang Li pressed further: “And?”

Ji Hengyu explained: “The sun and moon’s rotations in this world are highly abnormal, and even the twelve celestial palaces are extremely erratic. If my calculations are correct, tonight should be the time of the sun and moon’s conjunction.”

It was too profound; Sang Li found his words incredibly obscure. “Sun and moon’s conjunction?”

Ji Hengyu elaborated slowly: “At noon, the sun will rise from the east, and the moon from the west. They will then converge and merge at the zenith of the sky.”

Sang Li took out Lin Xiang’er’s letter once more.

[Golden Crow as the door; Lunar Phase as the key.]

This meant that at the moment the sun and moon merged, the heavenly gate would open. If they could seize that instant, they could escape this world!

They could finally go home!

However, while the idea sounded simple, executing it would not be easy.

Based on the celestial phenomena, the sun and moon’s conjunction occurred only once a year. Their union, where yin and yang met, was not a favorable event for Wanshui Prefecture, which had already become a city of demons.

Besides the monsters, they also had to contend with unpredictable celestial anomalies.

Night soon fell.

Sang Li witnessed an awe-inspiring cosmic upheaval.

First, a pale gash split open in the eastern sky, and the golden rays of the sun erupted suddenly, painting the horizon with resplendent hues like scattered gold foil, dyeing half the heavens. Then, from the west, a silvery glow rose, its radiant light flowing like liquid mercury spilling across the earth.

The bright moon and the golden sun competed with each other—one illuminated the sky as a radiant white night, while the other gleamed with shimmering starlight. The sun and moon each occupied their own half of the heavens, dividing the entire sky into two distinct hues.

Slowly, the sun and moon began to rise from the same horizon.

Sang Li held her breath, afraid to disturb this wondrous celestial phenomenon, but she knew they had to leave.

She turned her gaze away and looked down at the little Mirror Demon.

The small creature still didn’t know what was about to happen. It stood obediently by her side, the flower crown she had given it yesterday still perched on its head, making its big eyes look even more innocent and pitiful.

Though their time together had been brief, Sang Li understood deeply that without the little “Big-Eyed Junior,” both she and Ji Hengyu would have perished here.

It was her new friend, her tiny benefactor to whom she owed an unpayable debt.

A wave of reluctance welled up in her heart.

Sang Li crouched down and gently pinched its ear: “Big-Eyed Junior, I don’t want to deceive you, but we have to go. Um...”

The little one tilted its head, confused.

“I mean…” Sang Li bit her lip. “Can you help us leave?”

This time, the little Mirror Demon understood. It covered its ears and shook its head furiously.

Sang Li knew it was upset, so she tried to console it softly: “You’ve seen how I can only survive here by eating the fruits, but I can’t live on just fruit. You have your home, and I have mine. I’m so happy to have met you, and it’s been wonderful being your friend, but I must return.” Her voice softened further. “I don’t belong here.”

Its cries were full of resistance as it backed away desperately, tears welling up in its large eyes by the end.

It was still young, not yet skilled at expressing itself—or perhaps, it simply couldn’t express what it felt.

This calamity had transformed it from a babbling infant into a monstrous form, but even monsters had things they liked and people they wanted to befriend.

It loved the snow-white fluffiness—it was something adorable it had never seen before—but it also adored the hairless two-legged creature who could weave beautiful flower crowns with strange hands.

—I don’t want to part ways with my beloved friend.

At this moment, the little Mirror Demon seemed to think of something. It ran into the little paradise, grabbed a handful of flowers, and thrust them toward her, its eyes filled with hope.

[If I give you these flowers, will you stay?]

Sang Li stared at the crumpled bouquet it had hastily picked, all her words dissolving into endless silence.

The two faced each other silently—Sang Li didn’t speak, and it refused to lower the paw holding the flowers.

Suddenly, the little Mirror Demon’s ears twitched. It heard the distant sound of flapping wings and the familiar scent of its kin.

Without hesitation, it dropped the flowers, its small body rapidly expanding. With sharp fangs, it scooped up Sang Li and Ji Hengyu, tossing them onto its back before taking off into the air.

The sudden turn of events startled Sang Li, causing her to instinctively grip its back tightly. “Big-Eyed Junior?”

The little Mirror Demon didn’t respond, flying even faster.

Amidst the seemingly peaceful clouds and winds, lightning slumbered eternally. Whenever life approached, bolts of lightning would pierce through the clouds.

