The Faltering Stand and the Twisted Reward

Xiaobai offered her blood to Ji Jie, and her body instantly aged by a century. Yet, she still climbed to her feet, refusing to yield.

Indeed, this was the frail Xiaobai: a petite body, barely eighty centimeters tall and unsteady on her feet, battered and broken by the Heart-Eating Demoness. Having sacrificed a large quantity of blood, her remaining years now flickered like a candle in the wind, aged by a century. Before such immense pain, she had yearned for an end to it all.

Incredibly, she managed to stand! With one hand, she reached forward and upward, as if cheering herself on, and from her tiny, shriveled mouth, barely large enough for an egg, erupted a furious roar that tore through her throat and stirred the heart!

“Go, Jie-ge!”

“Blood~~ Ah~~”

The newly infused blood surged through Ji Jie’s body, burning brightly. Within it was not only the entirety of Xiaobai’s power, but also the formidable energy transformed from everything Xiaobai had controlled, all funneling into Ji Jie.

The red threads dimmed, and the large cocoon woven from monkey corpses became as still and lifeless as ash, a stark contrast to Ji Jie’s now vibrant and powerful form.

With all her power consolidated, Ji Jie prepared to unleash her strongest attack. Gripping her sword with both hands, she raised it above her head, as a colossal surge of energy coalesced into the blade.

Even Ji Jie’s platinum ‘little star’ glowed fiercely crimson, her power soaring to heaven-shattering heights.

“Gold-Star-Ray!!!”

Ji Jie swung her sword downwards with immense force, unleashing a dazzling golden pillar of energy that shot towards Yue Ye Si, imbued with destructive power capable of obliterating all in its path!

“Sizzle~~ Wooooooooosh!”

Yue Ye Si frantically met the attack with her fists. The instant her fists collided with the beam, their movements seemed to freeze! Yet, the repercussions of the clashing energies sent ripple after ripple of power undulating outwards.

These ripples shattered the cocoon of monkey corpses, made the very stones beneath their feet tremble, and even blocked Tou, who had been rushing to provide aid.

“Boom!!!”

Moments later, an explosion so immense it seemed capable of shattering the very earth erupted between them, blasting forth a colossal, starfish-shaped cloud of energy!

In mere seconds, a fierce gust of wind swept through, instantly dispersing the smoke and dust a hundred meters away!

Tou, who had been prostrate on the ground, could finally discern the scene within! Two figures stood unyielding, like ancient pines…

*Thud!!!*

In that profound silence, the sound of a person collapsing to their knees seemed to tug at the very soul. Tou’s gaze fell upon Ji Jie, who had fallen.

Her hair was no longer fiery red; it had reverted to its original brownish-red hue. Leaning on her sword, she knelt on one knee, her lips trembling with unconcealed defiance.

She had been defeated! Utterly and completely. Her most potent attack had left only a few shallow scratches on Yue Ye Si’s arm, wounds that would heal in the blink of an eye!

“Wyyyyy! To think you could break through my physical defense! Amazing! Truly amazing! This forbidden art is mine now too! Hahahaha! How utterly exhilarating; if only there were more forbidden arts like this!”

Yue Ye Si, however, felt utterly satisfied, immensely so! Her legs slightly unsteady, she advanced towards Ji Jie, her dark claws as cold as steel.

“Hehehe!” Yue Ye Si’s twisted smile widened. With a single claw swipe, Ji Jie’s clothes tore open, and from her already blood-depleted body, five crimson lines of blood spurted out with a soft spray.

“Ah!!!”

Ji Jie cried out in agony, sent flying backward, and ultimately lay weakly amidst the rubble, spitting blood and convulsing uncontrollably!

“Your forbidden arts are quite delicious! And I’ll be taking your heart along with them! Haha~”

With a flicker of movement, Yue Ye Si was already crouching beside Ji Jie, her five fingers chillingly extended, aiming for her heart.

Ji Jie knew her life was forfeit and closed her eyes in resignation. Yet, Xiaobai still persevered, stumbling to her feet from the ground, weakly calling out, “Jie-ge! Jie-ge…”

Tou, too, charged forward! His maid was only to be bullied by him! Not even his master was allowed!

