406: Chapter 393: Spirit 406: Chapter 393: Spirit Li Jiujiu had believed that such an assertion would bring forth the fascinating sight of the young man’s painful struggle and awkward distress. Human hearts are unpredictable; only in the face of death can one see the true darkness. And Ning Feiyan loved to dig out such darkness with her own hands. Baili An slowly raised his distinctly black and white brows, no longer the profound coldness of earlier. His eyes were incredibly clear; at a glance, all one could see was simplicity in the contrast of black and white. He didn’t speak, but the answer was already written in his eyes. In this world, the human heart isn’t that complicated. There is only wanting or not wanting, willing or unwilling. Even someone as scheming as Ning Feiyan couldn’t help but be slightly startled and moved for a moment before she laughed and said, “If you can trust this concubine, then let Hong Zhuang go. I can show you a clear path, allowing you to find the great serpent in the shortest time, and I will tell you what the serpent’s weakness is.” Baili An stated bluntly, “I don’t trust you.” Ning Feiyan paused again, then helplessly shook her head. The dark breath entwined around Hong Zhuang was vaguely grasped by Baili An’s five claws, and she, who was half-kneeling on the ground due to excessive blood loss, was suddenly pulled over by a strong force. Ning Feiyan did not stop him, her gaze faintly watching as Hong Zhuang fell into Baili An’s hands. Hong Zhuang knew that following him would mean facing a terrifying creature like the great serpent; if she were taken along, she would likely be on the verge of death, yet she did not call out to Ning Feiyan to rescue her. “Miss Su Jing, in light of the two times I have saved you, may I ask you for a favor?” Baili An restrained assassin Hong Zhuang and looked at Su Jing as he spoke. Su Jing frowned slightly, seemingly displeased by the request made under the pretense of repaying a favor, but since she had indeed been saved by him, after a long pause, she slowly relaxed her expression and said indifferently, “Understood.” Baili An smiled bitterly, “I haven’t even said what it is yet.” Su Jing didn’t speak, merely glancing briefly at Li Jiujiu. Baili An sincerely said, “Thank you.” Her fingertips, shining with a cold light, gently twisted the dangling thread on the snow-white cuff. Not far away, the lonely phoenix’s cry grew fainter, as the embroidered hidden thread got pulled from the cuff, the white crane pattern completely disappearing. She tapped her sleek cuff; there were no more threads to fiddle with during her tedious and vexing moments. She tilted her head, her voice as crisp and smooth as pearls on jade: “The great serpent has no weakness; Ning Feiyan was deceiving you.” Baili An was startled, then felt a slight warmth in his heart. He thought that Miss Jing wasn’t as cold and distant as she was rumored to be. Her words seemed to be advising him not to go to a place of certain death. He looked at her with sincere eyes and earnestly said, “Thank you, Miss Su Jing.” Thankful words of the same nature, but carrying less formality and more an unspeakable warmth. Su Jing’s expression became slightly downcast; her voice was gentle yet cold: “Don’t thank me, I have done nothing worth your gratitude.” Li Jiujiu was entrusted to Su Jing by Baili An. She, who should have been clamoring to accompany them on the quest for death, suddenly became surprisingly quiet and obedient. As if the sudden calamity had taught Li Jiujiu many lessons. Watching Baili An’s slowly retreating figure vanish into the Second Realm, Li Jiujiu’s features seemed to grow incredibly haggard and yet much more resolute. Unnoticed by the crowd, the girl who claimed to be a Ghost Immortal had quietly disappeared as well, leaving no trace behind. Ning Feiyan did not notice either; she opened the Jade Bone Fan, and a Demon Butterfly immediately fluttered out from the fan’s surface. Its wings transformed into fire and soared towards the heavens, becoming a beam of light. Before long, Xing Wu appeared in the darkness. Ning Feiyan said, “The great serpent has already quieted down; the door is only open for a limited time, we must hurry and rescue the Demon Lord.” Xing Wu looked at her, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a twisted smile. Ning Feiyan’s expression grew serious, and she suddenly felt an unprecedented unease. In the dense forest of the Second Realm, the night grew even more intense. A few inches of moonlight occasionally fell through the hazy darkness, illuminating the monstrous severed limbs and bloodshed strewn across the ground. As if, in the blackness that had descended not long ago, something hidden within the dark had gluttonously feasted here. Faint yet steady footsteps echoed in the forest. “I advise you to kill me,” the restrained Hong Zhuang coldly said while in Baili An’s grasp. Baili An looked down at her; he noticed that the wound on her severed arm had stopped bleeding. As they traveled, faint traces of blood in the darkness behind them slowly merged into her body. Her incomplete arm was gradually growing back, but the color of the new limb was transparent, like an ethereal Spiritual Body. Baili An brushed her hair from her forehead to behind her ear, gazing intently at her sharply pointed ears. Hong Zhuang seemed unaccustomed, even detesting, such touch, especially on her ears. She lifted her scar-riddled face to glare at him fiercely: “Don’t touch me!” Baili An’s gaze grew deep and inscrutable. “An Enchanting Demon?” Hong Zhuang thought he was mocking her. The woman, steeped in baleful energy and murderous intent, did something inexplicable. She started to frantically pull at her cloak and hair, as though preparing to cover her half-tragic face; but with her right arm crippled and her Spiritual Body hand unable to grasp anything, she failed to touch, to cover anything. Baili An’s gaze deepened for an instant, then he withdrew his gaze from her face and calmly said, “Don’t cry.” Only then did Hong Zhuang realize that her cheeks were cool and wet, and a sense of indescribable shame surged in her heart. Had she just shown such weakness in front of a human? Hong Zhuang felt that the finger resting on her ear was so humiliating, leaving her breathless. She shook with anger, turned her head, and broke free from his palm, biting viciously into his finger. Her eyes were filled with a blaze of hatred. I am an Enchanting Demon! So you can laugh all you want now! The Enchanting Demons are renowned for their beauty and grace, yet I was born an ugly monster , something no one would ever imagine that I, too, could be an Enchanting Demon, right?” Baili An withdrew his finger, looking at the pale tooth marks on it, then pulled down her hood to cover her face. Her muffled voice came from beneath the hood: “What kind of Enchanting Demon am I, worthy only of living in the dark, with a life that can only bloom on the edge of a blade. she is the true Enchanting Demon.” When Baili An reached the edge of the Abyss by the Bronze Gate, he dropped Hong Zhuang on the ground; the dark breath entwined around her, and she had no escape. Through the hood, Hong Zhuang saw Baili An’s clear and cold eyes and heard him say, “You’ve chosen the wrong person to play the pitiful card with.” He was gentle, but it didn’t mean he had no limits. Fang Geyu was his limit. Hong Zhuang coldly said, “Assassins never beg for pity from others.” Baili An spared no face: “Then wipe your tears away. I hope that when we meet the great serpent, you won’t be in this weeping state. You are my hostage, my bait. If you are too weak and useless, I will kill you myself beforehand.” Hong Zhuang said, “I’d welcome that.”