The little Mirror Demon relentlessly dodged the falling lightning again and again, but as the clouds converged, countless thin streaks of electricity merged into an overwhelming array of thunderbolts.

Flames erupted from its wings, burning a path forward with its own fiery power.

But its massive body made it impossible to avoid every bolt. Countless strikes of lightning rained down upon its back.

Sang Li didn’t understand why it was acting this way.

Her heart ached as she watched the wounds left by the lightning on its wings. She shouted loudly at it: “Big-Eyed Junior, stop!”

“Behind us.”

At this moment, Ji Hengyu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

Sang Li turned her head.

Dense black dots swarmed toward them. Upon closer inspection, they were Mirror Demons.

Countless Mirror Demons formed ranks, surrounding them from three directions.

Adult Mirror Demons could split into different forms and were adept at handling such situations. Even amidst this inescapable storm of thunder, they could find paths that would leave them unscathed.

The little Mirror Demon was different—it was too young, too inexperienced.

It clearly… didn’t want her to leave.

Sang Li was easily moved to tears.

The little Mirror Demon’s scales were harder than armor, yet now cracks had formed, exposing raw flesh beneath. It was still just a child—it must have been in pain.

Sang Li had no spiritual energy and could do nothing.

She shifted closer to its neck, lying flat on its back in a desperate attempt to shield it from some of the lightning.

The little Mirror Demon seemed spurred on by something. It took a deep breath and spat out a small fireball the size of an apple toward the incoming barrage of lightning.

Before the tiny fireball could reach the lightning, it sputtered out and extinguished.

The little Mirror Demon: “…”

“…” Sang Li encouraged it earnestly: “It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re still a baby. When you grow up, you’ll be as powerful as your kin.”

It let out a high-pitched roar, flapping its wings desperately toward the zenith of the sky, spitting out tiny fireballs along the way.

One small creature tried to protect with its body, while another was so weak it couldn’t even spit fire properly. Together, they were neither clever nor strong—just pitifully tragic.

Ji Hengyu, who had observed everything silently, felt inexplicably weary. He closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and sighed deeply.

“You go to the back,” he suddenly said, rising to his feet and stepping forward.

Sang Li strained to lift her head, throwing him a questioning glance.

Ji Hengyu summoned his bone jade fan and said to the little Mirror Demon: “Go ahead fearlessly; there’s no need to worry about anything else.”

The little Mirror Demon blinked in confusion but, seeing the calm determination in his eyes, immediately felt reassured. It let out a bark-like cry in response.

Ji Hengyu stood tall and straight on its back, shielding Sang Li from the approaching thunderstorm.

Blades of wind swirled around him, and the fierce, overwhelming storm of lightning illuminated his figure, making him appear even smaller.

Ahead of them loomed a colossal cloud sphere as blazing as the sun.

Within the cloud sphere surged dark purple lightning, roaring like an ancient, formless deity of destruction. In the face of such calamity, even the enormous presence of the little Mirror Demon seemed as insignificant as a tiny mayfly.

The two forces drew closer and closer.

The pressure of the thunderstorm hit them full force—or rather, they didn’t even need to approach; Sang Li already felt as though her body no longer belonged to her. She sensed that in another instant, her physical form would be torn apart, scattered into fragments.

He stood tall like bamboo, his jet-black hair whipping behind him.

Ji Hengyu closed his eyes, sensing the incoming energy in the darkness. Golden light enveloped his entire body, and in the moment he forcibly broke free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao, boundless spiritual energy surged back into the four Spirit Realms.

“The stars tremble, shaking the eight directions.”

When he opened his eyes, they burned with blazing lightning flames. Silver-blue spiritual qi coiled around his wrists, and his sword gleamed like a streak of starlight. With just one strike, the Heaven Star Sword Technique, which embodied the twelve celestial palaces, cleaved through the massive sphere of thunderclouds before him.

The heavens’ lightning shattered and collapsed, transforming into a rain of multicolored stars that fell to earth, reflecting alongside the sun and moon like an ethereal dream.

With his frail frame alone, he blocked countless bolts of thunder.

Sang Li held the glowing sparks in her palms, staring blankly at Ji Hengyu in front of her.

Suddenly—

That slender figure swayed, as if he was about to fall off the back of the big-eyed Mirror Demon.

Sang Li reacted quickly, reaching out to pull him back.

The moment she grabbed his hand, the full weight of Ji Hengyu’s body collapsed into her arms.

