章節 15: Nine Yin Poison
“So you wanted to steal my stuff?” Jiang Yao asked the only surviving bandit - the leader of the group.
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” the man shouted with panic and fear, but Jiang Yao just gave him a light slap. This sent the man tumbling away as blood and shattered teeth flew from his mouth.
From this, Luo Xiao could instantly sense that Jiang Yao was quite a bit stronger than Ling Mo. When Ling Mo slapped him, although he was wounded, he lost no teeth and had only bled slightly, although he was also thrown against the wall of the carriage.
“I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” Jiang Yao said with a sweet voice as gentle as the springtime breeze, yet at the same time, it also made both Luo Xiao and the bandit leader shiver uncontrollably.
Jiang Yao took a step and appeared next to the survivor. He bent down, gripped the bandit leader’s neck and lifted him into the air.
He gasped for air as his eyes bulged outwards. Slowly his face turned purple, and Luo Xiao who stood not too far from them looked away. He was uncomfortable watching this display of cruelty.
Because he turned around, he suddenly saw a beam of light shooting towards them at a speed even faster than the bandits had moved with before. The moment he saw it was also the moment it appeared in front of him.
Seeing the beam, Luo Xiao instantly knew who it was. He shrieked and laid down on the ground as Ling Mo appeared before him. But before Ling Mo had time to react, a body was thrown towards him with such force and speed that he was forced to dodge to the right.
“Didn’t see you return,” Jiang Yao said in a dangerously low voice as he suddenly stood right behind Luo Xiao.
The body of the bandit leader lay twitching some distance away, but after a few spasms, it stilled.
Ling Mo’s face was haughty when he looked at Jiang Yao, his eyes full of indignation.
“Why greet me with a corpse? I had no bad intentions. I just wanted to warn you about a group of bandits that roamed these regions,” he said, but although he explained, his voice was weak, and even he knew how fake he sounded.
“I see that you already met them and that they met their end here. It is, of course, unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. I am just relieved that both yourself and your little... friend are safe and sound,” he continued.
Hearing this, Jiang Yao snorted but he said nothing, he just placed a cold hand on Luo Xiao’s shoulder, pressing him against his own body to give him a sense of security.
Although Ling Mo smiled on the outside, it was impossible for him to entirely hide the resentment in his eyes.
He’d hoped that the bandits could somehow overpower Jiang Yao, but seeing the scene in front of him, he realized he had severely underestimated Jiang Yao.
When he saw that they stood no chance, he wanted to risk it all by interfering himself, but who would have thought that Jiang Yao kept his focus on Luo Xiao and even tossed a corpse out to protect him.
The more Jiang Yao wanted to protect Luo Xiao the more Ling Mo wanted to kill him.
Ling Mo had grown up in the Tiansong Empire. He had heard the tales of this Seventh Demon Prince time and time again.
The Seventh Demon Prince was the number one genius of all time! He was born a thousand years ago, and during these years, he had always claimed the title of number one genius. Later, he became known as the second strongest man on the entire continent.
He was known to be incredibly cruel. He would kill anyone who opposed him, and he cared for nothing and no one but those that brought him benefits.
If it benefitted him, he would even cast away his own family away. At least that was what the rumors said. In fact, there was also a rumor that the Fifth Demon Prince’s death had something to do with him.
The rumors said that Jiang Yao was cold and callous. That he would never let anyone get close to him, and he would abuse those that were of value to him.
He was swamped with countless beautiful women and men ready to throw themselves at him because his strength was overwhelming and also because he was known to be the most handsome man on the continent.
Jiang Yao had everything one could wish for. He had power and influence. He was known to be ruthless and selfish, but now that Ling Mo had seen another side of him, he was slowly forgetting all about the real Jiang Yao. He had forgotten that this man was as cold as a block of ice and willing to do anything to achieve his goals.
He had even concluded that because he was a Marquis of the Tiansong Empire, he was safe and sound no matter how many murder plots he set in motion against Luo Xiao.
He never would have thought that the only reason he was still alive was because Luo Xiao convinced Jiang Yao that the one who should take action against himself, Ling Mo, should be him, not the older male.
Jiang Yao glanced at Ling Mo but said nothing. Instead, he leaned forward and swept Luo Xiao off his legs once more.
Luo Xiao was rather thin-skinned and was easily embarrassed. He blushed when he had just the slightest skinship with Jiang Yao. He was still incredibly self-conscious even when he knew that Jiang Yao only cared for him because he had an Astral Soul and that everything was just an act. His face was so red that it seemed as if blood would drip from it when he was carried like a princess in Jiang Yao’s arms.
“I’ll go scout ahead,” Ling Mo said through gritted teeth, but no one paid him any attention. Ling Mo’s eyes glistened dangerously, but he didn’t flare up in anger; instead, he turned into a ray of light that rapidly shot forward.