Therefore, he launched several ropes from his Ruyi Jingu Bang towards Four-Master, who was far more powerful than him.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

The ropes flew like the wind, but Tou held no confidence in his ability to bind Four-Master, who was as formidable as a monster.

A miracle, however, occurred: the ropes all found their mark, seemingly seizing her!

While this was the scene from an outsider’s perspective, Tou’s back was already drenched in sweat. ‘His Ruyi Jingu Bang was no longer obeying his commands.’

‘It hadn’t been turned pitch-black by Four-Master’s ability!’

‘Why?!’

Tou had no time to ponder the reason; if he didn’t react quickly, Four-Master would swiftly retaliate and seize him.

Decisively, he released the Ruyi Jingu Bang, sliding to the ground. His hands moved ceaselessly, conjuring another Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Clasping both hands tightly before his chest, his heart hammered wildly as he watched Yue Ye Si’s reaction.

The sight sent a jolt of panic through him: Four-Master’s figure had vanished. Then, a faint, trembling whisper, chilling him to the bone, echoed in his ear:

“My little apprentice, have you come to see your master? Hehehe~, Little Tou didn’t run away, and I’m very pleased! How should I reward you, hmm~?”

“Rewa…rd?”

“Indeed~, Little Tou, unafraid of death, came specifically to deliver a delicious heart to me. You truly are a great hero in my eyes! I love it… hehe… I love it ❤”

The familiar chill returned as Four-Master’s hand rested on his chest, gently tracing circles. Yet, Four-Master did not strike Tou; instead, she bit her lip and chuckled softly:

“What kind of reward does Little Tou desire?”

“A kiss! Ehhehehe~”

Tou straightened up, his reply sounding a little foolish.

This was no act of recklessness; Tou was, in fact, already concocting a plan. ‘First, he needed to make Four-Master drop her guard, only then could he seize the opportunity to snatch the storage ring from her hand!’

Tou’s willingness to kiss her filled Yue Ye Si with immense excitement! It was a morbid, feverish delight. She clasped Tou’s head in both hands, rubbing it incessantly, her mouth spewing praises for his actions as if in a verbal barrage.

“Yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy! Yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy, yoshy! You’re truly a tough duck, Little Tou~”

“Oh! Four-Master… when… when shall we begin?”

Tou’s scalp was not merely tingling; if the rubbing continued, his hair would soon catch fire. In desperation, and for the sake of his plan, he risked his life to grab Four-Master’s arm, forcing her to cease her perverse torment.

“Begin… Ehhe… Little Tou can start whenever he likes!”

“Then, Four-Master, I won’t hold back!”

Tou effortlessly spun around, pushing Yue Ye Si to the ground, then seized the arm bearing her ring.

“Ah~~ Little Tou truly is a naughty little rascal~~ Hehehe~~”

‘Seriously, who’s the real villain here?!’

Nevertheless, he had to admit, her voice was utterly captivating. If he weren’t so preoccupied with obtaining the hairband to bind her and give her a beating, he would have long since been frolicking with Four-Master in the river of love.

Finally, seizing his chance, he bit down on her ring, swiftly pulling it off. With a backward flip, he agilely leaped several meters away.

Simultaneously, within the ring, he found his own item: a red hairband that shot out like a small snake, and with a series of “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh” sounds, bound Yue Ye Si into a giant zongzi.

“Ah hahaha! Ah hahahaha! My foolish master, now I’ve caught you! Just wait until I give you a good lesson, and then I’ll—”

However, Tou’s eyes widened in shock, and his mouth was suddenly bound by something. Yue Ye Si stood perfectly unharmed beside him. He… he was the one now tightly bound!

His ascent to heaven had plummeted into hell in but a single instant!

Seeing Yue Ye Si’s wide, splitting grin once more, his very soul seemed to flee his body in terror.

Then, with a soft ‘er~’ sound, a small white soul seemed to float from the top of Tou’s head, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted.