After Transmigrating into a Book, I Became Partners with My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 18 

You Fuling had been a person of restraint since childhood, whether in her original world or this one.

Her mother, worried about her health, would always tell her: “Don’t get angry, baby. You need to be peaceful.”

Joy and sorrow were irrelevant to her; she always stood outside the lively circles of others. She watched as her parents’ marriage slowly fell apart into a mere facade, learning early on that affection never seemed to last forever. No matter how things began, they all hurried toward a predetermined end, a physical separation, or a clean break between souls.

Now, her mouth and tongue were thick with the metallic taste of blood, and it was impossible to tell whose was whose.

You Fuling gazed into Ding Xiandi’s eyes. As the talisman papers fluttered down like snow, the light in that ordinary face wasn’t because of her, but because of the room full of dancing paper. No matter the world, Ding Xiandi never seemed to truly look at her.

You Fuling’s spiritual energy dissipated with the kiss, yet the fire in her heart burned unquenched. A familiar, agonizing sensation surged up. She turned her face away awkwardly, and before she could hear a response, a violent cough tore through her. Crimson blood sprayed onto the brocade bedding and splattered across Ding Xiandi’s face.

Startled, Ding Xiandi grabbed You Fuling’s shoulders. “Did I… did I suck you dry?”

Her voice cracked with anxiety. You Fuling blinked weakly, finally seeing her own reflection in the other’s eyes. She let out a satisfied smile. “Did you?”

Ding Xiandi: “…” Who has such a blood-boiling first kiss?

“You still have the energy to joke? I guess you’re finally awake.” Ding Xiandi ignored her own bitten, bleeding lip. She grabbed a fresh brocade quilt and, using the lingering spiritual energy in her body, cast a cleansing spell. She looked at You Fuling. “Want me to help you change clothes?”

The room was a disaster zone. To an outsider, it would look like a life-or-death battle of spells, but in reality, it was just a routine “outbreak” from a certain frail Second Senior Sister.

“Yes,” You Fuling said.

Clarity had returned to her eyes. Though the blood was gone, the corners of her eyes still held a faint flush from the kiss. With the illness receding and her veil gone, the runes drawn on her face gave her an indescribable, haunting charm.

A belated sense of embarrassment washed over Ding Xiandi. She looked away. “You aren’t lacking spiritual energy now; you should be able to change yourself.”

You Fuling hissed, “It hurts.”

“I’m the one who hurts! Why do you bite people?” Ding Xiandi touched her lip gingerly. “How long has this been going on? Is this illness for real or are you faking it?”

Despite her verbal refusal, Ding Xiandi obediently went to check You Fuling’s wardrobe. Unlike the original owner, who was so poor she wore the same outer robe constantly, this genius of the Heaven-Refining Sect had a packed closet. Aside from her department robes, there were many personal dresses—none overly flashy, but clearly expensive. Ding Xiandi even discovered a small separate cabinet just for veils. Apparently, she didn’t just have one!

Ding Xiandi opened it and slammed it shut immediately, fearing the arrays on the cabinet would drain her dry.

“It’s always been like this,” You Fuling said, her voice faint. “Before, and now.”

Her voice was as thin as silk. If someone were to burst through the door right now, they would surely conclude that Ding Xiandi had bullied her through and through.

“Well, it won’t be like that anymore,” Ding Xiandi said.

She spoke so casually that it took a moment for You Fuling to look over at the swordswoman rummaging through her clothes. “What did you say?”

The outer robes weren’t needed; Ji Ting had said You Fuling needed bed rest. Ding Xiandi realized that if a single “outbreak” led to this much exhaustion, it was no wonder she barely attended school. A sickly person in the original world was still a sickly person here. Ding Xiandi didn’t feel so bad about being a pauper anymore; money could be earned, but if they were both chronic patients, their “careers” would be over before they started.

The variety of outer robes made Ding Xiandi’s head spin, and even the inner garments came in various colors and patterns. Ding Xiandi sorted through them and found a deep red inner robe hidden at the very back. She tossed it onto the girl. “Change into this yourself.”

She didn’t forget to answer the previous question: “It’s not like you’ll be like this for the rest of your life. What if things change?”

You Fuling’s veil had been shattered by her own spiritual leakage. Her full face was exposed—she didn’t look much like a cultivator, but rather like a demon. “What ‘what if’? Did you forget how I died?”

Ding Xiandi’s own robe had been shredded by You Fuling. The crude patches had burst open, making her look like she had been severely ravished. Yet, despite her disheveled appearance, she was in high spirits and spoke with a smile. “Aren’t we both alive and talking right now?”

