My Arch-Nemesis is the R-Rated Male Lead - Chapter 20

“Let me go.” Lu Rong felt a creeping sense of unease.

She had seen A’Miao in heat, completely controlled by instinct.

She was afraid Zhou Li would also be ruled by instinct, especially when she didn’t even know what his true form was.

Moreover, he had cultivated orthodox methods for many years while possessing a demon body, and even his father had failed to notice—proof of how terrifying he truly was.

Zhou Li could indeed feel something abnormal stirring within him. Waves of heat surged upward, attempting to seize control of his reason.

Especially where his skin touched Lu Rong’s, it was as if fire lay hidden there, trying to fuse his flesh into hers.

He forced himself to look at her calmly, revealing not the slightest hint of losing control.

Lu Rong felt intimidated beneath his gaze. “What are you looking at?”

“What did you discover?” Zhou Li asked, his eyes utterly cold.

[I discovered you’re a demon—and a demon in heat!]

[According to your settings, you probably won’t be able to control yourself and will pounce on me!]

[Fear.jpg]

Lu Rong was so terrified inside that she wished she could turn into a quail or a tortoise.

Yet in reality, she stubbornly turned her head away, not daring to answer.

Zhou Li cupped the side of her face in his palm, forcing her to turn back. “You’ve discovered my secret, Lu Rong.”

“You deceived my father! You deceived everyone in the Xuan Yang Sect!” Lu Rong glared at him angrily. “Everyone thinks you’re the future of the Xuan Yang Sect!”

“Does that mean I have to be?” Zhou Li’s fingertips pressed against her delicate skin, a flush seeping through her snow-white complexion. “If I were a cultivation waste, do you think they would treat me well?”

“Then I’m a waste too, and they’ve never treated me badly!”

“Lu Rong.” Zhou Li lifted her face slightly, his gaze dark as he spoke with quiet seriousness. “You are not a waste.”

Lu Rong froze. She hadn’t expected him to say that at all. Her eyes reddened first. “You’re still a liar!”

She reached out to shove him away, but didn’t expect that a single push would send Zhou Li stumbling back several steps, crashing into the table behind him.

His body could no longer withstand the violent surge of his first heat. Bracing himself against the table, he lowered his head as hot sweat streamed from his chin, pooling on the floor.

His breathing grew heavy, heat raging through his blood like wildfire. He clenched his palm, eyes half-closed, his voice turning hoarse.

“Take the dagger from earlier… and carve out the reverse-scale mark on my body.”

Seeing the flush along his profile and the bulging veins on the back of his hands, Lu Rong knew he intended to use A’Miao’s method.

“Can you guarantee it’ll work?” she asked anxiously.

“I don’t know.” This was Zhou Li’s first heat.

“Y-you… you’ve never had this before?”

Lu Rong didn’t dare move closer. The intense scent surrounding him made her legs go weak. She even felt that, just like before, she might collapse in front of Zhou Li first and lose consciousness.

Zhou Li noticed her face beginning to flush and knew his aura would affect her as well. “Go outside. Give me the dagger.”

Lu Rong hesitated, then handed him the dagger. Zhou Li took it. “Go.”

She turned and left, listening to the system’s voice echo in her mind.

[Congratulations, Host. You have completed Main Quest One. You now have one opportunity to preview future plot developments.]

Lu Rong hurriedly requested a preview of the plot in which Zhou Li dug out the scale mark over his heart.

[After removing the scale mark to suppress his heat, Zhou Li’s desire spirals completely out of control, and he thoroughly ravages Lu Rong in Tinglan Garden.]

Lu Rong: “……”

“Ah—! How exactly am I supposed to get stir-fried?!”

“Zhou Li, stop right now!”

Zhou Li steadied his breathing and tugged open his collar, the dagger pressing against the center of his chest. His brow didn’t move an inch as he prepared to carve the mark away. But a warm hand suddenly snatched the dagger from his grasp and flung it to the ground.

“No! You can’t!” Lu Rong said anxiously. “We need to calm down.”

Zhou Li had already been forcing himself to endure it. Now that Lu Rong had come close again, the final string of his reason snapped.

