Chapter 45: The Demon Lord’s Confession

The first light of dawn streaked the sky with pale gray.

Inside the large canopy bed, Xie Jue had long since awakened. His gaze was fixed unblinkingly on the youth sleeping soundly in his arms, while his fingers toyed with a lock of the boy’s jet-black hair, winding it around his finger.

He suddenly thought of the folk tradition of binding hair between married couples. The moment the idea crossed his mind, demonic qi drifted out and entwined a strand of hair from each of them together.

Xie Jue watched, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Who knows how long passed. Su Zhuozhi’s eyelashes fluttered. He opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the harsh light. Still half-asleep, he burrowed forward, nestling into Xie Jue’s arms, finding a comfortable spot for himself before curling up and continuing to sleep.

Xie Jue stiffened, then reached out and wrapped his arm around Su Zhuozhi’s waist, holding him possessively. This was what he had always wanted to do.

But it wasn’t long before Su Zhuozhi gradually woke up. When he saw who was in front of him, his eyes flew wide open. With a terrified expression, he jerked backward, scrambling out of Xie Jue’s embrace.

Sleep was now out of the question. His voice dry, Su Zhuozhi managed a weak, “…Mm.”

Xie Jue rose and expertly attended to Su Zhuozhi’s morning toilet.

“I can do it myself,” Su Zhuozhi refused, but Xie Jue simply ignored him and finished everything. Then he brought over a set of crimson robes and reached out to help Su Zhuozhi out of his bedclothes.

Xie Jue’s movements were so natural, and he wasn’t doing anything Su Zhuozhi found unacceptable. Accustomed to being waited on hand and foot, Su Zhuozhi tilted his head, gave him a couple of glances, and then simply accepted the Demon Lord’s service with equanimity.

After washing and dressing, the Demon Palace attendants filed in, bearing an exquisite and lavish breakfast—all dishes Su Zhuozhi liked.

He took a bite. The taste was excellent, and his mood immediately improved.

After he had his fill, there was still some left in the bowl. Out of habit, he pushed the bowl over and turned to ask, “Do you want some?”

Only after asking did Su Zhuozhi remember: this wasn’t the Ten Thousand Swords Sect; it was the Demon Palace. And the Xie Jue before him wasn’t his attendant—he was the perverted Demon Lord.

Su Zhuozhi tried to pull the jade bowl back, but Xie Jue pressed down on it and took it, calmly eating the leftovers.

The attendant nearby stared wide-eyed, utterly unable to believe what he was seeing.

Su Zhuozhi’s gaze happened to meet the attendant’s. The man immediately stiffened, turning to stone, then ducked his head so fast he practically buried his face in his chest, as if Su Zhuozhi were some terrifying man-eating monster.

“…”

Su Zhuozhi couldn’t help wondering: why were they afraid of him? Shouldn’t Xie Jue be far more terrifying? It was Xie Jue who wanted to eat the food—he hadn’t forced him.

Once he finished eating, not wanting to just sit there, he decided to stand up and go outside for a look around, to see what the Demon Palace was like.

But the moment he started to rise, a force pulled him back down, forcing him to sit.

Su Zhuozhi glared at him.

Xie Jue’s expression didn’t change. His large hand pressed down on Su Zhuozhi’s, holding it firmly so he couldn’t break free.

“What are you doing? I can’t even go for a walk?”

Ever since he discovered Xie Jue wouldn’t hurt him, Su Zhuozhi had reverted to his old ways. No longer cowed, he showed his true young master temperament and complained without restraint.

Even confined and deprived of freedom, he still wanted to be comfortable.

Xie Jue said, “You can, but only with me.”

Su Zhuozhi’s mood soured. “Forget it. This place is too ugly. I don’t like it.”

Without hesitation, Xie Jue said, “Wherever you don’t like, I’ll have someone change it to your specifications.”

Su Zhuozhi frowned. Why did this sound like a scene from some story about a tyrant and his favored concubine?

Realizing he had inadvertently cast himself as the seductive consort, Su Zhuozhi quickly shook his head and said bluntly, “No need to change it. This isn’t my home.”

With that single sentence, he drew a clear line between himself and the Demon Palace, asserting they had nothing to do with each other—and naturally, the same went for the Demon Lord.

Xie Jue’s face darkened.

Seeing his expression, Su Zhuozhi sensed trouble and leaned back. But his evasive movement only provoked Xie Jue. Instead of letting him pull away, Xie Jue yanked him close and pulled the boy onto his lap.

Su Zhuozhi froze, then immediately struggled to get down. But Xie Jue locked his arm around Su Zhuozhi’s waist, holding him as if bolted in place. This sparked the young master’s rebellious streak, and he headbutted Xie Jue.

Having been caught off guard before, Xie Jue naturally wasn’t going to fall for it again. He dodged predictably and then lowered his head to bite Su Zhuozhi’s fox ear.

A soft, plaintive whimper escaped.

Xie Jue hadn’t expected such a reaction. His eyes lit up, and he became visibly excited, as if he wanted to lick the fox ear from tip to root.

