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Join the ServerLing Chen’s gaze was filled with disbelief, fixed upon the demon. The pseudo-Special Grade demon, Xiao Moyuan.
A chilling sensation radiated from his neck.
His eyes darted between the two faces before him, both exuding an equally icy aura. One belonged to the ‘disguise’ holding a blade to his throat.
Silver hair, crimson eyes, a demonic aura as profound as an abyss, a being who had commanded a hundred demons and endured countless massacres. The weight of his presence made even breathing difficult.
Ling Chen had witnessed legendary Special Grade Archdemons firsthand, but his intuition screamed that the individual before him was far from ordinary. He glanced at the Bull Demon, now instantly reduced to dust.
How could it have been dealt with so effortlessly?
It was a cold, yet distinctly terrifying presence. Hua Liang’s human guise had completely receded.
This was not merely immense power; it was the tangible essence of ‘dread’ forged from the fear of a hundred demons, so profound it made breathing difficult.
This being was far more formidable than any Special Grade demon he had ever known, perhaps even deeper and more terrifying than the Special Grade evil spirit sealed beneath N University, as recorded in the archives.
This was a suppression of status, the condescending gaze of a hundred demon lord upon an ant.
Ling Chen’s peripheral vision was glued to the figure that had torn through space to arrive. The horrifying spiritual energy lingered in his senses, but what truly shattered his understanding was the very manner of their appearance.
The silver beam that had crushed the Bull Demon still vibrated with residual power. Yet, what truly subverted his perception was the tearing of the boundary between the illusionary realm and the real world with bare hands.
This act transcended the conventional understanding of spiritual arts and techniques, touching upon a level of rules never mentioned in textbooks or passed down by predecessors. No human demon slayer could achieve such a feat!
All his previous notions of ‘genius’ and ‘Grade A’ talent now seemed utterly laughable.
The terrifying prowess Xiao Moyuan displayed was an entirely different realm of power. Perhaps his innate talent was merely enough to glimpse the other’s back, or perhaps it only reached the threshold of ‘being seen by the other party.’
***
A crisp voice, tinged with obvious closeness and reliance, broke the suffocating silence.
“Young Master!”
Xue Li swiftly moved to Hua Liang’s side. The coldness and stubbornness she had previously displayed vanished, as if she had found her anchor.
The chilling aura around her slightly receded, and her posture became respectful. Hua Liang’s hand, gripping the blade, was as steady as a rock.
His ice-blue eyes met Hua Liang’s, transforming into complete trust and adoration. The crimson demonic eyes didn’t even leave Ling Chen’s throat.
Hua Liang tilted his head slightly, signaling Xue Li with his eyes to speak.
Xue Li spoke rapidly, yet with clear articulation, recounting everything that had transpired:
How Ling Chen had coldly manipulated divine beasts, how he had subjected them to beatings and abuse, how he had used forbidden arts to devour divine beasts and innocent demonic creatures to strengthen the Bull Demon.
She particularly emphasized his vile words and actions, his intent to claim Su Mian and herself as his private ‘collections.’
With each sentence, the chilling aura around Hua Liang intensified, and the killing intent in his crimson eyes grew sharper.
Another wave of purely icy fury emanated from Xiao Moyuan, similarly coiling around Ling Chen like an invisible shackle.
When Xue Li mentioned that Ling Chen had attempted to force a contract with them, a soft *snap* echoed.
The blade’s edge advanced a hair’s breadth. Ling Chen’s skin at his throat was lightly grazed, and a warm trickle of blood instantly flowed along the cold steel.
Ling Chen’s body went rigid. He didn’t even dare to swallow, clearly feeling the blade pressed against his carotid artery. The other party only needed a slight flick of their wrist…
“Senior Xiao, Senior Xiao!”
Fear finally shattered Ling Chen’s forced composure. He could only desperately cast sidelong glances toward Xiao Moyuan.
“There’s a demon here! A Special Grade Archdemon! I’m an officially registered demon slayer! The academy’s…”
He tried to use rules and the camaraderie of fellow demon slayers to bind Xiao Moyuan. “As a senior, the academy’s legendary figure, you can’t just stand by and watch!”
However, Xiao Moyuan’s heart held no room for such ridiculous pleas. His gaze, since his appearance, had been solely fixed on Su Mian.
He saw the once lively and enchanting little fox now covered in scars. Her fair skin was bruised, and her three once-fluffy, beautiful fox tails hung limply, their fiery red tips dulled.
Especially her neck, now bare where the necklace he had personally placed, imbued with his care and promise, was missing.
A sharp pang shot through his heart. Ignoring the stagnant atmosphere and Ling Chen’s frantic pleas, he walked directly to Su Mian’s side.
Su Mian seemed still immersed in the chaos of a berserk state and intense battle after her bloodline awakening. Her scarlet eyes, though looking upward at the approaching Moyuan, still held an untamed wildness and vigilance.
She unconsciously bared her teeth, emitting a low growl, even directing a threatening sound towards Ling Chen’s direction.
Moyuan extended his hand without hesitation, gently drawing her into his embrace. A familiar, clear, and snow-pine-like coolness instantly enveloped her.
