After Transmigrating, the Female Lead Went Dark (GL) - Chapter 16

The moment the whip appeared, the Cult Leader instantly became obedient. “Sister Saintess, I’m not lacking love anymore.”

Fortunately, Xiao Xinyue was only frightening her. Seeing that Zhou Zhuying was truly scared, she put the whip away.

However, the Cult Leader was like a goldfish with only seven seconds of memory, never learning from her lessons. Seeing the threat removed, she immediately began asking again, “Sister Saintess, don’t you use a saber? Where did the whip come from?”

“When wandering the martial world, how could one only know how to use one weapon? My saber cannot be drawn lightly. It is used to kill. As for times when I am not killing, a whip is enough.” Xiao Xinyue looked at the Cult Leader with an extremely “kind” gaze.

Zhou Zhuying: “…”

The female lead’s style was both trembling and sadistic. Just looking at her made one’s flesh, bones, and skin ache faintly.

Was this really the beautiful and valiant female lead from the original novel? Why did Zhou Zhuying feel that the female lead came with a secretly dark attribute?

After threatening her, Xiao Xinyue brought the topic back to serious matters. “The Cult Leader guessed correctly. The remnants of your Demon Sect are indeed gathering. Fortunately, the Cult Leader previously gave me a clever method, temporarily resolving this urgent problem.”

Cult Leader Zhou: “?”

She had said far too many things in order to survive and truly could not remember which ideas she had given that could be used against the Demon Sect.

Xiao Xinyue reminded her, “The Cult Leader taught me to use your imprisonment to intimidate the Demon Sect remnants, and also hoped to cooperate with me. Through the Cult Leader personally appearing and explaining herself, we could persuade the Demon Sect remnants to surrender…”

Zhou “traitor-to-her-own-side” Cult Leader remembered now. She still did not think there was anything wrong with her suggestion and even added, “All this fighting and killing has such a bad influence. If things can be resolved through peaceful means, then they should be resolved harmoniously!” She asked curiously, “So Sister Saintess wasn’t worried because of this matter?”

“After the news that the Cult Leader is in Moshan Sect’s hands spread, the Demon Sect’s actions became more secretive. They are no longer as loud and aggressive as before, impatiently wanting to attack Moshan Sect. However, they have raised a banner saying they want to rescue the Cult Leader, and they are preparing to act in secret.”

“That really is something to worry about.” Zhou Zhuying commented as if she were completely detached from the matter, like an outsider.

Then she quickly thought of something. The main forces of the various sects were all still at Moshan Sect. If those few Demon Sect members came to rescue her, wouldn’t they just be delivering themselves as after-meal snacks?

Besides, the male and female leads were both at Moshan Sect. That meant the Heavenly Dao favored Moshan Sect. How could the Demon Sect possibly succeed?

She also did not want both sides to suffer casualties because of her, nor did she want a slight mishap to lead to widespread suffering. Even if both sides merely wanted to find an excuse to fight, she did not want to become that “excuse.”

She grabbed Xiao Xinyue’s hand and said sincerely, “Sister Saintess, if you have a way to resolve this peacefully, I will definitely obediently cooperate with you!”

“Obediently cooperate…” Xiao Xinyue chewed over these words again and again. Her gaze, clear at first, slowly deepened.

As lunchtime approached, the two of them walked back.

When they returned to the front of the courtyard, Xiao Xinyue suddenly said, “You are not the Cult Leader.”

Zhou Zhuying’s heart thudded. Her foot missed a step, and she almost rolled down the stairs. Fortunately, Xiao Xinyue reacted quickly enough and caught her.

Having the truth that she was not the original owner exposed so directly, Zhou Zhuying still could not quite react.

She stared blankly at Xiao Xinyue, her thoughts twisting and turning. Had the female lead really noticed that she was not the original owner? If she was not the original owner, then didn’t that mean she had no value to be used? How would the female lead deal with her, this “fake product”?

Xiao Xinyue looked into Zhou Zhuying’s clear eyes, and an unnamed emotion flashed through her heart. She said, “You must say to the outside world that you are not the Cult Leader Zhou Zhuying.”

“Ah?” Zhou Zhuying did not understand.

Xiao Xinyue made up her mind, and her expression became a little more serious. “I will have you meet the sect masters of the various sects. At that time, tell them that you are not the Demon Sect Leader Zhou Zhuying, but a substitute captured by the Demon Sect because of your similar appearance. The real Cult Leader already fled with the Demon Lord long ago.”

Zhou Zhuying finally reacted. So the female lead had not discovered the truth that she was not the original owner, but wanted her to pretend she was not the original owner!

Only…

“Why?”

Was that necessary?

Xiao Xinyue pressed her lips together, raised her hand, and pressed down on Zhou Zhuying’s head. “Don’t ask why. Just do as I say.” She paused. “It will give you one more path of retreat.”

For some reason, Zhou Zhuying felt at ease with Xiao Xinyue’s arrangement. Still, she had some doubts. “But will others believe it?”

“They will have no choice but to believe it.” Xiao Xinyue was very confident. “In all these years, I am the only person on the righteous path who has seen the Cult Leader. Besides, there is something the Cult Leader has that you do not.”

“What is it?”

Xiao Xinyue’s expression was complicated as she lightly held Zhou Zhuying’s wrist. A trace of an indescribable emotion entered her voice. “Power.”

Zhou Zhuying: Baa baa baa?!

So the reason she could not remember even one move or use internal force was not because she had no previous plot summary, but because she had no power at all?!

