Yu Chuchu’s inexplicable anger, which had yet to subside, flared up once again.
She had only intended to catch up with Yu Suisui to witness the spectacle between her and the Devil Seed, never expecting to have her own troubles brought up.
She snorted coldly, “Mind your own business. Just because you like trash doesn’t mean everyone else does.”
Huh?
What did this minor cannon fodder mean?
Oh…
So she was implying that Yu Suisui liked Xie Rongjing.
Wait.
…
Yu Suisui’s pupils trembled in shock, momentarily unsure whether to refute that Xie Rongjing wasn’t trash or to deny that she liked him.
She instinctively glanced back at the major villain—he was watching her too.
Oblivious to his surroundings and his own ailments, he seemed to exist in a world of his own, his gaze persistently fixed on Yu Suisui—with an eerie intensity.
Seeing her sister’s reaction, Yu Chuchu grew even more convinced.
She pulled Gongsun Lan closer. “Brother Gongsun here hasn’t even reached a hundred years in bone age, yet he’s already nearing the fifth level of Talism Cultivation. He’s a hundred times better than your Devil Seed.”
Gongsun Lan, flattered, waved his folding fan even more vigorously.
Yu Suisui: …
Are you serious?
If I told you the truth, it would probably scare you to death. When Xie Rongjing was Gongsun Lan’s age, he was already the new Demon Lord.
Of course, she wasn’t foolish enough to reveal this. She simply said, “Xie Rongjing is actually quite talented.”
“Him?” Yu Chuchu sneered. “As far as I recall, we have an inner sect assessment, right? He’s been here for so long and hasn’t even reached the Triple Realm. I’ve never heard of him in the outer sect competition either. Yu Suisui, are you dreaming?”
Yu Suisui: …?
She was genuinely stunned this time.
As someone not originally from this world, many basic concepts were still new to her. She hadn’t paid much attention before, but now it dawned on her like a sudden awakening.
Yu Suisui recalled how Xie Rongjing casually browsed through bamboo scrolls; how effortlessly he drew Arrays; and how, even with minimal exposure, he could already modify Array techniques based on his understanding.
With such extraordinary talent, how could he remain unknown?
“Young Miss must have been deceived by the Devil Seed,” Gongsun Lan said with a tone of pity, casually forming a hand seal. “Look, he’s completely under my control now. I could make him wish he were dead with a single thought.”
As he spoke, he raised his chin arrogantly, so he didn’t notice the complicated look in the young lady’s eyes.
Yu Suisui expressionlessly closed the carriage window and urged the Flying Horse to continue forward.
“Have you… never cultivated before?”
She had assumed that since Xie Rongjing stayed in the Tian Zhao Sect, a major Spirit Cultivator sect, he would have learned something.
Hearing this, Xie Rongjing gave her a look that seemed to say, “How could you not know this?” and replied with a smile, “The Tian Zhao Sect doesn’t need an outstanding Devil Seed.”
He said it calmly, without a hint of emotion.
…Yu Suisui suddenly didn’t know how to respond.
Back in school, she had a close deskmate whose grades were among the best in the entire school.
But once, when it was time to represent the school in a competition, her top-ranked deskmate was passed over in favor of the principal’s daughter.
“I prepared for so long,” her usually composed deskmate sobbed, burying her face in her arms. “I… I really wanted to compete…”
Even though Yu Suisui was an academic slacker, she felt that pain deeply in that moment.
She knew how exceptional her deskmate was—ranking first in nine out of ten exams and earning a pile of awards and certificates.
But the person who participated in the competition wasn’t her deskmate, and later when the school had guaranteed admission spots, the person selected still wasn’t her deskmate.
Later still, she ended up at the Transmigration Bureau.
People she once knew, friends she had made, all seemed so far away from her now.
And suddenly remembering them, the memories flooded in like water bursting through a dam.
…
Based on her understanding, wasn’t Xie Rong Jing like a top student being suppressed by the school?
No, it was more than that.
They wouldn’t allow him to become famous, wouldn’t teach him anything, wouldn’t let him take first place, didn’t want to see him excel—even so, Xie Rong Jing was still strong, at least stronger than any Outer Sect Disciple.
