The next second, Su Xiyan pushed Chen Shuo away forcefully.
Chen Shuo fell on the ground, his whole body aching as if every bone had come apart.
"Ouch! Su Xiyan, are you a donkey? Kicking with your hind legs at the slightest thing?"
"You didn't admit to being a donkey last time when I said you were one!"
Chen Shuo rubbed his elbows. The rough warehouse floor had scraped his skin raw.
Only then did Su Xiyan notice Chen Shuo's torn clothes around his waist.
It revealed a scar that looked seared, all too familiar to Su Xiyan!
It was a scar left by the Ice Flame of the Demon Hunting Crossbow.
When Su Xiyan had turned earlier, the ice-blue flames of the crossbow had accidentally grazed Chen Shuo.
Chen Shuo grinned wryly, "Old wound not healed yet, now with an added new one."
"Su Xiyan, you'll be the death of me sooner or later."
Su Xiyan retorted, "Aren't you the Demon King?"
"The almighty Demon King, afraid of a mere crossbow?"
Chen Shuo rolled his eyes, "You should be glad I'm the Demon King. If I were a lesser vampire, I would have perished instantly upon contact with your weapon, not standing here talking to you."
He made a fair point.
"Su Xiyan, I revealed my identity to save you!"
"Do you know how difficult it was for me to conceal my identity all this while? No one found out I was the Demon King in so long, avoiding unnecessary trouble. But just now, in order to rescue you, all my efforts hiding my identity all these years have gone down the drain."
"From now on, living in peace will be difficult, alas!"
Chen Shuo sighed regretfully with a shake of his head after he spoke.
Su Xiyan would not back down either, "How dare you complain! I haven't settled with you for deceiving me!"
On this matter, Chen Shuo certainly had something to say.
He looked Su Xiyan up and down, seeming to have a lot to articulate, but in the end said nothing, letting out a long sigh instead, "Alas! Who knows if everything today was yet another scheme set up by you?"
"After all, this wouldn't be the first time you've pulled something like this."
Chen Shuo was still sore about the private kitchen incident, it seemed. Su Xiyan tensed up at once - she had just managed to coax Chen Shuo, if he misunderstood today's events again, she feared there would be no more clearing up in the future!
Having said that, Chen Shuo gave Su Xiyan a disappointed look and turned to leave.
Su Xiyan quickly went after him and grabbed Chen Shuo firmly by the wrist.
Her fingertips were icy cold, like the autumn weather outside.
Chen Shuo halted. Looking back, he met Su Xiyan's clear eyes. Her eyes were misted over, gazing at Chen Shuo imploringly, her voice barely a whisper:
"Chen Shuo, don't go."
Su Xiyan was truly a contradictory girl, articulating the most heartrending plea in an aloof voice.
Those eyes simply allowed no refusal.
Chen Shuo wavered for mere seconds before Su Xiyan's demeanor grew even more pitiful.
She clasped Chen Shuo's hand tightly, exerting some strength, as if terrified he would be gone if she let go.
She really had him wrapped around her little finger!
Chen Shuo felt he would have to be prepared for Su Xiyan having him at her beck and call for the rest of his life.
All of a sudden, Chen Shuo sensed an immense power emanating from his chest, shooting straight into his mind's eye within half a second!
The next second, Chen Shuo's vision went blank, numerous rays of light flashing before his eyes.
Dizzy, he lost balance entirely.
Su Xiyan quickly came over to support Chen Shuo, her breathtaking face deathly pale from fright.
The sudden vertigo only lasted some ten seconds. Chen Shuo felt his cells radically renewed, all pain erased, his whole body brimming with vigor!
If he guessed correctly, this should be yet another level up to Demon Saint!
What comes after Demon King again?
Demon Saint?
Chen Shuo lamented inwardly: I really don't want to level up anymore!
I only wanted to lay low as a petty vampire, clinging to Su Xiyan's gorgeous legs, waiting till she becomes a legendary demon hunter to help me reverse the system and turn me human again.
I have zero interest in all these Demon Kings and Saints!
Chen Shuo thought he must be the first vampire in history to become a Demon Saint and be unhappy about it.
The earlier dizzy spell should be due to his excessively quick ascension that his constitution couldn't handle temporarily.
Now the vertigo was completely gone, replaced by unprecedented comfort!
Moreover, becoming a Demon Saint did seem to have significantly boosted his body's prowess!
The anxious call at his ear pulled Chen Shuo back from his thoughts.
Su Xiyan's voice trembled, "Chen Shuo! What's wrong again?"
"Please wake up, okay?"
"Don't you know that I truly, truly cannot lose you."
"Chen Shuo..."
Why did this seem oddly familiar? Su Xiyan must have thought Chen Shuo dead again, judging by his current even more horrifying state than before - ghostly pallor and motionless, with breathing and heartbeat halted for a period.
That was merely part of the necessary process of leveling up to Demon Saint.
It was similar to a computer needing rebooting after system upgrade. Chen Shuo powering off just now was analogous.
Sorry Su Xiyan, I'm afraid I have to trick you again, for I am no longer the Demon King!
Chen Shuo opened his eyes to a teary-eyed Su Xiyan.
"What are the tears for? I'm not dead yet!"
Seeing Chen Shuo awake, Su Xiyan's expression promptly turned from grief to elation, then to anger!
The usually image-conscious girl didn't even bother wiping her tears. Her small fists rained blows on Chen Shuo's shoulders and chest, making dull thudding sounds on contact.
Her words still carried sobs,
"Chen Shuo! Too much! Pretending dead to scare me again?!"
"You know full well how much I care for you! How I can't lose you! How I dare not imagine life without you! You know I like you, yet you still..."
Su Xiyan didn't finish her sentence.
You know I like you...
In her fluster, she had blurted out her true feelings kept buried within.
Awkward silence instantly permeated the enclosed space.
One could even pick up the soft rustle as a light breeze blew by.
Su Xiyan! How could you not control your mouth??
What happened to being a lofty school beauty?
How could you actually confess first? Su Xiyan, are you muddled? Confessions should come from the guy, not you!
Meanwhile, Chen Shuo's eyes brimmed with pleasant surprise and meaningful depth.
He smiled at her charmingly, "Did you really mean everything you just said?"