AUOF - 3

After returning to Huansha Garden, Sang Li began plotting her escape.

Ji Hengyu, the male protagonist of a male-oriented cultivation novel, was not someone to be underestimated—whether in terms of his abilities or his cunning. Sang Li didn’t think that merely sleeping with him once would guarantee her survival under his watchful eye.

As for Lord Mo, Yan Jinglou…

——He was even worse!

Thinking about what he had done to the original host, Sang Li clenched her teeth in anger.

She couldn’t return to Fengdu’s Underworld Realm, nor could she linger in the upper heavens for long. After much deliberation, her only option was to flee to the mortal realm below.

But…

Sang Li remembered that four hundred years ago, after the original host had painstakingly located her lost kin, Yan Jinglou, in order to better control her, had relocated her family to a certain part of the Nine Ling Realm. He claimed it was for their protection, but in reality, it was a threat. Only the naïve original host had sincerely believed in Yan Jinglou’s so-called kindness.

Now that Sang Li had taken over this body, she naturally had to consider the fate of her clan as well.

There was only one solution.

First, she would secretly slip back to the mortal realm and, catching them off guard, take her clan with her when she fled!

The plan was perfect. Sang Li decided to leave immediately.

The original host hadn’t brought much with her when she arrived. Her storage bag contained only a few pieces of spiritual materials and some trinkets given by the overseer—a collection of insignificant knick-knacks.

She quickly inventoried her belongings, and once night fell completely and her roommate was asleep, Sang Li stealthily slipped out of Huansha Garden.

The main gate was out of the question.

Sang Li planned to retreat through the Moon Forest behind Gui Xu!

The Moon Forest was one of Gui Xu’s forbidden zones.

Gui Xu lay at the boundary between heaven and earth, a place where demons and celestial energy coexisted. It wasn’t until Ji Hengyu took charge and conducted a massive purge that peace was restored.

Even so, there remained areas that others dared not approach—the Moon Forest being one of them.

The forest was riddled with illusions and still harbored some unvanquished demonic creatures.

To be honest, Sang Li wasn’t confident she could navigate it safely. But sometimes, one had to take risks—it was better than staying here and waiting to die.

With her mind made up, Sang Li plunged into the forest.

Below Gui Xu lay countless ancient demonic seeds, making it a place teeming with demonic energy. Without the protection of the boundary array, the demonic qi formed rolling black mist, enveloping the entire woodland.

Fortunately, the original host had been a spirit fox who grew up among demons, so the demonic energy couldn’t easily invade her consciousness.

“Mysterious Spirit Array, guide me forward—activate!”

She manipulated her fingers to form a seal, and a trembling golden flame emerged from her fingertips. Though faint, it was sufficient.

Sang Li, who had been constantly afraid of failure, breathed a sigh of relief and followed the guiding flame as it led her through the forest.

The forest was larger than she had imagined. Even after walking for an hour, she hadn’t fully exited it. She also didn’t dare use Earth-shifting techniques for fear of accidentally ending up in Ji Hengyu’s lair due to inexperience.

Stopping intermittently as she walked, she heard the faint sound of waves rolling in the distance.

A look of joy crossed her face—she felt victory was within reach.

Sang Li quickened her pace, but before she could exit the forest, a white paper figure appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path.

The paper figure floated in midair, with a smoky blue flame slowly burning on its chest.

“What of the task I assigned you? How goes it?”

The paper figure suddenly spoke.

Its voice was deep, steady, and threatening, carrying the innate pressure of someone in a position of power.

——Yan Jinglou.

Sang Li’s entire body went numb.

“Hmm? Why aren’t you speaking?”

His tone carried a hint of reproach.

Sang Li instinctively tightened her grip on her clothes.

Only then did she remember that before coming to Gui Xu, Yan Jinglou had implanted a dual-life curse into her body.

This was a high-level spell; the caster could remotely communicate with the cursed individual and monitor their movements without others easily noticing.

Sang Li put on a pained expression: “It’s going… alright?”

“Alright?” Yan Jinglou’s tone shifted. “So, is it complete or not?”

Sang Li hedged: “I’m trying my best.”

The other side had already guessed the gist of the situation and fell silent for a moment. “Useless thing.”

Sang Li: “….”

Ah, yes, yes, you’re useful. The most useful. Even ghosts building walls need your help plastering them.

She inwardly complained, unable to resist rolling her eyes skyward.

Yan Jinglou paused briefly. “Sang Li, you seem quite impatient.”

Sang Li: “…”

He said, “Do you think I can’t see your current expression?”

Sang Li: “……….”

She had forgotten.

The paper figure in front of Yan Jinglou could project her current demeanor.

