The Villain Fox's Sickly Beauty Master - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: You Don’t Hate It Anymore?

Fu Yi first heard that voice coming from within her about a year ago. By then, she had already broken off the engagement and was devoted to promoting the coexistence of humans and demons in this illusion.

If Jiang Jinheng hadn’t appeared here, Fu Yi would have almost believed this illusion was real. But, just as it had been said to her then, once the real appeared, the fake instantly became dull and uninteresting.

However, Fu Yi was not yet ready to simply leave with Jiang Jinheng. The relationship between the two had been completely torn open by that kiss, and even if they left, the outcome would not be better than staying here.

Although Fu Yi was well aware that her feelings for that person were more of an obsession, a youthful yearning. She also knew that she had proposed a condition that could never be granted. But what did that matter? She never expected it to be fulfilled; she just wanted to gross him out.

Yet, Fu Yi still didn’t understand why, even after she said all that, Jiang Jinheng stubbornly insisted on staying here.

While she couldn’t figure out this matter, since she wasn’t leaving, Fu Yi needed to find things to do. Moreover, the people in this world never defied her wishes.

Fu Yi spent two years maneuvering among the various immortal sects and demon clans, attempting to get the two races to sign a covenant to ensure peaceful coexistence. While doing this, Fu Yi did not disclose her half-demon identity.

What Fu Yi didn’t expect was that the process of this matter was the first time she felt a sense of challenge in this world. Those who usually never said no to her repeatedly offered her suggestions, wanting her to abandon the effort. Many demon tribes also distrusted humans and refused to sign and seal the agreement.

It was then that Fu Yi realized that even though everything was fake, the rift in relations between the two races was born of the Heavenly Dao, and the will of the Heavenly Dao naturally superseded hers.

This unfamiliar term suddenly took root in Fu Yi’s heart, simultaneously reminding her of the person who had disappeared from this world and whom she hadn’t thought of for a very, very long time.

After this, the voice appeared. Unlike the seductive murmur that had previously tempted her to seek revenge, this voice seemed more interested in conversing with her, trying to elicit a response every time it emerged.

Fu Yi initially thought she had developed another inner demon, as inner demons are born from obsession, and she did have some obsession regarding this matter now.

At first, Fu Yi chose to ignore it, until she noticed that the voice didn’t seem to understand her thoughts, until she heard the voice claim to be the Heavenly Dao, until she heard the name Mo Tong mentioned by the voice, and heard about what happened in the previous life…

The frequency of the voice’s appearance became faster and faster, its tone more and more urgent, and the conditions it offered grew grander with each appearance. It promised Fu Yi that after breaking out of the illusion, she could still live a life where no one defied her, just like in the illusion, becoming the sovereign of the world, like Mo Tong who had received its aid in the previous life.

The entity calling itself the “Heavenly Dao” would always disclose some secret information unknown to Fu Yi, just to make her trust its words more. It was from this source that Fu Yi felt as though she was learning about a previous life that was completely different from her memory.

However, Fu Yi hadn’t forgotten the lesson of the inner demon. Her prolonged experience in the illusion had also matured her mind. Assuming that everything this self-proclaimed “Heavenly Dao” said was not fabricated, then its desire to bring her into its alliance must be for some ulterior motive.

And since it had never appeared before, but was now becoming increasingly urgent, Fu Yi realized that before her, it might have tempted others in the same way. She just didn’t know if that person was still Mo Tong in this life.

This speculation sparked some interest in Fu Yi. If it was true, and this entity was currently begging her to bond with it, could it be that Mo Tong outside the illusion was on the verge of ruin? If that were the case, it would truly be a pity that she couldn’t witness it firsthand.

However, another half year passed, and Fu Yi still hadn’t agreed to the “Heavenly Dao’s” proposal. Fu Yi’s reasons were twofold: first, she had no intention of leaving and didn’t need its help to make this world bend to her will; second, she didn’t fully trust its words.

As it said, the person who received its help would be above everything in this world, no one would defy her will, and she could genuinely implement the idea of coexistence between humans and demons. But if everything was as good as it claimed, and if it was truly powerful enough, it should be as unshakeable as the insurmountable chasm between humans and demons, instead of offering various conditions and begging her to accept the so-called “binding.”

