BXBX NOVEL Chapter 248: One Good Turn Deserves Another in Kind
Chapter 248: One Good Turn Deserves Another in Kind
‘No, that’s not quite true, is it?…’
After all, that off-limits sacred ground had once been desecrated by that evil woman’s fangs before.
Humiliation and indecency flooded her mind, painting her milky complexion with the thin blush of a perfectly ripe apple.
“Ugh…” Bai Ji snapped out of her daze.
“Slurp…”
“No, you can’t do this… That’s…”
“Slurp…”
“That’s forbidden…”“Slurp…”
“Stop it… You can’t just feed on your own kind like that! Don’t you know that only lovers or married couples are allowed to drink from each other?! Get off me, you perverted creep. Other than my Royal Mother – That old witch Lilias, no one had ever dared lay a hand on me there!”
She strenuously raised her arms to pound on the head pressed against her neck. The gesture was as childishly futile as a bunny’s tantrums, yielding no effect whatsoever.
Bai Ji’s anger was completely lost on Lin, who continued her feeding, sinking her fangs and relentlessly drawing blood. Her emotionless, vacant eyes saw nothing of the girl’s suffering below; Driven by her instinct, she craved only to satisfy her hunger and find gratification.
“S-Stop…” Bai Ji’s struggles faltered as her strength and magic energy diminished along with her blood.
Like a snowball gaining momentum, the more she struggled, the more powerless she became.
Her hunger finally appeased, Lin cleaned the blood from her lips with a flick of her tongue and pushed herself up using Bai Ji as support.
Now, with her magic replenished, Lin’s eyes gleamed with energy and her previously mangled left arm regenerated at breakneck speed. The girl then turned her gaze towards Bai Ji, who had finally gotten up into a sitting position, her limbs hanging heavy and lifelessly in the air.
However, before she could fully stand up, a magic projectile mercilessly exploded on her body.
Her small, silvery-white figure was thrown backward, trailing wisps of black smoke in her wake.
“Cough, cough… Tossing me aside after using me, huh? You heartless, big-boobed jerk.” Bai Ji forced out a self-deprecating joke1, despite the conditions she was in. Leaning powerlessly on her scythe, she dragged her exhausted body upright and shakily stood up once more.
The substantial blood loss had severely crippled her mobility and regenerative ability. Meanwhile, her opponent, Lin, had made a complete recovery, instantaneously recovering from her near-death state to full health.
‘How did I lose with all the odds stacked in my favor?’
The harsh truth hit Bai Ji like a physical blow to the head: when it came to using their vampire bodies in combat, Lin was leagues ahead of her. It was that difference in experience that had allowed her to turn the tables so decisively.
“Huff, huff… Bai Ji steadied her ragged breathing all while her beautiful eyes locked onto Lin.
Perhaps she still had a chance if they fought at close range.
However, she knew that her opponent – a mage with abundant magical reserves – would not be foolish enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat, something that was out of their element.
A low chant filled the air.
[Despair Class – The Howls of Voracious Wolves]
A torrent of magical energy erupted, swiftly coalescing into a physical form under the caster’s manipulation and guidance.
A pack of lifelike wolves, made of magical particles, appeared, seemingly harbinging a full-moon. With howls that pierced the air and eyes that blazed with murderous intent, they lunged at Bai Ji.
The skies and earth grew noticeably darker. The charging wolves moved towards her like a living storm, determined to deliver a final fatal blow to their prey. There would be no ultimatums – only a ferocious onslaught that was about to unfold.
Powerless to dodge or even move her demon wings, Bai Ji was forced to endure the full brunt of the magical wolves’ assault, which descended upon her in a frenzy.
Her petite figure was like a small boat tossing mercilessly in a stormy sea, destined to be consumed by its strong, terrifying waves.
With her magic depleted, the silver-haired girl lay still on the ground, eyes shut as if she was unconscious.
Lin dispersed the magic particles she had gathered in her hand, after her instinct confirmed that the body posed no threat to her; It was pointless to waste her power on someone on death’s gate.
She slowly walked toward the dying girl, her eyes scanning her surroundings for any signs of life.
After someone awakened the Ancestral Reversion Physique, their instinct would override their consciousness, compelling them to launch indiscriminate attacks on friend or foe alike. To ensure the safety of their body, their ability to recover from any injuries and the speed at which their magical energies replenishes were greatly enhanced, allowing the wielder to seamlessly return to its default state after recovering from damage.
Crouching down beside the girl, Lin confirmed her death by checking her breath and pulse before looking at her snow-white neck.
To her unconscious mind, the girl was merely a vessel filled with food. After extracting all the nourishment from her prey, there was no reason to spare it even a flicker of remorse.
Baring her fangs, she pounced on Bai Ji’s shoulder, plunging her teeth deep into her foe’s flesh without hesitation.
“Slurp…”
“…???” Lin abruptly stopped feeding, a flicker of doubt clouding her vacant eyes.
Her body, driven purely by instinct, was incapable of understanding the situation at hand.
“So, what do you think? The clay has a nice, smooth consistency on your tongue, right?”
At that moment, Bai Ji, who Lin had presumed dead, opened her crimson eyes with a flowery smile on her face.
[Summoning and Transfiguration Art: Shadow Clay Doppelganger]
With a mental command, she dispelled the illusion she had cast over herself.
Like a cicada shedding its shell, Bai Ji slipped free from the perfect clay replica of herself. In one swift leap, she pounced on the dazed and stunned Lin before the latter could register what had happened.
While she preferred to rely on brute force whenever possible, she was not opposed to outsmarting her enemy if necessary.
Under Lilias’ diligent and questionable tutelage, Bai Ji’s understanding of combat strategies were rooted in practical application rather than abstract theories.
