‘Look at the way he’s talking.
Anyone would run from a crazed look like that, right?’
“It’s late.
I’m going back to get some sleep.”
Yun Fuzhao felt the way he looked at her was like a wolf sizing up its prey, making her hair stand on end.
If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from drawing the Wuji.
Yu Ze didn’t speak, his pitch-black eyes like graphite.
Seeing this, Yun Fuzhao turned to leave, but Yu Ze, as if expecting it, shot out a hand and grabbed her wrist.
His bone-chillingly cold palm clamped down on her skin, and Yun Fuzhao shivered.
‘Is this a normal human body temperature?’
Her heart hammered in her chest.
‘What on earth does the great villain want?’
Putting together all the recent events, a suspicion formed in Yun Fuzhao’s mind.
‘This guy has come looking for me over and over again.
Could it be that Yu Nian’er sent him to spy on me?’
‘Have they already started following the original plot?’
Yun Fuzhao’s mind raced, her body tensing instinctively.
‘If he really makes a move, then I’ll just have to apologize to Xi Muzhe…’
While she stood there, lost in her own storm of thoughts and looking utterly guarded, if she had only looked closely at Yu Ze’s expression, she would have seen the corners of his eyes were red, showing a mix of agitation and helplessness.
Yu Ze stared at the wrist he held captive, an indescribable emotion swelling within him.
A heat burned in his chest, making him restless, making him want to tear something apart.
The next second, the person before him wrenched free from his grasp, a hint of vigilance on her fair, clear face.
Yun Fuzhao asked, “Do you want to fight me?”
“…”
Yu Ze’s throat felt dry.
He was thirsty, and his voice came out raspy when he spoke.
“I don’t.”
He looked at her, seeming to want to say more but stopping himself.
This only made Yun Fuzhao find him even more baffling.
“If you have something to say, just say it.
This dithering is driving me crazy.”
“That fox.”
Yun Fuzhao froze.
‘That was a Ninth Grade Concealing Pill!
Even Meng Ci’er wouldn’t be able to see through its disguise, yet he saw it so easily?’
She sucked in a sharp breath.
‘No wonder his power could match the male lead’s in the late stages of the story.
He’s just too overpowered.’
‘If I’d known, I would have chosen him back when we were selecting Outer Disciples.
But he’d run off somewhere at the time, so it was a lost cause anyway.’
“What fox?” Yun Fuzhao played dumb.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.
I’m sleepy.”
Yu Ze’s lips moved, wanting to warn her that the fox was no good, but then he remembered that the fox also had leverage over him…
“Alright, I’m heading back.” Fearing he would grab her again, Yun Fuzhao ran off at top speed this time.
Halfway there, she glanced back and saw Yu Ze still standing in the same spot, blending into the deep night.
His shadow, cast by the moonlight, looked inexplicably lonely.
Following the tropes of every novel, the great villain always had an incredibly tragic childhood, and Yu Ze was naturally no exception.
Beautiful, powerful, and tragic—that term was coined for people just like him.
Thinking about it, wasn’t the original owner of this body also beautiful, powerful, and tragic?
Her parents died, forcing her to beg on the streets as a child.
When she was finally adopted, it was only so that person could use her to ward off a calamity…
It was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black; both of them were equally miserable.
Yun Fuzhao shook her head and returned to her Disciple Residence.
The moment she pushed open the door, she saw Jiao Yu dragging the fox backward by its tail.
The adolescent fox’s four limbs were stretched out straight, its fur a mess.
Seeing her, its golden pupils instantly filled with tears.
It put on the perfect look of having been horribly bullied.
A vein throbbed on Yun Fuzhao’s forehead.
She snatched Jiao Yu up.
“What are you two doing?”
Jiao Yu couldn’t believe what a drama queen the fox was.
A moment ago, it had been contemptuously stomping on Jiao Yu’s tail, but the second Yun Fuzhao appeared, it switched to this pitiful act!
‘This two-faced schemer!!!’
