Chu Yang held the jade pendant that Xiao Qi had left behind, his expression complex. "Why did you leave without saying goodbye? Why didn't you tell me…"
Chu Yang felt a heavy burden in his heart as he recalled the recent times spent with Xiao Qi. There was no doubt that Xiao Qi's behavior had been abnormal during that period. He had noticed it and even paid attention to it, but why hadn't he delved deeper into it?
Chu Yang held his head in his hands, tormented by pain. He tried to find clues from their past memories together to determine where the little fox might have gone. However, he found nothing.
Chu Yang was filled with guilt and murmured to himself, "I should have realized it sooner. I noticed his odd behavior long ago, but I didn't take it seriously..."
Now, he was worried that the little fox had gone to a very dangerous place and might encounter an accident. If that were the case, Chu Yang would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
During this time, Chu Yang tried to self-hypnotize, telling himself that perhaps Xiao Qi was just being playful and had run off to have some fun, and it wasn't as he feared. However, this reasoning did not ease Chu Yang's mind. He grew more and more anxious, constantly wandering the land, hoping to find a trace of Xiao Qi.
Before leaving the last place he and Xiao Qi had stayed, Chu Yang left a part of his will in that area, allowing him to sense everything that happened there. If Xiao Qi returned, he would know immediately.
Chu Yang seemed almost crazed, frantically searching for Xiao Qi's whereabouts. He even returned to the ancient forbidden land and searched every corner but found no trace of Xiao Qi. It was as if she had completely disappeared from this world, leaving no sign that she had ever existed.
Chu Yang searched many places—the mortal world, the celestial realm, all the major forbidden areas—but still found nothing. To find Xiao Qi, Chu Yang even went to the Tianjian Sect and sought the help of his former master, the Sword Sovereign, who had deeply hurt him, to help search for Xiao Qi. Despite the entire Tianjian Sect's efforts over several days, there was still no news.
This made Chu Yang very worried and desperate. He stood on a mountaintop, crying out in sorrow, "Xiao Qi, where did you go?"
That night, the pitch-black sky enveloped the land as Chu Yang pondered all the possible places Xiao Qi might have gone. Xiao Qi was a celestial fox; perhaps after her bloodline curse was lifted, she returned to the demon clan? Suddenly, this thought occurred to Chu Yang. He believed that maybe Xiao Qi had simply returned to her clan and it wasn't as he feared.
Chu Yang's eyes lit up. With this realization, he immediately prepared to go to the demon clan's territory to find her. Just then, an unexpected change attracted Chu Yang's attention.
The jade pendant left by Xiao Qi suddenly glowed with a brilliant cyan light, catching his eye. Chu Yang was stunned; from the jade pendant, he sensed a wisp of Xiao Qi's soul.
It was clear that Xiao Qi had left something within the pendant. However, Chu Yang's heart suddenly filled with unease. The cyan beam shot into the sky, illuminating the dark night and gathering countless points of light, which then formed an image. The figure that appeared was Xiao Qi!
"Big wooden head, first of all, I apologize for leaving without saying goodbye," said Xiao Qi in the image, her face always adorned with a bright smile as she greeted Chu Yang in the dark night.
However, her sapphire-like eyes were filled with tears. Chu Yang was stunned, his gaze fixed on the image Xiao Qi had left, his sense of foreboding growing stronger.
"The soul imprint on the jade pendant only appears after my death, so when you see it, it means I'm already dead."
"Originally, we agreed to live and die together, to be inseparable, but now such a change has happened."
"I didn't want to leave like this. I really wanted to stay by your side, to travel this world with you and see the red dust. I still have so many things I want to do, places I want to go, delicious foods I want to eat. It's such a pity to leave with these regrets."
As Xiao Qi spoke, tears already filled her face, flowing down her cheeks continuously, though she tried hard to maintain a bright smile. She wanted Chu Yang's last memory of her to be her most beautiful moment, not her crying. But the sorrow in her heart made her tears fall uncontrollably.
The image paused for a moment as Xiao Qi composed herself, trying to appear as strong as possible.
"I never told you, but my real name is Bai Xiao Qi."
"I am from the Celestial Fox Clan. In the entire demon race, our Celestial Fox Clan is part of the royal family, and my father was the Demon Emperor at that time, ruling over the entire demon race."
"However, later on, a seemingly insignificant clan within the demon race silently gave birth to an emperor-level powerhouse for unknown reasons. He overthrew my father's rule and took control of the entire demon race, launching endless hunts against our Celestial Fox lineage."
"Only a few of us Celestial Foxes managed to escape in the chaos. We thought we had made it to safety, but we were too naive. The new Demon Emperor used supreme means to cast a bloodline curse on the Celestial Fox Clan."
"My clansmen, my brothers and sisters, all died before my eyes because of the bloodline curse. Even my father's heavenly powers were useless against it."
"The Demon Emperor sensed my existence, lifted the bloodline curse on me, and used my parents to force me to return to Tian Yao Mountain. I knew that going back meant certain death, but how could I ignore my father and mother?"
"I'm telling you this so you won't search for me anymore. Anyway, I'm already dead. You must live well!"
"Don't think about avenging me; the Demon Emperor's power is beyond your imagination. Going there would be futile."
"We both have tragic fates. I once thought that with the bloodline curse lifted, I would finally be free, but I still couldn't escape such a fate."
"We went through so many hardships just to survive..."
"In fact, for two people with such tragic fates, it's already good that one of us survived. No matter what, don't give up on yourself!"
"Big wooden head, remember me, don't forget Xiao Qi!"