Chapter 43: You didn’t even know a ghost had entered the Sword Sect?

—”Holy motherfucking shit!!!”

Su Li’er violently threw off the covers and her eyes snapped open.

Her whole body was drenched in cold sweat, her little heart was pounding, and she felt as if she had just survived a disaster.

‘I actually… had such a terrible dream.’

Su Li’er reached up and touched the fox ears on top of her head, then looked at the white tails on the bed. It seemed that her disguise art had failed again while she was sleeping.

As if she had realized something.

Su Li’er quickly lifted the covers and looked, her face turning ashen.

As expected, the bed was wet.

It’s over, it’s completely over.

Su Li’er held her head in agony.

She knew very well that there was a big problem with her state.

In fact, she was not proficient in the disguise art. She could only maintain it by relying on her cheat. Once she left the general store, it would immediately fail under special circumstances.

Just like… the current situation.

Her mentality had problems, and she was worried and scared.

Or rather, her Dao heart was in turmoil.

It was impossible to adjust her mentality now. The more she savored this dream, the more terrified Su Li’er felt. This small wooden house only had an ordinary small lock, and it certainly couldn’t withstand someone breaking down the door. And the feeling of the dream was very real…

‘Was it the cheat telling me the result that would appear in the shadows?’

‘No, I have to act now.’

It’s useless to sit and wait for death. Once any clues are revealed, with Song Ruoxue’s intelligence, she will definitely discover the truth immediately!

The sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten, accompanied by a thin mist.

It looked very cold.

Su Li’er found a thick coat from the closet and put it on. Then she held her little chin and stared at the wet bed in a daze.

‘Should I… clean up this bed first?’

After half an hour of tossing and turning, she finally threw out the dirty duvet cover and pillow. She took out a brand new set from the warehouse and put it on.

Su Li’er nodded with satisfaction. This would do.

Streaks of rosy clouds appeared on the horizon, and the sound of birds chirping was melodious.

‘It’s probably around 5 o’clock now, right?’

Su Li’er paced back and forth in the room, deep in thought.

‘For now, the rumor that a nine-tailed fox is lurking in the Sword Sect can’t be reversed. Song Ruoxue is dead set on believing it.’

‘Then I’ll change my way of thinking…’

‘I’ll find a way to win Song Ruoxue’s deeper trust. It would be best if I could make her trust me completely and unconditionally.’

‘This way, even if I reveal any clues, she won’t suspect me immediately…’

‘Complete trust, that seems a little difficult… but there’s no other way right now.’

‘After a month or two, Song Ruoxue will slowly start to feel that the rumor is false… at that time, there shouldn’t be any problems.’

‘Mmm, that’s it then.’

‘The next thing to do is… make the big ice cold Sect Master like me more, and trust me more.’

‘And then, I absolutely cannot reveal any more clues…’

After building up her mental fortitude, Su Li’er’s eyes were filled with fighting spirit and hope. She clenched her small fists and secretly swore: I will definitely absorb a full amount of lifespan and resolve this rumor crisis!

—Gurgle, gurgle.

Her stomach started to growl. She had only eaten that big meal at noon yesterday, which she ate for a whole afternoon… after so long, Su Li’er finally realized that she was weak and limp, and she had passed the point of being hungry.

‘Then, while it’s still early, I’ll go down the mountain to buy some xiaolongbao!’

‘Xiaolongbao are delicious, hehe~~’

Su Li’er gently pushed the door open. The courtyard was quiet. It seemed that the big ice block Sect Master and that stinky dragon were not awake yet!

The sky was dim. Strolling on the cold and silent mountain path, she smelled the scent of frost condensing on the branches and leaves, and her mood couldn’t help but relax a lot.

****

When the bright sun was hanging in the sky.

Song Ruoxue woke up from her sleep. She had not slept soundly. She had a feeling of panic from the bottom of her heart, as if something was about to happen in the shadows.

She had several nightmares.

In her dreams, it was always the wicked smile of that nine-tailed fox.

‘Forget it, I’ll get up.’

“Eh, Sect Master Song is up so early too?”

Tang Yingyue was sitting on the small stool at the gate of the Sword Sect. She turned her head and greeted her with a smile. She had just been leisurely sunbathing a moment ago.

