The Cold, Aloof Senior Sister Deserves To Be Paired With A Peerless Beauty - Chapter 27

What was she looking for today?

A carriage had long been waiting at the entrance of the residence, draped in a massive black cloth that allowed it to blend seamlessly into the night.

No lanterns were lit along the streets, all was dark and silent, save for the urgent clatter of the carriage racing by, as if thieves had stolen something precious and were desperate to escape.

The driver raised his hand, and the snap of the whip cut through the air with a sharp whistle. The horse let out a pained neigh and pulled the carriage toward its destination.

The road was bumpy, but the journey was not overly long, as Chi Li calculated silently in her heart.

The jolting stopped. She didn’t know where she had been taken, the surface behind her was uneven, and she could faintly feel something slowly writhing. Driven by curiosity and a testing touch, her interest turned to vigilance the moment she made contact.

Chi Li did not rush to open her eyes. She waited until the person before her confirmed she was “unconscious” and walked away.

Hearing the footsteps fade, Chi Li slowly opened her eyes a crack.

She had returned to the place she wanted to be, but she had been brought here “openly.”

A faint, mocking smile tugged at the corner of Chi Li’s mouth. Facing the courtyard full of writhing, eerie creatures, there wasn’t a trace of fear in her eyes.

Tattered lanterns swayed in the wind, their flickering candlelight eventually consuming the paper casing. The flames spread, reaching the emerald vines and setting them ablaze. The warm yellow glow of the fire illuminated the dilapidated courtyard.

Cold vines coiled around Chi Li’s wrists, tightening like a meticulously woven cocoon. As the final gaps were filled, the person inside’s breathing weakened until it vanished, as if she had died.

However, not a single drop of blood spilled from her body. It appeared as though she were simply trapped, yet it was impossible to confirm whether she was alive or dead.

The vines wrapped around her fair neck, and the thinning air made the surroundings stifling.

Yet, Chi Li remained unbothered. A curve formed on her lips not quite a smile, carrying a sense of horror more frenzied than fear itself.

“Shh, don’t let them find us.”

Chi Li spoke, her voice muffled, but her tone was extremely calm. It was as if she weren’t in grave danger, but rather chatting with someone at home. However, the warning in her voice caused the coiling vines to pause for a moment.

The vines around her neck stopped tightening. Though the giant “cocoon” continued to writhe, it blocked out the scorching heat of the fire, leaving the person inside feeling only slightly warmer than usual.

Sensing its unconscious kindness, Chi Li opened her eyes. The darkness before her did not change her expression, though a flicker of complex emotion crossed her gaze.

Chi Li closed her eyes again, her composed manner suggesting she was in no danger at all.

At that moment, bleached white bones emerged from beneath the vines. A skull hit the ground, its hollow, dark sockets staring straight at the panicked crowd rushing in.

Noisy, blurred voices echoed in her ears before being drowned out by the splashing water from the well.

The servants were busy trying to save the burning courtyard, failing to notice the commotion by the well or check the bottom, which was being covered once more.

Huang Jin and Steward Zhang approached with grim expressions. The raging fire behind them elongated their shadows into what looked like endless paths to the abyss, making them appear like vengeful ghosts crawling out of hell.

Vines writhed at the mouth of the well, covering it densely.

Yet, their eyes remained fixed on the well’s opening, as if they needed to see the corpse below to truly be at peace.

After an unknown amount of time, the fire scorched the dry leaves at their feet.

“Is she dead?”

Huang Jin spoke, her words gritted through her teeth with intense murderous intent.

Steward Zhang’s expression was ruthless. He stared at the snake-like vines for a moment before heartlessly crushing a white bone on the ground. The sound of the bone snapping was enough to make one’s skin crawl. His voice was cold and mocking.

“She hasn’t been under control lately, she’s much more vicious than before.”

The implication was clear: anyone caught by those vines could not possibly survive.

Huang Jin’s brow remained furrowed. Although she believed the person who fell down couldn’t survive, she couldn’t help but recall the look on the other’s face in the study. A sense of dread flickered in her heart as she spoke hesitantly.

“But…”

Steward Zhang gave her a cold glance. There was no respect in his eyes, only disdain. He spoke icily.

“Don’t forget your status.”

Without waiting for a reaction, he turned and left, leaving the stiff-figured woman behind, still staring unwillingly at the well beneath the vines.

The pitch-black well reflected nothing of her hideous, contorted expression.

She frowned and turned to the servants busy fighting the fire. Remembering something, her face darkened instantly, and her voice became a piercing shriek.

“Why are you saving it?! Pull it all out!”

However, her words only caused them to pause for a second before countless pairs of violent, terrifying eyes turned toward her. In the dark of night, they looked like demons newly crawled from the earth.

Huang Jin collapsed to the ground. The cold air felt like invisible hands choking her, making it hard to breathe. Her face turned purple, making her look pathetic and completely out of place in her luxurious robes.

She covered her face with trembling hands; only through the gaps in her fingers could one glimpse the pain and malice within.

The moment she fell into the well, ice-cold water surged into her nose. Chi Li choked for a second but quickly adapted after reciting a Water-Control Incantation.

