Lonely Swordsman

Chapter Two: Purple Smoke Slave

  In that instant, countless fragments of memories and the intense emotions they contained almost overwhelmed Zhou Ang.

  "In this life, Zhou Ang will never betray my heart, nor will I betray you."

  "Zi Yan Nu, how could you be so beautiful!"

  "Once my illness improves, I will definitely visit your father and ask to marry you."

  "Are you a fox demon?"

  "Even if you are a fox demon, must you drain my yang energy before you stop? Thirty years, no, ten years will do. Grant me ten years, to hold your hand, and after ten years, what does it matter if my life is yours?"

  "Does cultivation really seem more important to you than being together forever?"

  …

  "You are about to depart! If there is an afterlife, do not hold a grudge against me!"

  …

  The candle in his hand flickered a few times, and Zhou Ang finally managed to calm his turbulent emotions.

  So this is how his ex died.

  He could even clearly sense that the Zhou Ang of the past had truly fallen in love with that fox demon.

  Even on his deathbed, when the other party frankly revealed everything, he felt little regret, anger, or pain.

  Only a deep sense of resentment.

  Even as the fox demon drained his last bit of yang energy, and he lay dying, he still fantasized that the fox demon loved him.

  He wanted to spend his life with her.

  This feeling, though merely a fragment of his memory, still carried a strong and intense quality, appearing exceptionally pure and profound.

  Although, through his memories, Zhou Ang knew that he had already vaguely sensed something was amiss.

  In fact, even ignoring the fox demon's previous strangeness, at the very end, she had revealed her true nature. To her, Zhou Ang was merely an ordinary person who could provide yang energy! Had she ever felt even a sliver of affection for Zhou Ang?

  But Zhou Ang was simply too lonely, too isolated.

  He lost his father at a young age, and his mother raised him and his sister alone, insisting that he receive an education despite their poverty, placing immense expectations on him.

  For a mother, this was undoubtedly a difficult and arduous journey, and the path of education was absolutely the right one. But for Zhou Ang, who carried the expectations of his entire family, it was undoubtedly a tremendous pressure.

  He had to study hard, achieve great things in the future, and earn enough to support his family so that his mother and sister could live a good life!

  He had to study hard so as not to bring shame to the Li family and so that his father in the afterlife could rest in peace.

  However, after ten years of studying, regardless of what others thought, he knew that he was only of average talent in academics, but he could not let his mother down, and he dared not say that he would give up his studies!

  So, while he dared not have any hope for himself, he continued to study diligently behind closed doors.

  He was eighteen years old, innocent and fragile, lonely and isolated.

  Even when he met a beautiful young lady on the way to offer incense with his mother, only for a fleeting moment, and he didn't even know her name or where she lived, he couldn't help but feel restless and unable to sleep after returning home.

  At this moment, suddenly a beautiful woman walked up to him.

  She adored him, flattered him, and gave him everything he asked for. She knew all his troubles and comforted his loneliness…it was perfect, more perfect than anything else.

  He wasn't stupid. A woman came to his window late at night, without even hearing the door open. She was not only stunningly beautiful but also dressed like a lady from a prominent family, the Chen family, living in the mountains, a family of scholars for generations. Would he be so foolish as not to know that her background was questionable?

  But even knowing, he was still captivated at first sight.

  And he would never regret it, even unto death.

  …

After a long while, Zhou Ang sighed slowly.

  From his perspective, his ex's one-sided "love" was more like an escape after knowing the weight of responsibility.

  He even put himself in danger without hesitation, leading to his death, without ever considering the grief and helplessness his mother, who had lost both her husband and child, would face after his death, and how she would spend the rest of her life.

  In Zhou Ang's eyes, his actions were utterly cowardly and not worth a second glance.

  But the man was gone, and Zhou Ang could only sigh.

  Although he had inherited almost all of his memories and deeply sensed the intense emotions he left behind, the current Zhou Ang was merely an observer.

  For him, what mattered more was the "fox demon" itself.

  In other words, the fact that fox demons existed in the world he was in was what shocked him more.

  Fox demons, mountain spirits, and ghosts were certainly not unfamiliar to a modern person. There was a comprehensive collection like "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," and countless films and television series over the years... Although he hadn't actually read the entire "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," only the vernacular version, he still knew many of the stories.

  But the problem was, those were just stories!

  And now, it was happening right around him, even happening to him!

  How could that be the same?

  After sorting through his memories and clarifying the cause of "his" death, Zhou Ang couldn't help but take a few deep breaths. He turned and placed the candle on the desk, a multitude of thoughts swirling in his mind.

  Sitting back on the edge of the bed, he hesitated, about to blow out the candle, but then stopped.

  He felt a shadowy presence in the darkness.

  Just now, Zhou Ang had seen that incredibly vivid face preserved in his memory.

  Exceptionally beautiful.

  Especially her eyes, utterly captivating.

  Her gaze was shimmering, full of tender emotion.

  Even Zhou Ang, accustomed to the distorted beauty photos and celebrity beauties of modern society, couldn't help but think this woman was truly stunning.

But the more he thought about it, the more terrified he became.

  A fox demon, capable of transforming into human form, bewitching people and draining their yang energy!

  He shrank back into bed, pulling the blanket over himself. Suddenly, something

  eerie and chilling occurred to him: while they were enjoying themselves every night, just a wall away, his ex-girlfriend Zhou Ang's mother and sister were completely unaware!

  This was clearly due to the fox demon's magic

  , something like a "spiritual wall."

  This seemed to suggest that the fox demon's power was quite formidable?

  However, she probably believed he was already dead, so she certainly wouldn't come looking for him anytime soon!

  Moreover… as he gradually recovered from the panic of his dangerous situation and regained his composure, Zhou Ang suddenly thought of something else. Judging from the memories left behind by his predecessor, whether in his own experiences over the past decade or in the general understanding of this world, fox demons seemed to exist only in folk tales? Logically,

  a fox demon possessing magic, capable of absorbing human yang energy for cultivation and able to isolate a room from all sounds, should possess considerable killing power, certainly not something an ordinary person could withstand. Yet, she only dared to engage in clandestine flirting with otaku, unable to roam freely in the world.

  What did this mean?

  It meant that there must be a way to subdue demons!

  Thinking of this, Zhou Ang's eyes lit up.

  Yes, that's the logic!

  For a moment, he was incredibly excited, and suddenly the darkness didn't seem so frightening anymore.

  Almost subconsciously, he raised his hand to tap his head, beginning to sort through the memories he had just inherited, trying to find any related information. Sure enough, he quickly recalled an incident from not long ago.

  It must have been seven or eight days, or maybe ten days ago. His predecessor had encountered a middle-aged man on the street. The man was shocked upon seeing him, stopped Zhou Ang, and said he had a strong demonic aura, demanding that Zhou Ang take him home to exorcise the demon. Zhou Ang refused.

  The man sighed and left, seemingly muttering something, but Zhou Ang certainly didn't want to hear it.

  Thinking of this, Zhou Ang was overjoyed.

  The existence of demons was certainly frightening and made people feel insecure, but as long as there were people who could exorcise them, that was enough!

  Although he was "already dead," and the fox demon wouldn't return to him anytime soon, since he had been resurrected, he couldn't stay indoors forever. And as long as she hadn't left the city of Lingzhou after draining his predecessor's life, theoretically, he was still in danger.

  Since he already knew she was a fox demon and had a blood feud with her, logically speaking, once she discovered he wasn't dead, she would only try to kill him as soon as possible!

  So...

  at this moment, Zhou Ang immediately made up his mind that he had to find that middle-aged man as soon as possible!