CH 68

lucifer’s mouth twitched, and he let pei xia use the iron chain to bind him.

after securing the chains, pei xia swiftly changed his demeanor. he drew the sword hanging on the wall, and the chilling blade pointed straight at lucifer’s heart.

“demon, your time is up!”

lucifer gazed at him with deep meaning, unfazed by the disadvantage. he bent his knee and rubbed against pei xia, “is this your true purpose? aren’t you afraid i’ll kill you?”

pei xia, feeling weak in the legs from lucifer’s actions, almost reacted embarrassingly. he exclaimed, “i am afraid! but do you think i’d choose to live in fear, only to end up being consumed by you, lucifer? even if i fear death and dread darkness, i have my limits!”

must the weak grovel and compromise with the darkness? clearly, reality was already detestable enough; did they have to endure it in the world of books as well?

pei xia felt an inexplicable sadness, unsure if it was directed at lucifer or himself. he spoke softly, “i can do many things to stay alive, bowing and scraping, fearing death and darkness; everyone wants to survive. but there are things that cannot be done this way. even if there’s danger, some things must be faced.”

his hands, bound by iron chains, moved upward, lightly touching pei xia’s eyelids. suddenly, lucifer leaned forward, startling pei xia, who quickly moved the sword backward.

“pei xia,” he called, looking at him with eyes filled with swirling emotions. “you are not weak; you are brave. i really like you, pei xia.”

what was happening? was he being praised by a demon? pei xia, looking a bit awkward, sniffed and tried to appear stern, “enough, stop talking.”

“no.” clearly, lucifer could be quite stubborn. biting his lower lip, a hint of a playful smile in the corner of his eyes, he asked, “do you want to kill me, pei xia? you said you love me.”

holding the sword tightly, pei xia kept the dangerous tip aimed at lucifer to prevent any resistance. however, this infuriating demon was too audacious, continuously rubbing against him with his legs. unable to do anything about it, pei xia angrily said, “be more serious!”

lucifer replied, “hmm.”

the unruly legs ceased their movements, and pei xia breathed a sigh of relief. finally able to articulate his thoughts, he said, “i love you, without a doubt. but love is not everything!”

yes, he still liked him, even though lucifer was a demon. pei xia found it difficult to suppress these emotions, and that was what made him most uncomfortable.

moreover, it is precisely because he loves him that pei xia cannot accept being just a plaything to him.

it seems that since they met, the two have never seriously discussed their values. as the holy son and a holy knight, no one would think their positions and values differ. pei xia had never doubted lucifer before.

but now, things are different. pei xia has learned that lucifer is a demon disguised as the holy son.

with sadness and determination, he said, “because i love you, i can’t bring myself to kill you. however, after capturing you, i will stay by your side forever. no matter what judgment you face, i will bear it with you. i’m sorry, lucifer, i am too foolish. besides this, i can’t find another path.”

he couldn’t find another morally justifiable path. he wanted this demon, full of lies, to genuinely be unable to harm anyone anymore. only then could pei xia find peace by staying by his side. otherwise, pei xia would be trapped in endless conflicts and anxieties until the day he confirmed either being consumed by him or witnessing others harmed by him.

and on that day, everything would be beyond redemption.

“pei xia.”

lucifer stared at him, seemingly surprised by his response. the eyes, like an entire sea, brimmed with almost overflowing emotions. his body trembled slightly, and he wanted to reach out and touch pei xia’s reddened eyes.

pei xia, in a disheveled state, turned his head to avoid lucifer’s hand.

“enough, demon! reveal your true form!”

bending down, pei xia pulled out a large box from under the bed. after opening it, he sternly tossed ten blessed crosses onto lucifer.

“these are crosses blessed by the god of light! ah, light, you are the beginning of all things. at the inception of all life, the god of light descended upon the earth, teaching the ignorant populace…”

lucifer remained unresponsive. was it really ineffective? pei xia gritted his teeth and took out a medal, saying, “this is a commendation from the goddess of the prairie. i specifically borrowed it from the goddess of the prairie’s temple!”

still no reaction.

helpless, pei xia furrowed his brow and opened the vial of pure light essence he had obtained from shaz, a concentrated liquid extracted by a great mage. it was too thick to be directly absorbed by the human body.

even someone like lucifer surely can’t resist such a concentrated and pure essence of light!

pei xia confidently sprinkled it on lucifer. the pale, translucent liquid gradually evaporated, filling the entire room with a bright and luminous atmosphere. lucifer sat on the bed, seemingly unperturbed.

even the last resort, the essence of pure light, was ineffective!

pei xia looked disheartened, his hand holding the sword trembling incessantly.

indeed, he couldn’t contend with this terrifying demon. he had tried his best.

