LongFei appeared at the doorway within the next second. He was met with a view of her sitting on the bed and holding the bright red thick blanket against her chest, with her fair slender bare back facing him. It was a very inviting scene. A random stray image of having his lips against her soft back popped into his mind.
Wham!
BaiXue jumped at the sudden sound and turned her head to look quizzically at LongFei.
"A spider." LongFei said as he dusted the slight dent he created on the door frame.
/Could he be scared of spiders? Look at that dent in the frame./ BaiXue talked to BaoBao. BaiXue did not yet notice the slightly red patch on LongFei's forehead.
[Yes, that was quite a weird and violent reaction for a small spider.] He had witnessed how LongFei headbutted the wall.
LongFei coughed lightly then walked in calmly like nothing happened. /Why am I having such thoughts about her.../ LongFei chided himself in his head.
BaiXue turned to face the front again while LongFei proceeded on to gently and carefully apply the salve on her wounds. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the wound was pretty deep. The only reason why she had not bled out and died was because her wounds were cauterized slightly, likely by his ice flames. His heart ached when he remembered the scene from before.
He bandaged her torso for her then helped her put on her robes. While he pulled her long hair out of her robes, he suddenly asked in a small voice, "Can you please let me help you next time?"
She turned her head and looked at him blankly.
"I don't want to see you hurt."
"Then don't see. Don't be there."
"You know that's not what I mean..." LongFei said in a depressed tone. He lightly sighed. "Ignore what I asked. As long as you're happy, I'll support you."
After a short silence, he continued talking while looking into her eyes, "You did incredibly well, your brother would be proud of you."
BaiXue's eyes widened slightly. "You heard everything."
"Sorry, did you want to keep it private?" LongFei cast his eyes down.
"...No. It's fine if you know." BaiXue withdrew into her thoughts for awhile as she stared off into a distance.
Talking about an older brother and her recent emotional moment easily threw her into a nostalgic state.
Desmond was really quite like the original soul's older brother, except that he had loved both her and Erica from the moment they were born. It was amazing how Desmond could remain both encouraging about their growth yet never stopped spoiling them as his baby sisters. He was usually the fastest person who would notice whenever she went missing to berate herself for not producing the expected results, so would often be the first one to be there for her before the rest of her family would join in.
She could also no longer keep track of the number of times he made it clear to them how much he treasured them more than his life. Since he was in the military like their father, he knew of several life and death situations and situations where not everyone could be saved. Because of that, he had made his baby sisters promise him to always prioritise their lives over his, otherwise he'd never be able to die peacefully. When they did, he laughed jovially and his smile was as if nothing better could have happened to him.
"... You're right. My brother would probably be proud of me. For choosing to live on for him."
LongFei looked at her and was dazzled by what he saw. She had a bright carefree smile on her face with cute dimples on her cheeks and her beautiful grey eyes were curved into crescent moons. His breath got caught in his throat. He was afraid that even breathing would ruin this moment.
Unfortunately for him, the moment still passed. BaiXue resumed her cold face to look at him. "I'm not done with my revenge though. There's still the mastermind."
"Let me help." LongFei said with determination.
"You can't." BaiXue meant it in more ways than one. She wanted to exact revenge herself to fulfill the original's soul's wish completely, or die trying. If she was lucky, she would face off with FenFang before the final development of the story. However, she did not count on her luck. And in that scenario, LongFei would no longer be reliable. He would have to complete his role of the second male lead while she dies along with FenFang.
LongFei pursed his lips and walked away. BaiXue thought that he had finally given up on pestering her but he returned with a silver comb in hand. She raised an eyebrow.
"Your hair's slightly messy." He said with a light shrug.
BaiXue held out her hand with her palm up to receive the comb. She had only used her fingers to comb through her hair earlier so the comb was definitely helpful.
He slightly frowned. "At least let me help in these minor things."
"Then you'll stop asking about helping me for my revenge?"
