Futile Devices Scans

The form of address “Young Master Chen” was one that Chen Yixin himself had requested.

At present, he possessed not the slightest trace of cultivation. By the standards of the cultivation world, he no longer even counted as one of its members. Though he had been brought here to marry into the Demon Palace, he and the Demon Lord of Li Kui Palace had yet to undergo any dual cultivation ceremony. Thus, the title “Demon Consort” was still inappropriate. Calling him “Young Master” was barely suitable, but it would have to do.

“Young Master Chen’s body is delicate…” Nan Ke added by way of explanation.

Chen Yixin simply could not endure hunger. If his meal was delayed even slightly, he would cough blood for half the day. Watching it chilled the demon guards to the bone, as though he might vomit his life away at any moment.

Moreover, Chen Yixin’s constitution was exceedingly fragile—utterly lacking in resilience. Forget spiritual pills; even slightly precious medicinal herbs from the mortal world were more than his body could tolerate.

After one lesson, then another, the demon guards—disciplined as they were—had gradually developed a conditioned reflex.

The instant Chen Yixin said he was hungry, the sixteen demon guards could raise a cooking fire anywhere, at any time.

Wenren Li stood there clad in black robes. In the dim glow of the setting sun, he looked like a mass of dark mist that might disperse at any moment.

For those who met his gaze, even if their cultivation matched his own, visions of mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and endless slaughter would rise before their eyes before they could truly see his face.

After long enough, no one cared whether Wenren Li was handsome or ugly.

Chen Yixin opened his eyes.

He studied Wenren Li’s profile for quite some time before slowly blinking.

Even he did not quite understand his own state of mind. It seemed that in all heaven and earth there was nothing left that he truly cared about—or feared.

“I’m hungry.”

Chen Yixin voiced his most immediate need with complete honesty.

At his words, Wenren Li turned and met his gaze. After a brief pause, he nodded.

Soon afterward, Nan Ke entered with a bowl of porridge in his hands.

Only then did Chen Yixin realize that he was no longer inside the bridal sedan. Instead, he lay within a palace hall dominated by deep crimson tones.

The identity of the dangerous yet strikingly handsome man before him became immediately clear.

Nan Ke placed the bowl of fire-fruit porridge on a small table beside the bed and quietly withdrew from the chamber.

Wenren Li remained seated, his gaze fixed on Chen Yixin as though in contemplation.

Yet Chen Yixin could not guess the source of that contemplation. The difference between him and the Demon Lord of Li Kui Palace was simply too vast. Their worlds should never have intersected.

His condition worsened with each passing day. When he tried to sit up on his own, he quickly gave up the attempt.

“If you are unwilling—”

Before he could finish, Wenren Li had already leaned forward to help him up.

A soft white cushion of mist-like Weaving Cloud appeared behind Chen Yixin’s back, allowing him to sink comfortably into it.

“This is Weaving Cloud, isn’t it? It’s wonderfully comfortable.”

He had once owned a piece of Weaving Cloud, but it had only been enough to make a pillow. Having such a large mass to lean against freely was something he had never experienced.

As he spoke, Chen Yixin once more studied Wenren Li.

This man clearly knew how to enjoy the finer things in life. If Chen Yixin could share in a little of that luxury before he died, then the long journey from north to south would not have been in vain.

Wenren Li glanced at the smiling Chen Yixin, then picked up the bowl of porridge. Scooping up a spoonful, he brought it to Chen Yixin’s lips.

Chen Yixin opened his mouth and accepted it.

He savored the flavor carefully. His smile grew a little more genuine.

“The taste is quite good… cough…”

He pressed a cloth to his lips and coughed lightly. Blood seeped through the fabric, staining both cloth and hand.

Against the jade-pale skin of his fingers, the crimson blood looked especially striking.

Chen Yixin himself paid little heed to coughing up blood. But he had always been fastidious. Even when the blood was his own, he could not endure the sticky mess on his hands.

He tugged lightly at Wenren Li’s sleeve.

“I want to wash my hands. And if there’s somewhere I can bathe, that would be even better.”

Wenren Li looked at Chen Yixin’s bloodstained hands, then at the sleeve that had been seized.

At last, he spoke.

“Finish the porridge first.”

Chen Yixin frowned faintly.

But a man under another’s roof had no choice but to bow his head. Nan Ke and the others feared he might cough himself to death on the road. The man before him, however, might not be nearly so concerned.

Chen Yixin nodded reluctantly.

Still, his hand did not release Wenren Li’s robe.

If his own hand was dirty, Wenren Li would not remain clean either.

That small bowl of porridge took an entire hour to finish.

Chen Yixin was not deliberately tormenting Wenren Li; his body simply required that he eat slowly.

In truth, he had also been waiting for Wenren Li to grow impatient and leave.

Yet to his surprise, Wenren Li’s patience was astonishing. He showed none of the fiery temper Chen Yixin had always associated with demonic cultivators.

“I want to wash my hands. And I want to bathe.”

Now that Wenren Li had proven patient, Chen Yixin felt even less inclined to endure discomfort.

Though he had regained a little strength, he still had no desire to move. He assumed Wenren Li would simply use a spell to transport him to the bath.

But the Demon Lord proved unexpectedly contrary.

Instead of using a convenient teleportation technique, Wenren Li personally lifted him into his arms.

