103: Chapter 103 Transmission Talisman

Jiang Xun didn't know when he had passed out.

When his consciousness returned, the first sensation was the heaviness at the back of his neck, as if a piece of iron were pressing down on it.

He opened his eyes.

Above him was an enormous canopy of gauze, layer upon layer hanging down, its texture extremely light and thin, faintly revealing the woven patterns.

Purple flowers were embroidered upon it.

They were a type of intertwined vines and blossoms he did not recognize.

The gauze curtains descended from a very high dome, enclosing the entire bed into an isolated cocoon.

The bed was large.

Absurdly large.

He lay in the very center, and even stretching out his arms, he couldn't touch the edges. This bed could easily sleep over a dozen people.

Jiang Xun tried to push himself up, but couldn't lift his head.

There was something on his neck. It was heavy.

He looked down.

A collar.

Made of black Mysterious Iron, without any adornments, just the simplest, most plain iron ring, tightly fitted around his neck.

Its weight pressed on both shoulders; with every breath, he could feel its substantial presence.

The collar was connected to an iron chain.

It was thick, about half the width of his forearm, composed of link after link of black iron extending from the back of his neck, all the way to the head of the bed, disappearing into the hanging gauze curtains.

Jiang Xun gave it a tug.

"Clang... clang..."

The iron chain collided, emitting a dull metallic sound.

This was a collar in the truest sense.

Not an ornament, not a Magical Artifact, not some euphemistic name for a restraining Magic Treasure.

It was simply a collar.

The kind used to tie up beasts, to leash slaves, to prevent escape, purely meant to humiliate a person.

Jiang Xun sighed inwardly. Why did everyone have to put something around his neck?

I just want to Cultivate peacefully.

Many resentful words swirled in his heart, but he didn't voice them.

He feared his idle chatter might be overheard by Jiang Hongyuan.

Every word uttered here had to be carefully considered.

Jiang Xun lowered his eyes, quietly, and took a deep breath.

Then, his consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness.

The System interface lit up.

[Ding!]

[Mission complete. Reward obtained: proficiency ×3000, true demon evil bone ×1]

Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat.

Three thousand proficiency points.

Added to what he had before, he now had close to five thousand.

Enough to push either the Sin Sea Manifesting Demon Art or the Taichu Hunyuan Sword Scripture up by one Realm.

Almost instinctively, he began calculating in his mind: which one would be more cost-effective to upgrade?

The Sin Sea Manifesting Demon Art could stabilize that mass of red mist within his body that might go out of control at any moment. The Taichu Hunyuan Sword Scripture was his Foundation; solidifying the sword shadow by another fraction would more than double his combat power.

But no matter which one he improved, it wouldn't have any effect on his current situation.

If he couldn't win a fight, he still couldn't win.

Then he saw the other item.

true demon evil bone.

Jiang Xun's body stiffened.

Wasn't this the top-tier equipment he had schemed so hard to obtain?

The Blood Fiend Sect's treasure, the core medium for Cultivating the Blood Nurturing Heavenly Demon Art, the sole heirloom passed down through generations of Sect Heads of the entire Blood Fiend Sect.

Without this object, forcibly Cultivating the Heavenly Demon Art would inevitably lead to assimilation by the Heavenly Demon, resulting in the destruction of both form and spirit.

He thought this thing had returned to Jiang Hongyuan's possession along with the plot after the game ended.

But... if the true demon evil bone was here with him, then how had Jiang Hongyuan been Cultivating the Heavenly Demon Art all these years?

What method had she used?

Jiang Xun stared at the words "true demon evil bone" on the System panel, utterly perplexed.

Suddenly, his chest felt heavy.

Warm. Soft.

Jiang Xun abruptly withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness and opened his eyes.

Jiang Hongyuan was lying on his chest.

He didn't know when she had arrived. Her long hair was spread out, covering his chest and shoulders, the ends brushing against his jaw.

She didn't lift her head, just lay there quietly, like a weary bird that had finally found a resting place.

Jiang Xun didn't speak.

More words meant more mistakes; he had learned that lesson.

"Awake?" Jiang Hongyuan's voice came muffled from his chest.

"Mm-hmm."

She crawled up a bit.

Slowly, like a kitten climbing on his chest.

Her soft red robes brushed against his skin, her hair strands swept across his cheek. Then she propped up her upper body, her face hovering directly above his, looking down at him.

Jiang Xun instinctively wanted to turn his head away.

But he restrained himself.

The two were very close.

Yet at such proximity, he couldn't see the pores on her face. Her complexion was smooth as jade, her skin like congealed cream, making one itch to touch and caress it.

It wasn't just her face; every inch of her skin was like this.

And his hand rested right beside her calf; the slightest movement would make contact.

Strands of her hair fell on Jiang Xun's face, tickling him.

Her breath sprayed near his lips.

It was scorching hot.

"Are you afraid of me?" Jiang Hongyuan asked.

Her heart suddenly felt very displeased.

"No," Jiang Xun answered swiftly.

Jiang Hongyuan didn't speak.

She reached out, undid the iron chain around Jiang Xun's neck, then placed her palm against the side of his neck, her slender fingers slowly closing.

