A Record of Heavenly Secrets [Transmigration Into A Book] - Chapter 2

A sharp flash of light swept past, narrowly severing a strand of her hair in midair.

She twisted sideways to evade it, channeling spiritual energy into the tip of her foot to knock the sword’s hilt aside. The four-foot spiritual sword spun through the air once more.

That was dangerous. She had almost been sliced in half.

Yan Qingli wiped away her sweat and exchanged another three rounds of blows with the sword. Her stamina was gradually running out, and with the sea of qi in her dantian completely depleted, she felt especially weak.

The sword relentlessly pursuing her possessed all the distinctive features of a signature weapon from the novel: a hilt decorated with golden leaves and a blade engraved with an old-fashioned dragon pattern. There was no mistaking it. This was Bu Yunlou’s Zhuxie Sword.

Once the Zhuxie Sword was drawn, it would not be sheathed until it had tasted an enemy’s blood.

Bu Yunlou had clearly come after her with the intention of taking her life.

She couldn’t hold out for more than a few rounds. She had to end this fight quickly.

Yan Qingli’s pupils contracted slightly. She bent backward, lowering herself to avoid an attack, then pressed three fingers against the horizontal crease of her palm to form a hand seal. A protective barrier of true qi materialized, holding back the sword’s fiercely advancing blade.

Bu Yunlou grabbed the sword’s hilt and revealed himself. Knowing that the woman before him was already at the end of her rope, he no longer bothered gathering qi or casting spells. Instead, he toyed with her like a cat playing with a mouse, using brute force to drive her steadily backward.

Yan Qingli gritted her teeth, desperately resisting the approaching blade. Her dark eyes had turned red from the cold mountain wind, and her voice was slightly hoarse with exhaustion as she spoke. “Senior Brother Bu, what grudge is there between us? You pursue me so relentlessly, even resorting to a despicable sneak attack while I’m weakened. That’s hardly the conduct of a gentleman.”

Bu Yunlou struck Yan Qingli with his palm, sending her crashing to the ground.

He withdrew his sword and crouched down, looking at her weakened, exhausted figure. His gaze lingered on her beautiful face with a hint of regret, and he smiled hypocritically. “From the moment we’re born, people in this world are already divided into different ranks. Some are destined to be the protagonists of this world, while pretty but useless people like you are only fit to serve as stepping stones for heaven’s chosen favorites.

“If you weren’t a medicinal vessel and merely had ordinary aptitude, I might have taken pity on your beautiful face and saved an innocent person like you… What a shame. You’re of no use to me, and you have neither power nor influence. So don’t blame your senior brother for showing no mercy.”

Bu Yunlou laid his sword horizontally across Yan Qingli’s throat. As he imagined his future, his handsome face lit up with excitement. “Next year, when your senior brother becomes the Sect Master of the Beiyuan Immortal Sect, I’ll certainly burn a stick of incense for you during the Qingming Festival, Junior Sister. I’ll right the injustice you’ve suffered and clear your name.”

“So Senior Brother knows I’m innocent? Then what about Senior Sister Yan? Does she know?”

Yan Qingli wore a bewildered expression and deliberately lowered her tearful eyes. She knew perfectly well how captivating her appearance was. Her petite, delicate body trembled in the cold wind like a fragile willow swaying in the breeze. She intended to make Bu Yunlou lower his guard, then find an opening to escape.

A trace of pity seemed to flicker through Bu Yunlou’s eyes. His grip on his sword loosened slightly, and his lips curved into a smug smile. “She doesn’t know. In any case, sooner or later, she’ll become my woman. Junior Sister, you might as well end your own life and obediently be on your way. The sooner you die, the sooner you can reincarnate.”

Suddenly, the burning logs of the campfire flew into the air and came raining down on him from above.

He froze for a moment before swinging his sword to slash at them. Tiny sparks caught on his sect disciple uniform, catching him completely off guard and sending him frantically patting at his clothes to extinguish the flames.

Yan Qingli seized the opportunity and plunged headfirst into the thickets, sprinting away at the fastest speed of her life.

It was rare for her to successfully escape the sect, and she had absolutely no desire to experience the agony of dying and being reborn again, much less endure another nightmarish hunt like this one.

