After Reborn, I Became the Bigshots' Beloved-Chapter 388: If I Die, You Won’t Live Either

When Lu Sheng spat out the words "Talk to your damn mother" and suddenly conjured a half-meter-long broadsword, Shi Yuwei’s eyes widened in shock.

Is this Qiangwei out of her mind?!

She’d already told her that if they fought, it would be an even match, a fifty-fifty split, and the outcome would only be mutual destruction. Yet she was still ready to throw down?

Shi Yuwei didn’t have time to say another word before Lu Sheng’s massive blade came slicing through the air, aiming straight for her head in the very first strike!

"...Wait a minute!"

Shi Yuwei instinctively tilted her head to the side.

The tip of Lu Sheng’s blade skimmed past her neck, just shy of genuinely cutting into her flesh. That sudden gust of chilling wind left every hair on edge.

Barely dodging such a swift and ferocious blow, Shi Yuwei staggered back a step, but Lu Sheng’s second strike came down immediately after.

A relentless assault, giving her no time to catch her breath, let alone speak.

Fuck!

Shi Yuwei’s teeth clenched in fury!

Back in her prime, she would never have let this Qiangwei—this nobody—attempt to take her head. She’d have squashed her like an insect with a flick of her finger. But now? All she could do was dodge!

Earlier, she had told Lu Sheng that even though her current Soul Power was less than half of what it once was, it still made them evenly matched—neither had any advantage over the other.

But the truth was, this claim had been a bluff, a last-ditch attempt to avoid a fight with Lu Sheng.

That day, at that foreign chapel, You Yi’s Soul-devouring nail had plunged into her body, shattering nine-tenths of her soul on the spot.

All she had left was the final fraction of her soul wrapped around her Essence Stabilizing Pill. She’d barely survived, managing to escape from You Yi with her last breath.

But with her soul so damaged and reduced to a mere fragment, even hijacking a human body for rebirth was out of the question. She had been left to aimlessly drift around the Human Realm, clinging to life by a thread.

It took her years, years of painstaking effort, to finally piece together her fractured soul and gain enough strength to possess a new human host. Only then had she taken over this current body.

But her Soul Power now? It wasn’t just a shadow of its former self—it was weaker than even the petty Demons she used to scorn. She was no better than a common human: powerless, incapable of achieving anything.

To rapidly restore her Soul Power, she needed to absorb human Essence. To do that directly, she’d have to engage in intercourse with men.

But as the pampered Shi Family heiress she now was, her so-called father—Shi Chengyun—insisted on protecting her fragile health. She was chauffeured to and from school, trailed by bodyguards when venturing outdoors, and strictly forbidden to leave the house at night. Finding a man to sleep with was utterly impossible.

The Shi Family did house some exceptionally high-quality male specimens brimming with Essence, but unfortunately for her, they were all her brothers. Even if she entertained the depraved thought of incest, seducing any of those three wasn’t an option—they would never fall for her tricks.

That left her with just one method—an indirect one. She would raise a Gu Worm and have it parasitize the oldest member of the Shi Family, the upright and fundamentally virtuous Old Mr. Shi.

After all, the old man was advanced in age; his physical decline would be deemed natural. If he fell ill and passed away, it wouldn’t raise any suspicions.

As the Gu Worm slowly devoured Old Mr. Shi’s Essence over time, her Soul Power would, in turn, be quietly nourished and restored.

Now that the old man was on the verge of being entirely drained and nearing death, Shi Yuwei felt nothing. The only thought in her mind was that once the old man finally kicked the bucket, she’d need to find her next parasitic host.

Adding to all this, ever since the gaokao results had been released half a month ago and she’d basked in the admiration of countless interviewers, her Soul Power had grown significantly stronger.

But she hadn’t expected that at such a crucial moment, she’d run into her mortal enemy from the past.

Back then, Shi Yuwei had always suspected Lu Sheng of orchestrating You Yi’s arrival.

After all, Lu Sheng hadn’t shown the slightest hint of surprise when You Yi turned up. She even left in a hurry while Shi Yuwei was caught off guard, never to be seen again afterward.

The moment she stepped into the room and saw Lu Sheng, her eyes immediately fell on the bracelet on Lu Sheng’s wrist—

A bracelet adorned with a bell that had jingled the moment she and Lin Fangling entered. That bell was none other than the Demon Hunter Clan’s Magic Artifact, the Death Seeking Bell!

At that moment, her heart had raced in panic. She thought that perhaps Lu Sheng had come to the Shi Family as a Demon Hunter.

