Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The fire was set up.

It wasn't ordinary fire that was used; Bai Yin forcibly activated the still-unsettled Geng metal evil energy within his body, drying and igniting a few damp reeds.

The flames licked the large bluefish that was wearing a branch.

The grease dripped into the fire, sizzling and releasing an enticing aroma.

Bai Yin sat cross-legged on the muddy ground, his large hands, which had just torn apart countless demon soldiers and were covered in blood, now carefully turning the tree branch in his hands.

He looked focused.

It was even more nerve-wracking than facing the protective array of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect.

Fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and down his still-swollen cheeks, but he didn't bother to wipe them away.

I was afraid that if my hand slipped, I would burn the fish.

Su Xiaojiu sat on the large blue stone next to her, holding a foxtail grass in her hand, idly swinging it around.

Seeing Bai Yin's tense expression, she couldn't help but smile.

That silly tiger.

It's been a few years, and your skills in killing have improved a lot, but your grilled fish skills still look so trendy.

It's burnt.

Su Xiaojiu spoke lazily.

Bai Yin's hand trembled, and he almost threw the fish into the fire.

He hurriedly pulled the fish back, brought it to his nose and smelled it; sure enough, he could smell a faint burnt smell.

That's because the tip of the fish's tail was singed by the fire.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

Bai Yin's voice was strained, and his face was full of frustration.

"I...I haven't done this in so long, I'm rusty."

"I'll go catch another one; I'll throw this one away."

As he spoke, he was about to get up and throw the fish away.

In his view, the food given to Xiao Jiu must be the best.

Even the slightest burnt part is a flaw, a sign of disrespect.

"What are you throwing?"

Su Xiaojiu gently flicked the back of his hand with the foxtail grass in her hand.

"What a spendthrift!"

"Bring it here."

Bai Yin hesitated for a moment, but still obediently handed over the fish.

But he didn't dare give it to him directly.

Instead, he extended two fingers and, using a skillful touch, quickly tapped the fish several times.

The sharp energy emanating from the fingertips.

The charred fish skin instantly peeled off, revealing the snow-white and tender fish meat inside.

Followed by.

He patiently picked out each of the tiny bones from the fish meat.

Their movements were so practiced it was heartbreaking.

It's hard to imagine that these hands, covered in calluses and scars, strong enough to split mountains and crack rocks, could be even more steady than embroiderers when doing such delicate work.

"Give."

Bai Yin held the prepared fish meat as if it were a rare treasure and offered it to Su Xiaojiu's mouth.

Su Xiaojiu didn't answer.

She opened her mouth and made an "ah" sound.

The meaning is obvious.

Bai Yin was stunned for a moment, and then his old face turned red instantly.

He clumsily tore off a small piece of fish, blew on it to cool it down, and carefully fed it to Su Xiaojiu.

Su Xiaojiu chewed twice.

No salt or other seasonings were added; only the natural sweetness of the fish and a faint smoky aroma were present.

The taste was actually quite average.

But she ate with great relish.

"good."

Su Xiaojiu gave her evaluation.

Bai Yin let out a long breath, his tense shoulders finally relaxed, and a silly smile appeared on his face.

As long as she doesn't mind.

The two of them sat down by the reeds in Yunmengze.

One feeds, the other eats.

The surrounding area still reeked of blood, and there were still unremoved limbs and broken pieces on the ground.

But neither of them paid any attention.

It was as if only the two of them, the fire, and the fish remained in the world.

The awkwardness of a long-awaited reunion quietly dissipated in this silent interaction.

It was as if they had never been apart.

Just like the life-and-death separations of those years, it was nothing more than taking a nap in the afternoon and having a slightly longer nightmare.

After waking up.

The fish is still hot, and the person is still stupid.

Everything remains the same.

Su Xiaojiu had almost finished eating. She patted her stomach, leaned back, and sprawled unceremoniously on the bluestone.

I'm full.

