Emojis
ForTestingPurpose Ying Ran knew Xiao Huang wouldn’t be seriously harmed, but he couldn’t take being zapped so often.
“Stop hitting my Xiao Huang.”
“I hate dogs, and this dumb dog is eavesdropping.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeThe system stood on Xiao Huang’s head and continued, “I’ve made up my mind. You’re my host. Even if we’re not bound yet, I must protect your safety. So, I’m staying.”
EmojisForTestingPurposePeople.
Really.
Ying Ran: “What?”
The system stepped on Xiao Huang’s face with a cat paw, twisting the unconscious dog’s mouth and eyes crookedly, looking very confident.
“Drive away this dumb dog. Keep me.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeYing Ran sighed speechlessly, “Stop messing around. If there’s nothing else, just leave quickly. My husband will be back from work soon.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeAt dusk, in a remote mountain hut:
A young man, naked, was putting on a human skin suit.
His originally strong and handsome face instantly transformed into that of an old man.
It was the storyteller from the Yuehong Tavern.
He put on the storyteller’s robe, intending to go to work at Yuehong Tavern.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
He looked suspiciously and opened the door.
Outside stood a young man in a blue robe—Xu Liling.
He was surprised:
“It’s you. How did you find this place?”
He had a deep impression of Xu Liling.
This was the man he met yesterday while telling stories at Yuehong Tavern, the most magically charismatic mortal he had ever encountered.
If not for his wife stopping him, this person would have heard his sermon yesterday.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling spoke slowly, “I came to listen to your storytelling.
Storytelling is for preaching—preaching the path of demons.”
EmojisForTestingPurpose“But outside, everyone’s a coward, unwilling to listen. Now someone has come deliberately, I am naturally willing to speak.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng smiled and invited Xu Liling in, “My humble home is simple, please bear with it.”
Xu Liling stepped inside.
“My robe got dirty on the way here. Could you prepare some new clothes for me? Sorry to delay you before you go out.”
Shang Cheng: “Not at all. I’m just happy someone wants to hear my stories. Please wait a moment.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeThough he found Xu Liling strange, he still went to fetch some clothes.
Xu Liling thanked him and put on the outer robe. It was short, so he asked Shang Cheng for another piece.
Shang Cheng brought another, and Xu Liling tied it around his waist as a skirt, wrapping his inner clothes tightly.
Shang Cheng was puzzled but said nothing.
People born with magical nature often have quirks.
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng sat opposite Xu Liling.
“The story I want to tell is…”
Xu Liling stopped him with a look.
EmojisForTestingPurposeThose deep, pitch-black eyes made Shang Cheng involuntarily pause.
“What’s wrong?”
Xu Liling took out the two amethyst stones Shang Cheng gave him yesterday and toyed with them in his hand.
“Who sent you? Jialan Hall or Bayu Valley?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng’s pupils shrank, alert. “Are you one of the same kind or a practitioner of the Profound Path?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeJialan Hall and Bayu Valley are the two major demonic strongholds in Yunzhou.
Mortals in Yi Wangzhou could not know of them.
EmojisForTestingPurpose“I’m asking you—why do you ask me this?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeThe amethyst stones turned to powder in Xu Liling’s hand, releasing a wisp of demonic energy that wrapped around his pale, slender fingers.
The demonic energy did not repel him.
Shang Cheng’s face brightened.
“So, you’re a fellow demon-path friend.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling remained silent.
Demons in Yi Wangzhou are too timid and reserved, making it hard for Shang Cheng to operate.
He wanted to recruit someone to complete the mission with him.
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng said, “To be honest, I’m a demon from Yunzhou. We discovered the Saint Demon has awakened, but don’t know why he’s not in the Saint Demon City or summoning us. It seems he left the city and we don’t know where he went.”
EmojisForTestingPurpose“We have been searching for the Saint Demon for some time. The Demon Matron divined and found him within Yunzhou territory, so I was sent here to find him. After arriving, I met this old storyteller and realized storytelling is a good way to promote the demon path, so I took over the old man’s identity.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeHis method of spreading the demon path has two ways:
One is to widely insert private content into storytelling.
The other is to give out amethyst stones infused with demonic energy to corrupt mortals.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling replied, “Oh,” but still asked, “Then, who sent you?”
His reaction was not what Shang Cheng expected.
Shang Cheng squinted, “Why do you keep asking this?”
Xu Liling: “I’m here only to hear this one story. It’s getting late. Please hurry. I still have to go to the market to buy vegetables, or it will close soon.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng frowned.
Xu Liling’s reaction was not typical of a demon.
Perhaps some demons care about their families, but all demons would not be so calm when hearing about the Saint Demon.
The Saint Demon is a belief.
They love! They are loyal! They worship!
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng’s eyes flashed coldly: “Are you a traitor who abandoned the demon path?”
Yet, he could not bring himself to kill Xu Liling, and even felt a strange sense of closeness.
Shang Cheng frowned deeply, a strange thought flickering through his mind.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling stood up, tidied his robe sleeves, and said, “I’ll give you three breaths. Who sent you?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng was a great demon in Yunzhou.
Great demons have no less faith in the Saint Demon than small demons, but they resist the subtle
seduction in the Saint Demon’s words.
He pondered and looked carefully at Xu Liling.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling looked toward the dusk outside, his expression indifferent, his eyes showing undisguised mild weariness.
EmojisForTestingPurpose…
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng: “You… could it be that you are…”
Shang Cheng: “My lord? My lord! Why are you disguising yourself as a mortal in Yi Wangzhou? Why did you even marry?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling’s indifference made Shang Cheng more certain of his identity.
