Chapter 357: Change

Chapter 357: Transformation

Bai Lingmiao laughed—a laugh so unrestrained and joyous that it seemed as though she were releasing all the pent-up emotions within her through sheer sound.

After spending so much time with Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang had never seen her display such an expression.

"Give me the sword! Give me the sword now!!" Li Huowang trembled as he approached Bai Lingmiao, who held the blade.

But just as he reached her side, Li Huowang saw the white-haired girl raise her right hand, the long sword in her grip thrusting straight toward his chest.

With a sudden upward motion of the blade, Li Huowang's chest opened wide, exposing his beating heart to the cold air.

In the next moment, Bai Lingmiao pressed against him tightly, her body pressing flush against his. The blood gushing from Li Huowang’s wounds quickly stained her light-colored clothes red.

"Ahh..." A look of satisfaction crossed Bai Lingmiao's face.

Looking at this unfamiliar version of Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang was about to speak when she tilted her head slightly and kissed him.

A few breaths later, Bai Lingmiao slowly raised her head, studying Li Huowang once more. A slight smile curled at the corner of her mouth as she laughed again.

Li Huowang, trembling, cupped her face in his hands, his expression one of intense inner struggle. "Lingmiao, please don’t do this..."

Just like Lü Xiucai before her, the malevolent aura of the Zisu Sword had ultimately altered Bai Lingmiao’s personality.

Her expression gradually calmed, returning to the gentle girl she once was. With bashful eyes, she asked softly, "Senior Brother Li... is it like this?"

Just as hope flickered in Li Huowang’s eyes, Bai Lingmiao’s shyness instantly gave way to excitement. "Hahahaha! How could that be?! Are you dreaming?!"

"I don’t want to go back to that miserable, self-pitying ghost-like state anymore! I don’t care about anything anymore! I’m completely free!"

"If I’d known I could feel this good, I would’ve taken your sword ages ago! Besides, look at how you are, and then look at me! We’re perfect for each other! Hahahaha!!"

As she spoke these wild words, occasional traces of something celestial appeared on Bai Lingmiao’s face—like tiny pointed ears or a few scales of a serpent.

Hearing such shocking statements, Li Huowang, whose face twisted in agony, trembled as he pulled her into his arms. "Lingmiao... I'm sorry..."

Bai Lingmiao leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes. She breathed in the strong scent of blood from Li Huowang’s body, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "Li Huowang, you can return to Niu Xin Village now. Everyone is waiting for you."

Li Huowang released Bai Lingmiao, his gaze complex as he looked upon her familiar yet strange face.

After wrestling with his thoughts for a long while, he said to her, "Rest assured, since this all started because of me, I will find a way to make you return to your original self."

But unexpectedly, as soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, Bai Lingmiao’s expression turned fierce. She raised her slender, soft right hand and plunged it directly into Li Huowang’s chest, gripping the burning heart tightly.

"Did you even listen to what I said? I said this feeling is liberating! What gives you the right to decide what kind of person I should become?" Bai Lingmiao raised her sharp black nails slightly, gently inserting the tip into Li Huowang’s heart.

In the next instant, dozens of tentacles burst out from within Li Huowang’s body, wrapping tightly around Bai Lingmiao’s arm, preventing her from moving further.

"Li Sui, don’t do this," Li Huowang commanded in pain, and Li Sui’s tentacles slowly retracted.

With a smile that was neither entirely joyful nor entirely serious, Bai Lingmiao withdrew her hand from Li Huowang’s chest and wiped the blood off on his body.

After finishing these actions, Bai Lingmiao quickly moved closer, nestling into Li Huowang’s arms like a little bird.

Yet unlike her affectionate gesture, the words coming from her mouth were sharp and thorny. "Don’t think I’ll be stuck with you forever. Who knows if we’ll even get married. I’m a living, breathing person, not some trinket attached to your body, Li Huowang."

Li Huowang looked at Bai Lingmiao with a complicated expression. He no longer felt the same agitation as before. Since things had happened, how could he deal with the aftermath?

While Li Huowang was still pondering, others arrived. They first sighed at the corpse of Xin Zhuo on the ground, then turned their attention to Bai Lingmiao.

Bai Lingmiao, however, showed no fear, her demeanor bold as she stared back defiantly.

"Elder Brother Er, as the saying goes, 'marry a virtuous wife.' Your wife has quite a temper. If you really live together, there'll be nothing but chaos every day," Tuoba Danqing said with the tone of someone who had lived through it all, offering advice to Li Huowang.

Before Bai Lingmiao could respond, Li Huowang stopped her.

Clearly, Ji Xiang didn’t think this was the right time to discuss such matters.

"Hey, Danqing, do you really think now is the time to talk about this? Let’s go back quickly—I’m exhausted."

The previous ordeal left Ji Xiang looking weak and unsteady, as if he might collapse at any moment. A weary group slowly walked forward.

Supported by Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang’s mind kept drifting back to the past, recalling every glance and smile of Bai Lingmiao.

"No, I can't let Bai Lingmiao turn into this. There must still be a chance to bring her back!" Li Huowang firmly thought to himself.

If I can overcome such impossible tasks, then surely I won’t fear this minor curse entering my body?

With determination, Li Huowang quickly turned his gaze toward the others around him. If he had been like a headless fly before, perhaps those nearby could help him with this matter.

But with Bai Lingmiao beside him, asking questions wasn’t convenient.

On the journey back, no one spoke. Each person was lost in their own thoughts.

They moved slowly, and after the earlier interruption, when night fell, they unsurprisingly did not reach the nearest village.

There was nothing more to say. They gathered firewood and lit a campfire, gathering around it to rest.

Like before, Bai Lingmiao and Li Huowang lay embraced in sleep, a sensation they hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Yet clearly, both were unable to sleep. Under the glow of the firelight, their eyes met.

Seeing Li Huowang staring at her, Bai Lingmiao’s lips curved slightly. She leaned close to his ear and whispered mischievously, "What are you staring at? Still injured like that, and you still want to...?"

Li Huowang sighed deeply, pulling Bai Lingmiao into his arms with tenderness.

Bai Lingmiao tore open the skin of Li Huowang’s chest and buried her head inside, kissing his beating heart. "Don’t worry. I’m still the Bai Lingmiao who fought alongside you through life and death."

"All the things we went through on this journey, I haven’t forgotten a single one. Almost nothing has changed. Only the way I think about things has shifted."

"But... it’s still changed..." Li Huowang’s voice carried a hint of guilt and helplessness.

"Oh? Then tell me, Li Huowang, have you stayed exactly the same throughout this journey? You’ve changed too, haven’t you?"

"Changed?" The idea flashed through Li Huowang’s mind, and he shook his head forcefully. "No, I haven’t changed. I’m still Li Huowang."

"Is it worth pretending to yourself like this?" Bai Lingmiao gave him a sidelong glance.

"You’ve changed far more than I have. The old Li Huowang wouldn’t have chopped off his own fingers or plucked out his own eyeballs."

"So the old Li Huowang was Li Huowang, but the new one isn’t?"