The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 43

The first person to appear was Duanmuying. Her presence was strong, and she looked full of confidence.

Since she couldn’t fast-forward, Xiaoyu had no choice but to watch. The surroundings were lively with people coming and going.

“Oh my, Senior Disciple Sister Duanmu’s opponent is from Xuanqiu Sect. She should be able to win.”

“That’s for sure. Our sect’s disciple must win.”

Xiaoyu watched with great interest, automatically ignoring the surrounding chatter.

Although people could be seen in the water mirror, the details weren’t very clear.

In the martial arts arena, Duanmuying and the disciple had already clashed once and were looking for the opponent’s weakness. Her cultivation was similar to his, so it was a test of endurance and meticulousness.

The two circled each other, neither willing to yield.

Duanmuying’s sword rose and fell, slashing out a sword art, and she actually found her opponent’s flaw. This sword strike was angled cleverly, aiming straight for the opponent’s vital point. The force was fierce, showing no mercy at all.

The opponent panicked, immediately retreated, and didn’t resist further, shouting “I surrender.”

Duanmuying used her sword to flick away his weapon and then struck him with a palm, sending him flying out.

In this round, Duanmuying won.

Qiu Hong couldn’t help but applaud from the viewing platform. Qi Zhuolun, sitting next to him, saw his own disciple lose and grunted unhappily: “Useless thing.”

Qiu Hong was secretly delighted, controlling his expression not to smile too happily.

The other team leaders followed with compliments, but Qi Zhuolun remained silent.

Qiu Hong naturally noticed his bad mood, turned to him, and chuckled: “Brother Qi, don’t be discouraged. Didn’t you bring a powerful disciple? When it’s his turn, he’ll definitely make it to the finals.”

At this, Qi Zhuolun became even angrier.

The talent he was banking on had an accident before the competition started and his injury hadn’t fully healed even now. He had asked Qiu Hong to kill a demon beast to heal his injury, but Qiu Hong insisted that the so-called Sword Venerable disagreed.

Pah, he just didn’t want to cure him so that He Wuzui couldn’t participate in the Grand Competition!

Did he think I couldn’t guess that little intention?

Qi Zhuolun clenched his fist and slammed his thigh, cursing inwardly: All useless things, they can’t even beat a girl.

The water mirror only showed the match. The undercurrents among these people were not broadcasted.

After this round ended, they had to wait a while for a new round to begin.

Xiaoyu took this opportunity to ask Wen Yu: “Can I learn these things? Things like swordsmanship.”

Wen Yu heard the longing in her tone.

“Once you determine which path of cultivation you want to take, you can learn the corresponding cultivation methods.”

There were too many people here, and Wen Yu didn’t elaborate. After the competition ended, he would explain it carefully to Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu nodded and continued to watch the competition.

At this time, a male disciple from the Yuehui Sect first took the stage, followed shortly by a disciple in blue.

As soon as he appeared, bursts of cheers erupted from one corner of the seating area.

Xiaoyu looked closely. It was the disciple who had defeated Duanmuying yesterday.

As soon as Yu Hanyun appeared, Qi Zhuolun started to cheer up.

“Old Qiu, this junior from the Seven Swords Sect is formidable. Your disciple sent out probably can’t defeat him.”

Qiu Hong twitched his mouth, saying nothing. Li Xianshan, the team leader of the Seven Swords Sect on the other side, became energized, staring at the two people in the arena.

“Sect Master Qiu is playing the game of Tian Ji’s Horse Racing, deliberately sending out a weaker disciple to face my Hanyun so that Hanyun can smoothly enter the finals.”

“Li Xianshan, you certainly have a way with words.” Che Yourong sneered, covering her face with a veil. She simply closed her eyes to rest, not watching the match.

The influential figures of the four major sects were all present. The small sects participating in the competition didn’t dare to interject, each one keeping their head down but pricking up their ears to listen intently.

Li Xianshan looked at Che Yourong, clicking his tongue twice: “Don’t you worry. When it’s your Xuanji Gate disciple’s turn, they will surely meet a weak opponent too.”

Che Yourong directly turned her body away, ignoring him completely.