But Su Zhuozhi was strongly opposed. He raised his hands and covered both fox ears tightly. Xie Jue then turned his attention to the fluffy, cloud-like tail. In truth, he preferred touching the tail.

The moment Xie Jue touched it, Su Zhuozhi’s fur stood on end. His eyes reddened, and he barked furiously, “Xie Jue! How dare you?!”

Obviously, he did dare.

Forced to suppress the surging desire in his heart, Xie Jue restrained himself somewhat, not daring to go too far. His voice softened as he coaxed, “These are the spiritual fruits you like, young master. Do you want one?”

As he spoke, he carefully peeled one. Taking a bite, sweet juice splattered everywhere—it looked delicious.

Su Zhuozhi remained stubborn, refusing to eat.

Xie Jue pressed harder with his fingers, prying open Su Zhuozhi’s lips and teeth. Juice overflowed, a few drops leaving a glistening trail.

Just as Su Zhuozhi opened his mouth to curse at him, Xie Jue quickly shoved the fruit in. The round spiritual fruit made Su Zhuozhi’s cheeks puff out like an angry pufferfish.

The taste was sweet and refreshing, and the sensation of spiritual energy entering his body was pleasant. Su Zhuozhi narrowed his eyes and decided to finish eating before continuing to be angry.

But the moment he finished chewing and swallowing, Xie Jue immediately fed him another one.

Su Zhuozhi’s expression turned impatient, unwilling to give him a good face. He pushed with his tongue and teeth, spitting the second fruit back into Xie Jue’s hand, refusing to eat it.

The translucent flesh, now coated with saliva, dripped onto Xie Jue’s palm.

Su Zhuozhi snorted, hoping to disgust him.

But Xie Jue’s perversity once again exceeded Su Zhuozhi’s imagination—he actually ate the fruit covered in Su Zhuozhi’s saliva.

Su Zhuozhi opened his mouth, then silently closed it. All he wanted was to get away from Xie Jue. He realized that no matter what method he used against this pervert, it seemed useless.

After breakfast,

Xie Jue had to attend to demon realm affairs, much like a mortal emperor handling court matters. Yet even when dealing with such confidential matters, he still insisted on keeping Su Zhuozhi by his side, as if the boy would vanish the moment he blinked.

Su Zhuozhi hated restraints. Being watched like this all the time made him increasingly irritated.

Especially when Xie Jue even followed him to the washroom. Finally unable to hold back, he snapped, “That’s enough! Am I a prisoner? Can’t I have any freedom at all?”

Xie Jue’s deep gaze fixed on him. “No, but I believe you would seize every opportunity to escape from me. I don’t feel comfortable letting you go to the washroom alone.”

Su Zhuozhi was about to retort when Xie Jue continued.

“On my birthday, you lied to me, saying you would cook me longevity noodles, and then you disappeared. That was my most unforgettable—and worst—birthday. I regret eating those noodles.”

His tone was calm and flat, with little emotional fluctuation, as if he were talking about someone else. But Su Zhuozhi’s heart tightened, flooded with threads of bitterness and regret.

He felt a little guilty.

Because he had indeed taken advantage of Xie Jue’s attention to his birthday to divert his focus. That had been a hurtful thing to do.

But—but Xie Jue had tricked him first. If he weren’t the Demon Lord, how could he…

Su Zhuozhi was about to voice these retorts, but when he looked up and met Xie Jue’s eyes, he couldn’t speak.

It was like a poor puppy drenched in rain.

Su Zhuozhi looked away and muttered under his breath, “I only made longevity noodles for you. Even my father hasn’t had any. If you don’t want to eat them, then don’t…”

Only for you.

Those words worked like magic to lift Xie Jue’s mood. A glimmer of light appeared in his pitch-black eyes, and he was easily soothed.

“They were delicious.”

It took Su Zhuozhi a moment of dull reaction to understand that Xie Jue was talking about the longevity noodles he had made.

Even he found the praise hard to stomach, and his face flushed with embarrassment.

It was just an ordinary bowl of noodles. Besides, his mind had been entirely focused on escaping at the time. In his haste, how seriously could he have made them?

Xie Jue had even gone out to look for him before returning to eat them. The noodles had clumped together by then, making them even worse.

Su Zhuozhi didn’t want to tell him that. He quickly cut off the topic.

“Alright, you stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

Seeing that Xie Jue still intended to follow, he didn’t give him a chance to argue, pushing him back and pressing him into a seat. “Sit down,” he commanded.

Xie Jue started to get up, but Su Zhuozhi glared fiercely. “Aren’t you listening to me?”

He looked as if he was about to get angry.

Xie Jue hesitated for a moment and stopped moving.

Taking the opportunity, Su Zhuozhi turned and left, shaking off that ever-present big tail, and quickly exited the door.

Xie Jue didn’t follow, but a strand of demonic qi chased after him, clinging tightly to the young master.

Rarely alone, Su Zhuozhi let out a breath and relaxed.

He dried his hands, came out of the washroom, and surveyed his surroundings.

This was Xie Jue’s territory; escaping wouldn’t be easy. Xie Jue wanted too much. At best, he could take the chance to observe the terrain and routes.

