Chapter 95: The Unseen Barrier and a Sister’s Plea

Su Mian’s eardrums throbbed, numb from her sister Su Baixue’s heart-wrenching scream.

Her heart plummeted. An ominous premonition instantly engulfed her.

“Baixue, don’t rush. Take your time and tell me!”

Forcing herself to calm down, she urgently tried to soothe her sister with a voice that felt strangely sweet and unfamiliar.

“What happened to Mom and Dad? What’s going on?”

However, the other end of the line fell into a deathly silence.

The silence felt heavy, pressing down on Su Mian until she could barely breathe.

A few seconds later, Su Baixue’s voice resurfaced, thick with tears—yet tinged with bewilderment and chilling scrutiny.

“Who are you? Where’s Su Mian?”

Su Mian blurted instinctively, “I’m just…”

Mid-sentence, she choked.

She was speaking with a female voice!

How could this soft, sweet, delicate voice possibly belong to her ‘brother,’ Su Mian?

She hastily corrected herself, stammering even more from guilt.

“I… I’m Su Mian’s… friend?”

“Friend?”

Su Baixue’s tone was laced with distrust.

“Let Su Mian answer the phone.”

“She… she’s not available right now…”

Su Mian clutched her phone, filled with powerlessness and absurdity.

How could she possibly tell her sister that the delicate-voiced girl on the other end was the ‘brother’ she was asking for?

The suffocating silence returned.

Su Mian could almost picture her sister’s suspicious, wary expression.

After a while, Su Baixue seemed to forcibly compose herself, but her voice remained cold, edged with probing.

“Are you his girlfriend?”

“I’m not!”

Su Mian denied it immediately, cheeks flushing uncontrollably.

“Just… just a normal friend…”

“A normal friend would answer his phone for him?”

“Tell her for me,” Su Baixue’s voice suddenly turned icy. “Because of her, Mom and Dad’s lives are now unknown!”

With that, the call was abruptly cut off, giving Su Mian no chance to react or ask anything more.

Su Mian froze, holding her phone, mind blank.

‘Mom and Dad… because of her… lives unknown?’

Why?

What exactly happened?

What had she done wrong?

Was it because she had transformed into a demon?

Or some other reason she didn’t know?

She had to go back!

Immediately! Right now!

A powerful impulse drove her. Disregarding the soreness and discomfort in her body, she scrambled up from the floor and stumbled toward the door.

“You cannot go out.”

Xiao Moyuan’s calm voice came from behind her.

At this moment, Su Mian was beyond listening. With such a crisis at home and her parents’ whereabouts unknown, how could she possibly stay here peacefully?

Ignoring everything, she reached out to twist the doorknob.

The instant her hand touched the door, an invisible yet immense force rebounded.

Bang!

She didn’t even see what happened; a tremendous force sent her flying backward, her back slamming heavily against the living room sofa.

She clutched her throbbing head, looking up. Her eyes instantly reddened—moist with shock, grievance, and fury.

“Wh-what’s going on?” she asked, voice trembling.

Xiao Moyuan stood his ground, expression indifferent, as if he had long anticipated this.

“I told you already, you cannot go out.”

He stated calmly, voice devoid of emotion.

“Since last night, I’ve set up a barrier in this room. It not only prevents your demonic energy from leaking out but also severs your direct connection with the outside world.”

He gazed at her incredulous eyes and continued declaring her ‘imprisonment’.

“For now, you’d best stay quietly in this house. Of course, I’ll come by every day, accompany you, and bring you food and supplies.”

“What do you want?!”

Su Mian finally cried out, her sweet voice rising with agitation, sounding somewhat shrill.

“Xiao Moyuan! What do you mean by this?! Are you holding me captive?!”

Xiao Moyuan remained calm and unperturbed.

“I told you—unless my investigation concludes that you pose no threat whatsoever.”

He paused, adding pointedly, “Of course, ‘no threat’ doesn’t just mean no threat to human society; it also includes protecting you—a newly awakened little fox with no self-preservation abilities—from external threats.”

“What time is it now? Something’s happened to my family! My parents’ lives are unknown! And you still won’t let me go back?”

Su Mian was frantic and furious; tears finally streamed down.

“How dare you keep me here?! Let me go! I want to go home!”

Xiao Moyuan remained completely unmoved, his tone carrying a chilling rationality that pierced her heart.

“No. At least until you can skillfully control your demonic energy and possess basic self-preservation abilities, I absolutely cannot let you leave. This is for your own good.”

“For my own good?!”

Su Mian was nearly driven mad with anger. She pointed at the spacious yet cage-like apartment, voice filled with indignation and sarcasm.

“How is this any different from locking me in a dark room, confining and raising me like an animal?”

“Xiao Moyuan! I beg you! Please let me go! I really want to go back and see what’s happened to my parents!”

“I’m begging you…”

A fleeting, complex emotion flickered in Xiao Moyuan’s eyes, quickly replaced by unwavering resolve.

He stated an even crueler truth.

