After Transmigrating into a Book, I Became Partners with My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 13

“What ‘gluttonous junior sister’?”

Ding Xiandi’s impression of You Fuling had always been surface-level; she was surprised by the sudden sharp edge in the girl’s tone. “Well, ‘glutton’ isn’t exactly wrong.”

When she smiled, her plain face seemed to brighten significantly, showing a clear fondness for Mei Chi. “Isn’t she quite cute?”

“Besides, how old is she really?” Ding Xiandi seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, “What’s the legal age for marriage in this world?”

You Fuling countered, “Are you actually considering it?”

Ding Xiandi shook her head. “We’re too close; I wouldn’t consider it.”

They were in the same sect. The Eldest Senior Sister wasn’t even human, and the little junior sister seemed a bit slow. Even if getting married and divorced in this world was as easy as breathing, Ding Xiandi wouldn’t mess with that kind of sisterly dynamic.

“So, because we aren’t ‘close,’ I’m within your range of consideration?”

You Fuling obviously caught the implication. Ding Xiandi nodded without hesitation. “You and I are the most suitable. But if you don’t agree, I can’t exactly force you.”

She moved You Fuling’s hand away, noticing how incredibly thin the girl’s wrist was. Even though You Fuling’s cultivation was leagues above her own, Ding Xiandi still looked at her as the same You Fuling who needed to be looked after.

The words “most suitable” caused a momentary daze. You Fuling recalled the gossip she’d heard in their original world. Her lips, hidden behind the veil, pressed into a thin line. “Besides our prior acquaintance, what else makes us ‘suitable’?”

Ding Xiandi replied without thinking, “We know each other’s secrets.”

“And?” You Fuling pressed.

The swordswoman, her copper-patterned hairband fluttering in the wind, said, “You have your difficulties, and I have mine.”

Having spent the month spreading rumors, Ding Xiandi had heard plenty of gossip about You Fuling. “Full disclosure, I don’t know if this is true or not.”

They stood in the Wind Cliff Pavilion outside the trial hall. The copper bells hanging from the eaves chimed crisply in the wind, which was also making a mess of Ding Xiandi’s hair. She squinted at the frail girl, her gaze falling on the lips hidden by the veil. “I heard your body is an exquisite vessel for dual cultivation.”

This was not a compliment. Ding Xiandi saw You Fuling’s hands clench and sighed. “Like the flesh of a holy monk—I get it. Of course, the book didn’t mention you, so it might be fake.”

Her gaze wasn’t one of pity; she seemed to be confirming the impossibility of their union and preparing to choose a backup plan. Ding Xiandi always had three choices for everything, even if there was only one right answer. This was something You Fuling had heard her mention in a competition interview once, and she felt a desperate urge to know what Ding Xiandi’s other two choices were.

“It’s true,” You Fuling said, looking at the swaying copper bells. She knew she wasn’t that lucky—not in the past, and not now. “But the rumors are only half-true. My cultivation has always been in a state of suppression, yet I desperately need spiritual energy to support me. The spirit veins of this world are almost depleted. If my constitution remains this way, eventually my body won’t be able to bear it, and I will die.”

She spoke of death with complete indifference. Ding Xiandi asked, “Did your Master not give you a solution?”

“Coming here was one of the solutions,” You Fuling replied.

Tianji Academy was rich in spiritual energy, a place countless cultivators broke their necks trying to enter. Unfortunately, Ding Xiandi’s body was naturally unable to gather spirit energy; it was like being given a manual for a perfect score when she was illiterate.

“And the second solution?” Ding Xiandi asked curiously.

You Fuling tilted her head. Her hairstyle was intricate and complex, unlike Ding Xiandi, who—despite being the same height—wore a high ponytail to give herself a “fake” height boost. This didn’t stop You Fuling from looking down on her with a haughty tilt of the head. “Why should I tell you? You haven’t even told me who you’ll choose to marry next.”