Lu Rong was soft, and she smelled sweet. When she pressed against his chest, the loss of control intoxicated him. He instinctively held his breath, yet desire continued to surge unchecked, growing wilder, greedier, craving even more.

Seeing his dazed expression, Lu Rong glanced toward the pool nearby and tried to guide him. “Let’s soak in the water and cool down a bit.”

But suddenly, a powerful arm wrapped around her waist, trapping her firmly in his embrace—like a predator seizing prey that had delivered itself to him.

Hot sweat slid down Zhou Li’s neck, disappearing into his collar, soaking everything in damp, scorching heat.

“Lu Rong… you should leave.” He clenched his teeth, struggling to resist his body’s instincts.

Lu Rong could feel the searing heat of his body, as if it were burning away her own reason along with it.

She trembled all over in fear and hurriedly asked the system in her mind what she should do.

[During the male lead’s first heat, you may try soothing him through kissing. Saliva can help him calm down slightly. However, the consequence is that the interval before his next heat will be very short.]

Lu Rong thought to herself: Who cares about next time? Next time he can go do that to his female lead!

Hot sweat dripped from Zhou Li’s chin, splashing onto the soft curve of Lu Rong’s lips. She subconsciously licked them.

His fingertip immediately pressed down against her lips. At that moment, his mind was filled with the images Lu Rong had imagined before.

He pushed his finger between her lips and teeth, but Lu Rong resisted, biting down on his invading finger, red lips and white teeth clamping around it.

Zhou Li stared at her moist, full lips, his Adam’s apple shifting slightly. He withdrew his hand, his fingertip pressing against the corner of her mouth.

“You bit me.”

The restless desire stirring within him made his presence intensely aggressive. His sharp gaze locked onto her like that of a hunting beast.

Lu Rong felt a wave of lingering fear. He really looks like he’s about to completely wreck me, she thought.

No, no—before he does anything, I have to act first and kiss him.

That way, maybe I can get myself out of this danger alive.

Just as she was about to rise onto her toes, his palm closed around the back of her neck. Flames burned fiercely in Zhou Li’s eyes.

He lowered his head and captured her lips directly. It was a kiss full of overpowering force.

She froze, her eyelashes trembling faintly. Their breaths were nearly touching, every sense wrapped tightly in the other’s presence.

Lu Rong felt as though she were drowning, her breath stifled and trapped in her chest.

She wanted to pull away, but her slender waist was already locked tightly in his grip, their soft lips grinding together with burning heat.

It was Lu Rong’s first time kissing anyone. She never imagined it would be Zhou Li.

She knew that right now, she was nothing more than tender flesh between his lips. Once he’d caught her, he wouldn’t let go.

All she could do was tilt her head back beneath his palm and softly close her eyes, enduring his kisses and bites that were anything but gentle.

At first, Zhou Li was clumsy, only pressing against her lips. But soon that wasn’t enough. His tongue pried open her lips and teeth, plunging in to hook around her tongue, pushing deep toward her throat.

Lu Rong’s back went completely numb. She tried to dodge away, but he lightly bit her lower lip, drawing a pained whimper from her.

“Gently… g-gently.”

Zhou Li acted entirely on instinct, invading every inch of her mouth without restraint, sucking and licking the soft flesh of her lips, pressing against her teeth until her legs went weak. Her body instinctively clung to his, the heat below making her want to flee, yet his hand held firm at her lower back.

Lu Rong felt dizzy from holding her breath. How… how is he this good at kissing?

Just as she was about to black out, Zhou Li finally released her.

There was noticeably more clarity in his eyes now. Lu Rong braced her hand against his chest, gasping for air, the corners of her eyes slick with moisture.

Zhou Li wiped away the wetness at her lips, his gaze lowering to linger on their swollen redness.

So… it really can get swollen from kissing.

Zhou Li’s violently pounding heart still hadn’t settled. Lu Rong finally caught her breath, bit her lip, and shot him a glare.

“You’re not allowed to remember.”

Lu Rong felt that between getting her mouth kissed swollen and getting completely wrecked, the former was the lesser loss.

Zhou Li had indeed regained his clarity.

