After taking a last glimpse at this world, Shen Qingxuan's mind relaxed and his vision swiftly turned black, seemly as if his eyes had been extensively covered by a black cloth. There was no more speck of light rays. Contemporaneously, the hot flow which he had been bitterly suppressed in his chest rushed out. His mouth was instantly filled with tepidity and the smell of blood was pungent to his nose.
He was clearly aware that it was his own blood, but Shen Qingxuan still disliked this foul stench. He only knew that his own body was befouled with filth. But he did not see the blood that he spewed out was not the usual flesh red blood, but a mass of black wrapped in some red. The odor emitted was those of the bone-eroding poisons, mixed with a thick bloody smell which really induced vomiting.
The unpleasant pungent smell pervaded the small wing room, and Master Shen, who stood beside him, felt tumultuous and an inclination to vomit in his chest.
The butler quickly opened the doors and windows. He urged the servants to tidy up the room and wipe the young master while withdrawing to the outside of the door, quietly summoning the old servants of the mountain villa, solemnly arranging for the aftermath.
Even though Shen Qingxuan who had fainted just now was still breathing weakly, the older people with some experience knew that the young master could not be able to bypass this pit.
They should take advantage of his last remaining breath, while his body was still warm to go and take some clean clothes for him to change. Let them send him on his road cleaned and refreshed.
After a whole day of hustle and bustle, the quiet mountain villa in the cold wind was plunged into another kind of quietness with this foggy morning.
White linen, paper money, and coffin. All the funeral and burial equipment was transported to the courtyard from the back door of the villa with a cautious sound on the first glimmer of light.
From time to time, Shen Qingxuan would sink into the boundless darkness, and sometimes he would wake up with clarity.
Although he was unable to move, he was able to hear the subdued whispers and footsteps from outside clearly.
He did not know what would be greeting him. In his brief lucidity, he thought about how perhaps the legendary devils in animal forms would come carrying a soul drawing cord and lead his soul away. But his clearheadedness was very brief so his mind could not churn out any more thoughts before he fell into darkness again.
And he stayed muddle-headed for an unknown time, perhaps it was exceedingly long or it could be a very short moment. Shen Qingxuan vaguely perceived that the world outside the bed curtain suddenly quieted down.
Akin to the pool of eternal night, there was no more slightest seam of voice.
Even so much that the sound of wind vanished without a trace.
His heart was anxious and bewildered, but he had no strength to open his eyes to take a look.
Shen Qingxuan lay there, bringing an extreme effort accompanied by worry to coherent his mind and listened for any movement.
It was still noiseless and absence of human presence.
Although Shen Qingxuan could not open his eyes to see, his heart was clear. At this time, his father would never leave him lying here alone. There would be several servants arranged in the room to take care of him, however, he could not hear anything, nor could he feel a trace of human presence.
As if this was a big world and he was left lying in solitude, dragging out his feeble existence.
In between his uncertain bewilderment, another mouthful of blood spilled over his lip. It slid down his cheek and into the back of his ear. Initially, it was like a warm thread, but after it was exposed to the cold air, it gradually cooled. It was just like a minute snake, wriggling and climbing at his neck. No one wiped for him, nor was there the alarming exclamation from the servants, it was similar to a world that had completely lost its voice.
The feeling of the inability to find a solution made one apprehensive. Shen Qingxuan was no exception. He held his already tiny breath and seemed to be waiting for something.
Rather like he was in a dream, Shen Qingxuan heard light footsteps. It was faintly discernible, seemingly illusory, seemingly real. It was hard for a moment to distinguish whether it was in a dream or in reality. He even could not help guessing whether it was the long-awaited devils in animals forms that finally appeared, taking out the soul drawing cord and was going to lead him to the netherworld.
Yet he did not know that for him to be able to drag his last breath until this moment was because the man in the corner had performed a spell.
In his trance, Shen Qingxuan clearly felt that something cold landed on his forehead. That thing seemed soft and hard, broad and wide, covering his whole forehead with a cooling sensation.
Shen Qingxuan felt that the shape of the object was extremely familiar, but he could not remember it for a moment.
While racking his brains, he heard a voice coming from his ear saying, “Fate is unexpectedly filled with extreme prosperity with a lifelong of riches and honor.”
In between Shen Qingxuan's chaotic thoughts, he thought that this man had a deep good voice. But then he reacted suddenly: The cold object on his forehead was his palm.
How can it be so cold until like this? He could hardly identify it. This question had not yet been clearly thought out and Shen Qingxuan thought again: Whose fate?
“Talking about you.” The voice seemed to know what was going on in his mind and it responded very quickly.
Shen Qingxuan's thoughts stagnated for a while, and he was thinking heedlessly again: This person was full of nonsense. If he had a strong life, how could he fall to this point?
“Fate is overly prosperous and it easily attracts vile characters.” The man's tone was deemphasized.
When Shen Qingxuan heard this, it seemed to touch the load on his mind. He no longer refuted with him and calmed down.
The man also paused and his vision examined Shen Qingxuan's face again before he continued: “Shen Qingxuan, today I will leave you with a life, good?”
Although Shen Qingxuan's life was hanging on the line, there was still a spot of clarity in his mind all along. He was aware of the bizarre emergence of this person, but it did not seem like he was in a dream. His heart had been anxious and frightened to guess dozens of possibilities happening. However, he had never expected him to speak such a pretext and he was distracted. Subconsciously, he thought that with his current circumstances, he was long powerless to reverse a desperate situation unless it was the immortals casting a spell to save his life.
Could it be… He was an immortal?
This guess was not strange, it was just ridiculous.
“I am a demon.” The man's voice was deep. The voice that Shen Qingxuan felt was good rang again. This time Shen Qingxuan heard clearly that the man was not talking next to his ear, but was in reality, speaking directly into his mind.
Demon? What demon?
Shen Qingxuan who was already giving no regard for his life and death was inevitably shocked, but he was not excessively shocked. Thus, he instinctively questioned another sentence.
“I am the snake that bit you today.” The man's tone was so flat as if it was more than natural to speak of such words. As a snake, he had cultivated into a demon and bitten a person – He unconcernedly admitted with very much indifference.
This was so refreshing that it stumped Shen Qingxuan. He did not know how to respond for a moment. If he could move a little now, he would have tightened his eyebrows.
Suddenly, Shen Qingxuan remembered what he had said before, and realized that the snake could really leave him a life.
However, he couldn't help once again thinking: So, he was a snake demon, no wonder his hands were so cold.