The Vicious Beauty Faked His Death Three Times [Transmigration] - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Parting

Lin Qinghan fell in the snow. The blood continuously seeping out stained the white snow beneath him red, yet he lay there quietly, showing no reaction as the blood-snow spread from under his body.

That’s right, he is already a dead man; how could he have a reaction?

The array had been withdrawn the moment Lin Qinghan fell, and the shackles binding the body had vanished, yet Ling Yanhe remained standing in place, looking down at the person in the snow.

An invisible cage trapped him.

Those black eyes rarely revealed several traces of confusion and helplessness, forming a sharp contrast with the malevolent Heart Demon Seal at the center of his brow.

Ling Yanhe’s world was suddenly paused. He frowned at Lin Qinghan, seemingly unable to comprehend everything that had happened.

But the falling heavy snow would not stop its trajectory for anyone. Soon, a thin layer of snow accumulated on Lin Qinghan’s body, melted by the blood and then covering him again, cycling over and over. After an unknown amount of time, it finally left a concealing mark upon him.

That habitually composed face was thinly covered by white snow, gradually vanishing from Ling Yanhe’s field of vision.

The youth, who had stood for a long time, suddenly moved. He shifted with stiff steps, the snow on his shoulders rustling down with his movements.

Ling Yanhe slowly walked toward Lin Qinghan, but abruptly stopped when the tip of his boot touched the blood-snow.

The youth knelt, ignoring the overwhelming scent of blood. He reached out tentatively to touch the unusual red snow, but the moment the icy sensation traveled up his fingertip, he violently flicked the tainted snow away.

Fine threads shot out, leveling all the blood-mixed snow in the blink of an eye.

Only when no trace of scarlet could be seen did Ling Yanhe lift his eyes to look at the person before him.

Those eyes whether they held hatred or love—were now completely closed, familiar features veiled by layers of snow.

“Truly hideous.”

Ling Yanhe spoke in a low voice, his tone unlike his usual indifference. He raised his hand, wanting to brush away the eyesore of the fine snow.

But before his fingertips could touch the other, a sudden burst of fire completely swallowed the body.

The fierce flames swept past Ling Yanhe’s fingertips without harming him in the slightest; a thin layer of runes enveloped him, shielding him from any source of harm.

A bone-chilling wind blew, yet Ling Yanhe’s chest was burning hot.

The scalding protective charm completely melted away that feigned composure, exposing the nowhere-to-hide gloom within.

The person who betrayed him had died; his mood should be joyful and triumphant. Yet the dense, gnawing pain coming from his chest left Ling Yanhe somewhat at a loss.

“Why?” the youth asked blankly.

The words fell like a stone into the ocean.

The person who could answer him had already departed.

“Lin Qinghan, if you do not wake up, I will sever your tendons, put you in shackles, and trap you in a corner of the world, where you can only beg for mercy like a stray dog.” Ling Yanhe spoke softly, his black eyes reflecting the fire with a strange starlight, sounding paranoid and mad combined with his freezing voice.

“Forget it, that’s too wretched.” Ling Yanhe leaned down and pressed his lips to Lin Qinghan’s ear, his tone intimate as if whispering sweet nothings, yet the content was grim and terrifying. “When the time comes, I’ll forge you a set of shackles with a long chain. I’ll make them thinner; you’ll surely be angry if they’re too heavy.”

“After the chain is ready, I’ll hold the lead and take you to Tianle City to see the sights, how about that?” Ling Yanhe lifted his eyes to look at Lin Qinghan, the hand protected by runes lightly brushing against the side of his face. “By then, everyone will know you are mine. Henceforth, no one else will be by your side; you can only belong to me.”

He was answered only by the crackling of the vigorously burning flames.

Perhaps due to the long silence, those black eyes suddenly sank.

The hand resting on the side of Lin Qinghan’s face gradually slid down, stopping at the slender neck and slowly tightening.

An icy sensation transmitted over, freezing the youth’s logic along with it.

“Lin Qinghan, I said I would kill you.” Ling Yanhe looked straight at the “sleeping” person, his words carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

The harsh words received no response, and the strength of the hand pressing on the neck grew heavier.

“Lin Qinghan, if you don’t wake up now, you will truly be dead.”

Ling Yanhe stared fixedly at the person beneath him, the force in his hand not diminishing in the slightest, as if he truly intended to strangle the other “to death.”

