SSEWC Chapter 58

The fact proved that the excuse of “contracting a strange illness” couldn’t conceal the truth for long. Not even half a day had passed when Yan Qing’an learned from the little fox demon that He Heng not only wasn’t sick but was lively and energetic every day, showing signs of excessive vitality.

Upon discovering this truth, Yan Qing’an felt both angry and annoyed. He was mainly annoyed at himself for being foolish enough to mistake a tomato for the other person coughing up blood. Moreover, he was infuriated by He Heng’s unfounded claim of having a “strange illness”, which needlessly caused him to worry.

Feeling embarrassed about his actions, Yan Qing’an no longer wanted to stay in that place. He walked to the entrance of the hall, pulled the door open, and made a gesture to leave. However, at that moment, he was grabbed by He Heng.

He Heng embraced Yan Qing’an from behind, pulling him close.

“What are you doing?”

Yan Qing’an felt a bit ticklish, subtly shrinking and, with pursed lips, sarcastically retorted, “Contracted a strange illness?”

“What strange illness?”

He Heng remained silent, not speaking, because his intuition told him that he had a hundred different ways to prove that his eloquence was enough to win a debate championship. However, he should definitely not choose to argue with someone when they were angry.

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard Yan Qing’an continue:

“Is it that kind of mute disease? Just silently leave and disappear without a trace?”

“Is it so uncomfortable for you when I talk to you?”

Perhaps due to the excitement of emotions, Yan Qing’an’s voice sounded a bit hoarse.

It wasn’t that he wanted to blame the other person, but just thinking about how He Heng had left without a word back then, cutting off all contact with him, made his heart feel as if a stone were lodged in it.

Would he continue to avoid him like this for a lifetime if he didn’t come to find him?

He Heng knew the other’s temper very well. Yan Qing’an now seemed like a stubborn little cat, showing claws and fangs, but a little coaxing would probably settle him down.

Earlier, due to the illusion, He Heng had made a decision on behalf of Yan Qing’an, but he hadn’t expected the other to come looking for him so soon. Moreover, Yan Qing’an’s feelings toward him didn’t seem as he had initially thought.

Seeing the undisguised disappointment and sadness in Yan Qing’an’s eyes, He Heng’s pupils trembled slightly, and a different emotion surged in his heart.

Given the circumstances, he decided to take this opportunity to have a clear conversation with Yan Qing’an. After all, his master had a soft side, and a little coaxing usually left him with no choice.

With this in mind, He Heng rested his chin on Yan Qing’an’s neck and whispered softly, “Master, are you angry?”

“I’m not—” Yan Qing’an subconsciously retorted, unwilling to admit it, but his tone at the moment lacked any credibility.

Seeing this, He Heng hooked the corner of his mouth and, taking advantage even more, leaned closer to Yan Qing’an’s ear.

“With this appearance, you’re still not angry? You’re just missing the words ‘angry’ written on your face.”

With He Heng softening his attitude, Yan Qing’an really had no way to resist him.

At this moment, Yan Qing’an was pouting like a disgruntled pufferfish, but he struggled to get a word out for quite some time.

Just then, he suddenly heard the person behind him say, “Master, I missed you,” with a hint of a coquettish tone.

He Heng’s words almost blocked all of Yan Qing’an’s previous emotions, and he couldn’t summon his anger all of a sudden.

Seeing the other person’s softened attitude, He Heng immediately took advantage of the situation, saying, “Since you’re here, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. How about I accompany you for a stroll tomorrow? People usually need to purchase a super package for a photo with me.”

Yan Qing’an: “…”

“Are you suggesting giving me a discount then?”

“No,” He Heng chuckled, “I’ll accompany you for free.”

“You can do whatever you want.”

In the end, Yan Qing’an naturally succumbed to He Heng’s “spoiled behavior” and stayed in Nine Nether Yellow Springs.

The next morning, as the first rays of dawn illuminated the earth, Nine Nether Yellow Springs began another day of business.

He Heng also rarely changed into a “serious” outfit. When he was with Yan Qing’an, he no longer had to consider his identity as the Demon Lord. In this moment, he was just an ordinary person spending time with someone he liked.

At this moment, He Heng was dressed in his original dignified black robe. Even though a faint black mist still surrounded him, he looked like a proper and solemn swordsman.

When Yan Qing’an came out of the room, He Heng was already leaning against the door, waiting for him.

In the instant Yan Qing’an saw the black mist enveloping He Heng, he realized that after returning the inner core to him, the restraint of demonic energy on him might have intensified.

Thinking of this, he blurted out unconsciously, “Is the influence of the demonic energy significant now? Do you feel uncomfortable on normal days?”

“It’s okay.” He Heng smiled at him. “I can control it. Master, you don’t need to worry about me.”

After saying this, He Heng glanced at the other’s reaction. He saw Yan Qing’an lower his head, saying, “Oh,” with a slightly awkward expression on his face. However, the concern in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Seeing this, He Heng subconsciously hooked the corner of his mouth, walked to Yan Qing’an’s side, and stood side by side with him. The distance between the two was slowly closing, and He Heng’s fingertips intentionally or unintentionally grazed over Yan Qing’an’s palm, creating a subtle and tingling sensation.

The touch of the other’s fingertips was cool and dry, a simple touch that made Yan Qing’an feel like he was being gently scratched by a little cat, leaving a tingling sensation in his heart.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!”

It seemed like even his heartbeat was beginning to accelerate.

In the end, He Heng held Yan Qing’an’s hands and brought them together, interlocking their fingers.