“Come, come, watch the match. It’s started.” Qi Zhuolun’s mood improved seeing Qiu Hong put in an awkward position.

Who couldn’t see Qiu Hong’s little intention? To ensure more of his sect’s disciples made it to the finals, he was playing tricks, arranging for his sect’s weaker disciples to face the stronger ones. Even if those disciples couldn’t make the finals, it ensured the elite disciples wouldn’t be eliminated prematurely.

This little maneuver also benefited the others. Since it was mutually beneficial, no one would make a fuss.

Qi Zhuolun carefully watched Yu Hanyun’s moves, preparing to go back and tell He Wuzui so he could prepare early.

Before the Grand Competition even began, several sects had inquired about their opponents’ information. Those with the strength to win the championship were basically only a few specific disciples. By watching a few more matches, they could figure out the opponent’s usual tactics and target them to increase the winning rate.

However, if he could think of this, others could too.

In the water mirror, Yu Hanyun flashed past. He leaped into the air, soaring up. The sword in his hand remained sheathed, but spiritual power poured in, striking down like a rainbow. The Yuehui Sect disciple had no power to retaliate and was knocked to the ground.

Yu Hanyun smoothly withdrew his spiritual power and landed steadily.

“Yu Hanyun wins.”

Li Xianshan clicked his tongue, not feeling particularly happy.

“The Eight Sufferings Illusion in the finals, that will be worth watching.”

The image in the water mirror went blank. Xiaoyu blinked, surprised: “It just ended like that?”

This person didn’t last as long as Duanmuying.

Wen Yu only said: “The difference in strength between the two was vast, so it naturally ended quickly.”

A short while later, another disciple came onto the stage. Wen Yu originally intended to stay with Xiaoyu, but his communication talisman lit up. Yan Ziqiong was looking for him.

He turned his head to Xiaoyu, seeing her watching the water mirror intently. He spread out his palm, and pieces of his jade flute condensed into a bracelet, crystallized in a beautiful shape.

“Xiaoyu.”

Hearing Wen Yu call her, Xiaoyu didn’t move her eyes, only responded with a sound: “Hmm?”

Wen Yu chuckled.

“Give me your hand.”

Only then did Xiaoyu shift her gaze. She stretched out her hand to Wen Yu, seeing a green bracelet in his hand, which he was putting on her wrist.

“What is this?”

“A part of the Flute-Sword.” Wen Yu held Xiaoyu’s fingers, carefully slipping it on: “I have something to attend to and must leave. Will you be alright watching here by yourself?”

Xiaoyu was stunned. Her first reaction was that she didn’t want Wen Yu to leave.

How boring would it be to watch alone?

“Alright, I’ll go back when I’m done watching.” Xiaoyu watched Wen Yu put the bracelet on her and curiously asked: “Why are you giving me this?”

“It will protect you.” After putting it on, Wen Yu released her hand, watching Xiaoyu raise her wrist to swing it. In the sunlight, her fair skin contrasted beautifully with the crystal bracelet.

Wen Yu watched, nodding in satisfaction: “Don’t take it off.”

He then rose and left.

Xiaoyu held up her wrist, watching his figure disappear into the crowd, suddenly feeling a little unsettled.

For the past few days, aside from rest, she had been with Wen Yu almost all the time, or practicing with Yan Ziqiong. She had grown accustomed to being around others. Now that she was suddenly alone, her heart felt empty.

However, she quickly focused her attention on the competition.

While they were talking, the match had already begun. Unlike the previous rounds, the Xuanji Gate female disciple who entered this time used a paintbrush as her artifact.

The female disciple held the brush in her right hand, pouring spiritual power into it. She waved her palm, moving quickly. Just as her opponent was about to attack her, she had already finished drawing.

The rune pattern drawn with spiritual power briefly hovered in front of her, then rushed into the air. Her figure immediately retreated, dodging her opponent’s strike.

In an instant, the rune pattern soared into the sky. A large ink-colored eagle broke free from the rune’s restraint, spread its wings and glided, circling once before diving straight for the opponent.

Xiaoyu looked away from the water mirror and toward the arena. She just caught the sight of the black eagle fiercely rushing down.