He carefully felt as if he could sense the guidance emanating from Xu Liling.
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng knelt down eagerly, “My lord, Saint Demon Lord, it’s so good to find you. For five hundred years, we have been waiting for you to awaken, waiting for you to lead us in spreading the demon path across the three realms.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling took two pieces of coarse cloth and wrapped his hands.
One hand grabbed Shang Cheng’s hair, the other pressed down on his shoulder.
EmojisForTestingPurpose“Demon path is immortal, Saint Demon supreme!”
EmojisForTestingPurposeHis words abruptly stopped.
The flesh was torn apart, the neck broken, blood splattered in the twilight glow.
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng’s head was torn off, just like how Xu Liling used to kill chickens.
He was experienced at killing chickens and wouldn’t get blood on himself.
But human blood is much more than chicken blood, and some still splattered.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling threw away the severed head, took off the two robes stained with blood, and threw them along with the coarse cloth onto the still-kneeling headless corpse.
EmojisForTestingPurposeShang Cheng was dead.
EmojisForTestingPurposeBut these days were destined to be no longer peaceful.
Xu Liling stepped out of the mountain hut and headed straight for the vegetable market.
The market was about to close.
The butcher saw him coming and smiled:
“Young master, you’re late today. If you hadn’t stopped by this morning and told me you needed pork ribs for soup, I would’ve closed the shop already.”
He handed over two pork ribs, two lotus roots, and two stalks of green onions to Xu Liling.
“Come, I always saw you buy pork ribs along with lotus root. Today my wife tried it and said it tastes really good. Just now the lotus root seller left but you hadn’t come, so I had my wife buy two lotus roots for you.”
Xu Liling took the items and handed the money to the butcher.
“Thank you.”
“We’re old acquaintances, no need to be polite.”
Xu Liling smiled lightly and nodded, carrying the groceries and mounting his flying steed to go home.
EmojisForTestingPurposeDark clouds were gathering on the horizon, as if a thunderstorm was about to break.
But his expression remained calm and unmoved.
EmojisForTestingPurposeThe flying steed landed at the gate, and raindrops began to fall.
Heavy clouds loomed with flashes of lightning and thunder.
EmojisForTestingPurpose“Huai Zhen.”
Ying Ran sat at the door.
Seeing him come back, she opened an umbrella and went to meet him.
“Why are you so late today?”
EmojisForTestingPurpose“The shop was busy, I got off work a little late.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeHe bent down because of his short height, letting her hold the umbrella for him, then led the flying steed to the back of the house to tie it up.
EmojisForTestingPurposeAfter finishing, he carried the groceries in one hand and took the umbrella from Ying Ran with the other, sharing the umbrella as they walked inside together.
EmojisForTestingPurposeOnce inside, a small tabby cat meowed at him, blinking its round eyes and acting coquettishly.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling glanced at Ying Ran beside him.
EmojisForTestingPurposeYing Ran smiled a little embarrassed:
“I wanted to keep a cat. Is that okay?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeThe system kitten stubbornly refused to leave and promised it wouldn’t expose anything, so she had no choice but to keep it for now.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling said, “You already have one.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeHe carried the groceries under the eaves toward the kitchen.
Ying Ran followed, wrapping her arms around his waist and trailing behind.
EmojisForTestingPurpose“Are you upset?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeAfter all, it was their home, but she hadn’t discussed bringing a new little life home with him first.
EmojisForTestingPurposeIf it were her, she would definitely have a tantrum.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling said, “We’ll talk about it tonight. It’s late, I need to cook. You should go out—the kitchen smoke is heavy.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeHe said they would talk tonight, and Ying Ran knew exactly what that meant.
EmojisForTestingPurposeShe blushed, stepped in front of him, hooked her arms around his neck, and stood on tiptoe.
Xu Liling understood and lowered his head.
EmojisForTestingPurposeShe lightly kissed his lips twice, mumbling softly, “Then we’ll talk tonight.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling: “Mm.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeYing Ran released him and went out of the kitchen, helplessly looking at the little tabby cat.
EmojisForTestingPurposeThe system kitten pouted: “I don’t believe anyone wouldn’t like cats!”
EmojisForTestingPurposeIt raised its tail and swaggered into the kitchen, meowing at Xu Liling in a hoarse voice.
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling glanced at it.
EmojisForTestingPurposeHe didn’t ignore it, which was good.
EmojisForTestingPurposeThe cat rolled on the floor and tried to act cute:
“Meow.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling said: “Another little beast.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeSystem:
EmojisForTestingPurposeThe cat flipped over and tried again to act cute:
“Meow.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeXu Liling’s calm, emotionless gaze made its fur stand on end.
EmojisForTestingPurposeTerrified, it puffed up its fur, backed away, let out a shriek, and ran back to the main room.
EmojisForTestingPurposeYing Ran was embroidering a waistband in the main room. Seeing the cat return, she asked, “How did it go?”
EmojisForTestingPurposeSystem solemnly said, “Your husband is so scary.”
EmojisForTestingPurpose“Why would that be?”
EmojisForTestingPurpose“I’m serious!”
EmojisForTestingPurposeYing Ran put down her needle and thread and thought for a moment, “Maybe because Huai Zhen’s eyes are very dark, so sometimes he looks a bit scary.”
EmojisForTestingPurposeShe was occasionally startled by Xu Liling too.
EmojisForTestingPurposeBut deep down, she knew he was a very good person.