Nine Realms, Chiyou's Heart.
"Are you two... alright?"
Looking at her two awakened friends, Dark Ji Xuanyuan had a strange expression. She hadn't expected that the moment they fell asleep, they would start moving so much—first minor convulsions, then rising body temperatures, with their limbs thrashing as if they were in water. Their waists had been twitching as if they were being electrocuted. If their faces hadn't looked so flushed and healthy, she would have woken them up long ago.
"W-We're fine..."
Cangxuan's expression was grim as she felt the sweat coating her body. To finish things quickly with Luo Hong, she and Danzhu had given it their all. But looking back, she realized the bastard probably wouldn't have forced them to stay if it compromised the plan.
In other words... was it a form of mild hypnosis?
"Ji... Ji Xuanyuan..."
Biting her lip, Danzhu, who was now hyper-sensitive to her bodily discomfort, turned to Dark Ji Xuanyuan and asked, "Is there a place here where we can bathe?"
Her physical discomfort was part of the reason, but more importantly, they were about to meet the people of the future. If she had to face them in her current state, she would rather smash her head against a piece of Soul Steel. Especially since Fu Hua—even if she didn't remember them—would be among them!
"Yes."
The answer was short and firm. Dark Ji Xuanyuan led the way toward an underground current within Chiyou. Over the last millennium, she hadn't felt the urge to bathe, but after being awakened from the darkness by her two old friends, her feminine desire for cleanliness returned.
They reached the current where water gushed from a crevice. The sight of the babbling stream instantly triggered "unpleasant" memories for both Cangxuan and Danzhu.
That's right! To be "fair," that bastard Luo Hong made sure Danzhu saw everything too!
"What on earth is wrong with you two?" Dark Ji Xuanyuan asked, watching the sisters undress with an increasingly puzzled expression.
To be honest, she had felt a bit ashamed in front of them earlier because of her "edgy" behavior during her awakening. But now, based on her familiarity with her friends, she could tell that they were the ones who wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
It was impossible for her not to be curious. "I want to know the details of how you were resurrected."
Earlier, the sisters had deflected the topic by bringing up her own embarrassing "Dark history," but she now realized their resurrection might hold an even darker secret.
"Ji Xuanyuan... don't ask." Danzhu shed her robes, exposing her delicate, pinkish skin to the air. Her small hands couldn't possibly cover enough, so she only guarded her vitals. She stepped into the freezing water but didn't feel the cold; her body was radiating heat from pure embarrassment. The icy water was exactly what she needed to cool down.
On the other side, Cangxuan was much more composed. She stepped into the stream and looked at Ji Xuanyuan. "Are you sure you want to know? The price isn't something everyone can bear. I suggest you stop now, or..." She bit her lip. "You might regret it."
Even though Ji Xuanyuan wasn't in Luo Hong's world yet, Cangxuan knew it was only a matter of time. During their service earlier, Luo Hong had "pulled" the Chiyuan (Jingwei) version of Fu Hua right in front of them!
Her heart bled recalling Luo Hong saying: "Seems like having you two here increases the luck for a one-tap pull." Worse, they watched that scoundrel immediately "use" Chiyuan, favoring the new over the old. It was only thanks to Chiyuan's arrival that they were released; otherwise, they'd still be "training" with him.
"I might regret it?" Hearing Cangxuan's gravity and seeing Danzhu's subtle expression, Dark Ji Xuanyuan grew even more curious!
If this were the original Ji Xuanyuan, she would have dropped the subject to spare her friends' feelings. But this was Dark Ji Xuanyuan—she lived for rebellion. Like Senti (Herrscher of Sentience) toward Fu Hua: "What the Old Timer doesn't dare to do, I do! What she can't handle, I handle!"
"I've regretted too many things already; one more won't hurt," Dark Ji Xuanyuan said coolly, lifting her chin and staring at Cangxuan.
"Fine." Cangxuan realized there was no stopping her. "I wanted you to have a few more days of peace. From now on, you should pray every day that you don't get 'pulled'."
"???" Dark Ji Xuanyuan understood every word, but the sentence made no sense to her.
"To put it simply—" Danzhu took over. She explained the reason for their resurrection and introduced Luo Hong—the "sadistic" Lord who knew the past and future. She skipped the graphic details of being "devoured," only mentioning they hadn't escaped his clutches.
"Oh..." Ji Xuanyuan's eyes widened in shock. She finally understood why they had been sleeping in those "unusual" positions. She asked with a complicated look, "I am already married... am I also within his hunting range?"
"Of course," Cangxuan said bluntly. "He asked about you today. Under his 'tyrannical pressure,' we had to tell him the truth: that you only agreed to a sham marriage with the Shennong clan to stop others from proposing."
Danzhu added, "Otherwise, how could you not recognize that the 'Jade Cake' was actually just a 'Horse-hoof Cake' in disguise? In the end, you only completed the ceremony with a doll I made. Once that guy knows, he won't let you off."
"You... you two..." Looking at her friends who had "sold her out," Dark Ji Xuanyuan felt a rush of complex emotions—the strongest of which was the "regret" she claimed she didn't care about!