Volume 1, Chapter 36 – “Confession”

Song Shiyuan heard her words and froze slightly.

Seeing the resolute expression on the little fox’s face, her heart couldn’t help but wrench with pain.

“Little fox… listen to me…”

“What does Sister want Axi to listen to?”

The little fox demon interrupted Song Shiyuan’s words. She tremblingly climbed up from the bed and pulled the sheet to wrap around her slender body.

“Does Sister want to explain to Axi why you suddenly ran away halfway through?”

Song Shiyuan’s expression stiffened. Her nails dug into her palm as she looked at the little fox demon’s pale face, feeling unprecedented discomfort in her heart.

Yes, what could she say now? That she actually didn’t mean to?

That because she was imprisoned in this Fox Palace, without anyone around she could trust, without any sense of security, she suspected the little fox demon’s identity, suspected she had ulterior motives.

Even suspected she was that nine-tailed Fox Monarch, which was why she fled in panic.

Such an absurd reason would only invite ridicule if spoken aloud.

Song Shiyuan’s lips moved. Suppressing the bitter feeling in her heart, she finally said, “I’m… I’m sorry.”

“An apology? Why is Sister apologizing?” The little fox demon’s face pulled into a stiff smile.

“The one who was wrong was Axi. From the beginning, it was Axi who thought wrong, who did wrong… Now that things have become like this, Axi brought it upon herself.”

Song Shiyuan looked at the little fox demon, her face full of incomprehension.

The little fox demon continued to smile.

As she smiled, the crystalline tears at the corners of her eyes once again fell uncontrollably, drip by drip.

Her words choked, yet she still forced a flat tone.

“Didn’t Sister already discover it earlier? Axi wasn’t actually affected by the heat period.”

“That’s right. Axi deceived Sister. In truth, during the heat period, Axi remained conscious the entire time.”

“Actively approaching Sister, Axi had her own selfish motives.”

“So, why would Sister apologize?”

“The one at fault is Axi. It has nothing to do with Sister.”

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The little fox demon raised her hand to wipe her tears, still smiling brightly. “After all, fox demons are this kind of race…”

“Sinister and cunning, fond of toying with people’s hearts.”

“Especially fond of seducing innocent pure yang sword cultivators.”

“So, it’s completely normal for a sword cultivator like Sister to dislike fox demons.”

Listening to her words, Song Shiyuan felt unbearably bitter inside.

She stepped forward and grabbed the little fox demon’s hand, saying, “Don’t say that. I don’t like fox demons, but I’ve never disliked you!”

“Is that so?” The little fox demon continued looking at Song Shiyuan and asked, “Then, Sister, have you ever liked Axi?”

Song Shiyuan froze.

Did she like the little fox demon before her?

To be sure, Song Shiyuan had no favorable impression of fox demons.

But for the little fox demon before her, that was an exception.

Song Shiyuan didn’t feel disgusted by her closeness.

Even the little fox’s pheromones, her scent, Song Shiyuan rather liked.

Even the feeling of embracing her soft, fragrant form and holding her in her arms, Song Shiyuan found herself missing.

But was this really what it meant to like someone?

When the little fox demon suffered the scoundrel’s violation, when that villain spoke foul, obscene words to the little fox demon, Song Shiyuan also felt heart-wrenching pain, felt incomparable fury.

Did this count as liking her?

Song Shiyuan liked men. How could she like a fox demon? How could she possibly like a woman?

Song Shiyuan couldn’t answer the little fox demon’s question.

The little fox demon saw Song Shiyuan’s hesitation. She lowered her eyes slightly, and the bitter meaning contained in her stiff smile grew even more intense.

“Axi already knows Sister’s answer.”

“Axi understands now. From the beginning, Axi shouldn’t have appeared before Sister.”

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“Little fox demon… it’s not like that.” Song Shiyuan said urgently. “I just…”

“Sister, it’s enough. You don’t need to say words you don’t mean to Axi anymore.” The little fox demon once again interrupted Song Shiyuan’s words. “Axi doesn’t want to hear them anymore either.”

She raised her hand and peeled away Song Shiyuan’s grip on her, bit by bit, slowly.