Bai Yin immediately cleaned up the remaining fish bones, buried them in the soil, and washed his hands three times with a cleansing spell to make sure there was no fishy smell before daring to sit back down next to her.

Su Xiaojiu squinted as she basked in the sun.

Suddenly, something came to mind.

Previously, when I was in the Sealed Land, I seemed to have heard that broken system mention that after reaching the maximum favorability with Chen Xuan, there would be some kind of hidden reward.

I was in a hurry to get my attention out of the way and didn't have time to look.

Now that I have some free time, I might as well check it out.

"system."

Su Xiaojiu shouted in her mind.

"Give me back that hidden reward."

no respond.

My mind is quiet.

Only that familiar crackling sound of electricity continued incessantly.

Su Xiaojiu frowned.

"Playing dead?"

"Believe it or not, I'll report you?"

Still nothing.

After a long while, just as Su Xiaojiu was about to curse, a line of cold text slowly appeared in her mind.

【Ding! 】

[The "Strategy and Development" tasks in System Version 1.0 have all been completed.]

[To adapt to the host's current "quasi-emperor" level divine soul strength and the subsequent "conquest and revenge" storyline, the system will undergo a comprehensive upgrade.]

Current status: Upgrading (1% progress)...

During the upgrade, system functions will be suspended and the task panel will be frozen.

Please wait patiently for version 2.0 to be released.

[Note: The estimated time for this upgrade is...unknown.]

Su Xiaojiu: "..."

As she looked at the word "unknown," a "well" shape slowly appeared on her forehead.

play?

Did it fail at the crucial moment?

This is like going to a restaurant, ordering all the dishes, and picking up your chopsticks, when the owner suddenly runs over and says that the chef has gone back to his hometown to go on a blind date, and his return date is uncertain.

"waste."

Su Xiaojiu cursed inwardly.

"You stole my reward and ran away, are you a dog?"

The system remained frozen, not even responding with a punctuation mark.

Su Xiaojiu was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

This system may be a rip-off, but at least it's a cheat code.

Now that it's going to be upgraded, let it be upgraded.

Anyway, although her current body is weak, her soul is a genuine quasi-emperor level, plus she has Bai Yin by her side as a free super fighter.

In this small area of ​​Yunmengze, you should be able to walk sideways without any problem.

They come, the security.

Su Xiaojiu has always had a good attitude.

She rolled over and felt that the stone beneath her was a bit hard and uncomfortable.

His gaze shifted and landed on Bai Yin, who sat upright beside him like a door god.

"noob."

Su Xiaojiu beckoned with her finger.

Bai Yin immediately leaned over, pressed his ear close, and looked ready to be ordered around.

"What's wrong? Do you want more food? I'll go get some."

"Eat my ass."

Su Xiaojiu rolled her eyes at him.

"The stone is too hard; it's uncomfortable to sit on."

Bai Yin was stunned for a moment.

They immediately realized what was happening.

Without saying a word, he took off his tattered but relatively dry outer robe, folded it neatly, and laid it on the stone.

Then I felt it wasn't soft enough.

He thought for a moment, then simply sat down on the rock and patted his thigh.

"Sit here."

His thigh muscles were strong, broad, and powerful, which was indeed much more comfortable than a stone.

Su Xiaojiu didn't stand on ceremony either.

She moved over directly, leaned against him, and found a comfortable position to settle down.

Bai Yin's body stiffened instantly.

He didn't know where to put his hands, so in the end he could only hover them in mid-air, protecting her, but not daring to actually touch her.

I even slowed my breathing.

She was afraid of waking up the fox in her arms who had just finished eating.

Feeling the heat coming from behind her and the strong heartbeat, Su Xiaojiu hummed contentedly.

This human cushion is still made with the same recipe and tastes the same.

Aside from being a little hard, it's perfect.

The two of them nestled together quietly.

As the sun began to set, it cast long shadows of the two people, which overlapped and became indistinguishable from one another.

after awhile.

Su Xiaojiu played with a strand of Bai Yin's white hair that was hanging down, and spoke casually.

