72 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce

On the way back to Huidiezhuang, both remained silent. Yue Bai didn’t want to ask about the injury, while Ji Wu Nian’s mind flickered between Song Ze and Yue Bai, rendering her speechless. However, once inside the room, Ji Wu Nian could no longer keep Song Ze in mind as she watched Yue Bai move about. In a moment of inattention, Yue Bai found herself locked in Ji Wu Nian’s embrace again. Ji Wu Nian’s breath against her ear softened her entire body. “Your injuries?” Jiu Yi finally snapped back to reality, barely suppressing the urge to comment on the now ambiguous atmosphere, “Wait, are you hiding something?” Yue Bai chose to ignore him. After all, Ji Wu Nian’s gentle touch on her back made her heart flutter. But this was not what she wanted right now. Feeling somewhat evasive, she said, “I still want to see Su Yang.” This was her roundabout way of pleading. Ji Wu Nian didn’t truly intend to do anything to her, knowing well that Yue Bai had been pretending back then. However, being confronted so blatantly today, she felt a mix of anger over Yue Bai’s secrecy and self-inflicted harm. But what could she do? Ji Wu Nian was powerless against her. “You can go,” Ji Wu Nian said, sitting on the bed and setting her tail behind her head, “I have some business to attend to tonight.” Jiu Yi reacted quickly, “With Song Ze?” Yue Bai stood before her, gently holding her bowed head, caressing her furry ears, “Going out to cause trouble again?” The person in her arms chuckled softly, “Indeed.” A self-aware mission target, it seemed Yue Bai didn’t need to do anything. Yet Yue Bai felt a sense of responsibility and said, “I’ll accompany you tonight.” “Yue Bai…” “Why?” Yue Bai pinched the tip of her ear. Ji Wu Nian, feeling weak, nuzzled against Yue Bai’s stomach, “How do you always manage to follow me…” No matter where she went, Yue Bai always seemed to catch up, as if it was destined. Yue Bai didn’t feel proud of it; in fact, she harbored some resentment, though it was laced with amusement, “If you know you can’t shake me off, don’t cause me more trouble.” The red fox raised her head, smiling helplessly, “Who’s causing trouble here…” As she spoke, she grabbed Yue Bai’s clothes, pulling her closer. Yue Bai, seeing her eyes half-closed, finally pressed her long-desired soft lips against her, feeling it quietly. But Yue Bai wasn’t as innocent. Seeing Ji Wu Nian close her eyes, she wanted to bully her obedience. Being taller, she easily dominated her, pressing her down on the bed, teasing her with lips and tongue. The fox’s cheeks turned red with her teasing, her eyes filled with restrained emotion, her bitten lips parting slightly, breath unsteady, “Weren’t you going to see Su Yang?” Yue Bai hadn’t forgotten. But the sight of Ji Wu Nian, flushed all over, with her white clothes tinged by the setting sun’s hue, made her want to get closer. “I need to see him,” she said. She needed to see Su Yang, so she couldn’t be too indulgent. But since she only needed to see him, a little more kissing wouldn’t hurt. Just as Yue Bai was thinking this, the world spun. The person pressing on her lessened their restraint, becoming more aggressive. Ji Wu Nian, with her six tails fluttering and her eyes red and heated, found an excuse for herself: the fox clan was naturally lustful, and Yue Bai always tempted her. The little fox looked too pitiful. Though Yue Bai knew she was pretending, she still felt her heart soften. “Don’t overdo it,” she relented. Jiu Yi sighed deeply, resigning himself to his fate and retreating to the small dark room. *** Su Yang and Cong Sheng returned to Huidiezhuang after handling some matters, inviting Yue Bai and the others to dinner. Yue Bai, who hadn’t been seen all day, finally appeared, with Ji Wu Nian now in a red outfit different from yesterday’s. “It looks good,” Cong Sheng complimented her, “Why didn’t you wear it during the day?” noticing she had worn Yue Bai's clothes instead. Ji Wu Nian turned around, whispering to Cong Sheng, “This outfit is also Yue Bai's.” Cong Sheng widened her eyes, taking in the golden lines on the red garment. It was seductive on Ji Wu Nian but would be quite different on Yue Bai. She whispered to Jiang Xiao, “I couldn’t tell…” Ji Wu Nian raised an eyebrow at her, “Unbelievable, right?” The glances shot their way contained unspoken messages, but