The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 23

“Move,” Bai Fenghe spoke in a voice audible only to the two of them. Yun Chuanzhi hurriedly dodged to the side, watching as Bai Fenghe collapsed weakly to the ground.

“Sect; Sect Leader Senior Sister,” Bai Fenghe said, clutching the wound at her waist. When she raised her willow-leaf eyes, her face was paler than the white marble floor tiles.

“I merely wanted to head to the main peak with the other Sect Leaders; why must you treat me this way?”

The woman’s red lips trembled, and two strings of clear tears fell like a broken strand of pearls, mixing into the blood.

Bai Xiaochen sheathed her sword and landed. Another woman, looking like a middle-aged Daoist nun, leaped down from mid-air; presumably the remaining Sect Leader of the Fourth Peak. She stood beside Bai Xiaochen, looking down at the fallen Bai Fenghe.

Bai Fenghe’s appearance was truly piteous. Bai Xiaochen’s brow twitched slightly, her hand tightening around the hilt of her sword, which was as clear as ice.

From the side came a harsh scolding: “You enchantress!”

“Enough.” Bai Xiaochen interrupted Liao Zongfang. Her gaze swept over the winding trail of crimson blood on the ground; she seemed to want to take a step forward, but only shifted her toes.

“Core Sect Day is a day for the cultivators of each gate to compete. You have never taken a disciple; how can you participate?”

Though she said this, her tone had softened considerably.

Bai Fenghe covered her mouth and coughed. Blood flowed past the corner of her mouth, dragging a startling trail across her cheek; making her pale face look even more frail.

“Core Sect Day only requires practitioners from under one’s gate. Although This Seat has no disciples, I do have one or two personal immortal servants,” Bai Fenghe spoke softly, her eyes flickering as they landed on the squatting Yun Chuanzhi nearby.

“There.” Her delicate hand gave Yun Chuanzhi’s shoulder a push. Yun Chuanzhi felt as if she were being shoved by an immense force, thrusting her directly into Bai Xiaochen’s line of sight.

Bai Xiaochen stood with her hands behind her back. She found Yun Chuanzhi somewhat familiar; she leaned down to look closer, the furrow in her brow deepening. “Isn’t this your!”

The remaining words wouldn’t leave her mouth. She straightened up. “Nonsense.”

“How is it nonsense? Do the immortal servants of Mount Buxi not count as cultivators?” Bai Fenghe’s slender finger traced the wound at her waist; the seemingly gruesome injury stopped bleeding visibly to the naked eye. “If Master were alive, he would surely!”

“You are not allowed to mention Master!” Bai Xiaochen shouted, a flash of hatred crossing her clear eyes.

Silence fell over the surroundings. Among the dense crowd of cultivators, not one dared to make a sound. Yun Chuanzhi braced herself and raised her hand. “Um, Sect Master, I don’t want to!”

“Fine. We shall count her as one for now.” Bai Xiaochen turned away, unwilling to look at Bai Fenghe any longer. “But one person is not enough.”

Is anyone actually listening to me? Yun Chuanzhi’s hand stayed raised in mid-air before she resignedly let it drop.

What Core Sect Day? She was an immortal servant who hadn’t even reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Competing against a crowd of cultivators; wouldn’t she be a laughingstock?

Bai Fenghe also seemed somewhat troubled. She turned her gaze to the surroundings. Anyone she looked at wished they could bury their heads in their stomachs. Only Ling Shui kept her neck straight and slender, unable to hide the look of anticipation on her face.

“You go as well.” Bai Fenghe’s hair swayed gently. Ling Shui was overjoyed, instantly forgetting about treating Bai Fenghe’s wound as she stood up abruptly.

Since there was no one else from Gundan Gate present, Bai Fenghe placed her forefinger on her lip in thought for a moment before pointing into the crowd. “Let the last one be her.”

Bai Xiaochen looked into the crowd. Meeting the woman’s bewildered eyes, she nearly fainted from anger. She said coldly, “Isn’t Cheng Jinshu my disciple? Since when did she become one of your people, Bai Fenghe?”

“Sect Leader Senior Sister is mistaken,” Bai Fenghe laughed with a pale face. “You expelled her from the sect long ago. Since she is currently staying on my peak, she naturally counts as one of mine.”

