My Arch-Nemesis is the R-Rated Male Lead - Chapter 38

Zhou Li quietly gazed at her reddened lips, where traces of rough handling still lingered.

Yet at this moment, she lay beside him completely unguarded, even looping an arm around his waist and pressing her face against his chest. Her rosy lips moved slightly as she let out a muffled hum, calling softly, “Zhou Li…”

By the faint light, Zhou Li could make out half of her profile—youthful, full, and delicately flushed.

He brushed her lightly with his fingertip, and she immediately buried her face deeper into his chest, letting out a small sound of protest at being disturbed from her sleep.

Zhou Li watched his fingers resting in her hair. He gently hooked a single strand, wound it around his fingers, then released it, allowing the dark hair to fall beside her ear.

His palm settled softly at the back of her neck, and the emotions in his eyes gradually returned to calm. Even the awareness steeped in desire began to withdraw.

In truth, Lu Rong had been right before—continuing like this was not a good thing. Not for him, but for her.

Demons were creatures ruled by lust, a nature that could even claim another’s life.

Zhou Li’s cultivation of orthodox methods while bearing a demon body was already a defiance of natural law. Because of this, the heavenly lightning and tribulations he endured were thousands of times more painful than those faced by others, though outsiders saw only a testament to his talent.

Each time he broke through a cultivation barrier, he suffered torment as if his body were engulfed in raging flames. What Lu Rong had experienced during her own breakthrough was exactly what he endured. If he were to truly dual-cultivate with her, then every future breakthrough she faced would bring the same suffering—or consequences even more severe.

Even Zhou Li himself could not predict what Lu Rong would face if he were to fully claim her.

Yet desire always drove people to madness. Every time he touched her, he lost all reason and restraint.

Just like now—his tail coiled around her uncontrollably, drawing her tightly into his embrace, holding her completely within his grasp.

Zhou Li was fiercely possessive of what belonged to him. No one else was allowed to touch his sword. Few ever set foot in Wuhui Ravine. And even at his side, Lu Rong was the only one permitted to come close.

He possessed very little, but what he had belonged to him alone.

The person in his arms shifted, turning her back to him, even trying to put a little distance between them.

Zhou Li sharply drew in the tail coiled around her waist, pulling her straight back into his embrace. Lu Rong let out a low sound. “Can’t move.”

She reached up, trying to push away what was wrapped around her waist, but Zhou Li deliberately teased her with the tip of his tail. The moment her hand touched it, she unconsciously clenched her grip. “Don’t move.”

Her delicate brows knit slightly as she held that section of tail tip. She looked sweetly naive and endearing, and at the sight of her, the frost between Zhou Li’s brows vanished completely.

Too cute.

He lowered his head, burying his face in the back of her neck, and bit down on the red marks there that had yet to fade.

Something this cute—of course, it was only right that he devour it completely.

***

Lu Rong slept soundly that night. When she woke the next day, she had no idea what time it was.

She groggily opened her eyes to a room bathed in sunlight.

She called out for Xue’er, who hurried in at once, asking anxiously, “What’s wrong, Rongrong?”

“What time is it?” Lu Rong sat up, hugging the blanket and yawning.

“It’s already noon.” Xue’er stood awkwardly at the doorway, as though afraid she might see something she shouldn’t.

Lu Rong got out of bed and noticed her odd behavior. “Why are you standing so far away?”

Xue’er didn’t dare say that she’d come in the morning to ask what Lu Rong wanted for breakfast—only to open the door and see Venerable Jian still lying in her bed, holding her tightly in his arms.

“Hm?” Lu Rong stretched as she walked over. She was dressed lightly, and as she moved, the hem of her top rode up slightly, revealing red marks circling her flat, slender abdomen.

“Rongrong.” Xue’er hurriedly reached out and tugged her clothes down.

Lu Rong followed the motion and looked down, spotting the marks. She quickly pulled her hand back, cursing Zhou Li in her heart.

That bastard—how did he leave marks on her again?

She hurriedly covered it up. “My belt was tied too tightly. It left those marks.”

“Go prepare lunch.” Lu Rong turned and went into the room, intending to check whether there were any other marks on her body.

While changing clothes, she discovered that the red marks trailed downward from her waist, wrapping along it in a continuous line.

Looking at them, Lu Rong was certain—Zhou Li must have secretly wrapped her with his tail last night.

How could his needs be this intense?!

Perverted snake!

No wonder he was a man with six yellow hearts over his head!

After she finished changing, Xue’er brought the food in. As they sat together eating, Lu Rong couldn’t help asking curiously, “Xue’er, do demons in heat stay tangled together all the time?”

“Yes. Some demons have dens—they can stay entangled with each other inside for months without coming out.”

Lu Rong: …

That’s insane.

No wonder Zhou Li sneaked over in the middle of the night to cling to her. She’d been asleep last night—if she’d been awake, she definitely would’ve ended up distracted, wanting to do something else with him.

This couldn’t go on. Sooner or later, she and Zhou Li would end up stuck in a room together for days and nights.

She hurriedly sent Qiu Ling a message, asking whether there was any chance to go out for training during this time.

Qiu Ling was reliable about things like this and replied shortly after. “Why ask all of a sudden? Want to go out and have fun?”

“Not at all. I want to train myself.”—And put some distance between Zhou Li and herself for a few days.

