Chapter 97: My Fiancé

Sword Qi, cold as frost and sharp as ice, skimmed past Qingmu’s forehead, slicing a deep, bottomless gash into the bluestone pavement behind him.

The shards of stone that flew past grazed his cheek, searing him with burning pain.

Qingmu froze on the spot, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, nearly shattering his ribs. The shadow of death was so real—just a hair’s breadth more and his third life might have ended here and now.

He looked up and saw, far above in the sky, two figures—one white, one red—colliding and crossing at speeds impossible to follow with the naked eye. Each contact thundered with a deafening roar and blinding flashes of light.

Clad in white brighter than snow was Lin Qiyou, her long sword in hand, every strike simple and fierce, each imbued with a terrifying power that seemed to rip the very air. Sword Qi stormed about her, shredding any nearby rubble to powder.

Beneath her left eye, the tear mole flickered amidst the turbulent spiritual energy. Her features were cold, but her eyes blazed with a near-obsessive determination.

Her opponent was the now partially transformed Nongli. Her form was far larger than usual—nearly three meters tall. Seven fluffy fox tails flared like burning white fire, thrashing wildly behind her and easily dispersing incoming sword Qi.

Her hands were covered in white fur, the tips sharp as claws, each slash trailing crimson foxfire that crashed headlong into Lin Qiyou’s sword Qi, bursting into a rain of flame. Her golden vertical pupils radiated a beast’s ferocity and a demon king’s majesty. Dou Dou’s brows knit tightly, yet her lips curled into a cruel smile provoked by challenge.

“Lin Qiyou! You Sword Immortal! You crazy woman! A hundred years ago you stormed my demon realm, slaughtered my people, and now you ruin my city again! All you know are underhanded tricks!” Nongli’s voice was edged with the fox clan’s unique sharpness, echoing across the entire Benji City.

Lin Qiyou brushed aside a foxfire attack, her sword vibrating. Her voice remained calm, but icy with undeniable resolve: “It seems those demon kings made you forget the past. If you don’t remember, does that absolve you of your crimes?”

“What crime have I committed?” Nongli roared, her seven tails snapping taut, coalescing a massive foxfire orb brimming with destructive force. “You butcher!”

“Hmph!” A cold light flashed in Lin Qiyou’s eyes, her swordplay suddenly more violent. “You’re nothing but… a monster that devours him again and again!”

“Boom—!”

The foxfire orb and Sword Qi clashed once more. The shockwave slammed outward like a solid wall. Even from afar, Qingmu was forced to stumble back, barely able to stay upright. He watched helplessly as the surrounding buildings toppled in waves; wails, sobs, and the sounds of collapsing structures mixed into an apocalyptic cacophony.

This can’t go on!

Qingmu gritted his teeth. Using his petite body and channeling his Qi formula, he activated talisman paper, blood surging as he strode toward the heart of the battle.

“Stop! Lin Qiyou! Nongli! Both of you, stop!” He screamed with all his might, his voice thin as a mosquito’s in the thunderous din.

Yet miraculously, both fighters seemed to pause, however imperceptibly.

Lin Qiyou forced Nongli back with a sword strike, her gaze sweeping over the staggering Qingmu, her brows tightening. “Why did you come back? Where’s Qin Shuang?” Her tone held a subtle urgency and concern.

Nongli spotted Qingmu too. Her pupils contracted—hadn’t she ordered the little demons to take him away? And what did this have to do with him?

“Human brat, get out! This isn’t a place for you!”

Wait, he knows who Lin Qiyou is?

Could it be!

“I can’t stay? Then who should be here?!” Qingmu dashed to the edge of their battlefield. The overwhelming spiritual and demonic pressures made every step grind his bones, but he still stubbornly raised his head, gaze flicking between them. “Lin Qiyou, if you don’t leave, I’ll die here!”

Lin Qiyou’s sword hand stilled for a moment. She looked at Qingmu, at the resolve in his eyes. Her gaze had to shift aside, but she never dropped her guard against Nongli. “If the threat is not eliminated, she may yet devour you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Nongli didn’t understand Lin Qiyou’s words. Devour him? Again?

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed her head. Gritting her teeth, she landed on the ground, clutching her forehead. “You… You’ve known Lin Qiyou for a long time, haven’t you? You’re actually her spy at my side, right? That’s how she managed to break in today, that’s how you know my weaknesses, that’s why you’re not afraid of me!”

“What nonsense… Have you considered that maybe we knew each other before too?”

Qingmu slapped his forehead, driven to a headache by Nongli.

“Shut up!” Nongli barked, Qingmu’s words pricking her muddled memory like needles, stirring fierce pain and panic. Fleeting fragments flickered through her mind—a warm pill chamber, the bitter yet comforting scent of medicine, a gentle touch atop her head, and… wrenching agony and regret. “I don’t need to remember! I am now Demon King Nongli! You’re just a tool for my breakthrough!”

