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Chapter 62: A Kiss

Beneath the hanging bed curtains, the fluffy little snow-white beast lifted its head, staring at the wall of blankets piled high between itself and the young man, marking their divide.

Without a moment's hesitation, it hopped down onto the floor, sauntered over to Chen Moqing's side, then leapt back up onto the bed.

Long black hair spilled down, silver ornaments woven through it swaying gently, the faintly curled ends tangling together with smooth, straight black strands. The handsome man in black robes sat beside Chen Moqing, eyes curved in a smile, tugging at the corner of his robe and giving it a shake.

"Not sleeping apart."

Ever since they'd first met, he and his human had always slept together. Even during that stretch when they'd had no choice but to sleep out in the wild, in piles of grass, they'd still curled up together on the very same pile.

Cang Shun breathed in Chen Moqing's pleasant scent, gathering up the smooth black hair falling at his waist, then pulled out a strand of his own, fingers deft as he wove the two lengths of hair together.

Chen Moqing watched this demon emperor braiding a little plait for him and said, "Why do you keep biting me."

Cang Shun lowered his head slightly, leaning close to his ear, his tone lifting. "Because I like you."

Chen Moqing met those curved, crimson-red eyes, thinking to himself that perhaps it was simply a demon-race habit, this fondness for catching things between one's teeth.

Biting his fingers was one thing, but he had to go and bite his neck too.

He arched a brow slightly. "If we're dual cultivating later, no biting without permission."

Cang Shun: "......"

Cang Shun stammered. "What... dual cultivation?"

Chen Moqing looked into his eyes, the corner of his mouth curving up just barely. "What do you think, Mimi?"

"......"

Cang Shun buried his head into Chen Moqing's shoulder and fell silent.

He began nuzzling wordlessly against his shoulder, his faintly curled black hair spilling down, scattering across him.

After a moment, his small voice finally emerged from the crook of Chen Moqing's shoulder. "Then... we have to hold the bonding ceremony first."

Chen Moqing's tone was unhurried. "What ceremony? Never heard of it."

Cang Shun's head shot up at once, staring at him without blinking. "You promised me, once we got back, we'd hold the bonding ceremony!"

Chen Moqing laughed again. "When did I say that?"

When he smiled, the corners of his eyes tilted up faintly, his gaze brightening with a soft ripple, like morning mist clearing over green mountains at dawn, the first ray of sunrise scattering broken gold across a still lake.

Cang Shun's gaze paused for a moment. Without a word, he raised a hand, his well-defined fingers gently cupping Chen Moqing's face, the pads of his fingers brushing slowly against that pale jaw, as though cradling something fragile and beautiful, fine white porcelain.

The young man tilted his chin up slightly, a sharp blade sheathed, resting still in his palm.

He... he likes me too.

A faint warmth bloomed in his chest. Perhaps from the array his human had carved for him, or perhaps simply his heart leaping with joy.

Cang Shun slowly lowered his head, pressing his forehead to Chen Moqing's.

Then, stealing the moment, he pressed a quiet kiss to the side of his human's face.

...Soft.

Not the finest osmanthus cake in the world could compare to him.

Cang Shun paused for a moment, then couldn't help stealing another quick kiss.

Then Chen Moqing watched the demon emperor's eyes curve into a smile before him, as if he'd just snuck a bite of honey, sweet enough to set his tail wagging.

He let out a faint sigh, his tone still carrying a smile. "Seems dual cultivation isn't happening after all."

Cang Shun: "?"

The demon emperor let out an indignant huff, raising a hand—

A snow-white paw came down, pressing against the young man's stomach.

A great, massive ball of fluffy white beast appeared on the bed, and taking full advantage of his enormous size, he crowded his human into the corner of the spacious bed, claiming him entirely, pinning him beneath a mountain of plush fur.

Chen Moqing, his face once again smothered in soft, thick fur, reached up out of habit, patting the fuzzy head nuzzling against his shoulder, feeling a faint coolness against his cheek—kissed, or perhaps licked.

The snow-white furry paw came down once more, one paw alone enough to pin down most of the young man's slender shoulder. The massive demon emperor lowered his head, murmuring quietly by his human's ear:

【For us demon-kind, dual cultivation... can also be done in true form】

As he murmured this, that paw had already slipped beneath the young man's robes, easily parting the wide swath of outer garment.

Chen Moqing: "......"

"............."

A moment later, the young cultivator, hair thoroughly mussed, held up a loudly protesting little snow-white beast by the scruff of its soft neck, dangling it in midair.

...

Tianshu Sect, the floating immortal ship sank into the sea of clouds.

Wanju Bubai jolted awake with a start, still faintly caught in what felt like a nightmare. Sitting up, he found himself still aboard the sect's immortal ship, a cold wind blowing against his face.

"Senior Brother, you're awake."

A junior disciple's voice sounded beside him. Wanju Bubai turned his head to see dozens of fellow disciples seated on the ship, robes torn and tattered, faces ashen.

His hand trembled. "We... lost?"

Their combined, united strike, the seamless coordination forged among their closest sect brothers over the years, their strongest technique, the Big Dipper Sky-Plucking Array... lost??

