Chapter 51: A Door Apart

A burning, stinging sensation spread through her heart. Sang Ying lowered her head and, following his finger, saw a Red Lotus mark glowing on her chest—vivid and magnificent.

She was a bit dazed. “What is this?”

She hadn’t seen it last night when she bathed.

Cool fingertips slowly traced the Red Lotus as a low voice sounded before her. “Once you’ve undergone Dual Cultivation with the dragon clan, a Contract mark will remain. You can never betray the dragon clan, or you’ll suffer the Contract’s Backlash.”

He lifted her small face, his dark eyes gloomily fixed on her. “So, it’s impossible for you to be with him. You might as well give up.”

Sang Ying: “…”

No wonder he had been so eager to Dual Cultivate with her when his true nature was exposed and he went mad. Even after returning from the Yaochi Secret Realm, he was in such a hurry—his injuries not yet healed—to coax her. So this was his plan all along: to bind her to him as soon as possible.

Last time, he suspected she liked the eldest senior brother and that their separation was to be with him. This time, he suspected she liked the second senior brother and that her refusal to Dual Cultivate here was to preserve herself for him.

Being constantly doubted and suspected like this, and having her explanations interrupted and ignored, Sang Ying was growing annoyed. She treated her two senior brothers like family, didn’t she?

And if she really liked her senior brothers, why wouldn’t she have entered a fake marriage with one of them instead of choosing him?

If this had happened before, it would have been one thing—she hadn’t known anything then. But now she had agreed to be with him, allowed him to be close to her, and even consented to Dual Cultivation.

How many times had she said it? She wouldn’t leave him, and she wouldn’t fall for anyone else. Why couldn’t he believe her?

Sang Ying looked at the person before her, unable to see through the depths of his eyes.

The scent of alcohol on him was overpowering. She didn’t know if he was truly drunk.

Yet not long ago, she had personally tied a Sword Tassel for him.

Hadn’t she made her feelings clear enough? Couldn’t he see at all that the person she liked was him?

Anger surged in her heart. Sang Ying stiffened her small face and met his gaze directly. “What if I insist on being with Second Senior Brother?”

The air around them instantly grew heavy, cold as if submerged in icy water. A chill crept up her spine, sending shivers down her back.

In her vision, those dark eyes seemed to freeze over, faintly revealing the outline of a Demonic Vertical Pupil. Sang Ying couldn’t help but tremble.

His voice, however, was soft, almost inaudible. “What did you say?”

When Sang Ying grew stubborn, no one could stop her. She bit her lip and repeated, “I said, I want to be with Second Senior Brother.”

“What’s wrong? Isn’t that what you said? I like Second Senior Brother, so what’s the problem with wanting to be with him? I’ll go confess to him right now and tell him I like him.”

With that, Sang Ying jumped down from the table and headed toward the door.

Her hand had just touched the door when her wrist was suddenly seized by icy fingers, holding her firmly in place.

Sang Ying turned around, her anger flaring even hotter. She struggled fiercely against his grip. “Xie Lingyu, let go… Mmm!”

Her voice was abruptly swallowed. Her wrist slammed against the cold door panel, and her back pressed tightly against it, her shoulder blades aching from the impact.

Forced to tilt her head back, she endured his kiss—fierce and ruthless, laced with the scent of alcohol. It felt almost like he was biting her, like a beast that had lost all reason. He kissed her until she couldn’t breathe, and soon, the corners of her eyes flushed red.

Sang Ying was in a fit of anger, how could she possibly let him kiss her obediently? Unable to push him away with force, as he pried open her lips and pressed in, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.

Instantly, the sweet, metallic taste of blood spread between their lips and teeth, mingling with the scent of wine.

But the young man did not stop; instead, as if provoked, he tightened his icy fingers around the back of her head and kissed her even more fiercely.

His surging water attribute spiritual power stirred, and water lotuses condensed densely around them.

The Dragon Tail coiled around her, its golden ring shifting and tightening around the floating water lotuses. The cool scales at the end of the tail pressed against the lotus petals, and the fluffy white fur at the tip swept over, stained with Lotus Dew, clumping together as it soaked.

