After the Second Playthrough, the CP-Less Female Lead Kneels and Begs Me for Forgiveness [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 45

After that night, the relationship between the two seemingly remained unchanged.

However, feelings buried deep in the heart only grow more powerful.

During the day, after Pei Xi finished massaging Shao Xibei, she would begin her cultivation. Gradually, she had learned how to use some simple talismans.

After staying there for nearly a month, Shao Xibei’s body finally returned to normal. Her chronic issue of coughing up blood had also been alleviated.

During this time, Si Wan and Qing Sui would return every four or five days—sometimes to gather medicinal herbs, and sometimes simply to deliver food.

Once Shao Xibei’s legs were functional again, she had Pei Xi take the “Encyclopedia of Medicinal Herbs” provided by Si Wan up the mountain to forage. Having stayed there for free all this time without any silver on them, this was the only simple way they could repay the kindness. Consequently, when Si Wan and the others returned, they would often see a courtyard full of drying herbs.

Shao Xibei also used this physical labor as a way to make her body more agile.

Today, the sky was exceptionally clear.

In the courtyard, Si Wan spoke to Shao Xibei with delight: “This is wonderful! I’ve checked your body and found no issues at all.”

“However, since you were born with a weak constitution, you still need to take good care of yourself.”

Though they hadn’t known each other long, Si Wan already considered Shao Xibei and Pei Xi her friends.

Before Si Wan and Qing Sui departed, Shao Xibei handed them the talismans she had made.

Si Wan accepted them with a look of gratitude and interest. “Wow, Miss Shao, you even know how to make these? That’s amazing!” She showed no hint of disdain, tucking them securely into her robes. Qing Sui did the same.

Shao Xibei smiled. “It’s nothing much; I’m just glad you don’t mind them.”

As soon as Si Wan and the others were out of sight, Shao Xibei’s smile vanished. Her brows knitted slightly. “The aura of misfortune clinging to them is getting heavier.”

Shao Xibei had noticed it during their last meeting. Back then, Si Wan and Qing Sui were only tainted with a tiny bit—the kind a person might pick up when passing a dead animal. Usually, that dissipates quickly. But now, it was accumulating, and the exhaustion on their faces was palpable.

Pei Xi nodded. To see things invisible to ordinary eyes, she had to channel spiritual energy into her vision. Like Shao Xibei, she saw the heavy gloom surrounding them.

“Pei Xi, I have a very bad feeling about this,” Shao Xibei said anxiously. Si Wan and Qing Sui were good people; she didn’t want anything bad to happen to them.

“Then let’s go find them tomorrow. If you’re worried, we should go see for ourselves,” Pei Xi suggested.

Shao Xibei felt a sudden sense of clarity. If she was worried, why not just go check?

“I must be getting dull. Little Pei Xi, you’re becoming more and more sensible.” Shao Xibei raised her hand to pat Pei Xi’s head, but Pei Xi was now half a head taller than her. Her own height of 175cm felt a bit lacking now.

Just as she was about to give up on the head-pat and settle for a pat on the shoulder, Pei Xi lowered her head, allowing the crown of her hair to meet Shao Xibei’s palm.

Pei Xi murmured, “I like this.” Her voice was so low her lips barely moved, making no audible sound.

However, Shao Xibei had mostly recovered. Her sharpened senses made it impossible to ignore those words.

As if her palm had been scorched, Shao Xibei snapped her hand back. She felt like Pei Xi took every possible opportunity to flirt with her, yet whenever she looked, she only met Pei Xi’s innocent, clear, light-colored eyes. They were so clean they seemed devoid of any hidden emotion.

But it was all a facade. Shao Xibei knew that at night, Pei Xi would gaze at her with a burning intensity. That was the side Pei Xi explicitly wanted her to see.

As time went on, Pei Xi had become too lazy to hide it. Once, while Shao Xibei was bathing and still unable to move her legs, Pei Xi had unashamedly “licked” her all over with her eyes. Shao Xibei felt this was no exaggeration.

The strangest part was that she didn’t feel repulsed. In fact, when Pei Xi’s hand accidentally brushed against her secret “red dots,” she felt a wave of numbness wash over her.