Song Ruoxue nodded.

“Mmm, have you seen Little Li?”

For some reason, she missed her junior sister a little.

Recalling Su Li’er’s sweet head pat from last night, Song Ruoxue felt a warmth in her heart, and she felt a little warmer on such a cold day.

Tang Yingyue waved her hand and continued to sunbathe lazily.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s not in her room. Did she go out?”

“Went out?”

Song Ruoxue raised her eyes and walked straight towards the bedroom to the side. As expected, the door to Su Li’er’s bedroom was wide open. The candle lamp inside was extinguished, and the fire in the fireplace was also out.

‘So early?’

‘Where did Little Li go?’

‘Hmm?’

‘Little Li changed her duvet cover and pillow?’

Song Ruoxue was surprised. After thinking for a moment, she stepped into the room. The air was filled with a pleasant citrus scent, with a little strange salty smell, as if someone had spilled salt on the ground.

‘The wooden floor was clean and bright, and nothing had been spilled. Why was there this strange smell?’

Soon, Song Ruoxue shook her head.

‘Forget it, why am I thinking about these things? What Junior Sister does in her room is her privacy. She always says she’s not a child anymore, so I should give her some space.’

Just as she was about to leave.

Song Ruoxue’s gaze caught a glimpse of a very small patch of snow-white, with a slight curve, lying quietly behind the door.

Her breathing stopped for a moment.

This is…!?

Song Ruoxue picked up the strand of snow-white, curved hair from the ground and examined it repeatedly between her fingertips.

She stared at it in disbelief.

There’s no mistake, almost instantly, she instinctively recognized who this hair belonged to.

‘—That damn nine-tailed fox!’

‘Why… would it appear in Little Li’s bedroom?’

‘Could it be that… Little Li was taken away by the nine-tailed fox?’

Song Ruoxue strode out of the bedroom and came to the courtyard. “Miss Tang, have you been staring at the woods all this time!?”

“Huh?… That’s right, I’m sunbathing.” Tang Yingyue was baffled. “What’s wrong with you? Your expression is so scary.”

“You useless dragon.”

“Song Ruoxue, how did I offend you that you have to curse me at every turn?!”

“There’s a ghost in the Sword Sect and you don’t even know it.”

“What???”

Tang Yingyue was completely bewildered.

Song Ruoxue was about to turn and leave. In her own bedroom, she left a few sword talismans. With them, she might be able to contend with that nine-tailed fox…

“Song Ruoxue, give me an explanation!… Hey..!”

—Thud.

Tang Yingyue carelessly fell on her back.

Song Ruoxue glanced back indifferently, her eyes full of displeasure and coldness, and she lightly dropped two words, “Useless dragon.”

Tang Yingyue got up from the ground and retorted fiercely, “What the f*ck, did a dragon offend you, you motherfucker?”

Song Ruoxue’s face darkened. “Demon-kin, I see you’re all in this together.”

Snowflakes condensed in the air, and an invisible killing intent spread.

Tang Yingyue chuckled lightly, her golden pupils glowing slightly. “What the hell? If you want to fight, then fight. What’s with all the nonsense?”

Golden sword intents appeared.

In an instant, a confrontation between two forces was formed. The ground trembled slightly, and the sound of birds in the mountain forest stopped abruptly. The nearby living creatures were all intimidated by this sudden killing intent.

****

In the sky, a light snow fell.

Halfway up the mountain.

A happy smile appeared on Su Li’er’s face. She held a large bag of fragrant xiaolongbao, hummed a cheerful tune, and skipped up the mountain.

All her anxiety and worries had vanished.

‘Only good food can heal the heart~~’

‘I’m almost at the top. I’ll let the big ice cold Sect Master try this peerless delicacy later!’

‘Eh?’

‘Why is there spiritual energy moving in the Sword Sect?’

Su Li’er squinted her eyes in disbelief. Not far away, on the top of the mountain, a celestial light was swirling inside the stone gate of the Sword Sect. The familiar ice-blue spiritual energy and golden spiritual energy were sweeping wildly like two tides.

Her stray hair stood on end.

This…?

‘Sect Master and that stinky dragon are fighting!?’

‘This is bad, I have to go up and see… eh, my xiaolongbao are about to fall…’