Bai Xiaochen opened her mouth to speak, but seeing Bai Fenghe looking so pained she could barely keep her eyes open, she finally flicked her sleeve behind her. “Have it your way. This Deity has no time to bicker with you.”

“A dignified Sect Leader, yet you let yourself become a joke for the minor cultivators,” Bai Xiaochen remarked as she scanned the area. The cultivators who had been surrounding them like a wall immediately scattered like startled birds.

The front of the hall became much emptier in a short while. Bai Xiaochen’s phoenix-like eyes swept up and down Yun Chuanzhi, making her skin crawl before the gaze finally shifted away.

As Bai Xiaochen turned to leave, the other three Sect Leaders followed closely behind. Ling Shui rushed forward to support Bai Fenghe, but was waved away.

The woman stood up alone. Her steps were unsteady, like a weak willow in the wind. She used a silk handkerchief to wipe the blood from her lips.

“Sect Leader, your injury!” Ling Shui spoke with concern.

“It is nothing. Just a minor wound,” Bai Fenghe said flatly.

“How can it be a minor wound? There was so much blood.” Ling Shui took a step forward, holding the Phoenix Tears she had just retrieved from Yun Chuanzhi’s waist in her palm. “The Sect Master’s Lingbing Sword carries a cold poison. Even you cannot withstand it.”

“If you truly refuse to see the Medical Immortals, try this. This is a precious treasure of my clan; it has miraculous effects on cold poison.” Ling Shui held the small transparent gourd in both hands, offering it to Bai Fenghe.

Bai Fenghe’s gaze rested on Ling Shui’s face. She didn’t speak, staring for a long time before finally taking it.

“We won’t be returning today. This Seat will find a room to recover.” Bai Fenghe seemed to have drained all her energy; her voice was different from usual; extremely weary.

“You two, find a place to stay on your own. There is no need to follow me.”

The figures of Bai Fenghe and Ling Shui vanished at the end of the stone steps. Yun Chuanzhi watched them leave for a long time without moving. Beside her, Cheng Jinshu stepped forward and tilted her head. “What, are you worried too?”

“No.” Yun Chuanzhi shook her head. Her gaze was distant, her eyes full of lament.

“If I had known this would happen, I should have drunk that bottle of tears earlier. It could have increased my cultivation a bit,” Yun Chuanzhi sighed. “Now it’s truly all for nothing.”

Hearing this, Cheng Jinshu giggled. “And I was wondering when you started worrying about others.”

“What, am I incapable of worrying about others?” Yun Chuanzhi glanced at her sideways.

“It’s not that, but you are indeed different in my eyes. Compared to ordinary people, you are somewhat cold.” Cheng Jinshu crossed her right arm, her free hand stroking her chin in an imitation of an elder. “It feels as if nothing could ever make you lose your composure.”

“Are you truly just a sixteen-year-old immortal servant?” She spun around to stand in front of Yun Chuanzhi, speaking suspiciously.

“Take a guess,” Yun Chuanzhi replied with a smile.

Then she countered: “You don’t look like the Eldest Senior Sister of Mount Buxi either; you haven’t a shred of steadiness.”

Cheng Jinshu chuckled, tossing her braids behind her back. She pulled Yun Chuanzhi toward the crowd. “If I weren’t like this, I would have killed myself back when half my cultivation was destroyed. Could I have survived until now?”

That’s true. Those who have experienced pain must be carefree, or else how can they go on?

Due to the unexpected incident, the cultivators from all gates were now mixed together. Several higher-ranking practitioners were currently leading them to their respective lodgings.

Yun Chuanzhi and Cheng Jinshu blended into the crowd, ascending a wide staircase. Voices rose and fell around them, mostly discussing the event that had just occurred.

Some younger cultivators who didn’t know Bai Fenghe were being enlightened by their elders; the voices were noisy and fragmented.

“So the Leader of the Fifth Peak is actually a criminal? Then why doesn’t she stay on her peak? How does she have the face to cause a scene at Mount Buxi?” a young cultivator with a thin voice asked.

“You don’t know. This Sect Leader’s notoriety is far-reaching. She is even capable of killing her fellow disciples; what won’t she do?” a man in blue robes sighed. “I suspect she came to disrupt the Core Sect Day because she has no successors and has been lonely and resentful for a long time.”

