Chapter 20: Kiss Marks on the Back

After listening to Sang Ying’s explanation, Xiao Lingzhou breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He had thought she was so emotionally shaken that she had lost her senses and wanted to use such methods to win Xie Lingyu over. He lifted his eyes and asked, “So, little junior sister, you plan to divorce him?”

Sang Ying nodded gently. “There’s no point in trapping him like this. I actually wanted to tell him a few days ago, but he’s been away.”

Xiao Lingzhou patted her shoulder. “It’s fine, little junior sister. Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged male cultivators are everywhere. You can pick any type you want.”

Sang Ying wasn’t in high spirits and replied indifferently, “We’ll see. Second senior brother, what did you need me for?”

“Senior brother sent a spirit butterfly message saying he’ll be coming out of seclusion in a few days. I have matters keeping me in the Demon Realm, so I wanted you to greet him on my behalf.”

Sang Ying was taken aback. “A spirit butterfly? Why didn’t I receive it?”

Xiao Lingzhou was also surprised. “You didn’t receive it? Oh, right, you’ve been resting in your room these past few days. The Restrictive Barrier probably blocked it, so it’s normal you didn’t get it.”

He clicked his tongue softly.

“Putting everything else aside, that kid Xie Lingyu is indeed meticulous when it comes to protecting your safety. The Restrictive Barrier he set up blocked a bunch of troublesome people.”

This “troublesome people” clearly referred to the Northern Desert Demon King and Xu Baishen.

Sang Ying could somewhat understand the Northern Desert Demon King—she had saved him once before. But she didn’t understand Xu Baishen. Even if it was about the struggle for the heir position, was it necessary to gather intelligence to this extent?

Or did he want to assassinate her while he had the chance?

“How is the Northern Desert Demon King?” Sang Ying asked.

Xiao Lingzhou naturally knew what she was asking and shrugged. “What pregnancy could a big male demon have? It was obviously a misunderstanding. But isn’t that a good thing? I don’t know why he acted like the sky had fallen after the Immortal Alliance’s medical cultivator examined him, and he locked himself up again.”

Sang Ying fell silent for a moment before changing the subject. “Second senior brother, I want to develop a merchant association in the Demon Realm.”

Xiao Lingzhou said, “That’s a good idea. I can communicate with Yin Tu. Judging by the Northern Desert Demon King’s attitude, it should be fine, but the demon kings of the eastern and western regions are probably out of the question.”

The demon kings of the northern and southern regions were newly risen in recent years, young and highly receptive to new things. In contrast, the demon kings of the eastern and western regions were old-school, with outdated mindsets. To this day, they still held a deep aversion to human cultivators, let alone engaging in trade with them.

Sang Ying shook her head. “It’s fine, this is enough.”

As long as there was one region in the Demon Realm where trade could develop, once the convenience of transactions was experienced, the demons from other regions would eventually grow restless.

Sang Ying and Xiao Lingzhou discussed the specific plans. Having not seen each other for three years, they also chatted about their respective experiences. By the time they realized it, it was already dark.

Sang Ying left the matter of negotiating with the demon kings to him. Feeling mentally exhausted, she returned to her room.

Xie Lingyu still hadn’t returned.

…Couldn’t he wait until after she divorced him to go find his white moonlight? Couldn’t he even wait that long?

Annoying guy.

She stared at the door for a while, feeling somewhat irritated, and decided to go home tomorrow without waiting for him. Yawning, her body, still recovering from serious injuries, was utterly exhausted. Without even changing her clothes, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

Late at night.

The young man who had just returned from the Abyssal Realm was covered in a chilling aura of blood. Just as he was about to push open the door and enter, he paused, forming a hand seal to cast a cleansing spell.

She had gone out today.

He lowered his gaze to look at the girl’s dirty clothes, as if she had been lying on the grass, with a few blades of grass still clinging to them.

He removed the hairpin she had forgotten to take out, undid the ties of her clothing, and helped the girl slip out of her outer garment.

