Transmigrated as the Villain and Driven Crazy by the Vengeful Male Lead - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Young Master Jiang — If the Person You Seek Had Even a Sliver of Desire to Return…

Fortunately, Lü Shuyao’s reflexes were fast enough. He lunged forward and clamped down on Manman’s wrist just as the silver hairpin was a hair’s breadth away from sinking into Qinzhu’s shoulder.

The hairpin fell to the floor with a sharp clink.

“What kind of rule is this in Zhuohua Palace? After being summoned by Chang Huaichen, you turn on your own sisters?!”

Manman had once indignantly rebuked Muling for her actions, yet now, she had become the same way!

Was one night in Chang Huaichen’s sleeping quarters enough to flip a person’s temperament and morality upside down?

“Manman,” Lü Shuyao said sternly, “what happened in there last night? Why couldn’t we find you?”

Manman glanced at him, her grape-like eyes gradually becoming bloodshot. She looked as though she desperately wanted to cry but couldn’t; only a muffled, whimpering sound came from her throat.

“Manman, what’s wrong with you?” Qinzhu looked at them in confusion. “Young Master, don’t hold her so tight, it hurts her!”

Lü Shuyao hesitated for a split second, and Manman immediately wrenched herself free. She tore away the gauze on Qinzhu’s shoulder—the wound previously inflicted by Muling. Qinzhu cried out in pain as fresh blood seeped through her shoulder once more.

At the sight of blood, Manman whispered “I’m sorry” again before rushing headlong out the door in a panic.

“Manman!”

Qinzhu clutched her wound and crouched on the floor. “You don’t even want the hairpin anymore…?”

Lü Shuyao exchanged a heavy look with Su Cheyue.

“Why is everyone saying ‘I’m sorry’?”

After finding someone to re-bandage Qinzhu’s wound, the two left the pavilion. Lü Shuyao voiced the doubt in his heart.

Su Cheyue was equally stumped: Find Jiang Zhiqing first.

It was afternoon, the time when all female disciples of Zhuohua Palace returned from practice. As Qinzhu had said, the other pavilion was only a few hundred paces away. Though close, the atmosphere was worlds apart.

As the disciples filed into this pavilion, the air was filled with chatter and laughter, making the first pavilion seem deathly silent by comparison.

When they arrived, they saw Jiang Zhiqing sitting serenely by a stream in front of the pavilion. A small table was set before her, and the disciples were lined up orderly behind it, waiting for her to attend to them one by one.

There was something jarring about the scene, though it was hard to place at first.

As they drew closer, they realized Jiang Zhiqing was painting floral patterns (huadian) on their foreheads. She was tranquil and composed, holding a fine brush used for cosmetics, focused on each woman before her. After finishing each one, she would lift a finger to tilt their chin, checking and admiring the work from different angles until satisfied, before smiling and calling the next.

It was as if she wasn’t the one bullied until she fainted in front of everyone yesterday, nor the one who received a mysterious slap from Chang Huaichen last night.

The mental fortitude of this woman was beyond that of ordinary people.

Seeing them approach, Jiang Zhiqing set down her brush, bowed, and asked with a smile, “Are the two young masters taking a stroll through the palace?”

“Indeed.” Lü Shuyao smiled back. “Didn’t sleep well last night, so I came out to clear my head.”

He subtly poked at the suffering she endured in the palace last night, but Jiang Zhiqing didn’t bat an eye. “Does the scenery of Zhuohua Palace please the Young Master’s eye?”

Lü Shuyao said, “It is breathtaking. However, I am a man of little learning; there are thousands of beautiful flowers here, yet I can name but a few. It’s quite a dampener.”

Jiang Zhiqing smiled understandingly. “This humble girl is willing to provide some answers for the Young Master.”

She turned to the waiting disciples. “You may all return for now.”

The crowd dispersed instantly, their skirts fluttering like a peaceful landscape painting as they left.

“Young Masters, please.”

They returned to the valley of falling blossoms. Jiang Zhiqing gracefully set out a wine table among the petals and poured drinks for them.

This time, however, Lü Shuyao hesitated.

Jiang Zhiqing smiled and didn’t rush them. She finished her own cup first, then—just as Chang Huaichen had done in the grand hall—she unwrapped a piece of preserved fruit from its octagonal paper and popped it into her mouth.

“What is that?” Lü Shuyao asked.