But the reverse-scale mark over his chest was still scorching hot, burning in time with his chaotic heartbeat, like a fire that had been forcibly suppressed.

After finishing her fierce declaration, Lu Rong was startled by the dense cluster of little pink hearts bouncing above his head.

He kissed her and he was this happy?!

What kind of animal was he?!

Lu Rong wiped her mouth, still feeling a bit wronged. “I hate you.”

She turned and ran, but Zhou Li reached out and caught her. The row of cheerfully fluttering hearts above his head instantly dimmed, collapsing into a broken gray heart.

His face revealed nothing at all. Even his voice was flat and ordinary.

“I won’t remember.”

After saying that, he released her hand. His expression darkened slightly. Without another word, he formed a hand seal, dispelling every restriction within the room.

In the next instant, the roof was smashed apart by a sweeping snake tail, exposing the sky beyond.

Zhou Li wrapped an arm around Lu Rong and leapt into the air, carrying her upward before landing on a nearby rooftop.

Lu Rong watched as A’Miao’s snake tail smashed straight through Tinglan Garden, exposing the spring eye of the Yin–Yang Spring.

The Mo residence erupted into chaos. Mo Jianlan rushed back from outside, followed by a group of cultivators from various immortal sects. It was clear he had come fully prepared.

“Will A’Miao succeed?” Lu Rong asked anxiously.

Zhou Li nodded. “She will. The spirit spring has acknowledged its master.”

As soon as Zhou Li gave his answer, A’Miao diverted the pool inside the building. The water flowed out like a silken ribbon, winding itself around her.

Mo Jianlan had arrived too late. Watching A’Miao take the spring eye away, he flew into a rage and barked at the cultivators behind him, “The Mo family’s spiritual pool has been seized by a demon! I ask all fellow cultivators to execute the demon on the spot!”

Lu Rong nearly exploded with anger when she heard that. “He really is a beast! At least A’Miao won’t be controlled by him ever again.”

Zhou Li had long since seen through everything. “This was all Mo Jianlan’s scheme. The moment A’Miao learned the truth, the spirit spring he had nourished with his own blood for years began to wither. That left him with only two choices: either regain control of A’Miao and force her to relinquish ownership, or kill her outright. Once the spirit spring loses its master, it will either choose a new one—or dry up completely. At this point, only the second path remains.”

“Then… should I not have interfered with her?” Lu Rong asked, doubt creeping in.

Seeing the regret on her face, Zhou Li lowered his voice. “Clearly, she would rather die than be controlled.”

She felt a slight sense of relief. Seeing the immortal sect members chase after A’Miao and leave, she tugged at Zhou Li’s sleeve. “Aren’t we going over?”

“Going.” Zhou Li once again lifted her up and took her back to the inn.

Outside, the sky was already shrouded in gloom, as though a calamity were descending. The form of a white snake darted through the dark clouds, while dozens of immortal sect disciples cast spells high above.

Many people looked up in terror, shouting, “Ah! A snake demon! It’s a snake demon!”

Lu Rong watched the scene before her, filled with worry.

She had thought that as long as A’Miao was no longer under control, she could retrieve the spirit spring and then leave Mo Jianlan, but she had underestimated the viciousness of human nature.

Mo Jianlan wanted A’Miao to be seized by the immortal sect and trapped to death.

A’Miao was restrained high in the sky by the immortal sect disciples, unable to descend.

Lu Rong clenched her hand. Even if she wanted to help A’Miao, she knew it wouldn’t work. She was a disciple of the Xuan Yang Sect and could not openly help a demon.

“Rongrong!” Qiu Ling’s voice called out urgently. “I saw that snake demon take the spring eye from Tinglan Garden away.”

Lu Rong looked up at A’Miao, who was restrained by a spell-net in the sky. She wanted to return the spring eye to the Yin–Yang Spring.

She was extremely anxious and wanted to ask Zhou Li what to do now, but Zhou Li was already nowhere to be seen.

Lu Rong looked around, but the tall figure was already gone.

At that moment, Mo Jianlan was standing together with a man whose face was hidden beneath a black cloak.

“Once A’Miao dies, will the spirit spring come into my hands?” Mo Jianlan asked uncertainly.

