Phoenix

At the same time, on the other side, Yan Jue also fell into the valley.

She sat in a bed of flowers and silently recited a few calming incantations. Her demon core churned wildly in her dantian, and her true energy gradually flowed back into place.

Her body also changed back from a little fox into human form.

Yan Jue looked around in confusion. It was clearly the dead of winter, yet this place was lush with green grass and warm as spring.

Then Yan Jue suddenly noticed something; her pupils shrank.

Across the sea of flowers, Qi Xianqing was looking at her from afar.

An ethereal, lilting song echoed endlessly through the valley.

The melody seemed to hook at her ears, brushing past in little hooks; everything around her looked like a fairyland.

Beside Yan Jue was a girl who looked exactly like her, muttering nonstop into her ear.

“Look at her. She’s over there staring at you. See that? She’s thinking about how to kill you.”

The inner demon covered its mouth and chuckled softly. “Even though the two of you have already confessed your feelings, she still doubts you.”

Yan Jue met Qi Xianqing’s gaze. When Qi Xianqing looked over from the distance, that gaze was colder than she had ever seen before.

To be fair, this was actually one of Qi Xianqing’s more common expressions.

Yan Jue had gone a very long time without being looked at like that by Qi Xianqing. Meeting those dark, unfathomable peach blossom eyes, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

“She wants to kill you.”

“Have you forgotten? Lord Meng Heng hates demons the most. You’re a demon; no matter what you’ve done for her, it won’t dispel her doubts.”

-

Qi Xianqing lifted her head and looked toward the person in the flower thicket.

A voice kept echoing in her ears.

Kill her... kill her...

Beside her, the inner demon had a face of frost and snow, yet the corners of its lips wore a faint smile.

Qi Xianqing tightened her grip on Zhuying in her hand, staring at the person before her.

She stepped lightly over the sea of flowers, walking step by step toward Yan Jue.

When Yan Jue saw that look in Qi Xianqing’s eyes, and saw Zhuying in her hand, she was truly afraid.

Maybe it was because ever since the moment she transmigrated into this book, she had lived in fear; even after so much time had passed, even after she and Qi Xianqing had already confessed their feelings to each other, deep in her heart there was still such fear.

This was her inner demon.

Especially now, when she saw Qi Xianqing standing in front of her, not knowing what she was thinking.

Yan Jue didn’t know whether the person she was seeing now was truly real, or merely a shadow in the illusion Qi Xianqing was trapped in.

Dying in an illusion probably wouldn’t hurt, would it.

...

Qi Xianqing knew this was just a trick of the inner demon.

When people were trapped in illusions, they inevitably saw all kinds of phantoms.

As long as she killed Yan Jue, she would be killing the illusion in front of her, and she could leave this illusion.

In an instant, Qi Xianqing had already reached Yan Jue’s side.

A glacial light flashed in Qi Xianqing’s eyes. She slowly drew Zhuying and said coolly, “Must the person before me die?”

Although she was seeing Yan Jue in the illusion, it was impossibly real, especially those clear amber phoenix eyes, glistening with autumn water as they looked back at her, carrying a trace of grievance and fear.

“Yes,” the inner demon said coldly. “If you don’t kill her, you won’t be able to break your own inner demon.”

“Lord Meng Heng, you weren’t like this before. Hesitation rarely leads to good results,” the inner demon said. “Quickly, kill her!”

Suddenly, a flash of sword light split the air; the blue-gray long sword swept across the sky in a graceful arc, and in an instant blood burst forth.

Yan Jue reflexively closed her eyes, but the pain never came.

The inner demon beside Qi Xianqing widened its eyes and looked at her in disbelief. “You... ”

The inner demon looked exactly like Qi Xianqing.

At that moment, the body beside her suddenly split cleanly in two. It was an extremely bizarre and shocking sight; only someone like Qi Xianqing could hack apart herself without changing her expression.

Yan Jue’s pupils tightened slightly.

Qi Xianqing had not killed her, but had chosen to kill herself.

“Isn’t that simple?” Qi Xianqing slowly sheathed her sword and turned back with indifference. “You’re my inner demon. If I want to get out, of course I kill you.”

