How to Handle a Sickly Yandere Demon God - Chapter 8

Even though her heart had been fluttering like a startled deer just moments before, Xu Xingxing was taken aback by his words.

She immediately recoiled like a frightened dog, stepping back three or four meters, her hands cupping her burning cheeks as she snapped in embarrassment and anger, “Stop being ridiculous! If you cut it off, I won’t like it anymore!”

Xiao Hei propped his chin on one hand, watching her flustered state. Unconsciously, his voice carried a hint of amusement: “Oh? So you really don’t want it? It seems your ‘liking’ is just empty talk.”

Xu Xingxing was about to retort when she suddenly sensed something off: Was he joking, or did he truly mean what he said?

Thinking of the nightmares she’d been having lately, her expression turned serious: “Your hands look best where they are, on your body. If you cut them off, no matter how well you care for them, they’ll rot. Besides, true affection doesn’t involve harm.”

True affection doesn’t involve harm? Really?

Xiao Hei’s smile faded, and he froze for a moment, staring blankly at her sparkling eyes.

Just as Xu Xingxing was about to press further with a few more profound words, Xiao Hei tossed out a dismissive “Boring,” then turned and lay sideways on the bed.

He fell asleep shortly after.

She rolled her eyes and lay down as well, gazing at Xiao Hei’s back as he faced away from her. She had formed an initial judgment: he probably wasn’t the culprit, but he was definitely involved.

The fire scene did carry traces of Xiao Hei’s magical energy, but it was intertwined with another aura. She didn’t know who it belonged to, but that person was undoubtedly the culprit.

She glanced at the now soundly asleep Xiao Hei: He definitely knew who that person was.

Even after half a month apart, Xiao Hei’s internal clock remained precise. As soon as dawn broke, he got up to leave, but Xu Xingxing, her hair a tangled mess, blocked his way.

Xiao Hei raised an eyebrow and paused, watching her.

Xu Xingxing lifted her chin defiantly and declared, “Until you tell me the truth, don’t even think about leaving my sight!”

“Is that so?”

Xiao Hei smirked, but his eyes were icy cold. “But the sight of people irritates and disgusts me. What if I can’t resist burning this city to the ground?”

His dark eyes seemed to hold shards of ice. Under normal circumstances, she would have found such a statement absurd, but now, an overwhelming sense of sorrow washed over her.

Yue Baiyin had once told her that because of the Beast Contract, she could, if she wished, access Xiao Hei’s past at any time. Even if she didn’t actively seek it, fragments of his past would occasionally surface in her dreams.

During the time she was healing him, perhaps due to his extreme weakness, she never dreamed. On the rare occasions she did, she would forget everything upon waking. But recently, after recovering and gaining a couple of pounds, the dreams had become vivid.

She dreamed of a skinned puppy abandoned in a marketplace, and of a black dog that had barely grown new skin being captured by cultivators to be refined into medicine. The scenes were horrifying, jolting her awake every time.

After that, she was too afraid to fall back asleep, staying awake until dawn.

And so, those two pounds quickly melted away.

When Yue Baiyin heard her account, his expression turned grave. He solemnly said, “Then he may have already become a demonic beast.”

She asked what a demonic beast was.

Yue Baiyin explained, “Spirit beasts don’t usually harm humans intentionally, but demonic beasts harbor malice toward people. Given how he’s been treated, it’s all too natural for him to want to harm others.”

Not long after, news broke of the fire in Xuan City.

Yet, although Xiao Hei truly despised humans now, his current actions were actually aimed at suppressing his urge to kill.

Was that why, back in Kunlun, he deliberately went out early and returned late, avoiding the times when Fang Zhiming and the others were active?

The scenes from her dream suddenly became vivid.

The skinned puppy trembled all over, struggling in the mud, its flesh and blood a mess. The once-terrifying image now made her heart ache uncontrollably.

Her nose tingled, and she felt like crying again.

Suppressing her tears, her voice still carried a sob: “If anyone hurts you, it’s fine to burn them to death.”

Xiao Hei’s smile froze on his face, and that strange feeling rose in his heart again.

Before he could ponder it further, his hand was grasped. The girl’s palm was warm, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice tinged with a nasal tone: “Come on, I’ll take you somewhere with no one around.”

It was early autumn, with clear skies and crisp air. Large white clouds drifted in the sky, seemingly within reach.

The sea breeze was cool and pleasant, and the ocean in the distance resembled pale blue jelly.

Xu Xingxing lay on the beach, gazing at the clouds in the sky, licking her lips.

She really wanted to eat cotton candy.

And ice cream.

And milk tea…

She turned her head to look at Xiao Hei, who was sitting on the sand.

Sunlight spilled onto his flawless face, making his skin appear even whiter than snow. His lips, no longer pale as before, were now as crimson as blood. Dressed in black robes, his hair swayed in the sea breeze, so beautiful he seemed like a deity who had strayed into the mortal world.

At that moment, he rested his chin on one hand, staring into the distance, lost in thought.

This was the perfect opportunity to deepen their bond. Xu Xingxing propped herself up and followed his gaze: “What are you looking at?”

“It feels familiar.” As if he had seen it countless times.

“Familiar?” She raised a hand to shield her forehead. “Doesn’t the ocean all look the same?”

Xiao Hei withdrew his gaze, a faint, disdainful smile returning to his face: “Weren’t you suspicious of me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll burn you to ashes, bringing me to this deserted place?”

She truly believed he was capable of it.

But wasn’t the Beast Contract her safeguard?

