Chapter 110: It's All Over

The knuckles of the hand Dan Heng had wrapped around her Cloud-Piercer spear finally loosened, only to clench tight once more as a sharp throb pulsed at her temples. That suffocating sense of powerlessness, with no outlet to vent, threatened to overflow and course down the spear’s shaft.

She stared at Chen’s face, which was practically a billboard broadcasting the message: ‘Even if you’re mean to me, I’ll just like you more.’ She had to physically suppress the urge to grind her teeth.

In her long life, she had faced down relentless enemies and contended with utterly unreasonable monsters. But she had never, ever encountered a fellow so impervious, one who only seemed to grow more audacious with every setback. And yet, his eyes were so clear, his expression a perfect picture of heartfelt passion. You couldn’t hit him, and scolding him was pointless. He was a piece of sticky, unyielding toffee—impossible to warm up and impossible to shake off.

[Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong-dong!]

A sudden, cheerful cascade of notification chimes erupted from within Chen’s tattered silk robes.

Subconsciously, Chen reached inside his borrowed garments. It was his original communication terminal; he’d kept it close for convenience even after transforming. He habitually pulled it out. The screen was already spiderwebbed with cracks from the earlier explosions and tumbles, but it was still stubbornly lit, displaying an unread voice message.

The sender’s avatar was a tiny, chibi version of Bronya.

“Bronya, are you doing well?”

A gentle male voice, tinged with concern and a hint of hesitation, echoed clearly from the terminal’s speaker.

In an instant, Chen was petrified. The hand holding the terminal froze in mid-air, his mind a canvas of pure, static white.

‘Holy crap! Bronya?! Why is he sending a message now?!”And he even used “Bronya”?! It’s over, it’s over, it’s all over!”I’m so cooked!’

Almost mechanically, his head tilted upward, inch by agonizing inch. His gaze crept slowly from the chibi Bronya avatar on the screen to the face of the woman standing directly across from him.

And then, he saw it.

On Dan Heng’s face, the layer of frost didn’t just melt—it was replaced by a slow, dawning, utterly relieved smile.

“So that’s how it is.”

She uttered those four words softly, her gaze drifting from Chen’s frozen expression… to the terminal in his hand, still displaying the sender’s nickname, “Bronya”… and then back to his soot-covered Tingyun face.

Her smile deepened, even taking on an expression that could almost be described as… pleasant.

“It seems,” she began, her voice deceptively light, “that our Miss Tingyun has some… other matters to attend to first?”

She took a single step forward. The tip of her spear wasn’t raised, merely hanging casually by her side, yet an invisible pressure radiated from her, making the fine hairs on Chen’s neck stand on end.

“For instance,” she continued, her eyes glinting, “something involving that Bronya from Belobog?”

Chen: “…”

His mouth opened, a desperate attempt to formulate a defense already forming on his lips. “That… actually, I can explain…”

“No rush.” Dan Heng interrupted him, her smile never wavering. “Once we’re somewhere safe, you can explain everything. Slowly.”

She paused, letting the words hang in the air. “About your love at first sight, your divination, your hundred-and-fifty-year career as a Foxian girl, and… Bronya.”

With every word she spoke, Chen felt another layer of his secret identity being peeled away.

Li Sushang watched the two of them trade cryptic remarks, her expression completely dazed. “Belobog? Bronya? Sister Tingyun, you…”

Luocha, on the other hand, crossed her arms with keen interest. Her gaze shifted between Chen and Dan Heng, a silent acknowledgment that this unexpected turn of events was far more entertaining than she could have anticipated.

Just then, the pleasant smile on Dan Heng’s face grew even wider.

“But before that,” she said, her gaze sweeping over Chen’s messy appearance, from the stray, soot-dusted fox ear peeking out… to his charred collar, and finally back to his eyes, which were screaming ‘it’s over, it’s over.’

“Can I beat you up first?”

She said it so naturally, so calmly, as if she were merely making a small, perfectly reasonable request. But in the depths of her cold eyes, there was a clear eagerness to finally act—the look of someone who had found a proper outlet for a long-suppressed storm of emotion.

Chen (Tingyun Form): “!!!”

‘Holy crap! She’s being that direct?!”Teacher Dan Heng, your character is breaking! What happened to being the calm and composed one?!’

Li Sushang was also startled into a stutter. “M-Miss Dan Heng! You can’t do that!” she cried out. “Sister Tingyun, although she… although she’s a bit… she doesn’t deserve this!”

The smile at the corners of Luocha’s lips deepened, and she even shifted her posture slightly, as if finding a better angle to watch the impending show. She whispered, “Hmm… it’s only natural. Little Brother Li, no need to panic. Miss Dan Heng knows what she’s doing.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing.” Dan Heng nodded, seeming to agree with Luocha’s assessment, though her gaze never once left Chen. “Just a friendly spar. To help you clear your head and, incidentally… relieve some of my stress.”

Chen’s legs felt like jelly, and he subconsciously took a step back. Looking at the “you’re not escaping this beating today” expression plastered all over Dan Heng’s face, his mind raced.

‘What do I do, what do I do? Give in? Beg for mercy? Keep playing dumb?”It’s useless… Dan Heng has actual murderous intent now! Even if it won’t kill me, it’s definitely going to hurt! A lot!’A stray, absurd thought cut through his panic.’But at least it’ll genuinely relieve her stress. Does this count as completing the mission?’

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]