The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 42

It was Duanmuying who had her sword struck out of her hand by her opponent.

The opponent withdrew his hand, nodded slightly towards her, and turned to leave.

The arena was split between cheers and boos.

“Seriously, it’s an exhibition match, so why are these outside sect disciples participating more seriously than the last?”

“Do you think they are here to play tricks like you? That person just now was Yu Hanyun, the Senior Disciple Brother of the Seven Swords Sect. It’s already impressive that Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu lasted this long against him.”

“Hey, don’t we have Senior Disciple Brother Nan and Senior Disciple Brother Yan? They should be very powerful, right?”

“Don’t even mention it. Neither of them is participating in the Grand Competition. Of the Sword Venerable’s three disciples, only Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu is entering.”

“Huh, those two aren’t participating? In such an important event, without them, won’t the top prize be taken by an outside sect disciple?”

“It’s fine. We still have Senior Disciple Brother Bai and Senior Disciple Sister Bai. Our sect has plenty of powerful people.”

Xiaoyu listened with her ears perked up while looking for someone.

She had watched the exhibition matches for a while. When she looked for Yan Ziqiong again, he was already gone.

They had arrived late, and the exhibition matches were already nearing their end.

Xiaoyu couldn’t find him. She turned to look at Duanmuying, who had left the stage and was speaking with a few people.

She patted Wen Yu’s shoulder and whispered: “It’s over. You can put me down now.”

Some people were already leaving.

As soon as Xiaoyu landed, the person in front of her turned around. Seeing the two of them, he suspiciously asked: “Which sect are you… from?”

Generally speaking, disciples of various sects wore their sect robes for easy identification and distinction.

Xiaoyu and Wen Yu were not wearing disciple robes, so the person couldn’t tell.

Xiaoyu didn’t speak. Wen Yu replied that both of them were from the Yuehui Sect.

The person said “Oh,” looking a bit stunned: “Then are you also participating in the Grand Competition? My cultivation is low, so I didn’t get a spot.”

“We don’t have a spot either,” Wen Yu had just said. His companion turned around. He was taller than the first person. Seeing the three of them conversing, he also joined in.

“I heard the Sect Master places great importance on this Grand Competition and wants our sect to win the top prize, but I think the probability is low.” The tall person was clearly very concerned about the competition. He nudged the shorter person with his elbow and winked at the two of them: “Who do you think will ultimately win the top prize?”

Xiaoyu thought for a moment. Who won the Grand Competition in the original novel? She couldn’t remember.

Neither of them spoke. The tall person made his guess first: “I guess it’s Yu Hanyun from the Seven Swords Sect. Did you see just now? He didn’t even draw his sword and defeated Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu.”

The short person was unconvinced and retorted: “That’s because Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu didn’t use her full strength. If she fought seriously, it’s still uncertain who would win.”

The tall person laughed: “If she has to use all her strength in an exhibition match, won’t she be completely crushed in the official competition?”

As the two talked, they started arguing among themselves.

Xiaoyu watched the two argue, not noticing that the gaze of the person beside her remained fixed on herself.

Xiaoyu listened for as long as the two argued, and Wen Yu watched Xiaoyu for just as long.

Finally, the two couldn’t settle their argument and simultaneously asked Xiaoyu and Wen Yu: “Tell us, will we win first place, or will the Seven Swords Sect win first place?”

Xiaoyu didn’t know. Xiaoyu didn’t want to say.

“You two continue. We have something else to do. Goodbye.”

After Xiaoyu spoke, she grabbed Wen Yu’s hand and turned to leave, wanting to get away from the two of them.

Wen Yu allowed her to pull him, following her departure.

Before him was her running back, her hair flying, tied only with a hair tie.

After returning to the Yuehui Sect, she had never tied her hair up in a bun again.

Wen Yu watched the hair tie slowly slip down as she ran. A thought arose in his mind.

A shout came from behind them: “You still haven’t answered! Why are you running?”

Xiaoyu heard the sound and turned to look.

The unfamiliar transformed face entered her vision. She nearly let go of his hand.

Realizing in her mind that this was Wen Yu, she held on.

The people behind them stopped shouting. Xiaoyu ran a few more meters before letting go of his hand.

