The evening breeze rustled the bamboo shadows, adding a deeper chill to the already cold early spring.
The immortal attendants withdrew at the young mistress’s command, leaving only Yu Sui Sui, Pei Lin, and Xie Rong Jing in the courtyard.
“How dare you!” Pei Lin cracked his whip against the ground.
Several birds, startled awake, fluttered their wings as they swept past under the moonlight.
“Young mistress, the Devil Seed is dangerous,” Pei Lin took a deep breath. “If there’s nothing else, this subordinate will immediately return him to his original place.”
Yu Sui Sui’s gaze shifted from Xie Rong Jing in his shackles to slowly travel toward the whip in Pei Lin’s hand.
Seriously? You’re uninjured and armed—how can you fear someone whose Meridians are destroyed and who’s bound in chains?
Pei Lin failed to interpret the meaning in the young mistress’s eyes. Xie Rong Jing’s earlier unusual movement had put him on high alert. He grabbed the chains restraining Xie Rong Jing, eager to take him to the Law Enforcement Hall immediately.
Is it time to get to work already?
Yu Sui Sui had no choice but to brace herself.
Having just transmigrated here today, she had originally planned to simply get familiar with everyone. Little did she know that the future great villain who would overturn clouds with a flip of his hand was currently in such a miserable state.
This forced her to skip the simple greetings and jump straight into the complicated process of pleading for mercy and treating injuries.
Xie Rong Jing’s eyes were half-closed, the corners of his lips maintaining their previous slight smile. Moonlight, fragmented by bamboo shadows, spilled across his profile. His brows were slightly furrowed, appearing both enduring and fragile.
Generally speaking, such fragile-looking youths would evoke protective instincts. But judging by Pei Lin’s expression, it wasn’t protection he wanted to offer—rather, he seemed intent on making Xie Rong Jing hurt all over.
“Well… what did he do?” Yu Sui Sui asked politely.
As Pei Lin recounted the events with suppressed anger, she pieced together the whole story.
Simply put, Xie Rong Jing during this period wasn’t yet sophisticated in his methods—he had killed two Outer Sect Disciples and was discovered by the sect’s Law Enforcement Hall.
Three months ago, the three of them went down the mountain together on a sect mission, but only Xie Rong Jing returned. The other two had been missing ever since, and currently appeared to be in grave danger.
Both missing disciples had previous conflicts with Xie Rong Jing, and their last known whereabouts were with him on the sect mission. Therefore, many disciples privately speculated: these two were secretly killed by Xie Rong Jing.
The legal awareness in this world was clearly not as advanced as in her original world—they didn’t understand the concept of “innocent until proven guilty.” As a result, Xie Rong Jing had all his Meridians crushed by the Law Enforcement Hall. Unless a divine healer were reborn, he would never be able to wield a sword again.
How tragic… not really.
To be fair, Yu Sui Sui thought: Xie Rong Jing might not be entirely innocent—the possibility was quite low.
After all, he would eventually grow into a ruthless character who would exterminate entire sects and massacre cities. He would nearly wipe out the entire Tian Zhao Sect—killing two Outer Sect Disciples who had conflicts with him was completely within his character.
Even after causing deaths, the system still described the young Xie Rong Jing as [harmless as a lamb]. Was that idiom even used correctly? Their language teacher would be crying.
She couldn’t help but feel another layer of worry about this transmigration journey.
And when people are worried, their thoughts tend to wander.
Just two days before transmigrating, she had come across posts about her great villain classmate.
【Whatever you do, don’t recruit Xie Rong Jing—he’s a complete madman!! I was there and saw it with my own eyes—one moment he was laughing and chatting with someone, the next he yanked their head off like pulling a radish!】
【1L: Just asking out of curiosity, why does Xie Rong Jing’s discussion thread pop up every now and then? He’s just a villain killing people, no big deal, right?】
【2L: Upstairs, you must have never done missions in that world… I envy you.】
【3L: Exactly. I’ve seen plenty of villains, and sometimes even transmigrated as one, but Xie Rong Jing’s type—flipping moods in an instant—is truly one of a kind, unparalleled and unmatched…】
【4L: Upstairs +1. The most dangerous part is that he goes crazy enough to kill even his own allies. You know the Demons, right? He’s practically the only one left after he slaughtered them.】
【……】
Damn it, I should have firmly insisted the system change my mission.
