After the Second Playthrough, the CP-Less Female Lead Kneels and Begs Me for Forgiveness [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 10

Shen Yunyan knew this was an illusion. She was lucid, yet she could not escape.

It was as if she had returned to the past, becoming her former self, feeling every movement with vivid, terrifying realism.

The blood had already turned black. She had spent ninety-nine days soaking Shao Xibei’s blood and heart with spiritual power; today was the final day.

She produced a spiritual vessel made of Primal Earth and Water Essence, merging the blood and heart into it. If she could summon Shao Xibei’s soul now and place it within the vessel, it would gain humanity and become a “Spirit Person.” It would retain Shao Xibei’s original personality but remain eternally loyal to her.

But the soul was nowhere to be found.

Shen Yunyan watched her past self perform the soul-summoning ritual for the countless time, yet nothing appeared. As the last of her spiritual energy exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, dazed, before shaking Shao Xibei’s corpse in a sudden frenzy.

She heard her own voice, strained and low: “Ah Xi, where has your soul gone? Are you blaming me for hurting you? Are you unwilling to come out? Speak to me!!!”

Her face was twisted into an ugly mask of madness. It was the first time she had truly lost her reason. Panic—why wouldn’t the soul come? Fear—that Ah Xi’s soul had vanished. Anger—how dare she leave her?

The dead do not speak. No matter how much she shook the body, there was no response. Eventually, rage eclipsed all logic, and she destroyed the remains in a fit of violence.

“No! Look at who she is! Think clearly! She is A-Xi!!” “Stop it!!! Shen Yunyan, stop it now!!!”

Trapped inside her past body, Shen Yunyan screamed, but she could not stop the scene. Shreds of red clothing fluttered before her eyes, and she saw a red hair tie arch through the air—a gift she had given, which A-Xi had cherished like a treasure.

Her heart felt as if it were being crushed. The pain was explosive. Did it hurt this much when I cut out Ah Xi’s heart? It must have. She cried.

“Shen Yunyan, you truly deserve this.” A voice inside her head repeated the words over and over.

Shen Yunyan snapped her eyes open. The illusion shattered. But the voice remained.

“Self-righteous, stupid, and poisonous. To think you were immersed in a mere illusion for so long.”

Shen Yunyan’s eyes turned cold, radiating spiritual pressure. “Shut up.”

The voice snorted coldly. “Sooner or later, this body will be mine.”

Surveying her surroundings, Shen Yunyan realized Shao Xibei’s aura had vanished. She didn’t care; she had a destination to reach, a place that held something she needed.

Shao Xibei had emerged from the illusion in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, startled awake by the sheer absurdity of its content.

She had seen herself and Zhao Shuangbai practicing swords and traveling together—and Zhao Shuangbai had been smiling the entire time. Upon waking, Shao Xibei let out a massive sigh of relief. Too scary.

She saw Shen Yunyan still standing motionless, clearly trapped in her own vision. In a secret realm, this was incredibly dangerous, as creatures could strike at any moment. Shao Xibei didn’t care. She slipped away immediately; frankly, not actively harming Shen Yunyan was already a display of her “kindness.”

If she could find a Purple Leaf Forest, she could find a Moon Cat.

The Moon Cat was an ancient beast that cultivated by absorbing lunar essence. Shao Xibei remembered its appearance well; Shen Yunyan had captured one in the previous timeline, making her incredibly envious. This time, she headed straight for the forest.

After walking for some time, Shao Xibei began to feel exhausted. Despite her powers, she was essentially a physically frail mage.

[System, are we almost there? I see purple trees ahead.] [Yes, the Purple Leaf Forest is just ahead.] [Great, finally.]

Luckily, the System had scanned the entire area during the last “run” and created a map. As she approached, she saw the purple-canopied woods, but noticed a strange black mist permeating the air.

Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the forest:

Zhao Shuangbai stood at the edge of the woods, her expression frigid. The place gave her an ill omen. However, a cat-like beast had dragged two people inside—a disciple from the Qionghua Sect and a scion of a noble family. The noble’s bodyguards had already charged in after them.

