Edited by Molly and Chole

  Xiao Shao smiled unclearly, making Lin Shu very puzzled.

  However, Qing Ming Demon Lord was not that bad, which was naturally good.

  They went through the whole process again and learned the specific details of Qing Ming Cave before returning to bed.

  Outside the window, the bright moon was in the sky and the stars were shining.

  The barking of dogs and human voices gradually calmed down, and the silence surged up like a tide.

  Xiao Shao said, “I plan to say goodbye to the villagers after I resume my cultivation.”

  Lin Shu: “Okay.”

  Life in Peach Blossom Land was very peaceful. The villagers treated them as their relatives. The children in the neighborhood were very lively. Even the greyhound seemed to be much more pleasing to the eyes than the watchdogs outside, not to mention the old lady who had been taking care of them.

  However, they could not stay here for long.

  On one hand, the situation was ever-changing, they wanted to return to the school. On the other hand, they were being chased by Northern Xia. If they stayed here for a long time, the people here may be involved.

  Xiao Shao said, “When I have no worries in the future, I will come here to live in seclusion.”

  Lin Shu looked at the moon outside the window.

  He thought that his journey ahead was uncertain , he would have to go with the flow for the time being. He had no place to go, and if he was isolated from the world, the Peach Blossom Land, which was like spring all the year round, could be regarded as a home, a place to return to.

  He answered, “I want to return here too.”

  Xiao Shao said, “After many years, you and I may meet again here.”

  Lin Shu said, “I don’t know where to go.”

  Xiao Shao said, “You will know by then.”

  Lin Shu thought so too.

  The cart would find its way around the mountain when it gets there, and the boat would turn over naturally when it reaches the bridge. He had been living like this for many years. How was he suddenly feeling confused these days?

  He buried himself in the quilt, intending to sleep.

  When he almost closed his eyes, he saw Xiao Shao looking at himself.

  In the past days, although the Big Miss had a bad temper and did not have much facial expressions, at least her face was not hidden. Through the subtle expressions on his face, he could always know what he was thinking and whether he was in a good mood——but Xiao Shao’s face was covered by a mask. All his emotional changes were covered, and only a pair of dark eyes remained on sight, which looked cold and unpredictable.

  Lin Shu tried to find clues in order to read the emotions from Xiao Shao’s face, but he failed like countless times before.

  Xiao Shao said, “What are you looking at?”

  Lin Shu looked at him and thought of Fruit’s face.

  It was strange to say that the appearance of “Dan Zhu” donned by the Big Miss was different from her original one, but the fruit looked similar to the Big Miss.

  Lin Shu said, “You have changed your face. Why does the fruit still look like Ling Fengxiao?”

  Xiao Shao said, “Beauty is in the bones, not in the skin.”

  Lin Shu thought for a while, the fruit should have passed through the skin, and grown according to the bones of himself and Ling Fengxiao.

  But Ling Fengxiao was not a real face either.

  He asked, “Does Xiao Shao look like Ling Fengxiao?”

  Xiao Shao curled his lips, “I won’t show you.”

  Lin Shu: “?”

  Xiao Shao said: “When I was a child, I had decided, the first person to glance at Xiao Shao’s face, would be my wife.”

  Lin Shu: “.……”

  He wrapped himself in the quilt, turned his back to Xiao Shao and closed his eyes.

  The next moment, Xiao Shao leaned over, with a smile in his voice, “Are you angry?”

  Lin Shu pretended to sleep.

  Xiao Shao first patted him on the shoulder, then leaned over, and said softly, “Hey, be good, don’t be angry, I’m wrong.”

  Lin Shu opened his eyes.

  Xiao Shao said, “Do you want to see it?”

  Lin Shu thought that it was nothing more than the combination of the Big Miss and her cousin. At this time, him saying he wants to see would prove that he was really angry, just like Xiao Shao had said. It would be a little embarrassing, so he said: “I don’t want to see.”

  “I look good.” Xiao Shao said, “Don’t you really want to see it?”

  Lin Shu: “I don’t want to see it.”

  Xiao Shao just laughed. The laughter was very low, and breathy, it went straight into his ears. Along with the cold and faint plum blossom scent, this made him feel his presence on the whole bed strongly.

  Lin Shu completely buried himself in the quilt.

  Xiao Shao came to push aside the quilt covering his face, “It’s stuffy.”

  \r \r \r

  Lin Shu who was stripped out of the quilt, gave up resistance and pretended to be dead.

  Xiao Shao didn’t speak and after a while, he asked, “What’s your decision on dual cultivation?”

  Lin Shu said, “Don’t you want to leave it for your wife?”

  Xiao Shao said, “I lost my wife.”

