The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 62

The night deepened. Tang Jing lay on her side in bed, her arm bent beneath her head as a pillow. Though the room was pitch black, she could faintly make out the small wooden bed near the window where Wu Xingyue lay.

Just as she thought the other woman had fallen asleep, Wu Xingyue suddenly stirred. Tang Jing quickly lowered her eyelids.

“Can’t sleep, my lady?” Wu Xingyue spoke.

Ever since she first used this address, Wu Xingyue had never stopped, growing increasingly bold with it. Sometimes, the way she said it carried a hint of ambiguity.

Tang Jing did not respond.

Wu Xingyue continued, “I can’t sleep either. Why don’t we chat?”

Tang Jing lifted her gaze, though she could barely see anything in the darkness. “As a demon elder, you’ve been away for so long. Doesn’t your clan leader.”

Wu Xingyue lay flat, her hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling. “It’s fine. The demon clan has more than just me as an elder.”

At this topic, Wu Xingyue perked up, turning onto her side to look at Tang Jing. “What about you? The Xianyu Sect punished you with a century of confinement here. Do you resent them?”

“No.” The side-lying position grew uncomfortable, so Tang Jing shifted onto her back, placing her hands neatly over her abdomen in a proper posture.

Wu Xingyue propped her head up with her hand, intrigued. “Why not? They expelled your beloved disciple, subjected you to lashings, and imprisoned you in this place. Yet you still don’t resent them?”

Tang Jing remained firm. “No.”

Knowing her master’s unwavering sense of justice, Wu Xingyue wasn’t surprised. In fact, this very quality of her master fascinated her. She smiled at the shadowy figure across the room, silent for a long while.

For a moment, the room was quiet, filled only with the sound of wind rustling leaves outside and the distant cries of demons in the forest.

“My lady,” Wu Xingyue suddenly broke the silence, “since your injuries have healed, would you like to take a walk outside tomorrow?”

After a long pause, the figure on the other bed replied softly, “Alright.”

The next day.

When Tang Jing awoke, brilliant sunlight streamed through the open window, filling the room with a gentle breeze. She sat up, pushing aside the gauzy bed curtains to look around, but Wu Xingyue was nowhere in sight.

Just as she dressed and stepped out of bed, footsteps sounded outside. The door creaked open, and the person she sought walked in. Seeing her, Wu Xingyue’s eyes curved into crescents. “My lady is awake.”

Tang Jing pressed her lips together, lowering her eyelids with a soft “Mm.”

Unbeknownst to her, the other woman’s smile brightened even more at her response, though the veil covering her face hid it from Tang Jing’s notice.

To maintain her hidden identity, Wu Xingyue had never removed her veil, afraid that if her master saw her true face, the fragile harmony between them would shatter.

Even as she approached Tang Jing under the guise of a demon, she dared not reveal herself as the former head disciple.

At this thought, Wu Xingyue’s smile dimmed slightly.

“Let’s eat.”

“Mm.”

After the meal, Tang Jing stepped out of the small wooden house.

It was the first time she had left the cottage since arriving in the Nether Valley. The last time she ventured out, to search for Wu Xingyue she had only made it to the doorstep. Now, she was free to go beyond.

Outside, she discovered that Wu Xingyue had kept the surroundings meticulously tidy. Not far away, a small vegetable garden thrived, its plants lush and vibrant. Tang Jing stood there for a long time, taking it all in.

Wu Xingyue didn’t find it boring either, standing there with her.

One in white, one in black, standing side by side.

This was the Nether Valley, mostly rocky with occasional small hills.

Not far from the wooden cottage was a bamboo grove. When the breeze blew, the bamboo leaves rustled softly. Beyond the grove lay a shimmering pool and a roaring waterfall.

The sound of the waterfall crashing down was deafening. The two didn’t stay long before heading in another direction.

“Here, my lady.” Wu Xingyue plucked a handful of bright red fruits from a tree and offered them to her.

Tang Jing glanced at the fruits, nodded slightly, and picked one.

Wu Xingyue cradled the fruits and followed closely beside her, promptly offering another as soon as she finished eating one.

Before she knew it, Tang Jing had eaten all the fruits Wu Xingyue had picked. Her hand, accustomed to receiving them, paused mid-air before clenching and dropping to her side. She pressed her lips together, frowned slightly, and walked ahead.

Noticing the faint reddening of her ears, Wu Xingyue smiled and stepped forward. “If my lady enjoys them, I’ll pick more on our way back. We could even transplant the tree behind the cottage so you can pick them whenever you like.”

Tang Jing didn’t respond, but her silence wasn’t a refusal clearly, she agreed.

This made Wu Xingyue even happier, wishing she could lay all the finest things at her master’s feet just to see her smile.

“Roar!”

A powerful roar suddenly echoed from ahead. Wu Xingyue’s eyes sharpened, and without hesitation, she stepped in front of her master, shielding her as she warily scanned the dense forest ahead.

“The Darkwood Forest?” Tang Jing asked.

“Yes.” Wu Xingyue didn’t dare let her guard down for even a second, her entire body tense. If she were alone, she wouldn’t fear the demons lurking in the forest. But with her master beside her, she couldn’t afford the slightest misstep.

Tang Jing also knew that, without any cultivation now, she would only be a burden. A shadow of sorrow flickered in her eyes as she turned away. “Let’s go back.”

“Alright.” Wu Xingyue didn’t notice the look in her master’s eyes. She carefully escorted her back, only relaxing once they were far from the forest.

“As long as we avoid the Darkwood Forest, we’re safe,” Wu Xingyue said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“Hmm.”

Only then did Wu Xingyue sense her master’s low spirits, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes.

That night, after her master fell asleep, she slipped out of the cottage and headed straight for the Darkwood Forest. She found the demon that had ruined her master’s peace and tortured it to death, venting her fury before finally feeling satisfied.

Support