The sensation of undulating seemed as if it were drifting on the surface of the water.
A dismal moonlight seeped through the cracks of the ancient coffin, scattering sporadically inside and casting a light on his features, which brought a chill with it.
Baili An's heart skipped as he quickly diverted his gaze and looked up, only to find that at some point, the heavy coffin lid had inexplicably opened a palm-width gap.
Li Jiujiu also noticed the gentle spill of moonlight and abruptly realized it, hastily picking up the Daoist robe thrown on the ground and donning it haphazardly.
Baili An forcefully pushed open the heavy lid and with a strong push, completely opened the lid covering them.
Darkness scattered, the cold moonlight clearly illuminating every corner of the coffin, and at this moment, they found themselves in the midst of a vast sea.
The crescent moon hung high in the sky, but it was of a bloody red color, its calm and sluggish waves reflecting a layer of a blood-like sheen.
He resembled a solitary sail in the sea, silently drifting on this endless surface.
Lowering his head to look at the pale and unfamiliar face reflected on the water's surface, Baili An absentmindedly touched his own face, feeling as if he were in another lifetime.
Is this really what he looked like?
By then, Li Jiujiu had already properly dressed in her Daoist robe, though she arose somewhat awkwardly.
With one hand, she picked up her fellow disciple's corpse and was about to throw it into the sea.
Baili An saw this and quickly voiced his objection, "What are you doing? Isn't he your fellow disciple? Why not bury him properly instead?"
Li Jiujiu glared at him harshly, making Baili An feel guilty, and he instinctively shrunk his neck.
Naturally, she would not explain to him that she had completely given up on her fellow disciple when she sensed the real murderous intent from him moments ago.
Feeling disheartened, there was no longer any reason to hang on, especially since her fellow disciple's death was of his own doing.
However, her fellow disciple had died because of the corpse demon, and if the members of her sect were to find any clues on his corpse, it might bring misfortune upon him.
With the body gone, there would be no worry about the sect members accidentally discovering his corpse.
She was protecting him intentionally, but she could never express this thought.
Yet when her gaze lingered on Baili An, the thought of disposing of the body was temporarily shelved.
Her expression serious, she said, "You take off his clothes and wear them, then throw him into the sea."
Baili An uttered an "Ah?" in confusion.
"What are you 'ah'-ing about! Look at what you're wearing; it's ancient funeral attire from hundreds of years ago. If you go out in that, any cultivation disciple with a bit of insight can easily discern your identity," Li Jiujiu turned her head, unable to keep looking at him.
Baili An felt a warmth in his heart, realizing she was worried about him.
The man's corpse, drained of all essence blood, was nothing more than a skin over a skeleton.
Dropped into the sea, it merely bubbled a bit before cleanly sinking into the depths.
Through the thick water, Baili An could still make out several unusually stout scale-armored odd fish tearing at the corpse's skin.
Had he not been overly greedy, he might not have ended up in such a plight.
Upon hearing the splash of a heavy object hitting the water, Li Jiujiu turned around, and although she instinctively did not want to look at the young corpse demon, her gaze involuntarily drifted his way.
Because he dressed in her Lihe Sect's blue and white Daoist robe looked genuinely fetching. Already handsome and gentle by nature, shedding those funereal clothes made him appear even more agreeable to the eye.
Baili An seemed to notice her gaze and gave her a slight smile.
Li Jiujiu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her gaze to her toes.
Baili An said, "Excuse me, miss, it seems a bit impolite of me, as I still don't know your name. Would you kindly enlighten me?"
Color rose on Li Jiujiu's face.
"My name is Li Jiujiu…"
"Li Jiujiu… Jiujiu… Hmm, nice name," Baili An savored her name and found it quite picturesque.
After he spoke, he saw her complexion grow even rosier, feeling as though he might have teased her somewhat.
Baili An, feeling embarrassed, scratched his head.
Li Jiujiu, seeing him so flustered, chuckled lightheartedly, her laugh as beautiful as flowers bathed in the sinister crimson moonlight, easily disarming any focused composure.
Yet somehow, a trace of deep sorrow tinged her brief smile.
She slowly crouched down in the Purple Gold Coffin, no longer carrying a cold gaze but softly calling his name.
"Baili An."
"Hmm?" Baili An responded with a soft smile.
For some reason, hearing that close, familiar yet distant call reignited a brief flutter in his still heart.
Meeting her gentle gaze, Li Jiujiu felt a sudden impulse and almost blurted out, "Why not come back with me to the Lihe Sect?"
Baili An was visibly startled, "Lihe Sect? That's a cultivation sect, right? Can I… go with you?"
Perhaps not…
Li Jiujiu was well aware, but then again, her father was the Sect Master, and didn't he have the final say in sect matters?
Besides, her father doted on her most days. If she were to hound him persistently, it wasn't entirely impossible.
