The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 29

Yun Chuanzhi had only intended to say a few lighthearted words to comfort Ling Shui. She never expected Bai Fenghe to pass by at that exact moment. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and once she steadied her footing, her eyes drifted guiltily toward the treetops.

Seeing her guilty look, Bai Fenghe surprisingly didn’t press the matter. She released her grip on Yun Chuanzhi’s collar and continued walking down the steps.

“The Core Sect Day is postponed, and staying at the main peak is inconvenient. Let’s return to the gate.”

Yun Chuanzhi exchanged glances with Ling Shui and Cheng Jinshu. The three of them quickened their pace, following closely behind her.

Ling Shui kept her gaze fixed on Bai Fenghe, her hand gripping the long whip at her waist. “Sect Leader, about Sect Leader Qiu;”

“My news is faster than yours. I knew the moment he died.” Bai Fenghe seemed entirely indifferent, her red lips curling into a faint, ambiguous tilt. “Half the sect is currently at the celestial prison. If I go now, I’ll just be a spectator. I’d rather go back to the gate and enjoy some peace.”

“He deserved to die anyway. It’s just a pity he died so quickly; it hardly satisfies my resentment.”

As Bai Fenghe spoke coldly, her figure seemed to dissolve into the bamboo forest below the steps, vanishing into the dense greenery. As the sound of the wind brushed past their ears, Ling Shui and Cheng Jinshu were swept away with her.

Only Yun Chuanzhi was left mid-stride, standing alone under a flurry of falling bamboo leaves.

“Hey!” she shouted toward the sky. More bamboo leaves swirled down, rustling like a flowing stream in the wind.

Just because I told one little lie, her heart is really as small as a needle’s eye, Yun Chuanzhi sighed long and hard. Resigned to her fate, she waved away the leaves and lowered her head to begin the long trek back to Gundan Gate.

The news of Qiu Hanshan’s death caused a massive stir that day, but by the next, only a few people were still whispering about it. Perhaps the Peak Leaders had issued a ban, but after a few more days, no one dared mention it again.

Because Qiu Hanshan had been chronically ill and rarely managed sect affairs, his passing didn’t actually affect the daily cultivation of the Third Peak’s disciples.

Yun Chuanzhi pondered the matter privately several times, feeling the whole thing was fishy. But seeing Bai Fenghe’s total lack of concern, she quickly stopped overthinking it.

The matter was considered settled. Yun Chuanzhi returned to her mundane life as an immortal servant, waking early and sleeping late, with plenty of leisure time; a truly carefree existence.

In the blink of an eye, Mount Buxi entered midsummer. The scorching sun baked the plants daily. Even the bamboo forest outside the Spring Pavilion bowed its head in broad daylight, its leaves drooping limply as if the moisture had been seared out of them.

According to Ling Shui, this summer was exceptionally hot; so hot that even the thousand-year-old glaciers on the high peaks of Mount Buxi had begun to melt. The glacial water gathered into streams that flowed through the mountain forests all the way to the foot of the mountain.

To address this, the Sect Master and the Mountain-Guarding Elders had ascended to the clouds several times, using celestial arts to bring rain to alleviate the drought in nearby villages and towns, but the effect was minimal.

On this particular day, the sky was high and the clouds were thin. Perhaps because it had rained the day before, a rare cool breeze blew through Gundan Gate. Bai Fenghe felt inspired and took her immortal servants to the Autumn Lament Court to watch a play.

This court was located at the southernmost tip of Gundan Gate. Bai Fenghe had built it specifically to mimic the theaters at the foot of the mountain. From a distance, the layered eaves sat upon a pavilion over the water, with dragon head carvings at the corners looking out in four directions. Beneath the theater was a shimmering lake with a painted pleasure boat floating on its surface.

Bai Fenghe sat leaning in the center of the boat, surrounded by beautiful servants like a cluster of clouds. Melodious music drifted from the theater.

