Transmigrated as the Little Concubine of a Paper-Thin Man - Chapter 14

The wooden box was exquisitely decorated, with a gourd-shaped keyhole in the center of the front. Shi Yunjii stroked the keyhole, momentarily lost for an idea—after all, she had bought the box in such a rush that she hadn’t checked if the system store had listed a matching key.

Thinking of this, she looked down at Yan Ling, only to find that Yan Ling had fallen asleep, resting her head on Shi Yunjii’s lap.

The usually noble Immortal Lord now seemed to revert to the little girl Shi Yunjii first met, sleeping peacefully under her protection, trusting her completely.

Shi Yunjii couldn’t help but raise her hand to pinch Yan Ling’s cheek, then stroke her long black hair.

Heaven knows how long she’d wanted to do these things!

After satisfying her desire, she looked at the box again. In the past, she wouldn’t have been too curious about this box bought from the system, but influenced by Yan Ling and the others, she was now filled with curiosity about what was inside.

She lifted the box to her ear and gently shook it, hearing no sound.

Coupled with the box’s excessively light weight, an absurd thought flashed through Shi Yunjii’s mind—

Could this box be empty?

Shi Yunjii instinctively placed her hand on the lid of the wooden box, just as she was about to try opening it, there were two soft taps from the window.

She looked up and saw that the window had opened a crack at some point. Through the gap, a pair of familiar fox-like eyes stared at her menacingly.

Huan Zhu?!

Shi Yunjii’s heart tightened. She hunched her shoulders and hugged the box close to her chest.

Huan Zhu’s gaze was deep. She stared at Shi Yunjii and slowly opened her mouth, silently asking, “You want the box too?”

Shi Yunjii understood the sentence from her deliberately exaggerated lip movements, and at the same time, she slowly relaxed. Huan Zhu using such a cautious method of communication indicated that she was either unable or dared not enter the sleeping chamber right now.

She lowered her head to look at Yan Ling, who was still sound asleep with her eyes closed, and a sense of pride at being sheltered by her little girl welled up in her heart.

The next second, Shi Yunjii shook her head at Huan Zhu.

Huan Zhu was impolite, and her next sentence was a direct, “Give the thing to me.”

Shi Yunjii took a deep breath and shook her head again.

Both of their attention was focused on the other, and neither noticed that Yan Ling, resting on Shi Yunjii’s lap, fluttered her eyelashes slightly at a certain moment. However, her breathing remained steady and even, her state no different from that of an ordinary person in deep sleep.

“Heh.” Huan Zhu curled her lips into a cold sneer. “What do you mean by this? You don’t want revenge anymore?”

Shi Yunjii bit her lower lip.

Huan Zhu looked at her and continued to mouth the words: “If you hadn’t come in to mess things up, I would have the box and the Silver Bell by now. We agreed long ago that I’d take the box and leave, and you’d use Yan Ling’s natal weapon to return to the sect and take revenge.”

“Why did you betray me?”

Shi Yunjii slightly narrowed her eyes.

She wasn’t stupid. Faced with Huan Zhu, who was still trying to deceive her with lies, she gave a mocking soft snort.

[Do you think you’re that kind? Could I really take the Silver Bell and safely return to take revenge after the incident?]

She knew from the moment she first heard Huan Zhu’s plan—Huan Zhu dragged her into it simply to use her to draw fire.

With Huan Zhu’s abilities, she could easily escape when the time came. And Shi Yunjii, even if she got Yan Ling’s natal weapon, the Silver Bell, would have to face the pursuit of the entire Flying Immortal Sect and Yan Ling herself.

This plan was nothing but a dead end for her.

The only reason she didn’t refute her on the spot was because she didn’t want Huan Zhu to kill her, or for Huan Zhu to secretly plot against Yan Ling behind her back.

Seeing that she was unmoved, Huan Zhu narrowed her eyes: “We still have a chance.”

She pointed a finger at the deeply sleeping Yan Ling: “Now, steal the box and the Silver Bell on her hand. I can take you and escape from the Flying Immortal Sect.”

Shi Yunjii strained to discern her lip movements, and after understanding, she took a deep breath.

Huan Zhu: “The drug’s effect is about to wear off. If you don’t leave now, what chance do you have to live when Yan Ling wakes up?”

