THE WHITE MOONLIGHT ONLY HAS A HAPPY ENDING - CHAPTER 41

His pupils constricted slightly as his fingers tightened their grip. He had to admit, when she looked at him while saying those words, even the heart of this great demon couldn't help but tremble.

Her tone was so sincere, her gaze so focused.

On any other day, such words would have easily coaxed him out of his foul mood. But today, the demon thought to himself: She is using honeyed words again, trying to gloss it all over.

So, he stared at her in a heavy silence, refusing to utter a single word.

"Yanyan," she said softly, "I calculated the time. I knew you would come for me."

She looked at him with a faint smile. "In that sense, you are certainly my life-saving trump card. I wasn't gambling with my life."

He let out a cold sneer. "And what if I hadn't come?"

The mere thought that he might have been occupied, that a slight delay could have turned her into nothing more than nutrient for the thousands of horrors within the Myriad Demon Cave, sent a surge of lingering fear through him. This demon had never known the emotion of fear, yet in that instant, he hardly dared to let his thoughts wander further.

He remained aggressive, pressing the point. "What if I had been but two steps too late?"

She reached out to pull at him, but he leaned back, meeting her touch with a freezing stare. His gaze was heavy with pressure, and the demonic qi swirling around him did not dissipate in the slightest. It was as if he were truly contemplating how to punish her.

"Yanyan," she said, "if you're still angry, why don't you hit me a few times?"

She extended her palm toward him.

He looked at the hand she offered and ground his back teeth. If any other demon had provoked his ire like this, they would have been swatted to death in an instant. Looking back, she was the only one who had ever made him this angry and lived to tell the tale. Yet, he could neither strike nor scold her; she was like a piece of delicate tofu that he feared would crumble if held too firmly.

Thinking of this only made him angrier.

He grabbed her hand and actually delivered two sharp slaps. He didn't hold back much, and her palm went numb instantly. She let out a sharp hiss of pain.

Here was a woman who could grit her teeth through a meditative trance in the Myriad Demon Cave, yet now, she found even these two strikes painful.

He gripped her fair hand, glaring at her fiercely. "No acting spoiled!"

Then, he looked at her hand suspiciously, flipping it over and back again, wondering if he truly had hurt her.

Watching him, she couldn't help but let a smile slip past her lips. Her laughter instantly ignited the demon's temper. He yanked her forward, forcing her to tumble into his embrace.

A scorching breath brushed against her. The demon seemed to be searching for a place to sink his teeth into; after a moment of consideration, he bit her cheek. Her smile finally vanished as she pleaded, "Yanyan!"

He moved to bite her ear.

She tried to cover her ears, attempting to dodge while simultaneously struggling to escape the clutches of this towering demon. However, having just finished her meditation in the cave, her physical strength was utterly spent.

They scuffled for a while until she suffered a total defeat. Her earlobe was covered in his tooth marks, and he used his canines to grind against the sensitive skin until the pain made her gasp.

The demon leaned down, speaking with lingering resentment:

"Don't even think about going to the Myriad Demon Cave to practice your sword alone again. For the next few days, you will stay in the Demon Palace and rest. You are going nowhere."

His trust in her was beginning to go bankrupt. Where he once thought she was prudent in all things, he now began to doubt his own judgment.

He suddenly realized that this human cultivator cared about the lives of others and many other things, but she didn't seem to cherish her own life nearly enough.

As he thought this, his phoenix-like eyes tracked her dangerously, as if he wanted to cut her open and see what was inside.

She cupped her reddened earlobe, feeling it burn. She offered a helpless explanation.

"Yanyan, since I started traveling with you, I haven't encountered any real danger."

"You should know that a cultivator only pushes their limits and breaks through when facing danger and life-or-death moments."

Walking the edge of slaughter and crisis was the only path for a cultivator to advance quickly.

He heard her whisper, "But I am too comfortable now. I have to find a way to push myself."

She was no longer alone; she had help and a way out. But because of that, she was missing out on the tempering she needed.

How had the Great Demon King himself grown? By fighting for his life time and again in the Myriad Demon Cave, wandering beneath the fangs of other demons, essentially carrying his head in his hands.

How could he not understand this logic?

It was simply that while he could risk his own life, he couldn't bear to see her throw hers away.

He remained silent for a long moment. "Pushing yourself is fine, but only a lunatic plays with their life."

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, rubbing the red marks on her lobe, though his gaze remained ominous. "If I see you risking your life again..."

The sentence hung in the air, dripping with icy intent.

Finally, he relented. "If you want to go to the Myriad Demon Cave, you can. But you must take either Ran Yang or Little Eyes with you. You are not permitted to enter alone."

He emphasized the last words, giving her another sharp glare.

