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The killing in the outer city did not last long.
When Xuan Ming's figure reappeared on the twisted, bloody streets of the inner city, the chill lingering around him seemed a little more severe than when he left. A trace of blood remained on his fingertips, which was quickly devoured by his own breath.
The strange blood spear did not appear, but the pair of black dragons behind him were scanning the surroundings at any time, and the murderous aura was intimidating when the dragon's eyes opened and closed.
The fallen people around retreated in fear as if they had seen a ghost, making way for them and not even daring to breathe.
Xuan Ming was already used to this, and walked through the dirty streets with an expressionless face until he came to a relatively "quiet" area.
The buildings here are equally twisted and weird, but at least there is no fighting and screaming everywhere.
He pushed open a door made of some huge animal bones and walked into a narrow but relatively clean stone house.
This is his and Hu Liena's temporary residence in the City of Slaughter.
Compared to outside, it's almost cozy here...if you ignore the smell of blood that can never be completely dispelled in the air.
Inside the house, Hu Liena was curled up on a simple stone bed in the corner.
She looked up sharply when she heard the door open.
More than a year of living in the Killing City had left obvious marks on her.
The originally charming face had become a little thinner, with more sharp lines, but those peach blossom eyes were no longer as clear or charming as before, but were intertwined with fatigue, depression, and a kind of restlessness and desire hidden deep in the eyes that was almost about to burst out.
Her breathing was a little rapid and her cheeks were abnormally flushed. When she saw Xuan Ming coming in, her eyes lit up instantly, like a hungry beast seeing its prey, and she subconsciously licked her cracked lips.
"You're back..." Hu Liena's voice was a little hoarse and trembled barely perceptibly.
Xuan Ming's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and a barely perceptible fluctuation flashed in the depths of his ice-blue eyes.
He could clearly feel that Hu Liena's mental state was becoming increasingly unstable.
The evil atmosphere of the Killing City is constantly corroding people's minds, and the local specialty "Bloody Mary" is a poison that exacerbates this erosion.
Although he had long been accustomed to killing, and his own mental strength was as solid as a rock under the protection of the Ice and Fire Dragon Crown, and he was even completely immune to the influence of Bloody Mary, Hu Liena was different.
Although her martial soul is spiritual, it is more inclined towards charm and manipulation. Under the impact of this purely negative energy, her resistance is becoming increasingly difficult.
The most obvious manifestation is that her desire is out of control.
Especially...desire for him.
"Yeah." Xuan Ming responded lightly, walked to the stone bench on the other side of the room and sat down, closing his eyes, as if trying to regulate his breathing.
However, not long after he sat down, a fragrant breeze mixed with a faint smell of blood blew in his face.
Hu Liena had come in front of him without him knowing, and leaned down, almost putting her face close to his.
Her warm breath with scorching temperature sprayed on his neck, her eyes were blurred and aggressive, and one hand even restlessly rested on his shoulder, with her fingertips applying a little force.
"Xuan Ming..." Hu Liena's voice was like a dream, filled with strong desire, "It's... dangerous out there, right? Let me... see if you're hurt?"
These words are more of a poor excuse and temptation than a concern.
Her fingers tried to slide towards his chest, and her body moved closer.
Xuan Ming did not open his eyes, but the invisible chill around him suddenly intensified.
The cold white light quietly spread out from him, not as an attack, but as a cool spring water.
"Uh..." Hu Liena trembled violently as if she was poured with a basin of ice water. The confusion and blush in her eyes quickly faded away, replaced by a moment of clarity and the subsequent shame and panic.
She pulled her hand back suddenly as if she was burned, staggered back several steps, and stopped only when her back hit the cold wall.
She lowered her head, clutched the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, her body trembling slightly, and she didn't dare to look at Xuan Ming again.
This is not the first time.
Every time her desire got out of control, she would almost instinctively want to get close to Xuan Ming, wanting to draw some kind of cold sense of security from him, but she was driven by the increasingly strong possession and desire that came from the depths of her soul, becoming bold and aggressive.
And every time, Xuan Ming would use his unique domain power, like the most effective sedative, to pull her back from the edge of losing control.
But Xuan Ming could feel that the effect of this "cooling" was weakening, and the intervals were getting shorter and shorter.
Hu Liena's obsession with him did not fade away because of his cold response. Instead, it became stronger and more...straightforward under the catalysis of the environment of the City of Slaughter.
The way she looked at him often made no secret of the possessiveness that almost devoured him.
There were even several times when, not long after he calmed her down with his domain, she would suddenly "attack" him again out of some unwillingness or more complicated emotions - sometimes biting him with resentment, sometimes hugging him desperately, and sometimes going a step further with a clumsy and crazy kiss attempt.
Although Xuan Ming would stop or push him away in time every time, the increasingly frequent and intense "loss of control" made Xuan Ming realize that the root of the problem was becoming deeper and deeper.
He opened his eyes and looked at Hu Liena, who was huddled in the corner, exuding an aura of fragility and struggle. His ice-blue eyes were still calm, but there was also a hint of indescribable solemnity.
This can't go on.
"Sister Bing, do you have any solution?" Xuan Ming asked.
Hu Liena's desire for him was already very strong, especially after her martial soul evolved into the Nine-tailed Sky Fox. Her desire for him changed from a test to one with an inexplicable "strength".
Coupled with the catalysis of the special environment of the City of Slaughter, Hu Liena's desire for him was completely ignited. He knew that she had been very restrained. He originally wanted to let Hu Liena practice controlling her desire on her own, but she obviously couldn't control it.
"Can't you just satisfy her?" said the Ice Dragon King.
