Black Lotus Female Lead, Don’t Love Me Too Much - Chapter 3

Death, death, death.

Three methods of suicide were etched into Lu Xiangyu’s soul. The moment Song Shenshi completed the restriction and cut off the flow of spiritual energy, Lu Xiangyu let out a world-shaking scream. She collapsed, prostrating on the ground and coughing up bloody saliva.

Never mind choosing a way to die to trigger the restriction; Lu Xiangyu wanted to throw herself onto Song Shenshi’s sword right then and there. However, by the time she lunged, Song Shenshi had already lifted her blade and stood up effortlessly.

“Forgive me, I cannot trust you.”

Song Shenshi spoke as if offering a sincere explanation.

“I have not yet forged an immortal soul. If I were to let you leave now, and a single lapse in my judgment resulted in a massacre or some irreversible catastrophe, it would affect my Dao-heart, leaving my immortal soul incomplete.”

Lu Xiangyu couldn’t hear a word; she was in too much pain. A demonic soul instinctively repels spiritual energy, and Song Shenshi’s immortal body—the purest vessel of the Sword Spirit Sect—felt as if it were tearing her soul apart tens of thousands of times over.

She fainted from the pain, only to wake up to it again. She remembered thrashing on the ground, held tightly by a pair of arms. She would struggle free, only to be pulled back into an embrace once more.

When Lu Xiangyu finally opened her eyes again, the night was pitch black.

Her breathing remained unstable, her clothes were soaked with sweat, and her vision was blurred with flickering white spots. She was still lightheaded.

Scanning her surroundings, she realized they were still by the river. The water, blending into the darkness of the night, flowed silently.

There was something beside her.

Lu Xiangyu touched a pair of soft fingers. She jerked back instinctively, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“The female lead actually fell asleep!” she thought. “An immortal body doesn’t need food and shouldn’t need sleep. Did she retract all her spiritual energy after that because she was afraid of hurting me again, and then… collapsed from exhaustion?”

Lu Xiangyu knitted her brows in confusion. Through the darkness, she resentfully sought out Song Shenshi’s pale, glowing face.

I really want to bite her to death!

Lu Xiangyu bared her teeth at her, feeling utterly disgruntled.

Why does she get to treat me like this just because she’s the female lead? I didn’t want to be a demonic cultivator either… damn this fate!

“Just sleeping there like a log… aren’t you afraid some demon will show up and kill you?”

Lu Xiangyu crouched beside her, hugging her knees, and hesitantly poked the soft flesh of the female lead’s cheek.

“…” Could she really blame her? Of course she wouldn’t forgive her.

In truth, Lu Xiangyu understood Song Shenshi’s logic. Unlike demonic cultivators, the “Immortal Soul” of a formal spiritual cultivator was extremely rare. It couldn’t be obtained through mere hard work or external items; it required immense luck and an extraordinary, unwavering state of mind.

“Extinguish the human soul to preserve the immortal soul; one wrong move, and ten thousand paths perish…” Lu Xiangyu muttered a line from the original book. “You still have some humanity left, so you only placed a restriction on me. I’m tied to you now. But if your humanity disappears entirely, won’t I be as good as dead?”

Lu Xiangyu looked hopeless, but she merely wiped away a few fake tears and fell asleep while clutching Song Shenshi’s arm.

When she woke up, Lu Xiangyu was lying on a patch of grass covered by a layer of silk, with the female lead’s outer robe draped over her.

At least she has a bit of a conscience…

Holding the robe, a smile tugged at the corner of Lu Xiangyu’s mouth. She saw Song Shenshi building a fire nearby. The four fish from yesterday had been gutted and laid flat on a stone slab; several others were already grilled.

“Wow, it smells so good~ Immortal Sister~” Lu Xiangyu said with an exaggerated gulp, approaching Song Shenshi, only to be startled back by a flicker of spiritual energy.

It was mostly because it hurt so much; she was traumatized.

Song Shenshi lowered her beautiful eyes and asked with concern, “Are you feeling better now?”