Yue Bai couldn’t be bothered to deal with them and could only endure. Fortunately, Su Yang was the voice of normalcy—a flower house leader, but still proper in private settings, even more so compared to the two opposite her. Yue Bai appreciated him more for that. “Su Yang,” Yue Bai echoed the others, “I’ll show you some soulforce later.” “Alright,” Su Yang smiled gently, welcoming the learning opportunity, “Thank you, Yue Bai.” “No need.” Yue Bai admired those with talent, especially those who could use soulforce. It gave her a sense of kinship in this world. As the group chatted cheerfully, Jiu Yi interjected coolly, “This must be the so-called ‘birds of a feather’…” Yue Bai didn’t get it, “Hmm?” “Never mind…” Jiu Yi sighed inwardly, lamenting the fate of his poor cabbage. Dinner was pleasant. Cong Sheng dragged Ji Wu Nian to the garden for a drink while Su Yang, after the servants tidied up, stayed behind with Yue Bai. Yue Bai’s soulforce was different from the usual kind, linked to her essence and not purely spiritual. Su Yang’s was more conventional but at a higher level, enabling her to sense Yue Bai’s divine soul. Since they were training, Yue Bai let her explore her soul, guiding and explaining how to stabilize it. Su Yang had a long way to go to wield it like Yue Bai. Understanding this, Su Yang obediently placed her hand in Yue Bai’s, allowing her to lead into her divine soul. After some time, Su Yang, forehead sweating slightly, began to lose her calm. Yue Bai slowly opened her eyes, “That’s enough for today.” Su Yang took a deep breath, reopening her eyes with a somewhat serious expression. “What’s the matter?” Yue Bai poured her tea, seemingly relaxed. “Thank you…” Su Yang sipped her tea, slowly relaxing, “I was just wondering…” Yue Bai poured herself some tea, “Hmm?” The person beside her was cool and gentle, neither overly warm nor cold. Su Yang had deep admiration for her. But delving into her soul revealed its vastness, a hint of fear at the boundlessness creeping in. “With such a soul…” Su Yang hesitated, “Yue Bai, were you really charmed by Hong Xiu for half an hour that day?” Yue Bai smiled lightly, like magnolia blooming, white tinged with pink, “As long as you believe it.” “Ah…” Jiu Yi thought of his increasingly frequent small dark room stays and sighed, “Who knew Yue Bai could be like this…” Yue Bai ignored him, gathering her things with Su Yang and heading to the garden to find Cong Sheng and the others. Walking down the path, alone together, Su Yang pondered her thoughts, deciding to bring something up before joining Cong Sheng. “About the magic cultivators from that day, Cong Sheng investigated.” “And?” Yue Bai slowed her pace, looking at her. “Qi Feng arrived here over six months ago and met a magic cultivator named Chang Mian at Huidiezhuang. Where they went after that is unknown,” Su Yang explained, somewhat apologetically, “Chang Mian is a subordinate of General Xingyu, at the Golden Core stage. He’s not a major figure in the demon realm. However, it’s worth noting that he’s closely associated with the two magic cultivators from Yuegang, also under Xingyu.” Yue Bai nodded, recalling those she had killed before even learning their names. “Xingyu probably isn’t gentle.” Cong Sheng had also mentioned that they might have misjudged Xingyu before. And the person in front… The events at Yuegang had shocked the immortal sect, with Ming Yun being especially astounded overnight. The mysterious white-clad woman had stirred speculation, though she remained untraceable. The speculation around Yue Bai and the woman’s identity overlapped significantly. Which begged the question about the person beside her... Su Yang hesitated, unsure whether to ask. Both individuals were cloaked in mystery, their relationship complex and hard to decipher. Yue Bai noticed her strange expression, “What’s wrong?” “Nothing,” Su Yang decided not to pry into their affairs. Just in time, they saw Cong Sheng and Jiang Xiao waving at them, so they went ahead. The two had laid a mat on the grass, surrounded by lanterns, enjoying their drinks casually. “Su Yang,” Cong Sheng called, holding up a cup, “Care for another drink?” Ji Wu Nian smiled, her face charming, her eyes glimmering with an unreadable intent. She leaned back on her hands, revealing the roundness of her shoulders designed to show when this outfit was worn, her sleeves slit to