EHRPS CH212

—Ming Xiu. Prior to this, Nie Wuhui had heard of this name.

For cultivators seeking the Dao, a few decades were nothing but the snap of a finger. Yet the man before him had unified the demonic path in less than fifty years. How formidable.

Since the ancient Immortal-Demon War, the righteous and demonic paths had been evenly matched. But the sudden emergence of this Demon Lord faintly threatened to break that balance. The righteous sects couldn’t help but prepare for a rainy day, holding several discussions.

It was just a pity that there were too few clues to sort out. This Ming Xiu seemed to have popped out of a rock. No one knew where he came from or who his master was. They only knew his techniques were bizarre and left people completely defenseless… The righteous sects had no choice but to be on guard.

As the leader of the righteous path, the Guiqing Sect naturally had to shoulder more obligations. Thus, the Sect Leader had informed Nie Wuhui of this person’s deeds early on. In his words, he revealed a hint of worry. Nie Wuhui, however, held a different view.

“Sect Leader, this Demon Lord subduing the majority of demonic cultivators and gathering them under the Heaven Slaughtering Sect might not necessarily be a bad thing.” Meeting the Sect Leader’s gaze, he continued: “Demonic cultivators act with ruthless abandon. If someone can keep them in check, it would actually be a blessing to the common people. It’s just a pity that this Demon Lord’s whereabouts are hard to find. Otherwise, I would truly like to meet him…”

And now, his words had come true.

Nie Wuhui never imagined that just months after saying that, he would not only meet Demon Lord Ming Xiu, but also fight him. As the saying goes, out of blows, friendship grows.

Nie Wuhui recalled their battle—the man’s strikes were not ruthless. It could even be said he only defended and never attacked, solely focusing on making inappropriate jokes. That was when Nie Wuhui realized something was amiss.

He half-lowered his eyes. The flood dragon inner core in his palm was as scarlet as cinnabar, faintly radiating heat. And the black-clad man standing not far away was staring at him with burning eyes. His gaze was even hotter than the inner core, impossible to ignore.

Nie Wuhui looked up and heard the man call out loudly, “Do you have anything you want to ask me?”

“This Venerable will definitely tell you everything I know without reservation!”

With that, the man clasped his hands behind his back, maintaining an upright posture turned at a forty-five-degree angle. His jawline was incredibly sharp and smooth, and his robes fluttered without wind, billowing in a very dashing arc.

Nie Wuhui: “…” He looks a bit like a peacock fanning its tail.

But Nie Wuhui was indeed moved by his words. From his observation, the blood fiend qi on this Demon Lord was extremely heavy, and though his words were frivolous, he wasn’t a brutal, murderous fiend impossible to communicate with… He was just a bit of a smooth talker.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind. Nie Wuhui offered a polite smile, taking the initiative to put away the flood dragon inner core and his natal immortal sword. He nodded at the man and replied, “Very well.”

Ming Xiu had been listening closely with his ears pricked up. Hearing this, he felt immensely delighted in his heart, but on his face, he put on a reserved and calm expression. His tone was casual: “You have great taste. I am indeed very good. I didn’t expect us to be so aligned in our thinking.”

Nie Wuhui: “?”

His expression remained unchanged as he steadily replied, “Demon Lord…”

Unexpectedly, he had barely uttered two words when the man frowned and corrected him, “That sounds awfully distant. Just call me by my name. What Demon Lord? There’s no need for pleasantries between you and me.”

Nie Wuhui: “…” Why is there no need for pleasantries? If he remembered correctly, this was the first time they had ever met, right? Through a twist of fate, he had even drawn his sword against the man just moments ago. How did it come to this… Nie Wuhui truly couldn’t figure out why, with every sentence the man spoke, it felt like their relationship grew a huge chunk closer.

