Chapter 425: Tian Yan: No, that’s way too dangerous
“Can’t say it, huh?” The man raised his long sword. “And judging by your white hair, you’ve probably been practicing some evil art. Haven’t you been harming creatures all this time?”
Little Qi’s anxiety and anger grew fiercer inside her, and she felt increasingly dissatisfied with her own strength. If only she were as powerful and famous as Bai Feng, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
But she still clenched her teeth and forced herself to stay calm, pulling out her token. “This is the token of the Crescent Moon Sect.”
“Hah, who can tell if it’s real or fake?” The man chuckled softly, seeming to already believe she was a demon woman. “Surrender now, and I’ll make your d*ath quick and painless.”
“I told you, I’m not—” Little Qi still wanted to argue, but before she could finish, the other side lunged at her with his sword. She dodged hurriedly, but the blade still cut through her worn-out straw hat, revealing her white hair beneath.
She instinctively grabbed a strand of that white hair that the sword had knocked loose. She remembered what Bai Feng once told her, remembered how much he loved her hair. Anger that had been simmering suddenly reached a boiling point, her eyes starting to stain with a faint red hue. Yet, her last shred of reason still tugged at her, trying to keep her from falling into the ‘abyss’:
‘k*ll him!’
‘No, I can’t—’
‘He’s not innocent. He’s calling me a demon woman.’
‘No, I can’t…’
‘It’s a illusion, so it’s okay. These people aren’t real…’
…”
Seeing that Little Qi showed no reaction, the man thought she was scared and tightened his grip on his sword with a loud laugh. “A white-haired demon woman! Today, I will uphold justice in the heavens!”
‘…k*ll.’
‘k*ll!’
She raised her head. Her eyes turned completely crimson in that instant, startling the man so much that he froze.
“d*ath.”
Little Qi raised her sword. The immense energy burst from her petite body. In the next moment, she found herself lifting the man high into the air. But before he could even realize what was happening, she forced him down with a heavy crash onto the ground.
Behind the man, a woman saw the decapitated body falling toward her. She froze in shock.
But then, in a flash, she seemed to become someone else entirely — ducking swiftly backward.
“d*mn, did I really meet a colleague?” The woman stared at Little Qi with bl**d-red eyes full of murderous intent, her panic flashing across her face.
She hurriedly dodged the descending sword and begged, “Senior, please spare me! It’s my fault, I didn’t recognize you. I’ll leave right now, I won’t bother your cultivation!”
Little Qi paused, her eyes glowing brighter with red, her swordsmanship becoming even more ruthless.
Seeing this, the woman clenched her teeth, conjured a half-formed illusion, and lunged at her. Meanwhile, she quickly retreated. However, after separating into a phantom, her movements froze stiff.
When the shadow attacked, Little Qi didn’t dodge or block. Instead, a flame flickered atop her sword, and she took a deliberate step forward, slicing through the illusion — and the woman along with it. She and the man earlier both flew high into the sky, then crashed heavily onto the ground.
The crimson glow in her eyes gradually faded back to her normal pale pupils. She stared at the body on the ground, slowly squatting down, hugging her head with both hands, curling into herself.
‘Did I… k*ll them?’
What scared her the most wasn’t the act of killing ‘innocent’ people. It was the strange sense of satisfaction she felt, even an urge to eliminate everyone who discriminated against her.
And when she thought about her fate, she was terrified Bai Feng might distance himself or even abandon her.
‘Brother, I’m sorry, I’m not a good girl…’
“Little Qi.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice broke her thoughts. She looked up sharply to see Bai Feng appearing beside her. Instinctively, she looked down at the corpse on the ground, panic flashing on her face. She quickly lowered her head. “I didn’t… mean to… I, I…”
Before she could finish, she felt herself being embraced tightly.
“It’s okay,” Bai Feng softly stroked her head. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Her body stiffened slightly, but then she reached out and hugged Bai Feng tightly in return. Her emotions finally found a release, and she buried her face into his clothes, which were gradually wet with tears.
Bai Feng gently rubbed her head, soothing her until her mood stabilized somewhat. Then he slowly released her. “Let’s go out first. The test ends here today.”
“…Mm.”
Little Qi nodded silently, not forcing herself to pretend otherwise.
In the next moment, they left the virtual realm and returned to reality.
Little Qi slowly opened her eyes, realizing Bai Feng was holding her in his arms. All her lingering unease had vanished.
“Brother, I…”
Before she finished, Bai Feng gently pressed his finger to her lips. “It’s not your fault. And that was just a illusion.”
“…Mm.”
“Also…” Bai Feng’s smile faded slightly, adding a trace of coldness to his tone. “Next time someone dares to speak to you like that in a illusion, and even tries to hurt you with a sword—don’t hold back. Just k*ll them.”
“Mm.”
Little Qi nodded, instinctively hugging Bai Feng tighter. She didn’t ask about her destiny; honestly, it didn’t matter much to her. She only listened to Bai Feng.
…
“Hoo… hoo…”
Bai Feng looked down at Little Qi, who was already asleep in his arms. He slowed his movements, quietly checking the array.
He had noticed when Little Qi met that man—originally, he wanted to see how she would handle it. But gradually, he couldn’t bear to watch any longer.
Not only was her way of handling things problematic, but the opponent’s attitude also made him furious.
He believed this fight could have been avoided, even if he had to curse the opponent as a demon cultivator accomplice and fight together. Instead, Little Qi fell into a trap of self-incrimination. When he was considering whether to step in and help, she snapped and killed him first.
Without hesitation, he linked to the illusion to pull Little Qi out.
“Should I modify the character settings in this virtual training?” Bai Feng wondered quietly.
“I think it’s unnecessary. After all, you’re creating a realistic virtual world, not a fairy-tale. And besides, there are plenty of people who judge others by appearance, forget loyalty, and rely solely on their instincts. I’ve met quite a few during my travels—most of them worse than this simulated guy,” Tian Yan suddenly appeared beside him, her arms wrapped around Bai Feng’s neck to avoid disturbing Little Qi, whispering softly into his ear.
“Hmm…” Bai Feng nodded thoughtfully. He had encountered similar situations himself.
After some pondering, he glanced at Tian Yan resting on his shoulder and couldn’t resist a little sarcasm: “Seriously, can you stop disappearing and reappearing so suddenly? I didn’t give you permission to come and go like that.”
“But I don’t want to miss any cultivation opportunity, especially since I’m about to break through,” Tian Yan replied.
“Then don’t go into the ring!”
Tian Yan didn’t reply immediately. She looked at Little Qi sleeping nearby and shook her head. “No, that’s too dangerous.”
Bai Feng blinked in confusion.
