The Villain Marked the Male Lead's Fiancée (Transmigration into a Book) - Chapter 5

A Luo didn’t turn her head and said indifferently, “You have a tough life; I suppose you can withstand a killing.”

When Lou Min first mentioned the Song family of Qingcheng, A Luo knew it was trouble, and the subsequent involvement of the Tianlan City Lord’s Mansion only added to the complexity.

The Nine-Revolving Golden Lotus was indeed a treasure, enough to tempt anyone, but one also had to have the fate to possess it. Yun Xiao should have thought: for such a treasure, how could the City Lord’s Mansion only dispatch one Golden Core cultivator and two Foundation Establishment cultivators? Things turned out as A Luo expected: the pursuers had a protective talisman, and Yun Xiao provoked a Soul Transformation stage clone. Destroying the Soul Transformation clone could indeed save them a bit of trouble for now. The Tianlan City Lord was seriously injured and was not suited to personally seek revenge on Yun Xiao, but he could recruit others. Whether by spreading the word that Yun Xiao possessed the Nine-Revolving Golden Lotus or by other means, Yun Xiao would face pursuit for a long time to come. Given this situation, Yun Xiao’s decision to spare the instigator was simply foolish.

Yun Xiao was choked with emotion. If time could be reversed, she definitely would not have interfered. She hadn’t learned her lesson after losing her life in the modern world due to her misplaced kindness, and now her compassion had caused her to provoke a Soul Transformation cultivator. With the male lead—the Son of Destiny—ahead, and the Soul Transformation City Lord of Tianlan behind, was she simply tired of living?

However, she did not regret letting Lou Min go. Lou Min had indeed deliberately hidden information and schemed against her, but the root cause still lay with Yun Xiao herself. Furthermore, Lou Min had given her the Eight-Revolving Golden Lotus, as promised. One should keep one’s word; she had a clear conscience.

The knot in her heart dissipated, replaced by a sense of clarity. The surrounding spiritual energy gathered into a vortex and poured into Yun Xiao’s body.

Sensing the commotion Yun Xiao was causing, A Luo returned and cast an isolation barrier, her gaze towards Yun Xiao exceptionally complex. An hour ago, Yun Xiao broke through during battle, and now, having realized something unknown, she had entered a state of enlightenment. Claiming her own luck was decent, A Luo actually felt a twinge of envy at this moment.

Quickly adjusting her emotions, A Luo took out the defensive formation plate she had used at the cold pond, sat cross-legged about ten meters away from Yun Xiao, and began to cultivate. Most cultivators cannot achieve enlightenment even once in their lifetime. If they are lucky enough to benefit from the spiritual rain of someone else’s enlightenment, they can still gain something. She had once experienced enlightenment more than ten years ago and benefited greatly. Though she couldn’t achieve enlightenment this time, it was still good to be close enough to benefit from the spiritual rain.

Yun Xiao, in her state of enlightenment, felt as if she were floating in the clouds, extremely comfortable.

Three hours later, she opened her eyes. Looking down, she saw that her injuries had completely healed, and she felt full of energy. A Luo finished her cultivation. Thanks to Yun Xiao, she had broken through to the early Nascent Soul stage. She looked up at Yun Xiao. Her spiritual energy was even purer than before her enlightenment, suggesting she had broken through another level. This time, she no longer envied Yun Xiao. Everyone has their own destiny and fortune. Yun Xiao’s cultivation increase was also a good thing for her, as it meant the path ahead would be less difficult.

Withdrawing the formation plate, she threw out the flying spiritual artifact. “Let’s go.”

Yun Xiao quickly stepped onto it. Just as she sat down cross-legged, A Luo tossed a pill at her. Catching the pill, she looked at the round object in her hand and asked, “What is the effect of this pill?”

A Luo took out her prayer mat, sat down cross-legged, and said in a cool voice, “A top-grade Disguise Pill.”

