The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 44

For some reason, Yun Chuanzhi’s body went rigid, as if someone had cast a Total Body-Bind Curse on her. She couldn’t move even a fingertip. The left side of her body felt numb, while the sensation on her right shoulder seemed to amplify, allowing her to clearly perceive every movement of the woman leaning against her.

This feeling was incredibly strange. Yun Chuanzhi could only exhale silently, circulating her breath within her body three times as if practicing internal alchemy. Only then did the rigidity finally dissipate.

“Is the Sect Leader troubled because of the dispute with the Grand Sect Master?” Yun Chuanzhi swallowed the inexplicable fluttering in her throat and spoke softly.

“Yes, and no,” Bai Fenghe replied. “It is not exactly worry; I suppose I am just tired. Let me lean on you for a while.”

Bai Fenghe no longer seemed to find her repulsive. Previously, she had been unwilling to even touch her, yet now she was proactively leaning in. Yun Chuanzhi mused privately; she wasn’t used to this kind of silence, so she spoke again. “It is already dark. Has the Sect Leader had dinner yet?”

Bai Fenghe didn’t answer, so Yun Chuanzhi continued, “Cheng Jinshu caught several wild chickens in the mountains today. Just now, she gave me the fattest one.”

“I was thinking of cooking it for a late-night meal, but since the Sect Leader enjoys chicken soup, I will go brew it for your dinner. How does that sound?”

“I am not hungry,” Bai Fenghe finally spoke. As she straightened her back, the lamps in the room reignited. Bright light filled the chamber, and Yun Chuanzhi blinked as her vision gradually cleared.

Bai Fenghe had leaned back onto the chaise lounge. Much of the exhaustion in her eyes had faded, replaced by a faint redness at the corners of her lids.

Yun Chuanzhi was not good at comforting others. After rolling several phrases around in her mouth, she managed to squeeze out: “Actually, I believe the Grand Sect Master does not truly disregard you.”

“Why should I care if she regards me or not?” Bai Fenghe let out a sneer. She rose and walked toward the bed, her hairpins jingling as she stretched her slender waist. “I am going to rest now.”

Yun Chuanzhi had no choice but to drop the subject of comfort. She stood up and beat her to the bedside by a few steps, skillfully smoothing the bedding and extinguishing the lamps.

She watched as the woman shed her outer garments and slowly lay down. Then, a ghostly voice spoke: “Yun Chuanzhi, can you tell me a story?”

She phrased it as a question rather than a command, with a faint hint of plea woven into it. Yun Chuanzhi was surprised by her attitude, but after a brief daze, she quickly agreed.

During her time in Wujian City, Yun Chuanzhi had loved reading storybooks to pass the time. She could still recall one or two, so she picked the one she remembered most clearly.

It was a common story, a simple romance novel about two people entangled in a web of love and hate. Since Yun Chuanzhi was no professional storyteller, she told it in a flat and dull manner.

However, Bai Fenghe listened very intently. It wasn’t until the moon climbed to the treetops and Yun Chuanzhi’s throat was dry from talking that Bai Fenghe finally drifted off to sleep.

Hearing the woman’s breathing turn deep and steady, Yun Chuanzhi tiptoed out of the room.

The mountain monk knows not the passing years; a single fallen leaf heralds the world’s autumn.

Late autumn at Mount Buxi arrived silently. A few days ago, it was merely a refreshing autumn breeze, yet after a few more days, pushing open the window revealed a landscape of intense, vibrant colors.

The once lush green forest was now covered in shades of red and yellow, looking like a tapestry woven from fine silk. Even the sun seemed washed by the autumn colors, losing its stinging glare and gaining a rich, deep crimson hue.

Ever since Bai Fenghe had pointed out the problem of a mortal’s short lifespan, Yun Chuanzhi had retracted some of her playfulness. Although she still prioritized pleasure in her daily life, she would use any spare time to draw formations and cultivate for a few hours.

Cultivation was not easy for this body, but fortunately, being in a celestial mountain overflowing with spiritual energy helped. Yun Chuanzhi soon broke through the Qi Refining stage, barely qualifying as a true cultivator.

As autumn deepened, the Autumn Instruction at Mount Buxi proceeded as scheduled. Bai Fenghe was much busier than usual, heading to the main peak to give lectures every other day. Yun Chuanzhi would always accompany her.

At first, she would sit in the hall and listen, but eventually, she grew bored. Whenever a lecture began, she would slip away to a secluded spot in the mountains—sometimes to cultivate, sometimes to nap.

