Light and Dark

Chen Shangqing gripped the beast chain, his gaze drawn to the bright smile of the woman seated behind him. He found this Senior Sister Lin from Tianlu Peak unsettling, a strange dissonance he couldn’t quite place. His usually sharp insight was failing him. This seemingly innocent woman was undoubtedly a dangerous person.

A black wind tore through the tangled forest, shattering the crisscrossing branches in its wake. Xiao Lanle clung desperately to the beast chain, bucking wildly on the spirit leopard’s back. The beast’s strength was overwhelming, and she was nearly thrown off several times.

A branch whipped across her face.

Xiao Lanle couldn’t dodge in time, and despite her efforts, she ended up with a scratch.

She watched the spirit leopard race towards the edge of Tianshu Peak, its proud spirit unable to bear the humiliation. It seemed determined to plunge over the cliff with her once she lost her strength, a shared demise.

Xiao Lanle’s hands trembled, aching from exertion. The cliff face loomed closer, her mind going blank. The fear of death constricted her breath.

“Brother Liang, help me.”

Her eyes closed in despair, but the face that flooded her mind wasn’t the one she yearned for. Instead, it was Lin Qianshuang’s, a face that filled her with both shame and hatred.

“Junior Sister Xiao, don’t be afraid, we’re here!”

It was Senior Sister Lin’s voice.

Xiao Lanle opened her eyes, surprised, and turned her head. A dark shadow in her heart struggled to break free. She saw Chen Shangqing holding the beast chain, Lin Qianshuang nestled in his arms, the two of them sitting intimately on the spirit leopard’s back. The two leopards were drawing closer.

The joy on Xiao Lanle’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a flicker of darkness in her eyes. Lin Qianshuang was closest to her, yet she didn’t reach out. Instead, Chen Shangqing, risking being dragged off the spirit leopard, pulled Xiao Lanle’s arm towards him. In that thrilling moment of falling, he pulled her into his embrace.

Xiao Lanle, her eyes shadowed, obediently nestled in Chen Shangqing’s arms, but her gaze remained fixed on Lin Qianshuang. To subdue Xiao Lanle’s spirit leopard, Lin Qianshuang had switched places with Chen Shangqing. She planned to jump onto the other spirit leopard’s back when the two beasts were closest, just as Chen Shangqing had rescued Xiao Lanle.

Xiao Lanle was safe in Chen Shangqing’s embrace.

Lin Qianshuang, her focus unwavering, leaped onto the back of the Spirit Leopard King and gripped the beast chain firmly. The cliff loomed just a few hundred meters ahead.

The woman lay on the leopard’s back, her head pressed against its ear, as if whispering. The setting sun cast long shadows on her slender form, her black hair swirling around her loose, dancing robes, as they raced through the wind.

The edge of the precipice drew ever closer, threatening to swallow them whole. Suddenly, the woman sat up, and the Spirit Leopard King came to an abrupt halt.

Man and beast stood frozen on the edge of the cliff, not moving a single inch. A hint of admiration flickered across Chen Shangqing’s face. He had doubted Lin Qianshuang’s ability when she offered to subdue Xiao Lanle’s spirit leopard, even going so far as to prepare for her demise.

But surprisingly, she had done it.

Xiao Lanle silently watched Lin Qianshuang, her eyes flickering but her face expressionless.

Lin Qianshuang wiped the sweat from her forehead, led the Spirit Leopard towards Xiao Lanle, and smiled softly as she handed her the beast chain.

She appeared to be walking easily, but in reality, she was exhausted to the point of collapse. Heaven knows how much “soul chicken soup” she had poured into that foolish Spirit Leopard before she finally managed to persuade it.

“Senior Sister Lin, thank you.”

Xiao Lanle took the chain and smiled warmly at her.

Lin Qianshuang sensed something amiss with Xiao Lanle, but she was quickly swept aside by a throng of sect disciples who arrived late, their concern palpable.

The shade beneath the towering pines was a welcome respite, and a smooth, round stone offered a place to rest.

Lin Qianshuang retreated to the shade of the tree and settled on the stone, her hand instinctively reaching for her dantian, now devoid of demonic energy. Her expression hardened.

“I need to go to Yixiang Tower tomorrow. If I don’t absorb another inner core soon, my demonic energy will be depleted.”

“Sister Lin, do you know animal language?”

Chen Shangqing emerged from behind the tree, approaching Lin Qianshuang.

Lin Qianshuang met his gaze, her voice calm and steady. “Junior Brother Chen, does it seem relevant to you whether I do or not?”

“Senior sister, I don’t mean to pry. I saw you communicating with the spirit leopards while subduing them. I was curious, so I came to ask if you might be willing to share your secret.”

