Chapter 28: Get Your Tail Off Me!

Bai Xiaoxiao held the figure close, but her voice trembled.

It was entirely because of the freezing cold radiating from the little figure. She’d stubbornly wrapped her arms around the Soul Fragment and was now paying the price.

Even so, she didn’t let go. Instead, she held on tighter.

But because it was so cold, time seemed to stretch endlessly. She didn’t know how long she endured it. She only knew that at some point, the cold faded and was replaced by warmth.

Her mind felt sluggish—whether from the chill or the Gu Poison flaring, she couldn’t tell.

“A-… A-Yue?”

Bai Xiaoxiao called out timidly, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance.

She’d expected Shen Zhiyue not to answer, but before she could feel disappointed, a familiar voice sounded beside her ear.

“Silly snake.”

Shen Zhiyue was indeed unhappy, and had no wish to see Bai Xiaoxiao again.

Who could have guessed the snake was so foolish she’d hug her even through all that cold?

She’d assumed that when the girl couldn’t stand it anymore, she’d let go. Instead, Bai Xiaoxiao only hugged her even tighter.

Shen Zhiyue fell silent. Finally, she withdrew the spiritual power she’d been radiating and spoke slowly. “Who allowed you to change how you address me?”

Bai Xiaoxiao jolted. But instead of apologizing like before, she only pulled the woman closer, testing cautiously.

“But… A-Yue, you’re not angry. If you really didn’t want me to, you’d have taught me a lesson long ago, wouldn’t you? A-Yue—”

“I want to call you that. Is that not allowed?”

Bai Xiaoxiao nuzzled against her, her voice low but clear.

Shen Zhiyue was silent for a moment before saying slowly, “Since when did you learn to read people’s minds?”

Bai Xiaoxiao pressed her cheek affectionately against Shen Zhiyue’s. “I’m not reading your mind. It’s just that you never tried to hide it…”

She paused, then continued, “A-Yue, it’s already night.”

The words were deliberately vague, but both of them understood perfectly.

Like a signal, the atmosphere suddenly grew hot.

The Gu Poison flared right on schedule. Shen Zhiyue’s body trembled slightly. She said no more, silently permitting Bai Xiaoxiao’s actions.

Once again, the Sea of Consciousness stirred. But this time, it wasn’t as violent as before. It was like the peace and serenity of a gentle breeze brushing through warm sunlight—comfortable, soothing.

The two had dual cultivated more than a few times by now. Bai Xiaoxiao was no longer shy and inexperienced; she’d grown skilled and bolder.

The emotions she usually suppressed burst forth under the Gu Poison’s influence, and when she looked at Shen Zhiyue, her eyes burned with heat.

She had never felt anything like this—such intense feelings for someone she’d only recently met, hot enough to melt her from within.

Bai Xiaoxiao had always thought her feelings for Shen Zhiyue began with shallow attraction to a pretty face. But now, she could no longer tell.

When had her feelings for Shen Zhiyue grown so fierce?

Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t figure it out, but she was willing to sink into it.

Only when the Gu Poison flared did her greed consume every shred of reason.

Once, she’d thought it was enough to stay by Shen Zhiyue’s side. But now that she’d realized Shen Zhiyue had feelings for her too, the heart that had once been content began to turn greedy.

Sometimes Bai Xiaoxiao thought: wouldn’t it be wonderful if Shen Zhiyue belonged to her alone?

Better yet—if all of Shen Zhiyue’s emotions were because of her.

Every time that thought crossed her mind, Bai Xiaoxiao felt a little sick.

When her reason was intact, she could hide it well. Only at times like this did the desires buried deep inside break free of their restraints and burst out.

She kissed the neck so close to her, inch by inch, as if she could smell that familiar scent on the woman’s very soul.

Unfortunately, this was only a Soul Fragment. Even though the sensation was stronger, she still preferred the feeling of truly holding Shen Zhiyue in her arms.

“Mmm… if only you were really in front of me. Then I could hold you for real, kiss you, touch your skin—”

Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes were hazy, and all the words she could never normally say spilled out one by one.

Her blunt words plucked at Shen Zhiyue’s nerves, and Shen Zhiyue couldn’t understand how one person could change so completely.

Bai Xiaoxiao was bad at pretending. Her emotions showed plainly, simple enough to read at a glance.

But that was under normal circumstances.

When it came to matters of the bed, she turned into a completely different person—the way she spoke, the things she did, had nothing in common with her usual self.

Bai Xiaoxiao seemed to have a bit of split personality.

The thought that the girl had been possessed had circled in Shen Zhiyue’s mind more than once. But she had investigated, and Bai Xiaoxiao wasn’t possessed.

“Mmn… stop…”

The sudden surge of passion scattered the thoughts in Shen Zhiyue’s mind. Caught off guard, she couldn’t hold back the sound, and tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes.

Yet the culprit who had reduced her to such a state looked utterly innocent—and, upon closer inspection, even a little wronged.

