The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 46

Yun Chuanzhi wanted to say something, but as she met Bai Fenghe’s gaze, she swallowed her words and ended up offering a small smile.

“I understand,” she said.

Bai Fenghe was someone who viewed the lives of others as insignificant, and in truth, Yun Chuanzhi was much the same. Though a faint worry lingered in her heart, she couldn’t quite explain the feeling.

During her days in Wujian City, aside from her parents who had died early, she had only ever shared a connection with Sister Guiren. Beyond that, there was no one. She had never truly cared for anyone, nor had she ever helped or protected anyone.

There were few living souls in Wujian City to begin with; as for the demons and vengeful spirits, their deaths were of no consequence to her.

Life is inherently lonely and empty; one comes alone and leaves alone, each bound by their own fate.

Therefore, Cheng Jinshu had her fate as well.

Seeing that Yun Chuanzhi did not argue, Bai Fenghe was quite satisfied. The sharpness in her eyes faded, and she offered her hand to Yun Chuanzhi, saying tiredly, “Let’s go. Accompany me to cultivate.”

Yun Chuanzhi caught her palm with both hands and supported her as they walked toward the summit of Wu Cliff.

The autumn wind blew chillily. The vast expanse of Wu Cliff was filled with withered leaves dancing in swirls. If one stared at the leaves for too long, they might hallucinate that the cliff was a Great ship tossed in a storm, swaying precariously.

One had to look down at the yellowed grass to steady their mind.

Wu Cliff was a place Bai Fenghe used exclusively for quiet cultivation, and ordinary people were forbidden from approaching. Although this wasn’t Yun Chuanzhi’s first time here, it was the first time she had looked at it closely.

At the edge of the cliff stood a towering withered tree, its bark long since dried and devoid of life. A swing had originally stood in the corner, but ever since Yun Chuanzhi had secretly chopped it down to make an umbrella, only this single tree remained on the entire cliffside.

“Just watch from the side,” Bai Fenghe said as she let go of her hand. She sat cross-legged and closed her bright eyes. Her skirt moved on its own despite the lack of wind. Though she was in the mountains, she seemed to be soaring through the heavens.

The withered leaves drifting nearby were suddenly drawn to her, racing to surround her. From a distance, it looked like a dance of butterflies. At the center, Bai Fenghe’s expression was distant, her hair fluttering as if she were ascending to immortality.

So this is what a cultivator in the Tribulation Transcendence stage looks like during practice. Yun Chuanzhi was momentarily dazed. She then sat cross-legged as well, forming hand seals to enter meditation.

Because Bai Fenghe was beside her, even without the aid of a formation, Yun Chuanzhi felt the spiritual power of the entire mountain surging toward her spiritual sea. It was even more effective than using a formation.

The spiritual power occupied her body, circling gently through her limbs, reinforcing her mortal meridians over and over while expanding her spiritual consciousness.

Yun Chuanzhi suddenly understood Bai Fenghe’s intent in asking her to keep watch. Protecting her was a pretense; helping her cultivate was the true purpose. She recited another mental charm, and her consciousness plunged into her spiritual sea, fully entering a state of flow.

In the depths of her mind, she thought of Bai Fenghe, and a strange sensation of sourness brushed past her heart, followed by a melting warmth.

Once in meditation, the passage of time went unnoticed. When Yun Chuanzhi opened her eyes with clear sight and sharp ears, a crescent moon was already hanging in the sky.

The deep blue firmament held the moon like a lit lamp, so close that she could almost see moving celestial shadows upon it.

Bai Fenghe had not yet finished. However, the withered leaves had scattered, and the air around her was condensing into cold mist. Frost had formed over her dark eyebrows. Yun Chuanzhi sensed something was wrong and leaned forward.

The closer she got to Bai Fenghe, the more bone-chilling the cold became. Yun Chuanzhi knew this was not how normal cultivation should look. She hurriedly raised her hand, channeled a strand of spiritual power, and gently probed into the space between Bai Fenghe’s brows.

Within the meridians, icy energy was clashing, and spiritual power was flowing backward; the fragile spiritual sea was in jeopardy. Yun Chuanzhi quickly withdrew her power and tapped her shoulder: “Sect Leader?”

Bai Fenghe wouldn’t just die here while practicing, would she? Terrified, Yun Chuanzhi used her spiritual power to draw a talisman in mid-air. After that round of cultivation, she could now use spiritual power with ease and would not run dry.

