The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 48.1

Xiaoyu immediately turned her head, burying her face into whatever was available. Just as she was about to run out of breath, she suddenly heard a muffled laugh.

She slightly moved away, realizing she had buried her face right against Wen Yu’s chest, and her face instantly flushed red.

“You don’t need to prove it. Please put me down…” Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Wen Yu did not put her down.

“Wait a moment longer.”

“Then, the black and white scene I saw just now, was that your illusion?” Xiaoyu simply nestled in Wen Yu’s arms and didn’t move again.

“Yes,” Wen Yu explained. “The situation was urgent, so we directly entered the fifth layer. This is the Eight Sufferings Illusion, which will recreate the experiences you least want to recall in your heart.”

“Least want to recall…” Xiaoyu fell into contemplation.

Indeed, she had seen the scene that was once the most difficult for her to forget.

But the first illusion she saw wasn’t as unforgettable as the separation from her loved one.

Xiaoyu looked up, just intending to ask Wen Yu, but met his gaze.

She paused. Had he been looking at her this whole time?

“What are you thinking of saying?”

Wen Yu did not avert his gaze. The look in his eyes clearly anticipated her looking up at him.

“How many times does this kind of illusion occur?”

Wen Yu stopped walking and asked, “You entered more than once?”

Xiaoyu hummed in confirmation: “Twice in total. After I walked out, the bracelet lit up, and then I arrived here.”

Wen Yu frowned, but a moment later, his brows relaxed.

“You are special.”

He was right. She truly was the most special one.

“Huh?” Xiaoyu was confused.

Wen Yu continued walking while holding her. The black and white behind them had almost completely merged, losing all boundary.

“Perhaps due to the change in your mental state, two layers of illusion appeared,” he explained. “Birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from the loved, association with the hated, not getting what one desires, and the suffering of the five aggregates. The illusion selects the experience corresponding to one of these Eight Sufferings that you least want to recall. Which two Sufferings did you experience just now?”

“The Suffering of Separation from the Loved,” Xiaoyu blurted out. However, she couldn’t distinguish which Suffering the other layer of illusion corresponded to.

Or, perhaps that was also the Suffering of Separation from the Loved.

“Have you lost someone very important to you?”

Xiaoyu remained silent, her expression forlorn.

When Wen Yu first saw Xiaoyu’s eyes, clearly marked by tears, his heart felt a pang. Now, seeing her silence, he felt a faint sting.

When you begin to like someone, you start to care about everything about her.

What kind of past experiences had she gone through to be this sad?

Wen Yu didn’t press further. Before Xiaoyu completely trusted him, it was best not to delve too deeply into certain matters.

Just as they were about to leave this layer of the illusion, Xiaoyu spoke, but her question was directed at Wen Yu: “Why is your illusion like this, only black and white?”

She looked at Wen Yu with open eyes; this kind of upward angle, looking at him, was rare.

Wen Yu lowered his head, looking down at her, his gaze as deep as the chaos behind him, easily drawing people in.

Xiaoyu’s heart trembled upon seeing him, and she uncomfortably shifted her gaze.

Wen Yu took in Xiaoyu’s reaction completely: “The illusion here has no effect on me.”

Xiaoyu let out an “Oh” and didn’t speak again.

The moment the chaos behind them receded, Xiaoyu took a look.

The white was being devoured by the black, leaving almost no trace of white.

What exactly did these two colors symbolize?

Leaving the illusion, the surrounding scenery became clear. On the desolate ground, there was no trace of a lake.

Xiaoyu tilted her head and asked in confusion: “When I watched the water mirror, a person was crushed to death by water…”

Wen Yu didn’t let go; he was still carrying her.

Xiaoyu was preoccupied with her thoughts and didn’t remember to ask Wen Yu to put her down.

“The scope of this Secret Realm is vast; we did not land in that location.”

