The scene before her was so lovely and astonishing that Luo Han couldn’t believe it was real. Her love for beauty finally overcame her fear of death, and she slowly approached Ling Qingxiao, carefully pushing his long hair away.
He was pure and unblemished, like a bright moon in the sky. She had thought that the powerful devil would look like a demonic and evil creature, or at least have a fierce and ominous aura. Yet, instead, he looked like a beautiful and serene fairy.
As Luo Han looked at the rare scene of the devil’s original form, she suddenly remembered the setting she had read in a book.
The immortals revered the attainment of a human form through cultivation. To revert to one’s original form meant that they were severely injured and unable to recover. Ling Qingxiao’s lower body had turned into a dragon’s tail, indicating that he could not maintain his human form due to his current lack of spiritual power. In other words, this was a rare moment of weakness for him.
Luo Han remembered the Bodhi tree’s words before she left, urging her to stop Ling Qingxiao.
She could end everything by killing Ling Qingxiao now.
However, Luo Han focused on Ling Qingxiao’s face and immediately pushed the thought out of her mind. Even if a beauty did evil deeds, there must be a reason behind it. How could she harm such a beauty?
Luo Han had no dignity as a beauty lover. She immediately rolled up her sleeves and tried to move Ling Qingxiao to a flat surface. She used all her strength to lift Ling Qingxiao by his shoulders, but he didn’t move an inch. Luo Han gave up and decided to move him in sections, starting with his dragon’s tail.
She was wearing clothes that the elders had jointly made for her. Luo Han remembered seeing the Bodhi tree pluck a few leaves from themselves, and the Elder Turtle retrieved some pearls from the East Sea. The other elders also pinched and kneaded the clothes, which had taken shape into a single piece of clothing. Luo Han thought that it was only a temporary outfit and didn’t expect it to remain clean even after being involved in these rough activities.
The quality was not bad at all. Luo Han held onto Ling Qingxiao’s dragon tail, starting from the thin end. She lifted it up a small distance with all her might, then suddenly saw the gorgeous silver tail twitch.
Instinctively, she looked up and saw that Ling Qingxiao had awakened at some point. His face was cold as he saw Luo Han holding onto his dragon’s tail, and ice quickly formed around the area where Luo Han was touching.
Luo Han was startled by the cold air and subconsciously let go of the dragon’s tail. The already wounded tail fell to the ground with a loud thud, and Luo Han winced at the sound. She quickly withdrew her hand and innocently held it behind her back, saying, “It wasn’t intentional. You suddenly emitted frost.”
Ling Qingxiao’s face already looked like he wanted to murder someone. His dragon tail suddenly emitted a silver glow, which quickly disappeared into his pair of legs. Luo Han silently sighed with relief that she had escaped with her life. If she had really acted on her thoughts of killing Ling Qingxiao earlier, she would be the one lying on the ground now.
Ling Qingxiao struggled to sit up from the ground. Luo Han watched and tentatively asked, “Do you need my help?”
“No need,” replied Ling Qingxiao with a cold and clear voice, like ice breaking jade. Luo Han silently marveled at what kind of divine voice Ling Qingxiao had, but she still withdrew her hand.
Not everyone is willing to accept help when they are in trouble. Respect is more important than kindness. Besides… not long ago, this master was wielding his sword to kill her. How could Luo Han forget that?
Ling Qingxiao had disrupted the time portal that had been jointly created by the elders, and Luo Han had fallen into her current circumstances. Ling Qingxiao had achieved great power and glory from his actions.
Ling Qingxiao’s movements had further torn open many of his wounds, causing blood to flow again. The blood dripped along his slender fingers, winding its way into the ground.
Luo Han couldn’t bear to watch and whispered, “Be careful. You’re already so badly injured, why torture yourself?”
Ling Qingxiao’s lips were pale, and his face was almost transparently white. He looked at Luo Han with icy eyes and asked, “What do you want?”
Why did she keep paying attention to him time and time again? He had been weak and unconscious just now, but his consciousness was still clear, and he could sense everything that was happening around him.
Luo Han didn’t take the opportunity to kill him, but instead tried to drag him away. Ling Qingxiao had been cold and aloof for many years, and was now puzzled. What did she want?
