Forced to Love (GL) - Chapter 52

Xie Xisui’s voice was very soft, light as a breeze. Lingxi gazed into her eyes without blinking. It felt like standing on the surface of a dark night’s water, and in that brief moment when the moonlight shone upon it, Lingxi lowered her head and saw her own faintly rippling reflection on the still surface.

A reflection that was whole, vivid, and solely hers.

The warmth that brushed past her face was faint, yet more intoxicating than a fire in a cold winter night.

The hand Lingxi had frozen in midair was gently lowered by Xie Xisui, who held her wrist.

Her body was like an illusion, the back of her hand nearly transparent, pale like a flickering candle flame swaying in the wind.

With nothing left between them, Xie Xisui instead moved even closer to Lingxi.

They looked into each other’s eyes—Xie Xisui’s dark pupils were calm and deep, contrasting with the bloodshot veins in Lingxi’s eyes, which were obvious and startling.

After a moment, she leaned in, occupying all the light. The fiery red color sank even deeper into the dark clouds.

No matter how it swirled and burned, overturning heaven and earth, the dark clouds merely enveloped it lightly, enclosing it in their depths.

Gradually, Lingxi caught the scent of Agama buds, a familiar fragrance that mixed silently into her breath, gliding down her throat and seeping into her heart.

“Demonic energy will cling to your desires, magnifying them, feeding on them, and growing alongside them.”

Xie Xisui’s voice rang in her ears, clear and cool, yet carrying the warmth of her breath. The sting in Lingxi’s eyes lessened for a moment, but the next instant, her earlobes, brushed by the warmth, turned slightly red.

Just moments ago, Lingxi had sighed and confessed her longing and desires to Xie Xisui. But now, with those desires laid bare so directly, her emotions wavered like ripples scattered by the wind.

“If you don’t want to be controlled by your desires—”

Xie Xisui paused, and the dark clouds in her eyes rolled suddenly, looming over the fiery red glow. “Then face them.”

Before Lingxi could process the meaning of those words, a soft voice reached her ears. Then, an entire sky of darkness pressed down, covering everything.

She couldn’t resist the coolness slowly enveloping her, and the firelight in her eyes gradually lost its scorching heat.

She made a faint sound of agreement, instinctively leaning backward, but the hand gripping her wrist held her firmly in place.

The person before her was too close. The pressure came from above, seeping into her, inside and out. Breath, faint yet distinct, brushed against her cheek and ears, like the softest feathers gliding over her skin.

Lingxi stared at her directly. Their gazes met, both tormented yet unable to pull away.

“Does it still hurt?”

Xie Xisui looked at her.

Lingxi gave a barely perceptible shake of her head. “Master.”

“I tried many times, but my sword intent never received a response from you.”

“I was very worried about you.”

The soft surrounding light illuminated her profile. When it reflected in Xie Xisui’s eyes, the dark clouds in them dimmed, retreating slightly as though shielding that light.

Xie Xisui let out a quiet sigh. “I was careless. The loosened seal allowed demonic energy to block the sound of my sword intent.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. Rather, it’s you—”

She stopped, her brows shifting slightly. Dark light fell into Lingxi’s eyes. “Coming here alone, even handing over your sword to someone else.”

Xie Xisui’s voice was steady, yet it carried a weight, like an autumn leaf floating silently on the water, creating ripples despite its stillness.

Her gaze was calm as she looked into Lingxi’s eyes.

Lingxi unconsciously straightened her back. “It was a sword assigned by the sect leader before we descended the mountain. At the time, the situation was urgent—”

“Oh? So, you disregarded your own safety?”

Xie Xisui’s expression remained light, but the calmer the surface of a lake, the harder it was to see what lay beneath.

Lingxi lowered her voice. “I know I was wrong.”

The person before her fell silent for a moment, yet her dark pupils flickered, like a breeze stirring mist. After a pause, Lingxi heard her let out a quiet sigh, seemingly helpless.

“Nothing is more important than yourself.”

The soft words settled into her ears. A gentle white light surrounded Xie Xisui, layer upon layer, highlighting the faint worry in her eyes.

A storm suddenly rose in Lingxi’s heart, a wind carrying jumbled thoughts crashing into her.

“Nothing is more important than you, Master. Not even myself.”

She heard herself answer in a hoarse voice, firm and stubborn.

Their gazes met, and in that instant, she was completely captured.