Ding Xiandi paused as if realizing something. “Are you always this pessimistic?”

You Fuling let out a cold snort and threw the red garment back into Ding Xiandi’s lap.

For someone born with excessive spiritual energy, she felt excellent right now, an indescribable sense of lightness in her body. However, she also noticed the change in Ding Xiandi.

Holding the eye-searingly red robe, Ding Xiandi thought about the world’s setting—modernized with mining gas but traditional in fashion. She asked curiously, “Do you wear… underwear?”

You Fuling, still tasting Ding Xiandi’s blood on her lips, pressed them together. “What?”

“Stop acting innocent. Didn’t you just touch me? We poor people can’t afford these fancy things. My little sister—”

Mentioning Mei Chi made You Fuling irritable. “Where did I touch you?”

“Fine, you ‘accidentally’ felt me up.” Ding Xiandi teased.

Even a person from a prestigious family could have a “crude” side. You Fuling’s mental image of a noble, lofty Ding Xiandi was completely shattered. Even though she had prepared herself, she was still in disbelief. “You…”

Ding Xiandi was still examining the crimson robe. “Is this a gift? Can I keep it? I really need a change.” She paused. “It’s a shame you’re in the Law Department, otherwise you could give me an outer robe too.”

She had no sense of shame; she held the robe out as if it were only natural, her soul’s temperament making it seem as though You Fuling giving her things was the way of the world.

“Do you like red?” You Fuling asked. In her memories, Ding Xiandi rarely wore red. Even when she wore high-saturation fashion for certain events, red was usually just an accent.

Ding Xiandi shook her head. “I wouldn’t say I love it, but I can accept it. My grandmother always said I’d grow to like it when I got older.” Her eyes softened as she mentioned her grandmother. Before the accident, she had been on her way to the old lady’s birthday banquet. “If I’d known what was going to happen, I would have given her the gift a day early. It was a beautiful bright red circular fan.”

You Fuling stared blankly at the inner robe embroidered with black gold thread. Everything she had at Tianji Academy had been arranged for her; Ji Ting had looked after her according to their Master’s orders. To You Fuling, this care felt more like “hospice care.” No matter how well Ji Ting did, You Fuling could sense her panic—the fear that she would eventually succumb to her fate and die a sudden death.

Ji Ting didn’t know the real You Fuling was long gone, replaced by a You Fuling who had already died once.

Ding Xiandi set the expensive red robe aside and found a more plain, elegant set for You Fuling. “I’m telling you, your complexion is poor. If you keep wearing these bland colors, you look even more…”

Both of them had swollen lips. Catching each other’s gaze, the absurdity of the situation made even the stoic You Fuling turn her head away.

Ding Xiandi laughed. “…like you don’t have many days left to live.”

It was a harsh thing to say, but saying it to You Fuling didn’t feel awkward. You Fuling had never imagined she would one day fulfill her unspoken wish, and she poured her desire into that very wish.

They looked at each other, both knowing full well that while it wasn’t exactly “love,” the range of mutual attraction was understood. It was a standard case of each taking what they needed—though who was harboring more “wicked” intentions remained to be seen.

“I have no strength,” You Fuling said. “You change me.”

“Sure thing,” Ding Xiandi replied casually. She asked, “Were your ‘outbreaks’ back at the sect always this frequent?”

“Seriously, that was like a lightning storm. I’ve only seen that in cartoons. Is it me who’s becoming a demonic cultivator, or you? Your Eldest Senior Sister nearly cut me down.”

You Fuling was as thin as a sheet of paper. Though she had commanded Ding Xiandi to change her, she still turned her back. Ding Xiandi just gave her a hand. They were both former heiresses who had never served anyone in their lives; Ding Xiandi herself had spent half a day just figuring out how to put on the clothes of this world.

“There are no demonic cultivators in Liuguang. I’ve only ever heard that word from your mouth,” You Fuling said, changing her clothes with deliberate, slow movements. Beside her, Ding Xiandi was passing the time by manipulating her newfound surplus of spiritual energy. To her, kissing You Fuling felt exactly like plugging into a charger. Are ‘vessels’ actually just power banks?

However, theory and practice were two different things. You Fuling heard the sound of something heavy falling, followed by a splash.

Ding Xiandi fished a stone out of the indoor pool and switched to a different hand seal. “It’s in the books! Ming Jing is going to be a legendary leader against them later on.”

