After My Faked Death Failed, My Ex-Wife Came Chasing After Me - Chapter 2

It’s time to show off some real acting skills—

High noon had just passed, and the martial arts practice field was as hot as a steamer. Several outer-sect disciples responsible for sweeping were frequently wiping sweat with their sleeves. Seeing her approach, they immediately bowed in greeting: “Eldest Miss.”

Lu Ting’an felt a bit awkward. She nodded stiffly to them, her peripheral vision glancing at Lin Zheng in the center of the plaza. Lin Zheng was still tightly bound by the Immortal-Binding Lock, lying on the ground unable to move.

“Why haven’t you released her yet?” Lu Ting’an asked subconsciously.

The disciples opened their eyes wide in surprise upon hearing this. “Eldest Miss, this Immortal-Binding Lock is a magical treasure of the Sect Leader. Other than you, how could we possibly have the ability to release it? Besides, didn’t you give orders to punish Senior Sister Lin thoroughly…”

Lu Ting’an realized she was slipping out of character and quickly tried to fix it: “Ahem, my meaning is, doesn’t she look unsightly lying there all sprawled out like that? If Father returns and sees this, he will surely scold me. It’s better to release her first and find another opportunity to deal with her properly later.”

The disciples suddenly understood, bowing one after another and complimenting the Eldest Miss for her thorough consideration.

Lu Ting’an walked up to Lin Zheng. Recalling the memories in her mind, she silently recited the incantation twice. The Immortal-Binding Lock automatically loosened, shrinking into an oval ring that lay in Lu Ting’an’s palm.

“Lin Zheng, get up,” Lu Ting’an called out to her.

Lin Zheng’s eyes were tightly shut; she lay on the ground motionless.

Looking at those savage, bleeding wounds on Lin Zheng’s body, Lu Ting’an felt a bit guilty. In the novel, the Wujin Whip was a high-grade spiritual tool. The whip was covered in barbs; the wounds it inflicted were not only shocking to behold but also extremely difficult to heal—it was the ultimate form of torture. Therefore, the original Lu Ting’an loved using it to “punish” Lin Zheng.

Lu Ting’an squatted down and reached out a hand to check Lin Zheng’s breath. It was slightly ragged, but fortunately, there was no life-threatening danger. She waved her hand at the outer-sect disciples behind her. “You few, take her to, uh, take her to…”

Halfway through the sentence, Lu Ting’an realized she had naturally forgotten what her own residence was called. She could only say: “Take her to my bedroom.”

The outer-sect disciples’ faces were full of horror: “Take her to your… bedroom?”

Lu Ting’an gave them an impatient, sideways glare and said fiercely, “What? Do you want to take the punishment in her place?”

The outer-sect disciples hurriedly repeated, “We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare.” They scrambled to lift Lin Zheng up. Just as they were about to leave, Lu Ting’an called out to them again: “Wait.”

The men stood frozen in place, trembling, with pea-sized beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. “Eldest Miss, are there any further instructions?”

Lu-Fabricator-of-Lies-Ting’an: “Being out in the sun has made my head a bit foggy. Which direction is the dining hall again?”

Outer-sect disciples: “…”

Yingyue Pavilion

Lin Zheng did not know how long she had been unconscious; she only knew that upon waking, she had a splitting headache. Managing to lift her eyelids, her vision was met with swaying smoky-pink gauze curtains, with small tasseled sachet bags hanging from the curtain hooks. Beneath her was a brocade quilt, soft as a cloud. When she rested her hand on it, it radiated a slight warmth; peeling it back, she saw it was actually a full-sized ivory bed inlaid with jade.

Lin Zheng was somewhat surprised. She forced her upper body up and surveyed her surroundings. Beside the couch stood an ebony high table with a gilded beast-head incense burner perched upon it. Wisps of blue smoke curled upward, and a cold fragrance drifted through the air, surprisingly causing the pain of her wounds to lessen slightly. At the foot of the couch was a four-fold ink-wash screen. Next to it, on a red sandalwood writing desk, lay the Wujin Whip—the whip was as thick as a finger, its body entirely dark, shimmering with a cold light like starlight.