LongFei nodded. /But I'll interfere once I feel that your life is in danger./ He secretly thought to himself.
When BaiXue nodded to show her agreement, he sat beside her on the bed and combed her hair lovingly. He admired the maroon highlights that were now present in her snowy white hair.
The sensation was quite soothing and BaiXue started dozing off. Suddenly, LongFei spoke again while he continued on to comb the ends of her hair. "After I saw you transform, I finally understood the message that was passed down from my ancestors."
BaiXue's eyes flew open. "What message?" She felt like this would be the final clue to understanding the history of this world.
"There was an instruction passed down through the generations of my family. It was to kill any mystical beings who were not born mystical because they were not the chosen ones. I never understood how there could be mystical beings who were not born."
"I see... I understand now." BaiXue said softly with a small smirk. /What a greedy ancestor he had./
[What? What? What do you understand BaiXue?] BaoBao asked.
/Remember the paintings that we saw in the cave? The ones that we did not recognise were the normal people who achieved their mystical form by cultivation. However, they could not win talents who trained as hard. Mystical beings that are born were the ones that survived the longest. The dragon was the strongest among them. He probably wanted to minimise his competition and the chances of any possible uprising to secure his position. What do you think he did?/
[Kill them all off?]
/Yes and eliminate all the knowledge that could create new competition./
[That's... drastic.] BaoBao could not understand why one would want to remove the means that could improve your own power just to keep someone else handicapped. The costs just did not outweigh the pros.
/People don't run only on logic and calculations, BaoBao./
When BaiXue fell silent after saying that she understood, LongFei thought that she misunderstood him. His hand entirely covered hers as he urgently clarified, "Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I have to kill you." His voice turned gentler as he continued. "In fact, the only things I felt were awe... Happiness... And pride, when I saw your change."
BaiXue's eyes were filled with indecipherable emotion as she held his warm and gentle gaze. LongFei put down the comb that was in his other hand and stroked her head. "You look beautiful."
BaiXue finally looked down and rubbed her nose with her finger. /Did he get possessed? He's talking really smoothly now./
This sight made LongFei smile and his heart warm.
She slipped her hand out of LongFei's light grasp, to gently push away his hand that was on her head. "...Thank you. And you're a handsome man. Now, please excuse me, I want to sleep."
"Yes, do rest well." He helped to tuck her into bed then left the room.
[BaiXue? LongFei... He's-]
/BaoBao, why're you bringing this up again? I'll fight FenFang myself./
[But this time I'm sure he's showing the behaviour and expressions of someone in love. His performance has surpassed the second male leads of the previous worlds. Maybe he really is of use now. Why are you so sure that it's not possible?]
BaiXue became stern and told BaoBao firmly. /Because he's just a character. And not just some random one. He's crucial in the story. And I... I am just another ordinary character that nobody is supposed to notice. After everything I have done, I can only accomplish whatever you see now. If you want someone greater who can manipulate things within the palm of their hand... You've found the wrong person BaoBao./
She was met with silence. So she continued but in a softer tone. /I won't blame you if you abandon me and find a new host./
Suddenly, BaoBao felt a sense of loss. It was new and he did not understand it. He had no physical body like humans to test the neurochemicals associated with different emotions. It made him panic and feel troubled. However, he only knew one thing. The thought of leaving BaiXue felt very bad, so he did not want to leave her. [No... No, I won't leave you! I'm sorry BaiXue, I won't talk about relying on the other characters again.]
BaiXue felt a little bad for BaoBao. He sounded really sad. It was never her intention to make him sad. /What's there to be sorry about? You're still learning and that's okay./
[Okay...]
Seeing BaoBao so cooperative, she decided to relent a little. /As long as it's for learning, I don't mind how many times you wish to discuss anyone's behaviour that baffles you, including the second male lead./
This cheered BaoBao up a lot. He did feel a little wronged by BaiXue as he genuinely wanted to understand the discrepancy between his predictions and the results.
