Transmigrated as the Villainous Love Rival of the Abusive Novel's Heroine [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 23.2

Chapter 23.2: Defining Ties

Jiameng rolled her eyes imperceptibly; this girl was already treating the Zhou Tian Pavilion as her home. Since they were already effectively family, how could she possibly disagree with the Venerable One’s declaration of affection? Being single wasn’t easy; Jiameng sighed.

“Let’s go.” Truly, both of them were “living ancestors” who just had to show off in front of her.

Yun Qianxue let out a soft laugh and walked side-by-side with Jiameng. In truth, she wanted to gain a deeper understanding of Yin Shaoqing through Jiameng. There were things she felt awkward asking Yin Shaoqing directly, so she could only start with Jiameng.

“Do you know why Senior Qing doesn’t want the Heaven-Locking Chain?”

Currently, the righteous Immortal Sects were plotting to besiege the demonic path and seize the Lingtian Secret Realm, while the Demon Race wanted to fish in troubled waters to open the Heavenly Gate. The best course of action now was to destroy the Heaven-Locking Chain and the Heaven-Ascending Ladder within the Zhou Tian Pavilion.

Senior Qing certainly wouldn’t want her to risk death in the Vast Sea just to retrieve the Heaven-Soaking Dew. Similarly, Yun Qianxue didn’t want her to open the Heavenly Gate. Divine artifacts that many great masters could not control would likely impose an immense burden on Senior Qing, even if she could use them. Everyone wanted to achieve immortality, but since no one could open the gate, there was no need to force it.

Besides, she had no desire to ascend to the Immortal Realm, and Senior Qing wasn’t interested either. It was better to simply destroy these two artifacts and completely stifle the wicked greed of the masses in its cradle.

“She doesn’t want to become an immortal, so of course she doesn’t care about the Heaven-Locking Chain,” Jiameng said helplessly. Her Venerable One was nearly annoyed to death by the group of old fogies at the bottom of the pavilion. If the Vast Sea weren’t so dangerous, she would probably accompany Yun Qianxue to get the dew, open the gate early, and tell those old ghosts to get lost.

But Jiameng couldn’t say that to Yun Qianxue. The Venerable One had said there was a Heavenly Dao Curse on her, so the Heavenly Dao must not know.

Yun Qianxue nodded, feeling even more certain about destroying the chain.

“The matter of the Heavenly Gate is too far removed from little fish and shrimp like us at the Golden Core stage. We should think about the future instead.” Jiameng didn’t like overthinking. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the cheerful Yun Qianxue. “Though the timing is awkward, I have to ask: how do you plan to handle that Senior Brother Pan from the Wanyang Sect?”

Now, Yun Qianxue’s “good father” had joined forces with two other major Immortal Sects to prepare an attack on the Zhou Tian Pavilion. As for Pan Yang, he was inquiring everywhere about Yun Qianxue’s whereabouts, still intending to drag her back.

“Although the Venerable One wanted to go slaughter that idiot when she heard about this, I stopped her.” Jiameng didn’t mind playing the “bad guy.” A child who falls must learn to stand up on her own; a girl who has been wronged must learn to move past it herself.

“You did the right thing.” Yun Qianxue wasn’t displeased; on the contrary, she was glad Jiameng had stopped Yin Shaoqing. Pan Yang was protected by the Heavenly Dao, and she feared Yin Shaoqing would suffer if she went. Moreover, since she had recovered her cultivation and ascended to an Immortal, she no longer cared about Pan Yang’s petty schemes. Who cares what a dog barks at you?

“You don’t want to take revenge?” Jiameng’s eyes widened. After all the terrible things Pan Yang had done, how could Yun Qianxue just let him go? “Wait, what kind of kind-hearted little cutie are you?”

Jiameng wasn’t praising her; the words were thick with mockery.

Yun Qianxue shook her head helplessly. “It’s not that I’m kind-hearted. It’s just that the time I’d spend looking at his ugly face is better spent accompanying Senior Qing.” Furthermore, if she were ambushed by the Heavenly Dao while seeking revenge, wouldn’t that make Senior Qing worry? She wasn’t being magnanimous; she was simply patient and steady.

