The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 46

Xiaoyu went back to doze for a while, and when she woke up, the sky was completely bright.

She opened her eyes groggily, took a moment to compose herself, then stood up, stretched, and walked out of the room to see that Wen Yu was not there.

Everyone was gone; she was the only one.

She ran out of the house and looked around, but saw no one, so she quickly ran back and pulled out the hair ties.

She had wrapped them in cloth last night and dried them, so they hadn’t faded.

She had planned to sew the fabric into a pouch but then realized there were no needles and thread here.

Darn it, a miscalculation!

The red hair ties lay quietly on the cloth. Xiaoyu silently put them away together.

The injury on her arm was better. She wanted to ask Wen Yu if he had encountered that stinky bird. The demon who led the attack last night definitely recognized her original body.

The original body was sent by the Demon Lord to kill humans, yet the attackers were not demons, but demonic beasts.

Who exactly was the original body working for?

Xiaoyu thought about it for a long time, coming up with many conjectures, but none seemed reliable.

No, I must step up my cultivation. If she was attacked again, and Wen Yu wasn’t by her side to deal with such powerful demonic beasts, she needed to at least be able to protect herself.

The Spring Revival Spell was already practiced very skillfully, but this spell had no offensive power. She needed to practice something else.

Yan Ziqiong taught only basic spells, which had very low offensive power.

The spell the Great Demon used last night to leave through the flames looked powerful at the time, but she hadn’t had access to that kind of technique.

Xiaoyu read through all the secret manuals Wen Yu had given her and learned everything she could.

Her current cultivation base had increased compared to before, but her abilities couldn’t keep up with the increased cultivation, so she needed real combat experience.

Xiaoyu sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, thinking about how to train.

The first thing that came to mind was the ongoing Sect Grand Tournament, which was the easiest route to find, but obviously, she couldn’t participate.

Yan Qing?

She hadn’t seen her for a long time. Ever since that night when Yan Qing suddenly appeared and caused her propagation desire to spiral out of control, she hadn’t shown up again.

“She said she was going to help me.”

Xiaoyu couldn’t find a training direction, so she decided to stop thinking about it for now and went down to see what the competing disciples were doing.

She used the still-valid seal to change her voice and appearance, then left Moon-Gazing Dwelling.

The training ground was still crowded with disciples in different robes encouraging each other to practice. Even those who hadn’t made it to the finals were not relaxing their cultivation.

Xiaoyu found a spot and watched them train.

The disciples of the Seven Swords Sect were all uniform, practicing sword techniques with their accompanying swords.

Xiaoyu watched for a while. Without a sword, she couldn’t practice along, but she roughly memorized their movements and mimicked them herself.

However, simply copying the form wouldn’t capture the essence; there was no insight.

As she mimicked the movements, Xiaoyu’s attention was drawn to the female disciples of the Xuanji Gate next to her.

They didn’t use swords, and their magic artifacts were all different.

Xiaoyu’s eyes widened when she saw some of them using musical instruments.

Wen Yu’s natal artifact had a fixed form as a jade flute, which could transform into a sword, but theirs did not change.

Lifelike small beasts emerged from the talismans, looking exactly real.

Xiaoyu wanted to go over and ask them if they could teach her that spell.

She also wanted to conjure cats and dogs to keep her company.

“Senior Sister has made it to the finals. The competition is tomorrow. I’m so nervous.”

A female disciple from Xuanji Gate put away her artifact, looking very worried.

Xiaoyu pricked up her ears to listen. She still didn’t know what the finals would compete on. Since Duanmu Ying made it to the finals, Elder Qiu Hong must be very happy.

“Don’t worry. The finals are a battle of state of mind and perseverance. With Senior Sister’s ability, she’ll definitely be fine.”

Xiaoyu was curious. She looked around the training ground and found a lone disciple of the Yuehui Sect.

She walked over, about to ask, when she realized the disciple looked familiar.

She was short, thin, and looked a bit tired.

When she saw Xiaoyu approaching, she quickly bowed: “Greetings, Senior Sister.”

A crisp voice rang out. Xiaoyu remembered: it was Little Grass from the town!