Shi Yunjii lowered her head in thought. After a moment, she looked up at Huan Zhu and responded to her, mouthing one word at a time.

“If I go with you, I still have no chance to live.”

Huan Zhu sneered contemptuously: “Then you’ve made up your mind? Are you confident you can survive in Yan Ling’s hands?”

Shi Yunjii’s expression froze.

“Yunji, oh Yunji, how can you be so foolish?” Huan Zhu looked at her as if she were an idiot. “Which do you think is more important to Yan Ling, the box or the weapon? With the ‘Dao Heart Box’ in my hands, she won’t pursue you. You just need to avoid those few flies from the Flying Immortal Sect, and you’ll be free.”

Shi Yunjii smiled bitterly.

If the original owner’s soul was still in this body, Yunji might have a chance to take the Silver Bell and return for revenge. But she knew nothing and couldn’t possibly escape the Flying Immortal Sect.

Looking at the nearby “Dao Heart Box,” Huan Zhu grew a little impatient.

She straightened her face: “Give the thing to me.”

Shi Yunjii was focused on discerning her words, her entire attention on her. The moment those five words appeared in her mind, she felt a flash of white light explode before her eyes.

Then, thoughts uncontrollably surged into her mind—

Give the thing to her!

Give the “Dao Heart Box” to Huan Zhu!!!

Driven by these thoughts, she raised her hand blankly, extending the wooden box she had hidden in her arms. Shi Yunjii’s consciousness was still clear, and she quickly realized that she was very likely being controlled by Huan Zhu, but she was unable to resist and could only watch her body comply with the other party’s instructions.

But soon, the tilting of her upper body caused her lower body to shift, and Shi Yunjii took a small step with her left leg. This movement was slight, but Yan Ling was still resting on her thigh. The movement caused Yan Ling to gently sway, and she was about to fall onto the soft couch.

Huan Zhu could no longer contain herself and uttered a suppressed “Damn it,” ignoring everything else and raising her hand towards the “Dao Heart Box.”

In that instant, a massive suction force seemed to appear in her palm, and Shi Yunjii felt the wooden box in her hand begin to fly uncontrollably towards Huan Zhu. However, the force manipulating her also coincidentally relaxed, and she quickly reached out her other arm, grasping the box tightly with both hands.

Just as she was about to give up, Yan Ling on the couch finally woke up.

She didn’t spare Shi Yunjii a glance, launching a direct attack on Huan Zhu outside the window. Huan Zhu knew the opportunity was lost. She hurriedly exchanged two blows with her, then turned to flee outward in panic.

She had only flown a dozen meters when she suddenly heard the sharp ringing of a bell behind her. The sound was crisp and pleasant, and she couldn’t help but listen closely. In that moment of distraction, Yan Ling had already arrived in front of her, grabbing her collar and slamming her to the ground.

“Bang—”

Huan Zhu’s body shattered the cyan jade floor tiles, sending up flying fragments and dust.

When Shi Yunjii rushed out of the sleeping chamber with the box, she happened to see this scene—

Huan Zhu was lying in the pit, spitting blood foam. Above her, Yan Ling, with a clear expression, stepped on her chest, her gaze sharp and scrutinizing.

Hearing her footsteps coming out, both of them looked towards her.

Yan Ling’s gaze quickly moved away from her face and landed on the wooden box in her arms, a look of scrutiny in her eyes. Shi Yunjii understood her meaning and handed the box over. Yan Ling casually retrieved the item into her storage pouch.

“You two know each other?”

Despite her dire situation, Huan Zhu still watched the interaction between the two with interest.

Yan Ling increased the pressure of her foot, forcing her to spit out another mouthful of fresh blood: “Who are you? What is your purpose in infiltrating the Flying Immortal Sect?”

“Purpose?” Huan Zhu’s eyes flickered across her face. “Cough, I, I wonder if you’d believe me if I said I came for a change of scenery?”

Yan Ling gave a cold laugh.

She stopped talking nonsense, and with a virtual grasp of her right hand in the air, a bell sound rang out, and the next moment, a white ice sword appeared in her palm. She swung the sword down, the blade aimed directly at Huan Zhu’s neck.

In the crucial moment, Huan Zhu used all her strength to tilt her head to the left, narrowly dodging the strike.

“Wait, wait, cough…” She gripped the blade with her hand, allowing her palm to be sliced and profusely bleed. “You, you can’t kill me!”

