When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 51

Although the proposal carried a hidden agenda, it sounded perfectly reasonable and quickly gained unanimous approval. Thus, the search for spiritual herbs quietly commenced within the vibrant, life-teeming expanse of the Taixuan Dao Realm.

Half a tea-time later, Shi Yining and Shu Mo arrived at an ancient forest thick with concentrated spiritual energy.

With the sun high in the sky, dappled shadows danced upon the ground as sunlight filtered through layers of lush, emerald foliage.

Before long, Shi Yining discovered a cluster of lingzhi mushrooms emitting a hazy spiritual glow beneath a thousand-year-old ancient tree.

She quickened her pace, and after a careful identification, a flash of joy crossed her eyes.

“Mo’er, look! This is a thousand-year-old Heavenly Lingzhi of exceptional quality. It’s a primary ingredient for refining Longevity Pills and is rarely seen in the outside world. Though our current lifespans are sufficient, this is a rare treasure for the elders in our sect.”

As she spoke, she carefully crouched down, conjured a jade trowel with her spiritual power, and began to harvest them with total focus.

The more precious an object, the easier it is to damage; thus, Shi Yining acted with extreme caution.

Shu Mo’s gaze remained soft as she watched her beloved with a smile. Noticing a cluster of seven-colored spiritual flowers growing beside the lingzhi, she also crouched down, deftly plucking several of the most vibrant and perfectly shaped blossoms.

Then, with lowered eyes and an expression of deep concentration, she gently entwined and wove the plucked flowers. In just a moment, an exquisite seven-colored flower crown took shape in her palm.

Just then, Shi Yining finished harvesting the lingzhi. As she stood up, before she could even speak, she felt a slight weight settle upon her hair.

Shu Mo had gently placed the newly woven crown on her head. The movement was so natural it seemed practiced a thousand times over, carrying an ultimate tenderness that was impossible to refuse.

Shi Yining froze slightly, looking up at the person standing inches away.

The moment their eyes met, she clearly saw the undisguised affection flowing within Mo’er’s eyes.

Those jade-like hands, currently adjusting the crown’s position, were slightly cool to the touch. When they brushed against her temples and ears, they sent a faint shiver through her.

The air seemed to freeze in that instant. The birdsong and the sound of the wind in the forest quietly receded, leaving only their intertwined breaths and the ethereal fragrance of the seven-colored flowers, mingled with each other’s scent, flowing silently between them.

“Ning’er… do you like it?” Shu Mo asked softly, her fingertips ghosting over the slightly reddened corner of her lover’s eye.

Shi Yining’s heart skipped a beat.

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she raised her hand, and with a flick of spiritual light, she conjured a clear water mirror in the air before her.

The mirror clearly reflected her appearance.

Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders, and the seven-colored crown atop her head added a touch of spirited vitality to her originally elegant features. She looked like a fairy from the highest heavens who had accidentally fallen into the mortal realm—celestial in posture, jade-like in face, and brilliantly radiant.

After a moment, the water mirror dissolved.

Gazing into Shu Mo’s tender, smiling eyes, Shi Yining’s heart was suddenly filled with warmth.

She nodded repeatedly, her voice carrying a hint of playful affection. “Of course I like it. As long as it is a gift from Mo’er, I love it.”

The sunlight filtered through the branches, bathing the two standing together in light and casting two leaning shadows upon the ground…

Half an hour later, the two, walking hand-in-hand, emerged from the ancient forest and approached a cliff.

At that moment, the mountain wind blew fiercely, fluttering their robes. Shi Yining’s gaze was quickly drawn to a peculiar spiritual plant swaying in the wind at the edge of the precipice.

It was jade-like throughout, with translucent stems and leaves, and at its tip grew a fist-sized green fruit emitting dense spiritual energy.

“That’s a Celestial Jade Fruit, and it’s ten thousand years old!” Shi Yining’s eyes brightened with undeniable excitement. “This is extremely rare. it is a sacred item for strengthening the foundation and nourishing the soul. It would be of great benefit to the restoration of your cultivation and foundation, Mo’er!”

As she spoke, she moved forward to harvest it.

The Celestial Jade Fruit grew in a crevice of a protruding rock on the outer edge of the cliff. While it looked within reach, one actually had to step out into the air to pluck it.

“Ning’er, wait!”

Her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Shu Mo blocked her path, looking down at the bottomless, mist-shrouded abyss with undisguised worry. “This cliff is unfathomably deep, and the situation below is unknown. Ning’er, do not go…”

Shi Yining squeezed her hand back, tracing her palm lightly with her fingertips in a soothing gesture. “Don’t worry, Mo’er. My spiritual power is fully restored, and my air-walking technique is proficient. It’s just plucking a single fruit; nothing will happen.”