“Let’s get moving,” Jiang Yao said with a gentle smile on his lips. He then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Luo Xiao’s forehead, scaring the young man silly.
Ling Mo was nowhere near them, so why would he kiss him? This made no sense to him, and his face betrayed his feelings. His face was so stunned and surprised that Jiang Yao couldn’t help but laugh.
He had kissed his forehead out of reflex. It felt like the right thing to do so he did it. Seeing the stunned and puzzled expression mixed with a bit of hesitation and doubt, he was amused to no end.
Luo Xiao was terrible at hiding his emotions. Everything he thought was displayed on his face as he never had any actual life experiences.
“Why would you kiss me?” Luo Xiao asked petrified, but there was no reply. Jiang Yao just tightened his grip on the lithe body in his arms and sped forward at a speed that was comfortable.
Luo Xiao sighed. He understood the hint. Jiang Yao had no intention of telling him what was going on, but he saw a smile hanging on the older man's lips making him seem as if he were having fun.
Nothing else unusual happened that day, but as it became night, they found a small inn where Ling Mo waited for them. He didn’t complain about stopping for the night; in fact, he didn’t complain at all. This was a welcome change but also one that warranted quite some worry.
Why would he suddenly become so understanding? It was likely he had another trick up his sleeve. By the time they got to the inn, Ling Mo had already found seats for them at the inn's restaurant that was on the ground floor, and before they came, he had ordered a few dishes and drinks for everyone.
Jiang Yao was as skeptical as always, but nothing seemed out of place. Luo Xiao drank a cup of tea with his meal and was the only one who drank tea as both Jiang Yao and Ling Mo drank wine. Then after settling down and eating some, Jiang Yao realized what was wrong.
“Stop drinking immediately!” he growled while he swiped the teacup out of Luo Xiao’s hand before he sniffed it.
“Nine Yin Poison!” Jiang Yao’s eyes turned ice-cold, and his hand shot forward, locking around Ling Mo’s neck.
“Give me the antidote now, or I will kill you,” he said with a voice so even and cold that could cause even hell to freeze over.
“I won’t,” Ling Mo said with a slight smirk on his face that turned darker and darker as he gasped for air. Although he was in a perilous situation, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
“The kid should have ingested some of the Nine Yin Poison by now. It is made from nine herbs of the yin attribute, and it will kill any man who has a lot of yang energy inside of him.”
“You know as well as me that there is no antidote for this poison. Who would poison your dear one? So ruthless,” Ling Mo mocked, but Luo Xiao just looked at the both of them. Was he poisoned? But... He felt completely fine.
“After consuming the Nine Yin Poison, his body will slowly freeze solid - shortly, he will be turned into an ice sculpture. It should begin now, so even if you kill me, I will get to enjoy his desperate, miserable face,” Ling Mo said.
“But I feel fine?” Luo Xiao said in a weak voice as he continued to check his body.
“How can you be fine. You drank the famous Nine Yin Poison!” Jiang Yao said confused, but when he looked at Luo Xiao, he saw that the young man was indeed not shaking from the cold, nor did he looked troubled at all.
Instead, he looked puzzled as he continued to observe his hands and the rest of his body.
Jiang Yao was so surprised that he released Ling Mo, but while Jiang Yao was surprised, Ling Mo was upset. It was his own Nine Yin Poison, and he had kept it for a long time, unwilling to use it because of how precious it was.
Now this legendary poison that he had traded a ranked treasure for proved to be completely useless. Had he been tricked? No way, even Jiang Yao recognized the scent of the infamous poison.
That meant that Luo Xiao was somehow immune to this poison. How could he be resistant to a toxin that all men would be frozen solid by? This made no sense.
Jiang Yao also wracked his brain as he tried to solve the mystery. He knew that Luo Xiao had killed a corpse puppet with the strength of a Heaven Rank cultivator, but it seemed like that was not his only secret.
This small Astral Soul seemed to have considerable luck. Jiang Yao and Ling Mo spent the next hour scrutinizing everything about Luo Xiao. Ling Mo was not allowed to touch, but Jiang Yao’s hands couldn’t help but measure his pulse and send his Qi into the young man’s body to ensure that there were no signs of the Nine Yin Poison.
The poison had completely vanished, in fact, it seemed as if it had been extracted.
Jiang Yao found nothing alarming and only after the hour passed did he feel relieved. Ling Mo, on the other hand, gnashed his teeth so hard that it seemed like he would break them. Wasn’t Luo Xiao’s luck too high?
“So you said you would enjoy watching my Xiaoxiao turn into an ice sculpture?” Jiang Yao said as he finally returned to the conversation he was having with Ling Mo previously, and hearing the voice that sounded alluring and tempting, Ling Mo felt shivers run through his body. He was a high-ranked soul cultivator and could feel the anger Jiang Yao hid beneath his calm exterior.
