After Saving the Immortal Sect, I Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 23

Gu Congxing’s eyes widened in astonishment. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a sudden pain in his neck.

Zhong Ming had actually bitten into his neck!

“Let go of me!”

His fair, slender neck was already bleeding, the crimson fluid winding its way down and flowing deep into his robes.

Yet Zhong Ming, as if he had latched onto his prey, not only refused to let go but even extended his tongue to lick the area.

The wet, heated sensation tenaciously covered his skin, licking and sucking at the newly spilled blood, producing a distinct “chirp” sound.

“Hey!! Zhong Ming!”

That spot was both itchy and painful, accompanied by an indescribable electric tingling that caused heat to surge through Gu Congxing’s entire body.

Gu Congxing was thoroughly enraged. He grabbed Zhong Ming’s hair and yanked his head back.

Zhong Ming was pulled up, his golden vertical pupils locking onto Gu Congxing’s gaze as he licked the residual blood from his lips.

“Senior Brother… so delicious.”

There was no longer any clarity in those pupils, but the glint within them grew increasingly fierce.

A chill rose in Gu Congxing’s heart, as if he were prey targeted by a predator.

“Zhong Ming! Wake up!”

Gu Congxing cupped the boy’s face in his hands, leaning close, peering deeply into those golden pupils.

“Do you still know who you are?! You are my junior brother, the young disciple of the Zhuoguang sect! Not some monster that feeds on flesh and blood!”

He roared with fury: “Don’t forget who you are!”

The face, stained with blood and tears, froze, and the brows knitted together bit by bit.

“I am… Zhong Ming.”

He blinked, Gu Congxing’s face reflected in his gaze.

“You are… Senior Brother.”

“My… Senior Brother.”

Gu Congxing felt a wave of relief: “Little Junior Brother!”

He had just started to let his guard down when a thick, black tail wrapped around his waist, binding his body tightly to Zhong Ming’s in the water!

Not only that, but numerous blood-colored vines began to sprout from the earth beside the hot spring. They seemed to possess consciousness, drilling out of the ground one by one, reaching out toward the two figures in the water.

Gu Congxing squinted, his heart filled with horror.

They were Dragon-Blood Vines!

According to legend, these were bizarre vines that could only grow when nourished by dragon blood. They were said to share sensory perceptions with their master and possessed terrifying flexibility and lethality.

Because they could ignore differences in cultivation levels to attack and kill, they were once regarded as Heaven-tier weapons. However, because dragon blood had long since vanished, they were treated as mere myths found in ancient books.

Dragon blood… could it be that Little Junior Brother’s current appearance was the result of the awakening of Dragon Clan bloodline?!

Gu Congxing carefully examined Zhong Ming’s features again. The black scales and hard horns were indeed characteristics of the Dragon Clan.

But the Dragon Clan had long been extinct!

Even the Demon Lord, who reigned supreme in the Northern Border, possessed only the bloodline of a Demon Flood Dragon. Moreover, if his memory served him correctly, the Demon race revered the Dragon Clan totem above all else, calling the ancient dragons…

Heavenly Demons!

Gu Congxing’s thoughts suddenly crystallized. His arms were pinned by those Dragon-Blood Vines, which rubbed against his body, yet he felt as if he were unaware of it, his eyes brightening with the shock in his heart.

So that’s it! No wonder! No wonder the system’s damned profile assessment of Little Junior Brother was “fate is hard to defy”!

With such an innate bloodline, how could he not become a demon? How could he defy the heavens and change his fate!

“System! Get out here!”

The Dragon-Blood Vines entwined more tightly, and some had already slipped into Gu Congxing’s sleeves, curling around his inner thighs. His breathing quickened, but his gaze remained fixed and resolute on the floating stone tablet in the air.

【Ding! Host, this seems to be the first time you’ve summoned me!】

“You still have the nerve to ‘tee-hee’ at me!” Gu Congxing was so angered by the system’s act of feigning cuteness that he nearly vomited blood. “You told me I could save Little Junior Brother, but he was born with Heavenly Demon blood! This is completely unsolvable!”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been sabotaging me from the very beginning!”

【How could that be, Host? I wouldn’t sabotage you.】

【Although Zhong Ming does possess Heavenly Demon blood, it doesn’t mean he will remain in this form forever after awakening.】

Gu Congxing’s eyes lit up: “You mean, Little Junior Brother still has a chance to recover?”

【That’s correct! As long as he successfully passes through the bloodline awakening period, Zhong Ming can return to his original state.】

“Then what must I do?”

The stone tablet floating in the air shimmered with silver light, flickering as if obstructed or interrupted, until it finally condensed into a single word.

【Blood.】

Gu Congxing furrowed his brows: “System?”

But the system did not respond.

Something went wrong?

Though confused, Gu Congxing could roughly deduce the meaning of that single word.

Little Junior Brother had regained his senses earlier precisely because he had tasted his fresh blood.

If that was the case, it seemed the key to breaking this lay in the transfusion of blood!

Gu Congxing’s gaze hardened. He suddenly summoned the Zhanjing Sword and slashed across his palm—

Instantly, blood flowed profusely.

Zhong Ming saw his movement, and even though he was barely conscious, he furrowed his brows fiercely.

A low, growl-like sound rumbled in his throat. A vine coiled around the hilt of the Zhanjing Sword, forcing it back into its scabbard.

