The Possessive Beauty Desires Me in Vain - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Waking from the Dream

When Chen Hexuan woke again, he believed he had finally escaped the cycle of dreams. Yet, the memories of the dream were vivid—the things he had seen and the words Qi Yu had spoken.

He immediately climbed out of bed, but as his eyes took in the unfamiliar decor of the room, he realized with a jolt that he was still within a dream. This meant he still had a chance to salvage what had not yet happened.

Chen Hexuan rushed toward the Xingzhou Sect. The moment he stepped through the mountain gate, he was intercepted.

“Hexuan, Qi Yu… Qi Yu is actually a natural-born Demon Seed ($Tian Sheng Mo Zhong$),” one of his friends said, stopping him. “He even injured the Sect Master.”

Chen Hexuan realized he was too late.

He grabbed his friend’s arm. “Do you know which direction he fled?”

Stunned, the friend pointed. “Hexuan, what are you doing? Come with me to see the Sect Master. The Heavenly Executioners ($Tian Xing Zhe$) and the Great Elders are hunting him down. Don’t go getting involved.”

Chen Hexuan didn’t answer. He flew toward the direction indicated, knowing only that if he stopped now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

…

By the time Chen Hexuan arrived, the scene was a chaotic wreck of a battlefield. Flames reached for the sky, and the barking of spirit hounds filled the air.

The Chief Heavenly Executioner spoke to Elder Tianwen: “Tianwen, have you located him?”

Elder Tianwen frowned. “No.”

“When I find him, I’ll flay him alive,” the Chief Executioner spat, his eyes burning with hatred. “He injured a dozen of my brothers. I have a debt to settle.”

Nearby, Chen Hexuan found Qi Yu at the mouth of a cave. Qi Yu was huddled against the cold stone wall, shivering and unconscious.

“Don’t… don’t hurt Senior Brother…” Even in his stupor, Qi Yu instinctively reached out toward Chen Hexuan.

Chen Hexuan pulled Qi Yu into his arms. For the first time, he spoke with genuine tenderness: “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’m here.”

“How did you get hurt so badly? Didn’t you say you’d protect yourself?” Chen Hexuan’s brow furrowed as he applied healing ointment to the wounds.

Qi Yu hissed in pain and murmured dizzily, “Senior Brother… told me not to kill… I cannot kill.”

Chen Hexuan’s hand froze. A bitter ache spread through his chest. Years ago, realizing Qi Yu was a demon, he had warned him against killing to suppress his demonic nature. He never imagined his words would become a shackle that left Qi Yu defenseless.

“Senior Brother, I didn’t kill anyone… please don’t leave me.” Qi Yu nuzzled into Chen Hexuan’s chest, his face deathly pale.

“You didn’t, you didn’t. Xiao Yu is the best.” Chen Hexuan’s throat tightened, and tears welled in his eyes. He hated himself for not waking sooner—if he had, he could have sent Qi Yu to the Demon Realm the moment he discovered the truth.

“Xiao Yu, don’t sleep.” Fearing he would slip away forever, Chen Hexuan gently shook him.

Qi Yu opened his eyes, looking up through a haze. He touched Chen Hexuan’s face. “I’m so happy… to see Senior Brother before I die.”

“You won’t die. Xiao Yu won’t die.” Chen Hexuan held him tight, feeling hot tears stream down his own face.

Qi Yu wiped the tears away and gave a faint smile. “Senior Brother, don’t cry. I… I will live well.”

“Good. Live on, and come find me,” Chen Hexuan promised, smiling through his grief.

“I want to hold Senior Brother’s hand…” Qi Yu whispered.

“Then we will hold hands.”

“And kisses.”

“And kisses.”

“And… and I want to see Senior Brother smile at me.”

“Then I will smile at you every day.”

Satisfied, Qi Yu nodded slightly and closed his eyes. Chen Hexuan fed him a Foundation-Stabilizing Pill ($Gu Yuan Dan$), whispering, “As long as you live, I will do anything you ask.”

…

The actual Qi Yu floated in mid-air, watching this scene with detached calm.

He curled his lips into a smile, floated down to the dream-Chen Hexuan, and whispered in his ear: “Senior Brother, wake up. This is a dream.”

Instantly, Chen Hexuan lost consciousness, and the dream dissolved into total darkness.

Qi Yu drifted through Chen Hexuan’s subconscious, searching for something. He eventually reached a vast, endless curtain—a tapestry of every memory Chen Hexuan possessed.

“It’s cruel,” Qi Yu murmured, “but I can’t let Senior Brother remember what just happened in that dream.”

“Baby, what are you looking for?” A tall figure suddenly tackled Qi Yu to the ground.

Qi Yu turned to find a pair of familiar red eyes. It was Chen Hexuan’s Inner Demon. Upon seeing Qi Yu, the demon became jubilant. “Baby! I felt you come in and ran here as fast as I could. I knew it was you!”