The junior disciple said nothing, only lowering his head further.

Wanju Bubai staggered, a tightness seizing his chest, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Amid the junior disciple's startled cry, he pushed away the hands reaching out to steady him, raising his sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"...It's fine, it's fine!" Wanju Bubai clenched his teeth. "We lost, but that doesn't mean Tianshu Sect has lost! Senior Brother Gongsun is still out there—with him, that man is bound to fail!"

"Senior Brother Gongsun is the strongest of our generation, and he has eight substitute life-tokens besides. There's no way he could possibly lose!"

The cold wind cut through him, and the ship around him remained utterly silent.

"...Why aren't any of you saying anything?"

Wanju Bubai looked at the expression on the junior disciple's face before him, and suddenly understood something. In an instant, he felt the blood freeze solid in his veins.

"That's impossible... that's impossible?!"

The junior disciple slowly turned his head away, unable to bear looking at him any longer. "Senior Brother Gongsun ran into that talisman cultivator on the very first day inside, and then..."

He didn't finish. From the other side of the ship, the sound of a young disciple's quiet sobbing had already begun to rise.

In that moment, Wanju Bubai's entire world came crashing down as well.

...

With the tournament's preliminary round concluded, Tianshu Sect's dramatic defeat had become the hottest topic of discussion across the Nine Thousand Prefectures.

In teahouses and taverns, on every street corner, everyone was buzzing about the name "talisman cultivator Liu Yun"—how he'd single-handedly cut down Gongsun Bushi, struck down eighty-three Tianshu Sect disciples, and held out to the very end amid a melee of thousands of talents.

Risen from the lower prefectures, appearing out of nowhere, talent beyond reckoning, made famous in a single battle.

Some compared him to the former foremost disciple of Tianshu Sect's Sect Master, wondering who would win between him and Chen Moqing. Even more people placed bets on how he'd fare against the Sect Master's own closed-door disciple, the equally Deity Transformation sword prodigy Xiao Jibai, should the two ever face off.

Though Xiao Jibai had barely made an appearance during the preliminary round, no one doubted his strength—not only did he possess eleven sword path spiritual roots, he'd also cultivated with tireless diligence, leaping from Golden Core to Deity Transformation in just ten years, a pace even the former Chen Moqing couldn't match.

Word had it that his senior martial brother, Chen Moqing, had grown so jealous of talent that rivaled his own that he'd driven a sword straight through his heart.

"Liu Yun's impressive, sure, but that Xiao Jibai has all of Tianshu Sect behind him, and he's the most favored disciple of Immortal Venerable Yu Bai besides. I say Xiao wins! I'm betting on Xiao!"

"Liu Yun's only lacking a sect backing him, that's all. Even if he can't take first place, top three is pretty much guaranteed. Though, why does it seem like these monsters always come out of the lower prefectures?"

"Not so, not so. That Xiao Jibai comes from the upper prefectures himself, and his talent's just as astonishing. If not for the Demon Abyss battle cutting his growth short back then, that Chen Moqing might never have had the chance to steal the spotlight at all."

"In that case, ten thousand spirit stones, I'm putting it all on Xiao winning!"

"A hundred thousand, on Xiao!"

Amid the feverish activity at gambling houses large and small, word had also spread that this Liu Yun had turned down invitations from a whole crowd of great sects and clans, instead returning alone to some inn in the imperial capital. No shortage of people rushed out upon hearing the news, eager to catch a glimpse of this talent who'd appeared out of nowhere.

But no matter how thoroughly they searched the capital, no one could find him anywhere.

Soon, another piece of news broke, landing like a boulder dropped into a still pool, sending ripples rippling outward in every direction.

——Among the talents eliminated from the tournament, a second trial was to be held, selecting two more slots from among these defeated competitors to join the hundred victors from the secret realm in the next round.

Naturally, Tianshu Sect simultaneously announced that the rewards for all one hundred and two advancing slots this round would be doubled.

Originally, the hundred talents who successfully advanced would each be allowed to select any one treasure from Tianshu Sect's outer vault—being the foremost great sect of the Nine Thousand Prefectures, Tianshu Sect's holdings were beyond measure; even the treasures in its outer vault were never lower than high-grade fourth rank, and far superior in quality to treasures found elsewhere.

Now, with the reward doubled, it meant those who advanced would come away with two treasures at once, each at least equivalent to a half-step Deity Transformation item. With this, much of the talents' lingering doubt was quelled.

"The outer vault's finest holdings top out at sixth grade. Feel free to choose any treasure, elixir, or cultivation manual that catches your eye."

At Tianshu Sect's outer grounds, a sect steward led the hundred talents up the long stone steps through the mountain gate, arriving before a magnificent, ninety-nine-story pavilion.

One of the upper prefecture talents gasped in admiration. "Worthy of being the foremost great sect, even the outer pavilion alone carries such astonishing spiritual energy!"

