After the Second Playthrough, the CP-Less Female Lead Kneels and Begs Me for Forgiveness [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

The moment these words left Zhao Shuangbai’s mouth, the onlookers were left utterly dumbfounded.

Is this really our Eldest Senior Sister? She hasn’t been replaced by an impostor, has she?

Even Fang Nian felt a flicker of suspicion, cautiously and meticulously scrutinizing her again.

As if sensing his gaze, Zhao Shuangbai spared him a brief, cold glance.

Good. That “eye-dagger” look is exactly the same as always.

Since the person in Zhao Shuangbai’s arms was sleeping, everyone moved in silence. Seeing that Zhao Shuangbai clearly had no intention of putting the person down, Fang Nian hesitated before pulling a large futon out of his storage bag—one spacious enough for a person.

He placed the futon on a patch of ground that was reasonably clean and sent a telepathic message to Zhao Shuangbai: “Senior Sister, put them here. It’s very soft.”

Zhao Shuangbai looked over. Comparing the futon to her own arms, the soft padding would indeed offer a more comfortable sleep. She walked over and lowered the person as gently as possible, but Shao Xibei woke up the instant she was put down.

“I woke you up,” Zhao Shuangbai said softly.

That gentle tone shocked the others yet again. One disciple messaged another: “I have NEVER heard Senior Sister speak so tenderly!!!”

The recipient nodded vigorously in agreement. Compared to her usual self, this Zhao Shuangbai was practically unrecognizable. They remembered their training days—Zhao Shuangbai had beaten everyone, male or female alike, into a pulp.

Shao Xibei rubbed her eyes. Since she had already been “exposed” down to her core in front of Zhao Shuangbai, she stopped pretending. She looked around and saw a crowd of Qionghua Sect disciples standing behind Zhao Shuangbai, staring at her as if they’d seen a ghost. Their expressions were bizarre.

Shao Xibei shrank back slightly. Why do their eyes look so terrifying?

She let go of Zhao Shuangbai’s neck, stood up, and stretched.

“Hiss!”

[Why does my waist still ache so much?]

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a pair of large hands pressed against her lower back, gently massaging the area. Shao Xibei jolted, nearly jumping away. She glared at the person currently looking down and massaging her; doing this was basically announcing to the world what they had just been doing.

Her sensitive waist being touched like that made her squirm restlessly—it was too ticklish.

Misinterpreting her movement as a rejection of her touch, Zhao Shuangbai said, “I’m using spiritual power. It will help you heal faster.”

Setting aside Shao Xibei’s internal turmoil, the Qionghua disciples were beyond stunned. Of the ten disciples present, at least five worshipped Zhao Shuangbai. Seeing their Senior Sister—who was usually too cold to utter an extra word—be so gentle with someone made them practically grit their teeth in envy.

They had originally placed bets that their Senior Sister would remain single for life. Who would have thought she’d find a Dao companion faster than all of them?

The spiritual massage did, in fact, make Shao Xibei feel much better. She narrowed her eyes, her long lashes fluttering. The black mist permeating the area hadn’t vanished; though they were at the edge of the Purple Leaf Forest, it was clear this miasma had spread across the entire secret realm.

Zhao Shuangbai stopped her movements and withdrew her hands. “Where is Li He?” she asked.

Fang Nian quickly flew up a large tree and carried a body down from a high branch, laying him flat on the ground.

Watching this, Shao Xibei was a bit shocked. It’s my first time seeing a comatose person left in a tree fork. Aren’t they afraid he’ll wake up, roll over, and fall?

“Senior Sister, we really couldn’t figure out why Li He is unconscious, so we put him somewhere safe to wait for you. If you hadn’t come out, we were going to charge back in.” We thought you were in danger, not… “tumbling in the clouds” inside, Fang Nian thought, though he didn’t dare say it out loud.

