The Villain Recognizes the Female Lead as His Master [Transmigration] - Chapter 41

The term “Nian Bao” caused Yuan Shao’s expression to darken, and it seemed as if two flames ignited in her eyes.

Clearly, this was her person, why should anyone else call her “Bao”?

Having spent some time with Yuan Shao, Chi Jinnian could naturally sense that something was off.

So she quickly explained, “Young master, this is Zhuang Rong, a disciple under Elder Yaohua of the Evergreen Sect.”

Zhuang Rong raised her arms in a respectful salute and followed Chi Jinnian’s lead, addressing Yuan Shao as “Young master.”

Hearing that she was her senior sister’s disciple, Yuan Shao’s expression softened slightly. However, upon seeing Chi Jinnian hurriedly step in front of the other person, her face darkened again.

“I am not familiar with you, miss. Please address me as ‘young master,'” Yuan Shao’s tone was icy, her words dripping with unmistakable distance.

Zhuang Rong glanced up, her eyes scanning Yuan Shao from head to toe like a mother seeing her child for the first time her gaze filled with both surprise and excitement. But upon hearing those words, she hesitated: When she had crafted her persona back then, she had intended to portray her “daughter” as someone aloof yet deeply gentle at heart. The way the other was looking at her now, it felt as if her daughter’s character was starting to crumble.

Yuan Shao reached out, pulling Chi Jinnian back to her side, then turned to Zhuang Rong and said, “Since you’ve won first place today, you should rest well. The second trial will begin soon. You’re still young, so make sure you’re prepared.”

“Young master, wait!” Zhuang Rong quickly called out to stop her. “Young master, as you can see, I’m all alone here. Since Nian Bao and I are old acquaintances, why don’t we form an alliance and team up? We could look out for each other.” As she spoke, Zhuang Rong once again offered the wine jug in her hand, signaling her intent to befriend her.

Yuan Shao glanced at the wine jug. Given her status, it was difficult to outright refuse, yet she was unwilling to agree readily. So she merely deferred, saying, “We’ll discuss this tomorrow.”

Without waiting for either of them to bid farewell, she took Chi Jinnian by the wrist and headed upstairs.

Zhang Wei and Li Tao, noticing the tense atmosphere upon their return, quickly slipped out through the window.

In an instant, only the master and disciple remained in the room.

“Young master, why didn’t you agree to Sister Zhuang Rong’s suggestion? Clearly, she ”

“Clearly, I told you to wait for me obediently in the room, but you didn’t listen either, did you?” Yuan Shao’s tone carried a hint of resentment, as if she were sulking, and she questioned Chi Jinnian, “Weren’t you covering your face? How did she recognize you?”

Chi Jinnian, sensing Yuan Shao’s suspicion, explained, “Sister Zhuang Rong and I are old acquaintances. I didn’t expect her to be the disciple Elder Yaohua mentioned who received the engagement letter. We just ran into each other and caught up for a bit.”

Yuan Shao turned her face away. Truly, this little one had no conscience. Last night, she had been as cold as ice, and today, Yuan Shao had been reluctant to let her suffer in the cold and sent her back to the room first. And what did she do? She went off to catch up with some old acquaintance and even ordered wine!

However, since she didn’t smell any alcohol on Chi Jinnian, it seemed she hadn’t shared a drink with that person. Yuan Shao’s heart eased a little.

“Young master,” Chi Jinnian gently tugged at the hem of Yuan Shao’s robe, as if coaxing her, “Even if it’s just for Elder Yaohua’s sake, please agree to team up with Sister Zhuang Rong.”

Chi Jinnian didn’t understand what Yuan Shao was upset about and could only try to divert her attention. She pointed to the candied hawthorn in Yuan Shao’s hand and asked, “Young master, did you buy the candied hawthorn for me?”

“Of course not!” Yuan Shao turned away, but after a moment, still with her back to Chi Jinnian, she extended the arm holding the candied hawthorn.

“Thank you, Young Master!” Chi Jinnian happily took the item and brought it to her lips, taking a bite.

Yuan Shao turned around just in time to see Chi Jinnian bite into the vibrant, luscious fruit. The hawthorn coated in sugar glaze shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight. But behind the crimson sphere lay an even more captivating sight.

With each movement, her moist lips parted and closed, the vividness of the hawthorn completely vanishing as glistening sugar fragments clung to the corners of her mouth, sparkling like gemstones.

Her nimble tongue lightly darted out, catching the crystalline sweetness at the corner of her lips before it disappeared into the moist, rosy hue.

“So sweet!” Chi Jinnian had always had little resistance to tangy and sweet treats, and since this was something specially bought for her despite the bitter cold, she ate with pure delight. As soon as one fruit was entirely swallowed, she raised her hand to take a bite of the second.

Yuan Shao watched her movements, mesmerized, as one by one the fruits on the skewer vanished into those red lips. And those full, crimson lips were even more enticing than the fruit itself glistening and radiant, dotted with tiny specks of light, making it impossible to look away. After a long moment, she suddenly asked, “Is it good?”

