Transmigrated as the Little Concubine of a Paper-Thin Man - Chapter 8

The Golden Crow dipped in the west, and the sky was filled with dusky yellow light.

The silk scarf over her eyes was soaked with blood, which had dried and re-moistened, sticking uncomfortably to her cheek. But Yan Ling showed no intention of removing it. Instead, she tightened the band to secure it even more firmly.

Near the mountain summit, she descended to the ground, choosing to ascend on foot.

Her loss of sight caused no hindrance to her movements; she walked slowly upward along the route etched in her memory. As she approached a certain spot, she couldn’t resist breaking into a jog, and a flush of happy excitement even appeared on her pale face.

“Divine Being, Divine Being—”

Near the rock where she had rested before, Yan Ling called out in every direction. The strands of hair near her temples brushed against her upturned lips, tenderly like a light kiss, tickling one’s heart.

But her calls continued for a long time, and she didn’t receive the familiar touch she was expecting.

“Did… did you go to the summit to wait for me?” Yan Ling muttered, turning and running upward.

A cold wind passed, lifting her skirt like a solitary sail flapping loudly in the air.

Not long after, the last sliver of sunlight vanished behind the western mountains, and the sky was gradually swallowed by darkness. Shadows of trees loomed densely in the mountain forest, like lurking phantoms.

Shi Yunji was concentrating on discerning the path in the night when she suddenly felt someone calling her. She stopped and turned back, only to unexpectedly miss her footing and fall hard. When she looked up, there was an extra person standing in front of her. Startled, she looked closer and realized it was Huan Zhu, who had disappeared a long time ago.

“How can there be such a useless cultivator as you? You even fall down while walking.” Huan Zhu mocked her unkindly.

Shi Yunji stood up and pointed to her ear.

“What sounds could there be here?” Huan Zhu muttered. “Zhou Huaibi’s men are all dead. The Sect Miss and Zhao Feng’s group have already descended the mountain. If we don’t go back soon, Zhao Feng will probably be planning to collect our corpses.”

As she spoke, she directly put her arm over Shi Yunji’s shoulder, leaning most of her weight onto her. “Hurry up. When we get back, no matter what Zhao Feng asks, you just nod and cooperate with me, understood?”

Shi Yunji was nearly pushed back a step by the weight. She turned to look closely and realized Huan Zhu’s face was a little pale.

It was too dark, and Huan Zhu’s tone in her previous few sentences had been very cheerful, so Shi Yunji hadn’t noticed her abnormality immediately.

But as soon as she raised her hand to ask, Huan Zhu interrupted her with a look. “Stop asking about irrelevant things, focus on walking, and don’t fall again.”

Shi Yunji suppressed her curiosity and helped her walk down the mountain.

She hadn’t gone more than a few steps before she stopped again, looking back toward the summit.

Huan Zhu asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shi Yunji gestured near her ear with the hand that was free.

Huan Zhu leaned in close to her ear. “Nothing, I said, there is absolutely no sound!”

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “I told you everyone’s gone. Who could be talking to you?” She paused, then curled her lips into a smile. “Yan Ling? You might as well expect those dead people to rise from the grave.”

Shi Yunji silently shook her head and stopped arguing, turning back to focus on walking.

With Huan Zhu’s glib tongue, no one suspected where the two had been that day. Hua Shu arranged for people to collect the remains of Zhou Huaibi and his subordinates and bring them back to the Sect’s main peak for handling.

It was already deep into the night after all these matters were dealt with. Shi Yunji returned to her room, but had no desire to sleep. She pushed open the window and gazed blankly at the distant Lingling Peak.

The wind was clear, the moon was bright, and the stars were glittering. No matter how bloody and chaotic the day had been, it did not affect the fact that this was a beautiful night.

She watched the mountains and the stars in the night, lost in thought. The night wind was gentle, lightly blowing the loose strands of hair at her temples. Without realizing it, Shi Yunji fell asleep leaning on the window until abrupt peals of thunder descended.

Startled awake, Shi Yunji frowned uncomfortably, clutching her suddenly pounding heart, and looked toward the storm clouds gathering over Lingling Peak—the mountain had been so peaceful moments before, but was now shrouded by large patches of black clouds. In the flashing light of the lightning, the thunder roared louder and louder, as if intending to destroy all things.

“We’re done for, we’re done for.”

Huan Zhu’s voice sounded in the room. “I knew she wasn’t that generous. That’s the Key of All Spirits! Who could just lightly drop the Key of All Spirits and ignore it?!”

Shi Yunji turned to look at her, showing displeasure at her uninvited presence.

“Cough, cough.” Huan Zhu covered her chest, ignored Shi Yunji’s expression, and grabbed her wrist. “Your Yun family’s heirloom secret technique is to pray for guidance from the Heavenly Dao to seek fortune and avoid disaster. Tell me honestly, how much of your father’s true teachings did you receive?”

Shi Yunji shook her head.

Huan Zhu narrowed her eyes in a threat. “You saw today, didn’t you? Yan Ling, injured as she was, could easily tear Zhou Huaibi apart. If she comes to investigate the whereabouts of the Key of All Spirits, neither you nor I can escape. My words can fool Zhao Feng, but to escape from Yan Ling’s grasp is simply a pipe dream.” Seeing Shi Yunji’s face was calm and not feigning anything, she sharply changed her tone. “Or have you already thought of how to resolve the situation, which is why you were in the mood to sleep here?”

Simultaneously with her words, heavy rain poured down outside the window. The rain fell with a loud whoosh, its force like a celestial lake being overturned. Combined with the terrifying rumbles of thunder and lightning, the surrounding peaks seemed to be enveloped in the shadow of doom.

Shi Yunji pulled her hand back, having no mind to deal with Huan Zhu.

She turned back around, looking through the window at Lingling Peak shrouded in thunderclouds and the dark sky.

The clouds were thick; tonight was certainly a night without stars.

Realizing this, she lost all interest, returned to her bed, took off only her shoes, and lay down to sleep. Huan Zhu stood in the room for a moment. Seeing her lack of reaction, she hesitated for a moment and then left.

In the darkness, Shi Yunji opened her eyes and watched the thick curtain of rain pouring down through the unclosed window.

At the same time, at the summit of Lingling Peak.

Raindrops struck the silk scarf, washing the blood away, and running down Yan Ling’s face.

She sat alone in the center of the thunder and rain, a rare look of ease on her face. She curved her lips and smiled to herself, looking down.

“So tonight is starless… no wonder you didn’t come.”

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