Love between fairy and demon

Chapter Three

Luan Meier commanded loudly: "Ye, come and meet your new owner."

Ye turned and walked over, brow lowered, face emotionless.

"Is 'it' that exceedingly intelligent, one-in-a-million monkey?" Jin Xiaoru squinted her eyes, her fingers gently sliding over Ye's face and ears, then falling towards 'its' chest...

Just at this moment, a small bug full of wing hairs slipped off Jin Xiaoru's fingertip, crawled up to Ye's chest, and its dancing wing hair touched 'its' skin.

A pang of pain in the chest, Ye grunted, the bug had burrowed into its flesh and disappeared.

Jin Xiaoru was laughing, but there wasn’t a trace of laughter in her eyes: "It's called the Heart-eating Bug. As long as you obey me, it will be very tame, but if you dare defy my orders, your heart will be nibbled to a thousand holes."

Ye finally raised its head, its eyes clear as water, gliding over the bamboo shadows, reflecting the cloud shadows, as if not part of the mortal world...

This gaze seemed to have a deep imprint on Yue Xi's heart, it wasn't just familiar, it was more like the starlight in the dark night, inexplicably making her want to follow it...

How strange, he had never had such a feeling before. Yue Xi couldn't help but feel dazed...

******

The biting wind hurt as it brushed against his face. Ye stood atop the mountain, observing the Mojiang Tower nestled at the foot of the mountain. Amid the twinkling lights, one could vaguely make out the grandeur and beauty of its pavilions and terraces.

His gaze landed on a towering building, the Qi Qing Tower. He remembered the words of Jin Xiaoru, "Humans are defined by their seven emotions and six desires. Therefore, no martial prowess can overcome the Seven Emotion Mirrors within the Qi Qing Tower. But you are not human. Therefore, she had chosen him to enter the Qi Qing Tower and find the object she needed.

Ye recalled asking Jin Xiaoru what she wanted from him as he left the Ting Yue Tower. Jin Xiaoru calmly replied, "Find a stone".

Puzzled, Ye asked, "What do I need a stone for?"

Jin Xiaoru responded slowly and coldly, "Smash it."

Did Jin Xiaoru spend a fortune on acquiring Ye just to have him enter the Qi Qing Tower and smash a stone? At that time, all Ye felt was absurdity.

The Qi Qing Tower has five levels, constructed from steel and stone. The most peculiar detail is that the entrance of the tower is on the topmost floor, making it unreachable for ordinary people.

Ye held a two-layer wooden box. When he opened the lid, a bug with white wings flew out. The bug appeared somewhat round and bloated, as if it were full of air.

Ye remembered Jin Xiaoru's words, "It's called flying silk, after its ability to produce strong silk. It can help you bypass the heavily guarded Mojiang Tower and directly access the Qi Qing Tower."

Ye extended his hand, and the bug circled his finger before binding his finger with the pale-white silk thread it produced. It then flew towards the mountain, trailing a lengthening thread of white silk that disappeared into the night.

After a while, Ye felt a tug on the thread around his finger. The insect had reached the Qi Qing Tower. He leaped into the air, and the pulling force from the thread became stronger, guiding him towards the Mojiang Tower.

He landed silently on the roof of the Qi Qing Tower, and walked to the heavy metal door at the Tower's peak. Once again, he took out the wooden box, but this time, he opened the second layer, revealing a strange bug curled up at the bottom of the box, its body irregularly expanding and contracting.

This was the legendary Transforming Bug, known for its ability to change its shape to fit any hole. Upon reaching the lock, it immediately slithered in, acting as the key.

Yes, the moment the Transforming Bug crawled onto the lock, it excitedly slithered into the keyhole, constantly adapting its shape to fit the internal structure of the lock. Shortly after, a clicking sound was heard, and the lock automatically opened.

Ye removed the lock, packed up the flying silk and the Transforming Bug, opened the door and walked into the Qi Qing Tower. Then, he saw the legendary Seven Emotion Mirrors.

The Seven Emotion Mirrors were merely seven copper mirrors, which didn't seem to pose much of a threat. The gentle light they emitted was comforting, like warm sunlight, forcing you to feel at ease and sleepy.

Yet, within this drowsy state, the Seven Emotion Mirrors awakened all of one’s desires and emotions. Particularly those deeply suppressed feelings of love or hate.

When Ye faced these seven mirrors, at first only hazy images appear, causing some sorrow and melancholy, but not pain. However, the imagery in the mirror gradually became crystal clear, with overwhelming waves of hatred swelling up. Memories steeped in blood and tears suddenly flooded Ye’s mind. He was just nine years old then!

"Whack, whack, whack!"

The bloody whip crackled through the air, bits of flesh flying off with each strike. Luan Mei's beautiful yet vicious face surfaced: "Get in there!"

Ye, all curled up and trembling, confusion filled his teary eyes. He obediently crawled into the hole.

Soon, there was movement inside, and the first out was a red ant, the size of a locust. It was followed by thousands more, all targeting the same prey: Ye.