Qi Yu smiled back. “Senior Brother, I wanted to see you too.”

The demon picked Qi Yu up. “Baby, stay here with me. I can only see you when I’m out there, but I can’t go out often.”

“Alright,” Qi Yu crinkled his eyes and lightly kissed the demon’s forehead. “But Senior Brother, you have to help me find something.”

The Inner Demon immediately began kissing Qi Yu’s lips, mumbling, “What does Baby want?”

Qi Yu lowered his eyes, enduring the intense kiss. When the demon finally pulled back, Qi Yu said, “I want the memory of the other ‘you’—the one from the dream just now.”

The demon agreed instantly. Qi Yu tried to pull away to stand, but the demon held him firmly, seating him on his muscular arm. They stopped before a section of the memory curtain showing Chen Hexuan crying in the dream.

“Baby, don’t like him anymore, okay?” The demon pouted, looking at the image of the other Chen Hexuan. “He let you get hurt. He’s no good.”

Qi Yu laughed. “You and he are the same person. If I don’t like him, I don’t like you.”

“Well, you can like him a little,” the demon conceded, “but like me more.”

Qi Yu wondered how to remove the memory without damaging Chen Hexuan’s soul. The demon, sensing his intent, said, “Baby, I can hide it inside me. The other ‘me’ won’t see it.”

Qi Yu was delighted. He hugged the demon’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

“Anything to make Baby happy.” The demon pulled the memory curtain down and absorbed it into his own form.

“Won’t that hurt you?” Qi Yu asked.

The demon brushed Qi Yu’s face. “Every time he has a memory or emotion he doesn’t want, he dumps it on me. I’m used to it.”

Curious, Qi Yu asked, “What kind of memories? Can I see?”

“Of course.” The demon carried Qi Yu deeper into the darkness. After a long time, another massive curtain appeared.

“Don’t you get lonely here all by yourself?” Qi Yu asked.

“No, because I can watch Baby here.” He pointed to a small section. “See? This is Baby sleeping. He peeked at you while you were asleep.”

Qi Yu froze. The curtain was filled with images of his own face—crying, laughing, hopeful, or sad. Some were moments even Qi Yu hadn’t realized were being watched.

“Baby, look at this one. It’s my favorite,” the demon said, pointing to a scene from long ago. “It’s when you confessed your feelings to him.”

Qi Yu remembered. He only recalled his Senior Brother’s cold rejection and the heartbreak that followed.

“Baby, as a reward, can you confess to me once?” the demon asked expectantly.

Qi Yu nodded. The demon set him down. Qi Yu looked up and said brightly, “Senior Brother, I love you.”

This time, there was no cold rejection. The demon looked down at Qi Yu and said solemnly:

“Baby, I love you too. I love you so much.”

…

Chen Hexuan opened his eyes to the familiar bed curtains of reality. His head throbbed with a dull ache, as if he had forgotten something vital.

He dressed and went to where he had left the Tai’e Sword, but it was gone.

Instinct led him to Fu Gufeng’s residence. He found the guards unconscious outside and the courtyard empty. Next, he headed to the weakest point of the sect’s barrier.

There he found Qi Yu and Fu Gufeng. Qi Yu was handing a storage ring to her. “Senior Sister, you don’t belong here. The world is vast. This is my parting gift.”

“Come with me,” Fu Gufeng urged, grabbing his arm. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but Chen Hexuan is not a good man.”

Before Qi Yu could answer, a cold voice rang out:

“Senior Sister, where do you think you’re going with my Tai’e Sword?”

They turned to see Chen Hexuan standing nearby, arms crossed.

Fu Gufeng spat, “I don’t care about the sword. I’m taking Xiao Yu.”

“Xiao Yu?” Chen Hexuan gave a chilling laugh.

Qi Yu shook his head at Chen Hexuan, his eyes pleading.

“Don’t you know? Xiao Yu is dead,” Chen Hexuan said, walking toward them. “The thing standing before you is merely my Sword Spirit.”

Fu Gufeng’s eyes filled with grief. She looked at Qi Yu. “Xiao Yu, is it true?”

“Senior Sister, this was my choice. I don’t regret it. Go now, as far from the cultivation world as you can.” Qi Yu used his power to push Fu Gufeng outside the barrier. “Go!”

Fu Gufeng finally understood. She shot a look of pure loathing at Chen Hexuan. “One day, you will regret this.”

Chen Hexuan smiled faintly. “Senior Sister, I never regret anything.”

As Fu Gufeng fled, Chen Hexuan turned his gaze to Qi Yu. His tone was icy and commanding:

“Come here.”

…

The layers of deception are incredible! Qi Yu and the Inner Demon are working together to keep the “real” Chen Hexuan in the dark.