The dark clouds were like silk threads, drifting high in the sky, pierced by dazzling light, casting their glow into the warm brown of Lingxi’s eyes.

“Is that so?”

After a long pause, Xie Xisui’s eyelids lifted slightly, allowing more darkness to sink into Lingxi’s gaze. She leaned in, lowering herself further, carrying the strong scent of Agama buds.

Warm breath brushed against Lingxi’s nose, like a bird skimming over water—so close, yet never quite touching.

Her half-parted lips were right in front of Lingxi’s eyes, clearly a soft shade of red, but in Lingxi’s vision, they appeared as the most brilliant crimson against a snowy white background.

Lingxi was momentarily dazed, holding her breath, completely still as she stared at her.

A few heartbeats later, Xie Xisui tilted slightly, her warm breath brushing against Lingxi’s neck, seeping into her burning veins.

“Master…”

Lingxi whispered.

“Now you’re nervous?”

Xie Xisui’s words were crisp and clear, but the warmth she exhaled lingered at Lingxi’s neck, unwilling to disperse.

Lingxi’s heart trembled violently, but she couldn’t say a word.

In the next moment, she heard Xie Xisui say, “Mmm, the demonic energy has been suppressed.”

“Who’s there?!”

A sharp voice shouted ahead. Before Lingxi could react, the figure before her had already faded, turning transparent.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps, drawing closer.

As Lingxi closed her eyes in realization, she suddenly remembered—just before disappearing, Xie Xisui’s lips had curved ever so slightly.

It was almost unreal, yet it had imprinted itself in her eyes, etched into her mind.

“Did someone just run past?! Tch, how can you still be lazy and asleep at a time like this!”

Someone kicked Lingxi. Through her disguise, her light brown eyes reflected a blurred shimmer.

“Get up, now! It’s because of useless trash like you that we can’t even keep an eye on one person!”

“Wolf King, please don’t be angry. We’ll go find her right away. She’s just a broken offering for the mask—she definitely can’t escape this place…”

Someone next to him smiled nervously and stepped forward, but before he could finish speaking, the one called the Wolf King slapped him hard.

“Tch, you’re a disgrace! She’s the perfect match for the mask as the key ingredient—go find her, now!”

“Yes, yes, right away…”

Someone pushed Lingxi. She got up from the ground, glanced at the Wolf King, and turned to follow into one of the caves.

That voice—it was the same person who once said, “You will all die.”

The underwater paths twisted and turned. To avoid the others, Lingxi deliberately chose some dark, remote caves.

She didn’t realize until she was completely alone that she had walked for a long time and still hadn’t reached the end. If it weren’t for the faint sound of wind ahead, she wouldn’t even know which way was left or right.

The sword’s aura quieted again—no sound at all. It was as if that earlier conversation was just a dream.

Lingxi touched her neck where the hot breath had passed. The heat seemed to burn into her skin.

Not far away, a faint purple glow shimmered on the cave wall. Lingxi stepped closer. In the dim light, she could see a red mark around her wrist. As she leaned in further, she saw something still clinging to it…

Her light brown eyes suddenly turned sharp, and she stepped back defensively.

When she first entered this narrow, dark path, she could see nothing—no purple glow, not even the wind. But now, while she was distracted, faint light appeared ahead, along with a cluster of purple vines tightly clinging to the rock wall.

The vines hung down, swaying slightly in midair, eerie and dangerous.

They looked like a wide open mouth waiting to devour its prey.

“Ah! Don’t kill me! Sister, look at me!”

A sharp, painful scream broke the silence. It came from behind the vines.

“Ruan Xuan, I’m your little sister! Help me! You said you’d save me—you said you’d destroy the mask…”

Lingxi frowned. She looked down at the oversized disguise she wore. After a moment of thought, she removed the heavy costume. Without it, she moved more freely.

Carefully avoiding the blocking vines, Lingxi crawled deeper into the tunnel.

The soft glowing light on both sides looked like guiding lanterns.

Lingxi followed it all the way to the end. A bitter sea wind mixed with seawater blew in. A blinding light suddenly lit up the entire open space.

Lingxi squinted—this place felt strange.

Above her, waves moved across the sea surface, with seabirds flying quickly past. Beneath her feet was black sand, like a bottomless abyss.

The sky and the ground were divided by this open space. In the center, on a white porcelain platform, a person lay wearing the dark mask. Black light gathered around the mask like a floating mist.

