Chapter 11: Makes its stunning debut!

She looked young, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old.

A few strands of dark gold hair were slightly disheveled from the earlier struggle and fright, clinging to her smooth temples.

Her face was small and delicate, her skin appearing fair and fine under the faint light.

And those eyes, even widened in fear, were clear and bright.

“You…”

Her cherry lips parted slightly, her voice still carrying the lingering shock, “What do you want?!”

Jiu Baiyun looked at the wariness and hostility in her eyes, then at the pile of kindling he had just stomped out on the ground, his brows subconsciously furrowing.

He had been focused solely on stopping the fire just now and hadn’t gotten a clear look at the person.

He had assumed it was some disgruntled villager or a bandit taking advantage of the chaos, but he never expected it to be a girl like this…

“That’s what I should be asking you, right?”

Jiu Baiyun’s voice lowered, his vigilance not relaxing in the slightest despite her beauty.

“In the dead of night, coming to the Fox Immortal shrine to set a fire? What are you trying to do?”

As he spoke, he also shifted half a step sideways, positioning himself precisely between her and the shrine’s fence.

The girl was momentarily speechless by Jiu Baiyun’s question.

Her eyes flickered, as if wanting to argue.

“What’s it to you?!”

But after a long pause, that was all she managed to say.

Her expression forced calm, her voice raised a few notches in an attempt to cover her unease.

“Move aside!”

Hearing this, Jiu Baiyun couldn’t help but scoff.

“How is it not my business? And did you not know someone lives here?”

“Huh?! Someone lives here?”

She blurted out, her voice full of astonishment.

Immediately after, she seemed to mutter subconsciously under her breath.

“That can’t be right… a person living in a place like this… how could those Immortals possibly tolerate it…”

The look of confusion on her face didn’t seem feigned.

In her understanding of the world, living alone by a mountain forest shrine seemed like a sure way to court death.

Seeing the confusion on her face, Jiu Baiyun felt a wave of helplessness and raised a hand to his forehead.

“Is there a possibility that the Fox Immortal enshrined here doesn’t actually exist?”

It wasn’t that it didn’t exist, but Jiu Baiyun knew very well that this Fox Immortal shrine was built because he, after his fox demon transformation, had saved people.

There was no such thing as an “Immortal” here.

But the girl didn’t believe what Jiu Baiyun said.

“How could that be! This shrine was definitely demanded by those Immortals!”

Seeing her utterly disbelieving expression, Jiu Baiyun felt a headache coming on and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

He was just thinking about how to make her believe him when the Yao Fox Demon Venerable suddenly spoke up.

‘Weren’t you looking for a Transmigrator? I think she resembles one…’

Jiu Baiyun’s heart gave a violent lurch.

Because of the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s words, some previously unconsidered ideas instantly sprang to mind.

Right… in this world, under the control of those so-called “Immortals,” people have long been brainwashed.

Even the people he saved didn’t believe that beneath the glamorous facade of the “Immortals” lay a terrifying, hair-raising weirdness…

Even he himself had initially firmly believed in the correctness of cultivating immortality…

He carefully sensed the girl before him.

There wasn’t a single ripple of spiritual energy within her.

This deepened his suspicion of her.

Throughout his journey, every single mortal Jiu Baiyun had encountered was, without exception, filled with extreme yearning and reverence for the Immortals.

How could anyone be like the person in front of him!

Not only lacking even basic awe for the Immortals, but also wanting to burn down the Fox Immortal shrine!

After a moment of silence, Jiu Baiyun looked at the girl again.

“You’re a Transmigrator, aren’t you?”

Jiu Baiyun didn’t know how to ask this tactfully.

He fumbled with his words for a long time but couldn’t come up with a good way, so he simply asked directly.

However, Jiu Baiyun’s question caused the girl, who had been wearing an expression of stubbornness and guilt, to stiffen violently.

Her clear, bright eyes instantly contracted, a look of disbelief flashing deep within her pupils.

“What nonsense are you spouting! What… what Transmigrator? I don’t understand!”

Although his words had caused her mind to go blank for an instant, the moment she recovered, she shook her head vehemently, her dark gold hair flying wildly in the darkness.

Watching her desperately deny it in front of him, Jiu Baiyun frowned slightly again.

Alright, so she’s going to deny everything, huh…

“Let’s not talk about that for now. What’s your name?”

Knowing she wasn’t inclined to cooperate, Jiu Baiyun simply changed the subject.

“My name is Su Zhiyun…”

Clearly, compared to whether she was a Transmigrator, the question of her name was much easier for her to answer, helping her relax her guard.

“Su Zhiyun, is it? Then let’s get back to the main point. Why did you want to burn down the shrine?”

Su Zhiyun couldn’t bear Jiu Baiyun’s gaze anymore.

Seeming cornered and flustered, she took a step back and shouted subconsciously.

“Because the Immortals being worshipped here are all weirdness! Why can’t I burn it?!”

But the moment the words left her mouth, Su Zhiyun regretted it.

These things shouldn’t be said out loud!

“No… I mean…”

Gritting her teeth, she met Jiu Baiyun’s scrutinizing gaze, hastily trying to explain, but Jiu Baiyun quickly cut her off.

“Alright, enough pretending. I’m a Transmigrator too. It’s not some secret.”

A Transmigrator?!

Hearing Jiu Baiyun’s words, Su Zhiyun’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly shook her head forcefully, her expression showing she didn’t believe it at all.

“You’re lying! Just anyone popping up can claim to be a Transmigrator?”

“Oh? So you admit you’re a Transmigrator?”

Jiu Baiyun’s tone held a hint of amusement.

Realizing she had been tricked into admitting it, Su Zhiyun’s cheeks flushed crimson.

Her clear eyes were now filled with shame, annoyance, and a trace of panic at being exposed.

Jiu Baiyun looked at her puffed-up, angry appearance, like a little cat whose tail had been stepped on, its fur bristling.

He couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“I…”

Su Zhiyun opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to argue, but before the words could come out, Jiu Baiyun interrupted her again.

“Alright, enough joking. Verifying whether someone is a Transmigrator is simple. Just ask me a few questions.”

Jiu Baiyun didn’t want to waste any more time now.

The hour of the rat was the most dangerous time.

If they dragged this out any longer, he wasn’t sure if he could get Su Zhiyun back safely.

Ask a few questions?

Su Zhiyun was stunned for a moment, but then quickly nodded.

When she first transmigrated to this world, Su Zhiyun had been quite excited.

But after learning this world was tainted by weirdness, she had wished countless times she could transmigrate back.

It wasn’t just fear of those weird things, but also the loneliness of knowing the truth yet having no one believe her…

Having wandered in this world for quite some time now, Su Zhiyun also really wanted a fellow countryman to accompany her.

“Okay… I’ll say a phrase, and you say it back in a more concise sentence.”

Seeing Su Zhiyun was willing to verify, Jiu Baiyun also nodded, signaling she could begin.

Taking a deep breath, Su Zhiyun no longer hesitated and quickly said,

“Unprecedented and unmatched—none before, none to come.”

(Unprecedented, with no successors to follow.)

???

Wait… that’s the verification method you came up with?

Jiu Baiyun was instantly torn between laughter and tears, but he couldn’t deny it was indeed a good way to verify.

“Shocking debut!”

(Mind-blowing premiere!)