Suddenly, Nie Wuhui remembered the man mentioning the words ‘Dao Companion’ to him earlier, and couldn’t help shaking his head. He didn’t want to make an enemy of the other party, so he tactfully declined, “Thank you for your profound affection, Demon Lord. However, Wuhui is already a thousand years old and has no desire for romance. I have never considered forming a Dao Companionship with anyone.”

Hearing this, Ming Xiu was stunned. He sized up Nie Wuhui once again. The white-clad man looked only in his twenties, his appearance top-notch. He looked like an orchid or a jade tree, gentle and upright, yet possessing a sharp edge… No matter how Ming Xiu looked at him, he liked what he saw.

He stared at the man’s uniquely beautiful face and said in a daze, “What does that matter? I don’t mind that you’re old. You don’t need to take it to heart either, Wuhui.”

How did it become ‘Wuhui’?…Forget it.

Nie Wuhui fell silent for a moment and changed the subject, “May I ask why the Demon Lord captured that demonic flood dragon? Did you wish to take it as a disciple, or use it as a mount?”

Usually, Ming Xiu would probably offer some pretty-sounding platitudes, like ‘This Venerable saw it had potential and wanted to point it toward a bright path’… However, this moment was extraordinary. Simply put, the blood flow to his brain was insufficient, causing his phrasing to become blunt and dry. “This Venerable dislikes that it eats people, so I wanted to drag it back to the Heaven Slaughtering Sect to do hard labor. It’ll also save me the trouble of monitoring those demonic cultivators day and night, which is really boring.”

Nie Wuhui’s heart stirred, and he asked, “I heard the Demon Lord unified the demonic path. The demonic cultivators under you wouldn’t dare disobey, so why do you need to monitor them?”

Listening to the man’s clear and bright voice, Ming Xiu’s soul floated halfway out of his body, leading him to answer a completely different question, “Why are you still calling me so politely?”

Nie Wuhui: “…” After a long silence, Nie Wuhui smoothly compromised, “Fellow Daoist Ming.”

Ming Xiu wasn’t entirely satisfied, but he knew the principle of ‘going too far is as bad as not going far enough.’ So, he proactively steered the topic back, “Does Wuhui want to know about the Heaven Slaughtering Sect?”

It is known that the Heaven Slaughtering Sect was the sect he founded. By the same logic, if Nie Wuhui wanted to know about the Heaven Slaughtering Sect, he wanted to know about him!

Ming Xiu smiled and offered an invitation, “No matter how much this Venerable says, what’s the point? Why doesn’t Wuhui come back to the Heaven Slaughtering Sect as a guest? That way, you and I can have a proper, thorough chat.”

Nie Wuhui looked at the hand the man extended toward him. Following the palm upward, his gaze crashed into a pair of pitch-black pupils. Only then did Nie Wuhui realize that this Demon Lord—who had single-handedly upended the demonic path and struck fear into the hearts of the righteous sects—actually had a pair of apricot eyes with slightly upturned corners.

He froze for a few breaths, then replied slowly, “…Alright.”

Hearing this, Ming Xiu’s face remained impassive, only secretly praising himself in his heart. He led Nie Wuhui flying toward the Heaven Slaughtering Sect, his mouth never stopping the entire way.

“Which ‘Hui’ is it in Wuhui? Why don’t you hold my hand and write it on my palm so I can see? Otherwise, I won’t recognize it.”

Nie Wuhui didn’t speak. He simply cast a spell, causing the clouds to form his name. With lightning speed, Ming Xiu caught that cloud in his burlap sack. His eyes, however, remained fixed on Nie Wuhui, as if he wanted to shove the man himself into the sack and carry him off.

Nie Wuhui: “…”

However, the sights and sounds that followed left him in sheer amazement, making him completely forget the various absurd behaviors of the man beside him. For no other reason. But because of the bizarre spectacles within the borders of the Heaven Slaughtering Sect!

The flying boat moved slowly, just right for those aboard to clearly see the surrounding scenery. Sitting on the same side as the man, Ming Xiu pointed at the fields below and the multitude of demonic cultivators toiling bitterly within them, his tone brisk and cheerful. “When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it first tests him. This Venerable has high expectations for my subordinates, and thus puts them through many trials. As the saying goes, ‘Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above the rest!'”