Her terrible father Wan Chi, the Heavenly Dao’s favorite Pan Yang, the double-dealing Long Qin, and the demonic cultivator who had poisoned her eyes and gouged out her Golden Core for Pan Yang years ago—they were all threats. If the timing wasn’t right, she could wait.

Looking at it this way, Yun Qianxue’s ability to survive desperate situations wasn’t entirely due to luck.

Relieved, Jiameng changed the subject. “What else do you want to ask?”

There was so much. First: “Why did Senior Qing end up in the Beiyuan Demon Abyss?”

“That…” Jiameng tapped her chin. It wasn’t a secret. Her Venerable One didn’t mind people knowing. “The Venerable One is the daughter of the previous Lord of the Beiyuan Abyss.”

To call her a “daughter” was a stretch; she was more like a slave or livestock raised by the Demon Lord. Yin Shaoqing’s biological mother was a fickle and romantic female demonic cultivator. After giving birth, seeing that the child had good talent, she threw her to the Demon Lord in exchange for a pile of high-quality artifacts and left.

From childhood, Yin Shaoqing was thrown into the depths of the abyss by the ruthless Lord, living a life where every step forward required a kill. Finally, she crawled out and saw the blinding sunlight and scenery she had never seen before. But before she could enjoy it, she was caught by the waiting Demon Lord to have her bones crushed and reforged. He forcibly turned her from a human into a half-human, half-ghost demonic creature.

At that time, the Demon Lord had passed his peak and had long struggled to break through, so he came up with the idea of becoming a Ghost Cultivator. Yin Shaoqing was his life-bound ghost puppet—the most powerful one. He placed a curse in her heart, demanding she obey and never betray him.

Normally, Yin Shaoqing would have been reduced to a mindless ghost. But just then, the Heavenly Gate collapsed, and immortals and demons fought for a hundred years over the artifacts. The Demon Lord was heavily wounded. Seizing a moment of clarity, Yin Shaoqing killed her biological father and crushed his heart.

To speed up her cultivation, the Lord had “pulled the sprouts to help them grow,” forcing various techniques into her sea of consciousness and body. Fortunately, the hardships of the abyss had made her soul and body incredibly resilient, so she wasn’t destroyed. After the Lord died, the demons fell into chaos. Yin Shaoqing, having learned a thousand techniques, slaughtered half the demonic cultivators within a year.

Since then, Beiyuan became silent. Yin Shaoqing broke her shackles and learned to enter the world, only to encounter that liar Pan Yang. Not only was she tricked, but according to the old ghosts in the lower levels, the Venerable One did quite a few wicked things back then. But since Jiameng arrived at the Zhou Tian Pavilion, that hasn’t happened; the Venerable One has lived in seclusion and never done anything out of line.

In reality, Yin Shaoqing, sitting next to the fat calico cat, was rubbing the system’s fluffy belly, telling it not to worry. “Although this body is a mix of good and bad, fixing a Pan Yang is still no problem.”

The original owner had suffered much; the curse on her heart flared up constantly. A hundred years ago, when she went to assassinate and torture Pan Yang’s little lovers, she met her retribution. The curse flared, heart-demons destroyed her spirit, and she ended up with a scattered soul. When Yin Shaoqing crossed over, the curse mark on her heart felt like needles and branding irons, causing her limbs to spasm in pain.

The fat cat rolled over, thinking its host was a ruthless person—she had literally pierced her own heart to scrape off the curse mark along with the flesh. Luckily she was a cultivator; a mortal would have died. But that ruthlessness toward herself truly terrified the system. The fat cat stared with round eyes at the woman beside it, who was covered in peach blossoms and looking perfectly content. She was a lunatic.

Though she knew life in the Beiyuan Abyss couldn’t have been good, Yun Qianxue never imagined that person had suffered so much.

“I’m going elsewhere,” she exhaled, changing the subject and greeting Jiameng.

“Go on.” Jiameng waved her off. Everyone knew she was aching for her Venerable One and was probably going to offer some kisses and hugs as comfort. “Sigh…” Jiameng leaned on the railing, pondering her own romantic fate. In her half-life, she had never met a sincere person.

Her Venerable One said: “Find someone gentle and considerate who looks after you with a single heart.” Like Yun Qianxue.