“Delicious!” Chi Jinnian nodded with a smile, raising her hand to finish off the last hawthorn on the skewer.

But just as she brought it to her lips, Yuan Shao suddenly leaned in.

“Is that so? Let me taste.” No sooner had the words left her mouth than Yuan Shao bent down and, right in front of Chi Jinnian, bit into the last hawthorn from the opposite side of the skewer, face-to-face with her.

Before Chi Jinnian could react, she found an enlarged face right in front of hers a pair of peach-blossom eyes glistening with a hint of moisture, long lashes resting delicately on them. The tip of Yuan Shao’s nose brushed against her cheek, and in the warmth of their mingled breaths, Yuan Shao’s thin lips seemed to faintly touch hers.

Chi Jinnian’s face instantly flushed red. Her arm froze in place, still holding the skewer, her heart pounding wildly as if about to leap out of her chest. Her bright almond-shaped eyes blinked rapidly as she watched Yuan Shao, after stealing half the hawthorn, maintain a perfectly composed expression without the slightest change.

“Young, Young Master.”

“Hmm.” Yuan Shao paid it no mind, slowly swallowing the half of the hawthorn before nodding. “It really is delicious.”

Zhuang Rong had originally intended to return to her room but caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner of the hall. Su Tingxi sat alone, several empty wine jars scattered at his feet.

In his dazed state, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. “What are you doing?”

Su Tingxi turned to see it was Zhuang Rong and reined in his initial impatience. Not only was Zhuang Rong from the Changqing Sect, but she was also a disciple of Elder Yaohua. Since Yuan Shao was on good terms with Elder Yaohua, Su Tingxi couldn’t afford to be too dismissive.

He merely replied listlessly, “It’s you.”

Zhuang Rong could roughly guess the reason for his despondent expression, especially after hearing from Chi Jinnian that Su Tingxi had confessed his feelings to Yuan Shao but received no response.

“As the saying goes, ‘drowning your sorrows in drink only makes them deeper.’ Moping here with alcohol isn’t going to solve anything.” Zhuang Rong made herself at home, sitting down beside him and snatching the wine cup from Su Tingxi’s hand.

Su Tingxi’s consciousness was hazy, and he didn’t struggle. Instead, he propped up his arm, resting his chin on his palm, staring blankly at the peanuts in the dish. After a long while, he broke the silence: “Do you think… if someone loses their memories, will their feelings change along with them?”

Zhuang Rong understood the meaning behind his words. “Don’t overthink it. Matters of the heart can’t be rushed. Let things take their natural course.”

Su Tingxi smiled bitterly. Let things take their natural course. He had always believed there was no need to rush after all, they had spent so many years together day and night. Sooner or later, his master would remember him. But now, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his master was drifting further and further away, as if she had truly become the aloof, untouchable immortal others spoke of.

“You know,” Su Tingxi began slowly, “I never had a father from the moment I was born. My mother said that year, the ghost realm fell into chaos, and malevolent spirits ran rampant, bringing disaster to the common people. The Upper Cultivation Realm organized many cultivators to resist, but only a handful returned alive. My father wasn’t one of the lucky ones.”

“After that, my mother raised me alone. She was just an ordinary woman, without any cultivation or magical abilities, so she could only rely on manual labor to support us. Over time, she fell ill from exhaustion. The year she passed away, I was only ten. Aside from a jade pendant, she left me nothing.”

“Later, I met her. She was so pure, dressed in snow-white robes as if untouched by a speck of dust, like a cloud in the sky unreachable. Seeing how pitiful I was, she took me in. I thought I’d have to work for my keep, just like my mother did, but she told me I didn’t need to do anything. It was the first time someone had ever told me that her kindness didn’t require repayment.”

“She always appeared cold and distant. Everyone was afraid of her and didn’t dare approach. She never smiled at them, but she smiled at me. Only I knew that beneath her frosty exterior, her heart was warm. But later.” Su Tingxi trailed off, unable to continue.

Later, the only person in this world who had been kind to him without expecting anything in return had forgotten him.

Hearing this, Zhuang Rong’s brows gradually furrowed. She had only written such a story casually, yet this very experience was unfolding before her eyes. For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt. After a long silence, she whispered softly, “I’m sorry.”

Su Tingxi didn’t catch her apology. Instead, he smiled and said, “You know, that day she said she’d return after handling her matters. I had planned to give her the jade pendant when she came back. But I waited and waited, until the sun rose the next day, and she still hadn’t returned. Do you think this is fate’s doing?”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rong couldn’t bring herself to answer. She couldn’t tell him that all his sorrow and pain were her own doing, it had nothing to do with fate.

The one to blame was her alone.

After the first round of trials, the inn was half empty. Zhuang Rong decided to book another room and asked the waiter to help Su Tingxi inside.