Seeing the familiar object, Lin Zheng’s eyes snapped wide open.

Was she not being whipped by Lu Ting’an and then fainted on the practice field? Where was she now?!

Clatter, clatter, clatter—

Under Lin Zheng’s wary gaze, Lu Ting’an came up the wooden stairs. She casually set a bamboo-carved lacquer food box onto the writing desk. Completely ignoring Lin Zheng’s look of disbelief, she commanded grandly, “What are you dazing off for? Come over and serve this Miss her meal.”

Lin Zheng opened her mouth but stayed where she was, her voice hoarse: “…Did you bring me back?”

She looked around the room, seemingly still unable to believe it. “Is this your sleeping quarters?”

Lu Ting’an gave her a frustrated glare. “Of course it’s me. Otherwise, who do you think would dare to release you without permission?”

Lin Zheng’s fists were tightly clenched, her brow slightly furrowed as if she were contemplating the motive behind such actions.

Seeing her so guarded, Lu Ting’an groaned inwardly. Heaven knows how much she wanted to quickly salvage her image in the heart of this “Chosen One” female lead, but just as the thought crossed her mind, the system began to emit a sharp, blaring alarm: [OOC Warning! ‘Lu Ting’an’ would not care for Lin Zheng, let alone look after her!]

Left with no choice and under the system’s tyranny, she could only find a way to get the person to her room first and then act according to the circumstances.

“Don’t overthink it. I’m just afraid that when Father and the Master return from the Night-Moon Pond Immortal Gathering today, they might catch me practicing private torture on you and give me a scolding. Do you really think I’m kind enough to save you? You’re covered in blood and filth; you’ve even ruined a set of my bedding.”

Hearing this, Lin Zheng nodded indifferently, putting on a look that said “as expected.”

“Alright, stop standing there like an idiot. Come over and set the table for me, I’m starving.”

Lu Ting’an plopped down onto a soft cushion. She tilted her chin up slightly and hooked her finger at Lin Zheng in a somewhat punchable manner. Lin Zheng’s expression changed slightly. She took a deep breath to suppress her surging emotions, threw a cloak over her shoulders, got off the couch, and stood steadily before her.

Previously, when Lin Zheng was kneeling on the ground, Lu Ting’an hadn’t felt much. But now that she stood up, Lu Ting’an was startled to find she was tall and elegant—thin but not weak, standing as upright as a cypress or green bamboo. The thin inner garment clung to her body, highlighting the sharp lines of her spine and her tensed shoulders, exuding a sense of cold, inviolable pride.

At the thought that she had just cruelly humiliated this person a short while ago, Lu Ting’an gulped nervously. she was a bit afraid that Lin Zheng might suddenly lash out and choke her to death. “You… what do you want to do?”

To her surprise, Lin Zheng merely sat down cross-legged in front of her, raising her eyes to meet hers at eye level. Those eyes, unique to fox demons, were very light in color, with a ring of silver-gray around the pupils—like the first glimmer of light reflected when spring snow begins to melt. They were so clear they revealed a hint of cold blue, causing Lu Ting’an’s breathing to skip a beat for no reason.

If nothing else, Lin Zheng was definitely the most handsome woman she had ever seen. Her face was impeccably made: her features were well-defined, her skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her thin lips were naturally red without makeup. Her long black hair was loosely pinned with a plain hairpin, revealing her slender, graceful neck. Being close, she could even smell a faint fragrance on her, like gardenias after the rain…

A great beauty, a total beauty!

Lu Ting’an marveled sincerely in her heart. She wondered what kind of madness had possessed the original character—why on earth would she target this beautiful and martially powerful Senior Sister?

Lin Zheng didn’t know what she was thinking. She simply said, one word at a time, very seriously: “I did not take your Spirit-Returning Pill. During the last night patrol, I caught the Sixth Junior Brother knocking over the alchemy furnace. Fearing the Master’s punishment, he framed me.”

She spoke with utter sincerity, seemingly truly believing that “Lu Ting’an” had whipped her in public because of a misunderstanding. But the current Lu Ting’an knew perfectly well that this malicious Junior Sister had simply looked for any random excuse to bully her.

