After the Second Playthrough, the CP-Less Female Lead Kneels and Begs Me for Forgiveness [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 48

Pei Xi reached out and took Shao Xibei’s hand, their fingers interlocking tightly.

“Sister Shao, don’t let go of me,” Pei Xi said.

She led Shao Xibei through street after street, finally arriving before the familiar grand gates.

Shao Xibei couldn’t help but frown; the mansion before them was almost entirely shrouded in evil energy. She could practically conclude that the malevolent aura hovering over Yuzhou City originated from the Pei Estate.

Civilians living in such an environment would inevitably have this evil energy enter their bodies. The fevers they suffered from were actually their life force struggling against the corruption. When the last spark of life was extinguished by the evil energy, the person would die, and their soul would generate even more malice after death.

Standing before the tightly shut gates, Shao Xibei said, “Pei Xi, the servants in your house are actually all dead objects.”

Pei Xi’s expression remained unchanged. “If they are dead objects, then so be it; it has no effect on me.” From beginning to end, the only ones who had truly affected her were Madam Pei and Pei Qing.

Shao Xibei squeezed Pei Xi’s hand. “Then, in a moment, I might have to take action against your mother and sister. You won’t blame me, will you?”

The squeeze tickled Pei Xi slightly. She lifted Shao Xibei’s hand to her lips and kissed it lightly. “As long as you are happy.”

Some might think her cold-hearted, but she truly could not muster any affection for the people who had beaten and scolded her since childhood.

With a flick of her lips, Shao Xibei unceremoniously slapped open the gates of the Pei Estate.

As expected, the estate was deathly still; not a single soul was in sight. The two stepped inside with long strides. Without anyone pushing them, the heavy doors slowly swung shut.

Bang! The doors locked tight.

An ordinary person would likely have been frightened out of their wits by this scene. Pei Xi grew inwardly alert.

However, even weirder than the closing gates was Pei Ming. She appeared ahead of them at some unknown moment—just as Pei Xi remembered her: always indifferent in expression, her robes fluttering elegantly. She seemed completely unchanged.

Shao Xibei hadn’t expected to encounter Pei Ming so quickly; she thought they would have to search for her.

Pei Ming narrowed her eyes, her gaze locking directly onto Shao Xibei. “How did you manage to survive?”

After saying this, she shifted her gaze to the person beside Pei Xi. In a single glance, Pei Ming recognized her. “Now that you’ve returned, you might not be able to leave again.” She spoke with blunt honesty.

Shao Xibei said, “Pei Ming, let’s stop beating around the bush. I don’t believe for a second that the current state of Yuzhou City isn’t your handiwork. The greatest taboo in this profession is harming innocent lives. The evil energy in the Pei Estate is at its densest. Quite a few people have died, haven’t they?” Shao Xibei spoke coldly.

Pei Ming smiled and shook her head. “I really can’t hide anything from you. However, those people weren’t killed by me.”

Pei Ming didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding the truth. She flicked the bell at her waist, and it let out a crisp ring.

Da-da-da, da-da-da. Something approached with heavy, dragging footsteps.

Without a word, Shao Xibei first covered herself and Pei Xi with spiritual energy. A moment later, a dark shadow emerged from behind Pei Ming.

When Shao Xibei looked closely, she almost vomited in disgust.

The dark shadow was covered in countless human faces. Its skin was a sunken blackish-purple. If she couldn’t vaguely see four limbs, Shao Xibei would have doubted what this thing even was.

The exposed skin was crowded with tiny human faces, each only the size of a thumb, yet every facial feature was clearly visible. Those faces squirmed constantly across the shadow’s body, making Shao Xibei’s skin crawl. The ghosts she had seen before had completely fused with Pei Qing; now, only the head portion could still twist.

It was truly revolting.

But at the same time, Shao Xibei realized the identity of that dark shadow: Pei Qing.

Pei Ming didn’t seem to find the thing standing next to her disgusting at all. Instead, she smiled and said, “Pei Xi, look, Father is still alive. Just like you. However, back then, he crawled back on his own after only a few days, whereas you waited until you were an adult to remember to return to the Pei family.”