That aura seemed to carry a strange power, piercing through the raging demonic energy like a barrier, directly soothing her agitated soul and aching body.
Then, the warmth of the solid chest that embraced her with protective intent, and a subtle, almost uncontrollable whimper of grievance and lingering fear, spilled from Su Mian’s throat.
The pain, taut nerves, and the frenzy dominated by instinct quickly dissipated. The violent glint in her scarlet eyes receded, restoring their original clear hue, though still tinged with weakness and fatigue.
She instinctively snuggled against Moyuan’s arm like a small animal finding shelter, rubbing her face against him with utter dependence.
Her three drooping fox tails unconsciously, gently wagged, their tips carefully intertwining with Moyuan’s clothes.
If her previous combat was a primal, blood-soaked reaction to crisis, then her current closeness and dependence on Moyuan were a deeper, soul-deep instinct of belonging.
In the depths of Moyuan’s eyes, the cold anger melted slightly, replaced by an even deeper heartache.
In an instant, all her forced composure, the tyrannical rage that had dominated her, receded like a tide.
Su Mian’s eyes brightened, but she still exercised restraint. She tentatively licked Moyuan’s fingertip with the tip of her tongue.
The sweet and mellow spiritual energy flowed along her tongue, instantly alleviating the pain and emptiness in her body.
She could no longer hold back. Like a small beast being fed by its master, she carefully yet eagerly enveloped Moyuan’s fingertip in her mouth, beginning to wholeheartedly enjoy the nourishment the spiritual energy provided.
Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and her three fox tails wagged joyfully like a fan, completely immersed in this delicious comfort.
This scene, so unconcerned with others, even bordering on intimate, stirred vastly different reactions in various onlookers.
Ling Chen watched, his lips twitching. The sharp pain and threat of death he felt were temporarily diluted by a sense of constraint.
He forced a smile uglier than a cry, his voice dry: “Senior… I, I’m dying… Do you still have the heart…” The word ‘flirting’ hovered on his tongue, but he ultimately dared not utter it aloud, though the implication was clear.
Moyuan didn’t even spare him a glance, his entire attention focused on the little fox greedily absorbing spiritual energy in his arms.
He precisely controlled the output of spiritual energy, both to meet Su Mian’s needs for bodily repair and to avoid causing an excessive burden.
Silver spiritual light gently enveloped Su Mian. Her bruises and wounds faded at a visible rate under the nourishment of the spiritual energy, healing and becoming lustrous. Her dulled fox fur also regained its sheen.
This scene undoubtedly caused the greatest impact on Su Baixue.
She stood rooted to the spot, the sensation of the necklace still lingering in her hand, yet now that warmth felt scorching.
What was she seeing? Senior Moyuan, whom she regarded as an unattainable peak, a moon in the clouds, always calm and powerful, cold and merciless towards evil spirits…
He was now embracing a ‘female demon’ with an almost tender posture. Not only was he personally feeding her precious primal spiritual energy, but he was also allowing her to act with such intimate dependence!
Watching Su Mian squint her eyes, her face lost in blissful enjoyment as she sucked on Xiao Moyuan’s finger, her tail wagging happily, even occasionally emitting satisfied little hums…
Su Baixue felt her brain buzz, the world spinning. Any excuse or pretense was shattered in an instant.
Whose necklace was it? It was self-evident. Xiao Moyuan knew Su Mian was a demon, and he knew it perfectly well. What was their relationship?
Senior Xiao, whom she secretly admired and felt no one could match, was actually showing such a different kind of tenderness towards her… her ‘brother’ whom she had always looked down upon and felt ashamed of?
Absurdity, shock, and a certain indescribable pain instantly overwhelmed her.
Soon, as Su Mian’s exhausted spiritual power was replenished by Xiao Moyuan’s pure spiritual energy, and her injuries were largely healed, the fatigue from intense emotions and physical exertion also surged.
Her movements of absorbing spiritual energy gradually slowed, her eyelids grew heavy, and finally, her head tilted, resting on Xiao Moyuan’s chest, falling into a deep sleep.
Her three fox tails also drooped softly, occasionally curling unconsciously.
Only then did Xiao Moyuan slowly cease his spiritual output, gently withdrawing his finger. He carefully adjusted his embracing posture, allowing Su Mian to sleep more soundly.
He lowered his head, gazing at the sleeping face in his arms. Her defenseless sleeping face had shed the wildness of her demonic transformation, revealing her original, stunning beauty.
Several strands of hair, damp with sweat, clung to the corner of her mouth. He instinctively wanted to raise his hand to brush them away, but his fingertips merely twitched, ultimately making no movement.
Xue Li watched from the side, a glimmer of understanding flashing in her ice-blue eyes.
Feeling the immense and pure spiritual energy Xiao Moyuan had just output, she finally understood the previous sense of incongruity. Su Mian’s incredibly profound demonic energy, though only recently awakened, had come from this source.
This human demon slayer was actually ‘feeding’ her spiritual energy! He could satisfy Su Mian’s cavernous needs, indicating his own strength was unfathomable.
