Acting as the Vicious Second Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 45

Qin Xiaoxiao’s long, fair fingers gripped her collar and pulled it down gently, revealing her rounded shoulders. The cold moonlight cascaded over her skin, giving it a beautiful, pearlescent glow.

With her clothes half-undone and draped down to her waist, the skin across her torso—save for her chest—was exposed. Qin Xiaoxiao kept her hand pressed against the white cloth wrapped tightly around her chest. The bandages were stained with a large patch of dark brown blood, which appeared to have been exposed to the air for some time and was no longer fresh. However, a faint, moist sheen shimmered within the stains, suggesting that fresh blood might be seeping through, hidden beneath the dark color and difficult to notice.

Before unwrapping it, Qin Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes. She bit her lip, looking hesitant. Finally, she made up her mind. She looked toward her Junior Sister with a kind smile. “I’m sorry, could you please turn away for a moment?”

Yan Qingxue flickered with confusion. Then, realizing the implication, her face flushed beet-red.

“Mm-hm! I—I’ll go prepare the medicine!”

The girl’s gaze drifted, not daring to meet her Senior Sister’s eyes. A pink glow stained her pale face, making her look less like a ghostly apparition destined to fade away and more like a flesh-and-blood person.

Although they were close—just last night, she had helped bandage her unconscious Senior Sister, inevitably seeing her completely exposed—it was different now. Her Senior Sister was awake; to have her treated this way while conscious must be deeply embarrassing.

Thinking this, Yan Qingxue chided herself for her bluntness and hurried away to hide behind a tree. Qin Xiaoxiao, trusting her character, did not worry that she would peek.

A moment later, the night wind brushed past. The rustling of tree leaves mixed with the friction of bandages being undone. Qin Xiaoxiao hadn’t sent Yan Qingxue away out of mere modesty; she needed to reopen the wound. She had to ensure it didn’t heal too quickly so she could maintain the facade of a mortal and avoid suspicion.

Qin Xiaoxiao was ruthless with herself. She pressed her hands against both sides of the wound, which extended from her collarbone across her left chest, and pulled them apart without mercy. Blood welled up like a spring, winding down her skin. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, a thin layer of sweat forming on her nose. Soon, blood soaked her undergarments. The wound looked terrifying.

Feeling that it looked sufficiently bad, Qin Xiaoxiao stopped, wiped away some blood with the bandages, and pulled her clothes up to cover her chest.

“It’s done,” she called out to Yan Qingxue behind the tree.

Yan Qingxue turned back, clutching three small bottles, and walked toward her. Upon seeing the blood-soaked woman, her eyes widened slightly, and any lingering blush vanished from her mind. She rushed to her side, shocked. “Senior Sister, how did your wound get like this?”

“I was careless; the scabs pulled off when I was taking the bandages off,” Qin Xiaoxiao said calmly, reciting the lines she had prepared. She immediately changed the subject. “It’s fine, let’s apply the medicine.”

Yan Qingxue stared at the horrific wound, her brows furrowing into a knot. After a long silence, she did not defy her request. Her voice was soft, containing only one word: “Yes.”

“I’m troubling you.”

“If it hurts, bite down on this handkerchief.”

As attentive as Yan Qingxue was, treating her Senior Sister as her entire world, she naturally noticed that the Senior Sister’s lips had been bitten raw and were bleeding. The girl held out a handkerchief—her palm as pale and translucent as her complexion. As she held the white cloth, it was hard to tell which was whiter: her hand or the fabric.

Seeing this, Qin Xiaoxiao felt a pang of heartache. She took the handkerchief, gripped the girl’s icy-cold hand, and said softly, “Thank you for doing so much for me.”

Because of the excessive movement, Qin Xiaoxiao’s collar fell open again. Realizing she was exposed, she calmly withdrew her hand and pulled her clothes closed.

Yan Qingxue felt the lingering warmth where her palm had been covered, then lost. She felt a sense of hollow loss and blamed herself. “Senior Sister, don’t thank me. This is all my fault. It’s all because…”

“I should have insisted on staying to help you change,” Yan Qingxue said. Even though she had applied plenty of ointment before bandaging her, she had failed. It was all because she was too weak. She had always stayed under her Senior Sister’s wing, protected by her. Because she was weak, her Senior Sister had been forced to draw her sword to fight the bandits to save her. That was likely what caused the wound to tear and the bleeding to intensify.

If only she had been the one to help her, she could have found a way to lessen her pain. But she had walked away. Yan Qingxue was filled with regret.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Qin Xiaoxiao said, using her free hand to pat the girl’s head, her voice gentle. “Qingxue, you did nothing wrong. You did well.”