The scent was complex and varied—clearly, she had met quite a few people today.

Among them, Xiao Lingzhou’s scent was the strongest.

Xie Lingyu fell silent for a few seconds, then folded the outer garment. As he did, a few items fell out. Seeing what they were, he frowned.

Why had she gotten these things? Did she intend to… use them on someone?

The girl beside him suddenly turned over, wrapping her slender arms around him. Her small face nestled against his chest, nuzzling softly before settling into a comfortable position and growing still.

Xie Lingyu naturally embraced her in return, encircling her in his arms, his arm resting around her waist. Just as he was about to pull the blanket up a little, the small figure in his arms mumbled something in her sleep.

He leaned closer to listen carefully and heard her say—

“Eldest Senior Brother… I want…”

The air around them abruptly turned cold and stiff.

“Xie Lingyu, this is my eldest senior brother. See how good he looks in white—just like an immortal, ethereal swordsman. Not like you, always dressed in dark, gloomy clothes, not good-looking at all. Oh, and you’re not allowed to call him that. Eldest Senior Brother is mine alone.”

“Xie Lingyu, what should I give Eldest Senior Brother for his Core Formation ceremony? A sword tassel? A hair ribbon? Or maybe a sachet? It’s so hard to make. Don’t just stand there like a fool—come help me. My hands are tangled in the yarn.”

“Xie Lingyu, do you even know how to grill fish? Even Xiao Mi, who loves fish the most, won’t take a single bite. Forget it, I’ll just ask Eldest Senior Brother. His grilled fish is the best.”

…

“Xiao Ying, how have you been lately? Senior Brother will be leaving seclusion soon. It’s been a long time since we last met. Come to Yunhuai for a gathering.”

Xie Lingyu looked at the intercepted spirit butterfly, his eyelashes lowering slightly, his gaze dark and unreadable.

The girl in his arms stirred again, as if troubled by something in her dream, her brows furrowing as she muttered softly.

“Xie Lingyu… you annoying ghost.”

—

The next day, Sang Ying woke up, rubbed her head, and sat up, noticing that her soiled outer garment had been placed by the bedside.

…Had she changed her clothes before falling asleep yesterday?

Never mind, it wasn’t important.

Sang Ying lazily stretched her limbs. Perhaps because she had chatted with Second Senior Brother yesterday, she had dreamed of her time on Minghua Mountain, begging Eldest Senior Brother to secretly make her oil-sugar cakes.

But because they were unhealthy and she wasn’t allowed to eat too many, Xie Lingyu had mercilessly confiscated her oil-sugar cakes, making her so angry she called him an annoying ghost.

The room was empty and quiet—clearly, Xie Lingyu still hadn’t returned last night.

Sang Ying grew increasingly restless and got up to wash up. Xiao Lingzhou, knowing she wanted to return, had already arranged for a demon escort—she could leave whenever she wished.

During her recovery, the medical cultivator had advised against catching a chill, so she hadn’t bathed for days. Sang Ying, who valued cleanliness, had long been unable to bear it. Now that she was feeling better, she decided it was time for a proper bath.

After scattering petals into the water, Sang Ying dipped her fingers in, removed her clothes, and slowly stepped into the bathtub.

After soaking comfortably for a while, she half-buried her face in the water, blowing bubbles, when she suddenly noticed faint red marks on her calves.

Lifting her legs out of the water for a closer look, the red marks became clearer—as if something had wrapped around them, leaving indentations. They weren’t just on her calves; there were some on her thighs as well.

Her skin was delicate and prone to scarring, easily marked by even the slightest bump or scrape.

Seeing the faint outline that resembled scales, Sang Ying’s heart suddenly froze—could it be that a snake had crawled onto the bed while she was asleep?

How infuriating! When Xiao Lingzhou gave her the sachet, he had sworn it was genuine, but it turned out to be a counterfeit product! Not only did it fail to ward off mosquitoes and insects, but it couldn’t even keep snakes away.

