The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 34

“Are you alright?” Xiaoyu saw Wen Yu’s face instantly turn pale and felt a little worried.

Had he been forcefully enduring the entire time?

“Pill…”

The chin resting on her shoulder moved, and he weakly uttered a single word.

“I’ll get it, I’ll get it.” Xiaoyu pulled out her hand, trying her best to remain steady.

The entire weight of Wen Yu’s body was pressing down on her. She could only brace her upper body to keep them from falling.

Her hand groped along his waist toward the location of the mustard seed talisman.

But his waistband was tied too tightly to reach it.

“Daozhang, I’m going to loosen your belt a little. You don’t mind, do you?”

A faint, powerless grunt sounded in her ear. Wen Yu stirred, then fell silent.

His chin rested on Xiaoyu’s left shoulder, feeling a bit heavy.

Maintaining this posture made the left side of her body ache. Xiaoyu briefly twitched her left shoulder, and Wen Yu’s head tilted, pressing directly against the side of her face.

The cold skin touching hers made Xiaoyu shiver, causing her hand to tremble.

Moving all five fingers together, she finally managed to loosen the belt slightly and reach the mustard seed talisman.

Just as she was wondering how to feed Wen Yu the pill, the weight on her body lightened. Wen Yu took the porcelain bottle from Xiaoyu’s hand and walked step by step toward the inner room.

His gait looked quite steady, completely different from his earlier weakened state.

Xiaoyu followed him for a few steps and asked, “Do you need my help?”

Wen Yu’s hand gripping the porcelain bottle tightened. He didn’t turn his head, only leaving behind the words: “Wait for me outside for a moment.”

The inner room door closed, cutting off Xiaoyu’s view.

The main hall felt extremely deserted with one person missing.

Xiaoyu looked at the closed door, somewhat worried about Wen Yu.

However, he must know his own condition; she probably didn’t need to worry.

After waiting for a while, Wen Yu still hadn’t come out. Xiaoyu decided to go outside and check the situation.

Wen Yu’s residence was very large, with several rooms. The one on the far side was where Nan Chenghui lived.

Further out were several paths leading in different directions. Xiaoyu dared not venture out, only wandering around the vicinity for a bit.

After returning, she closed the door. Not long after, she heard Duanmu Ying’s voice outside: “Master, are you there? I have something I want to say.”

Xiaoyu paused, then heard Duanmu Ying add: “It’s about Senior Brother Nan.”

Wen Yu was quite busy, constantly being sought after by one person or another.

The door was closed. Duanmu Ying waited outside for a while, receiving no response. After calling out one last time and still getting no answer, she had no choice but to leave.

She had missed Qiu Hong and the others and didn’t know they had already been there.

The sounds outside faded, and Xiaoyu didn’t go to the door to look.

It was best to minimize contact with these people.

Despite the promise of “a moment,” Xiaoyu waited until she felt sleepy, and Wen Yu still hadn’t emerged.

The light inside the room was now very dim, and no lamps had been lit.

Xiaoyu wanted to knock on the door and ask where she should sleep tonight. If Wen Yu didn’t come out, she couldn’t just keep waiting here.

Just as she reached the door of the inner room, it opened, and Wen Yu was standing right there.

Xiaoyu quickly retracted her hand and carefully tried to see his complexion, but she couldn’t see clearly in the dark light.

“Are you feeling better?” Xiaoyu widened her eyes, peering at him, but his intact clothes blocked her view of his injuries.

Wen Yu saw her lowering her head, not knowing what she was doing. Her furtive, curious look, combined with her fox ears, suddenly cheered him up.

He stepped out, instantly closing the distance between them.

“Much better.”

His rich voice sounded overhead, very close to her fox ears.

Her ears twitched, and then trembled. Under Wen Yu’s gaze, Xiaoyu raised her head, suddenly realizing the distance between them was less than a fist’s width. She quickly stepped back.

“That’s good. You scared me back there,” Xiaoyu said, still feeling lingering fear. “You suddenly collapsed. It was terrifying to watch.”

Even in the dim interior, Wen Yu could clearly see Xiaoyu’s cheeks and catch her bright eyes.

The undisguised concern in her eyes and the instinctive delight that surfaced when she saw him emerge were all clearly conveyed to him.

Wen Yu suddenly had a misconception that he himself was being enchanted by this fox.

The little fox’s words were too sweet.

“You…” Wen Yu decided to keep her close to him.

Firstly, she was being targeted by the Yuehui Sect, and for her safety, he could watch over her if she stayed with him.

Secondly…

Wen Yu looked away from her, changing the subject.

“There is an empty room in the back. I usually use it as a study.” Wen Yu turned, motioning for Xiaoyu to follow him.

