Transmigrated as the Villain and Driven Crazy by the Vengeful Male Lead - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Disciple Stabbing Disciple — Trouble is trouble, but don’t get physical…

“Ah!”

Petals fluttered in a flurry as a scream rang out. The scent of blood shrouded the fragrance of flowers, drifting over in a jarring, eerie manner.

It was Qinzhu!

Lyu Shuyao was startled and rushed forward to investigate, only to see a woman with a floral mark on her forehead holding a blood-stained sword. Her face was ice-cold as she stared at the group who had just been chatting.

A fellow disciple stabbing another?

“Mu Ling, are you crazy?! Why on earth would you stab Qinzhu?!” shouted the immortal maiden who had been the most talkative earlier.

This Mu Ling, who had appeared out of nowhere, said nothing. She raised her sword again and lunged toward Qinzhu, who was already wounded in the shoulder!

The talkative maiden had thick brows and large eyes—a warm-hearted type. She moved quickly to shield Qinzhu, flashing her own sword. With a loud clash, the blades locked together, suspended in mid-air.

“What is the meaning of this, Mu Ling? What is your problem?! We entered the sect at the same time and lived together for months. Just because the Palace Master summoned you last night, you come back acting so arrogant and overbearing?! You want to part ways with us, to become enemies?! If that’s the case, why only stab Qinzhu? Stab me! Come on, stab the others too if you’ve got the nerve!”

“Manman, say less!” A maiden behind her supported the injured Qinzhu, trembling with fear at the sight of the blood. “Mu Ling, what’s happened to you…”

Mu Ling finally lifted her eyelids. Her pupils were an abyssal black. When she opened her lips, her expression remained a complete blank, her words slow and deliberate: “I… will not permit… anyone else… to go.”

Go where?

Manman reacted quickly, swinging her sword to push Mu Ling back several steps. “I get it! You’re jealous because Qinzhu caught the Palace Master’s eye! But Mu Ling, when you were taken away by the Master yesterday, weren’t every single one of us happy for you? We sincerely wished you a wonderful, unforgettable night! If everyone acted like you, turning their backs on people the moment things change, where would the warmth in Zhuohua Palace be?!”

“Most of us sisters came to Zhuohua Palace because we are women. We weren’t loved at home, but rather neglected or marginalized. Out in the world, we had to worry constantly about being violated by demons. How many of us truly want to learn how to form a core or fly a sword? How many just want a place to huddle together for warmth and support each other?! Mu Ling, I’m telling you, I feel the same as Qinzhu. The Palace Master is attractive, sure, but the sisterhood we have is what’s most important and cannot be discarded!”

The maidens in the back began to sob.

Qinzhu’s voice was weak: “Manman, forget it… don’t fight… Mu Ling, I promise you, I won’t go.”

“Why shouldn’t you go?! If you want to go, you go; if you don’t, you don’t. It’s entirely up to you!” Manman declared. “This is Zhuohua Palace. We don’t have the dogmatic rules of ‘Three Letters and Six Rites.’ From the beginning, the Palace Master taught us that as long as we don’t hurt others, we can follow our hearts in everything!”

“But I really don’t want to become like that,” Qinzhu whispered painfully. “Everyone who walks out of the Palace Master’s bedchamber becomes aloof, silent, detached, and… unfeeling.”

It seemed this was indeed the truth. The crowd fell silent.

In that silence, Mu Ling suddenly swung her sword again! This time she took Manman’s provocative words to heart. No longer targeting Qinzhu, she struck out at the group of girls she used to laugh and sleep beside. Her movements were merciless—slashing and stabbing with relentless ferocity!

“Crazy woman! Crazy woman!”

Manman led the group to dodge left and right. Mu Ling seemed possessed by a great hatred; her every move spared no one, as if she wouldn’t stop until her blade drew blood from their flesh!

Amidst the panic, a tall figure in purple clothes darted out from behind the flower shadows. With a long sword in hand, he landed in front of them and instantly unleashed a powerful blue-violet light. The force forced the violent Mu Ling back and sent waves through the sea of flowers behind her.

Petals rained down in a complex array of colors and light, momentarily cutting off Mu Ling’s assault.

“Young Master Lyu!” Manman cried out in joy.

“Greetings, ladies.” Lyu Shuyao smiled warmly to ease their terror. “Zhuohua Palace has a free-spirited tradition, but trouble is trouble—let’s not get physical.”

Manman hesitated for a moment but then ran forward to help Mu Ling up. She took her sword away, brushed the dirt off her skirt, and wiped the smudge on Mu Ling’s floral forehead mark.

“I’ll forgive you this time and won’t be mad. Your punishment is to bandage Qinzhu and sleep at the foot of the bed tonight. Don’t ever do this again!”

Mu Ling slowly turned her head and stared at her for a long time. Manman said, “What, still not satisfied? Still won’t admit you were wrong?”

Mu Ling said, “I’m sorry.” Tears suddenly welled up and poured from her eyes.