So, Fu Yi only believed half of what it said, but even this half required a long time for her to digest. Moreover, every time she heard that strange voice mention Jiang Jinheng, her heart instantly thought of the person whose whereabouts she didn’t know.

Seeing that the soft approach was failing, the “Heavenly Dao” seemed to grow desperate, its tone no longer coaxing but containing a few elements of threat. It was at this time that Fu Yi noticed it seemed to fear something. After repeated occurrences, Fu Yi suddenly realized that what it feared seemed to be her Master (Shizun). When mentioning her, the voice always sounded so angry that it seemed to tremble.

Yet, Fu Yi remembered that when she heard it speak of the previous life not long ago, its tone carried a slight disdain when mentioning everyone.

Where was the difference?

This discovery suddenly aroused Fu Yi’s interest. She began to converse with the “Heavenly Dao,” hoping to probe for more information from it. Seeing that Fu Yi was no longer silent, the “Heavenly Dao” also seemed quite pleased. It never believed anyone could resist the conditions it offered. After all, when it first approached Mo Tong years ago, it only took a quarter of an hour for him to agree.

If it weren’t for the fact that the surging providence of this small world was being drawn towards her and Fu Yi by that annoying woman, it wouldn’t have needed to abandon Mo Tong as a pawn and expend divine power to find Fu Yi in this illusion.

This entity impersonating the Heavenly Dao was one of the former Main Gods. His name was Yin Qiong. After the God-Slaying event a thousand years ago, his divine power was almost annihilated along with the audacious perpetrator. He barely managed to preserve a trace, carrying fragments of his shattered divine mark, and landed in this small world. If it weren’t for this, destroying a small world would be as easy as flipping a hand for him. But now, he could only rely on the native inhabitants of this small world to absorb some providence as nourishment.

He just hadn’t expected that in such a remote place in the Three Thousand Worlds, the fellow from the Time-Space Administration would still find him and track him down. However, he was very familiar with the department he created. Given the current situation, helping Mo Tong reclaim providence was no longer realistic. It was better to use the “cicada shedding its shell” trick while that fellow’s attention was elsewhere, and the most suitable shell was Fu Yi.

Therefore, no matter how much curiosity Fu Yi had, he was willing to explain it to her.

“So, Jiang Jinheng and Fen Tian of the Demon Realm are the same person?” Fu Yi asked, her expression calm and steady, after occasionally hearing the “Heavenly Dao” talk about its past plan to help the Demon Lord seize a body and connecting the dots of events from both the past and present lives.

“You could say that. But initially, my plan was to accelerate the birth of the Demon God to quickly harvest providence, yet I didn’t expect that woman to have her own agenda. But, regardless of whether they are the same person, don’t you want to personally avenge that sword strike? Or, don’t you want her to always obey you?”

When saying this, the voice carried a cold laugh. Fu Yi listened, lowered her eyes, and played with the glazed cup in her hand. No one knew what she was thinking.

However, Yin Qiong, who had been lingering here for half a year, did not have that much patience. Since Fu Yi fell into the Illusion Dream Pool, the outside world had already gone through fifty cycles of seasons. And a month ago, evidence was found that Mo Tong had colluded with the Demon race to massacre his entire clan of over three hundred people. He was already at the end of his rope. Because of this, Yin Qiong spent more time here since going back would only result in endless complaints. He was also getting anxious. If he didn’t untie the binding in advance, the thunder tribulations Mo Tong would endure from the Canglan Immortal Sect’s punishment would inflict the same suffering on him. After cultivating to become a god for so many years, any god would instinctively resist divine thunder.

Yin Qiong didn’t expect that this time, his usual urgency was met with a response from Fu Yi.

“Perhaps, I need to wait another month.”

In another month, her Master (Shizun) should be returning from her journey to the Kingdom of Shu.

Fu Yi counted the days, stopped promoting the two-race agreement, and even revealed her identity to the people within the Immortal Sect. Those people were like puppets. Although they were shocked when they heard it, they remained unmoved, as if awaiting her final decision.

Finally, as if she didn’t want to live, she had “Jiang Jinheng” take her to the Thousand Blades Sword Sect, listened to those people set the time for her to ascend the Demon Slaying Platform, and instructed people to spread the news widely, all just so one person would hear it. Before parting, Fu Yi suddenly felt that the face she never tired of looking at was only wooden, and the person never had her own thoughts, rigid and dull. Apart from the beautiful skin, she was completely different. Fu Yi even began to doubt her past self, wondering why she had thought this utterly flawed world felt real.