What exactly was she feeling wronged about?

Shen Zhiyue bit her lip, unwilling to let any moan escape her throat.

“Why are you holding back? A-Yue, there’s no one else here. You don’t have to hold back.”

As she spoke, Bai Xiaoxiao’s face gradually turned aggrieved again.

“You were distracted just now. Was I not doing well? A-Yue, what were you thinking about?”

Bai Xiaoxiao kissed her slowly, her lips barely brushing against her neck, trailing toward more sensitive places.

Shen Zhiyue’s back was beautiful—especially her waist. It had perfect curves and was extremely sensitive; even the lightest touch made her tremble.

Bai Xiaoxiao adored it. Her fingers lingered, unwilling to leave.

Shen Zhiyue’s reactions were intense. The one flaw was that divine soul dual cultivation couldn’t let her truly touch Shen Zhiyue’s delicate skin.

But there was a benefit: she could freely change her form.

At first, Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t notice. She was kissing Shen Zhiyue passionately, and without realizing it, her lower half reverted to its original form, coiling tightly around the woman in her arms.

Her tail was sometimes disobedient, as if it had a will of its own.

So Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t realize what had happened until the person in her arms suddenly trembled violently.

“Wretch! Your tail… get your… tail… off me!”

Because of the Gu Poison, Bai Xiaoxiao’s mind was hazy, her reason nearly gone. She acted purely on instinct and had no idea what she was doing.

But Shen Zhiyue’s furious voice jolted a sliver of clarity back into her dazed mind. That brief clarity made her realize something was off about her form.

Bai Xiaoxiao looked down blankly and unconsciously twitched her tail. The next second, she heard Shen Zhiyue let out a faint moan she couldn’t suppress.

It was completely unlike how she usually spoke. What Bai Xiaoxiao heard was something incredibly soft, like a kitten’s mewl—itchy, tantalizing, utterly pleasing to the ear.

Bai Xiaoxiao vaguely felt a sensation coming from her tail and, following instinct, swayed it again. Only then did she finally realize—that seemed to be her tail. And that sensation…

A little dazed, Bai Xiaoxiao slowly followed the tail to its end, and when she finally understood what she’d done, the image hit her mind like a thunderclap. The sliver of reason Shen Zhiyue had awakened in her snapped instantly.

“A-Yue, I can feel it. You’re just as stirred as I am…”

She murmured, enchanted, childishly curious, and kept exploring.

Shen Zhiyue could no longer bear it and tried to push Bai Xiaoxiao away. But the girl’s strength had suddenly become enormous, and locked in her grip, Shen Zhiyue couldn’t break free at all.

“Change… back… right… now…”

Shen Zhiyue spoke in broken fragments, the words barely coherent.

Naturally, Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t listen. Instead, she went even further. The scene had opened the door to a whole new world, and instead of obediently complying, she turned extraordinarily rebellious.

The stimulation of divine soul dual cultivation really was too intense.

Especially since this round had been an advanced version. Who knew how Bai Xiaoxiao had suddenly become so enlightened.

For a single moment, Shen Zhiyue felt she couldn’t take any more, yet she had no way to escape. She could only let Bai Xiaoxiao do as she pleased.

…

The night deepened, and the Gu Poison’s effects slowly began to recede.

Bai Xiaoxiao finally regained her senses. When she realized what she’d done, she yanked her tail back in panic.

The person in her arms let out a soft moan, trembling as if startled.

Bai Xiaoxiao’s pupils contracted with the sound. She hastily transformed back to human form—then went blank.

What a sin. What on earth had she done?!

Bai Xiaoxiao held the woman stiffly, not daring to move. Everything that had just happened replayed in her mind. At last, unable to bear it, she shamefully lowered her head.

The moment she looked down, Shen Zhiyue’s appearance came into clear view.

Bai Xiaoxiao squeezed her eyes shut and viciously cursed herself in her heart.

But honestly, if she were given a chance to do it all over again, she probably still couldn’t resist.

Scattered thoughts flashed through her mind. Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes shifted through several emotions before she finally, unable to help herself, pressed a loving kiss to Shen Zhiyue’s hair.

Shen Zhiyue seemed exhausted. She’d fallen asleep before it was even fully over, though it was clear she wasn’t resting peacefully.

Bai Xiaoxiao tried to loosen her hold, but it seemed to have been misunderstood. Hearing Shen Zhiyue murmur “no” in her sleep, she couldn’t help her ears turning red.

She finally managed to let the woman go and was about to go wallow in her shame when the little figure grew even more restless.

Bai Xiaoxiao had no time to wallow. She hurriedly pulled the woman back into her arms and slowly soothed her, until Shen Zhiyue calmed down. Then, Bai Xiaoxiao too sank into a deep sleep.

When she woke the next morning, the Soul Fragment was dim. Shen Zhiyue’s consciousness had returned to her main body at some point.

