Chapter 12: Crimson Warmth

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Jiu Wu sat down beside Xuan Yi and grasped his wrist. Xuan Yi struggled briefly but did not pull away. Jiu Wu gently poured some medicinal powder into the palm of his hand and then carefully wrapped it with a bandage. Her gaze was lowered, focused entirely on the bandage and the scabbed wound in Xuan Yi’s palm, unaware that the person beside her had been watching her face for a long time without looking away.

The wound in the palm stung sharply from the powder; the pain seeped into the flesh and blood, like thousands of tiny ants gnawing away, both numb and itchy.

Xuan Yi’s hand trembled ever so slightly. Jiu Wu thought perhaps she had applied too much pressure and naturally bent down to blow gently on the wound.

Xuan Yi’s jaw tightened suddenly, and he jerked his hand back, knocking over the porcelain bottle at the edge of the table.

Jiu Wu watched as the thin bandage slipped from Xuan Yi’s wrist, floating down with multiple graceful arcs in the air, and then silently landed, discarded and useless.

Xuan Yi loathed her. The hatred had grown so intense that even a slight touch from her caused such violent discomfort.

Jiu Wu suppressed the tugging weight sinking in her heart and pulled up the corner of her mouth. “Senior Brother, your wound is still bleeding. Let me dress it properly. Please don’t move.”

After speaking, she searched for a fresh bandage.

The unbearable itching and numbness in his chest made Xuan Yi increasingly irritable, as if something was slipping beyond his control. His expression darkened. “Do you even know how much I despise you?”

Jiu Wu paused briefly but continued her task.

“Stop pretending, acting like you care about me.”

Jiu Wu finished wrapping the bandage and tied a knot on the back of his hand.

Her sharp, clear apricot eyes looked at Xuan Yi. “What should I do…”

“To make Senior Brother a little happier?”

Xuan Yi clenched his palm slowly. The freshly wrapped bandage was soaked again in blood. His narrow eyes, like an eternal glacier, cast a cold, sharp glance at Jiu Wu.

“Stay away from me.” Xuan Yi stood up, looking down at Jiu Wu from above.

Jiu Wu smiled wryly, lowering her eyes to the ointment beside her. She scooped a bit with her fingertip, her gaze settling on the slightly open collar of his shirt.

“But I haven’t finished applying your medicine yet,” she said.

With a fingertip covered in demonic energy, she touched him, and Xuan Yi collapsed onto the bed.

Under his intense gaze, her delicate fingers lightly lifted the silk-white collar, then the cool, blue-green ointment slid onto the purplish hickey on his collarbone.

Xuan Yi felt the burning breath so close to him and turned his neck stiffly to the side.

Unexpectedly, the herb-scented finger did not intend to leave him alone. The gentle force on his chin was not strong, yet it easily turned his face back toward hers.

“Senior Brother, you must watch me apply your medicine with your own eyes,” her steady voice concealed a barely restrained anger.

At her words, the muscles on his broad, pale chest twitched briefly beneath her fingertip. The ointment was cool on the surface, but the touch felt unbearably scorching on his skin.

The muscles along Xuan Yi’s back tensed. He spoke coldly, “I told you, stay away… hiss.”

The ointment-tipped finger pressed suddenly on a certain spot on his chest, and Xuan Yi couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

Jiu Wu’s fingertip moved downward, tracing the sculpted muscles of his abdomen along the shaded grooves.

“I don’t like it when Senior Brother says things like that.”

Jiu Wu’s eyes were pleading, glistening with tears on long lashes, ready to fall. “Please don’t say that anymore, Senior Brother.”

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Her tone was soft yet left no room for doubt.

After speaking, her gaze swept over Xuan Yi’s sharp, exquisite features, then rested on the snow-white skin beneath his half-unbuttoned shirt. Perhaps her gaze was too direct, for a faint blush rose where she looked.

Jiu Wu’s eyes fixed on the shocking purple bruises. The blurred memories from earlier, caused by the chaotic demonic energy surging inside, suddenly cleared. She was stunned for a moment before a mysterious smile curved her lips.

She leaned closer to Xuan Yi, her voice laced with boundless malice: “Senior Brother, you look really good when you cry.”

Xuan Yi swallowed thickly; the taut muscles beneath the fine, snowy satin fabric became even more defined.

He lifted his eyelids slightly, humiliation coloring the corners of his eyes.

Her eyes were very pure, the irises a clear, deep black without blemish. Despite the malice, her large eyes resembled a helpless young beast, often inadvertently revealing an innocent, naive expression.

Yet such eyes, catching someone unguarded, could bewitch with a whisper:

“Senior Brother, are you sick? You’re so hot.”

Xuan Yi shuddered violently; the rising redness at the outer corners of his eyes looked like flowers tainted with rot.

He tilted his head back in frustration, his messy dark hair falling to either side, struggling hard to prevent himself from succumbing to her provocations. His adam’s apple moved up and down.

