My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 768 - 482 But He’s a Man (Two in One)_2

Only at this moment did a muffled voice slowly emerge from behind the door, "The No-Life Tripod… cannot be brought back..."

"Cannot be brought back?" A hint of mockery laced the tones of the bird demon, "The court sent people searching for you, and the sect is also trying to hunt you down. If it weren't for our past ties, I would have handed you over long ago—it wouldn't get me riches, but at least it would guarantee me safety."

"Safety? Nothing guarantees anything anymore…"

"Shut up! You wretched thing. I must have such unlucky blood running through me to be caught up with your White Lotus Sect, and worse—to be tied to your betrayal." The bird demon spat, then continued, "After today, I'll have no choice but to drive you away."

"…Alright, I understand." The tone from inside the door was calm, as if long resigned to fate.

The bird demon seemed disinterested, resting her fingertips on the door frame, and asked, "Vacuum Home… does it truly exist?"

"It does… I never lied to you," came the voice, paused, then added, "But it isn't in the No-Life Tripod."

For the first time, an unfamiliar sadness flickered across the bird demon's face, one would almost mistake her expression for that of a delicate woman. She spoke softly, "Whether it exists or not... it doesn't concern me anymore. Open the door—let me see you one last time, and then you'll leave."

"...Miss Yu, you and I are still worlds apart; monstrous and human..." A deep sigh escaped from beyond the door.

"Not even willing to reminisce… one last time?"

"…It's not unwillingness..."

The door gave a thin creak, talisman paper peeled off and drifted to the ground, and slowly the barrier drew open.

A thick, suffocating white mist surged forth like a torrent, enveloping the bird demon for a moment. The hallway groaned and seemed ready to collapse. As the haze began to lift, the bird demon steadied her gaze.

What she saw before the small bronze tripod was a figure, gaunt and withered, skin tightly clinging as though ready to slip off—only the bone structure of his face retained some semblance of past elegance.

He glanced bitterly at the bird demon and offered a wry smile, "I just didn't want you to see me like this."

After her initial shock, the bird demon spoke slowly, "You… to have become so… was it the No-Life Tripod? Is this its corruption?!"

Seeing this familiar, yet broken semblance, the man's mind swirled with countless thoughts, and he finally uttered, "I, Yang Shen, left the White Lotus Sect to prevent others from suffering the same fate. It's laughable… This so-called sacred relic… is nothing but an ancient corpse-refining Magic Artifact."

Confronted with his tortured, inhuman visage, the bird demon finally fell silent this time.

"You want me to leave, and I swear I'll not linger any longer. I'll go anywhere—but no one can possess this tripod; it must be destroyed." Yang Shen's trembling fingertips brushed against the intricate grooves of the tripod, his tone firm yet tinged with an insuppressible fervor, "This is no gateway to Vacuum Home."

The bird demon sighed and uttered softly, "Go, then. After today, I will never lay eyes on you again."

"…I've caused you too much trouble.'

With that, Yang Shen cast a fleeting glance at the bird demon, lifting the No-Life Tripod as he stepped past her.

"Wait… Before you go… Can you hold me one last time?" The bird demon lowered her head as she spoke.

Yang Shen's footsteps faltered. His fingertips quivered, and at last, a sorrowful expression seeped through his once steady gaze. He nodded deeply and stretched out his hand toward her.

Splatter!

The sound of something sharp plunging into flesh.

Yang Shen's eyes widened, his gaze drifting downward. Razor-sharp claws, curved talons akin to those of a bird, had shattered his lungs and twisted, shredding his heart along with both lungs.

As the bird demon withdrew her claws, Yang Shen crumpled, falling backward.

The bird demon picked up the No-Life Tripod, swept a glance at the fallen Yang Shen, who could now barely move his lips though no sound emerged.

"Yang Shen, it's not that I have no regard for past ties," she said softly, "But a praying mantis devours her mate to survive. Leaving you here, or letting you go—either way would invite endless trouble. I must care for my household; I have younglings to feed."

Her gaze then fell upon the No-Life Tripod, fingertips brushing across its intricate markings, while a sharp gleam gradually arose in her eyes.

"Besides... I truly need this tripod."

In her mind, four words echoed:

Make use of everything.

.........…

"This soul—clearly bait!"

In the hall, the gathering of demons simultaneously turned their heads to stare.

On the dining table, the air suddenly thickened with tension. The fish demon's demonic energy surged, wafting forward like the stagnant, fishy murk of a polluted river, drowning Yin Tingxue's breath. Panic overtook her, as though the next moment her soul would be obliterated.

She felt poised to slip into another life, just a single careless mistake away from reincarnation.

Another life...

Three fleeting words flashed past, rippling some unreachable chasm deep within. Randomly, Yin Tingxue's thoughts veered—another life… Would Chen Yi have been kinder then? He had promised her, from the time they met onward, that all would be well. With another life, then so be it. What's there to fear?

