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Chapter 13: Mad Dog
🕑 Added 2025-01-25 09:50:46 +0000 UTCThe feeling of being lifted off the ground was far from pleasant.
Ji Rong forced herself to muster a breath, channeling spiritual energy into her palm, and struck it hard toward Gu Baiyi.
Yet, the crimson mark between Gu Baiyi’s brows only grew more sinister.
She gave Ji Rong a faint glance before unsheathing her sword, its blade cloaked in black flames.
The moment Ji Rong’s spiritual energy touched those black flames, it disintegrated instantly.
Ji Rong was now certain—Gu Baiyi had deviated from the script. To merge spiritual energy into sword intent required at least the Heart-Seeking realm.
Moreover, the phoenix taking flight from her chest was unmistakable—it was definitely the manifestation of Chu Changli’s demonic cultivation technique, Yu Fei.
Ji Rong didn’t know how Gu Baiyi had acquired such a technique, but she knew it could completely reconstruct one’s meridians.
The price, however, was unimaginable pain—skin peeling, the agony of ten thousand ants biting into the heart. Only by enduring it could one achieve a rebirth. Ordinary demonic cultivators couldn’t even survive the first layer, "Chongming," let alone the final one, "Bathing in Fire."
And now, Gu Baiyi had reached the fifth layer, "Silence." The black mist surrounding her heart was the clearest evidence—identical to the effects in the game.
Still weak from the chilling energy lingering in her body, Ji Rong struggled to breathe as Gu Baiyi’s hand tightened around her throat. The suffocation and the feeling of her life slipping away came crashing down on her.
For the second time, Ji Rong felt death looming so close.
Hell no. Was this how she was going to die?
Gu Baiyi’s smile deepened. The demonic aura enveloped her, and her eyes glinted with an unhinged, violent light that bore no resemblance to her usual gentle self.
Ji Rong’s brain was starved of oxygen, and she almost seemed to see her life flash before her eyes.
If she had another chance, she swore she would never pull an all-nighter gaming again.
“Bang—”
But in the next instant, Gu Baiyi released her grip, and Ji Rong fell to the ground.
Her pale face flushed unnaturally red as she gasped for air, clutching at the edge of the frigid pool.
After a fit of coughing, she wasted no time. Picking up her fallen sword, she pointed it at the approaching Gu Baiyi.
Only then did she notice the eerie expression on Gu Baiyi’s face. Shrouded in demonic energy, she looked nothing like her usual self. Her eyes brimmed with madness and brutality, as though she were a completely different person.
After a moment of thought, Ji Rong panted out, “No wonder your realm is so unstable. Turns out you forced your breakthrough and were taken over by a heart demon.”
“Oh? And so what?”
Gu Baiyi’s tone was cold, and with an elegant motion, she grasped the blade pointed at her.
Her hand bled, red seeping through her fingers and dripping onto the Moonlight Grass below. But her expression didn’t waver as if she felt no pain.
Ji Rong froze.
Barehanded blade grab? Either the protagonist had lost her mind, or she had truly succumbed to her inner demons.
Ji Rong, ever the neat freak, frowned at the sight of blood on her sword.
Anyone else would have thought Ji Rong was concerned about Gu Baiyi’s injured hand.
But Gu Baiyi knew better. Whether in this life or the last, her senior sister’s disdainful frown was never for her. It was for the sullied sword—her precious Qinghe Sword.
Sullied, huh.
Gu Baiyi’s smile grew wider.
Suddenly, she released her grip, darted forward, and impaled herself on the blade.
Ji Rong’s steady hand faltered as she twisted at an almost unnatural angle to divert the sword.
The Qinghe Sword clattered to the ground, severing only a few strands of Gu Baiyi’s hair.
“What’s this? Is Senior Sister reluctant to kill me?”
Pinned beneath Gu Baiyi, Ji Rong’s pale face remained calm despite her precarious position.
Gu Baiyi loathed this calm. She raised her bloodied hand and gently caressed Ji Rong’s cold face.
The white skin was soon streaked with red, and Gu Baiyi let out a low, almost deranged laugh.
But Ji Rong didn’t react—not even a furrow of her brow.
Only Ji Rong herself knew why:
Damn it. The system had locked her body.
When Gu Baiyi had thrown herself onto the blade, Ji Rong had harbored the fleeting hope that her protagonist’s mysterious constitution and powers would protect her from death.
The idea of Gu Baiyi seeking death herself should, in theory, not violate the mission's rules.
With that in mind, Ji Rong’s hand did not tremble in the slightest as she aimed the Qinghe Sword directly at Gu Baiyi’s heart.