“Sister, haven’t you noticed? From when we met until now, you’ve never once called Axi by her name.”

As the little fox demon spoke, tears still glistened at the corners of her eyes. She forced her lips to curve upward, speaking word by word.

“Our relationship was twisted and unequal from the very beginning.”

“There were too many different factors at play.”

Song Shiyuan froze again. She raised the hand the little fox demon had peeled away, her face full of helplessness.

The moment the little fox demon pushed her away, she felt something being pulled out from her heart.

It was very painful, like suffocating.

“You might not believe it, Sister, but earlier Axi actually thought, what if the person who planted the eternal mark on Axi had been you, Sister? How wonderful that would have been.”

The little fox demon lowered her head slightly, her eyes obscure, no longer looking at the dazed Song Shiyuan.

Wrapped in the sheet, she walked toward the outside of the room with faltering steps.

The bewildered Song Shiyuan heard words drifting to her ears.

“Axi won’t hate anyone. Axi will only hate herself.”

“Approaching someone you like with selfish motives and ulterior purposes, that’s why she suffered such retribution.”

“Axi brought it upon herself.”

“This is for the best. Sister won’t have to see Axi anymore.”

“And Axi doesn’t want to see Sister anymore either.”

After saying this, the little fox demon left Song Shiyuan only a resolute departing figure.

Her approach carried selfish motives and ulterior purposes?

Song Shiyuan covered her mouth.

The bitterness and throbbing in her heart reached an indescribable peak.

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Instinctively, she lifted her foot to chase after her.

“That’s not it! Axi!”

“The one with selfish motives and ulterior purposes is me!”

“I’m the one who wanted to use you…”

Crack!

What answered her was a white fox tail.

Hu Xian’er had acted. She manifested her fox tail and whipped Song Shiyuan back into the room.

“Female Consort Song Shiyuan, you are to be confined in your room for seven days to reflect on your mistakes.”

Hu Xian’er’s cold voice came.

The courtyard’s restriction fully activated, firmly locking Song Shiyuan inside.

“Axi…”

Song Shiyuan softly called the little fox demon’s name, watching helplessly as she and Hu Xian’er left together.

All that remained for Song Shiyuan was the empty courtyard.

Song Shiyuan felt her body turn cold, freezing, stinging with pain.

“I’m sorry, Axi, I’m sorry…”

“I’m sorry…”

“The one who harmed you was me…”

She murmured it over and over.

She wasn’t a fool. She understood what the little fox demon’s final words meant.

The newly transformed little fox demon wasn’t a foolish child who knew nothing. She had always been clear about what she was doing.

The little fox demon had been confessing her love to Song Shiyuan.

Because she liked her, she trusted Song Shiyuan so much.

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Because she liked her, she deliberately acted confused during her heat period to get close.

Because she liked her, she was willing to let Song Shiyuan mark her during the most dangerous initial heat period.

And also because she liked her, being abandoned by the one she liked made her feel despair and grief.

The more she liked, the more painful, and the more despairing.

It was Song Shiyuan who abandoned her. It was Song Shiyuan who harmed her.

If at that time, Song Shiyuan hadn’t been misled by that voice, hadn’t left the little fox demon behind, with her protection, the little fox demon wouldn’t have been taken advantage of by that scoundrel, wouldn’t have had her future severed and her life ruined.

“I’m sorry… truly sorry…”

What had Song Shiyuan experienced this night?

An attack.

A “truth” concerning Lingxiao Sword Sect.

A betrayal that violated her principles and would leave her with lifelong regret.

And a confession of love filled with utter despair.

Helplessness, guilt, remorse, grief.

All the emotions she had forcibly suppressed were now, in this cold and lonely courtyard, mercilessly tearing her apart.

Her heart was being torn to shreds. Her emotions spiraled out of control. She was nearly breaking down.

She curled up behind the door, crouched on the ground, arms wrapped around herself.

Her fingertips dug deep into her flesh, yet she felt not the slightest pain.

Because the pain in her heart surpassed all other suffering.

That place hurt so much she couldn’t breathe.

Sobbing sounds spread throughout the silent courtyard.

Only this cold corner of the yard silently witnessed a woman’s emotional collapse in remorse.

She wept uncontrollably.