Vol. 2 - Ch. 499 - The Shattered Talisman

Ling Xi nodded as she listened to Madam Fu's story, though a part of her remained eager to know more.

"And then? The people at the temple... didn’t they explain anything to you?"

Madam Fu shook her head. The temple gave them no answers—only took generous donations of incense and offerings.

"They told us nothing at all, yet still collected a hefty sum of incense money. After that, I decided the temple was useless and never went back. But strangely, within a year of that visit, the temple suddenly fell into ruin. I don’t know why... but I’ve always felt the temple’s decline was somehow tied to the YaoGuai."

Ling Xi nodded again. If she followed Madam Fu’s logic, then the YaoGuai might truly have been involved. It was even possible the temple had been constructed by the YaoGuai as a trap for Madam Fu in the first place.

But then—why hadn’t it simply killed her too?

Surely it knew that as long as Madam Fu remained alive, someone would continue tracking it down. Killing her would’ve tied up all loose ends—no one would’ve ever known.

“Why did it let you live?” Ling Xi asked. “If it had just killed you, then no one would’ve been left to expose it. And no one would ever seek revenge.”

At her words, Madam Fu lowered her gaze.

"That’s because... before my father died, he went to that temple to ask for a protective talisman for me. I’ve carried it with me ever since I was little, and it has never let harm come to me. I think it must have been because of that talisman."

Ling Xi nodded, but curiosity now gleamed in her eyes.

"Would you mind if I took a look at it?"

Madam Fu nodded. If Ling Xi wanted to see it, she had no reason to refuse.

“Of course you can. I’ve always kept it close and in good condition.”

As she spoke, Madam Fu reached into her clothing and took out the talisman, preparing to hand it to Ling Xi.

But the moment she did—!

The talisman suddenly flared with an overwhelming, blinding light, and in the blink of an eye, it blasted Ling Xi backwards.

She hadn’t even had time to defend herself. Caught completely off guard, Ling Xi was sent flying, crashing to the ground in a daze, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Madam Fu stood frozen, staring at her in shock. That talisman only reacted to YaoGuai. It was a spiritual ward meant to repel evil beings.

If it had activated against Ling Xi...

"Y-you’re... a YaoGuai?"

Ling Xi, wracked with pain, was left speechless. She couldn’t respond.

She was a YaoGuai—but she was a good one. She had never hurt anyone, never done anything to defy the heavens or reason. Madam Fu had no reason to be afraid of her. Besides, hadn’t they just spent time together peacefully?

“Madam Fu, please… don’t be afraid. I never wanted to hurt you…”

But Madam Fu was already panicking, terrified, and fled without another word.

Ling Xi was left barely clinging to consciousness. The talisman’s strike had drained nearly all her strength. She could no longer maintain her human form.

And in the next instant—poof—she reverted back into her original body: a fox.

Though her body trembled with pain, she understood one thing clearly—she couldn’t stay here.

If she lingered, Madam Fu might return with others, and things could get much worse.

Mustering what little energy she had left, Ling Xi fled in desperation to find Zhang Mu and the others.

To her surprise, the first person she ran into—was Lin Xiao. But the moment she saw him, her tension melted. Her legs gave out.

Lin Xiao caught her instinctively.

“A little fox? You… you wouldn’t happen to be Ling Xi… would you?”

At his words, Ling Xi weakly nodded, confirming her identity.

Lin Xiao stared in disbelief. Ling Xi… had turned into a fox?

“What happened to you? Why are you like this? Weren’t you just going to speak to Madam Fu? How did you end up back in your original form?”

But Ling Xi could no longer answer. She passed out in his arms.

Seeing her lose consciousness, Lin Xiao’s heart clenched.

Ling Xi… she was one of the few people in this world he truly cared about. And now, she lay limp and unconscious in his arms. How could he not fear the worst?

His gaze darkened.

Darker. 

And darker still.

Until there was murder written in his eyes, like a man ready to make someone pay with their life.

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