A First Glimpse of His Edge

The Fox Demon darted aside and leaned against the headboard. ⟦watermark⟧

Clutching her arm, she looked up with lingering fear, then sneered in anger. "Well, well. I thought the Lin Family had lied to me. So you really did kill Yin Lang."

As she spoke, the Fox Demon abruptly threw off the covers.

Lin Baiwei wore nothing but a thin undergarment, her shoulders bare. Several bruises marred her pretty face, and dried blood had crusted at the corner of her lips.

Her gaze was unfocused, and she struggled to keep her mind clear.

The Fox Demon clamped a hand around her neck, sharp nails digging viciously into her skin. Her voice was shrill. "I told you to sleep with this bitch, to torment her, to kill her! And instead, you went and learned martial arts from her!"

"You're quite the teacher, Deputy General Lin! You turned the dog I raised against me that easily. I bet you let him take plenty of liberties with you, too!"

Their faces were identical, but jealousy roiled in the Fox Demon's eyes, twisting her expression into something grotesque.

The instant that title was spoken, a flicker of barely perceptible panic crossed Lin Baiwei's dazed eyes.

A moment later, though weak, she still managed a faint smile. "You talk too much. That's enough. I'm still hungry."

Lin Baiwei closed her eyes.

The Fox Demon's gaze gradually turned cold. "No wonder someone with powerful backing can stay so composed, even in this state... Why bother putting on this act? I can't kill you, but he can, can't he?"

At that, Lin Baiwei finally reacted. She pressed her lips together in silence. "..."

The Fox Demon looked disdainfully to the side. "You're such a fool, bought off by a few scraps of kindness. You really think she was being nice? What a pig's brain! Do you know that given her master's status, just tying her up that day was a crime punishable by a thousand cuts?"

Shen Yi gazed quietly at the bell before him.

From beginning to end, the Fox Demon hadn't paid it any attention, yet the thing could move without a breeze.

Even with the Blood Baleful Blade Technique driven to perfection, his Black Blade couldn't cut another half inch.

Rather than a weapon, it was more like the "protective magical artifact" he'd imagined.

So the demon arts of this world really were that wondrous.

No wonder the Demon Race had such a renowned clan. Even some second-generation upstart could broaden his horizons.

"Are you even listening to me?" The Fox Demon casually waved a hand and summoned the string of Copper Bells back to her fingers, looking rather annoyed.

"..." Though anxious, Lin Baiwei couldn't help twitching her lips. At least this person's indifference wasn't directed at her alone.

Shen Yi withdrew his long blade and started toward the two women.

"Stop right there! Don't move!"

Perhaps the brutality of that earlier strike had left her with a lingering trauma.

As she saw him approach, the Fox Demon instinctively tightened her grip. A steady stream of scarlet blood ran down Lin Baiwei's neck, making her groan and furrow her brow.

The young man seemed not to hear her. He kept walking until he stood before them.

Looking at his impassive face, the Fox Demon suddenly sensed something was wrong.

Shen Yi and Lin Baiwei didn't seem nearly as close as she'd imagined. They weren't lovers who cherished each other, or even close to having shared a brief teacher-student bond.

"If you don't care about her, why not just get it over with? Be neat about it, and I'll let you hide out on North Cliff until things blow over... We'll call the matter of Yin Lang settled..."

The Fox Demon hesitated for a moment, then offered terms he couldn't refuse.

Shen Yi had already offended the Demon Suppression Division. Where else could he go?

They were in the same boat now. Those damn Demon Suppression Division Lieutenants had already sneaked into the county seat, and she was tired of playing around with the Lin Family. It was time for this game to end.

Hearing this, Lin Baiwei silently opened her eyes and looked at the young man. Her red lips moved as if she wanted to explain something, but she felt too powerless.

She'd planned to wait until they knew each other better, then find a chance to reveal her identity. Now the Fox Demon had shown up and exposed everything. Given Shen Yi's cautious nature, no matter how much she said, he wouldn't believe her assurances.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, she suddenly saw Shen Yi raise his hand.

Smack!

His long, powerful fingers struck the Fox Demon's cheek before she could react.

