Chapter 22.2

“Where did everyone go?” Liu An’an and Xiao Xihe exchanged glances before deciding to continue forward.  

They walked for quite a distance, their unease growing with each step, when suddenly they heard faint sobbing. The two looked at each other and headed toward the main hall of the Sword Mastery Sect. Before long, they saw a dense crowd gathered ahead—almost all the sect’s disciples.  

Noticing their grim expressions, Xiao Xihe stepped forward and tapped a disciple she somewhat recognized on the shoulder. “What happened?”  

The disciple turned, and upon recognizing her, a flash of grief crossed his eyes. “Xie Zhaixing killed three of our junior brothers last night.”  

Xiao Xihe froze, instinctively refuting, “How could that be?”  

Realizing she had responded too quickly, she paused before hesitantly adding, “Why would he kill anyone for no reason? Could it be a misunderstanding?”  

“It can’t be a misunderstanding. Even if he didn’t do it himself, it was those Demonic Beings he brought with him,” the disciple insisted.  

Another immediately chimed in, “Exactly! It must have been them. Our Sword Mastery Sect has been peaceful for years—how could people die the moment they arrived?”  

“Xie Zhaixing is a demon! Give me back my senior brother’s life!” A female disciple choked back a sob and tried to rush toward the main hall, only to be held back by others.  

“Calm down. Sect Leader Zhao will surely seek justice for us.”  

“That’s right. Trust our master—he will avenge our junior brothers!”  

The crowd gathered in the courtyard before the main hall, comforting one another, heedless of the scorching sun overhead.  

Xiao Xihe listened as they spoke, their words dripping with undisguised hatred for Xie Zhaixing, and felt an inexplicable discomfort. She had spent years by the Demon Lord’s side, day and night. Though he could be utterly ruthless when enraged, his madness wasn’t indiscriminate—at least not toward ordinary disciples. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tolerated those outer disciples of the Kunlun Sect prancing around under his nose for so long.  

It wasn’t patience—it was sheer disdain. To him, those of weak strength were like ants beneath a normal person’s feet. Who would bother with ants?  

If Xie Zhaixing had indeed killed these people, they must have provoked him first.  

But voicing such thoughts was out of the question, especially when emotions were running high. After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Xihe looked toward the main hall.  

“What are you planning?” Liu An’an sensed her intention immediately.  

Xiao Xihe sighed. “I’m going to check.”  

“No, you should avoid contact with him as much as possible—”  

Before Liu An’an could finish, Xiao Xihe was already heading toward the main hall. Seeing she couldn’t be dissuaded, Liu An’an had no choice but to follow.  

Inside the Sword Mastery Sect’s main hall, three bodies lay in the center, each tightly covered with white cloth. Zhao Wuchen’s face was dark with fury as he glared at Xie Zhaixing, who was leisurely sipping tea.  

The tea seemed not to his liking, as Xie Zhaixing took only a sip before setting the cup down. After a long pause, he finally lifted his gaze lazily. “Sect Leader Zhao summoned me here for this?”  

“…Three of my disciples died without cause. Shouldn’t the Demon Lord offer an explanation?” Zhao Wuchen demanded coldly.  

Xie Zhaixing smirked. “What does that have to do with me?”  

“You—” Zhao Wuchen barely suppressed his rage, taking a deep breath before gritting his teeth. “The Sword Mastery Sect has gone a century without a single murder case. Yet, not long after your arrival, this happens. How can you claim it has nothing to do with you?”  

Faced with the accusation, Xie Zhaixing wasted no words. He simply stood and turned to leave.

Zhao Wuchen was furious and drew his sword to block the way. “You’re not leaving until you explain yourself!”

He was willing to make a deal with the devil for his son, but that didn’t mean he could stand by and watch Xie Zhaixing harm his sect’s disciples. Even if it meant tearing off all pretenses, he had to get to the bottom of this.

Seeing the cold blade in Zhao Wuchen’s hand, Xie Zhaixing grew impatient. “Step aside.”

“I cannot comply,” Zhao Wuchen tightened his grip on the sword.