Manman was stunned. “Mu…”

Mu Ling pushed her away, tapped her toes to take flight, and fled as if escaping.

…

Lyu Shuyao couldn’t quite figure out the situation. A girl’s emotions were always so complex yet resilient—laughing today, crying tomorrow, endlessly vibrant.

After the maidens thanked him repeatedly, they scrambled to help Qinzhu back to her room to treat her wound. Lyu Shuyao retreated to Su Cheyue’s side. The Second Young Master handed him a tablet: You’re more impressive than I imagined.

Lyu Shuyao didn’t forget to pass the credit: “Being around the Second Young Master, I’ve developed a heart of pure integrity by osmosis.” He looked in the direction they had left and asked, “What exactly is the situation with these Zhuohua disciples?”

The tablets continued to shift: It is indeed a bit strange. You said earlier you had a lead on the Reward Order?

“During the sword race today, I tested him. Chang Huichen cares very much about his bedchamber; there must be something very important to him inside. While I’m not certain it’s the Reward Order, as it is the sect’s treasure, it’s highly likely to be in his hall.”

The tablets stopped moving. Lyu Shuyao asked, “Why have you stopped talking?”

Su Cheyue’s expression was solemn.

“What’s on your mind? We’ve come this far—what can’t you tell me? We are uninvited guests in this palace; we’re grasshoppers on the same thread.”

“…” The tablets moved, writing: I am worried this trip will be in vain.

Lyu Shuyao said, “How could it be? Once we get the Reward Order and you can hear the evil intent again, you can summon the world’s cultivators to help. It won’t be long before you meet…”

Lyu Shuyao stopped himself. Su Cheyue didn’t know his canonical love interest, Tao Xuanxuan, yet. If he mentioned her out of the blue, Su Cheyue might think he was plotting something again!

Lyu Shuyao chose a different phrasing: “It won’t be long before the ghost energy suppressed in your body is completely dissipated. Then you’ll be able to run, jump, speak, and sing.”

The mental image of Su Cheyue running, jumping, speaking, and singing made Lyu Shuyao want to laugh. He got carried away and blurted out: “Su Cheyue, why don’t you sing a song for this Young Master to hear?”

Su Cheyue: …I am not joking with you.

“Right, right, no jokes,” Lyu Shuyao followed his lead. “Why would it be in vain?”

Su Cheyue took a deep breath and felt the tablets: Before and after Mu Ling arrived just now… I heard nothing.

I did not hear her evil thoughts. I did not hear that she intended to hurt anyone.

The Desire-Sensing Pearl may have failed.

If the pearl failed, it meant the ghost energy in Su Cheyue’s body could no longer be absorbed and dismantled. It also meant he wouldn’t “accidentally” encounter the incognito Tao Xuanxuan while tracking evil thoughts.

It meant he couldn’t be cured.

Lyu Shuyao didn’t believe it. “No, it’s just a coincidence. Not hearing it once doesn’t prove anything.”

He crouched down, grasped Su Cheyue’s hands, and encouraged him solemnly: “Su Cheyue, the Desire-Sensing Pearl has not failed. You will surely win the battle against the Ghost Prison. You have to believe. If even you don’t believe you can stand up, how can you expect others not to look down on you or humiliate you?”

Su Cheyue’s fingertips moved slightly in his palm, tickling Lyu Shuyao. Then, Su Cheyue immediately pulled his hand back: Tonight, I am going to his palace.

Lyu Shuyao: …

He didn’t know how his persuasion had led to this result.

“No.” A flat refusal.

Su Cheyue: Didn’t you say it? The Reward Order is inside. If I don’t go, how will we find it?

Lyu Shuyao said, “I’ll find a way.”

What way is faster or better than this? Tell me. Will Chang Huichen take a fancy to you, or can you beat him in a fight?

…Fuck.

If Su Cheyue went like this, wasn’t it basically a sheep walking into a tiger’s den??

Su Cheyue guessed his thoughts, and the tablets wrote quickly: Didn’t you say it? If I don’t believe in myself, how will others respect or fear me?

Lyu Shuyao thought dejectedly that he had truly shot himself in the foot.

He stood up and looked down at the man. The young master in moon-white robes had sat there so long that his shoulders were covered in pink and white cherry and peach blossoms. Lyu Shuyao’s heart stirred, and he said, “Fine, you can go, but let me use the Soul-Shifting Knot.”

Su Cheyue’s shoulders instantly stiffened. He seemed nervous at the mention of the knot: For what?

“What are you nervous about?”

Lyu Shuyao reached out to touch his narrow, sloping shoulder. There was a golden butterfly that had been resting there for a while. Su Cheyue instinctively tried to flinch, but Lyu Shuyao whispered: “Don’t move.”

Su Cheyue actually stopped moving.

The golden butterfly obligingly fluttered from Su Cheyue’s shoulder onto Lyu Shuyao’s prominent knuckle. Lyu Shuyao smiled knowingly: “I’m going with you.”