Realizing this, Sang Li immediately straightened her posture, plastered on a smile, and feigned sincerity. “How could I be impatient? My lord, this is unfair of you! My loyalty to you is as clear as the heavens and earth! Look, you don’t even give me a stipend, yet I willingly risk my life for you. How could I possibly be impatient with you?”

Yan Jinglou lounged half-reclined on his bed, silently observing the animated paper figure before him. Something about it seemed off.

Yan Jinglou: “You, a mere servant of the Demon Division, have started coveting wealth and riches like mortals?”

Sang Li: “...Well, technically, but couldn’t you at least call me something?”

Yan Jinglou fell silent again.

Meanwhile, the paper figure burned more fiercely, indicating his growing displeasure.

Yan Jinglou, unwilling to delve deeper, dismissed it. “Fine. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you once you’ve completed your mission and returned.”

Yan Jinglou continued: “Not long ago, Shen Zheyu, the eldest disciple of the Celestial Pavilion, went to Xishui Town to subdue demons. I arranged to trap him. When the time comes, Ji Hengyu will surely intervene. All I need you to do is accompany him. Understand?”

This scene existed in the original story.

Upon learning that his pawn had died, Yan Jinglou had been furious.

Though he harbored no romantic feelings for the little fox—nor even considered her a subordinate—she was still something he had raised for so long. That Ji Hengyu had killed her infuriated him both emotionally and in terms of pride.

Thus, he retaliated by killing Shen Zheyu, the eldest disciple of the Celestial Pavilion, to vent his anger and implicate Ji Hengyu.

Shen Zheyu was the most esteemed disciple of the Supreme Dao Ancestor and served as the Celestial Pavilion’s guardian official. The Supreme Dao Ancestor trusted him deeply and had placed him by Ji Hengyu’s side as a spy.

Once Shen Zheyu was dead, the Supreme Dao Ancestor naturally assumed Ji Hengyu had betrayed him, leading to Ji Hengyu suffering significant punishment.

Upon hearing this, Yan Jinglou’s dissatisfaction temporarily subsided, and the original host was thoroughly forgotten.

The paper figure had now burned away completely.

Sang Li stood there dumbfounded, realizing she couldn’t continue serving as this guy’s pawn.

But her bestie hadn’t told her how to break the dual-life curse!

She tried searching the original host’s memories in her mind and, vaguely but surely, found a solution.

In short… it involved bleeding from the heart.

All she needed to do was extract the bloodline of the dual-life curse.

Deciding to act immediately, she set to work!

Sang Li sat on the ground, unfastened the buttons on her chest, and retrieved a diamond-encrusted dagger from her treasure pouch. She pointed the sharp blade at her chest and then—

Gently poked herself.

After the brief, sharp pain subsided, not only was there no sign of the bloodline she sought, but aside from a small red mark where the blade had touched, not even a drop of blood emerged.

Sang Li frowned.

She... couldn’t bring herself to do it!!

Taking a deep breath, she steadied her trembling hands and prepared to try again.

“Do you need help?”

The sudden, cool voice startled her so much that her wrist twitched, and the blade slipped, slicing a shallow cut across her chest.

Panicking, she dropped the dagger and clutched the wound, wincing in pain.

The person above her chuckled.

Sang Li felt a surge of irritation and looked up, ready to lash out.

But when she saw the man’s face, her anger vanished completely.

The man sat leisurely on a tree branch, the moonlight casting shadowy patterns on his pristine white robes.

His jade-like fingers toyed with a folding fan, exuding an air of nonchalance.

His dark eyes gazed down at Sang Li, seemingly harmless, even tinged with warmth.

Sang Li: “...”

Sang Li: “!!!”

Her inner self was already screaming.

Could it be that Ji Hengyu had heard everything?

Sang Li’s legs went limp, and her face turned deathly pale.

“This won’t do.”

Ji Hengyu leapt down from the treetop.

He flicked open his fan and lightly waved it, his gaze lingering on her chest as he spoke slowly: “If you want to break the dual-life curse, you need blood from the heart’s tip. The blade must pierce into the heart...”

As he spoke, the edge of his fan brushed against Sang Li’s exposed skin.

The cold touch felt like a sharp weapon, making her entire body tremble. In the dark night, Sang Li felt his gaze resembled that of a lurking snake—cold, sticky, and brimming with hidden killing intent, making her breathing heavy.

Sang Li took two steps back, clutching her clothes tightly as she eyed him warily. “Lord Ji… why are you here?”

Her voice quivered, but she still tried to probe further.

Ji Hengyu closed his fan: “I was merely curious why one of my fairy maids wasn’t resting but instead entered this ominous Moon Forest, so I followed her all the way here.” He added, “Oh, and along the way, I killed a few demonic seeds for her.”

