Chapter 37: The Fox

After Xu Baishen found them, their intimate time as a duo turned back into a trio.

Sang Ying buried herself in Xie Lingyu’s embrace, refusing to show her face.

Earlier, she had boldly declared in front of Xu Baishen that she intended to have an affair. Now that she had actually done something improper with Xie Lingyu, she was utterly mortified, terrified that Xu Baishen might discover what they had done.

Fortunately, after Xu Baishen arrived, he didn’t mention anything. Instead, he shared some discoveries he had made earlier in the secret realm.

Seeing this, Sang Ying breathed a slight sigh of relief. The young man holding her naturally sensed her tense body and leaned close to her ear, whispering, “Didn’t Senior Sister just make bold claims in front of him earlier? Why aren’t you speaking now?”

“…Shut up.”

Sang Ying bumped her head against his shoulder and muttered softly.

Beside them, Xu Baishen watched their intimate interaction, his lips pressed tightly together.

When that thought had flashed through his mind earlier, it had startled him.

How could he entertain such an immoral idea? And toward his own senior sister at that?

As he looked at the two of them, his Divine Sense suddenly throbbed with pain. He couldn’t help but press a hand to his forehead, and fragments of memories began to resurface in his mind.

The mountain gate was adorned in bright red, and the sunlight was warm yet cold, casting its glow over the white silk ribbons draped across the trees.

Through the distant crowd, he inadvertently looked up and saw a young woman dressed in mourning white, sitting quietly beneath a tree.

The moment he saw her, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence. All the scenery seemed to fade into insignificance, leaving only the young woman slowly lifting her lashes to reveal eyes as still and lifeless as frost-covered snow, gazing at the elderly man opposite her.

When they met again just a few days later, the young woman had shed her white mourning clothes and donned a vibrant red wedding gown.

Like a puppet manipulated by others, she was helped down from the bridal sedan, mechanically going through the motions of the wedding ceremony and the exchange of vows without uttering a single word. Yet, when the wind gently lifted the edge of her veil, he caught a glimpse of a tear tracing down her cheek.

At that moment, an overwhelming sense of heartache flooded his chest, threatening to burst forth.

Xu Baishen pressed his hand to his forehead, his brows furrowed tightly. From these memories, he gleaned two pieces of information.

First, her marriage three years ago had been forced, and she held no affection for her nominal husband.

Second, three years ago, he had already felt…

But what about this intense hatred? Why did such a powerful surge of hatred arise within him the moment he saw her?

Suddenly, it dawned on him… Perhaps it wasn’t hatred at all, but love that had been twisted and inverted? Since this restricted zone in the secret realm could cause memories to vanish without a trace, it wouldn’t be strange if it could also manipulate emotions.

Xu Baishen looked at the two of them and spoke gently, “The path ahead is even more dangerous. It’s inconvenient for Fellow Daoist Xie to carry Senior Sister Sang. Since my strength is inferior to Fellow Daoist Xie’s, let me carry Senior Sister Sang instead.”

Sang Ying, who had been hiding guiltily in Xie Lingyu’s embrace, stiffened instantly.

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingyu’s dark eyes swept over him coolly. “No need. As her lover, I must maintain some vigilance to prevent her from taking a fancy to other male cultivators.”

Sang Ying: “…”

As if she were some fickle-hearted woman who fell for every man she saw!

Xu Baishen hadn’t expected him to say such a thing. He was taken aback for a moment before forcing an awkward smile. “Senior Sister Sang and I are merely senior and junior disciples. That won’t happen.”

Xie Lingyu replied calmly, “She’s already having an affair with me, her junior brother. Do you think your words hold any weight?”

Xu Baishen: “…”

Sang Ying: “…”

Sang Ying silently buried her face in his embrace, pulled out an Illusion Form Talisman, and stuck it on herself. With a soft “poof,” she transformed into a red fox, wordlessly burrowing into his lapels and hiding herself completely inside.

It was just too embarrassing—she didn’t want to be human anymore!

Xie Lingyu lowered his gaze as the little fox burrowed into his clothes and went still, leaving only a fluffy, crimson tail dangling outside.

He flicked the tip of her tail with his fingertip, kindly reminding her, “Your tail is still out.”

A fox paw stretched out, seemingly unaccustomed to this body, groping aimlessly in the air but failing to catch it.

Xie Lingyu couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He hooked the tip of her tail with his knuckle and guided it to her paw. In a flash, the fox paw snatched the tail back inside.

