Heart Protection

HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 7

Yan Hui looked practically terrified as she stared at the person on top of her. She almost went cross-eyed.

After a long time, her extreme shock faded, and she returned to her senses. She tightly clenched her teeth and started to struggle. However, she never thought that A'Fu would be so strong. He tightly held Yan Hui in his arms, firmly trapping her. The strength of this thin and weak youth was like he was grasping at the last straw between life and death. It made her resistance completely futile.

But in the middle of her hard struggles, A'Fu's teeth bit down. Yan Hui felt a sharp pain and then between her lips filled with the odor of blood.

"Hurts!" Yan Hui garbled out a shout from her throat.

However, after catching a whiff of the bloody odor, it was like A'Fu had been provoked. He released his teeth and forcefully sucked on the wound at the edge of Yan Hui's lip. It was this action that made A'Fu's bite completely turn into a kiss.

Although he was only taking blood, it was enough for Yan Hui to go into a seething rage. She could overlook being bitten like some chew toy, but what kind of situation was this?!

Even if there was advantage to be taken, it should be her taking advantage!

This brat......

Yan Hui bent her knees and used all of her strength to push up against A'Fu's stomach and waist, shoving him away so that he sat up. Then she punched him in the face. It seemed like he was stunned for a moment. His head tilted to the side.

Yan Hui took advantage of this opportunity and hurriedly flipped him over and climbed off.

Before Yan Hui could regain her footing and run off, she felt a tightening around her waist. It was A'Fu holding onto her belt.

Yan Hui froze in her steps and turned her head back to look.

A'Fu knelt on the ground. One hand covered his heart, one hand tightly grasped her belt. His grip was so tight, his knuckles turned white. His entire body trembled. He was still under enormous pain, but his head seemed clearer than before.

"Don't go......"

Yan Hui stared fixedly at him with shadowed eyes: "You're holding onto my belt and saying those words. Does that mean if I refuse, you'll pull off my belt and make me return butt naked?"

"......"

Although she said that, in the end Yan Hui didn't move. A'Fu shuffled forward half a step on his knees, stopped in front of Yan Hui, and then hugged her waist. Like before, he tightly confined her. It was like a beggar pleading to the gods for help, not willing to let go of his last hope.

He pressed his face against Yan Hui's stomach. He pressed against her, feeling her warmth and carefully listening to her heartbeat.

The hug was too tight. The surroundings were too quiet. Yan Hui acutely more feel his pain, his trembling body, and also his throat, lowly murmuring because of the unsuppressable pain.

 "Stay by my side."

Even though Yan Hui wouldn't admit it, she was actually the type to give into coaxing rather than coercion. At this very moment, she also actually couldn't bring herself to kick away this pretty youth and run off. Thus, she stood at the level ground by the lakeside in silence for a long time. Yan Hui hit A'Fu once on the head and said:

"......You're hurting my butt......brat."

Their movements were deadlocked into the middle of the night. It wasn't until the moon completely disappeared that A'Fu's tremors slowly quieted down.

Yan Hui asked him: "Are you better?"

A'Fu didn't respond. Yan Hui only felt her waist loosen; it was A'Fu letting go. It was like he exhausted all of his strength. His body relaxed, and he fainted onto the ground.

Yan Hui listened to the gentle crashing of the lake water against the shore. She looked at A'Fu's side profile covered in sweat and sighed: "This time, I'll only help you out of the goodness of my heart because you let me eat three mantou every day."

Done speaking, she lit the bundle of firewood A'Fu had carried to the lakeside.

Waiting until the fire blazed, A'Fu finally moved and awoke. He tilted his head and looked at Yan Hui's face. The firelight illuminating her profile made her seem more vividly present than usual. Her lips were slightly swollen, highlighting the force he bit and sucked her with.

And his mouth still had the lingering flavor of her blood.

Her blood......

A'Fu's heart warmed. He couldn't help but close his eyes to settle his heart......

After a moment, A'Fu sat up.

Yan Hui turned her head and looked at him: "You're awake." She threw the last stick of firewood into the fire and asked A'Fu: "Come over and explain." Yan Hui clasped her hands and slightly smiled. She looked good and kind-hearted: "If your explanation isn't persuasive, I have a stomach full of anger to beat you with. Little snake demon."

A'Fu brushed down his clothes. He didn't continue to pretend and calmly said: "I'm not actually a snake demon."

Hearing his first sentence, Yan Hui felt a little more relieved. He dared to admit his identity, exposing the lies he dropped before. At least the rest of his words would have some credibility.

"My name is Tian Yao."

"Tian Yao." Yan Hui called him. However, when she saw his eyes turn to look at her for a second, his eyes looked more alive than usual. Before, when Ling Xiao was teaching Yan Hui, he told her that a demon's name had power [1]. From the moment they were born, their name was a spell that followed them for the rest of their life. Knowing their name meant being able to hurt them much easier.

Since he was willing to hand over his name, the following conversation would have even more credibility.

Yan Hui nodded her head, hands crossed, and still waiting.

"I am a millennium dragon demon."

Yan Hui's hands were clasped as before, but her eyes that were staring at Tian Yao were baffled. After her mind finished processing the meaning of those words, Yan Hui immediately leapt up like she had the urge to run for her life.

Dra......dragon demon! Dragon! A creature from legend!

And it was a millennium one!

A dragon that cultivated for a thousand years could have ascended long ago! Should have left this world long ago! He had long reached the point where if a demon wanted to kill him, they would have to ask him first!

88 taels of gold? Hiring a dozen Fatty Zhangs? Being rich for the rest of her life?

Compared to her life, what! were! they! worth!