She even dared to touch his dragon’s tail.
Ling Qingxiao had not had any physical contact with anyone in his thousand-year life, except when he was in his infancy. He had gradually grown to hate physical and emotional contact with others due to his innate coldness.
When Luo Han touched his tail, he felt a warm and soft sensation on the spot where she touched him. It was an unprecedented experience, and Ling Qingxiao was stunned for a moment. When he regained his senses, he quickly shook off her hand without hesitation.
Actually, Ling Qingxiao could use his tail to sweep away those who offended him. As a dragon, he had inherited special abilities and his body was a treasure trove, with every part of his body being valuable. His skin itself was a magical artifact that could not be pierced by knives or swords, and a single sweep of his tail could split mountains and crack the earth.
But Luo Han had no cultivation, and even a light sweep from him would likely result in her death. Ling Qingxiao held back and endured the pain in his meridians, using his spiritual power to force Luo Han to let go.
Luo Han growled inwardly, thinking to herself that she could see why Ling Qingxiao couldn’t keep the female lead when he had such a temper and couldn’t understand human emotions.
Luo Han was now sure that he was a supporting male character, doomed to lead a solitary life. Thinking about her great mission to save the world, she patiently and gently spoke to Ling Qingxiao, “I told you, I’m here to save you. The stones here are too sharp, and you’re injured. We need to find a softer place for you to rest. Since you’re awake now, can you stand up and walk? It’s best if we find a different place.”
Ling Qingxiao found it ridiculous. What kind of person was she, who didn’t even have the most basic common sense? She actually believed that stones could harm a dragon?
It was a joke to hurt Ling Qingxiao with attacks from other immortals of the same level, even with their full strength and magical artifacts. At most, they could only leave a faint white mark on his body. All of his injuries were caused by heavenly thunder.
Seeing that Ling Qingxiao was not speaking, Luo Han assumed that he had agreed. She tried to reach out to help him, but Ling Qingxiao still avoided her hand and stood up by himself, using his sword as support.
Luo Han silently withdrew her hand. Ling Qingxiao really didn’t like physical contact with others. Luo Han had studied psychology for a while and knew that if children didn’t have intimate physical contact with their parents during childhood, it would be difficult for them to form normal interpersonal relationships and they would be more likely to have psychological problems.
Of course, this was only applicable to humans. Maybe immortals like them were naturally cold and aloof, uninterested in the mortal world.
After Ling Qingxiao stood up and identified the direction, he began to walk towards a certain location. Luo Han, who was truly useless in battle, didn’t dare to let him out of her sight and hurriedly followed behind him.
Luo Han kept a distance from Ling Qingxiao that was neither too close for him to become tense nor too far for her to expose herself. They walked in silence, one in front and one behind. Luo Han was bored and couldn’t help stealing glances at Ling Qingxiao.
To be honest, regardless of the plot, Ling Qingxiao’s appearance was truly one of the most beautiful among immortals. Even when injured, he stood there glowing like a moonlit fairy, ethereal and cold.
He didn’t need light, he was the light itself.
It’s unknown what kind of immortal male lead it took to make the female lead unswayed by Ling Qingxiao’s beauty and to follow the male lead single-mindedly.
Ling Qingxiao found a temporarily safe place and stopped. His wounds from the heavenly thunder had not healed, and the place where the dragon core was ripped out still ached. Every step he took was agonizing, and he needed rest urgently.
Seeing Ling Qingxiao stop, Luo Han immediately approached him. Now that she had a deeper understanding of the dangers in the cultivation world, as a mortal loser named the Heavenly Dao, she couldn’t dare to expose herself outside. No matter whether Ling Qingxiao wanted it or not, Luo Han had to follow him and gain experience during their time at the bottom of the cliff.
Ling Qingxiao was too weak to push Luo Han away. He sat on the side to adjust his breathing, while Luo Han sat not far away, hugging her knees and watching him.
He looked really uncomfortable. Luo Han sighed. It was understandable. Ling Qingxiao was forced by his “stepmother” to extract his own dragon core and was struck by fifty heavenly thunders. After that, he fell from a depth of ten thousand meters. The fact that he was still alive was already a miracle.
