Weixi slowly opened her eyes and saw Feili wiping her mouth.
She was leaning against a stone slab, shielded alongside Feili from the collapsing debris by a warm-yellow Sword Body Barrier. Looking down, she noticed that all her injuries had been crudely bandaged with strips of torn fabric. The origin of the bandages was right in front of her—the long-sleeved shirt and knee-length skirt Feili had worn today were now practically a short-sleeved top and a miniskirt.
"What are you wiping?"
"Sister Weixi, you were in terrible shape just now. Your body kept twitching, and froth was spilling from your mouth."
Weixi recalled what had happened. Her gold and silver void wings had been lost to save Yaxiu, her fourth pair of void wings had been lost to cast the Flame of Knowing and Guarding, and her iridescent void wings had been lost to deploy her Sanctuary.
She had lost all of her void wings and sorcery power. Aside from the Flame of Knowing and Guarding sorcery spirit, which remained in her soul because they shared the exact same origin, she was virtually no different from an ordinary mortal, incapable of performing any miracles.
The consequences of losing all her void wings were far more severe than she had imagined. It was no longer a simple matter of pain; it was practically soul paralysis. She could not even control her own body.
Even taking both of her lifetimes into account, this was the weakest and most helpless she had ever been.
"You did the wrong thing. You shouldn't have wiped it away. You should have taken out your phone and snapped a photo." Even in such dire straits, Weixi remained as calm and nonchalant as ever. "If you ever ran into my enemies in the future, just that single photo recording my disgraceful state could bring you endless benefits."
"Sounds like you've recovered, Sister Weixi," Feili said with a sigh of relief.
"Not necessarily. Feel down there and see if I've wet myself."
"Huh?"
Feili hesitated for a second, but plucked up the courage and reached out anyway. The moment she caught the faint smirk tugging at the corner of Weixi's mouth, she realized. "Sister Weixi, you're teasing me again!"
"I'm just teaching you how to seduce Yaxiu in the future. For a pure, innocent maiden like you, a bold move that completely breaks character is the easiest way to stir a man's beastly instincts." Weixi reached out and touched the adjacent Sword Body Barrier. "Though honestly, all you really need to do is strip naked and slip into his bedsheets. He'll basically fold on the spot."
*I need to figure out a way to get Yaxiu to dismiss this miracle soon,* Weixi thought. The only reason the Sword Body Barrier hadn't triggered the mysterious chains yet was that the only witnesses were Weixi and Feili—two insiders.
Once the Six-Nation Legion excavated through the rubble and caught sight of the barrier, the mysterious chains would activate and snap that bastard's other wing right off.
Although Weixi would gladly watch Yaxiu suffer—especially now that all her own void wings were broken—no matter how many grudges she held, Yaxiu was still their strongest combatant right now. Outside, the Six-Nation Legion and a demigod gunner were lurking. Even if solely for the bigger picture...
Weixi, the Spectre Prophet who was supposed to be looking at the bigger picture, suddenly slapped herself across the cheek, startling Feili.
"Sister Weixi, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just hating my body more and more," Weixi replied flatly. "I'm practically picking up humanity's vile habit of self-deception. By the way, where are they?"
She watched Feili's spirits visibly sink.
"I don't know where they are... but Yaxiu should have Niya safe and sound."
"What happened earlier?"
"When the ceiling collapsed, Niya was on one end and we were on the other." Feili looked down at her fidgeting fingers. "He protected us with this miracle, and then he flew toward Niya."
Though Feili's explanation was brief, it was enough for Weixi to picture the scene and sense what Feili must have felt witnessing it.
"Yaxiu made the right call," Weixi remarked. "He only has two means of protecting others: this miracle and his Sanctuary. Since he used the miracle to protect us, he had to go over and use his Sanctuary to protect Niya."
"Mm."
"Still, I bet you're thinking, *'Why didn't he use the miracle to protect Niya, and then fly over here to live and die with me?'*"
"With *us*," Feili corrected in a small voice.
Weixi continued, "Though if he really had chosen this side, you'd probably have wanted nothing more than to kick me over to Niya's end so I wouldn't interrupt the two of you checking whether you'd wet yourselves..."
"I would never!" Feili cut in, blushing furiously in exasperation. "And I don't blame Yaxiu for choosing Niya's side! The situation was so desperate back then—it was already amazing that he could shield us in time!"
"You don't blame him?"
"I don't blame him!"
"You're not jealous?"
"I'm not jealous!"
"Then let me tell you what's probably happening over there right now," Weixi said lazily. "To maximize efficiency, the Sanctuary has to be kept as small as possible. That means they must be pressed tightly against each other in an embrace, most likely chest-to-chest. If they're sitting down, Niya's legs are probably wrapped around Yaxiu's waist. Her legs are long and straight, so that should feel quite nice. And Yaxiu wouldn't waste such a rare moment of rest either. He's probably using a miracle to treat Niya's severe wounds, which naturally requires skin-on-skin contact. What if Niya was hurt in a sensitive spot..."
