Chapter 143: The Unconscious Little Devil
The secret realm was an isolated space, a forest of endless yellow leaves, with a layer of soft white grass covering the ground.
At the edge of the forest, in a pool of water, Mo Cunzhi held the unconscious Yu Le in his arms, both of them soaking in the water.
Mo Cunzhi wore black, his upper body leaning against the white grass at the pool’s edge, one hand supporting Yu Le.
Yu Le’s blood-stained outer robe had been removed, leaving him in just his inner garments. Having been in the water for too long, the bloodstains on his clothes had faded to a pale red.
He rested against Mo Cunzhi’s chest, with only his head above the water, his loose black hair floating like waterweeds.
Since they had fallen into the secret realm, Yu Le hadn’t woken up. Besides the wounds from his fight with Xie Que, new injuries would occasionally appear.
It was a sign that his body couldn’t withstand the violent energy and was showing signs of breaking down.
Mo Cunzhi had continuously channeled demonic energy into him, night and day without rest, barely managing to keep his condition balanced on the edge of danger.
Fortunately, he had found this pool of water, where soaking could quickly heal wounds and help with the absorption of demonic energy.
After three days of soaking, Yu Le’s condition finally stabilized.
Mo Cunzhi’s tense mind was at last able to relax a little. He looked down at the top of Yu Le’s head, slightly lost in thought.
He was not unfamiliar with the body in his arms, and this wasn’t the first time Yu Le had rested in his embrace.
But this time was the quietest. There was no sudden biting at his chest followed by a playful apology, nor was there the usual tracing of his fingers over Mo Cunzhi’s heart as if planning where to strike.
Yu Le only leaned quietly against him, head lowered, showing an unsettling obedience.
Mo Cunzhi had to hold him tightly with his arms to prevent him from slipping down.
Suddenly, the quiet head in his arms moved. Startled, Mo Cunzhi quickly reached out to lift his face.
When Mo Cunzhi saw those eyes, now as red and translucent as glass, Yu Le had already bared his teeth and viciously bitten into the base of Mo Cunzhi’s thumb, almost tearing through his hand.
Mo Cunzhi’s grip loosened, and his arms were suddenly empty.
Yu Le darted out of his embrace, running from the pool to the shore without looking back, disappearing into the forest.
Mo Cunzhi immediately chased after him. The wound on his hand was deep, and as he moved through the branches, drops of fresh blood dripped to the ground.
But Mo Cunzhi paid no mind to his injury, frowning as he followed closely behind Yu Le.
In the golden forest ahead, Yu Le ran swiftly like a white fox.
His body had only just stabilized, and running like this was dangerous.
Mo Cunzhi had no choice but to call out to him: “Yu Rui!”
He called twice, but the person ahead seemed not to hear, not slowing down in the slightest. Mo Cunzhi suddenly remembered something and hesitated before changing his approach.
“Yu Le?”
Yu Le’s steps suddenly faltered, and he glanced back. Mo Cunzhi saw that there was nothing in those translucent red eyes.
It seemed Yu Le was being driven purely by instinct.
Yu Le only paused for a moment before turning his head and continuing to flee. His bare feet stepped on the golden leaves, sending a swirl of them into the air.
His white figure was graceful and free, as if no one could catch him.
“Yu Le, stop.”
Yu Le glanced back again, and there was a hint of curiosity in his red eyes.
Mo Cunzhi seized the moment to subdue him, pressing him to the ground.
“Don’t run, you’re still not… Ugh!” Mo Cunzhi felt sharp pain in his neck and tightened his grip on Yu Le’s hands.
Yu Le was truly fierce. With his hands and feet restrained, he simply opened his mouth and bit into the flesh of Mo Cunzhi’s neck.
Blood sprayed across Yu Le’s innocent-looking face.
He stuck out his tongue and licked it, as if savoring the taste.
Mo Cunzhi grabbed Yu Le’s hands, twisting them behind his back to keep him from moving.
But Yu Le struggled fiercely. He kicked Mo Cunzhi twice, and even though Mo Cunzhi was holding him down, he had no idea what to do next.
He could only try to soothe him with his limited words: “Yu Le, you’re being controlled by the demon core. You need to focus and regain clarity.”
As expected, the attempt to convince him failed miserably. Yu Le struggled on the ground, his face smeared with dirt, and leaves tangled in his hair.
He opened his mouth, producing incoherent sounds, accidentally chewing on a few leaves and blades of grass.
Mo Cunzhi, helpless, pressed his knee against him, freeing his hands to remove the leaves and grass from Yu Le’s mouth. He then took the chance to slip a Clear Mind Pill into his mouth.
