The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Reflection

Song Ying had once been arrogant. As a monster born from emotions, human feelings were the source of her power. Shortly after her birth, she acquired formidable strength and lorded over her birthplace, believing she could play with humanity like puppets.

That was until she “took an arrow to the knee” or rather, encountered a woman named An Zhiyue. That woman didn’t just play her like a puppet; she sent her to prison. Song Ying hadn’t even enjoyed a few years of freedom before she was gifted a 60-year luxury prison package. By the time she endured her sentence and came out seeking revenge, An Zhiyue had already passed away. The feeling was like throwing a punch into a bale of cotton frustrating and hollow.

Beyond the frustration, she felt a sense of loss. Her obsession for sixty years had been that woman. With the obsession gone, she didn’t know what to do with herself. But she remembered An Zhiyue’s promise: if she reformed well and had nowhere to go, she could stay at An Zhiyue’s place. Thus, she occupied the house with a clear conscience.

However, after living there for only two days, an uninvited guest arrived. That fellow lurked around the vicinity every day, and the target was clearly An Zhiyue’s home. Song Ying didn’t know the intruder’s background, so she stayed in the shadows to observe. Later, that person brought back a half-dead individual, buried them in the mountains, and performed a bizarre ritual.

Jingshui Lake

The lakeside was scenic and comfortable, but the night was deep, and the residents who loved walking there had long since departed. The water under the night sky looked like a giant black gem. A man stood by the lake, his clothes fluttering in the night breeze. The cold moonlight emphasized his tall stature and added a touch of grimness to his handsome profile a far cry from his usual gentle and pleasant image.

This man was naturally Xie Chu, whom Tao Yitong and Jiang Zitan had discussed at length. After standing by the lake for a while, he suddenly seemed to sense something and turned his head.

A massive cloud of black mist drifted in the void, and soon, a man carrying a black long blade stepped out. Whether it was Tao Yitong or Jiang Zitan, they would have recognized him as the esper criminal codenamed “Wild Ghost,” also known as the Hunter a bounty killer with a notorious reputation.

Xie Chu skipped the pleasantries, casting a mocking glance at the assassin. “You truly are a world-renowned killer. You tried to kill an ordinary person, yet she’s still alive and kicking, completely unscathed.”

The assassin froze for a moment, but being quick-witted, he immediately realized his only target recently was one girl. If she wasn’t dead… but how was that possible? “She is just an ordinary person. Even an esper wouldn’t survive having their heart pierced by me.”

Xie Chu frowned. “Are you sure?” He thought the assassin had been careless because the target was “ordinary.” But everything was reeking of strangeness now. Even if the killer was negligent, she should be in critical condition. How could she appear in public so normally, let alone have the mood to attend a banquet?

Xie Chu’s voice turned heavy. “I saw her with my own eyes at a banquet, looking like nothing happened.”

The assassin found it suspicious as well. He knew exactly how much force he had used. “Two possibilities: either she can return from the dead, or someone is impersonating her.”

Xie Chu’s face was icy. The first possibility was nonsense even an esper with healing powers wouldn’t survive a heart puncture. But the second was also strange. He hadn’t spoken to her directly tonight, but he could see it was her the looks, the voice, the habits. Having grown up together, he had that much confidence in his recognition.

The assassin added, “The night I struck, I ran into an old friend. She likely recognized me. Since she didn’t pursue me immediately, it means she found the target I attacked. I suspect she is the one impersonating the dead person.”

“Who is she?” Xie Chu asked.

“Nightingale.”

Information about this esper flashed through Xie Chu’s mind. “A member of the Bird of Prey Guild.” He added, “You have a grudge against her, too. As far as I know, she isn’t a transformation-type esper.”

“She isn’t, but the Guild might have one,” the assassin said. “Whatever the truth is, I know one thing: she wants to catch me and kill me.”

Xie Chu saw the bloodthirsty excitement in the killer’s eyes. He wanted to say that if Tao Yitong was dead, there was no need to provoke the Guild, but he knew the assassin wouldn’t obey him blindly. Moreover, he needed to know for sure if Tao Yitong was alive.

“Whatever you do, I have only one requirement. Make Tao Yitong vanish from this world completely. Real or fake, she must only be a dead person.”

The assassin nodded. Based on professional ethics, if the target “lived,” the mission was incomplete; he would continue. He vanished into the black mist.

