The Villain Fox's Sickly Beauty Master - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Did She… Return to the Time Before She Became a Disciple?

Jiang Jinheng’s words brought a sudden realization to 007. She was right. Given Mo Tong’s current status, just getting into the Canglan Immortal Sect was already a good deal for him. If he were truly given the position of Shuiyun Peak’s head disciple, as designed by the Heavenly Dao, with the accompanying resource allocation, it would indeed grant him a significant opportunity. However—

“But then, won’t it be difficult to know his every move? When I followed missions before, the Taskers usually tried their best to get close to the key figure.”

007’s concern was valid, but Jiang Jinheng had already considered this point.

“That’s not important. Our top priority now is to snatch any opportunities he might have received. Even if we can’t keep Mo Tong close to monitor him constantly, simply knowing where and when those opportunities arise is enough to achieve our goal.”

After saying that, Jiang Jinheng immediately added: “Besides, don’t I have you? From what I can tell, your abilities seem quite significant. If there’s any movement on his side, you can definitely remind me, can’t you, Xiao Qi?”

For some reason, even though Jiang Jinheng was clearly complimenting it, 007 felt something was off. It repeatedly scanned the sentence three times with its programmed brain but still couldn’t pinpoint the source of the anomaly. But as it was a benevolent system sent by the Administration to help Taskers complete missions, and since Jiang Jinheng had a request and was asking for its opinion so gently, it was determined to do a good job.

“Alright, you can leave it to me. I’ll help you keep an eye on him.”

Seeing 007 agree so readily, Jiang Jinheng felt a little embarrassed. Just then, Fu Yi, nestled in her arms, stirred.

“Hey, she’s waking up!”

Jiang Jinheng naturally noticed. She watched the girl slowly regain consciousness and look around blankly. The moment her head turned back and their eyes met, Jiang Jinheng actually saw towering hatred in those pupils.

Noticing this, Jiang Jinheng’s expression froze, and a great surge of doubt filled her heart. But in an instant, the emotion in Fu Yi’s eyes vanished. The girl, half-lying in her arms, asked crisply, “What happened just now?”

Her reaction was what one would expect. Jiang Jinheng slowly began to tell her what happened while she was unconscious, emphatically mentioning the other stream of spiritual energy that she had sealed.

“Your body cannot handle such a powerful force right now. When you form your Golden Core later, I will remove the seal and help you refine it.”

Jiang Jinheng did not ask Fu Yi if she knew where this power came from or when it entered her body. After all, everyone has secrets that others shouldn’t know. Perhaps it was related to her half-demon bloodline, or something else. More than this, Jiang Jinheng was concerned about the brief flash of hatred in Fu Yi’s eyes. She conveyed her confusion to 007, but 007 only said she must have seen it incorrectly.

Maybe I really did see it wrong…

Thinking this, Jiang Jinheng checked Fu Yi’s pulse again. There were no anomalies. She then helped her sit up and, after making sure she was stable, said, “The assembly bell has just rung. The Master Selection Assembly will begin once all applicants have completed the spiritual root test. If you are fine, you should go now. I have matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first.”

With that, Jiang Jinheng vanished.

Fu Yi stared at the spot where the person disappeared for a long time, then her gaze swept around again in disbelief. The earlier silence and composure were all an act, done only out of fear that the person would notice.

Spiritual root testing. Master Selection Assembly.

Did she… return to the time before she became a disciple?

Suddenly, Fu Yi clutched her chest. Through two layers of clothing, she felt the long-lost beat of her heart, instead of that vast, unhealable bl00d-filled hollow. Her breathing gradually deepened, her eyes were intensely red, filled with bloodshot veins, and finally, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

After a few laughs, Fu Yi stopped.

She suddenly felt something hanging around her neck. Realizing what it was, she quickly tore it off, threw it to the ground, and it shattered into pieces.

It was the jade whistle Jiang Jinheng had given her when she was ten, which she had worn around her chest all these years.

But whenever she thought of this woman, she felt a pain that gnawed at her bones and pierced her heart. It was this person, whom she had called “Master” for decades, who plunged a sword into her heart the day she learned her true identity.

The vitality of the demon race was the most tenacious. She could have her heart or liver dug out and still not perish.

She was chained with demon-locking restraints, confined to the deepest water prison of Shuiyun Peak. Her tail, her bones, her essence bl00d, and even that shattered demon heart—everything except her demon core and her skin—were taken to be used for artifacts or elixirs. When she was truly at her last breath, she saw the culprit who had reduced her to this state in that hellish place.

Fu Yi still clearly remembered the smugness in Mo Tong’s words at that time. She had been locked in this sunless place day after day, while he had soared in cultivation, becoming the sect’s youngest Integration Stage cultivator. That day, he had just removed three of her ribs, and not long after, he returned, saying he was here to see her off.

The floor of the water prison that held her was black-red and slick from her bl00d. The man stepped in with obvious disgust, only to curse her for being ungrateful.

“If you had just followed me back then, how could you have suffered this much?”

Even without cultivation and missing bones, Fu Yi still managed to rattle the chains against the ground with a loud clanking noise.

