Chapter 141

Song Pianxian’s gaze momentarily unfocused.

She remembered more than Yu Yi did, but ultimately, it was only slightly more. So far, Song Pianxian had recalled only encountering the real 01 in the real world. 01 wasn’t merely a detached, emotionless system voice assigning tasks; she was a genuinely existing woman.

At the same time, she pondered why she could remember this specific memory when it hadn’t surfaced in previous worlds. After much thought, the most significant difference in this world was that Yu Yi had removed 09 from her.

After 09 departed, her memories seemed to loosen, yet there were no further changes. Was it because 01 reconnected with her afterward?

Numerous questions circled through Song Pianxian’s mind, and only the Quick Transmigration Bureau’s 01 could provide answers. Once she returned, she would seek clarification from 01.

For now, she needed to respond to Yu Yi’s question.

“I remember events before becoming a puppet,” Song Pianxian said cautiously, “but I don’t know why I transitioned between one world to another.”

Song Pianxian couldn’t predict the impact of revealing the existence of the Quick Transmigration Bureau to Qing Lu, especially without 09 present for advice. Her greatest concern was whether this potential “data leak” might destabilize Qing Lu, causing data chaos or even erratic behavior, which could harm his very essence.

She dared not say more and anxiously watched for Yu Yi’s reaction after her words.

Fortunately, there was no unusual response from “Yu Yi.” Instead, she quickly smiled and embraced Song Pianxian tightly.

“It seems your soul is relatively intact now; your consciousness should be safe from attacks by others.”

Song Pianxian softly sighed with relief.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” she reassured Yu Yi gently.

Strictly speaking, Song Pianxian wasn’t lying to Yu Yi; she merely revealed part of the truth. Her actions were justified under the guise of mentorship, yet concerns still weighed heavily on her mind. The inevitable deception orchestrated by Qing Lu made her involuntarily exhale slowly, seeking to ease the suffocating tension within her heart.

As Yu Yi nestled closely against Song Pianxian, she couldn’t miss the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

In the hidden corners where Song Pianxian couldn’t see, Yu Yi’s fair face remained expressionless, but her eyes darkened ominously, carrying a hint of terror. She yearned intensely to know everything about Song Pianxian—unearthing all aspects of her life before becoming Yu Yi’s puppet, then presenting them one by one for careful scrutiny.

Without reservation, without boundaries.

But Song Pianxian refused to divulge any further details.

“All right, enough sulking now.” Song Pianxian lightly patted the girl’s back in her embrace, subtly shifting away from the topic that stirred feelings of guilt within her. “What about you, Yu Yi? You haven’t told me anything about yourself yet.”

The girl paused momentarily, her shoulders trembling slightly. Just as Song Pianxian began to feel a hint of unease, Yu Yi lifted her head, exposing her small face. With a mix of playful charm and earnestness, she said:

“If it’s about me, Big Sister mustn’t scold or blame me for keeping secrets.”

As she spoke, she glanced timidly at Song Pianxian before quickly averting her gaze.

“I won’t blame you,” Song Pianxian replied with raised eyebrows. “Besides, I’ve already punished you for that incident a few days ago.”

Song Pianxian remained composed, but the girl’s ears flushed red instantly, her eyes brimming with tears on the verge of spilling over.

“It all started in the Zhiwei Small Realm,” Yu Yi began slowly. “What I obtained there wasn’t just a pill formula; I also received a legacy inheritance.

“Tang Miao and I entered the Holder of Legacy’s immortal’s cave. The owner of this legacy was a fragmentary soul. After passing her trial, she bestowed upon me a cultivation technique that doesn’t require qi passageways.”

“This technique surpasses even celestial-tier mastery, so I dared not reveal even the slightest hint of it. In my misguided judgment, I unintentionally kept it from you too.” Yu Yi clung affectionately to Song Pianxian’s arm. “Big Sister, please don’t blame me. You know I trust you above anyone else.”

“Additionally, in the future, I am tasked with helping the fragmentary soul regain a physical body. Thus, the soul accompanied me out of necessity. She now goes by Manzhi and resides within the silver fox, always by my side.”