As she spoke, her lips moved behind the silk. Ding Xiandi knew what she looked like, but she still enjoyed watching the veil tremble. It was much better than staring at each other from across a competition hall; the veil was thin enough to see her silhouette.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Ding Xiandi sighed, standing beside her with arms crossed.

Though they were the same height, their spirits were entirely different: the impoverished one was full of vibrant life, while the other, despite her youth, was filled with a sense of decay. A few passing disciples recognized them as the current stars of the gossip forums, but no one would ever call them a “match.”

Yet, despite being mismatched in status, looks, and cultivation, there was an atmosphere between them that no one else could penetrate.

“I won’t look for someone from my own sect, and I won’t look for a noble family—I’m not worth their time,” Ding Xiandi said, unable to stand still as she reached out to catch the setting sun. “With no talent, no looks, and no cultivation, I figure I should find a rogue cultivator for a ‘match of equals’.”

You Fuling had grown up hearing about “matches of equals.” Her parents had been an unequal match; their “fairytale” had turned into a window-dressing marriage with no communication—just another marketing story for a new brand launch.

You Fuling couldn’t help but ask, “Then what about me?”

The sudden question made Ding Xiandi fall silent. After the wind died down, she said helplessly, “Didn’t you reject me? Have you changed your mind?”

Something new seemed to have happened in the trial hall, as cheers could be heard in the distance. This was one of countless twilights You Fuling had seen at the Academy, but it felt significant because of the change in the soul beside her.

The person next to her didn’t look at her, but at her own fluttering skirt. You Fuling’s brief life as “You Fuling” had been like a floating weed. Her mother loved her but couldn’t be with her every moment. You Fuling felt her mother’s pain but could do nothing to solve it. She was even one of the sources of that pain; death would have been a relief for both of them.

In this new world, the night also flickered with neon. As the top sect of the cultivation world, the Heaven-Refining Sect even set off fireworks on the fifteenth of every month. Once the hope of ascension vanished, cultivators began to enjoy life and break through the “illusions.” The love, hatred, and debts that predecessors had to sever were being rebuilt anew. The Academy was lively every day, yet You Fuling couldn’t fit in. She was still a hollowed-out gourd; if someone tapped her, they would hear an echo—a howling wind of desire.

Desire itself arrived without warning; the calm emotions of a genius burdened by sect expectations wouldn’t remain unchanged forever. Ding Xiandi didn’t know that someone had been watching her for many years. You Fuling could have skipped the competitions, but if her body hadn’t given out, she would have walked up to that podium every time—because Ding Xiandi was there.

What others defined as a “rival,” she saw as someone like her, the person she wanted to merge with.

You Fuling snorted. “I was just testing your sincerity. I didn’t expect.”

She had no experience communicating with peers, let alone lying. She didn’t look up, only stared at her own hem as if there were something there.

“I really wasn’t ‘sincere’,” Ding Xiandi admitted frankly, acknowledging her curiosity about You Fuling and her goal in becoming Dao companions. “I didn’t choose you because of love. You’re just the most suitable.”

You Fuling had heard many similar words, mostly at family dinners. Her grandparents would mention marriage in front of her mother, never by name, but everyone knew “suitable” meant they were dissatisfied with her mother as a daughter-in-law.

You Fuling’s lips curved beneath the veil. She looked at Ding Xiandi and took a step forward—not quite face-to-face, but their toes were touching. Her scent washed over Ding Xiandi’s face.

“You want to break the curse of a predetermined fate. What benefit do I get?”

Ding Xiandi glanced at their contrasting boots beneath their robes, the sense of strangeness growing more obvious. Not only had her looks declined, but her money was gone too. She felt as though she had gone bankrupt overnight. “What benefit do you want?” she asked helplessly.

“I’m broke right now. I have nothing to give you.”

“You know my cultivation. A kid could knock me over. I won’t exactly be a ‘trophy’ partner.”

Ding Xiandi sighed, sounding self-deprecating. “How did I become so unimpressive?”

