My Arch-Nemesis is the R-Rated Male Lead - Chapter 19

Zhou Li understood her intention. He reached out and tightly clasped her wrist, lowering his gaze to scrutinize her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” His eyes held a hint of intimidation.

But at this moment, Lu Rong’s mind was a complete mush.

She was burning up and felt weak all over. If he weren’t holding her wrist, she would have surely fallen to the ground.

“I feel awful,” Lu Rong whispered, hot sweat tracing a path down her chin.

“You’ve been affected by the snake demon.” Sensing her unsteadiness, Zhou Li pulled her closer and guided her toward the bed. “I’ll help you purge the energy from your body.”

“Okay.” Lu Rong was now completely limp, even her voice sounded softer and gentler than usual, her whole person becoming obedient and compliant. “I’m so hot. Can I take my clothes off?”

Zhou Li: “No.”

“Then can you press your hand against my face?” Lu Rong opened her innocent-looking eyes wide. The words that came out made Zhou Li’s ears burn.

“No,” Zhou Li refused again.

“Then can I…” Before Lu Rong could finish, Zhou Li covered her lips with his palm, preventing her next request.

Lu Rong blinked her thick, long eyelashes, staring at him blankly. “A’Ling, you’ve changed. You used to always give me hugs.”

Zhou Li: “……”

“I really don’t feel good. I think I have a fever,” she murmured incoherently. “I want something ice-cold.”

Her voice was thick and muffled as she spoke, and she opened her mouth to take a bite of his cool palm. Zhou Li’s heart felt as if it had been bitten hard, skipping a frantic beat.

“Stop that.” Flustered, he withdrew his hand and pressed her directly onto the bed.

Still uneasy, he bundled her up tightly in the blanket before channeling his power to envelop her, beginning to purge the lingering traces of the snake demon’s arousal pheromones from her body.

Wrapped up and restrained by the bedding, all Lu Rong could do was stare at him with eyes shimmering like spring water.

Zhou Li knew her mind was likely still unclear, and she probably didn’t recognize who he was. He didn’t dwell on it.

But a scene surfaced in his mind: the moment at the doorway when Lu Rong had tried to slip her finger into his mouth.

In the fantasy she had conjured, he hadn’t stopped her. Instead, she had successfully used her fingertip to part his lips and teeth, delving into the warm, moist space within to brush against his tongue. He had even lightly nipped at her fingertip, then trailed kisses down to her palm and her wrist. Every place he touched was left with a mark, as if he were deliberately leaving evidence of a crime.

Zhou Li didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. Had she wanted him to bite her hand?

What a truly perverse request.

In the next instant, the scene in his mind abruptly shifted. It became her, head tilted back, receiving a kiss that bit at her lips.

Zhou Li’s body instinctively tensed. He bent down and lightly tapped the forehead of the still-dazed Lu Rong, but the images in his mind did not fade. Instead, they grew even more audacious.

He even saw a section of slender, dark snake tail coiling possessively around her waist.

Zhou Li’s expression changed. What had she discovered? Why was she fantasizing about this?

“Venerable Jian! The cold water is here!” Qiu Ling’s voice came from outside the door.

Zhou Li knew that if he stayed, Lu Rong’s mind wouldn’t settle. He turned and left without a moment’s hesitation. Reaching the doorway, he said to Qiu Ling, “Watch her. She’ll be fine once the spiritual energy within her dissipates.”

Having said that, he hurried away, not even hearing Qiu Ling ask if he still needed the cold water.

Zhou Li intended to find a method to erase the scenes Lu Rong was conjuring in her mind. But when he reached downstairs, he discovered the images from her thoughts had suddenly vanished.

His steps halted. He knew clearly it was because the spiritual energy Lu Rong had left within his body had finally dispersed.

He no longer had to constantly receive the mutterings from Lu Rong’s heart, nor did he have to witness the improper things she imagined.