However, he had promised Xie Jue he would return quickly. If he took too long, Xie Jue might go crazy again.

So he only glanced around briefly before heading back the way he came.

As he turned a corner, a large shadow loomed before him, and he nearly collided with it.

Su Zhuozhi was startled. He looked up and was even more frightened.

It was a man as burly as a bear, with a fierce countenance. A scar like a centipede ran across his eyebrow, adding to his menacing air.

Su Zhuozhi quickly stepped back several paces, every inch of him on alert. His fox ears pressed flat, and the fur on his tail bristled, making it appear a size bigger.

The Left Protector’s gaze was involuntarily drawn, and his fingers itched to touch. He asked in confusion, “Who are you? How did you get here?”

Somehow, he remembered the white fox mask the Demon Lord had been holding the past few days. This little demon looked quite similar.

If the Lord liked foxes, should he catch one and send it to him? But this little demon was so beautiful, he almost wanted to keep it himself.

Su Zhuozhi didn’t answer the Protector’s question. He looked around, intent only on avoiding him. If he couldn’t avoid him, then he would have to fight back.

He sidestepped the man, planning to leave quickly. The Left Protector reached out to grab him, but his hand suddenly felt a sharp pain, and he cried out in surprise.

The Left Protector exclaimed in shock, “The Lord’s demonic qi?”

A wisp of demonic qi coiled around Su Zhuozhi’s side, assuming the stance of an absolute protector, declaring that this person belonged to him and no one was allowed to touch him.

Seizing the chance, Su Zhuozhi ran off quickly. Xie Jue happened to appear on the path ahead of him, and without thinking, Su Zhuozhi ran behind Xie Jue.

Subconscious actions most easily reveal one’s true feelings. He might not even know himself how much he trusted Xie Jue. When facing the Left Protector, his first thought was to counterattack, but ever since he discovered Xie Jue’s true identity until now, he had never thought of summoning his life-bound sword to strike Xie Jue.

The Left Protector turned his head and saw, momentarily dumbfounded. “Lord?”

Was this little demon brought here by the Lord? Was he the Lord’s person?

Curious, the Left Protector wanted to take another look, but Xie Jue moved, blocking the person behind him completely from view.

“I have given him the position of Demon Lord. You will regard him as you regard me. His words are my commands. Understand?”

The Left Protector looked as if he were dreaming, utterly incredulous. But under the Demon Lord’s oppressive aura, he reflexively nodded in agreement. Then Xie Jue sent him away.

Su Zhuozhi and Xie Jue returned to the palace.

Xie Jue explained, “He is the Left Protector. He’s quite powerful. You can also command him. However, if you need anything, young master, I would still prefer you come to me.”

Su Zhuozhi: “Oh.”

The Left Protector looked a bit frightening, so he didn’t particularly want to interact with him anyway.

Xie Jue continued with his work. Su Zhuozhi sat nearby, listlessly eating snacks and drinking spiritual tea, feeling bored.

It didn’t take long for Xie Jue to notice. He placed a pile of things in front of Su Zhuozhi to play with and pass the time.

They were all things Su Zhuozhi had bought on the day of his escape, when he had made an excuse to browse the market. When he said he was going to make noodles, he had shoved them all at Xie Jue. Su Zhuozhi hadn’t expected Xie Jue to keep them, let alone bring them all back to the Demon Palace.

Somewhat surprised, Su Zhuozhi flipped through them casually. He picked up the fox mask that Xie Jue had chosen that day and put it on his face.

These were all things he had bought randomly; he didn’t particularly like them.

Compared to these, he wanted his own things more.

“Xie Jue, where’s my storage pouch?”

Xie Jue turned his head to look at him.

Because the mask’s eye holes were small, it restricted his field of vision. For a moment, Su Zhuozhi could only see Xie Jue’s cold, sharp jawline and tightly pressed lips.

He raised his eyes, slowly meeting Xie Jue’s gaze.

His brows were like blades, his eyes deep black, long lashes slightly lowered, pressing down a hint of agitation.

They had bought it together while shopping.

Utterly indifferent.

He just wanted to get the storage pouch back.

What would he do once he got it? Plan another escape?

Xie Jue’s eyes reddened, unable to hide the violence in his heart. His blood boiled, and his hands suddenly clenched into fists, veins bulging.

Su Zhuozhi couldn’t see all that. When he heard Xie Jue mention escape, he finally couldn’t help retorting, “Why are you trapping me here? Tell me. If I can help you, I will, and then you let me go. Is that acceptable?”

He had wanted to say this for a long time, but Xie Jue’s odd attitude had unsettled him. Now he had finally found an opportunity.

Xie Jue suddenly leaned in close, one hand removing the fox mask from Su Zhuozhi’s face, leaving him nowhere to hide. He looked straight into Xie Jue’s intense, burning gaze.

“Because I like you.”

He didn’t have time to carefully choose his words.

There were no elaborate, touching phrases.

It was instinct, words that slipped out subconsciously.

“I love you.”

“I want you to stay by my side forever.”

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