“I can tell you very clearly that even if you go back now, you won’t see your parents.”

“Didn’t your sister, Su Baixue, say it herself? Their lives are currently unknown.”

He took a step forward, dropping another bombshell.

“Furthermore, there’s something else I think you need to know. Your sister, Su Baixue—she’s also an ‘exorcist’.”

What?

Su Mian was struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Baixue… is also an exorcist?

How could that be?

She felt her worldview being crushed, reassembled, and crushed again.

Xiao Moyuan said no more. He walked straight to the front door.

The invisible barrier seemed not to exist for him; he easily pulled it open.

“I need to go handle some matters now. Stay put.”

He left these words. His figure disappeared behind the door, followed by the crisp click of the lock.

“Xiao Moyuan! You bastard! Let me out!”

Su Mian pounded on the door with all her might, but it remained unyielding. Her angry shouts were swallowed by the empty room.

After leaving the apartment, Xiao Moyuan went directly to his car.

He called Su Baixue, asking her to come to his company promptly, then made several other calls to acquaintances, giving instructions.

All matters handled, he glanced at the time—it was already ten o’clock at night.

He sighed, started the car, but instead of returning to his company, he drove toward Su Mian’s apartment.

“I said I’d come back.”

He murmured softly, a hint of tenderness in his voice that even he hadn’t noticed.

Upon arriving, he opened the door to see Su Mian sitting on the sofa, quietly watching the entrance.

Seeing him return, her eyes lit up; a trace of suppressed joy appeared on her face.

“You… you’re back.”

Su Mian stood up, a bit flustered.

“Mm.”

Xiao Moyuan responded, walked into the kitchen, took ingredients from the refrigerator, and began preparing dinner.

Watching him busy himself, a strange, gentle feeling welled up in Su Mian’s heart.

Dinner was quickly prepared. Xiao Moyuan sat at the dining table and gestured for her to come eat.

Su Mian obediently sat down, only to find he had prepared all her favorite dishes.

A warmth spread through her heart. She picked up her chopsticks—but then heard him speak indifferently.

“After dinner, shower, then sleep.”

The gentle feeling vanished instantly, replaced by shame and indignation.

“I don’t want to shower or sleep with you!”

“Hm?”

Xiao Moyuan looked up, narrow eyes carrying cold indifference.

“Do you think I care about showering or sleeping with you?”

“You!”

Su Mian was too furious to speak.

Xiao Moyuan sneered.

“I didn’t lock that door.”

Su Mian froze, rushed to the door, and discovered it was indeed unlocked.

She looked at him, furious.

“What do you mean?!”

“Go out yourself, go wherever you want—but if something happens to you, the consequences are yours.”

Xiao Moyuan watched her indifferently, a hint of mockery in his voice.

“If you wish, you can go outside and see what your parents have become.”

“You!”

Su Mian stiffened. She clutched the doorknob tightly but didn’t pull it open.

She suddenly felt that outside might be even more dangerous than here.

“You… what do you mean?”

Her voice trembled slightly, fear creeping in.

Xiao Moyuan sneered.

“Do you think I wouldn’t speak the truth?”

Su Mian abruptly released the doorknob, turned, ran back to the sofa, and hugged herself tightly, as if that alone could give her warmth and security.

She looked at him, a sob in her voice.

“You… what exactly do you want?”

“I don’t want anything.”

Xiao Moyuan spoke calmly.

“I just want you to know that the outside world isn’t as beautiful as you imagine, nor as safe.”

Su Mian said nothing more, only looking at him with eyes full of fear and bewilderment.

Xiao Moyuan didn’t speak further. He got up and began clearing the dishes.

Su Mian watched his retreating figure, complex emotions stirring within her.

Su Mian frantically rushed toward the front door once more, only to be—without surprise—violently repelled by the sturdy barrier and thrown to the ground.

This time her elbow hit the floor, sending a sharp, piercing pain through her.

Unwilling to give up, she scrambled up and paced the room, desperately searching for any weak point. The windows? The balcony? Without exception, all were sealed tight by the invisible force.

She snatched up her phone as if grasping a final lifeline, wanting to call Su Baixue again—or anyone!

But when she lit up the screen, her heart sank to rock bottom.

The signal bar displayed a glaring crimson ‘X’.

No signal. Not even a trace.

This room had become a completely isolated, sealed space—and all of it was clearly Xiao Moyuan’s ‘masterpiece’.

Su Mian slid powerlessly to the floor, back against the cold wall. Despair, grievance, and rage accumulated, growing heavier.

Hugging her knees, she buried her face in her arms. Her shoulders shook helplessly. Suppressed sobs echoed softly in the silent, barrier-shrouded room.

What had she done wrong?

Why had things turned out this way?

Time rewound to last night.

Shen Zhixia fled in panic back to her penthouse apartment. She gasped for air, chest heaving violently, beautiful face drained of color—leaving only terror and a deep-seated fear that had permeated her bones.

She had never imagined that Xiao Moyuan… was an exorcist!