Bai Xiaoxiao froze. Blushing, she withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness. Only after freshening up did she finally calm down.

The auction was set to begin at noon. The spirit plant Ming Jingqiu needed had been arranged to be sold fairly early in the lineup.

The demonic beast corpse she’d sold the previous day had been a one-time transaction and didn’t need to be auctioned. So, if all went smoothly, they could head home once they bought the spirit plant.

During breakfast, Ye Xingtong chattered on about all the fun things she’d encountered last night. Bai Xiaoxiao, meanwhile, was spacing out.

“Xiaoxiao, it’s such a shame you didn’t go. There were lanterns last night—really pretty.”

The sudden sound of her own name jolted Bai Xiaoxiao back to reality. “Huh? Lanterns? Is it some kind of festival?”

Ye Xingtong paused. “I think so? Whatever, that’s not important. The point is we got to go. You have no idea how lively it was. The Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion even arranged a parade of flower-decorated carts. Huge spectacle.”

Bai Xiaoxiao’s expression stiffened. She gave an awkward laugh. “Is… is that so? Ha.”

Good thing she hadn’t gone. She couldn’t even stand hearing the name “Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion” right now. She’d developed an allergy.

“Anyway, we can come again when we get the chance. I just don’t know when we’ll be allowed out again after we go back.”

Ye Xingtong said this with some disappointment. After a few days of freedom, she clearly wasn’t ready to go home.

Bai Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, didn’t feel much of anything—if anything, she wanted to get back sooner.

She… missed Shen Zhiyue.

Even though the Soul Fragment was there with her, it wasn’t the same. With that thought, the urge to return grew more urgent.

Jing Ying smiled faintly. “There will be chances. Three years from now, a great secret realm will open. At that time, all the sects will organize disciples to train there. However…”

She looked Ye Xingtong up and down and let out a small sigh. “If you don’t step up your cultivation, will you even be able to go?”

The Nine Provinces contained countless secret realms, large and small. But spots for the large ones were limited. A regular sect might have only a few; for a major sect like the Shangqing Sword Sect, the quota hovered somewhere around two to three hundred.

Despite the seemingly large number, major sects also had enormous numbers of disciples. With so many inner and outer disciples, the spots couldn’t possibly cover everyone, so those who wanted to participate had to compete in the sect tournament and win their own place.

In general, personal disciples didn’t need to compete in the tournament. However…

If a personal disciple’s strength couldn’t even measure up to the inner and outer disciples, that would be extremely embarrassing.

Ye Xingtong was at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment, which actually put her at the top of the newly accepted disciples. But compared to a few inner disciples who had been cultivating for ages, she still didn’t look so impressive.

“Heh. Young Pavilion Master, you should worry about yourself. The Myriad Laws Pavilion judges by results. With your grades…”

Jing Ying’s smile stiffened at Ye Xingtong’s mockery. Unable to stand it, the two predictably started arguing again.

Bai Xiaoxiao calmly moved away from the pair and sat down beside Ming Jingqiu, asking curiously, “Senior Sister, which secret realm is opening in three years?”

Ming Jingqiu looked thoughtful. “It should be the Glazed Illusory Realm. It’s an inheritance secret realm left by a mighty figure. Apparently, it’s been open for nearly a thousand years, and the inheritance still hasn’t been claimed.”

Bai Xiaoxiao blinked. “An illusory realm?”

Ming Jingqiu nodded. “Yes. The master of that realm was a mighty figure of the Hehuan Sect from a thousand years ago. Legend says she was only one step away from ascension, yet for unknown reasons, she didn’t ascend. Instead, she passed away in meditation.”

Bai Xiaoxiao felt a little awkward. “The… Hehuan Sect?”

Ming Jingqiu nodded again, and seeing her expression, smiled. “It’s true that it’s called the Hehuan Sect, but it only means they practice a different cultivation method. You can’t judge everyone by one measure. Even among the righteous path, there are those who act like devils and demons.”

Bai Xiaoxiao nodded sheepishly and did her best to toss aside her stereotype of the Hehuan Sect.

Still, a secret realm left by a mighty figure… it would be wonderful to see it. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a disciple of the Sword Sect.

Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes dimmed slightly.

The morning passed quickly. The auction was about to begin, so the group cleaned up and headed to the auction house.

On the way to their private room, Bai Xiaoxiao felt a strange gaze on her. But when she turned to look, she found nothing.

“What’s wrong?”

Bai Xiaoxiao shook her head. “Nothing. Maybe I was imagining it.”

None of them thought much of it. They followed an attendant into the private room and sat down.

Bai Xiaoxiao thought it would start right away, but just before the appointed time, an attendant came to inform them that the auction would be delayed by a quarter of an hour—a new item had been added at the last minute.

Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t think anything of it, until the attendant delivered the updated item list. When she saw the newly added lot, a chill ran through her entire body.

A Mirage Serpent Inner Core…

How could that be?