Star-like light shone in Yun Xiao’s peach-blossom eyes, and a radiant smile blossomed on her bright face. She tilted her head and asked, “A Luo, are you worrying about me?”

A Luo ignored Yun Xiao.

One top-grade Disguise Pill’s effects could last for seven days. Not wanting to refuse A Luo’s kindness, she envisioned the appearance of a rugged, strong man in her mind and quickly swallowed the pill. A few breaths later, a sturdy man wearing a green Dharma robe appeared before A Luo. His winking and grimacing expression was both lewd and offensive to the eye. A Luo simply closed her eyes, practicing the “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy.

Is it not good-looking? Yun Xiao conjured a water mirror and made eye contact with the strong man inside. This… isn’t ugly, is it? She dismissed the water mirror, changed her blue Dharma robe to gray, cast a spell to change her hairstyle, and that was that.

The gender was a mismatch, and they were heading towards the barrier of the Mortal Realm, where spiritual energy was increasingly scarce, so the journey was relatively peaceful. After passing through the barrier, the effects of the top-grade Disguise Pill wore off, and Yun Xiao revealed her true appearance.

Two strikingly beautiful women walking down the street immediately attracted many eyes. People were eager to step forward to strike up a conversation, but upon seeing the sword A Luo held, they abandoned the idea.

Arriving at the city’s largest apothecary, Yun Xiao took out the list of herbs she had written earlier and handed it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper took the list, looked it over, and slowly said, “Young lady, we can only find fourteen kinds here.” Yun Xiao couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She asked, “Where can I buy the remaining herbs?” The shopkeeper looked troubled, his eyes occasionally darting towards her. Yun Xiao immediately understood, placed a piece of broken silver on the counter, and gestured for the shopkeeper to speak. The shopkeeper happily took the broken silver and said profoundly, “Young lady, you may not know that the herbs you mentioned mostly grow on cliffs and their effects are limited. They can be largely replaced by other herbs with the same efficacy. Would you like to switch to other herbs, just like our apothecary does?”

Yun Xiao frowned. Replacing them with other herbs of similar effect seemed like a good solution, but no one could be sure whether the substitute herbs could successfully produce the Yize Pill. She glanced sideways at A Luo, wanting to know what A Luo thought. Even an experienced alchemist who has mastered pill refining dares not casually alter a pill formula, let alone a novice who has just begun her journey in alchemy.

A Luo parted her red lips and said coldly, “Where can these herbs be found?” The shopkeeper didn’t hide anything and replied truthfully, “To my knowledge, no apothecaries within a hundred miles have these herbs. You can ask in towns further away, but if you still can’t find them, you’ll have to go to Diannan. These herbs only grow there.”

Having gotten the answer, Yun Xiao instructed, “Alright, please pack up the herbs you do have for me.” “May I ask how much of each herb you require?” It would take several days to make another trip to the Mortal Realm, so it was better to buy more now. This way, she wouldn’t have to be stingy when conducting experiments later. Yun Xiao said generously, “As much as you have.” A Luo remained silent, clearly approving of Yun Xiao’s decision.

The shopkeeper grinned broadly, hurrying to call his assistant to pack the herbs for them. Since they were major buyers, the shopkeeper stepped forward and offered, “We have a cart here at the apothecary. Would you like us to deliver them to your residence?” Yun Xiao waved her hand, pointed it at the herbs, recited a spell, and in the blink of an eye, the small mountain of herbs vanished. The shopkeeper was an experienced man and knew this was a method only Immortals possessed. He tugged at his robe, about to kneel down before them. Yun Xiao didn’t dare allow a man who could be her grandfather to kneel to her. She used a spell to support the shopkeeper, preventing him from kneeling.

To avoid attracting a crowd, Yun Xiao and A Luo decided to wait until they were out of the city before using the flying spiritual artifact.

Halfway down the road, a shout rang out behind them. “Two Immortal Maidens, please wait!”

