Xue Tuzi's eyes burned with fury, his fists clenching as Xiao Hua licked her jaws, her eyes locked onto him with a predatory glint. Her wicked amusement only stoked the fire inside him. With a snarl, he lunged forward, his ribbon slicing through the air in a blur of motion. The sharp snap of fabric cracked like thunder, carving through tree trunks as he struck again and again. But Xiao Hua was fast—too fast. She danced around his attacks, her laughter ringing through the decimated forest like the chime of a bell twisted into something sinister.
"If you're so desperate to see him again, I'd be happy to send you to him," she taunted, her voice a lilting purr.
Xue Tuzi's chest heaved with fury, his grip tightening around the grip of his ribbon. He twirled the ribbon around himself in a sweeping arc, then slammed it down with bone-rattling force. The earth split beneath them, the impact sending a violent tremor through the ground. Trees groaned as their roots were ripped free, falling in a chaotic domino effect. Xiao Hua's movements faltered for a fraction of a second—just long enough for his ribbon to land a vicious strike across her face.
A sharp, inhuman howl tore from her throat. She staggered back, pressing a clawed hand to the fresh wound. A deep frown marred her face, her crimson bug eyes flashing with something unreadable.
"You're lucky I wish to have you," she hissed, her voice thick with venom, "or else you would have already been dead."
With a snap of her jaws, she spat a thick, sticky substance straight at Xue Tuzi's feet. The sticky-like fluid latched onto his boots, hardening instantly. He barely spared a moment's hesitation before yanking his foot free, kicking off the trapped boot and leaping backward. Xiao Hua lunged for him, claws bared, her wings buzzing furiously. But her momentum worked against her—she crashed into a fallen tree with a sickening crunch.
Xue Tuzi didn't waste the opportunity. His ribbon lashed forward with brutal precision, wrapping around her limbs and tearing at her flesh with every strike. Each impact split open her skin, leaving behind deep, jagged wounds. Blood—thick and dark—dripped from the whip's frayed edges as it struck again and again. Xiao Hua screeched, her body convulsing from the relentless assault.
"Please—no more!" she cried, her voice raw with agony.
Xue Tuzi's expression remained cold, his hollow, black eyes devoid of mercy. He took another step forward, tightening his grip on the ribbon, his knuckles white with the force of his hold.
"Did you spare their lives when they begged for mercy?" His voice was low, ice and cold.
Xiao Hua's breath hitched. She bared her fangs, but there was no defiance in her eyes now—only the creeping tendrils of fear.
"He begged you to spare them," Xue Tuzi continued, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. His grip on the ribbon quivered, his entire body shaking. "And you—" his voice cracked into a scream, "—you devoured every single one of them!"
With a furious cry, he lashed her again, the ribbon tearing through muscle, stripping away the once-flawless sheen of her skin. Xiao Hua wailed, her body writhing as fresh blood splattered across the scorched ground.
Then—she began to laugh.
A slow, eerie chuckle that bubbled past her split lips, growing louder, more unhinged. She tilted her head back, crimson dripping from her chin as she giggled like a child caught in a delightful secret.
"So be it, then," she whispered, her voice giddy with madness.
She spat to the side, black blood staining the dirt, then wiped her mouth with the back of her clawed hand. Her eyes gleamed with something wild and unhinged.
"I guess we'll just burn together for all eternity."
Xue Tuzi's breath hitched. His instincts screamed at him to retreat, but it was too late. A thick, fiery miasma erupted from Xiao Hua's mouth, expanding outward like a tidal wave.
The forest ignited instantly. The once-green canopy transformed into an inferno, flames consuming everything in their path. Smoke billowed into the sky, darkening the sun's harsh light, turning the world into a hellish blaze.
Xue Tuzi braced himself, swinging his ribbon to create a barrier against the searing flames. But the miasma was relentless—it seeped into his lungs, scorching his throat from the inside out. His vision blurred. His body wavered.