Xie Zhaixing stared at him for a long moment, the last trace of warmth in his eyes receding like the tide. Just as he was about to act, he suddenly sensed something and sharply turned his gaze toward the door.

“Sect Leader Zhao, Demon Lord,” Xiao Xihe’s voice rang out.

Zhao Wuchen paused, sheathed his sword, and turned around. “Has something happened to Shaoqing?”

“The young sect leader is perfectly fine. Most of yesterday’s discomfort has already subsided,” Xiao Xihe replied gently, easing much of the tension in the hall.

Xie Zhaixing, who had been ready to leave, sat back down upon seeing Xiao Xihe and studied her thoughtfully.

Zhao Wuchen’s expression softened slightly. “What brings you here, young friend?”

“Upon hearing of the unfortunate incident involving your sect’s disciples yesterday, my senior sister and I thought we’d come to see if there’s any way we could assist Sect Leader Zhao,” Xiao Xihe said, doing her best to ignore Xie Zhaixing’s unsettling gaze.

Liu An’an followed suit. “If Sect Leader Zhao doesn’t mind, may we examine the bodies?”

Zhao Wuchen pressed his lips together and silently acquiesced.

Liu An’an exchanged a glance with Xiao Xihe before walking straight to the three corpses.

Though both were afraid of ghosts, as disciples of Medicine God Valley, they had seen plenty of corpses. Thus, even when they lifted the white cloth to reveal the twisted, agonized faces of the deceased, their expressions remained calm.

As Xiao Xihe examined the bodies, Xie Zhaixing never took his eyes off her, yet he didn’t see the familiar fear he expected on her face. His brows furrowed slightly.

The person he knew was timid to the core—she couldn’t sleep for nights after witnessing him kill someone and would deliberately avoid places where deaths had occurred. There was no way she’d dare handle corpses like this.

Xie Zhaixing watched for a long while before suddenly flicking his finger. The corpse Xiao Xihe was examining abruptly threw a punch.

“Ah!” Xiao Xihe cried out in terror.

Xie Zhaixing was satisfied.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Liu An’an jumped in alarm.

“…The corpse is already stiff. How is it still moving?” Xiao Xihe widened her eyes in shock.

Liu An’an was equally puzzled. It was the silent Zhao Wuchen who finally spoke through gritted teeth, “Demon Lord, what is the meaning of this?”

Xie Zhaixing turned his face away indifferently.

Xiao Xihe: “…” How childish.

With Xie Zhaixing no longer causing trouble, the examination proceeded smoothly, and they soon reached a conclusion.

“There are no internal or external injuries, and the Sea of Consciousness remains intact. It doesn’t resemble damage caused by Demonic Energy,” Xiao Xihe said as she stood up.

Liu An’an nodded. “There’s no residual Demonic Energy either. Even if it were the work of someone from the Demon Realm—even the Demon Lord himself—it wouldn’t be this clean.”

Xie Zhaixing lounged leisurely in his chair, as if the two weren’t discussing him at all, and he couldn’t care less about clarifying.

Zhao Wuchen frowned deeply at this and shot Xie Zhaixing a glance before asking, “But if it wasn’t the Demon Realm, who else could have done this?”

The corner of Xie Zhaixing’s eye twitched imperceptibly.

Xiao Xihe didn’t miss his subtle reaction and hesitated before speaking. “Perhaps… it’s related to the ghost from last night.”

“A ghost?” Zhao Wuchen exclaimed in surprise.

Xiao Xihe took a deep breath and recounted the ghost encounter from the previous night in full detail. Zhao Wuchen’s expression turned grave as he immediately stepped forward to re-examine the three disciples. After a long while, he looked up in stunned realization: “They indeed died from having their vitality absorbed…”

Xie Zhaixing let out a light scoff, the sound piercingly clear in the silent hall.

Zhao Wuchen fell silent for a moment before turning to face Xie Zhaixing: “Demon Lord, I acted rashly.”