She gripped his throat.

"Afraid?" she asked softly.

Jiang Xun shook his head.

Her fingers tightened.

Jiang Hongyuan's fingernails pressed slightly, their edges sinking into the skin on the side of his neck.

Like five tiny blades ready to slice through the epidermis at any moment.

"Afraid?" she asked again.

Jiang Xun still shook his head.

Her fingers tightened further.

This time, her nails truly pierced in.

Five thin trails of blood seeped out along her fingertips, warm, crimson, starkly vivid against the backdrop of her pale fingers.

Jiang Xun's breathing began to grow difficult.

He could feel his windpipe being compressed, air only squeezing in in thin, wispy strands.

His chest began to feel tight, his vision began to darken.

Jiang Hongyuan looked at him, her gaze morbid, as if inspecting a piece of equipment being tested.

"Afraid?" she asked for the third time.

This time, she was very serious.

Jiang Xun opened his mouth.

He was truly afraid, but not of Jiang Hongyuan herself; it was fear of death itself.

Fear was a reaction to a concrete thing right before one's eyes.

What he felt towards Jiang Hongyuan was only terror.

"...Afraid."

The sound was squeezed from his throat, hoarse, broken, carrying the gasp after suffocation.

Jiang Hongyuan released her hand.

The five bloody marks remained on Jiang Xun's neck. Blood slowly gathered into thin streams, sliding down his neck onto the bed.

He gasped for breath in great gulps, like a stranded fish finally returned to water.

"You've changed."

Jiang Hongyuan looked at him, her eyes holding a nearly bewildered expression. "You were never afraid of me before."

She tilted her head.

"Why?"

Jiang Xun remained silent.

He couldn't answer. Could he say, 'Back then I was playing a game; of course I wasn't afraid facing a screen. I've started seven or eight save files just to mess around; cursing and swearing right in your face was standard procedure'?

But that was different.

That was fearlessness across a screen.

This was face-to-face, being choked, being locked by a collar, being pressed onto a bed—'fear'.

It couldn't be explained.

He could only answer honestly, "I'm afraid you'll hurt me."

This sentence took Jiang Hongyuan by surprise; she had expected Jiang Xun to spin another lie.

"I won't kill you," she said.

"But I'm just an ordinary Cultivator now. Fear is this body's instinct."

Jiang Xun knew he couldn't deceive Jiang Hongyuan, who had lived for over a thousand years.

Otherwise, he'd really be treating her as a fool.

Unable to distinguish lies from deceit.

Only Yan Qingning could endure it, bear it, silently accumulating grievances.

However, he cleverly framed his psychological fear as a physical one.

"Don't be afraid of me," Jiang Hongyuan said, a trace of panic rising in her heart.

She leaned closer.

So close that less than half an inch remained between them.

Jiang Xun could smell the scent of her breath, could see his own reflection in her pupils.

He lowered his gaze, not wanting to see himself as he was now.

He felt unfamiliar with his own intact face.

"Look at me," Jiang Hongyuan commanded.

Jiang Xun had no choice but to look into her eyes.

Those crimson eyes were like two rubies soaked in blood, breathtakingly beautiful yet terrifyingly dangerous.

He felt as if he would be killed by those eyes.

Jiang Hongyuan closed her eyes and kissed him.

Jiang Xun did not resist.

But it lasted far too long.

So long that Jiang Xun began to lose oxygen, finally understanding why he had passed out yesterday.

Jiang Hongyuan had no intention of stopping. She kept kissing him, like a thirsty person drinking from a sweet spring—urgent, greedy, unwilling to let go.

Jiang Xun wanted to push her away.

As soon as his hands pressed against her shoulders, she grabbed his wrists with one hand and pinned them above his head.

Her other hand began to slide downward.

"Hiss—"

The sound of fabric tearing.

Where her palm passed, Jiang Xun's clothes disintegrated under her fingers like paper, shattering at the slightest touch.

Starting from the collar, they split open inch by inch, all the way down.

The fabric turned into fragments, fluttering down onto the bed like snowflakes.

Jiang Hongyuan finally lifted her mouth.

She gave Jiang Xun three breaths to recover.

Then she kissed him again.

She had learned her lesson and wouldn't let Jiang Xun pass out again.

But Jiang Xun couldn't take it.

After several attempts, he finally found an opportunity.

During a brief pause for breath, he abruptly pressed his lips together.

By now, the clothing on his upper body had almost completely shattered, with only a few strips of cloth barely hanging on his shoulders.

His chest was exposed, his belt had turned to powder. Just a little more, and he would truly be laid bare.

"It's still too early."

Jiang Xun turned his head to avoid her lips, his voice tense. "I'm only at the Foundation Establishment stage. I can't withstand it."

Thankfully, Yan Qingning had warned him, or he truly would have crossed that final line with Jiang Hongyuan.

Otherwise, he would never escape Jiang Hongyuan's clutches in this lifetime.

Jiang Hongyuan looked displeased and turned his face back toward her.

She said:

"The current me is merely a Clone. My cultivation is only at the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage."

She looked at him.

"So don't be afraid."

Jiang Xun was stunned.