Xiao Hua's laughter rang through the inferno, wild and triumphant, as Xue Tuzi collapsed to one knee, coughing violently. The air burned. His skin burned.
And somewhere through the haze of heat and agony—Xiao Hua watched him suffer, her smile wicked and satisfied.
WARNING! WARNING! SHOU MC IN CRITICAL CONDITION! WARNING! WARNING!
The mechanical chime of the system blared in Xue Laohu's head, each alarm striking like a hammer against his skull. He slammed his fists against the invisible barrier holding him back, his breath ragged, his pulse a wild drumbeat in his ears. Li Zhameng coughed into his sleeve as the miasma seeped through. The flames roared higher, devouring the battlefield in a sea of molten gold and crimson. Xue Loahu's eyes locked onto the dwindling figure of Xue Tuzi, barely visible beyond the inferno's suffocating veil.
"I have to save him!" Xue Laohu shouted, his voice raw with desperation. His hands curled into fists, trembling as he pressed against the unyielding force keeping him trapped.
INTERVENTION PROHIBITED.
Xue Laohu clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together as frustration and fear surged through him like a storm. His fingers dug into his palms, his nails threatening to break skin.
"Can't I use life points or something?!" he growled, spinning around, searching for any loophole, any chance to bargain. But there was no response—just the empty, deafening silence of the system's cruel indifference.
Xue Tuzi gasped, his chest heaving, every breath burning like embers lodged in his throat. His vision swam, his limbs weak, yet his grip remained tight on his ribbon. Smoke curled around him, suffocating, blinding.
Across from him, Xiao Hua had shed her demonic form, now appearing eerily human—yet no less monstrous. Her body was riddled with deep, jagged scars left behind by his whippings, but the fire that consumed her only seemed to make her more ethereal, more terrifying. Her dark hair whipped wildly in the inferno's howling winds, strands curling like serpents in the heat. She stepped forward, unbothered by the destruction around her, her bare feet leaving burning imprints in the ash-covered earth.
"Come here," she cooed, her voice a honeyed purr, her lips stretching into a slow, sinister smile. She opened her arms, her hands wreathed in flames, beckoning him into her embrace. "Let's burn together, won't that be beautiful?"
Xue Tuzi choked, his body wracked with violent coughs, his fingers twitching as he reached toward his hair. His vision swam, dizziness threatening to pull him under. Xiao Hua's heat bore down on him, her presence suffocating, intoxicating.
Her burning palms cupped his face, her touch scorching, searing into his skin like a brand. Xue Tuzi shuddered, the pain unbearable, but he didn't flinch. He stared into her eyes—violent red and feverish, brimming with madness. She leaned in, her lips parting, the heat of her breath like molten lava against his skin.
But just as she moved to steal the last of his breath, his fingers closed around the needle-thin thread woven into his hair.
A flash of silver. A single, precise flick of his wrist.
The world seemed to pause. Xiao Hua's crimson eyes widened in shock. A thin red line appeared across her throat. She barely had time to blink before her head tumbled from her shoulders, her long, dark hair fanning out like silk as it hit the scorched ground.
She gasped, blood bubbling at her lips, her face frozen in an expression of twisted delight.
"To be killed by such a beautiful face…" she murmured, her voice thick with reverence. A slow, shuddering moan escaped her lips. "I have no regrets."
Then the flames took her. Her body crumbled into ash, scattering into the inferno.
Xue Tuzi swayed, his entire body trembling. His skin burned where she had touched him, her poison sinking deep, searing through his veins. A sickening nausea twisted his gut, and before he could stop himself, bile spilled from his lips. His vision darkened at the edges, his strength leaving him in waves.
Exhausted. Weakened. Barely alive.
His knees buckled.
And he collapsed into the burning earth.