The prayer beads in the man’s hand clicked softly as he rolled them between his fingers. His hoarse voice carried absolute certainty. “Naturally.”

“No.”

A third voice sounded from behind them.

Mo Jianlan turned back in shock and saw Zhou Li’s face, cold and godlike.

Immediately afterward, a longsword pierced straight toward his brow. Before Mo Jianlan could utter a single word, his eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.

The blood-stained Bing Lie pressed against the back of the black-clad man’s head.

“Secretly refining a demon, pushing Lu Rong into the pool, and following me for two days. What was your purpose?” Zhou Li’s gaze was icy.

“It seems the Sovereign hasn’t awakened yet.” The man in black did not turn around. “But I noticed the Sovereign has been restless lately. I merely helped ensure that your heat cycle would be triggered sooner by the woman you like.”

“Heh.” Zhou Li let out a short laugh, the sword at the back of the man’s head withdrawing slightly.

The man in black turned his head. Beneath the mask, only his eyes were visible, gleaming with smug satisfaction. “Hasn’t the Sovereign already tasted the flavor of a woman?”

The instant his words fell, Bing Lie pierced straight through his chest.

Bright red blood splashed out, staining the black-clad man’s face and his stunned eyes.

Perhaps he had not expected Zhou Li to kill him outright. He let out a crazed laugh and directly transformed into a serpent. His enormous body coiled in the sky as he sought to confront Zhou Li. “It seems the Sovereign is still as bloodthirsty and ruthless as ever.”

Zhou Li withdrew Bing Lie. Blood dripped from the sword’s tip, his face utterly cold. “If that’s the case, why waste words?”

As he spoke, he leapt into the air and drove his sword forward. In an instant, the righteous energy of heaven and earth surged forth. Sword light swept out as the black serpent’s long tail lashed viciously toward Zhou Li.

Beneath the sword’s shadow, the murderous serpent demon was cut apart, twisting in agony as it let out a hissing roar.

With this single sword strike, even the light of the heavens shifted. The black giant serpent was cleaved into two: one half smashed into the ground, while the other surged into the spell-net high above. The tightly sealed net that had trapped A’Miao shattered completely.

A’Miao, covered in wounds, plunged down from the sky carrying the spring eye, sending the crowd fleeing in all directions.

The massive boulder on East Street had already been smashed apart by half of the black serpent’s remains. A’Miao, carrying the spring eye, crashed straight into the hard ground, creating an enormous bloody crater.

When the Yin–Yang Spring was schemed out and excavated by Mo Jianlan, Xuan Stone was buried beneath it. Xuan Stone is incomparably hard—something flesh and blood cannot break through.

Lu Rong watched as A’Miao’s head had already been smashed into a bloody pulp, yet she still refused to stop. She looked at Qiu Ling, then at Senior Brother Lin—there was pity in their eyes, but neither of them moved.

She hated her own lack of cultivation, hated that she didn’t even have a sword. Otherwise, she would have rushed over to help A’Miao smash through those cursed stones herself.

Just then, a sword flew in from afar and stopped before her with a sharp clang.

It was Bing Lie.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Rong reached out and took the sword, leaping straight toward A’Miao as she shouted, “A’Miao, move aside—I’ll do it!”

A’Miao withdrew. Lu Rong poured all her strength into a single downward strike, and in that instant, she felt an overwhelming surge of spiritual power rush into her.

The sword rang out, its cry resounding through heaven and earth, and the entire city of Luo began to tremble.

She shattered the Xuan Stone that had filled the Yin-Yang Spring, revealing a deep pit and a vast trench that stretched from East Street onward, exposing the Yin-Yang Spring’s spiritual source—buried for years and on the brink of withering.

Beneath the source lay countless deformed demons that had yet to be fully refined. Had the process continued, Luo City itself would have become prey for these creatures.

The immortal sect members all went pale when they saw what had been hidden below.

A’Miao purified the water of the spiritual eye and guided it into the source, her gentle voice softly chanting as the clear water flowed along the trench and spread throughout Luo City. Trapped within the Yin-Yang Spring, the monsters beneath the spiritual source slowly dissolved away.