Unbeknownst to them, BaoBao had been maturing in a way different from typical systems. In the first world, he easily got hyped up when he saw the promising behaviour of the second male lead. In the second world, he was as easily misled with the second male lead's behaviour. Whereas in this world, not only did he not get hyped up, he also did not need any prompt or warning before he would properly analyse the situation and the meaning behind the behaviours. This kind of meticulousness and form of deeper analysis was usually achieved by advancing into a higher grade system that supports more processes at once.
With BaiXue's allowance and BaoBao's curiosity, BaoBao was further set on the path of development that distinguished him from all other systems.
Early the next morning, when BaiXue woke up and checked her wounds, she noticed that the smaller wounds were already scabbing. She could not tell if it was due to her improved body constitution or if it was due to the herbs of this world. Perhaps it was both. After finishing the warm breakfast that LongFei prepared, BaiXue asked him to bring her to FenFang's dwelling.
"After you're healed. She's a stronger opponent for you than the tiger was. I will report the situation of her dwelling to you in the meantime." He did not wait for BaiXue's reply before leaving the sitting room and taking off in his dragon form.
[He does have a point.] BaoBao said in support of LongFei. He was not in favour of BaiXue courting her own death.
BaiXue nodded. However, she was not used to doing nothing. There were no books to read nor anything to observe.
After playing a few games of chess with BaoBao by using substitute chess pieces, she could no longer take not doing anything, so she went out to the backyard and tried to go through the motions of her martial arts practice. However, she could tell from the pain that it risked reopening her wounds.
She then changed into her rabbit form in the middle of the backyard. The injuries that were already scabbing were fine. Only the deeper wounds stung a little. The salve that was on her wound were now interspersed in random spots across it. It left most of her wound exposed. Finding no issue with it, she began cultivating.
It was slightly past noon when LongFei returned. He hovered above BaiXue frowning. "Why are you here?" BaiXue ignored him to stay focused on her cultivation. She could feel that it still had the same effect of increasing her power. Perhaps this was what unsettled LongFei's ancestor, even though he already had the crown. LongFei sighed. "You better rest up for a fierce fight. That nine tailed fox is no challenge for me but it is different for you." BaiXue opened her eyes in surprise. "How did you know that she was a nine tailed fox?" "Nine tailed foxes specialise in magic instead of combat. I made a guess when I saw the standard of magic she had cast over an entire village." "How do you know? I don't see any records detailing such useful information." "They're all passed down knowledge." "You've been talking about knowledge passed down through generations. But aren't mystical beings born by chance and rare?" "That's only
FenFang finally frowned and changed into her nine-tailed fox form, anticipating a fight. In her fit of anger and anxiety, she momentarily forgot about the restriction MengYao placed on her. Black chains appeared all over her body. One end led to a collar around her neck. The other ends all seemed to disappear into the ground below FenFang, restricting her movements. She felt utterly humiliated to be seen in such a state but was not willing to back off without a fight. Just as BaiXue lifted a hand towards FenFang, LongFei entered through the front door in his human form. A black cage appeared out of nowhere above him and dropped down. He frowned in annoyance but reacted fast. He overbearingly swung his hand above him like he was simply swatting a fly away and the cage flew to the side easily. This thoroughly shocked FenFang who still had no idea who this intruder was. On the other hand, BaiXue's lips twitched at his show of power that she would never have, whi
LongFei could easily sense MengYao's bloodlust directed at BaiXue. It made his heart thump wildly and uncontrollably in urgency. However, he could not seem to break out of the obsessive thoughts about FengJiao in his mind that held him there. His face scrunched up in annoyance and agony. His mind compelled him to fly back to tend to FengJiao and give her the cure-all antidote. His heart warned him that there was something else far more important than FengJiao that he had to attend to right now. All of a sudden, the softest yet most significant cry of pain in his life reached his ears, and struck a chord within him. It snapped him back to the present and he looked towards the source of it. The sight of a maroon rabbit all curled up into a ball and shivering uncontrollably with a black phoenix nearing dangerously close to her made him see red and lose his mind in a panic. He flew at the fastest speed he could go and the sound was like cutting through wind itself.