Xie Chu watched the ripples on the lake. Tao Yitong’s fate mattered to him. He decided to send another group of subordinates to watch her, but they weren’t to kill her if the Tao family traced a direct assassination back to him, it would be troublesome. Although the family didn’t seem to care now, the aunt still doted on her.

And who were those espers who killed the monsters at the villa? Xie Chu looked at the stars, seeing only endless black. She was a flower destined to fall into the mud. Protecting her would stain him; letting her go would lead to criticism. So, he had to ask her to disappear.

The Next Morning

Tao Yitong walked out of her room, yawning lazily. After discussing Xie Chu with Jiang Zitan until late, she had struggled to sleep. It wasn’t until the latter half of the night that she drifted off.

The house was quiet. She looked out the window and assumed Jiang Zitan wasn’t up yet, but then she heard a sound from the bathroom. Soon, Jiang Zitan emerged, dressed neatly.

As the weather grew warmer, she rarely wore her cloak. Today she wore an apricot-colored dress a simple, elegant piece with a thin belt at the waist. Her long hair was still damp from washing, making it look dark and smooth.

Seeing Tao Yitong, Jiang Zitan’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. “So early.”

Tao Yitong tousled her hair. “I think it’s more appropriate for me to say that. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.”

Jiang Zitan pushed up her glasses. “Since you’re up, don’t sleep anymore. I’ll make breakfast.”

“Don’t,” Tao Yitong said, stopping her. “Since I’m up early for once, let’s go out to eat.”

A thin curve appeared on Jiang Zitan’s lips. “You do realize it’s ‘for once’.”

Tao Yitong was momentarily dazed by her smile. The faint scent of shampoo wafted over, mixing with the morning air inexplicably alluring. It made her want to reach out and touch that long hair. She coughed to cover her distraction. “Anyway, I felt a bit bad letting you work so hard.”

Jiang Zitan thought back over the past few days; she hadn’t seen a shred of “feeling bad” from her. Her gaze swept over Tao Yitong and then she immediately looked away.

Tao Yitong was wearing a white cotton spaghetti-strap nightgown. It was both pure and alluring, but Zitan felt the dress was too loose. The ivory lines of her neck and shoulders kept intruding into her vision. Tao Yitong noticed the averting gaze and smiled; the girl was almost shyly dodging.

Her mischief rose. “We’re both girls, what’s the embarrassment? Besides, didn’t you see everything the night you saved me? In ancient times, you’d have to take responsibility for me.”

Jiang Zitan felt the “itch” again. Tao Yitong’s hair was straight and soft, brushing her shoulder in a way that made her restless. Faced with the teasing, she felt a childish, irrepressible competitive urge. She turned her head and stared directly at Tao Yitong’s face. “Is that so?”

They locked eyes through the cold lenses for a moment. Tao Yitong’s mood suddenly dipped. In the bathroom, she washed her face with cold water.

Host, what’s wrong? the system asked.

Nothing. Just thinking about the current situation. It’s a mess.

Tao Yitong splashed water on her face to clear her mind. She had enjoyed her time with “Nightingale,” even if they weren’t exactly friends. But Nightingale was part of Jiang Zitan, and she no longer felt satisfied with just a part she wanted more.

Human nature is greedy. She suppressed the self-mockery and regained her calm. Turning her head, she saw Jiang Zitan standing at the door, her eyes fixed on her. “You took off all your bandages.”

In the Village

Song Ying watched the interaction, her lips twitching. Is my presence really that low? And why are these two so sticky? Are they really sisters? The emotions she felt from them were a bit “sour-sweet,” more like humans in love.

“This one is…”

“Her name is Song Ying, nickname Xiao Fang. She’s a relative of Grandma’s family who hasn’t been back in a long time. She’s staying at the house for now,” Tao Yitong introduced, giving Song Ying the cover story of being a relative of her Master.

Song Ying gritted her teeth and accepted the nickname. “Hello.”

So she’s a relative of that old lady. Jiang Zitan greeted her, but she sensed the relationship between Tongtong and this Ms. Song wasn’t great. As soon as they stepped out, Song Ying parted ways with them without a word.

“They seem to be over there. Let’s go, Sister.” Tao Yitong pulled Jiang Zitan. They had to stop more people from going up the mountain, at least until the effects of the ritual were cleared. As for Song Ying, she was assigned to watch the movements on the mountain. Song Ying was a good source of labor as long as a reward was mentioned, she was very active.

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