This day, Yun Chuanzhi followed Bai Fenghe to the main peak again. The main peak was much higher than the Fifth Peak, and the autumn atmosphere was more pronounced. Half the leaves on the mountain had fallen, carpeting the ground like a heavy rug that rustled underfoot.

When the wind blew, red leaves filled the sky, looking both desolate and passionate. Yun Chuanzhi sat on a “Cloud Pavilion” floating in mid-air, gazing at the distant mountains while drinking tea and enjoying the autumn—a truly comfortable existence.

A woman in a light green short shirt walked up behind her and clicked her tongue twice. “Yun Chuanzhi, you truly know how to enjoy yourself. Where did you find such a secluded spot?”

“I’ve been cultivating on this mountain for over a hundred years, and this is the first time I’ve ever stepped onto this Cloud Pavilion,” Cheng Jinshu said enviously.

“I just stumbled upon it while wandering. This pavilion usually hides above the clouds, appearing and disappearing; it’s normal for no one to know about it.” Yun Chuanzhi stretched her legs with a smile, swaying in her rocking chair. “Would you like some tea? It’s top-grade Muli Spring Tea.”

“Muli Spring Tea? That’s the tea harvested only once every three years on the Muli Divine Peak. Where did you steal it from this time?” Cheng Jinshu sighed, stepping forward to pour herself a cup. She took a small sip and squinted her eyes in comfort.

“How can you call it stealing? The Sect Leader thought this batch wasn’t refreshing enough, so she gave it all to me,” Yun Chuanzhi retorted.

Cheng Jinshu found a chair and sat down. As they felt the wind, there was already a hint of a chill in the air.

“Another year passes in mediocrity.” Cheng Jinshu reached out to catch a floating fallen leaf, then waved her hand to throw it away. “Winter will be here soon, yet Mount Buxi hasn’t changed a bit.”

“Cultivation is meant for quietude. A mountain is a place for immortality, so naturally, there are no changes.” Yun Chuanzhi pointed at the multi-colored forest below. “Isn’t enjoying the scenery enough?”

Cheng Jinshu smiled and stopped talking. Footsteps sounded from behind—the pace was steady and light, unmistakably Lingshui’s.

Sure enough, a white hem fluttered in the wind. Lingshui, with her melancholic eyes, didn’t take a chair but sat directly on the edge of the pavilion’s extended platform.

Cheng Jinshu handed her a cup of tea and teased, “It’s the Autumn Instruction today. Why aren’t you following her into the Lecture Hall to listen to the scriptures?”

Ever since the Autumn Instruction began, Lingshui followed Bai Fenghe every single time. Sometimes she eavesdropped at the door, other times she used the excuse of serving to listen inside. Although Bai Fenghe knew her intentions, she never pointed it out, which was a silent form of permission.

“It’s not my Sect Leader lecturing today, but Liao Zongfang, the Sect Leader of Yunan Sect. Sect Leader Liao is most particular about status and hierarchy; no immortal servant is allowed to enter the cultivation grounds,” Lingshui said softly.

“Why hasn’t my Aunt taken you as a disciple yet? By all rights, with your talent, you’re even stronger than I am,” Cheng Jinshu complained on her behalf.

Yun Chuanzhi, who had been listening, suddenly chimed in: “In my view, it’s not that the Sect Leader is unwilling to take Lingshui as a disciple. It’s because she herself carries too much infamy; taking a disciple now would only cause that infamy to be shared by Lingshui.”

“That makes sense.” Cheng Jinshu suddenly remembered something and giggled. “I heard the cultivators saying yesterday that out of all the Sect Leaders and Elders lecturing, they are the most serious and quiet when my Aunt enters the room. Forget napping—they don’t even dare to let their minds wander.”

Lingshui smiled at that. “I saw it with my own eyes the day before yesterday. The Sect Leader hung a disobedient cultivator from the roof of Mingcun Hall to blow in the cold wind for half a day. He was only saved when his Master arrived.”

Yun Chuanzhi laughed along with them, thinking that with Bai Fenghe’s temperament, she was capable of anything from murder to arson; dealing with a few green youngsters was child’s play for her.

As the three chatted idly, a tiger’s roar suddenly echoed from the horizon. Yun Chuanzhi looked up to see a string of black dots in the clouds. The dots approached quickly, revealing a white tiger with black stripes.

Atop the white tiger stood a blue-robed immortal cultivator. The man had broad shoulders and strong arms, with his hair tied in a Taoist Hunyuan bun. His features resembled his tiger, with deep-set eyes and thick black eyebrows, looking fierce and malevolent.

Four or five cultivators followed behind him, all of them disciples of Mount Buxi.

