Flirting with the Villain's Mother - Chapter 19

The Pixiang Mirror Dragon Formation was a high-level formation. Though Shen Su had the Mirror Quilt’s memories, her current peak Qi Condensation cultivation level wasn’t enough to navigate the tomb chamber unimpeded while carrying Wei Nanyi.

Shen Su found herself missing the Jade-Eyed Fox. With the fox as a guide, their progress had been noticeably smoother.

She braced her back against the weight, her spine arching slightly.

Wei Nanyi was remarkably light, barely weighing anything even as she clung to Shen Su’s back. As Wei Nanyi’s breathing grew increasingly shallow, Shen Su grew worried about her safety.

She tightened her grip around Wei Nanyi’s legs, lifting her frail body higher. “Madam, are you alright?”

Wei Nanyi’s breaths came in ragged gasps, yet she stubbornly insisted, “Miss Shen, I’m fine.”

If she can worry so much about my safety, why can’t she care more about herself? Shen Su couldn’t help but feel that Shen Yinxue’s upbringing of Wei Nanyi had been flawed. She had taught Wei Nanyi to be too self-sacrificing, causing her to constantly neglect her own well-being.

A Goddess should indeed love all people, but Wei Nanyi was no longer a Goddess.

Though the truth stung, it remained undeniable.

Wei Nanyi’s arm, draped around Shen Su’s neck, left her fingers dangling naturally before Shen Su’s eyes. Shen Su noticed faint white spots flickering across Wei Nanyi’s skin, appearing and disappearing like dancing lights.

No matter how she looked at it, Wei Nanyi didn’t seem to be alright.

Just as Shen Su was about to ask, Wei Nanyi suddenly cried out in alarm, “Miss Shen, retreat immediately!”

“But…” Shen Su hesitated, her gaze fixed on the tunnel ahead.

When they were still unfamiliar with the tomb chamber’s layout, she had followed Wei Nanyi’s instructions without question. But Mirror Quilt’s memories told her that passing through this tunnel would lead them to the exit.

“Retreat!” The urgent, desperate voice rang out again, Wei Nanyi shouting with all her might.

Startled, Shen Su abandoned her hesitation and immediately pulled Wei Nanyi back two steps.

Wei Nanyi, leaning against her back, slowly exhaled a foul breath. “Miss Shen, run in the opposite direction.”

This time, Shen Su only paused for a moment before turning Wei Nanyi around and sprinting away.

Shen Su wasn’t usually one to let her guard down easily. But having read the original novel, she knew the life stories of some of the characters in this world. That’s why she was wary of Jiang Xu, but her feelings toward Wei Nanyi were more complicated.

In the original novel, Wei Nanyi was merely a kind-hearted cannon fodder character. She never committed any evil deeds, yet her death was more tragic than that of the villains. Though her pitiful fate could be felt even through the brief descriptions, witnessing it firsthand was even more harrowing.

Shen Su’s pity for Wei Nanyi stemmed half from the guidance of the Mirror Quilt bloodline and half from the genuine affection that had grown between them.

Wei Nanyi was too good—so good that she wholeheartedly protected a girl she had just met.

Shen Su didn’t consider herself overly sentimental, but she believed in repaying kindness.

Without Wei Nanyi, the Bee Demons would have already succeeded in their soul-swapping plot.

Without Wei Nanyi, Shen Su would never have entered the Pixiang Mirror Dragon Formation, nor would she have gained its power. Therefore, she trusted Wei Nanyi and was willing to do whatever she could to help her.

Between the memories of the Mirror Quilt and her faith in Wei Nanyi, she chose to believe Wei Nanyi.

It was only natural for a novice who had just embarked on the path of cultivation to trust the senior who had guided her onto the Immortal Path. After Shen Su had run a short distance, Wei Nanyi explained, “Miss Shen, the Pixiang Mirror Dragon Formation is primarily used to guard tomb chambers. The Formation recognizes bloodlines; outsiders entering the tomb will disrupt its alignment. The dark patterns on the stone wall of that tunnel are incorrect—that is no longer the path to life.”

The moment Wei Nanyi finished speaking, a section of the tunnel Shen Su had intended to take collapsed with a thunderous roar.

Debris flew everywhere, mixed with long-feathered arrows, their tails wreathed in dark red flames. As the arrows grazed the stone walls, the walls shattered and burst into flames.

Scalding heat surged through the air, slamming into Wei Nanyi’s back.

Wei Nanyi gasped in pain. Shen Su hastily shoved the box into her hands, shifted Wei Nanyi from her back to her arms, and sprinted forward. Her footsteps clattered against the stone floor, her breath growing ragged. Though her body could now condense Qi, offering some resistance to the heat, the arrows were flying farther and farther.

Shen Su ran frantically, Wei Nanyi jostling in her arms. Wei Nanyi’s face paled further, and a trickle of bl00d seeped from the corner of her lips. Xian Zhu Fu.

Shen Su cursed herself for not heeding Wei Nanyi’s warning sooner. If they hadn’t wasted those precious moments, they would already be far from the epicenter of the heat.

Clutching Wei Nanyi tightly, Shen Su pushed herself faster, her movements growing more fluid. The spiritual power she had previously struggled to control now flowed more smoothly, honed by the desperate flight.

Wei Nanyi coughed weakly in her arms, her frail body unable to withstand such violent motion.

Shen Su’s expression was grim. “Madam, just hold on a little longer!”

Just a little further, she thought. She could already see the fork in the tunnel. The heat and arrows were following the main passage; once she led Wei Nanyi into the side tunnel, they would be safe.

