Say Thank You

The demon girl was dazed, her amber-green eyes staring blankly.

Slap!

Xu Xian backhanded her with another strike.

"Nngh..."

The demon girl let out a trembling moan. On her pale, snow-white face, ten finger marks were now visible, sharp and perfectly symmetrical.

With tears welling in her eyes, her lips began to quiver.

Xu Xian spoke each word with deliberate weight, "Say you're sorry."

The demon girl bit her red lip, her voice choked with sobs. "I... I'm sorry."

A blur of movement flashed through her teary vision once more.

Slap!

Another strike landed.

"Ah!"

Blood trickled from the corner of the demon girl's mouth. Her tear-filled eyes were like a deep summer pool—emerald green, empty, and profound, yet their clarity betrayed a certain simple-mindedness.

She was stunned.

Completely and utterly stunned.

Why was he still hitting her?

Xu Xian looked down at her from above and said calmly, "Say thank you."

The demon girl's head felt heavy, and her thoughts were a mess.

You hit me.

And you want me to say thank you?

Why?

She couldn't understand it. Mustering her courage, she asked, "Why?"

Slap!

"Say thank you," Xu Xian repeated, his enunciation heavy.

The demon girl didn't dare utter another word of protest. Large tears rolled down her cheeks as she wept silently.

"Thank you!"

At this, Xu Xian's dark brows finally relaxed, and he looked somewhat satisfied.

His hand did not fall again.

Not only was the demon girl dazed, but the little book spirit was also stunned. Four heavy slaps—it hurt just thinking about it.

Especially now, the demon girl looked so pitiful, whimpering like a wounded cub.

It was a sight that would move anyone to pity.

The book spirit could only conclude that its master was truly ruthless.

He was truly crushing a delicate flower with a ruthless hand.

It also muttered secretly to itself: Of all the people to provoke, you had to provoke him?

He's more sinister than an actual evil cultivator!

Xu Xian casually built a campfire and sat cross-legged on the ground. With a light flick of his finger, he used telekinesis to pull the curled-up demon girl directly into an upright position.

She sat on the ground with her knees bent.

By the light of the fire, Xu Xian rubbed his chin and scrutinized the demon girl closely.

His gaze was three parts critical and seven parts curious.

To be honest, this was the first time he had seen a demon girl. They looked like humans, yet they were different.

Their skin was whiter.

Or rather, it wasn't white so much as it was pale—ghastly pale, as if devoid of any blood, like someone just beginning to recover from a major illness.

Their blood wasn't red either.

Instead, it was a sickly green, much like licorice juice.

It was mostly consistent with the rumors.

He didn't know about others, but the one in front of him...

She looked to be in her early twenties. To call her fair-skinned and beautiful would not be an exaggeration; she had an excellent figure.

Her chest featured a pair of peaks that were already nearly bursting from her bodice, and the ropes binding her only served to emphasize her curves.

The girl also had wide hips and exceptionally long, slender legs, though her skirt was in disarray.

A glimpse of her upper thigh was visible through the mess.

Her fiery red hair cascaded down to her waist, its color even deeper than Lu Yuan's.

On her forehead was a pair of crimson demon horns, partially hidden by her hair.

Her ears were somewhat pointed, resembling an elf's.

Her pupils were emerald green, making her look like a foreigner. She had a high nose bridge and a thin face, which was currently crisscrossed with tear tracks and blood.

There was a fragile beauty in her delicateness.

Xu Xian would give her figure a nine out of ten.

He didn't like them too big.

As for her face?

Seven out of ten.

The finger marks were too distracting.

He asked with interest, "Do you know why I hit you?"

The demon girl pursed her lips tightly, shaking her head frantically like a panicked fawn.

All of her previous bravado was gone.

What goddess?

What demon god?

She had cast them all to the back of her mind.

It was as if the person before her wasn't a handsome youth, but the Grim Reaper himself.

Xu Xian answered his own question. "Because you lack manners, so you deserved a beating."

