The Vicious Beauty Faked His Death Three Times [Transmigration] - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Challenging the Hall

The chatter of the crowd grew louder, turning Ling Yuan’s face a ghastly shade of iron-blue.

Today, his mother had instructed him to accompany Su Nianhuan to the Sihai Pavilion to nurture their relationship. Coincidentally, she had accidentally scratched her finger during a sparring match, providing him with the perfect excuse to get close. He had hurriedly brought her to the Huichun Clinic, even specifically ordering the shopkeeper to bar all other patients so they could be alone.

Who would have thought that while he was inside applying medicine, he would hear such a commotion outside? A surge of anger had rushed through him, but as he stormed out and saw the troublemakers, he felt a secret spark of joy, thinking this was the perfect chance to display his prowess in front of Su Nianhuan.

Originally, seeing that the one causing the scene was a young girl, Ling Yuan felt it was ungentlemanly to strike her. But his hesitation vanished the moment he saw the person sitting composedly in the wheelchair wearing a ghost mask. He had leapt into action, using fifty percent of his power to deliver a warning blow.

Instead, he had been thoroughly humiliated by a hidden weapon.

Looking at the relaxed, effortless posture of the man opposite him, contrasted with his own ruined silk robes—now missing a large chunk of fabric, Ling Yuan’s expression turned hideously dark.

“Brother Yuan, are you alright?”

Su Nianhuan stepped forward to support Ling Yuan. Her voice was delicate and melodious, but it couldn’t hide the shock in her tone.

Ling Yuan quickly composed himself, forcing a strained smile to comfort her. “It’s nothing. I simply didn’t expect this person to use hidden weapons; I lost focus for a moment and let him have his way.”

Su Nianhuan nodded, but she couldn’t help but scan him up and down.

“The two of you truly are birds of a feather! Our Young Master clearly repelled you with legitimate techniques, yet you bite back and claim we used hidden weapons. Talk about being a sore loser!”

Shen Miaomiao’s cultivation was high enough that she hadn’t missed a single word of their conversation, and she immediately used it to fuel the fire.

“You shrew! Which part of what I said was wrong? If he hadn’t used those heterodox methods, he wouldn’t have even touched a thread of my sleeve!” Ling Yuan was already fuming; Shen Miaomiao’s words sent his temper over the edge.

“Since this Young Master claims my Master’s victory was dishonorable, why don’t the two of you have a proper, fair duel?” Lin Qinghan suddenly spoke up. “If my Master loses, he will stand before this clinic and offer a sincere apology to everyone here. If we lose, we are at your mercy. How about it?”

The finger Ling Yanhe had been tapping on the armrest paused for a fraction of a second.

So this is Lin Qinghan’s plan, he thought, a flicker of surprise coloring his dark eyes. However, he did not speak to stop him.

Ling Yuan looked at the masked Lin Qinghan with blatant disdain. “Since when does a lowly slave get to butt in when masters are speaking!”

A powerful burst of spiritual energy, carrying a sharp blade, hurtled straight toward Lin Qinghan’s face. The attack was swift and vicious—clearly a killing move backed by seventy percent of his power.

The onlookers felt a sharp gust of wind whip past their faces and couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for the “unlucky servant.”

Ye Chaoyan and Shen Miaomiao raised their hands almost simultaneously the moment the energy brushed past them, preparing to shield Lin Qinghan.

While everyone was tensed for Lin Qinghan’s sake, only Ling Yanhe sat there with a composed expression, eventually letting out a soft chuckle.

In the blink of an eye, the powerful spiritual impact dissipated. Everyone instinctively looked toward Lin Qinghan to see his fate, only to freeze in their tracks at the sight.

The man they expected to see dead was standing perfectly fine. One hand rested on the wheelchair, while the other casually pinched the sharp blade between two fingers. Even through the half-mask, one could sense his absolute composure.

Snap—

With a slight flex of his fingers, the menacing blade was effortlessly snapped in half.

“Ah, my apologies. I accidentally broke the Young Master’s spiritual tool.”