“pei xia, you are serious,” lucifer spoke softly, “i am serious too, pei xia. i love you.”

“enough.” pei xia frowned, visibly distressed. from the beginning, it had all been lies. how could he believe him?

he had killed the real lucifer. he didn’t know his true appearance or name. in this situation, how could pei xia trust him? what if he was lying? what if he was just toying with him? if it wasn’t natural, it would be best. but if it was, who could bear the consequences?

if the operation failed, he would be on his own. even if he caught lucifer now, buck and the others would only think he was being controlled by the demon. they wouldn’t believe him; in fact, they might help lucifer capture him.

the primary objective was to capture lucifer. if that failed, exposing his true identity would at least make everyone cautious. since both options seemed unattainable, the only choice left was to run.

while lucifer was chained, it was the perfect time to escape!

this thought flashed through pei xia’s mind. the knight, not skilled at concealing himself, failed to hide his intentions well. the demon, adept at manipulating hearts, saw through him with just one glance.

at this moment, the demon finally felt a surge of anger.

pei xia rolled off his legs and turned to run. lucifer’s deep voice resounded, “pei xia! you can’t leave.”

whether pei xia intended to kill him or whatever, lucifer was willing to accompany him in his madness. but leaving was not an option.

‘if you dare to go,’ a dangerous and sinister aura rose from the beautiful holy son.

pei xia turned around, involuntarily feeling a chill. how absurd it was, the most perfect person could also be the most frightening.

“are you going to kill me?” pei xia faced him cautiously, stepping back one by one, guarding against this demon’s sudden attack.

lucifer was equally provoked by his appearance. he narrowed his eyes displeased. the iron chains on him snapped one by one. he decided to first capture this foolish knight and explain the rest later.

he got off the bed, still wearing the flowing white robe. his long, clean feet trod on the ground, approaching pei xia step by step.

the oppressive atmosphere, like invisible angular hands, bound pei xia. he thought lucifer was about to make a move. vigilantly, pei xia swung his sword, attempting to stop him from coming forward. however, lucifer didn’t evade; he caught the sword with his hand, lips pursed.

pei xia froze. the striking red drops fell from lucifer’s fingertips, chilling to the bone.

at that moment, pei xia didn’t have time to think. instinctively, he pounced forward, angry and frightened. he removed lucifer’s hand from the sword while scolding him: “are you stupid? you actually tried to catch the sword with your hand. aren’t you supposed to be smart and powerful? aren’t you a demon? how did you end up like this?”

pei xia looked at lucifer’s bloody palm, hastily tearing a strip from his sleeve and tying it around his wrist to stop the bleeding. “what’s happening? quickly use light magic, you…”

the man in front of him remained silent. pei xia, in his confusion, finally noticed that the dangerous aura had disappeared unnoticed. he instinctively looked up and met lucifer’s face.

lucifer used his other hand to wipe his cheek, eyes gleaming with a happy smile, lips unable to contain the upward curve. “you were worried about me.”

pei xia: “…”

he abruptly released lucifer’s hand, retreated a few steps warily, and gripped the sword, pointing it at him. “did you enchant me?”

lucifer tilted his head innocently. “no.”

pei xia bit his lip. “stop pretending. i’m leaving. play your saint’s game however you want. i won’t accompany you anymore!”

lucifer raised his bloodied hand, looking somewhat melancholic. “pei xia, you misunderstood. i’m not pretending. my body is indeed human-like now, so…”

suddenly, he took a step forward, allowing pei xia’s sword to point directly at his heart. he laughed, “you can kill me if you want. it’s possible as long as you wish. come, pei xia, if you want to be free from me, to control me, there’s only one way.”

so, it’s that simple to make this demon disappear?

pei xia had a moment of confusion. he always thought subduing lucifer was extremely difficult, but now, there seemed to be such a simple method?

but if he did this, lucifer would truly die.

pei xia shook his head abruptly. “you’re definitely trying to deceive me again. give it up. i won’t be fooled again!”

pei xia turned and ran. surprisingly, lucifer didn’t chase after him. he stood in the bright room, the door opened, letting the night breeze flow in. his long golden hair swayed in the wind. the holy son of the church of light, the secretive and unknown demon king, silently watched his lover escape into the night.

the door closed again.

two dark shadows appeared at lucifer’s feet.

lucifer raised his hand, and the wound in his palm had completely healed. however, he continued to smile, seemingly looking at something else.

