Chapter 31 Part 2

“The bookshelf at home is full of diaries. They mentioned this. Want to take a look?”

“Diaries? Who wrote them?”

“A Lily Flower Demon. The previous owner of my flower shop.”

“What did she look like?”

Ah Man frowned. “I don’t know. I have no memory of her.”

Sixu sighed. “I forgot to ask the Family Head just now.”

Ah Man gave a dry laugh. “You probably can’t ask her now, anyway. She’ll likely need to be rushed to the hospital later.”

Sixu’s eyes widened in surprise, and the next second, she covered her mouth and burst out laughing. She laughed freely and joyfully, the coldness between her brows gone. Her laughter was beautiful, a clarity that dimmed all else, naturally capturing Ah Man’s possessive gaze.

A warm palm cradled Sixu’s cheek. Ah Man’s black hair cascaded down, brushing against Sixu’s collarbone. It tickled and made Sixu’s heart race.

It was strange. No matter how many times they kissed, Ah Man could always stir her emotions like this. It really wasn’t like her.

But Sixu didn’t dislike this change in herself at all.

Wet sounds filled the air, creating an intimate noise inside the car.

The two looked at each other and smiled, holding each other tightly. Ah Man said, “I’ve always felt we were destined to be together.”

“Me too.”

Sixu rarely spoke words of tenderness, even when they were entangled; usually, she just called out Ah Man’s name.

But today, listening to the patter of rain outside, she smiled with unusual warmth. Her beautiful eyes held Ah Man’s reflection. “I love you,” she said.

The impact of that statement was hard to imagine. Ah Man didn’t know how to respond for a moment, just nodding foolishly, blurting out, “Me too! Me too!”

Sixu lay against her chest, her lashes lowered, casting a shadow. She said softly, “I can’t even imagine my days without you.”

“We are a demon and a demon tamer bonded together. How could you possibly be without me? What silly talk is this?”

“Ah Man, asking you to come to the old residence today was me placing a huge gamble. I was betting I could win. If Siqing hadn’t misidentified the person in the photo, if that was indeed you, then you could smoothly take me away today. If it wasn’t you, then I would have broken the bond with you. I would never have allowed Ouyang Qian to harm a single hair on your head.”

Ah Man clutched Sixu’s arm, a note of reproach in her voice. “You didn’t tell me beforehand.”

Sixu smiled. “I’m sorry. It was very willful of me.”

“I don’t want to know what my identity is, or who I am. You just remember that I am your bonded demon. That is enough.”

Sixu looked up, unable to resist kissing the corner of Ah Man’s lips. She said, smiling, “Tomorrow, I’ll be good. I’ll help soothe your demonic nature. My excellence isn’t limited to beauty and dance, you know.”

Ah Man felt the meaningful smile and her gaze deepened. Guiltily, she swallowed the truth.

In reality, on the fifteenth, she wouldn’t be controlled by her demonic nature at all.

On the calendar, a date was circled in red pen. Today was the fifteenth.

The silver glow of the bright moon vanished completely, leaving only a thin layer of red light lingering around its edges. Ordinary people couldn’t see this anomaly, but demons could see the red light clearly.

Ah Man closed her peach blossom eyes. When she opened them again, they were a solid blood red, bewitching and strange.

The red-eyed Ah Man became even more enchanting and seductive, as if she was born to be like this, magnificently alluring.

“Ah Man, your eyes!”

Ah Man touched her eyes with her fingertips and felt the burning heat within them. There was no smile on her face; she was solemn and cold.

This had never happened on any previous fifteenth. She didn’t need a mirror to know she looked like she had a bad case of pinkeye.

Sixu also noticed the Peach Blossom Mark on her forehead growing brighter and brighter. Ah Man’s aura was that of an immortal or a succubus—a contradictory mix. Because of this, even the typically stoic Sixu was spellbound by Ah Man’s current beauty.

“Ah Man, are you really a Peach Blossom Demon? How can you be this beautiful?”

It was still the same face, but today, so many things had changed.

Her beauty, normally a nine, had broken through the limit to become a perfect ten in an instant.

Sixu couldn’t resist kissing Ah Man’s lips, a glistening, watery sheen that inadvertently seduced the heart.

Sixu pressed herself against Ah Man’s embrace, slowly removing her clothes. The moonlight seeping through the curtains fell upon Sixu’s body, pale as snow. Her jet-black hair hung down her back, faintly concealing her exquisite curves.

Her refined, subtle features became animated. Her clear eyes misted over with a faint film, and she gazed deeply at Ah Man, a spirit of the night descended to the mortal world.

And Ah Man was her everything.

“Hold me tight,” she said.

Ah Man thought she was exceptionally stunning tonight. This woman, so cool and beautiful, when she set out to tempt, it made Ah Man want to become her most devout believer.

The two embraced tightly in the night, like soft, shapeless water, merging as one, inseparable.

As Ah Man felt endless bliss, she finally understood what Sixu meant by “excellence.”

This night, it seemed it wasn’t just about soothing Ah Man’s demonic nature. Sixu had become the alluring demon, making Ah Man want nothing more than to drown in her tender embrace.

“Sixu… I love you.”

“You still have the energy to talk?”

“Mmph…”

Since you still have energy, let’s continue.

Their hearts and minds perfectly attuned, they drifted off to sleep late.

Ah Man held Sixu, who was lying on her side. Their long hair intertwined, never to part.