But thankfully, everything she did was effective. She waited for the person she wanted to wait for.

The sumptuous clothes and furs didn’t quite match the status of a prisoner, but Fu Yi was used to not mistreating herself. Therefore, when she saw a look of momentary astonishment appear in the worried eyes of the person before her, a rare, faint smile truly emerged in her heart.

She asked the question her Master (Shizun) had once asked, but received an answer that completely retreated, further confirming the speculation in her heart.

The voice inside her heart emerged again, having lost patience, constantly urging her to agree to the promise and bind with it at this very moment.

But Fu Yi ignored it, instead walking towards Jiang Jinheng with a smile in her eyes. There was no longer that conflicted feeling of both resisting and wanting to get closer to her.

After being reborn, Fu Yi had always felt that Jiang Jinheng seemed completely different from the one in her memory, enveloped in an unspeakable mystery. But because of the fleeting similarity to her first impression, she repeatedly couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.

Now, the appearance of the strange voice, her extremely kind Master (Shizun), the astonishing background and the subtle sense of mystery suddenly made her consider another possibility.

Fu Yi suddenly recalled that in her previous life, sometimes when she woke up in the prison after being injured, she would smell a faint herbal fragrance. At the time, she only thought it was a hallucination, even attributing the healing of her wounds to her constitution.

But Fu Yi suddenly felt now that since that entity could give Mo Tong the ability to make people obey him, perhaps the outcome of the previous life was not just a nightmare for her alone, but for everyone.

If so, if she had the chance to be reborn, why couldn’t others?

For example…

Thinking of this, Fu Yi tightly gripped Jiang Jinheng’s sleeve.

The one who hadn’t been possessed, the one she had truly loved.

Jiang Jinheng hadn’t expected to convince Fu Yi so easily, and neither had 007. But since she had relented, they had to take her out now to prevent any future complications.

Unlike the peace in her heart, Fu Yi only heard a very loud commotion from the voice within her.

Seeing that Fu Yi was ignoring his words and instead obediently standing there, closing her eyes under Jiang Jinheng’s instruction, and even chanting a spell with her, Yin Qiong suddenly realized that he seemed to have been tricked by a little girl—this person had no intention of binding with him at all.

But he still asked again and again, refusing to accept it, eventually even hysterically throwing insults at Jiang Jinheng, trying to prove to Fu Yi that without his help, the entire world would be against her.

It was then that Fu Yi suddenly responded to him.

“Perhaps in the previous life, the whole world was against me; but in this life, it is because of her that someone is standing against you.”

Fu Yi had thought very clearly these days. If there were only Mo Tong in the world, he wouldn’t be able to cause much trouble in front of her. But it was because of the existence of this so-called “Heavenly Dao,” which came from an unknown source, that he was able to change his destiny against the heavens. Compared to Mo Tong, she should hate this so-called “Heavenly Dao” more.

“I don’t know if you truly are the sovereign of this world as you claim, but I am certain of one thing.”

Hearing Fu Yi’s words, Yin Qiong’s voice turned chilling.

“Oh?”

“If you are not, yet you claim this identity, deceive people’s hearts, and commit all manner of evil, you should be considered an evil entity and annihilated by heaven and earth; if you are, yet you use this ability to wreak havoc, you should also be executed.”

As she spoke, Fu Yi opened her eyes again and easily saw the surrounding scenery shift, twisting and reforming. It had been a long time since she had seen such a sight, but looking at the person in front of her, Fu Yi only felt a sense of calm.

Since the two sides had already broken ties, there was naturally no need for Yin Qiong to stay any longer; it would only be a waste of divine power. However, before leaving, he didn’t forget to let out a cold laugh.

“You will surely regret speaking such arrogant words today.”

As soon as the words fell, Fu Yi felt the suppression in her heart instantly lessen. Before she could savor the feeling of lightness, her body was as if lifted and placed onto the ground. The scene before her was no different from what she had seen many years ago: a clear pool, swaying flowers and grass, and fragrant, sweet air.

The two seemed to have emerged from the pool, yet surprisingly, not a drop of the pool water stained them. After they both stood steadily, a five-colored stone flew out of the pool. Jiang Jinheng raised her hand, and the five-colored stone landed perfectly in her palm.