Wen Yu lowered his eyes, glanced at his empty palm, and withdrew his hand.

“They talk too much,” Xiaoyu glanced toward the direction where they had been standing before.

Half the people had dispersed from the martial arts field, but she hadn’t had enough fun. She only watched two matches.

“Daozhang, will you be busy tomorrow for the official competition?” Xiaoyu still wanted to come watch. “If you don’t have time, I’ll see if I can ask Yan Ziqiong to accompany me.”

Wen Yu looked at her and only replied: “I can accompany you.”

The sounds of the passing crowd drowned out his answer. Xiaoyu leaned closer and said “Ah,” signaling him to repeat himself.

Wen Yu’s eyes were filled with a smile.

He voluntarily moved closer to Xiaoyu, approaching her, yet maintaining a distance that wouldn’t make her uncomfortable.

It was like friends whispering, neither too intimate nor too distant.

“Tomorrow, I will accompany you.”

“Yay!”

This way, if the crowd was too dense to see, she could ask Wen Yu to lift her up again like he did just now.

Thinking this way, he seemed a bit like forced labor.

“Should we go back then? It seems there’s nothing left to watch.” Xiaoyu looked toward the center of the martial arts field. They were already starting to dismantle the stage.

Wen Yu agreed with a “Good.”

Xiaoyu walked and asked: “They’re hosting a competition. Don’t you need to help out or anything?”

It seemed Wen Yu didn’t manage much while residing at the Yuehui Sect.

Wen Yu slowed his steps, keeping a slightly lagging distance. He looked straight ahead, Xiaoyu’s figure framed in his vision.

“I only need to show my face. They have their own arrangements.”

As they walked out of the crowd toward higher ground, Xiaoyu heard Wen Yu ask her: “Do you want to go out the day after tomorrow?”

Xiaoyu turned around, walking backward: “The day after tomorrow? Where to?”

“After the preliminary rounds are over, there will be one day of free time. The Yuehui Sect will open its gates. You can visit Yuehui City in the evening.”

A gust of wind blew, messing up Xiaoyu’s hair. She walked with her back to the wind, and the messy strands blocked her sight.

Xiaoyu reached up to smooth her hair, tucking the strands behind her ears. Her eyes were full of anticipation: “Will you go with me?”

She asked as she walked.

The wind blew again, messing up her hair once more.

Xiaoyu patiently tidied it, then turned to walk against the wind, waiting for Wen Yu’s reply.

Wen Yu followed her pace, striding forward, and called out to her: “Xiaoyu.”

“Hmm?” Xiaoyu stopped, turning sideways to look at Wen Yu.

She saw him reach out his hand, taking off the hair tie that had slipped to the ends of her hair and was about to fall: “Why don’t you use a hairpin?”

Xiaoyu took it, gathered her hair with both hands, and tied the hair tie: “I’m not very good at it.”

“It’s also convenient to tie my hair this way.” Xiaoyu finished tying it, blinked, and asked Wen Yu: “Daozhang, you still haven’t answered me. Are we going together?”

Seeing Wen Yu nod, Xiaoyu was so happy she almost took off flying. She quickly coughed a few times to cover her excitement.

“Okay, then we have a date.”

Xiaoyu turned and walked forward.

It seemed that, for now, all the dark clouds had been swept away, leaving only anticipation for the day after tomorrow.

Xiaoyu was already looking forward to how much fun Yuehui City would be.

But as she thought, her mind drifted to Wen Yu.

Her footsteps slowed down. Xiaoyu looked back at Wen Yu. He was still wearing that unfamiliar face.

Seeing her look back, he immediately raised his eyes to meet hers.

The moment their eyes met, Xiaoyu’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

She didn’t give any reaction, immediately turning back, avoiding his gaze.

Xiaoyu sped up her steps, as if she were dodging something.

She felt that Wen Yu’s attitude toward her had changed somewhat, seemingly becoming gentler.

This wasn’t an illusion.

Over the past few days, compared to the Demon Realm, he seemed much more stable and hadn’t said those things that made her feel strange.

Xiaoyu carefully thought back. Her memories uncontrollably drifted to that night.