Her heart was filled with guilt, like a mother watching her child suffer yet feeling utterly helpless. All she could do was stay by his side quietly. But when the innkeeper brought her the bill for the wine Su Tingxi had just drunk, the guilt on Zhuang Rong’s face vanished in an instant.

She did her best to calm her irritated thoughts: Fine, fine he’s my own creation, my own creation,

But then she thought, a child must be taught to become useful. So Zhuang Rong decided to give her “child” a little acupuncture to help him sober up properly!

After finishing that candied hawthorn stick, Chi Jinnian and Yuan Shao entered a state of complete silence. Chi Jinnian curled up alone in the corner of the bed, while Yuan Shao sat by the table reading a book. Neither spoke a word, letting time flow slowly by.

Even when it was mealtime, Chi Jinnian showed no intention of coming out.

Sitting there all afternoon, Yuan Shao hadn’t absorbed a single word. It wasn’t until the sun began to set that she realized she had been holding the book upside down.

At first, Yuan Shao regretted her impulsive act of snatching the hawthorn. She knew Chi Jinnian was timid, and seeing the other person sulking silently in the corner filled her with remorse.

She blamed herself for being unable to restrain her impatience. How could she have been so rash, knowing full well that the other party didn’t share her feelings? She had thought that after last night, the distance between them had shortened considerably. But with this one move, her little apprentice had retreated like a frightened rabbit, hiding deep in its burrow again.

Yuan Shao couldn’t help but sigh. Yet, as she pursed her lips and recalled the scene, the memory of her little apprentice’s cool, slightly moist lips returned to her. In that moment of closeness, the osmanthus fragrance from her hair had washed over her like a sudden enlightenment, lingering at the tip of her nose.

And she didn’t regret it so much anymore. Who would have thought there could be such a delightful taste in the world? Her little apprentice was sweet than the taro pastries she’d once loved by a thousandfold. Just that brief touch had left her savoring the sweetness all afternoon.

Watching as half the sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow throughout the room, Yuan Shao finally couldn’t hold back. She felt that if she didn’t take the initiative, her little apprentice might remain silent forever. After all, this was her disciple, she ought to indulge her. Taking the lead didn’t seem so bad.

She went downstairs to bring up some food, arranged it neatly on the table, and used a spell to keep it warm. Only then did she approach Chi Jinnian’s bedside.

Seeing Chi Jinnian curled up deep inside the bed, her face buried in the quilt, Yuan Shao cleared her throat, trying to sound as natural as possible. “You’ve only had one candied hawthorn since morning. Aren’t you hungry?”

The figure on the bed remained motionless, seemingly unwilling to respond.

If the other wouldn’t move, then she would. Yuan Shao leaned onto the bed, slowly inching closer. She first poked the lump under the quilt. “Get up and come eat something.”

When there was still no reaction, Yuan Shao grew suspicious. She quietly lifted the quilt and discovered that Chi Jinnian had actually wrapped herself in the blankets and fallen asleep!

For a moment, Yuan Shao found it both amusing and exasperating. She had spent the entire afternoon wrestling with guilt, while the other hadn’t given it a second thought, hiding away and sleeping soundly!

Looking at Chi Jinnian’s slightly flushed cheeks from sleep, Yuan Shao felt a mischievous urge. She picked up a strand of hair and gently brushed it against the other’s nose. At first, Chi Jinnian only swatted instinctively, but after a few attempts, she mumbled and began to wake.

“Shizun,” Chi Jinnian called out softly, rubbing her bleary eyes. She showed no intention of getting up, instead shifting to a different position as if to continue sleeping.

She hadn’t even called her “young master” clearly, she was still dazed and not fully awake.

Seeing this, Yuan Shao didn’t press her further and simply lay down beside her. Without removing his outer robe, he wrapped his arm around her over the quilt, pulling her close. Just like that, the two of them lay facing each other beneath the golden glow of the setting sun.

It wasn’t until the sun had completely set and Chi Jinnian’s stomach had rumbled three times that she reluctantly opened her eyes.

Only then did she realize she was being held in place, a snow-white sleeve draped over her. Following the arm upward, she saw the moon-white cloud patterns and silver shoulder adornments. Turning her head, she met Yuan Shao’s face, now restored to its original appearance after he had removed his disguise.

At such close proximity, the familiar sight instantly brought back the morning’s events. Just as close as now, Yuan Shao had taken half of her candied hawthorn berry.

At first, Chi Jinnian couldn’t understand why Yuan Shao had done that.

Was she upset that I ate all the candied hawthorn berries?

Was she angry that Zhuang Rong and I revealed our identities?

Did she want to punish me for not obediently waiting for her in the room?

After pondering countless possibilities, she had unknowingly drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, it was already dark, yet she still hadn’t figured out the answer.

Surely, it couldn’t be that she likes me, right!

At this thought, Chi Jinnian quietly turned over, but the arm draped over her suddenly tightened. A low voice sounded from behind her: “Awake?”

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