“You—”

Xiaoyu was about to call her name, but then remembered she had changed her appearance. Little Grass wouldn’t recognize her.

After thinking about it, she decided not to mention it.

However, seeing that Little Grass had gotten much thinner, she must have suffered quite a bit during her time at Yuehui Sect.

“Do you have something to ask, Senior Sister?” Xuan Cao was a little timid. She had been here for over a month, suddenly arriving in a strange environment, and felt afraid in her heart.

But she told herself to adapt quickly, cultivate diligently, and avenge her father and mother.

She cherished this opportunity.

Xiaoyu felt a pang of pity and wanted to take her aside to talk, but Xuan Cao avoided her touch.

Xiaoyu clearly saw wariness in Little Grass’s movement.

“I have some questions for you. It’s crowded here, so it’s not very convenient,” Xiaoyu had to withdraw her hand.

Xuan Cao hesitated: “The supervisor asked me to look after the competing disciples, and I…”

Xiaoyu scanned the surrounding disciples and assured her: “Just for a moment. It won’t take long.”

Xuan Cao nodded and agreed: “Alright then. What does Senior Sister want to ask?”

Xiaoyu led Xuan Cao to a corner where the sun didn’t reach, and the two sat together on the steps.

Xiaoyu looked up at the disciples on the training ground and asked Xuan Cao, “What are you supposed to be doing here?”

Although she knew that Xuan Cao had been brought back by the Yuehui Sect disciples at Duanmu Ying’s request, Xuan Cao didn’t know that this unfamiliar Senior Sister was the sister who told her stories that night. Saying so would reveal that she knew Xuan Cao.

Furthermore, given her identity as a demonic beast, everyone in Yuehui Sect avoided her. It was better not to use her original appearance when seeing Xuan Cao.

Xuan Cao looked down at her hands: “The supervisor asked me to look after the competing disciples and promptly address any requests for help they might have.”

Xiaoyu looked around, didn’t see any disciples needing help, and felt relieved to ask Xuan Cao about the finals.

“The finals seem to be held in a Secret Realm. I don’t know anything else,” Xuan Cao said, her eyes filled with longing when she spoke of the tournament.

Xiaoyu noticed this and asked her, “Do you want to participate in the Grand Tournament?”

Xuan Cao nodded quickly, then shook her head: “I haven’t even learned how to gather Qi into my body. I might never be able to participate in such a serious competition.”

Xiaoyu heard this and realized she knew how to gather Qi into the body.

But was the concept the same for demonic beasts and humans?

“I know this. I can teach you.”

Xuan Cao’s eyes lit up. She immediately looked up at Xiaoyu, full of expectation: “Really? Senior Sister can teach me?”

Looking at such an expression, Xiaoyu suddenly remembered that Xuan Cao was just as expectant when she told her stories.

She felt a little melancholy.

But she quickly adjusted and told Xuan Cao the key points. However, human cultivators don’t have a spiritual core, so she used her own understanding to explain the essentials in simple terms.

Xuan Cao nodded, seeming to understand.

Xiaoyu directly asked her to try it now. Xuan Cao was still a bit shy.

Under Xiaoyu’s watchful eye, she tried to gather Qi. Moments later, a subtle fluctuation appeared around her body.

That was the surrounding spiritual energy being drawn in, first condensing around her body, and then the essence being absorbed by her body.

Xiaoyu saw Xuan Cao’s change and was delighted. A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and everything clicked.

What she said was effective. This proved that the cultivation methods of the Demon Clan and the Human Clan had commonalities. Did that mean she could also learn human spells?

When Xuan Cao finished gathering Qi, Xiaoyu quickly asked, “How was it?”

Xuan Cao nodded, showing a joyful smile: “Senior Sister, you are so amazing! I got it!”

She was even better than the lecturer! She understood it after just one explanation.

Xiaoyu couldn’t help but gently rub Xuan Cao’s head. With that rub, Xuan Cao’s body immediately stiffened.

Withdrawing her hand, Xiaoyu gave a few more pointers on cultivation, instructing Xuan Cao to practice well, and that she would surely have a chance to participate in the Grand Tournament someday.

