The Vicious Beauty Faked His Death Three Times [Transmigration] - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Omen

The room was deathly silent, so quiet that a buzzing rang in Ling Yanhe’s ears.

“Get out before I take action.”

As the voice fell, Ling Yanhe looked over. Lin Qinghan was panting heavily; his face was still deathly pale, but his cheeks were forced into an abnormal flush from overexertion.

Lin Qinghan rarely lost his composure like this. Now, he was disregarding the current situation to tear off the mask of civility; he truly loathed him to the extreme.

Ling Yanhe looked at the person on the bed. An indignant fire raged, staining those beautiful eyes red, and the gaze that followed set him ablaze as well.

If the golden birdcage exchanged for the person wasn’t a place they wished to stay, then there was no need to keep them.

“Very well, Lin Qinghan.” Ling Yanhe’s face was somber, a nameless fury rising ten thousand feet high, making his voice sharp. “I shall wait for the day you kill me.”

A draft blew through.

Lin Qinghan watched the retreating back, his entire body aching to the bone.

The flare-up after the Gu reached completion was even more powerful than he had imagined. Previously, he could gritted his teeth and endure, but now, having been fed a few drops of the antidote, the flare-up was even more vicious, like a blade scraping against his primordial spirit, no different from death by a thousand cuts.

As his strength failed, Lin Qinghan suddenly collapsed by the bed.

Startling red blood fell onto the floor, the scent of iron spreading and overwhelming the bitter medicinal fragrance in the room.

Lin Qinghan stared at that patch of bright red. He remained silent for a moment, his face growing even more deathly pale as the blood became almost impossible to stop. Despite the horrifying scene, his lips curled into a smirk, and he suddenly let out a short burst of laughter.

Blood dripped onto the bedding, blossoming into gouts of red flowers.

Lin Qinghan simply raised his hand and pressed it against those blood-flowers, laughing arrogantly.

The stinging in his heart had long been ignored; an unprecedented sense of smoothness surged up.

Ling Yanhe’s expression was truly too funny. Was the man actually driven to fury?

Lin Qinghan raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, the excitement in his eyes unprecedented.

Originally, he had been so provoked by the other’s act of “charity” that he wanted to immediately raise his fan and run him through, but seeing the other’s final ashen face, he felt a rare calm.

Another wave of pain struck, but it did not muddle Lin Qinghan’s thoughts; instead, it made him increasingly sober.

“What is he so angry about?”

Lin Qinghan asked softly.

Current Trust Value: 60

Seeing the Trust Value remain completely unchanged, Lin Qinghan suddenly arched an eyebrow.

Recalling the question Ling Yanhe had pressed him with, Lin Qinghan blinked, his pale thin lips stained crimson by the blood.

A useless sparrow dying desperately only soils the other’s hand, but what if it is the one sparrow the other cares about immensely?

Lin Qinghan suddenly laughed. He raised his hand, and the Black Bone Fan abruptly appeared in his palm.

In the next instant, blood splattered in all directions. Lin Qinghan’s upper body was completely stained red. The wound at his heart was horrifyingly deep, draining all color from his face.

The intense pain suppressed the bone-deep agony. Even this was not enough; he raised his hand to seal the acupoints across his body, preventing his spiritual energy from flowing.

Lin Qinghan sat quietly on the bed, allowing his blood to flow out and his life force to drain.

The Gu parasite stopped.

The heart-devouring pain ceased, replaced by true qi gradually flooding into his body, injecting a titanic life force into him.

He had bet correctly.

Lin Qinghan raised his eyebrows slightly, watching the wound gradually heal.

Ling Yanhe had personally placed the bargaining chip before him.

“What’s wrong with him? He looks like he’s carrying a deep, bitter grudge,” Shen Miaomiao whispered, tugging at Wen Leyou as her gaze fell on the black-clad youth not far away.

Wen Leyou glanced over: “Doesn’t he always look like that?”

Shen Miaomiao tilted her head to look at him: “Does he?”

“Of course. Aside from Big Brother, who has he ever given a good face to?” Wen Leyou muttered softly. Not wanting to discuss this further, he shifted the topic, “Are you truly leaving today?”

Shen Miaomiao looked at him warily: “Are you still pining after my A-Yan?!”

“What are you saying!” Wen Leyou quickly patted her. Seeing that the two in front hadn’t looked back, he continued, “Don’t be so loud. I don’t know what kind of evil possessed me before to pester Miss Ye. After the Winter Banquet, I suddenly woke up and realized I did something so embarrassing. Don’t bring it up again.”