Before even the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, Bu Yunlou was kicking at the firewood with a dark expression. Several small holes had been burned into his high-ranking disciple uniform, exposing patches of embarrassingly pale skin that made him look like a scrawny, plucked chicken.

He was somewhat troubled. Such an improper state of dress would ruin his image as an elegant, graceful gentleman. When he returned, he would have to avoid the other disciples and enter through the rear mountain gate instead.

“Yan Qingli, just wait until I get my hands on you! I’ll cut you into a thousand pieces!”

Bu Yunlou snarled viciously.

He had waited so long for this opportunity to catch his prey. Surely he couldn’t just return empty-handed.

Still unwilling to give up, he gripped his sword and prepared to resume the pursuit. But before he had taken more than a few steps, several flashes of white light suddenly darted back and forth before his eyes. Immediately afterward, several burning claw marks appeared on his face.

Bu Yunlou touched his cheek, still unable to comprehend what had happened.

Then, with a sudden “meow,” a little ball of mixed gray-and-white fur appeared out of nowhere, landing on top of his head with its front paws crouched against his hair.

The little furball’s pale purple feline eyes darted about cunningly, while its curled tail drooped lazily, swaying from side to side.

A bladder-relieving “psss” sounded, and a warm, foul-smelling stream of urine poured from Bu Yunlou’s bangs all the way down to his chin, thoroughly drenching his entire face.

“Where the hell did this filthy cat come from?! How dare you scratch up my face and piss on my head!”

Bu Yunlou’s furious shrieks became so distorted with rage that they sounded unbearably harsh and grating. The birds in the forest were startled into flight, scattering in panic.

Having finished its mischief, the little furball happily and nimbly leaped onto a branch. Its dark violet eyes were especially distinct in the night. Its furry, pointed ears twitched, and in an almost humanlike gesture, it turned its plump, fluffy backside toward Bu Yunlou and gave it a provocative little wiggle. Its tail curled into a ring before standing upright again.

As if to say, Come on, then! Come and get me!

Bu Yunlou was beside himself with rage. In all his years of living, and after spending so long in this world, he had never been humiliated like this, much less by a lowly beast.

At that moment, all he could think about was catching this insolent cat, skinning it, chopping its flesh into pieces, and feeding it to the dogs. He had even temporarily forgotten about killing Yan Qingli.

Using a wind-control technique, Bu Yunlou rapidly approached the little furball resting on the branch. He held his breath and reached out, his fingers seemingly just about to close around the detestable stray cat.

Suddenly, the little furball’s round, fluffy backside let out a loud “pfft!” Its tail swayed in leisurely satisfaction as a foul fart reeking of fish sprayed directly into his face.

Bu Yunlou’s face happened to be positioned squarely in front of the cat’s rear end. The blast of stinking gas hit him head-on, making his stomach churn nauseatingly. The demonic cat also seemed to have cast some sort of spell on his eyes, leaving him temporarily blind.

He clutched his throat and dry-heaved. At that very moment, the true qi sustaining him also vanished, and his body lost all coordination. He plummeted straight down from a height of three stories, landing headfirst in a patch of grass.

Bu Yunlou crawled out of the grass in a miserable state, his hair sticking out in every direction. He spat out the dirt and grass in his mouth with a disgusted “ptui,” cursing up a storm as he prepared to settle the score with that cat.

He gripped his sword and looked around menacingly. His disciple uniform was riddled with holes of all sizes, and whenever the wind blew, he could feel a slight chill through the gaps.

He was so bewildered that he almost felt as though he were dreaming.

But where was that cat now? Even the traces of blood Yan Qingli had left on the ground had disappeared without a trace. The forest was completely deserted, and neither of them could be found anywhere.

Wheels rolled over the grassy mountain path with a rhythmic clattering, leaving behind long, dry ruts in the muddy ground. Strange, discordant sounds of bells and chains intermingled in the air.

Yan Qingli poked her head out from the thickets. A convoy of horse-drawn carriages was passing along the mountain road in front of her. Strangely, however, none of the carriages had a driver. Instead, several human-sized figures made from yellow talisman paper held the reins, guiding the horses along the road.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that strings of triangular copper coins hung from all four corners of each carriage’s canopy. They appeared to be objects used to suppress demons and subdue monsters. The number of coins varied from carriage to carriage. Some had six triangular copper coins hanging from them, while others had only one, but without exception, none had more than nine.