“Begonia sobriety-inducing fruit,” Jiang Zhiqing explained.

“I remember Palace Master Chang eating that too. I can understand you needing it, but the Palace Master is so dashing and free—does he really need help staying sober?”

“It’s just a habit.” Jiang Zhiqing set the octagonal paper aside. “The Palace Master has a legendary tolerance for wine.”

A legendary tolerance, yet he’s in the habit of eating sobriety fruit?

“What does Young Master Lü wish to ask?” Jiang Zhiqing looked at him serenely.

Usually, she followed Chang Huaichen with lowered eyes, leaving Lü Shuyao with only a general impression of her beauty. Today, under the bright sun and falling petals, he realized she actually had a very spirited, almost heroic look to her.

Not only was she tall, but her phoenix eyes were narrow and elegant just like Su Cheyue’s. Her profile was sharp, and when she smiled, her brows had a certain edge to them.

Lü Shuyao began: “Last night…”

“Last night was a failure of our hospitality.” Jiang Zhiqing pushed the wine cups further toward them. “I offer this wine on behalf of the Palace Master as an apology.”

Lü Shuyao still didn’t budge.

“But surely the two of you have seen by now—if the Palace Master’s wishes aren’t met, I cannot guarantee he won’t treat the Second Young Master the same way he did last night.”

Lü Shuyao rested his fingers on the table, tapping lightly. “If I’m not mistaken, is that a threat?”

“Not a threat,” Jiang Zhiqing looked at him. “It’s a plea.”

Lü Shuyao: “If it’s a plea, then you should explain the full story.”

“What part of the story does Young Master Lü wish to know?”

“For example… who exactly is Palace Master Chang trying to save with the Desire-Seeking Pearl?”

The flowers fell silently like an offering. Jiang Zhiqing said, “To save my brother.”

“Brother?”

The sweeping disciple Manman had mentioned?

“What happened to your brother?”

Jiang Zhiqing said, “My brother and I grew up together. Our parents were as ordinary as could be. They passed away early, leaving the two of us to depend on each other from a young age. My brother treated me as both an elder brother and a parent. He learned the ways of the world and domestic chores very early on.”

“I used to tease him, saying he was a master of eighteen household skills—that whoever married him would only need to lie in bed and enjoy a life of leisure. My brother said he would never marry a woman. I joked, asking if he was going to be the one ‘married off’ instead. I told him that even as a bride, he would be irreproachable.”

Lü Shuyao thought: Isn’t this just another version of me?

“But my brother always had a dream: to enter the cultivation world and become an immortal master. He took me everywhere, seeking the Dao, but the results were always disappointing. The great sects turned us away the moment they saw us, saying we had no talent and were unfit for the cultivation world.”

“Until you came to Zhuohua Palace?”

Jiang Zhiqing said, “Yes. The Palace Master didn’t care at all whether I had spiritual roots or what our background was. He agreed to take me in immediately. But because of that, my brother was slighted—Zhuohua Palace never accepts male disciples.”

“I was unwilling to be separated from him and cried heart-wrenchingly. Eventually, the Palace Master took pity and kept my brother as a sweeping disciple at his palace gates.”

Lü Shuyao wanted to ask: Your brother had such ambitions, how could he settle for being a sweeping disciple?

But on second thought, if not for his sister, he would have had many other choices. In the end, he simply couldn’t bear to be separated from her or leave her to wander the world alone.

“He was a good brother.”

Jiang Zhiqing froze at those words, and for some reason, she let out a bitter smile. “Was he?”

“If he were a good brother, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.”

Lü Shuyao knew bad news was coming; his heart tightened slightly.

However, Jiang Zhiqing simply said nonchalantly, “Later, something happened to my brother. He died.”

Simple words, refusing to provide further detail.

“I… I miss him dearly. The Palace Master heard the Desire-Seeking Pearl could recall the souls of the dead, so he sought the Second Young Master’s help. The Palace Master was merely too eager in his request and disturbed the Second Young Master. I hope you can set aside your grievances and help us.”

Lü Shuyao fell silent for a moment, then asked Su Cheyue: “Anything else you want to ask?”

Su Cheyue pursed his lips and handed over a bone tile: Who is the “Master” Palace Master Chang spoke of? How did he know about the Desire-Seeking Pearl?

Jiang Zhiqing whispered, “By asking that, the Second Young Master already has the answer, doesn’t he? The pastries served yesterday were all your favorites. Were you satisfied?”