The group looked grim as they rode the wind, quickly sweeping past the Cloud Pavilion where the three were sitting, bringing a gust of violent wind with them.

“Who are they?” Yun Chuanzhi poured out her tea, which had been dirtied by the wind, and looked back at their retreating figures.

“The one in the lead is the Eldest Disciple under Sect Leader Bi of the Fourth Peak, named Luo Yin’an. By seniority, he is my Junior Brother. He took several young disciples who had just broken through to the Golden Core stage down the mountain for training recently,” Cheng Jinshu replied.

As she spoke, she frowned. “Wait, I remember they took over a dozen people when they left. Why are there only these few left upon their return?”

“Could they have encountered danger below the mountain and gotten injured?” Lingshui also stood up to gaze into the distance. “They are heading toward Mingcun Hall. It looks like an emergency; they’ve knelt directly at the hall entrance.”

“Let me see.” Cheng Jinshu loved excitement and circled to the other side of the pavilion to squint.

Curiosity piqued in all three of them. Since Bai Fenghe wouldn’t be out for a while, they jumped down from the Cloud Pavilion and hurried toward Mingcun Hall.

When they arrived at the entrance, Luo Yin’an and the others had already entered. Cheng Jinshu stepped forward, stuffed two spirit stones into the guard’s hand, and asked a few questions.

When she returned to Yun Chuanzhi and Lingshui, her face was grim and her smile had vanished. She said, “They said they encountered a Tenth-Grade Great Demon down the mountain. Aside from those who escaped with their lives, the rest of the disciples are missing.”

“A Tenth-Grade Great Demon?” Even Yun Chuanzhi was shocked. She looked at Lingshui. “Are there really so many Great Demons in the Qianyuan Realm?”

“Demons are many, but the highest are usually Seventh or Eighth-Grade. Ninth-Grade are few and far between; ordinary cultivators never see them. As for a Tenth-Grade Great Demon, only one has appeared in the last twenty years.”

Lingshui’s voice trailed off as her almond eyes worriedly watched the suddenly silent Cheng Jinshu. She didn’t say more.

Yun Chuanzhi suddenly remembered the story of Cheng Jinshu’s past she had heard a few days ago and also fell silent.

Yun Chuanzhi later learned more about that Great Demon from back then. It was said that not only the three major sects but also other immortal sects and rogue cultivators went to the location where the demon appeared, hoping to get a share of the spoils while eliminating it.

A Tenth-Grade Great Demon is terrifying, but its body is full of treasures. Not to mention the spirit core; even a single vial of its blood would be a top-tier resource for cultivation.

However, the Great Demon was incredibly powerful. In the end, Bai Xiaochen and the Goddess of Muli Divine Peak, Fu Ran Jun, had to intervene together to severely wound it. Yet, due to some complications, the Great Demon eventually escaped and vanished.

Now that another Tenth-Grade Great Demon had appeared, could it be…

Yun Chuanzhi and Lingshui exchanged a look but said no more. Finally, Lingshui broke the silence. “The sun is setting and the Autumn Instruction is almost over. Let’s go find the Sect Leader.”

Cheng Jinshu’s face was pale, looking like a different person from moments ago. She forced a smile. “You two go. I have some matters to attend to. Farewell.”

With that, she turned and left, her fluttering braid quickly disappearing among the falling red leaves. Yun Chuanzhi and Lingshui didn’t know what to say. Eventually, the two walked silently to the Lecture Hall and stood at the door waiting for Bai Fenghe.

The sound of stringed music signaled the end of the session. The door creaked open, but no one stepped out for a long while. It wasn’t until the hem of Bai Fenghe’s robe appeared in the sunset that the cultivators in the hall felt like they had been granted amnesty, swarming out like they were fleeing for their lives.

Some rode clouds, some sprinted; it was as if Bai Fenghe were a man-eating demon they couldn’t wait to disappear from.

In a short while, only Bai Fenghe remained under the eaves of the hall. Her enchanting eyes swept over their retreating backs with the disdain one shows for ants. Then, she swept her long sleeve and offered her jade hand to Yun Chuanzhi, her bright red nails gleaming.

“I am dizzy. Support me as we go back. The story you told last night was not bad; I want to hear another.”

Yun Chuanzhi had grown used to Bai Fenghe’s increasingly unreasonable demands lately. However, with Lingshui present, her face flushed slightly. She gave a light cough and stepped forward to cradle the woman’s palm.

As she helped her down the steps, Lingshui also coughed, turning her back to hide the maple-leaf redness on her own face.

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