Xie Zhaixing didn’t even lift his eyelids, merely tapping the armrest of his chair lightly. Zhao Wuchen looked embarrassed but could say nothing more. After all, he had been somewhat resentful toward Xie Zhaixing lately because the Demon Lord had disrupted the Sword Mastery Sect’s order without bringing any noticeable improvement to his son’s condition. That was why he had blamed Xie Zhaixing without conducting a thorough investigation.

Seeing that Xie Zhaixing wasn’t responding, Xiao Xihe took the initiative to ask: “Sect Leader Zhao, how do you plan to deal with that ghost?”

Zhao Wuchen smiled at her, as if grateful for her help in easing his awkwardness: “A fierce ghost capable of killing people won’t be easy to handle. I plan to mobilize the entire sect to search for it before nightfall when its power is weakest, so we can capture it as soon as possible.”

Xiao Xihe nodded slightly: “It’s best to resolve this quickly to avoid further complications.”

“I haven’t properly thanked you two for your assistance,” Zhao Wuchen sighed.

“You’re too kind, Sect Leader Zhao,” Xiao Xihe replied, then exchanged a glance with Liu An’an before tactfully heading out.

“Xiao Xihe.”

Xie Zhaixing’s cold voice came from behind. Xiao Xihe had no choice but to stop and turn: “Demon Lord.”

“Admitting it now?” Xie Zhaixing had clearly called out casually, not expecting her to suddenly turn around.

Liu An’an tensed.

Xiao Xihe: “…I’m not admitting anything. But you’ve called me by that name so many times now. If I pretended not to hear, wouldn’t that make me seem even more guilty?”

Her response was logical and flawless—truly worthy of her junior sister. Liu An’an silently gave a thumbs-up and relaxed.

Xie Zhaixing scoffed lightly and raised his eyes to meet Xiao Xihe’s gaze. Xiao Xihe paused, doing her best to maintain a dull yet serious expression.

After a long stare-off, Xie Zhaixing spoke leisurely: “Considering you helped me today, if you confess to me within six hours, I can…”

He suddenly trailed off, as if weighing how far he was willing to go.

What could he do? Forgive her? Let her go? Cut ties and part ways? Xiao Xihe automatically filled in the blanks, her heartbeat quickening slightly at the sudden glimmer of hope.

“I can leave your corpse intact,” Xie Zhaixing reluctantly offered an answer amidst her anticipation.

Xiao Xihe: “…” How very generous of you.

She forced a fake smile. “Unfortunately, my name is A Si, not Xiao Xihe. My apologies for disappointing you.”

The faint curve of Xie Zhaixing’s lips slowly faded, replaced by a chilling intensity in his eyes.

Xiao Xihe swallowed quietly, pretending not to notice his displeasure as she stiffly turned and walked away. Liu An’an kept her head down and silently followed.

The two junior sisters remained silent the entire way back. Only after returning to their quarters did Liu An’an collapse weakly onto the bed: “Good heavens, watching you two play this game of cat and mouse is too intense. My heart can’t take it anymore.”

“…I didn’t fare much better,” Xiao Xihe admitted, still shaken.

Liu An’an glanced at her sideways: “He seems much calmer now. Maybe in a few days, all that resentment toward you will be gone. Don’t worry too much.”

But Xiao Xihe wasn’t so optimistic: “He’s calm because he thinks I’m the person he’s been looking for, and that I can’t escape under his watch… He’s like a cat that’s caught a mouse, and I’m that mouse. Being eaten is the inevitable outcome, but he wants to play with me enough before that happens.”

“That sounds really awful,” Liu An’an shuddered.

Xiao Xihe sighed: “Luckily, I’m from Medicine God Valley. He won’t touch me out of respect for Master… as long as I don’t expose my identity.”

“Are you sure he’d care about my father’s reputation?” Liu An’an hesitated, feeling that someone so ruthless wouldn’t spare anyone’s feelings.

Xiao Xihe flopped onto the bed: “He must, otherwise he would’ve killed me the moment he suspected me.”

Hearing this, Liu An’an thought it made some sense and stopped dwelling on it.

The two didn’t rest for long before starting another round of medicine brewing. Meanwhile, all the disciples of Sword Mastery Sect were mobilized, searching every corner of the mountain for ghosts—even their area was no exception.

