CBGC - ch101.1

Warning for this chapter, as Gale said: BAD TOUCH. At least it’s mercifully short…

Chapter 101: To Remain True

     The suggestive undertones in the Demon Venerable's words makes Su Tingyun’s hackles rise.

     Perhaps because he thinks that she’s too boring while she’s stiff as a log and can’t move, the Demon Venerable lifts the soul pressure. He pushes Su Tingyun's hair behind her ears, but catches a lock of it with his index finger to curl it up. He quietly considers it for a while, then says: "I don't want to know who you are, from now on, you will be Xi Guang."

     With that, he tilts his head and smiles, "What's your name?"

     At some point, the Dream-Eating Tapir has quietly entered the room. It lies beside the stone bed, staring unmovingly at Su Tingyun.

     Su Tingyun sees illusions before her, and she feels like she’s dreaming.

     In the dream, a gorgeous woman has a face like perennial ice. She disdains everyone beneath contempt. But even so, there are still countless people pursuing her, currying favor with her, and even fighting for her.

     At this moment, Su Tingyun hears a voice saying, "Do you know who had the highest cultivation level among those old Tribulation Transcendent monsters three thousand years ago?"

     The voice answers its own question, "It's Xi Guang."

     "Her skills to enchant others are unparalleled, the Jade Maiden can't even compare to one of her toes."

     "Men would help her kill, some would sieze mystical devices for her, others would help her cultivate. Whatever it was, she needed only to look at it, and someone would offer it with both hands."

     "From now on, you are Xi Guang."

     "Xi Guang, the world is in chaos today. How about we go out there and make an even bigger mess of things?" The Demon Venerable's voice is intimate, and he speaks with a tender expression. He slides his big hand down Su Tingyu's cheek, gently stroking her neck, and finally sticks it under her thin clothes to fondle her soft chest.

     Right now, Su Tingyun's eyes are unfocused, as if she’s in a state where her mind is gone. This is a nightmare illusiory realm set up by him and the Tapir, with the purpose of making this strange soul later behave like Xi Guang three thousand years ago. And after some additional training, no one will be able to see the inconsistencies when she reveals herself.

     The human puppet no longer interests the Demon. He takes out his hand, sees that it should be about time, and asks again, "What's your name?"

     Su Tingyun is in a daze. She tries to speak, but she suddenly feels off again.

     Her life is not filled with men fighting over her affections, nor about her making so many audacious demands. She has family, friends, and companions— she gives and she receives. Those experiences are completely different from what she sees in front of her.

     The dream that the Tapir has created for her is pure black, and she plays the role of an extremely beautiful woman in it. But there’s a slight chill in her heart, which keeps on reminding her that it’s not real.

     That's not her life.

     Someone asks again, "What's your name?"

     Su Tingyun murmurs in reply, "My name is Su Tingyun."

     The color of the Demon Venerable's face changes slightly. He looks down at the Dream-Eating Tapir lying on the bedside, only to watch it whine, appearing aggrieved and nervous. It even places its front hooves on the side of the bed, stretches its head up to look at Su Tingyun who’s lying on it, then growls a few times at her.

=====

     Dense mist shrouds her entirely, and it seems like Su Tingyun is inside a rain curtain. The continuous drizzle dampens her clothes and makes them stick against her body, letting the cold in.

     Someone opens an umbrella for her, there’s one who holds up clean clothes, yet another uses spiritual energy to block the rain and blow away the dark clouds in the sky.

     And still, she feels no warmth, there’s only ice in her heart.

     That voice continues to ask her, "What is your name?"

     Su Tingyun is in a trance, but she still remembers that her name is Su Tingyun. Not Wei Yun, not Xi Guang. No matter what she looks like, she is just Su Tingyun.