After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by a Crazy and Beautiful Villain - Chapter 24

Xing Jiu couldn’t help but shiver all over. However, when he looked closely again, he found that there was only Song Linlin on the chair; there was no shadow of anyone else.

I must have been seeing things just now…

It must be!

Xing Jiu shook his head, throwing away the stray, panicked thoughts that had arisen earlier. He gave himself a mental pep talk and forcibly denied the image he had briefly seen.

He affirmed in his mind: “This is definitely a trick being played by this little brat in front of me, just to make me back down.”

The next moment, Xing Jiu regained his confidence and looked steadfastly at Song Linlin.

Chi Qianning also patted Song Linlin’s back and said, “You come down first. He can’t hurt you.”

After realizing that several seconds had passed and nothing had happened behind her, Song Linlin finally loosened the arms that were tightly wrapped around the other person’s neck. Her dark-blue eyes looked up at that beautiful face.

Struck by the close-up beauty, Song Linlin subconsciously averted her direct gaze. Only then did she realize that the posture she and the other person were in was too intimate.

It was fortunate that the others couldn’t see Chi Qianning, and therefore naturally couldn’t see how she was clinging to her.

Song Linlin silently swallowed, her eyes drifting, and she opened her mouth with a lack of confidence, “But I still can’t beat him…”

“It’s nothing. I will teach you.”

Being squeezed onto one chair was indeed too much effort, and Song Linlin herself felt crowded. Hearing the other person’s promise, she finally released her arms and stopped clinging entirely to the other person.

Song Linlin returned to the ground. When Xing Jiu saw that she finally made a move, he immediately taunted, “Brat, if you have the guts, don’t run. Fight me fair and square!”

Song Linlin was completely unaffected by his provocation. If she had a choice, she wouldn’t want to fight this massive guy who was at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

“Raise your sword and fight him head-on,” Chi Qianning said lightly.

Although Song Linlin had zero confidence in her ability to win, since the other person had said so, she could only choose to trust Chi Qianning now.

She looked at Xing Jiu nervously and said with trepidation, “Then let’s have a head-on fight.”

Ye Tingran, who was in the distance, heard their conversation and couldn’t help but frown, immediately wanting to come over and help. Song Linlin also noticed her movement and shook her head at her across from Xing Jiu, saying,

“Senior Sister Ye, I’ll handle this by myself. You don’t need to help.”

Song Linlin had to say words that even she felt guilty about, especially since Ye Tingran looked like she had suffered internal injuries. Because Song Linlin had run fast, she hadn’t suffered any harm, which was certainly due to Ye Tingran blocking Xing Jiu for her.

Now that the person was injured, Song Linlin was truly embarrassed to trouble her again. It would be better for her to rest and recover from her injuries first.

Fearing that Ye Tingran might insist on helping despite her state, Song Linlin added, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. I won’t do anything reckless.”

Since Song Linlin had already said so, and Ye Tingran’s condition was indeed poor, she could only nod and caution, “Junior Sister Song, be careful.”

She didn’t expect Song Linlin to actually defeat Xing Jiu, only to temporarily stall him. Ye Tingran could take the opportunity to heal and recover from her injuries, and then the two of them could deal with Xing Jiu together.

Song Linlin retreated to the spacious central area. This spot was clearly more suitable for a confrontation and wouldn’t be affected by other clutter.

She was panicking inside but had to put on a calm demeanor on the surface, clenching the hilt of her sword tightly.

Chi Qianning’s voice came from the side, slow and steady. Although she spoke softly, everyone could hear her clearly, “The sword moves you know are still too few. Next, I will guide you and teach you a set that is simple and practical.”

It was certainly good to get a free set of sword techniques, but she didn’t even know what kind of sword technique it was. Could she use it immediately?

Song Linlin hadn’t forgotten that it had taken her almost half a year to master the first form of her mediocre Lingyun Sword Technique, and she had to study the manual for a long time just to barely understand it the first time she saw it.

But Chi Qianning had said so, and at this moment, she was in too deep to back out. She could only charge forward.

Xing Jiu on the opposite side had already rushed over menacingly, wielding his large saber. Song Linlin was initially nervous about how to respond, but the next moment, a force controlled her body. She did nothing, yet she raised her sword and charged forward.

Song Linlin widened her eyes in astonishment, watching the long sword in her hand quickly and shrewdly cut towards Xing Jiu. This was the first time the sword had displayed its due sharpness in Song Linlin’s hands. The cuts were deep and aimed straight at vital points, achieving a clean and swift hit. Then, she immediately changed position, and before Xing Jiu could clearly react, she gave him another strike.