“Lord Ji?”

His handsome face had lost all color, appearing even paler than when she had first found him. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and Sang Li hurriedly searched for a handkerchief to wipe it away.

Ji Hengyu’s breathing was uneven.

His immortal marrow was already damaged, and now, by forcibly breaking through the restrictions of the spiritual pill, the four Spirit Realms had fallen into chaos. If he did not return to the Nine Ling Realm within fifteen minutes, Ji Hengyu would die.

The Heavenly Dao would soon discover his transgression, and this time, it would not spare him as an invader.

Ji Hengyu, however, did not disclose any of this to Sang Li. He brushed off her concern, feigning calmness: “It’s nothing.”

Sang Li froze. Nothing? She had clearly seen him swallow his own blood!

Ignoring her gaze, Ji Hengyu focused on the approaching sun and moon.

They were close now.

The golden sun and silver moon slowly converged, meeting only for an instant at the zenith before falling back toward their respective directions. The next fusion would occur exactly one year from today.

Ji Hengyu closed his eyes momentarily, his voice weary: “If there’s anything you want to say, do so quickly. The heavenly gate will open soon.”

In other words, there would be no chance to meet again after this.

To be honest, Sang Li wasn’t even sure what to say to the little Mirror Demon.

Partings were often bittersweet. Their acquaintance had been brief—not even enough to truly know each other. It was precisely because of its pure and sincere nature that she felt such complexity and reluctance.

Sang Li watched as the sun and moon merged into one, forming a white vortex at their center that beckoned them to enter.

The little creature understood now, growing unusually silent.

She reached out to stroke its large head and was surprised to find that it had wedged the flower crown onto one of its small horns, protecting it with its scales throughout—even amidst the storm of lightning, it remained unscathed.

Her heart ached, and all her thoughts condensed into a single sentence:

“The next time we meet, I’ll weave you an even bigger flower crown, alright?”

“Roar—”

With a high-pitched cry, it soared upward, delivering them to the threshold of the heavenly gate. With a flick of its tail, it sent the two of them flying into the vortex, then turned and flew back toward its kin without looking back.

A parting where they would never meet again required no formal farewell.

The colossal vortex of the heavenly gate whisked them back to the Nine Ling Realm in the blink of an eye.

As the blinding light faded behind them, Sang Li landed heavily on the ground. Fortunately, the soft grass cushioned her fall, sparing her much of the pain.

They were back where they had started.

The constellations in the sky had barely shifted, indicating that only a short hour had passed in the Nine Ling Realm during their absence.

Sang Li dusted herself off and stood up, only to notice someone lying nearby.

Ji Hengyu lay face down, motionless, appearing as if he were dead.

“Lord Ji?” She approached and patted his shoulder. “Lord Ji, are you still awake?”

No response.

Could he have… fainted? Surely he wasn’t dead.

Just as Sang Li was about to summon the disciples of Gui Xu Palace with a communication talisman, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by him.

“Help me turn over.”

His voice, muffled by the ground, sounded heavy and dull.

Sang Li quickly flipped him over and helped him sit up.

Ji Hengyu clutched his chest, turning his head away as another bout of violent coughing overtook him.

Sang Li furrowed her brow deeply. “Lord Ji, are you alright?”

“It’s fine,” he replied, his exhaustion evident. “My spirit channels are damaged, and I can’t endure too much strain. Carry me—Li Ningxi should be nearby.”

Since Ji Hengyu had ended up like this to save her and the little Mirror Demon, Sang Li didn’t refuse. Rolling up her sleeves, she prepared to carry him.

But soon, something struck her as odd.

Sang Li abruptly straightened her back, turning to look at Ji Hengyu with confusion in her eyes. “Wait—that doesn’t make sense. Didn’t you say the poison poison affected both of us equally? How come you’re coughing up blood and your spirit channels are damaged, but I’m completely fine?”

Now that they had escaped the predicament, her mind suddenly became sharp.

She paced back and forth in front of Ji Hengyu, replaying everything they had experienced. The more she thought about it, the more doubts arose. “And that day when we were playing in the mud—your wounds reopened, but I didn’t sustain a scratch!” She shook her head vigorously. “No, no, something’s definitely wrong here.”

Stopping in front of him, she fixed him with a suspicious gaze. “Ji Hengyu, did you make a mistake, or…” Her eyes burned with intensity. “Are you fooling me?”