75 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce

The efficacy of the Transformation Beast Pill had faded, and Ji Wu Nian hadn't forgotten her promise to reshape her little apprentice’s body. Every evening, she would take her to soak in the hot springs. She timed it meticulously, not only increasing the frequency but also intensifying the strength. Initially, this relentless routine made Yue Bai uncomfortable, and she would be so dizzy each day that Ji Wu Nian had to carry her back to Qing Lin Hall, where she would collapse into bed instantly. Ji Wu Nian would stay by her bedside for a while, leaving only after the furrow between Yue Bai's brows relaxed. "…Are you alright?" Jiu Yi was also worried about his host. Yue Bai did not share Jiu Yi's resentment. "I'm okay." Although her body felt both soft and sore, after a brief rest, she would feel significantly better, her mind clearing up after some rest. Jiu Yi grumbled, "Why is she getting rougher and rougher?" Yue Bai knew Ji Wu Nian likely intended to make up for the progress lost due to the Transformation Beast Pill, but she didn’t bother defending her to Jiu Yi. After all, it was her who concocted the Transformation Beast Pill; being disliked was deserved. With this thought, Yue Bai let out a breath, intending to continue resting for a bit longer but then suddenly sensed something. After considering for a moment, she focused her spiritual energy and went to the place where Ji Wu Nian usually stayed. "What’s wrong?" Jiu Yi asked her. Yue Bai arrived at the spot and replied, "Pu Shi has received the letter." The letter Yue Bai sent Pu Shi was nothing but a blank sheet of paper; how he would use it depended on Yue Bai's mood. "The mission is to 'lure Pu Shi to Sanqing,' right?" Yue Bai confirmed with Jiu Yi. "Mm-hmm," Jiu Yi responded. That mission had been triggered after Ji Wu Nian stayed here for a long time, and Yue Bai had even negotiated for a fox dance from her. Yue Bai formed a seal with her fingers, a void rune appearing at her fingertips. As Ji Wu Nian descended, seeing the familiar rune slightly resembling the script on a cold sword, she called out, "Miss Yue Bai?" Pu Shi's voice came through as he walked towards her. "Your Majesty," Yue Bai's voice was cool, and her volume not too loud, almost drowned out by the nearby small waterfall. Hence, Ji Wu Nian moved closer and hugged Yue Bai from behind. "This letter from Miss Yue Bai… is quite unusual," Pu Shi remarked. Yue Bai let the rune float in the air and grasped the hands around her waist. Given Ji Wu Nian's notorious reputation, she did not wish to turn into a mere mirage mid-conversation. "I originally intended to visit the demon realm personally," Yue Bai said to Pu Shi, "but some stray issues came up recently, so I had to send the letter instead. I hope Your Majesty can understand." Ji Wu Nian, leaning against Yue Bai’s shoulder, glanced over, indicating she was precisely the “stray issue.” Feeling both responsible and mischievous, Ji Wu Nian gave Yue Bai a proud kiss. Yue Bai ignored her. "Miss Yue Bai, given your connections across the Immortal, Demon, and Mortal realms, it's only natural for matters to be complicated," Pu Shi said with a teasing yet cautious tone. "May I ask why you seek me?" "…Why did he say you have connections in all three realms?" Jiu Yi still didn't understand. "Tu Shisan knows I'm in Sanqing and has seen the fox demons around me," Yue Bai replied to Jiu Yi first. "Also, I saved Lingzhou before, which the demon emperor is certainly aware of." "…Doesn't this mean you've been exposed?" Jiu Yi asked shyly. "If he comes to Sanqing, he’ll definitely find out sooner or later, so there's no point in worrying about it." If Ji Wu Nian couldn’t evade Pu Shi's perception, it wouldn’t matter if Yue Bai could or couldn’t evade it either. "I know the demon realm has had many conflicts with the Immortal sects recently," Yue Bai glanced at Ji Wu Nian, who was smiling at her, then turned her head away, ignoring her. "Would Your Majesty be willing to come to Sanqing to discuss and potentially avoid conflict?" Pu Shi chuckled softly. Despite his usually frail and scholarly appearance, deep down, he was combative. "Miss, are you joking? The Immortal sects are clearly the ones causing trouble. Now you want me to visit and make peace? Weren't you the one who taught me about pride?" Realizing something, he added, "Also, miss, doesn't there happen to be a six-tailed fox lord by your side? Isn't this another one of your schemes?" "Well, what he said is not wrong," Jiu Yi acknowledged. Yue Bai understood he was correct, but she also had her mission. Since the soft approach wasn’t working… time for a tougher stance? "Your Majesty, with all due respect," Yue Bai was about to speak when Ji Wu Nian interrupted, "Yue Bai isn’t asking you to come for peace; she's asking you to seek retribution." Pu Shi paused, "Lingzhou…?" "Greetings, Your Majesty," Ji Wu Nian smiled, "Is your throne stable?" Pu Shi, wary of the duo’s relationship, replied coldly, "What do you want?" "My Yue Bai lingers around, flirting not just with me but even with a little fox," Ji Wu Nian pinched Yue Bai’s chin, delighting in her icy stare and intentionally lowering her voice. "Of course, a lesson is in order, blame-shifting included…" Yue Bai pulled her hand away, frowning. "But I have no intention of dragging your entire demon clan down," Ji Wu Nian continued with a cheerful tone, "It’s ridiculous to claim that your demon clan has