But the sudden quiet left his mind blank for an instant. Zhou Li paused by the entrance for a moment before running into Mo Chou.

Mo Chou saw him and greeted him politely. “Senior Brother Zhou, where are you heading? Is Miss Lu in her room?”

Zhou Li swept a glance over him. “No.”

He left immediately upon saying this. Hearing that Lu Rong wasn’t in her room, Mo Chou followed Zhou Li out. “Then where did Miss Lu go?”

Zhou Li simply walked forward in silence. Mo Chou scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and asked, “Senior Brother Zhou, you and Miss Lu are quite close, right? So, do you know if she has someone she likes?”

“Don’t ask,” Zhou Li replied coldly.

Mo Chou felt these two words sounded somewhat familiar. He suddenly remembered encountering Lu Rong on the street before and asking for her name; her reply had also been, “Don’t ask.”

It seemed to be a catchphrase shared by those from the same sect. Mo Chou became even more convinced that Zhou Li and Lu Rong had an excellent relationship.

Zhou Li walked to West Street and stopped at a stall selling roasted lamb. Mo Chou asked curiously, “Senior Brother Zhou, do you want to buy some roast lamb?”

“Lu Rong was here yesterday…” Before Zhou Li could finish, Mo Chou hurriedly said, “Miss Lu likes it, right? Then I’ll get one for her!”

Mo Chou excitedly told the vendor he wanted a whole roast lamb. By the time it was packed and he turned around, Zhou Li’s figure was already gone.

“Eh? Where’s Senior Brother Zhou?” He looked around blankly but couldn’t see Zhou Li anywhere.

After shaking off Mo Chou, Zhou Li walked aimlessly through the streets. A pair of invisible eyes was observing him.

He had been able to sense it ever since he first set foot in Luo City.

He had thought that person wouldn’t be able to hold back, but unexpectedly, they still hadn’t appeared. It seemed the other party was quite afraid of him.

“Young Master!” A familiar voice made Zhou Li realize he had walked to the place where he and Lu Rong had eaten tofu pudding yesterday.

He looked at the old woman sitting beside the stall. She stood up and smiled at him. “Why are you alone today?”

Zhou Li walked over and replied, “She has some matters to attend to.”

“You gave me far too much silver yesterday. I specially saved a jar of tofu pudding for the two of you today. Take it home for your wife.” As she spoke, the old woman took out a clean earthenware jar and handed it to Zhou Li.

This was the first time Zhou Li had something forced upon him by someone other than Lu Rong.

The earthenware jar in his hand was substantial and weighty, its mouth sealed with a clean white cloth. It was clearly a gift prepared with care.

If Lu Rong were here, she would undoubtedly be overjoyed and shower the old woman with a stream of sweet, flattering words.

But Zhou Li could only offer a dry, awkward thank you, stuff a gold bar into the woman’s hand, and then leave coldly, the jar clutched against him.

The old woman, who already had difficulty walking, could only watch Zhou Li’s retreating figure helplessly and shake her head in resigned bemusement.

Zhou Li walked through the bustling, noisy crowd, holding the jar of tofu pudding, not even clear himself why he had come out here in the first place.

He returned to the inn. Before he could even push open his own door, he first heard Lu Rong’s agonized wails.

“I didn’t do anything to him, did I?” Lu Rong had sobered up. She was now crouched on the floor, clutching her head, trying to remember if she had done something to Zhou Li earlier.

“I wouldn’t know about that. All I know is Venerable Jian left in a great hurry, as if he were being chased by a wild beast.”

Wild beast. Lu Rong felt the sky had collapsed all over again.

Because she vaguely remembered saying she wanted to take her clothes off, wanted to press against his hand, and had asked for a hug.

But she couldn’t remember at all what Zhou Li had said in response.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. When I came in, you were bundled up tight in the blanket,” Qiu Ling comforted Lu Rong.

Lu Rong lost all her strength. “Doesn’t that prove even more that I did something to him?! Otherwise, why would he wrap me up so tightly?”