Xuan Cao nodded, wanting to ask Xiaoyu if she could teach her again in the future, but ultimately didn’t ask.

Xiaoyu wanted to go back and find a human cultivation manual to practice, so she didn’t stay too long.

“Then I’m leaving.”

Xuan Cao stood up, but didn’t have the courage to say anything to make her stay.

She watched Xiaoyu walk away, belatedly realizing that this Senior Sister gave her a feeling of familiarity.

When she returned, Wen Yu was still not back. Xiaoyu knew about the secret manuals he kept in the study and picked one.

It was a sword technique.

Xiaoyu didn’t have a sword, so she ran out and picked up a branch to use as one.

She followed the content of the sword technique, mimicking it step by step, just like when she first learned exercises and dances. She roughly understood the key points, memorized every step, and once proficient, she practiced it all over again from start to finish without the manual, accompanied by her demonic power.

Over and over again, the shadows of the trees danced until night fell.

Wen Yu quietly approached, standing far away and watching her diligently cultivate.

That was another side of Xiaoyu he had never seen before.

Serious and persistent, she would focus on one thing and ponder it for a long time until she mastered it completely.

He watched Xiaoyu’s movements become more and more proficient with each repetition, her demonic power circulating smoothly and perfectly.

With her current strength, she might not be much in the Yuehui Sect, but to achieve such results in less than a month required both talent and diligence.

His appreciative gaze poured generously onto Xiaoyu. As Wen Yu watched Xiaoyu’s movements, they gradually overlapped with a certain sword technique in his mind.

She was practicing a human sword technique.

Human sword techniques and demon techniques might not be compatible, and practicing some sword techniques could even harm the practitioner.

Wen Yu was about to step forward to stop Xiaoyu, but he saw the branch in Xiaoyu’s hand swing out, narrowly scraping past his side, a chilling murderous intent fleetingly passing.

The branch was fiercely plunged into the tree trunk behind him. Cracks spread from the point of impact to both sides. The treetop shook, and leaves scattered.

Xiaoyu controlled the angle and did not injure Wen Yu.

She ran over, examined him carefully, and asked, “Why didn’t you even dodge?”

Wen Yu looked down at her. His short sentence revealed trust: “You wouldn’t hurt me.”

Xiaoyu touched her nose guiltily.

I was trying to tempt you before; you haven’t forgotten that part, have you?

Wen Yu turned and walked toward the house, asking as he went, “Was that the Hibiscus Sword Technique you were practicing just now?”

Xiaoyu hummed in affirmation, then said in surprise, “You can tell even though I’m practicing like this?”

She was just mimicking the movements, which were far from standard, yet he could still tell which sword technique it was. The title of Sword Venerable was well-deserved.

Wen Yu’s smile was hidden in the night: “I will teach you once the Grand Tournament is over.”

He didn’t ask why Xiaoyu suddenly started practicing human sword techniques but instead pondered whether human and demon cultivation methods and secret manuals could be used interchangeably.

The fact that Xiaoyu could learn the first few moves of the Hibiscus Sword Technique had already proven that demonic beasts could cultivate human sword techniques.

The question was whether they could learn only a small portion or the majority of them.

Previously, he always made Xiaoyu learn demon spells because he didn’t want her to suffer an accident and injure herself while cultivating human spells.

But now, she was practicing a human sword technique without any apparent issues and was mastering it well, so there was no need to be restricted to learning only demon spells.

Whatever was most suitable for her was the best.

“Okay!” Xiaoyu remembered the finals and asked him: “I heard the finals will be held in a Secret Realm?”

“Will I still be able to watch?”

Wen Yu stopped walking and turned to face Xiaoyu.

“It’s the same as the preliminaries. You can watch through the water mirror.” After saying this, he didn’t continue walking.

The candlelight inside the house didn’t reach their location, so Xiaoyu could only vaguely see his silhouette.

“Tomorrow, I need to help them deal with some matters,” Wen Yu began, catching Xiaoyu’s puzzled look. “I won’t be able to watch the finals with you.”

Xiaoyu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn’t know what to say.

Her first reaction to hearing this was a slight disappointment.

It was like wanting to invite your best friend out, but before you can even ask, they proactively say they’re busy.