And the source of the voice—someone was huddled in a rock crevice, holding her head in her hands. Her hair was a mess, her hands were covered in bl00d, and she kept crying, “Sister Ruan Xuan, save me.”

A soft light drifted from Lingxi’s fingertips and slowly enveloped the girl. Then, without hesitation, Lingxi stepped toward the mask.

The dark mask glowed as it absorbed the girl’s soul. The more it absorbed, the brighter the black light became—like it wanted to swallow the sun.

Lingxi remembered what Xie Xisui had said—the seal was weakening, so the demon was using this mask to gather energy and try to break free.

“Foolish.”

The closer Lingxi got to the mask, the more restless the demon energy inside her became.

She stopped three steps away. A jade flute appeared in her hand, and sharp sword energy slashed toward the mask.

But it barely moved forward before the black mist surged out and blocked it.

After a few tries, Lingxi realized the black mist kept blocking the attacks. It even resonated with the demon energy in her body.

She saw a black wisp of mist hovering near the girl’s bloody hands, ramming into the protective shield again and again.

“Oh? You like this?”

Bl00d stained the engraved words on the jade flute again. Bright light seeped out between her fingers.

The next wave of sword energy was fiercer than before, tinged with red and even more dazzling.

The faint smell of bl00d made the black mist strangely excited. It swarmed over and swallowed the sword energy.

It no longer stayed in one place. It scattered into the air and filled the space.

With the mist dispersed, the black energy around the center of the mask thinned. The mist began to search for the smell of bl00d.

Lingxi seized the moment and flicked a drop of bl00d from her palm into a far corner of the space.

As it passed through the mist, the black energy howled and rushed toward it.

At that moment, the flute’s sound surged. Countless waves of bloody sword energy surrounded the mask. With each note, the attacks grew fiercer.

Lingxi suddenly remembered Xie Xisui once asking her:

“What if you face something you can’t beat?”

She had only thought for a moment before replying, “Then I’ll fight with my life and bl00d.”

Back then, Xie Xisui frowned at her answer, lightly tapped her forehead, and made her practice swordsmanship.

Later one night, Lingxi stood beside her grinding ink. Xie Xisui suddenly said softly, “You have me.”

A loud boom echoed from ahead. With no more black energy to support it, the mask cracked from top to bottom. Another wave of sword energy struck, and it finally shattered.

Lingxi murmured, “But I don’t want you to get hurt, either.”

If the demon wanted to use the mask to break the seal, then destroying it was the best way to protect her.

The black sand underfoot and the sea above split open with a loud crack. A thunderous roar filled the ocean floor.

The remaining black mist wrapped around the broken pieces, trying to escape the sword energy. But anything it touched was instantly corroded and melted.

The sand beneath her feet was no longer sand—it was now a bottomless furnace of lava. The sea above wasn’t just water—it looked like melting ice, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

Seawater poured in, clashing with the rising lava. The wind grew stronger, filled with sparks.

The broken pieces of the mask collided and were flung away.

When Lingxi turned around, sparks were flying toward her.

The flute’s sound protected her, blocking the burning fragments. The shards embedded into the sound shield, and her inner demon energy responded.

The heat stung her eyes, and her palms bled from the pain, like a broken dam flooding uncontrollably.

The scent of Ahan buds once again passed through her mind. Lingxi stayed conscious for a moment, but quickly felt dizzy.

The open space ahead had collapsed. The sea covered the lava, and waves crashed against the shield over and over. Slowly, even the shield turned red.

Lingxi couldn’t tell whether it was her own bleeding or the bl00d-red shards outside pressing in.

In a daze, Lingxi heard a familiar voice.

“Hold on a little longer. I’m here to take you back to Chuanzhejian.”

As the voice echoed in her heart, Lingxi felt the demon energy inside her surge along her veins and enter her mind.

What was once a peaceful place became red and frightening. The incoming wind was heavy and choking.

It raged through, withering every flower and blade of grass.

Lingxi thought it would stay in her mind—but it didn’t. It broke free from her control and rushed forward.

Forward…?

Lingxi hesitated. She sensed the demon energy trying to spread toward Xie Xisui.

“I…”

Xie Xisui seemed to say something else, but Lingxi quickly sealed off her consciousness.

At that moment, Lingxi wondered—would she ever see her again in this life?

The next wave crashed down and finally dragged her into the depths.