Chen Shangqing’s face held a hint of genuine curiosity, but his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, which pulsed with the energy of the Demon Subduing Art. He was testing her.

He had witnessed the sudden surge of demonic energy from her body earlier. He was unsure if the spirit leopard had somehow taken control of her or if a demonic entity had possessed her.

Chen Shangqing, sword in hand, gently aimed it at Lin Qianshuang’s forehead. In that instant, Lin Qianshuang rose to her feet, her own sword now drawn. As their actions collided, Chen Shangqing abruptly reversed the Demon Subduing Art, his sword plunging deep into the tree trunk beside Lin Qianshuang’s neck. To steady himself, he braced his elbow against her side.

Lin Qianshuang, pushed back by the force of Chen Shangqing’s sword energy, found herself pressed against the tree. Their bodies were impossibly close, the posture undeniably intimate. Lin Qianshuang, her face flushed, turned her head away, the gesture, from a certain angle, appearing as if she were seeking a kiss.

Xiao Lanle pushed through the crowd, witnessing the scene unfold. A cold expression flickered across her face.

“Didn’t I say Lin Qianshuang could only like women?” she thought. “She’s defying me again!”

Contempt surged through Xiao Lanle. They were practically on top of each other, right in broad daylight, surrounded by sect disciples! How dare they have an affair in the woods?

She watched Chen Shangqing’s posture, a mixture of amusement and desire in her gaze, lingering on Lin Qianshuang’s figure. “Kissing with their swords still in hand?” she mused. “I didn’t realize Lin Qianshuang had seduced Chen Shangqing so quickly, and they’re doing it with such a mix of passion and roughness.”

A spark of excitement ignited within Xiao Lanle. Her eyes burned with lust as she imagined Lin Qianshuang’s body, so flexible, capable of so many positions. A fire blazed within her.

She felt a pang of regret. Her weak and incompetent side must not have witnessed this scene. It would have been such a surprise, and the situation would have been so much more entertaining.

“Senior Sister Lin, I apologize. I was testing my moves and accidentally injured you with my sword energy,” Chen Shangqing said, pulling his sword from the tree trunk and bowing apologetically towards Lin Qianshuang.

Lin Qianshuang looked puzzled and said speechlessly, “As long as you’re not hurt, Senior Brother Chen, please practice your swordsmanship somewhere with fewer people around.”

Just as they were talking, Xiao Lanle approached Lin Qianshuang, leading her spirit leopard. She grabbed Lin Qianshuang’s sleeve, a sinister smile playing on her lips as she said, “Senior Sister Lin, I… I’m a little scared. I don’t dare to sit on the spirit leopard alone. Could you please accompany me?”

Lin Qianshuang was taken aback. Xiao Lanle had always been hostile towards her, so why was she suddenly acting so affectionate?

“Senior Sister Lin, it was all your fault that I was late and publicly humiliated by Master Qingyun. Now I can’t even finish my homework, and you still refuse to help me?”

Xiao Lanle stood there, tears welling in her eyes, feigning helplessness.

The group of sect disciples immediately began to criticize Lin Qianshuang.

“What kind of person are you? Bullying your junior sister just because you’re new here?”

“Didn’t you see that she was trying to seduce Senior Brother Chen just now? How shameless!”

“It’s said that she’s the sect’s senior sister. So it turns out she’s like this.”

Lin Qianshuang listened to the whispers of the people around her and couldn’t help but retort, “You all have so much free time, have you finished your homework?”

The sect disciples’ faces changed upon hearing this, and they immediately dispersed, leading their spirit leopards away.

Lin Qianshuang watched coldly as the disciples scrambled onto their spirit leopards, thinking to herself, “They’re all fools. They have time to gossip but forget about their homework.”

Taking advantage of Lin Qianshuang’s distraction, Xiao Lanle forced her onto the spirit leopard’s back. She wrapped her arms around Lin Qianshuang’s waist and used her Spirit Control Technique to urge the leopard forward. Soon, the spirit leopard was galloping.

The hair tie loosened and fell off, leaving Lin Qianshuang’s hair cascading down her shoulders.

As the spirit leopard bounced along, Xiao Lanle deliberately bumped her crotch against Lin Qianshuang’s several times.

Xiao Lanle held Lin Qianshuang close, racing forward. Their bodies pressed together, and Xiao Lanle made deliberate, suggestive movements, causing Lin Qianshuang to shift away uncomfortably.