His finger was bitten again, and the pill, now mixed with his blood, was spat out.
After this exhausting ordeal, when Mo Cunzhi finally brought the runaway back to the small pool, Yu Le had no new injuries, but Mo Cunzhi himself had acquired several more wounds—on his neck, arms, fingers, and the base of his thumb—small and scattered.
The wound on his neck looked the worst, with clotted blood sticking to his skin, soaking through his black clothes and staining the white inner garments beneath.
Yu Le fell back into the pool, emerging with his hair wet and dripping.
Mo Cunzhi wouldn’t let him leave, though Yu Le tried several times, getting so frustrated that he lashed out at him. After a long struggle, Mo Cunzhi managed to pin both of his arms.
Even so, Yu Le didn’t stay calm for long. Mo Cunzhi noticed him staring at his neck, which had started bleeding again after being soaked in the water.
Yu Le kept watching, moving closer to his neck.
Mo Cunzhi blocked him with his arm, but Yu Le, still restrained, persisted with a clear look of anger, making low, dissatisfied sounds from his throat.
Mo Cunzhi’s arm relaxed, and he thought to himself, ‘Fine, let him bite me again—what does it matter?’
He stopped resisting, and Yu Le drew closer, opening his mouth—
But instead, he licked twice.
Warm and wet.
Mo Cunzhi couldn’t help but think of his junior sister’s little blue fox spirit beast. It used to lick people’s fingers just like this, with little plap plap sounds.
Mo Cunzhi pressed his lips tightly together, staring at the top of Yu Le’s head, his gaze dark and deep as ink.
After licking the blood from the wound, Yu Le, who had been obedient for only a moment, showed his cruel and vicious side again.
Mo Cunzhi felt another sharp pain at his neck as the wound was torn open a bit more.
Frowning, he waited for a moment before pushing Yu Le, who was tightly pressed against him, away. He looked at Yu Le’s blood-red lips and said in a low voice, “Why have you suddenly become bloodthirsty?”
Yu Le licked his lips and blinked, not understanding what he said, then tried to lean toward his neck again.
Mo Cunzhi stopped him. “No.”
Yu Le, smelling the scent of blood, looked down and grabbed his wrists, trying to lick the wound at the base of Mo Cunzhi’s thumb.
Mo Cunzhi’s hand trembled, and he watched Yu Le’s actions with a complicated expression.
He was now certain that Yu Le wasn’t in his right mind and had an idea of the cause, but he was powerless to do anything about it. He could only keep him close by.
But Yu Le was too cunning. He used his docile behavior to lull Mo Cunzhi into letting his guard down, and the moment he did, Yu Le would run off and hide.
Mo Cunzhi had no choice but to chase him down, bring him back, and keep him under his watchful eye.
After this happened many times, Yu Le seemed to grow used to it. Although he still ran at every opportunity, when Mo Cunzhi chased him, he would only put up a struggle symbolically before coming back with him.
There was a splash by the water, and Mo Cunzhi, who had been meditating on the shore, opened his eyes. Sure enough, Yu Le had run off from the pool again.
This time, though, he hadn’t gone far—just into the nearby forest.
Yu Le was lying on the thick layer of fallen leaves, grabbing a handful and tossing them aside, then picking up another handful to hold in his hands.
Watching him, Mo Cunzhi thought he looked like a little animal at play.
Noticing Mo Cunzhi’s long-held gaze, Yu Le looked back at him.
It was as if there was some inexplicable pull in Yu Le’s gaze. By the time Mo Cunzhi snapped back to reality, he found himself standing right next to him.
Yu Le got up from the pile of leaves and handed Mo Cunzhi a fistful of leaves.
Mo Cunzhi hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take them. In the next second, Yu Le grabbed his hand and opened his mouth to bite.
Mo Cunzhi reacted instinctively, swiftly pinching Yu Le’s cheeks.
“No, draining blood is bad for you. If you get used to it, there’s no going back.”
But in his current state, Yu Le wouldn’t listen to reason. All he knew was that he was being stopped again, and he lunged at Mo Cunzhi, tangling with him.
Given Yu Le’s unstable condition, his attacks were reckless, and if his body hadn’t yet fully recovered, Mo Cunzhi would have suffered even more.
After pinning Yu Le down once again, Yu Le lay on the ground, unhappy, turning his back to him.
His eyes were flickering, and Mo Cunzhi immediately guessed that he was up to something mischievous again.
Sure enough, Yu Le slipped away.
Mo Cunzhi had no choice but to get up and chase after him.
