The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 63

Tears streamed down endlessly. Xiao Yu reached out her left hand to pull Wen Yu’s sleeve, intending to wipe away her tears, but he did not move.

She tugged again, but he remained still.

Xiao Yu looked up at him, her vision blurred, making his face unclear. She blinked hard, barely managing to see.

She simply raised her hand to wipe the tears herself.

But he seized her wrist.

“What happened?”

His voice was very harsh, making Xiao Yu’s heart tremble. She was suddenly filled with a sense of fear.

It was like being bullied outside, then returning to a close relative who, upon discovering the situation, spoke words of concern in a tone that sounded like reproach.

She had only used her left hand to touch herself. Seeing her face stained with tears and her fragile appearance was something he had never witnessed.

Sheng Li looked at the girl’s wretched state—her hair was messy and tangled, her face dirty and smeared with mud.

Only her eyes, which looked up at him, remained bright. The moment she met his gaze, complex emotions—grievance, distress, lingering fear—all surged towards him, revealing the suffering she had endured at the bottom of the cliff.

He lowered his eyes to the wrist he held. There were scars there that had not yet healed, clearly visible teeth marks from a beast’s bite, which made his heart suddenly clench with a sharp pain.

An uncontrollable, sharp pain. By the time he realized it, the ache was already drowned out by the sudden rise of distress and tenderness.

It had only been five days since they separated, so how had this little fox managed to torment herself into this condition?

“Why are you crying?”

His gaze returned to Xiao Yu’s constantly trembling, wet eyes, and he continued to press her, not stopping even as her tears kept falling.

“Why are you only using your left hand?” Sheng Li’s gaze slowly moved from Xiao Yu’s pale face down to her drooping right arm, and he asked, word by word, “What about your right hand?”

The sound of sobbing in the air paused momentarily, only to erupt even more violently.

Xiao Yu knew she couldn’t control her emotions at all. The moment she saw the person in front of her, it was as if she had found a source of reliance, someone she could confide in.

In this world, he was the only person she could lean on, the only one she could weep to.

“Yan Qing threw me in to make me realize a new innate talent,” she said, feeling breathless, her voice intermittent as she desperately tried to control her emotions.

But how could this flood of emotions be controlled just by wishing it?

“You encountered danger in there?” Sheng Li gradually loosened his grip on Xiao Yu’s wrist. His gaze searched all over Xiao Yu’s body. He sensed that her injuries were healing, but his furrowed brow never relaxed.

Xiao Yu nodded, giving a heavy, congested “Mm.”

She spoke about the dangers she encountered inside, neither glossing over them nor exaggerating, simply stating everything she had experienced.

After recounting the hardships, her eyes brightened, instantly filled with light.

“I realized it! I thought of a name for it—Purification Technique!”

She opened her eyes wide, wanting praise, but only saw Wen Yu’s tightly furrowed brow and pitch-black eyes.

“Why aren’t you reacting?”

As she said this, the grievance in her heart was magnified indefinitely.

She had nearly died, barely surviving, yet he showed no reaction at all.

Did he not care that she had realized a new innate talent?

The tears that had finally stopped gathered again. Xiao Yu forced her eyes wide, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall, unwilling to show Wen Yu such a fragile and sorrowful side of herself.

But she couldn’t control it.

She was clearly in such pain, such distress. Why did he not offer a single word of comfort, only questions and accusations the moment he saw her?

Having suffered such severe injuries, shouldn’t he be concerned about her first?

Xiao Yu bit her lip, pulling her hand away, wanting to wipe her tears clean herself.

Just as she began the motion, she heard a low, hoarse sigh.

A hand gently covered her cheek, wiping away the tears on her face bit by bit.

Xiao Yu looked up blankly, blinking her eyes. She felt his fingertip brush across her eyelashes.

The moment their eyes met, Xiao Yu clearly saw the pity in his gaze.

It was a very familiar look.

However, the action of wiping her tears quickly became heavy, causing a slight pain.

“Hiss…”

Sheng Li’s movement paused, and he stiffly and unskillfully lightened his touch.

He cradled Xiao Yu’s cheeks with both hands. His fingertips were rough; when he touched Xiao Yu’s face, he had to control his force so as not to hurt her.

His gaze lingered on her stained face. Sheng Li concealed the unevenness caused by the trembling of his soul.

A moment ago, his body had experienced a feeling of tearing, which made him lose control of his strength.

Wen Yu was fighting him for control of the body.

The Mirror of Prophecy had been shattered by him, unable to confine the sub-soul. He could only suppress the sub-soul first.

Looking at the young girl in front of him, who was utterly dependent on him, Sheng Li repeated the motion in his hands, gradually wiping away all the dirt on her face.

