Chapter 549: Ask Yourself

Ye Wenxin felt deeply moved, finding it hardest to handle people being kind to her. Thinking about what could’ve happened earlier if she had been an ordinary human, she said, “Thank you for taking that hit for me. I honestly don’t know what would’ve happened otherwise.”

“It’s nothing. After all, humans are protected beings around here,” the kitsune replied with a small smile. She instinctively wanted to pat Ye Wenxin on the head but stopped herself at the last moment.

Ye Wenxin turned away. Wringing out a towel, she gently wiped the sweat from the kitsune’s forehead. They were close enough that it felt like something would happen until the bear demon’s voice interrupted from outside, startling Ye Wenxin.

With irritation clouding her face, the kitsune called, “Xiao Xiong (Little Bear), just wait outside a little longer.”

The bear demon patiently responded with a few words of concern before padding away with light, rhythmic thuds.

“That uncle is a good demon.” Ye Wenxin noticed the subtle distance between the kitsune and the bear demon. Maybe because no love was involved, they didn’t have the connection Ye Wenxin imagined they would have.

“He’s alright,” the kitsune replied absentmindedly. It seemed she wanted to say something more to Ye Wenxin but couldn’t find the right words.

They locked eyes for a moment, both silent.

Ye Wenxin returned to her tasks while the kitsune watched her from behind.

A moment later, Ye Wenxin finished tidying up and exited the room. The bear demon hurried upstairs to check on the kitsune. It was clear that, despite his faults, he genuinely cared for her.

But as the kitsune couldn’t return those feelings, the two demons’ story would inevitably end in heartbreak. Even though it was not Ye Wenxin’s business, she couldn’t help but sigh. Perhaps because Wen Susu had been going on about it so much, some sympathy had taken root.

As she walked down the stairs, Ye Wenxin suddenly heard a commotion.

There was a figure in white standing there, her expression slightly indifferent.

The demons around her were both fearful and drawn to her striking face. Ye Wenxin recognized her instantly. It was Fairy Fengya, still clad in pure white, now looking a bit rough. Ye Wenxin didn’t know how she’d escaped the academy, but Fairy Fengya was sure to have her ways.

Fairy Fengya scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Ye Wenxin. Her lips moved to say something, but she hesitated with so many people around.

The growing noise attracted other residents. Soon enough, both the kitsune and red kitsune had come to see what was happening. Their eyes flashed with caution upon seeing Fairy Fengya.

But Fairy Fengya ignored everyone else but Ye Wenxin. She asked her, “Still not finished?”

It seemed Fairy Fengya had finally realized she’d waited too long and left the academy in frustration. A shout pierced the air before the shock of her appearance could settle.

“This is bad. There’s a huge hole in the sky!” A human man stumbled inside. When he saw the inn full of demons, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

The puzzled demons rushed outside to see for themselves. They saw a massive tear in the sky, from which a dark mist began to seep. Although invisible to ordinary human eyes, the demons recognized the dark mist as the presence of Soul Evokers.

These Soul Evokers, who somehow had a way to enter the mortal realm, were drifting through the sky, hunting for prey. Suddenly, one of them flew lightning-fast towards the nearest child in its line of sight.

The startled child touched his face and body. He thought he was sure to die, only to find himself unharmed. But when his mother looked at him, she let out a horrified scream.

It was no longer her adorable and vibrant child standing before her, but an elderly man near the end of his life, as though the Soul Evoker had sucked years out of him.

Terrified by the sinister black mist, the onlookers began fleeing in panic. The Soul Evokers, however, continued their relentless hunt, as if human lifespans were some delicacy. Ye Wenxin’s face grew dark. “What’s going on?”

She looked to Fairy Fengya for an explanation. The other woman replied apathetically, “That place is likely unsalvageable.”

“But what about the Heavenly Book?” Ye Wenxin muttered lowly, lest the kitsune overhear.

Fairy Fengya gave no further response. She drew her Cold Soul Sword, intent on fighting the Soul Evokers.

“Are you crazy!? Soul Evokers exist beyond the Wuxing¹. They ranked above even the Ghost King! …No, wait, they should be easy to handle.” Ye Wenxin suddenly remembered that dealing with a Ghost King was like cutting vegetables for cultivators of their level.

Soul Evokers, although revolting, were no match for them. Regardless of the number, Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng and Fairy Fengya teaming up could easily eliminate them.

But Gu Qingcheng couldn’t show her face.

Ye Wenxin considered faking a fainting spell to create an alibi. Suddenly, she noticed the kitsune and the red kitsune looking unusually serious. They stood in solidarity for once, showing their tails and ears without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, they sprang skyward.

As if answering the call of the two kitsune, other demons began to transform into their beastly forms. In moments, an array of demonic creatures filled the sky to clash fiercely with the Soul Evokers.

This battle was the demons’ fight. Neither Fairy Fengya nor Ye Wenxin had a place in it.

Ye Wenxin noticed Fairy Fengya looking eager to join the fray. Grabbing her left hand, she gently checked the other woman’s pulse to assess her condition.

“Did you use a lot of your energy just to get here? It’d be better if you avoided fighting for now,” Ye Wenxin advised. Fairy Fengya looked up at the sky, then back at Ye Wenxin. She nodded in agreement, surprisingly heeding her advice.

While the others focused on the battle, Ye Wenxin seemed relaxed. After erecting a protective barrier around them, Fairy Fengya remained silent and stopped looking at Ye Wenxin.

Ye Wenxin’s thoughts drifted back to the absurd things Wen Susu had told her. Seeing Fairy Fengya like this, those things seemed even more impossible.

Before long, the demons drove off the Soul Evokers, forcing them back into the rift. The crowd watched the rift anxiously. Suddenly, a burst of blazing light filled the sky. A golden radiance had replaced the black mist that had once covered the library tower.

As this golden light lanced through the clouds, Wen Susu appeared, draped in an elegant dress. A constellation of books surrounded her, forming her defense.

Seeing her ascending into the sky filled the crowd with overwhelming joy, and they began to cheer loudly.

“It’s the Heavenly Book! The Heavenly Book has manifested once more!”

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Footnotes:

1. 1. Wuxing, 五行, usually translated as Five Phases or Five Agents, is a fivefold conceptual scheme used in many traditional Chinese fields of study to explain a wide array of phenomena, including cosmic cycles, the interactions between internal organs, the succession of political regimes, and the properties of herbal medicines.
   Source:
   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxing_(Chinese_philosophy) ↩︎