In the quiet space, the sky was utterly dark, devoid of a single star. The moonlight, too, was still, without a whisper of wind.
Not far away, the light in a room slowly flickered on. Only the dark silhouette of a woman could be seen, sometimes gliding past, sometimes moving in another direction.
“Is that her? The one Madam wants eliminated?”
A man whispered softly to the person beside him, his eyes pressed close to the paper door.
He gently poked a finger through, peering inside.
A woman with long black hair and smooth, fair skin was gliding past.
“That’s right, it’s her.”
Cửu Ly gently reached her hand up to the ceiling, preparing to turn off the light. Just as she was about to, a sound made her quickly retract her hand, her eyes darting towards the door.
‘This sound…’
The entire space fell into complete silence. Though it was somewhat dim, she could still see clearly, and she sensed someone was there.
“Who… Who’s there?”
Hiding all her fear, she shouted loudly, hoping the sound she’d just heard was merely her imagination, not from another person.
After a moment of silence, with no one speaking, she slowly dared to approach, gently placing her hand on the door and pushing it open slightly.
A sudden plunge made Cửu Ly freeze. Her eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, as she struggled to look down.
A knife was plunged into her stomach. Blood slowly dripped onto the wooden floor.
“Drip, drip,” the drops of blood fell ceaselessly. Seeing this, she couldn’t believe it; her hand, though still gripping the door, slowly slid down.
‘W-what… What’s happening?’
Still unable to believe what she saw, she thought it was just an illusion, but… then a man gently leaned close to her ear and whispered.
“You still don’t believe you’ve been stabbed, Cửu Ly?”
Hearing those words, she tried to use her last bit of strength to look at the person who had just spoken.
If she hadn’t looked, it would have been fine, but when she did, she couldn’t believe her eyes: the one who killed her was Nhã Phong?
The shock made her slowly step backward, regardless of how much the wound hurt, causing Cửu Ly to frown, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Y-you… You… Why would you do this?…”
She couldn’t believe the man who had always protected her. Even when malicious people had ill intentions, Nhã Phong was always the one to shield her, even embracing her tightly in his arms.
Although other women who saw this constantly whispered and gossiped, he paid them no mind. Instead, he would turn and glare at them as if to warn them off.
Who would have thought that in return, she would receive such a stab? Cửu Ly could only grasp the sharp knife plunged into her stomach, tears streaming down her face.
“I… I… I never thought… that… one day you would… treat… me like this?…”
She struggled to voice her thoughts, but Nhã Phong paid no attention. Instead, he pressed her body against the door.
“You…”
Without letting Cửu Ly say another word, he leaned his face close to her head and spoke.
“How unlucky for you, Cửu Ly. Don’t you know that your beauty attracted countless other men? And precisely because of that, they grew to hate you even more.”
After saying that, his hand gently lifted her chin. Seeing her eyes filled with despair, he smirked.
Hearing that, she didn’t think much and asked directly.
“So… it turns out… all this time… you saw me as nothing more than an object? All those… acts of protection… all of it… was just a pretense?”
Nhã Phong, who had been smug listening to her words, suddenly dropped his smile.
“That’s right, you’re just an object. Sooner or later, this was always my intention – to eliminate you. Nothing could stop me.”
Having said what he wanted to say, he didn’t think twice and immediately left, leaving Cửu Ly there in despair.
Watching his figure gradually disappear into the thick fog, her spirits almost completely collapsed. She could only endure the pain and take one step after another forward, but…how could she?
She couldn't even stand steadily for a moment before she fell to the ground, the knife embedding itself even deeper inside, piercing through her flesh and causing her even greater agony.
“AAA…”
No matter how piercing her scream, it failed to attract anyone's attention. She struggled to drag her blood-soaked body, searching for someone.
'Someone…help me…'
She could only think these thoughts to herself. Night had fallen, the sky completely dark, without even a sliver of light. Was…this the will of the heavens?
Not knowing why she was in such a state, Cửu Ly could only lower her head, her face clearly showing pain, yet she still tried, perhaps still hoping that someone would surely see her and come to her rescue.
No matter how much she yearned and hoped, it was all just imagination. In reality, there was no one; instead, all around her was a murky, dark void, not even a gust of wind passed by.
Everything fell silent. Cửu Ly could only shed tears, not knowing what she should do.
“Why…Why…is…this injustice happening to me? What…did I do wrong? You…T…Tell me why?”
She could only utter what she could. She didn't understand what she had done to deserve such treatment. She had thought someone was by her side, protecting her, but instead, she received a knife wound. Not only that, but also provocation—how could anyone bear it? She couldn't even believe what had just happened.
No matter what she said, there was no reply, not a single voice. The space remained just as silent, without even a whisper of wind.
Cửu Ly couldn't bear it; her eyes slowly closed. Her hand, which had been reaching out as if to touch the moon, also slowly lowered.
The blood beneath her spread from a small amount into a fresh, deep red puddle.
Her right hand lay palm down, yet still pointed ahead.
The moonlight slowly revealed itself, becoming distinct, its rays shining upon Cửu Ly's body.
Her body was still motionless, but somehow, her hair began to float, from a single strand to many.
Her hair, which had been silky black, now turned white—not an ordinary white, but one interwoven with a hint of light blue.
Her body, still lying in the pool of blood, now stood up, yet it floated, and the knife piercing through her was slowly drawn out.
Although the knife was removed, the pain was still so intense that she winced, her mouth slightly agape.
The stab wound slowly healed, but unfortunately, it left behind a scar, not completely gone.
The entire space, which had been quiet moments ago, now emitted rays of moonlight, illuminating her body.
From a person with long, silky black hair, she now had white hair interwoven with a light blue hue. The severe stab wound was now a scar, and from her back, a tail slowly emerged.
Just moments ago, the space had been pitch black, without even a glimmer of light, but now there was light, though only the moonlight shining upon Cửu Ly's body.
A glowing, round, orange orb slowly flew towards her, neither fast nor slow, but steadily approaching.
When it reached her, whether automatically or controlled by something, her tightly sealed lips slowly parted.
The spirit pill thus slowly entered her, and her floating body instantly began to glow as if radiating from a shining gem, sparkling and beautiful.
An unknown amount of time passed; the space seemed to freeze, everything utterly silent. Her expression remained unchanged, and gradually, fox ears sprouted, not unlike rabbit ears, only a touch smaller.
Her face remained utterly expressionless, silent. The tips of her eyelashes gradually shifted to a light sea-blue. The ears on her head became clearly visible, not mere adornments but actual light blue fox ears; upon closer inspection, one could even discern a faint ripple of fur.
“Perhaps… if you’re wondering why you’ve become like this, why not seek out the cause yourself, and understand why you are this way?”
A voice resonated nearby, making Cửu Ly frown slightly in thought.
This voice… whose was it?
As she registered the words, the light that had been shining on her body vanished instantly.
Instead of falling, Cửu Ly landed safely on the ground.
As if a completely different person, she slowly opened her tightly shut eyes and looked around.
“I… I’m alive again?”