But how could a person truly intent on killing remind the victim at every turn?

Suddenly, the rune-covered hand trembled and loosened its grip.

“You win.”

The strengthless voice fell, and the youth’s residual childish weakness gradually surfaced.

Ling Yanhe closed his eyes, his lashes trembling. He seemed to want to curl his lips into an indifferent expression, but the strange feeling in his chest forced him to admit defeat.

“Wake up, and I will tell you how to resolve the Symbiotic Gu.”

The youth bowed his head for the first time, willingly yielding.

“Lin Qinghan! Don’t you care most about that ‘freedom’?” Ling Yanhe said sharply, his harsh voice carrying an imperceptible tremor. “Now I’m giving it to you—I’m giving you freedom, as long as you wake up!”

He was answered only by a patch of icy cold.

It was too cold. Why was Lin Qinghan so cold when the fire was clearly burning so brightly? Why couldn’t he warm this person?

Ling Yanhe leaned down and pulled the person into his embrace, seemingly wanting to transfer his body heat. He raised his hand to wipe away the falling snow, stubbornly repeating over and over: “Don’t you hate me enough to want to kill me? I am still very much alive; you cannot die.”

The youth tightly gripped the remaining rope, wanting to pull back the person who had abandoned him.

But only when he reached the end of the rope did he realize with a shock that the person holding the other end had already left.

The heart-devouring pain reddened the rims of Ling Yanhe’s eyes. He looked down at the person before him, searching for some margin to make them stay.

But no matter how he looked, he only saw his own heart more clearly.

The youth fell silent, forced to admit a fact that had long shown signs—he did not want Lin Qinghan to die.

Even though the other had betrayed him, he still wanted Lin Qinghan to live.

The fire began to spread along the hands holding Lin Qinghan, eventually enveloping them both completely.

Suddenly, a paper crane flew into the fire, forcibly dragging out the person who was still conscious.

Fine threads shot out; Ling Yanhe acted heartlessly. He looked at the person who appeared; the other’s cultivation was unfathomable, looking at him like an ant, but he could no longer care about anything else.

“The Karma Threads are not used like this.” The threads stopped before Perfected Yunyin. He raised his hand, pinched one of them, and injected some spiritual power; the white line became transparent and invisible. “This is a dharma treasure left to you by an old friend. Only those connected to you by karma can see it.”

Perfected Yunyin paused, his gaze passing Ling Yanhe to land on the mass of fire: “A pity. You are a Malignant Star of Heaven, destined to have no fate with anyone. The only person who could see your Karma Threads is already dead.”

As the words fell, a powerful cold wind blew. A ruthless sword intent mixed with terrifying black mist rushed straight at Perfected Yunyin’s face.

“Get out!”

The youth’s vicious voice fell, the sword intent he swung even more poisonous, every move aimed at Perfected Yunyin’s heart.

Murderous intent flared undisguised.

Perfected Yunyin did not dodge. Instead, he raised his hand slightly, and a formation suddenly rose beneath Ling Yanhe’s feet.

Upon seeing those familiar runes, the youth who had been like a fierce beast just a moment ago abruptly stopped. He looked down at the formation, his head buzzing. In that single second of dazing, he was bound hand and foot by the celestial locks generated by the formation, unable to move again.

“Familiar?” Perfected Yunyin took in Ling Yanhe’s reaction, only speaking slowly after the person had completely quieted down.

Ling Yanhe looked up, his crimson eyes staring straight at Perfected Yunyin.

In an instant, Perfected Yunyin frowned slightly. He raised his hand and touched a warm liquid left on the side of his face.

Harming without form—it was indeed the Karma Threads.

Only now did Perfected Yunyin look at the youth before him seriously.

“The person behind you learned it from me. He took the Snow Spirit Ganoderma from me, and also took some insignificant small items; the formation beneath your feet is one of them.”

“What did he do?”

The youth’s raspy voice fell.

His tone was no longer as sharp as before, but carried a trace of being at a loss.

Perfected Yunyin looked down at the snow on the ground. Today’s heavy snow was indeed cold, but compared to the water of the cold pool, it was far too negligible.

“That is something you should ask yourself.”

“Ask?”

A cold laugh fell. the murderous aura in the youth’s eyes was fully revealed, the Heart Demon Seal on his brow growing heavier, and a dense malevolent aura burned behind him.

