Chapter 49 049 The main heroine who didn't appear in the first playthrough, really...
The chicken wing, which had been held firmly, suddenly fell, which was somewhat abrupt. But at that moment, almost everyone around the oven was focused on Zhou Que's exclamation and did not notice Lu Yuanyuan's loss of composure.
"Is Yuanjun injured?"
"What wound? Where is it?"
Zhou Que picked up a lamp with an embedded luminous pearl next to her, her delicate eyebrows furrowing: "There's a red mark here."
Everyone's gaze turned to that spot, and sure enough, there was an unhealed mark on the side of Yin Xiaozhu's neck. Two semi-circular arcs blurred together, with dark red blood spots congealed beneath the skin.
Her skin was very fair, and any blemishes on it were as noticeable as flaws in white jade.
As dusk settled and the light had been dim, Zhou Que initially mistook the wound for a gaping gash. Now, seeing that it wasn't serious, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a series of unspoken doubts.
The shape of this wound looks a bit strange.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was not on her, Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips slightly, bent down under some pretext, and picked up the bamboo skewer with chicken wings on the ground to cover up her expression.
The discussion about the mark continued even though they were right next to each other. Zhou Que was completely baffled and said, "This isn't a sword wound, nor a scratch... Was it made by some kind of hidden weapon? It doesn't seem like it."
She kept saying "no" and "doesn't seem right," effectively eliminating all the suspicious items, making the correct answer obvious.
Fu Xinguang, ever outspoken, blinked and said, "Why do I think it looks like a ring of teeth marks?"
Lu Yuanyuan's hand trembled, and she lost her grip on the bamboo skewer. But this time, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed her wrist: "It's dirty."
Lu Yuanyuan raised her eyelids and met a pair of dark blue eyes.
Having witnessed her earlier loss of composure, Duan Lansheng stared intently at her, as if scrutinizing something, or perhaps having discerned something. He grabbed her hand and suddenly tightened his grip.
Lu Yuanyuan's heart leaped into her throat. She suspected that Duan Lansheng had realized she was the culprit who bit his beloved. She clearly saw his expression; for a fleeting moment, it could almost be described as ugly. It was a summer evening, the charcoal fire burning beside him, yet his hands were cold.
The two stared at each other, and the air between them seemed to freeze.
Surrounded by so many concerned people, Yin Xiaozhu was the calmest one. She glanced at the stiff Lu Yuanyuan and smiled unhurriedly: "I'm fine. I was just bitten by a naughty raccoon."
After a day and a night, the bruises on Yin Xiaozhu's neck had become somewhat irregular in shape. Furthermore, no one could imagine someone biting and nibbling at Yin Xiaozhu's neck—it was too horrifying. Therefore, even with some lingering doubts, everyone tended to believe this explanation.
"Did the Yuanjun keep a cat?"
"This raccoon is far too naughty, it even bites its owner, it's too wild."
Yin Xiaozhu smiled and said, "Although he is mischievous, he is also cute, so it's alright."
As she spoke, she had already tied her long hair into a high ponytail.
Duan Lansheng listened silently, his jaw clenched. He slowly released Lu Yuanyuan's wrist, picked up the chicken wing covered in grass and ash, and threw it into the fire. He threw it roughly, without restraint, and the charcoal jolted, sending up a few sparks that swirled and scattered in the air.
As if a signal was given, Lu Yuanyuan, who had been sitting on pins and needles, suddenly stood up and said, "My hands got dirty just now. You guys eat, I'll go wash them again."
Hurrying along, Lu Yuanyuan reached the stream, squatted down, and splashed water on her face. Staring at the wet lines on her palms, she gradually calmed down.
She wasn't stupid; she sensed that Yin Xiaozhu was most likely doing it on purpose. But she couldn't understand the other person's logic—why deliberately reveal the bite mark, then make up a cat excuse instead of simply stating that it was she who bit him.
Very well, these were the words spoken by Yin Xiaozhu herself. So, even if Duan Lansheng suspects that the bite marks are related to her, she can simply deny it.
With this thought in mind, Lu Yuanyuan dried her hands, took a deep breath, and returned to the stove. Fortunately, nothing else happened to disturb her peace of mind. Duan Lansheng seemed preoccupied, his face grim.
Yin Xiaozhu didn't circle back to the topic, her attitude natural, knowing when to stop. However, she subtly glanced in that direction several times during the meal.
.
Lu Yuanyuan didn't have time to figure out the cause of the strange atmosphere that night. Because of the strange events in the ghost realm, there was progress the next day.
In fact, it wasn't just Mount Shu; several major sects had already noticed the unusual changes within the sealed area. Everyone was still haunted by the war hundreds of years ago, and as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. To cope with these unpredictable changes, the Xiuyang Sect in the north invited all the major sects and aristocratic families that were on good terms with them to come to their territory to discuss countermeasures.
Because it was just a brief discussion, Mount Shu did not send a large group of people. The people sent were mainly disciples of the Sword Sect, and Duan Lansheng was naturally among them. At the same time, the sect leader of Mount Shu also sent his daughter along.
Since everyone was traveling light and no one brought servants, Yin Xiaozhu shouldn't be the exception. So, early in the morning, she frowned and gave Lu Yuanyuan a few instructions, telling her to stay well at Danqing Peak, before leaving the sect.
