It was for the Linxian Sect.
It was to make the cooperation with Xu Sheng go more smoothly.
This was Mo Ruxue’s excuse to herself.
As for the truth, or why she had stooped so low as to do such things to please Xu Sheng—Mo Ruxue had no time to think about that now.
After saying that, not only did a sense of joy fill her heart, she even felt her body grow softer.
Xu Sheng’s hand rested on the edge of the blanket, right beside her neck. Her subconscious action was to puff out her chest, as if hoping he would quickly notice the anomaly beneath the covers.
“You had Li Qingqing give me another gift, didn’t you?”
Her tone sounded like a statement, as if she were reminding Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng simply nodded slightly.
“That dress is from my hometown.”
Hometown…
For Mo Ruxue, the word “hometown” was sensitive.
She had always been searching for the vague hometown in her memories, and part of the reason she favored her disciple Zhu Yuexi so much was that Zhu Yuexi always carried the aura of someone from her hometown.
In this context, hearing Xu Sheng’s words immediately sparked a guess of “fellow sufferers in misfortune.”
She even overlooked the fact that the dress was actually a piece of lingerie.
“Hometown…” Mo Ruxue looked at Xu Sheng, as if seeking confirmation.
At that moment, Xu Sheng’s smile became gentle. He raised his hand from the edge of the blanket and gently stroked Mo Ruxue’s head.
“My hometown. If I get the chance, I want to go back and see it.”
That was it.
That was what Mo Ruxue wanted to confirm from Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng’s hand rested on top of her head, and Mo Ruxue’s head moved ever so slightly to match his palm.
“But going back is still difficult. At least for now, I haven’t found a way.”
As he spoke, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
Seeing this expression on Xu Sheng, Mo Ruxue was first stunned. Several seconds later, she lowered her head.
“If there’s a chance, I can help you look for it.”
“You say that…” Xu Sheng laughed. His hand moved from her head to her chin, and he smiled lightly as he looked into her eyes. “That sounds like a confession.”
Confession…
Mo Ruxue’s eyes widened. She never expected Xu Sheng to say something so startling.
She also didn’t expect her own reaction to be so intense.
The moment she heard Xu Sheng’s words, a blush instantly spread across her face. Even by moonlight alone, Xu Sheng could see the red starting from Mo Ruxue’s cheeks, extending to her delicate collarbone, and further down…
Xu Sheng snapped his fingers.
The spirit lamp in the room lit up, and the hazy moonlight that had separated them disappeared.
Under such bright light, their gazes met as if there was no distance between their bodies.
Added to Xu Sheng’s earlier shocking words, Mo Ruxue didn’t dare to meet his eyes.
“Look at me.”
Xu Sheng exerted a little force with his hand, turning Mo Ruxue’s averted face back toward him.
This command seemed to trigger some instinctive reaction in Mo Ruxue. Her body trembled first, then her turned head stopped resisting, yielding to Xu Sheng’s force…
Mo Ruxue looked up and met Xu Sheng’s eyes.
Xu Sheng had handsome features, but the most striking thing about him was his pair of extremely clear eyes.
It was hard to imagine that a demon cult leader could have such clear eyes.
Mo Ruxue recalled a demon she had slain in her early years. That demon had a hobby of collecting facial features and had been searching for the most beautiful eyes in the world. Perhaps these were those eyes.
Seeing Mo Ruxue in a daze, Xu Sheng moved even closer.
Mo Ruxue could even hear her own heartbeat.
At this distance.
In this posture.
With the lamp lit, she could see every detail of Xu Sheng’s face even without using spiritual power.
“Did I get it right?”
Xu Sheng spoke at that moment.
At this distance, they could clearly smell each other’s breath.
Mo Ruxue felt even more dizzy.
Did he get it right?
What did Xu Sheng say?
“That sounds like a confession.”
That was Xu Sheng’s last sentence.
Realizing this, Mo Ruxue’s hand unconsciously tightened on the blanket. She had to exert effort just to maintain the most basic clarity.
Never before.
In decades of cultivation, she had never encountered such a situation.
What people called “qi deviation”—her mind must be in that kind of muddled state right now.
Yet Mo Ruxue clearly knew that everything was normal with her.
Watching her gaze gradually become dazed, Xu Sheng pulled back a little.
Although the distance now was still not safe, it was enough to clear one’s mind compared to before.
“Looks like I was wrong.”
Xu Sheng shook his head with a light laugh, as if mocking himself slightly.
Mo Ruxue suddenly remembered what happened last night.
Xu Sheng had leaned close to her—exactly that distance—waiting for her answer.
All she needed to do was nod gently, and that kiss would have landed.
She had refused.
And the expression on Xu Sheng’s face afterward seemed somewhat similar to now.
No…
Mo Ruxue could no longer tell whether Xu Sheng was right or wrong. The truth didn’t matter anymore. She didn’t want Xu Sheng to “distance” himself from her again.
But before she could speak, Xu Sheng smiled and continued:
“Fairy Mo, what kind of reward do you want?”
His finger lightly tapped the red mark on Mo Ruxue’s neck. For her, she could erase it in seconds if she wanted, but she had kept that hickey all day.
Reward…
What could Xu Sheng give her?
Only Mo Ruxue, the publicly recognized number one under heaven, knew that Xu Sheng was probably the cultivator closest to the legendary tenth realm.
The hot springs and spirit wine Xu Sheng casually gave were things that would cause bloodbaths in the martial world.
What reward did she want…
It seemed she could have anything.
But then Mo Ruxue thought of the kiss Xu Sheng hadn’t landed last night, and the way he had treated her afterward.
No…
If possible…
If there was a reward…
Then…
She didn’t want anything else.
She wanted…
Mo Ruxue swallowed. She leaned forward slightly.
Again that distance, even closer than before.
Mo Ruxue could feel the slight discomfort of her eyelashes brushing against Xu Sheng’s.
But this distance.
This very distance.
Made Mo Ruxue’s heart race uncontrollably.
Xu Sheng could read what Mo Ruxue’s reward truly was, but he wanted to see just how proactive she could get.
He pretended not to understand.
“Fairy Mo, what do you mean? What reward do you want exactly?”
How proactive could Mo Ruxue be?
Her lips fell forward on their own initiative.