And just now, Yun Qianxue had suggested: “A good partner doesn’t need sweet words; they just need to be devoted to you and have the ability to protect you.” Like Yin Shaoqing.

Jiameng pursed her lips and plucked at the grass. Finding someone stronger than the Venerable One and more gentle than Yun Qianxue… I’m never getting married!

Affection declared in the morning, yet lingering hesitation remained. First came the shame of looking directly at each other in the peach forest; then came the heartbreak of hearing her life story, wishing for wings to fly to her side and comfort her.

The fat cat, having jumped onto a tree branch to give them space, squinted its eyes. Who can ever explain the word ‘love’ clearly?

Watching the girl in thin clothes walk through the flowers, Yin Shaoqing didn’t speak; she didn’t dare to, for fear of scaring her again. Yun Qianxue, who had run over on impulse, was also flushed and didn’t dare look her in the eye. Peach blossoms fell, and a light fragrance spread; though there was silence, it wasn’t awkward. Instead, an air of ambiguity grew.

Someone had to start the conversation. Yun Qianxue’s lashes trembled as she whispered, “Senior Qing, are you willing to tell me your story?”

Yin Shaoqing, who was so nervous she had a “deadpan” face, let out a sigh of relief. She rose, pulled Yun Qianxue to sit down, and handed her a plate of snacks with infinite indulgence. “Ask whatever you want.”

“Um… then I’ll ask what Senior Qing likes.” Yun Qianxue didn’t want to pick at her scars or make her recall past pain. As long as it was like now, starting today, a plain life would be fine.

Under the June clouds, the grass hadn’t withered, the flowers hadn’t passed, and their feelings hadn’t run dry. A warm wind carried soft words; the light shone on a happy face. Being a harmonious couple here was better than the toil of becoming a god or immortal.

“I can’t find her! I can’t find her!” Inside Luoyang Peak, Pan Yang smashed everything he could. He kicked over a white jade table, roaring, “If I can’t find that bitch, how am I supposed to extract the Immortal Bone?”

Without the Immortal Bone, he couldn’t reach the Nascent Soul stage. If he couldn’t reach it, how could he compete for the position of Head Disciple against Wan Chi’s other direct disciples? If he couldn’t get that position, the other disciples wouldn’t obey him, and his plan to snatch the Sect Leader position would go up in smoke.

And then there was that damned old man Wan Chi. He had secretly contacted two other major sects, using Yun Qianxue’s secret as a trade, getting them to promise to return her to him once she handed over the Lingtian Secret Realm. Who could have guessed the old man would leak the news that she could retrieve the Heaven-Soaking Dew?

Now everyone was looking for her. As a “devoted” disciple, Pan Yang could only search in secret. Moreover, the Heavenly Dao Messenger who usually helped him had vanished recently, not even responding to him.

Zzzzt…

“Damn it!” Again! Pan Yang’s veins bulged. He was furious whenever he heard this chaotic, useless mechanical noise. Useless!

“Search complete. The World Core is within the Zhou Tian Pavilion,” the mechanical voice suddenly rang out.

Pan Yang breathed a sigh of relief but sneered, “Finally learned to speak. I thought you were dead.”

Ignoring him, the voice continued: “Suggestion: the Son of Heaven’s Fate should capture the World Core immediately.”

“Nonsense!” Pan Yang barked. He knew he had to catch her, but the Zhou Tian Pavilion was a place that ate people alive. He might get in, but getting out was another matter. Furthermore, the female demon Yin Shaoqing, who used to worship him, had suddenly changed, treating him with cold disdain. She even wanted to kill him.

Pan Yang sneered. To think he once considered that bitch a favorite and tolerated her. Don’t think he didn’t know what she had done.

“Fate is about to deviate. Suggestion: capture the World Core and level up.”

A new phrase—”Fate is about to deviate”—made Pan Yang extremely anxious. “What do you mean? You plan to choose another Son of Fate?”

“No. Deviation will lead to the collapse of the Heavenly Dao. The Son of Fate’s original promotion path will be erased.”

“How can that be…” Stunned as if struck by lightning, Pan Yang’s face turned purple-red. He was destined to ascend and become a god; he was the favorite of the Heavens; no one could stop him! His face twisted with malice. Since that female demon insisted on protecting the little bitch, don’t blame him for exposing her crimes.