“No.” Shu Mo’s answer was short and resolute. She didn’t loosen her grip at all, even pulling her back a step further from the edge. “It’s too dangerous. Even the best spiritual fruit isn’t worth a ten-thousandth of your safety. We can look elsewhere.”

In her past life, Ning’er had fallen from a cliff. In this life, how could she stand by and watch her beloved step into danger again?

Shi Yining understood that her concern came from a place of deep fear, feeling both warmed and helpless.

She turned around and gently cupped Shu Mo’s jade-like face with both hands, looking into those eyes that hid unease and lingering fear. Her voice was very soft, filled with comfort. “I know Mo’er is worried about me, but Mo’er should also trust in my strength…”

Her fingertips lightly brushed over Shu Mo’s slightly furrowed brow as she continued, “I won’t do anything I’m not sure of. This Celestial Jade Fruit is vital for you and may never be found again if we miss it… I promise Mo’er, I will be extremely careful. I’ll come back the moment I grab it and won’t linger.”

Shi Yining’s gaze was clear and determined, carrying an unreserved promise.

Shu Mo looked at her, and her tightened heartstrings slowly loosened under that tender gaze and soft words.

Facing such a Ning’er, she truly couldn’t find the heart to refuse… Moreover, she understood that beneath Ning’er’s soft words was a resolve that had already been made and could not be changed.

She took a deep breath and finally slowly released her hand. “Alright… Ning’er, you must promise me: if you find anything wrong, come back immediately. Do not push yourself.”

“I promise, Mo’er.” Shi Yining broke into a bright smile and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Then, she turned, circulated her spiritual power, and lightly tapped her toes, drifting toward the Celestial Jade Fruit on the cliff’s edge.

The mountain wind ruffled her hair, and the seven-colored crown shimmered with spiritual light under the sun.

Her movements were light and agile. Just as her fingertips were about to touch the green fruit, a sudden change occurred!

From the shadow of the rock beside the Celestial Jade Fruit, a black shadow shot out like a bolt of lightning, lunging straight for Shi Yining’s chest.

A barrier of defensive spiritual light instantly flared up. Shi Yining seized the final moment to grab the fruit, twisted her body, and narrowly dodged the shadow, flying away from the cliff’s edge.

The black shadow missed its mark and landed on the ground.

Taking this opportunity, Shi Yining saw its form clearly. It was actually a small, pitch-black fox that looked strangely familiar.

The moment the black shadow appeared, Shu Mo’s blood seemed to freeze instantly. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an icy, giant hand, skipping a beat in terror.

Her body reacted faster than her consciousness. Like an arrow released from a bow, Shu Mo charged forward recklessly, completely forgetting that she was currently devoid of spiritual power and that a ten-thousand-foot abyss lay just steps away.

All her calm and self-restraint collapsed and vanished in the face of the danger potentially threatening her beloved.

Sensing Shu Mo’s movement, Shi Yining flew back instantly, scooped her up into her arms, and soared toward safety.

The moment her feet left the ground and she fell into that familiar embrace, Shu Mo’s heart finally settled. Her slender fingers gripped her lover’s cloud-like sleeves tightly as she made a silent vow: she would never let Ning’er take such risks again.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind came from behind.

The little fox was giving chase.

Had she been facing the danger alone, Shi Yining would have stopped, faced the enemy, and engaged in a duel to settle the matter then and there. But she was not alone; she had to protect Mo’er.

She could sense that the little fox was powerful—at least equal to her own strength. She could not take any risks that might lead to Mo’er being harmed.

In that split second, Shi Yining made a decisive call, sending a spiritual transmission to the two elders requesting assistance.

At that moment, Ruo Ying was harvesting a thousand-year-old Spirit Recovery Flower. Upon receiving the message, she and her sister, Ruo Nian, immediately set off toward the source.

“Sister, Daoist Shi and the other are in danger! To think a high-level demonic beast exists in this realm!”

“We must go faster. Daoist Mo has no spiritual power right now; Ning’er might struggle to hold it off alone. We cannot let anything happen to them!”

The two sisters streaked through the air, employing secret techniques to travel at their maximum speed. After about ten breaths, they caught sight of Shi Yining.

“That is…”

Ruo Ying instantly recognized the little fox’s origin and gritted her teeth. “It’s Hu Ying! How did she break into this realm? Could it be the Demon Lord’s doing, sending her in here?”

As she spoke, she struck. A flash of red light manifested into a sharp blade, slashing toward the pursuing fox.