Lu Ting’an propped her cheek on her hand, sighing internally: Lin Zheng, oh Lin Zheng. Evil people need evil to grind them down. With a simple mind like yours, you deserve to be walking on thin ice in the sect.

Seeing her silence, Lin Zheng thought she still didn’t believe her. She shook her head imperceptibly. “Forget it. You are always like this; speaking further is useless.”

Her tone was calm, without any hint of blame, but Lu Ting’an felt as if she had been pricked by a tiny needle. It felt uncomfortable. Just as she was about to say something, the system immediately let out a sharp alarm that made her brain ache: [OOC Alarm! ‘Lu Ting’an’ would not admit her mistakes to Lin Zheng! Even less likely to believe her!]

Lu Ting’an rubbed her temples, shouting angrily in her mind: Alright, alright, I get it! Stop jumping out like a ghost every five seconds!

She thought for two seconds, tapped her bowl with her chopsticks, and pretended not to care: “Is that so? Well, I’ll show great mercy and let you off this time.”

Perhaps shocked by her unrepentant and blame-shifting attitude, Lin Zheng’s eyes widened slightly, and the corners of her mouth twitched a few times. “…Let me off?”

Although her tone hadn’t changed much, Lu Ting’an could faintly sense a hint of killing intent. However, she could only bite the bullet and continue: “So what if I wrongly accused you? I am the Eldest Miss of the Baiyun Luying Sect. If you make me unhappy, I’ll just tell my father to kick you back home.”

At the mention of this, the light in Lin Zheng’s eyes dimmed. Her fingers curled against her knees, and her shoulders trembled slightly. She didn’t speak for a long time.

After a while, she seemed to sigh in resignation. Silently, she began taking the dishes out of the food box one by one. When the table was filled with a colorful array, she suddenly let out a confused, “Huh?”

Lu Ting’an: “What’s wrong?”

She was asking despite knowing the answer. Because of her “lost-in-direction” attribute, Lu Ting’an had searched for a long time before finding the dining hall. When the cook told her lunch hour was over, she had thrown a tantrum, pestering the cook until she made several of Lin Zheng’s favorite dishes so she could come back and play dumb to do her a favor.

Although Lin Zheng was slightly surprised that Lu Ting’an actually shared her tastes, she was naturally not one for many words. She simply used a silver spoon to scoop out the most tender piece of chicken from the Fresh Bamboo Shoot and Chicken Stew, placing it gently into Lu Ting’an’s bowl.

Lu Ting’an picked it up and took a bite. Before even swallowing, she made an extremely pretentious and dramatic sound of spitting it out. “Heavens, how can this chicken be so tough? I’m not eating it!”

With that, she petulantly tossed the piece of chicken—which had only suffered a flesh wound—back into the bowl, causing the broth to splash everywhere.

Lin Zheng was peeling a shrimp for her. Seeing this, she frowned slightly but still suppressed her displeasure, placing the peeled shrimp in front of her. Unexpectedly, Lu Ting’an took one bite and spat it out again toward the side. She said angrily, “No, this shrimp is no good either. How could they put green onions in it? Do they not know I hate green onions? You too—why are you picking out exactly what I don’t like?”

Lin Zheng put down what she was doing and stared at her expressionlessly: “You brought these back yourself. What do you intend to do?”

Hearing this, Lu Ting’an knew the timing was right. She immediately followed the lead and said, “I only brought them to try some new dishes! Forget it, it seems none of them suit my taste. I’ll reluctantly bestow them upon you then.”

Lin Zheng was stunned by this sudden turn of events, unable to tell for a moment if she was serious or up to some mischief. After a long silence, she said coldly, “No need. Eat it yourself.”

Lu Ting’an had known she would refuse. Part threat and part bait, she said, “I made quite a scene at the dining hall. The cook will surely complain to my father. If he finds out I threw all this food away, he’ll definitely criticize me for being wasteful. If you don’t help me solve this, I’ll frame you for it. Let’s see what you do then.”

“But,” her tone shifted as she saw Lin Zheng’s face darkening further, and she smiled, “if you help me, I’ll let bygones be bygones and help you treat the wounds from the Wujin Whip.”