CH 210

Villainous Emperor (10)

Ever since her last reckless act, Jiang Ruoyu had been hesitant to enter the state of deep sleep. Even though she appeared to be asleep, there was always a glimmer of awareness in her heart.

She had experienced divine magic and come to realize the vast difference between herself and Song Xu Yi, fearing that one day she would wake up and she would disappear. Although Jiang Ruoyu knew deep down that no amount of nervous tension would help, and even though Song Xu Yi had promised not to vanish anytime soon, she couldn’t control her emotions.

As soon as she sensed the carriage plummeting, Jiang Ruoyu immediately opened her eyes.

The carriage swayed in mid-air, descending rapidly, and her heart instinctively followed the carriage’s descent. However, her gaze involuntarily turned to the outside of the carriage—suddenly, it had transformed into this state. Had something gone wrong with Xu Yi?

Yet, beyond the carriage curtain, there was nothing but emptiness, devoid of any human figure.

“Goddess Sister…” Jiang Ruoyu called out, but there was no response.

What could have happened?

Upon realizing this, Jiang Ruoyu’s heart sank visibly, and almost instinctively, she started crawling towards the outside of the carriage.

Within the violently shaking carriage, it was challenging to maintain one’s balance, accentuating the insignificance of a human figure. Jiang Ruoyu exerted all her strength but couldn’t reach the carriage door.

Gazing at the swaying curtain just within reach, Jiang Ruoyu felt her entire body go stiff, almost on the verge of tears. She couldn’t believe that Goddess Sister would abandon her. Even if she had grown tired of her, according to Goddess Sister’s character, she would never harm her. Given the current circumstances, only one possibility existed—something had happened to Goddess Sister!

The horses pulling the carriage sensed the danger and raised their heads, neighing urgently. With the sight of the carriage about to touch the ground, Jiang Ruoyu had nearly bitten her lower lip, drawing blood. Her body tensed like a taut string, preparing to swiftly escape the carriage in that split second of inertia. However, to her surprise, the carriage came to a sudden halt just inches above the ground!

Jiang Ruoyu let out a long sigh, watching as the carriage slowly descended to the ground. She clenched her lip tightly and called out once again, “Goddess Sister, where did you go?”

This time, Jiang Ruoyu received a response. A voice, much weaker than usual, sounded in her ears, “I am here at the carriage door.”

Jiang Ruoyu was taken aback, immediately crawling to the door.

There stood a small, fluffy figure, pure white in color, hidden in the shadow of the carriage’s shaft, weakly gazing at Jiang Ruoyu from behind the door…

Jiang Ruoyu widened her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing—a small, fluffy white fox. She remained bewildered for a long while before softly speaking, “Goddess… Goddess Sister?”

Song Xu Yi never expected to be successfully ambushed by a mortal woman, nor did she anticipate reverting to her original form after sustaining severe injuries.

When she was on the verge of losing consciousness, Song Xu Yi exerted all her strength to control the plummeting carriage. This further exacerbated her already grave injuries, and a strong metallic scent surged in her throat. After using her last ounce of strength to establish a connection with Jiang Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi slipped into a deep slumber.

When Song Xu Yi woke up, it was already the next day.

The divine physique possessed a remarkable regenerative capacity. After a night had passed, Song Xu Yi’s condition had significantly improved. At the very least, the all-encompassing soreness had completely dissipated.

Song Xu Yi opened her eyes and found herself sleeping on a pillow in the inn, half of her body buried under the covers. Her fur had been meticulously groomed, and her body felt warm and comfortable.

Just within reach was a familiar and beautiful face. Every time Song Xu Yi laid eyes on Jiang Ruoyu’s stunning countenance, she experienced a momentary daze.

And almost immediately after Song Xu Yi opened her eyes, Jiang Ruoyu also awakened.

In Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes, Song Xu Yi saw her own reflection—a beautiful, sleek, and glossy white fox.