A force that surpassed the Initial Realm burst from his fingertips. The Fox Demon's seemingly delicate body was slapped off its feet, and the young man seized her by the nape and hurled her violently toward the doorway!

"You don't dare kill her, so quit pretending to be tough."

Shen Yi rubbed his wrist and turned to look.

The Fox Demon lay on her side in disbelief, her features twisted. Long fur sprouted from her skin, her lips thrust forward, and she spat out a mouthful of broken teeth.

That seemingly casual throw had broken several of her ribs.

When she lifted her head, her fox face was already twisted with venom. "You're dead... When I return and report this to Third Grand-Uncle, I'll peel your skin off with my own hands..."

Having offended both the Demon Suppression Division and the North Cliff Fox Clan, he had no hope of surviving in Qing Prefecture!

Lin Baiwei stared in astonishment at the tall figure before her.

She'd thought... he would at least ask who she was. After all, she'd hidden the truth for so long because she feared that once he learned everything, he would go all in and kill her to cover it up.

Now that everything had come to light, Shen Yi's brazen attack was nothing like she'd imagined.

"..."

The taut string in Lin Baiwei's heart finally slackened for a moment. Her forced, composed smile faded. Smiling really hurt when her lip was split.

She steadied her breathing and said hoarsely, "Ignore her. She's not right in the head."

As long as she remained in Baiyun County, the Third Grand-Uncle the Fox Demon had mentioned would never set foot here lightly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have merely sealed her acupoints before sending her back to the county seat.

Even the idea of killing her had probably been the little fox's own decision.

Of course, Lin Baiwei didn't want Shen Yi to get too entangled with the Fox Demon, either.

Protected by the magical Copper Bell bestowed by her elder, even an ordinary Jade Liquid Realm martial artist would need some vicious tricks to keep the Fox Demon there.

That last attack hadn't threatened her life, and the Fox Demon hadn't reacted in time. That was why the Copper Bell hadn't activated.

If the Fox Demon were truly driven to fight for her life and roused her ferocity...

Just then, Lin Baiwei suddenly saw Shen Yi walking forward.

Suppressing her pain, she reached out and caught his sleeve. "I'm really fine. There's no need..."

Shen Yi glanced back at her, looking a little bemused.

Under his gaze, Lin Baiwei pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling awkward. It seemed she'd misunderstood something just like the Fox Demon had.

"That's not what I meant. You... you're no match for it..."

The more she tried to explain, the more flustered she became. It was as if she'd lost the calm and cleverness she usually possessed.

"..."

The Fox Demon slowly pushed herself up and stared coldly at them. Then she raised the bell in her hand.

Its clear chime rang out, and the air congealed.

Compared to before, she now drew on its power deliberately. Her aura rapidly waned, but the Copper Bell's effect had multiplied more than tenfold!

The Fox Demon couldn't understand why she and this woman had the same face and wore the same clothes, yet the other woman could be so lucky at every turn. Even after running into Third Grand-Uncle, she'd kept her life. The evil constable had taken her away, yet even now she was still a virgin, without so much as a superficial wound.

Even as her neck was about to be snapped, she could still force out that infuriating smile.

Jealousy swelled in the Fox Demon's eyes, turning into venomous resentment. "Even you, you miserable cur, have to take her side! If I can't kill her, I can at least kill you first!"

With a short dagger in each hand, she lunged at Shen Yi amid the bell's clear chime.

Lin Baiwei felt her body freeze, and her expression changed.

Even when she'd once encountered that Core Condensation Great Demon, she'd managed to stay composed. But now, a rare trace of panic appeared on her face.

Suddenly, she felt Shen Yi gently shake her hand off.

How could he still move in this formless mire?

The next moment, invisible currents of energy converged within the room, solidifying at a visible pace.

Like a sky full of flying swords, they hung suspended in midair.

A bone-chilling cold spread through the room. The silence felt less than human.

The Fox Demon gripped her daggers, staring blankly at the young man standing with his arms at his sides.

Shen Yi stood still, his face pale, his gaze as calm as an ancient well.

With the slightest shift of his mind, the Fox Demon felt her aura locked onto. For a moment, it was as if someone had clutched her by the throat, leaving her unable to breathe.

In an instant, countless streams of true force poured down, crashing toward the Fox Demon!

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