Lin Qinghan brushed his hands together, offering Ling Yuan an apologetic smile—though to the recipient, it was indistinguishable from a provocation.

Ling Yanhe had evaded the previous attack by relying on surprise and Ling Yuan’s cowardly nature. But the original host’s cultivation was at the late Golden Core stage, while Ling Yuan was merely at the early Golden Core stage propped up by medicinal pills. Even with a high-grade spiritual tool, Ling Yuan only had the output of a mid-level Golden Core; how could he possibly compare?

“How is this possible…” Ling Yuan’s face turned deathly pale.

He had just used the “Wan-Hua Blade” given to him by his mother—a weapon that could cut through iron like butter. Combined with his full power, it should have been a one-hit kill. But that blade… had been snapped as easily as a twig by a mere servant?!

Ling Yuan realized instantly: this unassuming servant was even stronger than the man sitting down. He had picked a fight with the wrong people.

“Just a moment ago, this gentleman claimed we used heterodox paths, yet now you use a lethal hidden weapon to take our lives. You truly say one thing and do another.”

“Everyone, come see the true face of these immortal families! The Ling and Su families won’t let us see a doctor today, they refuse a fair duel, and now they even try to murder us! Is there no one in this world to keep you in check?!”

Shen Miaomiao had been staring at Lin Qinghan in surprise, but seeing Ling Yuan’s ashen face, she reacted instantly, rallying the crowd into her rhythm.

“Yeah! I heard that shopkeeper say from way back there that ‘noble guests’ were inside and no one else was allowed!”

“It’s just blatant bullying. That girl only has a small scratch, yet they want to monopolize the entire pharmacy. How overbearing!”

“They can’t win a fight so they use dirty tricks. I see all these immortal families are the same!”

“This Huichun Clinic is also a snob. How can they deserve a plaque that says ‘Saving the World’?”

Most of the people attending the trials were rogue cultivators; the elite family disciples only made up a small fraction. Most were from small clans hoping for an opportunity, and many had faced discrimination from merchants along the way. Now that this scene was playing out, their accumulated resentment boiled over. Every shout was like a drop of spit intended to drown the people in front of the clinic.

The shopkeeper of Huichun Clinic felt his vision go dark. He had acted out of greed, never expecting to get caught in a feud between families, much less that the people he offended were even more formidable than the “nobles.” He regretted it to his core. But there was nothing he could do; he could only bow his head and endure the finger-pointing of the surrounding cultivators.

At the center of the vortex, Ling Yuan and Su Nianhuan looked even worse. Ling Yuan had intended to use that last move to scare the crowd so he could escape, but he had fumbled and capsized his own boat.

Su Nianhuan’s expression was hideous; her pure and innocent facade was nearly cracking. She had only wanted to reel Ling Yuan in and keep him running errands for her, but she never expected to be dragged into this farce. She looked at the cowardly, panicked Ling Yuan with eyes full of disgust.

“I am willing to believe today’s events were an accidental lapse by Young Master Ling and Miss Su, but I fear the crowd will find that hard to believe.”

In the midst of the chaos, the man in the wheelchair spoke slowly. The surroundings gradually quieted as everyone turned to him.

“Why don’t we go with my ‘unruly servant’s’ idea? A fair duel. What do you two think?” Ling Yanhe propped his chin on his hand, looking up slightly at the stunned pair.

“Duel… how?” Ling Yuan asked instinctively.

A soft chuckle came from behind the ghost mask, sounding like a shiver down Ling Yuan’s spine.

“Sihai Pavilion. A Hall Challenge.”

The moment the words fell, the crowd went silent before erupting into a roar of discussion.

The reason was simple: the Hall Challenge at Sihai Pavilion, combined with the identities of those being challenged, made everyone ecstatic.

Normally, matches at the Sihai Pavilion were assigned by points. High points meant fighting experts; low points meant fighting trash. Everyone, regardless of status, had to start from the bottom of the rankings and climb. If you didn’t want to wait, your only option was a Hall Challenge.