[“he loves me,”] lucifer smiled and said, [“it’s such a pity to scare him like this.”]

the shadow demon timely complimented, [“great and wise master, you are absolutely right!”]

lucifer: [“shut up. eldora, do you know why i kept you?”]

eldora humbly said, [“you must have your reasons, my ignorant subordinate dares not speculate.”]

lucifer, rubbing his chin, spoke in a subtle tone, [“it’s too foolish. i think, since you can enchant nogia, you should have some understanding of love. what do you think i should do with pei xia?”]

eldora: just for this?

[“i’m not sure about this. you have your reasons, and i dare not speculate, foolish as i am,”] eldora replied timidly, his body turning into a fist-like shape as he continued, [“all-powerful master, perhaps you can evoke lord pei xia’s pity as you did just now, then take the opportunity to dispel his defenses. killing two birds with one stone, and you can also see how much lord pei xia truly loves you!”]

lucifer: [“you’re stupid too. get lost.”]

eldora: “…”

he left, rolling away with the shadow demon to secretly protect pei xia. as for lucifer, he stood in the light, pondering for a moment, muttering to himself.

“well, it’s quite foolish, but not entirely without consideration.”

on the other side, after running out of lucifer’s room, pei xia was surrounded by the holy knights.

the attempt to expose lucifer’s true identity had failed. instead of revealing the unverifiable truth to them, the unknown state seemed safer. unable to explain, pei xia could only say: “i have personal matters to attend to and must leave first. take care of yourselves, be safe, and never compromise your principles no matter when.”

after leaving the small courtyard, pei xia felt lost.

when he came to this world, he never thought of achieving great things or had something absolutely necessary to do. it seemed like his whole life revolved around lucifer. his simple wish was just to live a straightforward life.

later, influenced by lucifer and many others, he began to integrate into this world and developed higher aspirations.

but lucifer turned out to be fake.

the central figure in his life plan was false.

unfortunately, he had been deeply influenced by him.

now that he had left lucifer, he surprisingly didn’t know how to live alone. unconsciously, pei xia found himself at the abandoned temple of the church of light.

although it had been cleaned, the vegetation was dense, and vines crawled up the walls, making it extremely eerie and frightening at night.

pei xia arrived in front of the cracked and damaged statue of the light god. he knelt in front of the statue, looking low-spirited, and said, “light god, do you really exist?”

in the past, his devout faith was just a disguise. compared to the elusive deities, he believed more in lucifer. so, every time he prayed, he pretended to be serious but was lost in thought, occasionally praying for the male protagonist to favor him.

but now, he harbored an incredibly strong desire for the god to truly exist.

pei xia assumed a prayerful posture. more serious than ever, he said, “great god of light, if you truly exist, please bless that lucifer really falls in love with me. perhaps, i can use love to change him. bless me to become stronger, just a bit stronger than lucifer, so i can stay by his side and prevent him from harming others.”

after saying this, pei xia thought for a moment. feeling that both requests might be too challenging for a god, he changed his tone, ‘if the first two aren’t possible, then… then let me stop loving him.’

the words were on the tip of his tongue several times, but pei xia couldn’t bring himself to say them. in the end, he sighed, tapped his head, and left the pitiful statue of the light god.

he searched behind the abandoned church and found a room where he could sleep. because it was too dark to see anything, pei xia casually tidied up, closed the door of the small dark room, and hugged a small light god statue before falling asleep.

he was really exhausted, not just physically but also mentally. whether it was due to excessive fatigue or not, as soon as he closed his eyes, he uncontrollably sank into the realm of dreams.

in the dream, he found himself in a brilliantly clean and grand cathedral, orderly and solemn. it seemed to be the main cathedral of the church of the light god.

pei xia knelt in front of the statue, muttering prayers. however, as he continued, he lifted his head and was shocked.

the statue of the light god had transformed into lucifer’s face!

with an elegant demeanor, lucifer emerged from the statue and stood in front of pei xia. he called pei xia’s name, and the dream’s haze and sense of distance disappeared.

for a moment, pei xia woke up abruptly, but he was still in the dream. it was like a lucid dream, where he could consciously experience his dreams and even manipulate them.

“i’m even dreaming about you now,” pei xia said, his emotions complex as he reached up to touch lucifer’s face.

anyway, it was just a dream, so it didn’t matter how things unfolded. perhaps, only in dreams could he temporarily set aside all the chaotic matters and quietly enjoy being with him.

lucifer reciprocated by holding his hand, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and a sorrowful expression. “pei xia, i love you.”

pei xia looked at him in astonishment. “wow, lucid dreams are so cool. i make you love me, and you love me.”

lucifer: “…”

pei xia angrily hammered him: “you scoundrel, you liar! how could you do this? everything has changed. do you know how hurt i am?”

lucifer looked at him pitifully: “hit me if it makes you feel better. as long as you’re not angry anymore, anything is fine.”

