The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 5

“Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit,” the man cursed upon hearing her words. At the same time, he lunged forward, intending to drag the frail-looking girl out the door. However, before his hand could even brush her sleeve, his fingertips were pinched by something.

When he looked closely, he saw that it was a tiny, exquisite stone doll. The little figure emitted a deep blue light and floated effortlessly before his eyes.

Amidst his shock, the girl opposite him suddenly pursed her lips and smiled. The stone doll mirrored her, pulling its face into a brilliant grin, and then flicked its short, thick arm.

In an instant, the man’s bulky body was sent flying. He landed hard, his backside crushing the cooking pot. Hot porridge splashed everywhere, accompanied by his screams of pain as he clutched his rear, drenching everyone in the vicinity.

Yun Chuanzhi reacted quickly, ducking under a table. The crowd that had surged forward to watch the commotion was not so lucky; they were showered with scalding porridge, leading to a chorus of howls.

The room was a scene of absolute chaos. Servants scrambled for cover, and the man who had fallen into the pot didn’t bother to denounce Yun Chuanzhi further, instead bolting out the door to find water to wash himself.

As the commotion faded into the distance, the Xixie Pavilion, which had been so noisy moments ago, fell into a deep silence.

The stone doll floating in mid-air exhausted its last bit of spiritual energy and fell to the ground with a clack, scattering into a few plain, unremarkable stones.

Yun Chuanzhi looked at those dull stones with regret. The spiritual energy contained within them had been nearly depleted during the Soul Sacrifice formation; using them once more had been their limit.

Still, she gathered the stones into her sleeve. After all, this crude little stone puppet was the only friendly companion she had found since coming to the Qianyuan Realm.

However, after the recent events, the food by the stove had been ruined. Yun Chuanzhi searched for a while and managed to pull out a bun that hadn’t gathered too much dust.

Lucky, lucky. If she rinsed it with water, it would suffice to fill her stomach. Yun Chuanzhi tucked it away carefully and turned to leave the Xixie Pavilion.

Meanwhile, in the Spring-Greeting Pavilion at the highest point of the Fifth Peak, a woman dressed in smoky purple robes leaned back in a chair cushioned with silver silk. Her brow was furrowed in a foul mood, and the tea by her side had already turned ice cold.

Floating in the air before her was a copper mirror magnified dozens of times, showing the silhouette of Yun Chuanzhi leaving the Xixie Pavilion.

“After she woke up, she only went to the Xixie Pavilion and nowhere else?” Bai Fenghe rubbed her brow with her index finger, closing her tired eyes to rest.

“In response to the Sect Master, she has not,” Lingshui replied, prostrating herself at the doorway.

“And after she woke, did she ask you anything else?” Bai Fenghe added.

“Nothing much…” Lingshui stopped mid-sentence, her eyes lighting up. “Wait, she did ask what year and era it is now.”

“Oh? How did she react?” Bai Fenghe lowered her lashes and looked at Lingshui. Caught in her gaze, Lingshui’s shoulders shook, and she buried her head again.

“I… I didn’t pay much attention…”

Useless thing. Bai Fenghe withdrew her gaze, picked up a half-dry handkerchief from the table to wipe her lips, then tossed it to the floor. “This cloth is dry. Bring a clean one.”

Lingshui hesitated for a moment before gathering the courage to advise: “Your lips are nearly wiped to the point of bleeding…”

Halfway through her sentence, she met Bai Fenghe’s gaze. The remaining half of her words could no longer be uttered. She respectfully exchanged the cloth for a high-quality cloud-silk handkerchief, sprinkled it with precious heavenly spring water, and handed it to Bai Fenghe while kneeling.

She watched as the woman took the handkerchief and wiped her already crimson, dripping-wet lips once more.

Bai Fenghe tossed the used handkerchief aside with two fingers, her lingering disgust refusing to vanish. She maintained her lips with care every day, using expensive rouge from the Qionghuang City—how could she have been so careless as to let that demon defile them?