“Tool?” Qingmu sneered. “Would a tool know the nape of your neck is your weak spot? Would a tool imitate your way of drinking tea and walking? Would a tool face you without fear, just because you once… Was it you?!”

“You…!” Nongli was struck dumb, turmoil boiling within, foxfire flickering unsteadily around her.

Lin Qiyou seized the moment, sword flashing as she struck at the opening revealed by Nongli’s shaken spirit: “Demon, meet your end!”

“Lin Qiyou!” Qingmu’s pupils shrank. Without thinking, he leapt between them!

Either he’d die here, and let these two feel guilty and thus end the fight—

Qingmu felt as if he’d suddenly flown in front of the two, though his speed shouldn’t have allowed it.

What’s happening?

“Qingmu!”

Lin Qiyou’s swordpoint twisted away at the last second before striking Qingmu’s back. The razor-sharp Sword Qi sliced his shoulder, a spurt of blood flying.

Agony flared in Qingmu’s left shoulder. He was flung hard to the ground by the force, his vision blacking out. He lay prone, coughing violently, blood seeping from the wound on his shoulder and from the corner of his mouth.

“Cough, cough…”

Looking up, he saw Nongli had dragged him over with demonic power.

Not bad, this beast was at least quick-witted.

“You…” Lin Qiyou instantly sheathed her sword, wanting to rush to Qingmu’s side, but Nongli took a step, lifting Qingmu as a bargaining chip.

“You two don’t want to talk about your business, is that it? Fine, then don’t talk. But you seem to care a lot about this human brat? He’s dying right here—how about I just kill him?”

Nongli stared at the tiny figure in her grasp, and the glaring red on his shoulder. Her heart felt viciously squeezed, that familiar, terrifying pain surging up again.

This isn’t right. What’s with these memories in my head?

How strange, why so strange?

“Not bad at all… I knew you were cunning… Have you really forgotten everything?”

If he could, Qingmu really didn’t want to say these words. He’d rather silently act as Nongli’s medicinal catalyst, then settle the matter, that’s all.

But unexpectedly, both these people were real—and had come into reality to truly face him.

So, he had to do something.

Leverage the butterfly effect of this world and stop their war before they fought again in that world!

He had no time to deal with them; there were more important things awaiting him.

“Demon!”

Lin Qiyou saw Nongli dazed and tried to act again.

“You damn woman! Stand down! Last time you stabbed me, and now you want more?”

If he didn’t say this, Lin Qiyou would never relent.

“What?”

Lin Qiyou silently watched him, then looked at Nongli, whose face was constantly shifting. What did he mean by last time she stabbed him?

Hmm?

Suddenly, Lin Qiyou seemed to remember something—the Benji illusion…

She’d really been tricked by an illusion!

Had she taken him for Benji?

She’d come to save him, but now she’d wounded him with her own hand.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Nongli’s head was splitting. The blood on the ground stung her eyes. Eat him? Was it really that simple? Why did it hurt so much to see him injured? Why did this human brat’s every move so easily stir her emotions? What secrets lay hidden in those sealed memories?

Wasn’t he just Lin Qiyou’s spy? Why was she like this?

Flames still burned around them. The ruins smoked, and the surviving demons began to cautiously poke their heads out.

They stared in shock at the two near-apocalyptic combatants, uncertain why the fighting had abruptly stopped.

They hesitated—should they seize the chance to flee, for fear disaster might erupt again?

“You know me… What did you do to me, and who’s Qin Feng?” Nongli muttered, nearly unable to lift the small Qingmu, but still unwilling to let go for her own safety.

A dizzying wave surged through her, and those sealed memories burst like a dam, battering her mind. She seemed to see, once more, that rainy night a century ago—her out-of-control true form, the figure she’d devoured, and then that wrenching regret that made her wish to tear herself apart—

“Uargh—!” Nongli clutched her head, letting out a pained growl, her towering form swaying.

This time, it really seemed… something was different.

“You forgot? Remember!”

Qingmu watched as the giant Nongli fell to her knees, straining to awaken her memories.

Nongli was always the most obedient. If only she could remember the past, no matter what, this conflict would end.

It would all end.

“It’s about to end~”

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded in his ear. Qingmu froze. He found himself in a bedroom, the safe place Xiao Ya had taken him to.

“Why was I pulled out of the simulation?”

Qingmu looked around in confusion, and the voice sounded again.

“Qingmu, my fiancé… it’s about to end, isn’t it?”

“Huh? Yue Qi?”

Qingmu recognized the voice. Then, a sharp blade pressed against his neck.