Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The words had barely left his mouth when thirteen years had passed.

In this secret realm, there is no alternation of day and night; time is a tangled mess.

"Hey, Chen Xuan, come home for dinner."

A rabbit spoke in a human voice, standing upright on its two hind legs, with its front paws on its hips, and its tone was very impatient.

Chen Xuan put away the wooden sword in his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The sixteen-year-old boy had grown considerably taller, and his once pale face had regained its color. His eyes and brows exuded a coldness that kept strangers at bay.

"understood."

He casually sheathed the wooden sword on his back, didn't even glance at the rabbit, and turned to walk deeper into the forest.

This rabbit was created by Su Chang'an using his spiritual power. It can't do anything except deliver messages; it's incredibly stupid.

After passing through this lush forest, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before me.

In front of a huge cave, a rickety wooden sign hangs, with the three large characters "Fox Den" crookedly written on it.

Chen Xuan's lips twitched.

The characters are so ugly they're astounding; only that narcissistic Su Chang'an would find them beautiful.

As soon as we reached the cave entrance, a rich aroma of meat wafted out.

"Little rascal, you're back?"

A lazy female voice came from inside the cave.

Su Chang'an lay on his side on a huge stone bed, his nine snow-white fox tails spread out, almost filling the entire space.

She was holding a pipe that she'd gotten from somewhere, but she hadn't lit it; she was just holding it in her mouth as if to pretend.

Seeing Chen Xuan enter, she sat up, her long silver hair sliding down her shoulders and covering most of her face.

"Call me Father."

Su Chang'an squinted, smiling like a fox who had stolen a chicken.

Chen Xuan walked past her expressionlessly and sat down at the stone table.

"Su Chang'an".

"Tsk."

Su Chang'an threw his pipe aside in dissatisfaction, and his nine tails slapped against the stone bed in frustration, making a slapping sound.

"You have no respect for elders. I raised you all these years, and you don't even call me 'Dad.' You ungrateful wretch."

She muttered to herself as she picked up a large bowl of soup from the table and presented it to Chen Xuan like a precious treasure.

"Try this, it's a very nourishing soup that I made especially for you today."

The soup is milky white, with a fragrant aroma, and several glistening pieces of meat floating on top.

Chen Xuan glanced down and his brow twitched.

The texture of this piece of meat looks so familiar.

He subconsciously glanced behind Su Chang'an.

really.

The tip of the ninth tail was bald and was still oozing blood. Although she tried to hide it behind her back, the smell of blood was impossible to cover up.

"You again..."

Chen Xuan gritted his teeth.

"Oh, don't worry about the details."

Su Chang'an waved his hand dismissively, urging him on with an expectant look on his face.

"Drink up! This is meat from a powerful demon; those cultivators outside can't even get their hands on it."

Chen Xuan stared at the bowl of soup, his stomach churning.

That crazy woman.

To help him recover, he would cut off pieces of his own flesh every few days.

Although I knew she was a nine-tailed fox spirit with strong regenerative abilities, this behavior was simply...

He took a deep breath, picked up the bowl, and gulped down a mouthful.

puff--

The next second, Chen Xuan was completely taken aback and spat it out.

"Cough cough cough..."

It tasted fishy and bitter, with an oddly strange flavor.

"Hahahaha!"

Su Chang'an laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears welling up in his eyes, his nine tails flailing wildly in the air.

"Look at you, you silly thing! I was just kidding. That was meat from a spirit beast in the secret realm. My tail just got scraped!"

Chen Xuan wiped the soup stains from the corner of his mouth with a dark expression.

I've been tricked.

This woman never tells the truth.

"Is it funny?"

He asked coldly.

"It's hilarious, absolutely hilarious."

After Su Chang'an finished laughing, she leaned on the stone table, propped her chin on her hand, and stared straight at him with her bright blue eyes.

"Little rascal, have you grown taller recently?"

She stretched out her hand, gesturing to show the height difference between the two of them, her tone somewhat disappointed.

"It's not fun anymore."

Chen Xuan ignored her and silently ate his meal.

This false world, this false peace.

The so-called "sun" above their heads was just a ball of light conjured by Su Chang'an using a demon core.

The surrounding forest, the flowing water, and even that silly rabbit were all illusions she maintained with her spiritual power.

The real environment is that dark, sunless, and corrosive undercurrent-filled death trap outside.

With her demonic power, she single-handedly created a haven in this desolate place, protecting him under her wings.

For thirteen years, she never left his side.