He was used to seeing in the dark, but he hadn’t noticed Xiaoyu couldn’t.

A loud thud sounded, followed by the girl’s surprised cry.

“Hiss—” Xiaoyu covered her knee with one hand, groping forward with the other.

She was following Wen Yu, yet she still managed to bump into something.

“Can you light a lamp, Daozhang?” Her voice, heavy with pain, echoed in the darkness. “I can’t see.”

Wen Yu was momentarily stunned. He immediately reacted, and in the next instant, the room was brightly lit by candlelight.

He was accustomed to the darkness and hadn’t considered that Xiaoyu would be uncomfortable.

“I apologize. That was my oversight.”

The moment the room brightened, Wen Yu saw the painful expression on Xiaoyu’s face that she hadn’t managed to suppress. His thoughts instantly moved, and the words slipped out: “Where did you bump yourself?”

Xiaoyu lightly rubbed her knee and stood up: “I knocked my knee. It’s nothing, it will stop hurting soon.”

She shifted her weight onto her other leg and limped closer to Wen Yu.

“Where is the study?” Xiaoyu peered around Wen Yu, not seeing a door, but there was a screen.

Wen Yu saw her curious look and glanced down at her knee without speaking further.

They walked around the screen, and behind it was another world.

The open doorway was right there. This time, Xiaoyu looked carefully and stepped over the threshold without tripping.

The space was large. Near the door were several bookshelves filled with books and various trinkets. Opposite the shelves was a writing desk, also holding a few books.

Xiaoyu followed behind Wen Yu, walking past the bookshelves. She saw a bed behind them, but it was bare, without any bedding.

She pointed at the empty bed, just about to ask, when she heard Wen Yu explain: “I usually only handle official business here, so I haven’t prepared bedding.”

He walked over, gave a quick sweep to clear any dust, and then retrieved bedding from the mustard seed talisman, laying it out one by one.

“Come and try it?”

“Huh?” Xiaoyu watched his sequence of actions; the bedding was already laid out.

“Alright.”

She touched the bedding. It was much softer than the one on the flying ship, smooth and cool to the touch. The material was quite similar to Wen Yu’s clothes.

As soon as she sat down, Xiaoyu wanted to bury herself in the blankets, roll around, and then sleep.

“It’s great, Daozhang,” she looked up, expressing her satisfaction.

Wen Yu noticed the delight in her eyes and nodded slightly.

He then took out several bottles of pills from the mustard seed talisman, explained their functions to her, and once she had clearly memorized them, he took a step back, intending to leave.

Xiaoyu called out to him.

“Daozhang, when can I start learning magic?” She thought for a moment, then asked: “Or do you have any secret demonic manuals? I can study on my own.”

Wen Yu’s expression darkened, presumably because of some thought. “Yan Ziqiong will return tomorrow. You will be able to start learning very soon.”

Hearing Xiaoyu cheer, a thought suddenly crossed Wen Yu’s mind.

I should go find some demonic manuals and see if I can study them myself, then teach her.

“Rest easy here. This room has a protective array. If anything happens, you can come find me directly,” Wen Yu paused, then added: “Lock the doors and windows when you rest at night.”

Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly, watching Wen Yu leave. After waiting a moment, she closed the door.

The room was mostly filled with books, and there were several brushes on the desk.

She looked around briefly, then went straight to the bed to rest.

She didn’t touch the pills Wen Yu gave her. Her knee was merely bumped; there was no need for medicine. She decided to save them for emergencies.

She slept very peacefully that night.

Perhaps it was because Wen Yu said the room had a protective array, and Wen Yu was right next door, which gave Xiaoyu a great sense of security.

However, when she woke up, she felt sore and very tired.

She had slept for a long time, but her spirit was low.

She yawned and walked toward the door. Her vision was still blurry. Her hand rested on the bolt, and she opened the door.

Just as she stepped out, a behemoth suddenly jumped out and roared at her.

The sudden noise immediately woke Xiaoyu up.

She opened her eyes wide and saw a snow wolf nearly as tall as she was. It was entirely white, majestic, and looked incredibly cool.

After realizing what had scared her, Xiaoyu really wanted to slap it.

Scaring people first thing in the morning? What kind of habit is that?

Seeing that she calmed down quickly, the snow wolf roared again for effect, but it saw no expression of fear on Xiaoyu’s face this time.

The snow wolf immediately lost interest. It spun around and transformed into a handsome young man.

The young man was refined and sunny, unlike Nan Chenghui’s gloomy temperament.

Yan Ziqiong leaned in close to Xiaoyu, scrutinizing her with curiosity: “What is that expression?”

Xiaoyu thought he looked extremely punchable.

