Chapter 33

#Smash her skullcap off.

As the female fox demon cried out in shock, Xiaxia gathered her strength and kicked the pink barrier with full force. The momentum was like catching someone in the act of cheating—she shattered the barrier into powder, scattering it in the wind.

The fox demon’s face was full of alarm. She backed up a step and leaned against the stone wall, too afraid to speak.

Xiaxia stepped into the ice cave. “Get out!”

She strode up to Xie Xuanqing, standing with her back to him and facing the trembling fox demon. With cold eyes and a harsh tone, she threatened, “If I see you here again, I’ll blow your skullcap off.”

This fox demon, after all, was from Cuihu Terrace. She had the guts to ambush Xiaxia but not the nerve to confront a patrolling soldier head-on.

Intimidated by Xiaxia’s aura, she pressed herself tighter against the wall and retreated several steps. The ice cave wasn’t large, and those few steps took her right to the edge—below her was the raging ice river, flowing year-round.

The fox demon glanced nervously behind her, peeking at the river below. Then she looked uneasily at Xie Xuanqing behind Xiaxia.

Through Xiaxia’s eyes, I saw that look—I understood it. She, this fox demon…

She was worried about Xie Xuanqing.

“Don’t…” the fox demon said, trembling, “Don’t step on him. He’s badly injured…”

Xiaxia didn’t respond, but my fists clenched instinctively. “Smash her skullcap off,” I blurted.

Xiaxia responded almost reflexively. “Okay.”

Then she paused and tilted her head slightly, whispering, “Really smash it?”

A strange, indescribable feeling surged in my chest. I thought back—when I met Xie Xuanqing, a silver light struck from behind, and he embraced me to save me.

And this fox demon?

When she saved Xie Xuanqing, was there a silver light too? Did he… embrace her as well? Was her concern for him now… because of that embrace, stirring a sense of pity?

At that thought, I looked at the fox demon through Xiaxia’s eyes, my feelings growing even more tangled.

I closed my eyes and steadied my thoughts, silently chanting: All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows.

I told myself everything before me was illusory, already in the past. Xie Xuanqing and I were destined to be a pair of star-crossed lovers. Our meeting—wasn’t important.

It’s not important… not important…

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes—but in that very instant, my body moved on its own. I clenched a stone between both feet and flung it straight at Xie Zhuo across from me.

Xie Zhuo tilted his head slightly, dodging the stone with effortless precision.

He frowned and looked at me. “What are you doing?”

He even had the rare courtesy to voice his confusion aloud.

I glared at him, gritting my teeth, but didn’t answer.

For the first time, I couldn’t bring myself to voice the fury in my heart.

After all…

How could I admit that even now, I still cherish our encounter?

I’d hidden those fluttering feelings deep in my heart, locked away in memory. And he—

That bastard!

Actually brought another fox demon to ruin that precious memory!

Damn it!

Even if he didn’t personally bring her, he’s still the root cause. And taking a step back—even if Qin Shuyan had come alone like he planned, then this whole “meeting in adversity” setup would’ve felt even less right!

“Xiaxia, drive her off.” I ignored Xie Zhuo’s question and gave Xiaxia her next order. “Then form a barrier of your own. Xie Xuanqing could wake up any moment—don’t let anyone disturb you two.”

Xiaxia nodded. “Got it!”

With a clang, she drew the broadsword from her waist—standard issue for Kunlun soldiers, cold and chilling, the glint sharp and ruthless.

“Turn around. Jump yourself,” she told the fox demon.

The fox demon looked pitiful and heartbroken, glancing at Xiaxia, then Xie Xuanqing, and finally the sword. “I…”

She mustered her courage. “Little General, I shouldn’t have pushed you earlier. But I was afraid you’d take him away. He’s seriously hurt—let me at least check his condition…”

Xiaxia gave Xie Xuanqing a sidelong glance.

Following her gaze, I looked at him too. He was just like I remembered—leaning weakly against the icy cave wall, head drooping, eyes shut. His pale, gaunt face held a delicate, sickly beauty.

“What are you looking at?” I snapped.

Xiaxia echoed me exactly, “No need…”

“Exactly.” I affirmed. “Tell her to shut up and get lost. Only you can treat Xie Xuanqing. Just like I did back then.”

As soon as I said that, I caught Xie Zhuo glancing at me.

I gave him an annoyed glare. “What are you looking at now?”

He and Xie Xuanqing both wore the same sickly, deathly pale expression. He pursed his lips and said nothing.

I rolled my eyes and cursed in my heart—what a damned entanglement between us!

Back then, I saved him from the brink of death, endured so much—and now, five hundred years later, he comes back to this timeline still half-dead, tormenting the future me in a new way.

My resentment toward Xie Zhuo was as strong as Xiaxia’s growing irritation with the fox demon.

“If you don’t leave now, I won’t be polite anymore,” Xiaxia warned, blade pressing forward.

The fox demon flinched, eyes wide with fear. She stepped back onto an exposed rock—only for it to shift beneath her. Her body tilted, and she almost fell into the rushing ice river below.

Just then, a pair of hands steadied her from behind.

A smiling old fox’s face appeared behind her. Old Qin had flown up from beneath the cave, drifting leisurely outside as he caught her by the waist.

