Griffin

Gu Baiyi stood at the peak of the Heaven-Piercing Staircase for fourteen days.

Few disciples were willing to climb the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, but as she leaned against the old tree, counting the wild geese in the sky, she knew there was one person who would certainly make it to the top.

For dozens of days, the sun had set, only to rise again in slow, steady cycles.

Gu Baiyi gazed at the distant, unreachable blue sky, narrowing her eyes slightly. She reached out, as if trying to touch the geese soaring past.

At that very moment, a glimpse of white appeared at the stone steps below, followed by a small fox trotting along.

The newcomer had exquisite features, though her steps were unsteady.

Upon reaching the top of the staircase, she seemed to lose her strength, letting go of the sword in her hand as her body tilted forward, collapsing toward the ground.

Gu Baiyi frowned slightly before shifting in an instant, catching the falling figure in her arms.

The woman's waist was slender. Instinctively, Gu Baiyi supported her with a hand, only to be surprised by the unexpectedly soft and smooth sensation beneath her palm. She paused, momentarily dazed.

She parted her lips, intending to say something to Ji Rong, but the woman in her arms had already closed her eyes, seemingly unconscious.

The small fox, seeing that Gu Baiyi had ignored it, circled her impatiently before leaping onto her shoulder, its round eyes blinking in mild frustration. It let out two dissatisfied whimpers.

"Let's find a place to rest first."

Gu Baiyi coughed lightly, as if offering an explanation, though it wasn't clear to whom. Then, employing "Wind and Moon Without a Trace," she disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye.

The fox squinted at Gu Baiyi's ear. That delicate, porcelain-white earlobe seemed to have turned an unmistakable shade of red.

With a long sigh, the fox muttered to itself, how the world had changed. The once-dreaded demon clans were growing purer by the day.

…

"So why are you here?"

Ji Rong furrowed her brows, looking displeased. Gu Baiyi stood before her like a door guardian, making her feel utterly drained.

If it had been Lan Cen or Junior Sister Yun Ying who appeared instead, she would have been delighted.

She didn't ask for much. Even if it were that useless male protagonist, it would still be better than facing death itself.

After all, wherever the heroine was, trouble followed, bloodshed, battles, and endless peril. It was an unchanging law of this world.

Gu Baiyi, oblivious to Ji Rong's thoughts, merely smiled. "A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold. Since I said I would wait for my Senior Sister, I meant it."

Ji Rong eyed Gu Baiyi's seemingly sincere smile and scoffed internally. Heh. The same Gu Baiyi who could kill without blinking in-game now dares to call herself a gentleman?

Instead of answering, she changed the subject. "Where are we now?"

Gu Baiyi smiled faintly and answered truthfully, "We are in Duanyan Mountain, inside the Tianshui Secret Realm."

Duanyan Mountain?

Ji Rong let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, the heroine hadn't recklessly ventured into the more dangerous regions of the mystic realm. Compared to the Yunwu Swamp map, Duanyan Mountain was relatively safer…

Just as she was comforting herself, a panicked cry suddenly rang out from the distance.

"Fellow cultivators, help! A griffin—!"

Ji Rong's expression shifted as she turned her head sharply.

From the depths of the forest, a figure in red burst out of the dense greenery, looking utterly disheveled. The person clutched a folded fan, clearly fleeing for his life.

The moment he spotted Ji Rong and Gu Baiyi, his eyes lit up, and he sprinted toward them with renewed vigor. His voice grew even louder, "Senior Sister! Senior Sister Ji, save me!"

Ji Rong's instincts flared with alarm. With Xie Bai, this walking disaster, nothing good ever happened.

Sure enough, before she could even react, a massive shadow loomed over the clearing.

Ji Rong and Gu Baiyi exchanged glances before looking up, only to be met with the dazzling sight of golden feathers.

Higher up, their gazes landed on a colossal beast.

Its head and forelimbs were covered in golden eagle feathers, while its hindquarters bore thick, dark-brown fur.