In an instant, everything around them began to vanish into nothing. The singing in her ears abruptly stopped; the little inner-demon figure beside Yan Jue also gradually faded into the air with the disappearance of Qi Xianqing’s inner demon.

The swirling mist dispersed as well, leaving only the valley’s true appearance.

It was still springlike, with lush green grass, only now it had lost some of that dreamlike quality.

Thunk—

Yan Jue’s legs went weak, and she dropped to her knees, her heart pounding like a drum.

This was what a truly high-level illusion was like; everything in it was half real and half false. If Qi Xianqing had swung her sword at her just now, she was afraid she would already be dead.

Suddenly, a gentle touch came to her chin.

Yan Jue’s eyes steadied.

Qi Xianqing had been watching Yan Jue’s condition closely. Seeing the girl collapse in dejection, her expression immediately darkened.

Qi Xianqing crouched down and lifted a hand, pinching Yan Jue’s chin to force her to raise her head and look into those clear eyes.

“Junior Sister.” Qi Xianqing had held back for a long time; she had thought of many things in her mind, but in the end she still couldn’t say anything. All she managed was this one sentence: “Don’t be afraid of me.”

After a long silence.

Yan Jue lowered her eyes and said dejectedly, “I’m sorry.”

After all this time, she still feared Qi Xianqing.

Clearly, the two of them were already temporary dao companions, yet she was still afraid of Qi Xianqing; that was obviously a sign she didn’t trust her.

In the quiet valley, Yan Jue knelt on the ground, looking a little downcast. Qi Xianqing looked at her, and her heart suddenly softened. She slowly lowered her hand and took the girl’s cold hand in hers.

“It’s fine.” Qi Xianqing smiled, her voice gentle as if coaxing her. “I just want Junior Sister to know that no matter when it is, don’t be afraid of me.”

She paused. “Before I do anything, I’ll tell you.”

Qi Xianqing’s voice was very soft, slow, and solemn, and it gave Yan Jue an invisible sense of safety.

Only then did Yan Jue slowly lift her eyes and look at hers.

It was hard to imagine that those eyes, which always seemed covered in snow and ice, could look at her with such tenderness now.

Yan Jue’s nose suddenly stung; her eyes also grew slightly wet, and an unprecedented surge of impulse and emotion welled up inside her.

Qi Xianqing suddenly noticed something and was slightly taken aback. “A-Jue, you... are you crying?”

“What’s wrong?”

Yan Jue closed her eyes, braced both hands on the ground, and crawled over.

Qi Xianqing’s brows knitted slightly. She stayed crouched where she was and didn’t move.

Under the sunlight, Yan Jue’s fair face was faintly flushed. Like a little cat, she leaned over to Qi Xianqing’s lips, grabbed a handful of Qi Xianqing’s collar, and Qi Xianqing, caught off guard, was pulled forward a little.

Qi Xianqing looked up in surprise, and Yan Jue kissed her.

This time, the kiss was not the gentle one she usually gave her; it was wild and rough. It was hard to imagine that such a well-behaved little creature could be so aggressive.

Qi Xianqing was forced to tilt her head back and endure it. Her hand on Yan Jue’s arm slowly slid upward, curling around Yan Jue’s neck and rubbing the back of it; a silent indulgence and soothing.

-

The yang energy in Qi Xianqing was never something Yan Jue could grow tired of.

The yang energy contained in saliva was abundant; even after tasting it so many times, Yan Jue still felt dizzy with it. By the end, her whole body was trembling lightly, and a boundless sense of satisfaction surged through her mind. Her right hand pressed against Qi Xianqing’s shoulder, and she couldn’t help making a soft “mm—” sound in her throat.

That sound was sweet and soft, and seemed to strike the person before her.

Qi Xianqing’s eyelid gave a slight twitch. She had never experienced matters of love before, but Yan Jue was pressing down on her, her hands kneading her waist with a force that seemed as though she wanted to pull Qi Xianqing into her own body, longing to melt into one. The way her whole body leaned on her was like a fire had been lit in Qi Xianqing’s heart.

She had never seen her so headlong and reckless before.

This was impossible to say how many times Yan Jue had taken qi from her. And this time Yan Jue took even more yang energy, as if probing something. Qi Xianqing’s breathing became unsteady, and she silently held her without saying anything.