“There is something. Disciples who’ve been in the sect for a year are about to go on a study tour. They need a few seniors to guide them.”

“Will it be dangerous?” Lu Rong asked.

“It’s just a study tour. As long as they don’t wander off, it’s fine. Want to go? There’s a reward of one hundred spirit stones per person.”

“I’ll go!” Lu Rong felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She needed to get away from this place that easily made her lose her mind and from Zhou Li, who was causing her to lose control, and use two days to calm down.

“Then pack up. We’re about to leave. I’ll wait for you at the main gate.” With that, Qiu Ling cut the connection.

Lu Rong hurried to pack her things. Xue’er followed anxiously beside her. “Rongrong, where are you going?”

“Out for a day or two.” Lu Rong quickly packed what she needed. As she turned to leave, she saw Xue’er watching her.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Rong asked with concern.

“Rongrong, take me with you.” Xue’er tugged at her sleeve. “I’m scared of staying here alone.”

“Then turn into a little bunny.”

As soon as Lu Rong finished speaking, Xue’er happily transformed into a palm-sized little rabbit. Lu Rong bent down, picked her up, and patted her head. “Be careful outside. Don’t let anyone discover you’re a demon.”

“Okay. Thank you, Rongrong.” Xue’er nestled obediently in her palm.

Lu Rong smiled. “It’s fine. It’s normal to be scared when you’re alone.”

She found a small bag that could hold Xue’er, slung it over her shoulder, and headed to the main gate to find Qiu Ling.

At the gate, she saw a dozen junior brothers and sisters standing neatly in two rows.

“Rongrong, over here!” Qiu Ling called out.

Lu Rong descended from her sword, landing lightly—and immediately received the full attention of twelve pairs of eyes.

“Wow, this senior sister is so pretty!”

“She’s like a fairy!”

The children chattered excitedly, praising her until Lu Rong started to feel shy. Qiu Ling coughed lightly. “Alright, alright. Stop it. If you keep this up, I’ll chase your fairy senior sister away.”

The children immediately quieted down, staring at Lu Rong with wide, expectant eyes.

Lu Rong hurriedly said, “That won’t happen—because our Senior Sister Qiu Ling is the kindest senior sister.”

She hugged Qiu Ling, grinning mischievously.

“Now I know how you managed to coax Venerable Jian into being so obedient,” Qiu Ling said, leaning in to sniff her. “Did you see Venerable Jian before you came?”

“Hm?” Lu Rong blinked, confused. “No.”

“Then why do you smell so much like him? It’s like you’ve been marinated in his scent.”

A flicker of guilt passed through Lu Rong’s eyes. “No way. There’s something wrong with your nose. We’re about to leave.”

She automatically took a step away, thinking to herself—did she really smell that much like Zhou Li?

Was it because he’d wrapped around her all night last night?

Qiu Ling didn’t pursue it further and called the twelve children over to board the flying carriage.

As Lu Rong prepared to depart on her sword, she let out a quiet sigh of relief, thinking that over the next few days she would keep her heart pure, restrain her desires, and cleanse her spirit.

Back at Wuhui Tower, Zhou Li had no idea Lu Rong had already left. After returning from Zhuiyu Tower, he entered the Spirit Sea to cultivate.

Perhaps because of his indulgence over the past few days, the myriad swords hanging high in his spiritual sea were sinking lower and lower. Some were so low that if he stood up, they would pierce straight through his brain.

Spiritual energy circulated within Zhou Li’s body, yet it remained stagnant.

He knew clearly that his cultivation was still affected by his heat cycle. With his eyes closed, he sat there, unhurried and composed.

His mind had been completely free of stray thoughts—until a familiar aura suddenly enveloped him. It was the peach scent that belonged to Lu Rong.

He instinctively opened his eyes and, through a blurred outline, saw a pair of bright, gleaming eyes.

She seemed very happy. Lowering her head, she leaned closer, her nose touching his.

As if drunk, she spoke hazily, “I’m so hot. Save me.”

She slumped against him, her body soft as if made of water. Silky strands of hair slipped down from her shoulders, slender arms hooking around his neck. Her voice was so seductive that it could burn a person. “Or… I can teach you double—”

Her words stopped abruptly, and the illusion before him vanished.

Provoked into agitation, Zhou Li finally opened his eyes and withdrew from the spiritual sea.

Sweat pooled along his jaw, dripping from his chin and dampening a small patch of his collar.

“Master, you’ve been restless lately. This isn’t good for cultivation,” Bing Lie said, worried about his master’s condition.

Zhou Li understood this himself, but the body’s reaction to heat was something that could not be controlled.

No—it wasn’t that.

It was that he couldn’t control himself from wanting to draw close to Lu Rong.

He tugged open his collar and looked down at the inverse-scale mark on his chest, now an ever-deepening red. He noticed that each time he lost control, the color grew more vivid.

If it were to turn completely red, perhaps that would be the day he was driven mad by desire. When that day came, would Lu Rong still soften her heart and offer to help him?

As he was thinking, Binglie spoke again. “Master, there’s another piece of bad news I forgot to tell you.”

“Hm?”

“Lu Rong isn’t in Xuan Yang Sect anymore. She ran off with someone.”

Hearing this, Zhou Li stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open. Darkness settled in his eyes.

“She… ran away?”

———————– 

Author’s Note: 

Zhou Li: Ran away before even starting to eat. [Yellow Heart]