The Villain Recognizes the Female Lead as His Master [Transmigration] - Chapter 26.1

When Chi Jinnian found Yuan Shao, she was alone, leaning against a pillar on the outer corridor. The two red lotus lanterns she had rescued were already placed back on the water, drifting downstream with the current.

Amid the clamor of the surrounding crowd, Yuan Shao stared blankly at the water, lost in thought. So much so that she didn’t react for a long time, even as Chi Jinnian called out to her repeatedly.

“Shizun!” The sudden cry snapped Yuan Shao back to her senses. She quickly tucked the note she had been holding into her sleeve, composed her expression, and turned to face her little disciple.

Chi Jinnian ran toward her, the crimson hem of her skirt fluttering in the wind with each step. Yuan Shao saw the urgency on her little disciple’s face as she rushed over, clearly anxious about having lost sight of her.

Yuan Shao’s earlier act of rescuing the lanterns had naturally drawn the attention of many. As Chi Jinnian ran toward her, low murmurs rippled through the crowd, they recognized her as the one who had shared a drink with the young mistress in the teahouse last time.

“Shizun,” Chi Jinnian said as she reached Yuan Shao, first carefully examining her from head to toe before letting out a sigh of relief. “Shizun, you scared me to death! I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Her pale hands patted her chest repeatedly as she took deep breaths, as if she had truly been frightened. “Shizun, you have no idea the moment I opened my eyes, you were gone. The lotus lanterns had tipped over, and there was a fire. They said someone looked just like you.”

Before she could finish, Yuan Shao suddenly wrapped her arms around Chi Jinnian’s waist, pulling her into an embrace.

The unexpected move left Chi Jinnian completely flustered. The onlookers stirred with excitement, always eager to add a bit of gossip about the young mistress to their after-dinner conversations. Though they pretended to be occupied with their own affairs, their eyes subtly drifted toward the pair, their attention firmly fixed on the two.

As if oblivious to the surrounding gazes, Yuan Shao continued to hold Chi Jinnian tightly and said, “Just now, I didn’t hear you calling me. I’m sorry.”

Chi Jinnian thought Yuan Shao might have been frightened, alone in an unfamiliar place and unable to find her. So, she returned the embrace, gently stroking Yuan Shao’s back as a teacher would comfort a frightened child. “It’s alright, we found each other now, didn’t we?”

“A’nian,” Yuan Shao asked softly, her voice trembling slightly, “what if we hadn’t found each other?”

Her tone was cautious, almost fragile. “What would we have done if we couldn’t find each other? What if you got lost again? If you couldn’t find me, and I couldn’t find you, would you find another master?”

As she spoke, Yuan Shao’s hands clenched tightly onto the fabric of Chi Jinnian’s clothes, and she buried her face where her little disciple couldn’t see, unable to meet the bright clarity of those almond-shaped eyes.

Her little disciple was like a fish in the water. Yuan Shao would stand quietly on the shore, and the fish would swim up to her, playing in her shadow. But the moment she bent down, reaching out to touch it, the fish would startle and dart away in an instant.

It had been like that before, in the snowy mountains within the Water Mirror, and again just now in the tavern.

She couldn’t understand why, one moment, her little disciple would be by her side, her eyes seemingly filled with nothing but her, and in the next, with just a moment of inattention, she would slip away.

It was as if all that kindness was just a facade, as if the other person was constantly thinking about how to leave her. She couldn’t see through it, she couldn’t grasp it. But she didn’t like this feeling of being kept at arm’s length.

What was hers was hers it had to stay obediently by her side. No one else could take it, nor could they ever snatch it away.

“Ah Nian.” Before Chi Jinnian could respond, Yuan Shao seemed to gather all her courage before asking, “That night in the Water Mirror, why did you run out alone?”

Chi Jinnian’s hands, which had been holding Yuan Shao, suddenly loosened and slowly dropped. It seemed that Yuan Shao had been following her all along that night.

Before she could explain, she heard Yuan Shao continue, “Earlier, when you were gone for so long, were you really lost?”

“Shizun…” Chi Jinnian started to speak but was cut off by Yuan Shao’s voice.

“Ah Nian, I’ll only ask this once today, and I won’t bring it up again.” She released Chi Jinnian, cupping the other’s face, her index finger gently brushing over the other’s brows and eyes, her gaze fixed intently on the other’s pupils. “Do you truly, truly want to acknowledge me as your master forever and ever?”

Chi Jinnian blinked her almond-shaped eyes, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” Yuan Shao took her delicate hand with her other hand and gently placed it over her own chest. “From now on, your master will protect you and never let you suffer even the slightest harm, alright?”