expose glimpses of her forearms, her long fingers casually curled. Yue Bai knelt beside her, receiving a kiss on the cheek from Ji Wu Nian. The little fox shed all complexity from her gaze, showing pure joy. Yue Bai saw it and stroked her head. Su Yang and Cong Sheng exchanged glances and smiles upon seeing the scene, choosing to remain silent. Ji Wu Nian handed Yue Bai a wine cup, “Care for another drink? The wine Ah Sheng has here is excellent.” The wine cup filled to the brim, reflecting the curve of the crescent moon. Although Ji Wu Nian often called her a drinking buddy, Yue Bai wasn’t particularly fond of alcohol. She would take small sips, prolonging a single cup for a long time, a stark contrast to her past soul body’s bold downing of drinks in one go. Ji Wu Nian tilted her head watching her, finding her utterly adorable. “…Jiang Xiao, stop staring at Yue Bai like that,” Cong Sheng propped her head on her hand, enjoying teasing the fox, “You look like a fox eyeing a chicken.” The metaphor wasn’t flattering, causing Yue Bai to pause with her wine cup. “I am a fox,” Ji Wu Nian flicked her tail, leaning against Yue Bai, her fox ears pressed close, “But calling my lady a chicken is just wrong.” She paused, “At the very least, she’s a white crane, more fitting for her.” “…You can’t get away from bird analogies, can you?” Jiu Yi tutted, “Weren’t you a pigeon before?” Yue Bai didn’t want the conversation to continue down this path, “When we went to the demon market this afternoon, we saw some disciples from Wujigong searching for a three-tailed fox demon. Do you know about it, Cong Sheng?” “Looking for the one that slaughtered the two families in Jiangning years ago?” Cong Sheng leaned against Su Yang, looking bored, “Clearly, they’re using it as an excuse to bother the demon realm after failing to find Lingzhou. If they were serious about finding that fox, they'd have done so years ago. Now it’s just a pretext to cause trouble. These so-called immortal cultivators, always so self-righteous.” Ji Wu Nian didn’t comment, instead mimicking Cong Sheng by leaning into Yue Bai’s embrace with a sweet smile. Yue Bai petted the tip of her ear while looking at Cong Sheng, “Wasn’t this matter investigated back then?” “A lot happened during that period,” Cong Sheng sat cross-legged, “First, there were human wars, then the death of the leader of Sanqing, and Pu Shi in the demon realm causing trouble everywhere. And the demon realm…” Cong Sheng glanced at Su Yang, “The demon realm had its own issues as well. In such chaotic times, the destruction of two small families was hardly worth investigating.” She shrugged, “Nowadays, it’s just used as a pretext. There’s no genuine desire for justice…” “Speaking of justice,” Su Yang smiled faintly, “the demon clan has also been bullied a lot. Although Pu Shi was a strong figure, he didn’t seem to care much about governance, rarely managing the lesser demons.” Cong Sheng toyed with Su Yang’s hand casually, “It’s a world of the strong preying on the weak. Why waste time lamenting?” Even Huidiezhuang wasn’t exempt. Supported by Cong Sheng’s background as a demon general, it created its own domain. Yet the servants were mostly weak humans or demons, protected yet enslaved. Was it tragic? Yue Bai offered no comment, and the fox in her arms, the source of much of the trouble, had no intention of saying more. Yue Bai did not delve further, “If Wujigong truly antagonizes the demon realm, what would the demon realm do?” “The demon realm?” Cong Sheng considered the question, sitting up straighter with a smile that revealed dimples, “Ran Yin fell at Ming Yun, and Xing Yu seems more cunning than I thought…” She touched her chin in thought, “Someone like him, he’d either fan the flames or watch from the sidelines. If both sides are severely weakened, wouldn’t the demon realm stand to gain the most?” “Ming Yun one night,” Su Yang added, “the demonic cultivators also suffered tremendous losses. They might not make any major moves in the near future.” “Who knows,” Ji Wu Nian said casually, “maybe they’ll stab someone in the back and reap twice the reward.” “Ah…” Cong Sheng stretched lazily, “Thank goodness Ah Yang and I have distanced ourselves from all that. I wouldn’t want to get involved in such troubles…” Su Yang laughed, touching Cong Sheng’s nose lightly. If only it were that simple to disentangle themselves...