In a few quick motions, the talisman took shape. Yun Chuanzhi recited a mental charm and pressed the talisman into her heart.

The glowing talisman sank through her clothes into her body, traveling through the meridians to find the spiritual sea. It attached itself like a cool breeze. The power of the talisman rapidly dispersed the cold energy, and the frost on Bai Fenghe quickly turned into mist, then into droplets of water that flowed down her face and neck into her clothes.

Yun Chuanzhi’s hands were soaked, but Bai Fenghe had not yet woken up. She didn’t dare pull back and maintained the state of transferring spiritual power.

As the wind blew, the moisture on Bai Fenghe turned cold. Her brows furrowed tightly, and she began to shiver.

Yun Chuanzhi finally understood why Bai Fenghe, a genius rarely seen in a century, was still only in the Tribulation Transcendence stage after over a hundred years of practice. If every session was such a life-and-death ordeal, it was only natural for her to be lax about it.

After all, who knew which time the cold energy would clash so violently that she would breathe her last?

After another fifteen minutes, Bai Fenghe’s shivering intensified, but the conflict in her meridians finally improved. Guided by the talisman, the backward-flowing spiritual power slowly returned to its proper place, flowing back into the spiritual sea.

Color returned to her pale face. Her willow-leaf eyes slowly opened, meeting Yun Chuanzhi’s gaze.

She then looked down at Yun Chuanzhi’s palm resting on her chest, her dark eyebrows trembling visibly.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Yun Chuanzhi explained hurriedly, her words tumbling out for fear that Bai Fenghe would misunderstand and take her head off in a fit of rage.

“Cold energy entered your body just now; I was only helping you,” Yun Chuanzhi whispered. She then braced herself to disperse the talisman before letting go.

Her palms were wet, though she couldn’t tell if it was sweat or the melted frost from Bai Fenghe’s body.

“You certainly are bold. Weren’t you afraid I would succumb to my inner demons and blow you up first?” Bai Fenghe spoke coldly, but her voice was as weak as a mosquito’s hum.

It was rare to see Bai Fenghe so frail. For the first time, Yun Chuanzhi felt her threats carried no weight.

No wonder Bai Fenghe never lets anyone near her when she practices and sets so many layers of barriers on the cliff. No wonder she never lets the Divine Physicians near her.

If others knew she had an old ailment and looked like this during practice, her enemies would charge up the mountain without hesitation, Yun Chuanzhi thought.

As Yun Chuanzhi mused, she saw Bai Fenghe’s body sway. She began to slump backward softly. Yun Chuanzhi instinctively stood up and reached out, wrapping her arm around her waist and pulling her into her embrace.

Because she had overestimated Bai Fenghe’s weight, she used too much force. The two collided abruptly. To an outsider, it would have looked no different from an embrace.

“Sorry, sorry,” Yun Chuanzhi apologized in a low voice. Bai Fenghe remained buried in her embrace, seemingly drained of all strength. she only gave a faint “mm.”

Yun Chuanzhi wanted to let go, but as soon as she released her strength, the woman’s body was like a willow branch detached from its trunk, unable to stop falling.

So Yun Chuanzhi had to keep holding her, looking left and right: “Should I go find Lingshui?”

Bai Fenghe remained silent for a long time before finally saying with a voice as thin as silk, “What do you think?”

That was a “no.” Yun Chuanzhi nodded. Fortunately, she had just cultivated, and her cultivation level had risen, making her stronger. Lifting the person in her arms was not difficult.

Unable to hide her curiosity, Yun Chuanzhi spoke carefully: “Is it like this every time you practice?”

“Yes,” Bai Fenghe said, her brow twisting in pain. “Because of the old ailment, spiritual power flows backward during practice. The longer I practice, the more drained I become.”

It was a shame that she was so glorious and arrogant on the surface while suffering such hardship in private. Yun Chuanzhi felt a wave of sourness spread through her heart, and she looked away.

My heart really is softening, Yun Chuanzhi thought.

Bai Fenghe spoke again: “Yun Chuanzhi, this matter…”

“Don’t worry, I will never tell anyone,” Yun Chuanzhi promised, raising both hands. But as her hands left, the body in her arms began to fall backward again. Yun Chuanzhi hurriedly leaned down to catch her.