Reminded by this, Qiu Ling finally realized. “You know… that seems true. And you really do have too many improper thoughts in your head. It’s quite possible you took the opportunity to act on them.”

Lu Rong wished with all her might that time could flow backwards, that she would have rather suffocated in the Tinglan Garden than taken a single breath.

Seeing Lu Rong on the verge of tears, Qiu Ling tried to comfort her after all. “It’s fine. At worst, you’ll just die under Venerable Jian’s sword.”

Lu Rong: “……” Some people are still breathing, but they’re already dead inside.

She flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes, deciding not to think about anything. As long as Zhou Li didn’t come demanding she take responsibility, it was fine.

But the system’s mission reappeared in her mind.

[Main Quest One: Lure the male lead into his mating season.]

Lu Rong stared at the main quest that had suddenly popped up, a bit confused. Lure Zhou Li into his mating season?

But wasn’t Zhou Li human?

How could a human have a mating season?

Puzzled, she asked Qiu Ling, “A’Ling, do humans have mating seasons?”

“Humans aren’t supposed to, in principle. But some disciples of the Hehuan Sect might take medicines to alter their physique for cultivation purposes.”

After hearing this, Lu Rong pondered for a moment. Could it be…?

Zhou Li was a spy sent by the Hehuan Sect?!

He was the male lead of a steamy novel and had a setting like a “mating season,” which sounded like the “Hehuan Sacred Body.”

If he wasn’t an undercover agent from the Hehuan Sect, then what was he?

Lu Rong sat up. Before she could think further, there was a knock on the door.

Both of them looked toward the closed door. Lu Rong hurriedly got up to answer it. “Who is it?”

She pulled the door open and saw Zhou Li, bearer of the Hehuan Sacred Body, standing there. “Hmm? Why is it you?”

[He looks calm, like he hasn’t been violated by me. So I probably didn’t grope him, right?]

Zhou Li looked at her, then at the distance between them. He now had to be within one meter of her to hear her thoughts.

What had she been thinking about before?

[Wait, why isn’t he saying anything? Is he brewing up murderous intent?]

[Whatever you want to do, don’t do it to me, ahhhh! I’m scared, I still want to live! I can let you violate me back!]

Listening to her noisy internal monologue, Zhou Li’s gaze rested on her calm face. He countered with a question: “Who did you think it was? Mo Chou or Lin Zetian?”

“Huh?” Lu Rong was puzzled. How did he remember those two names? Before, he never remembered anyone!

Just as Lu Rong was about to speak, she heard Mo Chou calling her name.

“Miss Lu!”

Hearing this, Lu Rong looked toward Mo Chou, who had already run over. Mo Chou very eagerly presented the roast lamb he had bought. “Miss Lu, I bought you your favorite roast lamb.”

Lu Rong disliked roast lamb more than anything!

“I don’t eat lamb, thank you. You eat it yourself. My senior brother and I have matters to discuss.”

Having said that, she suddenly grabbed Zhou Li’s wrist, pulled him into the room, and ruthlessly slammed the door shut, cutting off Mo Chou outside.

Mo Chou: “???” Didn’t Senior Brother Zhou say Miss Lu loved it?

What Zhou Li had meant to say was that yesterday, Lu Rong had stood in front of that stall and said, “What a pity, I don’t eat lamb.”

But Mo Chou had interrupted him.

After pulling Zhou Li inside, Lu Rong was still secretly relieved to have shaken off Mo Chou. But when she looked down at the wrist she was holding, she froze.

[Oh no. I’ve dragged the even more troublesome one into my den!]

Once again, Lu Rong cried her heart out inside.

“Hold out your hand.” Zhou Li didn’t understand what she was so afraid of regarding him.

Puzzled, Lu Rong held out one hand. “Why?”

“Both hands.” Zhou Li’s gaze swept over her fingertips. The pads of her fair, tender fingers held a hint of pink.

