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Chapter 21: The Hardship of the Fox’s Life
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 09:59:04 +0000 UTCAfter peeling off the heroine's dark robes, Ji Rong saw the blood spreading from her scapula, blooming like a peony in full bloom.
Since Gu Baiyi was lying on her side, Ji Rong could only see her slender shoulder and the terrifying wound hidden beneath the white fabric.
It was a straight and sharp sword cut, likely passing through her back.
Clean and decisive, without any hesitation.
Looking at the wound, Ji Rong couldn’t help but feel a sense of hesitation.
Gu Baiyi turned around and softly asked, "Did I scare you, Senior Sister?"
Ji Rong remained silent.
"Are you wondering why I’m not dead yet?" Gu Baiyi’s eyes were full of laughter. She pointed to the red spot on her chest, adding, "Looks like a heart-piercing blow, doesn’t it?"
A heart-piercing blow?
Ji Rong couldn’t help but recall the game’s ending, and her scalp tingled. Was the heroine hinting at something?
"Too bad..."
Gu Baiyi’s expression remained calm as she brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Too bad the sword wasn’t steady, it missed by a few inches."
In her past life, Bai Yushuang’s care for her had been so meticulous, yet the sword that pierced through her scapula in the grand hall had been so ironic.
Bai Yushuang knew she was of the Heavenly Demon bloodline, so a heart-piercing blow wouldn’t kill her, only cause some pain.
Thus, Bai Yushuang withdrew her sword, frowning, and severed her tendons.
The sound of the sword falling to the ground was clear and crisp.
Gu Baiyi recalled Bai Yushuang’s swordsmanship when she taught her. The branch she severed with a slash through the air had fallen.
That day, Bai Yushuang looked at the broken branch and the falling peony petals on the ground, her smile unwavering.
Gu Baiyi had always known Bai Yushuang wasn’t someone who cherished flowers, but she never realized that all of Bai Yushuang’s care over the years was just pity and manipulation.
In her past life, in the grand hall...
Bai Yushuang raised her sword, her bloodied finger lifting Gu Baiyi’s chin as she coldly asked, "How dare you kill her?"
"I only told you to defeat her. How dare you kill her?"
Gu Baiyi's lips spilled blood as she defended herself, "I never meant to kill her, but the inner demons…"
She looked down at the sword piercing her chest.
The sword felt cold, but the blood that splattered out was warm.
Bai Yushuang’s face twisted, blood staining her cheek.
Her face contorted with madness, her voice trembling as she asked, "She’s dead, what use do you have left? Now you’ve ruined everything. I have nothing left."
Gu Baiyi's eyes widened as she felt one sword after another stab into her body.
The blood blurred her vision, and her body no longer felt pain.
Great.
Surrounded by blood, Gu Baiyi watched Bai Yushuang laughing, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes from the laughter.
She wanted to ask why, but only broken sounds escaped her throat.
In the end, she realized she had nothing left to ask in this life.
Ji Rong looked at the crimson slowly rising in Gu Baiyi's eyes, wondering, Is she about to go mad again?
She quickly spoke up, trying to maintain composure, "Where are the herbs?"
Her thoughts were interrupted.
Gu Baiyi came to, closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and stared into Ji Rong’s eyes.
Ji Rong’s appearance was stunning, yet not seductive. A touch of coldness radiated from her brow, and when she lifted her gaze, her expression was indifferent, seeming to keep others at a distance.
Just a single glance, and Gu Baiyi felt as though cold water had been poured over her, instantly clearing her mind.
The malice in her eyes gradually faded, and she said gently, "I prepared some herbs at Kuai Xueju yesterday. Could you fetch them for me, Senior Sister?"
Ji Rong stood up, silently watching Gu Baiyi.
She had to at least say where they were, right?
Gu Baiyi understood and pointed to the topmost shelf of the rosewood cabinet.
Ji Rong nodded and found the redwood box.
Opening it, she saw the herbs inside and a few rolls of fine cloth, likely for bandaging.
Ji Rong closed the box and handed it to Gu Baiyi.
Gu Baiyi took the box and smiled at her. "Thank you, Senior Sister."
"No need."
Ji Rong had intended to leave the troublesome place quickly.
But unexpectedly, Gu Baiyi began to undress in front of her, and the blood on her chest and back was clearly visible.
Then Gu Baiyi slowly untied the tie of her inner robe, and the snow-white fabric at her collar parted slightly.
She stared directly at Ji Rong and asked, "Senior Sister, is there something else?"
It was as if she was politely showing her the door.
Ji Rong, not wanting to stay in the heroine’s residence any longer, was relieved, her face cold as she replied, "Nothing."
Gu Baiyi smiled gently, "Then I won’t send you off, Senior Sister."
Ji Rong nodded and turned to leave.
But the heroine’s injuries looked truly frightening. After thinking for a moment, out of humanitarian concern, Ji Rong added before leaving, "Make sure to rest well, Junior Sister."
...
Ji Rong stood at the door of Wanrangju, still shaken.
The reason was simple: as she turned to leave, the heroine’s smile was warm as spring, just like the sweet, naive person she had once known.
But in the game, the sweeter the heroine’s smile, the more ruthless she would be when killing.
Moreover, just as Ji Rong started to leave, a hellish electronic sound blared, nearly causing her to stumble.
【Ding! Congratulations, Player! Gu Baiyi's affection points +25】
【Including the 50 affection points from the previous system crash at Wan Yao Valley that weren’t counted, Gu Baiyi's current affection points towards you: -914. Please keep it up!】
Ji Rong: "......"
