Heart of the White-haired Demon

Lian's frustration boiled over, and he glared at Bai Ye. "Mr White-haired demon, please put me down! I can perfectly walk on my own."

Bai Ye smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "You can walk on your own? Are you sure?"

Lian puffed out his chest, trying to appear confident. "I said I'm just a year less than a score, so there's no way I can't walk perfectly on my own. I'm an adult!"

Bai Ye's smile turned mocking. "Okay, I would like to see you try."

With a gentle motion, Bai Ye dropped Lian to the ground. Lian stumbled, trying to regain his balance, but his feet sank into the earth. He looked down, confused, and realized he was standing on quicksand.

"Where was there ever a quicksand here?!" Lian exclaimed, panic rising in his voice.

Bai Ye sat down on a nearby rock, watching Lian's struggles with an unreadable expression. Lian sank deeper into the quicksand, his waist now submerged.

"Are you just not going to do something? Help me or something!" Lian shouted at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye raised an eyebrow. "Should I help you?"

Lian's face twisted in anger. "No, I don't need your help, fourteen-faced demon!"

But as the quicksand rose higher, Lian's bravado began to falter. He tried to pull himself out, but it was no use.

Bai Ye spoke up, his voice calm and collected. "You know, you could just ask for help."

Lian muttered under his breath, "Stupid demon..." But then he looked up at Bai Ye and realized he had no right to insult him. Rolling his eyes, Lian said nonchalantly, "Please help me, Old demon."

Bai Ye shook his head. "No, I am a royalty of the Underworld. You will respect me as you should."

Lian stared at Bai Ye, incredulous. "You're crazy!"

Using the same kind of energy, Lian declared, "I am a royalty of the mortal realm, and I don't care about any demon royalty! Just help me out of this mess!"

Without questioning further, Bai Ye stood up, drew his sword, and flew towards Lian. With a swift motion, he plucked Lian out of the quicksand and flew him to safer ground.

As they landed, Lian looked up at Bai Ye, still trying to process the absurdity of the situation. Bai Ye's expression remained serious, but Lian could have sworn he saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.

As they continued their journey, Lian trailed behind Bai Ye, his eyes fixed on the ground. He was still seething from their earlier encounter, and his resentment towards Bai Ye only grew with each step.

Bai Ye, on the other hand, moved with an effortless elegance, his black garments billowing behind him like a dark cloud. His white hair flowed like silk in the wind, framing his pale face with an ethereal beauty.

Lian scowled, his feet carrying him forward on autopilot. Why did this demon have to look so good? It wasn't fair. Lian's eyes dropped to the ground, and he began to kick at the stones scattered along the path.

Suddenly, Bai Ye stopped in his tracks. Lian, lost in his own thoughts, didn't notice until he bumped into Bai Ye's back. He stumbled backward, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Bai Ye turned to face him, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Are your eyes as faulty as your martial arts?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lian's face darkened, and he bristled at the jab. "My eyes faulty? My martial arts might be... unrefined, but I'll have you know that I have one of the strongest inner cores in the—"

But before Lian could finish his boast, Bai Ye raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "Is that so? I'd love to see it."

Lian's face reddened with anger as he drew his sword, pointing it at Bai Ye. "Let's have a duel! If I beat you, you'll let me go and take me back to my master. Cancel any slave contract you have on me!"

Bai Ye's expression remained impassive, but a hint of excitement flickered in his eyes. "Again, there is no slave contract. But I will really enjoy beating you up."

Without another word, the two faced off, their swords at the ready.

Lian charged forward, his sword flashing in the sunlight. "I'll show you my mastery of the 'Drunken Fist' technique!" he shouted.

Bai Ye raised an eyebrow. "Drunken Fist? You're not even drunk. Or... Did you learn that from your master's chickens?"

Lian's face reddened. "Silence! My technique is flawless!"

With a fierce battle cry, Lian launched himself at Bai Ye. But instead of a majestic display of martial arts, Lian stumbled and staggered, his sword flailing wildly through the air.

Bai Ye watched him with an expression of mild amusement, his own sword held effortlessly at his side. "You're... enthusiastic," he said.

Lian's movements became more and more frantic, his feet tangling together as he tried to land a hit. Bai Ye dodged each attack with ease, his movements so fluid they seemed almost lazy.

Finally, Lian stumbled backward, his sword flying out of his hand. He landed on his rear end with a thud, panting and gasping for breath.

Bai Ye stood over him, his sword still at his side. "I think you need to work on your... technique," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lian glared up at him, his face burning with embarrassment. "Shut up! My master said I'm a genius!"

Bai Ye chuckled. "I'm sure he did."

With a sigh, Lian scrambled to his feet, brushing off his robes. "Fine. You win. But I demand a rematch!"

Bai Ye raised an eyebrow. "You want to lose again?"

Without waiting for an answer, Bai Ye offered Lian a hand up. "Well, get up. We have a long journey ahead of us. You can lose to me another day."

Lian rolled his eyes, still sitting and sulking. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I hate you."

Bai Ye chuckled and pulled Lian up by the collar. "Come with me, quickly."

Lian stumbled after him, his voice still sulky. "Where are we going? Are we going on a journey to the west? Am I journeying to the Immortal Realm? Am I joining the Demon Realm?"

Bai Ye didn't respond, and Lian continued to rant, his imagination running wild. But Bai Ye just kept walking, his long strides forcing Lian to hurry to keep up.

Finally, they arrived at a small, unassuming hut. Bai Ye stopped in front of the door, and Lian stopped beside him, looking up at the hut in confusion.

But as Bai Ye raised his hand, the hut began to transform. The walls expanded, the roof rose higher, and the door grew larger. Lian's eyes widened as he stumbled backward, his mind reeling.

And then, he remembered it. The hut. The same hut he had seen a few weeks ago, the same hut where he had eaten the food from the handsome stranger.

Lian's eyes snapped back to the hut, and he rushed forward, slamming his hands against the door. "No, you can't go in!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear.

Bai Ye's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing. "And why not?" he asked, his voice low and menacing.