Chen Mansion, Study Room.
Chen Liang, pale-faced with sunken eyes, lay on the bed.
The door creaked open.
A figure in blue appeared before him.
The figure was tall and upright, an invisible air of nobility radiating from him.
Ao Qing sat down by Chen Liang's bed, staring at his sunken eyes, his gaze playful.
"How have your nights been these past few days? Have you been enjoying yourself?"
Chen Liang weakly forced a smile.
"You must be the master my father invited, I am Chen Liang. Thank you for saving my life."
"As for the nights being enjoyable,"
"Master, you jest. These past few days, I have been locked in my room, never having seen that monster once, how could I be enjoying myself?"
Ao Qing raised an eyebrow, instinctively believing Chen Liang was lying.
However, he reached out to take Chen Liang's pulse, immediately releasing his hand with a sigh, and asked:
"Tired?"
Chen Liang gave a strained smile, his eyes filled with a silent despair.
"Master, I haven't slept for four days. Master, save me!"
Chen Liang was truly going mad.
A week ago, the demon came knocking at midnight, silent but fixated on him.
Chen Liang, stared at by those eerie green eyes, couldn't sleep, spending the entire night cowering under his blankets.
He had tried to fight back, grabbing the precious sword in the room to face the demon.
However, the demon casually blew a gust of demonic wind, sending him spinning out of control, even his sword was blown apart.
Most importantly, after being blown by that demonic wind, Chen Liang couldn't sleep anymore.
As days went by, his spirit grew weaker, leaving him in his present pitiful state.
Ao Qing furrowed his brow, finding it strange.
When did fox demons stop sleeping with men and start being bedside spirits?
Just in case, Ao Qing inquired carefully:
"Are you sure it's a fox demon that's been bothering you?"
Chen Liang's eyes and expression were blank, his mouth slightly ajar, his long hours without sleep making his consciousness sluggish.
Hearing Ao Qing's question, Chen Liang struggled to think.
"She always comes at midnight, I can't see her clearly."
"All I know is she has two pointy, furry ears, and a very large tail."
"Oh, and she has green eyes, her pupils are scary, they glow!"
Ao Qing was a bit baffled. Based on Chen Liang's description, he tried to picture the demon in his mind.
Pointy ears, a large tail, green eyes.
That could be a lot of things.
Ao Qing's thoughts shifted, he came up with a possibility, and looked down at Chen Liang.
"I can help you with your problem, but you have to agree to a condition."
Chen Liang grabbed Ao Qing's hand, tears in his eyes.
"Benefactor, I will agree to anything!"
"Just please let me have a good night's sleep."
Chen Liang held onto Ao Qing's hand with great force, like a drowning man grabbing onto a lifeline.
Those who haven't stayed up all night wouldn't know, but those who have will understand this feeling.
The second day after pulling an all-nighter, you feel energetic and full of life.
But when noon arrives, you experience a sense of disorientation as if your soul has left your body.
Ao Qing felt that Chen Liang's spirit was becoming unstable, worried that he might be tortured to death, he quickly said:
"Listen carefully, once you wake up, go to Lingyin Temple and find Daoji the monk, and become his disciple."
Chen Liang nodded, his mind dazed, repeating:
"Go to Lingyin Temple, become Daoji's disciple, I remember."
Ao Qing carefully looked at Chen Liang, trying to see if he had actually remembered, but Chen Liang's eyes were vacant, revealing nothing.
With no choice, Ao Qing simply waved his hand in front of Chen Liang's face.
In an instant, the force that prevented Chen Liang from sleeping dissipated.
The sleep deprivation accumulated over days burst forth.
Chen Liang's eyes rolled back, and he fell into a deep slumber.
Ao Qing was about to lay Chen Liang down, when he suddenly remembered something, his mind moved, and the pen and ink from the desk flew automatically.
He held Chen Liang's hand and spread it open.
Ao Qing dipped the pen and wrote 'Become Daoji's disciple' on both his hands.
Satisfied that he had reminded Chen Liang, Ao Qing covered him with the blanket and left the study.
Outside the study, four women were each seated in a chair, chatting in pairs.
As Ao Qing stepped out, they all looked over.
Xiao Qing blinked and asked:
"What's wrong with him?"
Ao Qing yawned and shared his thoughts.
"I suspect it's not a fox demon doing the mischief."
"Fox demons will sleep with men, but they won't prevent men from sleeping."
"Chen Liang's description was too vague, the features he observed were too broad, there are a lot of things that could match."
Bai Suzhen listened quietly. When Ao Qing finished, she tilted her head up and looked at him.
"Then what do we do?"
Ao Qing smiled and took out yesterday's grilled meat.
"Let's eat first."
...
In a certain mountain cave.
A man dressed in black, standing on one side of a railing in the center of the cave, was passing food to a woman in blue clothes on the other side.
The woman, dressed in blue and white, was alluring, exuding charm with every move.
But her eyes were fierce, filled with killing intent.
"Black Wind, what are you trying to do?"
"If you kill him, I will never forgive you!!"
The man called Black Wind paused slightly, sighing softly.
"Junior sister, you still don't understand me, how could I ever do something to make you unhappy."
The woman in white sneered.
"I hope so."
Black Wind placed down the food, his voice low and heavy.
"Alright, junior sister, I still have things to do. The Cave Master is urging me, I'll leave now."