When the two of them parted, Yan Jue closed her eyes and leaned against Qi Xianqing’s chest, her fingertips clutching at her collar.

Yan Jue hesitated. “You really don’t think I’m annoying?”

Qi Xianqing lowered her eyes to look at her, her voice a little hoarse. “Why would I think you’re annoying?”

Yan Jue answered cautiously, “I keep sucking your yang energy.”

Qi Xianqing gently traced Yan Jue’s face with her fingertips and looked away. “Do you want to hear the truth?”

Yan Jue froze.

Qi Xianqing: “I’d be glad if you wanted more.”

Qi Xianqing’s voice was very light, yet it was like a soft hand gently squeezing Yan Jue’s heart, making it ache and soften all at once.

Maybe because whenever Yan Jue took qi from Qi Xianqing, she held the absolute advantage.

So this gave her a great sense of security.

Yan Jue: “I’m sorry.”

Qi Xianqing gently patted her back, while the other hand helped straighten her messy collar. The girl’s skin was snow-white; a blush of peach-pink slowly spread across her face like red lotus blooming in snow.

Yan Jue narrowed her eyes slightly, her cheek unconsciously brushing against Qi Xianqing’s palm.

Qi Xianqing’s voice was low. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Still rubbing against me.”

Yan Jue barely opened her eyes and said irritably, “Is that not allowed?”

Qi Xianqing’s gaze darkened slightly as she looked away.

She worried that if this continued, she might lose control of herself.

After rubbing against her for a while, Yan Jue finally sat up with difficulty, shook her head, and ran a hand through her messy hair.

No matter how the novel dressed it up, fox-demon qi absorption was, at its core,

a very rough thing.

Yan Jue had been completely unaware just now, and her hair was a mess.

If someone said that taking qi would have absolutely no effect on Qi Xianqing, that would also be impossible.

Her yang essence had been drawn away, and Qi Xianqing’s head was a little dazed too. After silently reciting the calming incantation several times, she lifted a hand and gently removed the hair ribbon from Yan Jue’s hair.

Although this more old-fashioned world had somewhat complicated hair ornaments, Yan Jue was still more used to simply using a hair ribbon. The cyan-green ribbon threaded through her jet-black long hair looked neat and fresh.

Qi Xianqing knelt behind Yan Jue and slowly gathered her long hair again, tying it back with the ribbon.

Yan Jue let out a few deep breaths of stale air, and only then did she perk up and stand, looking around. “Where is this?”

Qi Xianqing stood beside her, reaching out to take her hand. “This is a secret realm.”

Even though it had already ended, she was still worried Yan Jue might not be steady on her feet, so she supported her gently.

This place was so strange; although it was the dead of winter, it was warm as spring. Yan Jue had also guessed it was some sort of secret realm.

It was just that secret realms were rare in this world. The only ones currently known to people were the Myriad Phenomena Secret Realm, the Descending Secret Realm, and the Useless Delusion Secret Realm.

What was this one called?

Qi Xianqing propped her chin in thought. “I heard that the phoenix fetus is hidden in a valley at the foot of Luan Terrace, but I didn’t expect it to be in a secret realm like this.”

Qi Xianqing took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped.

Her Divine Sense had always been keen; after resting for so long, she had more or less recovered.

Qi Xianqing’s eyes flashed as she immediately noticed that, in front of a rocky wall not far away, a pair of golden eyes was watching them.

Qi Xianqing was slightly stunned.

It was a very beautiful golden bird, its feathers layered like scales, radiant and dazzling; it seemed that just standing there was enough to reveal its innate nobility.

But at this moment, a faint blood-colored aura emanated from those golden pupils, and a violent emotion churned within them.

Phoenix. The word flashed through both their minds at once.

What shocked the two of them was not seeing a phoenix in this valley, but what was wrapped around it.

This huge divine bird was bound in iron chains, and each chain was covered with extremely intricate inscriptions.

Every time the phoenix moved, faint light would seep out from the inscriptions.

Black qi was continuously seeping from the phoenix’s face.

This was the appearance of being swallowed by an inner demon!