Shen Miaomiao was skeptical: “Truly?”

“Truly!” Wen Leyou replied immediately, then asked, “Can you really not stay a few more days? I want to spend more time with Big Brother.”

“I’m afraid not,” Shen Miaomiao turned unusually serious. “A-Yan and I cannot stay in one place for too long. A-Han and Ling Yanhe need to head to the Lingxiao Sect. It’s a long journey, and if we delay further, they might not make it in time.”

Wen Leyou looked at her. Seeing she wasn’t joking, he felt inevitably disappointed.

He looked at Lin Qinghan by the carriage, his heart aching.

A hundred years ago, he was just a peach blossom attached to a peach tree, a spirit-creature that had developed intelligence for no reason. He should have been removed by the great peach tree demon, but Lin Qinghan stopped the act, saying there was destiny between them, and brought him back to the Hundred Demons Sect.

Wen Leyou knew his talent was insufficient, not as clever as Hua Xueqiong. Because his soul was incomplete, he was always falling ill after returning to the sect—he was incredibly fragile. Just to treat his illnesses, Lin Qinghan had almost spent his entire fortune.

Since Lin Qinghan left, the Hundred Demons Sect remained the same, but he always felt something was missing. The Hua Xueqiong who bickered with him every day suddenly became silent, staying out all day and even once returning only after half a year.

Something had quietly slipped away without his knowledge.

But he was too small, too weak; he was powerless to change anything and could only watch the passage of time in panic.

Until Lin Qinghan returned.

Wen Leyou looked toward Hua Xueqiong, and she looked back at him. He saw her red and swollen eyes, clearly showing she had been crying.

She seemed to notice something and suddenly turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Seeing this, Wen Leyou breathed a sigh of relief and looked down with a smile.

The things that had passed had returned.

“We’re off.”

“May your journey be safe and smooth.”

“Remember to come back and see us!”

The carriage gradually drifted further away.

Lin Qinghan leaned back inside the carriage, thinking about the upcoming plans.

In the original work, Ye Zhaoyan and Ling Yanhe separated because she needed to return to the Ye family to report on the Sihai Hall incident; they had to part at Duanshui Cliff. It was also after they separated that the original host got in touch with Concubine Xu.

But all of this had changed because of his actions.

The separation between Ye Zhaoyan and them was no longer because of the Ye family, but because they needed to travel west to practice medicine and help the world, while he and Ling Yanhe needed to travel east to the Lingxiao Sect for the trials.

But it made no difference; they still had to part at Duanshui Cliff.

Because after Duanshui Cliff, they would enter the territory of the Shen family.

The path to the Lingxiao Sect was governed by the Six Great Families. The previous Sihai Hall was the territory of the Qi family, while the area beyond Duanshui Cliff was controlled by the Shen family. Regardless of the circumstances, they had to part ways here.

The carriage slowed to a halt. Lin Qinghan lifted the curtain and stepped out.

A clear breeze blew, mixed with a faint fragrance.

The carriage had stopped in a bamboo grove atop Duanshui Cliff. Bamboo leaves were currently drifting down, swirling in the wind.

“We are going now,” Shen Miaomiao said with some reluctance.

Lin Qinghan smiled at her and pulled an item from his pocket—a string of copper coins.

Shen Miaomiao’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she blinked at Lin Qinghan: “Is this for me?”

Lin Qinghan nodded: “I won it from a certain great demon previously. He practiced the art of divination. I thought this might be helpful to you, so I brought it along.”

“Thank you, A-Han!” Shen Miaomiao clutched the copper coins tightly, the joy on her face impossible to hide.

“This is for Miss Ye.”

Ye Zhaoyan looked at the needle pouch before her and reached out to take it. Opening it slowly, she saw over a hundred needles inside, varying in length and thickness, all neatly arranged.

“These were forged from the silver items in my room. They aren’t rare, but I wanted to thank Miss Ye for her help.” Lin Qinghan added, “I have already sterilized them with fire; feel free to use them, Miss.”

“Wow, A-Han, you are very thoughtful,” Shen Miaomiao said with a smile.

“A-Miao, go wait for me at the carriage. I have something to say to Master Lin.”

At these words, Shen Miaomiao didn’t think anything was amiss and obediently walked toward the carriage, only to be startled by the dark figure beside it.

“What are you doing here, acting all spooky?” Shen Miaomiao blurted out.

The other ignored her.