They were gone for more than a month.
When the tiger is away, the monkey is king—this proverb perfectly describes Lu Yuanyuan's current life.
With Yin Xiaozhu gone, she had the entire house to herself, and more free time. Besides her daily classes, she could continue practicing the second half of the "Three Styles of Charming Hearts." After a month of regularly circulating spiritual energy, she successfully cultivated the technique to the first level.
The highest level of this cultivation technique is three. The difficulty of mastering it, the level of intimacy required, and the amount of spiritual energy that can be absorbed will gradually increase from level one. Level one is relatively easy to master; a simple kiss is enough to extract a small amount of spiritual energy from a highly skilled individual. At level three, it is very likely that sexual intercourse will occur, but the amount of spiritual energy extracted will be greatly increased.
What's most remarkable is that this technique isn't limited to the potential male lead; it works as long as the other person's spiritual power is stronger than hers. The only condition is that the person whose spiritual power is being extracted must be a man.
Because the essence of this mental cultivation method is the harmony of Yin and Yang, taking Yang to supplement Yin.
However, after Lu Yuanyuan reached the first level, she did not go out to find someone to test the effect.
She currently has no man she can kiss. She can't exactly just grab any male cultivator in the sect, kiss him, and see if she can absorb any spiritual energy, can she?
In the future... if there's an opportunity, or if it becomes unavoidable, then we'll give it a try.
.
A month and a half passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, Lu Yuanyuan practiced swordsmanship at the sword-testing ground all morning, returning to her room drenched in sweat and taking a shower. Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door—it was Zhou Que's voice: "Yuanyuan, come out quickly!"
Lu Yuanyuan thought the other person was in a hurry, so she immediately dropped the towel, didn't even dry the water droplets on her face, and ran over, hurriedly opening the door: "What's wrong?"
Unexpectedly, Zhou Que's first words struck her like lightning, leaving her stunned on the spot.
"It's not my business, it's that the sect leader and the others are back, and I heard they even captured a fox demon!" Zhou Que shook his head vigorously, grabbed Lu Yuanyuan's wrist, and pulled her out: "They're heading to the Sword Sect's Hundred Battles Hall now! Come on, let's go watch the show!"
When Lu Yuanyuan was dragged to the place by Zhou Que, the place was already packed with people.
The Hall of a Hundred Battles is where the sect leader and his personal disciples hold meetings; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. However, to get to the Hall of a Hundred Battles, one must traverse the path below. From the higher vantage point, they can also witness some of the lively activity.
The two pushed through the crowd and came to the front. Lu Yuanyuan's eyesight had improved a lot, and sure enough, after waiting for a while, they saw a group of disciples appear at the end of the mountain path. Among them was a golden cage-like magical artifact.
A young girl was sitting inside the cage.
She looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a charming and bright appearance, as radiant as a sunset. Her black hair was loose over her shoulders, and she was barefoot, kneeling at the bottom of the cage, with a fluffy fox tail peeking out from under her skirt.
As soon as the girl showed her face, Lu Yuanyuan clearly felt that the surrounding discussions had become much louder, with some expressing curiosity, some disdain, and some gasping for breath.
"It must be her."
"Why did the sect leader want to bring her back? Did she commit a crime? Did she kill someone?"
"I heard that the sect leader didn't capture her himself; he just sent a few disciples to do it..."
The unfolded golden cage artifact did not harm the girl inside; it merely restricted her freedom.
The girl still seemed dissatisfied with her situation. She pouted, grabbed the long bar of the cage, and said to a figure in front of her, "Hey, Duan Lansheng, I don't even care that you locked me up. I've called you so many times, why are you still like a silent gourd? At least answer me!"
She was angry, but her voice was sweet and soft, very pleasing, and her scolding was enough to make one's bones melt and flesh tremble.
Not far from the cage stood a solitary figure, sword at his side, talking to another disciple of the Sword Sect. Hearing the girl's incessant chatter, Duan Lansheng frowned, gave her a cold glance, turned away without replying, and continued walking forward.
The group walked further and further away until they disappeared from sight. Many of the male disciples beside Lu Yuanyuan craned their necks, watching the direction in which they vanished.
Zhou Que clicked his tongue and said, "She really is a fox. Let's find out what she did wrong later, Yuan Yuan... Yuan Yuan?"
Lu Yuanyuan stared intently in the direction they disappeared, her fingernails digging into her palms without her noticing.
Xiaoruo.
The true female lead of "The Enchanting Fairy Tale," who didn't appear in the first playthrough, the charming little fox demon, has finally made her appearance.
Long ago, she had already met Xiao Ruo once in an awkward situation, so she wasn't unaware that Xiao Ruo existed in the second timeline. However, in the original story, Xiao Ruo and Duan Lansheng's first encounter was at the Immortal Cultivation Conference several years later, not at this negotiation between the Immortal Sects and aristocratic families.
Could this be a chain reaction?
The earlier-than-expected disturbances in the Ghost Realm and the earlier signs of Duan Lansheng's ascension mean that his time as a disciple of Mount Shu is likely to be shortened. So, is Xiao Ruo's appearance also earlier than planned?
If the dominoes start falling, what will be the consequences?
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