Of course, Qin Xiaoxiao thought. If I let you stay, my secret would be revealed!

Even so, Qin Xiaoxiao felt as guilty as her Junior Sister. Hurting herself—or letting herself get hurt—always made those close to her feel pained. She sighed, resolving not to act so impulsively again. Perhaps it was because she had received the “cheat” system; she had gotten carried away. Seeing the bandits wound her Junior Sister, she hadn’t thought, simply drawing her sword and charging in to slaughter her way out. She just couldn’t stand seeing others hurt the gentle Junior Sister who stayed by her side.

The only thing she hadn’t anticipated was that the cheat’s power also carried a healing effect. Fortunately, it hadn’t fully healed her; her chest still throbbed with pain. If it had fully healed, she wouldn’t have been able to stab herself to fake the injury. A true “Senior Sister” would never refuse her Junior Sister’s care, and she would rather break character than be exposed.

Of course, if she could, she would choose neither. Sowing one lie requires countless more to cover it up. She was learning that lesson the hard way.

As Qin Xiaoxiao reflected, Yan Qingxue adjusted her mindset and began to help. She dampened the handkerchief in the creek, washed away the old ointment, applied the secret medicinal powder, and gently wiped away the blood from Qin Xiaoxiao’s upper body. Her focus was absolute, as if she were polishing a priceless treasure. She was generous with the white medicinal paste, coating the wound before wrapping it in fresh, clean bandages.

During the process, the herbal scent of the powder made Qin Xiaoxiao want to sneeze. When Yan Qingxue reached her navel, the sensation of her cold fingers—or was it the cloth?—was both ticklish and freezing, making Qin Xiaoxiao shiver.

Finally, tying the knot, the process was complete.

“Let’s go back and sleep.” Qin Xiaoxiao was exhausted. Yan Qingxue followed, her gaze fixed on the woman’s straight back, a faint smile on her lips. “Yes.”

Then, as if remembering something, the girl’s smile faltered. If only I were stronger. Not just a healer with subpar skills, but a martial arts master. Then I could protect Senior Sister just as she protects me.

She stared blankly, her pace slowing, drifting further behind. She raised her hand, tracing the outline of her Senior Sister’s figure in the empty air. Senior Sister, you are drifting further and further away from me. That’s okay. To watch you from afar is enough to make me content.

Back at the campsite, Yang Hu was still snoring, mumbling in his sleep: “Delicious… meat… so good… no, don’t, don’t steal…”

Qin Xiaoxiao: “…” Could you have a little more ambition? It made her hungry, too.

Yan Qingxue arrived late, seeing the woman sitting beside the man. Her eyes darkened, and she walked straight behind Qin Xiaoxiao. Her hands balled into fists inside her sleeves, but her voice remained sweet. “Senior Sister, we must travel early tomorrow. Let’s rest.”

“Alright.”

Late at night, with the sky as their blanket, the earth as their bed, and stones as pillows, they slept together.

The next day, at the first light of dawn, the three set off. Following the river, they eventually emerged from the woods to find a village, where a horse-drawn carriage was parked. Qin Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up—the carriage would be much faster, and her legs felt like they were about to fall off.

The other two had no objections. As the leader, Qin Xiaoxiao approached the driver. “Old sir, how much to go to Xiling Town?”

The driver was an old man with white hair, his face lined with the wear of years. He sat slumped over, one leg crossed over the other, shaking it carelessly. At first, he smiled at the potential customers, revealing two rows of yellow teeth, but upon hearing the destination, his face went pale with terror.

“No, no! I wouldn’t go to that ghost town for all the silver in the world!”

Looking at their fine, albeit dusty, clothing, he realized they were from a high status. He was especially struck by the beauty of the two women—people of his station rarely saw such beauty. But even so, he wouldn’t dare approach that cursed town for a million lives.

Qin Xiaoxiao blinked, stunned by his reaction. “Oh, we don’t need to go to Xiling Town then. Just the nearest village to it.”

The old man haggled, “The nearest village… no, one more village over.”

“Fine, it’s a deal.”

“Wait a moment.” Qin Xiaoxiao frowned. “Are you backing out?”

“No, no,” the driver shook his head, pointing at the small cabin behind him. “Heh, my carriage only seats two.”

They looked at each other. They couldn’t leave one person behind. As Qin Xiaoxiao searched for a solution, a flash of inspiration hit her. She turned to her Junior Sister, her gaze soft and affectionate.

“Junior Sister, would it be convenient for you to sit on my lap?”