The tingling at her scalp stiffened.

"You... you demon! If you have no ability, don't spout nonsense!"

As she spoke, her eyes remained shut, and her stretched neck assumed the posture of someone awaiting execution.

The fish demon let out a quiet, puzzled "Huh?" as its rolling eyes swiveled about.

From the side, the spider demon spoke, irritation edging its tone, "Brother, why provoke Sixth Sister?"

"I saw her hesitating, barely touching her chopsticks—doesn't seem to be either ghost nor proper demon."

The fish demon sneered coldly; with only half its face turned, Yin Tingxue caught a glimpse of its grin rising sharply on one side.

The spider demon sighed, "She's new to this demonhood—weren't you new once?"

With a snort, the fish demon retreated to its seat, pulling its looming head away.

The spider demon turned its attention back to Yin Tingxue, speaking softly to comfort her, "Our eldest brother was once on the riverways, evolving into a jiao-dragon. Carelessly tempted by mortal bait, he hooked himself on a human line. That's why he's now half-jiao, half-fish—makes him sensitive. He knows you're an orphan soul, unused to banquets like this. Don't be afraid…"

At those words, Yin Tingxue let out a sigh of relief.

"After enough practice eating human flesh, it gets easier."

That sigh of relief quickly recoiled into dread.

Glancing around the table filled with odd and ghastly dishes, her face turned pale as a ghost's, and she struggled to push away her rushing thoughts, forcing herself to steady her trembling fingers.

Chen Yi… hasn't arrived yet?

Click, click, click…

A burst of hurried footsteps approached. Yin Tingxue nearly turned her head to look when she noticed all the demons present swiftly beating her to it.

"Everyone—How fares the feast on this hundredth night?"

From the entrance, dressed in pitch-black feathers, the bird demon casually strolled inside with a serene smile on her face.

The once boisterous hall fell deathly quiet at the sound of her footsteps arriving.

The bird demon came to a standstill, surveying the crowd as she said, "It seems I, Yu, have interrupted you. Whatever revelry proceeded before, may it now continue unchanged."

"Indeed!"

"A toast to Mistress Yu!"

"Drink until we fall, drink without rest!"

The feast erupted afresh with rowdy cheer, washing away the earlier fleeting moment of suppressed tension—though louder than before, as though to shake the hall itself. It almost felt celebratory, or perhaps a means of dispersing the pressure accompanying the bird demon's arrival.

The bird demon made her way toward the main table, sidestepping the drinks offered by several adopted sons and daughters, finally stopping before Yin Tingxue. Smiling, she spoke softly, "Follow me."

The girl instinctively shrank her neck, glancing uneasily toward the door before taking a breath and rising from her seat.

The bird demon led, Yin Tingxue trailed behind, both vanishing through the banquet hall doorway into the darkness beyond.

Soon, Yin Tingxue found herself brought to a private chamber, raising her head only to find the bird demon staring deeply at her, an enigmatic smile playing on her lips.

Yin Tingxue heard something, her face paling slightly.

Though the words were blurry and unclear, they wove the faint outline of truth… She wrinkled her nose, noticing that the bird demon carried an overwhelming stench of blood.

It was unbearable...

The bird demon's smile deepened, her gaze narrowing as she purred, "Little girl… You still refuse to speak of your mother's appearance, do you?"

Holding the No-Life Tripod in hand, the bird demon clearly wasn't in a hurry to unleash its power, especially after witnessing firsthand what its backlash had done to Yang Shen. Forcing someone to speak always proved far more entertaining.

"I..."

Yin Tingxue found herself speechless, the kind where any answer—affirmative or denial—seemed inherently wrong.

"Don't wait until I'm the one to force you; that's when you'll regret it." The bird demon added, "I won't take pleasure in coercing you—it might leave lingering hatred."

Yin Tingxue pondered in silence for quite some time. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Seeing this, the bird demon's gaze grew colder, "Still unwilling to speak?"

"...It's not that I'm unwilling," Yin Tingxue's eyes shifted, hesitating as she replied, "It's just that…"

"Oh… secrets you can't speak of?" Not eager to employ the tripod unnecessarily, the bird demon relaxed her tone, saying slowly, "No matter how she treated you, I'll treat you better. However she looked, I can transform to mirror her."

"But… he's a man."

?

The bird demon's eyes widened, seemingly doubting her ears, muttering, "Man… A man?"

She then noted that the girl did not deny, nor seemed to lie, freezing solid in place for a moment.

"Mhm, so you can't transform…"

Yin Tingxue nodded firmly, catching sight of the demon's stiffness. Venturing cautiously, she added:

"How about… we compromise? Let me be your mother instead, alright?"