Chà Chà Novel

“You don’t seem surprised.”

The slit pupils were gone from those deep green eyes, leaving only the still depths of an emerald lake. Long, ink-black hair draped over the man’s broad, elegantly sculpted shoulders and back. The instant Song Liang opened the door, white robes had appeared on his body. Now he was watching Song Liang coldly.

Song Liang glanced at the robes that had materialized out of thin air, his expression unchanged.

“Surprised by what?”

The man regarded him in silence.

Only then did Song Liang affect a look of understanding and smile.

“I’m not interested in animals. I only saved you because I’m kind by nature. There’s no need to be too grateful.”

The man’s green eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly raised a hand.

Song Liang turned and ran.

An immense, invisible force abruptly yanked him backward, sending him flying across the room to land hard on the bed. The door slammed shut behind him.

Rubbing his head, he struggled upright, dizzy and disoriented, but still found the nerve to remark:

“Now that’s exciting.”

3085: 【…】

“Since you’ve met the Yaoshang disciples, you should know who I am.” Xue Yan looked down at the boy on the bed. “Remove the Spirit-Locking Ring, or don’t blame me for taking your life.”

“Go on, then. Kill me right now.” Song Liang sat up, making his case with absolute conviction. “I am the young lord of Xiushui City, one of the Qingyun Empire’s twenty-eight principal cities. I hold the city lord’s seal, and my life-soul lamp is enshrined in the imperial capital. Kill me one moment, and the next, the Qingyun Empire will know it was Immortal Venerable Shuanghua of the Yaoshang Sect.”

“Then everyone will know I kept you as a dog for half a month, kissing you, cuddling you, petting you, and holding you in my sleep every day while you were powerless to resist. Not to mention all those spirit stones you swallowed—only to turn around and murder the man who saved your life!”

“…”

Xue Yan frowned.

“Once I return to the Yaoshang Sect, I will repay those spirit stones a hundredfold.”

Song Liang scoffed.

“Who knows whether you’ll actually pay? You haven’t even gone back yet, and you’re already threatening to kill me.”

“Remove the Spirit-Locking Ring, and I will spare your life.”

“Well, I won’t.”

Planting both hands on the bed, Song Liang leaned back and tilted his head at him, his smile utterly brazen.

“I found you, so you’re mine. Why should I let you go?”

Xue Yan’s gaze turned icy.

“I am speaking civilly out of consideration for your help. If you insist on being obstinate, the Qingyun Empire would hardly dare do anything to me even if I did kill its young lord of Xiushui City.”

“Oh? Then why haven’t you? Can’t bear to do it?”

“…”

“When the Yaoshang and Taixuan cultivators came today, I specifically asked whether you wanted to come with me, but you refused. Clearly, there’s something you’re wary of. If I’m not mistaken…” Song Liang raised an eyebrow. “It has something to do with keeping your sacred-beast bloodline a secret from outsiders?”

Xue Yan’s eyes grew colder still, but he said nothing.

3085 immediately exclaimed, 【Host, he didn’t deny it! He actually didn’t deny it! Your wild guess was right!】

Song Liang: 【What do you mean, wild guess? I deduced it.】

3085 was even more astonished. 【So you already knew something was wrong with his identity?】

Song Liang: 【Not really. I was just testing the waters. I didn’t expect to hit the mark.】

3085: 【…】

Wasn’t that still a wild guess?

Naturally, Song Liang had no idea what it was grumbling about. Seeing that the man before him remained silent, he made for the door as though nothing had happened, hoping to avoid another attack. He was hardly a match for him at the moment.

He was almost through the doorway when a faint rush of air sounded behind him. He immediately dodged sideways—forgetting that a cultivation world had little respect for the laws of physics.

A slender cord of white mist materialized around his waist and jerked him backward. Like a kite reeled in, he was hauled back into the room, his collar ending up in a certain man’s grasp.

Song Liang: “…”

He sighed.

“You do owe me your life, you know. And you swallowed so many of my spirit stones. I paid for those stones with my reputation. You have no idea how many people out there are calling me a shameless miser. I did all that for you, and this is how you treat me? It’s downright immoral. Aren’t cultivators supposed to care about karma—”

“Quiet,” Xue Yan interrupted, his voice low and firm. “Someone’s coming.”

Song Liang thought that was excellent news. Having no one around was what worried him. Then Xue Yan added:

“Someone from the Taixuan Sect.”