Shen Miaomiao didn’t feel awkward either. Following Ling Yanhe’s gaze, she arched an eyebrow: “So you were eavesdropping.”

“None of your business,” Ling Yanhe said coldly.

“No need to look. A-Yan will surely set up a barrier. Besides, your relationship with A-Han is so good, you should just ask him directly. Why be so sneaky and eavesdrop?” Shen Miaomiao paused, then looked at him playfully, “Could it be that you and A-Han had a fight?”

Ling Yanhe looked at her with a cold face.

A wild wind blew over, covering Shen Miaomiao’s face with dust and bamboo leaves.

“Pah, pah, pah!” Shen Miaomiao wiped the dust from her face and looked toward the empty spot where he had already vanished, saying indignantly, “What a terrible temper! No wonder A-Han ignores you!”

Before the next gust of wind could come, Shen Miaomiao got into the carriage first.

Lin Qinghan withdrew his gaze from the carriage and looked at Ye Zhaoyan before him.

A pure white ceramic bottle appeared before Lin Qinghan’s eyes.

“This is?” Lin Qinghan took it, opened it, and sniffed; the bitter scent made him frown slightly.

“Pills to alleviate the flare-ups of the Gu parasite,” Ye Zhaoyan said.

Lin Qinghan didn’t respond immediately but looked down at the medicine bottle: “Aside from the antidote, there is no other way to alleviate the flare-ups of this Gu.”

Ye Zhaoyan remained silent.

“You went to see him?”

Ye Zhaoyan shook her head: “He came to find me.”

Lin Qinghan fell silent.

“That Gu is too wicked. These pills can only provide temporary relief. If it flares up, it will still be difficult to endure and will require the antidote,” Ye Zhaoyan said with a frown.

“No need.”

Lin Qinghan capped the bottle and handed it back.

“Now is not the time to be stubborn,” Ye Zhaoyan looked at him, her tone disapproving of his actions.

“I have already found a way to resolve it.”

Lin Qinghan tossed the medicine bottle away casually. As Ye Zhaoyan reached out to catch it, a burst of fire appeared, instantly incinerating the bottle into ashes that drifted in the wind.

“You!” Ye Zhaoyan looked at the vanished pills with shock, looking at him with frustration.

“If one day someone told you that you would abandon your medical ambitions for a single person and take up a long sword again to join the struggles of the Great Families, what would you do?” Lin Qinghan said abruptly.

Hearing this, Ye Zhaoyan looked at him. Her anxiety and anger gradually dissipated in those eyes as calm as water.

“What do other people’s words have to do with my choices?” Ye Zhaoyan said.

“You don’t accept destiny,” Lin Qinghan laughed softly. “Neither do I.”

Ye Zhaoyan looked up at him and remained silent for a moment.

“My practice of medicine is not my ambition. It is only because my younger brother suffered from Soul-Loss Syndrome and has been in a deep sleep since birth, unable to wake up. For over ten years, the family has sought every medical solution, but nothing has worked.” Ye Zhaoyan looked at the drifting bamboo leaves nearby. “The family head said that if he is still not awake by eighteen, then…”

She stopped, then suddenly shook her head: “How laughable. His heart is clearly still beating, his body is as warm as mine, yet his life must be ended because of a single word from another. He hasn’t even opened his eyes to see this world.”

“Are you practicing medicine for him?” Lin Qinghan asked softly.

Ye Zhaoyan was stunned, then suddenly laughed softly.

“No, I am not. You are right. Practicing medicine is my ambition.”

Ye Zhaoyan looked up at the person before her, her voice flat but resonant.

“Mm. I hope you get your wish,” Lin Qinghan said with a smile.

“When we meet again, I will surely have a way to remove the Gu in your body,” Ye Zhaoyan said to him with a smile.

“Then I shall wait and see.”

The carriage gradually departed, vanishing into the distance.

Lin Qinghan raised his hand to withdraw the barrier, and a paper crane slipped into his sleeve with his movement. As if he hadn’t seen it, he walked toward the remaining carriage.

In the end, the carriage did not enter Tianle City but stopped at an inn outside the city walls.

The situation inside Tianle City was unclear, and with the Tianhai Pavilion incident, neither Lin Qinghan’s nor Ling Yanhe’s identities could withstand exposure; they didn’t dare enter the city recklessly.

After getting off the carriage, Lin Qinghan no longer traveled with Ling Yanhe.