The Magic Brush Ma Liang?

That formidable?

The black eagle let out a long cry, its sharp claws spread, striking towards the opponent’s eyes.

The opponent was no pushover. She used her sword to support herself, bent backward to dodge, and the black eagle grazed past her. Before it could fly away, her body twisted at an incredible angle. She swung her right arm, splitting the black eagle in two with one sword strike.

The black shadow formed by spiritual power dispersed. She straightened up, her hair fluttering, and her figure had already disappeared.

The arena cheered.

“Senior Disciple Sister Bai is amazing!”

Xiaoyu heard the surrounding voices and realized that the one who neutralized the black eagle’s attack was an elite disciple of the Yuehui Sect named Bai Yingxue.

The view of the arena was blocked. She lowered her head to look at the water mirror.

At this point, the Xuanji Gate female disciple was already drawing runes, her brush moving quickly. Another string of runes floated into the air. A roaring fierce tiger rushed out, layers of rocky mountains appearing in the distance behind the tiger, and ink-colored grass supporting the tiger’s four limbs.

Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Some even leaned back, startled by the sudden appearance of the fierce tiger. They only breathed a sigh of relief when the tiger charged toward Bai Yingxue.

It’s too real. It’s practically indistinguishable from the real thing.

“Sect Master Li, are you seriously not considering teaching your sect’s Illusion Art to the other sects?” Li Xianshan leaned his head toward Che Yourong, his eyes still fixed on the tiger.

Che Yourong coldly snorted: “My Xuanji Gate’s unique secret art cannot be divulged.”

Her gaze toward the female disciple in the arena was critical, as if she didn’t think her performance was very good.

Li Xianshan was rebuffed and stopped trying to talk to her, turning instead to Qiu Hong.

“That’s your sect’s disciple, right? Her moves are quite agile.”

Li Xianshan talked more when it wasn’t the Seven Swords Sect disciple’s turn.

Qiu Hong’s eyes were fixed on Bai Yingxue. His mind wasn’t on talking to Li Xianshan, and he casually replied: “She’s nowhere near as formidable as your sect’s junior who just performed.”

Watching Bai Yingxue constantly breaking illusions, he was so anxious he wanted to shout at her: Don’t just focus on breaking illusions, attack the person!

The fierce tiger swiped a claw. Bai Yingxue used her sword body to block, and was gradually pushed down.

Xiaoyu was anxious for both sides.

One moment she was amazed by the animals rushing out of the runes, and the next she regretted that Bai Yingxue was always just short of hitting the Xuanji Gate female disciple.

Even she could see that if the opponent was interrupted before the rune formed, they could be prevented from continuously drawing things to assist themselves.

What Bai Yingxue needed to do was find an opportunity to interrupt the opponent, capturing the “king” first before dealing with the “subjects.”

This match lasted much longer than the previous ones. An animal appeared every so often. Xiaoyu didn’t know how many different animal sounds she had heard by now.

She was engrossed in watching when someone sat down next to her. She only noticed when the person spoke to her.

“Who do you think will win?”

Xiaoyu turned her head to look. It was a Yuehui Sect disciple.

The host sect was right here. How dare she say another sect would win? It had to be the Yuehui Sect.

The person heard her answer and shook her head: “I think it’s doubtful.”

Xiaoyu saw her somewhat knowledgeable demeanor and asked: “Who do you think it is?”

“Hard to say.”

Xiaoyu gave an awkward smile and turned back to continue watching.

In the picture, Bai Yingxue had changed her approach. She used herself as bait to attract the opponent’s attention, controlling her sword with spiritual power, looking for an opportunity to interrupt the opponent’s output.

“Senior Disciple Sister Bai found the opponent’s flaw!”

The person next to her exclaimed.

Xiaoyu quietly moved a little further away from her.

She gets excited so easily.

“The Illusion Art’s weakness is too obvious. If the speed isn’t fast enough or the caster lacks self-defense ability, they can easily be defeated. Such a simple flaw, yet it dragged on for so long.”

Li Xianshan clicked his tongue three times, feeling more and more confident in his sect’s chances of winning the top prize.

This statement immediately offended two people.

