She Said That Kisses and Hugs Are Needed for Redemption [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 25.2

“This matter is grave and requires careful investigation before a conclusion can be reached.” Qi Ran’s hand on Bai Youran’s shoulder tightened slightly. His gaze was complex as he thought of something. “It cannot be settled simply by your word. Someone! Take the Princess of Qingqiu back to Aowu Palace.”

He wanted to use his status to suppress the criticism, take the girl back first, and then slowly clear Bai Youran’s name. Bai Qingyuan saw through his plan and was furious. “Divine Lord Qi Ran, are you trying to use your power to bully others?!”

The various immortals squinted their eyes as they watched this bizarre drama unfold. Although they desperately wanted to stop the people from Aowu Palace, one look at Divine Lord Qi Ran’s warning gaze made them tremble. Those who had intended to step forward quietly shrank back.

Seeing the guards about to lead them away, Bai Qingyuan grew anxious. she tried to break through the encirclement, but having exhausted her cultivation on the tracking technique, she was powerless. Long Qian alone could not escape while protecting both her and Fu Lancen.

“Wait.” In the tense atmosphere, a calm voice broke the silence.

This voice was entirely foreign to the immortals present. They turned their heads in surprise, wondering which immortal friend was brave enough to stand up now.

A woman in a moon-white dress approached, treading on the moonlight. She wore a gold-woven silk scarf and a hollowed-out star-stone at her waist. Her hair, which reached past her knees, was draped behind her, held only by a simple white jade hairpin. A few stray strands fell across her chest. Every gesture and movement exuded a cold, noble detachment.

“Who is this?” The crowd squinted, failing to recognize the newcomer. However, when they saw Lord Zhi Wu behind her, they instinctively bowed in greeting. “Lord Zhi Wu, you have finally returned!”

“Please, quickly stop the Divine Lord.” Now that they had a leader to look to, the crowd began to describe the recent events vividly. Finally, they pointed toward the three newcomers. “The wounds on that girl truly seem to be caused by a demon, so the Divine Lord’s wife is highly suspicious.”

Before the crowd could finish, the beautiful woman, who had not spoken since her arrival, knit her brows slightly. In the blink of an eye, she was standing behind Bai Qingyuan. The onlookers watched with varied expressions as she very gently took the injured girl from Bai Qingyuan’s arms.

A bold person spoke up with a slight reprimand. “Who are you? Lord Zhi Wu has not even spoken yet. How can you just approach the physical evidence like that?”

Lu Xi held the weak little fox in her arms. Seeing the girl so exhausted she couldn’t even open her eyes, Lu Xi whispered comfortingly, “It is me. Do not move; I am healing you.”

Then, she looked up at the person who had spoken and replied calmly, “I was unaware that my actions required your permission.”

The woman’s expression was cold and her aura was immense. Between her willow-like brows and deep eyes, there was an unmistakable air of authority that made people tremble, unable to catch their breath.

Qi Ran froze. He had seen True God Xi Ning once from a great distance. Though the distance had been far, the extraordinary aura surrounding her was something he remembered to this day. Thus, the moment this woman appeared, he recognized her identity. Seeing her anger and her protective stance over Fu Lancen, he was momentarily stunned. Coming to his senses, he bowed deeply, lowering his head for the first time before the crowd. “Upper God Qi Ran greets True God Xi Ning.”

As Qi Ran’s words fell, the crowd was dumbstruck. What did they just hear? Xi Ning? True God Xi Ning? This woman was the legendary True God who was supposed to have passed away?

Their minds couldn’t quite process it. Most of these minor immortals had ascended long after the Great War of Gods and Demons; they had only glimpsed a trace of the ancient gods’ grace in picture books. They had never truly seen an Ancient True God with their own eyes. Gradually becoming excited, the crowd followed Qi Ran’s lead and bowed, secretly stealing glances at the last remaining True God in the world.

“Heavens, a True God. A True God who has touched the laws of the Heavenly Dao.” Someone’s gaze was fervent, nearly dancing with excitement.

“There is no need for such ceremony. I have come here regarding the matter of the Demon Race.” Lu Xi held the frail Fu Lancen, leaning over slightly so the girl could rest more comfortably against her shoulder. “Qi Ran, you have disappointed me greatly.”