The last time Sang Ying transformed into a fox was back in the Demon Realm, on the day of Xie Lingyu’s Tide Heat Period. He had held her so tightly that she couldn’t break free when she tried to leave in the morning, forcing her to use the Illusion Form Talisman to turn into a fox.

Transforming into a non-human creature required a great deal of Spiritual Power. With Sang Ying’s previously meager reserves, she couldn’t have maintained the form for long. Fortunately, she had just absorbed a large amount of elemental spiritual power, which came in handy now.

This worked out perfectly. Sang Ying curled up inside his clothes, hugging her fox tail. As a fox, she didn’t need to be carried, so neither of them had to dwell on the awkwardness, and she wouldn’t continue to embarrass herself.

Having just experienced pleasure, her body felt lazy and relaxed. Sang Ying found a comfortable position in his embrace, resting her head on her fox tail. “Xie Lingyu, I’m sleepy.”

Through the fabric of his clothes, the young man tapped her little head with his fingertip and replied softly, “Mm, sleep.”

Sang Ying never stood on ceremony with Xie Lingyu. As soon as she said she was sleepy, she fell asleep, her breathing soon growing light and steady.

When she woke again, she faintly heard the sounds of fighting. Using her little paws to part the overlapping lapels, she poked her head out just in time to see a Demon Beast lunging toward them. Startled, she was about to duck back inside when a pale blue sword light sliced through the air, cutting the beast down.

Noticing she was awake, the young man lowered his head slightly, his cool, pale chin resting right between her two fluffy fox ears. “Had enough sleep?”

His breath tickled the space between her ears, his voice low and soft. Sang Ying couldn’t help but shiver, the tips of her ears brushing against his chin.

At such close speaking distance, she was instantly reminded of what had happened by the stream—how he had spoken just as closely into her ear, his warm dragon tail slowly rubbing against her as he did.

At the thought, Sang Ying’s fox ears flushed red with blood. She twitched them, trying to sound composed as she asked, “How’s the exploration of the secret realm going?”

“Almost done,” Xie Lingyu replied, sheathing his sword. “The peculiar anomalies in this restricted zone are caused by an ancient demon tree—the Thousand-Turn Tree. The closer you get to it, the stronger the influence becomes.”

Sang Ying blinked and lifted her head. “What kind of influence?”

She hadn’t noticed any signs of him being affected—his sword techniques were as sharp and precise as ever.

Suddenly, Sang Ying felt cool fingertips brush over her fox ears, the pads of his fingers gently caressing them.

She looked up to see the young man gazing down, his dark lashes casting a frosty chill beneath them. Yet his tone was as casual as if he were discussing the weather, drowsy and matter-of-fact: “I want to kill my senior sister, hang her up to drain her blood, and then slowly peel off this smooth, glossy fur.”

??!

Sang Ying’s drowsiness vanished in an instant, replaced by a chill that ran down her spine, making her fox ears stand on end.

Wait, before they fell asleep, they were all lovey-dovey. What happened in between? How did waking up lead to him wanting to kill his wife to prove his Dao and turn her into a fox-fur scarf??

She shrank back, “Xie Lingyu, you…”

The fox’s head was lifted by cool, slender fingers. The young man met her frightened eyes, his expression indifferent. “Scared already?”

His fingertip scratched her chin with just the right amount of pressure, as if handling a small animal, his tone light. “With such courage, senior sister still dares to have an affair with me?”

Perhaps it was because turning into an animal truly brought out animal instincts—Sang Ying couldn’t help but let out a soft hum as his fingers scratched her chin, quickly stopping herself upon realizing it.

She pawed his hand away, annoyed. “Isn’t it because of you? You kiss and touch, then turn your back and deny everything, even wanting to kill me.”

“Emotions.”

Sang Ying was taken aback. “What?”

“This tree affects people’s emotions. The closer I am to the tree, the stronger my hatred for you becomes.”

Sang Ying nodded, understanding. So, under this influence, he would develop the desire to kill her.

So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is… then it’s fine… like hell it is! Sang Ying leaped out of his arms in an instant, landing on a nearby rock, her expression serious. “Then stay away from me, don’t come close.”

What if he couldn’t control himself? She might end up as a fox scarf!

Xie Lingyu glanced at her calmly with his dark eyes, not stopping her actions, but speaking softly. “Follow behind me, don’t stray too far.”