A small smile played on her lips; she knew this matter had finally passed. She glanced toward the Demon Vine flower by the window.

Ever since the demon had started glaring at her, the little flower had bloomed like a flared trumpet. The tips of its petals were curled and slightly singed, vividly illustrating the phrase "fuming with rage," and it even spat "fire" (pollen) toward her.

She couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The demon, who had reached the doorway, turned his head suspiciously at the sound.

"By the way, Guang Ping came to see you. He said that while your body has improved, any injury could still risk the danger of your soul leaving your body again. We will mend your soul first thing tomorrow morning."

The faster her body recovered, the more he could be at ease.

In truth, during this meditation session, she really had been testing her limits. The risk was great, but the harvest was immense. In just one afternoon, her understanding of the Golden Bell Realm had jumped to a new level. She could now spread the golden sword inscriptions across half her body.

From here, it was merely a matter of time. With more practice, she would break through the Golden Bell Realm at an unexpected speed. When that happened, the true Fifth Level of the Kunlun Sword Manual would be within reach.

Perhaps in this life, she could break through to the Sixth Level even before reaching the Spirit Severing stage!

The next morning.

She found him by her bedside as soon as she woke. He immediately placed his finger against her brow. With the successful experience from last time, the demon had left a small floating mark in her sea of consciousness. This time, his entry was much smoother.

Having visited once before, the demon was as familiar with the place as if he were returning to his own home.

A gentle breeze blew here, accompanied by the shimmering morning light. The place was filled with her scent. He narrowed his eyes, soaking it in, and thought: Compared to this, my own sea of consciousness is truly a hellhole.

He told her as much.

Sui: "Who describes their own sea of consciousness as a hellhole?"

The sea of consciousness was a reflection of one's inner world. Wasn't he basically saying his heart was dark and full of malice?

He let out a scoff. "Do you want to guess what is in mine?"

He said, "Skeletons, a crimson wasteland, and a world of endless night."

As he spoke, a black mist manifested from his fingers. Within the mist, she could see a glimpse of his inner world.

She realized the demon wasn't being humble. His sea of consciousness truly was a ghastly place, haunted by ghostly winds, stretching across thousands of miles of barren red earth, littered with skeletons. It was like a magnified version of the Myriad Demon Cave.

It really was a hellhole.

Sui: "I think I saw something white."

A moon.

The Great Demon King, who had been enthusiastically sharing his dark inner world, suddenly snapped the black mist shut. "There's nothing. You saw wrong."

His tone shifted abruptly. "I have suddenly found the eternal night of the Demon Realm unbearable."

This demon had lived in the Demon Realm for nearly a century, yet he suddenly found the darkness unbearable? This was a bit too ridiculous.

Demon Lord: "I have decided. I will frequently come to your sea of consciousness to bask in the sun."

Sui: "?"

As the words fell, the demon stretched out directly on her couch. He pulled her against his chest, then, complaining that the sunlight was too bright, he flipped a book over his head to block the glare.

Sui: Wasn't this demon just a youth who loved the sun?

Whatever. It seemed he was just looking for an excuse to linger in her consciousness. It felt as though every time he visited, he was determined to stay a little longer.

Perhaps it was because the weather in her mind was too bright, or because there were no battles to fight or worries to stress over in the outside world. Whether in her past life or this one, she rarely had such moments of relaxation. She was usually like a bowstring pulled taut, always maintaining a high state of vigilance.

With this demon, she didn't have to worry about taking care of others or minding their feelings. She didn't have to fret over the tedious affairs of a great sect. This demon was lawless and followed his whims; being with him allowed her a touch of that same reckless freedom.

She leaned against him lazily and gradually drifted off to sleep. She was like a calico cat curled up on a fierce hound, soaking in the sun.

However, perhaps because every entry into the sea of consciousness awakened deep-seated memories, she dreamed of her past life again.

Her Demon-Sundueing Sword pierced through his body. In the dream, the World-Ending Demon looked at her, seemingly saying something before shattering into ten thousand fragments. Accompanied by the howling snow, he passed through her body, like an embrace.

She snapped her eyes open, sitting up and clutching her forehead as she wiped cold sweat from her skin.

Her movement startled the demon beside her. He opened his eyes. "A nightmare?"

He reached out to pat her, intending to soothe her, but she suddenly grabbed his hand. Only when she felt his solid presence did she finally exhale a long breath.

He stiffened when she grabbed him, then slowly relaxed, pulling her into his arms and hesitantly patting her back. He had seen parents do this for children when he was young; this was how you comforted someone, right?

She leaned against his shoulder. Her mind was strong; she wasn't truly terrified. It was just that she had suddenly remembered something.

If he traveled through her sea of consciousness every time, it meant her memories were open to him, including those of her past life.