Chen Xuan tightened his grip on the chopsticks.

clumsy.

That's too clumsy.

They clearly wanted him to live, but they insisted on using this method that was almost like imprisonment.

After we finished eating, the "sun" overhead went out on time.

The whole world was plunged into darkness, with only the nine tails on Su Chang'an's body emitting a faint glow.

"Go to sleep!"

Su Chang'an yawned, stretched out his long arm, and pulled Chen Xuan into his arms.

"Let go."

Chen Xuan struggled for a moment.

"I won't let go."

Su Chang'an not only didn't let go, but instead intensified his actions.

Nine furry tails coiled around him like pythons, wrapping him up like a dumpling and constricting him tightly.

Click click.

Chen Xuan heard the protesting sounds coming from his own bones.

"Su Chang'an! Are you trying to strangle me?!"

He managed to squeeze out a sentence through the gap in his tail.

"what?"

Su Chang'an seemed to only then realize what was happening, and awkwardly loosened his grip a little.

"Sorry, sorry, it's a habit."

She mumbled something, rested her chin on Chen Xuan's head, and rubbed it against him.

"Honestly, it was so soft when it was little, but now it's all bones and it's so uncomfortable."

"Then don't hug me."

"No, I'm afraid you'll run away."

Su Chang'an spoke with righteous indignation.

"This place is so big, where can I run to?"

After saying that, Chen Xuan fell silent.

Yeah, where can it run to?

Outside lies a deadly undercurrent; inside is the cage she has built.

unless……

He lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them.

Su Chang'an's breathing gradually became steady, as if he had fallen asleep.

Chen Xuan, however, kept his eyes open, showing no signs of sleepiness.

He could feel that although the tail wrapped around his body had loosened its grip somewhat, it still remained vigilant.

The tails would tighten instantly if he made the slightest movement.

This woman may seem carefree, but she is actually very meticulous.

But he had to go.

For the past thirteen years, he hasn't been wasting his time.

He knew very well that Su Chang'an's seal had not been completely broken, and maintaining this false world had consumed a large amount of her original power.

If this continues, she will die.

He didn't want her to die.

Furthermore, as the imperial son of Zhongzhou, he carries the deep-seated hatred of his family's blood feud and cannot afford to live a life of ignominy here.

Only by going out and reclaiming his power can he find a way to break the seal and truly save her.

Chen Xuan's fingers twitched slightly.

In his palm, he held a small knife, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

This was made by him secretly collecting and filing down Su Chang'an's fallen fingernails over five years.

Only her body parts can cut her hair.

That's right, hair.

For the past thirteen years, he would collect Su Chang'an's fallen hair every day when she wasn't paying attention.

The hair of the nine-tailed fox spirit is impervious to water and fire, and is incredibly tough, making it an excellent material for weaving ropes.

And there's that bone boat hidden at the entrance to the undercurrent.

He pieced it together bit by bit using the bones of the giant beasts that died in the secret realm.

Everything is ready.

All that's missing is the east wind.

Chen Xuan held his breath, waiting for the right moment.

late at night.

Su Chang'an's snoring began softly, and the tail wrapped around him completely relaxed.

Right now.

Chen Xuan drew the knife with extremely light movements.

A flash of cold light.

The strand of silver hair wrapped around her waist snapped off with a snap.

Su Chang'an didn't wake up; he just turned over and mumbled something in his sleep.

"You little brat...stop fooling around..."

Chen Xuan froze for a moment, then pursed his lips and carefully crawled out of her embrace.

He stood by the stone bed and took one last look at the sleeping Su Chang'an.

Her silver hair was spread on the ground, and her sleeping face was peaceful and completely unguarded.

"Sister, I'm leaving."

He uttered a silent cry.

"I am not leaving you, but going to find a way to free you."

"But you probably wouldn't understand, right? You'd probably be angry with me, wouldn't you?"

"It's alright, just wait while you're still angry with me. When I come back here again, that's when I'll rescue you!"

After saying that, he turned around and resolutely rushed into the darkness.

The wind howled.

Chen Xuan ran wildly all the way to the entrance of the dark current at the edge of the secret realm.

The bone boat was quietly moored on the shore.

He tied the pre-woven hair rope around his waist, attached the other end to the bone boat, and leaped into the air.

puff.

The bone boat entered the water and was instantly swept away by the swift undercurrent.

The undercurrents were even more terrifying than he had imagined.

The black water, highly corrosive, crashed against the bone boat, making a hissing sound.

The bone boat lurched violently, as if it would fall apart at any moment.

