“Yun Fei! Can you still hold on? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have attacked so rashly…”
As Mu Lingxi blamed herself, Yun Fei reinforced the Magic Shield once more.
A trickle of blood had already begun to seep from the corner of her mouth.
“Don’t… don’t talk nonsense! Do you have any defensive measures? If not, then transfer some Spiritual Power to me!”
“Oh! Right, I’ll give you Spiritual Power right now!”
Mu Lingxi moved behind Yun Fei and pressed both hands against her back.
“Direct the Spiritual Power… to the Conversion Rune on my abdomen. My body cannot absorb Spiritual Power on its own.”
Mu Lingxi froze for a moment at the request.
Once she snapped out of it, she hurriedly funneled her Spiritual Power toward Yun Fei’s abdomen.
The effect was immediate.
Yun Fei felt her Demonic Power reserves replenish significantly, and some color returned to her face.
However, the only drawback was the strange sensation coming from her midsection.
Even though there was no direct physical contact, it felt… cold and tingly, as if Mu Lingxi’s hands were fumbling all over her abdomen…
Another layer of the Magic Shield was corroded away.
Yun Fei saw that there were only a few swords left.
One more layer should be enough to see them through…
Just then, footsteps sounded behind them.
Yun Fei and Mu Lingxi glanced back to see Liang Yin flashing them a small smile.
“Junior, you’ve worked hard. Leave the rest to me…”
“Senior? But… you’ve only just recovered!”
Liang Yin did not respond.
She simply walked out of the shield’s protective range on her own.
From her silhouette, it was clear that she had made a firm decision — a resolve characterized by a readiness to face death.
Yun Fei had sensed this kind of determination from many warriors before, so she was intimately familiar with the aura.
There was only one sword left…
But its target was not the Magic Shield.
It was pointed directly at Liang Yin, the only one who had stepped out from the magical tortoise shell.
Seeing this, Yun Fei and Mu Lingxi’s hearts leaped into their throats, while Jiang Qing wore a cruel smirk.
The entity controlled the sword, thrusting it straight toward Liang Yin’s neck.
To their surprise, Liang Yin abruptly let her bow and arrows fall to the ground. She showed no intention of dodging!
Her eyes remained fixed on Jiang Qing from start to finish, never wavering for a second.
When the tip of the sword was mere millimeters from her throat, she caught a fleeting glimpse of struggle on Jiang Qing’s face.
Then, the sword miraculously stopped at her neck, merely drawing a bead of blood without sinking any deeper.
The expected pain did not come.
Combined with that glimpse of struggle she had seen, Liang Yin’s heart settled slightly.
She knew she had won her gamble.
“I knew it… Jiang Qing… Qing’er, you’re still conscious, aren’t you? You didn’t die, did you?”
Hope sparked in Liang Yin’s eyes as she looked at her friend with nothing but sincerity.
Upon seeing this, one of Jiang Qing’s crimson eyes gradually returned to its clear, original color.
“Xiao Yin… Ugh! Dammit! How are you not dead? Your body is already mine, why can’t you just stay dead?!”
Jiang Qing hurriedly covered her clear eye, roaring at herself.
Because of this internal conflict, the final sword lost its control, turning back into a puddle of slime that splashed onto the ground.
Liang Yin stepped over the puddle and slowly walked toward Jiang Qing.
“Qing’er, I’m sorry… You must have suffered so much during the time I was gone, right?”
“No — no! Don’t come over here! Stay away!”
As Liang Yin drew closer, Jiang Qing retreated step by step, her words sounding like a mix of pleas and fury.
“Qing’er, do you remember? Before we entered the Secret Realm, you told me something…”
“I… I…”
Jiang Qing’s retreat stopped.
She slowly lowered the hand covering her eye.
At the same time, her other eye began to revert to its original color.
“I like you…”
Jiang Qing spoke with a trembling voice, a flash of clarity visible in her gaze.
Hearing this, Liang Yin looked overjoyed.
She rushed forward and pulled Jiang Qing into a tight embrace.
“I ran away back then because I was shy, but the truth is, I like you too…”
Her voice was thick with happiness.
“When all of this is over… let’s become Dao Companions, okay?”
“I… okay… AHHH — ! GET AWAY!”
“What…!”
Liang Yin watched in horror as Jiang Qing’s eyes turned crimson once more.
Her heart cramped with pain, and a single tear rolled down her cheek…
‘Was there… really no other way?’
Feeling a sharp pain in her abdomen, Liang Yin closed her eyes in a daze.
She was sent flying backward, her body slamming into the courtyard wall, where she lost consciousness.
Presently, Jiang Qing knelt on the ground in agony, howling continuously.
Two souls were vying for control within a single body, locked in a stalemate for the moment.
However, it was only a matter of time before Jiang Qing’s consciousness was defeated.
Suddenly, an incredibly majestic voice echoed through the sky, “Which evil creature dares! Surrender immediately!”
“Dammit! Jiang Qing! You meddlesome insect! Tsk…”
“Jiang Qing” cursed before looking up at the horizon with a wary expression as various Academy Powerhouses rushed toward the scene.
“Yun Fei, Mu Lingxi, and that damn Liang Yin! Once I recover my strength, I’ll be the first to tear you all into eight pieces!”