As the spiritual spring water slowly began to flow, the city’s fortune could be seen circulating once more, no longer stagnating in East Street.

Between heaven and earth, only A’Miao’s chanting remained. All eyes turned toward Lu Rong, who had just struck down with her sword.

People couldn’t help but wonder, which sect had produced such a genius? She had only just reached the Golden Core stage, yet she had unleashed a sword strike capable of shaking heaven and earth.

Lu Rong descended to the ground, barely steady on her feet, when a cold hand once again caught her.

Bing Lie slipped from her grasp and returned to Zhou Li’s hand.

“Rongrong, are you alright?” Qiu Ling hurried over, worry plain on her face.

Lu Rong was fine. She looked toward A’Miao. High in the air, A’Miao finished her chanting, and the Yin-Yang Spring returned to its original state.

Then A’Miao fell straight down from above.

She was already on the brink of death, her pair of yin-yang vertical pupils utterly devoid of light.

Seeing this, the disciples of the other immortal sects flew toward her once again.

A’Miao gave them no chance. With a powerful sweep of her long tail, she sent them all flying, expending her final shred of strength.

Her once-enormous body immediately shrank.

Lu Rong could see the spiritual energy rapidly dissipating from her body.

She was about to die.

Lu Rong wanted to rush over to save her, but Zhou Li seized her wrist. She could only hear A’Miao looking at her, her voice transmitted directly to her ear.

“Thank you.”

Lu Rong found it easy to empathize with others. She felt it was her own incompetence that had left her unable to save A’Miao.

“I can’t save you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. Actually, I lied to you—if my scale mark were removed, I would die.”
There was a look of acceptance in A’Miao’s eyes. “But I would rather die than be used and controlled by him.”

Lu Rong instinctively looked toward Zhou Li. So if his scale mark had been removed back then, would he have died as well?

“Miss, the demon creatures beneath the Yin-Yang Spring still require your help to resolve. As repayment, I gift the Yin-Yang Spring to the two of you.”

After A’Miao finished speaking, two droplets flew out from the Yin-Yang Spring and shot directly into Lu Rong’s and Zhou Li’s bodies.

Zhou Li didn’t even have time to stop them. Once the droplets entered his body, he felt the demonic fire within him light up—a very faint glow, yet one that did not extinguish again.

So the Yin-Yang Spring was the true cause of the demonic fire’s disturbance.

“The Yin-Yang Spring will belong to you from now on.”

A’Miao spoke with her final breath. Her snake body dissipated instantly, vanishing soundlessly before everyone’s eyes, transforming into a new strand of fortune for Luo City.

The dark clouds high in the sky dispersed, revealing daylight. It was as if what had just occurred had been nothing more than a farce—yet the vivid red blood proved that a brutal battle had indeed taken place.

Sunlight leaking through the thick clouds fell upon the Yin-Yang Spring, gathering into shimmering ripples.

Amid the chaos, the Mo household found Mo Jianlan’s body. No one knew how he had died, but they would place the blame on the also-deceased A’Miao.

Lu Rong stood beside the Yin-Yang Spring, her expression subdued.

Zhou Li watched her from behind. In truth, she should not have felt any pity toward a demon.

Yet the reluctance and sorrow in her eyes were unmistakably intense.

Zhou Li cast a glance at Qiu Ling, who immediately understood and went over to comfort Lu Rong.

He himself left alone, circulating his power to restore the damaged surroundings. He suppressed the spiritual energy overflowing from the Yin-Yang Spring, maintaining Luo City’s normal flow of fortune, and set up a barrier forbidding anyone from approaching, waiting until everything returned to normal.

Dusk had fallen. Orange-red sunset clouds filled the sky, spreading across the streets and flowing into the gently rippling water.

Zhou Li returned to the Yin-Yang Spring and saw Lu Rong still squatting there alone.

She leaned forward, seemingly curious about something, though it was unclear what she had seen.

Ever since he kissed her in that room, he was once again able to hear her thoughts at all times.

Zhou Li didn’t go over. He simply leaned in a shadowed spot she couldn’t see, listening to the nonstop muttering in her head.

[Why am I seeing Zhou Li? Is this the Yin Spring or the Yang Spring?]