Chen Xuan clung tightly to the gunwale, his face deathly pale.

Hang in there!

He let out a low growl and desperately tried to control the direction.

The exit is just ahead.

The gap in the seal that Su Chang'an had once "inadvertently" mentioned.

Just get through...

boom!

A huge undercurrent suddenly surged from the bottom of the water and slammed hard onto the bone boat.

Click!

The bone boat shattered into pieces in an instant.

Chen Xuan was thrown into the air, and the hair tie around his waist suddenly snapped straight.

collapse!

The hair tie broke.

That was Su Chang'an's hair, and it was broken?

No, it wasn't the hair that broke off, it was the hull that was holding the hair that shattered!

Chen Xuan's body fell uncontrollably into the bottomless black vortex.

It’s over.

At this critical moment.

Rumbling--

The entire secret realm trembled violently.

A blinding white light shone from behind, instantly illuminating the dark waters.

Chen Xuan suddenly turned around.

A colossal hand, formed from pure spiritual energy, swept through the dark currents and roared towards them.

The hand was unbelievably large, with clearly visible palm lines, and exuded a familiar aura.

It is Su Chang'an.

The giant hand caught Chen Xuan as he fell with precision; the palm was warm and contained no trace of killing intent.

Immediately afterwards, the giant hand lifted up sharply, transforming into a bridge of light spanning the dark currents, leading directly to the gap in the seal.

Chen Xuan was stunned.

He stood on the bridge of light, watching the giant hand rapidly dissipate.

Countless images flashed through my mind.

Her hair fell out "accidentally".

The location of the exit that she mentioned "casually".

Her seemingly clumsy but actually deliberate "oversights".

It turned out to be the case.

She already knew.

She knew she was building a boat, she knew she was weaving ropes, and she knew she wanted to leave.

She had been waiting for this day.

Even this final farewell was part of her plan.

Su Chang'an looked at Chen Xuan quietly, without saying a word.

"Su Chang'an..."

Chen Xuan's eyes were red-rimmed, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

That damn woman, does she think he's a fool?!

But he didn't turn around.

There's no turning back.

This is the path she paved with her last strength; to turn back would be to betray it.

"I will come back."

Chen Xuan shouted into the void, his voice hoarse.

"When I get back, I'll smash this damn seal to pieces!"

After saying that, he rushed towards the exit without looking back.

A flash of light.

The boy's figure disappeared outside the secret realm...

The giant, glowing hand transformed into a stream of light and flew back into her body.

Her face was deathly pale, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

He was clutching a broken strand of hair tightly in his hand.

That's what Chen Xuan had cut off earlier.

"Silly boy."

Su Chang'an slumped onto the cold stone slab.

The surroundings were filled with that suffocating, deathly silence.

Tick.

Tick.

The sound of water remains.

She pressed that strand of hair to her cheek and shrugged her shoulders.

Tears streamed down my face in large drops.

Not a sound was made.

She knew Chen Xuan hadn't gone far.

These tears must be shed for him to see.

She needed to make him feel that she was truly reluctant to part with him, and that she really had no other choice.

Only in this way will that kid desperately try to climb up.

That's why they'd do anything to become stronger.

Then I came back to save her.

Su Chang'an wept bitterly, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"You brat... what I'm afraid of is being alone..."

"But even though I'm terrified of being alone, I can't leave you here. My destiny is to stay here alone, but you don't belong here. You should go to a wider world."

"I'll pray here alone, wishing you success in reaching the summit, and that you won't die, you brat..."

She curled up into a tiny ball in the darkness.

Like an abandoned puppy.

That's some acting skill.

Absolutely.

She looked up at the only exit.

The light disappeared completely.

All that remained was a deathly blackness.

The sorrow on Su Chang'an's face vanished instantly.

She wiped away her tears roughly.

"I'm exhausted."

She leaned back and lay on the ground in a starfish position.

"system."

【exist. 】

"How much favorability do you have?"

[Ding! Target Chen Xuan's favorability has been refreshed.]

Current Affection Level: 85 (Attachment)

[Congratulations, host, you have successfully taken the first step to escape your inevitable death.]

Su Chang'an looked up at the dark rock wall above him and let out a long breath.

Thirteen years.

They raised a future enemy who would kill them into a foolish boy who vowed to come back and save them.

This deal is a good one.

"Next..."

Su Chang'an raised his hand, looking at his slender fingers.

The burning sensation from forcibly activating magic power still lingered on my fingertips.

"Let's see how much trouble this kid can cause out there."