Had she known, she wouldn’t have hesitated yesterday; she should have struck while the iron was hot and killed the person. She blamed that demon for being so calculating, acting exactly like Cui Ergou at the critical moment.

When people do reckless things, they usually need a surge of momentum. Yesterday, she had that disregard for consequences; if she had killed her then, it would be done. But now that the momentum had dissipated, cautious thoughts took over.

For example, what was that “total catastrophe” the white-browed old man spoke of? Would it affect Buxi Mountain? Or, if she died from the calamity, wouldn’t her enemies get exactly what they wanted?

If her spirit saw them clapping and cheering from the afterlife, wouldn’t she explode with rage?

In short, such thoughts multiplied, leaving Bai Fenghe’s mind in a state of restless irritation.

She took a sip of cold tea, which finally dispersed some of her frustration. “Is the outer-gate servant who lived with Cui Ergou awake yet?”

“In response to the Sect Master, she has regained consciousness,” Lingshui reported. “According to her, the moment Cui Ergou woke from her faint, she seemed like a different person. She used evil arts and acted maliciously, knocking her unconscious for no reason. She knows nothing of what happened after.”

Bai Fenghe gave an “en,” her gaze fixed on a single point. Her long fingernails tapped rhythmically against the armrest of the chair as if she were contemplating something.

After a long while, she spoke coolly again: “Do not ask too many questions regarding Cui Ergou. If you draw the eyes of others, you should know the consequences.”

Though the tone was somewhat gentle, the meaning behind it was truly terrifying.

“This servant wouldn’t dare,” Lingshui said hastily.

“Very well.” Bai Fenghe was satisfied with her obedience. “Bring her to me.”

Before Lingshui could respond, Bai Fenghe’s brow furrowed slightly. “Forget it. You are too slow; I fear you will delay my afternoon nap.”

With that, she swept her sleeve. A bright purple light, like a sunset cloud, filled the sleeping quarters, and the Virtual-Peeping Mirror vanished instantly.

When the light died down, a soot-covered Yun Chuanzhi appeared in the center of the hall with a bang. Along with her came a cloud of dust and choking smoke. A few gusts of wild wind blew through, and Bai Fenghe’s meticulously cared-for hair rose into the air, tangling into a messy knot at the top of her head.

“…” Bai Fenghe’s sharp nails nearly dug into her palms. She pressed her lips into a thin line, staring at “Cui Ergou” expressionlessly.

The girl was sitting cross-legged with a bewildered expression. In her left hand, she held a mud-covered roasted chicken; in her right, a stick with a roasted fish. The campfire before her was burning brightly, sending up billows of black smoke that made the elegant sleeping quarters smell like a boiler room.

Lingshui stood with her mouth agape for a long time, supporting her forehead, not daring to look at this disastrous scene.

Their Sect Master was a woman of such propriety that she wouldn’t even let a single hair get out of place while sleeping. Now, wouldn’t she be so angry as to skin Cui Ergou alive?

What the hell? Yun Chuanzhi silently swallowed the chicken meat in her mouth, looking around wordlessly.

She had been so hungry her stomach was touching her back. Out of necessity, she had ducked into the mountain forest, used the hunting skills from her past life to catch a fat wild chicken, and netted a delicious fish from the stream.

She had barely taken a few bites; how was she brought here?

Then, there were two more bangs. The fire and smoke before Yun Chuanzhi vanished completely. She looked up and met Bai Fenghe’s gaze. The woman’s hair had already returned to a cloud-like flow. She was covering her red lips with a handkerchief, showing only her slightly disgusted willow-leaf eyes.

“Lingshui, go guard the door,” Bai Fenghe said. Lingshui felt like she had been granted a reprieve and retreated immediately.

Only the two of them remained in the hall.

“As a personal servant, leaving your post without permission… do you know how great a sin that is?” Though she spoke softly, her tone brooked no argument. The air behind her words seemed to pile up in one’s heart; with every word, the heart sank a little deeper.

Is she finally going to retaliate against me? Yun Chuanzhi’s heart tightened, but unexpectedly, as Bai Fenghe spoke, her tone suddenly shifted.