“Then what should we do now?” Xiaoyu suddenly remembered that Lian Qiao had also come in. Why hadn’t she seen her?

She asked Wen Yu directly, and heard him reply indifferently: “She and I don’t possess magic artifacts that can track each other’s location.”

Xiaoyu raised her wrist and shook it, looking at the emerald green bracelet: “Are you talking about this?”

“Yes.”

The bracelet was now motionless, no longer glowing.

She hadn’t realized the bracelet had this function!

She suddenly felt a bit excited: “Then no matter how far apart we are, I can use this to find you?”

Wen Yu stopped walking again. The angle at which Xiaoyu raised her wrist allowed him to clearly see the bracelet.

He shifted his gaze to Xiaoyu. Her eyes, looking curiously at the bracelet, were filled with an emotion called security.

“Did you use this to find me?” Xiaoyu lowered her hand, suddenly noticing she was still being held, and immediately became reserved.

“Please put me down.”

Wen Yu bent down and set her down.

Xiaoyu stamped her foot and glanced behind Wen Yu. The black and white illusion was gone, replaced by a scene of desolation.

She withdrew her gaze and saw Wen Yu telling her: “Wear it. No matter the distance, it can find you.”

Xiaoyu immediately looked up at Wen Yu, meeting his serious and certain eyes.

“Ah…”

For some reason, looking at his eyes made her feel secure, but also brought about another emotion.

She couldn’t clearly grasp it, but she only felt secure.

“What do we do next?” Xiaoyu changed the subject and asked, “Can I help you?”

Wen Yu scrutinized her, so intently that Xiaoyu couldn’t help but want to ask him why he always looked at her.

“You can,” Wen Yu suddenly said. “Your special nature can help find Nan Chenghui.”

“I don’t know why Nan Chenghui entered the Secret Realm. Based on my understanding of him, he wouldn’t disrupt such an important competition for personal reasons,” Wen Yu said, gradually furrowing his brow.

“Was he framed into going?” Xiaoyu guessed. “But who would…”

A jolt went through her mind, and she suddenly had a shocking conjecture.

She immediately looked at Wen Yu, hesitating whether to speak it aloud.

The conjecture had no basis. Would Wen Yu believe it if she said it?

Wen Yu began casting a spell to search for the traces of survivors. Noticing her anomaly, he continued his hand movements and asked her, “What did you think of?”

Xiaoyu glanced at the spiritual energy gathering in his hand, hesitated for a moment, but still said it.

“It’s just, is there a possibility that…”

“Hmm?”

Xiaoyu organized her words: “Is there a possibility that someone did this on purpose?”

As she spoke, her inner anxiety was expressed through her physical movements, and she couldn’t resist reaching out to tug at Wen Yu’s clothes.

“Besides Duanmu Ying, does anyone else know Nan Chenghui is a demon?”

Xiaoyu was afraid that this accident was a conspiracy targeting Wen Yu.

In the original book, no accidents occurred during the Grand Tournament. Nan Chenghui and Yan Ziqiong’s identities were exposed after the competition concluded.

But now, the situation had progressed to Duanmu Ying knowing Nan Chenghui was a demon in advance, so other things were likely to happen.

Before Wen Yu could answer, Xiaoyu immediately thought of someone: “Lian Qiao!”

“Could Lian Qiao know? And Qiu Hong.”

One of these two people was Duanmu Ying’s aunt, and the other was Duanmu Ying’s father. Duanmu Ying was very likely to tell them.

“But judging by Qiu Hong’s ‘Old Fart’ personality, if he knew, he would have come to find you already, right?”

Wen Yu raised an eyebrow: “What word is ‘Old Fart’?”

Xiaoyu chuckled evasively: “Oh, that… it’s a kind of compliment.”

“The point is, Lian Qiao also came in with us, and in the Sand Demon Territory, even though Nan Chenghui was unconscious when she was rescued, it doesn’t guarantee that she absolutely doesn’t know Nan Chenghui is a demon.”