Zhao Shuangbai knelt down and inspected him closely. Cultivation: normal. Meridians: normal. No physical wounds.

Shao Xibei tried to lean in for a look but was blocked by two disciples. It was clear they didn’t trust this new face, even if she was brought back by Zhao Shuangbai. They had likely used some secret method to confirm Zhao Shuangbai’s identity when she appeared, but they showed no leniency to Shao Xibei despite her beauty. To the Qionghua Sect—a sect that worshipped martial prowess—beauty was useless and superficial.

Noticing the situation, Zhao Shuangbai said coolly, “Let her through.”

“Senior Sister, she is an outsider after all,” Fang Nian countered.

Zhao Shuangbai shook her head. “Fang Nian, she is not an outsider. She is the Dao companion I am about to form a bond with.”

Fang Nian: …Was it really necessary to show off at a time like this?!

Seeing the cold but unwavering look in Zhao Shuangbai’s eyes, Fang Nian waved his hand. “Fine, fine.”

Shao Xibei walked to Zhao Shuangbai’s side and crouched down. “Your junior brother is so fierce. He’ll never find a wife like that; you can tell he’s been single for years.”

Fang Nian, who was watching her every move, didn’t miss the remark. His brow furrowed, then relaxed. She’s Senior Sister’s companion, she’s Senior Sister’s companion, she’s Senior Sister’s companion. After repeating it three times, he decided to pretend he hadn’t heard a thing.

Zhao Shuangbai found it amusing—this girl certainly knew how to hold a grudge.

Shao Xibei leaned in to examine the man on the ground. Having traveled through many worlds and held many “professions” (though she died early every time), she had picked up a few skills. She reached out and pried his eyelids open; Zhao Shuangbai didn’t stop her, watching quietly from the side.

Shao Xibei frowned. The eyeballs were tinged with gray and a very faint trace of black energy. She moved her hand to his pulse. It was beating rapidly—hardly the pulse of someone in a coma. More strangely, though there was nothing physically wrong, she could feel his life force slowly draining away.

As Shao Xibei pondered, Zhao Shuangbai asked, “Was the son of that noble family found?”

“No,” Fang Nian replied. “And none of his followers came out either. Unless they left from the other side, they are likely still trapped in the dense forest.” And it’s hard to say if they’re even alive, he thought.

“Senior Sister, Li He is in the middle stage of the Golden Core realm. Even as a medical cultivator, he isn’t much weaker than us. Anyone who could snatch him away effortlessly must be at least at the Nascent Soul stage.”

Fang Nian’s reasoning made sense. The only silver lining was that Li He wasn’t dead yet. If they had encountered an expert capable of tearing them to shreds in a blink, they might not have even had time to activate their life-saving teleportation arrays.

Suddenly, Shao Xibei spoke up: “There’s something on his back!”

Unbeknownst to them, Shao Xibei had already flipped the man over. To their horror, the skin on Li He’s back, previously covered by his robes, was undulating.

Zhao Shuangbai’s expression darkened. “Move back,” she commanded. Without another word, she used her sword to flick away the fabric covering Li He’s back.

Visible on his back was a human face, rising and falling beneath the skin!!!

The crowd gasped in horror. The face seemed to loathe the light; once the clothes were removed and it was exposed to the sun, it let out a piercing shriek. It began to heave violently, as if trying to burst through the flesh.

“Is it a Human-Face Sore?” Fang Nian asked, his voice trembling.

Shao Xibei’s face turned serious. “It’s not a Human-Face Sore. It’s a type of evil art I saw in an ancient book. This face continuously absorbs the host’s life force, cultivation, and talent. Eventually, it devours the host entirely to become a new person.”

“Furthermore, this face shares a life and sensory link with the host. Any pain inflicted on the face is felt entirely by the host.”

“This evil art was supposed to have gone extinct in the Primordial Era.”

Everyone’s faces turned grim. They hadn’t expected such a foul technique to still exist.

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