When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 54

Shi Yining hesitated for a moment. She raised her fair hand, her fingertips glowing with a faint spiritual light as she traced a hand seal in the air, gently tapping the Spirit-Binding Rope wound around Hu Ying.

In the next instant, the restraints surrounding the little fox visibly loosened.

Though not entirely undone, it was enough to grant the captive basic mobility.

Hu Ying felt the change almost immediately. With a gentle twist of her body, her large, fluffy, and glossy tail was the first to break free.

Her dark, beady eyes darted around mischievously. Instead of taking the chance to flee or attack, she used all four limbs to leap light as a feather, landing with unerring precision right into the arms of the ethereal, jade-like woman.

Shi Yining was caught off guard as the furry, warm bundle crashed into her embrace.

The little fox even rubbed her head affectionately against her chest, her voice so soft and sweet it practically dripped with honey. “Thank you, Ning’er~ Ning’er treats me the best~”

This sudden intimacy and coquetry caused Shi Yining’s body to stiffen.

The sensation in her arms was warm and soft; any ordinary woman might have had her heart melted by such a cuddly creature.

Shi Yining, however, knit her willow-leaf brows slightly. Her eyes held not a trace of warmth from being “charmed” by the cuteness; instead, a clear flash of displeasure and detachment flickered through them.

She slowly reached out, precisely pinching the soft scruff of the little fox’s neck. With a slight exert of force, she lifted the ball of fur that was trying to cling to her and placed it steadily onto a flat stone surface a short distance away.

Her movements were crisp and decisive, without a hint of lingering affection.

When she spoke, her voice remained calm—even more indifferent than before. “I loosened the restraints, but not for you to act willfully like this or use it as an opportunity to get close.”

She paused, her words carrying a hint of warning. “If you cannot quiet down and speak properly, then… I don’t mind letting you stay bound.”

“Ning’er~” After being set aside, the little fox seemed aggrieved. She tilted her small head back, her dark eyes instantly misting over with a layer of tears. Her fluffy tail drooped as she tried once more to use her soft voice and pitiful appearance to soften the other’s heart.

However, Shi Yining remained entirely unmoved. Her expression grew even colder.

She glanced at the little fox with a detached gaze, as if she could see through every petty scheme.

“Acting spoiled won’t work on me. I won’t soften my heart because of it.”

She spoke bluntly, as if intending to completely sever the little fox’s unrealistic fantasies. Her words were clear and firm.

“I already have someone I love. My heart belongs to another. Those thoughts of yours… it’s best you put them away sooner rather than later.”

Hearing this cold rejection, the little fox’s raised head seemed to be pressed down by an invisible weight, slowly and completely drooping.

Her fluffy tail fell lifelessly onto the stone. In her dark eyes, the intentionally feigned tears faded, replaced by a genuine mix of frustration, confusion, and even a hidden sense of grievance.

The entire fox suddenly looked drained of energy.

Long ago, when she was young, she used to hide in corners listening to the elders of her clan teach with lazy, boastful tones: As long as we of the Fox Clan wish it, and use our natural charms, there is no one in this world we cannot ensnare…

But now, facing this cold and indifferent woman who was like a snow lotus on a high mountain, the “truths” her elders had so confidently proclaimed seemed… to have utterly failed.

Ning’er… was an exception.

An exception that made all her meticulous disguises, deliberate advances, and sweet-talking act appear hollow and powerless.

She truly didn’t understand—what was so good about that Shu Mo?

Cold as ice, wearing a stern face all day as if everyone owed her spirit stones. Aside from her high cultivation and her appearance… well, granted, she was top-tier… but what was the fun in that “untouchable by the mortal world” attitude? How could she compare to her own lively, clever self who knew how to please people?

Hu Ying fell into an unprecedented state of confusion and self-doubt.

Shi Yining took in the little fox’s dejection, but her heart remained untroubled.

From a standpoint of factions, Hu Ying was her enemy.

She stopped paying attention to the little fox’s complex emotions and pulled the conversation back to the main point, her voice still flat and unreadable.

“You haven’t answered yet. How exactly did the Demon Lord send you into this Taixuan Dao Realm?”

Hearing this, Hu Ying lay listlessly on the rock, muttering weakly, “I… I’m not exactly sure what happened. The Demon Lord just performed a secret technique. Before I could even react, I was in this world…”

Shi Yining narrowed her eyes at her. “Just that? That is quite different from your previous claim of knowing the ‘truth’.”

Hu Ying’s head remained low. “Before I came, the Demon Lord suddenly summoned me and gave me a task… She said she would use a secret technique to send me to the same space as you, Ning’er, and then… told me to find a way to separate you and Shu Mo…”

Shi Yining’s gaze froze. “Why would she do that?”

Why would the Demon Lord interfere in the matters between her and Mo’er? Even to the point of exhausting energy to send this little fox in…

Hu Ying looked up at her, her voice full of bewilderment. “I was bold enough to ask the Demon Lord back then… and she actually answered… but I couldn’t understand a word she said…”

Shi Yining pressed, “What exactly did she say? Repeat it.”