“this is what you said.” pei xia glanced at him, clenched his fist, took a step forward, and started punching the imaginary figure of his lover.

lucifer commented, “i thought it would be gentler, like little punches to your chest.”

pei xia looked at him strangely, withdrew his hand awkwardly when he noticed no reaction from lucifer.

“well, even though it’s just an imaginary person in a dream, venting a bit is enough. if it were real, i’d feel a bit reluctant to hit you hard,” pei xia remarked.

lucifer cupped his face, attempting to kiss him. pei xia closed his eyes and didn’t avoid it.

“i didn’t expect things to turn out like this,” lucifer whispered near his lips. “i’m sorry.”

“sounds nice,” pei xia muttered.

“pei xia, i know you’re still upset right now, but it’s okay. i’ll slowly tell you some things. trust me,” lucifer said.

pei xia wasn’t pleased hearing this. even if this person was fake, how could pei xia confirm the truth of what he was saying?

“i can’t,” pei xia said honestly. “your disguise is too perfect. i don’t know how to confirm if you’re lying again.”

“that’s indeed a problem,” lucifer admitted. he thought for a moment, his gaze becoming extremely serious. he held pei xia’s hand and said, “pei xia, come find me. this time, as long as you’re willing to trust me again, i’ll tell you everything, absolutely everything. at that time, i’ll prove to you how much of what i say is true and how much is false.”

touched, pei xia pushed away his hand and wiped away tears. “it’s too real. this dream is too real! yes, i want this, but dreams are always just dreams.”

too…sad…

lucifer looked at him helplessly. “a dream, huh? well, since you insist it’s a dream, then…”

because the most anticipated wish had been played out, pei xia felt terrible instead. he didn’t know how to face this fake lucifer. he thought of making the other party disappear several times in his mind, but lucifer remained. helpless, pei xia could only turn away.

but as soon as he turned around, the dream space changed, reverting to their initial bedroom.

pei xia: “wasn’t this my dream? why does it keep changing!”

lucifer just smiled without saying a word.

pei xia was startled and instinctively turned back to see that lucifer had already laid down on the bed.

underneath him was a deep red velvet bedsheet. he wore a pure black silk robe, and his golden long hair cascaded freely. the open neckline revealed a large expanse of fair skin and delicate muscles. below the wide hem of the robe were long, straight legs. he struck a seductive pose and gestured invitingly to pei xia.

this was completely different from the usual lucifer. he smiled at pei xia with captivating eyes, a tempting appearance mixed with a dominating aura.

“pei xia, i was wrong,” he licked his lips, a plea in his eyes, a deliberate humility that effortlessly controlled the prey’s heart.

“this is a dream,” pei xia said, dumbfounded, looking at this seductive lucifer who seemed like someone to be conquered, yet exuded a compelling dominance.

lucifer sent a flirtatious glance his way, tugged at the silky waistband, and revealed his fair and slender muscles.

pei xia raised his hand, covering his nose.

“it’s all fake!”

lucifer looked at him with a smirk, “that’s right, it’s all fake. so there’s no need to hold back. do whatever you want to me. see, you can’t resist me. you feel ashamed and pained, but this is a dream, isn’t it? anything goes in a dream. you don’t have to worry about anything. tonight, i’ll follow your lead.”

pei xia couldn’t resist. he involuntarily walked to lucifer’s side, trembling, fists clenched.

“yes, it’s a dream, it’s all fake.”

unable to resist temptation, so what? it’s all fake, all of it is fake!

he didn’t have to worry about his life disappearing at an unknown moment, nor did he have to worry about the demon causing havoc on earth after getting bored. he didn’t have to bear the guilt hanging on the cliff’s edge. he could choose not to think about anything.

but he was still angry. taking advantage of the dream, pei xia arrogantly pressed down lucifer’s shoulder and declared boldly, “i’m going to drain you, so you can never harm anyone again and never seduce others!”

lucifer, with a smile, adjusted his long hair, “hmm, since that’s the case, let you be on top.”

as soon as he finished speaking, pei xia immediately looked at him warily, instinctively moving back a bit.

lucifer clarified, “i mean ride… as in riding a horse, no other meaning.”

pei xia breathed a sigh of relief and, in an exhilarated mood, kissed him.

author’s note:

i made some adjustments to the previous chapter, changed shaz’s part a bit, and modified the part about notifying the holy knights.

this chapter is around six thousand words, equivalent to a double update. i’m taking a break; it’s exhausting. my wings are broken from all this “guling”!