She took a deep breath, suppressing those images, and continued walking.

She hadn’t walked many steps when she heard someone speaking.

“He’s clearly the Sword Venerable’s Chief Disciple, yet he doesn’t even participate in the Grand Competition. The Yuehui Sect raised you for nothing.”

As soon as this voice finished, other voices chimed in agreement.

Xiaoyu immediately sensed that something was wrong.

She stepped back, gesturing to Wen Yu not to move.

Wen Yu raised an eyebrow, watching her.

Xiaoyu hid her figure, peering through the branches and leaves of the trees on the hillside.

Wen Yu cast a barrier around them, standing behind Xiaoyu, looking at her with gentle eyes.

If her fox ears hadn’t been retracted, they would probably be standing straight up now, listening to what was happening ahead.

Xiaoyu saw three people surrounding Nan Chenghui, blocking him from leaving.

It looked like these were all Yuehui Sect disciples.

She leaned slightly forward to look for Nan Chenghui.

He was surrounded by several people, looking very inconspicuous.

“Why don’t you speak up? Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu dares to enter the arena, but you, a man, don’t dare. It’s truly embarrassing.”

The leader of the disciples was short and stout, gesticulating at Nan Chenghui.

Xiaoyu didn’t see the whole story, so it was unwise to rush in and break up the fight.

She took a few steps back and quietly asked Wen Yu: “Is Nan Chenghui not participating in the Grand Competition?”

Wen Yu shook his head, but he didn’t pay much attention to what was happening over there.

His non-participation was at Wen Yu’s request.

Since the war between the two races a hundred years ago, the Grand Competition hadn’t been held again. Now that the event was restarting, Nan Chenghui and Yan Ziqiong had special identities and couldn’t be exposed.

He couldn’t risk their lives.

Moreover, this was agreed upon with Qiu Hong when he first joined the Yuehui Sect: although he resided in the Yuehui Sect, he would only take Duanmuying as a disciple and would not participate in any internal affairs of the Yuehui Sect.

“But the Yuehui Sect should have powerful disciples too, right?” Xiaoyu didn’t quite understand why this was a reason to target Nan Chenghui.

“The Yuehui Sect has many outstanding disciples under its cultivation. There is no need for them to participate in the Grand Competition.”

Wen Yu paused and said no more.

Xiaoyu roughly understood. Coupled with the words she had just heard, it was likely that they were envious of the title of “Sword Venerable’s Disciple” and were venting their anger through this.

Thinking of Nan Chenghui’s character in the book, Xiaoyu watched from the side, feeling anxious.

Argue back! Why aren’t you arguing back? You let others bully you without resisting.

Those few disciples pushed and shoved Nan Chenghui, their words becoming more aggressive: “It’s a shame Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu has been worrying about you, making excuses for you. Everyone thought you were injured and couldn’t participate—”

That person scanned Nan Chenghui up and down, spat, and said: “I see you’re perfectly fine. Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu really put her faith in the wrong person.”

When Duanmuying was mentioned, the calmness on Nan Chenghui’s face shattered.

He stared at the person and asked: “The participating disciples are fighting seriously. Is she injured?”

That person slapped Nan Chenghui’s shoulder, pushing him backward: “Now you care? Why didn’t you care when you were hiding your head like a turtle?”

The other two immediately chimed in, also moving to lay hands on Nan Chenghui.

“You don’t contribute to the sect, yet you still have the nerve to ask about Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu.”

“I’ve never seen anyone like you. The sect uses resources to cultivate you, and you turn around and shrink away. You still call yourself the Sword Venerable’s Chief Disciple. Is this how the Sword Venerable teaches you?”

Xiaoyu felt angry just listening to these words, but Nan Chenghui looked unaffected, his face showing no ripples of emotion.

“Daozhang, aren’t you angry?”

She stepped back, seeing Wen Yu’s calm expression. Only she herself was getting angry.

Wen Yu pondered for a moment and said: “The words they speak are half-truths. The Yuehui Sect has never provided cultivation resources to the two of them.”

Xiaoyu felt even angrier upon hearing this.

They were talking about things that weren’t even true. How dare they bring it up?