Luo Han remembered before leaving, the Bodhi Tree had hastily given her a pendant carved in the shape of a leaf. It was said to be a storage space containing several life-saving items, which may be useful in critical situations. Luo Han thought that since the Bodhi Tree was most afraid of her dying, if it gave her the life-saving items, there might be medicinal herbs in it too.
Luo Han pulled out the pendant from her neck. The pendant was crystal clear, with clear veins on it, like a real leaf. Luo Han fiddled with it for a long time, despairing because she couldn’t open it.
The storage space needed spiritual energy to be opened, but Luo Han had no cultivation. Where would she get the spiritual energy?
Ling Qingxiao noticed her actions and opened his eyes, looking at her indifferently. Luo Han felt embarrassed under Ling Qingxiao’s gaze. She shook the pendant in front of Ling Qingxiao and said, “This is a storage space given to me by my elders, but I can’t open it. Can you help me open it?”
Ling Qingxiao ignored her and closed his eyes again. Just as Luo Han was about to speak again, she suddenly felt a connection to the leaf-shaped pendant.
She thought for a moment and immediately entered the world inside the Bodhi leaf. There were many bottles and jars inside, and Luo Han didn’t dare to take them recklessly. She carefully pulled out the stoppers one by one and felt the medicinal breath inside each one.
She was the Heavenly Dao and could naturally sense all things.
Luo Han was busy sensing the storage space, and there was no one talking, leaving them in silence. Ling Qingxiao tried to repair his damaged internal organs with spiritual energy, but a sharp pain spread throughout his body. This degree of pain was not unbearable, but Ling Qingxiao couldn’t understand why he should bear it.
His parents, family, friends, and even his junior sister abandoned him in a time of crisis. He had worked extremely hard to cultivate and forced himself to be perfect, seeking his parents’ approval. Now he finally understood. In everyone’s hearts, he was only an unwanted and compromised existence.
He would never be compared to Ling Zhongyu, and he would never get true recognition. If so, what was the point of his persistence all this time? What was the point of enduring the pain at this moment?
Why should he still live?
Ling Qingxiao began to have dark thoughts, and the spiritual energy rampaged through his body, breaking the already-damaged meridians even more. He fell into a desolate state, and suddenly heard a pleasant surprise voice, “Found it!”
Her voice was sweet and soft, with a hint of indescribable strange magic in her pronunciation. It immediately woke Ling Qingxiao from the demonic state. He opened his eyes and saw that it was her, the noisy and mysterious woman.
Luo Han held the jade bottle and approached Ling Qingxiao, her eyes shining as she asked, “Can this heal wounds?”
Ling Qingxiao glanced at it and said calmly, “It’s the essence of the ten thousand year Bodhi Tree, of course it can.”
Luo Han immediately gave the jade bottle to Ling Qingxiao and said happily, “That’s great. You should use it now.”
Ling Qingxiao was caught off guard and actually took the bottle. He looked at her in surprise and asked, “For me?”
“Of course,” Luo Han looked at him, her eyes full of expectation. “You should try it now. I have several bottles, and there are more if you finish it.”
But Ling Qingxiao didn’t move. He looked at Luo Han and asked, “Do you know what Bodhi Tree essence is?”
Luo Han really didn’t know. She thought there was something special about it and humbly asked, “What is it?”
Her eyes were so sincere, as if she really didn’t know how precious the essence of the ten thousand years Bodhi Tree was. Ling Qingxiao closed his eyes, and the jade bottle gently floated up and then landed back into Luo Han’s hand. “This thing is precious. Keep it safe, don’t expose it to others.”
Luo Han didn’t understand, but Ling Qingxiao knew how precious the essence of the Bodhi Tree was. To call it precious was not enough, as it was something that only existed in legends.
The essence condensed from the Bodhi Tree could revive the dead and purify the mind. Even a drop was enough to cause chaos in the six realms.
Yet this woman took out a whole bottle and wanted to give it to him.
Ling Qingxiao didn’t know whether to describe her as naive or foolish.
