Legacy World 3.19 LongFei's Fight

LongFei could easily sense MengYao's bloodlust directed at BaiXue. It made his heart thump wildly and uncontrollably in urgency. However, he could not seem to break out of the obsessive thoughts about FengJiao in his mind that held him there.

His face scrunched up in annoyance and agony. His mind compelled him to fly back to tend to FengJiao and give her the cure-all antidote. His heart warned him that there was something else far more important than FengJiao that he had to attend to right now.

All of a sudden, the softest yet most significant cry of pain in his life reached his ears, and struck a chord within him. It snapped him back to the present and he looked towards the source of it. The sight of a maroon rabbit all curled up into a ball and shivering uncontrollably with a black phoenix nearing dangerously close to her made him see red and lose his mind in a panic. He flew at the fastest speed he could go and the sound was like cutting through wind itself.

MengYao fanned out flames the moment BaiXue was in his range. Within the next moment, LongFei appeared in his line of fire and swung his tail powerfully. The strength of his swing was so strong that the wind generated from it blew MengYao's flames back towards him and knocked MengYao back a short distance away.

LongFei was so enraged that he roared out in anger and spewed out flames that was twice the size of MengYao. Although MengYao surrounded himself with his fire shield while flying desperately out of its range, he could not escape unscathed this time. The biting cold from LongFei's flames was especially strong just as it was big. It weakened and seeped through his shield. He suffered significant burns and collapsed into the sea of trees below him, breaking tons of trees in his wake.

LongFei huffed then turned back to find BaiXue. Although it surprised him to no longer find her where he last saw her at, he quickly spotted her again a little distance away. However, she was still in the same state that she was in earlier. Only this time, there was a badly injured nine-tailed fox right in front of her. He immediately inferred their exchange and flew down to BaiXue's side.

LongFei gently blew out cold air. His light blue aura glistened as it surrounded BaiXue, before fading away. Being brought up to be the strongest, LongFei had been taught the way to use his aura to resist and dispel the nine-tailed fox hallucination magic. It was something his ancestors had perfected. However, this was his first time trying it, so he was still a little nervous about its effectiveness. He held his breath while he monitored BaiXue's condition.

The pain disappeared as suddenly and randomly as it had appeared. It was replaced by a different kind of cold. The cold was no longer biting but refreshing. So refreshing that it cleared her mind completely and broke the control FenFang had over her senses. Without thinking much about how it happened, BaiXue opened her eyes and went for FenFang's neck. 

Just before she could bite down, she was held back and pulled away like she was a rabid rabbit on the loose. At the same time, black flames covered where she was previously at. MengYao appeared soon after and everyone was finally gathered at the scene. 

MengYao was enraged when he saw how LongFei protectively stood by BaiXue's side. "I thought you cared about FengJiao! Didn't you protect the village with her?" 

"How is that even relevant?" 

"Because the culprit is the person you're protecting now!"

"Impossible."

"How can you be so sure? Were you with her every moment of the day?"

"..." LongFei frowned. He knew that there were indeed times when he was not with her but he was sure that she could not go down the mountain by herself. Even if she did, he believed that he would be sharp enough to notice. 

However, his mind once again became gripped in uncertainty. A sliver of doubt appeared in his mind. /What if she actually could go down now that she has a mystical form?/

His brows furrowed even more as the doubt in him grew uncontrollably. He instinctively looked at BaiXue, wishing to seek solace, and found a pair of calm and clear grey eyes looking back at him. His heart felt calmed and it thumped steady and strong for her. It helped him fight against the paranoia in him.

BaiXue looked past LongFei's fierce and intimidating expression to study the doubt and struggle in his eyes. Knowing the mental struggle he must be in, she concluded that he could no longer help her. So, she focused entirely on how she could kill FenFang before she was offered up on a silver platter to MengYao. /One more hit is all it takes... It's now or never./

BaiXue subtly contracted the muscles in her hind legs. 

"You... Did you li-"

BOOM!

The loud explosion shocked everyone still, especially BaiXue who was the closest to the source of it.

/What's he up to now?/ BaiXue looked at LongFei with wide incredulous eyes.

LongFei had his face half buried into the ground, indicating the strength he had put into his headbutt.

When BaiXue had so nonchalantly broke their eye contact to look elsewhere, complicated feelings arose inside him. He felt abandoned for it seemed that she still did not care if he was there or not. He felt disappointed for it seemed like she did not care if he believed in her or not. He also felt guilty for even doubting her. Despite it all, he could not stop the words from leaving his mouth. 

Refusing to allow even his words and behaviour to further betray and accuse BaiXue, which would further lower her opinion of him, he slammed his head into the ground, hoping that it would stop himself. At this point, he did not care if he looked ridiculous to everyone else.

LongFei lifted his head and shook the dirt off his face.

