After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 164 - You Liar

Since the secret realm trial ended, it had been about a week. During this time, many disciples and elders from various sects had begun to leave, having lingered in the Fox Clan’s secret realm to let their disciples recuperate and enjoy the exotic scenery. Once their disciples were restored, it was time to return to their sects.

He Ange and the Shengxu Sect cultivators were no exception. Qin Shiyan, the leading elder, had already informed them that they would leave the Fox Clan and report the results of the trial to their sect the next day.

That night, Xia Ranyue also received the notification. Although her nine-tailed bloodline had been exposed, she was still an inner disciple of Shengxu Sect. Regardless of the Fox Clan’s stance, Qin Shiyan, as the elder of Shengxu Sect, welcomed Xia Ranyue to return for further study.

However…

Just as Xia Ranyue packed her things, eager to find He Ange and return to the sect together, Xia Zhiyue objected.

That night, a heated argument erupted between the sisters.

“Why?”

“Everyone’s leaving, so why do I have to stay with the Fox Clan?”

Xia Ranyue was nearly furious, feeling like the only student unable to attend a school reunion due to family reasons. Her nine tails bristled as she glared at the white fox immortal on the high platform, the sisterly bond teetering on the edge of collapse.

“Because you have the nine-tailed bloodline.”

On the platform, the Fox Clan’s sacred maiden lowered her charming eyes, somewhat helpless.

This time, Xia Zhiyue wasn’t deliberately making things difficult for Xia Ranyue. It wasn’t just for the Fox Clan’s sake but also out of concern for Xia Ranyue. Even Qin Shiyan had privately discussed with Xia Zhiyue, expressing a desire for Xia Ranyue not to return to Shengxu Sect.

It wasn’t that Shengxu Sect wasn’t welcoming of the nine-tailed bloodline; it was that Qin Shiyan couldn’t help but worry. In her youth, Xia Zhiyue had almost died at the hands of various sects.

Although the Dragon Dynasty’s empress had established relations with the Fox Clan, deep-rooted discrimination against the demon clan persisted, and change was slow. Moreover, Xia Ranyue’s nine-tailed bloodline was highly coveted by sects across Huaxia’s nine provinces.

No matter how authoritative the Dragon Dynasty’s decree was, it couldn’t hold sway over millions of people in Huaxia. Outwardly, the Dragon Dynasty had established relations with the Fox Clan, but privately, how many sects weren’t tempted by the nine-tailed bloodline?

The key issue was that if anything happened to Xia Ranyue at Shengxu Sect, no one could bear responsibility for the Fox Clan’s sacred maiden.

Moreover…

The Dragon Dynasty had just established relations with the Fox Clan. If something happened to the Fox Clan’s little princess at a sect, how would that reflect on the Dragon Empress?

If the empress intervened, sects would think she favored demons like the Fox Clan. Would the empress really step in for a Fox Clan sacred maiden?

But if the empress didn’t intervene, could the Fox Clan’s sacred maiden swallow her anger?

If anything happened to Xia Ranyue, Xia Zhiyue would storm Shengxu Sect overnight to demand answers.

Who would dare guarantee responsibility for the sacred maiden?

Would Qin Shiyan take on more burden?

It would be troublesome, and it could even strain relations with Xia Zhiyue.

So, it was a deadlock.

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To Qin Shiyan, the best solution was to keep Xia Ranyue from returning to Shengxu Sect and have her quietly cultivate with the Fox Clan.

In the coming period, Qin Shiyan was busy planning for He Ange and An Luo Yi to investigate “Elder Li Daoyuan’s betrayal.” At this critical juncture, she truly couldn’t spare energy to babysit the Fox Clan’s sacred maiden.

And clearly,

Xia Zhiyue also believed her teacher’s words made sense.

Previously, Xia Ranyue had run away from home. If anything happened to her, the Fox Clan would bear the consequences.

But now, Xia Ranyue’s identity was widely known.