Screech! Just as they were about to escape, a piercing sound erupted from the end of the tunnel. With the noise came a pitch-black mantis leg, bristling with sharp spines. The leg scraped violently against the stone wall, carving deep gouges as chunks of rock tumbled down. The demon controlling the leg emerged.

It was the Mantis Demon.

Behind him sprouted grotesque, pitch-black legs, and even half of his face had transformed into a demonic form. Strangely, the other half of his face retained a bee-like appearance. He looked like he had been severely tormented by the array, a jagged crack splitting his face, oozing a thick, amber-colored liquid that looked utterly bizarre.

Seeing Shen Su and Wei Nanyi, he grinned mockingly. “I’ve found you.”

Shen Su had been so focused on fleeing that she hadn’t noticed the Mantis Demon closing in.

Shen Su startled at his terrifying appearance, instinctively shielding Wei Nanyi as she eyed the Mantis Demon warily. Though she had cultivated some power, she had never engaged in combat and was uncertain if she could match this demon’s strength.

Wei Nanyi clutched the box tightly, whispering, “Miss Shen, he devoured the Bee Demon and greatly enhanced his cultivation. Even Xu’er would need time to defeat him.”

Wei Nanyi’s words were clear: if Jiang Xu required time, Shen Su, who had only just begun her cultivation journey, stood no chance.

They were truly caught between a wolf and a tiger.

Shen Su never imagined the Mantis Demon could be so ruthless. One moment he had been addressing the Bee Demon as “sister,” and in the next, he had devoured her, absorbing all her power.

Her frustration grew, and her body began to transform again. The ears that had receded reappeared, fiery red fox ears now conspicuously visible. A glint of greed flashed in the Mantis Demon’s eyes. “Awakened?”

The ancient texts contained no records of the Mirror Quilt. The Mantis Demon and his kind only knew that Shen Su’s ancestor was a demon, but not its specific type. Seeing the fox ears, they simply assumed her ancestor was a fox demon.

Of course, what kind of demon Shen Su was didn’t matter to him. The fact that her body had transformed into a demonic form was undoubtedly a sign of her bloodline awakening.

He didn’t even care why Shen Su had awakened her bloodline so quickly. His gaze soon fell upon the box Wei Nanyi was holding. His eyes burned with fervor as he fixed his gaze on it. “Give me the Jade Marrow!”

Shen Su instinctively shook her head, retreating two steps while clutching Wei Nanyi.

But the scorching breath behind them had already caught up. Shen Su winced at the heat, which pierced through them and struck the Mantis Demon. The exposed mantis legs of the demon were scalded, causing him to shriek in agony. Even the leg he had extended to touch the box recoiled. His eyes blazed crimson. “Give me the Jade Marrow!”

It seemed the Formation truly recognized bloodlines. The Mantis Demon’s reaction was far more intense than Shen Su’s.

Could Wei Nanyi also be…?

Startled, Shen Su quickly looked down at Wei Nanyi in her arms. The white spots on Wei Nanyi’s skin had multiplied, and fine white fur was sprouting from her delicate skin. She gasped for breath, her voice strained. “Miss Shen, put me down.”

Shen Su obediently set Wei Nanyi down, only then realizing that Wei Nanyi’s entire body was contorted, her fur growing longer by the second, on the verge of losing her human form.

Shen Su hurriedly bit her finger and pressed it to Wei Nanyi’s lips. “Madam, bl00d!”

Wei Nanyi didn’t lower her lips. Instead, she took out the jade tiger and thumb ring from the box, grasped Shen Su’s hand, and smeared the bl00d onto the jade marrow and ring. She then pressed them into Shen Su’s arms and gently pushed her back. “Miss Shen, run.”

The Mantis Demon spotted the jade tiger and, enduring excruciating pain, extended his mantis leg again. “Jade marrow! Give me the jade marrow!”

The oppressive heat didn’t abate; even the demon fire-wreathed arrows pursued them relentlessly. Shen Su yanked Wei Nanyi into her arms, shielding her, but the arrows bypassed them entirely, veering around to strike the Mantis Demon at the tunnel entrance.

Golden light erupted from within Shen Su’s embrace, and she felt the oppressive heat rapidly diminish.

Shen Su realized this was the jade marrow’s power. But wasn’t the jade marrow supposed to accelerate the flow of spiritual Qi? How could it also protect her?

“Madam…”

Shen Su’s attempt to call out “Madam” was cut short as Wei Nanyi pushed her again. “Cough, cough… Hurry and go.”

Wei Nanyi seemed to believe she was now a burden to Shen Su, urging her to escape alone.

In truth, Wei Nanyi didn’t need to go this far. She had already saved Shen Su once, repaying the debt of kindness from when she had purchased her. On the contrary, Shen Su now owed Wei Nanyi far more.

Shen Su was not a heartless person. How could she abandon Wei Nanyi in her escape?

“Madam, we’ll go together!”

Shen Su lifted Wei Nanyi into her arms once more, but Wei Nanyi’s expression was pained. “It’s… too late.”

As soon as Wei Nanyi spoke, the living person in Shen Su’s arms transformed.

Shen Su stared at the rabbit in her palm—its crimson eyes, long, upright ears, and fur that should have been soft and white but now bore faint scorch marks. Her gaze trembled slightly, but she calmly placed the delicate Jade Marrow into the rabbit’s mouth and carefully tucked it into her robes. In the process, she inevitably brushed against the rabbit’s long, soft ears.

So soft.