The tail…!

Sang Ying reached out, wanting to grab the Dragon Tail pressed against the water lotuses, but both her hands were easily pinned by his single hand and pressed against the door.

Sang Ying was someone who responded to softness but resisted force. The more he acted this way, the angrier she became.

He was the one unwilling to listen to her explanation, and now he was behaving like this—was he forcing her to submit to him?

When it came to kissing, if one party was unwilling or resisted, what should have been a sweet, intimate interaction turned into a battlefield struggle, as if they were enemies, each trying to make the other suffer.

Sang Ying did exactly that, biting him whenever she found an opportunity. But each time she bit him, he kissed her even more fiercely.

The difference in strength was already vast. Even when he kissed her gently for a long time, she couldn’t endure it. Now, with such ferocity, it felt as though her breath was no longer her own. The last traces of oxygen in her chest were completely stolen, and her mind grew dizzy.

When he finally released her, her vision went dark.

She had no consciousness left to think. Her amber eyes were veiled in a thick haze, her gaze unfocused. Only instinct drove her to gasp for breath, her damp eyelashes trembling incessantly.

If not for the Dragon Tail coiled around her and the young man gripping her waist, she would have already slid down the door to sit on the floor.

It took a long while for Sang Ying’s consciousness to return. Seeing herself in such a state only made her angrier—to be reduced to this after just a few kisses was truly pathetic.

The young man’s hand encircled her neck, his fingers easily controlling her slender throat. His thumb slowly stroked the thin skin beneath, feeling the violently pulsing blood vessels.

Her entire mouth was filled with the scent of White Sandalwood, overwhelmingly thick, as if he had marked her, claiming her entirely as his own.

If she was suffering, she wouldn’t let him off easily either.

Sang Ying took a deep breath, raised her eyes to glare at him, and met those gloomy, dark eyes. Defiantly, she continued, “Even if you have my body, what does it matter? My heart belongs to someone else.”

The fingers around her neck suddenly tightened, and Sang Ying let out a choked sob.

Upon hearing her pained sound, they loosened just as abruptly the next moment, stroking gently as if to soothe.

Slowly, he tilted her small face upward, his thumb sliding down to rest over the Red Lotus mark on her chest.

He spoke slowly, his voice low and soft, yet chilling to the bone, “Junior Sister, is the heart here?”

His cool thumb traced over her chest, slowly, gently.

“If I dig it out, will Junior Sister stop thinking of others?”

“…!!”

A chill ran down Sang Ying’s spine as she pressed against the door. “Xie Lingyu, do you want to kill me?!”

Faint moonlight seeped through the cracks in the door, casting a half-light on the young man. His profile was hidden in the dim glow, his dark eyes obscured and unclear.

Upon hearing this, he suddenly let out a soft chuckle, cupping her face and gently stroking it with his thumb in an exceedingly tender motion. “Digging it out would be a bit painful. I know of a Gu in the Nanli Realm that can silently devour a person’s heart without causing any pain.”

“But there’s no need for you to worry or be afraid, Shimei. Losing your heart won’t kill you. As long as we connect our lives through a Blood Pact, and you sustain your life with my Blood Soul, you’ll be no different from a normal person.”

His tone was earnest, but Sang Ying felt her scalp tingle, her back grow cold, and her hair stand on end.

Help… Xie Lingyu really was a pervert! He actually wanted to dig out her heart!

At this point, she was certain he was truly drunk. The sober Xie Lingyu would never treat her like this.

Since childhood, Xie Lingyu had always been deeply concerned about her body. Because she was frail, he paid close attention to her in every way.

Even when he locked her in the dark room, he chose the finest bed and the most comfortable soft quilts.

Even the shackles around her ankles were lined with fine velvet on the inside, because the chains would chafe her skin.

A few days ago, during her Menstrual Period, he even insisted on changing her clothes for her, not letting her do anything herself.

Who would have thought that Xie Lingyu would become like this when drunk, unleashing his dark side.

…If this continued, would he end up slicing her into sashimi next?

Footsteps sounded from outside the door behind them, growing closer.