“Senior Sister, we must go in. If we delay, Li He might be in grave danger.”

Zhao Shuangbai shook her head. “Something is wrong here. I will go in first to investigate. Wait for my signal.”

“But Senior Sister, this place is strange. We should stick together.”

Zhao Shuangbai was firm. “No. I won’t risk your safety. This place is abnormal. Enough. The Elders said you are to follow my lead.”

The disciples fell silent, looking dejected. They were protected by formations that would eject them from the realm if their lives were in danger, so they eventually stopped arguing.

Deep in the forest, the black mist grew thicker. Shao Xibei felt a faint heat rising in her body. She ignored it at first, simply adding two more layers to her protective barrier.

The forest itself wasn’t usually dangerous; the challenge was finding the Moon Cat, which only appeared under moonlight. They were lightning-fast but had weak combat abilities, nearly hunted to extinction in ancient times because their glowing fur could boost a cultivator’s progress.

Suddenly, Shao Xibei stopped. The faint heat in her dantian surged through her limbs like a wildfire whipped by the wind.

This feeling… is it the side effect kicking in?

Her head spun, and her vision blurred. She reached for the small medicine bottle she kept in a magical storage pouch, but the pouch felt sealed shut. No matter how much magic she channeled, it wouldn’t open.

“Why won’t it open?!” She panicked.

[System, why can’t I open my storage bag?] Her voice trembled. [The black mist is blocking it,] the System replied instantly.

Inside the system space, the humanoid phantom seemed to frown. At its current energy level, if it manifested physically to help, the World Origin would detect and attack it, forcing it back into hibernation.

Shao Xibei slumped against a tree. Her exposed skin had turned a faint, feverish pink. Because she could no longer control her magic, her true appearance began to revert.

[System, I’m so hot…]

Shao Xibei pulled at her collar, revealing a large expanse of delicate, flushed skin. Seeing this, the System couldn’t help but curse under its breath.

“Damn that Mainframe.”

When the Mainframe first created the System, it hard-coded a specific restriction: the host cannot enter the System Space while a mission is active. Because Shao Xibei was currently in the middle of her task, the System was powerless to summon her to safety.

Shao Xibei’s temperature continued to climb. Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, accompanied by a sudden, overwhelming surge of primal longing.

[System, I’m so hot… I feel like I’m melting. I want ice…]

She forced her eyes open. Through a blurred lens, a figure appeared before her. Clad in white martial robes with a high, crisp ponytail—it was Zhao Shuangbai.

“…Bai… Bai.”

Hearing the person under the tree call her name, Zhao Shuangbai confirmed it wasn’t an illusion and hurried over. She released the spiritual pressure of a Golden Core Perfection cultivator to ensure she could detect any incoming threats instantly.

As Zhao Shuangbai knelt, she was suddenly pulled into a desperate embrace. Shao Xibei’s body heat radiated through her—she was burning like a furnace.

Zhao Shuangbai pulled her back, staring intently at her. Shao Xibei’s bangs were damp with sweat, and her collar had been pulled wide in her delirium. Zhao Shuangbai reached out to close the garment, her voice low and grave: “It’s the side effect. Where is the medicine?”

Shao Xibei’s eyes were misty and wet with tears. “I can’t open it… I can’t get it out…” Her mind was turning to mush, leaving only a shred of sanity.

“Where is the storage bag?”

“In my… my robes. Bai, hold me, please. I’m so hot.”

To Shao Xibei, Zhao Shuangbai was a block of ice; just being near her offered a refreshing chill. Zhao Shuangbai didn’t answer, but she reached her hand into Shao Xibei’s robes—once again doing something entirely out of character for her.

Shao Xibei felt that cool, smooth palm through the thin fabric. The sensation was both cold and electrifying, like ants crawling over her skin. Through her hazy vision, she saw Zhao Shuangbai’s pale cheeks and light pink lips. They looked cool. She wanted them.

Shao Xibei leaned closer. Zhao Shuangbai, unable to find the bag, looked up to speak, only to have a soft, warm sensation press against her lips.

It was hot, soft, and carried a faint, sweet fragrance.