“Little Junior Brother…”

Seeing this, Gu Congxing paused for a moment, then pressed his hand even more firmly against the boy’s lips.

“Little Junior Brother, drink!”

Zhong Ming pressed his lips together tightly, even averting his gaze, his expression one of struggle and anguish.

Gu Congxing gritted his teeth and pressed his palm directly onto the boy’s lips!

Zhong Ming’s pupils shrank; his nose twitched, and the tip of his tongue gently emerged—

Bit by bit, he began to taste the flavor of the person before him.

At the same time, the blood vines seemed to sense their master’s emotions, gliding slowly over Gu Congxing’s body.

Mixed with the spring water, the vines were even slicker. They slid silently into the hem of Gu Congxing’s robes, slipping inside the collar and advancing downward into the hollow of his collarbone.

“Nng…”

Gu Congxing now confirmed that these Dragon-Blood Vines were the perpetrators of that strange dream, but he was held fast by Zhong Ming, his hand occupied, leaving him completely unable to move.

He was like a sacrificial offering on a demon’s chopping block.

One vine slid inside his inner garments, gliding upward along the hollow of his waist, while another wrapped around the inside of his thigh, inching closer to the most sensitive area…

Their movements were light and slow, possessing a strange, tentative gentleness.

Before him, Zhong Ming did not blink once, his golden pupils perfectly reflecting Gu Congxing’s face.

—Being gazed at, licked, and entwined like this.

Gu Congxing nearly fell under the delusion that it wasn’t just his palm being caressed by those gentle, tongued movements, but his back, his thighs, his waist.

It felt as though his entire body were falling into the abyss.

“Nng, mm…”

The protrusion at the end of a vine pressed against a certain spot within his clothes, and the pleasure from his dream rushed back, forcing a light moan from his throat.

Zhong Ming’s pupils constricted, bursting with even more demonic light.

“No, you… mm…”

The loss of blood and the trembling pleasure engulfed him; Gu Congxing felt as if he were about to collapse in this strange, blood-red environment.

But his formidable willpower came into play once again. He bit his lip hard, refusing to let any more ear-burning sounds escape.

His other hand reached for Zhong Ming’s back, starting to transmit spiritual energy to him.

Even if he could awaken his sanity through blood transfusion, he couldn’t ignore the rampaging spiritual power in Zhong Ming’s body, or he risked falling into demonic possession.

The soft, agile vines writhed wantonly, causing the person caught in their midst to tremble in waves.

The sound of sticky water echoed in his ears. As time flowed, Gu Congxing’s consciousness began to drift into a haze.

How long has it been?

“Chirp.” His palm seemed to be pecked lightly, held tightly by a hand covered in black scales.

Gu Congxing did not realize he had bitten his lip too hard, to the point where small droplets of blood were already seeping out.

The dark golden vertical pupils blinked, glued to that crimson stain.

That was the most delicious delicacy in the world.

The boy with dragon horns lowered his eyes, piously leaning toward that red mark.

In his fading consciousness, Gu Congxing felt a warm softness brush against him, licking away the blood bead bit by bit and prying open his teeth.

“Senior Brother…”

“My… Senior Brother.”

Amidst whispers that sounded like curses, Gu Congxing’s vision gradually faded into darkness.

【Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing Main Mission Three: Helping Zhong Ming pass through the bloodline awakening period!】

【Results are being tallied…】

The familiar, mechanical voice flickered in his ears again, and Gu Congxing’s consciousness plunged completely into darkness.

When he woke up again, Gu Congxing found himself in his own residence.

He lay on the bed, his gaze fixed on the pure white gauze curtains swaying in the breeze.

He stretched out his hands; the cracks in his palms had completely healed, and even the wounds were nearly untraceable.

“System.”

【Ding! Host!】

Gu Congxing touched his neck; there was no blood left, but a pale bite mark remained.

He applied spiritual ointment to it, the cooling sensation clearing his mind even further. He thought of the system’s tally voice he had heard before losing consciousness.

“How are my redemption value and points looking now?”

【Ding! Current redemption value is 30%, points are 280!】

Gu Congxing’s lips curled up slightly, but then he thought of something and asked: “Who brought me back?”

【It was the recovered Zhong Ming, oh!】

As I thought.

Gu Congxing could almost imagine the panic his Little Junior Brother must have felt after regaining his senses, seeing him bleeding and fainted.

He must have been sad and upset…

But no matter what, it was enough that he had recovered.

His thoughts swirled. He sat up straight and cast his gaze toward the stone tablet in the air.

“System, you really have been hiding quite a few things from me.”

The silver light on the stone tablet flickered, but no characters appeared. It almost made one think of a human avoiding eye contact.

“I can unlock the privilege to read the original text with over 200 points, right?”

“System, I want to activate this privilege.”

【Ding! Host’s points have reached the standard, but…】

【The original text of “Phoenix Call” is, for the Host, the truth from the perspective of your previous life. Host, are you sure you want to activate this privilege?】

For some reason, the system’s confirmation request reminded Gu Congxing of the question Zhili asked Xiang Huang within the illusory array.

The painful truth, or a happy illusion?

Gu Congxing lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. When he looked back at the system, his gaze was resolute.

“I am sure. Activate.”

Author’s Note:

Scum Author: Dragons, as creatures, are very easily attracted to things that sparkle, right, Congxing?

Gu Congxing: Huh? What?

Zhong Ming: (Shyly bows head) (Tail secretly curls around Senior Brother’s arm)