章節 16: Four Reasons
It was clear that Jiang Yao was immensely angry this time. His eyes blazed with anger, and his smile was so chillingly cold that even Ling Mo started to fear for his safety.
“Is it normal that I feel much better after taking the poison?” Luo Xiao suddenly asked.
He hadn’t planned on saying anything, but he felt that the lack of energy and exhaustion which had always been deep in his bones was slowly vanishing.
He felt much more energized now - as if a river of energy had surged into his body.
He didn’t understand what was going on, but his words caused Jiang Yao to listen to him rather than focus on Ling Mo.
Even Ling Mo was stunned when he heard the words. Nine Yin Poison was a poison. When consumed it would kill any man that it came into contact with.
Men were of the yang attribute and were incapable of coping with the intense cold contained within the Nine Yin Poison. There were only four ways he could have survived. One was if he were a woman, but Jiang Yao did not doubt that he was indeed a man. Ling Mo didn’t doubt it either after seeing Jiang Yao’s reactions.
The second reason would be if he were stronger than a Saint Rank cultivator. At such a level it was impossible for the Nine Yin Poison to affect him because his internal energies would eliminate the poison on their own. But for Luo Xiao, this was not possible. Everyone who looked at him could see that his strength was only at the Low Earth Rank.
The third reason was the possibility of him having a special constitution that allowed for him to handle cold much better than other yang attributed men. This was a possibility, but it was also so rare and unlikely that Jiang Yao dismissed it after thinking for a bit. He had even checked Luo Xiao's body with his Qi, but he hadn’t sensed anything unexpected.
And the fourth possibility was that he had some sort of secret treasure on his body that rendered the poison useless. This was what Jiang Yao thought happened.
He had previously seen Luo Xiao who had the strength of a mortal, kill a corpse puppet that was at the Heaven Rank. He still hadn’t figured out the reason for this outburst of energy, but he understood that it had to be something quite astounding.
Since it could kill a Heaven Rank cultivator as easily as it did, it was possible it could also counter the Nine Yin Poison.
Luo Xiao continued to observe his body. He felt chilled, but not cold. He felt that the energy was exploding within him, and it slowly seeped into the spiritual energy orb in his mind. He felt that the energy he could control was constantly increasing.
It was not an increase in his cultivation base, but it was a slow and steady increase in strength.
Jiang Yao glared fiercely at Ling Mo, before he harrumphed, stood up, and dragged Luo Xiao with him towards the room they had rented.
He was in a foul mood because he realized that he didn’t have everything under control. If Ling Mo used poison, then he had nothing to fight back with.
Jiang Yao was so strong that poison wouldn’t work on him, and as a result, he did not carry antidotes with him. If Luo Xiao truly were poisoned, then he would be incapable of saving him.
This was unforgivable. The realization that things were not completely under his control was enough to enrage Jiang Yao. This time Luo Xiao had been fortunate, but who knew how long his luck would last?
When they reached the room, Jiang Yao once more gave a long glance at Luo Xiao’s body. No matter how he looked at him, he did look as delicate as a woman and as beautiful as a fairy, but he was without a doubt a man.
Although he had a lithe body with graceful arms, a beautifully shaped neck, and a face so innocent and pure that even the gods would be jealous, but no matter how he looked at him, this was a young man through and through.
“Come here,” Jiang Yao ordered, and Luo Xiao hesitatingly stepped towards him. “Closer,” he called, and Luo Xiao stepped a bit closer, but was still a few steps away from him. “Come to me,” Jiang Yao said as he smiled at him and reached out his hand for Luo Xiao to grasp onto.
Luo Xiao hesitated. He felt that if he took this hand, then he would lose something important to this man in front of him.
Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Yao frowned slightly but said nothing. He wasn’t used to someone not instantly following his orders, but it was clear that this young man didn’t see him as the selfish, ruthless creature that he was.
Although he was scared by his actions from time to time, this young man still considered Jiang Yao to be his rock - his place of safety. He felt comfortable in his arms and secure when he was close to him.
Of all the people in the world, only Luo Xiao was able to feel like this. In this entire world, only Luo Xiao was, in Jiang Yao’s eyes, interesting enough to be allowed to feel this way.
After hesitating for some time, Luo Xiao tentatively reached out his hand and took Jiang Yao’s.
The moment he took Jiang Yao’s hand, Luo Xiao felt electricity run through his body. He shook and almost withdrew his hand, but Jiang Yao held on to him tightly.
He then pulled him close and hugged him. Luo Xiao’s head was buried in Jiang Yao’s chest, and he smelled the gentle scent of sandalwood as he listened to the steady beat of Jiang Yao’s heart.
Luo Xiao closed his eyes and felt at peace. It felt so right to lay in Jiang Yao’s arms; it felt so comfortable to be held by his strong arms, but he also struggled to fight this feeling.
