“Does it feel good?”The boy’s voice, muffled as if he had just woken up, carried a sincere questioning tone as it came from beside Yun Miao.Yun Miao naturally hadn’t expected him to wake up at this moment, so upon hearing his voice, she couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. She abruptly sat up on the bed, her heart filled with guilt as if she had been caught red-handed doing something wrong.The hand that had been stroking Xie Jue’s tail simultaneously withdrew, as if trying to conceal her actions, her fingertips curling slightly.Yet, the very tail she had just caressed now rather tactlessly approached again, gently brushing against her still-uncurled palm.The soft, slightly ticklish sensation settled in her palm, and Yun Miao finally resigned herself to looking up at the face of the person beside her. Feigning composure, she gave her answer: “It feels good… Your tail is very soft.”Xie Jue’s brows lifted slightly as he tried hard to suppress the curve of his lips. As if deliberately, he asked with a smile, “Is that so?”The earlier turmoil in her heart, tangled with chaotic thoughts, vanished completely, leaving behind only peace and joy.Indeed, she was still herself.Even without her previous memories, she remained just as before—unlike others, she did not despise or fear him for being a half-demon.Though in his youth, within the cold, high-walled palace, he had already endured too many gazes of disgust or terror directed at him.Call him childish or greedy, but he did not want to see the same emotions in Yun Miao’s clear eyes.Even if she had forgotten everything about him.Yun Miao’s gaze met Xie Jue’s amber eyes, which held a hint of laughter, yet she vaguely caught a fleeting shadow of gloom within them.Her eyes lingered, as if trying to grasp the emotion that had slipped away and hidden itself, or as if questioning whether she had misseen it earlier.For a moment, she did not respond further.And Xie Jue’s earlier question had merely been a teasing remark concealing other thoughts, so he naturally hadn’t expected Yun Miao to give him a genuine answer.But just as Xie Jue, seeing Yun Miao fall silent, was about to change the subject, he heard her answer straightforwardly and without concealment: “Yes.”Yun Miao’s voice was no different from usual, yet Xie Jue inexplicably found it ethereal and indistinct.But clearly, the tail behind him, which he hadn’t retracted, was far more honest than its owner.The tail, which had only been tentatively brushing against Yun Miao’s palm, now began to sway gently, much like a happy puppy wiggling its fluffy body.Seeing this, Xie Jue wanted to restrain it slightly, but how could the tail, which had acted on its own accord, possibly obey him and stop obediently now?Feeling the movement, Yun Miao looked at the tail happily swaying in her palm and couldn’t help but smile slightly. Instinctively, she stroked it a few more times, just as she would pet the puppies she fed at the foot of Xuantian Sect.Only after stroking it did Yun Miao realize the impropriety of her actions. She hurriedly stopped and looked up at Xie Jue, a blush creeping up her neck like vines.Meeting Yun Miao’s gaze, he turned his head away somewhat awkwardly. “Sorry… It’s a bit out of my control right now.”“It’s fine.” Perhaps to avoid worsening his embarrassment, Yun Miao also withdrew her hand and placed it beside her. “I understand.”"But is this… could it be that your fever symptoms have worsened again?"Yun Miao glanced once more at Xie Jue's ears and tail, which had not yet retracted.Xie Jue did not know how to explain to her that this was not a fever at all, but rather his heat cycle had arrived early.Although the heat cycle was an entirely normal occurrence for beasts, he did not want to frighten Yun Miao.That was why he had initially lied to her, claiming he had caught a chill and developed a fever. Now, hearing Yun Miao's question, Xie Jue simply went along with it.He lowered his eyes, long lashes gently falling, and nodded in agreement. "It seems so."Yun Miao reached out again to feel his forehead—still quite warm. It would be best to have Doctor Xiao Lin take a look.But if they did that, Xie Jue's identity as a Half-demon would likely be exposed. After all, the pulse of a Half-demon differed significantly from that of a human. And in the eyes of others, Xie Jue was still her betrothed husband. If his Half-demon identity were revealed, misunderstandings were sure to arise.Seeing Yun Miao frown slightly, as if caught in a dilemma, Xie Jue more or less guessed her thoughts. He interrupted her unresolved thoughts first, offering reassurance: "Didn't Doctor Xiao Lin say the medicine needs to be taken for three consecutive doses? I imagine I'll be fine once I finish them."Hearing this, Yun Miao suddenly realized."Then I'll go prepare your medicine first."As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Miao turned and stepped off the bed, heading toward the door."Miss Yun," the name—both unfamiliar and familiar—rolled over Xie Jue's tongue, but in the end, he settled on a more appropriate address. "Thank you."Hearing the sound behind her, Yun Miao turned back."It's nothing."Opening the door, the summer heat outside remained impossible to ignore.But besides the midday sun, there was also the hidden patch of skin behind Yun Miao's ear that felt burning hot.Yun Miao closed the door and instinctively reached toward her ear.However, as luck would have it, the hand she raised