The steward stroked his beard and smiled. "And if, in time, you should rank among the top ten of the tournament, you may select a seventh-grade treasure from our sect's inner vault. Should you place among the top two or three, an eighth-grade treasure awaits you. And should you claim first place... heh, you'll not only earn a position as an inner disciple of Tianshu Sect, but a treasure bestowed personally by the Sect Master himself."

As he spoke, he cast a discreet glance toward the black-robed talent standing near the back of the crowd, noting the man's calm, unhurried expression as he idly played with the little bird chick on his shoulder.

Having cut down so many of their disciples, having endured the watchful stares of both inner and outer sect members this whole way here, and still able to remain so composed—this one was truly unfathomable.

Still, he was someone from the lower prefectures, newly arrived at their sect for the first time—was he really not the least bit awed by the sheer grandeur of their upper sect?

The steward drew his gaze back, saying evenly, "Very well. You have one hour. Be quick about it."

The talents pressed eagerly into the outer pavilion. Chen Moqing waited until most of those ahead had entered before stepping forward, when a figure in yellow robes drifted over to his side—Qiu Zaiwang of the Qiushui Sect, who had likewise advanced from the preliminary round.

"I've been looking for you these past few days, couldn't find you anywhere," Qiu Zaiwang said evenly. "After our last spar, I've made some further progress. Once the next round begins, I'd like to seek your guidance again."

Chen Moqing pressed down the little snow-white beast's lifted head. "I couldn't possibly refuse."

Chu Qingya, also among the crowd, turned to look back—he hadn't joined that battle of three thousand earlier, having instead fought on another front, holding out all the way to secure a place among the final hundred.

He'd meant to greet Chen Moqing, but remembering what Chen Moqing had said that day, he settled for blinking furiously at him amid the crowd, exchanging a silent look instead.

The demon emperor in his arms began letting out indignant sounds. Chen Moqing calmly lowered a hand, tucking it beneath the soft belly of the little fluffball.

The little snow-white beast stretched out its four short, fuzzy paws, gripping onto his hand, thoroughly satisfied.

Within Tianshu Sect's outer pavilion, ninety-nine floors connected top to bottom, countless points of starlight filling the hall—each star a treasure, its true form only revealed once touched by one's divine sense.

"This one's mine!"

One talent found a sixth-grade offensive weapon and reached out to grab it, only for the treasure to slip clean through his fingers as though it had sprouted wings.

The talent froze in place. "What's the meaning of this!"

The sect steward chuckled, looking rather pleased with himself. "Our Tianshu treasures are no ordinary trinkets like those found outside. A treasure has a will of its own, people choose their treasures, but treasures choose their people too. If you've set your eye on one, you'll still need to prove yourself worthy to take it. If you leave here empty-handed in the end, it simply means you weren't fated to have it."

"Steward," another talent spoke up, pointing off to one side, "and what's the meaning of that?"

The Tianshu Sect steward turned to look, and his eyes went wide at once.

That Liu Yun stood on the ground floor of the outer pavilion, surrounded by at least a hundred points of starlight drifting close—every single one a treasure gravitating toward him of its own accord!

A sight like this—the last time he'd witnessed anything comparable was when the Sect Master's own closed-door disciple had come here. And before that... it had been that very same former foremost disciple of the Sect Master.

The outer sect steward clasped his hands behind his back, utterly disbelieving, and immediately sent off a voice transmission.

Chen Moqing glanced over that way idly, giving the demon emperor's paw in his arms a light flick. "What do you like?"

Cang Shun looked at him, gaze sweeping over the treasures around them, then reached out a paw and grabbed.

He picked out a sky-blue gem and an ink-black gem.

Both talisman-crafting materials, both glittering brightly.

Chen Moqing smiled—he'd already noticed before that this Mimi had quite a fondness for shiny, sparkling things.

The little snow-white beast tilted its head up to look at him again, round beast-eyes unblinking. He tapped that little head and said, "They're yours."

In high spirits, Cang Shun clutched one gem, turning it gently before his eyes; the clear sky-blue gem let through the fiery crimson glow of the demon emperor's own eyes, lending the gem an even richer, flame-touched brilliance.

Chen Moqing picked up the other, ink-black gem, and tucked it between the little fluffball's round, soft beast-ears.

The little fluffball, which had been wriggling its head about, went still.

Clutching one glittering gem, another glittering gem perched atop its head, it nestled into its human's arms, tail swishing steadily, curling itself into a small, round little ball.

Chen Moqing turned his head to face the still-stunned steward. "I've made my selections. I'll take my leave now."

"...Very well." The steward blinked, caught off guard for a moment before answering.

Chen Moqing flicked a finger at the little fluffball nestled obediently in his arms, holding him close as he walked outward, passing through the outer pavilion's gates. On the stone steps, a few Tianshu Sect disciples were hurrying over.

His gaze swept over those disciples idly, unconcerned, his lashes lowering as he noticed the breeze stirring the plush fur in his arms, the gem atop the little snow-white beast's head tilting slightly toward one ear.

The little fluffball quickly tilted its head the other way, rolling the gem back into place, then tugged at his sleeve, letting out a small "mew."

【Our bonding ceremony...】

"Stop right there."

A low voice sounded behind them.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

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