[It must be the Yin Spring!]

[That annoying Zhou Li.]

She reached out and poked the surface of the water. In the end, she stood up without digging into it further, instead turning back and calling into the inn, “A’Ling, Senior Brother Lin! Aren’t we going to the Spring Banquet?”

“Coming, coming.” Qiu Ling ran out, with Lin Zetian following behind, sword in hand. Turning his head, he caught sight of Venerable Jian leaning off to one side.

“Venerable Jian.” Senior Brother Lin bowed respectfully.

Lu Rong turned to look and saw Zhou Li appear out of nowhere.

Zhou Li looked at the three of them. He said nothing, only reaching into his pocket, taking out a pouch, and tossing it to Lu Rong.

Puzzled, Lu Rong pulled open the heavy pouch and found it was filled with gold bars.

[Huh? Why did he give me his wife’s saving?]

Zhou Li said lightly, “Have fun.”

With that, he turned to leave. Watching his retreating figure, Lu Rong felt an odd illusion, as though she had abandoned him, and hurriedly called out to stop him, “Zhou Li!”

Zhou Li turned back to look at her. Lu Rong tossed the pouch in her hand to him. “If you’re treating, then come along.”

“I’m not interested in those things.” Zhou Li didn’t like crowded places either.

Lu Rong couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. She reached out, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him outside, saying a little awkwardly, “You’re not interested in anything.”

[I don’t think he’s interested in kissing either—wasn’t he pretty into it when he did it?]

[My lips still hurt.]

Zhou Li: “…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at her lips. They were still flushed red, especially the center of them, perhaps made even redder from his repeated sucking and licking.

For a moment, his mind was filled with nothing but that soft sensation, like biting into two soft clouds.

With nothing to say, he followed behind her, walking out together beneath the setting sun.

As they passed the Yin-Yang Spring, he glanced into the water and saw Lu Rong’s face reflected within it.

He thought this must be the Yang Spring.

The Yang Spring showed things that made people happy.

***

The four of them went to the Spring Banquet, but perhaps because something had happened at the Mo residence, the event felt rather quiet.

In any case, there weren’t many handsome men to look at, yet quite a few young women shyly came over to ask Zhou Li his name and whether he was married.

Lu Rong pursed her lips to the side.

[A man who attracts admirers everywhere—so good-looking, yet he doesn’t even know to wear a veil.

[A man who seduces people like this should be dragged into a dark alley and kissed stupid.]

Zhou Li watched Lu Rong swaying the tassels at her waist, a smile still hanging on her face. Perhaps under the candlelight, her complexion looked softly golden.

“Rongrong, let’s go release river lanterns!” Qiu Ling called out to her.

Lu Rong hurried over. “Okay!”

Zhou Li followed behind her. She ran ahead, her hair ribbon lifted by the evening breeze. He reached out to touch it, but in the end, the ribbon’s tail wound around his fingertip.

Even his chest seemed to be stirred by the fragrance clinging to her.

He vaguely realized that after she had awakened his heat cycle, something about him had become strange. He was acutely sensitive to her voice, her scent—even her breathing.

He thought that if she drew just a little closer, with a bit more skin-to-skin contact, his condition would be worse than it had been in the courtyard.

Zhou Li frowned. If what A’Miao had said earlier was true, then did that mean Lu Rong, who had awakened his heat cycle, was destined to be entangled with him until death, with no end in sight?

But she… hated him so much.

Zhou Li walked on, lost in thought, when he heard Lu Rong call out to him. “Zhou Li! Are you releasing a river lantern?”

The light in her eyes remained bright beneath the night sky.

“Not releasing one.” Zhou Li walked over and looked at the lantern stall, where river lanterns were displayed alongside pairs of little mandarin ducks and little rabbits.

“Young master, river lanterns are for praying for blessings. You can release one.”

Lu Rong picked out a beautiful lotus lantern. “Right—don’t you have anything you want to pray for?”

As soon as she said that, she saw a few words appear above Zhou Li’s head.

[Don’t hate me.]

Lu Rong stared at him in astonishment. Was he hoping she wouldn’t hate him?