The thin-voiced cultivator asked again, “She is also a Sect Leader; why does she have no disciples?”

“Who would want to be the disciple of such a notorious person? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?” someone else chimed in, followed by a few scattered laughs.

Yun Chuanzhi listened intently, poked Cheng Jinshu’s waist, and whispered, “Is that true?”

“Half and half. It’s true that few dare to join her gate, but there are always bold ones. After all, my Aunt’s cultivation is right there. There are even those who do evil who admire her greatly,” Cheng Jinshu said.

“But she rejected all of them. For some reason, she refuses to take even a single disciple.” Cheng Jinshu shook her head.

Yun Chuanzhi nodded slightly, not dwelling on the reason.

How could an ordinary person ever grasp the thoughts of someone like Bai Fenghe?

Yun Chuanzhi walked until her legs trembled. Only then did the stairway to heaven stop extending upward, instead spreading out flat in all directions. She dragged her heavy legs for the final step, nearly falling to her knees.

The surrounding cultivators hadn’t broken a single drop of sweat and were still chatting and laughing. Yun Chuanzhi bent over, clutching her knees, and then collapsed to sit on the ground.

Having cultivation versus not having it really makes a difference. She shielded herself from the sun and swore silently: Tomorrow, I’ll surrender before I even step onto the field. Core Sect Day? To hell with it.

Surrounding them was a heart-soothing forest of flowers. From afar, pink mist covered the mountain. At the end of the jade-white stone tiles stood an archway. Looking past it, dozens of magnificent cloud pavilions floated in mid-air, mingling with the mist. On each of the four corners of the eaves stood a white-feathered crane, slowly flapping its wings.

“As expected of one of the top sects in the cultivation world. Even the lodgings for the cultivators are so grand!” Yun Chuanzhi’s fatigue vanished at the sight. She pulled on Cheng Jinshu’s arm to stand up, looking around with her head held high.

“Look at that unpromising look of yours,” Cheng Jinshu said with her arms crossed. “Back in the day, my residence was truly grand.”

“The past cannot be chased.” She took a deep breath of the floral fragrance.

“From Gundan Gate?” A blue-robed cultivator stepped forward to inquire. She recognized Cheng Jinshu, and her face instantly turned red. “El; Eldest!”

“I am just a minor rogue cultivator now,” Cheng Jinshu interrupted. “Where are we staying?”

The blue-robed cultivator fell silent. She pointed toward a cloud pavilion at the very back. “Your lodgings are there. We didn’t expect Gundan Gate to participate, so there aren’t enough beds.”

“You will likely have to share a room with other cultivators.”

“No matter, as long as we can sleep,” Cheng Jinshu laughed. She grabbed Yun Chuanzhi’s collar and leaped into the air, landing on the protruding platform of the cloud pavilion in the blink of an eye.

The platform seemed to sense their presence; the closed doors pushed open on their own, revealing the wooden interior.

Upon entering, they saw a screen embroidered with mountains and water. They rounded the screen to enter the room. Inside, four beds were laid out horizontally. Four women were laughing and talking about something; but the laughter stopped abruptly when they saw the two.

“Eldest Senior Sister?” The woman closest had a face like a round moon, with bright eyes and white teeth; very charming. She stood up and asked, “This is!”

“Don’t call me Eldest Senior Sister; I was expelled long ago.” Cheng Jinshu waved her hand. “We are currently from Gundan Gate. The cultivators downstairs said there aren’t enough beds, so they sent the two of us to squeeze in with you.”

“Of course, that’s fine,” the woman laughed. She tilted her waist to look at Yun Chuanzhi behind Cheng Jinshu. “And this is!”

“She is an immortal servant under Sect Leader Bai, surname Cui.” After Cheng Jinshu introduced Yun Chuanzhi, she pointed to the round-faced woman. “Ergou, this is my Master’s youngest junior sister, Qi Yurong.”

Yun Chuanzhi was about to step forward to pay her respects when she saw Qi Yurong suddenly take a step back. Her footsteps halted.

“Immortal servant?” Qi Yurong pursed her lips and looked at her companions. With a wave of her hand, the slave mark that was usually hidden appeared on Yun Chuanzhi’s brow.