Su Cheyue almost spoke aloud, forcing the warmth in his chest back down.

The bone tile changed to two words: Father.

Jiang Zhiqing said, “By seniority, I should call the Second Young Master ‘Martial Uncle’.”

Su Cheyue’s father, Su Chen, often visited Huailing. Later, Chang Huaichen founded Zhuohua Palace there.

Su Cheyue and Chang Huaichen were both famous in Huailing, but no one expected such a deep connection between them.

“The Palace Master studied under your father. It was your father’s tireless guidance that gave the Palace Master the chance to become world-famous.”

World-famous… is this the kind of fame he meant?

Lü Shuyao wondered if Su Chen would crawl out of his grave in anger if he knew.

As she spoke, Jiang Zhiqing prepared to kneel. “Will Martial Uncle truly refuse to help me and the Palace Master?”

Lü Shuyao quickly stopped her, glanced at the bone tile, and said, “We understand what you’ve said. we will help. But there is one thing: I hope you will persuade your Palace Master not to make things difficult for those female disciples anymore. Don’t do it every night…”

He couldn’t find the right words to describe Chang Huaichen’s behavior.

Jiang Zhiqing wept with joy. “Good, I know. I’ll listen to you and definitely persuade him!”

“Then tonight will be as usual. Miss Jiang, come and fetch us.”

…

Jiang Zhiqing left. Lü Shuyao and Su Cheyue still didn’t drink those two cups of wine.

“Chang Huaichen was actually my father’s disciple,” Su Cheyue murmured.

Lü Shuyao brushed a fallen petal from Su Cheyue’s shoulder. “What, is the Second Young Master feeling soft-hearted?”

Even the wisest make mistakes. Su Cheyue said, “What is there to be soft-hearted about?”

Everything about Zhuohua Palace was bizarre. It was still unknown what Chang Huaichen was plotting. Even if Su Cheyue missed his father, he couldn’t possibly allow himself to be an accomplice to evil.

“You used the tile to tell me you want to scout his sleeping quarters again tonight. Do you have a plan?”

Su Cheyue hesitated for a moment and said, “Since Chang Huaichen cares so much about time, let’s test time.”

Lü Shuyao understood after a moment of thought.

“Tonight, we go together.” Thinking of the embarrassment from last night, Lü Shuyao’s throat felt hot. He added stubbornly, “I will definitely, definitely make sure we are both wearing enough clothes.”

…

When Jiang Zhiqing came to pick them up, she was uncharacteristically stunned. “Young Master, why are you carrying a quilt?”

Lü Shuyao’s face was expressionless. “I’m sensitive to the cold.”

Jiang Zhiqing reacted immediately and started apologizing again. “The Palace Master’s hospitality was lacking last night; the Second Young Master must have been frozen. Rest assured, that won’t happen tonight.”

Lü Shuyao couldn’t help but complain internally: Does Chang Huaichen’s palace have central air conditioning just like its owner?

Besides, they had clearly trapped Su Cheyue there on purpose last night—the freezing was practically a form of torture intended to intimidate him.

Jiang Zhiqing led them through the barrier. After passing the massive screen-incense clock on the bottom floor, she led the way up. As she neared the top floor, she realized they hadn’t followed.

“Young Master?” She leaned over the railing.

When no one answered, she frowned and hurried back down.

Turning the corner into the ground-floor hall, she practically collided with a beaming face.

“Miss Jiang, sorry for the wait.” Lü Shuyao’s eyes were bright, his breath a bit heavy, and a hint of sweat was on his nose.

“What happened?”

Lü Shuyao pushed Su Cheyue’s wheelchair, looking slightly embarrassed. “Nothing… I just suddenly felt like giving my Cheyue a kiss.”

“…So you two were down there—”

Jiang Zhiqing looked at Su Cheyue. The latter’s expression was also very unnatural; he had turned his face away, his brow furrowed as if he were restraining something.

Both of their clothes were a bit disheveled, especially Lü Shuyao’s.

Jiang Zhiqing believed it.

However, Su Cheyue was actually feeling disgusted. He thought to himself: This man uses this trick every single time.

Back then, when he blocked the Uncle and the others outside the Moon-Resting Pavilion, didn’t he use the same shameless excuse?

But in Lü Shuyao’s view, a trick doesn’t need to be new as long as it works. He always managed to come up with a quick lie to save the day, perfectly shutting people up so they were too embarrassed to ask more questions.