Followed all the way.

Killed a few demonic seeds...

The more Sang Li listened, the dizzier she became.

Ji Hengyu smiled faintly: “You’ve been safe this entire journey. Did you really think it was just your good luck?”

Sang Li: “…”

He hit the nail on the head.

Sang Li had genuinely thought it was her good fortune.

So did that mean he had also overheard her conversation with Yan Jinglou?!

Clutching to the principle that a bad life was better than no life, Sang Li abruptly knelt before Ji Hengyu, raising her hands to the sky. To demonstrate her sincerity, she didn’t blink as she declared: “Everything I’ve done has been under duress from Lord Mo. During my time in Gui Xu, I’ve come to understand my position. I’ve followed Lord Mo for years and know a bit about the demon race. If you don’t mind, I’m willing to serve you, Lord Ji.”

Her kneeling posture was impeccable, and her words earnest.

As long as she could slide away quickly enough, even King Yama wouldn’t catch her!

Sang Li was naturally a coward, afraid of both death and pain.

She still vividly remembered the excruciating pain of the car accident that nearly burned her alive. After barely surviving, she was determined to fight for her life now.

Not to mention, the original host had a group of little foxes counting on her. She couldn’t go offline—not right after logging in!

As long as she could stay alive, being a double agent didn’t matter!

Sang Li wasn’t afraid of Ji Hengyu using the Yan Chun Vine on her because what she said was the truth!

Thinking this, Sang Li straightened her back even more.

Ji Hengyu remained silent, calmly observing her.

His gaze made Sang Li’s heart race.

More than that, the pebbles beneath her knees were digging into her painfully.

Uncomfortable, she subtly shifted her weight.

“Mundane customs emphasize these acts of groveling, but since we’ve transcended mortal flesh, there’s no need to adhere to such outdated norms. Stand up; there’s no need to kneel before me.”

For some reason, Ji Hengyu’s expression betrayed a hint of annoyance.

Sang Li didn’t know what she had done to displease him, but she was relieved not to have to kneel anymore. However, unable to stand, she shifted from kneeling to sitting, maintaining perfect posture as she obediently gazed up at him.

Her fox-like eyes sparkled brightly, carrying an innocent... and perhaps slightly dim-witted clarity.

Ji Hengyu remained silent for a moment. “If you dare betray Yan Jinglou today, sooner or later, you’ll betray me too. What makes you think I’d agree to take you in?”

Sang Li grew frantic: “I was forced! He saw that I was beautiful and clever, so he used my family as leverage to make me work for him. I wanted to be a good person—I never wanted to do anything for him!”

The Spirit Race had committed grave sins in the past, and once discovered, they would be mercilessly exterminated.

Her cover as a spy was blown. Now, the only thing she needed to hide was her nine fox tails. She absolutely could not let Ji Hengyu discover them, or it wouldn’t just be death awaiting her.

Ji Hengyu remained silent.

Beautiful? Yes. Clever? He hadn’t noticed.

Seeing him remain quiet, Sang Li assumed he was wavering and pressed on: “If you take me in, I can help you kill Yan Jinglou.”

“Oh?” Ji Hengyu raised an eyebrow, countering, “But why would I want to kill Yan Jinglou?”

Sang Li froze. “Don’t you… want to kill him? Aren’t you enemies?”

Ji Hengyu burst into laughter as if he had heard something amusing.

When he finished laughing, he sneered: “Enemies with me? He doesn’t even deserve that.”

Sang Li was speechless.

The situation seemed to be taking a strange turn. So did that mean he wasn’t going to kill her?

But based on Ji Hengyu’s personality in the original story, there was an 80% chance he wouldn’t let her live. Maybe he’d torture her before killing her.

Thinking this, Sang Li glanced at the nearby dagger.

In her despair, she thought: Running is impossible, living is impossible. Either way, it ends with a blade. Why not end it myself? If I’m lucky, maybe I can return home.

But Ji Hengyu seemed to read her thoughts. With a flick of his wrist, the dagger flew neatly into his palm.

There was still a trace of Sang Li’s blood on the blade.

He slowly toyed with it, the metallic scent of blood causing a faint red mist to cloud his eyes.

Ji Hengyu sniffed the bloodstain, then crushed the dagger between his fingers. Smirking at Sang Li, he said, “That said, I am rather curious how Yan Jinglou plans to use you to kill me.”

“Stand up,” Ji Hengyu flicked his finger, forcibly pulling her body off the ground. “Whether you can kill me or not depends on your abilities.”

Sang Li: “…”

She couldn’t understand what he was thinking at all!

This guy might just be a sadist!

Sang Li’s face twisted in anguish as she fell into complete despair.