Although she knew he truly had things to do, she still felt a little sad.

“I can watch by myself.” She thought. I’ll see if Xuan Cao is around and ask her to watch with me.

The courtyard fell into a brief silence.

Neither of them spoke again.

The candlelight inside flickered. Xiaoyu was the first to speak: “When you came last night, did you see an eagle bird?”

She remembered the two demonic beasts that attacked her last night. They even said they were going to kill Wen Yu.

“Oh, right. There was a powerful demonic beast, probably that Pure Fox Lord. He uses fire. Did you run into him?”

“Yes, that was a clone of a Pure Fox Clan Great Demon.” Last night, when he killed the demonic beast blocking the road, he sensed that its aura was off—it was just a clone, not the main body.

After that, he lost consciousness until he recovered this morning.

He had no idea what his state-of-mind self had done in the interim.

But Xiaoyu didn’t show any abnormality.

She hadn’t distinguished the difference between him now and him last night.

“Get some rest early.”

Wen Yu slowly tightened his hand, turned his back to Xiaoyu, and walked forward.

He needed to completely cure his illness. This sickness, which so often made him lose control, would sooner or later become a disaster.

Xiaoyu watched him return to his room, standing in place without moving.

She keenly sensed that Wen Yu’s mood had worsened slightly.

“Why was he angry this morning, and now he’s unhappy again tonight?”

She was about to go back to her room to rest when her ear twitched, hearing footsteps outside the house.

Xiaoyu quickly hid in the corner, keeping her ears pricked.

It was Duanmu Ying and Nan Cheng Hui.

“I’m entering the finals tomorrow. Do you… have anything you want to say to me?”

Xiaoyu crept to the window and secretly peered out.

Duanmu Ying was walking behind. Nan Cheng Hui had his back to her, his face obscured by the darkness, making it hard to see.

Can she accept Nan Cheng Hui now? Or did Nan Cheng Hui actively seek out Duanmu Ying?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Duanmu Ying’s voice sounded again.

Xiaoyu followed suit in her mind: Nan Cheng Hui, say something!

Duanmu Ying waited for a while, seeing no reaction from Nan Cheng Hui. She lost her patience and turned to leave.

Nan Cheng Hui suddenly turned around, grabbed Duanmu Ying’s hand, and pulled her closer.

Xiaoyu watched, so excited that she clenched her fist and knocked on the wall.

Hug her! Quick, hug her!

But Nan Cheng Hui didn’t hug her. Instead, he immediately let go of her hand and only said four words: “Be careful.”

Xiaoyu heard this and truly wanted to go up and smack Nan Cheng Hui on the head.

What good were those four words? Is “being careful” what she wanted to hear?

“Is that all?” Duanmu Ying was clearly not satisfied with just being told to be careful.

“Don’t you have anything else to tell me?” Duanmu Ying pressed: “Why didn’t you tell me you were a demon?”

Hearing the last sentence, Xiaoyu wanted to pry open Duanmu Ying’s head to see what was inside.

At a time like this, she was still hung up on that question.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you. I cannot disobey Master’s command.”

Duanmu Ying sneered, probably wary of Wen Yu, so she didn’t bring the topic back to him.

“What about now? Do you have any—” Duanmu Ying’s voice abruptly cut off. She stared at Nan Cheng Hui, opening her mouth several times, but couldn’t say the rest.

Nan Cheng Hui suddenly stared intently at Duanmu Ying. He wanted to hug her, but restrained himself.

“I will tell you the answer after the Grand Tournament ends.”

Duanmu Ying snorted: “I shouldn’t have come to find you!”

After saying this, she turned and left.

Nan Cheng Hui’s figure looked lonely in the darkness.

Xiaoyu thought that this was the perfect moment for Nan Cheng Hui to chase after Duanmu Ying, embrace her, and give her a promise to soothe her emotions.

In short, if I were dating, I wouldn’t act like this.

She stood up and headed back to her room to rest. As she passed Wen Yu’s door, her footsteps paused.

The next day, she was woken up by bursts of loud explosions.

Xiaoyu jumped out of bed and stormed out angrily, without even her usual moment to compose herself.