Xia Zhiyue couldn’t bear to trouble Qin Shiyan with taking care of her sister.

Should she rely on He Ange?

He Ange…

“……”

Thinking of this,

On the high platform, the white fox immortal’s charming eyes flickered. She bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and sighed.

If He Ange truly dared to guarantee her safety, Xia Zhiyue might have relented and let them be together.

But it was safer for Xia Ranyue to stay with the Fox Clan.

Xia Zhiyue wasn’t worried about He Ange’s character; she was concerned that his cultivation level wasn’t enough to protect Xia Ranyue’s nine-tailed bloodline.

He was strong and had potential, but his peak combat strength was around the Nascent Soul stage.

Without reaching the Divine Transformation stage, how could he protect Xia Ranyue?

Like that day outside the secret realm, when He Ange was surrounded by Feathering Sect’s elder. Even An Luo Yi, a Destined Heroine, was insignificant in front of noble sects. How capable was He Ange?

If not for Qin Shiyan suppressing them with imperial weapons, He Ange and An Luo Yi might have perished there…

In the end, it was Xia Zhiyue who had to step in and resolve the situation.

“I don’t care!”

“I’ll go wherever He Ange goes. We promised each other we’d be together forever! Why do you always want to keep me locked up with you to feel at ease?”

As a sister in her rebellious phase, Xia Ranyue obviously didn’t think as far ahead as the sacred maiden and Qin Shiyan.

It’s not surprising; not returning to Shengxu Sect meant separating from He Ange. She’d never see him or her new friend Xu Xin again…

To Xia Ranyue, He Ange was practically everything.

He promised her!

He said that as long as Xia Ranyue was willing to be his little fox, he’d take care of her for life and always keep her by his side…

And now?

The vows made between young people, forged through countless trials, were dismissed with a single sentence from her sister, the sacred maiden of the Fox Clan.

How could Xia Ranyue accept this?

After this separation, when would she see He Ange again?

Years apart could change so much.

Xia Ranyue still remembered when the Fox Clan was struggling, and the elders wanted to use young Xia Ranyue as a bargaining chip to marry into a demon sect for benefits.

If not for Xia Zhiyue’s refusal, Xia Ranyue might have become a tool for purifying bloodlines in a demon sect.

Who knows…

In the years He Ange was absent, where might her clan send her?

“Xia Ranyue, your nine-tailed bloodline is exposed. You’re only safe here with me…”

The sacred maiden spoke, her charming eyes filled with gloom.

She watched her sister’s eyes redden with tears, forced to part from her beloved, like a flower trembling in the rain. Xia Zhiyue’s heart ached too.

But that’s how things were.

Humans and demons were at odds. With her nine-tailed bloodline, Xia Ranyue couldn’t freely enter sects anymore.

“Let me go! Sister, I hate you! You’re always like this… You just want to lock me up forever! You’d rather see me suffer!”

The girl was nearly crying her heart out.

She was wronged, regretful, and despairing… If she had known, she wouldn’t have pushed herself so hard in Illusion Moon Valley to unleash her bloodline.

What was Xia Ranyue fighting for?

Wasn’t it to join forces with He Ange to get a token from the Fox Clan’s sacred maiden and prove herself to her sister?

In the end, despite all her efforts, this was her fate.

Now,

In front of Xia Ranyue stood an invisible barrier. No matter how hard she pounded on it, it remained unmoved.

Effectively, Xia Ranyue was grounded by her sister.

Tonight, she couldn’t go anywhere until He Ange and the others left.

For Xia Ranyue, this was torture.

As time ticked by, He Ange and the others would leave by morning. They’d return triumphantly with tokens and spoils while Xia Ranyue was forgotten in the Fox Clan’s secret realm…

She’d even baked cherry blossom pastries from the Cherry Cluster Secret Realm for everyone to try.

In the end, she felt like a clown, watching everyone leave.

“I want to go… I want to leave with everyone…”

Time passed slowly.

Exhausted from struggling, she knelt on the ground, sobbing against the invisible wall.