Jiao Yu writhed wildly, its tail smacking against Yun Fuzhao’s arm.
SLAP!
SLAP!
Qi Huai, however, slowly sat up and, under her gaze, began to rub against her leg like a cat.
It was a good thing Jiao Yu couldn’t speak, or it would be cursing Qi Huai’s entire family tree right now.
Yun Fuzhao felt a major headache coming on.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the things in her room had been knocked over every which way.
Her face flushed red with anger.
She gritted her teeth.
“You two are going to clean this room up.”
The fox and the snake exchanged a look, each seeing regret in the other’s eyes.
Soon, the fox was holding a broom in its mouth and the snake was coiled around a rag, both diligently cleaning the room.
Meanwhile, Yun Fuzhao sat to the side, polishing her sword with a blank expression.
The scene was surprisingly harmonious.
This was the scene that greeted Song Ying upon her return.
Beyond her surprise, she felt a surge of admiration for Yun Fuzhao.
These two animals were nothing like this around her.
They were ill-tempered and wouldn’t even let her touch them.
But in front of Senior Sister Yun, they were unbelievably well-behaved.
“Did you go wading in a river?
Why are your clothes so wet?” Yun Fuzhao looked Song Ying over.
Her face was flushed, her forehead was beaded with sweat, and the hem of her clothes was dripping.
She looked like she had just crawled out of the water.
Song Ying laughed, plopped down beside Yun Fuzhao, and, grabbing the teapot, tilted her head back to chug a large mouthful of water.
Her eyes were shining as she said excitedly, “Senior Sister Yun, I’m about to break through!”
Song Ying had been stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage for a long time.
She cultivated diligently, putting in a hundred times more effort than others, yet her Cultivation remained as stagnant as dead water.
She thought she would be stuck at this level for the rest of her life.
The last time she went home, she saw her father lying sick in bed, his hair streaked with white, too weak to even get up.
Her eyes had turned red at the sight, and she’d thought about leaving the Sect to go back and take care of him.
After all, she didn’t seem to have what it takes for Cultivation.
But just now, she had gone to the training grounds to practice the Three Extremes Technique.
She had barely begun the opening sword moves when it felt like her governor and conception vessels had been cleared, and her progress skyrocketed.
Even her Cultivation, which had been as immovable as a mountain for years, began to stir.
Yun Fuzhao was incredibly gratified.
She had known all along that Song Ying was a promising seedling for cultivation.
Among all the Outer Disciples, she was the most hardworking.
Every day, she would get up, run a lap around several peaks, practice the Sect Sword Technique once through, and only then return to the Disciple Residence to wake Yun Fuzhao up.
Wind or rain, she was absolutely resolute.
With that kind of perseverance, she could succeed at anything.
Yun Fuzhao admired people like that the most.
They were so self-disciplined—unlike her, who had to coax herself out of bed every morning.
Song Ying was about to say more when her expression suddenly changed.
Her voice rose, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s coming!
I’m going to meditate!”
Yun Fuzhao nodded in satisfaction.
“Go on.”
Among those few Inner Sect Disciples, the one with the highest Cultivation had reached the Golden Core Early Stage.
The others were mostly hovering around the Spirit Severing Stage.
The gap wasn’t that large.
Yun Fuzhao felt she had a fighting chance.
Speaking of which, it was time for her to start cultivating the Void Breaking Dragon Roar.
In one month, she would also be participating in the promotion tournament.
Although her Cultivation had now reached the Golden Core Middle Stage, she had no real technique when she fought.
She just waved the Wuji around like a cleaver, hacking away blindly.
That wouldn’t do.
Yun Fuzhao took out the Sword technique manual from You Ziqian and began to read it by lamplight.
The Sword technique manual was thin.
When she opened it, the strong, forceful characters inside seemed to come alive, dancing before her eyes.
Yun Fuzhao’s eyes were dazzled as the characters gradually formed the image of a person.
The light from the sword was like a dragon, coiling and soaring with immense power.
The Wuji Sword in her hand began to tremble with excitement.