After the Second Playthrough, the CP-Less Female Lead Kneels and Begs Me for Forgiveness [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 34

For the past few days, Pei Xi and Shao Xibei had been inseparable.

That night, Shao Xibei had hand-written an introductory manual on mystical arts and handed it to Pei Xi. By the very next day, Pei Xi told her that she had already committed the entire contents to memory.

Shao Xibei felt a sense of satisfaction. She had read Pei Xi’s bones before; Pei Xi’s natural aptitude wasn’t particularly suited for this path. However, talent does not always determine everything. Moreover, with Shao Xibei being a top-tier Celestial Master from the modern era, she felt confident she could teach even a fool, let alone someone as normal—and perhaps even brilliant—as Pei Xi. The path of a Celestial Master is notoriously obscure and difficult to enter, yet for a beginner, Pei Xi’s progress over just two or three days was heartening: she had already mastered “Qi Induction.”

Qi Induction involves drawing the spiritual energy existing in the atmosphere into one’s own body. Some people spend their entire lives failing to achieve this single step.

As she had the previous days, Shao Xibei waited in the courtyard for Pei Xi to arrive. Today, she intended to teach her how to open her “Spiritual Eye.”

However, half an hour passed, and the small figure carrying the food box did not appear as usual. Since that fateful day, this courtyard seemed to have been forgotten by the rest of the world. No one ever came by except for Pei Xi. Madam Pei and Pei Ming, who had appeared that day, seemed like mere illusions.

To Shao Xibei, their absence was a blessing—but that didn’t include Pei Xi. Over these days, she had come to understand Pei Xi well: she was self-deprecating, sensitive, precocious, intelligent, solemn, friendless, and far too concerned with what others thought of her. She was a contradictory child—or perhaps, a young woman.

Pei Xi usually appeared before her by the hour of Wei (1 PM – 3 PM). A sense of foreboding rose in Shao Xibei’s heart.

She stood up and followed her memory toward the main hall of the Pei Estate. Passing through the garden felt normal, but as she reached the center of the manor and saw the festive red decorations, the realization hit her. She remembered the date being further off, yet the preparations were already complete.

With a darkened expression, Shao Xibei grabbed a passing servant: “Where is the Second Miss?”

The servants, who had seemed eerie before, revealed their true nature upon this close contact. They weren’t human at all. But Shao Xibei had no time for such details; she only wanted to know where Pei Xi was. Her emotions fluctuated violently, causing faint spiritual energy to leak from her body.

The servant sensed it. The red rouge on its cheeks faded, and its eyes grew vacant. Though its mouth remained tightly shut, an eerie, shrill, child-like voice emanated from it: “The Second Miss… the Second Miss has been taken away…”

Shao Xibei’s heart constricted. Suddenly, she spat out a mouthful of blood directly onto the servant. The servant let out a piercing scream as white smoke billowed from where the blood touched him. He thrashed about: “Ahhh! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”

Shao Xibei released her grip, and the servant immediately scrambled away, rolling on the ground and screaming in agony. Suddenly, the servant’s body began to deflate rapidly, turning into a hollow sheet of human skin.

Shao Xibei watched this horrific scene with cold eyes. Her blood possessed the power to dispel evil; she hadn’t expected its efficacy to remain even in this place. The human skin twitched, and a tiny paper man crawled out from the clothes, scuttling onto the ground.

Without hesitation, Shao Xibei stepped on it. “Taken away by whom?”

The paper man didn’t answer. It only let out a child-like wail: “It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!”

Shao Xibei frowned and pressed further: “Where is Pei Ming?”

The paper man seemed unable to understand, continuing its repetitive cries of pain. Shao Xibei extended her finger, spiritual energy overflowing. When she had lost her memory, her spiritual power seemed to have been sealed along with it. Now that her memories had returned, her power was gradually restoring.

Though her current body was different from her original one, she was essentially her “peak self”—and the spiritual energy in this era was a hundred times more potent than in her own time. Dealing with a paper man was easier than crushing an ant.

The other servants nearby acted as if nothing was happening, continuing their chores as usual. Sensing approaching danger, the paper man under her foot shrieked even louder: “IT HURTS! IT HURTS!”

But no one came to its aid. Just as the spiritual energy was about to destroy it, a gentle voice drifted from behind her.

“Auntie, what are you doing?”

Shao Xibei kept her foot on the paper man and didn’t look back. “Can’t you tell?”

As she spoke, she ground her foot down. The paper man wailed once more: “It hurts…”

Pei Ming walked slowly around to face Shao Xibei, a faint smile on his lips. “Auntie, stop bullying it.”

Shao Xibei gave a mocking laugh. She lifted her foot slightly, and her spiritual energy consumed the paper man with lightning speed. The paper ignited, and with one final shriek, it turned into ash.

Pei Ming let out a slow, lingering sigh. “It died in such agony.”

Shao Xibei smoothed her wavy hair. “Stop putting on an act.”

Hearing this, Pei Ming looked genuinely puzzled. “When has Pei Ming ever put on an act?”

Shao Xibei rolled her eyes blatantly. Still acting? She cut straight to the chase: “I don’t have time to bicker with you. Tell me, right now—where is Pei Xi?”

Pei Ming’s eyes curved into a smile. “After only a few days apart, Auntie’s temperament has changed so much. It seems the saying ‘one day apart feels like three autumns’ is truly a fact.”

“Heh, you talk too much nonsense.” Shao Xibei’s face turned cold.