Qiu Hong and Che Yourong’s faces turned pale and then green, but Qi Zhuolun laughed happily.

Who wouldn’t be happy seeing their rivals suffer a setback?

But soon, he couldn’t laugh anymore.

Bai Yingxue suddenly stood still, forming hand seals. Her sword divided into several paths, aimed at her opponent.

She ignored the fierce beast rushing toward her. Ten thousand swords were fired simultaneously, blocking all retreat for the opponent. The sharp swords shattered the beast, broke through the mist, and rushed straight for the opponent.

The opponent was clearly anxious. Her previously composed movements became chaotic. Without the protection of the fierce beast, her self-defense ability was inferior to that of a sword cultivator, making it very difficult to dodge this attack.

She could only adjust her strategy, prioritizing defense.

She immediately changed her brush, drawing a protective barrier, which barely managed to block the attack before shattering.

Before she could react, Bai Yingxue’s next strike was already upon her.

The sharp sword reached the Xuanji Gate female disciple’s eyes in the blink of an eye. The disciple’s hand movements paused. She was about to draw again, when the sword blade turned, using its back to flip her wrist. The paintbrush in her hand fell. She immediately reached to pick it up, but Bai Yingxue kicked it away, pointing her sword at the disciple’s neck.

“You lose.”

With the match over, Bai Yingxue retrieved her sword, picked up the paintbrush, and handed it back to the Xuanji Gate female disciple, then turned and left.

Qiu Hong secretly nodded, narrowing his eyes and staring at the Xuanji Gate female disciple, a dark look flashing across his eyes.

“Something’s not right, Sect Master Qiu. Your disciple fought for so long, yet won so easily in the end. Isn’t this to probe the intricacies of the Xuanji Gate’s Illusion Art?”

Li Xianshan clapped his hands, feeling his guess was correct.

Qiu Hong laughed evasively: “Come, come, let’s keep watching. There are still several matches to go.”

Two more disciples took the stage in the water mirror and began their match.

Xiaoyu felt that only the Xuanji Gate female disciple’s spells were attention-grabbing. The rest were either powerful disciples deciding the winner within a few moves, or just not interesting to watch.

After watching this match, she planned to go back and practice herself.

She hadn’t consolidated her cultivation after raising it, so she didn’t know what her current level was.

As soon as she stood up, the person next to her asked: “Aren’t you watching anymore?”

Xiaoyu nodded and left the seating area.

She had planned to watch with Wen Yu, but since he wasn’t here, and there was no one she was looking forward to seeing perform, she felt bored.

She might as well cultivate for two days and wait for tomorrow night to go out and have fun.

On the way back to Wangyue Residence from the martial arts field, she had to pass the road leading to the disciple hall. Coupled with the Grand Competition, there were an unusually large number of people coming and going these days.

So, as soon as Xiaoyu arrived, she saw a group of white-clothed Xuanqiu Sect disciples surrounding a person, chattering loudly.

That person, in white robes, stood out like a crane among chickens, very conspicuous.

Looking closer, a gap appeared in the crowd, and the person surrounded walked out.

“Senior Disciple Brother He, your injury hasn’t fully healed. Do you really still want to participate in the Grand Competition?”

That person wore an eye patch over his left eye, which seemed to divide his entire face in half like a knife.

Xiaoyu immediately stopped. She heard them shouting: “Senior Disciple Brother He, if you go to the Grand Competition like this, what if you aggravate your injury?”

The person didn’t look back, walking quickly: “I will bear all responsibility myself.”

The direction he was heading was the same one Xiaoyu was coming from.

Senior Disciple Brother He?

Is he He Wuzui, the Xuanqiu Sect disciple that Qiu Hong came to ask to harvest her demon core for?

It’s him?

Xiaoyu secretly glanced at him several times, not finding anything particularly special about him that would make Qiu Hong personally come to Wen Yu to ask to kill her.

Sure enough, in the eyes of these cultivators, demon beasts are like cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered, to be killed casually.

A group of people followed He Wuzui. Xiaoyu adjusted her expression, looked straight ahead, and walked past He Wuzui.

After the person walked far away, Xiaoyu turned her head and glared.