“An expression of speechless disbelief.” She moved to the side, escaping Yan Ziqiong’s gaze.

“If you say that, then I won’t teach you magic,” Yan Ziqiong leaned against the door, resting his head on his arm. His curious eyes never left Xiaoyu. “In the entire Yuehui Sect, only I can teach you.”

Xiaoyu curled her lip and smiled: “Then I’ll just go tell Daozhang.”

Yan Ziqiong raised an eyebrow, finding this member of his race much more entertaining than Duanmu Ying.

“Daozhang? Is that what you call Master?” He walked closer to Xiaoyu, staring at her, trying to determine her original form.

“What is your name? Which clan are you from? How did you meet Master?”

Question after question poured out. Xiaoyu took a deep breath and said: “My name is Xiaoyu. Meeting your master was a marvelous experience, but I don’t want to tell you about it.”

Yan Ziqiong became even more curious.

He leaned down, getting closer to Xiaoyu: “Do you want to be my Junior Sister?”

To anyone else, these words would sound like a joke, but Yan Ziqiong genuinely meant it.

“No.” Xiaoyu shook her head. She had only gotten those two words out when she saw a silhouette behind the screen.

It was Wen Yu.

“Daozhang, you’re awake too,” Xiaoyu walked directly toward Wen Yu, not wanting to stay with this morning-time scarecrow for a second longer.

Yan Ziqiong watched Xiaoyu abandon him, let out a sound of mock distress, and followed her out.

Seeing the two emerging one after the other, Wen Yu asked: “Are you adapting well?”

He received two immediate answers.

“Not bad, I slept very soundly.” (Except for being scared first thing in the morning.)

“That place was simply awful. The conditions were terrible.” (But meeting a member of his own race upon returning was quite fun.)

Xiaoyu glanced at the person who answered with her, suddenly feeling a premonition that she would be disturbed for the next few days.

When Yan Ziqiong realized Wen Yu’s gaze was fixed on Xiaoyu, he finally understood: “Master, you weren’t asking me?”

Yan Ziqiong pounded his chest, looking completely betrayed.

Xiaoyu quietly moved farther away from him. Who would have thought that Wen Yu’s second disciple, Yan Ziqiong, would be so unreliable?

“Master, didn’t you say you wanted me to teach her demon magic? Cultivation must begin in the morning. I’ll go teach her right now.” Yan Ziqiong blinked, waiting for Wen Yu’s approval. Then he would drag Xiaoyu out to cultivate.

Wen Yu didn’t immediately agree but asked Xiaoyu: “Do you want to go right now?”

Xiaoyu was actually a bit hesitant, but no matter what, starting to learn demon magic sooner was better.

She nodded, and just as she said the word “go,” Yan Ziqiong grabbed her and pulled her outside.

“Hurry, hurry! Before the essence of heaven and earth dissipates, let’s go absorb it.”

Xiaoyu had no choice but to follow Yan Ziqiong. She looked back at Wen Yu and felt slightly relieved when she saw him nod to her.

Please, Yan Ziqiong, just don’t scare me again.

After leaving the house, Yan Ziqiong led her directly away from Wangyue Residence, heading up the mountain. Yan Ziqiong asked questions non-stop along the way.

Xiaoyu was busy trying to memorize the path and had no time to respond to Yan Ziqiong.

They were early, and they didn’t encounter anyone on the road.

They kept walking toward higher ground. The Yuehui Sect was built along the mountain, with peaks visible everywhere. They finally stopped on a mountaintop.

Reaching this spot, Yan Ziqiong finally let go of her hand and blocked Xiaoyu’s view outward: “Come on. Let me, the Senior, teach you how to breathe in the essence of heaven and earth.”

After speaking, he sat cross-legged, demonstrating his movements while explaining: “Empty your mind, activate the Spirit Core, and gather the demonic power into the Demon Core…”

Xiaoyu followed him, sitting cross-legged. She succeeded in the first step but didn’t understand the second.

“How do you activate the Spirit Core?”

Yan Ziqiong turned his head, stared at her, and after a long while, blurted out: “Are you truly a demon beast?”

Xiaoyu felt a twinge of guilt. She chuckled awkwardly, but still asked: “I don’t know how, that’s why I’m asking you.”

Fortunately, Yan Ziqiong didn’t doubt her and seriously explained it.

Demon beasts have a Demon Core for storing demonic power and a Spirit Core for activating that power. The two must be used together; neither is dispensable.

Xiaoyu listened carefully, taking note of everything.

Once Yan Ziqiong clearly explained it to her, it immediately worked.

Xiaoyu was a quick learner. Following Yan Ziqiong’s instructions to absorb the essence of heaven and earth, she truly felt a different sensation.

