After I Failed to Reform the Female Lead of a Tragic Novel - Chapter 9

“Now that you’ve seen the items, what are your thoughts?” Qiu Yan’s tone was light and indifferent, devoid of any panic or guilt.

Xie Yu’s hand tightened on the notebook, instantly creasing the thin rice paper. Strangely, the angrier she felt, the calmer she became, as if they were discussing someone else’s affairs: “Why do this? There has never been a grievance between us.”

“It has nothing to do with grievances. Even if I saw an interesting passerby like you on the road, I’d want to play a game with her.”

He pulled out two chairs and made a gesture of invitation. He sat down first, crossing his legs and resting his arms on the armrests, watching Xie Yu with a composed air.

“I won’t speak in riddles anymore. Seeing how troubled you are, Junior Sister, let me tell you a story.”

When Qiu Yan first met Xie Yu, his extraordinary perception allowed him to discover the secret she was trying to hide. The girl was insecure and scrawny, head bowed, not daring to speak a word; yet, she carried a pungent scent of blood—the kind of scent one only acquires after killing someone.

Nothing was more exciting than discovering the evil nature of a human being.

At that time, Xie Yu was only twelve or thirteen. Qiu Yan had his doubts, so he asked Xu Ruozhen and received an answer.

How interesting. Once he focused his attention on her, Qiu Yan found that she was very different from what he had imagined.

Whenever Xie Yu was bullied, Qiu Yan looked forward to her acting “out of control” again. To his disappointment, she remained as weak and numb as an ant, showing no fighting spirit at all.

Moreover, Xie Yu seemed easily convinced by anyone who showed her a shred of kindness. As long as someone gave her a little help, she was profoundly grateful. This foolish goodness particularly irritated Qiu Yan.

Seemingly wanting to teach her a lesson, Qiu Yan orchestrated the first “betrayal” incident. He arranged for an outer-sect female cultivator who admired him to feign friendship with Xie Yu. He gave the girl his storage ring to present to Xie Yu, only to have her claim a few days later that Xie Yu had stolen it.

Everyone treated Xie Yu like a thief. She was defenseless and could only turn back time and again to look at the “friend” who had framed her.

Qiu Yan remembered that Xie Yu’s gaze was filled with despair. She was numb to the malicious slander of others, but the betrayal of someone close felt like a bolt from the blue.

It was also at that time that Qiu Yan discovered something even more shocking: Xie Yu had the Demon bloodline sealed within her! This was the most forbidden art of the Demon Realm; even Qiu Yan had been given a similar seal just to act as a spy in the righteous sects.

He drugged Xie Yu and brought her back to his residence, intending to break the seal by force. To his surprise, the seal was far deeper than he thought; not only did it remain intact, but Qiu Yan himself suffered a backlash that cost him decades of cultivation.

Forcing it open was useless; only by making Xie Yu fall into a state of “deviation” could she break the seal herself.

Thus, Qiu Yan began a series of plans aimed at making the light in Xie Yu’s heart crumble bit by bit, eventually leading her in despair down the path of a demon cultivator.

To avoid suspicion, he never participated in the execution of these plans. He acted only as the mastermind behind the scenes, and his frequent travels served as the perfect alibi.

Progress was slow, but the effects gradually showed. Xie Yu had transformed from a blank sheet of paper to someone riddled with scars.

However, Qiu Yan hadn’t expected her to persist in trying to reconstruct her spiritual roots. Even after failing to break through to Foundation Establishment for three years, she stubbornly gritted her teeth and cultivated in silence.

Qiu Yan knew that for a person like this, even a tiny bit of nutrient would make her strive to grow. Only by personally giving her hope and then crushing it could he drive her to true despair. Therefore, he changed his strategy, helping her prepare the materials for reconstruction—playing the long game to catch a big fish.

The Xuanji Grass was indispensable for the reconstruction, but that grass was destined to belong to Gong Dongling.

He just hadn’t expected Xie Yu to actually suspect him and even break into his room to discover the entire plan.

In that case, he could only resort to the second method…

Qiu Yan exposed his process from initial interest to playing the “game,” but he deliberately omitted the part about the Demon bloodline seal. He didn’t want Xie Yu to know too early; an unconscious deviation would be better for breaking the seal.

“Dyeing a blank sheet of paper black, bit by bit… it’s truly the most wonderful game in the world, isn’t it? The most meaningful moment for something beautiful is the moment you destroy it.” He stood up, unfolding the stack of ruined portraits on the table. He rested his hand on them, closed his eyes, and took a deep, obsessed breath.

“What about the people whose lives you destroyed? What happens to them?” Xie Yu felt cold all over, her teeth beginning to chatter.