Moreover… he looked at Su Mian’s face. When Xiao Moyuan looked up again, all the softness and warmth had vanished from his face, returning to his usual icy coldness.
He held Su Mian, walking step by step. Each step felt like it landed on Su Baixue’s heart, and the air around her seemed to be sucked dry with his approach, leaving her face pale.
“Senior Xiao, you and Su…”
She struggled to speak, trying to say something, her voice dry and trembling.
“Give me the item.” Xiao Moyuan interrupted her, extending his hand, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable command.
Su Baixue’s body trembled. She instinctively placed the necklace pendant, which she had been tightly gripping in her palm, into Xiao Moyuan’s outstretched hand. The pendant still carried her body temperature.
Xiao Moyuan didn’t even glance at the necklace, which perhaps was very precious. His movements were familiar and gentle as he brushed aside the hair from Su Mian’s neck, then re-clasped the necklace for her.
The pendant settled against her fair skin, a faint glow shimmering as if it had never left. This simple action completely solidified Su Baixue’s most unwillingly acknowledged conjecture.
The true owner of the necklace was never Shen Zhixia, but Su Mian. And the one Xiao Moyuan truly cherished, from beginning to end, was Su Mian.
After securing the necklace, Xiao Moyuan’s gaze returned to Su Baixue’s face. That look no longer held the complex emotions he once showed towards Su Mian; it was devoid of the calm neutrality he once held for talented juniors.
Only cold scrutiny remained, along with a clearly discernible disappointment and deeply hidden anger.
“The necklace, did you take it off?” he asked, his tone flat, yet his words were like ice picks.
Su Baixue frantically looked up, wanting to defend herself. “I thought… I thought it was Su Mian who stole yours, or perhaps it was from Sister Zhixia…”
Her voice grew smaller and weaker under Xiao Moyuan’s gaze, pale and powerless.
“Before, I occasionally heard a few comments about you in the academy, that you were not bad. I thought you were calm, had potential, and a righteous mind.” Xiao Moyuan slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it struck Su Baixue’s heart like a heavy hammer.
“Now it seems…” He paused, his deep eyes merciless: “How pathetic.”
Su Baixue was struck as if by lightning, her body trembling, all color draining from her face, her lips quivering, unable to utter a single syllable. This shattered her more completely than Ling Chen’s thousands of vile words.
“I really want to ask, what exactly have you done to wrong her?”
Su Baixue choked, ‘wrong her?’ She thought back carefully… it seemed… she truly hadn’t.
When they were little, Su Mian would save her delicious food, clumsily console her when she cried, and stand in front of her when other children bullied her. She would enjoy her parents’ favoritism and others’ praise, yet felt it was shameful to have such a ‘brother.’
Especially after learning they weren’t blood relatives, that sense of repulsion reached its peak. Su Mian’s existence was a perfect flaw, his humility highlighting her own excellence.
But… Su Mian had never harmed her. He hadn’t snatched her things, hadn’t spoken ill of her, and even when she spoke coldly, he merely walked away in silence.
He simply… lived his own way, loving one person, even if that love seemed so inappropriate and humble to others.
“Since there was nothing,” Xiao Moyuan’s voice pulled her back from her memories, becoming even colder and more piercing, “then you, as a sister, have truly done well.”
“You personally removed the protective amulet I gave her, pushing her defenselessly into the hands of a scumbag with ill intentions.”
“All for your ridiculous curiosity?”
“Young, ignorant?” Xiao Moyuan sneered, his laughter devoid of any warmth. “These are not excuses; it’s a matter of right and wrong.”
“You simply chose the method most beneficial to you, the one that best appeased your inexplicable sense of superiority and anxiety.”
“Even if you knew it was wrong, even if…” His gaze swept over Su Mian’s peacefully sleeping profile, then returned to Su Baixue, the coldness in his eyes almost freezing her. “Su Mian having a ‘sister’ like you is truly her tragedy.”
Every word was like a searing brand, fiercely pressed onto Su Baixue’s heart. Her self-esteem, her years of constructed perception, were shattered in that moment.
She gasped, but no air entered her lungs. Her vision swam. She trembled, meeting Xiao Moyuan’s cold, disappointed eyes and the serene sleeping face of Su Mian in his arms.
“You should be grateful that you are Su Mian’s ‘sister.'”
“If Su Mian didn’t care about what you did, I think your outcome would be the same as his.”
As soon as Xiao Moyuan finished speaking, Hua Liang, in perfect coordination, severed Ling Chen’s arms.
A scream echoed in everyone’s hearts. However, this was merely the prelude for someone who deserved their fate.
“As for your outcome, we’ll decide that after Su Mian wakes up and learns of your actions.”
Xiao Moyuan no longer looked at Su Baixue, instead fixing his icy gaze entirely on Ling Chen.
Hua Liang spoke coldly, “What, do you intend to protect your junior?”
Xiao Moyuan merely glanced at him indifferently, then used spiritual energy to reattach Ling Chen’s arms.
The faint flicker of hope that had just ignited in Ling Chen’s eyes was immediately extinguished by Xiao Moyuan’s next words.
“Give me the blade.”
……
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Not Me, The Fans is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Not Me, The Fans
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