"Oh, right."

"Why did those bastards try to catch the fox that day?"

She remembers it very clearly.

The wolf demon leader held an imperial edict in his hand, saying that he was acting on the orders of His Majesty to find the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.

We also need to capture all the foxes in this area and take them back.

There's something strange about this.

Her avatar had only been formed for less than half a day, how could the news have spread so quickly?

Moreover, it was a behemoth like the Heavenly Demon Dynasty that personally intervened.

Upon hearing this...

Bai Yin's previously gentle gaze instantly turned cold.

A faint killing intent emanated from him, but he forcibly suppressed it, afraid of disturbing the person in his arms.

Bai Yin's voice was cold, and when he mentioned the name, he showed undisguised disgust.

"That old lion of the dynasty has gone mad recently."

"Last night, the Heavenly Demon Dynasty suddenly issued the 'Heavenly Fox Decree' to all corners of the land."

"It is said that Indra dreamed of the nine-tailed celestial fox appearing in his mind, which he considered an auspicious omen and ordered the whole country to search for it."

"The bounty is very high."

"A million spirit stones, a marquis of ten thousand households."

Bai Yin sneered, his tone full of sarcasm.

"A generous reward will surely attract brave men, especially in a business like this where there is no risk and the profit is huge."

"Those lackeys who depend on the dynasty would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free in order to gain credit."

"Anyone with even a hint of fox blood, regardless of gender or age, was arrested."

"They said they were inviting me back as a guest, but actually..."

Bai Yin paused, then didn't continue.

But Su Xiaojiu understood what he meant.

Once you enter a place like the Heavenly Demon Dynasty, which devours people without spitting out their bones, what good can come of it?

They will either become playthings or be skinned alive and turned into magical artifacts.

Su Xiaojiu's fingers stopped.

She narrowed her eyes, a thoughtful look flashing in her long, narrow fox-like eyes.

dream?

Did I dream of a nine-tailed celestial fox appearing in my life?

Last night?

How does this timing coincide so perfectly with the time when she used "The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn" in the sealed land?

At that time, she was in a trance, and indeed followed an aura of imperial power into someone's dream.

It even revealed its nine-tailed form in the dream, scaring the middle-aged man in yellow clothes so much that he knelt down and kowtowed.

So that unlucky guy was Indra?

That old lion?

Su Xiaojiu's lips twitched.

This is a mess.

She was just bored and wanted to try out her newly learned supernatural powers, and also to find out some information.

As a result, they accidentally turned the entire demon race upside down.

What is this?

I'm catching myself?

"this."

"Xiao Jiu".

Bai Yin sensed the change in her emotions.

He lowered his head, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice deep and firm.

"Don't be afraid."

"I'm here."

No one can take you away.

"If anyone dares to reach out, I'll chop off their hand."

Even Indra wouldn't do.

He spoke very calmly.

It's as simple as deciding what to eat tonight.

But the bloodlust in his tone was impossible to conceal.

Bai Yin is no longer the silly boy who used to just follow her around.

He is a great demon from the Western Continent.

It is the Asura Tiger Demon, feared throughout the entire cultivation world.

If Su Xiaojiu gave the word, he would dare to single-handedly storm the Heavenly Demon Dynasty and overturn its golden palace.

Su Xiaojiu felt a warmth in her heart.

She reached back and touched Bai Yin's cheek, her fingertips tracing the faint scar.

"Fool."

"Who said I'm scared?"

She sat up straight and stretched.

Nine tails spread out behind it, as magnificent as a peacock's tail feathers.

"Isn't it because you're here?"

[Chapter Summary: Trouble Arises from a Dream]

Burning reeds to roast grass carp, the system pretends to be dead and upgrades.

The tiger's thorns are stripped away, yet tenderness remains; his beloved wife leans against him, whispering secrets.

A dream that startled the emperor caused countless foxes to fall into the mire.

Don't assume good fortune falls from the sky; fortune and misfortune are intertwined and unpredictable.