Chapter 364: Here, But Not Here
If anyone knows how to feed stray cats and dogs, it’s Young Master Sang.
After all, back in his previous life, there were plenty of stray cats and dogs in his neighborhood, and feeding them while enjoying a good petting session was one of the few joys he had after work.
The Little Blood Demon in front of him was no different from those furry friends. After Young Master Sang tossed a few pieces of duck blood its way, its attitude clearly became less wary; even when Sang approached slowly, it didn’t flinch.
So, while the demon was munching on the duck blood, Sang decided to squat down beside it, tentatively reaching out to stroke its extravagant long hair.
However…
“…Huh?”
Young Master Sang stared blankly at his hand, which had just passed right through the Little Blood Demon’s head.
It felt like his fingertips were cutting through water—no substance at all.
“What’s going on—”
He barely finished his thought when the Little Blood Demon suddenly seemed startled by something, arching its back and baring its teeth in a growl.
In the next instant, it shot like lightning toward the entrance of the cave.
“Wait!”
Young Master Sang lunged after it, but whether with spiritual power or physical form, as soon as he touched the Little Blood Demon, it felt like plunging into a handful of clear water, slipping right through without any resistance.
And when its figure vanished into the swirling snowstorm, no matter how much Young Master Sang pursued, he could no longer see it.
“…What just happened?”
Behind him, Shi Qingyan moved closer. “Did you not catch it?”
“Very strange,” Young Master Sang mused. “That demon seemed to have no physical form at all. It just passed straight through my hand.”
“Could it be that Blood Demons have such twisted skills?”
“If that’s really the case, then even if we find it, we wouldn’t be able to catch it?” Shi Qingyan said in frustration. “And it seems the demon can’t understand our words.”
Indeed.
If that were the case, it seemed they really wouldn’t have a way to deal with it.
“Let’s try again tonight.”
Young Master Sang declared earnestly. “I refuse to believe I can’t find a solution.”
“But this creature doesn’t seem foolish, right?”
Shi Qingyan shrugged. “Having been tricked once, it couldn’t possibly come back tonight—”
The next evening.
Shi Qingyan watched the Little Blood Demon, happily devouring food next to the hotpot, and fell into silence.
“…Whoa. I really underestimated the determination of a foodie.”
This time, the Little Blood Demon seemed to realize there was nothing Young Master Sang could do about it and came in boldly to dig into the duck blood with gusto.
And Young Master Sang didn’t approach it this round. Instead, he quietly observed all of the Little Blood Demon’s habits and characteristics.
The speed of the Blood Demon was astonishing. While Young Master Sang couldn’t sense its presence or gauge its cultivation level, when this little demon was desperately escaping, even for someone at the Great Ascension stage like Sang, it vanished in the blink of an eye—completely trackless.
Moreover, when he tried using spiritual power or spells to interfere with it, each attempt simply passed straight through it as if it were a creature from a completely different dimension.
In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the Blood Demon finished off all the duck blood and vanished into the snowstorm, its belly round and content.
After chasing outside, Young Master Sang was still unable to trace the creature’s whereabouts or locate its lair. Yet again, he returned empty-handed.
“I say.”
Shi Qingyan tossed a few shrimp balls into the hotpot, sighing. “Are we just going to keep feeding it? It’s not like we’re raising a puppy that will happily follow us after some time.”
“I’ve been pondering one question.”
“What question?”
Instead of replying, Young Master Sang kept deep in thought.
…He was thinking about that peculiar phrasing from Nian Nian.
“Here, but not here.”
“You can find it. But you can’t.”
Even though Nian Nian the little trickster often spoke in riddles and sometimes set him up for points, there was one thing Young Master Sang was sure of.
She wouldn’t deceive him.
Since she sent him to find the answer, there must be a reason.
If the Blood Demon really possessed an ability to make it untouchable by all spells and physical means, it wouldn’t have been nearly exterminated by the Ancestor Dragon clan.
Thus, Young Master Sang thought that the Little Blood Demon’s oddity must be related to what Nian Nian had said.
“But… what does that even mean?” After thinking long, he couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated.
Clearly, this little Blood Demon was right here. So why say it’s not?
If it’s not in front of me, then what I’m seeing is—
Young Master Sang suddenly paused.
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong?” Shi Qingyan asked, curious about the guy suddenly staring blankly with his chopsticks raised.
“Could it be it really is that clichéd meaning?”
Shi Qingyan: “?”
“Hurry up and eat.” Young Master Sang suddenly began to gobble down his food, urging in a murky tone, “After we finish, we’ll set off tonight.”
“Set off? Where to?”
“Deeper in.”
Young Master Sang murmured, “Since it can find us, it means we’re not too far from its lair.”
“Eh… but traveling at night can be dangerous, right? This place is so harsh, and the depths of the ice plains are practically uncharted territory. Who knows what kind of peril lies within.”
“Don’t worry. If that kind of place exists, we’ll just avoid it.” Young Master Sang said softly, “I’m not about to take you into danger, Senior Sister Shi.”
Shi Qingyan looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed helplessly.
“Fine. I already knew you’d think of something. I’m used to it.”
Even though she complained, there wasn’t a trace of reluctance in her eyes, just a hint of affectionate exasperation.
“So, what if I get sleepy on the way?”
“Well, then we can just rest a bit.”
“You could carry me.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m just kidding. Haha.” Shi Qingyan grinned slyly.
After taking a bite of the steaming lamb, Shi Qingyan stood up, satisfied, and headed for the cave entrance.
Watching her light-footed figure, Young Master Sang couldn’t help but scratch his head in confusion.
…Something felt off.
Senior Sister Shi seemed really excited about this trip.
Was there something she was happy about?
Speaking of which, Shi Qingyan was here to enhance her cultivation, but a place like this wouldn’t help with that at all.
It really felt like…
“I wonder if after a couple of days Shi Qingyan will get tired of it. I hope she won’t blame me for bringing her to a place like this.” Young Master Sang sighed.
“Come~ on~!”
In the distance, Shi Qingyan was already waving her hand, calling Young Master Sang’s name.
With that, Young Master Sang had to put aside his thoughts and step out of the cave, disappearing into the swirling snowstorm alongside Shi Qingyan.