Perfected Yunyin frowned slightly, took two steps forward, and—disregarding Ling Yanhe’s struggle tapped him on the center of his brow.

That terrifying scarlet mark was instantly covered by a silver-white seal, and the malevolent aura behind him was sealed away along with it.

Looking into Ling Yanhe’s eyes full of murderous intent, Perfected Yunyin said slowly: “He asked me to take you as my disciple. Henceforth, you are a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect.”

The youth froze abruptly. The black mist in his somber eyes vanished, replaced by a surge of forced ruthlessness.

“Why should I listen to him?”

The youth’s stubborn voice fell.

Perfected Yunyin ignored him, looking as if he were certain the other would agree. He looked up at the gradually dying flames.

“The phoenix nirvana; either receiving new life, or having no reincarnation.”

“The result is set and cannot be changed. A pity.”

The youth’s body suddenly stiffened. He turned around sharply and then froze in place completely.

The mass of fire had completely gone out, leaving only a pile of ashes on the ground.

The formation was forcibly torn open. Ignoring the blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth, the youth stumbled and scrambled two steps forward, then suddenly knelt.

Pride and self-esteem seemed to vanish along with that fire, leaving only instinctive reactions. Ling Yanhe leaned down to gather the ashes on the ground.

Yet the warm bone-ash fell through the crevices of his fingers, mixing into the cold snowflakes.

“Do you hate me that much, that you won’t even leave a corpse?”

A raspy voice, carrying tremors and a sneer, fell.

Ling Yanhe suddenly paused. Disregarding his current situation, he forcibly activated his spiritual power, wanting to search for the soul that should have been tightly bound.

Abruptly, he spat a mouthful of blood onto the snow.

The youth slowly bowed his back, curling into himself. The stinging pain in his heart nearly swallowed him whole.

There was nothing.

Lin Qinghan had thoroughly and completely vanished from his world.

Current Trust Value: @#￥%

Warning! Warning! The protagonist’s behavior has deviated from the track! Forceful clearing measures will be initiated to wipe out all traces of the Host!

Clearing Progress: 0%

The heater in the room crackled and popped.

Concubine Xu looked down at the scarlet Soul Bead on the table. This item had appeared by her side at some unknown point. She shouldn’t have kept a demon’s item, but this thing was haunting her, following her until now.

“Crack—”

Narrow eyes suddenly sank. The hand holding the chess piece tightened abruptly, and the smooth piece was sent flying by the sudden force, bouncing uncontrollably against the wall and vanishing.

The nearby maidservant was so terrified she immediately knelt, fearing she might face a capital crime because of this one chess piece.

But the expected explosion of rage did not fall. A maidservant cautiously looked up, but upon seeing the scene before her, she immediately lowered her head again.

Concubine Xu stood up suddenly, her hand gripping the table so hard her knuckles turned white. She stared fixedly at the Soul Bead on the table, which had snapped in two, her breathing becoming hurried.

She remembered now; this Soul Bead was—

Her trembling eyes suddenly became dazed, then returned to their previous arrogance.

Concubine Xu swept the Soul Bead off the table with her hand and waved for the tense maidservants to return to their positions. She sat before the chessboard and continued to contemplate the next move.

Clearing Progress: 5%

“Zhouyan, you are the child I value most. In the future, the position of Family Head will inevitably be yours,” the Qi Family Head said in a deep voice from his seat.

Qi Zhouyan stood in place, bowing with hands clasped: “Reporting to Family Head, this junior is dull and fears he cannot take the position of Family Head. My second brother is clever; I think he is more suitable for the great responsibility.”

“Qi Tonghe? Heh.” The Qi Family Head snorted coldly, his tone somewhat contemptuous. “He can’t even manage a single Tianhai Pavilion; how could he take the position of Family Head?! Only you see him as a brother and treat him like a treasure!”

Hearing the Family Head’s indignant words, Qi Zhouyan lowered his eyes, having no intention of responding.

The Qi Family Head seemed accustomed to his silent, wordless manner and waved him away helplessly: “Go then. In half a month, I will go to the Lingxiao Pavilion with the other family heads. At that time, you will temporarily take the position of Family Head.”

Without giving Qi Zhouyan a chance to refuse, the Qi Family Head closed his eyes irritably and randomly pointed at someone to see him out.