Yan Hui swallowed some spit. Her mouth was rigid: "Oh......Oh?" She strived to remain calm, raising her eyebrows with a look of not caring, but the corner of her eyes were twitching. "Soun........sounds like, you're pretty.......pretty strong."

Tian Yao only blandly looked at her. When Yan Hui's stiff face couldn't keep up the calm facade any more, she burst out a question: "You really are a dragon? The kind in legends? The kind embroidered on an emperor's clothes?"

"Yes"

Yan Hui felt like she had been exposed to too much of the lake breeze. Her head was starting to hurt. She rubbed her temples: "If......and I'm just saying if. If I don't believe you, can you use a method that won't kill me to prove it?"

Hearing Yan Hui's words, Tian Yao's eyes looked down slightly. The firelight burned a fiery red in his black pupils: "No." He said: "I don't have any method to prove it to you."

Yan Hui sized him up: "You can't even show me scales or dragon horns?"

Tian Yao stared at her, silently and didn't say a word.

Seeing him look like that, only then did Yan Hui remember the matter of him not having magic.

Yan Hui also blankly looked at him for a spell. His lips were still pale. It seemed like there was still some faint pain lingering around in his body. For a moment, the fear in her heart subsided a little.

It's true, this taciturn person always followed a "If you can act, then don't waste time arguing" principle. If he had the ability to kill her, then as early as the day they were in the "bridal room", he would've slaughtered her when she was so arrogantly straddling him.

Why wait until today?

After her fearfulness was pushed away, Yan Hui's doubt rushed out again: "Shouldn't a dragon be roaming the heavens and earth, appearing one moment and disappearing the next.......why are you in such a barren place? And.......turning to this kind of behavior?"

Tian Yao's sight went to the fire: "20 years ago, I had a tribulation. My magic was lost, disintegrating between heaven and earth. 10 years ago, just by chance and serendipity I entered this young villager's body. Old Lady Xiao raised me, living here to this day."

He didn't exactly specifically explain the situation, but these words were already enough to answer Yan Hui's questions.

Yan Hui made a small sound of acknowledgement. A strange feeling flitted through her mind, but she was unable to grasp it.

Yan Hui followed up with a question: "Then tonight, what was going on?"

Tian Yao paused, then immediately said: "I haven't passed my tribulation, always enduring great pain. Since 10 years ago, every night when there's a full moon, the pain is hard to endure." He turned his gaze. It slid over Yan Hui's lips: "A cultivator's blood can help me endure it much more."

After knowing this demon's identity and hearing his words, she no longer had the inclination to care if she had been taken advantage of or if her innocence had been sullied. In her mind, she only established one thing: Her blood could help him greatly endure the pain.

Then Yan Hui paled.

Turns out he kept her by his side to guard against the occurrences from happening!

Right now she was a powerless cultivator. For him, wasn't that the same as a banquet being sent straight into his mouth? This time he only bit her mouth. If he bit her neck next time, then she'd probably be a corpse.

Yan Hui pretended to calmly stoke the fire. She told herself, although she didn't have any power, this guy didn't either! Although his martial arts were slightly better than hers, that didn't mean his two legs could run faster than hers!

Yan Hui nodded: "Then......the situation is clear now. It's almost dawn. We should head back now."

Yan Hui stood up, but Tian Yao didn't move.

He looked up at her: "I have a matter I wish you to please help me with."

Yan Hui tilted her head and looked at him: "What?"

Tian Yao raised a hand and pointed: "The cave I brought you to last time. It doesn't have the hidden treasure the snake demon stole, but it has something that'll suppress the pain I feel every night there is a full moon." He said: "I want you to help me retrieve that item."

"That place has a barrier. I don't have any magic. I can't get in. I can't do it." Yan Hui didn't even think before refusing.

Helping this kind of demon, she wasn't crazy........

"I can help you regain your magic. You probably also have a plan for that crippled snake demon we saw yesterday." Tian Yao languidly poked at the fire. "Also......" Tian Yao stared at her. His expression and tone were practically the same as before with no change. Same as before, he was as cold as the wind at the the top of a snowy mountain peak:

"Although I don't have magic, what if I told you in the mantou you eat every day, I placed a curse......"

Yan Hui stared and froze.

"The curse isn't strong, but it has been several days. Adding on, every day you eat a lot, up to today. If you don't eat every day, maybe you will......" Tian Yao's gaze wandered. "Explode and die."

Yan Hui's eyes slowly got bigger. She stared at him. Her face was filled with disbelief.

Tian Yao raised his head to look at her. The blazing heat from the fire didn't add a speck of warmth to his eyes. His tone was cold. The corner of his mouth had a slight curve. His cold laugh was filled with malice: "Reconsider it."

No! Wonder!

How fortunate she didn't abandon him earlier this night! Seeing how he let her eat lots of mantou, he was actually playing a dirty trick on her! Now she remembered: the first time she met him, he politely fed her mantou. That was when he started to scheme against her!

This disgracefully cunning demon! This millennium snake ought to feel pain like his heart and lungs were splitting apart! This........This........

Yan Hui's fists clenched to the point that popping sounds were heard. After a long time, she took a deep breath, restraining her temper and loosening her fists.

She looked down at Tian Yao from above: "Fine. Right now neither of us have magic. Although I'm under your control, you also don't dare to kill me."

She unyieldingly stared at Tian Yao and laughed through clenched teeth: "Now the two of placed down our chips. Let's. Slowly. Play."

Tian Yao finally stood up. It seemed like the pain in his body had already disappeared. He lifted his eyes. That pair of excessively pretty eyes reflected Yan Hui's figure: "Dawn has arrived." He said: "Let's go back."

Go back? There was no going back.

They had already burned that bridge