With spiritual energy finally flowing through her, Ding Xiandi didn’t feel so hopeless anymore. She was having the time of her life, levitating objects and repairing torn talisman papers.

By the time You Fuling had changed into a fresh set of inner robes, the shredded silk on the bed had already been restored to its original state. These basic restoration spells had their limits—they didn’t work on living beings or elixirs. To progress further, one needed precise control of spiritual breath and mastery over complex incantations. Such things were beyond the basics; Tianji Academy categorized those advanced courses under the Law and Divination departments.

Even as a certified “genius,” You Fuling found these concepts cryptic and difficult, far more demanding than anything she had faced as You Fuling in the old world.

“Demonic cultivators disappeared ten thousand years ago,” You Fuling said, lying back down. The spiritual energy surging through her body had returned to normal. This time, she didn’t need elixirs to suppress it, and even the bitterness in her heart had vanished. Exhaustion and drowsiness washed over her, her voice dropping an octave. “The origin of the three sects…”

“I know all that,” Ding Xiandi interrupted. “It’s a shame I didn’t finish the final chapter. I don’t know who the big boss behind the demons is, but the final battle definitely takes place at Bone-Crushing Creek.”

“Did Taoist Yushan really fail her ascension? The book says her first and second disciples died together. Honestly, she had so many disciples—two died, and the remaining three founded the three sects…”

Ding Xiandi turned her head. You Fuling’s face was weary, her breathing shallow. She had actually fallen asleep.

Sitting on the edge of the bed with her own long hair draped over her shoulders, Ding Xiandi watched her for a long while. “Asleep just like that? We haven’t even discussed the terms of our ‘mutually beneficial’ making out session. Totally unprofessional.”

Muttering aside, she still tucked the corners of the quilt around the other girl.

The thunder outside dissipated, but the night was far from silent. Rain began to fall, and the cries of mechanical cranes echoed from their nests in the southwest wing of the Academy. Among the mechanical birds that relied on ore for fuel, one massive living creature sat. It seemed to be in a deep slumber like the machines, but it suddenly snapped its eyes open and took flight.

Mei Chi returned from the Alchemy Department’s hall, carrying a bag of roasted flatbreads. She shared them with her roommates. Someone asked, “The dining hall is closed; where did you buy these?”

Tianji Academy had unique protective arrays that generally prohibited disciples from leaving at night. However, this didn’t stop wealthy disciples from craving outside food, which had led to a “delivery service” run by the Law Enforcement Cranes. Ding Xiandi had even asked if she could pay for a “smuggling” service to get herself out of the Academy.

“I didn’t buy them,” Mei Chi replied. “A senior sister… no, not my Second Senior Sister, a sister from the Alchemy Department roasted them for me in her furnace.”

This answer was bizarre. One of her roommates, also an alchemist, asked, “Who would be so sacrilegious? Roasting bread in an alchemical furnace? Aren’t they afraid the Ancestor will kick open his coffin lid in rage?”

The girl with the twin buns bit into a crispy flatbread. She planned to bring some to her Eldest and Second Senior Sisters. Unaware of the night’s drama, she answered seriously, “It was Senior Aunt Zu from the Moon-Falling Sect.”

The room went silent. A female cultivator nearby slapped the table. “That’s your future Sect Leader! I guess it doesn’t count as desecrating the furnace then?”

Laughter filled the room, but the questioning disciple was in disbelief. “Why?! Senior Aunt Zu is a master of our sect’s alchemy path! To a practitioner, doing that is like…”

“Like what?” Mei Chi asked.

The disciple searched for a comparison. “It’s like a sword cultivator using their natal sword to slice pork, or a musician using their strings as a grill, or a law cultivator using a sacred fire just to cook…”

The analogy was spot on. Mei Chi let out a slurping sound, suddenly hungry again. The others were laughing so hard they could barely breathe. “If I were stranded on a desert island, I wouldn’t care about ‘respecting the craft’ either. The stomach comes first!”

The alchemist glared. “Practitioners should not be slaves to their palates! Besides, alchemists carry plenty of elixirs; who needs to roast bread?”

Mei Chi remembered what Zu Jinxi had said. “But A-Zu said as long as I’m happy, it’s fine.”

A sword cultivator let out a strange yelp and began to clap loudly. “Is this the Star Point Sect’s master plan? One entices the genius of the Heaven-Refining Sect, and the other flirts with the head disciple of the Moon-Falling Sect? Is ‘Seduction’ your sect’s primary cultivation path?”