Then, they forbade him from entering the inner sect.
“What’s that expression on your face?” Xie Rong Jing frowned, seeming puzzled.
“Xie Rong Jing.” Yu Sui Sui called him.
“?”
“In the future, whatever Secret Manuals you want to read, I can help you find them.”
She had Steward Niu and a group of maidservants, making finding Secret Manuals much faster.
Xie Rong Jing looked somewhat surprised, then quickly returned to his previous expression.
He gently patted Yu Sui Sui’s cheek, “Let’s stop here, young lady.”
The extraordinarily handsome great villain appeared indifferent, casually wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his tone cold and detached: “Stop bothering about me.”
Whether in tone, expression, or appearance, he strongly resembled a scumbag.
Yu Sui Sui lowered her head to look at her toes, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Truth be told, she hadn’t been particularly involved anyway, completely treating tasks as they came.
Well… this time she’d be slightly more involved.
After all, when it came to spells, it was better to resolve them sooner rather than later.
“But your spell—”
“Not tired of it yet?” Xie Rong Jing interrupted her.
He continued: “I’m tired of it.”
Yu Sui Sui perked up from her slacking-off state.
She originally thought she was unlucky to come to this high-difficulty world; but thinking carefully today, this villain Xie Rong Jing seemed to be having quite bad luck too. Since they were both unlucky, she inexplicably felt a subtle sense of empathy, deciding to be the bigger person and not hold his previous erratic behavior against him.
“Xie Rong Jing.” She brought out her B+ acting skills: “I can’t abandon you.”
“Yu Sui Sui.” Xie Rong Jing similarly called her name.
Cold, faint, even his tone was unhurried, like snow softly falling in winter.
“I could kill you right now.”
As he said this, a smile finally appeared at the corner of his lips, no longer expressionless.
Using the gentlest tone to say the cruelest words.
Yu Sui Sui: ?
Is this how all villains’ thought processes work?
Immediately, the stories of Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf, and the Farmer and the Snake came to her mind.
She didn’t doubt Xie Rong Jing’s words in the slightest. Though she was curious how he could play a real-life version of Werewolf without his Meridians, if she were the one getting killed, she thought she could restrain this curiosity.
Actually, she wasn’t afraid of death, but having just decided to perk up, it was better to maintain some will to survive.
Yu Sui Sui looked directly into his eyes, unleashing full morning drama female lead energy: “I don’t believe it, you’re not that kind of person.”
“I am exactly that kind of person.”
Xie Rong Jing sat up, as if hearing something amusing, letting out broken light laughter from his chest, mixed with the red liquid slowly trickling from the corner of his mouth, making him appear both insane and pathological.
Yu Sui Sui simply acted deaf and blind, wiping the flowing blood for the great villain.
Xie Rong Jing raised an eyebrow and grabbed the hand holding the handkerchief.
“I’ve killed many people, not just those two from a few months ago.”
He smiled lazily and wickedly, “Miss, what kind of person do you take me for?”
Yu Sui Sui: …
She often heard lines like this in TV dramas: the female lead misunderstands the male lead as a villain, and the male lead painfully questions, “What kind of person do you take me for?”
Why did it feel so different when it came to them?
As Xie Rong Jing spoke, he continued stroking her head, as if soothing some unruly little animal.
If Yu Sui Sui were a cat, she might have already bristled under his touch.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t a cat, so she had to continue the conversation with the great villain: “Even if you don’t believe in yourself, I believe in you.”
Was this line even appropriate?
Never mind, she’d just use it anyway.
Xie Rong Jing narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming indescribable.
The sedan chair shook violently for a moment.
They had arrived at Zhu Yi Residence.
“Miss, miss, these Flying Horses somehow flew so fast—” Bai Shuang pulled open the sedan door, her mouth forming an ‘O’ shape as she swallowed the rest of her words and gasp.
The Flying Horses had long felt uncomfortable and, in an effort to distance themselves from the source of Demonic Qi, hadn’t even landed properly. As a result, the carriage swayed violently, and before Yu Sui Sui could speak, she and Xie Rong Jing tumbled forward together.
What Bai Shuang saw was this scene—Xie Rong Jing lying on the ground, with the young lady lying on top of him, their faces so close they were almost nose to nose.