"Just a Clone?"

Seriously, how are you so clever, knowing to use a Clone?

What other excuse was there now?

Jiang Xun screamed internally, Think, brain, think!

Jiang Hongyuan made as if to kiss him again.

She enjoyed the sensation of kissing; it made her body tingle, a novel feeling.

The demonic thoughts in her heart quieted considerably. She was like a bottle filled with poison, being gradually diluted by something called a kiss.

She felt some regret. Why had she never tried this in a thousand years?

Now that she had tasted it, she couldn't stop.

"What exactly am I to you?"

Jiang Xun suddenly asked, his voice fierce.

Jiang Hongyuan fell silent for a moment before replying, "Something I like."

"But I'm a person," Jiang Xun gritted his teeth.

"Don't you care about my feelings at all?"

"Why should I care?"

Jiang Hongyuan said, "My mother was once my father's Cauldron. I once asked my father, 'Do you care about mother?' My father said, 'She is not a person, and I am not a person either.'"

"We were both father's possessions. Possessions don't need feelings. So, my mother never left my father's side for even a single day until her death."

Her lips were already pressed against Jiang Xun's. "And now, you are my possession. I don't need to care about your feelings either."

Jiang Xun suddenly remembered the boss from the Blood Fiend Sect dungeon—Jiang Hongyuan's father. He regretted not killing that man a thousand times over.

If you don't know how to raise a daughter, don't have one!

Jiang Hongyuan pried open Jiang Xun's teeth and advanced deep into his mouth.

"Mmph..."

Jiang Xun realized conventional excuses wouldn't sway her.

Taking advantage of Jiang Hongyuan's gradually softening body, he suddenly flipped over, pinning her beneath him.

His voice was serious, angry.

"Jiang Hongyuan, then let me tell you my feelings."

He reversed their positions, straddling her, and began to choke her neck.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged.

"I am not an object. I have a heartbeat, a body temperature. They beat and warm because of you. I am me."

"Not an object."

Although Jiang Xun was choking Jiang Hongyuan's neck, he couldn't squeeze it even slightly.

Even a Clone at the Nascent Soul Stage possessed a Physical Body far more formidable than his.

Physical Body? Clone?

Right!

He changed his approach.

Jiang Xun's eyes reddened, a single tear falling onto Jiang Hongyuan's face.

He said, "What I want is you, Jiang Hongyuan, not this Clone."

"A toy-like thing, not the real you."

After speaking, Jiang Xun released his grip, fell backward, and lay there as if resigned to his fate.

Then his whole body seemed to lose its bones, going limp.

He no longer turned his head away.

He no longer pressed his lips together.

He no longer offered any resistance.

He simply lay there, chest rising and falling, his eyes fixed on the canopy draped with gauze curtains, his voice as calm as stagnant water.

Jiang Hongyuan touched her neck and slowly sat up.

Her face flushed, the tingling in her body even more intense than before.

It really was him, Dao Xun.

Only he would dare treat her this way, so forcefully.

The first time she saw Jiang Xun, she had wondered if this Dao Xun was merely another person carrying Dao Xun's memories.

After all, Dao Xun possessed the Blood Fiend Sect's ultimate treasure. As long as a single trace remained in this world, he could be revived.

So, after Dao Xun perished during his Heavenly Tribulation, she never truly believed he was dead.

But whether the revived person was Dao Xun himself, Jiang Hongyuan didn't know.

If the revival was just someone else, Jiang Hongyuan would completely extract Jiang Xun's memories and refine a new Dao Xun.

After all, Jiang Xun was merely a vessel; the memories were what she wanted.

Jiang Hongyuan moved closer.

"So now... you're just using a toy to play with me, right?" Jiang Xun didn't address Jiang Hongyuan but spoke to the air.

As if another Jiang Hongyuan existed there.

Jiang Hongyuan said:

"This Clone was refined using my Three Corpses and shares my origin. It is fundamentally one with me."

"You can treat this body as another me."

"Whatever you say," Jiang Xun replied.

His tone was flat.

No anger, no grievance, no mockery, not even self-pity.

Simply pure indifference.

"Do whatever you want! If my first time isn't with the real you, I'd rather hide forever."

The gauze curtains floated silently.

Jiang Hongyuan looked down at Jiang Xun.

Jiang Xun did not look at her.

He was looking at the canopy, the gauze curtains, the intricate patterns of entangled vines and flowers.

Silence rose like a tide.

After a long while, Jiang Xun glanced sideways. Jiang Hongyuan had already left.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

He had finally escaped calamity today.

He couldn't imagine how miserable his life would be if something had truly happened between him and Jiang Hongyuan.

A shimmering white Talisman appeared in Jiang Xun's palm.

[sound transmission talisman (Single-use)]

[Description: Can transmit a single voice message to a target with favorability ≥50%.]

[Note: Distance unlimited, but requires visualizing the target's appearance in your mind.]

This System reward item had remained unused because he never knew who to send a message to.

Only a few had favorability above fifty percent.

But those who could hold their own against Jiang Hongyuan were extremely limited.

Jiang Xun visualized a little girl with a dirty face in his mind: Li Shutang.