Faced with the incoming threat, Hu Ying was forced to stop and gather her demonic power to resist. At the same time, she spoke in human tongue.

“Ruo Ying? To think that one day you would actually help a Daoist cultivator against me! Are you not afraid of the Demon Lord’s punishment?”

Her response was an even more powerful attack.

Ruo Ying looked at the black fox with icy eyes. “Since the moment the Demon Lord moved against my sister and me, I ceased to belong to the Demon Realm. I am its enemy! Hu Ying, I advise you to turn back before it’s too late. It is not worth throwing your life away for the Demon Lord!”

The little fox blocked the attack and shouted back, “What right do you have to advise me? You only speak this way because the ritual succeeded and your sister was resurrected. If not for that, you would be more deranged than I am!”

Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, Shi Yining landed gently in a clearing with Mo’er in her arms. Her fingers moved rapidly to form hand seals, and a defensive array was instantly constructed.

Hearing Ruo Ying name the black fox, she realized this was the very demonic cultivator who had abducted her to the Demon Realm in the first place.

She didn’t know how the creature had infiltrated the Taixuan Dao Realm, but she was acutely aware that Hu Ying’s presence meant the Demon Lord might also appear in this world.

Killing Hu Ying would change nothing; the priority was to find out exactly how she had entered.

Thinking this, she immediately transmitted a message to the two elders, suggesting they work together to capture Hu Ying alive.

Responses echoed back into her sea of consciousness.

Shi Yining waved her sleeve and produced a shimmering golden rope. She quickly chanted a mantra, and the rope turned into a streak of light, flying toward the black fox currently locked in combat with the two sisters.

This treasure was called the Spirit-Binding Cord, obtained from the hidden treasury of the Xuanqing Sect. Once bound, the target’s entire power would be imprisoned within their body, rendering them unable to act.

However, the treasure had a significant flaw: it could not perfectly lock onto a target before binding, making it easy to evade. Therefore, she needed the two elders to help pin Hu Ying down.

Ruo Nian and Ruo Ying coordinated perfectly, using a “Heaven and Earth Locking” technique to freeze the black fox’s form for a fleeting second.

Shi Yining seized the moment, controlling the Spirit-Binding Cord to rush forward. In an instant, the little fox was wrapped up like a large zongzi (rice dumpling).

The moment her form was bound, Hu Ying’s demonic power vanished, and she plummeted from the sky.

Shi Yining had no intention of killing her. She cast a spell to conjure a soft cloud to catch her, bringing the fox outside the defensive array.

Unable to struggle, the little fox lay resignedly on the cloud.

Shi Yining stepped out of the defensive array and looked at the black fox, who was hanging its head. Her voice was indifferent. “How did you enter the Taixuan Dao Realm?”

Hu Ying replied listlessly, “You didn’t kill me just so you could squeeze information out of me?”

Shi Yining didn’t deny it. “If you want to put it that way, yes…”

Hu Ying curled her lip. “Then why should I answer? If I talk, I’ll probably lose my life anyway.”

Shi Yining’s gaze remained cold. “You have no choice right now.”

Hu Ying stared at her for a moment, her dark, beady eyes darting around. “If you pick me up and hold me, I might answer if I’m in a good mood. Otherwise, as I am now, I won’t say a word even if I die. You might as well just kill me.”

Hearing this, Shi Yining’s eyebrows knitted slightly.

Hu Ying was bound by the Spirit-Binding Cord; she was certain the fox could not escape. Since that was the case, fulfilling the request seemed harmless.

Just as she crouched down, intending to pick the little fox up into her arms, a clear, cold voice that brooked no argument rang out from beside her.

“Ning’er, wait!”

Shu Mo stepped out of the array and took a step forward, gently but firmly catching Shi Yining’s wrist.

Shi Yining paused, looking up at her beloved in confusion. “Mo’er?”

Shu Mo’s gaze was as cold as frost as it landed on the seemingly harmless little fox. Her tone was certain. “She clearly harbors ill intentions. Ning’er, do not be deceived by her.”

Shi Yining thought she was worried the fox would suddenly attack, so she explained softly, “Master once said that once someone is bound by the Spirit-Binding Cord, they cannot escape unless their strength reaches the peak of this world. Even if she has ulterior motives, it is impossible for her to succeed. She cannot hurt me.”

Shu Mo pursed her lips and did not release her hold. Instead, she pulled Shi Yining slightly behind her, her sharp gaze locking onto the fox. “The ‘ill intentions’ I am referring to aren’t about her escaping or attacking… but rather that she harbors other kinds of feelings for you…”

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