“Mhm, Huh?”

Wait!

Why did that sound so familiar?!

Wasn’t that exactly what Su Tingxi said to Yuan Shao in the original story?!

Before Chi Jinnian could respond, a thunderous roar echoed through the sky, and brilliant fireworks bloomed in the night. They intertwined with the flickering candlelights on the river’s surface, and under this dazzling night sky, the woman in white held the lotus-like face of the person before her in her hands, while also letting the other feel her heartbeat.

What Chi Jinnian didn’t know was that the note she had placed in the river lantern earlier had been tucked into Yuan Shao’s sleeve.

Yuan Shao thought, making wishes to the heavens might be useless no deity could compare to having the person in question personally help fulfill them.

Her little apprentice had three wishes. The first two would have to wait a bit longer, so why not start with the third one today?

The fireworks, just as Chi Jinnian had said, lingered in the night sky for a long time without fading. The dazzling lights captured everyone’s attention. While their focus was drawn to the clouds, only Yuan Shao kept her attention fixed on the young girl beside her. She was waiting for an answer the one interrupted by the fireworks.

Then, suddenly, a fierce gust of wind blew, scattering the fireworks in the sky and whipping up the sand and stones on the ground. In the moment everyone covered their faces, no one noticed that two figures one in red, one in white had vanished from the riverbank.

Chi Jinnian was awakened by a wave of stifling heat accompanied by the smell of oil. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Yuan Shao tied up and restrained against a pillar opposite her. To Yuan Shao’s right, Su Tingxi’s hands were bound behind his back, his limbs tightly fastened to a chair, with a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth.

As for herself, she was trussed up like a piece of cured meat, hanging from the central beam of the room. The stifling heat that had roused her came from the boiling pot of oil directly beneath her. Thick white smoke rose from the pot, accompanied by sizzling and crackling sounds, filling the entire room with the greasy stench of oil.

“Master!” Chi Jinnian called out loudly to Yuan Shao, but it was Su Tingxi who woke up first. Seeing Chi Jinnian hanging midair across from him, he snarled, “Chi Jinnian! I thought you would help me, but I never expected you to drug me!”

Su Tingxi had actually arrived at the tavern very early, before Chi Jinnian’s people were even prepared. He noticed several mice setting up the shop’s environment and quietly sat to the side, waiting.

At that moment, a waiter in black brought him a pot of tea. Shortly after drinking it, he lost consciousness and woke up here.

Chi Jinnian was also full of grievances. The stage was set, and now this actor shows up unannounced and starts cursing the director. Helplessly, she retorted, “Do you have any brains? Open your eyes wide and take a good look, I’m the one in the worst situation here! Do you think if I were the one who brought you here, I’d need to get myself into this state?!”

Su Tingxi knew deep down that his own carelessness had led to the current predicament, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it. He turned his face away. After all, the place was chosen by Chi Jinnian could she really be free of responsibility? Was she completely uninvolved?

Meanwhile, Yuan Shao’s eyelids fluttered a few times, and she seemed to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, and as her vision focused, she saw Chi Jinnian tied up across from her. She tried to move but realized she was bound.

For some reason, her fingertips twitched, but she couldn’t muster even a trace of spiritual power. “How could this be.”

Before Yuan Shao could finish her sentence, a man’s laughter echoed from the corner.

It was the stereotypical, brainless villain laugh from TV dramas, making Chi Jinnian curl her lips in disdain. She quickly thought back, this scene didn’t seem to be in the original story. So, what hidden side quest was this?

“Immortal Master Yuan, don’t waste your energy. With the Immortal-Binding Ropes on you, you can’t use any spiritual power.”

Then, a man in black appeared. He was burly, clearly a trained fighter, and cautiously wore a mask.

He used a spell to alter his voice, not using his natural tone but a sharp, almost squeaky one, as he approached Chi Jinnian. “Chi Jinnian, did you ever imagine you’d end up like this today!”

Chi Jinnian narrowed her eyes, finding the man somewhat odd. Even his voice was disguised it felt like overcompensation. It suggested that someone among them was very familiar with this person, or perhaps it was Chi Jinnian herself who knew him well.

A suspicion formed in Chi Jinnian’s mind. As the man turned and strode toward Yuan Shao, she suddenly called out, “Wei Yang?”

The man’s body stiffened instantly. “What are you talking about? How could I be him!”

“Really?” Chi Jinnian shot him a disdainful glance. “Go outside and see on a hot day like this, who else but you, Wei Yang, would cover their face so tightly!”