Yan Ling’s gaze was as firm and cold as ice.

“Oh?”

Huan Zhu’s eyes trembled: “You, don’t you want to know how to open the ‘Dao Heart Box’?”

Hearing this, Yan Ling’s face turned from playful to serious. She moved the sword tip to Huan Zhu’s cheek: “You know?”

“Mmm…” Huan Zhu winked at her playfully. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure.”

The sword edge moved down, puncturing her delicate skin.

“But, but…” Huan Zhu gritted her teeth. “If you’ve tried everything and nothing works, perhaps you’d want to hear other suggestions?”

Blood flowed from the wound towards her ear. She desperately searched for a way out: “After all, even the ‘Key of Ten Thousand Spirits’ has failed, hasn’t it? You, you always have to try other things.”

Yan Ling scoffed contemptuously: “You?”

“My strength is inferior to yours, but, cough, I come from the Demon Realm. All methods in the cultivation world have failed. Haven’t you thought of going to the Demon Realm to look for a key?” Huan Zhu spoke quickly.

Shi Yunjii frowned upon hearing this.

She took a step forward and shook her head at Yan Ling—she was clear about the origin of this box and naturally knew that there was no way to open it in the Demon Realm.

Yan Ling, however, paid no attention to her thoughts.

She pondered for a moment and actually put away the ice sword.

Huan Zhu slowly sat up, clutching her chest and struggling to breathe. While recuperating, her peripheral vision caught the two people standing together. Her eyes darted, and various speculations popped into her mind.

“I hope you don’t disappoint me,” Yan Ling’s voice sounded above her head.

Huan Zhu looked up and smiled ingratiatingly at her: “I will do my utmost.”

Yan Ling gave a cold snort.

She summoned Zhao Feng and had Huan Zhu locked up in the dungeon at the bottom of the Jade Bell Palace. Before leaving, Huan Zhu gave Shi Yunjii a meaningful look, which sent a chill down Shi Yunjii’s spine.

Just as Shi Yunjii stood there, at a loss, Yan Ling’s voice sounded behind her.

“What are you standing there for?”

Shi Yunjii turned around.

“Come in.” Yan Ling headed towards the sleeping chamber first.

Shi Yunjii then remembered the huge mess she still had to clean up.

She pursed her lips, not daring to hesitate for too long, and closely followed Yan Ling’s footsteps into the sleeping chamber.

She had expected Yan Ling to lump her and Huan Zhu together as conspirators, but to her surprise, Yan Ling merely asked about the details of Huan Zhu’s previous actions.

Shi Yunjii couldn’t speak, so she could only gesture and explain, simultaneously taking her to the kitchen to briefly demonstrate the situation at the time.

“You mean… this medicinal illusion can make the taker see their deepest obsession?” Yan Ling’s eyes flickered with confusion. “But when she first appeared, I wasn’t that deeply affected by the drug’s effects.”

“Why is that?”

Shi Yunjii thought for a moment, trying hard to convey her meaning.

“It requires a medium?”

Yan Ling scoffed: “Her image can only remind me of my family from back then. Is that what you mean?”

Shi Yunjii understood it the same way, so she nodded.

Seeing this, Yan Ling turned around and looked directly at her: “Then can you explain… why, when you appeared, did I mistake you for Them?”

Shi Yunjii was startled.

She pointed at Yan Ling: [Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?]

“I don’t know,” Yan Ling was very direct. “If you were the medium for the illusion I constructed about Them, there should be a great similarity between you two, right?”

She moved closer to Shi Yunjii and asked in a low voice: “Where do you think you resemble Them?”

Shi Yunjii couldn’t answer, only managing two awkward laughs.

Yan Ling’s gaze was glued to her from start to finish, as if she were the only person in her eyes.

Shi Yunjii felt as if she was about to be seen through, and as the other party closed in, she even found it difficult to breathe.

A moment later, Yan Ling finally averted her gaze.

She turned her head to look at the clear night sky outside the window, and her eyes regained their clarity. Then, she didn’t pursue anything further, simply leaving a faint “Get some rest” before disappearing out of thin air.

Seeing her leave, Shi Yunjii’s taut nerves finally relaxed.

She walked to the window, took a long breath in the refreshing night wind, and slowly exhaled.

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