The gaze of the fox statue swept over the two figures walking toward it in the courtyard, and in an instant, it locked firmly onto Yun Miao.Suddenly, it grinned, revealing a long, snake-like tongue within its gaping mouth.A human body with a fox face and a serpent’s tongue—it was the Jade-Faced Fox.Feeling the unnamed greed in the other’s gaze fixed upon her, Yun Miao narrowed her eyes in confusion but did not stop, continuing to stride forward.She reached out and made a grasping motion, and in the blink of an eye, the Unbound Boat appeared in her hand, its edge gleaming sharply. Then, with a light tap of her toes, she raised the sword and pointed it directly at the fox, scoffing lightly, “What is this? A mere Jade-Faced Fox demon dares to call itself a deity?”Hearing this, the Jade-Faced Fox showed no anger. It flew away from the altar it had been sitting on, evading the sword’s edge, its gaze still fixed on Yun Miao’s face as if confirming something—or perhaps craving something.“For now, I am not, but soon I will be.”Once I devour you and seize your Immortal Bone.Naturally, he did not voice the latter half of this thought.He had to admit, this was truly a great surprise.Over a century ago, he had stumbled upon a small, shattered piece of bone from a dying woman in Mount Buzhou, and his cultivation base had surged dramatically, nearly stepping onto the path of immortality.Unfortunately, he had almost been discovered by a cultivator at the time. Seeing the person approaching, he had no choice but to snatch the small fragment of bone and flee in haste.Fortunately, he later secretly followed the cultivator who rescued the woman, watching as they entered the territory of the Xuantian Sect.Thus, he chose this remote village under the jurisdiction of the Xuantian Sect and struck a deal with its greedy ancestors.He accepted their offerings, devoured their desires, lured them with a century of prosperity and peace, and became the “Fox Deity” of Peach Blossom Village.Only one thing he left unsaid: the short-term fulfillment of their wishes came at a great cost—a cost that would extend to their descendants and must be repaid many times over.While using the villagers’ fortune and lifespan to continue cultivating his sinister arts, he kept an eye on the woman’s whereabouts.The former proceeded smoothly, but the latter—after the woman entered the Xuantian Sect, it was as if she had vanished without a trace.Unexpectedly, she had now stumbled back into his presence.Such a perfect opportunity was not one he would let slip away easily.Today, he would ascend to immortality.Perhaps the temptation was too great, for the Jade-Faced Fox could not contain his excitement. He transformed his palm into a claw and lunged at Yun Miao, who was advancing with her sword, intent on taking her life.The two figures clashed in the air, locked in a prolonged struggle.Xie Jue stood to the side without intervening, his gaze fixed on the two in the air. His right hand hung behind his back, where a sharp sword forged entirely from Black Iron was faintly taking shape, shimmering with a dark red glow and trembling, poised and ready.It seemed that if the person before him showed the slightest sign of trouble, the Black Iron Sword in his hand would immediately fly out and take the Jade-Faced Fox’s life.The Jade-Faced Fox’s cultivation base was not low, but in his eyes, it was still insufficient. He had refrained from acting only out of concern that Yun Miao might grow suspicious.However, compared to Yun Miao’s safety, all of this was insignificant.A blue and a white figure clashed and parried within Xie Jue's line of sight before separating once more, the blade of the Unbound Boat in Yun Miao's hand trembling and humming through the air.Yun Miao watched the Jade-faced Fox standing two paces away, his sword-hand shifting mid-motion as he changed his approach at the last moment.Seeing no way to evade the incoming strike, the Jade-faced Fox hastily blew two sharp, piercing whistles that echoed clearly across the courtyard. A massive dark shadow surged forth from nowhere, charging directly toward Yun Miao.It was the Azure-Tusked Beast that had been severely wounded the previous day.Now, its former injuries had completely vanished. Its pale, menacing fangs gleamed sharply under the moonlight as it lunged for Yun Miao.A dark crimson blade cut through the night. A figure flashed to Yun Miao's side in an instant, a Black Iron Sword intercepting the Azure-Tusked Beast's path. With a flick of the blade tip, Xie Jue expressionlessly sent the beast tumbling away."Crash—"The massive body of the falling beast collided with a wooden pillar in the room, causing roof tiles from one corner to clatter down and shatter on the ground. The noise was startlingly loud in the quiet night.A few paces away, both Yun Miao and the Jade-faced Fox were drawn to the commotion.The Jade-faced Fox first glanced at the fallen beast. Before he could utter the words "useless creature," his peripheral vision caught the dark crimson glow of the Black Iron Sword in the hands of the youth he had long overlooked.His gaze froze. Dodging Yun Miao's sword strike, he swiftly shifted his form, preparing to flee.Yun Miao's peripheral vision caught the subtle retreat. He immediately raised his sword and pursued. Seeing this, Xie Jue glanced at the Azure-Tusked Beast still sprawled on the ground, then cleanly drove his sword into the vital point beneath its neck.The already unconscious beast let out a final agonized howl before dissolving into a wisp of azure smoke, vanishing into the night.Then, he too followed the direction Yun Miao had taken in pursuit of the Jade-faced