Heh, still negative. What's there to be happy about?
Meanwhile, the little snow fox left in the training ground by Ji Rong was staring at her with an expression of quiet resentment.
After a moment, it realized that its master was muttering to herself, with a mocking expression on her face, showing no intention of soothing it.
The snow fox whimpered in grievance, but Ji Rong only calmly patted its head and casually said, "Go play somewhere else."
It was stunned. With indignation, it glared at Ji Rong, who was lost in her own world, and decided to shut itself off, refusing to acknowledge this wretched master for the day.
Just as the little snow fox left Wantangju and lay on a stone by the pond, reflecting on the hardships of being a fox, it suddenly found itself shrouded in a shadow.
Instinctively, it turned around and glared fiercely at the newcomer.
The person was dressed in simple white robes, exuding an unparalleled elegance. It was Mei He.
Mei He smiled at the fox, "You’re clearly the fox demon ‘Wu Yan’ from West Mountain, yet you pretend to be a Tianshan snow fox... What are you plotting?"
Crap, not her again.
Wu Yan showed a surprised expression and quickly transformed, trying to flee, but Mei He’s casual "stop" kept her frozen in place.
Words turned to law—only those in the Infinite realm could do this. Mei He said softly, "Tell me, what are you planning with Changqin?"
Mei He lifted the curse and looked at the young woman before her with a calm expression.
Wu Yan bit her lip tightly, remaining silent.
Mei He shook her head. "I’m different from Bai Yushuang. She’s always been insane, but I’m only occasionally crazy. And when I go crazy, you may not be able to handle it."
"I can't say..."
A sudden suffocating sensation stopped Wu Yan's breath. She looked at Mei He's hand gripping her throat, fear in her eyes.
Mei He was not her usual gentle and approachable self. A lotus mark on her forehead deepened, and a faint red hue began to show.
Her tone was calm but threatening, "Die, or speak?"
Wu Yan floated in the air, feeling that Mei He truly wanted to kill her. She whimpered, gasping, "…I’ll speak, I’ll speak."
"Go ahead." Mei He said gently, releasing her hold on Wu Yan's neck.
"…The master is looking for the Chixiao Sword."
"Hasn't she already found it?"
Wu Yan fell silent. "Isn’t this a question you already know the answer to, Sect Leader Mei?"
Mei He smiled, sighing. "I suppose Junior Sister Bai should have figured out by now that the sword she stole that day was a fake. But she doesn’t understand me. Putting the Chixiao Sword in Lingxiao Pavilion isn’t something I would do."
"But, so what?" Mei He lightly patted Wu Yan's head and whispered, "Now, the world knows Bai Yushuang has the Chixiao Sword. Even if she didn’t get it, she can’t deny it."
Ever since Wu Yan met Mei He, she had grown genuinely fearful of her. Now, with Mei He’s hand on her head, she was drenched in cold sweat.
"Don’t be afraid."
Mei He looked at Wu Yan with sympathy. "If you tell me what you said to Bai Yushuang yesterday, I won’t kill you."
Wu Yan was silent for a long time before she slowly spoke, "Even if I die, I cannot tell you."
What happened yesterday involved too much. She could not risk revealing Bai Yushuang’s plans to Mei He. If she did, everything she had worked for would be wasted.
Mei He smiled. "Are you sure you don’t fear death?"
Wu Yan thought back to her days of eating, drinking, and playing at Wanjian Sect, her unreliable master, and the Heavenly Demon Seed that had stroked her fur.
As a fox born and raised in West Mountain, she had seen many things her siblings had not. Her life as a fox had already been fulfilled.
So, she sighed, "Steamed or braised, Sect Leader Mei, you decide. If I’m to die, so be it. I don’t care anymore."
Mei He couldn’t help but chuckle. "You’re quite interesting, little fool. It’s a pity you have no sense of occasion."
With that, Mei He gathered a surge of spiritual energy in her palm. She watched as Wu Yan trembled under the pressure and then extended her hand without hesitation.
The violent spiritual energy sliced through Wu Yan’s meridians. For the first time, she felt the pain of her soul being ripped apart.
Wu Yan closed her eyes. Even as death approached, she couldn’t help but resent Ji Rong: If it hadn’t been for encountering such a wretched master, how could she have ended up like this?
The world spun around her.
Wu Yan fell backward, feeling weightless, like she was plummeting into the underworld.
This feeling made her think that she was truly dead.
She sighed in relief. It seemed death wasn’t so frightening. It didn’t even hurt a bit.
But when she opened her eyes and saw Mei He smiling at her in front of her, she felt terrified.
Wu Yan wanted to cry but had no tears. "Why are you everywhere? Did you follow me to hell?"
Mei He retracted her hand and laughed. "Fool, I was just testing you earlier. Seeing how loyal you are to Junior Sister Bai, I can trust you to follow Changqin."
"Then what about just now?"
"I only used my spiritual energy to remove the demon mark on you. From now on, your master will only be Changqin. You can no longer contact Bai Yushuang."
Wu Yan was dumbfounded. She never expected Mei He to have such intentions. She couldn’t help but ask, "What if I tell you everything?"
"If you tell me, I’ll naturally kill you, for Junior Sister Bai and for Changqin."
Mei He said this with the same calm and gentle tone she always had.
At those words, Wu Yan’s back chilled. She asked, "Sect Leader Mei, don’t you want to know those things?"
"Of course… not."
Mei He smiled and spoke softly, "Because when it comes to the Heavenly Demon Seed, I understand it better than Bai Yushuang.”