Zhou Zhuying began doubting herself.

Could it be that after transmigrating into the book, her identity really was not the Cult Leader, but only the Cult Leader’s substitute?

This impact was too great. This twist was way too exciting.

So who was she?

No, wait. Was there a part about the Cult Leader’s substitute in the original novel?

“I might really not be the Cult Leader?” Zhou Zhuying said in confusion.

Xiao Xinyue’s fingers, which had been lightly holding Zhou Zhuying’s wrist, loosened slightly. Then they shifted and directly took hold of that cold hand. “Whether you are or not, you must pretend you are not.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhuying felt a sense of relief.

Right. If she was the real Cult Leader, but the female lead wanted her to pretend she was not, that meant the female lead temporarily would not take her life. If she was not the real Cult Leader, then there was even less need to worry that the female lead would kill her.

Since her little life could be preserved, why did she still need to agonize over whether she was the Cult Leader or not?!

After figuring this out, she became relaxed again. At lunch, she even ate an extra bowl of rice.

After lunch, Xiao Xinyue went off to work again. Zhou Zhuying did not know what she was busy with, but she assumed it was related to having her pretend she was not the Cult Leader.

After waiting for a period of time without anything special happening, Zhou Zhuying gradually set the matter aside.

Then one day, an unfamiliar female disciple came to Xiao Xinyue’s courtyard and said to Zhou Zhuying, “The Sect Master wants to see you.”

Ever since Zhou Zhuying had become Moshan Sect’s prisoner, she had never met the Sect Master of Moshan Sect, because whether it was destroying the Demon Sect or imprisoning her, all of it had been handled entirely by the Saintess, Xiao Xinyue.

For a while, she had dazedly thought that the Saintess was the boss of Moshan Sect. Later, after receiving an explanation from the disciple who delivered food, she learned that the Saintess was the next sect master, equivalent to a “crown prince.” Since the current sect master, Ling Guqing, was the Supreme of the Martial World and had many matters to handle, the sect’s internal affairs were almost all handled by the Saintess.

Now that the boss of Moshan Sect had suddenly said she wanted to see her, Zhou Zhuying felt that it was probably related to Xiao Xinyue having her pretend not to be the Cult Leader.

Zhou Zhuying nervously followed that disciple while simulating in her mind how she should act later in order to seem convincing.

As an ordinary person suddenly dragged into acting, wasn’t this making things difficult for Fat Tiger?!

The unfamiliar female disciple led her down a small path she had never taken before. Seeing that they did not encounter a single living person along the way, Zhou Zhuying suddenly did not want to walk anymore.

The unfamiliar female disciple turned back to look at her. “Female demon—Cult Leader, why aren’t you walking? The Sect Master is still waiting for you!”

Zhou Zhuying hugged a tree. “Where is the Saintess?”

“The person who wants to see you is the Sect Master.”

Zhou Zhuying became even more uneasy. “I want to see the Saintess first.”

“When we get to the Sect Master’s place, you’ll be able to see the Saintess.”

“Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? Even human traffickers don’t use lines like that anymore.”

The unfamiliar female disciple rolled her eyes and said irritably, “Who’s tricking you?”

“Who are you trying to fool? Does your Sect Master live somewhere this remote? Look at how secluded this path is. If the grass on both sides hadn’t withered, it would probably be as tall as me! You wouldn’t happen to have improper intentions toward me, would you?”

The unfamiliar female disciple’s eyes nearly rolled into the sky. “I’m a woman!”

“Who said women can’t have improper intentions toward women?”

The unfamiliar female disciple choked and looked at her like she was looking at a lunatic.

“I don’t have time to waste with you here. The Sect Master is still waiting. Hurry up!” The unfamiliar female disciple irritably drew her saber. With a clang, the sharp blade scraped against the sheath as it was drawn, flashing coldly beneath the sunlight.

Zhou Zhuying released the tree in her arms and straightened her clothes. “Let me tell you, I’m covered in courage from head to toe, so don’t bother threatening me. I’m not afraid of you! Do you think I’m following you because I was coerced? Wrong. I merely understand literature and etiquette and do not wish to make the Sect Master wait too long.”

Unfamiliar female disciple: “…”

She had seen noisy people before, but never someone this noisy!

She wanted to sew Zhou Zhuying’s mouth shut, but unfortunately, she could not really do anything to her!

The female disciple’s eyes had almost rolled until only the whites remained before they finally saw a residence. The female disciple said, “We’re here.”

“Why is the place your Sect Master lives in so plain? This door is way too small, isn’t it?”

“This is the back door!”

“Using the back door of your Sect Master’s residence? A little exciting!”

The female disciple felt that this sentence sounded strange, but she could not tell exactly what Zhou Zhuying meant. She led her through the rear courtyard, past a moon gate and a corridor, and into a quiet courtyard.

Just as Zhou Zhuying was about to speak, she suddenly heard a familiar voice come from inside the room. “…Why does Master believe this disciple’s plan will not work?”

“She is uncontrollable.”

From the second voice, Zhou Zhuying detected a faint flavor of a middle-aged, abstinent Daoist. This was probably the female lead’s master, Moshan Sect’s Sect Master, and the Supreme of the Martial World, Ling Guqing… The titles were a bit many, but who could blame her for being a top-tier powerhouse?

Xiao Xinyue clearly paused. After a moment, she slowly said, “She has no martial arts, fears pain, and fears death. How could she be uncontrollable?”