  Lin Shu: “You can still marry again.”

  Xiao Shao: “I won’t marry anymore.”

  Lin Shu closed his eyes and listened to Xiao Shao. “I think I will not have a wife in my life anymore, and the blood in my body is useless. If I dual cultivate with you, you can restore your meridians and cultivation, and I have fulfilled the instructions of Immortal Lord Taoyuan. Besides…… ”

  Lin Shu raised his ears and waited for his next words. After a while, he heard Xiao Shao continue. “Besides, you are also cute.”

  Lin Shu: “.……”

  Instead of putting forth his own ideas, he addressed a realistic problem.

  “Are we ,” he hesitated, “even able to dual cultivate?”

  Dual cultivation requires us to do…… that thing.

  Xiao Shao was silent for a moment before saying, “Just like I said the last time, we can try it slowly.”

  Lin Shu was a little distressed. He thought, I’m not even 20 years old yet. Why should I face this?

  Just as he was thinking about it, he was startled, he felt Xiao Shao’s fingers on his neck.

  First his fingertips, then his fingers, then his palms, and then his fingers stroking up, vaguely and gently touching the base of his ear.

  The feather-like touch made it a little difficult for him to breathe. He said, “I don’t think it will work……”

  His voice was a little shaky.

  “Hmmm.” Xiao Shao let go and said, “Go to sleep.”

  Lin Shu felt that the place he had just been touched seemed to have been burned by fire. It gradually became hot, and it took a while for it to subside.

  Isn’t he not allergic anymore?

  Whenever he touches Xiao Shao, this never happens.

  He said to Xiao Shao, “You go to sleep too.”

  Xiao Shao: “Quilt.”

  Lin Shu: “.……”

  There was only one quilt on this bed, which was not very wide. Just now when he wrapped himself up, he used the whole quilt.

  He rolled aside and gave half of the quilt to Xiao Shao.

  When Xiao Shao came in, they inevitably got very close again.

  Xiao Shao’s hand crossed his waist and gently gathered him.

  This was an action that the Big Miss often did. For a while, this strange and familiar feeling made Lin Shu a little dazed.

  He tentatively put his hand on the back of Xiao Shao’s hand, ——this was also the action he used to do after the Big Miss hugged him.

  Xiao Shao didn’t move, nor did he. The sleepiness gradually came over, this time he was really going to sleep.

  Although he closed his eyes, Lin Shu always felt that Xiao Shao was looking at him.

  The next day, the cock crowed.

  They had blocked out whatever was happening outside with the enchantment barrier, and Peach Blossom Land returned to tranquility.

  They went out to fetch water for the aunt, then watered the vegetables and took care of the melon shed in the yard.

  The greyhound next door liked to follow them around, squatting on the ground and wagging its tail.

  He occasionally looked back and saw a small head peeping out of the window, which was Fruit watching in secret.

  The sky was full of clouds, and the days seemed to pass very slowly, but unknowingly, the four-day time passed quickly from his fingers like flowing water.

  The bed in this room was very narrow and not much bigger than the single beds in the bamboo courtyard of the academy.

  The aunt didn’t think it was wrong for two people to sleep in such a size of bed. After all, this width was enough for both husband and wife. A few days ago, the two of them seemed to be in unity but were actually divided at heart, it was as if they were in a marital disagreement. They tried hard to not touch each other and, at the same time, not fall off the bed. But now that their relationship had eased, they were sleeping closely together again.

  Xiao Shao’s behavior and Big Miss’s habits were very similar. Once they lied down, they’d like to hold him.

  He tried to restrain himself at first, but after two days, he completely returned back to before.

  Lin Shu found that his body had formed a habit, and since he was not disgusted by it, he let Xiao Shao hold him.

  In the meantime, they went north of the village many times.

  The number of wizards had increased by a lot, and there were also masters who specialized in arrays. However, the defense of Qing Ming Demon Lord remained as stable as Mount Tai and even the first layer had not been broken yet.

  On this day, they were assigned by the aunt to catch fish by the stream to stew fish soup.

  Xiao Shao took out the Guiltless sword and flicked his fingers on the blade several times. The invisible fluctuation of spiritual power was aroused. The water in the stream trembled a few times, and then three fish turned over, showing its white belly.

  They put the fish in the basket and walked back. They greeted the villagers they met on the road and tried to ride the cattle of the little shepherd boy’s family.

  “So fast!” The aunty praised their speed of catching fish, and then picked up the fish and went to the kitchen.

  The fish soup was white and delicious, and the fragrance filled the air. The lady sprinkled some small green onions. The emerald green onions floated on the surface of the fish soup, and looked just like jade.

  Lin Shu took a few sips of the fish soup.