“I need you to show the things in the Recording Stone to the little bitch.” Pan Yang opened the stone; inside was the image of the original Yin Shaoqing killing his little lovers. Most lethally, it contained a recording of her harming Yun Qianxue.

If he couldn’t enter the pavilion, he would make Yun Qianxue come out herself. The Heavenly Dao Messenger could send these things into Yun Qianxue’s soul via the curse; she wouldn’t be able to block them even if she closed her eyes and ears.

Pan Yang chuckled and cleaned the room with a spell. His agitation vanished, replaced by his usual refined and elegant mask. He was doing a good deed, helping his “dear little junior sister.” Otherwise, it would be too dangerous to leave her with a madwoman. He loved his junior sister so much; how could he bear to see her suffer? Heh…

Unaware of the danger, Yun Qianxue was sleeping sweetly in the Lotus River Dock, a soft smile on her lips. Today had made her so happy that even her dreams were filled with Senior Qing.

“Shaoqing?” Calling out those two words, even in a dream, made her blush. She grumbled in her heart; it was all that person’s fault for insisting she call her by her name, saying “Senior” made her sound old. So willful.

The black-clad woman standing with her back to her turned around. Her hair was messy, her eyes dark and sunken, her lips pressed down, and her expression grim. This version of Yin Shaoqing made Yun Qianxue’s smile freeze. She instinctively stepped back; the “Senior Qing” before her felt chillingly terrifying.

“You are Yun Qianxue?” A rough, raspy voice like a demon’s whisper echoed. Yun Qianxue felt extremely uncomfortable. She didn’t answer, just stared warily.

Yin Shaoqing didn’t care. Like a ghost, she flashed forward, her hand moving like lightning to pinch Yun Qianxue’s jaw and force a pill into her mouth. Yun Qianxue tried to struggle, only to find herself bound by chains, unable to move!

“Mm…” Wherever the pill touched felt like burning fire, scorching her internal organs with unbearable pain. This burning pain made her vaguely remember something.

Yun Qianxue’s agony delighted Yin Shaoqing. She leaned close to Yun Qianxue’s sweat-soaked temple and whispered cruelly: “Since you love Young Master Pan so much that you gave up your spiritual root, then give him your Golden Core as well.”

Yun Qianxue watched as that hand—the one that had held the Tiangang Sword to protect her, the one that had clumsily bandaged her wounds—thrust into her own dantian. It mercilessly grabbed the Golden Core and ripped it out!

“Ah…!” Yun Qianxue let out a cry of pain. Blood splattered her face and Yin Shaoqing’s clothes.

Pain, bone-deep pain, woke Yun Qianxue up, drenched in sweat.

“Hah… hah…” Her chest heaved as she instinctively touched her dantian. The place that had been pierced was now empty.

Yun Qianxue suddenly laughed—a hideous laugh that sounded like a sob. She finally understood why she had feared Yin Shaoqing at first sight; she understood why she was afraid to step into the Zhou Tian Pavilion.

It turned out… she had chosen to forget those horrifying memories.

She had forgotten, but what about Yin Shaoqing?

Yun Qianxue stared numbly into the darkness. If she had forgotten, what did that make them? If Yin Shaoqing hadn’t forgotten… hah… what was this “long-term affection” worth?

Clang!

The Heavenly Dao chains shook violently, and the blood-colored array roared to life. Yun Qianxue’s soul suffered the agony of being drawn and quartered. Four iron spikes suddenly shot out from the chains, piercing her limbs and pinning her to the pillar behind her.

Outside her sea of consciousness, Yun Qianxue clutched the quilt, her body trembling. Her throat felt sweet, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood!

“Heh… heh…” Looking like someone terminally ill, she stared at the blood on the quilt and laughed with a manic, hideous grin.

“Pan! Yang!” Every word dripped with blood and heart-wrenching pain. Gritting her teeth until they bled, her deathly pale face was masked with bone-deep hatred. He used this damned curse and such underhanded means to drive a wedge between her and Senior Qing.

“You won…”

A low murmur like a ghost’s laugh, tragic like a cuckoo weeping blood. As long as Pan Yang lived, her life would never have a peaceful end!

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