After Redeeming The Beautiful and Tragic Heroine [Transmigration] - Chapter 10

Qin Niang cried out, her wounds were shocking and gruesome.

Behind her, the old maidservant also rushed out. The maidservant yanked Qin Niang’s hair, pulling her back forcefully while trying to smile apologetically to Yu Yuan: “This lowly slave has offended the Young Sect Master. I will take her back now and punish her properly.”

With that, she looked down at Qin Niang’s hand clutching Yu Yuan’s skirt. She knew that as long as Qin Niang was conscious, she would never let go of Yu Yuan. So, after a brief moment of thought, she quickly found a solution. She grabbed Qin Niang, and the next moment, a sharp hand chop landed abruptly on Qin Niang’s neck.

Qin Niang clearly hadn’t expected the maidservant to knock her out. Her eyes widened, and she stiffly turned her head to look at the maidservant. Then, her consciousness uncontrollably scattered, and the hand that tried to grasp Yu Yuan was forced to slowly loosen its grip.

Yu Yuan frowned at the sight, her hands were involuntarily clenching. The newly bandaged wounds on her fingers showed signs of splitting open again.

“Young Sect Master…”

Qin Niang mumbled Yu Yuan’s name again just before her eyes closed.

Yu Yuan heard the string of reason in her mind give a sharp twang. Then, her hand lifted, attempting to grab Qin Niang’s hand. But just as she was about to touch her, another hand gripped hers.

“A’Yuan, don’t be impulsive.”

Xue Qingshu’s voice sounded.

Yu Yuan froze, turning to look at the person who was almost pressed against her back. “Master?”

Realizing it was her villainous master who held her hand, her brow wrinkled. At the same time, she quickly pulled her hand free from the other’s grasp, retreating to the side to maintain distance. “Why are you here?” Yu Yuan blurted out.

Xue Qingshu glanced at Qin Niang, whom the old maidservant was dragging back into the infirmary, and told Yu Yuan, “The City Lord came to see his daughter. I followed him to escort you away.”

The City Lord, who just entered the courtyard and heard Immotal Lord Wen Ti. Didn’t they say they were here to see their disciple? How did it become him coming to see his daughter?

The City Lord was confused, but then his gaze shifted, and he actually saw his daughter… His breath hitched. Ignoring how Xue Qingshu knew Qin Niang was his daughter, he hastily gestured to the old maidservant, telling her to hurry and drag the person away.

Qin Niang was shut back into the infirmary. The City Lord wiped the sweat from his brow and lied casually to Yu Yuan and Xue Qingshu: “Young Sect Master, Venerable One, my rebellious daughter suffers from madness. It is my fault for letting her disturb you both.”

Madness? Yu Yuan looked at the City Lord, desperately wanting to slap him and ask what kind of madness Qin Niang suffered from. But he was Qin Niang’s biological father after all, so Yu Yuan could only try a roundabout approach: “City Lord, the healers in my Miaoyin Sect are extremely skilled. If you don’t mind, I can take the young mistress back to the sect for treatment.”

She figured the only way to save Qin Niang was probably to help her escape this den of wolves.

However, the City Lord’s expression hardened at Yu Yuan’s suggestion, and he said coldly, “Young Sect Master, this is my family affair after all. You need not trouble yourself.” The implication was that Yu Yuan shouldn’t meddle in their business.

Yu Yuan understood the meaning. She stood there, thought for a while, and finally said nothing.

******

After the incident with Qin Niang, the City Lord didn’t linger to chat with the two of them. He called for a demon servant, gave a few instructions, and then separated from them. Since Yu Yuan and Xue Qingshu had no further reason to stay at the infirmary, they could only follow the demon servant and head to their accommodations.

After reaching her quarters, Yu Yuan was still preoccupied with Qin Niang. She slumped over the writing desk, staring vacantly at the light streaming through the window, feeling gloomy and depressed.

The demon servant who led the way earlier said the City Lord had gone to see the City Lord’s wife. Yu Yuan intuitively felt he was likely going to tell the City Lord’s wife to restrain herself and not harm Qin Niang for the next few days. But given the City Lord’s wife’s temper, she might hold off during the day, but the night was a different story.

At this point, Yu Yuan felt that she didn’t even need Wei Haoran to show up to boost his reputation; she alone had caused the City Lord’s wife’s rage toward Qin Niang to soar. She pessimistically thought that Qin Niang might not even last long enough to block a knife for Wei Haoran, potentially being tormented to death by the City Lord’s wife and having her bones scattered. If that happened, she truly would be greatly at fault.

As Yu Yuan thought this, she couldn’t stop sighing, sliding off the desk and collapsing onto the floor.

[Host, someone is approaching.]

The system’s voice suddenly sounded, and immediately after, someone knocked bang, bang, bang on the door.

“Young Sect Master Yu, the Venerable One requests your presence.”