Fox.Unexpectedly, the Jade-faced Fox did not attempt to escape the ancestral hall. Instead, he led Yun Miao into an underground palace beneath it, twisting through several passages before disappearing from sight.Yun Miao stared at the spot where the Jade-faced Fox had inexplicably vanished, faced with a dead-end alley. He formed a hand seal and ignited a torch on the stone wall.The moment the flame flared to life, footsteps approached from behind. Yun Miao tensed, raising his sword as he turned."It's me."A familiar voice sounded. Recognizing the newcomer, Yun Miao halted his motion, the tip of the Unbound Boat stopping just short of the other's throat.Though Yun Miao had withdrawn his sword in time, the sword's energy had still grazed the other's neck, leaving a faint, shallow line. A bead of blood welled from the skin, taking shape within Yun Miao's sight."Xie Jue, why have you come?""I was afraid you might face danger alone."Xie Jue stood in place, looking at the person before him, offering his answer as though it were the most natural thing in the world.As he spoke, the bead of blood on his neck threatened to slide into his collar. Yun Miao hurriedly drew a handkerchief from his sleeve and pressed it against the wound. The blood quickly seeped into the plain white fabric.A warm, damp sensation transferred through the cloth to Yun Miao's fingertips. He lowered his gaze to the bloodstain. "My apologies.""This minor injury will heal shortly, it's nothing." Xie Jue shook his head, reaching out to take the handkerchief from Yun Miao's hand. "What about that jade… fox demon?""I followed him here, but then he vanished."Xie Jue glanced at the stone wall before them and understood the situation."Should we turn back the way we came, or search a little longer?"Yun Miao looked toward the dimly lit path leading in another direction. "Let's keep looking. If we don't eradicate this threat, Peach Blossom Village may suffer again in the future.""Alright."Xie Jue naturally had no objection to whatever decision Yun Miao made, because no matter what she decided, he would unconditionally accompany her.Yun Miao and Xie Jue proceeded along that path. Under the influence of Yun Miao's spells, the wall lamps lit up one by one, their glow extending further into the distance.The two followed the light forward, and before long, the somewhat narrow stone passage widened. At the end of the path was a circular platform with an unusual design, resembling… an altar.Yun Miao instinctively halted, her gaze sweeping across the spacious stone hall.When her eyes fell upon a corner, she suddenly locked onto a figure hidden in the shadows.That figure seemed to sense her gaze and turned to leave.Seeing this, Yun Miao hurriedly raised her sword and gave chase.But the moment she stepped into the circular hall, a greenish glow emerged, swiftly transforming into the shape of chains and darting straight toward Yun Miao."Watch out!"Xie Jue immediately leaped forward, pulling Yun Miao away from her original spot, narrowly avoiding the "chain" that shot out from behind her.Yet the greenish chains, as if alive and with eyes of their own, pursued Yun Miao and Xie Jue once more as they changed direction.Both raised their swords to slash at the chains. The half-chain, half-vine-like objects split apart under their blades, but before the severed parts could hit the ground, they regrew from the broken ends and entangled them again.Yun Miao frowned at the mysterious greenish glow before her.At that moment, the figure that had been hiding behind a pillar slowly stepped out. Standing at the opposite end of the altar, he watched the two trapped individuals, unable to conceal his smile. "Since we last parted, I've been waiting for the day we'd meet again.""What?"Hearing this, Yun Miao continued cutting through the relentless chains, taking advantage of a brief pause to look at the Jade-faced Fox standing opposite her in confusion.She had no memory of ever meeting him."So you don't remember. No wonder."The Jade-faced Fox's smile deepened slightly.Upon hearing his words, Xie Jue's grip on the Candle Dragon Sword tightened imperceptibly.What is the origin of this little fox demon?From his words, it seemed he had met A-Jie before she lost her memory and disappeared.Could he know something?At this thought, Xie Jue grew somewhat interested in the Jade-faced Fox.With that, the Jade-faced Fox took two steps forward. Earlier, seeing the youth wielding the Black Iron Sword shimmering with dark red Spiritual Power, he had assumed it was the young demon lord recently recovered by the Demon Realm. But upon closer inspection, his cultivation base was nothing remarkable, emboldening him further."Don't waste your efforts. This Green Vine Lock is an immortal artifact. With your cultivation bases, there's no escaping it."As if to confirm the Jade-faced Fox's words, the countless chains intensified their assault.Just as the two were focused on dealing with the vines, a formation silently appeared on the circular platform beneath their feet, enveloping both Yun Miao and Xie Jue.As if sensing something, the chains went berserk, all charging toward Yun Miao.While Yun Miao was fully occupied with the "vines," a rope chain suddenly shot out from the Jade-faced Fox's sleeve, catching her off guard and wrapping around her wrist.Yun Miao swung her sword to strike it, but the rope chain locked around her wrist remained unmoved.Meanwhile, the "vines" beside her seized the opportunity to entangle her hands and feet.With a sharp tug from the Jade-faced Fox, Yun Miao was pulled toward her.
Chapter 11
Mistakenly Believing I Was Given the Substitute Lover Script