The demon girl didn't quite understand, but she didn't dare to argue.

Xu Xian continued, "They captured you, and I killed them, avenging you. Not only did you not thank me, but you also dared to threaten and insult me? Do you not know how to tell good from bad?"

The demon girl didn't dare to think too much and nodded vigorously.

"Did you deserve the beating?"

She continued to nod, as obedient as a puppy.

"Then, do you accept that I hit you?"

She nodded again.

"Do you resent me?"

She kept nodding...

Xu Xian's brow furrowed. "Hmm?"

She realized her mistake and shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her face. She was truly crying from anxiety now.

Xu Xian smiled slightly. "If you had been like this from the start, I wouldn't have hit you."

The demon girl felt so wronged she wanted to die.

From childhood until now.

When had she ever been beaten like this?

Getting beaten was one thing.

But being beaten for nothing, and having it be her own fault on top of that?

Where was the logic in that?

As expected...

The rumors were true. Humans outside the Demon Abyss were all devils, great demons just like the Thunder Demon and the Sword Demon.

They were unreasonable.

They hit people.

And after hitting you, they made you admit you were wrong...

The little book spirit watched the spectacle from its perch on Xu Xian's head, offering a satisfied critique: "This girl is actually quite well-behaved."

Hearing this, Xu Xian gave a speechless smile.

Well-behaved?

She just knew what pain felt like, that was all.

Xu Xian flicked his finger, sending a wind blade forward. The demon girl closed her eyes in fear.

The ropes were severed, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her body.

She opened her eyes in apprehension and, amidst her confusion, clutched her burning cheeks and shrank back.

She stole another glance at the young man.

Xu Xian had been traveling all day and had just finished a fight. Feeling a bit parched, he took out a jade gourd and took a small sip.

The demon girl licked her lips, her eyes fixed on the wine gourd in Xu Xian's hand. Her throat instinctively swallowed.

Her cultivation had been sealed by some forbidden art of the evil cultivators, preventing her from circulating her dantian to nourish her physical body with qi. Even a cultivator would feel thirst and fatigue under such circumstances...

Xu Xian caught this and deliberately shook the wine gourd, the liquid sloshing inside.

The frequency of her swallowing increased, and her eyes practically glowed.

Xu Xian said playfully, "Want a drink?"

"Yes."

Xu Xian tossed it to her. She caught it clumsily and brushed her messy hair aside. She brought the gourd to her lips but paused, stealing a glance at Xu Xian. Seeing his silent permission, she finally dared to continue.

Because her face was swollen from the slaps, she couldn't open her mouth very wide.

She had to tilt her head back and take small, greedy gulps.

The wine was spicy.

The girl was ravenous.

She took several large gulps, coughing as she choked on the liquid. Her face turned bright red, but she was reluctant to stop.

Serves you right, Xu Xian thought.

You were screaming your head off earlier despite being thirsty.

After she finished, she had another fit of violent coughing, her delicate body trembling. She wiped her mouth and carefully handed the wine gourd back to Xu Xian, her eyes darting away in fear...

Xu Xian said generously, "Keep it."

She didn't think twice, pulling back and plugging the gourd before hugging it to her chest.

"What should you say?" Xu Xian said suddenly.

She lifted her eyes, then lowered them slightly, whispering, "Thank you."

The corners of Xu Xian's mouth curled up. He swept his divine sense over her and murmured, "A late-stage sixth-rank demon sovereign, yet you were tied up by a bunch of trash evil cultivators. Tsk tsk..."

He paused, then asked casually, "Tell me, why did they kidnap you?"

She shook her head and said weakly, "I don't know."

"Hmm?"

Xu Xian was curious now.

With a sob in her voice, she said aggrievedly, "I was tricked."

Xu Xian looked at her calmly.

"I really was tricked," she emphasized again.

Xu Xian frowned slightly. "I can see that. But what, is being tricked something to be proud of?"

The demon girl: "..."