The Vicious Beauty Faked His Death Three Times [Transmigration] - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Three’s a Crowd

In the dense forest, even the wind came to a halt.

“A dog?” Ling Yanhe squinted his eyes and looked over, his tone sounding strange.

Lin Qinghan chuckled lightly and nodded: “Yes, be a dog for me.”

As the words fell, even Ling Yuan, who was on the verge of fainting behind them, snapped awake, looking at Lin Qinghan the one who uttered those words—in horror.

The other’s tone was playful yet revealed a sense of seriousness, as if he truly, sincerely wanted the fierce wolf before him to bow its head and submit.

Such shocking and unconventional words, coming from Lin Qinghan’s mouth, actually seemed natural, as if things were meant to be this way.

He not only spared your life but also permitted you to be a dog at his feet; what is there to be dissatisfied about?

“Why?” Ling Yanhe lifted his eyes. Even though he was being restrained, the aggression and pressure in those black eyes still bore down, looking at Lin Qinghan with a half-alluring gaze.

The long sword pressed against his neck suddenly exerted force, forcing Ling Yanhe to tilt his head to avoid having his throat truly slit.

“There is no ‘why,’ it’s just that I want to.” Lin Qinghan looked at Ling Yanhe evaluatively, as if he already viewed the man as a pet. Even his tone was lazy and extremely casual.

He indeed acted on a sudden whim, based on the temporary idea that since he was starting over, he must ensure Ling Yanhe didn’t have a good time. After all, the other had suppressed him for so long; he should pay it back piece by piece.

Besides, this is the only way to harvest more Hatred Value, isn’t it? The protagonist, a favored child of heaven, being stepped on by him, only able to prostrate and submissively follow his orders—Ling Yanhe would likely be driven mad with rage.

At this thought, the smile in Lin Qinghan’s eyes deepened.

Meanwhile, the “humiliated” Ling Yanhe was currently staring straight at him, his pitch-black pupils constricted as he watched Lin Qinghan fixedly. His breathing was somewhat hurried, and his jaw was like a tightened string, appearing as if he might pounce and devour him in the next second.

The more he acted this way, the more Lin Qinghan wanted to hear his answer, wanting to provoke him further to earn some Hatred Value.

The idea that had originally surfaced randomly just to tease him was now thoroughly implemented. Lin Qinghan looked at the person before him, already beginning to think about which method to use to control the man.

“Biewan?”

An anxious call broke the tense atmosphere. Lin Qinghan lifted his eyes to glance at Ling Yanhe, feeling somewhat displeased.

The protagonist’s halo truly is powerful.

“Come to my room once you’ve made up your mind.”

Ling Yanhe’s thought of answering came to an abrupt halt. He frowned slightly, seemingly not quite understanding his own thoughts just now, but soon his breath hitched as other matters occupied his mind.

The long sword pressed against his neck was withdrawn.

Ling Yanhe followed the movement with his gaze, appearing somewhat surprised, but more displeasure showed on his face.

Lin Qinghan withdrew his gaze and wiped the long sword clean, then turned to look at the hurriedly arriving He Yuzhi.

“Are you hurt?” He Yuzhi asked anxiously. Even after receiving a negative answer from Lin Qinghan, he still looked him up and down to confirm there wasn’t a single trace of injury before sighing in relief.

Only then did He Yuzhi look around. With a single glance, he was stung by the bloody scene before him. His brow furrowed slightly as his gaze swept over Ling Yanhe’s neck and the severed arm of Ling Yuan on the ground, finally landing on Lin Qinghan.

“The commotion just now was quite large; Elder Yaoguang is heading this way. Let’s leave first.” He Yuzhi took a step forward and naturally took Lin Qinghan’s sheathed sword.

Standing nearby, Ling Yanhe suddenly looked over.

He Yuzhi didn’t notice anyone else’s gaze; at this moment, there was only Lin Qinghan in his eyes. Not content with just taking the sword, he also pulled an invisibility cloak from his myriad-treasure pouch, draped it over Lin Qinghan, and adjusted it before finally stopping.

Ling Yanhe lifted his eyes to look at Lin Qinghan, the emotions in his eyes dark and unclear.