Xiaoyu stepped back to listen, intending to wait for them to leave before going out.

This was the only way back to Wangyue Residence; there was no detour.

Who knew that because Nan Chenghui remained silent, these people started to harbor malicious intent.

“Hand over the pills and secret manuals the sect gave you all these years! People who don’t bring glory to the sect don’t deserve to have these!”

As the leader spoke, the two behind him immediately reached out to Nan Chenghui, trying to search his person.

Nan Chenghui looked at the three of them, his brows tightly furrowed. He didn’t stop them but instead asked about Duanmuying’s situation: “You still haven’t told me how Junior Disciple Sister is preparing.”

“Hey, you want to know? Why don’t you go ask her yourself?” The person sneered. “Hand over the things. You don’t deserve to have them. They’d be more useful for Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu than they are for you.”

When that person said this, Nan Chenghui actually lost all will to resist. He was searched by the group, his clothes being pulled out of shape.

When Xiaoyu read the book, she knew Nan Chenghui was enduring, but she didn’t expect him to endure this much.

He can even tolerate this?

It serves him right that he constantly clashes with Duanmuying.

“Daozhang, will your spell be recognized by those three people?”

Xiaoyu couldn’t stand it anymore.

The words they were saying made her feel furious.

“It won’t be recognized,” Wen Yu saw Xiaoyu’s intention and didn’t stop her.

He withdrew the barrier and heard Xiaoyu say: “Let’s go, Daozhang. We’re going to stand up for your disciple.”

Xiaoyu directly pulled Wen Yu and walked out, approaching the three people.

Since the three were completely facing away from them, they didn’t notice anyone approaching.

Nan Chenghui saw them.

But he only glanced at them, showing no intention of seeking help.

Xiaoyu suddenly felt like calling Duanmuying over to see if he would remain so unresponsive if the person who came was Duanmuying.

In front of the few Yuehui Sect disciples, she didn’t dare use her demonic power. She tugged at Wen Yu’s sleeve, pointing toward the three. Wen Yu understood her meaning. With a flicker of spiritual energy, he bound the three of them.

Suddenly bound, the three first panicked, searching everywhere for the person who tied them up.

Seeing Wen Yu and Xiaoyu, and noticing they didn’t look like high-ranking individuals, they started shouting.

“Whose disciples are you two? Why are you binding us for no reason?”

Xiaoyu walked in front of the three, staring at each one in turn. Finally, she stepped back several steps in disgust, glanced at them, shook her head, and made a look of utter exasperation—a look of disgust identical to how they had been looking at Nan Chenghui earlier.

“Your cultivation isn’t even as high as mine. All you know is bullying others to gain a sense of presence. Tsk, tsk, tsk, so weak.”

Who doesn’t know how to talk back? I can too.

Xiaoyu glanced at Nan Chenghui. He was looking at her with a confused expression.

The person immediately spoke up, refusing to accept: “Who are you talking about? If you have the guts, release me, and we’ll compare and see who’s more powerful.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was suddenly struck on the forehead. The pain instantly sobered him up. He looked around warily. Seeing that Xiaoyu hadn’t even moved her hand, he was first confused, then fearful.

His forehead throbbed constantly. He dared not speak harshly again and immediately begged for mercy, assuming Xiaoyu and Wen Yu were Nan Chenghui’s powerful backers.

“It was a moment of recklessness, and I spoke improperly. Please, Venerable, do not hold it against me.”

Xiaoyu was surprised by the speed of his attitude change and let out a humph.

The three were released and immediately ran away.

As they passed Wen Yu on their way out, the leader took another look and instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

It was him!

He didn’t dare linger any longer and ran extremely fast.

Xiaoyu looked at their desperate retreat and gave Wen Yu an admiring glance.

She then walked toward Nan Chenghui. Seeing him quietly straightening his clothes, she watched for a long time before finally asking: “Why didn’t you resist?”

Nan Chenghui’s hands paused. He opened his mouth but offered no explanation, remaining silent.

Xiaoyu was anxious. She looked closely at him, unable to understand why this person could be so repressed.

She turned to look at Wen Yu, seeing him merely standing in place, with no intention of coming over to speak. She suddenly felt that Wen Yu was unreliable too.