As for the strange sounds of bells and chains she had heard, they came from inside the carriage compartments. Perhaps they were carrying some kind of locked-up cargo.

The trees surrounding Yan Qingli swayed in the wind, yet the curtains of these carriages remained perfectly still. Clearly, some kind of spell had been cast on them.

While she was observing them, she suddenly heard several cultivators conversing behind her.

“According to the message Senior Brother Bu sent through his flying messenger talisman, that sect traitor Yan Qingli should have fled in our direction. But we’ve been searching for so long. How come we haven’t even caught a glimpse of her?”

Someone snorted and said, “Who knows? Maybe Senior Brother Bu is pulling a diversion, tricking us into searching somewhere else while he’s already taken Yan Qingli’s head and corpse back to the Sect Master to collect his reward.”

Another person chimed in, “It’s not like you don’t know what kind of person Bu Yunlou is. That brat is cunning and deceitful. Whenever we gamble or play mahjong with him, don’t we always lose so badly that we practically lose our pants? That bastard loves cheating more than anything. We’ve been searching for so long without finding her. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s exactly what happened.”

A female disciple argued indignantly, “Senior Brother Bu isn’t that kind of person! He’s always conducted himself openly and honorably. He’s a true gentleman! I think you’re all just jealous because Senior Brother Yunlou is the one the Sect Master values most, so you’re spouting all this nonsense!”

The approaching group consisted entirely of disciples from the Beiyuan Immortal Sect. Yan Qingli even recognized the female disciple surrounded by the male disciples. Back when she had first become a registered disciple, she had shared a room with this girl.

Watching the group draw closer and closer, Yan Qingli grew increasingly anxious. Her exchange with Bu Yunlou had completely exhausted her true qi, leaving her unable to use any spiritual energy. If they discovered her now, she would have no choice but to surrender and be dragged back up the immortal mountain.

“Meow~”

A faint meow came from somewhere nearby.

Yan Qingli glanced from side to side and discovered that, at some unknown point, a little furball had appeared on her shoulder. It weighed practically nothing, so much so that she hadn’t even noticed its presence.

Under the moonlight, the little furball’s soft, pointed cat ears emerged from its fluffy coat. Its furry paws, complete with little fleshy pads, rested against her collarbone, radiating warmth like a tiny hot-water bottle. It narrowed its dark violet eyes contentedly, leisurely swaying its tail as it curled and stretched.

By the moonlight, Yan Qingli finally got a clear look at the little furball’s true appearance. Seeing that it was merely a harmless little kitten rather than some deadly supernatural creature, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She suddenly recalled the strange incident that had occurred while she was roasting fish beside the lake. The corner of her mouth twitched speechlessly. Most likely, this stray cat had appeared from who knew where, smelled the delicious aroma of her roasted fish, and stolen it.

Suddenly, a soft cat’s tail lightly patted her palm several times, the taps neither painful nor itchy.

I’m not some stray cat! Besides, I’ve already repaid the favor I owed you.

At some point, the little furball had jumped into Yan Qingli’s arms. It raised its plump little head, covered in soft fur, and gazed up at her with watery, dark violet eyes.

Yan Qingli and the kitten stared at each other, their eyes locked. She listened to the little cat meowing repeatedly, unable to understand what it was trying to express. But at first glance, this little creature seemed remarkably intelligent and quite friendly toward her. It probably wouldn’t suddenly lash out with its claws for no reason.

The carriage convoy traveling along the road suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

One of the carriages stopped directly in front of Yan Qingli. The nine triangular copper coins hanging from the corners of its canopy knocked against one another, producing a crisp, melodious sound. A faint violet demonic glow seemed to emanate from them.

The yellow talisman paper figure stood on tiptoe and pulled aside the carriage curtain, then turned toward Yan Qingli and made a gesture inviting her inside.

The little furball lay lazily in Yan Qingli’s arms, casting a sidelong glance at the yellow talisman paper figure with its dark violet eyes. The paper figure trembled, then pulled the carriage curtain farther to one side, opening it wide enough for an ordinary human to enter and exit.

Holding the little furball in her arms, Yan Qingli turned to look at the Beiyuan Immortal Sect disciples, who were getting dangerously close to discovering her. At this point, she couldn’t care less what this strange carriage was used for or where it was headed. She leaped aboard, bent down, and seated herself inside.