Bai Fenghe’s red lips moved as if she wanted to scold her, but because she lacked the strength, she barely endured it.

“Take me back to the sleeping quarters to rest,” Bai Fenghe closed her eyes.

Yun Chuanzhi nodded. She knelt halfway to pick her up. Although Bai Fenghe’s layered skirts were difficult to manage, Yun Chuanzhi didn’t find it too taxing due to her increased strength and cultivation.

Bai Fenghe was also somewhat surprised. Leaning on the girl’s shoulder, she looked up with an astonished gaze and said softly, “You seem to have grown taller.”

“I’m still growing,” Yun Chuanzhi smiled, stepping toward the stairs on the other side of the forest.

Bai Fenghe let out a faint sneer in her arms, then after a long pause, she spoke again: “Yun Chuanzhi.”

“Yes?”

“I am a bit cold.”

The woman shivered. Yun Chuanzhi realized the body in her arms was already ice-cold. After all, it was a chilly autumn night, and since Bai Fenghe’s clothes were mostly wet, she couldn’t stop shaking.

“These clothes are too heavy; help me change them,” Bai Fenghe added.

Her voice was ethereal. This version of Bai Fenghe was much harder to refuse than the sharp and demonic one of usual. Yun Chuanzhi didn’t speak; she only found a pavilion to set her down.

When her hand reached for the collar, she stopped.

If the outer dress were removed, the woman would be left in only thin undergarments. The silk fabric already failed to hide much, and now that it was damp, it was even more transparent.

But Bai Fenghe wouldn’t stop shivering, and her red lips were showing signs of turning purple. Yun Chuanzhi suppressed her wavering thoughts, quickly unfastened the clothes, and took a new set from her wooden box to drape over her.

The new dress was made of cloud-brocade, dyed a faint lake blue, with cloud-like white gaps remaining at the hem. It was elegant and exquisite.

Yun Chuanzhi knelt halfway to tie the sash at her waist. Bai Fenghe leaned against the pavilion pillar, her dark eyes reflecting the top of Yun Chuanzhi’s head, her thoughts submerged.

The girl’s nimble hands tied the sash into a beautiful knot. Bai Fenghe spoke softly: “Did you make these clothes?”

“Thanks to you, I set up a spinning wheel. This is the fabric I tried weaving a few days ago. I originally intended to wear it myself,” Yun Chuanzhi said. “But I accidentally made it too big.”

She had been distracted while cutting the fabric, thinking of her figure from her previous life. Only after sewing it did she realize her current body was too thin to wear it.

It’s a bargain for Bai Fenghe, she thought privately.

Bai Fenghe only smiled, her expression unreadable.

Yun Chuanzhi helped tidy her skirt and stood up. Bai Fenghe naturally raised her noble arms toward her. Yun Chuanzhi was silent for a moment at her entitlement but resignedly leaned down to pick her up again.

It was better when I was small and thin. With Great power comes Great responsibility. If Bai Fenghe refuses to walk in the future, she won’t ask me to carry her back and forth every day, will she? Yun Chuanzhi’s mind was filled with wild thoughts.

She shook her hair out, laughing at herself for overthinking. Bai Fenghe was a person of pride; how could she allow others to see her being carried by a small immortal servant?

That was for the best, because it was quite tiring. Yun Chuanzhi secretly rotated her aching wrists.

The cool night was pitch black, and they encountered no one on the way. Yun Chuanzhi successfully carried Bai Fenghe back to Fengchun Pavilion. She closed the door to the sleeping quarters with her foot and placed her back on the bed.

She lit a stick of soul-soothing incense. By the time she put down the fire starter, the woman had already draped her hand over the edge of the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

With her eyes closed, much of her sharpness vanished. Yun Chuanzhi watched her quietly for a while before placing her wrist back on the bed and covering her with the quilt.

She is simply exhausted for now. With Bai Fenghe’s level of cultivation, a single night’s sleep should be enough to recover.

Yun Chuanzhi, having carried her the entire way, was also profoundly fatigued. She closed the hall doors and returned to her side room, intending to fall asleep immediately as she usually did. However, after tossing and turning for a long while, her mind remained stubbornly clear.