Ling Shui stood perfectly straight on the shore on guard duty. Yun Chuanzhi, meanwhile, had long ago hidden in the shade by the lake, holding a plantain fan larger than two of her heads, lazily fanning herself.

The sun today was terrifyingly large, its light like molten gold baking the earth. Yun Chuanzhi squinted at Ling Shui, who was bathed in the blazing sun, and felt sincere admiration.

Even though Ling Shui was a cultivator and knew methods to ward off heat, standing there for so long was bound to be stifling. Yet she stared straight ahead, completely unaffected by the sunlight.

“Sister Ling Shui, the Sect Leader can’t see you anyway, take a break!” she shouted toward the shore.

Ling Shui’s ear twitched slightly, but she didn’t turn around. She merely waved a hand at Yun Chuanzhi in response.

“So rigid in her ways. No wonder Bai Fenghe won’t take her as a disciple,” Yun Chuanzhi muttered to herself. She pulled out a self-made black wood umbrella and stepped out under the clear sky.

She had made this umbrella specifically to resist the summer heat. Once opened, it would float above her head on its own, moving with the user’s steps.

In addition to providing shade, the umbrella ribs were pierced with several air holes. As she moved, the surrounding air was sucked in and transformed into a cool breeze to disperse the heat.

As she approached Ling Shui, the umbrella canopy expanded, enveloping both of them in shadow.

Ling Shui whispered a thank you, then looked up at the polished black umbrella ribs in surprise. “What kind of artifact is this?”

“It’s not an artifact, just a little toy I made to be lazy. I call it the Autumn Swing Bone,” Yun Chuanzhi said with a grin.

“Autumn Swing Bone?” Ling Shui’s eyes shimmered as she laughed. “What kind of name is that?”

Yun Chuanzhi replied, “The handle was made from a discarded swing I stole from the Wuyi Cliff. The ribs were made from the ribs of a celestial beast I traded from another servant. Thus, Autumn Swing Bone.”

Ling Shui found it quite novel and reached out to touch the intricate cloud patterns on the handle. “Such a tool is rare in the sect. Ergou, have you studied smithing?”

“I learned a few basics when I was young,” Yun Chuanzhi rubbed her nose. “These tricks don’t really count as smithing; at most, they are carpentry.”

Ling Shui glanced at the girl’s smiling eyes but didn’t ask further.

The two of them stood in the cool breeze by the shore, their gaze crossing the undulating surface of the lake toward the figures with flowing sleeves in the theater.

Yun Chuanzhi listened to the person on stage singing in a high pitched, warbling voice for a long time before shaking her head. “What is this play even about? It sounds like birds chirping; I can’t understand a word.”

Ling Shui leaned down slightly, moving closer to Yun Chuanzhi. “This is the most famous opera troupe from Youji City below the mountain. The one singing now is their most famous actor, known as the Warbler Immortal.”

“His voice is the most melodious, and his performance in Drunken Mountain Chant is the most moving. He’s also a master of vocal mimicry; without using any spells, he can imitate dozens of different voices.”

Yun Chuanzhi nodded slowly. At that moment, the play reached a tragic point. The actor held two cold blades, surrounded by several martial actors, his singing voice sounding like a mournful cry.

Ling Shui was moved to tears. She rolled up her sleeve to wipe them away. Seeing Yun Chuanzhi motionless, she comforted her, “You can hear the sorrow in it too, can’t you?”

Yun Chuanzhi suddenly snapped awake, her eyes bleary with sleep. She looked back at Ling Shui. “What did you say? Mountain green?”

Talking to a wall. Ling Shui ignored Yun Chuanzhi, straightened her back, and watched with her hands behind her.

When a scene ended, the Warbler Immortal spun and exited the stage, replaced by two clowns. Yun Chuanzhi was just about to fall back asleep when several screams suddenly erupted from the pleasure boat. The calm surface of the lake rippled as the boat rocked violently.

Ling Shui instantly snapped out of the drama. She cried out “Sect Leader!” and her snow white figure flew out like a released arrow, landing on the boat in a flash.