Yu Sui Sui secretly glanced at this forum celebrity, wondering if the “white moonlight” she was playing fell within the category of “kill on a whim.”
Seeing her obedient and timid demeanor, Pei Lin assumed the young lady had satisfied her strange curiosity. Since she had already seen the Devil Seed, there was no need for him to stay any longer.
“Wait a moment.” Yu Sui Sui spoke with a tone of grim determination, yet her words were full of concern. “His injuries are so severe. Has a Medical Cultivator come to treat him?”
Pei Lin dragged Xie Rong Jing up with evident disgust. “Impossible! It’s just that he can’t cultivate anymore—he’s gotten off easy. The fact that Tian Zhao Sect spared his life is entirely due to the Sect Leader’s mercy.”
Listen to that—what does “just can’t cultivate” even mean?
In a cultivation sect, not being able to cultivate is like being forced to drop out during nine years of compulsory education. It sounds utterly miserable, okay?
But she had no intention of arguing with Pei Lin. Others might not know, but she, a transmigrator in the know, understood perfectly well, so there was no need to worry about the big villain.
The Demons’ cultivation methods were fundamentally different from ordinary people’s. Even without his Meridians, Xie Rong Jing had other ways. Besides, in the future, he would get whatever he wanted. If he wished, with just a single word, countless divine doctors would line up to reconstruct his pathways.
She first lit a metaphorical candle in her heart for those two disciples. Every grievance has its debtor, and every debt its debtor. May you two rest in peace, and in your next life, keep your eyes open before making enemies—offend anyone but the big villain.
This was her first job. Even though the mission target was a bit problematic, there was that old saying: since you’re already here.
“…If he doesn’t receive treatment in time, he might really die.”
Yu Sui Sui slowly spoke in the pleading tone she had practiced a hundred times in transmigration class—three parts hesitation, three parts regret, three parts reluctance, plus a hint of shallow shyness.
“Young Lady, I know you have a kind heart,” Pei Lin said solemnly. “But the Devil Seed does not deserve your sympathy.”
Throughout their conversation, Xie Rong Jing didn’t utter a single word.
He didn’t refute Pei Lin’s accusations, his face still wearing that detached, gently smiling expression, as if the subject of discussion wasn’t him.
“It’s not sympathy,” Yu Sui Sui said.
“It’s like this—even if it were any other fellow cultivator injured today, I wouldn’t stand by and watch them die.”
Hmm…
That had a bit of a morning drama heroine feel to it.
But what could she do? Based on her extensive reading experience, whether it was protagonists or antagonists, few disliked pure and innocent little white lotuses.
Especially someone as twisted as Xie Rong Jing.
Imagine when he became a heinous demon lord, his heart filled with darkness, and he recalled the past—Yu Sui Sui, this genuine and unaffected girl, would become a clear stream in his murky memories.
If this didn’t qualify as a white moonlight, then what did?
“Absolutely not!” Pei Lin urgently protested. “According to Article 7, Clause 13 of the sect rules, killing fellow disciples is a grave crime!”
“Do you have any evidence?”
“Evidence…?” Pei Lin was taken aback. “But… but he’s a Devil Seed…”
“When my father brought Xie Rong Jing back, did he ever say to treat him differently?” Yu Sui Sui’s expression was as sincere and earnest as could be. “Everyone in the sect is equal. How can we let him be looked down upon just because of his origins?”
“…”
Young Brother Pei Lin was intimidated by the young lady’s presence and couldn’t utter a word for a long time.
“I’m just helping him treat his injuries.” Yu Sui Sui appealed to both reason and emotion, fully embodying the image of a morning drama heroine. “After all, he might be an innocent life…”
Pei Lin, defeated.
As a native cultivator who had guarded the Moon Condensing Bridge for ten years and hardly ever spoken to female cultivators since childhood, how could he have encountered such tactics? Whether Xie Rong Jing liked righteous little white lotuses or not, he had already been won over by the young lady’s kindness. Even if Yu Sui Sui pointed at the sky and said the moon was missing a piece and looked pitiful, he would want to help the young lady mend the moon back to its full shape.
After repeatedly confirming that Xie Rong Jing, without his Meridians, posed no threat, Pei Lin retreated from the courtyard gate, looking back every three steps.
“Um… are you okay?”
Yu Sui Sui somewhat regretted not keeping Pei Lin behind as well. Perhaps because she had heard too many glorious tales about this rule-breaking guy, she felt quite uneasy being alone with him.