 

For the first time since arriving in the Qianyuan Realm, the habitually deep-sleeping Yun Chuanzhi suffered from insomnia. She flipped around so much that even Hei Dan’er, tucked away in the corner, grew annoyed. Finally, she simply leaped up and pushed open the door to head outside.

 

The moon hung above the treetops. Though the crescent was thin tonight, its light was undiminished; perhaps because there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, the earth looked as if it were covered in silver frost, veiling everything in a layer of ethereal white.

 

Yun Chuanzhi carried a jar of wine she had “borrowed” from somewhere, which had been gathering dust in her room. She had intended to use the alcohol to induce some drowsiness, but after one sip, she spat it all out.

 

“This is terrible,” she muttered, setting the wine jar down with a look of disdain and sitting dejectedly on the steps under the eaves.

 

Her heart felt heavy, though she couldn’t quite say why.

 

Light footsteps sounded from behind. Without turning, Yun Chuanzhi knew it was Lingshui. She picked up the wine jar and tossed it back; Lingshui flicked her wrist, a current of air swirling in her palm as she caught it steadily. She tilted her head back and took a swallow.

 

The cold, aloof woman stood beneath the moonlight, wine spilling down her cheek, radiating a sudden air of bold resolution.

 

“I didn’t know you drank,” Yun Chuanzhi remarked. Lingshui wiped the corner of her mouth, smoothed her robes, and sat down slowly.

 

“I am not good at it either,” Lingshui sighed, her eyes filled with sorrow. “The Grand Sect Master is busy with sect affairs and has only sent Sect Leader Bi and a few disciples to handle the Great Demon. She hasn’t said a word about searching for Cheng Jinshu.”

 

“A Tenth Grade Great Demon is difficult to deal with. With Cheng Jinshu out there alone, my heart simply cannot find peace.” Lingshui shook her head.

 

Lingshui possessed a natural sense of responsibility; she was truly good material for a cultivator who cared for the world. Yun Chuanzhi looked at her sideways, thinking of how the three of them had grown close lately, often working and laughing together.

 

In Lingshui’s heart, she had likely long since regarded Cheng Jinshu as a close friend, hence this state of anxiety.

 

“Are you not worried at all?” Lingshui asked suddenly.

 

Yun Chuanzhi’s heart skipped a beat. She meant to shake her head, but her neck felt increasingly stiff. Finally, she smiled. “I am a bit worried, but what can I do?”

 

Lingshui nodded. Although she didn’t voice any blame, Yun Chuanzhi could detect the hidden disappointment in her eyes. Her heart trembled again, and she shifted her gaze away.

 

“Cheng Jinshu is missing, and neither the Grand Sect Master nor our Sect Leader seems concerned. I…” Lingshui looked dejected, her words ending in a long sigh.

 

“Yun Chuanzhi, do you not feel that although this vast Mount Buxi is filled with people seeking the Dao, the more they cultivate, the more arrogant and indifferent they become?” Lingshui said, taking another drink. She seemed confused and lost.

 

Looking at her, Yun Chuanzhi thought of the impoverished Magistrate Jiang in Youji City. At first, she hadn’t thought the two looked much like mother and daughter, but now there was a distinct resemblance.

 

“Indeed,” Yun Chuanzhi could only answer honestly.

 

“Is the purpose of our cultivation merely to break through to the Mahayana stage and achieve immortality?” Lingshui’s eyes were full of bewilderment. She smiled weakly. “After cultivating for so long and standing higher and higher, looking down on sentient beings as if they were ants, can one truly no longer feel a single shred of pity?”

 

“You are drunk,” Yun Chuanzhi said, shaking her head.

 

“I am not.” Lingshui set the wine jar down and stood up abruptly, her snow-white dress merging with the moonlight. “Yun Chuanzhi, I want to go down the mountain.”

 

Yun Chuanzhi’s heart tightened. “Where are you going?”

 

“To find Cheng Jinshu,” Lingshui said, tightening her grip on the long whip coiled at her waist. “In such a massive sect, there should at least be someone who remembers her and goes to find her.”

 

“Besides, since she is missing, it doesn’t necessarily mean she went to find the demon of her own accord. Perhaps she was controlled or threatened. She didn’t tell us because she likely didn’t want us to worry.”

 

“If it were me or you, or even the Sect Leader or Grand Sect Master who went missing, she would definitely go looking.” Lingshui’s eyes reflected the moonlight. “Help me apologize to the Sect Leader. Lingshui is deserting her post. If I live to return, I will accept whatever punishment she gives.”

