Chapter 479: The Flower Demon Awakens (Part Two)
The last time Yang Haoran entered Ye Zhiqiu's room, the floor was covered in cigarette butts, beer bottles, and the entire room was filled with an indescribable stench.
Yang Haoran had expected the room to be the same this time, so he took a deep breath outside the door beforehand.
To be fair, no matter how foul Ye Zhiqiu's room was, it could never be worse than the stench of corpses. Back when Yangjiawan suffered that great calamity, the air reeked of death, and Yang Haoran had managed to endure it because he wasn't in the mood to care about the putrid smell; his attention wasn't focused on the stench.
But now it was different; he had nothing to distract him. The moment he entered Ye Zhiqiu's room, a foul odor assailed his nostrils, which he found quite difficult to accept.
Upon entering the room, an expression of surprise appeared on his face, for what his eyes saw and his nose smelled were completely different from what he had imagined.
There were no cigarette butts scattered on the floor, nor were there beer cans rolling about. The room was tidily cleaned, and the indescribable stench from his last visit had vanished.
The indescribable stench was gone, but the room did have a faint smell of smoke. Compared to the former, Yang Haoran found the latter much more bearable.
The room's window was open, letting in a cold draft that added a touch of chill but constantly dispersed the smoky odor in the room.
Although he had tidied up the room, his long hair remained disheveled, and his face was covered in stubble. One look was enough to tell he was a man with a story.
Before him stood a table, upon which rested his Lifebound Demon Armament. The sunlight striking the longsword made it gleam with cold flashes, and faintly, one could discern the pale red floral patterns adorning its blade.
His gaze, however, remained fixed on the longsword, staring blankly, as if he had already immersed himself in the sword's world.
"Why are you here?"
Ye Zhiqiu turned his head to glance at Yang Haoran, then asked in a low voice.
Compared to the last time Yang Haoran saw him, Ye Zhiqiu's attitude had undergone some subtle changes, changes that he himself probably hadn't even noticed.
When Yang Haoran had visited Ye Zhiqiu last time, Ye Zhiqiu wouldn't even look at him at first. Yet now, after Yang Haoran entered the room, he had lifted his head to face him.
This action might seem trivial, but if one thought deeper, they would realize it was a subtle shift in attitude. Though a small detail, it showed that Ye Zhiqiu no longer ignored Yang Haoran's presence as he had before.
Of course, this change was very subtle, perhaps even negligible in some people's eyes, but in Yang Haoran's view, it was a good start.
As usual, Yang Haoran wore his signature smile. He didn't immediately answer Ye Zhiqiu's question but walked towards him with a grin.
Ye Zhiqiu didn't stop him. Seeing that Yang Haoran remained silent, he didn't press further, nor did he show any vigilance, letting Yang Haoran approach. He simply withdrew his gaze and looked back at the longsword on the table.
"If nothing unexpected happens, she should be waking up soon, so I came to check on her. " Yang Haoran said, plopping down onto Ye Zhiqiu's bed beside him.
"She's my wife, not yours. What's there to see? " Ye Zhiqiu said indifferently.
Yang Haoran chuckled, not immediately answering Ye Zhiqiu's question. A wisp of Yin Qi suddenly rose in his hand, and then a pack of cigarettes and a lighter appeared.
Yang Haoran first took a cigarette from the pack and offered it to Ye Zhiqiu.
"Here, have a smoke."
Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu looked at Yang Haoran again, gently shook the nearly burnt-out cigarette in his hand, and said faintly, "No, I'm already smoking."
"It's fine, keep smoking. You only have a butt left in your hand. " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Ye Zhiqiu glanced at the almost finished cigarette in his hand, then gulped down all the beer from the can in one go. Before he had even fully swallowed the beer, he tossed the nearly burnt-out cigarette into the beer can, then took the cigarette Yang Haoran offered and lit it with the lighter on the table.
On Ye Zhiqiu's table, more than a dozen empty cans were neatly arranged. Some of the can openings clearly showed cigarette ash residue, indicating he had been using them as ashtrays.
As Ye Zhiqiu took the cigarette, Yang Haoran also lit one for himself and took a deep drag.
"I came here now precisely to prevent any accidents. If anything unexpected truly happens to her, I can act immediately to prevent any harm."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, and after his words fell, he took another deep drag from the cigarette in his hand.
Ye Zhiqiu was silent for a moment. After taking out another can of beer and taking a swig, he finally responded, "Thank you."
Yang Haoran smiled and shook his head, saying, "No need to thank me, because this is simply what I ought to do. Though I'm a very pragmatic person, I will certainly do my best to fulfill what I've promised others. I still have that much integrity."
Ye Zhiqiu nodded, said nothing, took a puff from his cigarette, and another swig of beer.
"How is it? Are you used to living here? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
"I'm not picky about my living arrangements, as long as there's a toilet," Ye Zhiqiu replied.
"You love beer so much, it would indeed be quite troublesome if your bedroom didn't have a toilet."
When Yang Haoran's words fell, Ye Zhiqiu fell silent again.
However, Yang Haoran didn't feel awkward at all. He looked at the longsword on the table, bathed in the setting sun, and continued to speak with a smile.
"Heh heh, the sun hasn't completely set yet. If you keep the longsword exposed to the sun like this, what if her soul suddenly awakens? She probably wouldn't dare to show herself. Even if she did, her Spirit Body would be damaged by the sunlight, and a newly awakened soul like hers is very fragile."
As the female demon's soul resided within the sword, no matter how strong the sunlight, it would not affect her soul at all, because the sword blade completely blocked the sun, making her world within the sword perfectly safe.
However, if her soul were to emerge into the world outside the sword, the situation would be entirely different; whether her Spirit Body could withstand the damage from the sunlight was questionable.
A Spirit Body, to put it plainly, is a ghost. Although the female demon is a demon and different from human ghosts, she still fears sunlight.
Of course, once a ghost grows strong enough, its Guardian Yin Spirit can resist sunlight, at which point the effects of sunlight on the Spirit Body would diminish. More powerful ghosts might even be completely unafraid of sunlight, walking under the scorching sun without a hint of harm. However, the female demon's Spirit Body was nowhere near that level of power.
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Ye Zhiqiu's drinking motion paused. He then seemed to have realized the issue, so he quickly put down the beer in his hand and pulled the curtains shut in one swift motion.
"Why didn't you remind me earlier? " Ye Zhiqiu complained slightly.
"It's not too late to remind you now, and besides, I just came in, and I've only had two puffs of my cigarette. " Yang Haoran chuckled.
Seeing that Ye Zhiqiu still looked displeased, Yang Haoran laughed, "Don't worry, her soul has been reinforced with my special methods, so I can sense the moment she awakens. Even if she suddenly emerges from the longsword, I can instantly protect her and prevent the sunlight from harming her. I do have that much capability."
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's explanation, Ye Zhiqiu's expression softened slightly.
However, the very instant Yang Haoran's words fell, the longsword on the table trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Ye Zhiqiu's expression changed abruptly. He immediately stood up from his seat, first glancing at the demon armament longsword on the table, then turning his gaze to Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran smiled and nodded gently at Ye Zhiqiu, then also stood up. He looked at the slightly trembling longsword on the table and said, "She is now one with your demon armament. The demon armament reacting like this means she's about to awaken."
Yang Haoran's words filled Ye Zhiqiu with both surprise and joy, yet also a hint of apprehension, for he didn't know how to face the female demon.
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