was the same one that had touched Xie Jue's tail earlier. The warm, soft sensation seemed to linger in her palm.A subtle feeling silently grew from her palm, like summer ivy climbing freely over a white wall, or like the tiny white flowers hidden among the ivy's lush green leaves.Yun Miao did not know what kind of emotion this feeling should be classified as. She stopped the hand that had been about to reach for her ear and spread it open before her eyes. In her palm, a few grayish-white wolf hairs still remained. The strange sensation, as if alive, traveled upward along her palm lines and the bluish-green veins on her wrist.Perhaps her choice last night had been the right one.After all, she never cared whether he was a Half-demon or not. In her eyes, he was no different from herself—just with extra ears and a tail.Besides, they reminded her of the little dog she had kept at the foot of her sect's mountain—fluffy, cute, and endearing. She did not dislike them.Yun Miao looked at the few wolf hairs in her hand and slowly curled her fingers toward her palm./After preparing Xie Jue's medicine, Yun Miao lit some Voice-transmission Incense in the room. She wanted to try using spells to contact her two senior brothers, asking them to search the Archive Pavilion for records about this Peach Blossom Village.But no matter how many times she tried, she failed. Each time, her spells seemed to be blocked by something midway, completely repelled.She thought it might be due to the Barrier enveloping Peach Blossom Village.Just as Yun Miao once again lowered her hands from forming the seal, Xie Jue also set down the bowl of medicinal soup and noticed her."What's wrong?"Yun Miao turned her head and gave an honest answer: "The Voice-transmission Art seems to be unusable."Xie Jue also seemed to think of something: "Is it because of the barrier?""Yes."Yun Miao nodded in agreement.Wisp after wisp of blue smoke drifted from the Voice-transmission Incense in front of Yun Miao, spreading throughout the room and lingering before their eyes.Through the curling smoke, Xie Jue looked at Yun Miao: "So, what are your plans next?""If we can find some clues from the village chief, that would be best. But if not, I must still visit the ancestral hall." Yun Miao lightly tapped her fingertips on the table, her eyelashes lowered slightly, as if she had already made a decision. "Right now, my senior brother’s whereabouts are unknown. I can’t just wait idly for the Azure-Tusked Beast to appear again in ten days. Since it only emerges at night to cause trouble, I might as well go to the ancestral hall tonight to investigate.""I’ll go with you." Xie Jue looked at Yun Miao, who raised her eyes and was about to refuse, cutting her off first. "After drinking the medicine, I’m feeling much better."Yun Miao still hesitated slightly, only to hear the other speak again."I know my cultivation base isn’t high, but I promise I won’t hold you back."Yun Miao shook her head: "That’s not what I meant. It’s just that you don’t need to be dragged into this matter, and we don’t even know what’s inside the ancestral hall. I’m afraid of implicating you.""You said you’d marry me and take responsibility for me when we return. If something happens to you, who should I settle accounts with?"Xie Jue raised an eyebrow slightly, speaking half in jest.With things put this way, Yun Miao could no longer refuse and nodded in agreement.Although summer days are long and nights short, the afternoon still passed quickly.Yun Miao still hadn’t managed to contact the Xuantian Sect, and as dusk approached, the village chief also paid a visit. However, he didn’t bring any useful information either. The only clear facts were that the ancestral hall was over a hundred years old, and no one knew when the "Fox Deity" inside began to be worshipped—only that it had always protected the prosperity and peace of Peach Blossom Village.Yun Miao told him about her plan to investigate the ancestral hall at night. The village chief remained silent for a long while before finally taking out the key to the inner room of the ancestral hall and handing it to Yun Miao.Though Yun Miao didn’t actually need the key to enter, she said nothing and accepted it.As the sky gradually darkened, Yun Miao and Xie Jue once again set off along the familiar path toward the village ancestral hall.The door that hadn’t been fully pushed open in the morning was finally opened now, revealing the full appearance of the fox statue in the center to both of them.A fox face on a human body, its deliberately benevolent expression unable to conceal its cunning nature, yet the human-like figure was dressed in what resembled immortal robes.Neither one thing nor the other, utterly disjointed.This was Yun Miao’s first impression upon seeing the full appearance of this "deity statue."Such a thing naturally required no further confirmation from Yun Miao—it could not possibly be any kind of deity.Yun Miao turned to look at Xie Jue beside her, and he nodded in understanding.The two moved closer to the "deity statue." The cold moonlight streamed into the central courtyard, casting an eerie glow on the already paper-white face of the fox.Yun Miao and Xie Jue had only walked halfway, not yet fully crossing the courtyard, when the statue on the altar slowly opened its eyes without warning. A pair of fox-like eyes, seemingly smiling yet not, fixed upon them.
Chapter 10
Mistakenly Believing I Was Given the Substitute Lover Script