“No, no, no… I feel terrible,” Lu Xiangyu said, her face pale. But seeing Song Shenshi’s mannequin-like smile gave her goosebumps.

“I’m hungry, haha,” she was forced to add.

Song Shenshi nodded. “These are the fish you caught yesterday. In your current state, you are no different from a mortal. Eat quickly. I will grill the remaining three and keep them in the spatial pouch.”

“Wow, this fish looks delicious.” Lu Xiangyu picked one up, pinched off a bit of white meat, put it in her mouth, and then looked at Song Shenshi.

“What is it?” Song Shenshi knew she had something to say.

“Is there any salt…” Or chili powder, or minced garlic, or sesame oil…

“…”

Naturally, there was none.

Lu Xiangyu spent the next few days miserably eating plain fish as she followed Song Shenshi out of the deep mountains on foot.

Most of the surrounding villages had been wiped clean. Lu Xiangyu didn’t expect to find a meal in them. However, she certainly hadn’t committed such a barbaric act as slaughtering a village, and Zeng Hongfei—her subordinate and a righteous spy in the demon realm—shouldn’t have done it either.

There were formations set up by the righteous sects nearby; other Ghost Kings shouldn’t have been able to break through them alone. Yet, looking at the female lead’s expression, she didn’t seem to care who the culprit was.

Perhaps out of consideration for Lu Xiangyu’s fragile demonic soul, Song Shenshi did not fly on her sword. As they traveled, they frequently passed through victimized villages where signal fire smoke still drifted. At first, Lu Xiangyu couldn’t recall what events the book recorded here, which made her itch with curiosity.

Still, she could only complain about the female lead’s cold personality in her head; she didn’t dare speak up.

What she needed to do now wasn’t to reveal how much she knew or how wise she was, but to play dumb and see if she could get the female lead to lower her guard and release her.

As they walked, Lu Xiangyu pretended to be scratched by a branch and cried out, covering her face.

“What happened?” Song Shenshi asked considerately.

“No, it’s nothing.” Lu Xiangyu peered through her fingers, glancing at her. “Um, are those children… still in the dungeon?”

Song Shenshi blinked. “I used spiritual traces to guide them toward an exit route. However, those people were very frightened; they don’t flee as fast as you.”

“Haha, well, I used to be a very powerful demonic cultivator, after all. It’s different.” She finally understood why Song Shenshi had moved so quickly.

“Yes,” Song Shenshi nodded.

“…You’re not going back to save them?” Lu Xiangyu asked as a reminder.

“…” Song Shenshi looked calmly toward the sky, where several flashes of spiritual energy seemed to streak across the bright white expanse.

“My fellow disciples have already arrived. If I were the one to rescue them, the credit for this deed would belong solely to me. Those children have never seen me; they will be grateful to my senior brothers and sisters instead.”

Lu Xiangyu didn’t know what to say—the female lead was truly a master of social maneuvering.

Then, she pointed at herself with a thoroughly innocent expression.

“Fair immortal lady, you’re not going to take me to some mass grave and chop me into pieces, are you?”

“No.” The corners of Song Shenshi’s eyes and brows curved upward. At that moment, the sunlight brightened, swaying through the shadows of the trees onto that beautiful face. Suddenly, she leaned in close; Lu Xiangyu’s breath brushed against a patch of icy skin beneath Song Shenshi’s chin.

Song Shenshi whispered tenderly into her ear, “This time, I simply rescued you in the mountain forest. I want to take you home.”

She drew a wooden hairpin from her sleeve. The hairpin featured a baby’s face carved inside a flower bud—not particularly conspicuous—and tucked it into Lu Xiangyu’s hair.

“You mean…” Lu Xiangyu blinked, finally understanding why Song Shenshi had lingered in the woods with her for so long.

She felt a mysterious aura diffuse from the hairpin, enveloping her entire body. The demonic soul that had been aching dully inside her now felt as if it were wrapped in a layer of plastic. Her True Demonic Soul was disguised by this power; the restrictions of the righteous immortal sects would not easily detect it. Just as Zeng Hongfei had deceived her eyes and the restrictions of the Ghost King’s Palace.