An eagle's head, a lion's body, its blazing eyes gleamed with fiery brilliance, and its talons were sharp and deadly, capable of ending lives in an instant.

[Griffin: A ferocious beast from the Yunwu Swamp. Danger rating: Three stars.]

[Ding! Friendly reminder: According to the Sword God setting, one star = Spiritual Communication Realm, two stars = Heart-Seeking Realm, three stars = Riding the Wind Realm. Please take this into account, dear player.]

Ji Rong: "..."

Damn it. Just how did Xie Bai manage to lure a Riding the Wind-level beast all the way from the Yunwu Swamp map to Duanyan Mountain, which is thousands of miles away? This makes no sense.

[Dear, I'm just a system. I know nothing~]

As Ji Rong was arguing internally with her system, the griffin let out a piercing screech. Its eyes blazed with unbridled fury as it dived straight for Xie Bai.

Gu Baiyi watched leisurely, amusement flickering in her eyes as Xie Bai dodged frantically. She made no move to help.

After all, she had a grudge against Xie Bai in her past life. Letting him die here wouldn't be a bad thing.

She turned her gaze toward Ji Rong, only to see her frown slightly, fingers already brushing against the hilt of the Qinghe Sword as if preparing to intervene.

Oh? She had never known her senior sister to be the charitable type.

In truth, Ji Rong didn't care much. If Xie Bai died, she would gladly celebrate, but he was, after all, a fellow villain.

With him around, the protagonist had more than one enemy to focus on. If he died, she would bear all the heat alone, increasing her chances of getting killed.

Weighing the pros and cons, Ji Rong acted.

Xie Bai's dodging, though clumsy, carried a surprising steadiness. His eyes remained unusually calm.

As Ji Rong leaped into action, sword in hand, a faint smile appeared on Xie Bai's face. He sidestepped the griffin's talons and called out loudly, "Senior Sister, over here! Xie Bai is right here!"

Ji Rong had been gathering spiritual energy, ready to unleash Thunderstrike, but his sudden shouting disrupted her focus. Her sword movement faltered slightly.

A bolt of violet-black lightning descended, striking the griffin's back.

The beast let out a furious screech as the scent of scorched feathers filled the air.

It glanced at its burned back and roared in fury, spreading its wings. Its sharp beak, like a spear, shot toward Ji Rong with deadly speed.

Ji Rong swiftly retreated, dodging the griffin's enraged attack.

Meanwhile, Xie Bai leaped onto a pine tree's highest branch.

Still adding fuel to the fire, he grinned and shouted, "Ah, ah! Senior Sister Ji is truly formidable! Xie Bai is in awe!"

As the griffin lunged toward her once more, Ji Rong could no longer tolerate it. She raised her sword to block the attack and snapped coldly, "Shut up."

"Alright, alright. I won't disturb Senior Sister. I'll shut up now," Xie Bai said cheerfully.

Although he was all smiles as he looked at Ji Rong, his gaze flickered toward Gu Baiyi.

On the other side, Gu Baiyi wore a gentle smile, yet as the griffin charged at Ji Rong, she lifted her silver sword and twirled it in a graceful flourish.

Her strike was sharp and precise. Her slender, fair hand held the sword hilt with the ease of plucking a flower.

With a single thrust, the pristine white blade pierced straight into the griffin's heart. The motion was fluid, without the slightest hesitation.

The beast let out a mournful cry as its massive body crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, smothering the roaring flames beneath it.

However, the one who had slain it remained unfazed. With an elegant smile still lingering on her lips, Gu Baiyi withdrew her blood-stained Hanshui Sword.

Xie Bai raised an eyebrow before clapping his hands together in admiration. "As expected of Senior Sister Gu. That swordplay was truly formidable, to think you could slay a griffin in just one move."

Gu Baiyi chuckled softly. "You flatter me. I merely borrowed Senior Sister's momentum from her previous strike. There's nothing impressive about it."

It turned out that the sword technique she had just used was Manting Fang—the follow-up move to Thunderstrike. When the two techniques were combined, their power was extraordinary.