Lin Qinghan did not stop He Yuzhi’s actions this time. He had caused such a big scene, leaving He Yuzhi alone outside to guard him and endure the pressure; if he were to avoid the other’s kindness again, it might chill his heart.

“Mm, let’s go.”

With those words, Lin Qinghan followed He Yuzhi away without looking back.

In the woods, Ling Yanhe still stood in place, allowing the blood from his neck to flow downward, his gaze fixed on the direction Lin Qinghan had left.

Overwhelming black mist churned in those dark eyes, like a sea facing a violent storm.

Only when the sound of footsteps and conversation drew near did Ling Yanhe withdraw his gaze. With a wave of his hand, he and Ling Yuan arrived at a desolate area.

Ling Yanhe walked over and looked at Ling Yuan, who was already somewhat delirious due to excessive blood loss, and slowly knelt.

“Want to kill me?”

A fine thread wrapped around Ling Yuan’s neck and forcibly hoisted him up, forcing him to look up, completely uncaring whether the man would be strangled to death by this thing.

Ling Yuan, whose consciousness had been blurred, looked at him. The hatred and murderous intent in his eyes intertwined and became frenzied; even his speech became uninhibited and devoid of fear.

“Of course! I wish I could skin you alive, pull out your tendons, drink your blood, and smash your bones piece by piece, crushing you completely under my feet!”

The fierce words were spoken, yet they didn’t stir a single ripple in the other’s eyes; instead, they made him lose interest.

“Not what I want to hear.”

As the cold voice fell, the fine thread around the man’s neck suddenly jerked upward.

A powerful sense of suffocation surged. Ling Yuan struggled to stand, only to find that at some unknown point, his hands and feet had also been bound by invisible long threads rooted deep into the ground, trapping him and forcing him to endure the pressure brought by the other.

Initially, Ling Yuan stared fiercely at the person before him, but soon the air he inhaled became too thin to support his body. He began to struggle, but he couldn’t move at all, instead pushing himself further toward the brink of death.

“I’ll talk… I’ll talk!”

In a flash between life and death, Ling Yuan immediately thought of something and spoke hurriedly, but having been suppressed for too long, the words he uttered were merely ragged gasps of breath.

The fine thread around his neck finally loosened its force.

Having gained relief, Ling Yuan immediately breathed heavily. He looked at the youth before him who had finally fixed his gaze upon him, and couldn’t help but shiver. Without waiting to recover further, he spoke in a rush:

“Someone placed a Reflection Pearl at my door; it had your aura on it. I thought you placed it there, so I followed behind you into this forest.”

The more he spoke, the smaller Ling Yuan’s voice became. He belatedly felt humiliated and ashamed; he had actually compromised with his enemy?!

Ling Yanhe didn’t notice his abnormality, but instead frowned slightly: “Reflection Pearl?”

With that, without waiting for Ling Yuan’s response, invisible fine threads swept over him as if dealing with meat on a chopping board.

Intense shame surged up. Ling Yuan gritted his teeth and stared fixedly at the person before him, wishing he could bite the man’s neck through right now.

But the next scene made him freeze on the spot, a powerful chill emerging from the bottom of his heart.

Ling Yanhe toyed with that small Reflection Pearl, and those eyes, which were like a dead stillness, actually revealed a trace of a smile.

But soon, the scene changed. Ling Yuan was slammed harshly onto the ground, the impact forcing a mouthful of blood from him, his vision spinning in waves.

“Ah!”

A cry of surprise came from nearby. Ling Yuan looked up in a daze only to realize he had returned to the dense forest, and many people were surrounding him.

Instinctively, he wanted to reach up to feel if he was wearing a mask, but the completely sensationless right arm made him abruptly realize he no longer had a right hand.

Ling Yuan watched in terror as a person before him knelt, seemingly wanting to lift the cloak off his body.

“No… don’t!”

Blinding light struck down, and Ling Yuan vomited even more blood with a “wah.”

Enraged to the core, he completely fainted.

Lin Qinghan was unaware of the subsequent events. After parting with He Yuzhi, he returned to his room.

The fight with Ling Yanhe had made him feel refreshed. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered within his body, vaguely signaling a breakthrough.

After completely integrating the insights in his heart, Lin Qinghan emerged from the bath, casually threw on a robe, and sat at the table.

