Chapter 38: Weakness, Spirit, Soul

“Hmph!” The next day, Xiao Bai walked ahead with her arms crossed over her chest, lips pursed in a clear display of annoyance. She kept glancing back at Ye Chen with the corner of her eye, her face full of displeasure, and each time Ye Chen met her gaze, she would immediately look away. Ye Chen, following behind with an awkward expression, realized he had gone a bit too far yesterday. It was as if he truly had fallen under Xiao Bai’s spirit enchantment. As a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, Xiao Bai’s mere casual smile could cause countless people to lose themselves, so she always made a conscious effort to suppress her innate charm, letting only a trace slip out now and then. Usually, Ye Chen was hardly affected.

But last night, Xiao Bai had indeed exerted a little control—though she’d played such tricks before and never succeeded with Ye Xingchen. Yet, thinking back, Ye Chen realized that Xiao Bai had pierced his mental defenses with ease, barely any effort at all. The result was that he and Kanade Tachibana ended up playing with Xiao Bai’s tails like children.

“Ruoxing, my soul’s defense actually has serious flaws, doesn’t it?” Not wanting to worry the others after this realization, Ye Chen communicated with Ruoxing through the Mind and Fantasy Twin Swords.

“Heh, you finally noticed. I thought you’d keep waiting until we had to point it out to you. Ever since Ye Xingchen’s soul was forcibly split into you and Ye Xing, there have been major vulnerabilities. Anyone with some mastery over souls or spirits could easily deal with you. Looks like being enchanted yesterday worked out pretty well!” Ruoxing spoke with a ‘you only just realized?’ tone, floating just above Ye Chen, chin raised arrogantly.

“Is there any solution?” Ignoring Ruoxing’s attitude, Ye Chen got straight to the point, knowing this was just her way.

“Of course! Whether it’s the system or us, there are plenty of ways to restore your spirit—but you’ll need a lot of merit points, both good and evil. If you want to use points, it might take you a long time to save up enough. Of course, there are slower methods I can teach you for free. Since they take a long time, the system doesn’t mind me telling you.” Ruoxing seemed to be teasing him, first swearing it could be fixed, then simply saying his points weren’t enough.

“Just tell me the methods that don’t require points.” Ye Chen had no interest in those quick-fix options; if Ruoxing said they’d take a long time, the points required were surely beyond his reach for now. He decisively chose the second option.

“A wise choice. Actually, it’s all quite simple. You’re already learning music, aren’t you? Music can heal the heart and soul—so as your skill improves, your soul will slowly mend. Then there’s reading; in ancient times, great scholars were said to be so full of righteous energy that nothing evil could touch them. You could try that, too. And finally, killing intent—after taking a life, especially that of a strong opponent, killing intent arises. It not only offers powerful defense but is also formidable offensively...” Ruoxing ticked off methods on her fingers as she explained. Ye Chen committed each one to memory. For now, the only one he already possessed was killing intent; his musical training was still in its infancy. Ye Xingchen had slain many powerful foes—if he unleashed all that killing intent, he could easily terrify the faint-hearted.

“I know what you’re thinking. Because your personalities diverged during the split, most of the killing intent ended up with Ye Xing. He’s much colder than you, lacking your gentle nature,” Ruoxing added, seeming to read Ye Chen’s thoughts. For Ye Chen, killing intent was simply a poor fit.

“I understand. Thank you, Ruoxing.” Ye Chen gave a faint smile, expressing his gratitude.

“Thank—you’re thanking me? Hmph, if it weren’t for... I wouldn’t want your thanks! I’m going back now!” Hearing his gratitude, Ruoxing’s face flushed inexplicably. She mumbled a few words, then turned and vanished back into the Fantasy Twin Swords, leaving Ye Chen staring in confusion at the sword. Had he upset her?

“Hmph!” A cold snort snapped Ye Chen from his thoughts. Xiao Bai had noticed him standing behind her, lost in thought with his sword, and feeling neglected, she made a displeased sound to draw his attention.

“Sorry, Xiao Bai. I honestly don’t know what happened—I just suddenly felt like grabbing your tail. You were so adorable then, I couldn’t help myself...” Ye Chen chuckled apologetically, eager to win back her forgiveness. The cold snort had reminded him he’d neglected Xiao Bai for too long, so he hurried to make amends.

“Oh? Really? At first, when you and Kanade were together, you could use that as an excuse. But what about after we returned to the dorm? Why did you use my tail as a blanket? My tails are still tingling!” Xiao Bai snorted again, squinting one eye while widening the other, casting a skeptical sideways glance at Ye Chen.

“You were the one who suggested it, weren’t you? And you didn’t seem displeased at all at the time...” Ye Chen rolled his eyes, recalling how Xiao Bai had happily invited him to sleep together once they were back in the dorm. He’d readily agreed and fallen asleep with her soft tails as his pillow, muttering softly.

An ordinary person might not have heard him, but Xiao Bai, in her true form as a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox with keen hearing, caught every word. Annoyed that Ye Chen didn’t understand a girl’s heart, she decided to ignore him for a while as punishment. Huffing crossly, she declared, “If you dislike it so much, I just won’t let you hug my tails in the future!” Then she transformed into her petite fox form and darted away.

“I never said I didn’t like it!” Ye Chen sighed with a wry smile as he gave chase. In her transformed state, Xiao Bai was incredibly fast, and with Ye Chen’s still-developing body, he struggled to keep up. Xiao Bai, however, didn’t want to lose him completely, so she slowed just enough for him to follow from a distance.

After a long chase that served as a substitute for a morning run, Xiao Bai finally tired of the game and darted into a dimly lit warehouse nearby.

“If I recall, this is where Shiina lives. It’s a strange place to choose, really! Since I’m already here looking for Xiao Bai, I may as well check in on Shiina, too.” Standing outside the warehouse, Ye Chen remembered Yuri mentioning that Shiina’s residence matched this very warehouse. He was certain now. Sliding open the creaky old door just enough to slip inside, the silence of the warehouse was broken by the sound of rusty hinges scraping against metal.