Seemingly sensing her rage, Mo Tong laughed manically and reached for her Dantian: “Did you think that telling Jiang Jinheng would make her help you? Let me tell you, the whole world is on my side, including your beloved Master. How much of your current misery do you think is connected to her?”

Fu Yi didn’t have the presence of mind to ponder why his expression was filled with hatred when he mentioned that name she hadn’t heard in a long time. She was simply drowned in despair and endless pain. After a long time, she finally found the strength to speak, though she only managed to say:

“Kill me.”

“No need for you to say it.” The man’s smile was crazed. He reached into her Dantian: “After all, you still have to help me one last time.”

The moment the demon core left her body, Fu Yi lost all clear consciousness. Vaguely, a flash of cyan appeared in her mind. If she still had the strength, she would surely have smiled bitterly. Even in this state, she couldn’t forget the only woman who had given her warmth.

Her breathing slowly faded, and her thoughts became increasingly chaotic. Fu Yi gradually forgot who she was and what she had experienced. It was like a long, painful dream. Her body was burning hot, yet she couldn’t wake up.

After an unknown period, a chilling aura spread from her Dantian throughout her body. At first, her instinct was to lean closer, but upon contact, she inexplicably became more restless. Then, this aura aggressively occupied her body. She finally managed to open her eyes, only to see the face she could never forget.

In contrast to the undisguised disgust the person showed her at their last meeting, Jiang Jinheng was now smiling faintly, looking deeply concerned for her.

But at that moment, the hatred in her heart overwhelmed the shock, revealing itself unconsciously. Only after catching a glimpse of the person’s confusion did she quietly hide it, feigning ignorance. Even now, she felt a little dazed.

She had truly been reborn.

Fu Yi looked down at her hands, devoid of any scars, and finally dared to affirm this fact.

After the initial excitement, Fu Yi felt a moment of confusion. Although she clearly knew the events that would happen in the next few years and could take precautions, the fact that Mo Tong was favored by destiny was something she couldn’t change.

Reborn, could she truly defy fate?

Or should she learn to avoid it and not waste this rare opportunity?

Fu Yi looked at the two paths before her, unsure which to choose. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her heart, recalling that unforgettable sword strike and the years of torment. Her eyes turned scarlet. Fu Yi remembered the last words Jiang Jinheng had left her with. She sat down to meditate, gently closed her eyelids, and sent a wisp of her divine sense to probe her Dantian. She finally saw the purplish-red spiritual energy tightly bound by the ice-blue chains.

The familiar aura surprised her but also filled her with ecstasy. When she opened her eyes again, Fu Yi’s expression was significantly different.

She heard a voice in her heart seemingly tell her—

You must stay. You must make those two pay the price. You’ve already endured so much torment. It’s just a matter of death either way; what else is there you can’t bear?

…

Back on the high seat, Jiang Jinheng’s thoughts were still drawn to Fu Yi, but her physical body was truly struggling. Perhaps it was due to using her spiritual power or catching a cold, but she started coughing incessantly the moment she returned. This prompted many people to come and offer their greetings. With a crowd of people asking after her, she momentarily couldn’t focus on the other side.

007 saw how uncomfortable she was and offered to help her apply for an advance on a certain amount of fortune value to exchange for a cough suppressant. It enthusiastically claimed that the system-produced item was guaranteed to be top-quality and promised it would be more effective than any elixir in this world. Although its intentions were good, Jiang Jinheng couldn’t help but smile, but despite 007’s insistence, she still refused its suggestion.

Jiang Jinheng still had no concept of this so-called “fortune value” and didn’t know how difficult it was to obtain. Furthermore, her body was simply prone to this, and taking the medicine would only provide temporary relief, treating the symptom but not the root cause. Besides, she assumed she would naturally recover soon.

But Jiang Jinheng hadn’t expected the system, which had been incessantly chattering in her Sea of Consciousness, to fall into a sulky silence after being rejected. It didn’t say a single word.

This was good. Although the process wasn’t what Jiang Jinheng wanted, the result seemed quite nice.

If 007 knew what she was thinking, it would definitely jump out and argue for three hundred rounds. Unfortunately, it did not know.

After these small interruptions, Jiang Jinheng finally had time to turn her attention to Fu Yi. Seeing her still standing in the same spot, she couldn’t help but feel confused, but soon after, she saw her head toward the gathering crowd.

For some reason, Jiang Jinheng felt that the girl had been a little strange ever since she shielded her from Qi Ranyan’s slap.

The image of that arrogant, uncontrollable purplish-red spiritual energy seemed to reappear in Jiang Jinheng’s mind. After a brief consideration, she watched the girl ascend the Spiritual Root Testing Platform.

As Fu Yi moved her right hand, a fiery red flame burst from the Spiritual Root Testing Stone with a shhh sound. The elder from the Law Enforcement Hall, responsible for recording, seemed quite excited.

“Pure Fire Spiritual Root! Level 12!”

Not long after he shouted this, an anomaly suddenly occurred. The originally fiery red flame gradually turned purplish-red and seemed to be accompanied by crackling electric currents.

“Wait! It’s a Fire-mutated Thunder Spiritual Root!”