“Still a slave?” Qi Yurong frowned slightly. “Senior Sister, this!”

Yun Chuanzhi immediately understood her meaning. She couldn’t help but lower her head and smile softly, taking no further steps forward.

“What about a slave? What do you mean?” Cheng Jinshu’s brows rose. “If it comes to it, you can squeeze together, and I will share a bed with her.”

Qi Yurong didn’t speak. She turned to look at her companions. Another woman spoke with difficulty, “Senior Sister, you are one thing, but we are all proper cultivators. To have us share a room with a slave, I’m afraid!”

“Yes, Senior Sister. Are there no other empty rooms? Or perhaps outside the door!”

Cheng Jinshu instantly grew angry and said sharply, “How can you be like this! How did Master teach you!”

The women lowered their heads, not daring to speak. Cheng Jinshu stepped forward to argue further, but Yun Chuanzhi pulled her sleeve and shook her head with a smile.

“Forget it, it doesn’t matter.” Yun Chuanzhi had long known how much the Qianyuan Realm valued status; she wasn’t angry. She simply patted Cheng Jinshu’s shoulder. “You stay. I’ll sleep outside.”

 

“Ergou,” Cheng Jinshu turned and grabbed her. “How can you sleep outside? We might as well go back to Gundan Gate.”

 

“Don’t. If I have to travel back and forth again, I’ll definitely throw up.” Yun Chuanzhi’s smile was clear and bright. “It’s fine. There’s no wind or rain, and I’m used to living out in the elements. What does it matter where I sleep?”

 

Without waiting for a reply, she left the cramped room and returned to the sunlight.

 

Fortunately, the area was a forest of flowers. The fragrance was overwhelming, and with every breeze, unnamed petals drifted down like a rhythmic musical accompaniment. She wandered deep into the grove, found a tree with a wide fork in its branches, and hauled herself up.

 

Being away from the crowded room was a relief; better to have the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed than to endure the cold stares of cultivators. She swayed with the branches, watching the sun sink until the sky turned a deep, fading cerulean.

 

“Ergou!” A loud voice startled her. A figure leaped onto the branch, hanging foot-to-foot with her. “I’ve come to join you!”

 

“Cheng Jinshu?” Yun Chuanzhi opened her eyes in surprise. “Why aren’t you resting in the room?”

 

“I don’t like sleeping with them, a bunch of people who look down on everyone else.” Cheng Jinshu cushioned her head with her hands, letting one leg dangle. “I’ve always hated how these cultivators act so superior. They’ve lived the good life for too long and ignored the suffering of the world.”

 

“True enough,” Yun Chuanzhi chuckled.

 

“You have such a good temperament. You’re not even angry.”

 

“It’s a lie to say I’m not angry, but the feeling passes. Being looked down upon is nothing compared to real pain,” Yun Chuanzhi said softly, reaching out to catch the wind.

 

“Do you even know what pain is, kid?” Cheng Jinshu teased.

 

Yun Chuanzhi didn’t answer, her eyes fixed on the sky.

 

She knew. Watching her father trampled into the mud was pain; her mother being devoured by evil spirits was pain; Sister Guiren dying on a long street was pain; having to kill her own companions one by one just to survive was pain.

 

“I’m feeling a bit of pain right now,” Yun Chuanzhi suddenly frowned.

 

Cheng Jinshu froze and sat up abruptly. “What?”

 

“I’m hungry,” Yun Chuanzhi said, looking aggrieved.

 

“Tch.” Cheng Jinshu laughed and flipped down from the tree. “Come on, there must be a place to eat in the sect.”

 

“Forget it. I don’t want to deal with those cultivators.” Yun Chuanzhi flopped on the branch like a dead fish. “Let’s go steal some from the Sect Leader.” She grinned. “Bai Fenghe gets the best food, but she doesn’t eat much. Whatever is left belongs to me.”

 

“Stealing food from my Aunt? You’re bold. Aren’t you afraid of being punished?”

 

“It’s fine. I steal every day; she’s never noticed.”

 

Cheng Jinshu eventually gave in. She carried Yun Chuanzhi around the sect until, just before total darkness fell, they found Bai Fenghe’s location. It was a somewhat remote palace on the main peak. Above the door, the words “Little White Palace” shone in the light of the lanterns.