“Appraisal file.” Lin Qinghan tapped the table, urging the system to deliver its work.

Item Name: Unknown Item Composition: Bone Ash Item Origin: Unknown Item Acquisition Time: Half a year ago Item Acquisition Location: Tianle City

Looking at that string of “Unknowns,” Lin Qinghan lowered his eyes. His damp long hair draped over his shoulders, and the corners of his eyes, reddened by the steam, were now lowered, hiding his emotions.

A small bone ring appeared in Lin Qinghan’s palm. A cold sensation spread from his fingertips; an object made of bone ash was wicked to the extreme, yet it felt somewhat familiar and intimate in his hand.

If nothing unexpected happened, this should be his own bone ash.

“Tsk, truly a madman.”

Lin Qinghan evaluated, yet a slight smile appeared on his face nonetheless.

The brand he left back then had truly remained. Even after losing his memories, Ling Yanhe still remembered the most intense things—such as hatred.

Hating enough that he would burn the body even if he forgot Lin Qinghan, and make a ring out of the bone ash to wear on his person every day.

Lin Qinghan raised his hand to stroke the ring, thinking about how Ling Yanhe must feel an unresolvable hatred every time he saw this item; his mood became increasingly pleasant.

“He really did me a big favor.” Lin Qinghan laughed softly, and his previously tense body relaxed.

Since that was the case, the initiative for negotiating with the system had fallen back into his hands.

What should he do next to make Ling Yanhe completely unable to leave him later?

Simple hatred will always be forgotten; it must be deepened a bit. Are three times enough?

Lin Qinghan looked at the ring in his hand, falling into thought.

“Biewan, are you asleep?”

A soft inquiry came from outside. Lin Qinghan retracted the smile from his eyes, casually placed the ring on his finger, and rose to open the door.

At the door, He Yuzhi was hesitating whether to knock, fearing he might wake Lin Qinghan if he were asleep. While he was struggling, the door was opened from the inside.

“What is it, Brother He?”

As the somewhat cold voice fell, He Yuzhi looked up, his pupils trembling.

The person before him had a ruddy complexion, and the heat and fragrance from the bath had not yet dissipated, spilling onto him the moment the door opened. Not only that, Lin Qinghan was only wearing a simple outer robe with his long hair scattered behind him. He didn’t have the sharp, cold distance of the daytime; moreover, with just a slight lowering of the eyes, one could see the outlined narrow waist and slender lower legs.

To look one more time felt like a profanation.

He Yuzhi’s breathing suddenly quickened, and he didn’t know where to look, finally forced to drop his gaze hurriedly to the floor.

When his gaze actually landed, he frowned slightly.

Lin Qinghan was actually not wearing shoes, standing barefoot on the floor.

Seeing the panicked look of the person before him, Lin Qinghan was somewhat confused. Just as he was about to ask, he heard He Yuzhi’s worried and concerned words.

“Why have you come out barefoot? The night air in early spring is heavy with cold; what if you catch a chill?”

As he spoke, he bent over and reached out, appearing as if he wanted to directly carry the person into the room.

Lin Qinghan frowned slightly and immediately took a step back, his tone turning a bit colder: “If Brother He doesn’t come in soon, I’ll catch a cold even if I were wearing shoes.”

He Yuzhi finally snapped out of it and hurriedly entered the room.

After closing the door, He Yuzhi realized the room was filled with constant heat, even the floor beneath his feet was warm. The floor heating was on in the room, which was why Lin Qinghan was barefoot.

His previously suspended heart settled. Only then did He Yuzhi realize how abrupt his behavior at the door had been. While he was worrying about how to explain it, he looked up to see Lin Qinghan already seated at the table, with two cups of tea already placed upon it.

The other also looked at him, saying calmly and naturally: “If Brother He stands there any longer, I’ll be too embarrassed to sit.”

There was completely no displeasure from being offended; the thoughtfulness and tolerance made He Yuzhi feel even more ashamed of the improper thoughts in his heart.

“Elder Yaoguang went to investigate the forest and only found a disciple who had fainted from excessive blood loss. A trace of demonic and demonic aura remained at the scene. Right now, the Elder is questioning the disciples who went out one by one, and already suspects this was the work of demon cultivators,” He Yuzhi said with a serious expression.

Lin Qinghan nodded, unsurprised.