Finally, cradling her cheeks, he asked softly, “Does it still hurt?”

He knew that the sub-soul could perceive everything he was doing. Unfortunately, he was currently in control of this body. If he wanted to do something to Xiao Yu, the sub-soul could only watch.

His brain throbbed again, but Sheng Li’s expression did not change. He suppressed the pain, appearing completely normal.

“It hurts.” Xiao Yu opened her mouth, but as soon as she spoke, a thumb suddenly reached in, roughly exploring her oral cavity.

“Mm!”

She instinctively tried to push the finger out, but clear saliva quickly soaked it.

The thumb swept over her upper lip, gums, and finally landed on her lower lip, precisely locating the injury and pressing down slightly. Xiao Yu opened her mouth wide in pain.

That was where she had scraped herself when she fell to the ground.

A stream of cool water slowly washed the area and then evaporated it clean. Sheng Li withdrew his hand and looked at her again.

“Where else does it hurt?”

The hand that had explored her mouth dropped, gently turning. Clear water gathered and quickly dried.

Xiao Yu closed her mouth and found that the inside of her mouth no longer hurt. Her tongue swept over the area; it had already healed.

She opened her mouth, but suddenly couldn’t pinpoint where exactly her body hurt.

Gazing up at the person in front of her, she finally only managed to utter three words: “Everywhere hurts.”

Sheng Li listened intently to these three words and then suddenly let out a laugh.

The hand cradling Xiao Yu’s cheeks tightened, pinching her cheeks slightly. He heard her dissatisfied voice: “Don’t pinch my face.”

Sheng Li did not release her; instead, he changed his action from pinching to kneading, refusing to take his hand away.

“Everywhere hurts?”

Xiao Yu extended her left arm, trying to pull his hand away, but he held it down with his other hand.

“Is your right arm broken?”

Xiao Yu froze completely, suddenly unable to breathe. She released the tension in her hand, lowering her head, not looking at him, and not answering.

Sheng Li waited patiently for her to speak.

After a long time, Xiao Yu finally gave a muffled sound.

“Yes.”

She said, her voice very soft: “It’s broken.”

Sheng Li’s heart sharply tightened upon hearing these two words.

He clearly knew that this emotion originated from himself, not influenced by the sub-soul.

He stared fixedly at Xiao Yu, seeing her too nervous to look up, yet she did not utter a single word of accusation.

Not even a single word blaming him for not rushing to her rescue when she was in danger.

It was this kind of poor, fragile, yet stubborn and tenacious person who completely occupied the sub-soul’s heart and was gradually influencing him as well.

“What are you afraid of?”

He suddenly realized that it wasn’t nervousness, but fear.

Sheng Li grasped Xiao Yu’s chin, forcing her to look up.

Her gaze was unfocused. She seemed to have prepared herself psychologically before daring to look at him.

“Are you afraid I will blame you for not protecting yourself?” Sheng Li stared intently into her eyes, catching the answer there. “Or are you afraid that because your arm is broken, I will abandon you?”

When this sentence fell, he saw shock in Xiao Yu’s eyes.

He was puzzled by the answer he had guessed. How could this little fox have such a thought?

“Why would you think that?”

Sheng Li released his grip on her chin and moved his hand to her right shoulder, pressing gently. He sensed how severe her injury was but did not see a trace of pain on her face.

His heart clenched again.

Sheng Li suddenly felt a sense of defeat.

It was the first time he had seen someone so severely injured yet completely silent.

“You are so powerful, and I want to become strong too.”

If she became strong, she wouldn’t have to rely on anyone.

If she became strong, she wouldn’t be afraid of being abandoned.

But she couldn’t become as powerful as Wen Yu in a short time, so she could only exchange injury for strength.

She was afraid that being injured would make her a burden.

Xiao Yu finally dared to face this person directly.

Since entering this world, he was the first person she encountered, and she had always depended on him.

From only wanting to follow him to escape the Demon Sovereign, to now wanting to become strong enough to fight alongside him.

She was eager to become stronger. She wanted to wait until she could stand at the same level as him before telling him her determination.

That was why she was afraid.

“Didn’t you ask me for the solution before?”

Sheng Li was startled, quickly remembering the sub-soul had asked her this during their intimate moments in previous instances.

“I think I have great cultivation talent. See, I’ve already realized a new innate talent,” Xiao Yu said, her voice trembling and choked with uncontrollable sobs.

She took out the small pouch she had sewn and handed it to the person in front of her.

Her left hand, holding the pouch, was clearly shaking, just like Xiao Yu’s nervous heart at that moment.

“There’s a hair tie inside,” she said. With only one hand, she couldn’t open it.