His own disciple was bullied. Is he not going to do anything about it?

There was no choice. Xiaoyu had to pull out her trump card.

“I just saw Duanmuying competing with a disciple from another sect down there—”

When Duanmuying was mentioned, Nan Chenghui immediately perked up: “How is she?”

Xiaoyu’s words were interrupted by him.

She took a deep breath, feeling that Nan Chenghui was hopelessly lovesick.

“She’s fine, unlike you. You don’t even know how to fight back when you’re bullied.” She had clearly seen it when he was pushed around just now.

“I just thought that one less trouble is better. Enduring it is better than escalating the situation,” Nan Chenghui lowered his gaze, looking at the ground, and said softly.

“But if you don’t resist, you’ll be treated like a soft target to be squeezed.”

No matter what Xiaoyu said, Nan Chenghui showed no intention of resisting.

Her mind turned, and she used Duanmuying as a breakthrough: “What about Duanmuying? You care about her so much. Have you considered whether she would be upset if you were bullied?”

Nan Chenghui clearly hadn’t thought about it and was stunned.

Xiaoyu saw a chance and immediately advised: “When you are oppressed, you must fight back. Don’t think that temporary tolerance will lead to the other party’s understanding.”

As she spoke, Xiaoyu’s mood became somewhat low.

Indeed, when she had been tolerant initially, others didn’t necessarily see it as kindness. Instead, they pressured her further.

She wouldn’t tolerate it anymore. There was no need to tolerate people who wouldn’t accept her kindness.

“You have to fight for yourself. If you don’t say or do anything, how will she know what you mean?”

This was advice regarding Nan Chenghui and Duanmuying’s relationship, drawn from her analysis as someone who had read the book and knew the source of their conflicts.

“If you don’t fight for it, how can you expect any results?”

After Xiaoyu spoke, she saw he was still in a daze and suddenly felt defeated.

She had gotten so worked up talking, yet the person involved gave no feedback.

She looked at Nan Chenghui’s unresponsive appearance, took another deep breath, and decided to give up.

It was only because Wen Yu had helped her recently; otherwise, she wouldn’t bother with other people’s affairs.

Without saying more, Xiaoyu retreated, pulling Wen Yu with her.

After walking a few steps, she heard Wen Yu say: “Leaving him be?”

Xiaoyu let out a dissatisfied hum: “Your disciple is thick-headed. He deserves the hardship he’ll face later.”

Wen Yu’s focus was on the last sentence. His gaze toward Xiaoyu deepened.

Xiaoyu suddenly stopped and turned her head to ask him: “Why do I feel like your feelings for your disciples are very detached?”

“If something happened to me, would you just watch and do nothing?” Xiaoyu blurted out this question, then immediately regretted it. The question was too—

“You are different.”

Wen Yu lowered his eyes, quietly looking at her, causing Xiaoyu’s heart to skip a beat.

She didn’t know how to respond to that statement and only said: “Let’s go back.”

Not long after they left, Nan Chenghui suddenly raised his head, staring in the direction of the mountain. His eyes gradually filled with spirit.

“Do I have to fight for myself?”

Xiaoyu had only been back at Wangyue Residence for a short while when night fell.

Yan Ziqiong was inside reading a storybook, filled with fabricated “romantic anecdotes” about the elite disciples of the various sects. Although fictional, he was reading it with great relish.

He even dragged Xiaoyu to read it with him.

Xiaoyu originally intended to go over and read together. As she walked from the study toward him, she saw two figures at the courtyard entrance.

She widened her eyes and saw it was Nan Chenghui and Duanmuying.

Xiaoyu became interested.

She walked to the doorway, peeking out with just her eyes.

It looked like the two of them were discussing the Grand Competition.

“You must be careful tomorrow. Even if you can’t reach the finals, safety must be your priority. Don’t push yourself too hard…”

Nan Chenghui’s original intention was to tell Duanmuying not to push herself to the point of injury, but Duanmuying interrupted him.

“If I don’t go and fight for the sect’s chance to reach the finals, should I hide my head like a turtle?”