Behind her,

Xia Zhiyue sat there the whole time, her snow-white eyes cold and helpless, silently listening to her sister’s accusations and bearing the burden.

For a moment…

Xia Zhiyue felt soft-hearted, hoping He Ange would come back and take her stubborn sister away.

But that thought only lingered for a moment before Xia Zhiyue dismissed it.

Romance could wait for later.

In this sensitive time, it was better to avoid risks.

If something happened, He Ange couldn’t bear responsibility, and Xia Zhiyue didn’t want to blame him for her sister’s situation.

Keeping Xia Ranyue with the Fox Clan would prevent accidents and conflicts.

It was the safest course of action.

If Xia Zhiyue let her go back to Shengxu Sect tonight, she might regret it for a month if she heard of Xia Ranyue’s misfortune…

Better short-term pain than long-term regret.

It was just a temporary stay, not a lifelong imprisonment.

Once He Ange grew stronger and independent, he could return for Xia Ranyue.

It made sense.

The snow-white fox immortal shook her head with a sigh. Her mind was made up; no matter how much Xia Ranyue pleaded tonight, she wouldn’t relent.

Unnoticed,

The cherry-white girl who had been despairing on the ground suddenly stood up excitedly, pounding on the invisible barrier—

“He Ange! He Ange, you’re finally here! I knew you’d come for me!”

“He Ange, save me! My sister’s locked me up! Take me away!”

The girl was unprecedentedly excited, as if seeing a ray of hope in a hopeless hell.

To her, he was that light.

“He Ange… you came after all…”

The snow-white fox immortal sighed helplessly.

At the same time, Xia Zhiyue looked up, meeting the eyes of the white-robed boy standing at the hall’s entrance. After a moment of silence, she closed her charming eyes and lifted her hand to dispel the barrier, allowing her sister to reunite with her beloved.

The moment the barrier disappeared,

The red fox girl dashed out like a bowling ball, throwing herself into He Ange’s arms and holding on tightly.

She was terrified of never seeing him again. At this moment, she clung to him like a bullied bride, crying in his arms pitifully.

“He Ange!”

“Take me away!”

“Be careful of my sister. Even after all these years, she still wants to lock me up! She’s a bad fox!”

The girl seemed to have escaped from a den of deception, desperately recounting how she was confined and how cold-blooded her sister was.

He Ange held the little fox in his arms, gently soothing her with a hand on her back.

Meanwhile,

He Ange exchanged a glance with the snow-white fox immortal at the end of the hall.

At some point, Xia Ranyue looked up at He Ange with teary eyes, her voice choked with emotion. Finally, she mustered courage and hope, forcing a bright smile on her tear-streaked face:

“He Ange, you’ll take me away, right?”

“……”

“You promised to take care of me forever! I’m still your only little fox, right? You said it yourself that night. You promised me, didn’t you? You… you… you… tell my sister! Prove to her you really love me and can take care of me at the sect!!”

Her words tumbled out in excitement and pleading.

“Yes, I promised you that.”

He Ange smiled softly, wiping away her tears, his heart aching for the crying girl in his arms.

Xia Ranyue beamed at his promise.

But in the next moment, He Ange’s eyes lowered—

“But I can’t take you away.”

“——?”

The air froze.

“I can’t protect you right now.” Remembering Feng Yuan’s final plan, he turned away in guilt and sadness.

“…Huh?”

After a long pause, the girl’s previously joyful eyes dimmed with despair.

Her pupils lost focus and color like a tragic black-and-white illustration.

Her eyes searched He Ange’s gaze frantically, trying to discern if he was sincere or joking.

In the end, Xia Ranyue confirmed it.

“I never thought…”

“You really don’t want me…”

She bit her lip, trembling with sobs and tears brimming in her eyes.

Slap—!!!

A crisp slap left a red mark on his face.

……

……

“He Ange.”

“You’re the biggest liar I’ve ever met in my life—!”