Chapter 20: The Sword’s Temptation

Xie Jue saw the demonic energy acting on its own, rebelling against his will. His face darkened abruptly. He forcefully suppressed it, forcing the strand of energy to retreat.

With a pinch of his fingers, the demonic energy dissipated.

He had disposed of it.

His movements carried a veiled anger.

His expression was icy, brows furrowed.

He couldn’t understand why the demonic energy had suddenly behaved this way, and he detested this feeling of lost control. So, he directly annihilated that disobedient strand.

Such an unruly thing had no reason to exist.

The next day.

Su Zhuozhi hadn’t slept well. When it was time to get up, he refused to wake, hugging his soft brocade quilt and continuing to laze in bed.

He’d had a strange dream last night.

A small bug had crawled onto his foot, cold and itchy, penetrating his skin with a slight sting.

He wanted to reach out and smack the bug, but he didn’t want to touch it—it was too disgusting.

Just as he was about to call someone to get rid of the bug, something happened, and the bug suddenly vanished.

Dreams were like that—chaotic, fragmented, without logic.

He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief and sink back into sleep when a colder, more sinister chill crept in, like a poisonous snake, coiling around his ankle. It slowly crawled over, leaving a cold, slimy sensation.

It made his back hair stand on end, and half his body went numb.

No wonder that black bug had disappeared—something even more terrifying had arrived. It had instinctively sensed danger and fled to save itself.

Su Zhuozhi couldn’t control his body tensing up. He dared not move, afraid the poisonous snake would suddenly strike and sink its fangs into his leg. Then he’d be dead.

He stared wide-eyed, fixing his gaze on his ankle, trying to see what it was doing. But no matter how hard he tried, he could only make out a blurry, dark shadow.

Probably because it was too dark around him; the black snake had merged with the night.

If it crawled over, he might not even know.

It was coiling around his foot, and he feared it would bite him. If it let go, he was afraid it might suddenly dart out from somewhere, pounce on him, and sink its venomous fangs into another spot.

Su Zhuozhi trembled in fear. He wanted to call for help but dared not speak too loudly, afraid of startling the snake.

But oddly, that cold, pitch-black creature just kept coiling around him, almost affectionately rubbing against him, and did nothing else.

All night, he was on tenterhooks. Even after waking, his ankle still felt as if something were gripping it, making his entire body shiver and tingle.

Su Zhuozhi rubbed his legs under the covers, trying to use the soft touch of the Shu brocade to mask that strange sensation.

After opening his eyes, he instinctively glanced down. His legs were fair and flawless, as always—no suspicious snake or insect bites, no red marks from being bound.

It was just a somewhat realistic nightmare.

Getting scared like that would be pathetic.

Su Zhuozhi took a deep breath, pushed it all to the back of his mind, and went about washing his face and rinsing his mouth as if nothing had happened.

The physician came to take his pulse and said his cold was almost better. He could take a walk in the garden, let the sun warm his back—the sunlight would allow yang energy to enter his body, greatly benefiting his health.

So Su Zhuozhi had to shake off his lazy, salted-fish attitude and head to the garden.

The warm sun was gentle, flowers clustered in riotous colors, the scenery was superb.

Su Zhuozhi strolled leisurely, admiring the dazzling, blooming flower beds. After a while, feeling tired, he went to the waterside pavilion ahead and sat down to rest.

Wanying brought up delicate pastries and tea.

Su Zhuozhi took a couple of absentminded bites, then set them down. He leaned on the wooden railing of the beauty-rest bench, watching the golden, brightly colored koi fish swimming flexibly in the pond, their mouths opening and closing hungrily.

It sparked his interest in feeding the fish.

He turned his head and instructed Wanying to fetch some fish food.

Only Su Zhuozhi and Xie Jue remained in the waterside pavilion.

The warm sunlight fell on them, making one feel soft and drowsy, comfortably on the verge of sleep.

A gentle breeze brushed by, blowing the strands of hair at Su Zhuozhi’s temples. Since he was at home and not going out, he couldn’t be bothered to tie his hair up properly. He had simply wrapped it with a ribbon behind his head, and his long hair lay like silk down his back.

The dark strands stuck to his cheek, making his skin look even fairer and more translucent.

Xie Jue’s hand, hanging at his side, curled slightly at the fingertips, as if he wanted to reach out and brush away that annoying strand of hair.

He didn’t move.

But the demonic energy, which was not good at restraint and forbearance, did.

It crept like a shadow lurking where the sunlight couldn’t reach, silently moving, flowing toward Su Zhuozhi. It stopped beside him and carefully extended a thin wisp of haze. Gently hooking, it brushed past the soft, pale cheek, hooked away the dark hair, and even coiled around it reluctantly.