The impact of BaiXue's jump created yet another crater in the ground. LongFei kept up with her movement to keep himself between MengYao and BaiXue, and he fired the largest fire he could manage. BaiXue had already made her body as streamlined as possible, so that she would go faster. However, MengYao and LongFei were still faster. In that short distance she covered between her position to FenFang's writhing body, they had exchanged enough blows to cover the forest in black and blue flames. A sudden burst of speed boosted MengYao and he finally appeared by BaiXue's side just as she spun in mid-air to land on her hind legs. LongFei spat out even stronger flames to force MengYao to take a detour, then speedily positioned himself between MengYao and BaiXue once again. LongFei swung his tail and the strong gale threw MengYao back into the trees. This time MengYao was driven deeper into the ground as compared to before. SPLAT! The sound of a body being squash
Luna opened her eyes and found herself back in the same dark black space. "Luna?" "..." "Luna? Are you okay?" BaoBao was worried that being impaled reminded her of the way she died in the second world. "Mm." Luna did not feel like talking and simply floated in space with a spaced out look. "Luna? You can sleep like the last time if you need to." BaoBao remembered that she did not have much rest in the night before the final showdown with FenFang. Luna finally noticed BaoBao's worries so she reassured him, "I'm fine BaoBao. That death was nothing compared to the second world's. Also, it was more torturous fighting the fake LongFei. This death is really not too bad." "Then... What's wrong?" BaoBao looked at her with worried eyes and gently touched her forearm. Luna blinked her eyes in surprise. Although she was not thinking about anything in particular and had told him that she was fine, BaoBao was now a
Luna opened her eyes to find herself in complete darkness. If not for the intense ravenous hunger she was feeling, she would have thought that she was still in the same space from before. This hunger, unlike the previous world's, drove her crazy. She clenched her jaw and fists hard. It took up all the self control she had to prevent herself from going berserk and going on a rampage. What made matters worse was that she smelt a tantalizing meal nearby. Feeling it odd, she wanted to know what she was dealing with first before she did anything. /BaoBao!/ BaoBao immediately knew that she was ready to receive the information and so stimulated the memories of this body. The original soul of this body was a human named Vanora. An only child born to a poor but happy couple. Her parents did all they could to provide her the best but that did not mean they spoilt her. She had to earn it by helping out with the household and work. Her father was a
While Luna processed the memories, the golden specks in her eyes started to glow, making her irises look golden instead of grey. Her round pupils turned into sharp slits. Her breathing became irregular. [Lu- Luna?] BaoBao called out worriedly. However, he did not get a reply. [Luna!] Just as he yelled out her name again, he heard Luna's thoughts and saw the flashback she experienced. It was the eve of a new year. She was only 12 years old then. Just as they did so every year, her family was gathered in her father's study where her parents would review their results for the whole year. Luna knew without needing to be told that she was the only one who made no improvements in any aspect of herself whatsoever. Like she anticipated, her siblings were commended for doing well even in areas that were not their talents. Although her parents also commended Luna for being the most earnest, sincere
/For now, we can be sure that my body statistics seems enhanced. Strength, agility, speed, and all of my senses except for touch./ [And your appetite.] BaoBao added on. /What? Why?/ [... You finished an entire deer. In one sitting. Without a break!] /I did?/ Vanora looked beside her and stared speechlessly at the pile of bones. Before she knew it, she was already cooking what was left of the deer. /Oh dear./ In all the previous worlds, she would have preserved it and the deer would have lasted her days. /You're right./ [Not like you'd have a problem hunting anyway.] /... True. It's not that time consuming./ She was about to take another bite into the blue-rare meat when she heard a strange sound of air churning and warping in itself above her. She looked up warily. A man with short raven black hair and blood red ey