Lu Rong held out her other hand, and her palms were suddenly supporting an earthenware jar, cool to the touch.

Immediately after, the fragrance of tofu pudding wafted over.

“Iced tofu pudding?” Lu Rong was a little surprised!

“I passed by. That old woman forced it on me,” Zhou Li said indifferently.

“Where were you going that you ‘passed by’?” Lu Rong asked curiously.

At the time, Zhou Li hadn’t known where he was going either. For a moment, he could only fabricate an excuse. “…The city gates.”

Lu Rong thought to herself, Weren’t the city gates on a different street from where they sell tofu pudding?

Zhou Li didn’t give her a chance to investigate further. He left directly—and of course, he didn’t use the door, simply vanishing.

Lu Rong hugged the jar of iced tofu pudding and looked at Qiu Ling. “Why do I get the feeling he brought this for me on purpose?”

“It’s extremely obvious that he did,” Qiu Ling said, shrugging.

Lu Rong looked at the tofu pudding in the jar, trembling. “You don’t think… he poisoned it, do you?”

Qiu Ling: “???” Just how dense can she be?!

But in the end, Lu Rong still ate happily, even at the risk of being poisoned to death. After finishing, however, she couldn’t help feeling a little melancholy.

To lure Zhou Li into his heat cycle, wouldn’t she have to do something… stimulating?

And was Zhou Li really a spy from the Hehuan Sect?

“A’Ling, do you think Hehuan Sect disciples have some kind of mark?” Lu Rong asked.

Qiu Ling was still eating tofu pudding and replied indistinctly, “Everyone probably has a lotus flower mark on their body.”

A mark.

Lu Rong recalled that her previous task had been to check the birthmark on Zhou Li’s chest, but she hadn’t seen it at the time.

She had only noticed a wound. The system had said the birthmark was being concealed and that further exploration was required.

Could that wound be Zhou Li’s hidden Hehuan Sect mark?

After thinking it over, Lu Rong figured she might need to take another look at his chest.

If he truly were a spy sent by the Hehuan Sect, he would surely have someone within the Xuan Yang Sect he was meant to seduce.

But then again, something didn’t add up. Zhou Li had entered the Xuan Yang Sect at a very young age and rarely interacted with anyone.

She mulled it over for quite some time without reaching a conclusion. It wasn’t until Senior Brother Lin returned and knocked on the door that her wild thoughts finally came to a halt.

“Senior Brother Lin, why are you only getting back now?” Lu Rong asked worriedly.

“I staked out the Mo Residence for a while and saw Mo Jianlan meet with someone. That person’s cultivation was extremely high—I couldn’t get close enough to find out who it was,” he said.

Qiu Ling added, “That must be the person backing Mo Jianlan. Rongrong and I discovered that the source of the Yin–Yang Spring is in the Tinglan Garden of the Mo Residence. Mo Jianlan was entangled with a white snake demon in heat. That snake demon is probably the guardian beast of the Yin–Yang Spring—she wanted to reclaim the spring’s source, but Mo Jianlan forced her into heat and brought her under his control.”

“Then can we take the spring source of the Yin–Yang Spring from Tinglan Garden and return it to the Yin–Yang Spring?” Senior Brother Lin asked the two of them.

“A spiritual spring recognizes its master, and we can’t lift the restrictions there,” Qiu Ling said, shaking her head.

The situation left both of them at a loss. Propping up her chin, Lu Rong muttered, “Then can’t we rescue A’Miao and let her take back the spiritual spring that belongs to her?”

“A’Miao is a demon, Rongrong,” Qiu Ling said helplessly, patting her on the head.

Lu Rong fell silent. She knew the principles Qiu Ling and Senior Brother Lin lived by—encounter demons, kill them.

They would never rescue a demon.

“Rongrong, A’Ling and I will go take another look,” Senior Brother Lin said. He rose together with Qiu Ling, and Lu Rong hurriedly handed her Bailidun to Qiu Ling.