Her body felt as if it had been cleansed, suddenly becoming light, and all fatigue was swept away.

“Now, let me see your original form,” Yan Ziqiong took the opportunity to make this request, even providing a reason: “We are not from the same clan. If you practice some cultivation methods and something goes wrong, I can’t be held responsible.”

Xiaoyu blinked and replied: “I don’t know how to change into my original form yet.”

Oh, I did change twice before, but I didn’t cause either of those myself.

Yan Ziqiong stared blankly for a few seconds. When he recovered, his gaze toward Xiaoyu had changed.

“You must have been forcibly taken and raised in the Human Realm by Master. You don’t know this, and you can’t do that.” He suddenly stood up and, under Xiaoyu’s watch, transformed into a magnificent snow wolf.

Because Xiaoyu was sitting on the ground, the snow wolf stood much taller than she was.

“Like me, I change into my original form instantly,” Yan Ziqiong uttered in the demonic language. He stamped one paw, his blue demon eyes like jewels.

He was fluffy. Xiaoyu really wanted to touch him.

Yan Ziqiong’s temperament, combined with his demon beast appearance, made him look like some kind of large dog.

“I…” Xiaoyu thought about how to phrase it delicately: “I haven’t mastered this skill yet.”

The snow wolf circled Xiaoyu once and turned back into human form when facing her.

The young man stared at Xiaoyu for a long time, scoffed, turned around, and began to walk away.

“I’m going to find Master. How could he not tell me you can’t even do that?” Yan Ziqiong turned back and looked at Xiaoyu: “Master sent me to teach you demon magic because he wants to test me!”

Xiaoyu stood up, dusting the dirt off her clothes: “So you’re not teaching me anymore?”

Yan Ziqiong gritted his teeth, walked back: “I will! I’ll teach you!”

This must be Master’s test. He was now truly motivated. He absolutely had to teach her! And he had to teach her so well that her strength would soar!

And so, under the diligent instruction of this teacher, Xiaoyu finally received a word of praise just before the lesson ended.

“You learn quite fast.”

Xiaoyu smiled, once again feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Her fox eyes curved, lifting into a happy grin.

Yan Ziqiong looked away suddenly, muttering: “Are all fox spirits this good-looking?”

After practicing for roughly an hour, Yan Ziqiong said he had something to do and told Xiaoyu to return on her own.

“Do you know the way?”

Xiaoyu nodded, heading back without looking.

Yan Ziqiong’s voice came from behind: “Don’t forget to practice when you get back—”

Xiaoyu waved her hand, signaling that she heard him.

The path down the mountain was easier, and having cultivated for a while, her body felt light enough to climb up and down ten times.

As she neared Wangyue Residence, she saw a figure lingering there. By the shape, it was Duanmu Ying.

Xiaoyu slowed her steps. Seeing that Duanmu Ying had no intention of entering, she decided to ignore her and walk straight inside.

As she got closer to Duanmu Ying, she could hear faint sobbing.

Xiaoyu was surprised. Why was she crying?

She didn’t stop her steps. As she walked past her, she was called to halt.

“You, stop right there.”

Duanmu Ying’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Xiaoyu.

“Why are you here?”

Xiaoyu turned around and saw Duanmu Ying’s swollen, red eyes, confirming her guess as to why she was crying.

“I live here,” she said. She wanted to leave after that, but Duanmu Ying wouldn’t let her go.

Duanmu Ying looked at her incredulously: “Master actually…”

Seeing the emotionally unstable Duanmu Ying, Xiaoyu thought about how much more devastated she would be when she learned Nan Chenghui was a demon in the book.

Perhaps because her relationship with Nan Chenghui wasn’t deep yet, the shock wasn’t so severe.

“Do you need something else?” Xiaoyu had already turned half her body, ready to leave.

Duanmu Ying suddenly walked closer, questioning Xiaoyu: “You demons and devils approach humans with nothing but malicious intentions, right?”

“Since ancient times, demons and humans have been enemies. How could you possibly have good intentions?”

As she spoke these words, she herself began to sound uncertain, constantly using this rhetoric to try and brainwash herself.

Xiaoyu sneered, treating Duanmu Ying with patience one last time: “Do demons get a choice when they are born? Are humans inherently good just because they are born human?”

“You choose to ignore the examples of humans and demons helping each other right under your nose. Your words are nothing more than self-deception and self-comfort.”

Xiaoyu watched Duanmu Ying open her mouth to argue. She truly wanted to pry open her head to see what was inside. She had never met someone so stubborn and unwilling to be reasoned with.

“In the end, you just can’t accept things outside your own understanding, so you make excuses, trying to prove that you are the one who is right.”