“Alas, Pei Ming only wished to speak a few more words with Auntie. Am I really so despised?” Pei Ming sighed deeply, yet her eyes remained flat and indifferent, devoid of any real emotion.

Shao Xibei arched an eyebrow. “As long as you know it.”

Seeing this, Pei Ming let out a low chuckle. “To see such a different side of Auntie today… Pei Ming is truly delighted.”

The comment was pointed, and Shao Xibei understood the implication immediately. She gave Pei Ming a soft, gentle smile. As that smile reflected in Pei Ming’s eyes, the latter’s gaze flickered. “Auntie, by smiling at me like that, have you had a change of heart toward me?”

Shao Xibei’s face instantly returned to a blank expression. “I’ll say it one more time: I am not here to play games. Tell me where Pei Xi is.”

Pei Ming sighed. “Today is Sister Xi’s wedding day. She has already been picked up by the groom.”

Shao Xibei’s breath hitched. She lowered her gaze and said in a low voice, “It’s those people from last time, isn’t it? Tell me where they are.”

Pei Ming watched her long, thick eyelashes and said slowly, “Sister Xi is getting married; why does Mother need to go looking for her? Once today passes, she will belong to the Wang family. As for you, you were taken in by my father, so you belong to the Pei family—”

Before Pei Ming could finish, Shao Xibei struck out with a burst of spiritual energy.

Pei Ming’s words were cut short. The attack was so swift that Pei Ming barely managed to dodge, but her ear was grazed. She caught the faint scent of blood. Reaching up to touch her ear, she felt the dampness—she was bleeding.

She looked at Shao Xibei. “Auntie is being a bit impatient.”

Shao Xibei couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. She brushed past Pei Ming and headed straight for the main gates of the Pei Estate.

The Wang family, right? Even if Pei Ming wouldn’t talk, it didn’t mean the people on the street wouldn’t. In an instant, many things clicked into place for Shao Xibei. No wonder Madam Pei had been so quiet the last few days; she had been hiding this. It was supposed to be in five days. Damn it—they moved it forward.

Shao Xibei pressed her lips thin. Pei Xi, you must wait for me.

Pei Ming stood still, watching Shao Xibei’s silhouette until it vanished before withdrawing her gaze. She looked at the speck of blood on her finger. Although the exchange was brief, she had clearly felt the purity and depth of that spiritual energy.

Just where exactly did Pei Qing bring this woman from?

A face of divine craftsmanship, a body devoid of life, incredibly pure spiritual energy, and blood that seemed capable of harming evil entities. Usually, the blood of a normal human was a delicacy for the wicked.

“She is shrouded in mystery,” Pei Ming mused. “It truly makes one want to explore every secret.”

Pei Ming touched the bell at her waist. “Did you see that smile? It was so beautiful. So beautiful I want to turn her into an eternally smiling doll.”

The bell chimed twice, appearing to respond to her words.

Pei Ming smiled faintly. “You think it’s beautiful too? Then let her belong to us.”

This was Shao Xibei’s first time leaving the Pei Estate. She looked at the crowded streets but had no interest in sight-seeing. Her only goal was to find the Wang residence and Pei Xi.

She noticed the red scraps of firecracker paper on the ground, forming a trail that stretched into the distance. These were likely from this morning, yet she hadn’t heard a single sound. She followed the trail of red paper, unaware of how much attention she was attracting.

Her snow-white dress clung to her thin, fragile frame, contrasting sharply with her pale skin. Her long, black wavy hair made her stand out uniquely in the crowd. Her delicate features looked as if they had been meticulously sculpted by the gods, and the red mole just beneath her left eye added a touch of enchantment to her face. She was stunning without being vulgar—a peerless beauty.

A woman named Xiao Liu was out with her husband to watch the festivities. Since the Wang family had finished the wedding procession, she was dragging her husband along to go shopping.

Passing a pastry stall, she asked for her husband’s opinion, but received no response despite asking several times. She turned around only to find her husband staring blankly at another woman.

Xiao Liu was furious. Granted, the woman was indeed beautiful, but was it necessary to stare for that long? She reached out and pinched the soft flesh of her husband’s waist, glaring at the woman. “Keep staring, why don’t you! Your eyes are practically glued to her! What’s so good about someone who looks like they’d fall over in a light breeze?!”

As soon as she said it, she realized the woman was walking closer and eventually stopped right in front of her. Xiao Liu’s breath caught; up close, this woman was breathtakingly beautiful.

Then, she heard a gentle voice: “Excuse me, miss. Is the Wang residence in this direction?”

Xiao Liu’s face flushed red. She thought she could smell a faint, elegant fragrance coming from the woman. She looked left and right, not daring to meet the woman’s eyes, and stammered, “Y-yes… if you follow this path, you’ll… you’ll see the Wang house.”

“Is that so? Thank you very much.”

Xiao Liu accidentally caught the woman’s eyes. Seeing that smile made her blush even harder. “Y-you’re welcome.”

Even after the woman left, Xiao Liu’s face remained crimson.

Her husband beside her tried to flatter her: “Wife, you were right. That flat figure of hers is quite ugly. She’s nowhere near as beautiful and curvaceous as you.”

Instead of a smile, he felt the grip on his waist tighten. His wife glared at him with wide eyes. “You wretched man! Not a single good word comes out of your mouth! She looks like a heavenly immortal, and here you are talking such garbage!”

The man was bewildered. He was utterly confused—didn’t you just say that yourself? But seeing his wife’s expression, he knew better than to say it out loud.

He forced a smile. “It’s my fault, I can’t say anything right! I deserve a beating!”

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