The sun finally dipped below the distant mountains, and darkness fully enveloped the night sky.
Dark Faction?
Hearing Xue Zhongxun Mei’s words, Bai Yue Ling nearly jumped like a startled rabbit.
How… how did she know?!
Did they spot me and Ying Ye leaving the castle?
Her mind raced as she tried to maintain a calm facade, though her back was already drenched in nervous sweat.
If my Dark Faction allegiance gets exposed, Aiya will definitely skewer me with that lance!
***
Unbeknownst to Bai Yue Ling, Xue Zhongxun Mei was just bluffing.
Desperate to take down Bai Yue Ling, she’d learned that Paladin Aiya despised the Dark Faction and decided to sling mud at her target.
With so many voices accusing Bai Yue Ling, Aiya was bound to grow suspicious.
Even if Aiya didn’t fully believe it, the doubt would make her less likely to protect Bai Yue Ling.
“Whoever makes the claim must provide proof!” Bai Yue Ling declared loudly.
“We all saw it—Priest Hero was making deals with some dark mage in the wild!”
Xue Zhongxun Mei sneered. “That’s why her Holy Light Orbs hit so hard!”
Aiya’s brows furrowed, and she looked at Bai Yue Ling with doubt. “Is this true?”
Big sister!
What good is asking me?
If they say it’s true, you believe them, and if I say it’s false, will you believe me?
Bai Yue Ling wanted to cry.
She hadn’t expected this imposing paladin to be so spineless.
“Lady Knight, look closely—I’m an honest citizen, just a powerless little priest! My Holy Light Orbs hit hard only because my spirit is unyielding…”
“Nonsense!” Xue Zhongxun Mei snapped.
“We’re all normal players—how could your Spirit be that much higher? You must’ve made a deal with a dark mage!”
As both sides argued, Aiya grew increasingly confused.
As Bai Yue Ling suspected, Aiya was a paladin with little agency.
From birth, she’d followed others’ orders: becoming a paladin at her parents’ urging, training under her instructor’s commands, and coming to Beginner Village 4443 at the third princess’s suggestion.
Even her hatred of the Dark Faction was drilled into her by church bishops.
She had no real understanding of the Dark Faction or personal experience with its supposed sorrow and pain.
So, when it came time to make her own decisions, she was at a loss.
“Miss Aiya, will you believe their one-sided claims or trust me?” Bai Yue Ling asked.
“Lady Knight, we have over a hundred witnesses here! Hurry and slay that dark spy!” Xue Zhongxun Mei urged.
Aiya’s brows knit tightly, torn between the conflicting voices vying for her judgment.
Her mind overloaded, her body temperature rising, sweat beading beneath her silver armor.
And so, Aiya gave up thinking…
“Holy Flare!”
Blinding holy light enveloped her, bursting outward.
The powerful shockwave sent everyone flying backward.
***
When the light faded, Aiya had vanished.
The scene fell silent as Bai Yue Ling and Xue Zhongxun Mei stared at each other.
What are we waiting for?
Run!
Bai Yue Ling bolted, and Xue Zhongxun Mei, snapping out of her daze, shouted, “Don’t let her escape!”
As Bai Yue Ling reached the village entrance, Ying Ye suddenly leapt from the bushes, grabbing her hand to sprint together.
“Ying Ye?” Bai Yue Ling gasped. “I thought you’d already left.”
“Little White…” Ying Ye’s eyes bore into her with a deep, intense gaze. “What’s your deal with that paladin?”
“Can’t you wait until we’re safe to ask?!”
Tossing Holy Light Orbs to slow their pursuers, the duo darted through the forest, finally escaping back to the castle.
Hot on their heels, the Sky Treader Guild rushed out of the forest, spotting the mysterious castle perched above the rift.
“So that castle is their beginner village.”
***
Seeing the silver-haired, busty girl flipping her off from the suspension bridge, Xue Zhongxun Mei seethed with rage.
“Someone, cut that bridge down!”
Several warriors charged forward, hacking at the ropes, but their hands went numb, and the bridge stood firm.
“It won’t break?!” Xue Zhongxun Mei frowned.
The bridge and castle were one, protected by the lingering divine power of the Goddess of Death, impervious to ordinary attacks.
Xue Zhongxun Mei calmed herself.
They couldn’t keep chasing.
If Priest Hero tossed a few Holy Light Orbs on the bridge, with nowhere to dodge, they’d be wiped out.
In World of Fate, death meant losing one level.
Aiya’s Starstrike had already cost them a level, and another would mean half the day’s progress down the drain.
Reluctantly, Xue Zhongxun Mei gritted her teeth.
“Everyone, head back for now. We’ll deal with them tomorrow.”
The group stormed off as angrily as they’d arrived.
***
Watching Sky Treader’s retreat, Bai Yue Ling finally exhaled.
That near-death escape had drained her stamina—she needed a breather.
“Little White…” Ying Ye suddenly pressed close behind, her gaze dark yet burning.
“Now can you tell me about that paladin?”
Let me rest first…
Feeling Ying Ye’s ample softness pressing against her back, Bai Yue Ling shrank instinctively, stammering, “F-Fine, I’ll explain…”
She recounted meeting Aiya, emphasizing that she was just playing along to gather intel.
“From our encounter, I learned she’ll be a Level 30 paladin, full of justice but lacking decisiveness,”
Bai Yue Ling said, puffing out her chest shamelessly. “That’s all.”
“…Really?”
“Really!”
If she was lying, her big bunnies would be in trouble.
A dark thought flickered through Ying Ye’s mind, softening the darkness in her eyes.
She cupped Bai Yue Ling’s soft, cool cheeks, pinched them gently, and flashed a radiant smile.
“Great! I knew you weren’t the type to flirt with random girls.”
[Player “Ying Ye’s” corruption value increased by 2%.]
[Current “Ying Ye” corruption value: 47%.]
Bai Yue Ling swallowed hard, her mind buzzing.
That terrifying pressure—she almost thought she was about to wipe.
Wait, something’s off.
Why is Ying Ye drifting further from her pure, innocent self, taking on a dark, chilling vibe…?
That’s the assassin Ying Ye from my past life who killed me!
Bai Yue Ling’s heart jolted, her plump thighs pressing together instinctively.
Oh no, she was almost scared stiff.
Why was this happening?
Was it because her corruption value was rising, tinging Ying Ye with a darker personality?
If this kept up, she’d soon become the assassin Ying Ye from her past life, and Bai Yue Ling would die again…
But there was no turning back now. She had to see this through.
Once Ying Ye’s corruption hit 100%, Bai Yue Ling would escape the shadow of wiping and hold all the cards.
Her resolve to corrupt Ying Ye grew stronger.
“Even though we met Aiya, we’ve pissed off Sky Treader,” Ying Ye said, worried.
“They’ll probably come for us tomorrow. What do we do?”
Bai Yue Ling pondered for a moment. “I’ve never taken them seriously.”
“Why not?” Ying Ye asked, puzzled.
“They’ve got over a hundred people, and it’s just the two of us. If we hole up across the bridge to grind, we might never get out.”
“I have a plan,” Bai Yue Ling said, gazing at the clear blue night sky.
“Dealing with a hundred sub-Level 10 players is way easier than handling a Level 30 paladin.”