After Swapping Identities With My Archenemy - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: The Transformation of the Jiao

After sprinting for a while, Jiang Huaiyi felt a sudden tug on her arm, pulling her to a sharp halt.

Shen Wensi pointed behind them with a look of mild exasperation. “Look clearly before you keep running, okay?”

Huaiyi turned around skeptically. The Jiao was crawling toward them slowly, and this time, she saw that its eyes had returned to their original, deep black.

“Yu Cheng?” she asked tentatively.

The creature shrank its body slightly and nodded. That familiar, raspy voice returned, lacking any of the chilling malice of Yu Sui. “Thank you. I am alright now. The one who left my physical form was my twin brother.”

Once certain the danger had passed, the two women finally stopped to rest. It turned out that when spiritual beasts of the mountains are formed, they aren’t always alone. Twin serpents were rare, but not unheard of. They shared a single body, but originally possessed two heads or rather, two souls. Yu Sui had attempted to consume Yu Cheng’s body at the moment of their birth, resulting in this singular, distorted existence.

Through long centuries of cultivation, both souls had survived and grown together. Eventually, a Mountain Guardian had encountered them and sealed the “evil” soul Yu Sui into that very lampstand, casting it thousands of miles away.

The two women fell into a stunned silence. They had literally delivered the evil half back to its body. No wonder the lampstand had been so manipulative.

Yu Cheng continued explaining, but Jiang Huaiyi found herself distracted. She looked down at her hand, which was still tightly clasped in Shen Wensi’s. It wasn’t just Huaiyi holding on; Shen Wensi was gripping her hand just as firmly. Noticing the gaze, Shen Wensi simply tucked both their joined hands into her own large coat pocket.

Huaiyi cleared her throat, her face heating up, and focused back on Yu Cheng.

The Jiao explained that it had sensed the “evil” soul the moment it arrived at the lookout point. When it swam toward them, it wasn’t just to save a human; it was drawn by its own missing half. The soul had entered its body while it was unaware, leading to the temporary possession. The sealing of the windows in the hut had also been Yu Sui’s attempt to kill everyone before Yu Cheng could reclaim control.

A cold sweat broke out on Huaiyi’s back. If they hadn’t returned to the hut in time, everyone would have died. Luckily, the evil soul was at its weakest when it first re-entered the body, and the lightning talisman had effectively dispersed it before it could fully anchor itself.

“In any case, thank you,” Yu Cheng said. “The bead you took from the spring you can keep it. The spring is useless now that the seal is broken. Take it as a gift. But you must leave this place immediately.”

The Parting Gift

Jiang Huaiyi looked at the river. The mist had vanished entirely. In the harsh northern winter, water that isn’t heated by geothermal energy freezes almost instantly. Thin layers of ice were already forming along the banks.

The bead in her pocket remained warm, heating her cold fingers. Yu Cheng’s head began to droop, her movements becoming sluggish and heavy.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Huaiyi asked.

“My apologies,” Yu Cheng whispered. “My ‘opportunity’ has arrived. I am about to transform into a dragon. Please, move as far away as possible from this area.”

Jiang Huaiyi’s heart skipped a beat. A dragon transformation was a once-in-a-thousand-years miracle, but her first thought was practical: If you transform now, who’s going to give us a ride out of this wilderness? Walking through these mountains would take them at least a day and a night.

As if reading her mind, Yu Cheng nudged a dry leaf into the water. In a shimmer of golden light, the leaf expanded into a small, sturdy wooden boat.

“Take this. Leave quickly. I feel the heavenly thunder approaching.”

The two didn’t hesitate. They hopped onto the boat instantly, Huaiyi grabbing two thick branches to use as oars.

Yu Cheng: “…” (She had expected a more sentimental farewell).

Flight of the Dragon

As they pushed off, the sky turned ink-black. A massive bolt of lightning slammed into the ground right where they had been standing. Jiang Huaiyi felt the static electricity tingle through her skin.

“Row!” she shouted.

Because the main channel hadn’t frozen solid yet, the current carried them swiftly downstream. Huaiyi rowed with a strength she didn’t know she possessed. When she finally dared to look back, the horizon was a chaotic web of purple and white lightning.

In the center of the storm, a long, elegant silhouette rose into the air. Yu Cheng was no longer a serpent. Her horns had branched into majestic antlers, and four powerful claws had sprouted from her shimmering body.

A dragon ascending to heaven.

The sight was breathtaking, but another thunderclap reminded Huaiyi that they were still in the kill zone. She doubled her efforts.

As they moved further away, the river began to freeze over. The “crack-crack” of thin ice against the boat’s hull became a constant rhythm. Her arms were screaming in protest. Xiao Die, tucked in the bag between the seats, was rustling around in a panic, but Huaiyi didn’t dare open the bag to comfort the cat for fear it would bolt.

“You’re exhausted,” Shen Wensi said softly, noticing Huaiyi’s flagging movements. “Rest for a bit. I’ll take over. We should make it out before dark.”

Gratefully, Jiang Huaiyi laid down her branch. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a dull CLANG echoed through the boat.

The vessel had hit a solid sheet of thick ice and come to a dead stop.

The two looked at each other in stunned silence.

“You have a real gift for prophecy,” Huaiyi sighed. “Can you tell me if I’ll win the lottery this year?”

“Sure,” Shen Wensi replied dryly. “In hell-bank notes.”

Jiang Huaiyi: “…”

They sat in the stuck boat, surrounded by ice that was hardening by the second. They were stranded miles from the hut. Just as despair began to set in, a faint sound drifted through the cold air.

Shouts.

Huaiyi stood up on the boat and squinted into the distance. Far down the frozen river, several small figures were waving their arms and trekking toward them.

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