The original form, while not particularly old within the clan, appeared as a cute little ball of fur. At this point, the original form had already cultivated two fluffy, majestic tails.

“It’s over!” Song Xu Yi looked at her youthful appearance and couldn’t bear to keep her eyes open. With a mix of sadness and frustration, she turned to the system and regretfully exclaimed, “I’ve always tried to maintain the image of a noble and divine goddess in her eyes, and now it’s probably shattered…”

“Just look at the way she looks at me. She clearly wants to pet me!”

The system thought to itself that while Song Xu Yi was unconscious, Jiang Ruoyu had taken the opportunity to pet her fur many times, especially those two fluffy tails.

However, as a cat, the system could understand the allure of having a beautiful and smooth coat of fur for most shallow, hairless humans. Therefore, the system, feeling generous, understood Jiang Ruoyu’s desire for fur and chose not to expose her in front of Song Xu Yi. Instead, it proudly puffed up its chest and replied, “Who asked you to have such irresistibly pettable fur? She’s still young, so she can’t resist…”

Song Xu Yi clenched her lips tightly, recalling her own desire to pet the system’s fur. She thought the system made a valid point, but that didn’t mean Song Xu Yi would let Jiang Ruoyu pet her fur.

Song Xu Yi was prepared to recoil as soon as she extended her hand, but Jiang Ruoyu showed more restraint than Song Xu Yi had imagined. Despite the unmistakable desire for Song Xu Yi’s fur in her eyes, she ultimately lowered her head and softly inquired about Song Xu Yi’s condition, “Goddess Sister, what happened last night?”

“It has nothing to do with you,” Song Xu Yi pursed her lips, hesitant to reveal that her divine consciousness had infiltrated Guozhou and was successfully ambushed by a mortal. She vaguely responded, “In any case, Guozhou is more dangerous than we imagined. I’m heavily injured now, and I probably won’t be of much help to you in the future. If you want to enter Guozhou, you need to be fully prepared—”

“I understand.”

Seeing Song Xu Yi’s evasive response, Jiang Ruoyu’s gaze dimmed, but she didn’t press further. She appeared as calm as ever, looking at Song Xu Yi with a shy smile. “I admit I’m a little anxious, but as long as Sister is by my side, I find solace.”

Jiang Ruoyu carefully wrapped Song Xu Yi’s body in a cloak, lifted her up, and embraced her in her arms. They descended the stairs and returned to the carriage.

At that moment, Song Xu Yi felt immensely grateful for having a fur coat that perfectly concealed her slightly blushing cheeks, preventing Jiang Ruoyu from noticing her embarrassment. Song Xu Yi had never imagined that she would one day come to rely on Jiang Ruoyu.

On the other hand, Jiang Ruoyu appeared calm and composed, with a serene expression on her face. She didn’t even glance at the soft and fluffy white bundle in her arms until she had placed Song Xu Yi inside the carriage. It was then that Jiang Ruoyu lowered her head and met Song Xu Yi’s gaze.

“Goddess Sister, if there’s anything, you must remember to call for me.”

Upon seeing Song Xu Yi nod, Jiang Ruoyu straightened Song Xu Yi’s collar and adjusted her cloak. When her gaze fell upon Song Xu Yi’s tails, Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes momentarily darkened. However, she quickly took a deep breath and tucked Song Xu Yi’s two snowy white tails beneath the cloak. Then, she resumed her position on the carriage’s shaft and continued their journey.

This version of Jiang Ruoyu was far more considerate and mature than Song Xu Yi had expected.

Once inside the carriage, Song Xu Yi let out a sigh of relief and began channeling her spiritual energy to heal her injuries…

As the two of them moved farther away from the capital, the scenery along the road grew increasingly desolate. Despite Song Xu Yi’s efforts over the years to stabilize the Jiang Kingdom, ensuring that the people did not suffer extreme hardships, the burdensome taxes and continuous warfare had left most of the citizens living in precarious conditions, struggling to make ends meet. Along their journey, the two women helped and rescued numerous individuals who had no one else to rely on. Yet, in the eyes of many others, their carriage stood out as a tempting prey.