A shadow fell onto the floor through the paper covering the door’s window.

Xue Qingshu stayed next door to Yu Yuan. Yu Yuan wasn’t sure if the City Lord intentionally wanted to cultivate their master-disciple relationship, but he had only arranged for the two of them to stay in this large courtyard. The remaining outer sect disciples, she heard, were staying in a different courtyard far away. No wonder no one had come to discuss musical theory with Xue Qingshu after being here for half a day.

What does the villainous master want with me now?

Yu Yuan climbed up from the floor, smoothed out the wrinkles she’d created on her clothes, opened the door, and stepped over the threshold.

The window screen was half-open. The cool breeze slipped through the gap, rustling the pages of a book on the desk. Xue Qingshu sat on a prayer mat, holding a jade brush. She dipped the tip in the cinnabar on the inkstone, placing careful annotations between the lines of the text.

Just as the last character was written and the brush was placed on the holder, the door creaked open, announcing an arrival.

Yu Yuan walked around a screen and bowed to Xue Qingshu, “Master.”

Xue Qingshu looked up at Yu Yuan and nodded in acknowledgment: “Sit.”

A prayer mat immediately appeared at Yu Yuan’s feet. Yu Yuan didn’t hesitate, kneeling honestly on the mat and sitting up straight, waiting for Xue Qingshu to speak. Unexpectedly, Xue Qingshu’s first sentence almost made her crumble and kowtow right then and there.

“Have you memorized the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness?”

This was the third time she had been asked this question today.

Yu Yuan guiltily lowered her head. After silently reciting a few lines in her mind, she shook her head. Reciting it was manageable, but memorizing it perfectly was truly beyond her.

Fortunately, Xue Qingshu didn’t ask her to recite it again this time. Instead, she pushed a book toward her. It was the same copy of the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness that Yu Yuan had been transcribing, but unlike before, it was now covered in numerous red annotations. Each annotation was incredibly detailed. Yu Yuan casually scanned a few passages and immediately gained a new understanding and insight into the scripture.

“Master, did you write this?” Yu Yuan asked Xue Qingshu as she quickly flipped through the pages.

Xue Qingshu hummed in affirmation, picked up the teapot on the small table beside her, poured herself a cup of tea, and took a small sip. “It’s easier for you to memorize once you truly understand the book.”

Yu Yuan rested her elbows on the desk, supporting her chin with her palm, and nodded slightly: “I see.” She was completely absorbed in Xue Qingshu’s annotations, momentarily forgetting the other woman’s identity.

Seeing this, Xue Qingshu didn’t disturb her. She simply brewed a fresh pot of tea, poured it into a cup, allowed it to cool, and pushed it toward Yu Yuan. Yu Yuan instinctively took the cup, took a small sip, and continued reading diligently.

She rarely let down her guard in front of others. Xue Qingshu knew this, so seeing her current state, the curve of her lips subtly lifted, and the smile in her eyes deepened.

Yu Yuan was engrossed in reciting the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness until the hour of dog (7:00–9:00 PM) before finally tearing herself away from the world of the book. She looked at Xue Qingshu, who was sitting opposite her reading an unnamed book, and finally realized what was happening.

She had stayed with her villainous master for so long!

In the past, although Immortal Lord Wen Ti always tried to keep her close, Yu Yuan, operating on the principle of avoid when possible, escape when possible, rarely spent more than two hours a day with her. But today, she had been with her villainous master almost the entire day!

Yu Yuan frowned: When did she become so passionate about studying?!

She stared at Xue Qingshu, muttering inwardly: Did the villainous master slip me some kind of love drug today? That makes no sense. Even if the other woman were to drug her, it shouldn’t be a “love of studying” drug. After all, while Immortal Lord Wen Ti pretended to strictly demand her to study, in reality, she always let her off the hook, intending to groom her into a useless layabout.

Yu Yuan couldn’t figure it out.

At the same time, Xue Qingshu, sitting opposite her, also looked up. She met Yu Yuan’s gaze, which had scattered again due to her swirling thoughts, and cleared her throat to draw the girl’s attention back to her. “Can you recite the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness perfectly now?” she asked.

Yu Yuan’s eyes cleared, and she snapped back to attention. “I think so.” She was still unsure.

But this time, Xue Qingshu told her to recite it. Yu Yuan calmed her mind, closed the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness in front of her, looked at the cover, and smoothly recited it word for word, slowly but fluently.

After she finished, Xue Qingshu let Yu Yuan go.

Outside the door, the sky was completely dark. Lanterns hung all along the corridor, barely illuminating the entire courtyard. Yu Yuan hugged the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness in her hands, still slightly bewildered.

She actually managed to memorize the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness!

Yu Yuan was silently ecstatic, but before she could enjoy her victory, she saw a dark shadow flash across the wall a few steps away. Immediately after, a chill shot up from her feet to the crown of her head.

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