She pushed it forward towards him, looking up at him: “Your name is embroidered on it.”

She emphasized: “I embroidered it myself.”

During those days and nights when she was still unclear about her own feelings, she silently recited his name, stitching it with every needle and thread.

It was only in those days and nights at the bottom of the cliff, facing death, that she truly understood what those feelings were.

“Wen Yu, this is for you.”

Her scarred wrist was raised, and the pouch rested steadily in her palm.

The young girl’s expectant gaze landed on Sheng Li’s face. She wanted him to accept the pouch and accept her heartfelt token.

Sheng Li stared at the pouch in her palm, remaining silent for a long time.

This was not for him; it was for the sub-soul.

She hadn’t even distinguished who he was, yet she was about to give the item intended for the sub-soul to him.

After too long without a movement, the young girl began to panic: “Why aren’t you taking it?”

Sheng Li looked up at her, seeing the anticipation in her eyes, along with the growing disappointment and sadness.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, wanting to speak, but didn’t know what to say.

His throat was dry; he couldn’t speak.

Xiao Yu interpreted his reaction as rejection.

Her left hand slowly lowered, eventually losing the strength to support it, and dropping abruptly.

“I understand…”

Her palm tightened. Xiao Yu bit her lip, intending to put the pouch back into the Jiezi Talisman.

“You understand what?” Seeing her expression, a surge of anger rushed up in Sheng Li. “What is it you understand?”

He gripped Xiao Yu’s left hand, lifted it, repositioned it to its previous place, and then released it.

“Say it again.”

Xiao Yu’s confused and puzzled expression made Sheng Li even angrier.

“Say the previous words again.”

He finished speaking, watching her confusion turn into elation. That boundless joy spilled out from her, yet he couldn’t share her happiness.

“Wen Yu, this is for you.”

Xiao Yu repeated it, but saw him frown.

“Just say the last three words.”

“Okay.” Xiao Yu finally curved her eyes, smiling, and repeated the words once more, extremely earnest and sincere:

“This is for you.”

She raised her hand, offering the item she had prepared for a long time, giving him an answer.

Sheng Li frowned at her, then, as if submitting, he raised his right hand, finally accepting it with both hands.

Taking something that didn’t belong to him felt like stealing.

The white cloth pouch had a small opening, revealing the strikingly bright red hair tie inside.

Looking at the item he had received in his hands, Sheng Li was momentarily stunned, and his mood suddenly lifted.

What if it was stolen? Xiao Yu gave it to the current him, not the sub-soul.

That meant it was his.

Sheng Li held the pouch in one hand and placed the other on Xiao Yu’s right shoulder, slowly varying the pressure while observing her expression.

He withdrew his hand only after she showed a sign of pain.

“It can be healed.” Not missing the happiness on her face, Sheng Li paused, offering an unfamiliar comfort: “Don’t worry.”

Xiao Yu nodded obediently.

She wasn’t worried. With Wen Yu here, everything would be fine.

Her gaze lingered on the pouch in his hand. Since her gift had been accepted, Xiao Yu’s mood had not dipped low.

His acceptance of the hair tie meant he was tied to her and would never leave her for his entire life.

She did not express this layer of meaning, keeping it hidden in her heart, knowing it was enough for her alone.

This was what she had figured out at the bottom of the cliff.

This world was too dangerous; death could arrive at any second.

Some things didn’t need too much thought; just do them.

Leave no regrets.

“Are you very happy?”

Sheng Li sensed her elated mood, yet he felt like a thief, having stolen something that didn’t belong to him.

“Once you give it to me, you can’t ask for it back,” he hinted one last time, seeing Xiao Yu shake her head.

“I won’t. Once I give it to you, I won’t take it back.” She blinked, her gaze intense, making Sheng Li feel guilty for the first time in his life.

He didn’t continue the topic, focusing instead on healing Xiao Yu’s injuries.

Spiritual power repaired her right arm. He took time to check her other injuries.

Every time he saw a scar, his heart involuntarily trembled.

His movements paused, and he suddenly released his hand, no longer looking. Instead, he directly enveloped her with spiritual power, treating her thoroughly from head to toe.

Xiao Yu only felt her entire body lighten. As her taut nerves relaxed, she immediately felt dizzy and her consciousness blurred.

“I might be sleepy…” She raised her hand, but before she could touch him, she lost consciousness.

Sheng Li opened his arms and caught her. A warm breath escaped, brushing past her cheek.

His body was stiff for a moment before he pulled her tightly into his embrace.

“Such a handful.”

The icy embrace was filled by this warm person. Sheng Li held Xiao Yu, remaining still for a long time.

