Under the bright moonlight, Xie Mucheng was still dressed in his purple crown and black robes, but compared with his intimidating presence earlier, he now appeared considerably weaker.
This was not right. According to the original novel, he should have already fainted by now. How was he still able to chase after them?
Qin Buan clenched the hand hidden beneath her clothes and discreetly sized up Xie Mucheng.
Shen Yihuan also noticed that something was wrong. In a cold voice, she said, “How dare a mere puppet stand in our way?”
Hearing this, Qin Buan suddenly understood.
If it was a puppet, then everything made sense. Xie Mucheng was extremely suspicious by nature and often used something he carried with him to create a strand of puppet consciousness, allowing it to wander around the borders of the Demon Realm and warn anyone harboring malicious intentions against invading it.
But even though it was only a puppet, it still possessed a third of the murderous aura that belonged to him.
Shen Yihuan had not yet developed a spirit bone and was merely a mortal, so there was no way she could be a match for him.
As for Qin Buan…
Just as Qin Buan was racking her brain for a way to survive, Shen Yihuan, who had been standing in front of her, suddenly turned around and looked at her sharply.
Shen Yihuan asked, “Did you conspire with him to harm me?”
Qin Buan: …
“I did not.”
“It was not me.”
“Do not make things up!”
Qin Buan denied it three times in a row.
Shen Yihuan did not continue paying attention to her. Instead, she focused her attention on Xie Mucheng and slightly raised the hand holding her sword.
This was indeed a strand of Xie Mucheng’s puppet soul. Since his true body was currently in a weakened state, even the puppet was unstable.
He had not noticed them.
But just as the two of them breathed a sigh of relief, Xie Mucheng’s puppet suddenly lunged toward them.
Qin Buan hurriedly retreated, but suddenly there was nothing beneath her feet, and she tumbled down the mountainside.
Everything happened far too quickly, leaving no time for anyone to react.
Shen Yihuan had intended to chase after Qin Buan and pull her back, but Xie Mucheng’s puppet was relentlessly entangled with her. Because of that slight difference in timing, she failed to save Qin Buan.
Looking down at the deep valley, Qin Buan’s fate was impossible to determine.
【I am sorry, Host. Something went wrong with the space time tunnel, so I was unable to contact you immediately.】
【Host?】
So noisy…
It was so noisy.
Qin Buan frowned in discomfort and rubbed her shoulder as she slowly climbed to her feet.
“Strange, why does it not hurt at all?”
Qin Buan examined herself from head to toe and suddenly discovered that aside from a slight tear at the hem of her clothes, she was completely unharmed. She did not even have the slightest scratch.
【Host, you are awake?】
After a series of busy electronic beeps, a clear, childlike voice emerged.
Qin Buan accepted within less than a minute that this thing was speaking directly inside her mind.
It was not because of anything else. Even if she had never eaten pork, she had certainly seen pigs run. A system always accompanied transmigration, or so it went. That was simply how chosen ones were.
Qin Buan asked, “You are the system? Were you the one who protected me?”
The system sounded somewhat guilty and a little embarrassed.
【I suppose…】
【The Host has three life saving talismans. I just used one on your behalf, so I suppose that counts as protecting you… right?】
“What?!” Qin Buan was practically laughing from anger. “There are only three, and you already used one for me?”
The system answered sheepishly.
【Host, I think this is something you can forgive. Even if you cannot forgive me, the most urgent matter right now is that you still have something important to do. You should not concern yourself with minor details.】
Qin Buan puffed up angrily.
“Heh.”
The system gathered itself, and a series of busy electronic beeps sounded.
【Congratulations, Host, on accepting the mission. Because the supporting female character Qin Buan committed countless evil deeds, carried deep resentment, and disrupted the order of the small world, the Transmigration Bureau selected you to reshape the storyline. Your missions will now be issued.】
【Please assist the male and female protagonists in breaking through their cultivation bottlenecks.】
【Attention!!!】
【Because world NPCs may awaken self awareness at any time, the Host must act according to the original character’s personality and cannot allow the NPCs to discover anything unusual. Otherwise, the NPCs will awaken their self awareness, causing the small world to collapse. The Host will then have to experience reincarnation repeatedly until the storyline reaches a peaceful and prosperous conclusion.】
As it spoke, the system became increasingly timid, and its voice unconsciously grew much quieter.
【Due to a system error, the Host’s previous actions that violated the original character setting will not be punished. We ask that the Host maintain the original character setting from now on and work hard to complete the missions.】
Qin Buan laughed.
“Your system error means I have to pay the price?”
The system tried to gloss over it.
【Host, you misunderstand. You still have two life saving talismans remaining, which can withstand two fatal injuries at critical moments.】
Qin Buan did not want to argue with it any further and instead asked, “What benefits will I receive after completing the mission?”
The system answered very decisively.
【None.】
Qin Buan became angry for a moment.
“Then would it not be fine if I simply refuse to listen to you?”
The system coughed twice.
【Host, you have read the original novel, so you must remember that at this point in the original story, Qin Buan had already died. You came to this world because of sudden death, and your body in the original world has already been cremated. If the Host refuses the mission, you will immediately follow the original storyline and die suddenly. At the same time, the Host will be unable to return to the real world.】
A threat.
A blatant threat!
Qin Buan swallowed all her dissatisfaction and tearfully signed this unfair contract.
【The Host must now locate the injured male protagonist and treat him!】 The system beeped.
According to the storyline in the book, the male protagonist escaped from the Demon Realm and was intercepted by demon soldiers at the Cliff of Forgetfulness. After exhausting all his strength in the battle, he was ultimately outnumbered and collapsed from exhaustion, leaving his life hanging by a thread.
