Jiang Ling glanced at the young man, then at their tightly clasped fingers. In the end, she could only lower her head and turn away.
The door had already closed automatically. Shen Yue probed with her spiritual energy and could sense Jiang Ling leaving. Once she confirmed his departure, Shen Yue let out a silent breath of relief.
Bi Lian saw every subtle expression on her face: her blood-red complexion twisted, demonic energy churning and surging.
The dense, powerful demonic energy caused Shen Yue's body to tense instinctively.
The young man chuckled lightly, his deep voice slow and deliberate.
"I never expected Master to worry so much about someone. I thought your heart was made of iron. I didn't expect you to have a soft spot."
Shen Yue pursed her lips, her expression calm and unhurried. "Who exactly are you?"
"You've already guessed, haven't you?"
Bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes, a madness of extreme bloodlust. He didn't look like someone who had crawled out of a demonic abyss, but rather someone born from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, radiating an aura of malevolence and gore.
"You must know, right? You're so omniscient, can't you guess?"
"It would truly break my heart if you couldn't guess."
The immortal in white had a pale, unhealthy complexion. A flicker of panic crossed her face but quickly vanished, leaving behind the surface appearance of an unshakeable calm.
"I do not know people of the Demon Clan."
Bi Lian blinked, then quietly watched the immortal in white. He laughed foolishly, his laughter growing louder, filled with mockery. After laughing, he looked at Shen Yue and suddenly said, "Is that so?"
"Long time no see, Senior Brother..."
The last two words, "Senior Brother," were laced with sarcasm and playful amusement. He eagerly awaited what expression the assassin Shen Yue would reveal.
However, he was deeply disappointed. Shen Yue remained completely unfazed, as if she had already guessed and thus felt no shock or disbelief.
Bi Lian truly detested this.
He absolutely hated Shen Yue's expression, as if everything he did, everything he said, was merely passing wind in her eyes, completely disregarded.
The immortal in white remained silent. When her brows were cold, she was like thin ice in an ice cellar, like frost on a lake, chilling the heart and making one afraid to approach, unable to approach.
She showed no joy, sorrow, or fear towards the junior brother before her.
It was as if the person before her wasn't someone whose bones and sinews she had stripped away, but a stranger.
Bi Lian's gaze remained fixed on that face, as cold as a winter frost.
The more he looked, the more his emotions spiraled out of control.
Enraged to the extreme, he actually began to laugh.
"Are you very disappointed to see me standing here perfectly fine, Senior Brother?"
He pulled Shen Yue's wrist, shaking it as if pleading like he did in their youth. He tilted his head, a breathtaking smile gracing his handsome and delicate face, still pure, but no longer untainted.
The silver threads hanging down his chest fluttered gently. His eyes were covered with white cloth, allowing no one to glimpse the color of his pupils.
She remained silent, as if she had nothing more to say, or perhaps simply did not wish to speak.
Bi Lian's laughter intensified. Despite being clad in white, it couldn't suppress the demonic energy emanating from him. His voice was sharp and piercing, like that of a vengeful ghost.
His laughter suddenly stopped with a jolt.
"What do you mean by not speaking? Don't you want me to come out? Don't you miss me?"
His broad, slender fingers slowly traced across the immortal in white's face, caressing gently and tenderly, carrying a hint of intimacy.
Shen Yue turned her face away, dodging his hand.
His fingers, frozen in mid-air, retracted, then abruptly clasped Shen Yue's chin. He leaned in, the distance between them instantly closing.
The young man's face still bore a smile, but his eyes were filled with a dark, crazed intensity. In contrast, the immortal in white's expression grew increasingly detached.
The way the young man looked at her was undisguised brutality and aggression:
"Hiding? Where do you think you can hide now? Shen Yue, did you ever consider the consequences of me coming out?"
"I thought you would kneel there, weeping and begging me for forgiveness. I never imagined you to be more heartless and cold-blooded than I thought. Have you forgotten? Forgotten your junior brother imprisoned in the sea, or forgotten your disciple who died by your sword?"
Her frost-white eyebrows seemed to be coated with a layer of cold frost, causing a chilling unease. Her cold, icy profile was spoken in a light, faint voice, yet every word was clear.
"So, what do you want?"
"Do you want to get revenge, to kill me?"
"Kill me?" The young man slowly savored the words, as if finding Shen Yue's question incredibly naive. His warm breath, sprayed out like a venomous snake, continued, "I won't kill you. How could I bear to kill you?"
With every sentence he uttered, he drew closer. Their breaths mingled, one cold and one warm, creating a stark contrast in sensations, as if the atmosphere itself was heating up.
Shen Yue sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite articulate it. Lacking in such carnal desires, she didn't realize the intensely lustful gaze the young man fixed upon her.
Shen Yue uncomfortably turned her head, her lips pressed together. The vibrant red color was strikingly beautiful against her pale face.
A different hue finally appeared in her usually serene expression.
Bi Lian felt his blood begin to boil. His gaze was locked onto her, appreciating her slightest reaction.
He slowly lowered his head, his lips almost touching the immortal's jade-like ear. The warm breath he exhaled tinged that small patch of skin red.
"I want to make you wish you were dead."
Her hair, as white as snow, fell before her chest. Her lips were now pressed into a thin line, revealing her inner turmoil.
The young man's eyes were wild, a cruel, cold curve at the corner of his lips.
The immortal's face, like frosted splendor, lost its indifference, gradually taking on a delicate beauty. It was anger, a fleeting emotion, before quickly reverting to coldness. She said, "Since you hate me, then kill me. My living would be a torment to you, wouldn't it?"
Her robes remained unstained. Her brows were as cold and clear as ice. Her back was very straight, like a bamboo standing proudly in the snow.
She did not fear death. She seemed to fear nothing, always maintaining that aloof, desireless, and high-and-mighty demeanor.
Even though she was now in a vulnerable position.
Bi Lian tightly clenched the slender wrist in his hand. Intense hatred and violence almost made his eyes red. He pulled a mocking smile to his lips.
"No... killing you so easily would be far too kind." His warm breath grazed her cheek. The excessive intimacy made Shen Yue incredibly uncomfortable.