Coal Ball slowly poked its head out. The moment it met Sheng Li’s gaze fixed on it, it froze, too scared to move.

“I told you to protect her, and this is how you protect her?”

Sheng Li spoke, his stare at Coal Ball looking like he could devour it.

Coal Ball was stunned. Its little bean-eyes stared at Sheng Li, speechless.

“If something happens again next time, you will go back to the Demon Realm and stay there for several years.”

Sheng Li lifted Xiao Yu horizontally. He said one last thing to Coal Ball: “Do not reveal my identity. Do not let it slip in front of Xiao Yu.”

Coal Ball stared blankly as he walked away, unable to recover for a long time.

Help! How could Wen Yu be the Demon Sovereign!

He blinked hard, but Sheng Li’s figure was already out of sight.

It’s over! He knows my identity as the Demon Sovereign. Will I be silenced?

I didn’t protect Xiao Yu well enough, but that sword didn’t protect Xiao Yu well either!

It wasn’t even as useful as me!

Coal Ball floated for a while, suddenly realizing he had been left behind. He quickly flew off to find the two of them.

When Sheng Li carried Xiao Yu back into the room, Yan Qing had been waiting there for a long time.

A powerful surge of air flipped her back, and Yan Qing was nearly knocked unconscious by the shockwave.

Sheng Li settled Xiao Yu down, then exited the room, placed a barrier, and finally faced Yan Qing.

“Explain,” he said, sparing her a fraction of his patience, “why you did that.”

Yan Qing was about to speak, but the immense spiritual pressure forced her to her knees.

She spoke with difficulty: “That is the fastest way to realize an innate talent.”

Sheng Li did not withdraw the pressure: “If she hadn’t made it out, you would have been down there accompanying her long ago.”

Yan Qing struggled to lift her head, saying resolutely: “She would definitely succeed. Doesn’t Immortal Master believe in her?”

“You should be thankful she emerged.”

Sheng Li removed the spiritual pressure and turned to walk back into the room.

Yan Qing was blocked by the barrier outside and couldn’t enter.

She clutched her chest, coughing violently. After a long time gasping for air, she recovered.

Gazing at the tightly shut door of the room, a complicated emotion flashed in Yan Qing’s eyes before she turned and left.

The room was silent, with only the sound of breathing remaining.

The heavy breaths fell into Sheng Li’s ears. He stared fixedly at the unconscious person for a long time, then suddenly took out the pouch she had given him.

Inside was the hair tie bought that night.

He opened the pouch. His hand paused as he reached for the hair tie, then reached in and pulled it out.

The end of the bright red hair tie was embroidered with two characters.

Sheng Li pinched the end of the hair tie with his fingers and brought it up to look.

It was the two characters for Wen Yu.

He suddenly let out a silent laugh, mocking himself for actually expecting that it was meant for him.

He turned his head to look at Xiao Yu, seeing her sleeping soundly. He suddenly felt the urge to pinch her fox tail.

Such a handful of a fox, she deserved to suffer such severe injuries.

He tossed the hair tie and the pouch into his Jiezi Talisman, but then took them out again, looking at the two characters on the hair tie’s end once more.

He finally concluded: It wasn’t even very well embroidered.

He folded the hair tie in half, then in half again, tucked it into the pouch, and placed it back into the Jiezi Talisman.

Afterward, he began to treat Xiao Yu’s injuries.

Time passed quickly. When Coal Ball returned, Xiao Yu was still not awake.

Sensing that the aura was still there, it clung to the outside of the barrier, looking inside wistfully.

It waited outside until dark, but the door never opened.

Coal Ball was terribly anxious, terrified that if the Demon Sovereign became displeased, he would be thrown into the Demon Realm, a place where a demon like him simply couldn’t survive—it was full of lunatics.

While lost in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening. He instantly looked over.

The moment he saw Sheng Li, he trembled all over, his demonic energy nearly scattering from fright.

“That… this…”

He stammered, unable to speak, floating lower and lower, almost touching the ground.

“What did she experience at the bottom of the cliff?”

Sheng Li glanced at Coal Ball with a chilly look.

Coal Ball immediately recounted its encounter at the bottom of the cliff truthfully and in detail.

After finishing, it held its breath, trembling with fear.

“You…”

Sheng Li had just spoken when he suddenly clutched his head. Veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat dripped down.

He abruptly struck his chest with spiritual power, but in a flash, he released his hand.

Coal Ball watched the scene in shock, too scared to utter a word, and floated away.

What’s wrong with him?

Sheng Li spat out a sentence: “Even if you regain control, it won’t last long.”

The next second, all resistance vanished.

The grimness in his eyes disappeared.

He turned and rushed into the room.