At this point, Yu Yi removed an unassuming ring from her finger and handed it to Song Pianxian. As she accepted it, Yu Yi explained, “This holds Manzhi’s immortal cave; I used it to conceal my cultivation.”

Song Pianxian twirled the ring in her hand, murmuring, “So that’s how you managed it.”

Despite Yu Yi’s detailed explanation, Song Pianxian remained unconvinced. She trusted Qing Lu implicitly, but there were inconsistencies with the Yu Yi before her…

The most peculiar aspect was that while Qing Lu had been excessively suspicious, the Yu Yi now appeared overly cautious. Her reluctance to confide earlier likely stemmed from insufficient trust, whereas her newfound confidence and intimacy suggested that the secondary consciousness, suppressed by the little world’s awareness, was gradually asserting itself.

Yu Yi was merely a teenage girl, and sudden drastic changes in personality could be expected after such upheaval. However, why would she exhibit such intense wariness and unease towards the puppet left by her mother? The heavy burden of these emotions seemed capable of suppressing her primary consciousness for an extended period, as if only after gaining power did Yu Yi slightly relax, allowing her true self to surface.

Keeping her thoughts hidden, Song Pianxian maintained a careful demeanor. One mustn’t be too aggressive when approaching a wary feline creature, lest they scare her away.

Matching Yu Yi’s words with recent events, she gently asked,

“Since Tianxue Silver Fox Manzhi is the Holder of Legacy, then that wind-thunder leopard must be…”

“It accompanies me daily only because it serves my cultivation technique,” Yu Yi replied with a blink.

Song Pianxian nodded, understanding that one’s cultivation method was highly personal. She refrained from probing further and instead asked casually, “Given its status as a fragmentary soul, yet possessing such extraordinary power, it likely has significant origins. It could even be a mighty being who fell during the great battle between good and evil. Have you discerned its true name?”

Though Song Pianxian spoke lightly, like discussing everyday matters, Yu Yi tensed instantly upon hearing this, her hair seeming to freeze in place.

She would reveal everything else to Song Pianxian except for her identity as a demon cultivator. Consequently, she couldn’t disclose the existence of her contracted beasts, which were closely tied to her demonic nature. Even the memory of the night when her face was exposed to Song Pianxian had been securely sealed within Song Pianxian’s sea of consciousness.

These traits aligned with those of the Demon Empress documented in ancient texts. Although no rumors about the Demon Empress had surfaced in this lifetime thus far, Yu Yi remained vigilant. She would meticulously conceal these aspects before Song Pianxian.

Song Pianxian must not come to dislike her, even if there was just a sliver of possibility.

Yu Yi responded softly, deliberately pausing before saying, “Not yet.”

As she finished, she glanced at Song Pianxian. This small omission served as a subtle retaliation for the secrets withheld from her in their past life.

Regarding Yu Yi’s cultivation level, Song Pianxian promptly decided to help conceal it. The mere existence of a pill formula capable of reconstructing qi passageways had driven cultivators mad, let alone a legendary technique surpassing heavenly tier. Since Yu Yi could perfectly hide her cultivation, discretion was best.

On another front, they were nearly ready with the main ingredients. Once the Pulse-Consolidating Dew Pill was refined and consumed, everything would become explainable.

Despite harboring a slightly childish desire for retaliation—essentially thinking along the lines of “if Big Sister doesn’t mention it, neither will I,” fueled by petty grievances and lingering discontentment—Yu Yi couldn’t deny that after revealing most of her secrets to Song Pianxian, a heavy burden lifted from her heart. It felt as if even the air around her shoulders grew lighter.

Most notably, she no longer needed to use the fragrance sachet to influence Song Pianxian; their interactions became more straightforward. When Yu Yi reached the peak of Gold Core stage, Song Pianxian led her to a remote, uninhabited mountain range to transcend the ascension calamity.

With Song Pianxian guarding her, coupled with Yu Yi’s profound demonic qi, the ordeal went smoothly.

When Yu Yi returned to check on her contracted beast, she found it significantly larger than its previous indistinguishable form as a little black cat. Now, its size was comparable to that of a sky snow silver fox. Its once pale golden eyes had deepened, resembling freshly plated black gold, while its long tail swished elegantly with an unmistakable latent power.