A cultivator must keep a clear mind, reflect calmly, avoid greed and anger, and restrain desires… knowing what to pursue and what to avoid…

Under the dim candlelight, his cold eyes filled with lust, his lips bitten until bleeding, like ripe berries, the divine seeming like a tempting demon.

The blood on his lips did not awaken the devoted purity of his Dao heart.

“Senior Brother, you’re so beautiful…”

His narrow, clear eyes stirred with emotion, the redness deepening. The sticky, trembling sensation shattered the self-control he once prided himself on. Finally, he raised his bandaged hand and covered the awkward, unskilled movements of the hand on his back.

The candle flickered to ash, moonlight streamed through the cave entrance, casting a dim glow on the disheveled figure. In the shifting light and shadow, his exquisite, handsome face still flushed; he lowered his gaze carefully wiping between the girl’s fingers with a damp cloth.

After cleaning, Xuan Yi stood up. He could not explain his earlier loss of control nor justify it by her reckless behavior. He despised her and hated even more how easily desire had taken over him.

Suddenly, Xuan Yi bent forward, pain like being torn apart from within.

He wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his lips and looked at the sleeping Jiu Wu, a mocking smile tugging at his mouth.

Sword bones grow, yet do not touch the root of emotion—

Ridiculous. What feelings could he possibly have for her?

He despised how she had spied on him like a rat in the sect before, and now that she was tainted by such a person to lose all bounds, he felt even more disgusted.

Who would fall in love with a devil as clingy and wretched as a puddle of mud?

Xuan Yi stood silently beside the protective barrier at the cave entrance until dawn.

Snowflakes drifted lightly on the horizon, a thin, pure white layer settling on the dark protective barrier, instantly swallowed up.

His frost-covered gaze penetrated the swirling darkness, fixing on one spot for a long while.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Before he could turn, slender arms wrapped around his waist from behind.

Jiu Wu, weary, leaned against Xuan Yi’s straight back and softly asked, “Senior Brother, what are you looking at?”

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Before she could peer around, she fell into a cold embrace.

A flicker of surprise crossed Jiu Wu’s brows and eyes, instantly dispelling all her fatigue. She rested against Xuan Yi’s chest and could even hear his steady, rhythmic heartbeat.

Jiu Wu’s clothes were somewhat disheveled from the previous night. Her outer garment hung half off her left shoulder, exposing the snow-white bare shoulder on the other side. The skin beneath her strapless top was pale and smooth, subtly displaying an alluring springtime hue that made Xuan Yi quickly avert his eyes.

Xuan Yi lifted her up and carried her deeper into the cave. Her slender waist twitched slightly in surprise at his action.

He laid her down on the bed, his expression calm as he tidied her messy collar.

Though it was a casual gesture, not particularly deliberate, Jiu Wu was overwhelmed with delight.

She happily wrapped her arms around Xuan Yi’s neck, her cheek with its faint blush rubbing against his stern jaw.

Xuan Yi’s slight startle at her forwardness caused a brief furrow in his brows, but he did not push her away. Instead, he reached for the ointment on the nearby table. “Hold out your hand.”

Jiu Wu was momentarily stunned, then obediently extended her hand.

Her fingers were soft and tender, like white scallions without bones, slightly red and swollen. The cool ointment soothed the faint ache. Jiu Wu stared unblinking at Xuan Yi’s downcast eyes. In the past, she always watched him practice swordsmanship from the shadows, noting how serious his brows were in such moments.

“*Kiss.*” She puckered her lips and, catching him off guard, planted a kiss.

Xuan Yi’s finger trembled as he applied the medicine. He looked at Jiu Wu, who said,

“Senior Brother, there’s something on your face.”

Xuan Yi raised an eyebrow.

He wondered what exactly was on his face that needed her kiss.

Jiu Wu smiled slyly, her eyes curved like crescent moons. “A bit of handsomeness.”

Xuan Yi was silent for a long time before letting out a low chuckle.

System: “……”

It quietly thought to itself that the host seemed to quite enjoy that book titled ‘Whoever Listens Is Happy…’

Jiu Wu gazed at the fleeting smile at the corner of Xuan Yi’s mouth. Since being locked here by her, he had never shown any hint of a smile. Today… Senior Brother seemed unusually approachable. Why?

Her thoughts wandered, her gaze inadvertently falling on her slightly scraped finger before returning to Xuan Yi.

Could it be… Senior Brother is happy because he likes doing what they did last night?

A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes. But last night, Senior Brother’s eyes were red-rimmed. Was that also because he liked it?

Jiu Wu’s hand was lowered by Xuan Yi, and she hooked her finger around his. “Senior Brother, what if we do what we did last night every night, and you’re happy every day like today?”

Xuan Yi heard Jiu Wu’s bold words; his pale skin flushed all over with a warm red. He restrained himself and said, “You truly are absurd.”