The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 61

Tang Jing sat on the bed with her back turned, her freshly donned clothes discarded once more. Now clad only in a dudou, her hair cascaded over her shoulders.

The mere thought of Senior Shi sitting behind her, watching her at this very moment, made Tang Jing’s heart race. Her fluttering eyelashes betrayed her nervousness.

Seeing her master like this, Wu Xingyue was instantly transported back a hundred years. Back then, as her master’s most cherished senior disciple, her greatest privilege had been accompanying her master to soak in the hot springs of Jade Pool.

Once, she had even stolen a kiss while her master dozed in the bath. Her master never reacted afterward, leading Wu Xingyue to believe she hadn’t noticed.

But not long after, she was cast out of the sect.

Recalling this, Wu Xingyue tightened her grip on the medicine bottle, overwhelmed by a mix of resentment, regret, shame, and a trace of bitterness.

She hated her master for so ruthlessly expelling her, for denying her a chance to explain, for being so coldhearted as to discard her without a second thought.

The moment these thoughts surfaced, her grievances surged uncontrollably. Her nose stung, and tears welled up unbidden. She hastily wiped them away with her sleeve.

Hearing no movement behind her for a long while, Tang Jing began to turn around.

Afraid her reddened eyes would be seen, Wu Xingyue quickly stopped her. “Don’t move.”

Tang Jing paused, catching the unmistakable hint of a choked-back sob in her voice. A pang of heartache flashed through her eyes, and for a moment, she despised the system’s rigid rules.

“Turn around.” In her earlier panic, Wu Xingyue had forgotten to disguise her voice. Now, she lowered it to a harsh growl, hoping her master wouldn’t recognize it.

Though her tone was fierce, her hands were gentle as they worked.

But the wounds were too painful. Despite Tang Jing’s best efforts to endure, occasional muffled groans escaped her lips.

Each time, Wu Xingyue would pause, blowing softly on the injuries. While it eased the pain, it only made Tang Jing’s torment worse.

Especially since Wu Xingyue was so focused on applying the medicine, leaning in so close that her breath sometimes brushed against Tang Jing’s skin like a feather’s touch. Even with Tang Jing’s formidable self-control, she was beginning to falter.

Finally, she could bear it no longer. She turned and seized Wu Xingyue’s wrist, though her weakened body made the grip feeble.

Wu Xingyue froze at the sudden movement. When she looked up, she found her master’s ears flushed red, her deep eyes fixed on her. Meeting that gaze, Wu Xingyue’s breath quickened, a fire igniting within her.

She tilted her head and pressed her lips to those seemingly cold ones, only to find them warm, just as they had been when she’d stolen that kiss long ago.

“You!” Tang Jing was startled, her hands pushing against Wu Xingyue’s shoulders. But with her cultivation sealed and her body ravaged by the icy pool and lashes, she was weaker than an ordinary mortal woman. Her resistance meant nothing to Wu Xingyue.

“Let go.” Tang Jing forced herself to calm down, turning her face away as she gritted her teeth.

Recognizing her rejection, Wu Xingyue might have relented under normal circumstances.

But her thoughts were in turmoil, old grievances and resentment bubbling to the surface. A rebellious streak flared within her. She tightened her embrace, planting a kiss on Tang Jing’s cheek. “No.”

Tang Jing’s face flushed slightly with anger as she turned to glare at her, but the distance between them was too close. She hastily leaned back, only to find herself pressed against the wall with nowhere to retreat. Furious and humiliated, her eyes reddened at the thought of how useless she had become. She turned her head away and closed her eyes, resigning herself to the situation.

Wu Xingyue, who had been ready to press forward, felt a sharp pang in her heart at the sight of her master like this. She opened her mouth to speak but feared her words would only invite disdain. In the end, she lowered her eyelids, masking the pain in her eyes, and placed the ointment bottle beside her. “You can apply the rest yourself,” she said before leaving.

As the door closed, Tang Jing’s eyelashes trembled slightly before she opened her eyes. The room was now empty, save for the white ointment bottle left by her side.

Because of this incident, Wu Xingyue kept her distance in the following days, merely leaving meals before exiting and preparing water for her to wash in the evenings. As for the wounds on Tang Jing’s back, Wu Xingyue would only enter after she had fallen asleep, quietly applying the medicine for her.

Tang Jing had intended to stay awake all night out of vigilance, but her body was too weak to endure it.