Qi Zhouyan frowned slightly but followed the attendant out of the deliberation hall.

“Uncle He.”

Before the attendant could leave, Qi Zhouyan called out to him.

Uncle He was a confidant of the Qi Family Head who had followed him for many years and seen Qi Zhouyan grow up. He knew with one listen that the other wanted to ask something, so he stopped and bowed: “What are your orders, Young Master?”

“Did the Family Head mention the great demon today?” Qi Zhouyan asked.

Uncle He frowned slightly: “I’m not sure which great demon the Young Master is asking about?”

Qi Zhouyan was about to explain, but paused suddenly, then gave an apologetic smile: “I remembered incorrectly.”

After Uncle He left, Qi Zhouyan stood at the entrance of the deliberation hall for a long time before leaving.

Clearing Progress: 10%

In the dim dungeon.

The osmanthus petals that had spread everywhere had long since dried up, scattered on the floor in a wretched state.

Qi Bochang looked at the person before him coldly: “Get out.”

“It was the Family Head’s order, saying the Young Master must participate in the trial assembly in one month.” The servant delivering the message scrutinized the person before him undisguisedly, his eyes full of blatant contempt.

A sudden growth of osmanthus branches lashed out at the servant’s face, carving a bloody gash.

“What kind of filth dares to be so insolent before me?”

“Pah! Ungrateful thing, you really think you’re the Qi family’s Young Master?! Just a coward!”

The servant grimaced as he clutched the wound on his face, cursing unfilteredly at the person before him. After cursing, he met Qi Bochang’s vicious gaze and shivered. Not daring to provoke the man further, he cursed a few more times in a low voice and retreated.

“Crack—”

The servant frowned and looked down, realizing he had merely stepped on a fallen osmanthus branch. He cursed in his heart, about to kick the dead branch away, when a powerful surge of spiritual energy slammed him against the wall.

“Get out.”

The intense pain and powerful pressure finally reminded the ignorant servant that even if the person before him wasn’t the Qi family’s Young Master, even if he was trapped in this place, the other was still a God Transformation stage cultivator.

The other only needed to crook a finger to take his life.

In an instant, the servant’s face turned ashen. Ignoring the pain in his body, he scrambled out of the dungeon.

Inside the dim room, only Qi Bochang’s eyes held a few glimmers of light as he looked at the fallen osmanthus branch. The starlight in his eyes gradually faded.

“Indeed, beauty is fleeting.”

Qi Bochang sneered and withdrew his gaze. He leaned against the wall as if reminiscing, even his features softening.

Suddenly, his pupils flickered, and his eyes became sharp and calm once more.

Clearing Progress: 20%

“Big Sister, look at the snowman I built!”

Wen Leyou’s hands were red from the cold, yet he continued to wave his arms to show off his masterpiece to Hua Xueqiong.

“So ugly.” Hua Xueqiong dropped the sentence without even looking, her gaze fixed on the bottle in her hand.

Wen Leyou wasn’t angry at being scolded; he laughed happily, then stood up and went inside to look at the small segment of vine in the bottle with Hua Xueqiong.

“This thing grows too slowly. I reckon by the time Big Brother returns next time, it might not even be fully grown.”

Wen Leyou muttered, reaching out to poke the bottle, only to be stopped by a glare from Hua Xueqiong.

“I miss Big Brother so much. Even though he’s only been gone for a day, I already miss him terribly,” Wen Leyou said with a pout.

Hua Xueqiong glanced at him: “Big Brother’s Soul Bead is in the room.”

Wen Leyou immediately perked up and ran inside.

“Big Sister, why didn’t you say so earlier! I want to show Big Brother the snowman I built!”

“Idiot, even if you take it out, he can’t see it,” Hua Xueqiong countered heartlessly.

The person inside was silent for a while before giving her a response.

“Why do you scold me even when I just go inside for a drink of water? Also, Big Sister, whose Soul Bead is this on your table?”

Wen Leyou walked out, holding an emerald-green Soul Bead in his hand.

Hua Xueqiong frowned slightly, about to say something, but suddenly stopped when the words reached her lips.

Whose Soul Bead is this?

Seeing her dazed expression, Wen Leyou tilted his head and narrowed his eyes: “Big Sister, this couldn’t be a… token of love given to you by some demon, right?”

