LongFei was quietly sulking while resting on top of the mountain that was closest to the village. 

Just when the sun began to set, he saw a black phoenix flying towards his direction from the land beyond the mountains where BaiXue came from. Who's that? Wait... Black... Could it be? His expression turned dark and gloomy.

MengYao had visited FenFang within the past month so he already heard news of the village coercing and manipulating a mystical one into protecting them. It made him sick to the stomach. What deceitful creatures.

When the villagers caught sight of MengYao, they called everyone out to the center of the village and stood in awe. It was another phoenix! Some young children even clapped in excitement.

This slightly befuddled MengYao. Having never seen such a reaction before, he only knew to suspect their intentions. He was glad that the villagers made it so easy for him to finish them off. His aura changed into black flames that were then sent flying towards the villagers. 

The crowd finally registered that MengYao was not friendly so screamed and scattered in different directions. Suddenly, golden flames shot out to counter the black flames. FengJiao appeared in the nick of time before any villager was severely wounded.

"Who are you?! Why're you attacking us?!"

"To save you."

"What?"

"I've heard of your plight. You may feel that everything's all perfect and peachy but don't fall prey to their schemes! Wake up!" 

"What schemes?! They're normal and kind villagers! Did you get the wrong village?!"

"Why're you protecting them?"

"Because I want to."

"They made you think you want to. You're being manipulated. You just can't see it!"

"How am I being manipulated?!"

"Then tell me, what makes you want to protect them?"

"I love my village and the people who live in it!"

"What makes you love them?"

"They treat me well and they're very nice people!"

"Do you really think they're sincere in treating you nice?"

"Of course! It's been the case since I was a baby!"

"That's the thing! Their schemes start from the moment we're born and unaware! You can't judge their sincerity like that."

"Then let me prove it to you! Live here!"

"No, let me prove it to you." He said darkly as he shot flames out and towards the village. FengJiao tried her hardest to stop every attack but MengYao overpowered her significantly. The village was soon consumed in black flames.

"Why're you doing this?! Stop it!" FengJiao cried in horror.

"Witness for yourself how they'll look once you fail to protect them!" MengYao exclaimed. He saw a family running out from amidst the flames and shot flames at the youngest looking boy.

"No!!!" FengJiao shot out her flame but it traveled too slowly. So she dived down with the intention to cover and protect the family. 

A loud explosion sounded through the forest.

A pale blue flame had shot out with speed and ferocity that it easily countered MengYao's flames. MengYao looked up to see a silver dragon floating above everyone present. "Another mystical one protecting this village? This is the most cunning village I've ever seen."

FengJiao heard him and wondered what could he have experienced that made his view of people so warped.

 

LongFei had been intensely observing to guess the purpose that BaiXue had for calling MengYao. More importantly, he wanted to know her relationship with him. He saw how MengYao seemed bent on destroying the village and how BaiXue watched everything calmly. She wants to use his strength to destroy villages?

He recalled to the times when he saw her infiltrate the villages among the mountains. She seemed so natural doing it that he knew she had to have done it many times before.So he assumed that her purpose was to destroy villages.

I'll show her that no one else can be stronger than me then.

At the same time he made the decision, he saw FengJiao dive down to save a family from being hurt. Only now did the nagging feeling appear with great intensity. He ended up spitting out his ice cold flames both intentionally and reflexively.

He engaged in a fight with MengYao but it was more like bullying. Even when MengYao went all out against LongFei, his flames were just weaker than LongFei's. He stayed on the defensive and was slowly pushed back. He eventually suffered a critical hit as the LongFei's flames hit and broke a wing. This caused MengYao to fall from a great height onto the ground, toppling several trees that were under him. 

LongFei was prepared to deal the final blow when FengJiao cried out to him.

"LongFei! Enough! He wasn't trying to hurt me!"

"I don't care." LongFei was about to spit out his flames when he caught sight of BaiXue dashing away.

"LongFei! Stop!" FengJiao had screamed at the same time he took notice of BaiXue's departure. 

He stopped.

FengJiao flew to MengYao's side and changed into her human form to stand in front of him, placing herself between the two men. He was on the ground, conscious but unable to move from the intense pain from the various wounds all over his body. He could only grit his teeth in frustration. 

LongFei glanced at the pair with cold eyes then flew away. He caught up with BaiXue and found her returning back into her cave to cultivate. So he returned back to the cherry blossom tree outside his house as well.

BaiXue had turned to leave the moment she saw MengYao defeated by LongFei. She knew how things would end so did not bother staying on to watch. She will return to FenFang in one month to report MengYao's failure. Now that her speed increased, she could reach FenFang in a day, which meant more time for cultivation. 

The time for her to exact her revenge was coming closer. There was no time to waste.

For the next month, BaiXue did not suspect anything wrong with LongFei nor did she know of his thoughts, because he did not do or say anything different. He still cooked and fed her then stared at her in silence while she was eating. She used to feel slightly uncomfortable with his constant staring, but she now grew used to it.

Do I look that funny? Interesting? Is there something wrong with the way I look?

She had asked BaoBao several questions about his staring before but they both knew if BaiXue had no idea about a person's intention, BaoBao was likely worse off. Asking BaoBao was more of a distraction. 

I don't remember LongFei being acquainted with BaiXue in the book. Is this normal?

I don't remember it either... But it should be alright as long as it doesn't affect the main progress of the story. BaoBao said while thinking back to the previous world's result. The second male lead of that world became much stronger than he was supposed to be but it had been fine.