Qi Ran did not dare look up, his tone unreadable. “This minor god does not know what he has done to cause the True God such disappointment.”

Even now, he continued to shield Bai Youran, wanting to keep her out of it.

“Thousands of years ago, I tasked you with finding the Goddess and protecting her in secret so she could grow.” Lu Xi possessed the memories of her original body and knew the trust she had placed in Qi Ran. Seeing his stubbornness now, she felt a genuine sense of disappointment. “But you failed to see the schemes Bai Youran employed. You failed to see her soul wasting away because she absorbed the essence blood of the true Goddess. You clearly knew what she did to replace the Goddess, yet you pretended not to see and even covered for her everywhere.”

As Lu Xi’s words were spoken slowly, the surrounding crowd became as quiet as mice. Incredulous gazes fell on Qi Ran in unison.

Zhi Wu stepped forward at the right moment and seized Bai Youran, who had been shielded in Qi Ran’s arms. She bound her with an Immortal-Binding Rope and tossed her aside. “To obtain Fu Lancen’s status, she did not hesitate to collude with the Demon Race and harm her own kin. And yet, you turned a blind eye.”

Qi Ran had not panicked when Lu Xi exposed his thoughts, but seeing his beloved being pushed down mercilessly, he lost his composure completely. “Lord Zhi Wu, do not make things difficult for her. It was not her who colluded with the Demon Race. It was Xia Xin. It was Xia Xin who secretly contacted the demons and deluded my wife.”

In the corner, Xia Xin felt a surge of desolation upon hearing this. However, for the sake of her mistress’s safety, she was willing to take the full blame for colluding with the demons. The triumphant look she had when taunting Bai Qingyuan vanished. Before the sudden appearance of True God Xi Ning, she did not dare move recklessly. She crawled over quickly and said with a face full of remorse, “It is this servant who deserves to die. To ensure the mistress’s position was secure, I thought of connecting with the Demon Race. It is my fault! Do not take it out on the mistress; she knows nothing!”

“You girl, even at this point you still want to protect Bai Youran. You truly do not value your life.” Zhi Wu did not waste words. She struck the back of Xia Xin’s neck, knocking her out, and bound her with a rope as well.

With the air finally quiet, Zhi Wu held Bai Youran in one hand and the unconscious Xia Xin in the other. She pouted toward Lu Xi. “How do you want to handle this?”

“True God, you must not!” Qi Ran shouted loudly, no longer caring if he caused a panic. “My wife has already absorbed the Goddess’s essence blood. The identity swap was successful. She is the Goddess now. Do not forget the Heavenly Decree; only when the Goddess and an Upper God cultivate together can the essence blood be purified to reseal the Demon Sovereign, who is about to break the barrier!”

The surroundings were silent. The wind on their faces felt like sharp knives, cutting painfully. But the wind in their hearts was even colder. The crowd panicked instantly, unable to believe what they had just heard. The Demon Sovereign, who had been sealed for tens of thousands of years, was about to break free? Was the recent demonic chaos all because of this?

The Demon Sovereign! That was a monster the ancient gods had sacrificed themselves just to barely seal. How could these minor immortals have any ability to resist him? However, Divine Lord Qi Ran just said his wife was the Goddess who could reseal that terrifying entity?

Lu Xi smiled. “Qi Ran, you have wasted my trust. I gave you such a vital task, yet you used your power to shield Bai Youran and spread news of the Demon Sovereign’s return to incite panic. From this day forward, you are no longer required to manage the affairs of the Heavenly Realm. I believe Zhi Wu will do a better job.”

With her authority stripped away so easily, Lu Xi finally looked toward the silent Bai Youran. “As for you.”

“True God Xi Ning, is it?” Bai Youran looked up, shedding her usual affected weakness. Her eyes shimmered as she stared at Lu Xi, raising an eyebrow provocatively. “I will remember you.”

Then her body suddenly shook in a way that even the Immortal-Binding Rope could not restrain. A wisp of black smoke escaped from her slightly parted mouth, manifesting as a phantom of a man. He beckoned to Lu Xi before vanishing on the spot. Bai Youran collapsed instantly, her body becoming skeletal as if she had lost all her vitality. Her long hair turned snowy white inch by inch until she could no longer maintain her human form. She transformed into a red nine-tailed fox and fainted completely.

