Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 6

Having successfully broken the engagement with the Qingxu Sect, Yue Tingxi feels relieved but is still curious to learn more details. She wants to know about Lin Chaoyao’s attitude toward the breakup and his plans for her, his runaway “bride.”

As she approaches, she overhears Qin Shuiliu, the Qin family’s young mistress, introducing her to the family members.

“I hosted an old friend last night. You can call her ‘Miss Tingxi.’ She has willingly become my ally, to go through thick and thin with the Qin family. She is my esteemed guest, and no one is to give her a hard time.”

“From now on, Miss Tingxi will reside in my chambers. Provide her with food and living arrangements according to my standards; do not be negligent.”

Yue Tingxi is stunned. She knows that Qin Shuiliu, like many powerful demons in Xishan, is fiercely territorial. She rarely allows anyone other than her sister, mother, and a long-serving lady-in-waiting into her personal quarters. Yue Tingxi wonders if Qin Shuiliu is keeping her close to monitor her, since she is a demon ally with no blood contract.

“Miss Tingxi,” Qin Shuiliu calls out, “You’ve come just in time. I have something to discuss with you.”

Yue Tingxi responds readily and walks beside her, intrigued to see what Qin Shuiliu is up to.

Back in the chambers, Qin Shuiliu has Yue Tingxi sit in the same spot as the night before and hands her a storage pouch with a faint medicinal scent.

“The breakup went smoothly, but Lin Chaoyao didn’t show up. This is the compensation his sister gave me, and I think you should have it.”

Yue Tingxi is bewildered. “Why wasn’t he there? He did something to betray his fiancée and then had the nerve to send his sister? What a coward!”

“Yes, he is indeed a despicable coward,” Qin Shuiliu says flatly, pushing the pouch toward Yue Tingxi. “Take it. You can’t live in the human world without money and medicine.”

Seeing Yue Tingxi hesitate, she adds, “Lin Fengqing, the Qingxu Sect Master’s sister, is a longtime friend of mine. She was in seclusion for a while and just returned to hear about her ‘brother’s’ disgraceful and shameful marriage. She was happy to give me this compensation. I’m just giving you what’s already mine; there’s no need to feel unworthy.”

Since she has no supplies with her, Yue Tingxi accepts the pouch and carefully stores it. She then asks, “Does Miss Lin know I’m here?”

“I didn’t tell her,” Qin Shuiliu replies, looking at her intently. “We’re going all the way with this act. ‘Miss Tingxi’ is my savior, a guest who stands up for me, not the runaway bride of some traitor.”

Yue Tingxi almost believes their story. She coughs to clear her mind and plays her part. “I’m sorry, but he gave me no other place to go, so I had to stay with you for a while. If there’s anything I can do to help…”

“That’s what I was about to ask,” Qin Shuiliu interrupts. “Now that the engagement is off, Lin Chaoyao has no right to enter the Qin family estate or my chambers to look for you. The identity I created for you is that of an esteemed guest who came down the mountain to help me. I also used a spell on you while you were asleep to hide your demon identity. You can now appear in public with me, whether for business or exploring secret realms. To outsiders, you’ll be my ally. The Qin family is known for its integrity and caution, so no one will question where you came from.”

“Do you prefer to stay here in the Qin estate to cultivate, or would you like to travel with me to gain experience?”

Yue Tingxi, fearing a trap, pays close attention to Qin Shuiliu’s words. Without a moment’s hesitation, she says, “I’ll go wherever you go!”

Her past life’s experience has left her terrified of being confined indoors for extended periods. She remembers counting the minutes, watching herself perform bizarre and confusing actions, and uttering disgusting, sweet words day after day. It was like a form of imprisonment, only less peaceful. She also believes it’s better to stay close to Qin Shuiliu to keep an eye on her and prevent another failure like in her last life, where she was an enemy who was given power but still couldn’t succeed.

“Okay, then you need to familiarize yourself with the distribution of power and rules of the human world,” Qin Shuiliu says. She summons a thick, yellowed book from a shelf and hands it to Yue Tingxi. “Only by understanding the rules can you better exploit their loopholes.”