This time, however, Yu Le vanished quickly, and Mo Cunzhi searched the area several times but couldn’t find him.
A heavy feeling settled in Mo Cunzhi’s chest. The forest seemed calm, but he had never explored its boundaries. He feared that there might still be hidden dangers, and if Yu Le wandered off now and encountered something unexpected…
The longer he searched, the more anxious Mo Cunzhi became.
As dusk approached, it occurred to him that Yu Le might have returned to the pool, so he rushed back. The pool was calm, and there was no one around.
Mo Cunzhi scanned the area but didn’t see anyone. He turned to continue searching.
Just then, there was a splash, and Yu Le emerged from the pool, lying by the edge, smiling at him—a wicked yet delighted grin.
The moment Mo Cunzhi saw him, the tension in his heart finally eased.
He walked over, his expression somewhat intimidating, and Yu Le widened his eyes, watching him.
Mo Cunzhi scooped him up and pressed him tightly against his chest, holding him close.
At that moment, he didn’t care that Yu Le often eyed his neck with predatory intent. This position practically offered his neck up to him.
He felt a cold sensation at his neck as it was licked, and only then did Mo Cunzhi remember that.
Strangely enough, this time, Yu Le didn’t bite him. He simply licked the almost-healed wound once and then obediently rested his head on Mo Cunzhi’s shoulder, grinning and swaying his head.
Mo Cunzhi let him go. “Tricking me makes you this happy?”
Yu Le couldn’t respond in his current state, but judging from his actions, this was his true nature, driven by instinct.
Mo Cunzhi thought again about feeding him a Clear Mind Pill, hoping it would help Yu Le regain his senses.
But, just like before, Yu Le refused to take the pill when Mo Cunzhi offered it.
Even when Mo Cunzhi tried to force it, Yu Le would spit it out and get angry, starting a fight.
Mo Cunzhi didn’t have many pills left in his storage pouch. The Clear Mind Pills were ones he had used in the past to suppress his “heart demon” and keep his mind clear.
After learning that his troubles weren’t caused by heart demons, he had stopped using the pills.
There was another type of pill he had—a Clear Demon Pill, which he had taken to suppress the demonic energy inside him after discovering the demon core within his body.
In this secret realm, the demonic energy was incredibly pure and dense, and Mo Cunzhi had accumulated quite a bit of it in his body. He took out a Clear Demon Pill and put it in his mouth.
Suddenly, Yu Le leaned over and snatched the Clear Demon Pill from his mouth.
Mo Cunzhi didn’t even have time to react before Yu Le triumphantly swallowed the pill.
After a moment of hesitation, Mo Cunzhi took out a Clear Mind Pill and pretended to put it in his mouth.
Yu Le didn’t move, watching as Mo Cunzhi slowly placed the pill in his mouth.
Sure enough, it was stolen again.
There was a faint taste of blood on his lips. Mo Cunzhi swallowed lightly, suppressing the slight tremor in his heart.
…
He spent most of his time focused on Yu Le, and whenever he took a moment to meditate, Yu Le would soon disrupt him.
As soon as Mo Cunzhi closed his eyes, a heavy weight appeared in his lap.
Yu Le sat on top of him, nestling perfectly into his embrace, his head bumping against Mo Cunzhi’s chin.
Using him as a chair, Yu Le refused to sit still, constantly shifting positions.
It disturbed Mo Cunzhi’s meditation to the point where he had to adjust Yu Le’s posture with his hands before it finally stopped.
“Stop moving around,” Mo Cunzhi warned, grabbing his ankle.
Yu Le bent his legs, resting his head on Mo Cunzhi’s knees, looking up at him with an innocent, clueless gaze.
Mo Cunzhi couldn’t handle that look. His skin felt like it was burning under his touch. Avoiding his gaze, Mo Cunzhi let go of Yu Le’s ankle.
Yu Le immediately started moving around again. His mind was too scattered to grasp much, and before Mo Cunzhi realized what was happening, he suddenly pushed Yu Le out of his arms and backed away several steps.
“You…” Mo Cunzhi clenched his fists, avoiding him for the first time, and walked into the nearby forest.
The two of them suddenly seemed to have switched roles. Seeing Mo Cunzhi retreat, Yu Le excitedly got up and chased after him.
Just like Mo Cunzhi had done to him in the past, Yu Le saw Mo Cunzhi’s back and eagerly pounced, grabbing hold of his hand.
When he couldn’t grab both hands, he wrapped his arms around Mo Cunzhi’s waist and tried to pull him back.
Mo Cunzhi: “…”
His little junior brother, in his confused state, was even harder to handle than when he was fully aware.