Fu Yi watched this scene quietly. After a while, when Jiang Jinheng handed the object over, she belatedly realized that this was probably the Nine Heavens Profound Iron she had mentioned before.

“Keep it. I will find a good sword blank for you later and forge your destined sword.”

Hearing this, Fu Yi instinctively moved her fingers but shook her head. “Since it is such a treasure, keeping it on me will only increase the risk. Master (Shizun) should keep it.”

This was not wrong. Jiang Jinheng paused in her action and thought for a moment before putting the Nine Heavens Profound Iron into her storage ring. “Alright, I will hold onto it for you first.”

She still needed to find a good sword blank anyway. It wouldn’t be too late to give it to her after the spiritual sword was forged.

Jiang Jinheng secretly planned in her heart, but when she looked up, she saw Fu Yi looking confused, her brows slightly furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

Perhaps because she had experienced so much illusion, now that she was sober, those real memories in Fu Yi’s mind became even more vivid. She looked up at Jiang Jinheng, her gaze hesitant as she spoke.

“Chongxiao is gone.”

Fu Yi still remembered that before coming here, her Master (Shizun) seemed to have given Chongxiao to her, but now, she couldn’t find it.

Hearing this, Jiang Jinheng was also stunned. She then raised her hand, and a spiritual sword with visible cracks on its body and no longer possessing its ice-blue divine light lay on the ground.

“What happened to it?”

Seeing this “miserable state,” Fu Yi’s brows furrowed even deeper. She couldn’t help but squat down, then looked at Jiang Jinheng with a worried expression. Damage to a destined sword also causes great harm to the sword master, let alone damage to this extent, making it seem like it would shatter if touched.

Since Fu Yi mentioned Chongxiao, Jiang Jinheng was a bit surprised, as Fu Yi had been very resistant to this sword before. Later, when she realized Fu Yi had the memories of her past life, she understood the reason for her resistance. But now, Fu Yi was actively asking about it.

Chongxiao was her destined sword that had been with her for a hundred years. Although the sword spirit was a little mischievous, it never disobeyed her. It was a lie to say she wasn’t heartbroken that it was destroyed to this extent. But as Jiang Jinheng looked at it, her eyes contained more relief.

“It only wanted to complete the task I assigned it. You don’t need to blame yourself. After we return to the sect, I will properly nurture it with spiritual power and spiritual treasures. It will be restored as good as new within a hundred years.”

The Illusion Dream Pool was an entity independent of heaven and earth, and although Chongxiao was a high-grade Divine Sword of Heavenly Rank, to forcibly break the illusion, it had to constantly consume its non-renewable sword power. Fortunately, it wasn’t directly destroyed. Jiang Jinheng checked it, finding only the sword body damaged and the sword spirit dormant. It hadn’t reached the worst state yet.

Jiang Jinheng’s words stunned Fu Yi. She suddenly remembered that if it hadn’t been for Chongxiao, she might have been trapped and died in the first two layers of the illusion.

Thinking this, Fu Yi pondered for a moment and then suddenly said solemnly:

“Chongxiao’s damage is so severe. It is the fault of this disciple. The task of nurturing the sword with spiritual energy should also be entrusted to this disciple. Please… Master (Shizun), entrust Chongxiao to my care.”

For some reason, after experiencing those events in the illusion, now that she was awake, Fu Yi suddenly felt the term “Master (Shizun)” was very awkward, but the word was already at the tip of her tongue, and after thinking for a long time, she could only address her this way.

Unaware of Fu Yi’s awkwardness, Jiang Jinheng was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t hate it anymore?”

This made Fu Yi’s body tremble. Shock flashed in her eyes, but she finally replaced it with a look of calm.

“Since I am willing to leave the illusion with Master (Shizun), naturally, I no longer hate it.”

In this short time, Fu Yi had actually thought a lot. Since she believed her Master (Shizun) was also reborn, and since her Master (Shizun) had the power to make the so-called “Heavenly Dao” fear her, then whether her Master (Shizun) had other mysterious forces assisting her or not, it was only a matter of time before she learned her secret. There was no need to hide it too much.

“Although that sword strike hurt a lot, I think you were also hurting a lot at the time.”

The pain of the spirit and flesh being stripped away was something no ordinary person could bear.

These words made Jiang Jinheng’s gaze falter, and her look towards Fu Yi became inquisitive. Did she know something?