Only then did Qiu Ling leave with Senior Brother Lin, leaving Lu Rong alone in the room.

Lu Rong thought of how A’Miao had been furious, determined to kill Mo Jianlan, only to end up under his control in the end.

She let out a soft sigh.

In his own room, Zhou Li heard the voices from Lu Rong’s room gradually fade away. He sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes half-lowered.

“Master, you want to hear Lu Rong’s inner thoughts,” Bing Lie said, vibrating in Zhou Li’s palm.

Zhou Li did not deny it. He simply couldn’t understand why, all of a sudden, he needed to be so close to hear her thoughts.

“Master, bonds usually weaken as a person’s negative emotions subside. She may be trying to avoid you.”

Bing Lie’s words made Zhou Li’s heart sink even further.

Before, she had only disliked him. Now… did she dislike him—and want to escape him as well?

The air around them turned biting cold, white frost forming across the ground, like the icy look in Zhou Li’s eyes.

“Zhou Li!”

When Lu Rong’s voice sounded from outside the door, Zhou Li lifted his gaze toward the entrance, and the frost on the ground melted in an instant.

He rose, walked to the door, and opened it, looking at the suddenly appeared Lu Rong.

“What is it?” Zhou Li asked.

Lu Rong looked at him with bright eyes. “Could I trouble you to help me with something?”

Zhou Li hummed in response, not even asking what it was.

By the time he was carrying Lu Rong back up into the tree at the Mo Residence, he was already regretting agreeing.

“Let’s check on A’Miao again,” Lu Rong said, tugging at his sleeve. “Turn on x-ray vision for me.”

Zhou Li: “……”

She was copying that human–snake entanglement nonsense again.

Sensing the faint regret on Zhou Li’s face, Lu Rong hurried to explain, “I’m not here to spy on them!”

“Then who are you planning to spy on?” Zhou Li asked casually, leaning against the tree.

Lu Rong ground her teeth. “I’m here to do something serious. A’Miao is being controlled by Mo Jianlan, and I want to save her.”

“She’s a demon,” Zhou Li reminded her.

“I know. I still want to save her.”

Zhou Li looked into her determined eyes. “Lu Rong, the demon race is fickle by nature. They won’t thank you. Even if you save them, they may turn around and kill you.”

“That’s why I called you,” Lu Rong said.

She smiled at him. “You’ll protect me, right?”

Zhou Li saw the slyness in her eyes, and her furious warning echoed in his mind.

[If you dare refuse me, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!]

Zhou Li nodded helplessly and reached out to lift her, carrying her straight inside. They stopped in the dimly lit room.

Lu Rong subconsciously held her breath and even reminded him, “Hold your breath.”

Zhou Li remained unmoved. “If the heart is pure, one will naturally not be affected.”

Lu Rong, whose heart was decidedly impure, …was that aimed at me?

Mo Jianlan was probably not inside. Zhou Li led her toward the room and said, “Go in.”

Without thinking much, Lu Rong walked straight in and saw a woman lying naked on the bed. Her body was covered in mottled marks, a sight that was shocking to behold.

Lu Rong walked to the bedside. The woman did not move an inch until a blanket was gently placed over her. Only then did she lift her head to look at the person who had entered.

“Who are you?” A’Miao stared at the beautiful face before her and demanded, “A cultivator? Have you come to capture me?”

“A’Miao, I’m not here to capture you. What do I need to do to remove the heat afflicting you?” Lu Rong asked. She only hoped that A’Miaowould no longer be controlled by the heat, so she could reclaim the spring that belonged to her and avoid being controlled by Mo Jianlan.

A’Miao seemed doubtful. She looked at her hesitantly before finally speaking.

“Dig out the scale pattern on my chest.” A’Miao pointed to the area over her heart.

Lu Rong saw the snake-like scales on her chest glowing red and radiating heat.