Sang Ying heard the clinking of jade pendants against a sword hilt mixed with the footsteps and recognized it as Xiao Lingzhou.

Instantly, as if seeing a savior, her eyes lit up, and she opened her mouth to call out to him.

But the next second, her mouth was covered, muffling her voice.

Sang Ying was about to bite his hand hard to make him let go.

But in the next moment, she let out a muffled sob, her eyes instantly reddening at the corners. The misty dampness in her gaze thickened, gathering into a glistening teardrop at the edge of her eye.

A few seconds later, Sang Ying snapped back to reality, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at the young man right in front of her.

He… he actually kissed her just like that, right here in the Chamber of Commerce Building, in this Banquet Room that had just been filled with guests clinking glasses.

Shock quickly turned to anger. Sang Ying bit down on his hand, holding nothing back, her teeth sinking deeply into the back of his hand.

The young man lowered his head and gently kissed away the teardrop at the corner of her eye, his voice soft. “Shimei, you’re biting too hard. Relax a little.”

…How could she possibly relax!

Flustered and furious, Sang Ying not only didn’t let go but instead bit down on his hand like a stubborn puppy, her sharp little canine teeth piercing the skin on the back of his hand, blood spreading at the corner of her lips.

She had little experience with kissing—they had only kissed once before. Although he had coaxed her earlier when trying to please her, his hand and his dragon tail were entirely different matters.

And how could he… how could he kiss her in a place like this?

Right by the door, where people from the Chamber of Commerce could pass by in the hallway, or even push the door open and see… Wait, Sang Ying suddenly remembered…

Two light knocks sounded on the door behind them, followed by Xiao Lingzhou’s voice coming through the thin wooden panel.

“Shimei, how are you doing?”

Sang Ying’s embarrassment peaked at that moment. Just as she was about to speak, a muffled groan escaped her lips.

This wicked dragon was doing it on purpose! He deliberately kissed her when Xiao Lingzhou was nearby.

Unable to stop Xie Lingyu, Sang Ying could only remain tense, not daring to make a sound or even breathe heavily, hoping that Xiao Lingzhou outside the door would leave after hearing no response.

But the young man did not grant her wish. His dragon tail wrapped around her waist, and he pinched her small face, lifting it to plant a forceful kiss on her lips.

“Mm!”

Her back collided with the door, and Sang Ying couldn’t help but let out a muffled sob, biting his hand even harder, her small canine teeth sinking deep into the back of his hand.

Drops of blood fell, blooming like tiny crimson flowers on the floor.

Standing outside the door, Xiao Lingzhou heard something hit the door and paused in surprise.

“Junior Sister, are you at the door?”

There was no response from behind the door.

But a faint scent of blood lingered in the air.

Having spent years in the Demon Realm and sustained numerous injuries, Xiao Lingzhou was highly sensitive to the smell of blood. He immediately frowned, growing tense. “Little Junior Sister, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Inside the room, Sang Ying listened to his concerned inquiries, feeling only increasing embarrassment.

Here she was, in the Banquet Room of the Chamber of Commerce Building, standing right by the door, with only a door separating her from her senior brother, Xiao Lingzhou.

If he were to find out…

The mere thought of such a possibility made Sang Ying even more tense. The young man clearly noticed, lowering his head to gently bite her neck and whispering, “Junior Sister, your second senior brother is asking you a question. Why aren’t you answering him?”

“Didn’t you want to confess to him? Why aren’t you speaking?”

“…”

Sang Ying’s mind was muddled by the kisses, her teeth still clamped on the back of his hand. Even so, she couldn’t suppress her muffled sobs, not daring to utter a single word.

“Little Junior Sister, is Xie Lingyu bullying you?”

The door was knocked again, and Xiao Lingzhou’s voice grew even more anxious.

The young man pressed against the crook of her neck and chuckled softly.

Warm breath brushed her neck as he turned her small face toward the shadow reflected on the door. His voice was low and gentle, whispering into her ear and sending a shiver down Sang Ying’s spine.

“Junior Sister, should we tell him what we’re doing?”