Vol 2. Chapter 87: You Fell for It!

On the surface, Jiu Lixue’s expression didn’t change, unruffled and unmoved—this fox spirit who never let her joy or anger show wore her disguise well enough to look convincing. Unfortunately for her, Virtue never lied. Every fluctuation of her emotions was laid bare to Vinny’s eyes; no matter how sly or skilled at acting she was, it was meaningless.

That was one of the extra advantages of the Virtue system—a natural counter against the female lead’s emotional feints.

Whether it was drama-queen Aesphyra or fox-spirit Jiu Lixue, their emotional shifts could never be hidden from him. The rise in Virtue already sold them out completely.

Seeing the Virtue counter tick upward, Vinny sneered inwardly.

Heh heh, dead fox, keep pretending. This young master just pocketed that 200 Virtue nice and clean.

Seeing that Jiu Lixue had such a strong reaction, Vinny was certain he had her attention. He used the mental-communication scroll to speak to Aesphyra, telling her he was starting to draw the demons’ focus, and that she could begin since she had finished shielding him.

“Your Majesty the Succubus Queen, don’t get worked up just yet. I know that if you panic and go for my throat, my head will hit the ground before I can even react, and this Recording Stone will be destroyed on the spot. So let me state this in advance—this Recording Stone isn’t the original. It’s just a duplicate, a reissue. Proof? This copy is in my hand right now, not in the hands of the original owner who recorded it.” Vinny smiled faintly.

“And if something happens to me, the person who gave me this copy will really release what’s inside. Oh yes,” Vinny added with a cheeky grin. “So if I were you, not only would I refrain from laying a hand on this annoying blue-haired kid, I’d also keep a close eye on your own subordinates to ensure his safety. Otherwise, well... the consequences could be truly unimaginable.”

“Think it through—are our two measly lives really more important than Your Majesty’s reputation and secrets, hard-won as you fight your way to the throne?”

“If this gets out, Your Majesty’s reign as queen will be over, won’t it? Hahaha!” Vinny burst out laughing.

[Virtue +200]

[Current Virtue: 9,204]

Good, good—looked like Jiu Lixue was starting to believe it.

Of course she was. That incident—the one that could be called the black stain of Jiu Lixue’s life—was known only to her and to Wen Nisha. Where else could the news have come from?

Unless Wen Nisha told someone, there was no other channel for it to leak.

Even if the Recording Stone in his hand was fake, it proved he had seen the footage. Otherwise, how could he know the secret inside was about her—and vitally important to her?

And this wasn’t some empty bluff—he did have something real. Only, it wasn’t a copy, it was the original, and he still had one more card up his sleeve.

If Jiu Lixue chose right now to kill him outright and destroy the Recording Stone, then yes, her secret would die with him.

Too bad that was only “if.”

Vinny knew full well this was a huge risk. If Jiu Lixue lost her cool and killed him, wouldn’t that cut off every chance of survival?

That was precisely why he could never turn into Wen Nisha. Staying as himself, there was still the tiniest chance of survival; but if he transformed, even Aesphyra couldn’t beat Jiu Lixue—Wen Nisha would be killed on sight before she could even get a word out.

If Wen Nisha appeared in front of Jiu Lixue, the situation would change completely—Jiu Lixue would throw away all hesitation and hunt her down at any cost.

He’d wrestled with whether to play that card, to take things to the absolute limit. If he did, he’d put himself permanently on Jiu Lixue’s kill list.

But risk was risk—nothing in life was without it.

Jiu Lixue was already beating Aesphyra into “Aesphyra jelly”—what was there to hesitate about? If the other side didn’t fear burning bridges, why should he?

Don’t forget—he was the Infamous Villain of the Camella Capital. When it came to ruthlessness, nobody outdid him.

“So, what exactly is it? I’m almost curious,” Jiu Lixue asked playfully.

“Your Majesty, keeping up the act isn’t fun anymore. You can’t seriously want me to release this footage, right? Nobody here will have a good time if I do,” Vinny smirked, fully aware she was still performing—hook already set, yet pretending she was in total control.

The fox demon and succubi glanced curiously at the Recording Stone in his hand. Even if the odds were low, after what he’d said, it was impossible not to be curious.

At that moment, behind Vinny, Aesphyra paused, closed her eyes slightly, and pressed her palms together. Between her hands, a clockface etched with a griffin emblem began to rotate, its edge ringed with ancient Tairyllis letters and wreaths, ticking slowly—click... click...

Earlier, she had warned Vinny via mental communication:

There will be sound and movement.

No problem, just go ahead, Vinny replied. Complaining was pointless now—he was the only one who could cover the noise.

“My demands aren’t many. How about this—you let us go, and when we reach safety, I’ll tell my good friend to hold off on making any more copies, and we’ll destroy the Stones. How’s that sound?” Vinny raised his voice, supposedly to strengthen his presence, but really to mask the sound of Aesphyra’s clockwork magic.

Of course, he didn’t believe it himself. Would Jiu Lixue? Not a chance.

From the start, he knew bargaining with this Recording Stone to buy their lives was almost impossible—too naive.

Trading the lives of two people who knew her secret for a vague promise? Any intelligent opponent would kill them on the spot—let alone a centuries-old fox spirit.

It was a bold, youthful play, lacking caution and depth—but that was fine. He wanted Jiu Lixue to see the “student” side of him, to believe in his role and buy him time.

As for negotiating? He never expected it to work.

“Otherwise, I’ll show the footage to your subordinates here, let them all witness your... unique side,” Vinny said smugly.

“Little classmate, I don’t know what’s in that Stone or why you think you can threaten me, but I’ll say this—I hate being threatened,” Jiu Lixue replied lazily, toying with her pale jade fingers.

