After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 37.2

Chapter 37.2: The Wolf and the Whip-Wielder

Jiao Qingyin was speechless; Al’s perceptiveness continued to surprise her time and time again.

Seeing that Jiao Qingyin didn’t reply immediately, Al became instantly alert. “If you won’t say, then I’m not doing the treatment…”

As she spoke, she actually started to shrink back. Jiao Qingyin rose at once and pinned her down.

Her voice came from above Al’s head: “The price is that if you don’t cooperate, I’m going to give you a beating. Do you understand?”

“I don’t want to…”

Al struggled for a moment but failed. She realized belatedly that in her current state, she not only couldn’t defeat Jiao Qingyin at all, but if the other woman insisted on treating her, she wouldn’t even have the ability to resist.

“Jiao-Jiao…” She softened her voice, attempting to act spoiled to save the situation indirectly.

Jiao Qingyin’s ears burned at the sound of that name, and her waist involuntarily went soft. But sensing that Al had truly run out of strength, she quickly snapped back to her senses and let out a very villainous laugh, “Heh heh.”

Al: “…”

A sense of crisis sent a chill down Al’s spine, and several black tentacles emerged from her back once more. Only this time, they lacked their previous arrogance; each one looked like a little black snake that had been rudely awakened from hibernation.

Al’s release of the tentacles was very subtle, and Jiao Qingyin didn’t notice. However, Jiao Qingyin maintained her habitual vigilance. Even if Al was acting cooperative, she decided to restrain the girl’s movements first.

Finding no suitable tools nearby, Jiao Qingyin simply unfastened her belt, discarded the gems that might cause bruising, and obtained a binding cord of the right length. Then, she looked down and saw the tentacles that were about to reach her.

Al and she had the same idea—both wanted to tie the other up to make things easier for themselves.

“Still have the strength for little tricks,” Jiao Qingyin smiled. “It turns out you’re quite powerful; you hid it well before.”

Hearing that smile that made her ears tingle, Al became distracted. She felt her wrists seized by the other, and the peeking little black snakes were caught by their “seven-inch” weak points. The little snakes squirmed, merged into one large black snake, and wrapped limply around Jiao Qingyin’s hand.

It was only through direct contact that Jiao Qingyin discovered this thing wasn’t smooth and cold as she had imagined, but rather… fluffy. And a bit warm. The texture was so good that Jiao Qingyin couldn’t help but give it a squeeze.

Al let out a gasp.

“…?” Jiao Qingyin squeezed again.

Sure enough, she was rewarded with another reaction from Al that stirred the imagination. Jiao Qingyin gave Al a strange look. “Do you… have a shared sensory connection with this thing?”

With a flushed face, Al remained silent and simply shook her head. Originally she didn’t, but she had wanted to tie Jiao Qingyin up herself and, unable to help herself, had added one of her own tail hairs into a strand of the elemental power.

In other words, Jiao Qingyin was currently holding her wolf tail.

Al bit her lower lip to keep from embarrassing herself further. Her snowy-white teeth formed a sharp contrast with her lip, which had been bitten to blood earlier. Jiao Qingyin suddenly felt awkward. Al, with a blush on her face and her silk-like long hair disheveled, couldn’t move her legs; her clothes were messy, her eyes were blindfolded, and now Jiao Qingyin was holding a belt, attempting to tie her hands…

It felt like she was bullying the girl.

Jiao Qingyin instinctively let go. The black snake-like tentacles vanished instantly, and the crimson flush on Al’s face deepened. The soft touch of the fur slipped from her palm, and Jiao Qingyin felt a secret pang of disappointment. On the surface, however, she cleared her throat seriously and shifted the blame: “If you had been more cooperative just now, I wouldn’t have…”

Al felt ashamed and annoyed. From the moment she discovered her feelings, she had been trying to convey them to Jiao Qingyin, but—she wanted to be the dominant one in a partner relationship! Not like this, where a mere touch of her tail by an oblivious Jiao Qingyin made her let out… that kind of sound!

Even when Jiao Qingyin didn’t have those feelings for her, she herself was—

Al was angry. So, when she felt Jiao Qingyin trying to tie her with something, she lunged forward with all her might. According to her expectations, even if she didn’t break free entirely, she could at least shake off Jiao Qingyin’s hands. However, at that exact moment, the other person also leaned down—

And their lips pressed together.

Both Al and Jiao Qingyin froze.

Whether in her previous life or since she started doing missions after death, Jiao Qingyin had never been in a relationship. The only thing she had experienced that was close to a “kiss” was the time the mysterious hooded figure stole a kiss on her cheek during the full moon. And Al, being that mysterious person, had only ever had Jiao Qingyin as the object of her intimacy.

But the usual unintentional teasing was nothing compared to this actual kiss.

The soft, warm touch from the lips and the heat from Jiao Qingyin made Al feel as if she had been set on fire. Driven by instinct, she raised her hand, pressed against the back of Jiao Qingyin’s head, and tried to deepen this accidental kiss.