Ever since her transformation into a blood kin, living on the fringes of darkness, she had encountered so-called ‘exorcists’ before. Once, during a hunt, she had even clashed with someone claiming to be one, but their spiritual power was thin, their methods amateurish.

But Xiao Moyuan was completely different. The spiritual energy swirling around his fingertips was pure, domineering; the mere touch of it was like invisible shackles, completely suppressing her demonic energy, rendering her unable to move even a finger.

It was an absolute crushing of power, leaving no thought of resistance.

Yet what made her soul tremble even more was the other presence she vaguely sensed beneath that immense spiritual energy—a deeper, more desperate pressure.

That wasn’t the pressure of spiritual energy; it was a fear originating from the depths of her bloodline, branded into her soul’s instincts. It was even more direct and suffocating than the pressure exerted by her ‘superior’, Xia!

What secret was hidden within Xiao Moyuan?

Just as she was lost in thought, a pale, cold hand silently reached out from behind, gripping her slender neck with irresistible force.

“Ugh!”

Shen Zhixia let out a painful grunt, pupils contracting. Xia’s figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

He still wore his impeccably tailored, expensive suit. Though his previous injuries seemed largely recovered, the grotesque scar on the left side of his face—left by Su Mian’s protective spiritual artifact—remained clearly visible.

“Today is the last day.”

Xia’s voice was deep and hoarse.

“It seems you haven’t accomplished the goal I set for you.”

The fingers on her neck tightened slightly. Shen Zhixia dared not conceal anything. Enduring the pain of her constricted throat, she recounted everything that had happened at the teaching building, voice filled with regret and trembling.

Xia listened quietly. The original coldness in his pale blue eyes gradually gave way to genuine shock.

He had already spoiled Xiao Moyuan’s plans, and she had done her best to carry out his instructions, but ultimately failed. She believed Xiao Moyuan wouldn’t blame her.

He had long suspected Su Mian’s identity was not simple, but as a blood kin prince with a long lifespan far beyond low-level blood servants or wild demons, he had originally thought that even if the mission failed, Shen Zhixia would return safely after probing the other party’s background.

But he never expected her to be so vulnerable in front of Xiao Moyuan—without even a chance to fight back! Moreover, according to her description, the strange energy on Xiao Moyuan’s body… and his form… these were absolutely not characteristics an ordinary exorcist should possess.

This exorcist named Xiao Moyuan indeed harbored extremely unusual secrets…

Xia slowly released his grip on Shen Zhixia’s neck. His face showed no emotion; he merely stated blandly,

“So… it seems this matter truly cannot be entirely blamed on you.”

Shen Zhixia’s heart lightened slightly, as if granted a moment’s reprieve from the gallows.

However, before she could fully exhale—

A sharp, stinging pain erupted on the side of her neck! She didn’t even have time to cry out before she felt all the blood in her body being drawn by an irresistible summons, flowing uncontrollably toward the punctured wound, continuously absorbed into Xia’s mouth!

Xia elegantly wiped a non-existent trace of blood from the corner of his lips, as if merely stating a trivial matter.

“However, I suffered severe injuries this time, and the damage caused by the spiritual artifact is far more stubborn than imagined. I’ll have to retrieve the half of the ‘source blood’ I previously bestowed upon you to help me regain my advantage as quickly as possible.”

As he spoke, the grotesque scar on his face healed and smoothed at a visible rate, eventually disappearing completely. His skin became flawless and pristine once more, restoring his perfectly handsome features.

In stark contrast, Shen Zhixia’s condition rapidly deteriorated. The massive loss of primordial blood caused her once-youthful, radiant complexion to become visibly haggard and dull, even showing faint fine wrinkles.

The demonic energy swirling around her instantly dissipated by more than half, becoming incredibly weak. Even more terrifying, she began to struggle to suppress the most primitive, savage craving for fresh blood deep within her veins; her fangs subtly protruded uncontrollably, and a suppressed growl escaped her throat.

Xia watched her pathetic state with cold indifference, completely unmoved. He continued issuing instructions, voice devoid of emotion.

“Su Mian… set him aside for now. His depth is unfathomable; a long-term strategy is required.”

“But Su Mian…”

A dark glow ignited in his eyes.

“I must obtain her blood.”

“These days, you should rest well.”

He deliberately emphasized those two words, with a hint of sarcasm.

“When I need you, I will come for you again.”

With that, his figure silently vanished into the shadows once more, as if he had never been there.

In the empty, luxurious apartment, only Shen Zhixia remained—sprawled weakly on the carpet. She felt her body’s weakness, her aging appearance, and the bloodlust threatening to consume her sanity…

The mirror reflected her twisted, venomous expression. It was no longer the elegance and pride of the campus goddess Shen Zhixia, but the look of a prisoner struggling in despair, unwilling to be controlled.

The eternal life she desired, the eternal youth and power she pursued… was absolutely not meant for her to become a disposable pawn, a mere blood bag, to be exploited by others as she was now!

Cold hatred festered wildly in her heart. At this moment, no one knew what she was thinking.