“You were frivolous toward me the other day. I consider your young age and lack of propriety, so I shall not punish you.”

Bai Fenghe rose slowly. Her waist was cinched tightly today, and she loved wearing wide skirts, which made her posture look even more supple and graceful. “Do not let it happen again.”

Hearing this, Yun Chuanzhi was quite surprised.

Bai Fenghe was absolutely not someone who would tolerate such things. Why was she dropping the charges so easily now? What exactly was she plotting?

Could it be that she was so wary of her that despite continuous testing, she still didn’t dare to remove her easily? But she was currently just a little servant without even a thread of spiritual power; what was there to be wary of?

If it wasn’t wariness, then why would she endure being “frivolous” with? Or did she have some other purpose?

Yun Chuanzhi kept her head down, her mind spinning with a thousand thoughts.

Just then, her stomach growled again. She spoke softly: “Sect Master, could this servant…”

She wanted to tell Bai Fenghe that the roasted chicken wouldn’t taste good once it got cold, but then she heard two more bangs. The heavy chicken and fish in her hands instantly turned to dust, shimmering as they vanished into the air.

…

Bai Fenghe’s lazy voice drifted into her ear: “This Sect Master’s sleeping quarters cannot tolerate such filthy things.”

Yun Chuanzhi’s heart skipped several beats.

Her roasted chicken. Her fish. The food she had finally found after three days of hunger had turned to ash right before her eyes.

If she were Yun Chuanzhi, she would now have a cold face, pressing the person who provoked her under her palm to teach them a lesson, then tearing them to pieces in her rage. But currently, she was clearly powerless.

What if she were Cui Ergou?

A weak, bullied girl with no food and feeling utterly wronged.

Thinking of this, she squeezed her eyes, cleared her throat, and got ready.

Then, she sank to the floor, covered her face, and began to wail and sob at the top of her lungs.

Her crying came so unexpectedly that Bai Fenghe instinctively took two steps back, her fragrant shoulders shaking in surprise.

Ever since Bai Fenghe had become the independent Sect Master of the Fifth Peak, no one had dared to be so insolent in her presence. People would be trembling just by shedding a tear, let alone crying so heart-wrenchingly.

“It was just some refuse, not some mountain delicacy. Why cry to this extent?” she scolded with a frown. She raised her hand, intending to silence Yun Chuanzhi’s crying, but after her purple light hit the girl twice, the crying did not diminish; instead, it seemed to grow loud enough to shake the heavens.

Now, Bai Fenghe was truly stunned. Her magic had actually failed on her.

What kind of person is this evil spirit! Waves of shock surged in Bai Fenghe’s heart. She tilted her body slightly so Yun Chuanzhi wouldn’t see the panic flashing in her eyes.

“Enough! What is the point of all this wailing? It’s so ugly my eyes hurt,” Bai Fenghe shouted to stop her, but she didn’t pursue it further. “Tell me what you want. Do not act like a child.”

“This servant is hungry,” Yun Chuanzhi said.

Her thin body sat on the floor, huddled in her oversized clothes while clutching her knees. Her hair hung messily behind her, and her small face was wet, looking like a flower bud that had just been through a heavy rain. She looked incredibly pathetic.

Yet her eyes were bright, filled with clear tears, looking at Bai Fenghe with a wronged expression.

Ordinary people always showed fear when facing her, but the girl before her did not. There was nothing but her sense of being wronged. For a moment, Bai Fenghe actually lost her temper under that gaze.

Truly strange. Bai Fenghe lowered her lashes and paced forward in annoyance. With a sweep of her sleeve, a redwood low table appeared before the girl, with several fragrant dishes arranged neatly upon it.

“Eat,” she said coldly.

Yun Chuanzhi sniffled and raised her hand to wipe her tears, but seeing the dust on her sleeve, she lowered it with a touch of disgust.

After looking around, she reached out and grabbed a clean, flower-scented purple corner of Bai Fenghe’s skirt. Under Bai Fenghe’s shocked gaze, she seriously wiped her face clean with it.

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