Suddenly, an electronic voice rang out.
[Beep! Detected player action attempting to kill the protagonist. Alert, alert—system emergency measures will be applied.]
The so-called emergency measures consisted of Ji Rong’s hand being twisted into an absurd angle, preventing her from delivering the fatal blow. Moreover, the system forcefully locked her control over her body for two minutes as punishment for her audacious attempt to kill the protagonist.
Ji Rong stared at the sky, utterly despairing.
Stupid system, I swear to—!
Gu Baiyi was far from satisfied. She loathed Ji Rong’s lofty, indifferent demeanor.
No matter what Gu Baiyi did—humiliation or even attempted murder—that person always maintained her detached, unruffled composure.
Earlier, when Gu Baiyi had forcefully broken through her cultivation, her meridians backfired, and seven parts of her mind fell under the sway of her heart demon. Now, provoked by Ji Rong’s demeanor, the heart demon grew stronger, obliterating her remaining rationality.
She desperately wanted to see Ji Rong lose her composure.
Gu Baiyi’s smile turned twisted as her gaze fell on Ji Rong’s pale, unprotected neck. Without hesitation, she leaned down and bit hard.
The taste of blood filled her mouth, strangely sweet with a faint, enticing fragrance. She became drunk on it, greedily and urgently consuming more.
Only when the body beneath her grew colder did Gu Baiyi snap out of her daze. She stared blankly at the sight before her.
Like a dying swan, Ji Rong lay there, blood streaming from her neck, tracing the curve of her collarbone, and soaking her dark clothing.
Damn it.
Gu Baiyi pressed her fingers against her temples, frustrated with herself for attempting to break through in such a volatile state, allowing her heart demon to exploit the opportunity.
She gazed at Ji Rong, unconscious from blood loss, her hand tightening around the Hanshui Sword. Her eyes flickered, and she brought the blade closer to that slender, fragile neck.
Ji Rong, her mortal enemy, had discovered her secret of cultivating demonic techniques. This was the perfect moment to end her life.
Gu Baiyi raised the Hanshui Sword and swung it down without hesitation.
Yet the blade merely grazed Ji Rong’s neck, striking a nearby rock instead.
She stared at the mark on the stone before lowering the sword gently.
Gu Baiyi told herself that taking advantage of someone’s weakness wasn’t honorable.
But then again, she was a woman, not a man of honor. And tackling someone and biting them wasn’t exactly noble behavior either.
She rubbed her temples in irritation, suddenly longing for the clarity she’d felt under her heart demon’s influence.
If the heart demon were in control, it would have killed Ji Rong decisively—just as it had done in the past life.
Gu Baiyi frowned slightly, her finger tracing the wound on Ji Rong’s neck.
With the demonic energy dissipating, her fingertips ignited with a pure white flame. The glow slowly consumed the blood, erasing even the faintest trace of teeth marks. Ji Rong’s neck returned to its smooth, unblemished state.
Gu Baiyi coughed up blood and laughed bitterly at herself. She had just expended her soul’s energy to heal the scars of her sworn enemy.
She couldn’t fathom why she had gone to such lengths, but after some thought, she dismissed it as her own foolishness.
Killing Ji Rong would have solved everything. And dying in the forbidden grounds would not raise suspicion.
But Gu Baiyi had chosen not to. That was all.
As she comforted herself with such thoughts, Ji Rong silently opened her eyes.
She hadn’t passed out from blood loss at all. Gu Baiyi was obviously new to this whole blood-sucking ordeal—her technique was clumsy and agonizingly slow. Losing a bit of blood was nothing. The real issue was...
She fainted at the sight of her own blood.
Back at the hospital, Ji Rong had been fine watching others donate blood, but the moment it was her turn, she would nearly pass out in terror.
So, what had just happened wasn’t a true blackout but a brief, blood-induced fainting spell.
Ji Rong observed Gu Baiyi’s calm demeanor, noting the absence of any demonic energy. She sighed in relief. At least the lunatic protagonist wouldn’t go around biting people randomly anymore.
But her expression quickly changed as her pupils contracted in alarm.
Gu Baiyi, sensing the immediate threat of a deadly aura, snapped back to reality. Before she could speak, Ji Rong shoved her aside, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Bang!
The spot where Gu Baiyi had just stood turned into a deep crater.
She looked up sharply and saw Ji Rong leaping backward, her expression grave as she landed on a thick, serpentine tail.
“It’s the Crimson-Scaled Serpent,” Ji Rong said solemnly.