“Are you sure?” Lu Rong asked.

A’Miao looked as though she had found new hope. “Help me. I don’t want to be controlled by that beast anymore.”

Just as Lu Rong was thinking about how to remove the scales from A’Miao’s chest, a dagger flew in from outside.

“Use it,” Zhou Li’s voice came through.

Lu Rong gripped the dagger and looked at A’Miao again.

“Don’t be afraid. This is my choice,” A’Miao said, encouraging her with gentle eyes.

For the first time, Lu Rong held a dagger and plunged it into someone’s flesh, forcibly digging out the patch of scales from her chest.

Blood and torn flesh covered A’Miao’s upper body, yet she did not make a single sound. Her body seemed to slowly free itself from its restraints.

When Lu Rong withdrew the dagger with trembling hands, A’Miao had already completely transformed into snake form and suddenly burst out of the room.

“Miss, thank you,” A’Miao said, lowering her massive snake head to look at her. Then she let out a hiss and rushed away.

Lu Rong felt it was over. “Zhou Li—she’s turned into a snake! She’ll definitely be captured by the cultivation sects!”

Zhou Li looked out at the gloomy sky through the broken roof. “Her choice.”

He had no interest in the life or death of a demon. He only glanced at Lu Rong’s blood-covered hands, then raised his hand and drew forth a stream of water to wash them clean.

“Let’s go.” Zhou Li took her away.

“Where to?” Lu Rong asked.

Zhou Li brought her directly into the heavily restricted room in Tinglan Garden. The pool water inside had grown increasingly red, and the spiritual energy within it was visibly fading.

“Has the spiritual energy in this pool dissipated?”

Zhou Li looked at the pool, then at the surroundings. “Yes. In no more than two days, the spiritual power will be completely exhausted.”

Lu Rong followed at his side. “What are we here to do?”

“Weren’t you going to help her?” Zhou Li reached out and removed the restrictions inside the room. “She can’t get in.”

Lu Rong looked up at him, seeing something other than coldness in Zhou Li for the first time.

He didn’t seem so detestable after all.

“Thank you.” Lu Rong decided not to hate him for today.

“You’re welcome. After all, you’re going out too.”

Lu Rong: “…” Ugh, so annoying!

[I’ve decided to hate him for the rest of my life!]

Zhou Li: “???”

He looked at her and subconsciously reached out to poke her on the head. Lu Rong looked at him in confusion.

Zhou Li froze, withdrew his hand, and curled his fingers. “There was a bug.”

Lu Rong might have believed that before, but now—where would there be bugs inside the room? She poked him back. “Do you think I’m stupid?!”

Zhou Li shifted aside, dodging her attempt to poke him.

Lu Rong was so angry she wanted to kick him, but she still needed him to work. Her gaze fixed viciously on his collar, determined to tear it open and see the Hehuan Sect mark he was hiding.

Zhou Li removed all the restrictions around the room, not paying attention to Lu Rong, who was checking whether there was anything else affecting the area.

After all, places where even Bailidun technique couldn’t get you out were rare.

Her eyes landed on an ornament. It looked like a dragon, but not quite. She examined it closely and seemed to hear a familiar call.

“Rongrong.”

It was her mother’s voice. Lu Rong turned in surprise and saw her mother’s face.

For a moment, she couldn’t believe it. Her mother had died when she was five years old, and she would always remember her mother’s appearance.

“Rongrong, come here.” Her mother smiled at her gently.

Lu Rong instinctively moved closer, but at the moment she was about to touch her, her consciousness cleared slightly. How could her mother be here?

She tried to stop, but a force suddenly shoved her forward, and overwhelming water instantly submerged her.

Icy water wrapped around her. She struggled to get out, but her mother’s image had not yet faded.

She even saw her mother holding her when she was young, teasing her and tying her hair into pretty braids.

She seemed to become a child again, even feeling the strength of her mother holding her hand.