Anyone with eyes could see that the Heaven Slaughtering Sect was completely unsuitable for farming, let alone Nie Wuhui.

Without needing him to ask, Ming Xiu observed his expression and proactively explained the entire cause and effect and his motivations, leaving nothing out. “…A century ago, this Venerable was just an ordinary mortal. I saw all the hardships and dangers of the world, so I wanted them to experience the bitterness and difficulty of a mortal struggling to survive.”

Watching the demonic cultivators obediently farming below, Nie Wuhui couldn’t help but turn his head to smile at the man, saying softly, “I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Ming to be so compassionate toward the common people. Wuhui feels ashamed of his inferiority.”

His heart was filled with joy, and a bright light shone in his eyes. He felt that this trip today was definitely not a mistake. Just then, the man changed the subject and suddenly said, “Once you’ve seen these, it’s enough. There’s nothing really novel about them…”

“This Venerable has something good in my bedroom, I’d like Wuhui to come take a look.” Ming Xiu squeezed closer to the man, discreetly tugging at his sleeve, his tone intimate. He was talking about the two pots of Flesh Ganoderma on the windowsill that could resist demonic qi corruption.

Little did he know, Nie Wuhui misunderstood his words. The man’s expression grew reserved. He pulled his sleeve back, put some distance between himself and Ming Xiu, and said straightforwardly, “Fellow Daoist Ming, I harbor only feelings of admiration and respect for you. I hope you will conduct yourself with dignity…”

“Please cease your frivolous talk.”

Ming Xiu’s face was full of confusion. Fine, what happened earlier was one thing, but how was he being frivolous now? What was so frivolous about looking at mushrooms??

He fell silent for a moment, deciding to properly explain himself. “Wuhui misunderstands. I do very much want to dual cultivate with you and share the clouds and rain of Mount Wu, but that’s not what I meant right now…” As he spoke, Ming Xiu paused suspiciously, adding, “If you want to, I’m not opposed to it either…”

Nie Wuhui spoke at lightning speed, “I do not want to.”

Hearing this, Ming Xiu’s face filled with disappointment.

Seeing this, Nie Wuhui truly couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked, “We have only just met and even exchanged blows. Why does Fellow Daoist Ming harbor such thoughts toward me?”

Ming Xiu blinked and replied, “You look beautiful.”

Nie Wuhui nodded calmly and continued, “That sounds like lust born from seeing a pretty face. Fellow Daoist Ming is also a cultivator, you should naturally understand the principle that ‘a beautiful face is but dry bones’…”

Ming Xiu inexplicably let out a chuckle. Seeing Nie Wuhui cast a curious glance, he explained, “You are the beautiful face, I am the dry bones. Are we not a match made in heaven?”

Nie Wuhui was left speechless.

The next instant. Nie Wuhui saw the man smile. A slightly curled lock of hair brushed past his brow and eye. His tone was deep and melodious, “—But I simply lusted after your face, and desired you. No one else.”

Meeting his gaze, Ming Xiu continued, “A fleeting glimpse, love at first sight… Call it whatever you want. This Venerable doesn’t care anyway. I just genuinely want to be close to you from the bottom of my heart, and speak my true feelings.”

The weather over the Heaven Slaughtering Sect was excellent. The sun was shining brightly. The man’s brows and eyes were plated with a layer of pale gold. He reached out and grasped Nie Wuhui’s wrist, drawing the man’s hand toward himself. With his other hand forming a loose fist, he used his index finger to trace two words onto Nie Wuhui’s palm— Ming, Xiu.

Nie Wuhui only felt a slight tickle in his palm.

“…”

As the final stroke fell, Ming Xiu suddenly heard a hollow, bizarre voice ring in his ear:

[Warning! The world’s main storyline has deviated by 10%.]