XIAO SHUXIANG'S

EXTRA PART (Part 8) - Cleansing of the Demon Heart

Three days Xiao Shuxiang was not sleeping, he was in a room underground, the Nine-Secte Level Pagoda of the Sky Pagoda.

Lan Guan Zhi and the Mad Beggar Boy did not tell about that Alchemist Chef who was making a fuss in the next town on anyone - but both of them requested that the GrandElder Sect of the Sky Pagoda allow them to borrow a room meditation so that Xiao Shuxiang can perform the Demon Heart Cleansing.

Hearing that this was for Xiao Shuxiang, even Ling Shen Yue allowed it. The mother of the Grand Elder of the Sky Pagoda Sect felt that the wild nature of this young man was most likely due to rarely doing Heart Demon Cleansing. He even escorted them to this room himself.

Xiao Shuxiang initially refused, he was unwilling to do so. Yet Lan Guan Zhi, the Mad Beggar Boy, including Ling Lang Tian continued to urge. Ling Qing Zhu even coaxed him and said that the Heart Demon Cleansing was completely harmless.

As many people were asking, Xiao Shuxiang finally unwillingly did so. And now he was here - for three days sitting cross-legged, closing his eyes, and focusing on getting into his subconscious.

"…"

Xiao Shuxiang was completely inexhaustible with his own subconscious. He was sure that three days had passed, but until now what he saw was a stretch of dry land without a single creature called the 'Devil of Hearts'.

"What am I supposed to do here? Wait for. Why do I know it's been three days? Is it a Heart Demon Cleansing like this..?"

Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his chin as he continued walking, he circulated his gaze around and was almost annoyed that from left to right-all he saw was not a single creature.

"Come on, don't joke. When is my subconscious so dark?" Xiao Shuxiang was actually at a loss for himself whether or not he actually did the Heart Demon Cleansing, this was something he was unable to control.

"Why are you so confused?"

!!

Xiao Shuxiang was startled, he froze when he heard the adorable voice. He turned around and the scene before him began to change.

There was a boy, looking 7-year-old with an innocent face - yet had a cold look in his eyes.

The boy crossed his hands, leaned against a tree trunk and looked straight at Xiao Shuxiang. He was wearing black clothes with butterfly wings.

!!

Xiao Shuxiang blinked a few times in disbelief at what he saw, even rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Why? Haven't seen a very handsome boy?" the tone of the voice of the figure was crisp, and made Xiao Shuxiang surprised for the umpteenth time.

"You.. It's.." Xiao Shuxiang watched the child very closely and started muttering. "You're this.. Do I have any regrets about my childhood?"

The figure before him was not Shouxing, his Sword Spirit was like the past. The child before him was himself when he was only 7-Year-Xiao Shuxiang was a child.

"Well, it can't be.."

"What is impossible? Stupid."

!!

Xiao Shuxiang was startled, he snapped at the child. "Hey..! You have no manners at all. You little boy and do not know yourself..! Do you want me to hit?!"

Xiao Shuxiang was annoyed, but come to think of it.. The child he snapped at was himself and it was much more upsetting. It was unexpected that he even met this kind of Little Devil.

The boy in front of Xiao Shuxiang snorted when he heard the words, "Don't call me a child, my name is A-Xiang. You should call me A-Xiang. Follow me,"

!!

Xiao Shuxiang clenched his hands and then exhaled softly. The child in front of him had an adorable face, but his manner was truly irritating. He was eager to pull the little boy's cheek and break his neck.

"You'd better not think of anything, or you won't get out of this place." A-Xiang walked over with the aura of a frozen iceberg all around him, he looked very different to Xiao Shuxiang in the past.

"Let me make sure of something, you're not the devil of my heart, are you?"

"A handsome kid like me being 'Devil of your Heart'? Hmph, where is it possible."

God damnit..! This little Xiao Shuxiang was extremely annoying. Her plain face was not at all synchronized with that scathing mouth of hers.

Xiao Shuxiang's patience was completely tested. He stepped following his small self and passed through many trees. They were like being in a forest, when before this whole place was an arid land.

"How's my brother doing?" A-Xiang started talking, but his tone was still very cold.

"Sister? You mean the chatty girl? I think he's okay,"

"Mrs,"

"…"

Xiao Shuxiang slowed his pace. He looked at the back of this 7-year-old and realized something was wrong. The figure in front of him was most likely the spirit of the original body-owner-before he got up with this body.