Xing Jiu’s attack missed, and he was cut twice quickly by Song Linlin. A large amount of fresh blood flowed from the wounds. He couldn’t help but cry out in pain, and then furiously hacked his large saber towards Song Linlin’s position.

But of course, he didn’t hit. After the second cut, Song Linlin had already retreated quickly, keeping a distance from him.

“Don’t be distracted. Pay attention to the movements and remember this feeling. This is what using a sword is called,” Chi Qianning reminded her.

The latter part of the sentence, of course, meant that Song Linlin’s previous attacks were all substandard, almost like a regular person picking up a long sword and randomly swinging it, without logic or strategy.

Song Linlin was brought back to her senses. Only then did she refocus her attention and begin to carefully feel every move she made. Previously, she only knew she was bad at fighting, but she didn’t have any specific feeling.

Now, comparing herself with this, she felt like she had wasted all her previous learning.

In just a few rounds, Xing Jiu was covered in wounds. Excessive blood loss simultaneously drained his physical strength and spirit, coupled with the consumption-based moves he had used earlier. It wouldn’t be long before he fell into weakness.

Song Linlin also noticed that Xing Jiu’s offense was getting weaker and his condition was deteriorating. At this point, she couldn’t help but feel excited, seeing the light of victory in sight.

Once she took him down, she could return to the sect!

“He’s about to collapse. Next, he’ll likely use some secret technique with a huge price to forcefully boost his condition again.”

Chi Qianning’s voice rang out. Song Linlin was startled, wondering how the other person could tell, but she dared not disbelieve.

“What should I do then?” Song Linlin asked with some concern.

She was currently relying purely on speed and Chi Qianning’s sword technique to suppress Xing Jiu. Since Xing Jiu was planning to fight to the death, his speed and strength would definitely increase again. At that point, it would be a question of who was faster.

Chi Qianning’s voice was still calm, relaxed, and full of certainty, “Don’t panic. One strike will end him next.”

Afterward, Song Linlin indeed found that Xing Jiu seemed a bit off. His meridians bulged all over his body, and he roared, looking like a boss about to use a big move.

Song Linlin still wanted to dodge, but her body rushed forward quickly, which greatly alarmed Song Linlin. She desperately wanted to stop but couldn’t control her forward pace at all.

She could only watch as she got closer and closer to Xing Jiu. Everything happened very quickly. Song Linlin subconsciously closed her eyes, afraid to see Xing Jiu reach out, grab her neck, and choke her to death.

She felt the hand gripping the long sword move, and the blade seemed to strike something. Then, her feet, which had been airborne from the sprinting jump, landed steadily.

“What are you afraid of? It’s already settled.”

“Huh??”

Song Linlin opened her eyes. At this moment, she was standing with her back to Xing Jiu. She turned her head curiously and saw Xing Jiu covering his throat tightly with both hands, his face horrified, with continuous red blood spilling between his fingers.

His eyes were filled with disbelief. He stared deadly at Song Linlin’s back, unable to understand until his death how Song Linlin had suddenly managed to cut him down.

He was just moments away from forcefully enhancing his strength through a secret technique. Xing Jiu was very confident that he could turn the tide of the battle then.

Yet, in that one or two second, the cold-flashing long sword had already cut through his throat. A clean, decisive strike, which was too different from Song Linlin’s previous attacks that caused no real damage.

Ultimately, he never figured out how Song Linlin had done it. Then, his body went limp, and he collapsed completely onto the ground, blood flowing everywhere.

“He… he actually died…”

Song Linlin was still somewhat in disbelief, looking at Xing Jiu’s huge body lying on the ground, feeling an inexplicable sense of unreality.

Ye Tingran, who was healing in the distance, turned her head and saw Xing Jiu lying on the ground. She was immediately shocked, unable to imagine how Song Linlin had managed to deal with this massive man.

“Junior Sister Song… you…”

Ye Tingran hesitated for several seconds, her face full of shock and disbelief. Finally, she looked at Song Linlin and said with complexity, “Junior Sister Song, you are indeed hiding your true capabilities.”

“Senior Sister, you think too highly of me…”

Song Linlin was also in a state of confusion right now. She had no idea how Chi Qianning had enabled her to precisely and powerfully cut Xing Jiu’s neck in such a short time.

But since the ultimate goal of this mission had been achieved, even though the method was a bit unexpected, the result was good overall.

It was time to leave now. In any case, Song Linlin didn’t want to stay in Luofeng Temple any longer, especially with Xing Jiu’s corpse still lying on the ground, the floor covered in his fresh blood, which was quite nauseating to look at.

Song Linlin pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the blood from the long sword, then casually tossed the handkerchief on the ground. She sheathed the long sword and hung it back on her waist.