However, when the power went out and they crossed blows briefly, she quickly sensed that familiar aura and recognized who Lu Sheng truly was.

That brief clash within the barrier had already drained most of Shi Yuwei’s Soul Power.

She knew she was no match for Lu Sheng, which was why she’d tried claiming she just wanted to talk civilly.

But she hadn’t expected Lu Sheng to disregard everything and even attempt to kill her outright right here, in the Shi Family’s old manor room.

[Room]

After a dozen ferocious strikes, forcing Shi Yuwei to retreat repeatedly, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

She suddenly gritted her teeth and barked, "Qiangwei! Weren’t you the one who said you don’t kill humans? If you kill me, you’ll also be killing the original owner of this body."

Hearing this, the sharp arc of Lu Sheng’s lethal blade froze mid-air.

Her icy, emotionless eyes flickered slightly as she looked toward the disheveled Shi Yuwei, her brows furrowing. "...What did you just say?"

Shi Yuwei noticed her words had struck a chord and finally felt a spark of relief.

She gazed back at Lu Sheng. "When I took over this Shi Yuwei’s body, she wasn’t dead yet. It’s only because her will was so weak on the verge of death that I managed to fully seize control of this body."

"If I were to leave her body, the original Shi Yuwei could still wake up..."

Shi Yuwei sneered. "But if you kill me now, it’s equivalent to killing her as well."

Hearing this, Lu Sheng’s eyes darkened sharply, recalling something Shi Suyu had mentioned before.

"Are you saying that back on the operating table, it was you who forcibly took this body from its original owner? That her soul still resides within it?"

"...You’re lying. You’re just afraid I’ll truly kill you."

Lu Sheng’s fists clenched tightly. Her piercing gaze locked onto Shi Yuwei’s, searching for a flicker of guilt or hesitation.

Yet Shi Yuwei stood her ground, formidable as ever, even allowing herself a faint, smug smile. She spoke with a touch of provocation.

"If you don’t believe me, go ahead and keep attacking."

"After all, isn’t killing humans just par for the course for beings like us Demons?"

For a moment, Lu Sheng took a deep breath.

The Red Fox knew her reluctance to harm others and had struck precisely that nerve to threaten her.

Eight or nine times out of ten, Shi Yuwei’s statement was probably a lie. But what if it weren’t? What if the original soul of this body still lingered?

She couldn’t risk slaughtering this body while turning a blind eye to the possibility.

"So, do we talk calmly now?" Shi Yuwei raised an eyebrow, her smile widening as if she had already won.

Lu Sheng’s fury simmered within her. She closed her eyes briefly, forcing herself to find composure before looking at Shi Yuwei again.

Expressionless, she replied, "...If what you say is true, then I’ll let you go today."

"But only under two conditions: you must retrieve the Gu Worm parasitizing Old Mr. Shi and leave this body."

Shi Yuwei tilted her chin. "Retrieving the Gu Worm is fine. The old man’s Essence is almost entirely drained anyway."

"But leaving this body? Out of the question. Without this body, I have no idea when—or if—I’ll find another suitable host to be reborn in."

Watching Lu Sheng’s grip on her sword tighten in frustration, Shi Yuwei narrowed her eyes. "Qiangwei, only I can remove the Gu Worm from Old Mr. Shi. If you wish for him to live, you’ll need my cooperation."

"So, why don’t we strike a deal? You spare me today, and I’ll retrieve the Gu Worm from the old man."

"From this day forward, we’ll keep to our separate paths, live out our human lives, and settle all past grievances. How does that sound?"

Settle the score...

How could the deaths of so many innocent lives, brutally destroyed by this Red Fox, ever be settled?

And for her to say they’d each live their human lives—

How could Lu Sheng feel secure allowing such a vicious fox-like her to stay close to her own family?

Lu Sheng had yet to respond when Shi Yuwei’s gaze shifted to the bracelet on Lu Sheng’s wrist. She let out a mocking smirk, her lips curling up in disdain.

"Qiangwei, is that Death Seeking Bell on your wrist a gift from the Demon Hunter, You Yi?"

"He must not know that you’re also a Demon, right? Otherwise, there’s no way he’d let a Demon like you have a Magic Artifact so priceless that its value rivals that of gold among the wealthy."

"When you said you wanted me to leave this body earlier, were you secretly planning to call You Yi to hunt me down afterward?"

"Let me tell you this—I fully intend to keep living in this body as Shi Yuwei. If you ever bring You Yi to kill me, I’ll make sure he knows your true identity as a Demon. If you want to kill me, know this: it will come at the cost of your own life."