"Hey, A-Xiang? Why did you become the devil of my heart? I never even have any regrets about you," Xiao Shuxiang spoke, yet the boy in front of him did not turn around at all and focused on walking.

"You may have forgotten it. I used to be ambitious to be strong.." A-Xiang turned his head to the right side, the forest by his side instantly turned into pieces of the past he had experienced and it was witnessed by Xiao Shuxiang.

".. I forgot about my family, was tight on Big Brother Lu and cold on Dad and Mom. Because of this ambition.. Deviations in the practice made the Dantian deformed and the body dying.. It was hard to survive that moment."

Xiao Shuxiang saw it. He remembers rising at the age of 7. The memory of his age before that only returned after he hibernated and met with A-Xiang, but instead this boy reappeared.

"You're a fool for being too ambitious to be strong, even though your age was still a corn.." Xiao Shuxiang expressed his opinion, he said the Farm Village was very minimal Qi, increasing the strength under those conditions was obviously very impossible to do.

("Basic sister sucks..! Call Big Brother Lu the Beautiful.!").

?!

Xiao Shuxiang flinched, he heard the voice of the daughter and saw the scene of the past beside his right. It was young Xiao Lu, looking to be around 13 years old.

A-Xiang stopped walking, he saw it too. He was 6 years old, before the incident in which he experienced a practice deviation. The moment where he was arguing over his own brother.

Xiao Lu was seen puffing his cheeks and flanking the little Xiao Shuxiang in his armpits. She snatched and forced her sister to call her 'Sister Lu Yang Beautiful'.

("Let go of me.!")

("It won't be before you say it,")

("In your dream..!")

Little Xiao Shuxiang positioned his feet very well and elbowed Xiao Lu until the snare on his neck stretched out. He then turned his body, jumped, and immediately hit his butt right on the girl's back.

!!

Little Xiao Lu fell down, his stomach ached and now the pain increased when he hit the ground, moreover his sweet face was also hit.

Little Xiao Shuxiang blew his front bangs hair as it had just defeated an older brother whose body size was slightly larger. His facial expression was cold, there was no guilt at all.

("Mother..")

The memory stopped, revealing Xiao Lu's real face was quite funny. Not on his sister's face.

"At that time all I thought about was, 'Don't call Mom. If only you weren't my brother-I would've killed you.'"

!!

("Xiang'Eer.. Get off my back right now.!")

("What did you say? Xiang'Ers? Call me Young Master Xiao.!")

("Mother..! Brother hindered me..! Ahh.!") Xiao Lu groaned as his sister used her strength to press against his back. He was completely unable to move, even starting to have difficulty breathing.

("Xiang'Er, already.. It's been..! You're delaying. Untie me..! Let go of your brother, hurry!")

("You call me 'Xiang'Er' once again, I'll make sure your spine cracks.")

("Well..! Ja.. Aye! I'll call you Xiao'Er. Now let go of me..! Xiao'Er please.!")

!!

The memory changed, this time showing A-Xiang who was only 6 years old, but was on a tree branch with a white rabbit that was lifeless. He then noticed Xiao Lu being picked up by his fellow students.

Little A-Xiang always hid when Jing Mi and Yi Wen came, but Xiao Lu never felt suspicious because he remembered his sister did not have a good chance to meet her friends.

"I also avoid Grandpa a lot. He's a shitty Old Bangka. But he's still family anyway.." A-Xiang blinked and the entire scene he saw changed.

!!

Xiao Shuxiang realized that under his feet now was water - the whole was a quiet expanse of water. He looked up at the sky, yet found nothing but white.

"I don't think this is my subconscious.."

A-Xiang, ("This is my subconscious,")

"Alright, so what do you want after showing you a picture of your past? I came here to do the Heart Demon Cleansing, that's all."

A-Xiang stared coldly at Xiao Shuxiang. ("You still don't know? You were pulled here for my regrets so you'd know. A moment where you might be able to change a little.")

Xiao Shuxiang frowned, he started to feel anxious about something. The little boy in front of him took a step further and slowly the water started to rise up, forming one after another creatures that made Xiao Shuxiang involuntarily step back.

A Xiang, ("My regret is about my attitude all along. And these people's remorse is because of their fault with you. You're drawn into all of our Subconsciousness.. And intend to resuscitate you.")

!!

Xiao Shuxiang saw it, one being formed by water and similar to Zhou Yuan, the others were Guan Wei, Li Fu Chen, Liu Xuling, and the other cultivators present in his past.

