Chapter 176
The satin slipped over her shoulders like moonlight, her long black hair cascading like ink, while the fragrant breeze stirred the begonia blossoms outside the screen, making them sway gently. Her back was as smooth as a newly carved sword sheath, and a small mole beneath her shoulder resembled an ink blot on a sheep-fat inkstone, flickering in the candlelight as she twisted her hair.
Chen Huai'an was mesmerized.
He never expected Li Qingran to be so straightforward.
Isn’t she shy at all?
The long robe slid down to her hips, supported by a breathtaking curve. Li Qingran held her fragrant shoulders with delicate hands, tilting her head slightly. Her porcelain-white neck gradually flushed with a coral hue, like a streak of rosy light flowing down her swan-like neck. Her icy fingertips brushed against her crimson earlobe, causing the blush to escape through her fingers and creep toward her cheek.
She was still shy after all.
Chen Huai'an noticed these details.
Li Qingran was merely putting on a brave front.
“Disciple will now demonstrate the meridian flow of the Xunlongyin…” a soft voice came from the front.
Li Qingran lowered her head, her hands hanging naturally at her sides, her fingertips trembling slightly.
The diamond-patterned mirror by the window was fogged up, a result of the magnolia outside, still on the verge of blooming, breathing the early autumn chill onto the glass.
In the mirror, only blurred shadows could be seen.
She let out a small sigh of relief.
But the next moment, she heard her master call out.
“Wait!”
“Today’s palm energy is affecting the view; let me get a bit closer!”
Li Qingran: “…”
She heard rustling sounds behind her.
She could vaguely feel her master’s breath brushing against her lower back, sending goosebumps all over her body.
Her master’s breath… was so close!
Li Qingran’s heart fluttered, her eyes tinged with a faint blush, her eyelashes heavy with the mist of unshed tears, her fingertips tightly gripping her robe’s sash.
The candlewick on the table suddenly popped, scattering sparks, startling her into stuttering, “Master…”
“Let’s begin.”
…
…
The meridian flow of the Xunlongyin was far more complex than that of the Chongxu Lingmu.
Perhaps because this secret technique was inherently superior to the Chongxu Lingmu, and since it had been modified by Li Qingran herself, it was somewhat chaotic. Chen Huai'an read it seven or eight times but still felt a bit dazed, so he decided to record a segment.
Of course, it could also be that his current state wasn’t quite suitable for learning secret techniques.
“Master, why is your nose bleeding?”
Li Qingran turned around after tying her sash, startled by the blood on Chen Huai'an’s lips and nose.
She instinctively cupped his hand in hers, examining it closely.
To her surprise, blood was gushing from her master’s nose.
Li Qingran unconsciously licked her lips—her master’s blood was sweet, not so metallic after all.
“Cough! Disciple, stop!” Chen Huai'an felt like he was dying and quickly shouted, “That monster attacked, causing my nose to bleed! Let’s call it a day; I need to go teach that monster a lesson!”
Just then, the time for the immersive experience arrived.
Chen Huai'an stepped back.
The room fell silent, and the hand that bore his master’s features suddenly vanished from his grasp. Li Qingran sat there in a daze for a while before returning to her bed. She hugged her knees, burying her pretty face in them, her unbound hair cascading down like a curtain. The candlelight cast two shadows on the wall, one curling at the head of the bed, the other spilling over her gathered knees.
“I really want to see my master…”
Li Qingran murmured to herself, pulling out a piece of black jade from her waist and holding it up to the candlelight—this was her life-bound magical artifact, resembling a jade pendant. When infused with spiritual energy, the back of the artifact would display her heart value, which was now thirty-five.
“But… it seems like it’ll take a long time?”
The girl’s sigh drifted into the moonlight, while the candlelight flickered in the night breeze.
A drop of candle wax fell onto the unfinished sachet,
Snapping a thread embroidered with “Eternal Together.”
…
…
【Li Qingran’s affection level reached: Heart ♥ 35】
【Please continue your efforts, player. The one-time item, ‘Immersive Experience’ gloves have expired.】
“Wow, I see Li Qingran has gained affection? What kind of gal game setting is this?!”