Who knew that before she could retract her gaze, He Wuzui suddenly turned back to look. Xiaoyu immediately pretended to look elsewhere. She caught in her peripheral vision that He Wuzui looked in her direction for a moment before turning his head back.

Xiaoyu immediately turned her head, no longer looking. This person was too vigilant. He could even notice her looking at him.

She quickened her steps back to Wangyue Residence. As soon as she got back to the study, she first lay on the bed to rest for a while before trying to test what level her demonic power had reached.

After thinking, she ran outside, picked up a fallen leaf, injected demonic power, and directly used the Spring Return Art to test it.

As soon as the demonic power was injected, the effect was immediate. The withered leaf turned green, and the stem was revitalized.

As soon as she let go, the fallen leaf continued to grow in length as it fell to the ground. Upon contact with the earth, it immediately took root and sprouted leaves and stems, reaching half a meter tall in the blink of an eye.

Xiaoyu’s heart was filled with joy. She subconsciously wanted to go tell Wen Yu. She had just started moving when she remembered Wen Yu was busy and gradually stopped.

She turned to look at the seedling rooted in the ground and walked closer.

Reaching out to poke the leaf surface, Xiaoyu suddenly felt a little lonely.

Was she relying on Wen Yu too much?

Or was it because that night had affected her?

Xiaoyu patted her face, cheering up, and stopped thinking about it, continuing to practice.

When Yan Ziqiong taught her before, he didn’t elaborate on the cultivation levels of demon beasts, but he explained the general concept.

The fact that she could now revive a fallen leaf to this state purely with demonic power meant she should be considered mid-level among demon beasts. After diligently practicing its use, she would be able to unleash even greater power.

Xiaoyu began to happily imagine being able to protect herself and survive in this unpredictable world.

She practiced so intently that by the time she realized how much time had passed, it was almost dark.

She patted the seedling, which had grown another segment, and whispered: “When you grow into a towering tree, I should be very powerful by then.”

She took one last look and went back inside.

The lamp was lit in the room, making it bright.

Just as she reached the study door, she heard Wen Yu call her.

Xiaoyu turned to look at him.

“Did you enjoy watching?”

Xiaoyu shook her head: “It was alright. I’m still more looking forward to going out.”

She raised her hand. Her sleeve slid down, revealing her wrist. The emerald green bracelet on her wrist looked exceptionally transparent under the candlelight.

Wen Yu’s gaze paused on her wrist for a second before moving to Xiaoyu’s face.

The candlelight reflected in his eyes, adding a few touches of softness.

“Wait a little longer. I’ll take you out tomorrow night.”

Xiaoyu’s anticipation rose again. She asked Wen Yu: “Can you help me check what level I’m at now? Or should I ask Yan Ziqiong?”

She glanced towards the door. Why didn’t she think to ask Yan Ziqiong directly?

“He’s not here. He won’t be back for a few days.” Wen Yu paused, and seeing Xiaoyu’s disappointment, he said: “When he returns, I’ll have him come find you.”

Xiaoyu nodded. She took a step back, closer to the study door: “Daozhang, do you have anything else?”

Wen Yu saw her eagerness to enter the room and shook his head: “You should rest.”

Half of Xiaoyu’s body was already inside the study. Hearing this, the other half also went in.

The door closed, cutting off Wen Yu’s sight.

Xiaoyu leaned against the door, pressing her hand over her heart.

She didn’t know why, but as soon as her eyes met Wen Yu’s just now, she involuntarily became nervous, and her heart rate accelerated.

That’s strange. It’s only been half a day since I last saw him.

Xiaoyu ultimately attributed this to her excitement about going out to play.

She patted her chest. The emerald green bracelet on her wrist caught her attention.

She held her hand up in front of her eyes, examining it carefully.

She was too engrossed in the competition this morning to pay attention. Now that she looked, the bracelet was incredibly beautiful.

Wen Yu said it was made of pieces of the jade flute. The Flute-Sword was his core artifact, connected to his soul. Giving her a few pieces to form a bracelet—wouldn’t that affect the Flute-Sword’s power?

