English title: The Demon Venerable’s Wistful Desire
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to, mainly because of how clingy the ML is. He's one of the most powerful figures in the cultivation world, and all he wants to do is dual cultivate with the MC and cling to him XP
The story starts out with the main character, Chi Muyao, transmigrating into a novel as a cannon fodder character. He's locked up in a dark cave with our ML, Xi Huai, the main villain of the novel. Xi Huai is all locked up and his energy suppressed, so he can't do anything to help. And unfortunately Chi Muyao is a super weak cultivator who's not powerful enough to break them out. He's a member of the He Huan sect, who specializes in dual cultivation to increase their spirit energy, so in the original novel, he dual cultivates with an unwilling ML and makes the ML hate him so much that even after they escape the cave, he's targeted by the ML and eventually killed.
Because he knows how the book ends, Chi Muyao doesn't want to have anything to do with Xi Huai. Unfortunately, because of their situation they have no choice, and Xi Huai eventually agrees to the dual cultivation. It takes them 3+ years before Chi Muyao gets enough energy and becomes strong enough to break them out of the cave, but in that time, Xi Huai has become quite enamored of CMY and is determined to bring him back to his sect.
Unfortunately, Chi Muyao has other ideas... in the time they spent in the cave, everything was pitch black, so Xi Huai has no idea what Chi Muyao looks like. All he knows is that he's the only male cultivator from the He Huan sect and is old enough to be his grandpa. That becomes a problem for him, as he spends the next 2 years searching all over the cultivation world for Chi Muyao, to no avail. In the meantime, CMY has joined a super low key cultivation sect that focuses on raising spirit beasts to hide and pass his days. Eventually they meet in a secret realm, but due to Chi Muyao's disguise and extremely good looks, Xi Huai only has a suspicion that it's him but can't say for sure. The story continues on in this way until Xi Huai has identified CMY, but it takes for awhile for CMY to start liking him and return his feelings.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
Overall it's a cute story, and it was touching to see how well Xi Huai treats Chi Muyao. He shows everyone else his tough, demonic cultivator side, but in front of CMY he's like a clingy dog that gets jealous at the slightest interaction the MC has with anything else. And who on earth would go around proudly telling everyone that they're being used as a furnace for dual cultivation?? Only our silly ML XP
A lot of the book focuses on their relationship and the long one-sided romance, but there is somewhat of a story as well. Initially, like any cultivation story, our main characters go into a secret realm for a chance encounter and to find treasures. Then they stuck in various formations and have to figure out how to escape. There's also a pesky super powerful demonic cultivator running around causing issues, so while our main characters are figuring out their feelings, they also have to take care of this cultivator and also keep their demonic sects safe from the righteous sects, but that's really it for the story. The various story elements were independent of each other rather than being woven into one flowing thread.
There are some side characters that consistently make an appearance, mostly other sect member from the MC and ML's sects, but imo none of them really stood out. My favorite was probably the He Huan sect leader, who's been hiding in the Nuan Yan Pavilion for a while as the cultivation partner of a powerful sect member. I was definitely rooting for them as a second pairing. There are also some cute pets, like the MC's dumb oriole who keeps recognizing the ML as his daddy but can also transform into a phoenix as needed to protect the MC XP
There are some hilarious scenes though. I wasn't quite cracking up but was definitely smiling for some of them. Here are some examples:
The ML and his friends are comparing their situations after sleeping with He Huan members
Xi Huai looked at Zong Sichen without saying anything.
Still crying, Zong Sichen went to tug Xi Huai's sleeve instead. "Young Sect Master, she refuses to take responsibility-after sleeping with me for months! You have to seek justice for me!"
Xi Huai suddenly roared, "I'm still looking for someone to be responsible for me!"
Zong Sichen suddenly felt better. After all, at least he could still find the person he slept with and know what she looked like.
Song Weiyue couldn't watch this go on any longer. He comforted Zong Sichen, "Look on the bright side, sleeping with a granny beats sleeping with a grandma, right?"
A moment later, Zong Sichen watched as Xi Huai kicked Song Weiyue out the window. Agonised cries soon followed.
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hahaha when the Qing Ze Sect's bad reputation is getting ruined by Xi Huai, cause he's going around saving people who might be the MC
Xi Lin's palm slammed down on the table. "Going around saving people and doing good deeds?? What were you thinking?! How am I supposed to face people after this?!"
Song Weiyue hurriedly kneeled down to explain, "Sect Master, the Young Sect Master wasn't deliberately trying to save anyone, he was just worried that the person he was looking for was in that group of people! That's why he saved them all. Please don't blame him!"
Xi Lin ignored Song Weiyue and continued to scold Xi Huai, "You should know clearly what you can and cannot do."
Song Weiyue again answered for Xi Huai. "From now on, we'll definitely burn, kill and pillage when we go out. We won't let down everyone's expectations of us."
Xi Huai rolled his eyes at that.
In the past, the Qing Ze Sect had a a terrible reputation and Xi Lin was also considered infamous.
But after Xi Huai saved a few people when he went out a few times, the reputation of the Qing Ze Sect somehow gradually got better.
A few days ago, Xi Lin's old friend came and said reprovingly, "Old Dragon Xi, is your Qing Ze Sect planning to join the renowned righteous sects, ah? What, you're not satisfied with the demonic faction anymore? You haven't learned the teachings of the righteous side, but you sure act like you did."
After being reproved, Xi Lin was so embarrassed that he simply confined Xi Huai.
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It's hilarious how proud of his furnace position Xi Huai is
He just relaxed and continued to eat his pastry when he heard Xi Huai say, "Since you plan to break through to the Golden Core stage, I should help you consolidate your cultivation."
"En? Consolidate my cultivation?"
His voice was muddled because his mouth was full. "How?"
"I'm a furnace!"
Chi Muyao seemed to never think that someone would say those words so righteously and naturally one day. He even forgot to chew.
He stared, dumbfounded, at Xi Huai for a long time before swallowing what was in his mouth and replying, "No need, no need! You're a normal person now, not my furnace!"
"Once a furnace, always a furnace. How could you abandon me half-way through?"
"How could this be me abandoning you? We agreed in the cave that dual cultivation was just for opening the restriction, how did it become a lifetime promise?"
"From the first time you swallowed my thing, you became responsible for me. Is that something you can swallow willy nilly?"
"Responsible? You're the one fucking me!"
"But you defiled me!
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Our classic clingy ML who only has one thing on our mind XP
The greatest villain in the entire book wasn't trying to destroy the world, didn't oppose the male and female protagonists, and wasn't seriously working as the demonic lord plotting to unify the three realms. Instead, he spent his days like a resentful husband, bickering over all sorts of strange things.
For example-
Xi Huai, with a dark expression, said, "You weren't fully committed during our dual cultivation this time."
How does one measure commitment? Was he supposed to recite a poem afterward in appreciation?