Su Zhuozhi was startled. He tilted his head in confusion, raised his hand to touch his face, feeling a little itchy.

Was there a bug?

But he didn’t feel anything.

He turned back to ask Xie Jue, “Is there something on my face?”

Xie Jue’s Adam’s apple moved. He denied it flatly: “No.”

In truth, a conspicuous strand of pitch-black demonic energy was writhing excitedly by his face, almost twisting itself into a knot.

Xie Jue’s expression darkened. He grew even more displeased with the demonic energy’s behavior and was about to forcefully retract it when the strand sensed what was coming. Before being forced back, it treasured its last moments and darted over to the porcelain dish on the table. It sniffed furtively at the half-eaten pastry Su Zhuozhi had bitten, even lightly touching the spot where his mouth had been.

Xie Jue’s breath caught. The sweet taste of the pastry lingered on his lips, and he even felt a slight dampness.

He could no longer endure it. The hand at his side clenched into a fist.

The demonic energy was instantly forced back into the shadow behind him. It surged and churned violently, radiating intense dissatisfaction.

It wanted to cling to Su Zhuozhi, touch the things he had used, sniff the scent he left behind—not hide cowardly in the darkness like this.

‘You want it too!’

The black mist resisted strongly, howling silently, but was still forcefully suppressed by its master.

Su Zhuozhi heard Xie Jue say there was nothing, so he didn’t bother with it further. He took the fish food Wanying handed him and fed the fish absently.

When he got bored of feeding the fish, he turned around, ready to say he’d take another stroll and then go back inside. But his gaze inadvertently swept over the sword hanging at Xie Jue’s waist, and he had a sudden impulse.

“By the way, I’ve never seen you use a sword. Last time we sparred, you only demonstrated fist and foot techniques. How is your swordsmanship? I want to see.” Su Zhuozhi said with keen interest.

Dealing with a few ordinary mortals—using just fists and feet was already overkill. Naturally, there was no need to use a sword. Since coming here, the sword had rarely had a chance to leave its sheath.

But now, the young master had made a request and wanted to see. That was another matter.

Xie Jue nodded in agreement.

The scabbard was unremarkable, the hilt exposed was simple, devoid of decoration—as ordinary as a sword one could buy at a blacksmith’s shop.

But when he gripped the hilt and drew it, the feeling instantly changed.

An indescribable pressure rushed forth.

Xie Jue’s expression didn’t change. He casually swung the sword. His figure was swift and fierce. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished, appearing somewhere else. The eye couldn’t keep up with his speed—it was astonishingly fast.

There were no complicated, flashy movements. Everything was so short, so powerful, murderous intent fully exposed, yet it was breathtakingly beautiful, impossible to look away.

Su Zhuozhi watched without blinking. Even after Xie Jue sheathed his sword, he was momentarily unable to snap out of it.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Xie Jue, as if filled with brilliant stars—extremely beautiful.

Xie Jue had never been looked at with such a scorching gaze before. He couldn’t help but pause in his steps, his back tensing.

Su Zhuozhi said excitedly, “Your sword is truly excellent!”

He suddenly stood up and, without waiting for a response, led Xie Jue to his treasure pavilion. Inside were all his favorite collections—priceless treasures.

A large, spacious area was entirely dedicated to displaying his collection of precious swords.

Gems sparkled, radiating a glossy, dazzling luster even indoors.

Xie Jue even saw a spiritual sword that was quite famous in the cultivation world.

He had to admit, the young master really knew how to collect. Even cultivators would struggle to find such swords, yet he, a mortal, possessed them—and more than one.

Su Zhuozhi said with a smile, “I like your sword. Choose one here, and I’ll trade with you. How about it?”

Xie Jue was slightly stunned, as if he had never expected such words.

“You… want my sword?”

“Yes. Do you agree?” Su Zhuozhi didn’t see anything wrong with it. If he liked something, he said so directly. Of course, it would be best if Xie Jue was willing. If not, it was a pity, but he wouldn’t be devastated. He could just look for other fine swords.

Xie Jue was silent for a moment, then refused decisively: “No.”

Su Zhuozhi pursed his lips, disappointed. “…Alright. If you change your mind, you can tell me. Look, these swords are all one in a million.”

Xie Jue admitted that the swords here were good, but his expression showed not a hint of wavering. In fact, it vaguely revealed a trace of inexplicable displeasure.

Instead, the sword at his waist suddenly trembled.

As if it was tempted.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

How can I, the Holy Son, marry someone?

BattleFemale ProtagonistMarriage

Read Now →
Not interested