Wu Xingyue, now practicing demonic arts, couldn’t use her own energy to heal her master’s wounds. In fact, the demonic energy within her was not only ineffective but could even worsen the injuries. Thus, she had no choice but to gather medicinal herbs to nurse her master back to health.

The herbal medicine was bitter. Even someone as enduring as Tang Jing couldn’t help but frown at its taste. Noticing this, Wu Xingyue ventured out of the Nether Valley overnight to buy preserved fruits for her, braving the treacherous journey without hesitation.

When Tang Jing awoke the next day and saw the cloth bag of preserved fruits by her bedside, she was momentarily stunned. She knew how far and perilous the journey was to the nearest town from the Nether Valley. Though Wu Xingyue was a demon elder with formidable cultivation, even she would face countless dangers in the dark forests teeming with demons and monsters.

Clutching the bag of preserved fruits, Tang Jing hesitated before getting out of bed.

Just then, Wu Xingyue entered with the freshly brewed medicine. Seeing her up, she quickly said, “Your wounds haven’t healed yet, you should, ” Her words trailed off as she met Tang Jing’s gaze, her hands pausing mid-air with the bowl.

“You’re injured,” Tang Jing said, her eyes darkening as she noticed the slight limp in Wu Xingyue’s leg.

“Oh, I just tripped while fetching water,” Wu Xingyue replied nonchalantly.

Tang Jing wasn’t fooled. Her eyes remained fixed on Wu Xingyue’s left leg, the bag of preserved fruits in her hand suddenly feeling scorching hot.

Wu Xingyue, unfazed, brought the medicine over. “The medicine’s ready. Drink it while it’s hot.”

“Mm,” Tang Jing murmured, lowering her eyelids and tightening her grip on the preserved fruits. After a long pause, she opened the bag and said softly, “Thank you for the preserved fruits.”

Wu Xingyue smiled. “As long as you like them. I’ll buy more when you finish.”

“No!” Tang Jing started to refuse but stopped at the sight of her smile. Instead, she said solemnly, “Thank you.”

The tension between them eased slightly. Though their conversations remained sparse, at least Wu Xingyue no longer lingered outside the room.

At night, a strong wind began to howl outside. Tang Jing, not seeing Wu Xingyue anywhere, grew worried about her being out alone and decided to go look for her with a lantern. Just as she was about to step out, she happened to run into Wu Xingyue returning.

The wind lifted Tang Jing’s skirt, and Wu Xingyue froze for only a moment before snapping back to attention. She hurried forward to support her inside. “You’re not fully recovered yet you shouldn’t be exposed to the wind. Go lie down in bed.”

Tang Jing noticed the basket on her back. “You went herb gathering?”

“Yes, we were running low on medicinal herbs, so I thought I’d hurry and collect some. I didn’t expect the wind to pick up on my way back.” As she spoke, she glanced at her shizun, wanting to ask if she had been about to go out searching for her. But she feared the question might provoke embarrassment or anger, so she swallowed it down.

Their relationship had only just begun to thaw. If she angered her shizun again and was met with coldness, she’d have nowhere to turn to cry.

In the end, she pressed her lips together and kept the words to herself.

Tang Jing sat on the edge of the bed, watching her bustle about. After a moment of hesitation, she finally couldn’t hold back. “The Dark Forest is full of dangers. When you go out…” She turned her face away, uncomfortable. “Remember to be careful.”

Wu Xingyue’s eyes instantly brightened, and a smile spread across her face. She nodded emphatically. “Understood, wifey.”

The moment the words left her mouth, her expression stiffened. She glanced cautiously at her shizun, she had been so overjoyed that she’d let the term slip out without thinking. Seeing no change in her shizun’s expression, she secretly sighed in relief.

Afraid of overstaying her welcome and risking anger, she quickly said, “I’ll go brew your medicine.” With that, she grabbed her basket and fled in a fluster.

Once she was out of sight, Tang Jing smiled. Hearing her shizun call her “wifey” was inexplicably pleasing to the ear.

Though she knew it was only because of the plot that Wu Xingyue acted this way, she still couldn’t help but adore it.

Tang Jing’s wounds had already healed. When Wu Xingyue tried to apply scar-removing ointment, Tang Jing refused according to the original character’s personality, she should bear the scars as a lesson.

But Wu Xingyue misunderstood, thinking she was punishing herself, perhaps even using the scars to remember Wen Mingyu. The thought made jealousy churn in her chest. She stormed into the forest and slaughtered over a dozen demons before her anger finally subsided.

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