After they fell asleep, they didn’t notice the Peach Blossom Marks on both their foreheads light up, then disappear.

At daybreak, Ah Man woke up naturally. She checked the time—just seven o’clock.

She carefully got up, leaving the bed lightly so as not to wake Sixu.

Ah Man slipped on a camisole nightgown, casually pinned up her hair, and left the bedroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had returned to their usual black, as if yesterday’s red irises had only been an illusion.

Ah Man shrugged. Weird things happen all day long. Who knew when these mysteries would finally be solved?

When they lived together, Ah Man usually did the cooking. With Sixu’s temperament of a pampered heiress, there was no relying on her. The two had a tacit understanding on this point.

In the kitchen, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around Ah Man’s waist. She said calmly, “Awake?”

“Mm.”

“Go wash your face and have breakfast. I’ll drive you to school.”

Sixu rubbed her cheek against Ah Man’s back, her eyes bleary and unopenable. “So tired… I don’t want to go to school.”

Ah Man gave a helpless smile. “Miss Sixu, you were the one who kept clinging to me last night. Now you’re saying you’re tired?”

“You’re a demon, I’m a demon tamer. How can I compare to you? We demon tamers are very delicate.”

Sixu had just finished speaking when she froze. Yes, demon tamers were delicate because they had to help demons soothe their demonic nature on the fifteenth of every month, which took a great toll on their bodies.

So normally, they couldn’t even get out of bed on the sixteenth. But right now, she only felt a little tired. Could this be related to Ah Man?

As she thought it, she asked it.

Ah Man tossed the pan. “Actually, there’s a lie I’ve been keeping from you, too.”

“Huh?” Sixu was confused.

Ah Man turned her head and smiled brightly. “I told you before that I wouldn’t harm you, that I wanted to set your mind at ease. That’s because every month on the fifteenth, I’m simply not plagued by my demonic nature. So, naturally, I wouldn’t hurt you, my demon tamer.”

Sixu couldn’t believe it and pressed her. “Is that true? You’re not just comforting me or lying to me? How can there be a demon like you in this world! Not controlled by your demonic nature? My god, are you even a demon?”

With a flick of her hand, Ah Man conjured a rose and handed it to Sixu. “Aside from magicians, I don’t think ordinary people can just make a rose appear out of thin air.”

“…”

Sixu looked at the rose, then at Ah Man. Her head felt fuzzy, unable to organize her thoughts for a moment.

“Don’t be silly, go to the living room. Breakfast is almost ready.”

The rose’s final destination was a glass vase, where it bloomed vigorously, very beautiful.

It bore witness to everything that happened this morning, including the parting.

Ah Man bent down to put on her shoes, took Sixu’s backpack for her, and opened the door.

The smile on her face froze. Anyone would be startled to open their door and find a crowd of people standing outside.

“Good morning, Lord.”

“…Who are you?”

The group was good-looking and dressed uniformly.

But only the woman at the very front was dressed differently.

She was elegantly gentle, wearing a pure white dress. Upon seeing Ah Man, she bowed respectfully. “Welcome back, Lord.”

Sixu was shocked. It wasn’t the sudden crowd that startled her, but this woman.

She… she looked almost seventy percent like herself. Standing face-to-face, it was like looking in a mirror.

Ah Man hid Sixu behind her, her expression cold as she looked at the woman speaking to her.

Liu Ruru smiled lightly. “Lord, it’s time to wake up.”

“I forgot to mention, my name is Liu Ruru. I am a Dream Demon, as well as your assistant, my Lord.”

She took a box from the hands of someone behind her and carefully opened it. Inside was a cluster of pink light. As if sensing Ah Man, it bounced playfully in the air, then zipped straight into her glabella, disappearing without a trace.

“Ah Man!” Sixu called out her name in worry.

Liu Ruru looked at Sixu with displeasure. “Be quiet. Do not disturb the Lord.”

When Ah Man saw the cluster of light, she’d felt a sense of familiarity and didn’t avoid it. Her eyes slowly closed, her expression serene and peaceful.

Liu Ruru opened her hand, and a white swallowtail butterfly flew from her palm, its wings scattering specks of starlight. It flew toward Sixu, landing on her hair, and instantly dissolved into motes of light, gradually fading away.

Sixu wasn’t drawn by the butterfly. Her eyes remained fixed on Ah Man, worried something might happen to her.

Heeding Liu Ruru’s words, she didn’t make a sound to disturb her.

So she also didn’t see Liu Ruru’s eyes turn cold. “The Dream Butterfly had no effect on you?”

“Ruru.”

Someone behind her tugged her hand, signaling her to look at the Hundred Demon Bell on Sixu’s wrist. This instantly shattered the nonchalance on Liu Ruru’s face.

“Have you forgotten the power of the Hundred Demon Bell? Don’t provoke her.”

Liu Ruru clenched her fists, quickly restoring her smiling facade.

When Sixu saw Ah Man open her eyes, she felt relieved. She reached out to take Ah Man’s hand. “Ah Man, are you okay? You nearly scared me to death just now.”

But Ah Man frowned, her expression cold and distant, devoid of any extra emotion. She avoided Sixu’s touch and asked calmly, “Who are you?”

The rose Sixu had casually placed in the glass vase suddenly withered. Its vibrant red petals drifted down, lifeless.

“Do we… know each other?”