Ling Yanhe had the Heavenly Demon Bone, plus the demonic aura he left in his body; disguising it this way was the best arrangement.

Recently, the demon race had vaguely developed other intentions, and traces of demon cultivators had popped up in other parts of the Immortal Realm, not to mention it was currently the Lingxiao Sect’s trial assembly. In the two months since Lin Qinghan woke up, he had heard plenty of stories about cultivators encountering the demon race suddenly.

It wasn’t anything unusual.

Seeing Lin Qinghan’s normal expression, He Yuzhi also felt relieved and continued: “I told Elder Yaoguang that because your body hadn’t recovered, you stayed on the Immortal Boat to recuperate before the incident; the Elder didn’t ask further.”

“Thank you, Brother He.” Lin Qinghan’s lips curled slightly, revealing a faint smile.

He Yuzhi paused in his speech, averted his eyes, and then continued: “Fellow Disciple Lin was also questioned; he answered fluently and also passed Elder Yaoguang’s check. For now, we can only wait for that fainted fellow disciple to wake up before we can find out anything.”

Lin Qinghan lowered his eyes: “Nothing will be found. Ling Yuan won’t speak.”

Ling Yuan would wish for no one to know about the Reflection Pearl, let alone having been beaten by Ling Yanhe again; how could he possibly open his mouth to complain.

“I thought so too. He is strong-willed by nature and surely won’t speak of this,” He Yuzhi said with a nod.

Seeing the other had no intention of continuing, Lin Qinghan picked up the teacup and took a light sip: “I thought Brother He would send some herbs to the person as compensation or something.”

He Yuzhi turned his head to look at him upon hearing this, frozen for a moment before laughing helplessly: “Am I that much of a do-gooder?”

“Aren’t you?” Lin Qinghan lifted his eyes to look over, adding in a flat tone, “Brother He was even kind enough to walk into this mess with me.”

He Yuzhi frowned slightly, looking at him with hesitation: “You think I’m helping you out of kindness?”

Lin Qinghan put down the teacup and met his gaze without speaking.

Seeing the calmness in those eyes, He Yuzhi was stunned, lowered his gaze, and shook his head gently: “They all say that your eyes, Biewan, are filled with all the world’s tenderness, looking at everyone with gentleness and consideration. I, however, feel that it is precisely this way that is most cold and heartless.”

Lin Qinghan frowned slightly, not quite understanding why He Yuzhi said that.

“Forget it, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you.” He Yuzhi looked up at him, the emotions in his eyes being something Lin Qinghan couldn’t read.

He Yuzhi seemed to not want to discuss this further; his gaze dropped and he saw the ring that had appeared on Lin Qinghan’s finger.

“Why have you put on an accessory?”

Lin Qinghan casually replied: “Just wearing it on a whim.”

“Senior Brother, I have something to discuss with you.”

The familiar voice came through the door. He Yuzhi looked at Lin Qinghan in surprise, as if asking why this person would come.

Lin Qinghan appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was like He Yuzhi—he hadn’t expected Ling Yanhe to knock on his door tonight, and he even used the term “Senior Brother.”

In Shen Biewan’s memories, far from hearing a “Senior Brother” from Ling Yanhe, he hadn’t even received a direct look; it was no wonder the man was driven to jealousy and hatred.

Has Ling Yanhe had a change of heart now?

Lin Qinghan withdrew his thoughts. Just as he was about to get up to open the door, He Yuzhi stood up before him.

“The wind at the door is cold. I’ll open it.”

With that, He Yuzhi gave Lin Qinghan no chance to refuse and walked to the door.

The door was opened.

The youth standing at the door, whose brows were originally slightly raised, immediately lowered his expression upon seeing who opened it.

“It is so late; has Fellow Disciple Lin come for an important matter?”

Ling Yanhe did not answer, nor did he even give He Yuzhi a direct look. Instead, he looked past the person before him, his gaze landing on Lin Qinghan inside the room.

Upon seeing the single thin robe on Lin Qinghan’s body, those dark eyes sank even deeper, turning so somber they almost seemed to condense into black mist.

Ling Yanhe frowned and locked eyes with Lin Qinghan inside the room, his tone so freezing it seemed as if it could drip water.

“Why is he here?”

Support