Luo Xiao was confident that Jiang Yao was only worried because he almost lost his precious Astral Soul. Luo Xiao didn’t doubt that the reason Jiang Yao was like this was due to him being poisoned, but not because he was wounded but because it meant he would lose the special Astral Soul he had come across.
The truth of the matter was that although Jiang Yao knew the value of Luo Xiao’s soul, he didn’t treat him how he would usually treat his useful subordinates.
He treated Luo Xiao like someone that mattered to him, and even he, himself, was amazed by his sudden change.
Why would he suddenly change his entire demeanor? Was it just because of this strangely beautiful soul cultivator?
At the same time, Jiang Yao was still ruthless towards everyone else. This inn had conspired with Ling Mo to kill Luo Xiao, so he would let them live one more day as he needed somewhere to sleep, but the following day, he would bathe the inn in blood.
His eyes were ruthless and cold when he thought about what could have happened, and his killing intent slowly seeped out of his body as he looked at the relaxed man in his arms.
“Let’s get some rest,” Jiang Yao said, but Luo Xiao widened his eyes. It wouldn’t be the first time he had slept in the same bed as Jiang Yao, but it would be the first time they went to sleep together on purpose.
“What?” Jiang Yao snickered when he saw Luo Xiao’s face turn red with embarrassment.
“Nothing,” Luo Xiao muttered. He took his shoes off but kept his clothes on and looked at the bed as if he were looking at a bloody battlefield.
His eyes were solemn, and his body shook slightly. With a brief glance at Jiang Yao, he climbed into bed. He found a corner of the bed and wrapped himself up in one of the blankets. He then closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep.
His actions caused Jiang Yao to chuckle, but he said nothing. He undressed so that he was only wearing his inner robes and then laid down next to Luo Xiao - as close as he could get.
“You’ll be pretty cold if you don't come closer,” he laughed, but Luo Xiao shook his head like a rattle drum. “I won’t get cold,” he said stubbornly, but Jiang Yao wasn’t willing to give up.
“Don’t worry, I won’t eat you,” he promised, but Luo Xiao looked at him skeptically. This was the man who treated him as his amusement. He enjoyed seeing him embarrassed and had fun teasing him.
But at the same time, Luo Xiao understood the differences between the two of them. Jiang Yao was capable of killing hundreds of experts at a time, whereas Luo Xiao couldn’t even kill one.
If Jiang Yao sincerely wished for them to sleep next to one another, Luo Xiao really had nowhere to run.
And that was precisely what Jiang Yao wanted. So he reached out his hands and picked up the sheet that wrapped Luo Xiao up before he placed him in his arms. He then took the other blanket and wrapped it around them as well.
“Now you won’t be cold,” he said satisfied while a brilliant smile shone towards Luo Xiao with such tenderness that his heart skipped a beat. He was unable to continue looking at Jiang Yao’s face without blushing.
Luo Xiao had been feeling slightly cold ever since he consumed the Nine Yin Poison, but Jiang Yao was correct, he did get quickly warmed up when the older male hugged him.
His head rested on Jiang Yao’s chest, and he heard the steady sound of his beating heart. The continuous, gentle rhythm made him drowsy.
Soon he drifted off to dreamland with his mouth slightly open and his eyes closed. Ever since he had been taken into Jiang Yao’s chest his face had been flushed red, and his eyes were closed because he dared not look at the handsome and alluring Jiang Yao, but now that he had fallen asleep, his skin turned white once more.
Looking at the boy in his arms, Jiang Yao felt like he was holding a jade figurine. Perfect in every way.
“He is so frail,” he muttered to himself, “I have to watch out and not hold on too tightly, or he’ll snap. I’ve been called handsome my entire life, but I never figured that something so small and fragile existed. Luo Xiao has to go through life with such a delicate body.”
Sighing, Jiang Yao shook his head. Every breath he breathed was filled with Luo Xiao’s scent, and for once Jiang Yao felt happy. “I don’t need sleep, but I guess I should make an exception for once,” he muttered and closed his eyes.
One arm rested on Luo Xiao’s slim waist while the other caressed his hair. Gradually his movements became slower and slower as he too fell into a deep slumber.
Ling Mo stood outside the door, pressing his ear against it. Jiang Yao had not bothered putting up a barrier since the barrier was useless against Ling Mo anyway, but this had given Ling Mo the idea of checking whether or not they were indeed lovers.
For a long while, he had a feeling that something wasn’t right. Luo Xiao was too timid, too frightened and weak. Were they truly lovers or was it just something that Jiang Yao was pretending they were?
He wanted answers, and the only way he could get them was to see their interactions when he was gone.
He quickly unlocked the door with his spiritual energy and opened it with a few creaking sounds.
The moment he entered the room, he heard the heavy breathing of the two who were deeply asleep.
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