Yue Tingxi accepts the book but doesn’t open it. She looks at Qin Shuiliu and asks, “Since we are now allies, I won’t beat around the bush. Why are you so uncomfortable with me staying elsewhere in the Qin estate?”

“Of course, since you are a demon without a blood contract,” Qin Shuiliu replies, glancing at Yue Tingxi’s skirt. “Your snake tail even dared to wrap around me. How could I let you stay anywhere else?”

“I apologize. I was exposed, and I was so worried about being in a difficult situation, leaving one tiger’s den only to enter another wolf’s den. I’m truly sorry,” Yue Tingxi explains innocently. “I don’t mind where I stay, but you know I was captured and brought down the mountain, so it’s not convenient for me to go back. I don’t have my clothes or daily necessities with me. This outfit is just an illusion created by spiritual power…”

“The estate has plenty of necessities, so you won’t be short of anything. As for clothes…” Qin Shuiliu pauses. “Do you know your size?”

Yue Tingxi shakes her head. “When I go down the mountain to shop, I just try things on in a clothing store and buy whatever feels comfortable.”

“Then pick one of my outfits for now, and I’ll go with you to the market to buy new ones,” Qin Shuiliu says, gesturing toward a wardrobe. The doors open automatically, revealing a collection of eye-catching dresses in shades of purple and red.

Yue Tingxi hesitates. This is very generous, but she remembers their current situation and frowns.

“The family tailor can make you an outfit immediately, but I thought it would be a good start to go shopping for clothes together,” Qin Shuiliu explains. “Miss Tingxi, there’s no need to be polite. I will pay for everything, whether it’s with spirit stones or gold and silver. If you really don’t want me to pay, you can use the storage pouch Miss Lin gave you.”

Yue Tingxi thinks: Isn’t that all your money anyway?

Yue Tingxi is tempted to take advantage of Qin Shuiliu’s generosity, but she is also hesitant to owe her too much. After much thought, she decides to restrain herself and change into an outfit to calm down.

She chooses a light crimson gown and changes out of her illusionary clothes. A faint fragrance from the fabric envelops her, calming her restless heart.

“I often go to the Linglong Pavilion’s clothing store in Mirror City,” Yue Tingxi says, feeling better. “It’s close by, and the owner and I are familiar with each other, so it’ll save us a lot of time.”

Meanwhile, in the Qingxu Sect, Lin Chaoyao is furious. “You can’t even scan her? How is that possible!” he shouts at his system. “Either she’s escaped back to Xishan—that demon mountain’s barrier will block the scan—or…” He trails off, shaking his head to dismiss the unbelievable thought.

[Actually, there’s another clear clue, but I haven’t detected the target character at the end of the trail.] The system adds.

“…Where?”

[Wine. It’s been spilled from the host’s chambers all the way to the Qin family’s side wall. According to the scan, it’s the sweet rice wine that was supposed to be the nuptial wine in the chambers.]

Lin Chaoyao’s expression becomes a mixture of surprise and disgust. His worst fear has come true in this high-repetition timeline. Qin Shuiliu or Yue Tingxi must have acquired a “cheat” to block the system’s scan. The world’s correction force, having reset the timeline repeatedly to get rid of an invader like him, must have used its last bit of power to give the original inhabitants a special ability to deal with him and the system.

He wonders why Yue Tingxi would go to the Qin family. Did she expose him? But the guest hall was shielded from outsiders, and based on Lin Fengqing’s reaction, Qin Shuiliu seemed to be in the dark.

“Forget it. Even without the broken engagement, I wouldn’t have set foot in the Qin family to look for a demon,” Lin Chaoyao says through gritted teeth. “Set Qin Shuiliu as a key person of interest. I’ll go to the Linglong Pavilion and find a necromancer to make a living puppet. I can’t let those old fools continue to make a joke out of the Qingxu Sect!”

He has lost all his system items. The Qingxu Sect is the last resource he can use in this world, the solid foundation of the original character’s power. Fortunately, the world’s correction force can’t revert the timeline to the point of his invasion. The previous him didn’t create any identity for the snake demon other than “bride,” and no one has seen her face. It will be easy to replace her with a puppet without anyone noticing.

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