Further signs indicated that this maid was the fox demon rumored to be in the southern part of the city. As she had guessed, the demon hadn't left the Qin Manor but had instead possessed one of its maids. However, shouldn't its target be the female protagonist? Why was the current development leaning towards her beauty?
With this thought, Qin Jiujiu felt everything had an answer. Although the fox demon in the original plot was fixated on the female protagonist's body, it eventually possessed Qin Jiujiu's body. While it was out of desperation, it had indeed possessed Qin Jiujiu, and in the end, they both died at the hands of the second male lead.
Qin Jiujiu felt ashamed. Although she had altered some aspects of the plot, it was still ultimately converging towards the original narrative. Was she destined to be possessed by the fox demon and then killed by the second male lead?
Qin Jiujiu resolved to retract her previous statement about the plot being weak.
Qin Jiujiu quickly returned to her own body. It was likely that the fox demon had awakened her. She watched as the fox demon cast some sort of spell on the original body, and then she woke up.
Although Qin Jiujiu knew everything that had just happened, she still had to pretend to be oblivious to maintain her persona. Thus, she feigned terror, her appearance strikingly similar to the original Qin Yunwan. She began to yell and curse the maid's ancestors, her arrogant and overbearing demeanor making Qin Jiujiu herself chuckle. This was how Qin Yunwan was supposed to act, and for now, she had to maintain it.
A light chuckle from the fox demon made Qin Jiujiu pause for a moment, her tantrum having been quite tiring. The fox demon gradually revealed its true form before her, seemingly intending to silence Qin Jiujiu. However, to its surprise, Qin Jiujiu not only didn't shut up but became even more vociferous.
"Stop shouting. No one will hear you, and this place has been desolate for a long time. No one comes here."
At the fox demon's well-intentioned reminder, Qin Jiujiu ceased her futile cries for help. In fact, Qin Jiujiu felt her throat would be ruined if she continued screaming. But Qin Jiujiu believed that as a gifted actress, she should persevere.
"Who exactly are you? You're a demon, what do you want from me?"
Qin Jiujiu stopped her shouting and instead bombarded it with a string of questions, like a curious child. In truth, she already knew the answers to these questions. However, she had now said all the lines that were supposed to be spoken. This was the reaction Qin Jiujiu was expected to have.
"I've been your sister-in-law for three years, hahaha..."
Qin Jiujiu thought, Of course, I know that. I'm just cooperating with your act, playing along.
"Sister-in-law? Impossible, you're clearly a demon..."
"You'll find out soon enough. The next body I've chosen is yours. Don't be impatient."
Qin Jiujiu watched as the fox demon extended its claw and touched her face. Qin Jiujiu felt the sensation but didn't flinch, as it fit the original body's current state of fear and confusion.
At this moment, Qin Jiujiu was already calculating methods to escape, wondering how she could make the fox demon abandon its plan to possess her. It seemed the fox demon was quite pleased with the original body, having seemingly forgotten about the female protagonist.
"System, System, if you don't show up soon, this body will be taken by the fox demon!"
Qin Jiujiu was determined to call out the system, which had been acting dead. This time, her summons finally brought forth the system, which was even lazier than she was.
"System, the fox demon has its sights on Qin Yunwan's body, but I don't have any powers, and the protagonists have been lured to the south of the city. What should I do?"
"Host, there's no need to worry. The fox demon cannot possess Qin Yunwan's body. In the original novel, Qin Yunwan's body did not have the host's presence, which is why the fox demon could possess it. But now that you are here, and your spiritual energy cannot be affected by magic, it cannot drive you away. It tried to attack you when you were unconscious, but didn't it just wake you up when it used its magic? Unless the host fails the mission or is killed by a character in the novel, you cannot leave Qin Yunwan's body for too long."
Hearing this, Qin Jiujiu felt relieved at first, then began to sigh. This was the most the system had ever spoken. She should cherish it...
The fox demon noticed Qin Jiujiu's expression shift from fear to indifference, as if she were waiting for it to make its move. Just as it was about to begin a frightening monologue, it heard a voice from beside it, "Enough with the nonsense. Do what you want!"
Now it was the fox demon's turn to be surprised. This Qin Jiujiu was acting very strangely. When it had previously cast its magic, it couldn't enter her body at all and had instead awakened her. And the person who had been so terrified moments ago had changed her demeanor in an instant.
The fox demon didn't want to wait any longer. The longer it took, the more variables could arise. If those annoying demon hunters returned, they would surely be able to track it by its demonic energy.
When she was still Azhi and her demonic energy was potent, she could hide it well. But now, severely injured, if those demon hunters returned to the Qin Manor, they would quickly discover her whereabouts.
Only by possessing Qin Jiujiu quickly and absorbing her vital essence to recover her own would she be able to contend with those damned demon hunters.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she cast her magic again, attempting to forcefully push her soul into Qin Jiujiu's body, but to no avail.
The fox demon, of course, couldn't fathom that Qin Jiujiu's body was already occupied by someone else, and it couldn't forcibly take over the body again. Thus, the fox demon attributed all of this to its current weakened spiritual energy and the possibility that Qin Jiujiu's body was extremely incompatible with its own, preventing it from possessing her.
A trace of anger surfaced in the fox demon. It thought of Bai Qianluo again, that body being the most satisfying it had encountered in a long time.
However, the two men beside her were not weak in their cultivation, and she dared not alert them, which was why she had delayed her actions. But now, fueled by the hatred of being severely injured, the desire to seize that body reignited.
Everything that woman possessed, she wanted to take. One of the men beside her was full of righteous energy. Although his cultivation was not yet powerful, he was noble and pure, the object of many women's admiration. The other was handsome. Though he appeared delicate, his innate power was capable of destroying heaven and earth. If she were to become that woman, she would be able to enjoy all of this...