However, Al’s romantic experience was less than that of a middle schooler. Her understanding of kissing was limited to “pressing mouths together,” so she only knew to apply more pressure. Her clumsy movements caused the wound on her lip to split open again, and a faint taste of blood spread.

It’s sweet, Jiao Qingyin thought dazed.

Al’s lips were stained with blood—some from the neck wound she had inflicted on Jiao Qingyin earlier, and some from herself. They mingled together, adding a rich color to this originally pure kiss.

Jiao Qingyin flicked her tongue out, licking the spot where the taste of blood was strongest. This completely subconscious move caused Al’s eyelashes to flutter nervously.

Separated by the black cloth, Jiao Qingyin couldn’t see Al’s reaction, but the stimulation of her taste buds made her regain some clarity. She finally realized what she was doing.

No… She propped up her arms on either side of Al’s head, ending the kiss, and spoke hoarsely, “Let go.”

Al suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She felt that if she didn’t seize this chance, Jiao Qingyin might slip away again. She tightened her grip on the back of Jiao Qingyin’s head.

“Al.”

“…I won’t.”

Jiao Qingyin stared at her for a while. The close proximity allowed her to feel the other’s body temperature was higher than usual, and her body was tensed to the limit. Because of Jiao Qingyin’s sudden silence, Al couldn’t help but have bad thoughts. She was about to speak when she heard the other whisper: “Do you like me?”

Al’s eyes widened behind the black cloth. She… she knows!

Al had been longing to convey her feelings, but the moment it was exposed, she felt an uncontrollable rush of shame and panic. Now that she knew, would she accept or reject her? How would she view these feelings? Would she… would she—

Would she hate me… Al opened her mouth slightly, but no sound came out; her throat was already hoarse. At this moment, she realized why she hadn’t dared to confess—she was afraid. Not of being rejected, but that Jiao Qingyin would find her loathsome.

Al trembled more violently. Her hands unknowingly dropped, and her mind went blank, like a prisoner who had given up thinking and was kneeling on the execution ground waiting for the final verdict.

Jiao Qingyin was very close and immediately noticed a patch of the black cloth over Al’s eyes darkening. It was being soaked by tears.

The rejection she had prepared died in her throat. Jiao Qingyin asked herself: Does she like Al?

…She did.

This liking was enough for her to violate her own principles and do things she never would have done in the past; it made her place Al in a special position, giving her all the indulgence and leniency she could offer; it even made her willing to sacrifice her own health in exchange for Al’s legs…

But this liking wasn’t enough. At least… it didn’t outweigh her obsession with her mission.

Jiao Qingyin did missions to return to her original world. In that world, humanity was on the brink of extinction and the land was devoid of life. Only after her death did she learn her world was just a novel, and she was the protagonist, the destined savior. Since she died before saving it, the entire world would collapse. To prevent that, she signed a contract with the System to become an employee of the Time Management Bureau.

The Bureau paused her world’s timeline for her. She needed to save up one million points to go back and save her world.

She liked Al, but… Al wasn’t enough to make her give up her homeland. Jiao Qingyin had no friends or family, only countless displaced people who trusted her completely. Those people were still waiting for their savior to return.

Perhaps seconds passed, or minutes, or longer. Finally, Al heard Jiao Qingyin’s voice:

“You will meet someone better… someone more suitable for you than me.”

It was a rejection. Al’s heart was suddenly seized. A intense bitterness rose from her heart to the back of her tongue, as if she were being burned on a pyre.

“There is no one better than you,” she suppressed a sob. “You are the best, the most suitable, you—”

“I am not,” Jiao Qingyin’s voice returned to its calm state, interrupting Al. “There is no possibility for us. You had better forget this unrealistic idea.”

Al froze. Jiao Qingyin sounded too cold and distant. Her words weren’t a gentle refusal; they were blunt enough to make Al’s heart turn cold. She couldn’t see Jiao Qingyin, so she didn’t know that the woman saying these hurtful words had eyes so red they looked as if they could drip blood.

Stung by Jiao Qingyin’s merciless words, Al could barely breathe. But something even more devastating was to follow—taking advantage of Al’s distracted state, Jiao Qingyin firmly bound her wrists together.

“There’s nothing more to talk about,” Jiao Qingyin said. “Just think of it as a nap. When you wake up, you’ll be healthy again.”

Even though they were so close and had just shared a kiss, Al felt Jiao Qingyin’s voice was as distant as if it were coming from the other side of the world.

The smell of unfamiliar medicinal herbs filled the air, and the metallic clinking of alchemical tools echoed. Seeing that things were beyond her control, Al’s blood began to turn cold. Every word Jiao Qingyin had just said seemed to ring in her ears. She finally couldn’t help it, and clutching a final shred of hope, she slowly opened her mouth: “Is it that you don’t like me, or that you can’t like me?”

If it were the latter, no matter what difficulties stood in the way, she would trample them and then…

“I don’t like you.”