Weixi didn't finish. It wasn't because she felt embarrassed or couldn't imagine more—she could have made it far more explicit and scandalous. Rather, it was because Feili was gazing at her with tear-rimmed eyes, pressing her lips together, looking as pitiful as a little lamb that knew it was about to be driven from the fold.
Weixi glanced at her own neatly bandaged wounds and sighed. "If you want to blame him, blame him. If you want to be jealous, be jealous. Are you worried I'll tattle on you to him?"
"I know I shouldn't think that way..." Feili sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, occasionally letting out soft, whistling whimpers like a boiling kettle. "He's already treated me so, so well. He cares about my life, he protects me, he respects my thoughts, and he notices the things I never say out loud... He has already given me so much.
"Yet I still want more. More and more, so much that I can't hold it all." Feili sobbed softly. "I haven't even had it yet, but it hurts like I've already lost it... Sister Weixi, am I being too greedy?"
"Your mistake isn't being greedy; it's that you're not greedy enough," Weixi said tartly. "If I were you, I'd use the demon identity to threaten Yaxiu. If I told him to lick my feet, he'd have to lick my feet. If I told him to lick every inch of me, he'd have to lick until his mouth went dry. If he still had the energy to crawl out of bed, I'd consider it my defeat. Then I'd find a way to eliminate all the others so he'd be forced to stay here with me forever. Who cares about his Sword Princess or his Witch? In the end, I'd be the only one who got to enjoy him for the rest of his life. Wouldn't that be far more satisfying?
"Once this hunt is over, just do as I say. I promise you'll have more than you can ever hold."
Feili burst into laughter through her tears, rubbing her eyes. "I've always envied you, Sister Weixi."
"Envied me for what? Being a maid? Or being bound in chains by Yaxiu?" Weixi shrugged. "You don't need to envy me for that. As long as you want to, you can bind Yaxiu in chains whenever you please."
"No, I envy how brave and resolute you are, as if no hardship could ever stop you," Feili said earnestly. "Always full of passion, always forging ahead. You're a woman I truly admire."
"You really are suited to be Yaxiu's wife. You're definitely the kind of foolish woman who would forgive him no matter how many times he cheated." Weixi couldn't help but chuckle. "Have you forgotten how we first met? If Yaxiu hadn't been there, and if you weren't a demon, both of you would have died by my hand."
"I haven't forgotten that you're a bad person," Feili replied. "But with Yaxiu supervising you, I believe you'll—"
"I suggest you whisper that in Yaxiu's ear in bed. Highly unlikely, but if he actually buys it, that would make my life much easier," Weixi spoke languidly. "I promise I won't forget your great kindness. Once I break these chains, I'll bestow Yaxiu upon you—chains, collar, and all."
"I really do think you'll change for the better, Sister Weixi," Feili said. "If you broke your chains right now, would you kill me?"
Weixi arched an eyebrow. "If you're willing to be used by me, you stay. If not, you die."
Feili smiled and shook her head. "No, you wouldn't."
Weixi was practically exasperated to the point of laughter. "Perhaps my appearance gives you the wrong impression, but my true age has four digits, and we've known each other for barely a month, Miss Feili."
"Yet just now, when you saw me crying, you cracked jokes to comfort me." Feili blinked. "If you care about me, you won't hurt me."
For a moment, Weixi didn't even know how to rebut that. Back in her era, if she ever asked after someone out of mild concern, that person would mobilize all their friends and family as if facing a mortal threat, bracing for the Spectre Prophet's schemes. 'Concern from the Spectre Prophet' was practically synonymous with 'an omen of catastrophe.' Actual gestures of care were even more terrifying—she had once delivered a birthday gift to someone's evening banquet, only to turn the entire party into a sea of corpses.
What Weixi wanted to rebut most of all, however, was that she hadn't been joking! If Weixi were truly plotting on Feili's side, Yaxiu would have been squeezed dry until not even scraps remained. She was literally imparting a foolproof walkthrough for romance, and Feili thought she was just joking around.
"Right, right, of course," Weixi said dismissively. "I'm everyone's beloved big sister confidante, Weixi."
Feili giggled and wrapped her arms around Weixi.
Weixi disliked physical contact like this, but before she could say anything, a soft, melancholy voice drifted from her chest.
"Sister Weixi, what should I do...?"
Feeling the fabric over her chest begin to dampen, Weixi said nothing. She simply raised her hand and gently stroked Feili's head.
Which was truly more pathetic: a person chasing a phantom, or a phantom chasing a person?
Chapter 877