Chapter 123: Bai Jiuyi—Is This Name... Pleasant to Hear? (4,500 Words, Two Parts Combined)

Listening to the sound of knife-sharpening, Bai Yi pushed the creaky, dilapidated door open just a sliver, then squeezed out like a kitten.

Watching Jiang Lin sharpen his blade, Bai Yi sat curled up at the doorway, observing him with keen interest. Although she had little faith in this strange boy and felt he would eventually turn on her, this seemed to be happening a bit too soon.

When the blade was sufficiently sharpened, Jiang Lin wiped the faint beads of sweat from his brow and caught a glimpse of Jiu Jiu, who was sitting at the door watching him. He brandished the kitchen knife and walked over with a fierce expression, only to find that Jiu Jiu remained unmoved.

"Jiu Jiu..." Jiang Lin held the blade to the little white fox’s neck. "It’s not that I’m heartless, little one, but the world is too bleak. If I don't eat you, I might starve. How about it?"

Jiu Jiu did not answer. Not only did she not answer, but she even rolled her eyes at him and stretched her neck out, as if to say, "Go ahead, strike here."

In truth, Jiu Jiu saw through Jiang Lin’s thoughts long ago; he was merely trying to scare her again.

"How did you become so intelligent, like a spirit beast?" Jiang Lin sighed, rubbing her little fox head. "Even if you are a spirit, you still won't turn into a fox-eared girl for me."

Putting the knife back into his wicker basket, Jiang Lin sat down beside Jiu Jiu. Under the ragged eaves, the human and the fox watched the snow falling more heavily from the sky.

Watching the flurries, Jiang Lin sighed softly. "Jiu Jiu, I’m so hungry..."

Jiu Jiu did not respond, though she did stretch her neck out again, as if saying, "If you have the guts, then go ahead and eat me." She acted like a little girl, sulking at Jiang Lin.

Seeing her outstretched neck, Jiang Lin smiled and scratched her chin. "Alright, we’ve lived together for over two months now; it’s time to part ways."

Hearing his words, Jiu Jiu turned her head. Though he hadn't said it aloud, she had sensed his intentions long before.

"I can’t stay here anymore; I’ll starve to death sooner or later. Although I don’t think I’m afraid of death, it would be a waste to just throw my life away like this. I feel like I can still struggle a bit." Jiang Lin leaned against the doorframe, continuing to watch the white snow drifting through the air.

"I have to leave this godforsaken beginner’s village. Damn it, honestly, since I woke up, I haven't seen another living soul... I have to go out and see what this world is really like. Maybe I can even forge copper and iron to build a strong nation! I wanted to take you with me, but honestly, I’m afraid that somewhere along the way, I’ll end up eating you. It’s hard to say—last night, I already started craving your flesh."

"So, to avoid starving to the point of losing my mind and actually eating you, let’s part ways here, Jiu Jiu... We’ll meet again someday. If that day comes, you must turn into a beautiful fox-eared girl. I’m a practical man; gold and jewels are not as real as you, so just pledge yourself to me."

He gave her head one final rub. Jiang Lin knew the little white fox couldn't understand him, but that didn't stop him from making a final joke. Standing up, he walked back into the hut.

Bai Yi turned to watch Jiang Lin busy packing his things. There wasn't much to pack—just the remaining dried fish, some dried mushrooms, and wild vegetables. He pulled down a relatively clean cloth, divided the food into two small bundles, and tied one onto the little white fox's back.

"There, don't say I'm heartless. You're a fox, after all—though why a carnivore like you would eat mushrooms with me is beyond me... But it’s a good thing, less likely to starve."

He picked up the little white fox, put everything else in his wicker basket, walked out of the courtyard, and set her down on the snow. "I'm off. Goodbye."

Watching the little white fox, Jiang Lin was truly reluctant to leave. Bai Yi knew this, but she also knew he was afraid—afraid that if he kept her by his side, he would lose his reason and devour her. In fact, even now, the boy before her was struggling to suppress his hunger, his throat bobbing as he secretly swallowed.

"Off I go! Fox meat isn't even that tasty anyway!"

With the basket on his back, Jiang Lin turned and started walking away. Crouching in the snow, Bai Yi watched his retreating figure. Her little paws wanted to move forward, but she pulled them back. He had already driven her away, and the game was over. But why... did she still want to walk a little further with him?

How strange.

Bai Yi shook her head and turned to leave, but before she had taken two steps, the sound of boots crunching on snow came from behind her. Then, she felt herself being scooped up from behind.