Yun Chuanzhi was no longer sleepy either. She put away her umbrella and ran toward the boat.

The pleasure boat, which had been full of song and dance moments ago, was now in total chaos. Several beauties in green silk skirts were huddled in the corner, clutching their ears. The central table had been split in two, and pastries and fruit were rolling across the floor.

“What happened!” Ling Shui stood before Bai Fenghe, gripping her whip, her voice sharp and stern.

Bai Fenghe was currently leaning back in a Zen chair, her hand supporting the back of her head, appearing indifferent to the scene. However, the grape between her fingers had been crushed at some point, and the purple red juice was trickling down the back of her hand.

Yun Chuanzhi was currently committed to her plan of flattering Bai Fenghe. She hunched over and stepped forward, thoughtfully pulling out a handkerchief to carefully wipe the woman’s fair hand.

The juice was wiped clean, but a red stain remained on the smooth fingernail. Yun Chuanzhi lowered her head to blow on the fingertip, then reached up to wipe it again.

Feeling the moisture, Bai Fenghe suddenly withdrew her hand. She reflexively flicked Yun Chuanzhi’s forehead with her finger. Yun Chuanzhi hissed in pain and squatted down behind the back of the chair.

“Sect Leader, what’s going on?” she whispered.

“Can’t you tell? A little girl who doesn’t value her life tried to assassinate This Seat.” Bai Fenghe’s voice was smooth as she slowly sat up. “An overconfident thing. She even ruined This Seat’s mood for the opera.”

“Drag her to the Demon Melting Cave and feed her to the beasts.” She stared fixedly at a corner of the boat.

Yun Chuanzhi and Ling Shui finally noticed someone lying there, buried under the shattered wooden beams.

Ling Shui hurried forward, waving away the wood chips to lift out the unconscious woman. She threw her into the center of the group, her brow furrowed. “You Tan?”

Ling Shui looked a bit panicked, then lowered her head. “Sect Leader, You Tan has been at the gate for three years already. Perhaps;”

“What about three years?” Bai Fenghe looked at Ling Shui, her willow leaf eyes reflecting the sunlight on the water, but they held a distinct chill. “Do you wish to plead for her?”

“This servant wouldn’t dare.” Ling Shui hurriedly clenched her sleeves and leaned down to pick up You Tan’s limp body. In the process, she shot a quick glance at Yun Chuanzhi.

Having spent over two months with her, how could Yun Chuanzhi not understand her meaning? She originally didn’t want to touch Bai Fenghe this way, but remembering that Ling Shui had just promised her two days of leave, she found herself in a difficult position.

Staying alive is important, but taking a break cannot be given up either.

After weighing her options, she spoke up: “Sect Leader, maybe ask her why she tried to kill you? Just in case;”

“Ling Shui, put her down,” Bai Fenghe said.

She actually listened? Yun Chuanzhi raised an eyebrow, unable to hide her surprise.

Ling Shui breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly lowered You Tan and checked her breathing with her knuckles. Then, she slid her palm across the girl’s forehead, and the girl suddenly snapped awake.

The girl had a pink edged Udumbara flower painted on her forehead. Upon waking, she suddenly flipped over and sat up, lunging toward Bai Fenghe again with a look of deep hatred, the dagger in her hand trembling.

“You Tan, stop!” Ling Shui stepped forward and yanked her back. Her long whip wound around the girl’s body like a dragon, binding her tight.

“What are you doing? Is the Sect Leader someone you can harm with your cultivation? Have you lost your mind!” Ling Shui, rarely angry, scolded her.

You Tan was dragged to the floor by the whip. The damp floor wet her hair, turning it into a mess, but she didn’t notice. She only stared at Bai Fenghe with eyes nearly splitting with rage.

Two trails of tears soaked into her hair as she muttered, “I will kill you, I will kill you;”

How can someone hate this much? Yun Chuanzhi looked at her with curiosity, retreating to hide behind Bai Fenghe.

She whispered, “Sect Leader, did you wipe out her entire family or something?”

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