In the unseen perspective, a faint blush had already spread across Yan Qing’an’s neck.

As the morning passed, the flow of customers in Nine Nether Yellow Springs increased.

Holding Yan Qing’an’s hand, He Heng walked along a corridor.

He lowered his gaze and shared his plans with the other,

“Let’s have breakfast first, and then we can go to the back mountain to pick some fruits. If you want, we can take a boat to the Flower Sea on the other side or the Underwater Canyon. We can arrange for a private one.”

Yan Qing’an’s eyes subconsciously lit up, a flicker of excitement passing through the depths of his eyes. However, after a moment’s thought, he still asked, “Are you really okay with spending the whole day with me? Won’t there be anything you need to handle?”

He Heng smiled and shook his head, “No, I’ve already arranged everything in advance. If there’s anything, the people below will take care of it.”

Before this, He Heng had deliberately organized all the tasks that needed attention today. The little demons under his command would handle things systematically.

Moreover, the little fox demon was always organized in his work. With his help managing the other demons, He Heng felt at ease.

So, after breakfast, the two followed the planned itinerary and explored the various attractions in the paradise.

Just as He Heng and Yan Qing’an boarded the underwater canyon sightseeing cable car, the spiritual mirror suddenly began to chime, “Ding! Ding! Ding!”

After a moment’s hesitation, He Heng answered the incoming call on the spiritual mirror. A worried voice of the little fox demon came through, “Something’s wrong, Demon Lord. Just now, it seems there’s an issue with our underground tunnel roller coaster project. Someone recorded a video and posted it online. The topic is trending, and I can’t reach the rabbit. I don’t know what’s happening on its end.”

Hearing this, He Heng instinctively furrowed his brow, replied with a quick “I got it,” and immediately accessed the spiritual mirror to see what had happened with the underground cavern project.

Yan Qing’an, standing beside him, also realized that something was wrong. He instinctively turned to He Heng and asked, “What’s going on?”

“There might be a little accident,” He Heng replied, his brows slightly furrowed. When he heard that they couldn’t contact the rabbit demon, he had a premonition that something might have indeed happened.

He immediately clicked on the topics related to Nine Nether Yellow Springs, and one video stood out with a striking title:

“Nine Nether Yellow Springs’ Underground Roller Coaster Appears to Have Added New Content – Incredibly Realistic Images of Ancient Demonic Beasts!”

The comments under the video were quickly scrolling, and He Heng roughly glanced at them. Most were related to the “ancient demonic beasts”.

[Oh my, these ancient demonic beasts look so realistic! I got a real shock.]

[Huh? When did they update this project? I had no idea at all.]

[Maybe it’s a recent addition, but I find it quite interesting. Too bad I didn’t see the little rabbit; they say it’s super cute (crying cat emoji).]

And so on.

He Heng was very familiar with the specific details of the roller coaster project because he designed it.

After visitors experienced a series of stomach-churning maneuvers, including a 90-degree vertical free fall, an inverted Golden Bell, and a death swing, the roller coaster would enter a dark underworld canyon.

In that section, numerous props and special effects were used to faithfully recreate the appearance of the subterranean cave in Cangshan, where ancient demonic beasts were sealed.

Originally, the scene was designed to unfold like this:

After the special effects and scenery intensified the dark and heavy atmosphere to the extreme, the announcement sound would create an atmosphere of impending demonic creature appearances. Just when everyone’s nerves were highly tense, and they were on the edge of their seats, the rabbit demon would appear in a dazzling dress, performing a “malicious rabbit roar” to create a stark contrast.

Since its opening, this project received unanimous praise from visitors, and the rabbit demon became one of the most popular mascots in the amusement park.

At this moment, as He Heng watched the video with the ferocious beast, veins popping out, rampaging through the crowd, he was stunned. He wondered, what was going on?

How did the rabbit demon end up looking like this?

Did it take some kind of growth hormone?

On the other side, in a hidden corner of the dark underground cave,

Tian Shouyu wore a dark expression, looking down at the rabbit demon tied tightly in a sack, wailing uncontrollably at his feet. Annoyed, he kicked it.

Then he pointed towards the excited crowd, frantically filming the genuine ancient demonic beast in the distance. Turning to his little follower, he complained discontentedly:

“What’s going on? We agreed to create chaos, didn’t we?”

The crowd didn’t seem to be frightened by the colossal creature in front of them. Instead, they became more excited. Some even boldly stuck their hands into the mouth of the demonic beast. Just as the abyssal jaws were about to close, they quickly pulled their hands out, eliciting gasps from those around them.

The next moment, someone uploaded the video online, and comments flooded in:

[Come and see! Nine Nether Yellow Springs’ roller coaster has added new content! The ancient demonic beast looks incredibly realistic!]

Witnessing this scene, Tian Shouyu was almost furious. He grabbed the collar of the young disciple and questioned him:

“Why does no one have any sense of danger now?”

“Don’t they realize this is real? Why are they still laughing?”

“Please don’t be angry.”

The young disciple awkwardly freed himself from Tian Shouyu’s grasp and smiled, saying:

“The key to our plan is to lure He Heng over, isn’t it?”

“The special thing about this demonic creature is that when it releases demonic energy, it stirs up the negative energy around people. At first glance, it doesn’t have much impact on ordinary people. However, for someone like He Heng, who is deeply entwined with dark souls, there’s a high chance he’ll be enchanted on the spot.”

At this point, the young disciple’s tone changed, and he revealed a meaningful smile.

“When people witness him losing control and succumbing to enchantment, his image will be completely ruined.”

 

 

 

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