“Let’s go. It’s time to go back. I’m tired. I need to go back to the inn and rest,” Song Linlin said.

Although Chi Qianning had been controlling her body to fight, it was genuinely exhausting. Song Linlin had consumed too much physical energy, and she had left early that morning before dawn. She was truly tired now.

Meanwhile, at the inn, just a short time after Song Linlin left, Zhiyu also woke up, or rather, she hadn’t slept at all, troubled by this training mission.

After waking up, she first went to find Ye Tingran. It was still dark then, and there was still some time before daybreak. She could talk more with Ye Tingran. Perhaps the other person would change her mind and decide not to take the risk?

However, as soon as Zhiyu arrived at Ye Tingran’s room, she found that the door hadn’t even been closed. Walking into the room, she immediately saw a note pressed down in a conspicuous spot.

It was obvious that Ye Tingran had left in advance.

After reading the contents of the note, Zhiyu couldn’t help but sigh, but she was also helpless. Now, all she could do was protect the others and bring them back to the sect safely.

Then, an even worse thing happened. When Liu Zhi returned to the inn, Zhiyu woke up the others and prepared to depart for Yunxin City, only to discover that Song Linlin, too, had left a note and disappeared, just like Ye Tingran.

Zhiyu could understand Ye Tingran leaving silently by herself, but Song Linlin had also left? Her strength was not as high as Ye Tingran’s. Rushing over recklessly—wasn’t that just seeking death?

This gave Zhiyu a headache. She finally decided to let Liu Zhi take the others and leave, while she stayed behind to wait for Ye Tingran and Song Linlin.

At this moment, Zhiyu was sitting on the first floor of the inn. She was drinking the tea in her cup but was clearly absent-minded, staring blankly outside the door, her heart filled with anxious thoughts.

Will they win?

What if the two of them don’t win?

These questions entangled her mind. Outside the inn, the sky had long been bright. Sitting on the stool, Zhiyu felt truly tormented.

“No rush, no rush. Calm down.”

Zhiyu muttered silently. After all, Luofeng Temple was far from here. Traveling back and forth would take some time, not to mention that the enemy had the strength of the late Golden Core realm. A fight against such an opponent would surely take a lot of time.

She thought this way, but the worry and urgency couldn’t be controlled. She even decided that if Song Linlin and Ye Tingran hadn’t returned by the afternoon, she would go to Luofeng Temple to investigate the situation.

She waited anxiously. The corner of her eye caught two figures stepping over the threshold and entering the inn, so she immediately turned her head to look at the newcomers.

The two who arrived were naturally Song Linlin and Ye Tingran, who had just returned from Luofeng Temple. As for Chi Qianning, she was too lazy to walk and was being carried by Song Linlin.

“You’re back!”

Zhiyu immediately stood up from her seat, her face full of surprise. She hurried towards the two, hugging them both at once, her voice laced with a slight sob, “Why did you two leave without a word? I couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if you didn’t win…”

This was quite a lapse from Zhiyu’s usual dignified and gentle image. Song Linlin tried to dodge but wasn’t fast enough. She could only say, “Senior Sister Zhiyu, you don’t have to welcome us so enthusiastically.”

“I apologize.”

Zhiyu released the two, her eyes red, and said, “My father rarely let me leave home, so I haven’t had many friends since I was little. I was truly worried that something might happen to both of you just now.”

“But it’s good that you’ve returned safely. Has the matter at Luofeng Temple been resolved?”

Song Linlin nodded. She had walked all the way and now truly had no energy to talk much. “Let Senior Sister Ye tell you. I’ll go back to my room to rest first.”

After saying that, she scurried upstairs without looking back, leaving the other two with only her retreating figure. Song Linlin ran back to her room non-stop and then closed the door.

As for why she was in such a hurry to slip away, her subconscious was telling Song Linlin it was better to leave quickly.

As soon as she returned to the room, Chi Qianning came out on her own without Song Linlin having to lift her sleeve. The other person merely glanced at her, then stopped looking, returning to her indifferent state.

Song Linlin faced her, feeling strangely awkward, not knowing what to say. The room suddenly fell silent.

Although she couldn’t see from inside the sleeve at the time, Chi Qianning could naturally sense what was happening outside. Now, looking at Song Linlin, she felt an inexplicable, subtle irritation pressing on her heart.

Her sense of smell was also excellent; she could smell the scent of others clinging to the person.

Chi Qianning didn’t look at Song Linlin, but her perception allowed her to clearly see what she looked like now.

Song Linlin pondered for a long time on the spot, finally uttering one sentence: “Want to sleep?”