Her slender, elegant fingers twitched. The vines surrounding her slowly receded, unfolding like a bizarrely shaped flower in bloom.

Her closed eyes suddenly snapped open, her amber-clear pupils reflecting a blurry figure in front of her.

Light did not reach the bottom of the well, leaving one feeling as if they were in a deep abyss.

A water resistant Fire Talisman ignited underwater. The ghostly flame acted like a sharp blade, unhesitatingly tearing through the darkness and bringing a sliver of long awaited light to the bottomless depths.

Chi Li moved her gaze from the light and let it fall upon the figure standing before her.

It was a familiar face…

A face identical to Huang Jin’s…

There was no surprise in Chi Li’s eyes. A faint smile played on her lips, as if she had known all along.

The vines near her hand tried to shrink back, but Chi Li reached out and grabbed them with irresistible force, pulling the figure closer until they were only half a step apart.

The curve on Chi Li’s lips vanished, replaced by her usual indifference. Her voice was calm and flat, yet it made the figure tremble.

“City Lord of Phoenix City.”

She spoke slowly, her emphasis on every word making her identification undeniable.

Hearing Chi Li’s words, the figure froze for a moment. The crimson, monstrous malice dissipated, replaced by a nearly peaceful gentleness tinged with sorrow.

The vines touching Chi Li acted as if they had touched a hot coal, frantically trying to flee, simply because the figure saw her own monstrous, half-human reflection in the depths of Chi Li’s fire-lit eyes.

However, Chi Li’s grip remained unyielding. Sensing the vines trying to retreat, she tightened her hold, leaving no chance for escape.

Through the firelight, Chi Li’s gaze didn’t actually rest on the person, but looked slightly past them.

“Are you… here to kill me?” the person asked, her voice hoarse and hesitant.

Chi Li’s gaze remained fixed to the side. Upon hearing the question, she shook her head and spoke softly.

“No. I am not here to kill you.”

The figure stiffened again. Her eerie red eyes stared intently at the cold, ethereal person before her, searching for any sign of fear, but finding none.

The person before her was like an unreadable mist no matter how hard she searched, she could not find the truth. It was all in vain.

Noticing the gaze, Chi Li confirmed what she wanted and finally looked directly at her.

She was different from the memories, the person who usually carried an inescapable, terrifying malice was currently managing to keep herself gentle. Chi Li wouldn’t have to fight her to a bitter end this time, and obtaining what she came for would be much easier.

Chi Li lowered her eyes. She knew that coming early was the right choice.

The person before her was the true City Lord of Phoenix City, the one outside was merely an imposter wearing a skin mask.

In her previous life, by the time they met, the real Huang Jin had already lost her mind, becoming a monster fused with the Ghost Blood Vine, capable only of killing.

Since the current Huang Jin could still control herself, the rumors circulating in the city had nothing to do with her.

But to be safe, Chi Li deliberated for a moment before asking:

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

Huang Jin’s expression shifted. Her clenched hands tightened as if she were suppressing something. Under Chi Li’s scrutiny, she didn’t dare lie and shook her head quickly.

“Never… it wasn’t me…”

But remembering her current appearance, her voice trailed off. Who would believe her words? Especially this person she had only just met.

At that thought, Huang Jin’s pale face turned even whiter, and her eyes filled with desolation.

But Chi Li did not probe further. Hearing those few simple words, she spoke calmly.

“I see.”

Chi Li’s words were short but carried a weight of certainty that made the person before her look up suddenly. The emotions in her eyes were complex, bordering on disbelief.

“You…”

Huang Jin wanted to say more, but her throat felt too dry to produce sound. The calm and composed demeanor of the woman before her brought an unexpected sense of peace.

It was as if after days of praying on the brink of collapse, a deity had finally heard her and descended before her.

After a long while, Huang Jin found her voice again, asking bitterly:

“Are you here for me?”

Under her almost expectant gaze, Chi Li gave a heartless denial.

“I am not.”

As the light in the other’s eyes faded, Chi Li released the vines. Her slender finger pointed directly at the strange, beautiful flower bud at the other’s temple, her voice cool.

“I came for that.”

Following Chi Li’s finger, Huang Jin caught a glimpse of the bizarre flower bud that had been growing beside her since she woke up.

Huang Jin’s expression suddenly darkened. Her eyes turned ice-cold and wary as she stared at Chi Li, her voice laced with hatred.

“You are from the Yueming Sect.”

Hearing this, Chi Li let out a cold, mocking laugh.

“A small, insignificant sect.”

Huang Jin’s brow furrowed. As she tried to step back, she saw the other woman produce a jade talisman. The patterns carved upon it made her tremble violently. A roaring sound filled her ears, and she could only faintly hear the calm voice:

“Cangqing Sect, disciple of Immortal Yilin, Chi Li.”

Chi Li’s voice wasn’t loud, but it made Huang Jin’s heart, which had long stopped beating feel as though it were thumping again, faster and faster.

Huang Jin looked at the cold face before her. Whether it was a hallucination or not, through that expression, she glimpsed a sliver of divine mercy. She knew her prayers had finally been answered.

Even if this person had come for another purpose…