As the medicine on the stove neared completion and the disciples had already come by three times, the sun visibly sank lower in the sky, yet the ghost still hadn’t been found. Xiao Xihe felt a creeping chill down her spine.

When the disciples came for the fourth time, she couldn’t help but stop them: “Why hasn’t it been found yet?”

“We’re not sure either,” the disciple replied hesitantly. “The Sect Master said that if the murders were truly committed by a Fierce ghost, its yin energy should be extremely strong and easy to detect. If we still can’t find it…”

Xiao Xihe pressed: “What does it mean if it’s never found?”

“Then it must have possessed someone,” the disciple answered.

Xiao Xihe’s skin prickled: “Possessed? As in… what I’m thinking?”

“It means it’s taken over someone’s body and is hiding among us,” the disciple confirmed, exactly as she feared.

Xiao Xihe rubbed her arms, thanked them, and quickly lit two more lanterns, as if brighter light could dispel some of the yin energy. When Liu An’an came out of the house, she saw Xiao Xihe acting all paranoid and grew curious: “What’s wrong with you?”

Xiao Xihe whirled around, scrutinizing Liu An’an before suddenly asking: “What does Master call his wife when he’s being affectionate?”

“Jiejie (sister)?”

Xiao Xihe relaxed: “Seems like you’re not possessed.”

“What do you mean?” Liu An’an was confused.

After Xiao Xihe repeated what the disciple had said, Liu An’an shuddered in disgust: “That’s terrifying. I want to go home.”

“Doesn’t look like we can leave anytime soon,” Xiao Xihe continued rubbing her arms. Not only could they not leave, but they couldn’t even use Sound Talismans. Xie Zhaixing had sealed the place tight as a drum—no one could get out, and no messages could be sent.

“Should’ve never come here,” Liu An’an muttered offhandedly. Glancing at the medicine on the stove and seeing there was still time, she turned to Xiao Xihe: “Where are the sweet potatoes?”

Xiao Xihe understood immediately, deftly pulling out the sweet potatoes, mixing mud with honey to coat them, and placing them in the oven to roast.

By the time the medicine was ready, the sweet potatoes were perfectly baked.

“One each,” Liu An’an said, tucking her portion into her Cosmos Sack.

Xiao Xihe smiled and also tucked hers into the Cosmos Sack at her waist. Then, before it got completely dark, they went together to deliver the medicine to Zhao Shaoqing.

When the two arrived at Zhao Shaoqing’s bedroom, the annoying A Yu was absent, making the atmosphere much more peaceful.

Zhao Shaoqing took the medicinal soup and examined it for a long time but hesitated to take the next step. Xiao Xihe paused and tentatively asked, “Afraid it’s bitter?”

“How could I fear something painstakingly brewed by two Fellow Cultivators?” Zhao Shaoqing replied gently.

So he was afraid of the bitterness. Xiao Xihe chuckled. “Good medicine tastes bitter—there’s no helping it.”

Zhao Shaoqing smiled faintly and nodded obediently. His eyes were a deep, liquid black, always glistening when he looked at someone, yet without any hint of clinginess—just an emotion closer to tenderness.

A true gentleman, every smile and frown exuding innate grace and gentleness. Not weak, yet one couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for him.

Xiao Xihe pondered for a moment. “If you take your medicine properly, I have something for you.”

“Is it the plums from last time?” Zhao Shaoqing asked curiously.

Xiao Xihe shook her head.

Zhao Shaoqing smiled and pressed, “Then what is it?”

“Drink the medicine first.” Although Xie Zhaixing’s presence had temporarily dissuaded her from acting on any ideas regarding Zhao Shaoqing, who didn’t appreciate a delicate beauty? Might as well humor him like a child.

Hearing this, Zhao Shaoqing looked down at the bowl in his hands again.

Liu An’an glanced between them and clicked her tongue. “Junior Sister, you make sure the Young Master takes his medicine. I’ll step out first.”

“…No need.” She’d already given up on the idea.

