Chapter 94: A Helping Hand

Inside Yangchun Lounge, a faint scent of sandalwood lingered in one of its lavishly decorated private rooms.

On a bed as white and soft as clouds, a small white fox lay curled up. Its body looked frail, its glossy fur now dull and lifeless.

The little white fox kept its eyes tightly shut, its face contorted in pain, as if enduring unimaginable agony. Every so often its mouth would twitch, letting out a faint, pitiful whimper. Its breathing was so weak, it seemed like any moment it might stop altogether.

Beside the bed stood a beautiful young woman in a white dress. Her graceful aura made her seem almost ethereal—like a fairy descended from the clouds.

She anxiously stroked the little fox’s fur, her eyes brimming with worry and helplessness.

Su Xue’s face was as pale as a sheet, tears shimmering in her eyes as if her sister’s pain was her own.

Her name was Su Xue, the older sister of the little white fox.

Su Xue had promised their eldest sister, Su Yao, that she’d take good care of this little white fox—who was also their shared younger sister, Su Xiaoxiao.

Not long after the others had left, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly grew terrifyingly weak. Su Xue tried everything she could think of, even transferring her own demon power to help, but nothing worked.

Worry gnawed at Su Xue’s heart. She had no idea how to save her little sister.

Gently running her fingers through Su Xiaoxiao’s fur, Su Xue whispered softly, “Xiaoxiao, hang in there. Your big sister will find a way to save you!”

It was as if Su Xiaoxiao heard her words. The little fox struggled to open her eyes, looked at Su Xue for a moment, then closed them again.

Seeing that feeble response broke Su Xue’s heart even more. She knew her little sister was dangerously weak. If she didn’t find a solution soon, it might be too late.

Su Xue paced anxiously around the room, sometimes sitting, sometimes standing, scratching her head or stamping her feet in frustration.

Her mind was a tangled mess of worry and dread, like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart. It was impossible to calm down.

“How could I forget—I still have my sisters! They must have a way!” Su Xue finally slapped her forehead and flashed a glimmer of hope.

Quickly she formed a hand seal and reached out to Su Yao, explaining the whole situation in detail.

When Su Yao heard what happened, she rushed back at once, bringing everyone else with her.

…………

With a soft creak, the door swung open.

At the sound, Su Xue spun around and, recognizing who had arrived, shot to her feet—then ran over, bawling, and threw herself at her sister.

The sudden outburst left everyone a bit stunned. Su Yao felt something soft crash into her arms.

“Sister, I’ve failed you,” Su Xue sobbed, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. “I didn’t take care of Xiaoxiao. She’s so weak now. I tried everything, nothing worked—and I didn’t know what else to do so I called you.”

“It’s not your fault, Xue’er. Let’s check on Xiaoxiao first, all right?” Su Yao gently patted Su Xue’s head.

Hearing this, Su Xue obediently stepped aside. Su Yao strode to the bedside, wrapped Su Xiaoxiao carefully in her arms, and examined her thoroughly.

A long moment passed.

Su Yao’s tightly knitted brows finally relaxed.

“I’ve just checked—Xiaoxiao isn’t in any danger, it’s just the side effects from overusing her demon power,” Su Yao breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone’s anxious hearts finally settled with that news.

“But if her demon power doesn’t recover, there’s still a real risk she might not make it,” Su Yao said with a wry smile, shaking her head.

No sooner had the sisters’ relief set in than this new revelation stunned them all over again. They hurried to gather around Su Xiaoxiao’s bedside.

“Big Sis, what do we do now?” Su Wan choked out, her voice shaking with panic.

“Xiaoxiao, it’s all my fault. But I’ll save you—I swear!” Su Xue cried, collapsing to the floor with determination blazing in her eyes.

Under everyone’s shocked gaze, Su Xue made up her mind. She spit out a sparkling pink demon core and strode forward, ready to place it in Su Xiaoxiao’s mouth.

But Su Yao immediately sensed something was wrong. She rushed over, grabbed Su Xue’s outstretched hand, and snatched away the demon core.