A Hall Challenge meant picking a specific person on the live leaderboard for a duel. If you won, you took their rank and their points were reset to zero. If you lost, you were at their mercy. Because the penalty for losing a challenge was unfixed—the opponent could even demand your life—few people attempted it. Most challengers picked mid-tier opponents to save time and gain some fame safely.

But Ling Yuan and Su Nianhuan weren’t mid-tier. One was top five, and the other was top ten. Such a high-stakes challenge had never happened these past few days.

“What?” Shen Miaomiao clearly hadn’t expected them to be so bold. She rushed over and whispered to Lin Qinghan, “Aren’t you going to stop your Master?”

Lin Qinghan looked at the equally disapproving Ye Chaoyan and curled his lips. “I trust the Young Master.”

The hand tapping the armrest paused for a heartbeat before resuming its rhythm.

Lin Qinghan shrugged at Shen Miaomiao’s “you’re hopeless” look. He trusted Ling Yanhe, of course; this duel had nothing to do with him in the original book. It was supposed to be Ling Yanhe vs. Ling Yuan and Ye Chaoyan vs. Su Nianhuan—the male and female leads fighting side-by-side. He, the villain, wasn’t supposed to have a role here.

In the early stages, he was mostly supposed to endure humiliation; the later stages were his time to shine. But he didn’t mind tripping Ling Yanhe up in a harmless way.

In the original text, the challenge didn’t happen like this. It happened a day later when Ye Chaoyan and Ling Yanhe were walking alone and were provoked. By speaking up now and naming Ling Yanhe as the challenger, Lin Qinghan was acting as a catalyst, while also putting a small obstacle in the protagonist’s path.

In the original “Sihai Pavilion Challenge” plot, slapping Ling Yuan and Su Nianhuan’s faces was secondary. The key was that the battle gave Ling Yanhe an “entry ticket” to an auction where he’d get the Hundred-Spring Vine. That ticket was supposed to be a gift from the Hall Master of the Sihai Pavilion, who would fall for Ye Chaoyan’s beauty. Later, that Hall Master would become a friendly rival and a useful newbie gift pack ally for Ling Yanhe.

But now, Ye Chaoyan likely wouldn’t participate in the trials with him as she did in the original text. How would Ling Yanhe meet this benefactor and get the vine?

Lin Qinghan looked down at the currently composed Ling Yanhe and curled his lips. Having the villain’s script, I have to do some bad things after all. He also wanted to see for himself what kind of person Ling Yanhe was; words couldn’t fully describe a personality. Lin Qinghan needed to test the other’s bottom line and boundaries through action.

“Are you afraid?” Shen Miaomiao shouted to boost their morale.

Ling Yuan’s face changed. He was about to refuse when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Su Nianhuan shaking her head with a frown. He realized the crowd was entirely on the challenger’s side. If he refused, he’d be labeled a coward. Not only would he be looked down upon, but the entire Ling family would be ridiculed. It was better to accept and take the gamble.

“Of course not. But we have already fought one match today; why don’t we battle tomorrow?” Ling Yuan said, biting the bullet.

Everyone looked at the man in the wheelchair. He simply stroked the fangs on his mask, giving no response, his ambiguous mood making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

“Certainly.”

Ling Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

“However… doesn’t Young Master Ling want to ask about the number of challengers?”

That lazy voice rang out, and Ling Yuan snapped his head up.

Ling Yanhe, still stroking the mask’s fangs, slowly lifted a finger to point at Ling Yuan and the pale-faced Su Nianhuan behind him. Then, he crooked his finger to point at Lin Qinghan behind him.

“I versus you. He versus Miss Su. How about it?”

Before Lin Qinghan could even react, the Gu worm in his body suddenly flared up. With a slight flick of Ling Yanhe’s finger, Lin Qinghan was forced to lean down.

The fox mask and the ghost mask collided with a crisp clink.

Through the mask, Lin Qinghan met those half-squinted eyes directly. His body was manipulated into a deeper bow, their masks pressing tightly together. He could even feel the other’s warm body heat through the barriers.

A lazy voice, audible only to the two of them, whispered into Lin Qinghan’s ear, making his body stiffen instinctively:

“Thinking of running after doing something bad?”

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