  The aunt asked, “Is it delicious?”

  Lin Shu: “It’s delicious.”

  The auntie smiled happily.

  Suddenly, there was the sound of rummaging in the kitchen.

  Aunt: “Did y’all hear something just now?”

  Xiao Shao: “I did not hear it.”

  Lin Shu: “No.”

  Aunt: “Oh.”

  —— Lin Shu knew well that the fruit must have sneaked in. After this little thing turned into a human, it lived like a human, and even started to learn to eat.

  When he continued to drink fish soup, the dish in front of him suddenly moved. It was Xiao Shao who put in a piece of fish which he had deboned.

  It felt strange and familiar again— in the past, when he used to eat fish with the Big Miss, he would be fed like this from time to time. At that time, he wanted to debone the fish for the Big Miss too, but his skill was not very good. The fish he picked the bones out of were in pieces and didn’t look good, so he ate it himself.

  This fish was crystal clear, soft and delicious in the mouth. Originally, Lin Shu did not have a big appetite, but this time he ate a lot.

  After eating, he helped the aunt clean up the dishes and chopsticks. According to his habit that was formed in these few days, it was time to return to his room.

  Xiao Shao did not move.

  Neither did Lin Shu.

  The aunt looked at them.

  Xiao Shao said, “Xiao Shu and I are going to leave.”

  The aunt was taken aback, and said, “.…… So fast? ”

  “There is still something else that we need to do outside.” Xiao Shao took out a bottle of pills and whispered softly, “There is nothing I could leave for you, only this. If you ever get sick, you can recover after taking it. If we have a chance in the future, Xiao Shu and I will come to see you and live with you permanently.”

  The auntie was quiet, and finally sighed.

  “I don’t think you are ordinary people, and I can’t stop you,” she said. “When you get outside, you must take care of yourself. Don’t get into trouble again.”

  They responded.

  When they left, many people from the village came to bid them farewell, even the Greyhound gave a few reluctant barks.

  Xiao Shao said, “We will see you all again in the future.”

  ——Then they went north and used the spell to hide in the mist of the mountain forest.

  They confirmed once again that the barrier was very strong and would not be broken by outsiders, so they left with confidence.

  Over the mountain, the wizards were still in a mess.

  It must be very torturing to think that the peerless treasure was right in front of you, but there was no way to enter and take it.

  Fruit continued to use his spell to track, but what they saw was still the two witches.

  “This array is extremely complicated. I am afraid that only characters like Kong Xie and Master Wan Mie can solve it!”

  “We already sent the invitations to the cave houses of these masters, but for some reason, there is no response.”

  “You could only do your best.”

  They did their best to make an unavailing effort, and Lin Shu’s side was not all smooth sailing either.

  Qing Ming Demon Lord said he had to knock at the cave door three times with the ‘Extinction Needle’.

  The cave door was a few strange shaped stones on the side of the mountain, which had been discovered by the wizards, and they were stationed not far away.

  Naturally, the two of them could not knock on the door grandiosely, they could only look for opportunities.

  In the middle of the night, most of the wizards were resting, and the troops were stationed outside.

  When they sneaked into the camp, Xiao Shao put down several sentries and knocked out the night watchman quietly.

  Lin Shu, on the other hand, found several areas of the core of the maze formation according to the records of《Extinction》and activated them.

  A faint white mist rose from the ground, as if it were just an ordinary night mist. But since they were the masterpiece handiwork of Qing Ming Demon Lord, it must be something unique —— In this way, even if they were discovered, they will still be blocked by the maze, and will not fall into the situation of being besieged.

  Lin Shu went to the cave door and took out the ‘Extinction Needle’.

  The materials of the Extinction Needle were extremely difficult to find. He only managed to make three pieces.

  A few days ago, one of them was used to deal with the Left Guardian. The one used today is the second one.

  Lin Shu knocked at the door with the Extinction Needle.

  When the tip of the needle touched the stone, it made a strange loud sound.

  After three blows, the Extinction Needle dissipated and turned into strands of black energy, hidden in the rocks.

  The mountain trembled slightly, and the stones inlaid on it swam slowly, finally forming a smooth stone wall.

  The moonlight was shining on the stone wall, and two words were faintly revealed on the right side.

  ——It was not the “Yuehua” as in Lin Shu’s imagination. It could be seen that although the Demon Lord was unreliable, he was not completely carried away by the Immortal Lord Yuehua.

  These two words were “Extinction“.

  Extinction.

  What should I do?

  Lin Shu thought about it for a while, but couldn’t remember that the meaning of the word “Extinction” was ever explicitly explained in《Extinction》.

  Demon Lord, didn’t you say that one could tell at a glance?