Xie Rong Jing tilted his head, his pitch-black eyes clearly reflecting her image.
Yu Sui Sui noticed he had a pair of beautiful Peach Blossom Eyes, yet his gaze carried a hint of coldness, seeming somewhat world-weary. His ink-black pupils mirrored the silvery moonlight, and if not for his overly pale complexion, he really wouldn’t look like a major antagonist.
Neither of them spoke, and even the wind seemed to have stilled.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the discomfort in Yu Sui Sui’s heart grew increasingly palpable. To put it in words, it felt as if someone had installed invisible cameras around her, secretly observing and analyzing her.
If it were the real Yu Sui Sui, she would already be comfortably lying in bed spacing out. Unfortunately, she was the young lady of the Tian Zhao Sect, and her new persona was that of a kind little white lotus.
So exhausting. Was pretending to be someone else always this draining?
How much longer did she have to stand in the courtyard…?
Her feet were numb; she wanted to lie down on the bed.
And it was so cold outside too…
“Young lady’s integrity is truly commendable.”
After who knows how long, Xie Rong Jing slowly spoke, his tone slightly lilting, dragging out each word.
He was uttering words of praise, yet they carried no trace of reverence.
Yu Sui Sui couldn’t quite grasp his meaning, but, whatever.
Even if it was sarcasm, it was directed at the young lady—what does that have to do with me, Yu Sui Sui? jpg.
After all, it was their first day meeting. The most important thing now was to avoid standing in the courtyard catching a chill any longer.
“You’re bleeding,” she said with concern. “Come inside to the guest room and let’s apply some Medicine.”
Xie Rong Jing neither agreed nor refused. Leaning on the green bamboo beside him for support, he stood up, the chains around his wrists clinking as he moved.
He shuffled forward two steps, one leg dragging slightly, leaving faint bloodstains on the ground.
Suddenly, he stumbled and nearly fell.
“Are you alright…” Yu Sui Sui was startled and quickly reached out to steady him.
Her fingertips brushed against Xie Rong Jing’s arm through the thin fabric of his clothing, and his body noticeably stiffened for a moment.
For an instant, Yu Sui Sui felt a piercing coldness that shot straight to the crown of her head, making her instinctively want to flee.
But the next second, it was as if nothing had happened. Noticing the change in her expression, Xie Rong Jing even gave her a friendly, slight nod, as if the earlier sense of danger had been nothing but her imagination.
The two entered the room peacefully, locking the moonlight outside.
Yu Sui Sui settled him in the adjacent guest room. Xie Rong Jing took a seat in the wooden armchair, his fingertips lightly and rhythmically tapping against the tabletop.
—Tap, tap, tap.
Yu Sui Sui: …
Is he ringing a bell?
The past few hours since her transmigration had been eventful, and she was ready to clock out and sleep.
Even if she needed to build a relationship with Xie Rong Jing, they had only just met—there was no need to act overly enthusiastic.
This wasn’t slacking off; it was following the natural progression of interpersonal relationships. Yes, that was it!
Searching her memories, Yu Sui Sui found a thumb-sized celadon porcelain vial and pushed it toward the great antagonist.
“This is Bi Ying Paste. It’s very effective for your wounds,” she explained. “Will you apply it yourself, or do you need my help?”
Preferably, he would do it himself. She had already observed that the chains on Xie Rong Jing’s wrists were long enough not to interfere with applying Medicine.
You’re a mature mission target now; you should learn to tend to your own wounds instead of troubling your future white moonlight. Thank you very much.
Seeing Xie Rong Jing slowly pick up the Medicine bottle, she felt relieved and prepared to return to her room to rest.
But the moment she stood up, her wrist was abruptly seized and pressed against the table.
Clang—
The sound of metal clashing echoed, and the air filled with the scent of rust.
Xie Rong Jing’s body temperature was lower than normal, reminding her of some slow-crawling cold-blooded creature. As he held her wrist, Yu Sui Sui could even feel her own pulse beating against his palm.
The moon was dark, the wind high, and a great antagonist of uncertain intentions was holding her hand. Considering his character setting, it felt like the beginning of a horror novel.
Unexpectedly, Xie Rong Jing did nothing.
He only held her briefly before letting go, paying no further attention to Yu Sui Sui as she bid him goodnight and prepared to leave, remaining alone in the guest room.