Bai Shuang: !!!!!!
She slammed the sedan door shut with a swift motion.
Yu Sui Sui: …
Wait, it’s not what you think.
Before she could explain, considering the dangerous great villain before her and the strange atmosphere, she felt she should say something.
“Um… would you like to stay for dinner?”
Damn, not that.
Yu Sui Sui gave up.
The way Xie Rong Jing looked at Yu Sui Sui now was peculiar—a probing gaze tinged with vigilance, as if she had actually grown two heads.
Then, he averted his gaze, stood up from the ground, pushed open the sedan door, and stepped out alone.
Yu Sui Sui grabbed the hem of his clothes: “Wait.”
At worst, the mission would fail. She might as well throw caution to the wind: “You can’t leave. Your spell hasn’t been lifted yet.”
Impressive, Yu Sui Sui, impressive.
She couldn’t help but wonder if she was the first mission-taker brave enough to command Xie Rong Jing.
Previously, no matter what she did, Xie Rong Jing remained unimpressed. Now that she had spoken so bluntly, it was likely even less effective.
Having given up to this extent, she no longer expected any progress, like a salted fish attempting to flip over only to flop back down again.
Yu Sui Sui sat up from the ground, but to her surprise, Xie Rong Jing grabbed the wrist with which she was clutching his clothes.
“What exactly do you want?” The great villain’s voice betrayed no emotion.
Mainly, she wanted to maintain the stability of the plot… but even though she had given up, she wasn’t foolish. She would still weigh her words carefully for such a basic question.
So Yu Sui Sui counted the tasks she needed to do: “Take you to lift the spell, help you find the Secret Manuals, and treat your injuries.”
“Why?”
Yu Sui Sui gazed into Xie Rong Jing’s deep pupils.
In a flash of insight, she completely understood.
If she put herself in his shoes: she too would be unaccustomed to someone being kind to her without reason.
“If it were someone else who was injured, I would still help.” She found the simplest reason: “Since I was young, I couldn’t bear to see others in misfortune.”
It was like a stranger suddenly rushing over on the street to give her a gift—she wouldn’t dare accept it. But if they handed one out to every passerby, she wouldn’t mind taking one either.
Even though the arch-villain’s thought process was different from ordinary people’s, it should still be somewhat useful… right?
Xie Rong Jing drawled out an “Mm,” the corners of his eyes slightly upturned. When he looked down at someone, his gaze was like ink diffusing across snow.
He didn’t refute, but he didn’t accept either.
At the very least—he had stopped talking about killing her.
The two remained at a standoff for a long time before Yu Sui Sui finally realized: he was actually answering her earliest question.
“Would you like to come for dinner?”
“Mm.”
!
She tilted her head to look at Xie Rong Jing, who gave her a faint glance before averting his gaze.
“What would you like to eat tonight?” Yu Sui Sui tentatively asked her villainous classmate. “Let’s have dinner first, and then… I’ll take you to see my father. How does that sound?”
Yes, when in doubt—she would tell her father.
Although the original host’s identity as the young lady was certainly useful, there were times when it wasn’t quite enough—like today.
In that case, it was time to bring in the even more useful original host’s father!
Who had the final say in the Tian Zhao Sect?
Of course, it was the sect leader.
As long as her father spoke up, there was no way Gongsun Lan wouldn’t obediently undo the spell.
Besides, it was her father who had brought Xie Rong Jing back in the first place. Surely that had to count for something, right?
Yu Sui Sui speculated.
Xie Rong Jing gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The two walked one behind the other as they stepped down from the sedan chair. Yu Sui Sui and Bai Shuang led the way, while Xie Rong Jing trailed five steps behind.
Suddenly, his footsteps paused for a moment as he lifted his head to gaze at the dark blue sky.
There were no clouds tonight, nor was there a moon—only a sky full of stars.
Xie Rong Jing looked thoughtfully toward the direction of the North Peak, the confusion on his face fading as a trace of yearning gradually bloomed in his eyes.
He lowered his gaze, the corners of his lips curling into a soundless smile.
Enjoy the last night of your life.
Talisman Cultivator.