Transmigrated as the Villain and Driven Crazy by the Vengeful Male Lead - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Fireworks and Sharp Claws

You didn’t need to block that move for me…

The snow was covered in Lyu Shuyao’s footprints.

As he worked on his surprise, he kept glancing back toward the house like a thief. Finally, his sincerity paid off; halfway through his preparations, he saw a figure in white slowly approaching in a wheelchair from a distance.

“Why did he come out early…” Lyu Shuyao muttered. Before the man could get close enough to see the “crime scene,” Lyu threw down the remaining firework tubes and hurried forward. “Second Young Master, why are you out here alone?”

As he spoke, he untied his own heavy cloak and draped it over Su Cheyue. “Why aren’t you wearing an outer coat? It’s freezing.”

While fastening the cloak, Lyu Shuyao glanced behind Su Cheyue toward where Rourou was supposed to be arranging fireworks, but the small figure was nowhere to be found.

“What are you doing?” Su Cheyue’s voice was deep and cold, carrying a sharp edge of interrogation. “Let me pass.”

Lyu Shuyao gave a guilty smile. “How about the Second Young Master goes back and puts on another layer first?”

Su Cheyue’s gaze swept over him, his eyes flashing like a whip of electricity striking Lyu Shuyao.

“What are you doing?” he repeated.

“…” Fine, I can’t hide it anymore.

Su Cheyue watched him look flusteredly behind him and moved to turn his own head.

“Wait, don’t!”

Lyu Shuyao jumped behind the wheelchair. Without thinking, he used his ice-cold, snow-dampened palms to cover Su Cheyue’s eyes. “Su Cheyue, I just wanted to show you—”

A piercing wind shrieked from behind.

A muffled squelch sounded right behind Su Cheyue’s ear. It was so close and clear it made his scalp tingle and his heart tremble.

The world fell into a sudden silence. The scent of blood surged through the cold air, overwhelming everything. Su Cheyue’s breath hitched as the palms covering his eyes slid weakly down to his shoulders. The person behind him seemed to drop to his knees, his chin bumping lightly against the back of Su Cheyue’s neck.

For a moment, it felt as if Lyu Shuyao was embracing him from behind.

Su Cheyue spoke blankly: “Lyu Shuyao?”

“…Fire…works…” came an incredibly weak voice.

Something ignited the fuses. In an instant, a continuous roar of crackers erupted, and ten thousand colors shot into the sky.

The most beautiful lights of the mortal world reflected in Su Cheyue’s eyes. If not for the person behind him distracting him, this beauty of woven darkness and color would have been enough to make anyone lose themselves.

“Hahaha, I’ve killed you.”

The voice in his head sounded alongside the crackle of the fireworks, but from further away. Su Cheyue spun around. Lyu Shuyao collapsed onto the snow, and a small figure in a pink dress stood a few paces away, hands behind her back.

“It really is you,” Su Cheyue said chillingly.

Rourou laughed brightly amidst the fireworks. “You knew it was me?”

“That night in the inn, besides my brother, there was only you. I didn’t lack suspicion, but Rourou was simply too young. I must say, you are clever, knowing to possess a little girl to avoid doubt.”

Rourou shook her head in disappointment. “Wrong. It wasn’t to avoid doubt.”

Su Cheyue paused. “Then why?”

Rourou didn’t answer. Her gaze moved between Lyu Shuyao on the ground and Su Cheyue in the wheelchair. “Don’t remember me?”

“My name isn’t Rourou. My name is Tangyuan (Sticky Rice Ball).”

My name is Tangyuan.

“Tangyuan… it’s Tangyuan’s ghost that has returned, it must be!” Seven years ago, the Meng couple had begged Su Cheyue in terror. “We beg the Second Young Master to catch it! Don’t let it come back! It enters our dreams and leaves marks in the house. Its lingering soul is bad for the unborn baby and the peace of our home! You must save us!”

Su Cheyue was startled. “Tangyuan? Then the person you want to kill is…”

“I will kill whoever sealed me under the yellow earth of the mountains! I will kill whoever turned me into a homeless, lonely ghost forced to fall into the Evil Ghost Purgatory!”

Rourou—no, Tangyuan—no longer had an innocent expression on her face. It was replaced by a vicious, murderous cruelty.