Previously, whenever they encountered danger, Song Xu Yi would always take the lead in resolving the situation for Jiang Ruoyu. However, this time, Song Xu Yi was preoccupied with her own healing, immersed in the process. It took her some time to realize that Jiang Ruoyu had already taken care of all the problems they encountered along the way.

In that moment, Song Xu Yi truly felt the growth and maturity of Jiang Ruoyu. She was no longer the young girl who used to hide under the altar, praying. Jiang Ruoyu possessed a keen sense of discernment when it came to understanding human nature, able to distinguish between good and evil and respond accordingly.

Through Song Xu Yi’s relentless cultivation, her own magical powers gradually recovered. The day before reaching Guozhou, Song Xu Yi finally succeeded in transforming back into her human form.

During this period, Song Xu Yi had been contemplating the source of the power that had attacked her, unable to comprehend why such immense energy existed in the Mortal Realm.

Song Xu Yi first considered the possibility of an evil deity who had absorbed the human resentment, but the Evil Deity had already been subdued by the male lead, Jiang Bai. If the Hidden Moon Sect had cultivated another malevolent deity, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for the Three Realms.

Originally, Song Xu Yi had thought of seeking outside help to investigate.

However, the original owner of her body had been single-mindedly focused on cultivation, without any close friends in the Divine Realm or strong family bonds. Her parents were currently in seclusion. After careful consideration, Song Xu Yi could only personally enter Guozhou to investigate.

But this time, Song Xu Yi was already on high alert.

To maintain her human form, Song Xu Yi only needed a low level of magical power. If there truly resided a deity within the body of the Guozhou Saintess, then that deity would naturally possess overwhelming magical power, fueled by the devotion and worship of the entire Guozhou. Song Xu Yi dared not confront such a powerful being head-on.

After giving it some thought, Song Xu Yi decided to suppress her aura, disguising herself as an ordinary mortal and entering the realm of Guozhou together with Jiang Ruoyu.

Jiang Ruoyu had been busy driving the carriage all this time, fully embodying the image of a devoted disciple who respected Song Xu Yi’s boundaries. She visibly became more composed, and Song Xu Yi felt a greater closeness towards her.

However, when Jiang Ruoyu stopped the carriage in front of the walls of Guozhou and saw Song Xu Yi restored to her human form, her composed demeanor broke down.

“Sister, you’ve regained your human form?” Jiang Ruoyu’s tone was filled with joy, but deep inside, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret. She realized that she could no longer embrace the Goddess Sister with righteous pride…

And soon, Jiang Ruoyu was filled with joy once again.

The Goddess Sister she had been quietly and restrainedly drawing closer to nodded at her, as if remembering something. Then, she softly spoke, “Ruoyu, my surname is Song, my name is Xu Yi. During our time in Guozhou, let us pretend to be sisters…”

Whatever else Song Xu Yi said, Jiang Ruoyu couldn’t hear anymore.

“Xu Yi…”

She repeated Song Xu Yi’s name in her heart, her lips curling up higher and higher. Happiness overflowed like water, gradually filling her entire being.

—After knowing each other for so many years, she finally learned the name of her Goddess Sister!

The author has something to say:

Many years later, Little Song, the Nine-Tailed Fox, finally grew nine tails.

Little Song was super excited and couldn’t help but proudly raise her tails and show off to the system in her mind: the nine fluffy and pristine white tails spread out together, resembling blooming flowers behind her…

Little Song had no idea that someone was watching all of this with keen eyes.

That night, poor Little Song was forced to sprout fox ears and underwent a special “Tail Thickness” experience report~

Little Song sobbed while biting her handkerchief, never expecting that someone would come up with so many tricks. She secretly vowed in her heart that she would never dare to reveal her nine tails ever again~^_^