You Fuling glanced at her and huffed. “All you’ve done is spread rumors about me.”

Ding Xiandi felt guilty about that; she rubbed her nose and apologized. “If you want wealth, I’ll work on it.”

“I don’t lack money,” You Fuling said.

Great, Ding Xiandi thought, now I’m starting to resent the rich.

A month was enough for Ding Xiandi to absorb the knowledge of this world. Even though the departments had uniform robes, the children of noble families had theirs custom-made; the materials made the difference. Having been a wealthy socialite, Ding Xiandi recognized quality. Everything You Fuling wore, including her visible accessories, was priceless. Mei Chi and Ding Xiandi could run missions for thousands of years and still not earn enough spirit stones for one of those magical hairpins.

A merchant at heart, Ding Xiandi thought it over and realized, sadly, that she could only offer her company. However, her cultivation was laughably low; graduating was a challenge, let alone being a bodyguard for You Fuling. The girl’s Eldest Senior Sister was one of the top sword cultivators in the Academy.

She said in a heavy tone, “Then use me as a servant. I’ll do whatever you say.”

In the past, people only said such things to Ding Xiandi. Shrouded in the glory of an heir, she was always the center of attention. Now, she had nothing. All she had left was her calm mindset in the face of adversity.

You Fuling’s voice was cold; to others, she was a silent, aloof genius. Her laugh sounded mocking to Ding Xiandi, but the girl didn’t get angry. She just watched You Fuling, calculating the odds of escaping the plot.

“I don’t lack servants either,” You Fuling said.

Ding Xiandi rolled the fraying fabric of her long sleeves. “Then just give it to me straight. I have no elixirs, no treasures, and certainly no gold.”

“I just got here. It’s not realistic for me to go out and make a fortune. If you want some secret treasure, my cultivation isn’t even high enough to sign up for the expeditions.” She paused. “Can I pay on credit?”

The Ding family business was massive, and though Ding Xiandi was young, she hadn’t touched the deeper assets. “I can even accept high-interest loans,” she added.

But You Fuling asked, “You want to go back. How? What if you died over there? Or what if you go back with this face?”

Everything You Fuling said was within Ding Xiandi’s calculations. Her eyes curved at the corners when she smiled—a bit like stage makeup, as if she could seamlessly join an opera. It didn’t make her look like a “good” person.

“I haven’t even crossed that bridge yet. As long as I can go back, it’s fine.”

“As for how…” Ding Xiandi had done odd jobs to earn spirit stones; her memory still worked in this new body. The library had plenty of old anecdotes—combinations of techniques and stories. She had found it fascinating while copying them and thought it was worth a try. “There are a lot of things to find, but they say someone succeeded once.”

You Fuling didn’t believe such a convenient method existed. “How do you know it wasn’t made up?”

Ding Xiandi’s legs were getting tired. Just then, a line of mechanical cranes flew past—the ones used for mail, their chests stuffed with scented love letters. She looked at her swollen hand and thought of her unusual Eldest Senior Sister, knowing it wouldn’t be simple. “Won’t know until I try. At least I have a direction.”

You Fuling thought it was too unreliable. A moment later, Ding Xiandi’s Tianji Command beeped; someone was looking for her.

“So, what do you want me to exchange?” Ding Xiandi asked. “Oh, my junior sister is looking for me; we’re going to grab dinner.”

She spoke of Mei Chi with such familiarity that jealousy flared in You Fuling’s heart. Luckily, the veil hid the possessiveness on her face. Her palms were marked with crescent moons from her own nails, but she ignored it, feigning coldness.

“I want you to pay with your body.”

Ding Xiandi didn’t think of it that way yet. “So, I will be your servant? Serving tea and—”

“No.” You Fuling’s left hand still held the thread that was supposed to have blown away.

She shook her head slightly. With a spell, she repaired the dented back cover of Ding Xiandi’s Tianji Command. Before Ding Xiandi could even say thank you, she heard the cold, scandalous conclusion:

“The kind that relieves desire.”

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