Chapter 359: Changes

A Daoist's Eerie Immortal

Bai Lingmiao laughed, her laughter uninhibited and joyful, as if she were releasing everything she had accumulated in her heart through it.

Despite spending so much time with Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang had never seen such an expression on her face.

"Give me the sword! Quickly, give me the sword!" Li Huowang stumbled tremblingly towards Bai Lingmiao, who held the weapon.

But just as he reached her, Li Huowang watched the white-haired girl raise her right hand, thrusting the longsword straight towards his chest.

As the sword was lifted, Li Huowang's chest was instantly laid bare, exposing his continuously beating heart to the icy air.

The next moment, Bai Lingmiao pressed herself against him, clinging tightly. Li Huowang's gushing blood quickly stained her light-colored clothes crimson.

"Ah..." A hint of comfort appeared on Bai Lingmiao's face.

Staring at the unfamiliar Bai Lingmiao before him, Li Huowang was about to speak when he saw her tilt her head slightly and kiss him.

A few breaths later, Bai Lingmiao slowly lifted her head, re-examining Li Huowang. The corners of her mouth curved upward as she laughed aloud once more.

Li Huowang tremblingly cradled her face, his expression one of extreme struggle. "Miaomiao, please don't be like this."

Just like Scholar Lu before her, the malevolent energy from the Purple Tassel Sword had ultimately altered Bai Lingmiao's personality.

Bai Lingmiao's expression gradually softened, as if she had reverted to her gentle self. With a hint of shyness, she asked, "Senior Brother Li... is this right?"

Just as a flicker of hope appeared in Li Huowang's eyes, the shyness on Bai Lingmiao's face was instantly replaced by exhilaration. "Hahahaha! How could that be! What kind of daydream are you having?"

"I have no desire to revert to that self-pitying ghost of my former self! I don't care about anything now, nothing matters! To tell you the truth, I've never felt more at ease!"

"If I'd known how liberating this would be, I would have wielded your sword much sooner! Besides, look at you, then look at me! We're such a perfect match! Hahahaha!!"

As she uttered these wild words, glimpses of something otherworldly occasionally appeared on Bai Lingmiao's face—perhaps furry ears or a few snake scales.

Hearing her speak such shocking words, a deeply pained Li Huowang tremblingly pulled her into his embrace. "Miaomiao... I'm so sorry."

Bai Lingmiao leaned into his arms, closing her eyes. Inhaling the strong scent of blood on Li Huowang, a look of contentment settled on her face. "Li Huowang, you can return to Niuxin Village now. Everyone is waiting for you."

Li Huowang released Bai Lingmiao, gazing at her face, which was both familiar and strangely alien, with a complex expression.

After a long inner struggle, he said to her, "Don't worry, this started because of me. I'll find a way to make you normal again."

To his surprise, no sooner had Li Huowang finished speaking than Bai Lingmiao's expression twisted into a savage grimace. She raised her slender, soft right hand, thrusting it directly into Li Huowang's chest and gripping his scorching heart.

"Did you even hear what I said? I told you this feeling is liberating! What right do you have to decide who I become?" Bai Lingmiao slightly extended a sharp black fingernail, gently piercing the tip into Li Huowang's heart.

The next instant, over a dozen tentacles erupted from Li Huowang's body, tightly coiling around Bai Lingmiao's arm, preventing her from moving any further.

"Li Sui, don't do this." As Li Huowang commanded, his voice filled with pain, Li Sui's tentacles slowly retracted.

Bai Lingmiao, her expression a mix of a smile and no smile, pulled her hand from Li Huowang's chest, then wiped the blood from her hand on him.

After she was done, Bai Lingmiao quickly leaned in, nestling intimately against Li Huowang's chest like a small bird.

However, in stark contrast to her affectionate gesture, her words were sharp and piercing. "Don't assume I'm stuck with you for life. We aren't even married yet, so nothing's certain. I'm a living, breathing person, not an ornament on your body, Li Huowang."

Li Huowang gazed at Bai Lingmiao before him with a deeply complex expression. He was no longer as agitated as before; now that this had happened, he wondered how to deal with the aftermath.

While Li Huowang was wrestling with his thoughts, the others arrived. After sighing over the corpse of Xin Zhuo on the ground, their attention immediately turned to Bai Lingmiao.

Bai Lingmiao, showing no shyness at all, glared back defiantly.

"Brother Er," Tuoba Danqing said, speaking from experience, "as the saying goes, marry a virtuous wife. Your lady's temper isn't exactly mild. If you two were to live together, it would surely be chaotic every single day."

Bai Lingmiao was about to speak, but Li Huowang pulled her back.

Clearly, Jixiang didn't think this was the right time to discuss such matters.

"Hey, Danqing, do you think now is the time for this? Let's hurry back, I'm exhausted."

His previous actions left Jixiang looking shaky and frail, as if he might collapse at any moment. The bedraggled group slowly moved forward.

Supported by Bai Lingmiao, images of her past glances and smiles continuously surfaced in Li Huowang's mind.

"No, I can't let Bai Lingmiao remain like this. There must still be a chance to turn her back!" Li Huowang affirmed to himself.

If he could search for something as impossible as his heart's core, surely he wouldn't fear this minor infusion of malevolent energy?

Firm in his resolve, Li Huowang quickly turned to look at the others around him. If he had been like a headless fly in the past, perhaps these people beside him could help with this matter.

However, with Bai Lingmiao right there, it was too inconvenient to ask.

On the way back, no one spoke. Each person was lost in their own thoughts.

Due to their slow pace and the earlier distraction, they, unsurprisingly, did not reach the nearest village by nightfall.

There was nothing left to do but gather firewood and light a fire. The group rested around the bonfire.

Bai Lingmiao and Li Huowang slept in each other's arms, just as they used to. It had been a long time since they had felt this way.

However, it was clear that both of them were sleepless. Under the glow of the bonfire, their eyes met.

Seeing Li Huowang staring at her, Bai Lingmiao's lips curved slightly. She leaned close to his ear and slyly whispered, "Why are you staring at me? What? Even after being injured like this, are you still thinking about that?"

Li Huowang sighed deeply, then tenderly pulled Bai Lingmiao into his embrace.

Bai Lingmiao peeled back Li Huowang's flesh, burrowed her head inside, and kissed his beating heart. "Don't worry, I'm still the Bai Lingmiao who faced life and death with you."

"I haven't forgotten anything we experienced along the way. Almost nothing has changed, except for how I think about things."

"But... you've still changed..." Li Huowang's tone was filled with self-reproach and helplessness.

"Oh? So you're going to claim that you, Li Huowang, haven't changed at all throughout this journey? You've changed too, haven't you?"

"I've changed?" The thought flashed through Li Huowang's mind, but he immediately shook his head forcefully. "No, I haven't changed. I'm still Li Huowang."

"Is there any point in deceiving yourself like this?" Bai Lingmiao gave Li Huowang a sideways glance.

"You've changed far more than I have. The old Li Huowang wouldn't casually cut off his fingers or gouge out his eyeballs."

"Does that mean the old Li Huowang was Li Huowang, but the current Li Huowang isn't?"