Su Cheyue remembered. Seven years ago, he had indeed suppressed the spirit of a cat (Tangyuan) in the forests of the Baoshan Sect. He had intended for it to rest in peace and enter reincarnation early, but who would have thought it would fuel its hatred and lead it to fall into the eternal suffering of the Evil Ghost Purgatory?

“Why?”

Tangyuan sneered. “If I didn’t use the power of the Ghost Purgatory, how would I have the strength for revenge? Fortunately, the gates opened recently, giving me this opportunity!”

It turned out its target was him all along.

But now…

Su Cheyue gripped the armrests and glanced at Lyu Shuyao, his emotions unreadable.

So… he had blocked another strike for him?

…

Lyu Shuyao lay on the ground. Through his sweat-soaked bangs, he saw the figure with the glowing sharp claws.

The right side of his abdomen had been pierced by something sharp. Unlike the cramping pain of the medicine before, this was a tidal wave of agony crashing against his nerves, making him nearly faint.

Damn it… why does every weird thing target my stomach! Can’t you pick another spot next time?!

“Lyu Shuyao.” Su Cheyue leaned down to check his wound. Lyu Shuyao struggled to open his eyes. “I’m… fine… the kid missed the mark… won’t die just yet.”

Tangyuan’s expression shifted. “Not dead?!”

The massive noise of the fireworks drew everyone out of the house. “What happened?!”

When Meng Shijie and his wife saw their daughter’s hands covered in blood, they lost their wits. “Rourou, are you okay? Are you hurt?!”

“Don’t touch her!” Su Cheyue barked. “Brother, it’s a Li-ghost (Civet Cat Ghost), be careful!”

Su Qingyang immediately drew his sword. The Meng couple, still not understanding, blocked their daughter. “What is the Eldest Young Master doing?!”

“I said don’t touch her!”

In the chaos, Meng Shijie lost his filter: “The Second Young Master is currently less capable than a mere scholar like me; you’d better look after yourself first!”

“Shut up!” Su Qingyang pointed his sword at them. “Get out of the way!”

“Daddy, Mommy, I’m scared.” Hissing sobs came from behind them. The couple immediately pulled her into their arms. She curled her lips into a smirk; the next second, both of them slumped to the ground.

Meng Shijie felt as if he were in a dream. “Rourou, you—”

“I was actually blinded by you…!” Su Qingyang looked at the scene in disbelief.

“If I haven’t guessed wrong,” Su Cheyue said heavily, “you first possessed a rat to stir up trouble in Tianjin Lane, drawing the immortals of Baoshan. When the person who came wasn’t the one you were looking for, you had to move into the Meng family’s daughter, finding a way to get my brother to take you to Baoshan.”

Tangyuan said approvingly, “The Young Master may be physically impaired, but your mind is very sharp.”

“I have only one thing I don’t understand. A civet cat’s eyesight is far inferior to a human’s. How did you recognize me…”

Tangyuan laughed without restraint. Such a laugh coming from a seven-year-old girl was bone-chilling.

“Who it was doesn’t matter anymore. Since the three of you are here tonight, if I don’t kill you all, I won’t be able to escape.”

Suddenly, a firework whistled into the sky and exploded. Su Qingyang seized the opening: “Take Ayue and go!”

Lyu Shuyao clutched his abdomen and crawled up. “Zhanquan!”

The golden forged sword flew from his sleeve. Enduring the intense pain, Lyu Shuyao scooped Su Cheyue out of the wheelchair, sent a burst of spiritual power into the sword, and flew out of Tianjin Lane.

Su Qingyang watched them vanish and turned to focus on the enemy.

“Just you?” Tangyuan said. Suddenly, fangs appeared, and sharp claws shed from her skin, revealing her true form!

…

Sword and claws clashed in the night sky, the ringing of metal mingling with the explosions of fireworks so that no one could tell them apart.

After several rounds of fierce combat in the empty lane, Su Qingyang’s high cultivation began to push Tangyuan back.

“I defeated you once when you were a rat demon; you still haven’t learned.” Su Qingyang knocked it down from the air, looking down with disdain.

Tangyuan bared its teeth and claws; its limbs were no longer the pink, tender arms of Rourou. Knowing it couldn’t win, it shifted back into human form and called out over the courtyard wall in Rourou’s delicate voice: “Brother Qingsang! Brother Qingsang!”

Not good!

“What’s wrong, Rourou?” The boy appeared on the other side of the wall, climbing over nimbly. “No one to play with again—ah! Rou…?”