Isn’t this a kind of talent?

Jiang Zhiqing remarked with a sigh, “The deep affection between the two of you is truly something to be envied.”

Not at all, compared to you and Chang Huaichen, we’re just amateurs meeting a pro.

After some small talk, they wound their way up the stairs to Chang Huaichen’s sleeping quarters again.

Chang Huaichen was as usual, dressed in loose red robes. He welcomed Su Cheyue in like an old friend. As soon as Lü Shuyao entered, he hurried over to the screen-incense clock. “It’s the Hour of the Dog (19:00-21:00). Is the Palace Master not serving us dinner?”

Seeing him approach the clock so familiarly, Chang Huaichen asked suspiciously, “Is this not Young Master Lü’s first time here? You seem very familiar with this clock.”

“Cheyue gave me a general description,” Lü Shuyao answered fluently. “Such a novel and eye-catching object; I think I’ll get one for my own room later.”

Of course, he was lying through his teeth. Only someone as strange as Chang Huaichen would keep a giant scented timer in his room. Neither he nor Su Cheyue were the type to oversleep; what would they need it for?

Chang Huaichen didn’t care much and got straight to the point with Su Cheyue. “I heard from Zhiqing that the Second Young Master is willing to help me?”

Just as Su Cheyue was about to take out his bone tile, Chang Huaichen pressed down on his wrist. “This is a serious matter; let’s not involve a third person.”

Excuse me? Who are you calling a third wheel?!

“Allowing him to follow us is already a great courtesy to the Second Young Master’s feelings. Shall we show some mutual understanding?”

Su Cheyue pursed his lips. Since he didn’t want to reveal he could speak, he had to continue using the transmission spell.

Just as he was about to pull his hand back from Chang Huaichen, Lü Shuyao stepped forward and snatched his hand away first. He held Su Cheyue’s wrist, once again funneling spiritual power into him.

…He only has a tiny bit of cultivation left, yet he’s still trying to act tough.

Su Cheyue sent a transmission: “The Palace Master is a man of deep sentiment and shared a master-disciple bond with my father. Naturally, I will help.”

He already knew Su Chen had taken Chang Huaichen as a disciple, but Chang Huaichen didn’t seem surprised. He asked urgently, “What should we do?”

“I haven’t yet tried the method of using the Desire-Seeking Pearl to summon a soul. Could the Palace Master tell me in detail what my father told you back then?”

Chang Huaichen thought for a moment. “Master only mentioned it once during a pleasant conversation over a meal. He didn’t reveal the specific details of how to do it…”

Jiang Zhiqing added from the side, “In that case, does no one know how to implement it?”

Su Cheyue lowered his eyes in thought and cast a spell: “My father did mention several uses for the Desire-Seeking Pearl to me, though I don’t know if they correspond to this situation. Attempting it blindly might risk a backlash to one’s own body.”

“That’s wonderful,” Chang Huaichen and Jiang Zhiqing said in unison.

Jiang Zhiqing looked at the Palace Master affectionately. “As long as he can return, I would go through fire and water, let alone a simple backlash.”

Su Cheyue paused before casting another spell: “The first method: Soul Guiding.”

“Soul Guiding?”

“Most souls, before re-entering the cycle of reincarnation, either wander outside the universe or fall into the ghost realm; they cannot remain in the human world. There are two reasons: first, these souls did not allow themselves to become evil spirits and thus lack the power to resist the world’s Yang energy; second, they have no obsession that forces them to stay, and have willingly forgotten their past lives to wait for the next. Such peaceful souls cannot be sensed by a living body, let alone summoned back.”

“I believe that before finding me, Palace Master Chang must have already made many attempts. If the person you seek had even a sliver of desire to return, they wouldn’t have remained completely beyond your reach.”

For example, Tangyuan. Seven years ago, before Su Cheyue subdued it, it had already actively returned to the Meng couple in spirit form.

In this world, nothing is messier than “sentiment.” On one side is a dead soul clinging to the world and refusing to reincarnate; on the other is a living person who would do anything to drag back someone who has already left in peace.

“So, even knowing this, Palace Master Chang, are you sure you want to find that person?”

“No obsession that forces them to stay…?”

The two of them suddenly let out a bitter smile at the same time. Jiang Zhiqing, usually so obedient, was now stubborn. “No, he said he would come back.”

“So… what else can be done?” Chang Huaichen asked.