“Yu Hanyun—”

As the loudly enunciated name pierced her mind, Xiaoyu saw a banner rise up, and three large characters unfolded.

Five such banners were already floating in the sky.

Xiaoyu snapped to attention, smoothed her hair, changed her appearance, and ran out to watch the finals.

This final match was much livelier than the preliminaries.

Xiaoyu arrived late. When she got to the training ground, it was already packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the noise deafening. She couldn’t see what was happening inside.

There were even sword cultivators flying in mid-air on their swords, carrying several people.

Everyone who wasn’t competing had come to watch the finals.

As for the water mirror Wen Yu mentioned—

Ten water mirrors were suspended in mid-air. Unlike the one-seat-per-mirror in the preliminaries, these mirrors covered the training ground. Each mirror was linked to one participating disciple.

There was no need to find the right angle to watch.

But there were no seats, so Xiaoyu could only stand with the crowd to watch.

Moments later, the sword-riding disciples floating in mid-air were chased down.

“We aren’t blocking anything! Why are you driving us down?”

“You’re riding your own sword and bringing along those who can’t! That’s too much of a safety hazard! Everyone, get down!”

When those sword-riding disciples were forced down, plus the latecomers, Xiaoyu was squeezed almost flat.

The ten disciples who reached the finals were ready. The water mirrors displayed their current status one by one.

Xiaoyu noticed that Duanmu Ying was constantly looking in one direction, but the crowd was too dense for her to see who was there.

Besides Qiu Hong, it must have been Nan Cheng Hui.

Qiu Hong’s loud voice rang out, his tone brimming with excitement: “I won’t say any unnecessary nonsense. You must pay attention to safety in the Secret Realm. If you encounter danger you cannot handle, crush your token to escape the Secret Realm.”

“Remember, remember, do not be reckless.”

Qiu Hong glanced at Duanmu Ying one last time, gave the order, and the teleportation array lit up.

The ten people walked in, some with anticipation, some with excitement. The teleportation array activated, and the ten figures disappeared.

At the same time, the crowd roared. Disciples from every sect shouted and cheered for their peers, making Xiaoyu’s blood boil with excitement.

Immediately afterward, the water mirror images flickered, adjusting to show each participant entering the Secret Realm.

“Look, it’s Yu Hanyun! He passed the first layer so quickly?”

Gasps of surprise rose. Xiaoyu looked over and saw the blue-robed disciple raise his sword, strike down, and kill the demonic beast blocking his path. He didn’t linger and went straight to the next layer.

After watching for a while and listening to the discussions around her, Xiaoyu roughly understood what the finals were competing on.

The Secret Realm they entered was a fragment left by an ancient powerful cultivator. It was incomplete and jointly controlled by powerful human cultivators, serving as an essential part of the Grand Sect Tournament. However, it had been centuries since the last tournament. The Secret Realm had been closed for a long time, and the number and strength of the demonic beasts inside had increased. Both opportunities and difficulty had risen simultaneously.

The Secret Realm finals had a total of five layers. Passing the first four layers would open the entrance to the next.

The fifth layer was the most dangerous and important layer, named the Eight Sufferings Illusion. Those who entered would re-experience the most unforgettable and painful memories they wished they never had to face again.

Only those who broke through the illusion within the allotted time would be considered successful. They would be ranked according to the time spent, and the disciple who took the least amount of time would win the top prize.

If someone got lost in the illusion, they could only wait until the competition time elapsed or activate the token to break it and be brought out. Therefore, the teleportation array would remain open until the end of the competition.

Xiaoyu noted that although Duanmu Ying was slower than the others, she was steady.

She must have known the importance of these finals and was being much more cautious.

The people watching the competition in the front became increasingly excited, squeezing Xiaoyu until she was nearly knocked over.

She simply backed out and found a high spot to watch.

As she moved, she saw a familiar person. It was the location Duanmu Ying had been looking at earlier: Nan Cheng Hui was standing there.

A flicker of expectation suddenly rose in her heart. She looked around but didn’t see Wen Yu.

He didn’t seem to be here.

Xiaoyu put her focus back on the competition.