Jiao Jiao peeked his small head out from the crook of the tree where Xue Tuzi had hidden him, his delicate fingers gripping the rough bark. Xue Tuzi had warned him—ordered him—not to leave under any circumstance. But how could he just stay there, trembling in the shadows, when he was out there, surrounded by fire and danger? His little heart pounded against his ribs, the fear and worry making his tiny body tremble.
Taking a shaky breath, he pulled himself free from the tree hollow, lifting the sleeve of his robe to cover his nose and mouth as the acrid scent of burning wood and smoke stung his lungs. A few soft coughs escaped him, but he swallowed down his discomfort, his wide, crimson eyes frantically scanning the blazing battlefield.
And then he saw him.
There, on the ground, motionless amidst the encroaching flames—Xue Tuzi.
Jiao Jiao's breath hitched, his tiny chest tightening with panic.
"Mama!" he cried, his voice high and desperate as he sprinted toward him, his bare feet barely avoiding the burning embers littering the ground.
The fire raged around him, trees cracking and toppling, sending glowing embers into the air like fireflies. A massive chunk of burning wood crashed down in front of him, nearly cutting him off, but Jiao Jiao didn't stop. His small hands trembled as he shoved away debris, his face flushed with heat and exertion. His breath came in quick, frantic gasps as he climbed over fallen branches, his soft palms scraping against jagged bark.
Finally, he reached Xue Tuzi.
The man lay still, his face pale, his chest barely rising and falling.
"Mama! Mama!" Jiao Jiao called, his tiny hands patting Xue Tuzi's soot-covered face in a desperate attempt to wake him. His lower lip trembled as he fought back tears, his big red eyes shimmering. He tugged at Xue Tuzi's sleeve, trying with all his strength to pull him up, but he was too small, too weak.
The fire roared louder, the heat pressing down on them like a suffocating blanket. Above them, the skeletal remains of a tree groaned as a massive, burning branch began to crack and splinter, its collapse imminent.
Jiao Jiao's breath caught in his throat.
In a flash, instinct took over. He opened his mouth, and from within, a thick, silvery thread shot out, expanding rapidly. The webbing stretched and wove together, forming a cocoon-like barrier around them, sealing them inside just as the fiery branch came crashing down.
The flames licked at the protective silk, but Jiao Jiao's webbing held strong, shielding them from the worst of the fire. He huddled close to Xue Tuzi, his small hands gripping tightly onto his robe, his tiny body curled protectively against his side.
His breath trembled. His heart pounded.
But he would stay right here.
Because no matter what—he would not leave him alone.
The stinger that had pinned Shudu to the tree crumbled into dust the moment Xiao Hua's life flickered out. Freed from its hold, Shudu slumped forward, his body wracked with pain. He pressed a trembling hand to his wounded torso, feeling the sticky warmth of his own blood seeping through his fingers. A sharp cough tore through his throat, and he wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, his eyes drawn to the inferno raging before him. The fire crackled hungrily, devouring everything in its path, painting the sky in streaks of crimson and black. His vision swam, but he forced himself to move.
"Master!" a desperate voice called out.
Shudu turned his head sluggishly, his breath catching in his throat as he spotted Xiao Zongzi struggling beneath a pile of debris. She thrashed, trying to free herself, but the weight of the rubble pinned her down. Wincing, he staggered toward her, his limbs heavy as lead. Each step sent fresh waves of agony through his body, but he gritted his teeth and crouched down, hissing as he began to remove the rocks trapping her.
Xiao Zongzi gasped as the weight lifted, her arms trembling as she scrambled out. "Master, you're hurt—"
"You stay here," Shudu cut her off, his voice firm despite the exhaustion thickening his tone. His balance wavered, his body teetering before he caught himself. The pain clawed at him, but he refused to stop. He had to find them. He had to make sure Xue Tuzi and Jiao Jiao were safe.
"Wait—!" Xiao Zongzi's protest died on her lips as Shudu turned and walked into the burning forest, his silhouette swallowed by the fire's glow. She clenched her legs, watching helplessly as the flames consumed the path ahead of him.