Chen Yixin had long grown accustomed to the title of most beautiful man in the Taixuan Realm, yet very few people had ever been permitted to approach him so closely.

Being carried like this, he could not help glancing at Wenren Li’s face several more times.

He freely admitted that he himself was more beautiful than most women. Over the years, many lustful fools had mistaken him for one.

Yet in Wenren Li’s expression, he saw nothing of that kind of desire.

Suppressing the odd feeling in his heart, Chen Yixin poked Wenren Li’s chest in mild dissatisfaction and began instructing him in a soft voice.

All the way to the Demon Palace bathhouse, Chen Yixin continued directing him.

Only when he was finally satisfied did he pat Wenren Li’s shoulder.

“Teachable.”

Wenren Li nodded slightly, calmly accepting the clearly insincere praise.

Meanwhile, the sight of the Demon Lord personally carrying Chen Yixin through the palace had stunned countless demon guards.

Rumors quickly spread throughout the Demon Palace:

The Demon Lord and Young Master Chen were already perfectly in tune.

Indeed, the so-called most beautiful man in the world was truly extraordinary—

even their cold and ruthless Demon Lord could not escape such beauty.

The bathhouse was filled with mist, rich spiritual energy swirling through the air.

At its center lay a spirit spring, a natural fountain of spiritual water.

Wenren Li set Chen Yixin upon a drifting mass of Weaving Cloud. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the guards standing nearby.

He then poured two drops of medicinal liquid into the spring and scattered several spiritual herbs across its surface.

At once, the spiritual energy within the pool was suppressed, its aura turning calm and unremarkable.

With another gesture, he guided the Weaving Cloud, carrying Chen Yixin closer to the water’s edge.

Chen Yixin pressed his lips together.

He had lived for more than a hundred years. Though most of that time had been spent cultivating, there were still some things he understood.

He knew very well why he had been brought to the Demon Palace.

Nominally, the man before him was his cultivation partner. If Wenren Li wished to consummate their relationship, it would not be unreasonable.

“My body is weak. If we… do that… I really will die.”

Even with fewer than ten years left to live, he still wished to live comfortably.

Until the very end, who could say what might happen?

“I don’t want to die.”

Chen Yixin raised his eyes, looking directly at Wenren Li as he repeated the words with rare seriousness.

Yet Wenren Li’s hands did not pause as he began undoing Chen Yixin’s robes.

“Would you prefer my demon guards to undress you?”

Chen Yixin shook his head at once.

He could barely tolerate the blood he coughed up himself. Allowing others to come close to his body was entirely unacceptable.

Though he did not particularly like Wenren Li, the man’s aura carried a danger that Chen Yixin could not ignore.

Even if he disliked him, he still restrained himself from showing it too openly.

He widened his eyes in protest—yet made no move to resist.

He had no desire to be crushed to death by a casual finger from this Soul-Transformation stage demon lord.

Gradually, however, his glare shifted from anger to something closer to disdain.

If Wenren Li intended to undress him, he ought at least to do so skillfully. Such clumsy movements were rather embarrassing.

“You haven’t undone the inner clasp yet…”

Casting him a sideways glance, Chen Yixin reclined with his robe half-open, his natural allure on full display.

Anyone with weaker self-control might have been transformed into a ravenous wolf by that glance alone.

Yet Wenren Li merely lifted his eyes briefly, located the hidden clasp, and undid it.

Then he lifted Chen Yixin and placed him gently into the spirit spring.

Completely naked in Wenren Li’s arms, Chen Yixin once more widened his eyes.

He had been unable to resist before, and he was no more capable of resisting now.

Wenren Li stepped into the spring with him. The surrounding Weaving Cloud rose like drifting mist, cocooning the two of them and isolating them from the outside world.

Yet bit by bit, Chen Yixin realized that Wenren Li had no intention of deliberately taking advantage of him.

Although, in truth, he already had.

The water of the spirit spring carried a faint heat that eased the relentless pain in Chen Yixin’s dantian and soul.

Wenren Li had entered the pool to continue treating him.

If he let his thoughts drift, the pain would press less harshly against his consciousness.

He stopped lecturing Wenren Li on how to hold him and instead shifted closer of his own accord, leaning comfortably against Wenren Li’s chest.

Transformation stage great demon as a pillow—no matter how one looked at it, he certainly wasn’t the one at a loss.

After a time, Chen Yixin slowly closed his eyes.

Just before sleep claimed him, he remembered to give one final instruction.

“Don’t take the Weaving Cloud away. I want to use it as a blanket.”

Wenren Li’s throat moved slightly.

His gaze dropped to Chen Yixin’s utterly unguarded face. For a brief moment, the cold ruthlessness in his eyes softened.

But the shift vanished just as quickly, as though it had never existed.

Half-asleep, Chen Yixin heard a quiet reply.

“…Mm.”

Then, wrapped in rare comfort, he finally sank into sleep.

His gaze lowered to Chen Yixin’s completely unguarded face. For a brief moment, the cold ruthlessness in his eyes softened.

But the change vanished just as quickly, as though it had never appeared.

Half asleep, Chen Yixin heard a quiet response.

“…Mm.”

In his hazy thoughts, he complained once more about this strangely behaving Demon Lord—

Then he finally sank into sleep, wrapped in the rare comfort of the moment.

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