The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 64

The barrier was shattered. Upon seeing the person from whom he had been separated for days—ever since the Demon Realm of the Sea—Wen Yu suddenly felt a surge of timidity. He did not dare to draw near, yet he had no choice but to do so.

The person he longed for was gravely injured, and he himself was not an independent being. These past few days, he had observed the original identity of this body from the perspective of a bystander. He realized he was merely a stray soul fragment; the years of chronic illness were simply the result of his rejection by the host soul.

He was nothing more than a split-off fragment.

Wen Yu walked to the bedside. His gaze traced her features before moving to her right arm. Sheng Li had already treated the wound; it was healing gradually, the tendons and bones reattaching. The healing capacity of the Fox Clan was indeed stronger than that of humans, but the moment of injury must have been agonizing.

He couldn’t bear to imagine it. To suffer such a heavy blow—she must have been in immense pain. She was all alone there, without reinforcements, forced to endure everything through sheer willpower.

When he first met her in the Demon Realm, back when she was attacked by beasts and they were not yet acquainted, she had been as resilient as a shield. She blocked out the world, retreating behind her defenses to lick her wounds and wait for them to heal in silence. Later, as she gradually grew closer to him and began to rely on and trust him, she finally let her guard down and revealed her true self.

She would protect him. Even when facing threats from the human race, she insisted on walking by his side. She worried for him, fearing he might die, urging him to live well and not sacrifice his life for those who weren’t worth it.

Wen Yu could not abandon someone so good. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t lost his heart to her. With such a wonderful person by his side, how could he not be moved? Yet, just as she offered him a solution, he lost the right to exist openly in this world.

She had given him a hair ribbon, hand-embroidered with his name. But as a split soul, he had no right to live. Control was not in his hands; he had to fight Sheng Li for it constantly, every second exhausting his spirit. Once this spirit was spent, the man known as Wen Yu would cease to exist. He would vanish completely from Xiao Yu’s life.

His dark eyes were as somber as the night outside. Suppressed emotions threatened to erupt, only to be confined back within their cage. He controlled his feelings perfectly. To maintain this brief moment of control, he could not show a single flaw; otherwise, he would be suppressed back into that sunless prison, forced to watch Sheng Li treat Xiao Yu with a harshness he could never stomach.

Sheng Li’s reprimands and interrogations—even when they contained a hint of pity—were always wrapped in a shell of blame. He did not cherish her wholeheartedly.

How could such a wonderful person be treated this way?

Wen Yu clenched his fists. Beads of sweat slid down his forehead, veins pulsed at his temples, and his eyes betrayed a desperate struggle. The fleeting moment he had bought by exhausting his spirit would not last until Xiao Yu woke up.

He released his grip, wiped his damp palms dry, and finally touched Xiao Yu’s cheek. She was burning with a high fever, much like the rise in body temperature during the breeding season. He brushed his hand over her brow and let it rest at the corner of her eye—the place where a flush of red used to bloom when she was in pain, where tears would hang precariously, looking heartbreakingly pitiful. Now, her eyes were closed, though tears still lingered on her lashes.

His fingertips moved down, hovering over her pale lips. His gaze deepened, then suddenly turned ice-cold. A memory surfaced in his mind: the image of Sheng Li pressing his fingers deep into her wound to heal her. He jerked his hand back, clenching his thumb into a tight fist.

He didn’t need to go that deep to heal her.

Just as anger flared, he suddenly clutched his head in agony. Time was up. He could no longer contest Sheng Li. Wen Yu gazed deeply at Xiao Yu one last time. Controlling the body’s hand, he tapped the top of her head—the spot where her fox ears would sprout.

Then, his aura turned chaotic. Two different forces collided within the body; one was clearly superior and soon quelled the other. The struggle in his eyes faded, replaced only by a cold frost. His gaze remained fixed on the unconscious Xiao Yu, but the soul looking at her was now Sheng Li.

With a silent, cold snort, Sheng Li stared at Xiao Yu. He raised his hand and placed his fingertips exactly where Wen Yu had touched, slowly covering every trace left behind. It was as if, by doing so, he could erase the fact that Wen Yu had ever been there.

Suddenly, his movements stiffened. Sheng Li’s expression flickered with a moment of daze. Upon regaining his senses, he immediately withdrew his hand. He let out an ambiguous laugh, looked at Xiao Yu no longer, and turned to leave.

After setting up a barrier, Sheng Li dragged the “Coal Ball” out. The trembling demon looked at him with a familiar sense of terror.

Sheng Li spoke with irritation, “If you utter a single word about what you saw, both you and Ming Yue will be sent to the Abyssal Realm.”

Coal Ball nodded frantically. He didn’t dare look at the man before him; whatever curiosity he had was eclipsed by fear. He couldn’t risk his or his brother’s life! After waiting a long time without Sheng Li speaking, Coal Ball peeked with his bead-like eyes, only to collide with Sheng Li’s gaze, nearly scaring him out of his wits.

“You certainly have a lot of nerve,” Sheng Li remarked.

Coal Ball shook his head vigorously. “My courage is very, very small. Not big at all!” Otherwise, I would have tried to kill Wen Yu long ago…

At that thought, Coal Ball’s mind stalled. If Wen Yu was the Demon Lord, then why did he want to kill Wen Yu?

Just as the thought flashed through his mind, Sheng Li’s chilling voice rang out: “Don’t think about useless things. From now on, follow Xiao Yu. If anything happens to her, tell me immediately.”