In the end, Zhou Li still didn’t release a lantern. Lu Rong lit a candle and went with Qiu Ling, arm in arm, to set theirs afloat. The three of them released lanterns beneath the river embankment.

Zhou Li stood alone on the riverbank, like someone who didn’t quite belong, watching the lanterns drift away with the current—one lantern, two lanterns, three lanterns, four lanterns…

“Huh? Why are there four lanterns?”

Lu Rong ran over and gave a little snort. “I bought them with your money. Figured I’d put one up for you too, while I was at it.”

After she spoke, she looked at the top of Zhou Li’s head again—only to realize she could no longer see his emotional display.

[Host, the male lead’s daily inner-thought barrage has expired.]

Lu Rong felt a twinge of disappointment. She’d still wanted to see five little hearts bouncing above Zhou Li’s head. She stepped closer, about to say they could leave, when she noticed the corner of his lips seemed to lift—just slightly.

So… was he smiling?

She wasn’t sure. Tilting her head, she tried to get another look, but Zhou Li had already turned away coolly.

“We’re going back.”

“Why the rush? I still want to bring some things back for my dad,” Lu Rong called after him.

In the end, she bought quite a few things for her father—of course, using Zhou Li’s dowry savings.

She figured Zhou Li probably wasn’t getting married anyway, so spending it wasn’t much of a burden.

Besides, a sword cultivator having that much money was basically asking to be hated.

After returning to Xuanyang Sect, Lu Rong spent another full day and night painting. When she finally looked at the finished piece, she realized the face she’d drawn carried a faint hint of a smile.

She gave her head a light tap. All day long, her thoughts had been filled with that last, barely-there smile of Zhou Li’s.

As a result, all the figures she painted ended up wearing faint smiles.

There was no time to revise them, so she delivered the two paintings to her major patron right on the last day. The patron was extremely pleased, and only after the thirty thousand gold arrived did Lu Rong finally feel that her little stash was starting to fill up.

Because she had gone out for a trip, she still had plenty of small commissions left unfinished. Just as she was about to resume drawing, the system’s voice sounded in her mind once more.

[System repair at 99.8%.]

[Please complete Main Quest Two: Investigate the male lead’s demonic form.]

Lu Rong: “…Isn’t he still in heat? If I go looking for him, that’s a pretty big risk of getting taken advantage of.”

[You may choose any cheat ability.]

Lu Rong thought of the sect tournament she had been forced to participate in by her father. Now she had ridden on Zhou Li’s coattails and reached the Golden Core stage. If she were to lose the sect tournament to newly initiated junior brothers or sisters, her father would kill her.

“Alright,” Lu Rong replied with a smile.

She figured Zhou Li was probably the type of chaste, upright man who could control himself. If she secretly investigated his demonic form, the chances of her getting taken advantage of were probably quite low.

Thinking this way, Lu Rong felt a little more at ease and lowered her head to start working on a client commission.

That minor patron had requested a rockery play illustration and asked her to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Lu Rong was well practiced in this sort of thing, rockeries, bathing pools, desks, windowsides, those were all essential settings.

She propped her chin and pondered how to make it more beautiful, when an image suddenly surfaced in her mind of Zhou Li pressing her against a desk and kissing her.

Even though a full day and night had passed, Lu Rong could still feel the lingering sensation of his sucking kisses on her lips.

Her face began to heat up. She hurriedly covered it with her hands, trying to stop herself from thinking. But her mind was simply impossible to control.

Without realizing it, she began recalling the details from that moment again, remembering that her abdomen must have been pressed against something at the time.

Lu Rong’s face flushed bright red. “He… he didn’t have a reaction back then, did he?”

The more she thought about it, the hotter her face became. She flopped down onto the rug, thinking that for him to endure even that was honestly impressive.

If it were her, she would have pounced on him and devoured him completely.

She rolled over once, temporarily unable to draw, her mind spiraling uncontrollably into fantasy.

Far away at Wuhui Ravine, Zhou Li polished his sword in a state of restless agitation.

His mind was filled with the restricted scenes Lu Rong had been imagining—either pressing her against the window and kissing her, or pinning her behind a rockery and kissing her.

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Taking up his jade token, he directly sent a message to Lu Rong’s.