The fox demon instantly clung to him like a lifeline. “Manager Qin.”

Her voice was even softer than before. “I can’t help him anymore.”

“General Jiuxia,” Old Qin said with an innocent smile, “why are you treating our Cuihu Terrace girl like this? Look at her face—scared pale.”

Before I could speak, Xiaxia raised her blade, face cold, and said just what I hoped she would: “As long as I’m here today, no one’s taking this man from me.”

Just as expected—my girl, with perfect grasp of the stakes.

“Qin Shuyan, take her away,” Xie Zhuo across from me finally issued his own order.

My eyes darkened. “Xiaxia, this fox won’t go quietly. Gather your qi in your dantian—do exactly as I say.”

As soon as I spoke, Old Qin made his move.

Xiaxia immediately raised her sword to parry, and the two faced off in a tense standoff.

I snapped at Xie Zhuo, “How come I never knew you had such a loyal lackey? He really does whatever you say!”

Xie Zhuo ignored me and calmly instructed Old Qin, “Don’t get stuck fighting. Just take her and go. Once you’re back, lock her in Cuihu Terrace’s secret chamber.”

Cuihu Terrace has a secret chamber?

Even I didn’t know that. But Xie Zhuo did!?

I didn’t have time to get emotional. Seeing that Old Qin was about to get serious, I immediately told Xiaxia, “Push him away and set up a barrier.”

Xiaxia is me. She might not react that fast, but she gets it right away. She followed my intention at once, gathering all her strength to push Old Qin back. With a bang, she raised a transparent barrier between herself and Old Qin.

The barrier separated Xiaxia and Xie Xuanqing on one side, while Old Qin and the fox demoness were blocked on the other.

“If you keep fighting like this, he won’t recover!” the fox demoness said worriedly from behind Old Qin.

Hearing that, I clenched my fists tighter. “What the hell does it have to do with her?!” I cursed, still fuming. Glancing at the rocks by my feet, I kicked one toward Xie Zhuo in frustration.

Xie Zhuo tilted his head to dodge it, frowning even deeper this time.

He looked at me, confused, as if he couldn’t understand why I was picking a pointless fight at such a critical moment. But he didn’t bother with the details. After just one glance at me, he gave Old Qin an order.

“She’s using the Kunlun Guardian Technique, with Earth as its element. Use a Wood-element spell to break her barrier.”

You bastard!

I cursed inwardly and immediately told Xiaxia, “Link the barrier with your heartline blood!”

The heartline blood—once linked to the barrier, if Old Qin tried to break through again, Xiaxia would either die or be severely injured.

Xie Zhuo’s eyes darkened instantly when he heard this. He narrowed his eyes and glared at me, seemingly furious. “Fu Jiuxia!”

I held my head high. “Hit me if you dare!”

Xie Zhuo ground his teeth, so angry he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

Meanwhile, Xiaxia had already smeared her heartline blood on the barrier, but as the light from the barrier flared up, she nervously asked me, “Was that too much? Maybe we rushed it a little?”

I kept my eyes locked on Xie Zhuo, tilting my chin arrogantly.

“No, it wasn’t rushed,” I replied to Xiaxia, but also said it for Xie Zhuo to hear. “Only this way will he not dare lay a hand on you.”

Xie Zhuo stared back at me, his face growing even darker.

And sure enough, just as I predicted, when Old Qin was about to strike the barrier again, Xie Zhuo spoke—

“Stop.”

Old Qin’s hand paused right in front of the barrier. He still looked relaxed, speaking lightly, “Even with her heartline blood added, I can still break it.”

Xie Zhuo replied, “I said, stop.”

Old Qin raised an eyebrow, then pulled his hand back.

I knew it. I still carried Xie Zhuo’s blood oath. As long as Xiaxia’s life was in danger, this bastard wouldn’t truly go through with it.

“Xiaxia,” I called out to her, “push the barrier forward. Drive them out of the ice cave.”

“Okay!” Xiaxia responded immediately, the light of the barrier pressing forward into the cave.

Old Qin and the fox demoness stood their ground, showing no sign of moving. But if they didn’t move, someone would make them.

“Back off,” Xie Zhuo commanded.

Old Qin took a step back, taking the fox demoness with him.

“Keep going,” I looked provocatively at Xie Zhuo and ordered Xiaxia, “Advance…”

Xie Zhuo’s eyes stayed on me. He didn’t waste a single word and simply gave another order: “Back…”

One step forward, one step back—until Xiaxia’s barrier completely covered the entrance to the cave, driving Old Qin and the fox demoness outside, floating above the frozen river.

Through Xiaxia’s eyes, I saw the two of them outside the barrier and finally let out a small sigh of relief. This round of danger, for now, was averted. “Xiaxia, hold the barrier until Xie Xuanqing wakes up.”

Xiaxia nodded and returned to the cave.

I blinked and looked at Xie Zhuo. “You’ve done everything you can to stop them from meeting, but you never considered—this is fate. Xie Zhuo, they, or rather, we—can’t escape this entanglement. Stop fighting it.”

Xie Zhuo stayed silent for a long time. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, he finally said, “He’s not awake yet.”

In other words, the outcome is still undecided.