At the end of the month, BaiXue went back to FenFang's dwelling and reported to her every detail of the fight from the moment MengYao arrived.

"MengYao's badly injured?!"

BaiXue nodded.

"And a dragon?!" FenFang bit on her thumbnail while her mind raced. She really wanted to go to MengYao's side but he would dislike it a lot. She would not only face his wrath, but also risk encountering the dragon. She was used to being in power so she would hate to encounter someone that much stronger than her. The only person she would willingly be subservient to is to MengYao.

Unbeknownst to them, LongFei was up in the sky above them watching BaiXue interact with FenFang now. He did not like how BaiXue seemed so subservient to someone else. She deserved to hold her head up high like she does around him.

FenFang decided that she had no choice but to let MengYao stay there without her. However, she was slightly worried about the conversation MengYao had with the other phoenix. She was afraid that his heart would be wavered by that phoenix. She could not let that happen.

"How about we support MengYao with his intention to create trouble for the village? I think that was what he was trying to do to break everyone's facade." BaiXue did not have the patience to wait for FenFang to come up with a strategy when the eventual result is the same.

An idea popped into FenFang's mind with BaiXue's prompt. "Good idea." She said with a light smile. MengYao just needed to be reminded of how the villagers only depended on and made use of mystical ones to survive to fuel his hatred.

"Don't tell me you're sending the little foxes? They'll probably end up loving that friendly village instead. They won't cross the mountains for you either." BaiXue used this chance to rub salt into her wound. There was no one who truly and sincerely served this second female lead.

"You're right." FenFang's smile turned stiff.

"Then who can you send?" BaiXue pretended to be worried and asked.

A cold glint flashed across FenFang's eyes and she said, "Don't worry. I have my means." FenFang took out a creamy white flute and passed it to her. "There'll be attacks on the village. Whenever it's a failure, blow this and I'll receive the signal. Keep this a secret."

BaiXue nodded and kept the flute.

LongFei felt displeased when he saw her keep yet another flute. Didn't she already see and accept that I'm stronger than that black bird? How can this puny woman be any stronger than that black bird?

He followed her and realised that she was not heading back to her cave but straight to FengJiao's village. He frowned and flew to intercept her path.

BaiXue did not want to miss the first attack so had decided to camp closer to the village and cultivate there while waiting for the first wave of bandits to arrive. However, BaoBao warned her of LongFei flying towards her. Sure enough, he reached within seconds of BaoBao's warning and landed in her path.

"Why're you going back to that village?" LongFei inquired.

BaiXue ignored him and dashed past him.

LongFei was momentarily surprised then decisively changed into a dragon to scoop her up in her rabbit form. He slowly ascended the mountain and brought her to his house. On the way up, BaiXue firmly told him twice to put her down but he ignored her. When she said it the third time, he finally replied but only said, "You'll die."

She looked down and saw how high she was above the ground by now. She raised one eyebrow. This is quite the lame comeback.

After putting BaiXue down in front of his house, they both changed back into a human. LongFei repeated his question that he asked her earlier. However, BaiXue ignored his question to tell him to bring her back down.

He frowned. "Are you going to find that black bird? I'm stronger than him. Didn't you see?"

Upon seeing her slight confusion, he continued, "Or are you now working with that puny woman hiding in the rocks? I'm far stronger than her too. Work with me instead. Tell me what you want to do to the village, I'll do it."

She raised an eyebrow. "So if I told you to destroy it, you would?"

He nodded.

Her expression fell flat. "The phoenix woman is there you know."

With her reminder, his face changed to a scowl as if he just remembered. "Tch, I'll burn down everyone and everything else except her."

"Why?"

"I... I just can't." LongFei answered with great difficulty. He truly did not understand his own condition either.

"Bring me down."

"Why can't you let me help you? I'm stronger than the other two you're working with now."

"I can do it perfectly by myself."

"You're not strong enough against her. Are you picking another fight you can't win?"

"I'm not fighting her. I told you I have something personal to accomplish. This can only be done when I help others do what they want. On my part, I'm just watching the village. Something I don't need anyone's help in." She hoped that explaining everything would ease his stubbornness.

"You just have to watch the village?"

BaiXue finally frowned a little. "Yes. So bring me down."

"As long as you can see the village, you don't have to be close to it? Then I have a way for you to watch from here." LongFei was really adamant about not letting her get close to the village if he could help it. He felt displeasure thinking how close she would be with the black bird.

For the first time, the second male lead really ticked her off. She thought that by explaining her task, he would give up using his strength as a reason to help her. She had told him several times to bring her down but he has not done so. She really did not have anything to offer him in this world so did not want to accept things from him if she could help it. Yet he kept pushing her to accept his help.

The matter with him cooking food for her while she was cultivating in the cave was one thing but there would be no wastage in this case now.

Could it be that his true intention is to protect the village and FengJiao from me? His role is to protect FengJiao after all. Nothing else can explain how obstinate he is being with 'helping' me and keeping me away from the village.

Is that it? That's it?! BaoBao felt cheated. He had not considered the second male lead's actions from this point of view. He really took everything that LongFei said at face value. BaiXue, you're really amazing to have read his true intentions. BaoBao sincerely thought.

I'll have to fight him then. BaiXue looked at the edge of the land that the house is built on. It ended with a sharp drop. I'd just die if I jump off the peak.

She changed back into her rabbit form and prepared to change his mind by force.