 

“Just you alone?” Yun Chuanzhi stood up suddenly, frowning. “No, that is a Tenth Grade Great Demon, and you are only at the Golden Core stage. How can you face it?”

 

“Don’t worry, Sect Leader Bi and Senior Sister Mo Liuzheng have already headed to Mount Fuyu. If I get any news, I will certainly ask them for help.” Lingshui had clearly made up her mind. She smiled at Yun Chuanzhi, her eyes bright and clear.

 

“Take good care of the Sect Leader. Wait for my return.”

 

With that, Lingshui spun around and turned into a streak of white light, climbing the moonbeams into the sky and vanishing into the light.

 

She left too quickly for Yun Chuanzhi to catch her. Yun Chuanzhi could only stand there, stomping on the moonlight on the ground in frustration.

 

I really shouldn’t have formed connections with people. I really shouldn’t have meddled in others’ karma, Yun Chuanzhi thought, looking up at the moon. She remembered many years ago, when she had slaughtered all the invaders and returned to her home covered in blood. Sister Guiren had been cooking soup and teased her.

 

“Yun Chuanzhi, oh Yun Chuanzhi, how are you even more cold-blooded and detached than my puppets?”

 

“If you have a lover in the future, will you be this cold-hearted then, too?”

 

Yun Chuanzhi, of course, had no lover, no friends, and even when Sister Guiren died in her arms, she hadn’t shed a tear. Her heart simply felt as if a piece had been hollowed out, and it remained empty to this day.

 

Yun Chuanzhi closed her eyes, feeling even more exhausted. She turned back into the hall and tiptoed around, packing some spirit stones and clothes into her wooden box.

 

Hei Dan’er sat on the table, tilting its head at her. Yun Chuanzhi reached out and rubbed its ice-cold head, saying in a low voice, “I am going to leave you with Bai Fenghe. When she wakes up, tell her I couldn’t stop worrying about Cheng Jinshu, so I went down the mountain to look for news.”

 

“If she’s angry, act cute and plead for me. If she takes her anger out on you, just let her.”

 

“Anyway, you can’t die, and your head is hard.”

 

Hei Dan’er rolled its eyes.

 

Yun Chuanzhi thought for a moment and continued her low-voiced muttering, “Every morning when the Sect Leader wakes up, she must drink a cup of spring water from Muli Divine Peak, and it needs to be steamed with the freshest ice lotus petals. For washing her face, she uses the rootless water from the peak of Mount Buxi that hasn’t melted for a thousand years. For food, she likes freshly steamed Poria and Osmanthus cake. Every day at 10 AM, she needs a cup of beauty-enhancing soup. Now that the weather is cold, skip the iced treats and replace them with freshly brewed Pu-erh tea…”

 

“I’m leaving. You serve her in my place.”

 

After finishing her instructions, she put Hei Dan’er on her shoulder and tiptoed into the sleeping quarters. Bai Fenghe was still sleeping deeply, her brow relaxed; she had likely passed the peak of her pain.

 

Yun Chuanzhi set Hei Dan’er down and, by the moonlight, tucked in the quilt that Bai Fenghe had kicked aside. She used her spiritual power to probe her body; seeing that her pulse was steady and the cold energy had vanished, she felt relieved.

 

She rubbed her palms together, her heart still hanging by a thread. She poured a cup of tea for the morning and placed it on the table, then drew a soul-soothing talisman and stuck it at the head of the bed. Finally, with nothing left to do, she crouched down and stared blankly at Bai Fenghe’s sleeping profile.

 

This isn’t right. I should be avoiding these chores, so why am I doing them so naturally now? Yun Chuanzhi gazed at Bai Fenghe, feeling a sense of resentment, but she saw no other way.

 

She reached out to smooth a stray hair at Bai Fenghe’s temple, then tucked the corner of the quilt one last time before leaving quietly.

 

The main doors closed. The eyes that had been tightly shut slowly opened, cold moonlight flickering within them. Hei Dan’er shuddered instantly and tried to scramble away on its short legs, but it was snatched up by a silk ribbon and landed heavily in the woman’s palm.

 

“Where did Yun Chuanzhi go?” Bai Fenghe’s voice was low and slow as she asked with a faint smile.