An “old lady” who had completed countless missions was being made to tremble by an eighteen-year-old girl. Oh, wait—this girl also had a very unusual identity.

The more she thought about it, the more Shao Xibei wanted to cry. This girl was the System. If they kept staying together like this, either they would “misfire,” or Pei Xi would lose control. Then things would really get out of hand.

Nighttime.

Pei Xi lay in bed and asked, “Sister Shao, do you still want to return to the Pei family?”

Shao Xibei, separated from her by the space of one person, thought for a long while before answering honestly, “Yes. I haven’t had my revenge yet.”

Pei Xi gave a light chuckle. “Fine. Let’s go back.”

Shao Xibei paused. They had mentioned this once before and then never spoke of it again. She had mainly felt that Pei Xi didn’t want to go back, so she hadn’t brought it up. Now that Pei Xi had suddenly agreed—and seemed perfectly fine with it—Shao Xibei was confused.

“Why… the sudden change of heart?”

Pei Xi rarely smiled, but hearing the question, she chuckled again. “There are some things that still need to be told to my parents.” Though perhaps those two don’t deserve it, she thought.

It was mysterious, but Shao Xibei knew Pei Xi would talk when she was ready, so she didn’t press further. Instead, she said, “Let’s sleep early then. We need to wake up early tomorrow.” Based on Si Wan’s schedule, it shouldn’t be too far from Hetou Village to the town, but they needed time to pack.

Suddenly, Pei Xi turned on her side to face Shao Xibei, her eyes bright. She asked, “Sister Shao, can I hold you while we sleep?”

The request wasn’t excessive, but it wasn’t ordinary either. Silence began to spread.

Shao Xibei’s first thought was: It’s so hot, won’t it be uncomfortable to huddle together?

Only a second later did she realize she felt no resistance in her heart. She couldn’t conjure up any dislike for the idea.

Shao Xibei blinked and said hesitantly, “I… I guess so, it’s just that it might be—” a bit hot. Before she could finish the sentence, she was pulled into a full embrace.

Pei Xi had developed very well over the last two years. By comparison, Shao Xibei remained as thin as ever. Pei Xi was able to cover her entire body completely.

Pei Xi’s breathing slowed. The body in her arms was cool and soft; she loved it too much.

Once again, she whispered, “I like you.”

The two leaned in so close that the warm air from Pei Xi’s breath brushed directly against Shao Xibei’s ear. It was unclear if it was because Pei Xi’s breathing was too scorching, but it caused Shao Xibei’s ears to burn a deep crimson.

At some unknown point, the candle flame had flickered out. Darkness enveloped the room.

An air of ambiguity continued to spread. It was impossible to tell whose heartbeat was louder—one person’s pulse disrupting the other’s, or perhaps both of their hearts thumping with the same deafening intensity.

In the deathly silent environment, Pei Xi suddenly spoke: “Shao Xibei, you know what I’m thinking, don’t you?”

This was the first time Pei Xi had ever called her by her full name. The calm tone made her heart skip a beat; for a moment, she almost thought it was the System calling out to her.

Pei Xi was placing herself on an equal footing with Shao Xibei.

“You know, so why did you still agree?” As she spoke, the arms encircling Shao Xibei tightened slightly.

Shao Xibei remained silent. In her past missions, she had always played the fool and ended up dead, repeating this cycle endlessly. She simply didn’t know how to handle matters of the heart.

Hazy moonlight filtered in through the window. Using that faint glow, Shao Xibei stared into Pei Xi’s eyes. Instead of answering, she asked a question of her own: “Pei Xi, are you truly clear about your feelings?”

“Perhaps it’s just admiration for an elder, or the affection one has for a family member.”

Pei Xi’s expression darkened. She narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Shao Xibei in the moonlight.

“I want to kiss every inch of your body. I want to taste your lips. I want to torment you until you cry.”

“I may not have experienced romance, but I know these thoughts are definitely not meant for an ‘elder’.”

These blunt and daring words left Shao Xibei completely speechless. The eighteen-year-old Pei Xi had utterly suppressed her—someone who was technically twenty-four.

Seeing Shao Xibei’s silence, Pei Xi continued: “I also want to lick your low—” Before she could finish, Shao Xibei blocked her mouth with both hands.