For a moment, Lu Rong couldn’t tell where she was.

“Mother loves Rongrong the most.” Her mother stroked her face, smiling at her. “Mother will stay with Rongrong as she grows up and watch Rongrong marry the one she loves.”

“Mother,” Lu Rong called softly. She wanted to touch her face, but the scene suddenly shifted into a pale, bloodless face.

Lu Rong looked at her frail mother in panic. This was the image of her mother before she died.

“Mother, don’t die,” Lu Rong cried as she reached out to hug her thin body. “Don’t die. I miss you. I miss you so much.”

She tightened her arms around her, the pain so overwhelming that her chest ached.

“Lu Rong! Breathe!” A stern voice rang out by her ear.

Lu Rong couldn’t tell whose voice it was and lifted her head to look.

The next moment, she felt her face being held, her lips forcefully pressed against something, followed by warm breath continuously pouring into her.

She opened her eyes in a daze and saw Zhou Li’s face in the murky water.

A memory suddenly flashed through her mind—when she was young, hiding under a tree and crying after her mother’s death, Zhou Li, his face stern, handing her a peach.

He said, “Don’t cry. I’ll give you the sweetest peach.”

Her long lashes fluttered slightly. Zhou Li’s face before her grew clearer and clearer, and even the warmth on her lips became scorching, though she hadn’t yet realized what it was.

It felt as though surging spiritual energy was gathering in her dantian. The golden core that had previously been only a phantom seemed to be gradually taking on a solid form.

Zhou Li sensed the abundant spiritual energy within her. She had overcome her heart demon; her golden core had fully formed.

Zhou Li abruptly released her, lips pressed tight. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he rose to the surface, brought her to the edge of the pool, and placed her on the low couch inside the room.

“Focus your mind. Your golden core is about to form,” Zhou Li said, squatting down and pressing his palm against her flat abdomen to check her condition.

Lu Rong’s gaze fell on his loosened collar, where she saw a patch of scales similar to those on A’Miao’s chest—except Zhou Li’s were black reverse scales.

She reached out to touch them. “Zhou Li, why do you have this?”

Zhou Li had been focused on the formation of her golden core and hadn’t noticed his collar.

He lowered his gaze to where her fingertips had touched and saw a patch of fully formed reverse scales. Under her touch, they began to heat up and burn, sending a throb through his nerves.

He quietly drew in a breath, stepped back, straightened up, and closed his collar. “Focus on yourself first.”

Lu Rong’s mind had stopped working. She hadn’t understood before, but after seeing the mark on A’Miao’s chest, she finally realized.

Zhou Li was not a spy from the Hehuan Sect.

He was a demon.

Only demons have heat cycles.

Lu Rong suddenly stood up, staring at him in disbelief. “You—!”

Zhou Li knew she had figured it out from her expression. He approached with a cold smile. “What about me?”

Lu Rong looked into his eyes and felt a wave of dizziness, remembering that he could erase memories. She hurriedly closed her eyes, trying to avoid it, but the next moment Zhou Li gently grasped her neck.

“Open your eyes.”

“I don’t want to!” Lu Rong’s face flushed with anger. “You’re a liar too!”

Zhou Li looked at her completely flushed face. Perhaps the contact of their skin made his body even hotter. Seeing her still-wet lips, tinged with his breath, he even wanted to bite them again—preferably until they turned red, just as she imagined.

Lu Rong thought Zhou Li would strangle her, but the hand at her neck held no force at all. Instead, it grew even hotter, as if a fire had ignited and spread from her neck. His gaze fixed on her also shifted from sternness to a heated, tense fixation.

She shakily opened her eyes and met Zhou Li’s gaze, seeing intense aggression within them. Her heart tightened as a bad premonition surged up, and her eyes fell on the reverse scales on his chest.

Sure enough, the reverse scales that had shown no change before were now red and burning, just like the scales A’Miao had dug out.

He… he was in heat.

———————-