Ignoring the menacing crowd of gigantic ants, Ye closed his eyes and let the creatures crawl all over him. The moment the ants reached his skin, they started gnawing away, filling the air with the sounds of nibbling. In an instant, Ye’s body was raw with agony.

Through the excruciating pain, Ye began to absorb the venom from the ants scouring his body, driving them to shrivel up. Soon, they resembled empty shells, having had their essence drained by Ye. And that essence was Luan Mei's core energy source for cultivation.

When he awoke, Ye found his body to be without an inch of intact skin. Unrecognizable and hideously scarred, he couldn’t help but break down in tears.

At his most despondent, Luan Mei informed him she had found ‘new skin’ so he could have a fresh face.

To his shock, however, the skin was none other than the hide of a monkey, layered thick with black fur.

Staring at the grotesquely ugly monkey hide, reeking of blood, Ye retreated in fear. A pitiful scream emerged from his mouth:

NO!

Trapped within the Qi Qing Mirrors, Ye let out a horrific shriek, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. His visage twisted in torment, sinking into the depths of a memory he never wished to revisit. He was forced to act like a monkey, subject to the disdain and derision of the world.

He flailed his arms, his spiritual energy surging out to strike the seven copper mirrors. However, a more potent force rebounded, hitting Ye squarely.

Tossed about by the overwhelming force, he resembled a discarded doll. His emotional readjustment led to unstable internal energy, drawing him closer to a state of qi deviation.

At the brink of fatality, the tumultuous images suddenly disappeared. His agitated heart gradually calmed, leaving Ye breathing lightly...

Without a sound, a snowflake landed on Ye's shoulder, followed by more flurries. He realized it had started to snow, the elegant dance of snowflakes permeating the vast landscape...

An enormous sense of desolation filled Ye, drifting along with the snowflakes...

Something unusual happened. A footprint appeared in the white snow, followed by a second, then a third. As if someone was walking in the snow, leaving traces of their passing.

Even though there was no one in sight, the footprints stopped before Ye. The swirling snowflakes coalesced into a vague, spectral figure, materializing into a young man.

With his snow-white robe and jet-black hair freely flowing, a snowflake pattern adorned the corner of his left eye. The petals, white as snow, sparkled in crystalline beauty. His eyes seemed to harbor the chilly solitude of a snowstorm and the fervency of hot blood.

The man bent down, pointing to Ye's face with a cold, heartless smile, "A monkey, trying to pass through my Seven Emotion Mirrors? However, I admire your courage. Tell me, what do you seek?"

Ye could not help but notice the anomaly in his heartbeat. As if a destined call beckoned, he felt an intense impact from this man, an overwhelming threat.

In a quiet voice, he replied, "I need the stone."

"A stone?" The man broke into laughter. "Indeed, it is Jin Xiaoru who sent you. Very well, here you are." With a slight lift of his hand, an exquisitely-crafted sandalwood box fell into Ye's palm.

As the lid slowly opened, a dull brown stone lay inside. It was rough to the touch, precisely as Jin Xiaoru had described.

Mesmerized, Ye questioned, "What does smashing it signify?"

His gaze fixed on the young man, a sense of uncertainty crept into his eyes.

The man smiled and replied, "Do you want to know why? Simple, what is Yuquan Town most famous for?"

Ye wrote in midair with Heaven Fire, forming one word: Jade.

Suddenly understanding, he stared at the stone, exclaiming, "This is a gambling stone!"

A gambling stone?

Jade is typically encased within hard rocks, making it seemingly impossible to confirm whether jade indeed lies within. People refer to these rocks as 'gambling stones'.

Given that it's a 'gamble', no one can be certain of the outcome. The truth only revealed once the stone is cut open. If good quality jade is found, the purchaser would overnight become incredibly wealthy. However, if the judgment is flawed, all one ends up with is a worthless piece of rock, potentially leading to financial ruin.

The man's eyes lit up in admiration. "Correct, it is a gambling stone, and it was confirmed by the world's most renowned jade appraiser that it indeed contains the king of jade."

Ye became even more puzzled, "If that is the case, everyone should be vying for it. Why would Jin Xiaoru want me to destroy it?"

"The reason is simple. Because the true value of this gambling stone does not lie within itself, but rather, it's associated with a much bigger gamble! The two parties of the gamble are Jin Yu Pavilion and Mojiang Tower, and what's wagered is Mo Yuchuan, the most famous jade production site in Yuquan Town.”

Both the Golden Jade Pavilion and the Ink River Tower are reluctant to give up the lucrative land of Ink Jade River. They openly and secretly competed for years until they finally agreed on this gamble. Whichever side finds the better quality jade within their gambling stones would be the winner.

Even though the stone from the Ink Jiang Tower has not yet been opened, it had already been appraised by over a dozen experts who were certain that it contains precious jade. If that carefully selected stone is accidentally destroyed, then the Golden Jade Pavilion will easily be the winner at tomorrow's Jade Contest. And Xiao Jinru is the master of the Golden Jade Pavilion.

Snow is swirling, making the man's face pure and noble. "I am Mo Xue, the master of the MoJiang Tower. I propose a challenge, as long as you can surpass my sword, this gamble stone will belong to you."