Yu Yi rubbed its head affectionately, observing its newly elongated and more streamlined body with slight satisfaction before scratching under its chin. “That’s more like it, little leopard.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the fluffy head of her contracted beast nudged closer, emitting a series of feline meows. Yu Yi immediately felt disgruntled and commanded it to assume the appearance befitting a wind-thunder leopard.

Despite all their efforts, it still looked too much like a cat.

She glanced at Manzhi, who was engrossed in devouring roasted spirit rabbit beside her, and asked, “Are you sure there won’t be any issues with such rapid advancement?”

Yu Yi had posed this question to Manzhi before. In response, Manzhi had confidently expressed her unwavering trust in her cultivation technique, dismissing Yu Yi’s concerns outright. Only after sensing the stability within her own dantian did Yu Yi decide to proceed with the breakthrough.

However, since Song Pianxian raised the concern again—showing genuine care for Yu Yi—it prompted Manzhi to reassess and address it anew, hoping to earn some praise from Song Pianxian.

Manzhi swallowed a mouthful of rabbit meat and spoke with firm conviction, “Go ahead and break through; if any issues arise, consider it my loss.”

“The pure spirit jade nectar contains exceptionally clean spiritual energy—it’s the safest method possible. Don’t worry about this stage. One day when you venture outside to practice your skills—just go all out. If anything goes wrong, let your precious puppet skewer me and roast me over a spirit fire.”

“There’s no need for such drastic measures; I trust you,” Yu Yi chuckled.

However, her trust lay not in Manzhi but in herself. Yu Yi gazed thoughtfully at the silver fox happily devouring its meal. As time went on, her intuition grew stronger, assuring her that she could confidently rely on the resources provided by Manzhi.

Manzhi seemed like…like a shortcut tailor-made for her by this world itself.

Their brief moment alone was soon interrupted as Tang Miao knocked on the door, inviting Yu Yi to accompany him outside.

The purpose of their outing was to visit the Lingyun Sect disciples attending the Tianfeng Pavilion event. Having heard that some were injured by demon cultivators, both Yu Yi, as the leader of Nine Peaks, and Elder Song Pianxian had a duty based on sentiment and propriety to call upon them.

Yu Yi draped her crane cloak over her shoulders, maintaining her usual appearance as a charming and delicate maiden. A hint of emotion, somewhere between amusement and irritation, played across her brow, concealing entirely what might lurk beneath this fragile facade.

As she stepped out of her room, a gust of wind blew by. Tang Miao hastily shielded Yu Yi from it, treating his senior sister as delicately as a figurine of Rohari glass.

It wasn’t just him; even Song Pianxian, well-aware of Yu Yi’s cultivation prowess, couldn’t help but be taken aback at this sight. She instinctively smoothed Yu Yi’s crane cloak and brushed aside stray strands of hair.

Yu Yi remained obediently still, smiling gently through it all. Not until they climbed aboard the phoenix carriage—leaving Tang Miao seated outside—did Yu Yi slump against Song Pianxian, resting her chin on Song Pianxian’s shoulder with eyes filled with mirth.

Seeming to understand her sentiment, Song Pianxian pinched the bridge of her nose, a hint of rare exasperation creeping into her voice. “I’m so accustomed to taking care of you—it’s hard to break the habit.”

“Then don’t,” Yu Yi replied, feigning a coy demeanor. Even Song Pianxian had to admit that Yu Yi was exceptionally skilled at winning affection, especially hers.

Her hands itching, Song Pianxian reached out once more to pat Yu Yi’s head. As expected, Yu Yi subtly revealed a touch of adorable smugness, like a cat pleased with having delighted its owner, mischief glinting within those lovely, glass-like eyes.

Such a thoughtful little girl, thought Song Pianxian. Discreetly withdrawing her hand, she changed the subject. “When we meet the sect disciples later, behave yourself.”

---

Come join the Discord, where all the cool kids hang out!

Please support us on Ko-Fi. You can now read extra chapters by supporting.

Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

---

---