At this point, the fastest person had already reached the fourth layer—He Wuzui.

Also a sword cultivator, his methods were completely different from Yu Hanyun, Duanmu Ying, and the others.

He was brutal and showed no mercy. When he saw a demonic beast, he didn’t kill it directly but tormented it little by little, severing its four limbs and meridians, and cutting out its demonic core while it was still alive.

His water mirror scene was almost entirely filled with blood.

Xiaoyu felt a little uncomfortable watching it.

He’s so powerful even with one eye blinded. No wonder Qi Zhuolun was plotting against her.

Xiaoyu looked at other scenes, then suddenly heard a chorus of gasps from the crowd.

She looked around to find the source of the commotion, then heard a fierce shout: “Qiu Hong! How dare you openly violate the rules of the Grand Tournament!”

There were also several other angry voices.

Xiaoyu locked her gaze on the center of the training ground. The crowd was churning, and she couldn’t see what was happening there.

“How dare Yuehui Sect! The competition has already started, and they still let a disciple sneak in. Shameless!”

What happened in the front finally reached the back. Xiaoyu learned that a Yuehui Sect disciple had actually rushed into the teleportation array and entered the Secret Realm!

Without a water mirror linked to them and no token to leave the Secret Realm, there was no way to track the disciple who had intruded.

“Everyone, please calm down, calm down.” Qiu Hong secretly wanted to curse Nan Cheng Hui to death. Why would he rush in when the competition was going well!

“Pooh! An unrelated person, and one from your own sect, got mixed into such an important competition! Qiu Hong, that’s despicable!” Li Xianshan pointed his finger at Qiu Hong’s nose and scolded him.

“It was an accident, an accident—” Qiu Hong’s attempt to explain was drowned out by spittle.

“You’re telling me this is an accident?” Li Xianshan waved his hand at the people around him, pointing at Qiu Hong and aggressively scolding him: “You are the organizer! If you didn’t allow it, how would a disciple of your own sect dare to rush in? Did any disciples from our participating sects rush in?”

“Qiu Hong, what you’ve done is dishonest,” Qi Zhuolun chimed in affectedly from the back.

Che Yurong couldn’t be bothered with them and got straight to the point: “Either you go in immediately and bring him out, or the scores of your three sect disciples will not count.”

How could Qiu Hong agree? He originally felt ashamed, but their words made him feel justified even if he wasn’t right.

“That’s not how it works! I had no idea he would rush in. Elevating this to canceling my sect’s disciples’ scores is going too far!” Qiu Hong ignored what the others were saying and set up a barrier, his loud voice overriding them.

“He is not a competing disciple, so he won’t affect anyone else’s score. As for bringing him out immediately, that’s impossible.” Qiu Hong ignored the few people with ugly expressions and brought up Wen Yu: “Sword Venerable will handle any consequences. What are you worried about? You should worry about whether the disciples you sent can make it to the fifth layer.”

“Hey! How can you be so—” Li Xianshan rolled up his sleeves, about to go after Qiu Hong, but was stopped by Qi Zhuolun.

“What he says isn’t without reason. It’s just a small disciple. It won’t affect anything.”

Qiu Hong ignored Qi Zhuolun’s deliberate flattery, his face pale with anger.

When the competition is over, I’ll go ask Wen Yu if he instructed Nan Cheng Hui to rush in and intentionally embarrass me!

The surrounding commotion quieted down somewhat. Xiaoyu finally realized that the person who rushed into the teleportation array was Nan Cheng Hui.

Why did he rush in? To chase Duanmu Ying?

Xiaoyu couldn’t understand. She looked through all ten water mirrors but didn’t see Nan Cheng Hui. In Duanmu Ying’s mirror, she was fighting the demonic beast as usual.

A demonic beast struck her with a palm, sending Duanmu Ying flying. Before Xiaoyu could see her stand up, the water mirror image disappeared.

“Black screen?” Xiaoyu whispered. The commotion in the surroundings flared up again.

Qiu Hong and the others’ expressions drastically changed. They all stood up. Some people went to accuse Qiu Hong, while others stared nervously at the water mirror.

Qiu Hong roared: “Quick! Go invite the Sword Venerable here!”