Xiao Lanle pressed a pressure point on Lin Qianshuang’s spine, causing her to stiffen in surprise. Then, she used the hairband to blindfold Lin Qianshuang, her voice laced with a strange mix of amusement and malice. “Senior Sister Lin, I wanted to do this to you back on the cliff. You’re so flexible, I bet you’d be amazing. You seduced Senior Brother Chen, but he likes me. Why are you so eager to play with what I don’t want? Or maybe, since you’re so keen on physical infidelity, you’d prefer mental infidelity with me. Besides, Xiao Lanle wouldn’t know, and even if Liang Jingxuan found out, he wouldn’t care that much.”

Lin Qianshuang, confused and repulsed, felt goosebumps erupt on her skin as Xiao Lanle pressed her body against hers.

“Xiao Lanle, let go. I’ll pretend this never happened… uh!”

Before she could finish, Xiao Lanle began licking and nibbling Lin Qianshuang’s neck. A wave of intense, burning sensation shot up Lin Qianshuang’s spine, making her cry out in surprise.

Xiao Lanle quickly covered her mouth, her voice laced with a hint of warning. “Don’t scream so loudly. We could run into other disciples at any moment. If they see us, we’re both finished.”

Blindfolded and trapped, Lin Qianshuang reached out and grabbed Xiao Lanle’s neck, her anger burning bright. “What are you doing? If this is what you want, I won’t accompany you.”

Xiao Lanle’s lips gently touched Lin Qianshuang’s, a slow, teasing lick. Her pink tongue cautiously explored, slipping into Lin Qianshuang’s parted lips. The moment their tongues met, Xiao Lanle’s touch became frantic, repeatedly invading Lin Qianshuang’s sensitive mouth. The entanglement left Lin Qianshuang’s tongue numb, her breathing stopping several times in a struggle for air.

“Mmm… Mmm.”

Lin Qianshuang’s body involuntarily yielded to the assault. The pressure point Xiao Lanle held felt intensely hot and painful.

Lin Qianshuang’s grip on Xiao Lanle’s neck loosened. The spirit leopard surged forward, the uneven terrain causing Lin Qianshuang to sway precariously. The friction from the speed brought a wave of shame, and she felt as if she were about to tumble off at any moment.

The threat to her life jolted Lin Qianshuang, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around Xiao Lanle’s neck, refusing to let go.

The spirit leopard’s back offered too little space.

Xiao Lanle leaped off the beast, carrying Lin Qianshuang with her as they tumbled onto the grass. One hand remained pressed against Lin Qianshuang’s three pressure points, controlling her movements. Xiao Lanle pulled off the blindfold, revealing Lin Qianshuang’s flushed, dazed expression. Her eyes darkened, and she lifted Lin Qianshuang’s chin, capturing her lips in a deep, lingering kiss…

She hadn’t intended to kiss her so deeply. Such intimate, passionate kisses were reserved for Daoist couples.

Playing with someone didn’t require wasting emotions.

But she couldn’t help herself.

Xiao Lanle traced the curves of the body beneath her, propping her head up and thinking, this was the most genuine desire and impulse of a human being.

After all, she was the darkest side of Xiao Lanle, and she had to bear everything.

Including punishing this shameless woman.

“Sister Lin, even if you pretend to be pure and virtuous, your body cannot deceive anyone. As long as you touch those spiritual acupoints, you will not be able to resist.”

“Only I know how to make you happy. Why bother with those men?”

“My mind has changed. Xiao Lanle likes Liang Jingxuan, but I like you. I like your body. I want to possess you, to touch you.”

Lin Qianshuang’s eyes began to clear, and the thick black in Xiao Lanle’s eyes above her gradually faded.

“So what if I live in the darkness? As long as I appear, I will come to you. Being my lover is far better than finding those men. Lanle will be happy too. One less rival in love, one more intimate friend.”

Bang…

After uttering these words, Xiao Lanle’s eyes closed, and she fell limply onto Lin Qianshuang.

Lin Qianshuang, unsure whether to cry or laugh, pushed Xiao Lanle away. Her hand trembled as she touched the new hickeys and teeth marks on her neck, as well as the red, raw skin on her thighs.

She had to go to Tianshu City to find a way to cover up her fatal weakness, so she wouldn’t be caught and threatened by Xiao Lanle’s inner demon again.

With helpless anger, Lin Qianshuang pinched Xiao Lanle’s neck until a red mark appeared. “Xiao Lanle, you are really bad. Very bad.”

A rustling sound came from the grass. Lin Qianshuang let go of Xiao Lanle and looked towards the source. In the hidden jungle, someone was struggling to climb.

Xiao Lanle, gradually waking up from her coma, looked behind Lin Qianshuang. A surprised expression appeared on her face. “Senior Brother Liang!”