"The desire to kill needs to be released, and so do these desires. It's better to release than to block. You understand this principle."
Restraint is necessary, and release is also necessary.
Blindly restraining yourself will damage your brain, and blindly releasing yourself will lead to indulgence and self-degradation.
"This is not a question of satisfaction or not." Xuan Ming responded in his heart.
"Once the floodgates of desire are fully opened, they will only be infinitely magnified by the environment of the Killing City, and will eventually devour her completely. What I need is for her to be in control, not indulge."
"She has been restrained enough. Can't you let her release a little?" said the Ice Dragon King helplessly.
"I know what you're worried about, but..."
Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, Hu Liena in the corner seemed to recover from her brief shame and confusion.
The burning desire that was forcibly suppressed did not disappear. Instead, after the cold receded, it was like a suppressed volcano, brewing an even more violent eruption.
She slowly raised her head, her eyes no longer blurred as before, but filled with a paranoid, almost desperate madness.
The blush on her cheeks returned, even brighter than before, and her breathing became heavier.
"Why..." Hu Liena's voice was hoarse, filled with tears and an unsettling persistence. "Why do you always push me away? Xuan Ming... do you hate me that much?"
She held onto the wall, slowly stood up, and walked towards Xuan Ming step by step.
This time, she didn't pounce on him directly like before, but her pressing posture carried a stronger sense of oppression.
"Here... every day is like hell... only you... only thinking of you..."
Hu Liena's voice trembled, her eyes fixed on Xuan Ming, "I know I'm wrong... I know I'm out of control... but I can't control myself..."
She stopped in front of Xuan Ming, so close that her warm, sweet breath almost sprayed on his face.
Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes, but her eyes were unusually bright, filled with a kind of desperate determination.
"If you don't want me... If you will always be this cold..."
Her voice suddenly became sharp. "Then what's the point of me leaving here alive?! Why not... why not just let me go completely crazy!"
Before she finished speaking, the pink light in her eyes grew brighter, and the shadow of the nine-tailed celestial fox flashed behind her. An extremely strong spiritual charm mixed with a desperate possessive desire rushed towards Xuan Ming like a torrent!
At the same time, she seemed to have lost all her sanity. She opened her arms and wanted to hug him desperately, and her lips tried to move closer to his.
This outburst was far more intense and resolute than any previous one! It was as if he was truly going to completely burn himself out!
Faced with Hu Liena's decisive and crazy outburst, Xuan Ming sighed softly.
At the moment when Hu Liena rushed over with a burning breath and traces of tears, Xuan Ming did not push her away with his cold field, but opened his arms and hugged her tightly and forcefully.
This hug did not cater to her enthusiasm, but carried a kind of stabilizing and inclusive power.
Hu Liena's body suddenly stiffened when she fell into his arms, as if she couldn't understand this sudden acceptance.
The push away and coldness she expected did not come. Instead, she felt the slightly cool but unusually real touch of a solid chest, and the strong arms that embraced her.
"Um..." She let out a vague whimper and struggled a bit, as if she wanted to continue the unfinished, crazy demand.
But Xuan Ming held her tightly, not giving her any room to lose control.
His chin rested lightly on the top of her head, one arm was around her back, and the other hand was patting her back slowly and firmly.
"I don't hate you." Xuan Ming's voice was low but unusually clear, penetrating her frantic consciousness. "Calm down, Nana."
He didn't say any more words of comfort, but just repeated this simple but powerful hug and pat.
Hu Liena's struggle gradually weakened.
The crazy desire that almost burned her seemed to find an outlet in this sudden, firm hug, and it was like a manic beast's hair was gradually smoothed down.
Her tense body slowly relaxed, and she buried her face deeply in the crook of his neck, greedily breathing in his unique, clear scent with a hint of blood.
Tears welled up again, but no longer in the madness of despair, but in the sobs of great grievance and fear.
"I... I feel so uncomfortable... Xuan Ming..." Hu Liena sobbed, her voice breaking, "This... This place seems to be eating me up... I can't control myself..."
"I know." Xuan Ming's voice remained steady, and he never stopped patting her back. "I'm here."
Hu Liena stopped talking and just hugged him tighter, as if she wanted to completely merge herself into his body.
Hot tears soaked the fabric of his shoulders, and hot breath sprayed on his skin, accompanied by slight tremors.
Xuan Ming let her hold him, without pushing him away or taking any further action, just maintaining the hug.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
Inside the house, the suffocating smell of blood seemed to have faded a little, leaving only Hu Liena's gradually calming, subtle sobs and Xuan Ming's steady heartbeat.
After an unknown amount of time, Hu Liena's breathing finally became even and long, and her tense body completely softened, as if she had exhausted all her strength. She fell asleep in his arms, but her brows were still slightly furrowed, as if she was still restless in her dream.
Xuan Ming carefully carried her to the stone bed and covered her with a clean piece of clothing.
He stood by the bed, looking at Hu Liena, who was still subconsciously curled up in her sleep, seeking protection, with complex emotions in his ice-blue eyes.
The Ice Dragon King's voice echoed in his mind, a hint of teasing, yet also a serious tone: "See, isn't this working? Sometimes, a hug is more effective than any domain suppression. This girl... needs you more than you think."
Xuan Ming was silent for a long time, and finally sighed softly.
He knew that Hu Liena's dependence on him was magnified in the special environment of the City of Slaughter, and her desire for him was also magnified.
But Hu Liena's self-control couldn't be so poor. Her desire to kill hadn't gotten out of control yet, so how could her desire for him get out of control?
What went wrong?