The cold voice was like a bucket of ice water, shattering Al’s illusions.

The rustle of fabric followed. Jiao Qingyin did something, and a moment later, she spoke again: “Once your legs are better, go find someone for yourself. Stop bothering me.”

Al was furious at her heartless words, but her limbs were immobile and her elemental power was spent. All she could do was snap back: “Why should I listen to you!”

Seems she’s still spirited enough; no need to worry too much… Jiao Qingyin thought, a ghost of a smile touching her lips.

While bickering with Al, her hand steadily cut open the skin of Al’s right leg. Detecting the scent of blood, Al suddenly shut her mouth. Even without sensation in her legs, she realized the treatment had begun.

Al sat in a stiff silence for a long time amidst the auditory hallucination of ringing in her ears. Only when the sound of the potion boiling rose did she finally speak: “Can you tell me now? What exactly do you have to pay for this treatment?”

If it were just a normal treatment, why would she refuse to answer?

Jiao Qingyin paused; she hadn’t expected her to still remember this. But she certainly couldn’t tell Al the truth, so she made up an excuse: “…It’s just that you’ll feel some pain, and I might be exhausted for a short while from using up my strength.”

Her words were vague and left a lot of room for imagination, causing Al, who was in an unstable mental state, to immediately brainstorm.

“Exhausted… does that mean… you run the risk of that person taking the opportunity to occupy your body?”

Hmm? Jiao Qingyin blinked. This was actually a pretty good excuse. So, she just gave a light grunt of affirmation, neither saying yes nor no, acting as if she had been caught in a truth she didn’t want to admit.

Al fell for it, and her entire being flared up with rage. She looked even angrier than when she was just rejected.

“Are you stupid? You finally have your own self-awareness. If she takes over your body, you might never come back! You—”

Jiao Qingyin was startled by Al’s agitated reaction. She quickly pressed down Al’s thrashing upper body and added another restriction. Once the girl was tied up securely and couldn’t move at all, she breathed a sigh of relief. In her lingering fear, she blurted out, “Don’t you want your legs? You dare to move in the middle of a surgery?”

“Surgery?” Al panted, every strand of hair screaming defiance, yet she immediately caught the keyword. “Is that the name of this treatment method?”

Jiao Qingyin: “…”

She pretended not to hear and continued her work. Her movements were steady and practiced; the incisions and sutures were perfect. She was grateful for the lack of medical resources during the apocalypse, as practicing surgery on herself had given her top-tier skills.

With only her mouth left to move and Jiao Qingyin deliberately ignoring her, Al was so angry her heart began to ache. After a long while, she realized that being angry only hurt herself, so she suddenly asked: “For a surgery, don’t you need to take off your clothes?”

Jiao Qingyin was focused on finding the highest concentration of toxins. Hearing this, her hand nearly slipped.

“No need,” she steadied her movement, her gaze flickering. “Because… I’ve already lifted part of your skirt.”

Jiao Qingyin had intended to ask Al for permission, but after their unpleasant clash, she hadn’t found the right moment to speak. And… whether Al agreed or not, she had to lift the skirt to perform the treatment. If she did it after a refusal, she would look like a creep; it was better to just do it secretly.

Jiao Qingyin felt increasingly guilty and decided to swallow the explanation.

…Just let Al think of her as a creep who doesn’t respect people. It’s fine. She doesn’t care.

She. Really. Doesn’t. Care.

Al fell silent. A moment later, she turned her head away, hiding her reddening ears in her silver hair. In her heart, she pulled out a long-unused “grudge notebook” and wrote down everything that happened today.

She decided that as soon as her legs were healed, she would no longer be the Al who considered Jiao Qingyin in everything. She was going to kidnap the woman, take her away from this castle, and bring her to a place only she knew. There, she would pay her back for every single thing Jiao Qingyin had done to her.

This included, but was not limited to: forcibly stroking her head, stroking her belly, stroking her tail, blindfolding her, tying her up, and lifting her skirt. Cold war… let’s cross that out for now…

Without Jiao Qingyin knowing, the plot had returned to its original track in a bizarre way. At the very least, she was likely to face the same “little black room” confinement as the original owner of the body.

As the treatment proceeded, Al managed to stay conscious at first, but slowly, she found herself becoming increasingly drowsy. An irresistible sleepiness made her senses fade. As her consciousness blurred, Al’s fingers twitched, wanting to grab Jiao Qingyin’s sleeve as she usually did, but to no avail.

Before falling completely into a deep sleep, she asked the question she feared most in a hoarse, weak voice:

“Jiao-Jiao… will you leave me?”

Jiao Qingyin… Jiao Qingyin was at the critical moment of transferring the toxins to herself. She was already in so much pain that she had no strength left to answer. This pain was not in her calculations and had exceeded her threshold, leaving her face as white as paper, as if she were about to collapse.

All she could do was imagine the sight of Al being able to run and jump once she woke up.

Well, spring is just around the corner; Al will be able to catch the blooming flowers.