This hairpin was a Relic of Life and Death (Cunmie Lingbao).

Song Shenshi’s hand, calloused from swordplay, remained resting against her cheek and the back of her head. Her eyes sparkled like the radiant sun. Lu Xiangyu felt an inexplicable sense of enchantment; her vision blurred by the sunlight, she found herself staring at the other woman’s slightly parted, smiling lips.

“…” She had forgotten: “Charm” was the female lead’s passive skill. Every living creature that came near her, as long as they had eyes, would be seduced by her beauty.

Before, it had been a life-or-death crisis, but now that she had accepted reality, her lustful heart was starting to stir. Lu Xiangyu really wanted to slap herself.

You haven’t even gotten your revenge yet, what are you thinking!

Lu Xiangyu took a step back, awkwardly putting her fist to her mouth, feeling a bit of dryness in her throat.

Song Shenshi, still smiling, led Lu Xiangyu to a clearing outside the forest.

“We’re almost there. We will wait here for the senior brothers and sisters of the Haiqian Sect.”

“…” Lu Xiangyu still felt that something was strange.

She reached up to feel the sword marks carved on the hairpin. The spiritual energy had dissipated, but the traces carved by the Qingling Sword still made her fingertips sting.

Lu Xiangyu naturally recognized the Relic of Life and Death; it was a must-have for any undercover agent.

In the original book, it was described as a divine tree root with the tragic expression of a fetus. It could hide a cultivator’s true self, making it difficult for those in the demon realm to notice, though it was useless against those above the Immortal Forging (Xianduan) stage. Most undercover agents were roughly at the level of “small fry” anyway.

Just like now, the remnant of Lu Xiangyu’s True Demonic Soul was wrapped by it. Afterward, she could even use righteous cultivation methods to continue her training. As long as she didn’t attempt to break through to Immortal Forging, no one would notice.

But the female lead… was bringing back a demonic undercover agent?

Lu Xiangyu found it hard to judge. However, while she lacked freedom now, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t have it later. Besides, following the female lead seemed like it might be quite fun.

“Senior Sister Song,” Lu Xiangyu called out as she stepped out of the woods.

Song Shenshi was already standing in the clearing outside the forest. Her green robes fluttered gently as she stood with her back to Lu Xiangyu. Before her stood a stone monument covered in cracks.

Subsequently, several streaks of spiritual energy landed on the site one after another.

Those people were all wearing Daoist robes bearing the runes of the Songshan Haiqian Sect, though the colors varied, representing their differing statuses within the sect as disciples of various main and side peaks. However, none of their cultivation levels had reached the Immortal Forging stage.

When they landed and heard Lu Xiangyu’s address, they looked at her in surprise. Lu Xiangyu flashed a confident smile. They didn’t ask questions, turning their attention back to the immortal-bodied Song Shenshi.

Regardless of status, everyone cupped their fists and bowed, shouting with great momentum: “Congratulations, Junior Sister, on attaining the Immortal Body and assisting Senior Brother Zeng in slaying the demons to clear his name. He surely died without regrets; this is a great achievement!”

“Senior Brothers, there is no need for such formality. Although I have obtained the Immortal Body, going deep into the demon realm was still an exhausting effort.” Song Shenshi looked down at her palm, her tone becoming strained. “Now, my cultivation is not much higher than yours, and my spiritual energy is currently depleted. Regarding the mission Master gave me to repair the formation core, I hope Senior Brothers can assist me in completing it.”

As she finished speaking, Lu Xiangyu watched as this person’s upright posture softened as if her bones had vanished. Her pale face showed signs of intense distress. For a moment, the senior brothers of the Haiqian Sect were so distressed that they couldn’t even maintain their etiquette, falling into a state of panic.

“Please rest assured, Junior Sister.” “Junior Sister should not overwork herself; rest for a moment, and leave everything to us.”

The senior brothers crossed the distance that had separated them upon meeting, surrounding Song Shenshi with all sorts of concern. If any of them had as little moral integrity as Lu Xiangyu, they probably would have already knelt at the hem of her skirt.

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