After leaving behind that threat, “Jiang Qing” opened a pure white Slime Door and leaped inside, vanishing without a trace.
Yun Fei held onto her last shred of consciousness.
Upon seeing that the Academy Powerhouses had finally arrived, her tension snapped, and she collapsed into Mu Lingxi’s arms.
***
The following night, Yun Fei woke up feeling lightheaded.
As she shifted her body, she suddenly touched something cool.
Startled, she looked to her side and found Mu Lingxi still slumped beside her, clutching her hand while muttering, “Smells so good.”
Yun Fei had originally felt a bit touched, but after hearing that sleep talk, her forehead was covered in black lines.
Yun Fei quickly sat up in bed.
She was about to tap Mu Lingxi awake when she realized her clothes had been changed again.
This situation felt strangely familiar: being unconscious due to injury, Mu Lingxi seemingly looking after her the whole time, and her clothes being changed…
To say this was similar to the situation when she left the Secret Realm would be an understatement; it was practically identical.
Except this time, they were in her own room.
As she was reflecting on this, the movement woke Mu Lingxi.
She rubbed her eyes, and once her vision cleared to see a conscious Yun Fei, her face lit up with joy.
“Yun Fei, you’re awake? You recovered well this time. I thought you wouldn’t wake up until tomorrow.”
“It was just some scrapes and overexertion this time. Demonic Power is easy to recover; it’s the mental fatigue that takes time.”
Yun Fei got out of bed.
Without putting on shoes, she stretched her limbs on the floor.
“See? I’m fine!”
Yun Fei showed off her recovery to Mu Lingxi, but she suddenly felt an intense gaze on her… specifically, on her feet.
“Hey! What are you looking at!”
Yun Fei’s face flushed with embarrassment.
She quickly ripped off the blood-stanching bandage wrapped around her chest and threw it at Mu Lingxi’s face, blocking her view.
She used the distraction to quickly get dressed.
“Geez~ what’s the big deal? I’ve already helped you change twice, and I’ve seen it all both times. What’s wrong with looking again?! I was just worried the floor was too dirty after I spent so much effort washing you!”
Mu Lingxi pulled the bandage off with a satisfied look and tossed it by the bed.
‘Breathe… don’t get angry, don’t get angry… like hell I won’t!’
What did she mean, she had seen everything twice?
Was that something one should say so casually!
And with… such a nonchalant expression!
Scumbag!
She was a total scumbag!
Yun Fei was currently fuming with humiliation.
This could not be overlooked!
But now was not the time for revenge.
There would be plenty of opportunities for that later.
For now, she needed to confirm the current situation and sync up with Mu Lingxi on the latest news.
“Mu Lingxi, let’s go to the roof. Tell me what happened after I passed out.”
“Why do we have to go to the roof?”
“Because I’m hot! Can’t I go up to get some fresh air?”
“Hot? That’s fine. My body temperature is quite low; I can help you cool down~”
As she spoke, Mu Lingxi made a move to lean closer to Yun Fei.
“Get lost! I’m going up first!”
Yun Fei shoved Mu Lingxi aside and flipped out the window onto the roof without looking back.
After Mu Lingxi steadied herself, she looked at the open window.
A strange glint flashed in her eyes, as if she were reminiscing about something.
Yun Fei sat on the ridge of the roof, taking deep breaths of the cool night air.
Her gaze fell upon the house in the courtyard that had been nearly leveled to the ground — that had been Jiang Qing’s home.
Now, she was missing, and the house was gone too…
Yun Fei noticed that Liang Yin was currently leaning against a small tree near the ruins of Jiang Qing’s house, staring blankly at the empty clearing…
She hadn’t even removed her bandages.
Her injuries probably hadn’t healed yet, right?
‘Hey, Magic Mirror. You’ve lived a long time and seen much of the world. Do you think Senior Liang can move on from this? Seeing her loved one controlled by someone evil and taken away right in front of her… she must be suffering.’
‘Your Highness, that feeling is indeed unbearable. After experiencing the sweetness of mutual confession, no one wants that sweetness to be shattered. Sweet experiences make a person fragile; even a small pain can twist one’s heart, let alone being separated by what is effectively life and death…’
‘…Magic Mirror, the way you say that… it sounds like you have quite a bit of experience with this?’
‘But of course! Over a thousand years, I have had countless masters. In this era, there are many who suffer. How difficult is it to have a relationship that isn’t lost? From the masters I have served, those who had a perfect relationship from beginning to end numbered less than 10%.’
‘Magic Mirror, I haven’t put you back in the space recently. What do you think… Mu Lingxi’s attitude toward me actually is? After spending these few days together, I can feel that she is very different from before, starting from when I transformed. I’ve reacted abnormally to her actions more than once, and the distance she keeps with me is a bit too close.’
‘There’s a saying going around out there about the Three Great Delusions. One of them is “she (or he) likes me.” Honestly, I don’t want to admit it, but she really is…’
‘Your Highness, I have taken note of this. Do you remember the experience with Sword Kinesis that night? While she stood behind you, I observed her expressions and some of her minor actions. Combining that with your interactions at other times, I believe the probability that she is interested in you is over 95%.’