Su Yao stared at Su Xue and scolded sharply, “Xue’er, have you lost your mind? Do you want to die? With your cultivation barely at the early Fifth Rank, giving up your demon core is no different from courting death!”

Su Xue, without her demon core, instantly became unbearably weak, collapsing on the ground, trembling.

“Big Sis, isn’t Xiaoxiao desperate for demon power? Then let her have my demon core! Who cares if I die? Xiaoxiao’s still so young—she can’t die, not yet!” Su Xue’s eyes were dazed, tears falling as she spoke.

Suddenly, Su Xue’s whole body seized before she coughed up a mouthful of hot blood.

Su Qin and Su Ran rushed to steady her, carefully helping her onto the bed.

“Sister, hurry! Give Xiaoxiao my demon core, there’s no time left!” Su Xue urged, turning her head to fix her gaze on Su Xiaoxiao.

“Hold Xue’er down, don’t let her move!” Su Yao pressed her temples in frustration. Her heart was in turmoil.

Su Qin and Su Ran nodded, then held Su Xue firmly on the bed.

Su Yao sat down beside Su Xue with the demon core in her hand.

Seeing Su Yao about to force her own demon core back into her mouth, Su Xue struggled desperately.

She clenched her jaw tight, refusing to give in.

Expressionless, Su Yao pried open her teeth and tried to put the demon core back in.

“Sister, don’t—no… mmm…” Su Xue’s body trembled violently.

She felt her demon core, now lodged in her throat, slide back down as her Adam’s apple moved—it had returned to where it belonged.

“Let her go,” Su Yao set the demon core aside and stood up, walking straight over to Gu Xiaoyao and Xie Jinxuan.

Su Qin and Su Ran released Su Xue, helping her up.

“Sister, why did you stop me? What about Xiaoxiao?” Su Xue sobbed helplessly, pounding the bed as tears streamed down her face.

“I’m not letting you do something so foolish. Besides, I already have a way to save Xiaoxiao,” Su Yao replied without looking back.

…………..

“Gentlemen, you can see how urgent things are,” Su Yao fixed her gaze on Gu Xiaoyao and Xie Jinxuan. “Please, I beg you, lend us your aid—if you do, I promise you I’ll repay you in full.”

“But if neither of you are willing, then I’ll have to use force. I hope you’ll understand,” she added, eyes flashing with a hint of menace.

“Well, since you put it like that,” Gu Xiaoyao muttered, looking at the tear-streaked sisters and feeling unable to turn his back on them, “how could we just stand by? Of course we’ll help! What do you say, Brother Jinxuan?”

Gu Xiaoyao nudged a stunned Xie Jinxuan.

“Gu Xiaoyao’s right—we can’t just do nothing!” Xie Jinxuan agreed at last.

“With both gentlemen agreeing, let’s begin right away.” Su Yao’s eyes lit up with relief.

Su Yao drew Gu Xiaoyao, Xie Jinxuan, and her sisters into a shimmering shield. Their auras intertwined, slowly merging into one.

As time ticked by—about as long as a single incense stick burns—the fusion finally finished, just as both Gu Xiaoyao and Xie Jinxuan began to tremble involuntarily.

Carefully, Su Yao released everyone from the shield.

“Losing so much yang energy at once, no wonder my back and waist ache. Guess we’ll need a few days to recover!” Gu Xiaoyao and Xie Jinxuan staggered out, both looking worn out as they rubbed their backs.

“Thank you both so much,” Su Yao bowed to them politely. “Because of you, my sisters are safe. The next few days, we’ll do everything we can to treat you as honored guests.”

………………..

Su Xiaoxiao’s breathing gradually steadied as her demon power recovered. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw the joyful faces around her, letting out a happy cry.

Su Xue scooped up Su Xiaoxiao in her arms, voice trembling with excitement. “Xiaoxiao, you’re finally awake! I was so worried about you!”

Su Xiaoxiao gave her a gentle lick on the cheek before closing her eyes again, basking in Su Xue’s warmth.