Before the words were out, Wen Leyou shut his mouth. He looked at the jar before Hua Xueqiong blankly, then looked down at the Soul Bead in his hand, feeling as if he had forgotten something.

“It’s not an important item. Throw it away.”

Hearing Hua Xueqiong’s words, Wen Leyou nodded and casually tossed the Soul Bead away.

Clearing Progress: 40%

Xiao Wu stood at the door of the sleeping palace, slamming the wooden bucket and rag onto the floor with a “clang,” then wiped the sweat from his brow with pride and satisfaction.

“When the Grand Sect Leader comes and sees the room so clean, he’ll surely be very happy!” Xiao Wu blinked and smiled proudly.

“Xiao Wu, what are you doing at the door of this vacant palace? It’s time to eat. I heard there are large chicken drumsticks tonight; if you’re late, there won’t be any left!”

“What ‘vacant’—”

Xiao Wu frowned, looking at the palace before him.

Both Sect Leaders already had their own residences; if the palace before him wasn’t vacant, what was it?

Xiao Wu shook his head, feeling that he was just working too hard and was lightheaded.

“Xiao Si, wait for me! Don’t snatch my chicken drumstick!”

Clearing Progress: 45%

“A-Yan, stop reading medical books. You’ve been reading for a long time!”

Ye Zhaoyan was stunned by her suddenly empty palms, then looked up at Shen Miaomiao, who had snatched the book and was now standing with hands on hips, huffing with anger.

Seeing the daze in her eyes, Shen Miaomiao grew even angrier, hiding the medical book behind her back as if she wouldn’t return it if Ye Zhaoyan didn’t rest.

Ye Zhaoyan laughed softly and helplessly, only able to nod in agreement: “I’ll listen to you.”

“Then read it tomorrow; it’s already very late!” Shen Miaomiao said, slamming the medical book onto the table, then pulling Ye Zhaoyan toward the door. “A-Yan, you don’t know, it’s snowing outside!”

Ye Zhaoyan allowed her to be pulled along. When she reached the door and saw the drifting snow outside, she suddenly frowned: “I fear this year will be a harsh winter. The medicine for him is too cold-natured; I fear he’ll be uncomfortable at night.”

Shen Miaomiao was stunned. She turned around blankly, the copper coins at her waist clinking together with a crisp sound.

“A-Yan, what are you saying? Medicine for whom?”

Ye Zhaoyan frowned slightly. She looked at the snow outside, then back at the medical book on the table inside.

That medical book contained notes she had recorded on dealing with Gu parasites when passing through the Southern Border. Since there weren’t many people in the Immortal Realm who used Gu, why had she spent the whole afternoon reading it?

“It’s nothing. I likely remembered incorrectly.”

Clearing Progress: 70%

The heavy snow drifted down, weighing on the youth’s shoulders.

Ling Yanhe seemed unable to feel the cold on his shoulders, simply placing handful after handful of the ashes into a small box.

Finally, a perfectly intact jade pendant appeared before his eyes.

The fire just now was enough to burn all things, yet this pendant was completely unscathed. Lin Qinghan must have placed a spell to meticulously protect it.

Obsessing over a dead object, yet not even caring for your own life, Ling Yanhe knit his brows and cursed in his heart.

He picked up the jade pendant and tucked it into his waist.

Perfected Yunyin looked over, his gaze falling on the wooden box in Ling Yanhe’s arms: “What are you doing clutching a mass of dead things?”

Ling Yanhe’s eyes suddenly turned cold, a malevolent aura rising.

But as he was about to speak, he stopped abruptly.

Ling Yanhe suddenly lowered his eyes. the wooden box in his arms was heavy; he lifted the lid and saw the pile of ashes, his frown deepening.

“Mundane worldly items are not conducive to cultivation. Better to discard them early.”

As the words fell, Ling Yanhe continued to stare at the ashes.

It was as if some important event or person had been forcibly wiped of all traces, leaving a glaring vacancy in his mind—abrupt and obvious.

“No need. This thing can’t affect me.”

The wooden box was closed again. the youth took two steps forward, picked up his sword from the ground, and walked to Perfected Yunyin.

The long trail of footprints was covered once again by the falling snow, as if no one had ever stepped foot there.

Clearing Progress: 100%

Congratulations to the Host for successfully refining the first character card. Loading a new identity for the Host…

Lingxiao Sect, Red Maple Valley.

“Wanwan, you’re awake!”