Qiu Yan gave a light laugh, crumpled the top painting into a ball, and tossed it casually to the floor: “They’ve become trash. Is there any need for them to exist?”

Xie Yu suddenly remembered that outer-sect female cultivator who had framed her with the storage ring. Since that incident, she had never seen her again. Her fellow disciples didn’t seem to care, merely saying she probably couldn’t handle the hardships of cultivation and left Mount Buzhou.

Her hands at her sides clenched into fists, nails digging deep into her palms, before she could find her voice: “What about Si Rong?”

“Who is Si Rong?”

He had even forgotten who Si Rong was. No—he had never bothered to remember the girl’s name in the first place.

“The outer-sect disciple you instructed to give me the storage ring. She’s on the first page of the notebook.”

“Probably dead. She deserved it anyway; her methods were too dirty and stupid.” Noticing that Xie Yu’s eyes and expression were off, Qiu Yan smiled. “Afraid I’ll do the same to you? Don’t worry, you are my favorite work; I won’t throw you away so soon. I’ve even painted so many portraits of you—aren’t you moved?”

Qiu Yan spoke like a snake flicking its tongue, driving a blade into Xie Yu’s heart with every word: “Think I’m cold-blooded and ruthless? I have never personally taken a life. The murderer has always been you.”

He was leading Xie Yu into his trap step by step. Xie Yu had completely forgotten that the reason Qiu Yan made those plans was to make her lose control.

Xie Yu bowed her head in silence, looking lifeless. She gave no reaction to the word “murderer.”

But Qiu Yan sensed an unusual aura, and his heart skipped a beat. The demon… was it about to wake up?

He activated his sword; it floated up, standing between the two of them. He whispered: “Hate me? Then kill me. Use this sword to pierce my heart and accept your true self.”

Xie Yu suddenly looked up. Her entire aura had changed. Her eyes were pitch black without a shred of light. She tilted her chin up, looking as haughty as the girl in the painting, looking down coldly at the man before her. Finally, she reached out and grabbed the hilt. In an instant, a blood-red light spread from her palm across the entire blade.

Qiu Yan realized he had lost his connection to the sword, but he watched the girl before him with ecstatic craving.

And just then, a clear voice interrupted them: “Stop!”

Xie Yu’s movement faltered. She glanced coldly at the person who had burst through the door. The woman was panting and disheveled, but her burning gaze scorched Xie Yu’s heart. A moment of confusion appeared in Xie Yu’s eyes.

“Xie Yu! It’s all a lie, don’t believe him!” Gong Dongling ran to Xie Yu, only to find the sword pointed directly at her own chest.

Holding the sword, Xie Yu had returned to that cold, unrecognizable state, radiating killing intent.

Gong Dongling directly grabbed the blade with her bare hand, forcing Xie Yu to look her in the eye. Ignoring the sharp edge slicing her palm, her voice was exceptionally firm: “Listen to me. No matter what Qiu Yan just said, it’s all a lie. He is only trying to provoke you and make you lose control. If you fall into his trap and actually stab him, you’ll be doing exactly what he wants!”

Xie Yu stared blankly at Gong Dongling’s bleeding hand, and the ice in her eyes seemed to melt slightly.

Seeing the softening in Xie Yu’s expression, Gong Dongling knew her words were working. She exerted strength in her wrist and guided her: “Come, let go. Give the sword to me.”

Xie Yu’s grip on the hilt slowly loosened. But at the same time, her expression turned agonizing. She curled inward, her body hunched over, letting out a hiss of pain through gritted teeth despite her usually dull senses.

Gong Dongling threw the sword onto the floor with a sharp clink. She rushed forward, catching the collapsing Xie Yu. Patting her back gently, she whispered: “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Like a drowning person finding a lifeline, Xie Yu clutched Gong Dongling’s sleeve tightly before finally falling into a deep, heavy sleep.

After carefully placing Xie Yu in a chair while protecting her head, Gong Dongling turned around and looked coldly at the other person in the room: Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan had picked up his sword at some point. He stood by the table, having watched Gong Dongling in silence for a long time. Now that their eyes met, his expression was hideous—gone was the cheerful mask he usually wore.

He never expected Gong Dongling to suddenly appear here and ruin his plan.

Previously, he had no interest in this Junior Sister. Her malice and methods were too low-level; he didn’t even bother to put on an act for her. Perhaps because they were both “villains,” Gong Dongling hadn’t bothered him either, and they had lived in peace.

After Xie Yu appeared, Qiu Yan had used Gong Dongling to trigger many conflicts, gradually viewing her as a convenient tool.

But now, the tool was out of control, and he hadn’t noticed until now…

Qiu Yan looked at the blood-stained, sickly Gong Dongling, his gaze deepening.

