Chapter 153 First Kiss

Bai Xiaoyue shuddered upon hearing this and asked,
"Ah? Danzi, where is this demonic aura? I don't feel anything..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a strange, piercing howl broke the silence outside. Immediately afterward, numerous similar howls echoed from all around, resembling the weeping of ghosts and howling of wolves as they reverberated through the valley, sending chills down the spine.

Terrified, Bai Xiaoyue asked,
"Danzi, what is that sound?"

Yan Chixia was all too familiar with this sound! He immediately replied,
"Wolf demons! Don't be nervous, Mingzi. Stay inside the wooden cabin, and I'll go outside to take a look..."

With that, he sprang up, opened the door, and stepped outside. Amidst the wind and rain, emerging from the depths of the surrounding dense forest, eight wolf demons suddenly leaped out. They let out a simultaneous strange howl and lunged straight at him.

"Just in time!" Yan Chixia shouted loudly. With a flick of his hand, he summoned the Red Knight Sword stored within his spatial ring. His figure flashed as he danced mid-air. A biting cold light flickered, and sword qi soared into the heavens—

"Awooo!" The eight lunging wolf demons shrieked in unison as they crashed to the ground. A fatal wound had appeared on each of their necks, and fresh blood spurted out like arrows.

This all happened in the blink of an eye—truly as fast as lightning! So fast that Bai Xiaoyue, who rushed out right after, didn't even catch how the wolf demons' necks had been pierced by Yan Chixia.

"Ah! Danzi, what a lightning-fast sword!" Bai Xiaoyue gasped in amazement.

Yan Chixia smiled faintly at her, recalled the Red Knight Sword, and channeled his true energy to gather the corpses of the eight wolf demons together. He raised his right palm and struck downward fiercely. With a muffled explosion, the bodies of the eight wolf demons vanished into dust. Left on the grass was only a deep crater—at the bottom of which lay eight golden cores, each the size of a chicken egg, glowing with a ruddy radiance.

"Ah? Danzi, what are those?" Bai Xiaoyue asked with intense curiosity.

***

Yan Chixia replied,
"Wolf demon internal cores—also known as 'demonic cores'."

With that, he casually waved his hand, stored all the demonic cores into his spatial ring, and said to Bai Xiaoyue,
"Mingzi, the rain is getting heavier. Let's go back inside."

Bai Xiaoyue acknowledged and hurriedly returned to the wooden cabin with Yan Chixia to take shelter from the rain.

The torrential rain poured down endlessly. Sitting inside the cabin, Yan Chixia and Bai Xiaoyue talked freely while listening to the sound of the rain.

"How time flies!" Bai Xiaoyue suddenly sighed with emotion. "Danzi, in the blink of an eye, we've known each other for eight years! When we first met, you were a head shorter than me, just reaching my chest. Now, you're half a head taller than me!"

"Indeed!" Yan Chixia could not help feeling deeply emotional as well. "Mingzi, when I acknowledged you as my older sister back then, I was truly overjoyed! On the way back, I ran all the way to the peak of Mount Zhongnan, shouting at the top of my lungs, 'I have an older sister! I have an older sister!'... Haha, yet never did I imagine that the 'older sister' would one day turn into a 'younger sister'!"

"Yes," Bai Xiaoyue said meaningfully. "Affairs of this world are as unpredictable as floating clouds and changing dogs. But Danzi, no matter how the world changes, my true feelings for you, Bai Xiaoyue, will never change!"

Her words were sincere, gentle, and deeply moving. Yan Chixia was profoundly touched and said,
"Mingzi, you are so wonderful! You are the finest woman in this world! Born with natural beauty, virtue, and talent, you are truly the ultimate embodiment of truth, goodness, and beauty! To have met you in this life is my greatest fortune!"

Saying this, he could not help but gently take hold of Bai Xiaoyue's hands, which were as smooth and delicate as mutton-fat jade.
"Ah, Mingzi, your hands are so gentle... When I first held your hands, I felt how tender they were; now, I find them even more tender!"

Yan Chixia's words swept over like a breeze of spring. A ripple of profound happiness instantly bloomed across Bai Xiaoyue's breathtaking face. Her large, autumn-water-clear eyes gazed affectionately at his peerless, handsome face, causing her pounding heart to skip violent beats! Suddenly, with a face full of charming shyness, she whispered,
"Danzi! My hands are gentle, but my lips... are even more gentle!"

Hearing this eager hint, Yan Chixia's heart leapt with passion! Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled Bai Xiaoyue into his arms and instinctively pressed his lips to hers...

***

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, as the torrential rain escalated into a tempest.

Inside the cabin, Yan Chixia and Bai Xiaoyue experienced the most intimate and thrilling milestone of their lives. Clinging tightly to each other, they immersed themselves in boundless bliss...

Just at that moment, an earth-shattering roar echoed into the wooden cabin, startling both of them. Breaking apart, they stood up, rushed to the door, and pulled it open.

Not far away, atop a mountain peak dozens of Zhangs high, a majestic rock that had stood proudly for ages suddenly collapsed. A gigantic, pitch-black monster let out a furious roar and rose menacingly from the rubble. As it appeared, flashes of lightning descended upon it with overwhelming, thunderous might.

Standing before the cabin, Yan Chixia and Bai Xiaoyue watched in heart-stopping shock. Initially, they thought the monster would be struck dead by the lightning. To their astonishment, after enduring dozens of thunderbolts, not only did it survive, but it grew even more ferocious, brandishing its claws as its two crimson eyes blazed with intense light...

"Ah?" Bai Xiaoyue cried out in alarm, "Danzi, what is that monster? It looks terrifying!"

"Mingzi, don't be afraid!" Yan Chixia said with utmost calmness. "I recognize it. That is a mountain demon. I once heard my master say that in the *Classic of Mountains, Seas, Spirits, and Demonic Beasts*, mountain demons are recorded in great detail. They are formed when miasma from the deep mountains penetrates the corpses of dead animals, breeding over long ages until they transform into mountain demons. Mountain demons usually lurk beneath rocks in towering ranges, drawn out by thunder. After withstanding lightning, they become exceptionally fierce and harm the mortal realm."

"I see," Bai Xiaoyue nodded. "Danzi, if that is the case, mountain demons are by no means benevolent creatures. Now that it has appeared here, what should we do?"

"Naturally, we cannot turn a blind eye and let it roam free!" Yan Chixia said decisively. "Mingzi, watch from here while I go forth at once to slay it!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaoyue answered without a moment's hesitation:
"Danzi, if you go to slay the mountain demon, how could I stand by idly? Though I lack talent, I am willing to share life and death with you and fight side by side!"