Hu Ying tilted her head, recollecting carefully. She spoke in fragments: “She said… the time-reversal immortal art Shu Mo used in her past life wasn’t actually the first time it had been used… She also said something about… you two having experienced three lifetimes of fate? And… she said if she failed, she would dissipate into the world… but if she succeeded, she would slowly replace the Heavenly Dao of the Canglan Realm? She said she would completely control a whole realm…”

As Hu Ying finished speaking with a face full of confusion, the words struck Shi Yining’s ears like a crashing wave, sending her internal thoughts into a storm.

Mo’er had said that the Demon Lord was a manifestation of a sliver of malice produced by the Canglan Realm’s Heavenly Dao, influenced by the Mirror of Nine Serenity Reincarnation. She never imagined the other party intended to replace the Heavenly Dao itself.

In a sense, the Demon Lord was originally part of the Heavenly Dao. For her to do this was—in cultivator terms—a clone attempting to devour the original body…

They say the Heavenly Dao is sentient; does the Heavenly Dao of the Canglan Realm know about this?

Also… why did the Demon Lord want to separate her and Mo’er? Was it because their being together would interfere with the plan, or was there another reason?

Various doubts surfaced in her heart. Just as Shi Yining’s thoughts were in a chaotic tangle, making it difficult to maintain her outward composure, the sound of extremely light footsteps approached from outside the cave.

She instinctively looked toward the cave entrance.

The hanging vines were gently pushed aside from the outside, and a tall figure in black silhouette against the daylight slowly stepped inside.

It was Mo’er.

The moment their eyes met, time seemed to stand still.

Shi Yining clearly saw the thick, inseparable swirl of guilt and anxiety within those eyes that were usually filled only with tenderness.

Shu Mo’er’s lips were somewhat pale. She seemed to want to say something, but a thousand words were choked in her throat.

One was full of guilt and didn’t know how to speak; the other had thoughts like a tangled mess. For a moment, neither made a sound.

Outside the cave, Ruo Ying and Ruo Nian were hidden in the nearby treetops, watching the scene inside clearly. A spark of irritation flared up within them.

“This is maddening! If there’s something to say, say it! If there’s a misunderstanding, clear it! What’s the point of just staring at each other!” Ruo Ying cursed inwardly. She detested these lingering, mutually agonizing scenes the most.

With a flick of her mind, she raised her hand and delivered a gentle, invisible shove toward the black-clad figure at the cave entrance!

In that instant, a soft yet irresistible force, like an invisible wave, surged into Shu Mo’er’s back.

Ruo Ying’s original intention was merely to break the suffocating silence. She wanted to give Shu Mo’er a little nudge, forcing her to step forward and shatter the deadlock. However, in her momentary impatience, she forgot that Shu Mo’er’s spiritual power was currently depleted, making her no different from a common mortal.

Caught completely off guard, Shu Mo’er felt a powerful force strike her back. With no way to resist, she stumbled forward uncontrollably for several steps. Her center of gravity gone, she was on the verge of crashing violently against the cold, hard ground…

“Mo’er!”

An anxious cry reached her ears. In that split second, action surpassed thought. Seeing her beloved about to fall, Shi Yining acted on pure physical instinct. Spiritual power erupted from her feet, and she lunged forward like an arrow released from a bow, turning into a blurred afterimage. Just moments before Shu Mo’er hit the ground, Shi Yining caught her steadily and pulled her into a firm embrace.

She held her extremely tight, her hands trembling slightly from the lingering fear.

She lowered her head, looking at the still-pale face of the person in her arms.

Their eyes met once more.

This time, they were inches apart, close enough to hear each other’s breathing.

All the silence, the estrangement, and every unspoken word or explanation seemed to gradually dissolve within this instinctive, warm embrace.

Inhaling the scent that always brought her peace, Shi Yining spoke in a low voice, her tone carrying a trace of undetectable choking and regret.

“Mo’er… I apologize for what happened earlier… I know you must have your reasons. I shouldn’t have been so willful, losing my composure and running here alone the moment I heard Hu Ying’s words…”

She could only imagine how difficult the journey must have been for Mo’er to find her in her current state.

Being held so tenderly and hearing those earnest words of apology, a mixture of bitterness and warmth surged into Shu Mo’er’s heart.

She gently raised her hand, covering the fair fingers that still lingered on her cheek. When she spoke, her voice was raspier than usual.

“Ning’er, there is no need to apologize. The one who should say sorry is me… I failed to take the initiative to tell you everything that happened afterward…”

They leaned into each other, foreheads touching gently. The original misunderstandings and barriers completely melted away amidst their honest words and intimate touch.

Hu Ying, who had been placed on the nearby stone platform by Shi Yining, sat crouched quietly, taking in the entire scene.

Seeing the thick, inseparable bond flowing between the two as they embraced, the final trace of Hu Ying’s resentment gradually dissipated.

She knew she no longer had any chance.

Ning’er’s heart had long been occupied by that person in a way she could neither understand nor hope to reach… No matter how much she acted cute or spoiled, she couldn’t shake that foundation in the slightest.

Realizing this, Hu Ying felt a sense of loss, but more than that, a sense of relief.

The lifespans of the Demon Race are long, and in all her years since childhood, this was the first time she had witnessed true love.

Suddenly, she found herself hoping—hoping that Ning’er and Shu Mo’er could walk hand-in-hand toward the path of immortality that all living beings yearn for. But with the Demon Lord standing in their way, could they… truly succeed?

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