Lu Rong saw her jade token light up, reached out to take it, and opened it to see Zhou Li’s message.

[Zhou: Practicing sword.]

[Lu Xiaorong: Who are you?]

[Zhou: Zhou Li. Practicing sword.]

[Lu Xiaorong: Goodbye.]

The romantic thoughts in Lu Rong’s mind instantly vanished. She even felt the urge to draw a few ugly pictures of Zhou Li, but then remembered she still had an unfinished task.

She clapped her hands and stood up.

She was determined to find out exactly what kind of demon Zhou Li was.

Zhou Li looked at her reply. His mind, finally free of those chaotic images, felt clean again.

He placed his sword aside and began to meditate, focusing on his cultivation.

Perhaps because Lu Rong’s thoughts earlier had been a little too intense, today’s cultivation left him feeling somewhat restless.

Within his spiritual sea, Zhou Li stood surrounded by the ever-suspended ten thousand swords, yet among them a faint light had appeared—strangely out of place.

He knew at once that it was the glow of demonic fire.

Standing in the vast, boundless spiritual sea, the realm that had always been cold now carried a faint sense of scorching heat.

The spiritual sea shifted with the cultivator’s state of mind. The fine threads of heat were the rising warmth within his body, and even his breathing was filled with the sweet peach fragrance from Lu Rong.

Zhou Li knew that the heat he had previously suppressed was about to surge back again.

Yesterday, he had searched through books, trying to find a way to lift such a restriction.

But just as A’Miao had said, once his heat was awakened by someone, it would be a matter of life and death, without end.

That was why he did not wish to seek out Lu Rong again.

Because if he did, Zhou Li knew he would turn into a greedy beast, one who would never know satisfaction.

He focused on cultivating within his spiritual sea, intending to steady his mind, yet the temperature around him only continued to rise.

The scent of peaches grew clearer and more intense, giving him the illusion that Lu Rong was right beside him.

But when he opened his eyes, he saw a woman with indistinct features sitting in his arms.

Even through the thick mist obscuring her face, he could picture Lu Rong’s appearance.

He knew it clearly—only Lu Rong would cling to him like this.

Like an affectionate, clingy little kitten, she could wear someone down until they had no temper left—and still demand to be coaxed.

“Get down.” Zhou Li spoke almost on instinct, wanting to put complete distance between them.

But the person in his arms did not listen. She simply leaned in and kissed his lips.

Zhou Li had no way to refuse. He could only touch her lips, just as before—gently biting her lower lip, then parting her teeth to meet her tongue.

By the time the kiss ended, her clothes had already slipped from her shoulders and gathered at her waist, revealing her graceful collarbone and neck.

She caught his hand and placed it against her neck, as though inviting him to lower his head and gently bite, leaving red marks behind.

Zhou Li restrained himself, refusing to indulge. His gaze fixed on the collarbone revealed as the mist dispersed.

There was a small red mole there.

Against her snow-white skin, it looked delicately alluring, and she trembled slightly the instant it was touched.

Zhou Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his gaze darkening.

So sensitive.

He struggled to restrain himself and focus on cultivation within his spiritual sea—but Bing Lie suddenly let out a hum.

Zhou Li opened his eyes at once. The dim light in the room was hazy, and he had not yet realized who had entered.

Bing Lie directly restrained the person, dragged them over, and threw them into his arms.

Lu Rong had come to investigate Zhou Li’s demonic form. She had only just sneaked in when, before she could even see anything, Bing Lie seized her and threw her straight into Zhou Li’s arms.

Zhou Li had only just awakened from the absurd chaos within his sea of consciousness, his eyes still heavy with desire that had yet to dissipate.

At this moment, Lu Rong was nothing more than a rabbit ignorant of danger, crashing headlong into a hungry wolf’s den.

She tried to pull away, but Zhou Li’s broad palm clamped forcefully around her wrist, pinning it behind her and forcing her to arch her upper body.

“Y-you… what are you doing?”

Zhou Li’s gaze fixed on the vivid red mole at her collarbone. He lowered his head, and his warm, damp breath brushed against her skin together with the cool press of his fingertips.

Lu Rong trembled at the touch.

———————-