“Let him go!” Su Qingyang was furious. “Threatening an innocent life—what kind of skill is that for a ghost!”

But he didn’t dare move.

Tangyuan’s claws were pressed against Qingsang’s neck. “Brother Qingsang, you really are a good brother to me.”

“No!”

The claws instantly sliced the boy’s neck. Blood gushed out. Tangyuan shoved him to the ground and flipped over the courtyard wall.

“Eldest Young Master Su, I’ve put poison on my claws. Within half an hour, even if he doesn’t die of blood loss, he will die from the poison. Your only choice now is to take him back to Baoshan Sect. There is still a chance to save his life.”

“Li-ghost!!!” Su Qingyang was driven mad with rage. “You dare hurt my brother! I will hunt you to the ends of the earth!!”

“Eldest Young Master, you’d better look at the person in front of you! Red plum blossoms are blooming in the snow; it’s a sight to see! Hahahaha—”

Its voice drifted further and further away.

…

The night was deep. The fireworks had ceased, and the sky was bone-chillingly cold, like a layer of black abyss overhead.

“Lyu Shuyao.”

“…Lyu Shuyao.”

The Zhanquan sword was flying at full speed. Even though Su Cheyue was sitting right next to him, Lyu Shuyao’s consciousness was muddled. He was half-awake and half-fainting; Su Cheyue’s voice sounded miles away. “Hmm?”

“You didn’t need to block that move for me.”

…Thanks, I agree!

Lyu Shuyao wanted to cry but had no strength. His right abdomen hurt terribly. Not only was the puncture wound agonizing, but it felt as if something else was beginning to throb.

Heaven and Earth be my witness—he really just wanted to set off some fireworks!!

Why did Rourou suddenly mutate into a Li-ghost?? And why was he standing right in front of Su Cheyue’s wheelchair when the ghost attacked??

Su Cheyue is the protagonist. Even if this arc isn’t in the original book, the protagonist shouldn’t die so easily!

He, the villain, is the one who could actually vanish at any moment!

Why so unlucky?? And why does it hurt more the further they fly?? Can anyone tell him what’s happening??

System, if you don’t show up soon, I’m really leaving this world with a bunch of question marks!

I can’t take it… it hurts too much…

Lyu Shuyao instinctively grabbed the arm of the person next to him, tightening his grip. He didn’t even notice the muscles in that arm tensing up.

“…Don’t touch me.”

Lyu couldn’t even lift his eyelids. He gave a muffled grunt and simply leaned his head over.

This time, not just the arm, but the entire person next to him froze like a stone statue. In the silence, only the sound of the wind whistling past remained.

Lyu Shuyao was suddenly pushed away, nearly falling off the sword. Fortunately, Su Cheyue still had a sliver of humanity left; he grabbed a corner of Lyu’s robe and said fiercely: “Lyu Shuyao, don’t go looking for death.”

Lyu Shuyao’s consciousness was extremely fragile. He didn’t hear what Su Cheyue said; his grievance and resentment poured out: “I’m in so much pain, and you’re still pushing me…”

“Su Cheyue, it hurts.”

Su Cheyue was silent for a few seconds. “I already sealed the acupuncture points around your wound to stop the bleeding. Why does it still hurt?”

“I…” Lyu Shuyao’s head hung weakly, his eyelashes trembling. His lips were pitifully white. “I don’t know.”

“…” Su Cheyue felt helpless. “Where does it hurt?”

“My stomach,” Lyu Shuyao said. “My stomach hurts so much… it hurts more the further we fly…”

It hurts more the further we fly?

Su Cheyue looked up. “Did you say earlier that you ate something Rourou gave you? Candy?”

Lyu Shuyao gripped Su Cheyue’s sleeve.

“Idiot,” Su Cheyue cursed. “That thing was likely a Gu-poison it planted. The further you are from the source, the more violent the reaction.”

“…”

Lyu Shuyao said nothing. Instead, he opened his eyes wide and bit his lip.

He continued to endure.

What else could he do? He couldn’t exactly fly Su Cheyue back into the trap, could he??

Once again, he marveled at his bad luck. He was the one who got injured for someone, and the one who got poisoned for someone… Rourou clearly wanted to settle scores with Su Cheyue, so why did she target him instead??

“Lyu Shuyao, are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me? We can’t fly anymore. Stop.”