Zhao Shuangbai’s mind went blank for a heartbeat. Recovering instantly, she shoved Shao Xibei away just as the girl tried to deepen the kiss. However, as Shao Xibei’s head was about to hit the tree trunk, Zhao Shuangbai instinctively reached out to cushion her with her hands instead of using spiritual energy.

“Cool and slippery… like jelly,” Shao Xibei murmured.

Zhao Shuangbai didn’t know what “jelly” was, nor did she know what expression she was making. She only knew her lips still felt the damp, scorching trace of the kiss. She touched her mouth, unsure whether to wipe it away or linger.

Watching this, the System felt a surge of inexplicable, suffocating emotions. It wanted to take Shao Xibei away now.

“Tch, damn the Mainframe,” the System cursed again. In the next instant, its phantom image vanished.

Shao Xibei tried to cling to her again, but Zhao Shuangbai used her spiritual energy to bind her movements. The medicine had to be on her person. But just as Zhao Shuangbai reached out again, a violent surge of spiritual power struck toward her.

Without time to think, Zhao Shuangbai scooped Shao Xibei up and leaped several meters away. She looked toward the source of the attack: a tall female cultivator whose face was obscured by a thick, unnatural mist.

The stranger gave Zhao Shuangbai no time to react, launching a flurry of attacks. Hampered by the person in her arms, Zhao Shuangbai couldn’t draw her sword properly and was forced to dodge. She noticed the attacker was holding back, seemingly afraid of hurting Shao Xibei.

Zhao Shuangbai’s eyes flashed with cold light. She darted to the side, placed Shao Xibei on the ground, cast a protective barrier around her, and drew her life-bond sword to meet the attacker head-on.

Being placed on the ground cleared Shao Xibei’s head for a split second. She realized what she had just done—she had kissed Zhao Shuangbai. But the clarity vanished as quickly as it came. Bound and weak, she began to weep softly.

The two fighters stopped simultaneously, both turning to look at her. Zhao Shuangbai moved to grab her, but the mysterious cultivator was faster.

Shao Xibei was gathered into a steady embrace. She rubbed her face against the person’s chest, whispering two words: “System.”

The mysterious cultivator stiffened. Then, using an unknown technique, the figure vanished from Zhao Shuangbai’s sight, taking Shao Xibei and erasing all traces of their aura.

Zhao Shuangbai stared at the empty forest, her expression terrifyingly cold. “Damn it.”

The World Consciousness had locked onto the System as an intruder.

The System carried Shao Xibei to a shallow pool and sat her down against the edge. It didn’t have much time. It pulled the storage bag from her waist; it was clogged with the black mist. Shao Xibei couldn’t open it because her magic was too weak to dispel the corruption, but the System could.

After clearing the mist, the System stepped into the water with her. “Are you conscious? You can open the bag now.”

The cool water was like rain after a drought to Shao Xibei. It offered some relief, but her reason was still gone. Sensing the coolness of the person beside her, she instinctively pressed closer.

There was no time left. Thick clouds gathered overhead, and thunder rolled across the Purple Leaf Forest.

“Damn it! Shao Xibei, wake up!”

The Heavenly Tribulation lightning descended with terrifying speed. The System used its final reserves of energy to shield Shao Xibei. While she remained unharmed, the System’s energy-form body was blasted into ash. The storage bag fell by the poolside.

The System was forced back into the System Space. Its core issued a dire warning:

[Excessive energy loss. Entering hibernation mode immediately. Forced shutdown in ten minutes.]

The cool water gradually lowered Shao Xibei’s external temperature, but the internal “itch” grew more intense. In her daze, she thought she heard the System’s voice. With great effort, she looked around and saw her storage bag on the bank. It carried a lingering scent of the System’s aura.

…System.

With that thought, she tried the bag again. This time it opened easily. She downed a pill from the small bottle immediately. The medicine worked; the heat and the restless urge began to fade. Shao Xibei gripped the bottle tight. In the end… the System had saved her. That person holding her must have been the System.

“…Is that you, Ah Xi?”

Shao Xibei’s face went pale. Though the side effects were suppressed, her body was still weak, and that voice… was the last one she wanted to hear.

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