Yun Xiao and A Luo exchanged glances, then both turned around to see what the person wanted. The person was the City Lord. Hearing reports from his subordinates that Immortals had arrived in the city, he immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed over, thankfully catching them in time. The City Lord raised a hand to wipe the thin sweat from his brow and said respectfully, “This humble one did not intend to bother the two Immortal Maidens. It is just that no Immortal has come to test for Immortal Destiny in Liucheng for ten years. May I ask if the two Immortal Maidens would be willing to test for Immortal Destiny during this visit?”

Yun Xiao didn’t dare answer. She was a demonic cultivator; if she were to take disciples, they would be demons. The major sects of the Tianyuan Realm had an agreement to cross the barrier every five years to the Mortal Realm to test for Immortal Destiny. This city was not far from the barrier; it shouldn’t have been missed. Why had no one come to test for Immortal Destiny in ten years?

After some thought, A Luo spoke, “I will only be staying here for two days.” The City Lord was overjoyed and bowed. “Yes, this humble one will go and make arrangements immediately.”

After the City Lord left, A Luo took out her communication jade slip to report the matter to her sect, and also informed them to arrange for someone to come and take people back.

Yun Xiao had long been interested in the food and games on the street. Knowing they would stay for two days, she let her nature show and began a major shopping spree with the silver she had exchanged. A Luo did not understand why Yun Xiao was so enthusiastic about these mortal objects, nor did she understand why Yun Xiao could talk to anyone, coaxing vendors into both selling and giving items away.

Her patience exhausted, she was about to leave when a bright red bīngtánghúlu (candied hawthorn) suddenly appeared before her eyes. “I specifically chose a big, round one for you.” As she spoke, Yun Xiao took a bite of the candied hawthorn in her own hand, her peach-blossom eyes wide. She turned to the old man selling them and gave him a thumbs-up. “It’s really sweet.” The old man nodded, chuckling. Yun Xiao similarly tossed a piece of broken silver to the old man. “Your candied hawthorn is worth this price.” The old man had been hesitant, but hearing her words, he immediately smiled and pocketed it.

A Luo still took the candied hawthorn offered by Yun Xiao and, after a moment of hesitation, took a bite. It was sour and sweet—the taste was acceptable. Yun Xiao bent down, looking up sideways at A Luo. Seeing A Luo’s brow relax, she said happily, “I didn’t lie to you, did I? This is the best bīngtánghúlu I’ve ever had.” “A common item, no spiritual energy.”

Yun Xiao had long noticed A Luo was too rigid. She snatched the candied hawthorn from A Luo’s hand, eating it as she said, “To me, cultivating is about freedom and ease, not about constantly restricting and making things difficult for oneself. No one knows whether tomorrow or the unexpected will arrive first. I don’t want to be on my deathbed, regretting that I never tasted bīngtánghúlu.” She held up the candied hawthorn in her hand, her face beaming with pride.

A Luo lowered her eyes. Is that how it is? But her Master always taught her that cultivators must be strict with themselves, pursue the Great Dao of Immortality, and not let the cravings of the stomach delay their cultivation. The slightest slackness would result in her Master’s discipline whip lashing her back. Thus, she dared not relax for a moment every day. As a child, she feared her Master’s discipline whip; now, she feared disgracing her Master and feared her Master’s disappointment.

Noticing A Luo’s low spirits, Yun Xiao’s heart sank. She frantically handed the candied hawthorn in her hand back to A Luo: “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have snatched your bīngtánghúlu.” Seeing that one piece was missing, she quickly added, “I’ll go buy you another one. Don’t be mad.” “No need.” A Luo walked around Yun Xiao and continued straight ahead.

Yun Xiao hurried after her, just as she was wondering how to coax A Luo, a sound of pleading for mercy interrupted her thoughts. Turning her head to look, a middle-aged woman was swinging a wooden club as thick as her arm, striking a little girl kneeling on the ground. Judging by her bone age, the girl was only eight, but her build was no different from a five or six-year-old child. She helplessly hugged her head and pleaded, “No, I won’t dare again! I will never steal food again!”