Xu Xingxing lay back down, replying dismissively: “I’m scared, terrified. Just make it quick, if you would.”

Xiao Hei raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.

He wasn’t afraid of the Beast Contract. This wasn’t even his real body. If it ever became necessary, he wouldn’t hesitate to act. He wanted to see if the Beast Contract could truly harm his soul.

Xu Xingxing shivered inexplicably and instinctively glanced at Xiao Hei again. Studying his profile, she carefully asked, “You clearly know who the culprit is, so why won’t you tell me?”

“Because I don’t know who he is.”

Shortly after leaving Kunlun, he was drawn to Xuan City by a familiar aura.

The figure that appeared knelt before him, or rather, it wasn’t human. It was a demon.

A pitch-black mass took on a human form, dressed in human clothes, but it couldn’t manifest human skin.

It didn’t even have facial features.

So, it couldn’t speak. It knelt before Xiao Hei, trembling all over, as if terrified, yet also incredibly excited.

Unable to extract any information, Xiao Hei prepared to leave, but the creature repeatedly blocked his path.

Annoyed, he summoned flowing flames to destroy it, but it managed to escape.

That night, a fierce blaze suddenly erupted in Xuan City. Waves of heat surged into the sky, and screams filled the air, turning the city into a living hell.

He had no intention of intervening, but he detected his own aura within the flames. If he hadn’t secretly extinguished the fire, it would have burned for three days and three nights.

Of course, he wouldn’t say any of this to Xu Xingxing.

“Huh? You haven’t seen it? How am I supposed to find it then?” Xu Xingxing wore a look of resentment.

“So eager to find it?”

“Of course! I need to find it quickly. Kunlun is already suspecting you.”

He scoffed, “So what if they suspect me?”

“But I don’t want that! It has nothing to do with us, so why should we be unjustly suspected?”

Xiao Hei was momentarily taken aback. He glanced at the girl on the ground. Perhaps the sunlight was too strong, she had placed her arm over her eyes, leaving only her delicate nose and lips, which appeared even rosier under the sun.

In a voice softened and slightly hoarse from drowsiness, she said: “Us.”

That unfamiliar word stirred something strange in his heart again. Though he couldn’t quite identify the emotion, he could feel it slowly nourishing his heart.

Like the sunlight, it had the power to make one feel content and drowsy.

He stood up.

“Let’s go.”

Xu Xingxing, still half-asleep, let out a confused “Huh?” and asked, “Where to?”

“To find the culprit.”

Xu Xingxing suddenly remembered Xiao Hei’s specialized skill: tracking.

He had been in human form for so long that she had almost forgotten his true form was that of a Huo Dou.

She had heard of Huo Dou in her previous life, legendary followers of the fire god Zhu Rong. Because their appearance often brought about fires, they were usually regarded as ominous beasts.

She had skimmed through the Bestiary and recognized several of the beasts, though they weren’t entirely the same as the records from her world.

Take Xiao Hei, for example. His spiritual power was related to fire, yet he wasn’t considered an ominous beast in this world.

Half an hour later, the two stopped in a mountain range just outside Xuan City. The mountain wasn’t particularly towering, but it was lush and densely vegetated.

They hid among the trees, looking toward a nearby stronghold.

It was a mountain fortress. Although the wooden gate was wide open, the guards were heavily stationed.

Xu Xingxing whispered to Xiao Hei, “Is the culprit here?”

Xiao Hei nodded. The aura was extremely dense, almost enveloping the entire area.

When he first sensed it, it had been very faint. Yet in just a few days, it had grown tens of thousands of times stronger.

It seemed this demon had borrowed power from others. Otherwise, how could it have mastered his techniques in such a short time?

A red flame coalesced in his hand, but as he prepared to attack, the girl beside him grabbed his wrist.

Her deer-like eyes widened in alarm. “What are you trying to do?!”

Xu Xingxing was startled by his casual, unannounced intention to set everything ablaze. There were still people here, for goodness’ sake!

Xiao Hei glanced at her hand gripping his and chuckled. “You don’t actually think the people living here are ordinary civilians, do you?”

Of course, she wasn’t that naive. She had watched plenty of dramas, those who set up camp deep in the mountains were either rebels or bandits. Judging by the demeanor of the guards at the entrance, it was likely the latter.

“But that doesn’t mean you can arbitrarily decide their fate,” Xu Xingxing declared righteously.

Of course, she also had her own motives. The slacking-off Bestiary, silent for nearly three months, had finally chimed again!

The location was precisely this stronghold.

So, she needed to infiltrate the fortress first and find the spiritual beast.

“How about we sneak in quietly?”

“This stronghold is protected by a barrier. If we force our way in, it’ll be hard to avoid detection.” Xiao Hei looked at her as if she were a fool, his expression clearly saying, Can’t you see it?

She squinted and looked closely. Sure enough, a barrier as thin as a cicada’s wing enveloped the fortress. It was her fault for having the abilities of a powerhouse but not the mindset, she hadn’t noticed it at first.

She gave an apologetic smile and extended her thumb in praise, saying, “It turns out dog eyes are sharper after all.”

Even if Xiao Hei were truly a dog, he wouldn’t appreciate such a compliment. So, with a forced smile, he retorted, “It’s just that your eyesight is poor.”

Xu Xingxing: “…”

She expanded her spiritual sense outward, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

Although the mountain wasn’t particularly high, the rugged path made it difficult to traverse. Aside from a group of people and horses on the trail a few miles away, there was no sign of life.

People and horses?

Her heart leaped with joy, and she patted the gloomy Xiao Hei beside her. “I’ve got an idea!”