Although he was eventually rescued, he was not treated in time and suffered damage to his foundations, leaving him unable to cultivate for three years.
To speed up the progress of the mission, Qin Buan’s best choice now was to find the male protagonist and heal him.
The system said:
【The male protagonist’s aura has been detected southeast of the Host. Please hurry there. The male protagonist’s life is in grave danger.】
Qin Buan composed herself and looked around.
The night was as dark as ink, and she could not even see her own hand in front of her face. There was no way to tell which direction was east, west, south, or north.
She had just rolled down the mountainside, so she should not have left the Demon Realm yet.
Qin Buan asked, “Where am I now?”
The system replied:
【The Host is in the rear garden of the Golden Hall in the Demon Palace.】
Qin Buan stared in disbelief.
“I rolled down once and somehow came this far?”
The system had not been connected to what had happened earlier, so it had no idea what she was talking about. It simply answered according to its usual procedure.
【The Golden Hall is located in a remote area and is the personal residence of the villain. Please rescue the male protagonist as soon as possible.】
Qin Buan: Damn AI, get out of this world!
The system replied:
【Host, a friendly reminder. I am not an AI!】
Qin Buan said, “You are not. I am.”
The system replied:
【Understood, Host. Keep going.】
Qin Buan: …
Qin Buan decided not to waste any more of her life arguing with it.
She felt her way through the dense forest in the darkness. Finally, with the help of the moonlight, she was able to make out the path ahead.
It was an extremely elegant villa, completely different from what its name might suggest.
Pavilions beside the water, rockeries, beautiful streams, and every other kind of scenery could be found here. However, not a single lamp had been lit along the winding corridors, giving the beauty an eerie quality.
The villain had not been mentioned much in the early part of the book, so the author had not spent much time describing the secrets hidden in this place.
Qin Buan stayed close to the corridor and walked inward. Following the faint spiritual energy drifting through the air, she finally locked onto one of the pavilions.
“Senior Brother Ye, are you here?” Qin Buan called softly.
No one answered.
Qin Buan pushed the door open instead.
The room was extremely dark. The flower windows on both sides were tightly shut, yet a cold gust of wind blew directly toward her. A faint fragrance of agarwood drifted through the room, making the soles of her feet inexplicably cold.
Qin Buan gathered her courage and stepped inside. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a snow white furry bundle lying on the bamboo couch.
Judging from its appearance, it looked like a fox.
From a distance, its fluffy tail was wrapped around its body, forming a cushion beneath it, making it look almost like a long haired dog.
Suddenly, a hoarse and shrill sound came from the little fox’s mouth.
“Chirp, chirp…”
Perhaps sensing that an outsider had entered its territory, the little fox slowly raised its head. Its furry fox ears twitched, revealing a pair of sinister looking eyes. The outer corners of its eyes were raised, narrow and curved like the moon, while golden pupils stood vertically within them, gleaming fiercely as they stared directly at the newcomer.
At the same time, Qin Buan found it impossible to tear her gaze away from its eyes. It was as though her soul had been captured. She stood frozen in place, staring at it foolishly.
Just as Qin Buan began walking toward it one step at a time, the sound of something heavy falling suddenly came from the courtyard behind her.
The sound was like a basin of cold water, instantly waking Qin Buan before she could step straight into the tiger’s den.
Looking at the little fox so close to her, Qin Buan froze for a moment before asking blankly, “What happened to me? How did I end up walking over here?”
The little fox’s pupils once again narrowed into vertical slits, and its killing intent was unmistakable.
Yet Qin Buan failed to notice it. She tentatively reached out her hand and gently placed it on top of the little fox’s head. Seeing that it did not resist, she spread her fingers and rubbed its fur.
“Little fox, what is wrong?”
The unexpected touch left both the person and the fox stunned.
Qin Buan tried desperately to maintain a calm expression, but her wrist trembled uncontrollably, and she nearly bit through her back teeth.
Yet the thoughts in her wide almond shaped eyes were impossible to hide.
How could there be fur this soft in the world?
When her palm touched it, it felt as though she had fallen into a field of cotton. No, it was even softer than cotton. Every single strand of fur was just right, perfectly balanced between softness and firmness!
Qin Buan had never denied that she was obsessed with fluffy things.
Before transmigrating, she had also raised a blue cat, but even its fur had not felt as comfortable as the little fox’s.
Thinking this, Qin Buan took the opportunity to stroke it several more times. Compared with her cautious movements earlier, she was much bolder this time. She stroked from the top of its head all the way down its body, and before pulling her hand away, she even pinched its little paw.
The little fox’s stiff body had not yet adapted to what was happening when this sudden touch startled it again. Its tail began swaying uncontrollably, while its fox ears drooped, and the tips of its ears turned a faint shade of red.
As she stroked it again and again, its entire body was stimulated until it could not help curling itself up. The unfamiliar sensation made it retract the claw that had been partially exposed.
Only then did Qin Buan notice that there was blood on its curled hind leg.
She frowned and asked, “Little fox, why is your leg bleeding?”
The little fox made no sound. Instead, its little head unconsciously rubbed against her hand.
Qin Buan was instantly melted by its cuteness, completely forgetting the purpose of her visit. Feeling even more sorry for it, she took out a clean handkerchief and carefully bandaged its injured leg.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Buan decided that she would take the little fox with her when she left.
Qin Buan casually asked out of concern, “You have been staying here. Could Xie Mucheng have injured you?”
The little fox lifted its pointed nose slightly. As though it could understand her words, it stared at her without blinking, giving her the distinct feeling that it was monitoring its prey.
A shiver ran through Qin Buan’s heart, and for some inexplicable reason, she suddenly did not dare move any closer.
At that moment, the system’s voice sounded in her mind.