“Heh, Your Majesty, I wasn’t raised to be afraid. You should know better than me what’s inside. The black history is secondary—the real problem is the very important, absolutely unpublishable secret, isn’t it?” Vinny shot back.

“A secret your own subordinates can’t know,” he added, deliberately sweeping his gaze over them.

“Since we’re here, I’ll speak to them too. You may think I’m bluffing, but think carefully—if your queen didn’t care about what’s in this Stone, why the rush to silence me?” he called to her trusted aides.

“Shouldn’t I just be a clown for you to watch in your spare time? Why be in such a hurry? That’s not Her Majesty’s style, is it?”

“All of you here are the best of the best—otherwise you wouldn’t be standing here. If I’m killed before I can show the footage, you’ll know exactly what that means—Her Majesty has something to hide from even her closest people!”

[Virtue +100]

[Current Virtue: 9,304]

“...” None of the confidants said a word—whether from uncertainty or because nothing they could say would be appropriate.

“Well? Your Majesty—either I release it, or you let us go.”

“Still don’t believe the Stone is real? Fine, here’s a hint—pet.” Vinny’s mouth curled as he kept dancing on the edge of disaster to buy more time.

[Virtue +300]

[Current Virtue: 9,604]

Oh-ho, that one really rattled the vixen.

“Pfft.” Arms folded, Jiu Lixue suddenly laughed. “If I were you, little classmate, I wouldn’t do this.”

“Oh?”

“You could have lived. But now—you’ve completely cut off your way out.” Her lips curved in a seductive, deadly smile.

“Is that so? I don’t think so.” Vinny pursed his lips dismissively. “The real question is, are you so unconcerned? Are you sure you want me to make this public?”

“Let you go?” Jiu Lixue’s smile deepened. “Why would I free you on the strength of a hollow promise, only for you to keep using the Stone against me?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to capture you, then use you to lure that person out and force her to submit?”

“Since you’re close enough to share this footage, she won’t abandon you to die, will she?” she said mockingly. “One move to catch you both at once—far better.”

Her logic was airtight.

The Recording Stone, meant as his bargaining chip, was now being turned into a weapon against him.

Damn it—he should’ve known.

Vinny had never thought this would truly threaten someone on Jiu Lixue’s level. What surprised him was how casually she admitted, in front of her subordinates, that someone had dirt on her.

All he could buy was the brief moment she was caught off guard, calculating how he’d gotten the Stone.

Once she decided? They’d be finished.

He wanted to ask Aesphyra if she was ready yet—he was running out of time—but feared breaking her concentration.

Ahhh! Still no sign from her! The pressure was crushing! What to do?!

Aesphyra, hurry up! If you don’t, we’re both done for!

Funny how life worked—you never knew where you’d end up. Who could have imagined the original protagonist and antagonist would now be like grasshoppers tied to the same rope, sharing fate?

No matter how shaken he was inside, Vinny couldn’t show it.

“Heh! Your Majesty, are you sure? Sure you want to push it to the limit and have her reveal your secret? Fine—if that’s the case, I’ll just let your subordinates see—”

He never finished.

Before he could widen his eyes in shock, Jiu Lixue was already over him, claws reaching for his head.

“Broadcast! Catch this!” The Idea King of Camella acted on instinct, pressing the switch and hurling the Recording Stone toward her subordinates.

Either the footage played, or she’d have to retrieve it.

He admitted—it was risky, because... the Stone in his hand was completely blank.

But he gambled right—Jiu Lixue changed course, snatched the Stone, and shut it down.

That bought him the breath he needed—no more hesitation.

He pulled out the ice-crystal earring, manifesting Frostfang, and unleashed his strongest once-per-day ice-element burst—[Ice Magic: Icefang’s Roar]!

Win or lose—everything on Frostfang, one last time!

The launched ice spear transformed into a giant ice dragon, hurtling toward Jiu Lixue and her forces.

She used fire magic, smashing the dragon to shards with one slap.

But the explosion’s ice mist and Frostfang’s lingering power were fierce—even shattered, the dragon became an ice cocoon, clinging to every part of her, including her fingers and the base of her wooden clogs.

That was Frostfang—even against Jiu Lixue, its shards could hold you for several seconds.

And the ice mist blocked the demons’ sight—they couldn’t see what Vinny and Aesphyra were doing.

In the blizzard, Vinny glanced back—Aesphyra’s eyes were open, violet like faceted amethyst, reflecting the griffin-emblazoned clock. The clock’s hands spun at a dizzying speed.

“Heh... heh heh... hahahaha!” Vinny laughed in relief, the weight on his shoulders vanishing—he knew he’d succeeded.

“Hahaha! Stupid fox! You... fell... for it!” he roared with laughter, even as Jiu Lixue lunged at his face.

He knew Aesphyra wouldn’t let her succeed.

Sure enough—a sudden stillness fell over everything and everyone.

Vinny realized Aesphyra had activated [Sacred Blessing], freezing time itself.

In her eyes, everyone except her was frozen—Jiu Lixue mid-leap, Vinny mid-laugh.

A moment later, the scene shifted—Vinny and Aesphyra were in a remote wilderness.

He didn’t know where they were, but he believed they’d escaped.

Ha... haha...

His last memory before was Jiu Lixue’s claws inches from him—so close.

That was far too close—they’d nearly been done for.

Thank the heavens Aesphyra’s protagonist cheat was god-tier; otherwise...

Just as he turned to praise her, he heard a thump. The silver-haired girl collapsed softly to the ground, blood filling her mouth and staining her collar red.