"Jiu Jiu... you heartless thing. At least chase after me a few steps so I can drive you away again, and then you can chase me again! Why are you so cold-hearted?"

Jiang Lin kept nuzzling into her fur, and that strange, small feeling in Bai Yi’s heart suddenly vanished, replaced by the urge to kick him a few times. After tormenting the little white fox a final time, Jiang Lin truly left, running as he went, as if afraid she would catch up.

Actually, Bai Yi had never intended to follow. She simply watched his small figure gradually disappear into the white horizon. For some reason, she was surprised by the small, lingering thought in her heart: wondering if he would run back and nuzzle her again.

But after an unknown amount of time, he was nowhere to be seen.

"What's wrong? Is my cute little Yi still hoping her 'lover' will change his mind? He's already gone."

The boy did not return, but another female figure appeared beside Bai Yi. Bai Yi opened her spiritual gateways, and her tails emerged, slowly wrapping around her petite body. A moment later, when she retracted her long tails, a woman in human form stood upon the snow.

In her hand, she held the somewhat tattered bundle. She opened it; it was full of dried fish—all that remained from yesterday.

"Master, tell me, is he a fool?" Bai Yi asked softly, looking at the bundle of fish.

"How would I know..." Bai Qianluo reached out a slender hand to grab a piece of fish, but her disciple ruthlessly bundled the fish up and tossed it into her storage bag.

"Cough, cough..." Bai Qianluo retracted her hand in embarrassment. "Well, the game is over. I am going to erase that boy's memory. Little Yi, do you have anything to say?"

"What would I have to say?"

"Like asking me not to erase his memory, or begging me to bring him back to the cave dwelling, or perhaps telling me, 'Master, I think I've fallen for him.'" Bai Qianluo smiled as she gazed at her disciple, who was beautiful beyond compare. "Well, do you?"

"No. It was just a boring game, a waste of time."

With that, Bai Yi turned and flew away.

"Oh my... this isn't right. The stories clearly say that foxes always fall for them..." Watching Bai Yi leave, Bai Qianluo pulled out a bestseller written by a local cultivator, *The Untold Affairs of the Fox Spirit and the Boy*.

Bai Qianluo was puzzled. Shouldn't the little girl fall for the boy, and the boy for her, followed by mutual affection, tragic love, amnesia, terminal illness, and finally ascending together to prove their path? The boy's talent for cultivation wasn't bad, either. If it weren't for the fact that her lineage only accepted female disciples, she would have taken him on as an apprentice herself.

"It's all lies after all." Bai Qianluo muttered, tucking the book away and walking in the direction Jiang Lin had gone.

In another direction, high in the air, Bai Yi looked down. With spiritual power focused in her eyes, she saw the boy in tattered clothes, shivering as he walked through the snowy wilderness, leaving one footprint after another. He seemed to be muttering something; it didn't take a genius to guess he was likely saying something strange again.

Gradually, her master caught up to him. She must have called out, for he turned around. The moment he turned, her master’s long tails enveloped him. Bai Yi knew that within three breaths, his memory of her would vanish completely. Looking at the boy wrapped in her master’s tails, Bai Yi found herself subconsciously wanting to step forward during the final breath.

"How ridiculous." Bai Yi shook her head, noticing her own reaction.

There were no towns for a hundred miles, only wilderness. In a few days, he would die in this ice and snow. At that point, there would truly be no more karma between them. Bai Yi even felt that her master erasing his memory was an unnecessary act.

Her master's long tails slowly unwound, and he collapsed onto the snow. When her master left, he slowly woke up, dazed for a while, thought for a moment, and eventually gave up on thinking and continued walking forward.

"Let’s go, Little Yi, let's head back." Bai Qianluo flew to her disciple's side. "Hmph! I knew it, those stories are all fake."

Bai Yi shook her head and said calmly, "I want to see how he dies."

"Wow, Little Yi, you're so cold-hearted..." Bai Qianluo rubbed Bai Yi’s little ears. "A girl who is too cold-hearted won't get married, you know."

"Isn't Master the one who was dumped by someone?"

"I... Hmph! I was the one who dumped him!" Bai Qianluo turned her head away. "Forget it, if you want to watch, watch. I'm heading from Wutong Prefecture to the Demon Clan World; I probably won't be back for several decades."

"Mm."

"Little Yi, be careful, don't get kidnapped and forced into marriage."

"Shouldn't that be Master's concern?"

"Sigh... Little Yi was so much cuter when she was a child." Bai Qianluo rubbed Bai Yi’s head. "Go on then..."