The phrase “hide one’s head like a turtle” stung Nan Chenghui. He looked at Duanmuying’s excited expression, wanting to speak, but still remained silent.

Xiaoyu watched from the back, feeling anxious.

“Say it! Just tell her, ‘I’m worried about you!'”

Yan Ziqiong brought his storybook over, looked at Xiaoyu, then at the two outside, and curiously asked: “Who are you worried about?”

Xiaoyu immediately pulled Yan Ziqiong behind her: “Shh, don’t talk.”

She stared at the two at the courtyard entrance, but saw Duanmuying turning to leave. She was so anxious she almost wanted to go out and speak herself.

This romance is tough to watch. It’s flavorless.

Wen Yu is better.

Why didn’t Wen Yu pass on his straightforward temperament to his disciple?

In the end, Nan Chenghui only managed to say “Good luck in the Grand Competition,” and watched Duanmuying leave.

Xiaoyu was completely frustrated. It seemed Nan Chenghui hadn’t listened to a word she said.

If the relationship between these two had been a little better in the book, they wouldn’t have argued later, involving Wen Yu.

“They’ve left. What are you still looking at?” Yan Ziqiong looked down, seeing the look of disappointment on Xiaoyu’s face, and curiously asked: “You’re not trying to matchmake Nan Chenghui and Duanmuying, are you?”

Xiaoyu looked up and stared at Yan Ziqiong for a long time. She decided it was better not to tell him.

This person was unreliable too, and his identity was not safe.

“Are you going to watch the competition tomorrow?” Xiaoyu changed the subject. Thinking about going to watch the competition with Wen Yu made her feel much better.

Yan Ziqiong shook his head: “No, I have things to do.”

He spoke a sentence, then immediately remembered something and said: “You’re going to watch? Is Master taking you?”

Xiaoyu nodded with an “Mm”: “Why?”

Yan Ziqiong shook his head. Thinking of the things Wen Yu had asked him to do these past few days, a terrifying guess suddenly occurred to him.

Could he be getting a Senior Disciple Wife?

Yan Ziqiong first smiled, then looked distressed. Finally, he picked up his storybook and went to look for a romance story between a cultivator and a demon beast.

He couldn’t find one.

Yan Ziqiong threw down the storybook in his hand, looked at Xiaoyu, and decided to write one himself.

“After you finish watching tomorrow, the competition ends the day after tomorrow afternoon, and you can go out to play in the evening.” Yan Ziqiong snapped his fingers, realizing what he needed to write. He only said this one thing to Xiaoyu, turned around and left, not forgetting to take the storybook with him.

Xiaoyu watched his frantic back and thought that Wen Yu’s three disciples truly had their own unique characteristics.

The next morning, Xiaoyu waited for Wen Yu outside his door.

When he opened the door, he saw Xiaoyu standing in front of him, staring at him with bright eyes.

“It’s about to start. Shall we go?”

Wen Yu, however, said there was no rush.

He inscribed another spell seal on Xiaoyu’s palm, adding an extra layer.

“Activate your demonic power and press down. You can freely change back to your original appearance.”

He spoke, releasing her hand. He watched Xiaoyu immediately test it. Her familiar face and the unfamiliar one switched back and forth, and her voice also changed.

“This is quite useful.” Xiaoyu changed her appearance and voice. “After the competition ends, I want to learn this too.”

Wen Yu hummed with a smile.

When they arrived at the martial arts field, seating was set up in the front. The good spots were already full of people.

The very front seats were for the leaders of the participating sects, followed by the sect disciples, and finally the seats for the rest of the Yuehui Sect disciples.

But there weren’t many empty seats left.

Xiaoyu pulled Wen Yu to a spot with a relatively good view, where they could only barely make out a few figures and couldn’t clearly see the movements.

A water mirror suddenly unfolded before her, showing the scene of the martial arts field crystal clear.

Xiaoyu immediately looked at Wen Yu. She heard him say: “Only during the official competition will the footage of the disciples’ matches be transmitted onto the water mirror.”

He adjusted the angle of the water mirror and said to Xiaoyu: “Watch.”

Xiaoyu immediately looked at the screen. When she saw the person in the water mirror, she felt a bit disappointed.

Why is it her again?