Lilith saw a glimmer of hope. If Shayia could land a strike on Ling Xiaoxiao, the sword’s icy aura would suppress the Vermilion Flame, allowing Lilith to return to Xue Ji’s body.
“With the two of us working together, we’ll definitely take down Ling Xiaoxiao this time!”
To ensure the success of their ambush, Lilith even considered pretending not to notice Shayia’s approach.
As Shayia drew closer, Lilith—a being without a physical form—felt something akin to a heartbeat. If she had one, it would’ve been pounding out of her chest.
‘Just a few more steps… Come on, Shayia!’ Lilith cheered inwardly. At this moment, Shayia wasn’t fighting alone.
Shayia caught Lilith’s eager gaze and returned it with a firm nod.
Who would’ve thought that the two of them, who had clashed so fiercely upon first meeting, would now understand each other with just a look?
‘Is this what they mean by “no discord, no concord”? What a perfect way to describe it.’ Lilith mused, recalling knowledge she had copied from Xue Ji.
Shayia raised her massive sword—taller than herself—high above her head, poised to deliver a devastating blow to Ling Xiaoxiao.
Lilith could barely contain her excitement, her pupils trembling with anticipation.
‘Yes! Just like that!’
“Haaah!”
With a fierce cry, Shayia swung her sword down. The blade’s condensed frigid aura magnified its power, making the strike even more overwhelming, as if its sheer force could tear through the ceiling itself.
“Take this!” Her voice, usually soft and childlike, now carried unmistakable fury.
The actions of this madwoman disgusted Shayia, the Wolf King. If she had a grudge against Xue Ji, why not confront her directly instead of lying in wait like a coward?
Today, Shayia would put an end to this lunatic once and for all.
“Fall already!” Shayia declared triumphantly.
But could she really do it?
Memories flashed through her mind—her exhilaration after defeating challengers, the thrill of standing up against oppression, and the day she first met Xue Ji.
Ling Xiaoxiao frowned as she sensed the earth-shattering slash descending upon her.
……
Years later, Shayia—now a ruler in her own right—would still remember this day with crystal clarity.
Her young wolf descendants listened with bated breath as she recounted the tale.
“Elder, what happened next?”
“Did that sword strike actually wound the great Xiaoxiao?”
“Was this the turning point in your path of cultivation?”
“You must have overcome that crisis! Our elder is peerless!”
Hearing their eager questions, Shayia’s lips curled into a faint smile. Without answering, she turned and walked away, her figure gradually disappearing into the sunset along with the fading light.
This sunset-ending tale left the Cloud Wolf Clan’s descendants endlessly speculating about what truly happened that day.
……
“Hah. And here I thought you had some impressive trick up your sleeve.”
Ling Xiaoxiao’s tone dripped with disappointment.
With just two fingers, she effortlessly dispersed the sword’s icy aura and caught the blade mid-air, as if plucking a leaf from the wind.
Tossing the sword aside carelessly, she looked down at the tiny, wolf-eared girl before her, her gaze unsettlingly calm.
Shayia stared up at the towering figure of Ling Xiaoxiao and, for the first time in her life, felt true fear. The calmer her opponent seemed, the more terrifying she became—like the eerie stillness before a storm.
Her final moments had come.
“Um… can we talk this out?”
Overwhelmed by Ling Xiaoxiao’s oppressive aura, Shayia dropped to her knees, collapsing into a helpless “duck sit.”
Ling Xiaoxiao burst out laughing at the sight. “Oh, you little fox spirit. You really are something.”
……
Ten minutes later, inside Xue Ji’s bedroom.
When Xue Ji finally regained consciousness and opened her eyes, she saw Ling Xiaoxiao sitting leisurely in a chair—and Lilith and Shayia face-down on the floor, their rear ends raised in humiliation.
“Stop! No more! Waaah—!” Lilith wailed, her cries heart-wrenching and dramatic.
Beside her, Shayia, equally battered, had resorted to biting her own tail to avoid breaking down like Lilith.
Xue Ji took one look at the scene, closed her eyes again, and decided to continue playing dead.
No one could have predicted this. No one.
The mighty Shayia, upon whom Lilith had pinned all her hopes, had fallen to Ling Xiaoxiao in just 2.5 seconds.
Lilith, tears streaming down her face, gritted her teeth. “I lasted two and a half minutes! How did you only manage two and a half seconds?!”
Shayia, even more aggrieved, released her tail to retort. “What kind of combat power do I have compared to you?! Hic… Xiaoxiao-jie is on a whole other level! You expect me to fight her? I don’t have that kind of ability, okay?!”
To get those words out, Shayia had endured Ling Xiaoxiao’s bamboo paddle striking her backside without flinching.
But when she reached for her tail again, she found it just out of reach. The moment she let go, it had slipped away from her tiny hands.
And just like that, she broke down too, joining Lilith in a chorus of earth-shaking sobs.
Perhaps Ling Xiaoxiao’s arm grew tired, or perhaps their crying simply annoyed her—but she finally stopped the paddling.
Yet, under her lingering threat, Shayia and Lilith remained frozen in their humiliating positions, rear ends still raised.
The room fell silent, save for the two unlucky girls’ stifled sniffles—and the sound of approaching footsteps.
Ling Xiaoxiao walked to the bedside, gazing down at Xue Ji, who was pretending to sleep.
The person she had longed for over a thousand years now lay defenseless before her. A primal urge surged in Ling Xiaoxiao’s heart.
The ropes binding Xue Ji loosened, and a pair of hands began gently caressing her body.
Emotions could be conveyed through touch, and Xue Ji—already highly perceptive—could sense the hesitation in those hands. Their owner wanted to draw closer but didn’t dare cross the line.
‘After everything we’ve already done, now you’re hesitating? What a weirdo.’
Ling Xiaoxiao paused, then leaned down, burying her face in Xue Ji’s chest. Xue Ji remained motionless.
For the first time, Ling Xiaoxiao felt an unfamiliar sense of peace. No need for pretense, no need for masks.
In that moment, Xue Ji could feel it—the vast, distorted, abyss-like obsession within Ling Xiaoxiao. It couldn’t be described as mere love or hatred. It was as if the emotions of thousands had merged into one chaotic, incomprehensible mass.
‘So chaotic… A long-lived being who actively preserves their emotions? Unheard of.’
Even this brief exposure to Ling Xiaoxiao’s emotions disrupted Xue Ji’s heartbeat—something Ling Xiaoxiao immediately noticed.
“Shifu, even now you’re still pretending to sleep? How cunning.”
Her right hand trailed upward from Xue Ji’s abdomen, her fingers walking teasingly, like a tickle just out of reach.
Then, without hesitation, she grasped the softness over Xue Ji’s heart, kneading it gently. The erratic pulse beneath her fingertips delighted her.
“If you refuse to wake up… does that mean I can do anything I want?”
‘What is she planning?’
“Oh, I’m definitely planning something.”
As if reading Xue Ji’s mind, Ling Xiaoxiao smirked.
‘……???’