“Speaking of which, Mother has been pining for you. Pei Xi, come with me to see Mother. She will be very happy.”

Shao Xibei really wanted to swear; this Pei Ming was truly disgusting.

Pei Ming waved her hand. “Take Little Xi to see Mother.”

The shadow, Pei Qing, let out a hoarse roar and began to move. He headed straight for Pei Xi, though his movements were not fast.

Shao Xibei asked Pei Xi, “Pei Xi, you can handle this, right?”

Pei Xi nodded.

As soon as she finished speaking, Shao Xibei let go of Pei Xi, bypassed the disgusting Pei Qing, and lunged straight for Pei Ming to capture her.

She gripped Pei Ming by the neck, her eyes unable to hide her utter revulsion. “Your father must have had eight lifetimes of horrific luck to end up with a daughter like you.”

She finally understood why Pei Ming claimed she hadn’t killed anyone; it turned out all the karmic consequences were being shouldered by Pei Qing.

However, Pei Qing was long dead. Whatever was standing here now was something else entirely.

Pei Ming offered no resistance at all. Instead, she couldn’t stop laughing. “Two years later, and you still smell so sweet.” The words were a blatant provocation.

Pei Xi, dodging an attack from the monster Pei Qing, overheard this sentence. Instantly, a fire of rage ignited in her heart.

The next words made Pei Xi even angrier.

“The Pei Estate is mine now, and therefore, you are mine too—after all, you could be considered one of Pei Qing’s belongings.”

Having said this, Pei Ming noticed Pei Xi approaching with lowered eyes, striding quickly toward Shao Xibei’s back. She smiled. “Tell me, am I right, Pei Xi?”

Pei Xi clenched her fist and, without a word, crouched and delivered a powerful punch straight to Pei Ming’s face.

Visibly, Pei Ming’s face caved in from the impact, yet her smile remained unchanged.

“Little Xi, you really have changed. You never used to resist.”

Shao Xibei realized something was wrong. She tightened her grip on Pei Ming’s neck and slammed her violently against the wall, creating a deep crater in the masonry.

Pei Ming’s limbs trembled as she stood back up from the ground. “Why treat me like this?”

Shao Xibei’s expression darkened. She said to Pei Xi, “This isn’t the real Pei Ming.” In fact, it wasn’t even a person.

Pei Ming’s abilities were clearly not lacking; at the very least, Shao Xibei hadn’t immediately realized that the version of Pei Ming before her was a fake.

The “Pei Ming” sighed. “Discovered so soon.”

“Then I suppose the games are over.” The fake Pei Ming, sporting a collapsed face, walked slowly toward Pei Qing.

The bell at her waist rang louder and louder with every step.

The reaction of the monster—or perhaps it should simply be called a creature—grew more intense with the sound of the bell. It opened its mouth, allowing viscous liquid to drip from the corners; its face no longer resembled anything human.

The ringing stopped abruptly. Suddenly, the monster’s speed surged, lunging toward Pei Xi like a bolt of lightning.

Fortunately, Pei Xi frequently dealt with wild beasts; she was already capable of dodging such an attack. The monster fixated on her, launching relentless strikes.

Meanwhile, Shao Xibei found her path blocked by the fake Pei Ming.

The expressions and movements of this double showed absolutely no flaws. Shao Xibei had to admit that Pei Ming was exceptionally skilled in the Taoist arts. The fact that she could use spells to make paper effigies appear as ordinary humans two years ago was enough for Shao Xibei to acknowledge her talent.

She truly couldn’t fathom how a person like Pei Ming could exist in an ancient world, even one leaning toward the supernatural. After all, Shao Xibei’s own power was the result of gradual accumulation through completing missions across various worlds.

Pei Ming, on the other hand, was a native of this world—a human from what was, by classification, a low-power realm.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Shao Xibei: Pei Ming was very likely the “Protagonist.”

Every world’s protagonist is a favored child of the Heavens, the point where the power of Law is most concentrated. If her theory was correct, Pei Ming’s power represented the very limit of this world.

If that were the case, wouldn’t she and the System be able to leave very soon?

However, returning would mean facing Song Xin and Song Xiuran. She hadn’t forgotten the circumstances under which she had arrived in this world in the first place.

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