“Enough! Don’t say another word.” If she kept going, neither of them would get any sleep tonight.

Pei Xi’s next move caused Shao Xibei to jerk her hands back instantly. Pei Xi had extended her tongue and flicked it against Shao Xibei’s palm.

The wet, hot sensation sent a jolt of numbness through Shao Xibei’s body. “Pei Xi, how… how can you be like this?” Her voice was actually stuttering.

Pei Xi licked her lips, looking as if she hadn’t quite had her fill. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

Inside Shao Xibei’s mind, her inner self was frantically banging its head against a wall: Why? How can a girl born and raised in ancient times be this good at flirting?

“So, why didn’t you reject me?” The topic returned to the beginning. But this time, Pei Xi had laid everything bare, leaving no room for pretense.

Shao Xibei took a deep breath. To be honest, she really couldn’t feel any repulsion toward Pei Xi. Moreover, she couldn’t ignore the fluttering in her heart whenever she faced the girl.

But Pei Xi is the System. No, I have to hurry and help the System regain its memory so we can leave this world.

Thus, Shao Xibei decided to “play dead.” She closed her eyes tight and began to emit tiny snoring sounds. The performance was so obvious that Pei Xi was almost moved to laughter by the absurdity of it.

However, Pei Xi’s heart gradually calmed down. I shouldn’t be too hasty. I can’t scare her away. I’ll take it slow. With that, she held Shao Xibei close and slowly closed her eyes.

Shao Xibei had intended only to pretend, but she actually ended up falling fast asleep.

When she woke up the next morning, the sky was already bright. Pei Xi pushed the door open and entered. Her expression was calm, showing no change from her usual self.

She placed breakfast on the small table in the room. “Sister Shao, go wash up quickly. Come eat once you’re ready.”

Shao Xibei stretched. she lazily put on her clothes and used the warm water Pei Xi had prepared to wash her face and rinse her mouth.

Pei Xi sat by the small table. Although she remained expressionless, the gaze she directed at Shao Xibei was gentle. It was no different from any other day—as if the person who had said those bold things last night wasn’t her at all.

Shao Xibei’s mind also gradually found peace, though she felt a slight twinge of annoyance. After saying such things last night, the girl was acting like nothing had happened today. Of course, Shao Xibei wouldn’t show it; she wasn’t about to pick a fight with an eighteen-year-old girl.

After finishing breakfast and packing their things, the two headed out with a few changes of clothes. Xiao Hui followed them. Over these past few days, Xiao Hui had grown larger; his light grey fur had darkened, and he looked increasingly majestic.

Shao Xibei sat on Xiao Hui’s back. Si Wan’s courtyard was secluded, so as long as they didn’t venture out, almost no one ever came looking for them. This was the first time Shao Xibei and Pei Xi had actually left the grounds.

After walking for a few minutes along the flat path, they saw the first household, followed by more and more houses. The villagers seemed to remember them and greeted them warmly one after another.

“Oh! Aren’t you the guests from Doctor Si’s house? We haven’t seen you in a while!”

“You two ladies have been in Hetou Village all this time but haven’t come out to look around.”

“Look at this big dog! He’s grown so well!”

Shao Xibei responded with smiles. The sincere and simple warmth in the villagers’ eyes made her feel cheerful. She spotted the auntie she had met in the woods last time and led Pei Xi over to her.

The auntie was carrying a basket, planning to go up the mountain. Shao Xibei hurried to ask: “Auntie, may I ask how to get to town? We want to visit Doctor Si and the others.”

The auntie was helpful. She pointed in one direction and replied, “Young lady, just follow this road until you hit the fork, then turn right.”

The auntie then added, “You should be careful. Lately, many people have come down with fevers that keep coming back. Some people even develop spots on their bodies after the fever starts—it’s quite frightening. People in some of the nearby villages are sick. It’s been hard on Doctor Si and Miss Qing. Luckily, no one in Hetou Village has fallen ill yet.”

Shao Xibei took the auntie’s words to heart. She nodded and thanked her. The auntie continued up the mountain with her basket, while Shao Xibei, riding Xiao Hui and accompanied by Pei Xi, set off toward the direction the auntie had indicated.

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