Coal Ball nodded incessantly, promising to do exactly as told. Once finished, he was promptly dismissed. He drifted away at lightning speed, as if pursued by wolves, disappearing into the dark night.

Sheng Li remained in his original position, unmoving for a long time. It had taken four days to send Nan Cheng Hui back to the Demon Realm and restore order. During that time, the Xiao Zhong Sword had been transmitting messages of Xiao Yu’s peril, but he had been entangled by several cunning old demons and couldn’t break away.

After settling matters, he rushed over, only to be told by Yan Qing that Xiao Yu had entered the bottom of the cliff to comprehend a new innate divine ability. She hadn’t come out for four days. He had forced Yan Qing to bring him here, but he couldn’t get in. Yan Qing claimed a secret realm had opened and remained unclosed, preventing anyone else from entering.

He could only wait patiently. It wasn’t until the next day that he sensed Xiao Yu’s location. She had emerged, covered in wounds. Even when so badly hurt, she hadn’t thought of healing, but of giving a gift. The ridiculous part was that he had actually anticipated it might be for him.

At this thought, Sheng Li shoved the pouch deeper into his spatial talisman—out of sight, out of mind. Collecting his thoughts, he walked back into the room to continue healing her. He slowly cleared her meridians, smoothing out the negative effects of overusing her demonic power.

Feeling tired of standing, he took out a prayer mat and sat down. Sitting this way made him feel a bit low, so he glanced at the height of the bed but didn’t bother adjusting further, continuing the treatment. He gently squeezed Xiao Yu’s right arm and lifted it; the movement was smooth, though a bit stiff. Once she woke and moved it around, she would recover.

Setting her arm down, Sheng Li looked at the scar on her left arm. It was a beast’s bite mark, reaching almost to the bone. His brow furrowed involuntarily as he lifted her arm to inspect it closely. It looked familiar.

The bite marks of different demon beasts were distinct; one could identify the species through them. For a beast to look familiar to him, it was highly likely one of the creatures that participated in the great war a century ago.

When Coal Ball reported, he mentioned the presence of Underworld Beasts and the actions of the previous Demon Lord and Demon King. Sheng Li knew some of this, but not everything. It was because of that very affair a hundred years ago that he had nearly lost his life.

A cold light shot from Sheng Li’s eyes, his aura turning heavy. He hadn’t expected a simple training expedition to unearth events from a century ago. Considering the recent unrest across the realms, those “old things” who hadn’t died out were likely resurfacing, wanting to try again.

Sheng Li cut off the flow of spiritual energy and pressed his fingers against the pulse on Xiao Yu’s wrist. He sensed her condition for a long time, but instead of withdrawing, his frown deepened. The flow of demonic power in her meridians had indeed accelerated—a sign of her increased strength—but why was her pulse also racing? Was there a hidden internal injury?

Sheng Li looked at Xiao Yu’s face, catching the quiver of her eyelashes and the movement of her eyes beneath her lids. He paused, then silently curled his lips into a smirk.

He let go of her hand, stood up, and said aloud, “With such a heavy injury, this right arm is likely crippled.” He then sighed. “If only you had followed my method, perhaps it could have been cured.”

He stopped there, staring directly at Xiao Yu’s restlessly moving eyes. Her lashes trembled, but she still didn’t open them. Sheng Li stood there in silence. The two of them seemed to be in a gamble to see who would break first.

In her daze, Xiao Yu felt someone stroking her head. She wanted to open her eyes and pull that hand away, but she felt as though she were bound and unable to move. She struggled to break free until a warm current flowed into her, giving her strength.

As soon as her consciousness returned, she sensed someone healing her. She didn’t need to guess—it had to be Wen Yu. The courage she had when giving the hair ribbon had vanished, replaced by embarrassment. She wanted to wait for him to leave before opening her eyes.

But then he said her arm wouldn’t heal! How could that be?

She was about to open her eyes when he mentioned a way to cure it, so she stayed still, waiting for him to explain. But after waiting so long that she could hardly keep up the act, he said nothing more.

In her anxiety, Xiao Yu snapped her eyes open to ask him about the method. The moment she did, she crashed right into his dark, deep eyes—which held a hint of amusement and expectation.

Xiao Yu realized instantly: he had known she was awake all along!

“Oh? You’re awake?”

Xiao Yu gave a soft “mm” and hurriedly asked, “What is the method you mentioned? If my arm really breaks and can’t be fixed, won’t I become a one-armed hero?”

Sheng Li seemed amused by her words; a smile flickered in his eyes before fading. “I do have a way.” A brilliant, wicked idea had occurred to him.

Xiao Yu’s right arm was already recovering; he had only said that to tease her into opening her eyes. But now, he had other intentions. He pulled the pouch out, his fingers hooking the hair ribbon from inside, and held it before her.

Meeting Xiao Yu’s bashful and confused gaze, Sheng Li spoke. “I don’t much like the ribbon I’m currently using to tie my hair.”

Xiao Yu blinked, staring at the red ribbon floating before her.

He continued, “I want to change it to yours.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Sheng Li stared at her and said, “Tie my hair for me yourself, using the ribbon you gave.”

Doesn’t the split soul like Xiao Yu very much? Sheng Li thought maliciously. Then he can watch with his own eyes as Xiao Yu ties the ribbon meant for him onto my hair instead.