Just as Su Cheyue was about to cast a spell, Lü Shuyao interrupted: “Palace Master Chang, where is your hospitality? We’ve been talking for so long, why hasn’t dinner been served?”

“…”

Interrupted at a crucial point, Chang Huaichen became visibly agitated. He glared at Lü Shuyao. “Shut up!”

Su Cheyue looked over calmly.

Chang Huaichen didn’t know Su Cheyue’s sight had returned. Su Cheyue’s gaze landed on empty space, making him look very indifferent. Because of this, Chang Huaichen realized Su Cheyue was warning him.

Warning him with that cold gaze about who actually held the initiative.

Chang Huaichen’s mind was in disarray. He said helplessly, “…Does the Second Young Master wish to eat as well?”

“Mhm.”

Chang Huaichen pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced at the incense clock.

Perhaps because he was too anxious, every second of conversation with Su Cheyue felt like an eternity. Yet the clock showed that less than fifteen minutes had passed.

It was only the Hour of the Dog; it was still early.

He told himself not to rush. He ordered servants to prepare dinner as quickly as possible.

Dishes were brought out one by one. Lü Shuyao held Su Cheyue’s wrist with one hand and used his chopsticks with the other to eat heartily. Su Cheyue, however, was in no rush to eat. He calmly used a spell to ask: “When my father lived with the Palace Master, what did he usually eat?”

“Master wore simple clothes and ate simple food. Home-cooked dishes, coarse rice, and cloudy wine. Master ate whatever Huailing produced.”

Su Cheyue lowered his eyes. He didn’t even dare to ask how long his father had lived with Chang Huaichen. When his father was alive, he was constantly traveling, especially after Su Qingyang reached adulthood and formed a spiritual core; his father often left him in his brother’s care.

Perhaps the time Chang Huaichen spent with Su Chen was longer than that of his own biological son.

Chang Huaichen noticed the change in his mood. “But Master remembered what the Second Young Master liked to eat at every moment.”

“At the dinner table every day, the thing Master said most was that the Second Young Master didn’t like salty or spicy food. He only liked sweet and glutinous things—his palate was as soft as a young girl’s.”

Su Cheyue smiled faintly.

Chang Huaichen took the opportunity to urge him: “Second Young Master, please.”

Su Cheyue pretended to fumble, and Lü Shuyao cooperated, placing food into his mouth.

As his favorite sweet purple rice melted in his mouth, a sense of guilt and pity suddenly rose in Su Cheyue’s heart.

He thought: If only the person before me hadn’t done evil, and I could truly help him with this.

Time passed until the plates were empty. Chang Huaichen and Jiang Zhiqing had been sitting patiently. Seeing they were finished, Chang Huaichen glanced at the clock again. “Can the Second Young Master continue now? What exactly is this Soul Guiding?”

Su Cheyue: “Since a living body cannot be sensed by a soul, we can only try to summon a soul with another soul. We must induce a living soul to leave its body and use the Desire-Seeking Pearl as a medium for that soul to find the other.”

“But how can I find his soul…?” Chang Huaichen murmured.

“It’s simple. Call his name directly, or use words he cared deeply about or was very familiar with—words so familiar that he would subconsciously respond and draw near upon hearing them.”

Su Cheyue added: “This method carries immense risk. If the physical body is damaged in any way while the soul is out, the living soul could become a dead soul with no body to return to.”

“Fine.” Despite the risk, Chang Huaichen agreed immediately.

“Then there are two remaining questions. First, whose soul will be used for the summons? Since it is Miss Jiang’s brother you wish to save, her soul is naturally more intimate with his. However, Palace Master Chang has a higher cultivation; from the perspective of soul safety, the Palace Master is more suitable.”

“That is not an issue,” Chang Huaichen said without hesitation. “What is the second?”

Spiritual power flowed steadily between Lü Shuyao and Su Cheyue. Lü Shuyao’s grip caused a thin layer of sweat to form on Su Cheyue’s wrist. He wanted to end this conversation quickly, but he had to delay. He had to exercise restraint while feeling the silent transfer of warmth between them.

“Second, if the soul is successfully recalled, what body does the Palace Master intend to use as its vessel?” Su Cheyue recited the mantra, suppressing an inexplicable restlessness rising in his chest. “After talking for so long, Palace Master Chang and Miss Jiang have never told me: where is Young Master Jiang’s corpse now?”