Other memories didn't matter, but what about that scene? The scene where she stabbed him through?

The girl in the demon's arms suddenly went rigid. She asked tentatively:

"Yanyan, when you entered my consciousness just now, did you see any... unusual memories?"

The demon didn't seem to notice her probing and shook his head.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, the Demon Lord, still lightly patting her back, spoke in a tone that suggested he was asking about something perfectly ordinary:

"By the way, I haven't asked you, why are there so many things in your memory that have never happened?"

She froze again.

He gave her an unreadable look. "Did you once enter an illusion?"

This question was far too difficult to answer, so she remained silent.

He let out a soft laugh. "If you don't want to say, then forget it. I will find out sooner or later."

He was right. This demon was the reincarnation of the Demon God; no one knew exactly what his inheritance contained. If he reached the realm of the gods, then mysterious concepts like reincarnation and time would naturally fall within his grasp. Currently, he only found those memories strange, but he would likely figure out the truth soon enough.

Seeing that her complexion had improved, he proceeded to help her mend her soul.

Once the session ended, he opened his eyes and took a sip of tea, watching the girl on the bed as she slowly gathered her senses.

He suddenly spoke. "Suisui, those things... they all happened, didn't they?"

His phoenix eyes were locked onto her. He had been suspicious since the last soul-mending session.

She looked up at him sharply. Her reaction alone gave him the answer.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Realizing her slip-up, she fell into a stunned silence. She had forgotten again, this demon was no fool who was easily coaxed. On the contrary, he was incredibly sharp and possessed a terrifying intuition.

He suddenly lowered his head, stroking her dark hair as if offering a promise or comfort.

"I won't hurt you."

Compared to the last time when he couldn't even bring himself to say those words, this time he spoke with absolute certainty.

But she was too unsettled to notice the difference, nor did she catch the unusual confidence in his voice, as if he already had some form of leverage or reassurance.

She was held in his arms, but she couldn't help but smile bitterly. She thought that if they continued at this rate, he would inevitably see the memory of her stabbing him during the next soul-mending session. Since he already knew those events had actually occurred...

How would this "big dog" currently acting spoiled in her arms react?

Would he look at her like a pitiful, rain-soaked puppy that had been cruelly hurt? Would he hold a grudge and want to bite her to death? Or would he simply turn his back on her?

Putting herself in his shoes, if she discovered he had killed her once in a past life, would she let bygones be bygones?

She felt like someone who had taken out a high-interest loan; the debt was snowballing, and she had just discovered a massive hidden liability. In front of her "creditor," the pressure was suddenly immense.

Fortunately, over the next few days, she spent her time practicing in the Myriad Demon Cave with Little Eyes. Aside from pulling Little Eyes aside for a stern lecture, the demon did not follow her.

When she emerged from the cave, she purposefully took a long detour, returning to the palace only at midnight. Seeing no sign of the demon, she let out a sigh of relief.

Upon entering her bedroom, she saw a pot of flowers by the bed, not Demon Vines, but Spirit Crystal flowers. Spirit Crystals were a type of spirit stone, but their qi was exceptionally pure, far more potent than top-grade spirit stones. Because they were so rare, they were practically priceless. Having them nearby could not only guide one's qi but also accelerate its circulation.

It was exactly the kind of thing he would do.

She couldn't help but laugh, yet a sense of tension remained. She instinctively scanned the room to confirm he wasn't there before finally relaxing.

What she feared most was that he might suddenly want to "talk"—to discuss that kiss from the other day. As long as he didn't bring it up, she could pretend it hadn't happened. But if he confronted her, how was she supposed to respond?

For the next few days, she spent every spare moment in the Myriad Demon Cave. During her sword practice, she worked until every last drop of her spiritual energy was depleted, pushing herself to the absolute limit. She would train until midnight, returning only when she was on the verge of collapse.

After a quick wash, the deep exhaustion would settle in, allowing her to fall asleep almost instantly.

Through these days of near-limit training, her Nascent Soul (Mid-Stage) cultivation stabilized, and her progress in the Golden Bell Realm moved steadily forward until she finally broke through.

As her cultivation improved, she began returning later and later. Eventually, even the System couldn't help but ask:

"Host, are you avoiding him?"

She paused. "No. You know that in the previous life, Chao Taichu was about to break through to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. I'm afraid he might break through earlier in this life, so I have to hurry and catch up."

System: "Then why do you circle the Demon Palace three times every night and only go in once you're sure he isn't there? Host, do you know how much you look like a thief right now?"

Sui: "..."

Finally, she spoke. "I once drove a sword through his heart."

The System was puzzled. "That was in the past life."

The girl holding the sword looked up at the night sky and sighed. "But after the next soul-mending, he'll basically know."