Thinking this way, Lian Qiao seemed even more suspicious.

“Does she hate the Demon Race?”

Recalling the few times she had met Lian Qiao, she had shown almost no obvious hostility toward the Demon or Monster Races.

But that was precisely what was abnormal.

Since coming here, whether it was cultivators like Duanmu Ying or ordinary people, everyone strongly hated demons and monsters.

The lack of an obvious expression was the strangest thing of all.

“You are worried that someone knows Nan Chenghui’s identity and is using it to create trouble?”

Wen Yu understood Xiaoyu’s meaning clearly in his heart.

“Yes!” Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up, but she didn’t continue speaking.

Because she saw six small red dots appear in Wen Yu’s palm, flickering on and off.

“What are these?”

Wen Yu waved his hand, and the six red dots floated out, hovering in different directions.

“Four have already died.”

Xiaoyu’s eyes widened: “What happened?”

Wen Yu grasped the information of the remaining disciples: “They have all entered the fifth layer; they should be safer there.”

He turned his head to Xiaoyu: “First, let’s go find Nan Chenghui.”

Xiaoyu nodded.

Right. They had to find Nan Chenghui before Lian Qiao did.

There were too many unexpected changes here. If Nan Chenghui leaked demonic energy again and Lian Qiao found out, he certainly wouldn’t be able to leave unscathed.

“Let’s go to the nearest one—” Wen Yu suddenly cut off his sentence, injecting spiritual energy into one of the red dots, and withdrawing the energy moments later.

“What’s wrong?”

Wen Yu instead reached out his hand to Xiaoyu: “I can only roughly capture that he has entered a certain layer of illusion; I cannot accurately pinpoint his exact location.”

The restriction previously placed on Nan Chenghui had broken. Nan Chenghui had been in seclusion these days, and coupled with Wen Yu being busy with other things, he hadn’t reset the restriction, making it impossible to know Nan Chenghui’s precise location.

“Can Nan Chenghui enter their illusions? Like me?”

Xiaoyu’s attention was not on the hand Wen Yu extended. If he could just enter any illusion, wouldn’t he be able to see their past experiences?

“Will the water mirror show the illusion?”

“It shouldn’t have in previous Grand Tournaments, but now, it’s uncertain,” Wen Yu surveyed the surrounding desolation, increasingly feeling that this was no accident. “His ability is special; only someone with his constitution can enter.”

Seeing that Xiaoyu hadn’t noticed his extended hand, he stated directly: “Hold my hand. Next, we need to search for him inside the illusions.”

Xiaoyu was stunned. Before her mind could react, her hand was already placed in Wen Yu’s palm.

When her hand was enclosed, Xiaoyu looked down at their clasped hands and slightly tried to pull back.

“Don’t be afraid. I am seeking your assistance.”

A soft voice reached her ears. Xiaoyu was surprised: “Me?”

“I cannot enter their illusions, but you can.”

Xiaoyu’s face showed an expression of disbelief: “I can?”

Oh, right. She had just entered Wen Yu’s illusion, but she had thought the bracelet took her in.

“Grip my hand firmly.” Wen Yu applied a little force, looking down.

“Okay.” Xiaoyu gripped tightly. Seeing their joined hands, she suddenly thought of something else.

Why did it look a bit like… a young couple holding hands?

Although their fingers weren’t intertwined, Wen Yu’s hand completely enveloped Xiaoyu’s, only revealing her fingertips.

Looking at it made her feel very secure.

Wen Yu waved his hand, and spiritual energy surged.

Xiaoyu only felt a blur before her eyes. The surroundings turned pitch black. Invisible energy surged, and an illusion was generated.

A familiar face appeared. Xiaoyu almost cried out in surprise when she saw her.

Duanmu Ying?

The person before her was indeed Duanmu Ying, but she looked solemn and slightly trembled.