“That… what was that?” Some noticed the churning demonic energy in that black smoke, and seeing Bai Youran’s state, they immediately formed a suspicion.

“Youran!” Qi Ran strode over, his large hands scooping up the dry-furred fox. He held her in his arms with shock and fury. “How could you be so foolish? How could it come to this?”

As an Upper God, Qi Ran could naturally see the origin of that black smoke. He never expected that for the sake of marrying him, his Youran would truly collude with the Demon Race and even offer her body as a vessel for the Demon Sovereign to recuperate within her. Now that the sliver of the Demon Sovereign’s soul had left, her long-depleted body could no longer hold on. She was like a withered flower, dying in Qi Ran’s arms.

With the soul of the Demon Sovereign gone, Lu Xi didn’t spare another glance at Bai Youran, who had been used as a pawn. Holding the person in her arms tightly, she left the remaining matters for Zhi Wu to handle.

Turning into a gust of wind, Lu Xi carried the dazed Fu Lancen back to Boyun Palace. Reaching the outskirts of a mountain forest, she brushed her sleeve, and an ancient, simple palace appeared before them. This was the residence of the original body. When the original body went to the Northern Wilderness, she rarely returned, so Zhi Wu had changed its appearance.

Stepping into the familiar room, the bed curtains swayed without a breeze and hung on both sides. Lu Xi lifted the covers and placed Fu Lancen onto the bed with extreme care. After withdrawing her hand, she pulled up the quilt and tucked her in. “Rest well. Bai Youran will not hurt you again.”

She turned to leave, intending to go to the alchemy room for some celestial pills to aid Fu Lancen’s recovery. However, her sleeve was pulled. She looked back to see Fu Lancen had weakly half-opened her eyes and was staring at her intently with a look so complex it was hard to decipher.

“What is it?”

Fu Lancen opened her mouth but could not make a sound. However, through her lip movements, Lu Xi understood what she was trying to say.

“Do not leave me.”

Lu Xi simply crouched by the bed to meet Fu Lancen’s gaze. She squeezed the bone-soft paw, her voice possessing a tenderness she herself had not noticed. “I am just going to get some medicine. I will be back in a moment, alright?”

Fu Lancen had just experienced the terror and injury of the secret cell. Her pitiful appearance now was like a small animal about to be abandoned again. Her eyes were red, her curled lashes were stained with tears, and the redness at the corners of her eyes added to her fragile state. Lu Xi could never resist a girl’s pleading, and she especially couldn’t stand seeing the little fox so wronged. Her heart felt as though it had turned into a pool of water, pity spreading through her entire being.

“Fine, then I will not leave you.” Lu Xi sat at the bedside, putting the girl’s outstretched hand back under the covers. She snapped her fingers, and a silver-white light transformed into a bright butterfly that flew out of the half-open window.

Outside, flowers covered the ground, and a unique fragrance filled the wind. The sky darkened slowly, adding a touch of chill to the breeze. The window closed, blocking out the wind. Lu Xi looked down to see the little fox was not yet resting, but was staring directly at her. Perhaps because fox eyes are naturally expressive, her reflection in those shimmering depths made Lu Xi blush involuntarily.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Fu Lancen could not speak, but she used her hand under the covers to feel her way out. She extended a fingertip and touched Lu Xi’s slightly curved finger, hooking it delicately. Her index finger climbed over, rubbing against her for a long time. Silence was louder than words. This subtle affection was like the fox’s nine tails, fluffily covering Lu Xi’s heart. One sweep brought a ripple that could not be ignored.

Her heart throbbed incessantly, and her ears became scorching hot. These unprecedented feelings made Lu Xi lose control of herself. She wanted to quietly withdraw her hand, but the little fox’s claws were hooked tight. If she moved even slightly, the nails would brush against her skin, as if refusing to let her escape.

Just as Lu Xi was at a loss, the butterfly returned with a maid from Boyun Palace. The sound of knocking on the door rescued her. Hurriedly withdrawing her hand, she stood up from the bed and coughed twice. “I’m going to get the medicine.”

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