But such an action might lead to wild speculation among the other disciples.
After all, this time she left without her fellow disciple and brought back a young man...
The more she thought about it, the more dreadful it seemed, but having spoken, she did not wish to take her words back.
Gazing at the slender yet upright young man with big eyes, there seemed to be nothing outwardly unusual about him if one disregarded his pale skin.
Blinking, she asked, "Can you retract those tusks of yours?"
Baili An was momentarily taken aback, then realizing what she meant, he closed his eyes and tried to retract them.
After a while, he opened his eyes and shook his head, indicating his inability.
Li Jiujiu stared at him for a long moment and decided the corpse demon's tusks weren't too prominent and might not seem out of place unless looked at closely.
"It's fine; only your skin is too pale, but with a touch of my rouge, we can easily cover that up."
Hearing her thorough arrangements, Baili An was somewhat amused and distressed—where else would a man wear makeup?
But his heart was warmed by her intentions; she was indeed not heartless.
Despite her willingness, he could not selfishly hold her back.
Baili An gazed deeply at her for a moment, capturing her delicate features in his heart, then gently shook his head.
Li Jiujiu's expression dimmed, pretending not to understand his meaning and continued, "You don't like rouge?"
Baili An pursed his lips and lowered his head, "I'm sorry, I can't go back to Lihe Sect with you."
Li Jiujiu could clearly see what the young man was thinking and sighed softly, "Alright, if you don't want to, I won't force you. So what will you do in the future? Continue lying in a coffin as a corpse?"
Baili An shook his head; he had made up his mind to leave this coffin.
Even though stepping into the world of the living would mean a path riddled with hardships,
he wanted to grow strong, to become a cultivator, even if he was a corpse demon.
He believed that as long as he was powerful enough, he could eventually break free from the confines of this body.
In the vast world, anything was possible.
Above the Nine Heavens, there were giant dragons soaring through the skies and Immortals bathing in the Star River's dawn light; as long as he could achieve immortality, he need not fear returning to the righteous path.
Thinking of the boundless unknown future, noticing the effort Li Jiujiu put into concealing her reluctance in her beautiful features, warmth flooded Baili An's heart.
"If possible, I would like to try living anew, no longer seeking eternal slumber."
Li Jiujiu's nose tingled, her eyes moistening a little, and she stared blankly at the young man in front of her, her mind in turmoil and for a moment, at a loss for words.
Baili An smiled warmly.
The menacing tusks that seemed fierce initially, under the young man's naïve smile, appeared somewhat charming, almost cute like tiger teeth.
Maybe influenced by the smile, Li Jiujiu also showed a faint smile.
"Alright…"
The endless sea seemed boundless, and if one were an ordinary person deep in this vast sea, desperation might set in, awaiting an extended process of death.
Fortunately, Li Jiujiu was a cultivator, and her cultivation was considerably advanced.
Still young, she was already at an established stage of cultivation, which was undoubtedly linked to her status as the revered princess of Lihe Sect.
She frequently consumed Immortal Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines for aiding cultivation, had recently broken through a realm with the transference ceremony from the elders, and with the sword Qiushui bestowed by her father, she could perform Sword Flight, easily leaving this sea area.
As they prepared to part, Baili An unexpectedly said, "Aren't you taking any of these things with you?"
He was referring to the burial items scattered on the ground— the Shadow Sword, Night Light Cup, mountain crystals, Glazed Umbrella, Mountain River Fan, Demon Suppression Tower, and so forth.
"These are your burial items, why would I need them?"
"But, well, I have no use for them, and seeing how happy your fellow disciple was when he saw these things, they must be of great use to you, right? Why not take them, leaving them here would be a pity."
Li Jiujiu knew he was indirectly trying to gift her these items.
She squinted at him, staring intensely till he guiltily lowered his head.
"You're not trying to compensate me by giving these items to me, are you?"
Suddenly voicing such a question made Baili An's pale cheeks quickly flush with a light blush.
With his pallid skin tone, that blush seemed even more apparent as he stammered, "I... I... I just wanted to give you the best things."
Although compensating her was part of the reason.
Li Jiujiu seeing his embarrassed demeanor, chuckled out loud.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. I'll take these items then. After all, I did suffer a considerable loss at your hands, taking a bit from you isn't too unreasonable, right?"
Baili An nodded like a pecking chicken, "Not unreasonable, not unreasonable."
Relieved that she would accept his items, he quickly crouched down to gather the myriad of treasures littering the ground, stuffing them into the mountain crystal.
"Huh? There's another mountain crystal?"
Li Jiujiu exclaimed softly; she hadn't noticed before that while Baili An picked up the treasures, another mountain crystal was hidden beneath the stacked treasures.
Baili An glanced down and didn't think much of it.
Knowing it was a valuable object, he started stuffing it into the other mountain crystal. "Oh, they must be a pair." He pushed hard, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't fit it in.