MengYao decided to make his move while LongFei was distracted. He flapped his wings and flames flew towards BaiXue. BaiXue's ears twitched. After using her hearing like she did earlier, it was as if she unlocked a new skill and she could detect sounds really easily. This time, besides the roar of the flames, there was a swifter and quieter sound of something thin slicing through the air. 

Just as BaiXue jumped up high to dodge whatever was hiding among the flames, LongFei opened his eyes and swished his tail. The same thing from before happened again. Everything was reflected back towards MengYao. MengYao kicked off the ground into the sky to dodge. So, everything headed towards FenFang instead. 

FenFang had been silently edging away from the trio, hoping to escape their notice. As a result, the flames dispersed just as it singed the tips of her tails. However, before she could feel relieved, she caught sight of MengYao's sharp black feathers that had been hidden among the flames. Her pupils constricted. She shrieked when the feathers pierced into her tails, bum, and back. "Noooo!!" 

FenFang quickly shook and removed the feathers off of her body. But it was too late. A gradual burning sensation began from where she was pierced and spread throughout her entire body. FenFang's eyes turned red and watery. She knew the torture that she was about to suffer. 

The sweltering hot sensation slowly spread from head to toe, then gradually increased in intensity. She was basically getting cooked from the inside, in an excruciatingly slow manner. The pain from her all previous injuries could not compare to it. She began to roll around on the floor as if attempting to put out a nonexistent flame. Her body also started to convulse as tears covered her face. 

LongFei witnessed the pain that FenFang was put through. /BaiXue could have been the one./ His eyes turned red as his anger continued to rise. 

Dead silence that was only broken by FenFang's cries stretched for what seemed like eternity. MengYao and BaiXue could feel LongFei's increasingly dense killing intent and no one dared to move lest they would trigger him. 

For once, BaiXue truly had no idea what LongFei would do. She believed wholeheartedly that he would somehow fulfill his role as the second male lead, and that would not spell anything good for her. However, his recent and current behaviour completely baffled her. 

"We leave." LongFei finally spoke. 

BaiXue was at a loss for words. It would make sense if he was talking to MengYao because that would mean they would be going to save FengJiao. However, she somehow felt that it was directed at her.

Not minding her lack of response as usual, he continued in a slightly gentler tone, "Let's go." Everyone could still hear his concealed and suppressed anger, especially when his killing intent had not subsided in the least.

He curled around BaiXue's body, ready to carry her away, but she jumped out before he could secure his hold on her. 

"I'm not done with what I have to do." BaiXue insisted on staying to accomplish her mission.

"Do you think I don't want to finish off that insolent bird?! I'm only leaving because it's not safe for you!" LongFei bit out harshly.

BaiXue frowned and stubbornly stayed in her defensive stance against him, ready to take off if he tried going after her.

"WHY do you have to do it?" LongFei asked through gritted teeth. 

BaiXue got a little stumped by his question. /Why?/

"... I... I just..." 

Her body slackened and she blinked blankly. /Why have I been trying so hard all these time? I'm already dead. My family's no longer with me./

LongFei patiently waited for her to answer while MengYao did not dare to interfere. He may be hot headed but he knew not to rush to his death. LongFei was currently a ticking time bomb as compared to any moment before this.

BaiXue's image of Desmond suddenly overlapped with the image of the original soul's older brother. The following words slipped out of her mouth in the smallest and most timid voice before she could comprehend it, "My brother... was proud of me."

/Even though I was nothing, till the moment I died. Till now./ Tears slowly gathered in her eyes as she processed what she said and thought.

LongFei could see the tears gathering in her eyes. His heart felt like it got clenched in a tight grip. He asked her in a strained voice, "Even if it means you'll die for it...?" 

BaiXue stared into his pained eyes then nodded resolutely.

LongFei's face reflected the conflict and turmoil inside him. He really wanted to give BaiXue what she wanted. He knew that he would be able to protect her, but his gut feeling that told him that things will not end well had not gone away. Every cell in his body was dying to whisk her away and keep her locked up and safe, even more so now that he no longer felt the annoying voice and compulsive thoughts he had about FengJiao. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore but BaiXue.

However, he wanted her to be happy too. 

Another period of silence dragged on while LongFei and BaiXue looked into each other's eyes. One pair held a gaze that was firm with no intention of backing down. The other pair held an intense but complicated gaze, resulting from the struggle between two intense desires. 

He finally took a look at FenFang's current condition. /One hit is all it takes to end her life. Just one hit. Just a few seconds. But what if that few seconds is all it takes for things to go awry? I can't take the risk. I can't lose her. I can't./

"Please?" BaiXue somehow felt that she was losing this battle, so she asked him once more.

/No, don't ask me this nicely. Please, don't./ LongFei hung his head low. Finally, he whispered his reply in a mournful voice, "I'll do my best to back you up."

BaiXue smiled slightly to show her gratitude. Then, they both took off in sync before MengYao could understand what was going on.