Now that they had torn off the mask of civility, there was no need to act out some drama of deep master-servant affection. Even if he didn’t find it disgusting, Ling Yanhe would likely be so uncomfortable he’d want to vomit.

“Transit pass.”

The guard at the city gate had a long saber at his waist, looking at the man before him with wide, fierce eyes.

Lin Qinghan handed over the token at his waist.

The guard took it. Upon seeing the character “Ling” (淩) on the token, his face changed instantly. His previous impatience vanished, replaced by a fawning smile.

“So it is someone from the Ling family. This lowly one was blind to your status, please enter quickly.”

Lin Qinghan took the token back and walked straight into the city.

Just inside the gate, he saw a prominent notice. Glancing at it, Lin Qinghan suddenly laughed.

It bore the portraits of him and Ling Yanhe, specifically labeled as wanted criminals, with a reward of ten thousand gold pieces for their capture. The bounty was issued by Tianhai Pavilion. Of course, the portraits showed their disguised appearances.

Even if Lin Qinghan walked through Tianle City with his true face now, no one would recognize him as that “wanted criminal.”

Looking at the guards at the gate, Lin Qinghan raised an eyebrow.

It seemed the Qi family had spent a great deal, determined to catch the ones who destroyed Tianhai Pavilion.

The bounty was so large that Lin Qinghan almost wanted to turn himself in to take the ten thousand gold pieces.

Lin Qinghan was actually somewhat curious about Baichun’s identity; he had a feeling it was connected to the Hidden Plot on the panel. But he didn’t want to be pushed into exploring this so-called plot. Besides, having come this far, he had lost the opportunity to explore the plot further.

Lin Qinghan withdrew his gaze and walked straight toward a teahouse nearby.

Inside, a storyteller was narrating something loudly. Lin Qinghan didn’t listen, turning toward an attendant at the door.

“What are your orders, Young Master?” The attendant looked at him with a smile.

Lin Qinghan didn’t speak, but directly brought out the token from his sleeve.

Upon seeing the characters on the token, the attendant’s expression gradually changed. The fawning eagerness in his eyes turned into a deathly stillness.

“Sir, please follow me.”

The attendant dropped these words and, without caring if Lin Qinghan followed, headed straight upstairs with stiff steps—it was a Puppetry Spell.

Lin Qinghan looked at the token in his hand.

The Ling family was more adept at using methods to manipulate people than he had imagined.

“Sir, please.”

Lin Qinghan nodded and pushed the door open.

There was no one in the room; only half a jade pendant sat on the wooden table.

Closing the door, Lin Qinghan was in no hurry to take the pendant, but stood quietly in the room.

“Is this a test from Madam?”

As the words fell, a powerful God Transformation stage pressure descended. After a moment, the room distorted. The illusion vanished, and a long sword at his neck dropped suddenly.

If he had been in a hurry to take the pendant just now and had taken half a step forward, he would have been beheaded by the invisible sword at his neck.

Lin Qinghan glanced at the dozen hidden guards prone on the floor, his gaze sharp.

A crisp whistle rang out. The guards, who were previously enduring sharp pain, instantly became vacant and soulless, just like the attendant who had seen the token.

“Stand up,” Lin Qinghan said coldly.

The God Transformation pressure was withdrawn, and the guards stood up according to the command.

Lin Qinghan took a step forward and looked at one of the guards: “How did Madam instruct you?”

The guard remained silent.

Lin Qinghan’s gaze suddenly sank: “Open your mouth.”

The guard opened his mouth; it was empty inside.

Seeing this, Lin Qinghan suddenly laughed. The guards before him had long had their tongues removed; it seemed they were a group of death-sworn soldiers.

Concubine Xu indeed would not reveal any information to him.

“The jade pendant.”

As the words fell, the other half of the jade pendant appeared from the hand of one of the guards.

Lin Qinghan stepped forward and took it, joining the two halves together into a complete pendant.

The jade was white and exquisite, feeling warm and smooth to the touch.

Lin Qinghan brushed over the unknown pattern on it, his slender fingers stopping abruptly.

“You truly want to leave the Demon Realm for that worthless Immortal Realm?!”

“My mind is made up.”

The elder before him looked even more displeased upon hearing this. Sitting in a high position, he looked down at him with dark eyes.

Lin Qinghan was stunned, his body turning uncontrollably.

The scene shifted again, from the snow to high mountains, and then to small street alleys.

Lin Qinghan, experiencing his uncontrollable body, gradually understood it all—these were the original host’s memories. He directly opened the panel, seeing the slowly growing Hidden Plot progress without surprise.