He immediately lowered his voice.

“Then keep it down. Don’t let them find you.”

Xue Yan: “…”

The change in attitude was so abrupt that Xue Yan could not help looking at him.

Song Liang’s expression was solemn.

“He wants to steal my treasure.”

“The Taixuan Sect is renowned for artifact refining,” Xue Yan said coolly. “They have countless treasures.”

“That’s what I said.” Song Liang clicked his tongue. “With so many treasures, what’s wrong with giving me one or two? Why keep chasing me over it?”

Xue Yan: “…”

He wondered whether he had misheard.

“You stole a treasure from a Taixuan disciple?”

“Of course not.” Song Liang looked positively righteous. “He put it in my hand himself.”

“Who?”

“Chen You. Or Lu You. Something like that.”

“…”

Wonderful. The Taixuan sect leader’s foremost direct disciple, no less.

Looking at that innocent face and utterly fearless demeanor, Xue Yan suddenly lost the inclination to threaten him. Given this person’s talent for making trouble, he would probably have to join a queue.

“What treasure did you take?”

The Taixuan Sect possessed countless artifacts, and this young man was the young lord of Xiushui City. If it were some trifling object, a senior disciple like Chen You would hardly pursue him so relentlessly.

“A tiny glass lens. I think it’s called the Myriad Shadows Mirror. Apparently, it lets mortals see demonic aura,” Song Liang replied.

Xue Yan regarded him silently.

“That is a token the Taixuan sect leader bestows upon his direct disciples.”

“It’s that important?” Song Liang looked startled, then tucked the object deeper into his robes. “I’d better hide it properly, then.”

Xue Yan: “…Aren’t you afraid the Taixuan Sect will come after you?”

Song Liang looked at him in surprise.

“Won’t you protect me?”

“Why should I protect you?”

“Because if I die, there’ll be no one to take off your dog col—Spirit-Locking Ring.”

“…”

Xue Yan had not missed that slip. He stared at him coldly.

“But don’t worry. I won’t keep you waiting too long.” Song Liang hooked a finger around the Spirit-Locking Ring at his neck, his eyes bright with amusement. “Once you catch that great demon, I’ll let you go.”

The laughter in those dark eyes reminded Xue Yan of their first encounter in the forest. Something seemed to brush lightly against his heart. He looked away from that smiling gaze.

“Why did you go to the forest that day?”

“No idea. I just felt I might find a great beauty there, free for the taking. I didn’t expect to actually find one.”

“At first, you clearly thought I was a demon. Yet rather than kill me, you brought me back and even offered me your flesh and blood. Were you trying to keep a demonic beast? What are you after?”

“Nothing. If you’re a demon, I’ll keep a demon. If you’re human, I’ll keep a human. If you’re an immortal venerable, I’ll keep an immortal venerable.” Song Liang spread his hands. “It’s simply a hobby.”

Realizing that he would get no honest answer from this person, Xue Yan issued a warning instead.

“Do not reveal my true form to anyone, or don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

“Even the Yaoshang Sect?”

“Feishuang knows my true form. If she grows suspicious, there is no need to conceal it.”

Feishuang.

Song Liang turned the name over in his mind, suddenly remembering that the young woman was his disciple. One day, this man would take another disciple—the protagonist shou, Jiang Qingchuan. Over their long years together, he would develop feelings for him. But considering himself a practitioner of the Heartless Dao, and unwilling to violate the moral boundaries between master and disciple, he would sever those feelings with his sword. Then, upon hearing of the protagonist shou’s death, he would be consumed by regret and embark on a textbook groveling arc, ultimately casting aside his dignity as an immortal venerable to become another member of the harem.

Merely imagining Xue Yan’s face in that storyline made Song Liang want to stab the main system to death.

3085: 【…】

Seeing him drift off again, Xue Yan felt an inexplicable flicker of displeasure. His voice grew colder.

“Answer me.”

Song Liang glanced at him.

“Would you fall in love with your disciple?”

Xue Yan’s face immediately darkened.

“Absurd. How could a master and disciple become Dao companions?”

Watching his anger, Song Liang thought he had better keep his word. If he ever played out some melodramatic, tormented romance with the protagonist shou right before Song Liang’s eyes, Song Liang’s broadsword would be itching to leave its sheath.

3085 asked curiously, 【Who would you use that sword on?】

Song Liang: 【You. And that main system of yours.】

3085: 【…】

It really should have kept its mouth shut.