…Was he also worried he might lose control?

Sang Ying removed the Illusion Form Talisman and turned back into a human. Watching his retreating figure, she quickly followed, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

She had no idea how long she had slept. Sang Ying checked the spiritual root inside her body—it was already more than halfway formed, with only a little left to complete the cultivation.

However, the bad news was that the fire element spiritual power in her body had been almost entirely absorbed, with very little left. This meant that if she wanted to continue cultivating, she would have to stay close to him.

But given his current state…

Sang Ying looked up at the white-clad young man walking ahead, muttering to herself. Would he stab her with his sword while they were close?

“By the way, Xie Lingyu, where did Xu Baishen go?” Sang Ying glanced around but didn’t see him.

“We separated when we entered the Thousand-Turn Tree’s domain.”

The young man’s voice sounded indifferent. “I advise senior sister to worry more about herself and less about others. His desire to kill you is no less than mine.”

Sang Ying: “…”

She was quite popular—everyone wanted to kill her.

As they followed Xie Lingyu, they encountered many Demon Beasts, each growing stronger and more troublesome.

Sang Ying knew they were getting closer to the Thousand-Turn Tree.

Unable to help and afraid of causing trouble, she hid behind a rock, watching the young man with indifferent eyes as he slaughtered the Demon Beasts. Her gaze fell on the blood dripping from the tip of his sword, and her heart grew increasingly uneasy.

“He will kill you.”

A soft voice suddenly whispered in her ear.

Sang Ying was startled and turned to see a pale-faced girl gently resting a hand on her shoulder, her beautiful and clear eyes meeting hers.

Her voice sounded weak as she repeated, “He will kill you. Run.”

Sang Ying looked down. The girl was dressed in the attire of a Yaochi Fairy, but she seemed to have no physical form—her figure was ethereal. This form reminded Sang Ying of a supernatural being… a ghost.

She rested her chin on her hand, studying her. “Who are you?”

The girl seemed to pause for a moment, her expression turning somewhat dazed as she shook her head, “I don’t know either. Ever since I woke up, I’ve been in this place.”

This further aligned with the description of a ghost—losing memories after death and wandering here as a ghost spirit.

Sang Ying stroked her chin. This was the Yaochi Restricted Zone, so it was likely that some major incident had occurred here in the past. It wouldn’t be strange for a Yaochi Fairy to have died here.

Sang Ying looked at the female ghost, “What did you mean when you said he would kill me and that I should run quickly?”

The ghost appeared timid and spoke softly, “I’ve been here for a long time. I’ve seen many people wander in by mistake. After they entered, they all changed, turning on their companions. In the end, not a single one managed to leave.”

“He… he’s like that too. I just saw him kill the man who was with him.”

Sang Ying nodded thoughtfully, “No wonder I didn’t see him when I woke up. He made an excuse about us being separated.”

The ghost gave a small nod, “So you should run quickly. I know the way around here. He won’t be able to catch up to you.”

“Run?”

Sang Ying looked at her with surprise, “Why should I run?”

The ghost seemed taken aback, timidly replying, “But he wants to kill you…”

“If he wants to kill me, isn’t that exactly what I want too?”

Sang Ying glanced toward the young man’s ongoing battle, her tone disdainful, “I’ve long grown tired of playing with this guy. He stubbornly clings to me. If he hadn’t threatened to expose our affair, I would have dumped him long ago.”

Turning back, she weighed the Heart-Protecting Scale Pendant hanging from her collarbone, “I’ve heard that the weakness of their clan is the heart, but they’re protected by the Heart-Protecting Scale. I went through a lot of trouble to trick him into giving me this, just waiting for the right moment to act.”

“Hey, can you help me? If you do, I can rescue you from this place and send you to a Buddhist cultivator to be ferried across to salvation and reenter the cycle of reincarnation.”

The ghost looked timid, “…Alright. But how can I help you?”

“Can’t you ghosts possess people? Just hide nearby, and when I make my move, take advantage of his weakened state to possess him. Controlling him for just a moment will be enough for me to kill him.”

Once the plan was set, Xie Lingyu had just finished dealing with the Demon Beast. Sang Ying stood up, “Let’s go.”

From a perspective Sang Ying couldn’t see, the girl behind her cast a cold, mocking glance.

After walking a short distance, Sang Ying looked up and saw the Thousand-Turn Tree.