Gong Dongling also felt a lingering fear toward this snake-like man. She had leaked information to Xie Yu intending to shift her suspicion to Qiu Yan, but she hadn’t expected him to be so insane that he would try to provoke her into a demonic state right now. Fortunately, she had arrived in time.

She had a premonition that if that sword had struck, something even more terrifying would have happened.

Perhaps because she had been too frantic and ignored her body’s discomfort, now that Xie Yu was safe, she felt as if the strength had been drained from her. Her body swayed.

Qiu Yan reached out to steady her, preventing her from falling. Gong Dongling thanked him and tried to stand, but felt a sharp pain in her wrist.

Qiu Yan seized the opportunity to grip her slender wrist tightly, speaking through gritted teeth: “Dear Junior Sister? What is going on here?”

Knowing Qiu Yan was far more dangerous than she had imagined, Gong Dongling forced herself to stay calm. She quickly thought of a reason—specifically, she must not reveal that she knew he was a Demon spy, or she would surely be silenced.

“Didn’t you tell the both of us about the Xuanji Grass at the same time? Xie Yu said someone was always sending her information, so I wanted to see what the relationship was between that person and you. From the looks of it, you’re that person, aren’t you?”

Gong Dongling stopped struggling and let him hold her, frowning as she asked back.

“You think I have other motives?” Qiu Yan was clearly not that easy to fool, pressing closer.

“I didn’t even hear what you said just now, so how would I know if you have other motives? I just wanted to wake her up. No matter how you interrogate me, I don’t know anything else. If you’re worried I’ll tell others, there’s no need—after all, you hold plenty of leverage over me as well.”

She spread her hands, acting completely uncooperative.

Qiu Yan narrowed his long eyes, a dangerous glint appearing: “It’s good that Junior Sister has such awareness. But since when did your relationship with Xie Yu become so good? How is it that I didn’t know?”

“Ah, that’s because I was possessed,” Gong Dongling enjoyed Qiu Yan’s stunned expression, her eyes curving into smiles. “Do you believe me?”

If he hadn’t received certain intelligence, Qiu Yan would have indeed thought she was possessed. Someone had suspected and investigated her before, but found nothing unusual.

Taking advantage of his momentary daze, the moment he loosened his grip, she quickly withdrew her reddened wrist. Taking a half-step back, she said seriously: “I know you won’t stop suspecting me. Regardless, I’m right here on Mount Buzhou; I’m not going anywhere. You are free to continue investigating me later.”

Qiu Yan silently watched Gong Dongling help Xie Yu up and lead her out the door. For the coming period, he would focus his surveillance on this sister with the sudden personality shift until he uncovered her secret.

When Xie Yu woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar bamboo forest. She was momentarily confused. Looking around, she saw Gong Dongling quietly asleep on a nearby bamboo lounge chair.

Seeing Gong Dongling, she slowly remembered everything that had happened.

It seemed that when she was provoked into losing control and was about to strike with the sword, Gong Dongling had suddenly appeared to stop her?

Though many details were fuzzy, the image of her pointing the sword at Gong Dongling only for the other woman to grab the blade was exceptionally clear.

She stood up and looked at Gong Dongling, noticing her messy hair and clothes, and the shocking bloodstains on her white collar.

I caused this… Xie Yu’s heart tightened. She suddenly remembered what she had seen in that notebook—many of the past conflicts between her and Gong Dongling were actually orchestrated by Qiu Yan. Gong Dongling had merely been used. A surge of guilt washed over her.

Walking quickly to Gong Dongling’s side, she looked at the hand hanging off the chair. There was a fresh wound in the palm that hadn’t been bandaged.

Just as Xie Yu was about to help her, Gong Dongling woke up.

“Ah, I was too tired and fell asleep. Sorry. Because of my health, I couldn’t carry you back; I could only stay in the bamboo forest and wait for you to wake up.”

Hearing the voice, Xie Yu flinched and quickly withdrew her hand, backing away a few steps. She shook her head and whispered: “Your hand.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ll just wrap it myself when I get back. This way, having bandages on both hands looks quite symmetrical.” She smiled and held up the other hand that had been sliced by the Xuanling sword and was still bandaged.

Seeing that silence was about to descend between them again, Gong Dongling took the initiative to explain:

“The reason I suddenly appeared in Qiu Yan’s room was because I had something to talk to you about today, but couldn’t find you. Someone said they saw you flying in this direction. I figured this place was remote and only contained the Eldest Senior Brother’s residence, so I followed to check. I didn’t expect to hear sounds of trouble inside. In the heat of the moment, I broke in.”

“Sounds…?” Xie Yu remembered something, her face turning pale.

Because just before Gong Dongling burst through the door, Qiu Yan had called her a “murderer.”