Faced with Meng Li’s request, Xi Miaoyi refused without a second thought. After all, just taking it out for a look was already her limit, not to mention the other party hadn’t even sworn a Heart Devil Oath yet.
“Swear the Heart Devil Grand Oath first, and then I’ll agree…”
“It seems you’re still wary of me. But that’s fine, wariness is a good thing. In that case, I’ll have to show some sincerity on my part too~”
Meng Li slowly took a step back and began to swear the Heart Devil Oath. In the game, it was just a setting, but if you failed to uphold the oath, it would breed a Heart Devil, causing the character’s strength to stagnate, or even regress.
Meng Li initially hated this setting—after all, gaining a couple of levels wasn’t easy. But later she discovered the usefulness of it, since it allowed one to gain absolute trust.
“I, Meng Li, hereby swear to keep my promise. Should I break it, may I fall to the Devil Path and face eternal damnation~!”
After hearing Meng Li’s oath, Xi Miaoyi’s guard slowly lowered a fraction. Only then did Meng Li walk over with a smile. Though still deeply unwilling inside, Xi Miaoyi had no reason to stop her any further.
“You can rest assured now, right? Let me have a closer look at that thing~”
Xi Miaoyi looked at the Soul Gathering Banner in her hand, hesitated for a moment, then handed it over. With the Heart Devil Grand Oath as a binding constraint, the other party shouldn’t break her promise immediately.
“Just… just please get me out of this sect as soon as possible…”
“You seem to be in quite a hurry. You didn’t do something bad, did you~”
“N-no, I just… I just don’t want to stay in this place anymore… Now that you have what you wanted, get out of my room already!”
Meng Li caught the Soul Gathering Banner Xi Miaoyi threw over, slowly stroking the patterns on it. Just clenching it in her hand, a cold, sinister aura continuously seeped from the banner. Meng Li felt an ecstatic thrill from the soul-deep terror it evoked.
“Fantastic! This thing is absolutely fantastic. And Shizun endured an effect ten thousand times stronger than this, yet she’s still alive!”
Meng Li’s face was filled with excitement as she fondled the treasure in her hand. She’d once been uncertain about the almost deified depictions of Ling Qingyue in the game, but now, Meng Li could feel that just this Soul Gathering Banner in her hand could refine her own soul into it if she wasn’t careful.
She hardly dared imagine how terrifying this thing would be if it were upgraded to the Myriad Souls Banner. And what kind of horrifying existence Ling Qingyue must be, to have been stabbed by something like this, unprepared, and still live.
“Alright, I’ve got the goods, time for me to go. I’ll come find you tomorrow~”
Meng Li stored it in her spatial inventory and turned towards the door. Xi Miaoyi watched her push it open and walk out. As the door closed, Xi Miaoyi felt as if all her strength had been drained, slumping powerlessly to the floor.
“She’s finally gone. There’s nothing left to lose. The sect is gone… only this… I must protect only this…”
Xi Miaoyi sat on the floor, looking haggardly towards the wardrobe. But just then, inside the originally quiet room, the wardrobe door, which had been closed, stirred slightly. The door was pushed open a crack, and a pair of lively eyes peered out.
“It’s okay now, the bad person is gone~”
Xi Miaoyi slowly stood up from the floor. Already exhausted, she still put on a gentle expression. As the wardrobe door opened, a young Loli girl, just as tall as Meng Li, darted out.
“Sis… Sister, are you okay?”
The young girl looked at the exhausted Xi Miaoyi, her face full of concern as she ran over and hugged her. Being held, Xi Miaoyi felt her mind and body heal.
“I’m fine now. Tomorrow, we leave this place. To our real home…”
Xi Miaoyi gently stroked the girl’s hair, the black-and-white locks cascading over her shoulders. Yet when the girl looked up, those golden eyes revealed the extraordinary nature of her identity.
“Are we really leaving here?”
“Yes. Sister’s identity is too sensitive here. I can’t stay forever. If someone were to find out…”
Halfway through her words, Xi Miaoyi realized her identity was no secret at all. The only reason she was still alive now was probably that tiny bit of remaining utility.
As Xi Miaoyi’s mood dipped, the girl in her arms hugged her even tighter. Xi Miaoyi looked down at her slightly soft cheeks and the innocence within those golden eyes.
“Wherever we go, as long as I’m with Sister, I’m not afraid~”
“Mm! We’ll leave here together!”
Feeling Xi Miaoyi’s spirits lift, the girl nuzzled against her like a spoiled child. Xi Miaoyi also showed a relieved smile. She had thought that as a spy, she was doomed to hide in darkness forever.
Yet during a mission in the forest, Xi Miaoyi had encountered her, covered in wounds. Despite the girl’s initial wariness, Xi Miaoyi had carefully nursed her back to health, hiding her in her own bedroom. This was the one who knew her identity even before it was exposed.
“If I weren’t a person from the Devil Sect, you wouldn’t have to be trapped in this tiny room~”
“Sister, what’s the Devil Sect?”
“You don’t even know that? So innocent. What if someone tricked you and took you away? Good thing I tricked you over first~”
“Haha, I’d be willing to be tricked by Sister for a lifetime~”
Even after her identity was exposed, Xi Miaoyi never thought of handing the girl in her arms over. Even living every day strung tight, as long as she had her, she could endure.
“No matter what, I’ll protect you. After all, you called me ‘Sister’~”
“Mm~”
Xi Miaoyi was still fantasizing about leaving this place and building a house just for the two of them deep in the forest. However, what Xi Miaoyi didn’t notice was that the main door, which should have been closed, was left slightly ajar, and a single violet eye was silently observing the room.
[Xi Miaomiao] (Alias)
[Core Formation Stage]
Race: Crimson Spirit White Tiger [Humanoid Form]
[Juvenile]
[One of the Four Sacred Beasts]
[Upon forming a contract, will be 100% loyal to its host. Possesses powerful aggression and is very difficult to tame.]
[Uncontracted]
String after string of detailed annotations appeared on the system screen beside her. Standing behind the door, watching everything happening in the room, Meng Li stood frozen outside. Her ears could no longer hear any other sound. On that massive screen, only two words were visible: [Juvenile] and [Uncontracted].
“So… that’s your reason for wanting to leave so quickly…”
Watching the two figures, one big and one small, embracing in the room, Meng Li didn’t even notice the corners of her mouth threatening to split her ears. Having initially planned to just take advantage of the other party before sending her on her way, Meng Li now couldn’t control the trembling of her body.
“Xi Miaoyi, you truly are my lucky star! But still, it’s a good thing I, Meng Li, am someone who keeps her promises~”
Meng Li thought this to herself, but her gaze couldn’t tear itself away from the Loli girl with the golden eyes. She slowly turned around, opened the door behind her, and returned to the room that was originally hers.
“The workload just increased. If I’m sending two people away, how is one payment enough~”
………
…
