The moment Ah Li realized they had been discovered by Chao Yan, she instantly conjured a ball of fox fire and hurled it into the spring. Within a few short seconds, the water temperature skyrocketed to a boil, until the hot spring basin erupted like a volcano, spewing a high-pressure pillar of water.
“Little one, hold on tight!”
Following the superheated eruption, the water in the entire pool turned into steam. Wei Yang couldn’t see her surroundings at all, but that was exactly what Ah Li wanted.
She was well aware of Chao Yan’s strength; the woman was an existence capable of subverting the entire Shendu on her own. Ah Li had wondered before why someone of that caliber would be willing to kneel at the Divine Lady’s feet, content to be a mere influential official.
But no matter how strong Chao Yan was, the little Snow Fox in her arms was one of her own kind—and she was so beautiful. Ah Li was determined to try and save the little thing.
‘An absolute powerhouse, the resulting loneliness, the person who can teach you to love is—’
Ah Li took advantage of the steam obscuring Chao Yan’s vision to transform into her true form, a massive Purple Cloud Nine-Tails. By the time Wei Yang snapped back to her senses, she was already sitting on the fluffy back of Ah Li’s true body. A fierce wind whipped against her cheeks as she was carried at a full sprint through the passage toward the exit.
The panicked Wei Yang wanted to turn around to see if that Blonde was chasing them, but the first thing she saw was the grinning face of Yu Tu. Yu Tu was lying on a Somersault Cloud, keeping pace with them at the same speed as Ah Li.
“Wei Yang baby, where did you get this summon? Why didn’t you pick a panda?”
Wei Yang really wasn’t in the mood for the girl’s jokes; the current situation was a matter of life and death.
“Stop messing around! Help me keep an eye on Chao Yan’s movements. She shouldn’t have caught up yet, right!?”
Yu Tu pursed her lips, her expression hard to describe.
“You really don’t know where she is?”
“Duh! The hot spring was full of steam just now. How could I possibly see where she is?”
After Wei Yang finished her retort, she noticed Yu Tu pointing behind her. She froze instantly. Her body twisted around in jerky, mechanical increments until she turned her face aside…
Nose tips bumped together. The yellow-haired girl, who had somehow also taken a seat on Ah Li’s back at some unknown point, leaned down and lightly kissed the corner of Wei Yang’s lips.
“Caught you, my rebellious, naughty Snow White who dreamed of running away.”
“Ah! A ghost!!”
Ah Li realized they had been caught when she heard Wei Yang’s scream. Even in her true form, her speed was apparently not enough to shake that woman. If that was the case, there was only one option left.
‘Little one, use the bell I hung on your ear!’
That bell was her treasured artifact, the “Tamamo Bell.” It possessed the property of locking space, and its effect was so powerful that it treated everyone equally. Its only flaw was that it required a period of recharging after every use.
No matter how scatterbrained Wei Yang was, she finally realized the purpose of the bell Ah Li had given her. The problem was…
“Ah Li, you big idiot! You didn’t set a safety on the bell, so it already triggered and is on cooldown now!”
Hearing this, the running Ah Li suddenly froze into a simplified caricature of herself.
‘Eh? What!? That’s not right, meow! I set it, meow! Without my permission, even if the bell rings, the space won’t lock, meow! I was going to “beep-beep” then “honk-honk” you, meow. How could it be activated… Hiss, I think I know why.’
The line was busy.
Ah Li had left after hanging the bell on Wei Yang’s ear. Once the distance between her and Wei Yang grew, the signal was hijacked by someone closer to her.
Ah Li naturally didn’t know about Yu Tu’s existence. After she left, the person who could establish a mental connection with Wei Yang became Yu Tu, who was relatively closer. This resulted in Ah Li being unable to link with Wei Yang or the Tamamo Bell on her ear, leading to the bell being accidentally triggered.
There was no way out. Whether it was power, speed, or technique, Chao Yan was far superior to the two of them.
‘Little one, I think we should just surrender.’
Hearing the cowardly words transmitted into her mind, Wei Yang twitched the corner of her mouth helplessly.
“You’re saying that too late. I already surrendered.”
‘?’
On Ah Li’s back, Wei Yang had long since given up resistance, lying obediently in that annoying Blonde’s arms. Chao Yan was smiling now, her hands stroking and kneading Wei Yang’s cheeks.
“Sweetheart, do you have anything you want to say?”
Wei Yang flinched in fright, desperately searching for something to say.
“Th-that… are my cheeks soft?”
Chao Yan couldn’t help but burst out laughing. This feeling was too wonderful.
“They are very soft, of course. However, that’s not what I meant. I was asking,” she lowered her head, her pale jade pupils constantly narrowing the distance between her and Wei Yang, “how you broke my spell and returned to human form. Was it the work of this Purple Cloud Nine-Tails we’re riding?”
Wei Yang hurriedly defended Ah Li. If it weren’t for her, Ah Li wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess.
“No! It was an accident. I only met Ah Li afterward. She thought I was the same species—”
“I’ll take that as the truth. But back in the spring, I saw her touch you?”
“…She’s a girl.”
“I am too.”
“…Then you can touch me too.”
Chao Yan gave a light “tsk,” appearing particularly dissatisfied.
“It’s not a matter of whether I can touch you; it’s a matter of who touched you. The only person allowed to touch you is me.”
Wei Yang trembled, her mouth hanging open, not knowing how to respond.
Ah Li trembled, stopping in place, not knowing if she should keep running.
“Eh, forget it,” Chao Yan sighed. “Since my Snow White is so disobedient, I have to punish you somehow. Let me think… I’ll give you a Carry then.”
Wei Yang didn’t understand, but she felt it definitely wasn’t anything good.
Chao Yan continued to explain.
“Carry? You don’t get it? It’s like playing a duo ranked game. If you’re in a bad mood, play a match. If you’re stressed, play a match. If you’re depressed, play a match. The surging passion will tell you that I am your only permanent duo partner.”
Wei Yang was about to cry.
“No, don’t. I mean, I don’t want to!”
But Chao Yan didn’t let her go, continuing to output dangerous remarks.
“In games, skill is very important. But it’s fine; skill can be honed through actual combat. For example, the first step: warming up…”
Wei Yang’s fox ears were suddenly grabbed and stroked, and she couldn’t help but let out a weak, vulnerable sound. Ah Li was a bit dazed by what was happening on her back. Had she become a fox car? Why was it already shaking?
“Step two: find the feel through the controls, and discover the fun of the game within…”
Chao Yan’s hand moved slowly, and the HP of Wei Yang’s water-soaked nurse outfit hit 0 as it was eliminated.
“Step three: after accumulating economic capital, strike boldly and maintain a long-term offensive…”
Ah Li could clearly sense the intensity gradually increasing, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. One of her own kind was being attacked by an awful woman right before her eyes, yet she could do nothing. It was truly a sight to make any witness weep.
“Last step: push into the high ground and end the match…”
Wei Yang was shedding little pearls of tears. Her current body had no strength at all. Was the game really going to be forcibly ended like this, with the crystal taken?
No way! The opponent was a Blonde. As a member of the Pure Love faction, how could she fall here!
“Yu Tu, Load—”
But just as she shook her head and called out to Yu Tu, preparing to have the other girl use her player status to load a save and return to the start of the game, something unexpected happened.
With the soft ring of a bell, everything in the surroundings froze in that instant.
The Tamamo Bell’s cooldown had ended.
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