Xiaoyu touched the bracelet. It was cool to the touch and very comfortable.

It looked like irregular crystals, but it wasn’t prickly at all; it was very smooth.

Xiaoyu couldn’t help but touch it again.

Wen Yu, who was walking away, suddenly felt a sensation of being touched in his mind. He paused, his gaze complex as he looked back at the tightly shut study door.

I forgot to tell her that the Flute-Sword is connected to my soul. I can sense every part of it being touched.

That’s why the owner rarely gives their core artifact to others.

Xiaoyu didn’t know this. Not only did she keep touching it, but when she slept, her hand rested on the bracelet the entire time. It was cool and could relieve the heat.

When she woke up, the competition to determine the top ten was already underway.

She sat on the bed, brewing for a long time, before finally getting out of bed with squinted eyes.

The room was empty. Wen Yu was nowhere to be found.

Xiaoyu walked around Wangyue Residence once but didn’t go to the martial arts field to watch the competition.

She returned to the room to practice again, waiting for the night to come.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly heard a loud roar.

Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment. She ran out to see a huge banner floating in the sky. It could be seen even from this secluded location of Wangyue Residence.

Written on it were the top ten results from the preliminary rounds entering the finals. Several names Xiaoyu recognized were there.

He Wuzui, Bai Yingxue… and finally, Duanmuying.

Seeing Duanmuying’s name, Xiaoyu was slightly surprised.

Oh, she’s quite formidable.

Xiaoyu stood there for a while, slowly realizing that she would be able to go out and have fun soon!

The excitement was uncontrollable now. She no longer had the heart to practice. She looked at the sky. It would be dark soon.

She wanted to go out now. It would take at least two or three more hours for it to get dark. She couldn’t wait.

Xiaoyu kept running back to the study to force herself to meditate and practice for a bit, then running out to check if Wen Yu had returned.

Who understands the feeling, family? The day before a holiday, who has the mind to keep working?

Xiaoyu waited and waited, finally waiting for Wen Yu.

When he returned, it wasn’t dark yet.

Xiaoyu didn’t want to wait a moment longer and immediately ran out to greet him.

“When are we going out to play?”

She also glanced behind him; no one else was there.

Wen Yu stopped and reached out his hand to her: “Now.”

Xiaoyu was so happy to hear those two words that she almost jumped up. She didn’t question why Wen Yu was reaching out and immediately placed her hand on his.

“Let’s go now!”

Xiaoyu finished speaking, but didn’t see Wen Yu move. She blinked, confused: “Why aren’t we going?”

Wen Yu gestured for Xiaoyu to look at the hand she had placed on his palm, his eyes full of smiles: “Palm up. I need to change a few spell seals.”

Xiaoyu said “Oh,” and immediately turned her palm upward, her face slightly flushed.

She thought Wen Yu was going to hold her hand and walk.

Wen Yu lowered his eyes, seriously inscribing the spell seals: “This can hide the demon energy on your body. Its duration is longer than the previous ones.”

His spiritual power retracted. Xiaoyu withdrew her hand and asked: “Then do I still need to change my appearance?”

Her expression held longing, and also a slight hope of being able to integrate into the world with her true self.

Wen Yu saw this hope in her eyes, and his heartstrings were pulled once more.

He said: “No need. I am with you.”

Cultivators knew of Sword Venerable Wen Yu, but mortals did not.

Tonight, they could be ordinary people, enjoying the mundane world’s prosperity and excitement, and she could reveal her true self.

Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up: “Great, then I’ll rely on you!”

As she spoke, she asked how they were going to leave.

Wen Yu raised his hand again, but this time, he used the legitimate excuse of leaving the sect to take Xiaoyu’s hand.

“I will take you out.”

The cool palm met the warm palm, feeling the other’s temperature.

In a blink, the two figures disappeared from Wangyue Residence.

A moment later, two figures flickered into existence in a small alley within Yuehui City.

“Wow, your spell is amazing. I want to learn that too.” A clear female voice sounded, followed by the consenting male voice.

“Alright.”

The street lights illuminated the alley entrance. Xiaoyu stepped out of the alley first, looking at the bustling street with excited, wide eyes.

Shopping!