Chapter 291: House Arrest
Inside the study, Yang Haoran, a cigarette dangling from his lips, lightly tapped his fingers on the desk, his face lost in thought.
What he was thinking at that moment, no one knew but him.
In the corridor outside the study, the Evil Spirit Xiujuan was leading Bai Xue, the snake demon, preparing to show her a room. This Evil Spirit Xiujuan was, of course, Xiao Kang's mother.
Yang Haoran had specially treated the Soul-Gathering Bead around Xiao Kang's neck, allowing Xiujuan to enter and exit it without restriction. Normally, she wouldn't reveal her Spirit Body in front of outsiders, fearing she might frighten ordinary people and cause unnecessary trouble, but in front of Bai Xue, the snake demon, she had no such reservations.
After all, one was a demon, the other a ghost; though different, neither felt awkwardness or fear due to the other's special status.
Xiujuan showing Bai Xue to a room was, of course, Yang Haoran's command. Xiujuan was naturally delighted to serve Yang Haoran, not because of his status, but because of his immense kindness.
Let alone such a small task, even if it meant scaling mountains of blades or plunging into seas of fire, she wouldn't utter a single "no."
Compared to Xiujuan, who felt immensely honored, Bai Xue's face was a picture of bitterness and helplessness. Though a smile still flickered on her face, it was a forced grimace, utterly strained.
The reason for this expression was that Yang Haoran wasn't letting her leave; instead, he insisted she stay here until their transaction was complete.
However, in Yang Haoran's view, their transaction was far from over. He didn't know whether the information she provided was true or false, so until he found that powerful evil spirit, their deal remained incomplete.
Therefore, Yang Haoran invited her to stay here temporarily. To put it nicely, it was an invitation; to put it bluntly, it was house arrest.
Under another's roof, one must bow their head. Although Bai Xue was furious at Yang Haoran's actions, she had no choice but to comply with his wishes.
There was no other way; his strength was evident. If she didn't cooperate, she worried Yang Haoran's dinner tonight might just be snake soup.
Though house arrest made her feel utterly stifled, what was that compared to her life?
She was a demon, and the journey from an ordinary white snake to gaining sentience, and then cultivating into a refined spirit, was an incredibly long and perilous process. Thus, she cherished her life, for only she understood how difficult it had been to reach her current state.
So, even though Yang Haoran had placed her under house arrest, she didn't lash out at him. She knew that anger wouldn't solve her problems, but it could very well cost her life.
Choosing to endure, to first appease Yang Haoran, and then act according to circumstances—that was the most rational approach.
"Beauty, my name is Xiujuan. How should I address you? " Xiujuan's Spirit Body floated in the air, her milky-white eyes fixed on Bai Xue as she asked.
If an ordinary person were stared at by such a pair of lifeless, fish-like eyes, they would likely be scared half to death. But Bai Xue was someone who had seen grand spectacles; naturally, she wouldn't be frightened by such eyes.
"My name is Bai Xue, 'Bai' as in 'white,' and 'Xue' as in 'snow'. " Bai Xue forced a smile and replied.
In Bai Xue's eyes, an Evil Spirit was nothing; even the strongest Evil Spirit was absolutely no match for her. However, the Evil Spirit before her was Yang Haoran's subordinate, and she had no intention whatsoever of offending her.
"Bai Xue, what a beautiful name. Is your surname Bai? " Xiujuan asked.
"No, it's mainly because I'm white, so I just took that name. I cultivated into a spirit on my own, so I don't have a surname."
After Bai Xue finished speaking, her gaze turned to Xiujuan, and she couldn't help but form some conjectures in her mind.
She sensed a dense Yin Qi emanating from Xiujuan, yet not much resentment. This made her wonder if Xiujuan was related to Yang Haoran, which was why he took her in after her death and helped her ascend to the Evil Spirit realm through various means.
Normally, Evil Spirits formed directly from a soul after death possess not only strong Yin Qi but also considerable resentment. Yet, Bai Xue didn't sense any intense resentment from Xiujuan, leading her to believe that this Evil Spirit must have been artificially nurtured, and that person was Yang Haoran.
It was natural for Bai Xue to form such a conjecture, but she didn't know she was mistaken. The reason the resentment on Xiujuan's Spirit Body was gradually fading was that she could now spend her days with her son and see him living happily. She was content and pleased, and thus the resentment clinging to her Spirit Body slowly dissipated.
"Bai Xue, what do you think of this room? If you don't like it, I can get you another one. " Xiujuan led Bai Xue, the snake demon, into a room and then asked.
The room wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either, and it was quite well-decorated.
Bai Xue glanced around, then smiled at Xiujuan. "This one's fine. I'm not picky about my living arrangements, and besides, I won't be staying for long."