Mei Chi shook her head. “Does ‘flirting’ mean enticing? My Second Senior Sister didn’t entice anyone, and neither did I. You’re just projecting your own lewd thoughts.”

She was always sharp-tongued despite her innocent eyes; most people found it hard to withstand her pure, unbothered gaze.

“Fine, maybe you didn’t flirt. But I just saw your Second Senior Sister being thrown into You Fuling’s apartment by the Heaven-Refining Eldest Senior Sister!”

“Geniuses have weak bodies; what else can they do? I bet they’re just looking for a toy for her.”

“My Second Senior Sister is not a toy!” Mei Chi shouted. Usually, she was a bit dazed and never raised a hand unless someone messed with her food. But now, she didn’t even care that her bread hit the floor. She gave the insulting disciple a violent shove.

During the scuffle, the apartment door creaked open. Ding Xiandi, wearing a tattered outer robe over a crimson inner garment, knocked on the frame. “I’m looking for Mei Chi.”

The room fell into a dead silence. Ding Xiandi’s outer robe was so badly shredded by You Fuling that it was barely hanging on; half a sleeve was missing and the hem was in tatters. Most disciples wore pure white inner garments, which were considered very private. But this garment from You Fuling was high-tier; one would think Ji Ting had prepared it for a wedding. The premium black-gold silk shimmered with an ethereal light.

In the eyes of the others, Ding Xiandi was a gloomy, unlucky person who always walked with her head down. Before she was rejected by Ming Jing, she was just a “Star Point disciple” in name only. Combined with her low cultivation and beggar origins, many people wore their disgust openly.

Yet, the girl leaning against the door now, though a familiar face, combined luxury and rags in a way that was actually radiant. It was breathtaking.

Mei Chi rubbed her eyes. “Second Senior Sister, your robe is so torn, and the one inside is so red. It looks like what people wear when they get married.”

Ding Xiandi nodded. “That’s right. Not only did I get married, but I also finished the wedding night. I’m about to give you a red envelope.”

She spoke naturally, her gaze sweeping over the expressions of the other disciples and the bread on the floor. “What’s going on?”

One of the sword cultivators, after recovering from her daze, felt humiliated at being intimidated by a “failure.” She said scornfully, “We were saying your little sister is flirting with the Moon-Falling Sect’s head disciple. And as for you…” She let out a laugh. “You’re degrading yourself to be You Fuling’s vessel. Why don’t you look in a mirror and see how…”

Before she could finish, Mei Chi used a flatbread to crack her over the head.

Mei Chi was so fast that Ding Xiandi didn’t even have time to show off her talisman skills. Three of the four people inside were knocked unconscious by the palm-sized bread. The fourth seemed to have just been woken up by the noise, asking blearily what was happening.

Just then, the final roommate of Mei Chi’s apartment returned from outside. This one already had a Dao companion and was looking particularly smug. Seeing the unconscious people and the tattered, crimson-clad woman, she let out a shriek: “A ghost!”

Ding Xiandi silently reached out, pulled her inside, and shut the door. Mei Chi blinked innocently. “Second Senior Sister, this bread is really hard.”

“No, your fists are hard,” Ding Xiandi replied. She had never had a sister before, and now she truly felt the weight of having a mischievous sibling who causes trouble. She shrugged and asked, “So, what’s the deal? Me ‘enticing’ You Fuling is a fact, but are you really flirting with an alchemist?”

She thought for a moment. “Zu Jinxi?”

Mei Chi hummed. “I wasn’t flirting.”

Ding Xiandi wasn’t sure if the “hum” and the “no” were contradictory, but she didn’t think Mei Chi was mature enough to have “awakened” yet. She tossed a few “apology talismans” onto the floor for the unconscious disciples and put her arm around Mei Chi’s shoulder to lead her out, giving a friendly smile to the confused music cultivator who was still awake.

“Tell me everything. Where did the bread come from? That ‘flirting’ talk is just nonsense. From where I’m sitting, it looks like Zu Jinxi is the one intentionally enticing you.”

“Huh? A-Zu didn’t take her clothes off, though.”

“You don’t understand. For some people, not taking their clothes off is the enticement.”

“Is that how you do it, Second Senior Sister?”

The music cultivator left behind remained silent for a long while. Her gaze fell on the talismans resting on her fallen roommates. As a rogue cultivator who had traveled far and wide, she had seen plenty of rare items. Now, her eyes went wide in disbelief. “This is a Supreme-grade Soul-Exiting Talisman, where on earth did, she get those?”

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