She seemed unable to see them, walking directly toward Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu stepped aside to avoid her. Duanmu Ying walked past without glancing sideways.

“In other people’s illusions, we cannot interact with anything inside the illusion,” Wen Yu explained.

Xiaoyu nodded, wanting to follow, but found her hand was still being held by Wen Yu.

“Should we let go?”

Wen Yu paused for a few seconds before shaking his head: “No need.”

Having received the answer, Xiaoyu stopped worrying about holding hands and followed Duanmu Ying.

Duanmu Ying’s expression just now seemed very wrong.

“Did she just enter the illusion, or is it about to end?”

The question was quickly answered.

They caught up to Duanmu Ying and saw her standing motionless.

“She…”

Next, Xiaoyu saw a vast square, piled high with mountains of corpses, both human and monster, with blood flowing like rivers.

Xiaoyu was so shocked by the scene before her that she forgot to breathe.

“This should be the time, many years ago, when the Yuehui Sect was almost wiped out,” Wen Yu paid attention to Xiaoyu’s reaction. Seeing that she wasn’t too distressed, he went to search for Nan Chenghui’s trace.

Xiaoyu looked at the tragic scene and suddenly understood why Duanmu Ying hated the Monster Race so much.

She turned to look at Duanmu Ying in front, who suddenly began to run, recklessly charging into the sea of corpses.

At the same time, a piercing cry rang out.

Xiaoyu saw a young girl crying and running, her path gradually overlapping with Duanmu Ying’s running path.

The illusion was changing.

The girl ran to a house that was about to collapse.

But she saw her mother being dragged by her leg out of the house by a monster.

The woman immediately cried out when she saw her: “Run! Xiaoying, run quickly—”

Her eyes were bloodshot. Her fingers dug into the ground, leaving ten bloody scratches, yet she couldn’t stop the monster.

Her eyes were tightly locked on the girl, filled with despair and sorrow.

Xiaoyu’s heart clenched watching this scene. She instinctively took a step forward, only to realize that this was an illusion and she couldn’t stop anything that was about to happen.

Next, a thick, unidentified object burrowed out from underground, instantly destroying the fragile house. Dust flew everywhere, and fragments struck the girl’s shoulder, the force strong enough to knock her down directly.

“Mother—”

The heartbreaking cry couldn’t stop the cruelty before her. The monster raised its scythe-like hand and mercilessly chopped off the woman’s arms, which she had tried to use to slow the monster down.

In an instant, blood splattered, and severed arms flew.

The girl let out a mournful scream.

The woman immediately passed out.

Next, Xiaoyu witnessed an extremely horrifying scene.

The monster flung its hand, swinging its arm to smash the woman onto the ground, then tossed her into the air. Her mutilated body was wrapped by the thick, long monster that had destroyed the house. It tightened its grip, severing her entire body into two halves, which then heavily crashed down.

Finally, she fell into the pit.

The girl immediately screamed, but the person who was already dead could no longer respond to her.

The monster turned its scarlet eyes toward the girl, roared, and ran toward her.

Large drops of tears fell. Surging hatred erupted. The girl struggled to stand up, but because of the injury to her shoulder, she couldn’t keep her balance and collapsed onto the ground.

The monster raised its scythe hand and violently slashed down.

Even though Xiaoyu knew Duanmu Ying would survive, she couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

She heard Qiu Hong’s shouting, followed by Duanmu Ying being rescued, crying out.

“Father, Mother… Mother…”

How could such a small child accept that her mother died in front of her, in such a brutal way?

Up until this moment, having been targeted by Duanmu Ying from the start, and being rejected despite expressing goodwill several times, Xiaoyu thought to herself that if she had experienced what Duanmu Ying had, she wouldn’t be able to accept it either.

They both had experienced losing a loved one. How long would it take for the pain of that loss to completely heal?

“Can she get out of it?”

Her heart ached. Xiaoyu clenched her hands. The unbearable pain could only be vented in other ways.