"Since there are no issues, you rest for now. I'll take my leave."
Xiujuan was quite direct; seeing that Bai Xue had no objections, she left the room. A gust of Yin wind gently closed the door, leaving Bai Xue alone inside.
After Xiujuan left, the strained smile on Bai Xue's face finally vanished. She sighed, then, as if suddenly drained of all strength, collapsed onto the bed, burying her face deep in the blankets.
"What in the world is going on?"
Bai Xue's muffled voice came from beneath the blankets. She rolled over, her face a mixture of helplessness and indignation.
"How could I be so unlucky? Every terrible thing seems to land on me. My freedom, ah, I truly don't know when I'll ever be free again."
As her voice faded, Bai Xue raised her left hand and looked at her palm. There, a Death God Seal had appeared.
It went without saying that this Death God Seal had been planted by Yang Haoran. However, this Death God Seal was different from those found within Night Watchers: it wouldn't provide Bai Xue with any Spirit Power; instead, it would suppress the Demon Power within her.
To put it plainly, this Death God Seal was, in fact, a seal Yang Haoran had left within Bai Xue's body. With this seal present, Bai Xue's strength would not only be suppressed, but her life would also be constantly threatened by Yang Haoran. As long as Yang Haoran wished, he could activate the Spirit Power within the Death God Seal at any time to attack the Demon Pill in Bai Xue's body.
If Yang Haoran were to do that, even if she didn't die, she'd certainly lose a layer of skin.
Compared to her current situation, she actually felt happier when sealed in the wooden hut by the Demon Sealing Talisman. At least in the hut, her life wasn't threatened, and she could occasionally feast on a human to satisfy her cravings.
Now, she seemingly had left the wooden hut and regained her freedom, but in reality, the opposite was true. Not only had her freedom not returned, but her very life was under threat, leaving her with a bitterness she couldn't express.
The more Bai Xue thought about it, the more enraged she felt. Since becoming a spirit, she had encountered numerous dangers, almost losing her life many times. Yet, she had never before experienced being led by the nose like this. The feeling was an inexpressible humiliation.
"This damn Underworld official, he looks so kind-hearted on the surface, but in reality, he's a villain with a dagger hidden in his smile, completely inhuman. Once I recover my strength, I will definitely avenge this humiliation! Even if I can't defeat him directly, I'll find a way to secretly finish him off!"
Bai Xue secretly swore to herself: as long as she didn't die this time, she would definitely find a way to avenge today's humiliation. She would use the same methods on Yang Haoran, making him experience what it felt like to have his life controlled by another.
What Bai Xue didn't know was that Yang Haoran had long since experienced the sensation of having his life controlled by others, and the threat he faced at that time was far greater than what she was currently enduring.
At the very least, Yang Haoran hadn't stated he would kill her. Whereas back then, Yang Haoran had been struck by the Soul Dispersing Needle with only a month left to live, not only having to contend with Spirit Mediums but also needing to guard against his own superior. His situation was far more dire than hers now.
"Before I regain my freedom, I can only comply with this Underworld official. Whatever he says, goes. I absolutely must not provoke him. I must endure. For the sake of my freedom, I must hold back. No matter what it takes, I must first preserve my life. Only by living will I have a future; once dead, everything ends!"
Bai Xue consoled herself inwardly. In truth, she harbored another worry at that moment—a worry she dared not dwell on, yet couldn't help but consider.
This worry was: if, when the transaction was complete, Yang Haoran failed to uphold his promise and continued to hold her under house arrest, using her life as a threat, then the situation would be dire. That was the outcome she least wished to see.
"I can only pray this Underworld official isn't the type of person I'm imagining, otherwise, I'll be in deep trouble. Ugh, this damned Underworld official, he truly fills me with boundless loathing! If I had the strength, I would absolutely swallow him whole, and not even spit out his bones!"
Thinking this with fierce resentment, Bai Xue lay on the bed and closed her eyes. Her body was currently very weak: partly due to being trapped by the Demon Sealing Talisman for so long, which made it difficult for her to recover, and partly because her injuries were aggravated during her struggle against the Demon Sealing Talisman, leading to her current dire physical state.
The soft blankets were incredibly comfortable. Lying on the bed, Bai Xue couldn't help but sigh.
"Humans truly know how to enjoy themselves. How wonderful would it be if I weren't a demon but a human? Even an ordinary human would be quite nice."
"Alas, beasts wish to become human, yet many humans yearn to be beasts. A complicated world, complicated hearts."
"Speaking of humans, I feel hungry. I really want to eat a few people to replenish my strength. What a pity, though; surrounded by delicacies, I dare not open my mouth. I can only lie here, enduring the temptation. This torment is truly maddening!"
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