been slaughtering their disciples to create a pretext for conflict." Seeing Yue Bai’s cold eyes, Ji Wu Nian kissed her eyelids lightly, "I killed that person. The survivor was saved in the demon market by A Du Niang." "You can find him, heal him, and present him to them. He will mention my name," Ji Wu Nian rubbed her cheek against Yue Bai’s, smilingly, "And as for the Jiangning families from before, with A Shan and Little Rabbit at your place, who’s right and wrong becomes clear. A good way to silence those hypocrites." Yue Bai remained silent, while Pu Shi also contemplated. Seeing no one responded, Ji Wu Nian added, "Your Majesty, surely you’re not afraid to have a chat in Sanqing?" Pu Shi finally reacted with a retort, "Taunting won’t work." Ji Wu Nian stuck out her tongue and nuzzled Yue Bai's neck. "The demon clan isn't afraid to fight," Pu Shi said. "If they push us too far, who knows who will win or lose?" The word "if" already indicated some softening. Yue Bai felt today’s exchanges were sufficient. She said mildly, "I ask Your Majesty to consider it carefully." Without further words, Pu Shi let the matter rest as Yue Bai withdrew the rune. Ji Wu Nian held her hand, gently caressing her fingers. "The demon clan just settled down after a century of internal strife and now wishes for some peace… While external threats can promote unity, Pu Shi wouldn't want more bloodshed at this juncture." In short, he would come. But to Yue Bai, it also meant Ji Wu Nian had added another debt to Lingzhou's head. Using herself as a target, Yue Bai wondered how much effort she would need to protect her in the future. Seeing Yue Bai staring at her, Ji Wu Nian moved closer, asking for a kiss on her cheek with a smile, "What’s on your mind?" "Wuji and Cangxue coveting the demon clan," Yue Bai didn’t want to criticize her actions, merely saying indifferently, "wouldn’t let go so easily." "Knowing it's a demonic plot yet still deliberately engaging with the demon clan," Ji Wu Nian chuckled, "such actions can only be described as 'foolish.' Zuo Ren and Yuan Jiu would care about their sect's reputation and wouldn't act this way." In the end, it was still using herself as a target. Yue Bai wasn’t sure if her way of killing Song Ze was for this reason, but to some extent, she disliked this approach. With so many people to manipulate, why did she love putting herself in harm's way? Step by step, Ji Wu Nian claimed she was working towards prominence in the demonic realm, but her actions only stabilized the Immortal sect and strengthened the demon clan. Yue Bai couldn’t see any benefit to the demonic cultivators she spoke of. It seemed more like Ji Wu Nian had her own principles, and numerous claims arose just to justify them. Still deceiving people. Behind her, the person continued smiling; when Yue Bai ignored her, she started to play with the waistband around Yue Bai’s waist. This waistband had once been cut off by her, and after turning into scattered stars, it had quietly restored. Was it detachable? Her fingers reached forward but went straight through the illusory waistband. "Stop messing around." The speaker also appeared as an ethereal figure, stepping out from Ji Wu Nian’s embrace, like countless dust particles gathering, not belonging to this world. Ji Wu Nian watched in a slight trance, an outstretched hand stopping mid-air, afraid to touch. Sometimes she feared Yue Bai was just a phantom in this world, and all these countless experiences were merely her imagination, never real. But if they were just imagination, fine, then Yue Bai would still be the heavens' gift to her. Yue Bai turned around, seeing her silly face, and asked, "What’s wrong?" Ji Wu Nian’s outstretched hand was held up, Yue Bai’s demeanor always cold yet gentle. Ji Wu Nian then tightly clasped her hand, smiling, "Yue Bai, before I met you, were you always here?" Here? Sanqing? Yue Bai pondered, "Not really." "Then if I wanted to meet you earlier," Ji Wu Nian walked beside her with a smile, "where should I go to find you?" "Find me?" Yue Bai returned the smile. "Why do you want to find me?" "To make sure I could whisk you away sooner and hide you," Ji Wu Nian replied, always fond of embracing her, hugging her from behind and laughing lightly, "so no one else could claim you first." There’s no one here fighting for her now, and Yue Bai didn’t care either. But Yue Bai didn't like her being too smug and retorted, "You couldn’t find me; only I could find you." This realistic response reminded Ji Wu Nian of how little she really knew about Yue Bai, but she didn’t mind, pouting like a child and calling Yue Bai "petty." Yue Bai's pettiness wasn't new, so she wasn't bothered by the accusation. It was almost time to return and sleep some more, so she glanced sideways, "Let go." Ji Wu Nian called her "cold" again. Yue Bai had always been aloof, but Ji Wu Nian was particularly obedient today, so she let her be and returned to rest. However, in the dead of night, just as Yue Bai was deep in slumber, she suddenly heard a noise. Someone had climbed through her side hall window, lifted her blanket, and embraced her. Jiu Yi: "Couldn't you use the door?" Yue Bai, annoyed by the disturbance, was a bit irked. "Master, the bed in the main hall is larger." Seeing her frown, Ji Wu Nian leaned close to her ear, chuckling, "Then why don't you come sleep in the main hall with me?" Anyone trying to make her move now would face her wrath. Yue Bai decided to ignore her, focusing on her sleep.