 

“What kind of name is ‘Little White Palace’?” Yun Chuanzhi squinted.

 

“When my Aunt first came to Mount Buxi, the former Sect Master bestowed this palace upon her and gave it that name just to coax her,” Cheng Jinshu said with nostalgia. “I didn’t expect her to come back here to stay.”

 

It seemed the former Sect Master truly adored Bai Fenghe. If she still cared for her Master, why would she have killed him? Yun Chuanzhi was puzzled but said nothing as they entered.

 

The hall was unlit and pitch black. Yun Chuanzhi pulled a short stick from her sleeve and tapped it; the end emitted a brilliant light.

 

“What is this?” Cheng Jinshu marveled at the smooth stick.

 

“A lamp I made myself. It never goes out, and I can control the brightness. Better than a torch.”

 

They walked down a long, dark corridor. For some reason, Yun Chuanzhi’s heart was racing. Something felt wrong.

 

“Can you sense the Sect Leader’s aura?”

 

“She’s a Tribulation stage cultivator; how could I sense her?” Cheng Jinshu joked, but she stopped when she saw Yun Chuanzhi’s serious face. “Wait… you don’t think…”

 

“Can you sense Ling Shui’s aura? Or mine?” Yun Chuanzhi thrust her light forward, but the thick darkness was like a wall, only illuminating the floor at their feet.

 

“There’s something strange about this palace,” Cheng Jinshu said, grabbing Yun Chuanzhi. “Let’s get out of here.”

 

“Out?” Yun Chuanzhi turned her light back. The door they had entered through was gone, replaced by an endless corridor stretching into the blackness.

 

“Is it haunted?” Cheng Jinshu summoned her dark iron staff. “I… I’m actually terrified of ghosts.”

 

“You’re a cultivator and you’re afraid of ghosts? How do you catch evil spirits?”

 

“Catching them is one thing; being afraid of them is another! Besides, I only have half my cultivation!” Cheng Jinshu wiped sweat from her forehead. “Don’t scare me! And why aren’t you scared? Are you a ghost too?”

 

“Yep,” Yun Chuanzhi replied. She nudged the staff aside and pulled Blackie from her sleeve. “You aren’t affected by illusions. See where we are.”

 

Blackie crawled onto her shoulder and looked around. “Master, this is a cliff.”

 

“What?!” Cheng Jinshu shrieked, clutching Yun Chuanzhi’s arm. “A cliff?!”

 

“If you take another step forward, you’ll fall,” Blackie said calmly, pointing to the right. “The path is this way.”

 

Yun Chuanzhi followed Blackie’s direction. The walls felt like bubbles as they passed through; the scene shifted, and moonlight hit the floor. Cheng Jinshu looked back, drenched in sweat. It was a cliff. “Did we fall into a trap?”

 

“Have you heard of Shadow Demons?” Yun Chuanzhi asked, stowing her light. “They move wherever there are shadows and use them to trick people into danger.”

 

“I’ve seen them, but never one this powerful,” Cheng Jinshu said. “How can there be a demon in the heart of Mount Buxi?”

 

Yun Chuanzhi didn’t answer. she led Cheng Jinshu into the dense woods. Cheng Jinshu followed closely, then suddenly realized something. “You’re an immortal servant with no cultivation. How do you know all this?”

 

“The moon is lovely tonight,” Yun Chuanzhi replied with a grin.

 

Cheng Jinshu rolled her eyes but stopped asking. After walking for a while, the “Little White Palace” appeared again. They had been in an illusion since they entered the remote area. They stepped back into the darkness of the hall.

 

“How do we avoid being tricked by a Shadow Demon?” Yun Chuanzhi whispered. She closed the door. “By having no shadows at all.”

 

They moved through the pitch-black interior, climbing to the second floor. Suddenly, Cheng Jinshu stepped on something soft. She nearly screamed but muffled it into a whimper. “Ergou, I stepped on a ghost!”

 

Yun Chuanzhi knelt and felt a smooth face.

 

“Sister Ling Shui!” Surprised, she pushed Cheng Jinshu’s foot away and helped Ling Shui up. She pressed a glowing fingertip to Ling Shui’s chest.