The system was forcing him to explore the Hidden Plot.

Lin Qinghan saw Hua Xueqiong as an agarwood piece and Wen Leyou as a flower bud. He also personally felt the original host’s clashes and fights with others, winning trophy after trophy. These were all eventually stored in the boxes of the Hundred Demons Sect.

The aimless cultivation, like that of a wandering knight, made Lin Qinghan feel drowsy. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the scene before him suddenly turned dark.

A sharp wind mixed with a blood aura rushed toward Lin Qinghan. He instinctively wanted to block it, but before he could move, the long whip stopped.

“Why didn’t you dodge?!”

A familiar voice came. Following the original host’s movement, the woman appeared before his eyes—it was Concubine Xu.

Or rather, Concubine Xu from a long time ago.

“I have already said I am here today to negotiate with you,” the original host said.

Concubine Xu’s face changed instantly, looking terrifyingly ruthless: “I don’t need your pity. Get out!”

The long whip lashed out again. This time it was caught by the original host’s hand. A bone-drilling pain came from his palm; she must have used ten-tenths of her power.

“I have heard about the matter of the Saintess Miqing. I understand your urgency for revenge, but the decisions you’ve made are truly reckless and useless,” the original host said heartlessly.

“Shut up! You are not allowed to talk about her!”

With that, Concubine Xu was about to swing the whip again, but the whip was held tightly in the original host’s hand, leaving her with no strength to use. Her face turned deathly pale.

“Thud.”

Half a jade pendant was tossed out.

“If you change your mind, take this and find me at Duanshui Cliff.”

Lin Qinghan wanted to see Concubine Xu’s reaction, but he wasn’t given the chance.

The original host finished speaking and turned to leave. A dense drizzle fell, hitting Lin Qinghan and mulling his thoughts.

The original host had followed Concubine Xu voluntarily. Why was he so restrained by her in the original text?

The original text did not describe the original host’s background; even the descriptions of him were about being highly jealous and easily shamed into anger—a typical cannon-fodder villain description. But looking at it now, the original host was not only not mindless but could be described as incredibly deep.

What on earth was he plotting?

A crash of thunder struck. the sudden light made Lin Qinghan instinctively follow the original host’s gaze to the lake on the front-left, and then he froze.

The lake reflected the original host’s face. In a single instant, it was deeply carved into Lin Qinghan’s mind.

The original host had a face identical to his own.

“Boom!”

Lin Qinghan sat in the room, the dim candlelight hitting his face, making his expression difficult to read.

Current Hidden Plot Progress: 20%

“Is this a trap you’ve set for me?” Lin Qinghan’s voice was hoarse.

Key plot detected. Forcibly loading relevant content for the Host. Please complete the task within two hours.

Current Countdown: 02:00:00

Looking at the countdown before him, Lin Qinghan suddenly laughed.

“Fine. I accept your invitation.”

The brewing thunder and lightning finally struck with a vengeance. the blinding light shone through the paper window, perfectly reflecting the deep madness in Lin Qinghan’s eyes.

Lin Qinghan stood up and looked at the dozen death-sworn guards in the room. Fire rose before him, burning through the window beside him. the wild wind rushed in, blowing out the candles in the room.

“Let’s go.”

The jade whistle was tossed out the window casually.

Lin Qinghan walked out of the teahouse. He looked up at the dark sky; a full moon was hanging high.

“It’s snowing!”

Someone shouted, and the crowd suddenly became chaotic as people began running toward their lodgings.

Heavy snow before winter—this was destined to be a difficult winter to endure.

On the panicked street, Lin Qinghan stood in his green robes. Running people brushed past him. Goose-feather snow drifted toward him, yet he remained there, letting the snowflakes weigh down his shoulders.

A hand so white it was dazzling was lifted. A snowflake drifted slowly into his palm, melting into water before it could even be clearly seen.

“Brother, take this umbrella.”

A childish voice fell. Lin Qinghan looked down to see a young girl handing him the umbrella in her hand.

“Yaoyao!”

A shout came from the distance. the girl panicked upon hearing it. Without waiting for a response, she shoved the umbrella into his hand.

“Goodbye, Brother!”

The girl ran toward the woman calling her. the woman reproachfully tapped the girl’s forehead, then picked her up, and the two walked into the flow of people under a single umbrella.

A moment later, the oil-paper umbrella was opened, blocking the falling snow as he walked against the flow of people.

Current Countdown: 01:50:31