After Bai Qianluo left, Bai Yi watched him from afar. Cold and hungry... he seemed to have reached his limit, yet he kept pushing forward. Finally, on the third day, after surviving another night, he could no longer stand. He silently picked up the knife in his hand, seemingly intending to commit suicide, but after a moment of thought, he put it down.

What Bai Yi couldn't understand was why there was no fear of death in his eyes. Was he actually hoping for death to come sooner? Had he been frozen into a fool? Watching him on the verge of death, Bai Yi frowned slightly.

She wanted to save him. He was just a mortal; even if there was karma, how great could it be? Even if he became a "one-in-a-million" obstacle to her ascension, so what? What fox in this world had reached the threshold of the Immortal Realm at her age? Could a mere "one-in-a-million" chance stop her?

"Consider it a reward for grooming my fur every day!"

In the air, the woman who had convinced herself stepped forward, but before she could move, two women appeared on the snow in the distance, heading toward him. They were two cultivators, both at the Nascent Soul stage.

Bai Yi stopped. As he lay dying, the two women found him and saved him. They exchanged a few words. Finally, he nodded and was carried on the back of the more beautiful woman. The lecherous guy even took the opportunity to sniff the woman's hair.

*To think I actually wanted to save such a lecherous person. It’s absolutely ridiculous.*

Yet... during the time he lived with her, hadn't he always been like that?

*Forget it, it doesn't matter anymore.*

Bai Yi turned and flew back to the Myriad Demon Continent. But deep in her heart, perhaps even she hadn't realized it, the fact that he had survived made her... feel a slight sense of joy.

Back in the Myriad Demon Continent, Bai Yi entered seclusion, but her mind kept uncontrollably replaying the face of that lecherous, lustful man. This was the first time Bai Yi had been unable to calm her mind, which she found incomprehensible. Even more incomprehensible was that as the scenes of their life together flooded her mind, her state of mind became unstable, yet her cultivation base was growing bit by bit.

A year had passed since that winter. When Bai Yi finally opened her eyes... she had stepped into the Immortal Realm.

"What a ridiculous way to reach the Immortal Realm... all because of a mortal."

The white fox had proven her path through emotion, ascending by "understanding love"! At that moment, Bai Yi finally realized... she had fallen for that guy! But Bai Yi refused to admit it! She had never increased her cultivation through "understanding love"! Not before, not now, and certainly not in the future!

After that day, Bai Yi left her cave. In a foul mood, she annihilated the disgusting rulers of a fox kingdom and seized the throne of the Myriad Demon Continent’s fox realms. With a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox in command, the fox kingdom expanded rapidly, and Bai Yi began having people investigate his whereabouts.

One day, learning he was heading to a town, she left the Myriad Demon Continent for Wutong Prefecture. She was going to kill him. Of course, she wouldn't do it herself! That day, Bai Yi disguised herself as a little girl walking down the street, holding a lollipop, with only two human-form attendants following her. Her other Nascent Soul subordinates were hidden in the shadows.

Originally, Bai Yi wanted to see what he had become after two years before striking, but who would have thought he would try to snatch her candied hawthorn? It was actually quite amusing.

Still, it was fine.

Under Bai Yi’s signal, an elderly Nascent Soul cultivator made a move. But at that moment, a woman appeared—the same one who had saved him. She was a sword cultivator, and a strong one at that. For some reason, seeing Jiang Lin with that woman made Bai Yi feel irritable, so she ordered her subordinates to kill them both.

"The woman has escaped, please punish us, Your Majesty."

In the end, even at five-to-one, that woman had fought her way out, taking him with her despite her severe injuries. Bai Yi, who hadn't made a move from start to finish, watched the sky where he had vanished.

*Why didn't I make a move?*

Remembering the look in his eyes when he fled—"If anything happens to my master, I will destroy everything with you"—Bai Yi gradually lost her focus.

*That was the first time you ever looked at me like that. Is that woman really that important to you?*

Looking at the candied hawthorn in her hand, Bai Yi absentmindedly called out to her attendants.

"Your Majesty." The fox sisters knelt before her.

"Do you think... the name Bai Jiuyi... sounds nice?"

"Ji" was the name given by her master. "Jiu" was the name he had given her. Bai Jiuyi... Her own name would now carry the character he had given her.

*Until the day I kill him...*

***

Money Mansion residence...

The man in the woman's arms had already dissolved into thousands of wisps of spiritual energy, dissipating into the sky...

He... was really dead... killed by her own hand...

***

[Thanks to the big boss "Ge Kuifeng" for the 10,000 Starting Point coin tip~~~ I owe you another chapter for this, big boss! (￣▽￣)～■]