Chen Huai'an touched his damp nose and chuckled.
Damn it, it’s all blood!
The office of the Demon Slayer Governor had some restorative tea left by the previous governor.
He had taken advantage of it, finishing a can in three days, and now it seemed he might have overdone it.
“All set, just waiting for the right moment.”
Chen Huai'an pushed the despair in his mind aside and silently chanted a prayer.
Now was not the time for such thoughts.
His first priority was to comprehend the Xunlongyin before midnight.
…
…
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Chapter 190: Armor Fusion! (Wen Chen +1)
“I need to meditate for a while before midnight; you all can go about your business.”
Xiang Xiaoyuan blinked at Chen Huai'an, whose nose was stuffed with two paper wads. “Governor, you seem to be bleeding quite a bit. Are you really okay?” She glanced at the back seat of the cockpit, which was smeared with blood—at least a thousand milliliters.
She then eyed Chen Huai'an’s pants.
Hmm…
It can’t be that time of the month.
The thought wasn’t due to any issues with her mind, but rather because some malevolent entities were unreasonable. She had encountered one that could make men pregnant with ghost babies, so it wasn’t impossible for one to cause a man to have his period.
“It’s nothing; it’s dry weather, and a little nosebleed is normal.”
Chen Huai'an entered the room.
Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan exchanged glances, silently observing the drizzling sky.
…
Chen Huai'an spent an hour completely refining the energy provided by the malevolent entity.
“First volume of the Heavenly Demon Technique, Blood Cocoon, completed.”
Chen Huai'an stared at his clenched fist, now covered in blood-red scales. As he moved his fingers, the scales, which clung to his skin, wriggled like living creatures. He looked at his reflection in the mirror; his entire right arm was swollen with scales, and the veins pulsed like a purple dragon, shimmering with blood light under the lamp.
“This look is a bit too sinister…”
Chen Huai'an frowned.
This was just on his arm; if it covered his whole body, wouldn’t he turn into a demon?
Although he hadn’t seen a more powerful demon slayer than himself, the world was vast, and there were always stronger beings out there! What if one day, a particularly fierce opponent mistook him for a demonic entity and wanted to fight? The appearance could be sinister, but he needed a loud and righteous battle cry.
After a moment of deep thought, Chen Huai'an came up with a brilliant idea.
“Xiang Xiaoyuan, Zhao Ying, come in for a second.”
When the two girls entered, looking puzzled, Chen Huai'an dropped the act and unleashed his full form, his body covered in blood-red scales, his size swollen by twofold, resembling a monster more than a human.
Xiang Xiaoyuan turned pale, her teeth chattering.
Zhao Ying took a step back, drawing her Tang knife, her expression serious.
She had sensed something was off with Chen Huai'an ever since he returned from the ruins.
He had bled so much in the back seat…
Even as a demon slayer, it was impossible for him to be completely fine after losing that much blood, right?
Now… had the truth finally come to light?!
Zhao Ying gritted her teeth, thinking that trouble always finds the weak spots.
Just as both of them entered a combat-ready stance.
Chen Huai'an opened his mouth wide, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and with a voice that sounded like it had crushed a thousand tires, he shouted, “Blood Demon Armor, Fusion!!!”
Xiang Xiaoyuan: “???”
Zhao Ying: “…”
…
The misunderstanding was cleared; it turned out to be a new ability Chen Huai'an had comprehended.
Outside the room, Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan both let out a sigh of relief.
“I really thought the governor had been possessed by something dirty just now…” Xiang Xiaoyuan patted her heaving chest, still shaken.
“Who says it wasn’t?” Zhao Ying zapped herself with her electric baton to relieve the tension, forcing a wry smile. “If he had waited just one more second to shout that, I would have really swung my knife at him, though I probably wouldn’t have killed him…”
“The governor’s ability is quite impressive; it must be something he just acquired from a symbiotic spirit. I just wonder what kind of price he had to pay…” Xiang Xiaoyuan glanced at the figure in the room, who was holding a phone and occasionally letting out lewd chuckles, biting her lip and frowning.
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