The System had initially thought the Host was lacking courage, but upon hearing this, it immediately lost its nerve and grew anxious.

She said, "I want to clear my head."

So, her way of clearing her head was to practice her sword like a maniac. This wasn't a battle where everything was black and white; logic didn't work here because emotions were like a prairie fire. The way he had been looking at her lately was blunt and primal, hardly bothering to hide his possessiveness and greed.

She wasn't some reincarnated Buddha; she couldn't remain unmoved under such a gaze.

These days, she should have been thinking about the location of the Sky-Mending Stone or considering what she had discussed with Chao Zhaoyue regarding rebuilding a sect... those were the things she was supposed to do. But the moment she stopped, a certain demon would appear in her mind.

System: "Host, do you know that while you're circling the palace three times, he's standing on the mountain opposite, watching you do it?"

She looked up and indeed saw a high mountain across from the palace. She could faintly make out a demon leaning against a tree, arms crossed, watching her with practiced ease.

Sui: "..."

Because she had been training so hard, she was physically exhausted and usually slept very soundly, never waking in the middle of the night. Perhaps because she had finished a bit earlier today, her sleep wasn't as deep.

When the sound of footsteps echoed outside that night, she gradually drifted toward wakefulness and sensed a familiar presence by the bed.

He seemed to have returned quite late as well. He brought with him the heavy scent of dew and a draft of wind as he pulled up a chair and sat by her bedside. Like a silent, great ghost, he watched her in the quiet dark.

Though he didn't say a word, his presence was overwhelming. His hot, greedy gaze fixed on her like a predator waiting for its moment.

Since that kiss, although they remained close, the demon hadn't made any further moves to cross the line, almost as if he had purely forgotten about it.

Under his gaze, she didn't open her eyes, but her hand secretly tightened on the silk quilt.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, minutes, or perhaps longer. He suddenly stood up and leaned over. That scorching breath enveloped her as he pressed a kiss to her lips. It was hot, but he only lingered there, moving softly against her lips without deepening the kiss. It was a perfectly natural "goodnight" kiss.

Her entire body went rigid. The burning kiss landed on her lips, his breath so close.

The illusion of peace she thought they had... it turned out she was the only one playing make-believe.

He pulled her into his arms and lay down beside her. Like a fierce beast retracting its claws, he rested quietly next to his tamer and fell into a slumber.

His scent was everywhere.

She remained stiff for a long time until she felt his steady breathing, only then allowing herself to relax. His embrace was incredibly warm. His large frame easily gathered her in, their bodies fitting together perfectly.

The climate of the Demon Realm was cold and damp, especially at night, with a chill that seeped into one's bones. She suddenly felt that being held by him made the room feel warm and cozy.

A long while later, she opened her eyes and suddenly thought: Maybe I should just ask him.

"Yanyan."

The great demon opened his eyes almost instantly. His chin rested on her head, and he let out a lazy "Mm?"

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she didn't know how to follow up. How was she supposed to ask?

If I stabbed you right now, how would you feel?

I stabbed you in the past; do you hold a grudge?

If I stab you in the future, will you forgive me?

Any way she asked it felt strange. If she asked "well," it would sound like some scumbag's speech before killing his wife to attain the Dao. If she asked "badly," it would sound like she had been nursing a grudge against him and dreamed of stabbing him day and night.

He noticed she had called his name but didn't continue, so he gave her a little nudge.

Since she had already spoken, she couldn't just back out, so she scrambled for an excuse.

"Why did you sneak a kiss?"

Demon: "..."

She was awake?

He stiffened for a split second. But immediately, the flexible morals and lack of shame inherent to the demon race kicked in.

After that brief moment of tension, he narrowed his phoenix eyes. His aura flared as he shamelessly brought up old scores.

"What? It's fine for you to take liberties with me, but I can't kiss you?"

She was left speechless. It took her a moment to reply, "But last time..."

Demon: "Last time, and the time before that. How many times have you kissed me? Have you even counted?"

She was lost for words. Who would actually count such a thing?

The demon said calmly, "Ten times, let's say."

Did he really count?

She immediately retorted, "That's not right. How could there be as many as ten?"

He looked down at her. "I rounded up."

Sui: "..."

Sui: "But back then, I was under the influence of the Love Gu. I didn't mean to take liberties with you."

The demon sat back comfortably, his phoenix eyes sweeping over her with a smirk.

"You didn't mean to? Well, did you take liberties or not?"

Sui: "..."

He narrowed his eyes again. The guilt of being caught sneaking a kiss had vanished completely, replaced by an imposing momentum as he pressed his advantage.

"You've kissed me, and we've slept together. My purity is already gone."

"So I kissed you once. What's wrong with that? You were the one who had your way with me first!"

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