 

Ling Shui gasped and grabbed Yun Chuanzhi’s shoulders. “Sect Leader!”

 

“I’m Cui Ergou,” Yun Chuanzhi said. “What happened?”

 

“The Sect Leader was healing inside. I was guarding the door when everything went black. I couldn’t find her, and then many figures rushed out of the dark. I couldn’t fight them all off before I passed out.”

 

“What is your cultivation level?” Yun Chuanzhi asked suddenly.

 

“Golden Core stage,” Ling Shui replied.

 

“Me too,” Cheng Jinshu added.

 

If two Golden Core cultivators couldn’t sense this Shadow Demon, it was no ordinary monster. It was a high-level demon. Yun Chuanzhi stopped smiling. She handed Ling Shui a blood elixir. “You’ve been targeted by a powerful demon.”

 

“A demon? In the sect?” Ling Shui gripped her whip. “The Sect Leader…”

 

“Normally there aren’t demons here, but if there are, they are demons protected by spiritual energy that others can’t detect.” Yun Chuanzhi found the thought interesting.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Someone in Mount Buxi is keeping a demon as a pet,” Yun Chuanzhi said lightly. Before they could react, she pulled several cloth dolls from her sleeve. “Go find Bai Fenghe.”

 

The dolls scurried off into the darkness, unaffected by the Shadow Demon. Ling Shui and Cheng Jinshu watched in shock. Yun Chuanzhi knew she had to show her hand; if this demon was a pet, the hidden enemy was incredibly powerful. They had to find Bai Fenghe to survive.

 

The dolls soon returned and pulled at Yun Chuanzhi’s clothes. The three of them followed in a line.

 

“Listen, there’s a sound,” Ling Shui whispered.

 

They reached two doors. A rustling sound, like thousands of spiders crawling, made their skin crawl. A thick floral scent—Bai Fenghe’s signature scent—wafted through the cracks.

 

“Sect Leader!” Ling Shui kicked the doors open. Cheng Jinshu activated the light stick.

 

The scene was terrifying. Countless shadows flickered like dust motes, while a mass of shadows, like writhing snakes, tightly bound a woman in the center of the room.

 

“Bai Fenghe?” Yun Chuanzhi was stunned. It was indeed her, suspended in the air, wearing only a thin nightgown. Her hair was tangled in the shadows, and her face was transparently pale.

 

“Aunt!” Cheng Jinshu cried out. The shadows noticed them and swarmed like man-eating insects.

 

Cheng Jinshu swung her staff while Ling Shui used her white whip to hold them back. “What are these things?! Shadow Demons?”

 

“No,” Yun Chuanzhi said calmly, hiding by the wall. “These are evil spirits.”

 

“This many?!” Cheng Jinshu nearly cried. “How many graves did they rob to get this many?”

 

Yun Chuanzhi began drawing an array at lightning speed. Blackie tugged her hair. “Master, hurry! Something is coming!”

 

“I’m trying!” Yun Chuanzhi finished the last stroke. “Sister Ling Shui, I need blood!”

 

Ling Shui slashed her wrist, and several drops of blood fell into the eye of the array. Instantly, blue light filled the room, accompanied by the sound of ethereal Buddhist chanting. The spirits slowed and froze.

 

“Collect!” Yun Chuanzhi chanted. The array acted like a vortex, sucking the spirits in.

 

Just as they relaxed, Ling Shui’s body went cold. “No! Sect Leader!”

 

Under the blue light, the shadows of the four people in the room detached from the walls and merged into a massive, faceless monster. It lunged toward Bai Fenghe with a blood-curdling laugh.

 

“Save her!” Ling Shui screamed, but she was frozen in place. So were the others.

 

“Blackie…” Before Yun Chuanzhi could order the puppet, her own body was thrown through the air by an invisible hand toward Bai Fenghe.

 

In that slow-motion moment, Yun Chuanzhi saw Bai Fenghe’s trembling eyelashes and pale cheeks. Then, her lips firmly brushed against Bai Fenghe’s cheek.

 

For a second, she thought she saw the corner of Bai Fenghe’s eye twitch.

 

The lingering warmth remained on her lips. Yun Chuanzhi licked them, then instinctively grabbed the woman’s waist, pulling her along to dodge the monster’s maw as they crashed onto the bed behind them.