The thought of a snake crawling over her while she slept made Sang Ying’s skin crawl, and she lost all interest in her bath. She stood up, dried off the water droplets, and carefully checked her body for any other marks.

After examining herself all over, she found nothing besides the rope marks on her legs. Just as she was about to relax, she remembered something. Wrapping herself in her inner robe, she walked to the dressing table, turned her back to the mirror, and slowly pulled down her clothes.

Her dripping wet hair was coiled at the back of her head, and her fair neck and rounded shoulders showed no abnormalities. But as she looked further down… above the red cord that fastened her undergarment, a few deep red marks dotted the center of her delicate, translucent shoulder blades.

…?

Sang Ying stared blankly at those red marks. She could understand mosquito bites on her neck, but how could she have been bitten on her back while wearing clothes?

Frowning in confusion, she reached behind her back and felt the marks. Just like the red marks on her neck from yesterday, they didn’t itch or hurt—they were simply red.

After dressing, Sang Ying carefully searched around the bed but found no traces of insects or snakes.

After a moment’s thought, she took out the Glazed Mirror and sent a message to Xiao Lingzhou, whom she had just added as a friend on the Spirit Network the day before.

Sang Ying: Second Senior Brother, are there any insects or snakes in the Nanli Realm that leave only a red mark after biting someone, without causing itching or pain?

Xiao Lingzhou replied quickly: Junior Sister, were you bitten by an insect?

Wait, didn’t you wear the sachet I gave you?

Sang Ying: I did.

Xiao Lingzhou: That’s strange. Yin Tu made it. With the aura of the Southern Realm Demon King, no insect or snake should dare approach you.

Is the wound serious? I’ll call him over to take a look right away.

Seeing this message, Sang Ying stiffened and hurriedly replied: No need, it’s nothing serious.

How could she possibly let a male demon look at such a place?

Xiao Lingzhou seemed to realize that the bite might be in an embarrassing location and didn’t press further. Instead, he sent a minor demon to deliver a healing ointment.

Junior Sister, try this ointment first and see if it works. I’ll look into it further.

Sang Ying applied the ointment, but aside from a cooling sensation, she didn’t notice the red marks fading.

Resting her chin in her hand, she absentmindedly flipped through a book she had picked up at random. Perhaps it wasn’t an insect or snake bite after all?

Suddenly, an illustration of a man and a woman appeared in the book. The two were intertwined, with the female cultivator’s back exposed and the male cultivator leaning down to kiss the small of her back.

Sang Ying’s unfocused gaze fell upon the image. The moment she realized what it was, her ears flushed bright red, and she hurriedly closed the book.

…It was the Secret Manual that the Huanhe Sect female cultivator had slipped her yesterday.

Blushing, Sang Ying was about to stash the book away at the bottom of her belongings when something suddenly occurred to her.

Wait, on that female cultivator’s back…

Carefully pinching the corner of the page, she slowly opened the book again, her eyelashes trembling uncontrollably. Her moist eyes gradually focused on the illustration she had just seen.

On the female cultivator’s smooth back were several deep red marks, strikingly similar to the ones on her own body. Meanwhile, the male cultivator held the female cultivator’s waist, leaning down to create new red marks.

Sang Ying: “…”

So it wasn’t an insect bite, but… marks from being kissed?

Sang Ying’s mind raced, and in just a few seconds, she understood everything.

It wasn’t an insect or snake, but a person… or perhaps a demon, which is why Yin Tu’s sachet had no effect, why there were scale-shaped marks on her leg, and why there were kiss marks on her back.

A lecher had taken advantage of her while she slept!

Once Sang Ying understood this, a fire ignited in her heart. She had originally planned to leave the Demon Realm and return home today, but now she decided to stay.

This person had come for two consecutive nights and was likely to return tonight—the perfect opportunity to catch them.

She wanted to see just which audacious, lecherous demon dared to do such a thing!