The griffin, though a three-star beast, was only at the initial stage of the Riding the Wind realm. Moreover, Xie Bai had already worn it down significantly. Now, faced with two Heart-Seeking realm cultivators, it stood no chance.

Especially since Ji Rong, after ascending those nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, could now wield her sword techniques with flawless precision.

As for Gu Baiyi, her Yu Fei technique had reached the seventh stage—Red Lotus. If she hadn't been deliberately suppressing her cultivation, she would have already stepped into the Riding the Wind realm.

So it was only natural that the beast was slain effortlessly.

Despite Gu Baiyi's serene smile, Ji Rong felt a mix of shock and suspicion. She was starting to question reality itself.

How was this lunatic even stronger than someone who had paid for an advantage? Was she hacking or something?

Noticing Ji Rong's conflicted gaze, Gu Baiyi turned to her with a soft look and asked, "Senior Sister, are you hurt anywhere?"

Ji Rong stared at the heroine's smile, as delicate as a blooming white lotus, then silently turned her head away, remaining expressionless.

Tch. Can't handle it, huh?

Cheating bastard, stay the hell away from me.

Gu Baiyi was slightly puzzled but had long grown used to Ji Rong's occasional cold demeanor. She merely smiled and let it pass.

Xie Bai, meanwhile, grinned as he tried to smooth things over. He showed no guilt for being the root of the problem and even shamelessly declared, "The two of you are truly exceptional. From now on, I'll be entrusting my life to you, Senior Sisters."

Both women turned in unison to stare at him.

Their sharp gazes seemed to ask: How can someone be this shameless?

After a long pause, Gu Baiyi said gently, "Junior Brother Xie, I'm afraid I cannot afford to take responsibility for your life."

Xie Bai clutched his chest in mock heartbreak. "Senior Sister Gu, those words wound me deeply. Then what about Senior Sister Ji? My life—"

Ji Rong cut him off with a calm expression. "What does your life have to do with me?"

Without another word, she turned and walked away, with Gu Baiyi following suit.

Xie Bai called after them pitifully, "Really? You're both so beautiful and kind, are you truly going to leave me behind?"

Tch. As if.

Ji Rong bitterly regretted saving Xie Bai. She would rather walk hand in hand with "Death" itself than exchange another word with this weirdo.

Meanwhile, Wu Yan, who had been napping beside the fire, was startled out of its sleep when the griffin's corpse suddenly crashed down next to it. Still shaken, the fox let out a long sigh before reluctantly trailing after the two women.

Their figures gradually disappeared into the night.

As for Xie Bai, he slowly let his heartbroken act fade, the corners of his lips curling into an amused smile.

He traced his fingers over the jade pendant on his folding fan, recalling the words of a certain noble figure. Then, he let out a quiet chuckle.

Blood pooled beneath the griffin's corpse, seeping into the moonlit ground where yuejian flowers grew.

Xie Bai stepped closer, his gaze settling on the beast's wide, lifeless eyes. He reached out a finger and gently traced its shimmering, glass-like surface.

Ancient texts spoke of the ferocious beasts of the Yunwu Swamp, the eagle-faced, lion-bodied creatures whose luminous eyes shone like precious gems, clear as crystal.

His fingertip brushed over the griffin's translucent cornea, and as he looked into its jewel-like pupil, a trace of nostalgia flickered across his face.

It reminded him of the luminous pearls the young noblemen used to flaunt in their childhood games, boasting that their family's treasures shone even brighter than a griffin's eyes.

"How laughable," Xie Bai murmured.

With a soft smile, he curled his fingers and dug into the griffin's eye socket.

A slick, crystalline orb rolled into his palm, reflecting the moonlight in a dazzling array of colors, far more brilliant than any so-called priceless luminous pearl.

He gazed at the amber-like eye with an almost wistful expression before slowly clenching his fists.

Without hesitation, he crushed it.

Blood and viscous fluid oozed from between his fingers as the griffin's corpse lay abandoned among the scattered firewood, reeking of death.

The night stretched on, silent and cold beneath the moon's indifferent glow.