Liu An’an waved her hand mysteriously, adopting the air of someone experienced, and left.

Xiao Xihe had no choice but to let her go.

Zhao Shaoqing was still staring at the medicine bowl. After a moment of hesitation, he downed the soup in one go. By the last sip, his brows were furrowed, and the corners of his eyes had reddened slightly.

Amused, Xiao Xihe quickly pulled a sweet potato from her Cosmos Sack and handed it to him.

“It smells wonderful,” Zhao Shaoqing said as he accepted it. He clumsily peeled off the skin and took a small bite of the caramelized, syrup-oozing flesh.

The soft, sweet flavor burst on his tongue. Zhao Shaoqing froze, a flicker of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. “I’ve never… tasted anything so delicious.”

“Glad you like it,” Xiao Xihe said with a smile.

Zhao Shaoqing studied the sweet potato for a long while before looking up to meet her gaze. “A Si’s things always seem to taste this good.”

“Focus on recovering. If there’s a chance, I’ll make you something else,” Xiao Xihe offered.

Zhao Shaoqing’s eyes shimmered with quiet joy. After a long pause, he murmured, “Will there be another chance?”

Xiao Xihe stiffened, her smile faltering.

During her countless days and nights lying motionless in the ICU, she had desperately longed to wake up. But this man before her was even more pitiable—she had at least known health and freedom, while he had been doomed from birth to cling to life, inching inevitably toward death.

She understood his yearning for life and his helplessness, but there was nothing she could do to help him.

The room fell into silence. After a while, Xiao Xihe forced a small smile. “Of course there will be.”

“Mm.” Zhao Shaoqing nodded with a smile.

The moment Xie Zhaixing stepped inside, the sweet aroma hit him, followed by the sight of the two exchanging smiles. The atmosphere instantly turned icy. Xiao Xihe instinctively turned her head and suddenly met Xie Zhaixing’s murderous gaze, her heart lurching in alarm.

Yet Xie Zhaixing didn’t look at her, instead fixing his gaze directly on the sweet potato in Zhao Shaoqing’s hand. With a loud bang, the sweet potato exploded, splattering Zhao Shaoqing and Xiao Xihe from head to toe.

“Demon Lord…”

Xiao Xihe gasped in shock, only to be grabbed by the collar the next moment by Xie Zhaixing, who gritted his teeth and coldly demanded, “You cooked for him?”

Xiao Xihe: “…” That was just a sweet potato!

“You dare cook for him…” A chilling wind howled around Xie Zhaixing as every vessel and decoration in the room began to tremble.

Panicked, Xiao Xihe quickly denied, “I didn’t make it!”

Xie Zhaixing sneered, the aura around him growing even sharper.

“…It really wasn’t me! The young sect leader already had the sweet potato when I arrived,” Xiao Xihe explained fearfully, struggling to glance at Zhao Shaoqing.

Zhao Shaoqing cleared his throat, his hand still covered in the mashed remains of the sweet potato. “Indeed, A Si didn’t give it to me. A female disciple I didn’t recognize came by earlier, gave me the food, and left.”

Xie Zhaixing narrowed his long eyes, flecks of light within them brimming with menace. The trembling in the room intensified as a disciple rushed in frantically, freezing momentarily at the sight of Xie Zhaixing. “Demon Lord?”

Xie Zhaixing initially paid him no heed, but upon noticing what he held, his brows furrowed instantly. “Where did you get that?”

“What?” The disciple followed his gaze to the sweet potato in his own hands and stammered, “A-A fellow disciple gave it to me.”

“Who?” Xie Zhaixing pressed.

The disciple’s eyes flashed with confusion before clarity returned. “I don’t know her name, but she was stunning—a peerless beauty. Though… I don’t recall seeing her in the sect before…”

Before he could finish, Xie Zhaixing had already released Xiao Xihe and strode out.

Xiao Xihe collapsed onto the floor, heaving a sigh of relief.

“A Si.”

“Huh?” Xiao Xihe looked up blankly.

Zhao Shaoqing’s eyes held sympathy. “Are you the one he’s been searching for?”

Xiao Xihe: “…”