Luo Han didn’t expect this to be the reason. She guessed that the gift from the Bodhi Tree was probably not inferior, but looking at Ling Qingxiao’s reaction, the value was probably higher than she had imagined.
Luo Han forcefully gave the bottle to Ling Qingxiao and then immediately turned her back, “You need it more than me. Besides, it’s not like I’m giving it to you for free.”
Luo Han knew that the Great Devil Ling was proud. If she gave it to him for free, he would definitely refuse to accept it. So Luo Han proposed it as a trade, “I’ll sell you the medicine, but I won’t take any money. You can work off the debt by being my bodyguard for a year. I don’t have any way to protect myself right now, so this bottle of medicine is worth it.”
Luo Han was still thinking like a mortal, using years as the unit of measurement, and she even thought she was being generous. Ling Qingxiao really didn’t know what Luo Han was trying to do. His fingers moved slightly, and the jade bottle didn’t touch his body, hovering in mid-air.
“This is not the same thing at all.”
“Then it’s up to you to decide. If you think protecting me for as long as it takes to repay the value of this essence, then that’s how long it will take. Isn’t that enough?”
Luo Han felt that she was very fair as an employer, actually begging her bodyguard to set the price.
Ling Qingxiao looked at Luo Han, feeling lost once again. In his past life, emotions like loss, hesitation, and weakness never appeared on him. In his world, there were only plans.
The only difference was that some plans were meant to succeed, and some plans had to succeed.
But this woman in front of him was completely outside of his plans. Ling Qingxiao couldn’t even judge her with his past experiences. Ling Qingxiao stared deeply at Luo Han for a long time, then asked again, “What do you want to do?”
“It’s nothing,” Luo Han looked at him and smiled, her eyes curved, “I came for you, my only wish is to save you.”
Luo Han didn’t know if he accepted this reason, because Ling Qingxiao looked at her for a long time, and finally closed his eyes, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Luo Han couldn’t figure out the Great Devil’s intention, so she placed the Bodhi Tree essence she had in her storage space on the ground to prove that she really had a lot.
The two of them held their ground until the end, and Ling Qingxiao finally reluctantly accepted it, but he only used half a bottle.
Although he looked cold and aloof, Luo Han guessed that he thought it was reserved for her by her elders to save her life, so he tried to avoid using too much. Half a bottle was probably the minimum amount needed to save his own life.
Luo Han didn’t know what to say for a while, as the Great Devil was quite different from what she had imagined.
She thought he was a devil, but in reality, he was more like an immortal god. She thought he was a radical who hated the world and killed people indiscriminately, but in reality, he adhered to his principles. Even when his life was at stake, with so much Bodhi Tree essence in front of him, he just said to her, “Keep it safe, don’t expose it to others.”
He had been betrayed so many times, by his biological father who had switched him at birth, his biological mother who had drained his blood for immortality elixirs, his foster mother who had deceived and abused him, and even the female lead who had stabbed him with a fatal blow. He had every reason to rebel against the immortal realm and seek revenge.
But he didn’t. Although he became corrupted towards the end of the book and turned into a warmonger, he was still undeniably a good leader.
Luo Han couldn’t help but sigh again. So why did the female lead choose the male lead? Even though he constantly betrayed her by loving other women in front of her, the female lead still returned to him time and time again. What was wrong with Ling Qingxiao?
It was an unsolved mystery.
Ling Qingxiao sat in the cave, refining the Bodhi Tree essence, and Luo Han watched as his wounds healed rapidly. He spent three days and three nights refining the essence, and Luo Han fell asleep several times. When she woke up for the last time, she saw Ling Qingxiao, cold and noble, sitting there like a fairy in a dream.
Luo Han had just awoken, and her mind was still confused. She asked, “Are your wounds healed?”
“There is no harm done,” Ling Qingxiao said, his expression becoming serious. “Gratitude for small favors is expressed with the gushing of spring water. I will remember your help, and for the next millennium, I will not hesitate to fulfill any request you have.”
Luo Han didn’t know what she was thinking. She blurted out, “Even including dual cultivation?”
Author’s Note: Pure as white snow, he is untainted by worldly desires, shining like a bright moon. – Bai Juyi