It was a large tree, but it didn’t seem any different from an ordinary Fate-Binding Tree. Its branches were covered with red strings and wish plaques. Standing beneath the tree, she could faintly make out the words written on the plaques.

Upon closer inspection, there was no Spiritual Power fluctuation around the tree either. It looked entirely like an ordinary Fate-Binding Tree.

“Xie Lingyu, do you see something here?” Sang Ying crouched by the tree and suddenly called out to him.

Hearing this, the young man lifted his gaze and glanced over. Compared to not long ago, his eyes had grown even colder.

As he approached and bent down to look, the girl suddenly turned and crushed a powder, scattering it toward him. A faint purple poisonous mist spread out.

He immediately frowned and stepped back, “What are you doing?”

The girl laughed softly as she stood up, “This Black Spirit Tendon-Dissolving Powder is something I traveled thousands of miles specifically to find for you, Junior Brother. It’s tailored for your clan. How does it feel?”

The young man’s gaze sharpened, “You—”

“Don’t get angry so quickly, Junior Brother. There’s something even better waiting for you.”

Sang Ying took out the Heart-Protecting Scale and weighed it in her palm, smiling brightly. “Look what this is—the lifeblood of your clan. My dear junior brother is so adorably naive, thinking I don’t know the secrets of your dragon clan and handing it over to me so easily.”

The young man’s dark eyes fixed on her, their frosty chill bone-piercingly cold. He drew his sword, pointing it at her.

Just as he was about to strike, Sang Ying leisurely clenched her hand, causing Spiritual Power to dissipate. The young man’s aura instantly weakened, his face tense as he clutched his chest in agony. Leaning on his sword, he fell to one knee.

“Junior brother always thinks that having a high cultivation base makes him invincible, looking down on everyone from his lofty perch. That’s exactly why he lost to me.”

Sang Ying walked up to him and crouched down as well, smiling as she held up a Talisman between her fingers.

Just as she was about to press it onto him, a flash of sword light suddenly gleamed before her eyes. The cold blade rested against her neck, and Sang Ying’s hand froze.

The young man slowly raised his eyes, his pitch-black gaze fixed on her.

Sang Ying’s eyes widened. “How can you still move? Clearly—”

A soft, feminine chuckle suddenly sounded from behind the young man. “Of course, it’s because he never fell for your trick in the first place.”

Sang Ying looked over and saw the female ghost, but her expression had shifted to one of disdain, a stark contrast to the timid girl from earlier. “Did you really think your little tricks could kill him? How laughable.”

The girl leaned down, approaching Xie Lingyu, her voice soft and laced with temptation. “See? The girl you’ve always loved is nothing but a malicious, selfish wretch. Why are you still resisting for someone like her? Unleash your true nature—hate her, hate her even more.”

“With just one strike, this disgusting person will never appear before you again. Everything will be over.”

The young man’s dark eyes were lifeless as he tightened his grip on the sword, its tip slowly pointing toward Sang Ying.

Fear of death flickered in Sang Ying’s eyes.

In the distance, Xu Baishen, who had just followed the footsteps to this spot, looked up and saw this scene, his pupils contracting sharply.

“Sang Ying—”

The girl’s mocking laughter, the young man’s indifference, and Sang Ying’s fear.

Everything came to an abrupt halt the moment the sword tip pierced through the chest.

…

The sword tip pierced through the yellow paper talisman incantation, skewering the pale-faced girl onto the Thousand-Turn Tree.

The yellow paper talisman sizzled as if scorched by thunderfire. The girl’s expression twisted in agony, but her ethereal body couldn’t break free no matter how hard she struggled.

Sang Ying patted her legs and stood up from the ground, raising her small face to look at Xie Lingyu with a hint of disdain. “Xie Lingyu, your acting is just terrible!”

She poked his shoulder, pointing and gesturing with an air of exasperation.

“Your performance completely failed to capture the pain, shock, and heart-wrenching agony of discovering a loved one’s betrayal. You didn’t even have a proper line—just a dry ‘you.’ Is that right? Is that right? Do you even know how to act?”

Xie Lingyu glanced at her indifferently. “And Senior Sister mixing candy pills with rouge powder to pretend it’s poison is considered professional?”

Sang Ying retorted righteously, “That’s none of your concern. Anyway, in scenes like poisoning, all you need to do is loudly announce the poison’s name. That’s exactly what the brainless villains in the storybooks my dad read to me as a child did!”

Xu Baishen, watching from the sidelines: “…”