Against a mindless, instinct-driven foe, her intelligence was unquestionably her greatest strength.
Long before Lin cast her magic, Bai Ji had already formulated a plan in her mind.
While the magical reserves in her body had been utterly depleted, that did not mean she was out of options. She still had [Witchcraft].
It was a power appropriated from the witches, a tribe shrouded in mystery. No one who dared to infiltrate their domain and steal their sacred secret had ever emerged unscathed.
The knowledge of [Witchcraft] was primarily contained within the group, its existence largely unknown to people on the main continent, which naturally kept their distance from it out of fear.
This isolation led to the widespread misconception that [Witchcraft] did not require magic at all. In reality, it simply bypassed the caster’s internal reserves, drawing instead on external sources of power.
[Witchcraft] paid particular emphasis on borrowing strength from [Nature], requiring the caster to harmoniously combine and manipulate the [Magical Energy] scattered throughout their surroundings to shape the world around them.
Every element of nature – from the smallest blade of grass to towering trees, ancient structures, and even the earth itself, could be harnessed as a source of power. When wielded with proper techniques, they could unleash breathtaking displays of magic.
Bai Ji had heard Gordon speculate about this before – that even humans, with no innate talent for magic, could master this craft with enough practice and dedication.
However, she was aware that these low barriers of entry came at a price, for there was no clear path to mastery, and the casting rituals were excessively complex and cumbersome. On a battlefield, enemies would not give the caster time to chant and channel their magic.
Even so, Bai Ji was confident in her abilities. While she was far from being an expert in witchcraft, she had received instructions from a certain devil and was more than capable of casting a few apprentice-level spells.
One example of which was the Shadowy Clay Doppelganger spell she had previously casted. It could swiftly conjure a perfect clay replica of herself from the nether realm, allowing her true body to temporarily be concealed in that dimension while the substitute bore the brunt of the attack.
That single move, swift and impossible to anticipate, had caught her opponent off-guard and turned the tide of the battle.
With [Soul Devourer: Goutermera] now in her hands, Bai Ji commanded an overwhelming advantage in power, leaving Lin utterly helpless.
“Did my blood satisfy your palate earlier?… So, are you ready for what comes next?” Seeing her prey pinned down and struggling beneath her, Bai Ji leaned in close with a smile on her face. Mimicking Lin’s previous actions, she bared her fangs and lightly blew on her opponent’s earlobe.
Practically spent and energy depleted, Lin could only put up a futile resistance. Her slender, milky-white legs had been tightly intertwined with Bai Ji’s, incapable of making the slightest motion. Yet, despite being pinned down like a struggling chick, she continued to fight in vain.
“I’m going to begin, Lin-chan~ Don’t you move a muscle, alright? Speaking of which, isn’t it ironic how our positions have changed? One moment you’re the victor, the next the vanquished. Kind of brings to mind that life is full of ups and downs, don’t you agree? Sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some. And when you can’t change your fate, well, you might as well learn to enjoy it, right?~” Though she knew Lin was not conscious and could not hear her, this action brought her an immense sense of satisfaction, allowing her to feel a sense of triumph and vindication. It felt as if a long-standing score had been settled once and for all.
Naturally, she would never admit that she was just indulging in her own twisted desires.
“Ahh~” A thick, sour-sweet liquid entered her mouth, its rich flavor stimulating her taste buds. This awakened a ravenous hunger within her, causing the urge to fill her belly to spiral out of control.
‘This blood… It’s incredibly sweet. Not to mention the rush I am feeling right now… Turns out feeding on your own kind is way more amazing than I expected! Even better than Lemon Tea2~’”
She considered it payback with interest. That well-endowed blood sucker had bullied her for so long, and now it was time to take back what she was owed – twice over. Was it overkill? Not at all.
Having convinced herself of that, Bai Ji turned her attention back to drinking her prey’s blood.
As the blood drained from her body, Lin rapidly grew weaker with each passing moment, causing her struggles to turn stiff and slow until they ceased completely.
Only when she felt the restless legs entangled with hers fall still did Bai Ji’s mind surface from the intoxicating pleasure of satisfying her hunger.
Seeing the glazed eyes just inches away from herself, a sliver of guilt unexpectedly arose within her. Withdrawing her fangs, she licked the remaining blood from the corners of her mouth. As someone who did not discriminate when it came to blood, she was reluctant to let a single drop go to waste.
‘That’ll tide me over for now. Let’s see if you’re still going to be difficult next time, hmph~’
Bai Ji stood up and rubbed her small, round belly. Raising the shaft of her bone scythe, she struck Lin in the head, knocking her unconscious and bringing the disastrous infiltration mission to an end.
After putting [Goutermera] away, she surveyed her surroundings.
Reflecting on their mission, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Her gaze passed over the unconscious Taoist, Pian Zi, and landed on a familiar figure slumped in the corner – Gordon-‘chan’, who was still out cold in his cross-dressing attire.
Bai Ji was utterly astonished. The mysterious man, who seemed to embody the very image of righteousness, was actually a pure and innocent young ‘girl (♂)’. This was something she could never have imagined.
Even more surprising was the fact that the unassuming parasite was a hidden expert as well, possessing the legendary Ancestral Reversion Physique.
‘Thank goodness, she was out cold. It would be a disaster if she had her memories intact… She’d definitely blow this thing out of proportion and vilify me for sure! Maybe even blackmail me with it…’
‘Well, forget it.’
She would wait for her human form to fully regenerate before dragging her unconscious teammates back to their hideout.
- The author uses the term “Ah Q”, who is a fictional character in Lu Xun’s story. He is known for his use of “spiritual victory” – a defense mechanism where he convinces himself of victory even in a bad situation.
- The author is making a reference to Vita Lemon Tea, a popular beverage brand based in Hong Kong.