As memories of the past resurfaced, my speed on the sword unconsciously slowed. I slapped my face lightly, forcing myself to detach from those emotions. Xiao Yi Han’s betrayals, real or imagined, no longer mattered to me.
All that mattered was killing him—erasing the stain he had left on my life. Once he was gone, I could return to the sect, take on disciples, and finally leave behind this lonely existence for a future filled with students and legacy.
Just as I was thinking this, a sudden burst of black energy erupted from Xiao Yi Han’s direction. A gale carrying dense demonic energy roared toward me, chilling my blood.
I was stunned.
Over a hundred years ago, the world fell into chaos because the Chang Jiu Demonic Clan invaded from the Demon Realm. The leakage of demonic energy disrupted the mortal realm, creating unrest. Eventually, an immortal eradicated the Chang Jiu Clan and sealed the passage between the two realms. Though demons and monsters still existed, the true demonic clans had vanished from the world.
But now, this dense demonic energy—though not strong enough to indicate a fully open seal—suggested a crack had formed.
Closing my eyes, I focused on the faint blue light hidden within the demonic energy—Xiao Yi Han’s aura. A terrible thought struck me.
Could Xiao Yi Han… have caused this breach?
I rushed to the source of the demonic energy. When I arrived, I saw a massive hole in the ground, as though someone had forcefully dug into the seal. From it, demonic energy spewed like a geyser.
And in the center of it all floated Xiao Yi Han.
He stood there with his eyes closed, chanting softly as black energy coalesced in his hands.
I had no idea what he was trying to do, but I didn’t trust him. After all, he had betrayed the sect, roamed the mortal world for eighty years, and consorted with demonkind. How could I believe he still possessed the pure heart of a cultivator?
If this seal needed fixing, I would do it myself.
During my training, there were no demons left in the world, so our instructors barely mentioned them, let alone taught us how to seal them. However, Xiao Yi Han’s old cultivation notes had included some records of demon-sealing techniques. I had studied them, though I had never used them.
There was no time to hesitate now. Relying on memory, I began forming the spell’s seals and chanting the incantation.
While Xiao Yi Han was preoccupied with gathering black energy, I descended from above, forming my hand into a net to bind and control the leaking demonic energy. As I neared the ground and tightened my hold on the seal, a sword suddenly slashed through the air, forcing me back.
Twisting midair, I maintained the incantation, pulling at the demonic energy with all my might. Fixing Xiao Yi Han with a cold stare, I demanded, “Xiao Yi Han, what are you doing? Why would you tear open a hole in the seal between the human and demon realms?”
“Little disciple,” Xiao Yi Han replied with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “it’s been seventy-nine years since we last met, and you’ve become quite powerful. That pleases your master greatly. But must you ruin my plans today? That… doesn’t please me at all.”
Who cared whether he was pleased or not?
He refused to explain himself, and I had no reason to believe in his innocence. For decades, he had done little to inspire trust.
I poured all my strength into pulling the seal’s breach toward myself, determined to close it. Xiao Yi Han, however, refused to relinquish his grip.
The breach began spinning between us, absorbing both our forces. Slowly, inexorably, it dragged us closer together until—
Our hands collided in midair.
With a soft “pop,” the black energy vanished between our palms, and the surrounding demonic aura dissipated entirely.
But our hands…
Were stuck together.
What kind of nonsense was this? Was this seal trying to play matchmaker like Yue Lao, the god of marriage?
The sudden warmth of Xiao Yi Han’s palm against mine brought a flood of memories: drinking with him as a child, dragging his drunken self to bed, covering him with a blanket…
And the night before he left Xian Ling Mountain—when he held my face with these very hands and kissed me.
Shaking my head, I forced the memories to stop, anger and embarrassment surging within me. I tried to yank my hand away, but an unseen force between our palms pulled us back together.
Just as I managed to separate us slightly, the surrounding air howled, and demonic energy began leaking out from between our hands again.
Startled, I pressed our hands back together.
“Pop.”
The demonic energy vanished once more.
I: “…”
Xiao Yi Han: “…”
After a long, awkward silence, Xiao Yi Han suddenly burst out laughing. “Well, it seems the breach in the seal is trapped between our hands. We can’t just let go. Little disciple, look at the mess you’ve made…”
0 Comments