Not receiving a refusal, Fu Yi raised her hand and put Chongxiao into her storage ring. However, when she turned around and saw her reflection through the rippling pool water, she was momentarily stunned.

She lowered her body and looked at herself in the water mirror, her fingertips involuntarily tapping her cheek. This was clearly… exactly the same as in the illusion.

Seeing her childlike action, Jiang Jinheng couldn’t help but curve her lips.

“The Illusion Dream Pool is independent of heaven and earth and has its own unique time calculation rules. While we were in the illusion, over fifty years have passed in the outside world. However, I entered the dream later, so I don’t know how many years you spent there first, nor do I know how old you are now.”

Jiang Jinheng’s explanation was simple. She didn’t mention that the three layers of the illusion each had their own time calculation rules. But looking at Fu Yi’s current appearance, she felt that the young face had matured significantly.

Listening to Jiang Jinheng say this, Fu Yi turned her head, swallowed, and closed her eyes to speak the words of temptation.

“Calculated by the demon race’s age, I have only just reached adulthood.”

It was precisely because of this that she received the complete clan inheritance in the illusion, got engaged, and got married, and also learned the various uses and corresponding spells for the jade pendant hanging around her neck.

But at this moment, Fu Yi only said this to test Jiang Jinheng. If Jiang Jinheng avoided the demon race, she now had the ability to protect herself and hide from her to go elsewhere.

Meeting those wary eyes, Jiang Jinheng couldn’t help but smile. “Do you know the clan inheritance?”

There was no disgust in those eyes, nor was there the common killing intent. There was only a faint calm, as if she had known about this all along. Seeing this, Fu Yi’s throat twitched, and her tear ducts couldn’t help but feel a little sore.

“I’ve learned it all.”

“That’s good then.”

Fu Yi didn’t ask Jiang Jinheng whether she knew her identity or if she was familiar with her other mother, because these things no longer mattered. What mattered was that she had always treated herself sincerely, and she herself had previously wanted to kill her and let those demonic beasts devour her.

The consequence of a heart full of hatred was that her eyes and mind were obscured, and she could no longer think carefully.

She felt lucky in her heart, but a pale, delicate hand appeared before her eyes. “Get up. I’ll take you back to the sect.”

Fu Yi didn’t know how her Master (Shizun) took her out of the secret realm. After all, as far as she knew, the secret realm required the joint effort of the elders of various sects to open and close. Yet, her Master (Shizun) merely chanted a spell, and the two of them were already standing at the foot of the sect’s main mountain.

Just as her Master (Shizun) said, over fifty years had passed in the outside world since they entered the illusion. In fifty years, the world had changed, and most of the people in the sect were new faces. Along the way, they passed many disciples of the sect. They didn’t seem to recognize Fu Yi, but they all greeted Jiang Jinheng respectfully.

Fu Yi didn’t think much of it, only thinking that her Master (Shizun) was famous and known by everyone, and it was normal that no one recognized her since she had been away from the sect for over fifty years and her appearance was also very different.

However, she didn’t expect that only after entering the main hall of the Xuanyun Palace and seeing the person sitting on the main seat did she realize why those new disciples all knew her Master (Shizun)’s identity.

“This…”

The person on the main seat looked exactly like her Master (Shizun). Seeing them arrive, she actually smiled and stood up to walk towards them. Fu Yi looked at the person approaching, then at the person beside her, finally coming up with a thought, believing that her Master (Shizun) had used a clone technique because she didn’t want to neglect the sect’s affairs.

However, this clone was a bit too lifelike, and the gaze directed at her even contained a subtle scrutiny. Fu Yi felt a little uncomfortable being stared at and moved a few steps to hide behind Jiang Jinheng. As she moved, Fu Yi felt her wrist being gently squeezed. She turned her gaze and saw that her Master (Shizun) had not turned her head but seemed to be reassuring her.

Soon, she heard the approaching person speak.

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Lu Zhi. Also, although you are back, some matters have not yet been settled, so I will have to borrow this body for a little while longer.”

After she finished speaking, Fu Yi heard her Master (Shizun) seem to softly “Mhm,” but when she turned her head again, she saw the person who looked exactly like her Master (Shizun) and called herself “Lu Zhi” leaning close to her.

“But I have to warn you, I seem to smell Yin Qiong’s scent on your disciple.”