Xiao Shuxiang again took a step back, both of his hands involuntarily trembled, he felt a rumble on his chest and this was something that was most uncomfortable.

!!

Xiao Shuxiang suddenly vomited blood and regained his senses. He made Lan Guan Zhi and the Crazy Beggar Boy shocked. He was panting and like breathlessness.

"Shuxiang, what's wrong with you?"

"Son, what's wrong with you?!"

Lan Guan Zhi and the Mad Beggar Boy were worried about Xiao Shuxiang's condition, let alone the face of the young man before them being extremely pale - as if the Alchemist Chef had just experienced a bad thing.

"Xiang'Er, you're okay, right?" Lan Guan Zhi touched his good friend's arm, he saw a lot of sweat on his friend's forehead.

Xiao Shuxiang shook his head, his voice soft. "No.. Not good at all. I don't want to do it anymore. I don't want to do Heart Demon Cleansing. Don't wanna.."

!!

Xiao Shuxiang stood up, he was overtaken by Lan Guan Zhi and the Mad Beggar Boy. His sight was still a bit vague, but he was sure to have returned to the current reality - he was no longer in a realm that he did not even know what nature was.

"Son, did you see anything?" The Mad Beggar Boy had never expected this Xiao Shuxiang to be this frightening, the young man before him seemed to be afraid of something.

"Xiang 'Er.."

"Leave me. I want to be alone for now.."

Lan Guan Zhi looked at the Crazy Beggar Boy before turning his head towards Xiao Shuxiang. He asked his best friend to sit down and rest for a while. He couldn't possibly leave his friend in this state.

Xiao Shuxiang complied and sat back down, this time he leaned against the wall and was silent for quite a while. His shoulders and hands were gently rubbed by his two friends.

In that foreign realm, as A-Xiang spoke-Xiao Shuxiang could feel many scents of regret as well as sadness. This was not from him, he himself had no regrets and sorrow whatsoever.

Actually, Xiao Shuxiang had never had a 'Devil Heart'. He holds no grudge against anyone, even in the past - a time when everyone hated him.

He was often irritated and angry, but none of that anger was what he kept to his heart. All the joy that appeared to him was always in the grasp of the hand. He never made that arrogance become a controller over him.

Lan Guan Zhi himself could feel his good friend's hands cold. He had not been willing to ask, but it seemed that Xiao Shuxiang had indeed experienced something that was likely even difficult to explain.

"Shuxiang, do you need water?" The Mad Beggar Boy asked and was answered with a headband by Xiao Shuxiang.

"No need, I just want to calm down.." Xiao Shuxiang exhaled, he rubbed his face and said that he was better now.

".. You two, what do you think of Cleansing the Heart Devil?"

?!

The Crazy Beggar Boy gasped, he had not expected to hear this kind of question. "Have you never done Heart Demon Cleansing before?"

"Just answer my question, don't ask another question."

"Ehm.. Cleansing the Heart-Devil You will be in your subconscious and meet yourself. His appearance reflects the real you, even as far as my experience-you can't hide anything from your Demon Heart."

The Crazy Beggar Boy's answer was not the same as the one Xiao Shuxiang had experienced just now. He meets A-Xiang, he sees people from his past. Their facial expressions contained a deep sense of regret - as if they all wanted to apologize to him.

Xiao Shuxiang exhaled and looked at Lan Guan Zhi, "I don't want to do Heart Demon Cleansing anymore, Lan Zhi. Urged on anyway - I don't want to do it anymore. I realize with what I'm doing, there's no remorse in it - you can hate me if you don't like it."

"What did you say? No one will push you anymore, not even me.." Lan Guan Zhi held tightly to his good friend's hand, ".. Because no matter what you are - we're still friends."

The Mad Beggar Boy exhaled, he knew Xiao Shuxiang had just experienced something possibly terrifying-but as long as the young man had no intention of telling it himself, he would not ask anything.

The three young men were still inside the basement, the Nine-Tiered Pagoda for the next three days. Above, improvements had been made since the first day Xiao Shuxiang meditated.

In the Eastern Continent, even earlier improvements were made and this included the conditions in the Butterfly Sect.

Jing Mi and Hou Yong were seen helping their juniors. Both lift wooden beams and boards that will be used to repair damaged buildings.

Especially for the Butterfly Sect region, the repairs were completed within 9 Days of work. And on the tenth day, Xiao Shuxiang came along with Hu Li, the Mad Beggar Boy, and Lan Guan Zhi.

***