After Transmigrating, the Female Lead Went Dark (GL) - Chapter 3

“Let me tell you, fourteen years ago, on the isolated mountain where evildoers had taken root, a young devil with incredibly high martial arts cultivation appeared. At just eight years old, she possessed ten years of internal energy. A single palm strike could create a monstrous tidal wave and shatter a boulder twice her height.

“Because of her power, there was no one on that mountain who didn’t obey her. They all followed her, and as her influence grew, the little devil founded a gang, recruiting all the evildoers in the land to serve her. This is the origin of the Demon Sect—the Qianji Sect—and that little demon was its leader, Zhou Zhuying!

“For these fourteen years, the Demon Sect has done nothing but evil! They have assassinated famous righteous figures, plundered, murdered, and treated human life like dirt. Mentioning the Demon Sect was enough to make children cry at night and cause chickens and dogs to panic!

“Fortunately, our righteous path is also full of talented people. First, we had the leader of the Moshan Sect, Master Ling, the supreme martial artist, who held down the central plains and prevented the Demon Sect from stepping a single foot into our territory. And then, we had the most outstanding Saintess of the Moshan Sect’s younger generation, who led hundreds of righteous champions from the Yaoshan Sect, the Tianyan Sect, and the Feixue Sect to attack the isolated mountain, exterminating evil, guarding the righteous path, and bringing peace back to our world!”

The storyteller’s words became more and more animated, with spittle flying, his voice strained and his veins bulging. The audience was incited with excitement, applauding and cheering, “Good! That’s great! Those evildoers should all be wiped out!”

Someone asked curiously, “How was the battle to exterminate the demon forces on the isolated mountain? Was it intense?”

“Of course, but with the Saintess on our side, our righteous path was unstoppable. We drove straight in and went right up to the Demon Sect Leader. The once awe-inspiring and murderous Sect Leader was utterly powerless before the Saintess! With a wave of the Saintess’s hand, the Demon Sect Leader knelt and begged for mercy like a stray dog!”

“Tsk tsk. So how did the Saintess deal with the Demon Sect Leader?”

“It is said the Demon Sect Leader has been escorted back to the Moshan Sect’s dungeon and is under strict supervision.”

Inside the Moshan Sect’s dungeon, Zhou Zhuying sat hugging her knees on her black iron chair, looking at the barred window on the wall, and worried.

Was she about to begin a long decade of crying and imprisonment?

She found some humor in her situation, thinking that the environment here was quite good:

It was a private, single-cell dwelling, with no one disturbing her next door, fully protecting her personal privacy.

It came with its own toilet, so she didn’t have to use a public one, ensuring hygiene.

In addition, there was a 2-by-2-meter clay bed, plus a five-centimeter-thick straw mattress, providing a firm yet soft sleeping environment for people with bad backs. It was also close to nature.

Of course, the “Moshan Prison” also had an extremely humane service that allowed her to bring her personal belongings, such as her black iron chair—even though she didn’t need it.

The only downside was probably the food, which wasn’t very good. The cell next door got three dishes and one soup, but hers only had two dishes and one soup. They had meat and vegetables, but hers was all vegetarian.

As a teenager who was still growing and who loved meat, she thought her captors wanted her to have an unbalanced diet so she would waste away. This way, they could get rid of her, a great threat, without having to do it themselves!

“This is murder without blood. It’s the highest level of killing!”

Just as the words left her mouth, someone came to her cell and roughly shoved a bowl and chopsticks through the hole under the iron bars. “Time to eat!”

Zhou Zhuying saw it from a distance. It was salted greens and braised tofu again.

But she was a prisoner now, so what right did she have to be picky?

“Just treat it as a diet,” Zhou Zhuying comforted herself.

When the food was finally in front of her, Zhou Zhuying wasn’t picky. She picked up the bowl and started eating.

As she ate, she heard footsteps again outside. This time the footsteps were lighter, and she could tell the person was a graceful woman. Then the iron door of the cell opened, and Xiao Xinyue walked in.

She had changed into a light purple dress, which was more gentle and elegant than the white robes she wore in the main hall that day. She wasn’t wearing a weapon on her waist, so she lacked that fierce, intimidating aura.

Xiao Xinyue’s eyes casually swept across the cell and finally rested on her meal. Her expression changed for a moment before she quickly hid it.

Zhou Zhuying put down her bowl and chopsticks and, shamelessly trying to connect with the female lead, asked, “Saintess sister, good evening. Have you eaten?”

Xiao Xinyue seemed surprised by her audacity. She looked at her with a strange expression and simply replied, “Mhm.”

She glanced at the bland meal. “Is this all the Sect Leader is eating?”

Zhou Zhuying thought: You give me what I can eat, so why are you asking the obvious?

Out loud she said, “Yes, eating lightly helps with digestion.”

Xiao Xinyue’s expression became even more unpleasant. “Then you eat slowly!”

With that, she didn’t wait for a reply and left with a flick of her sleeve.

Zhou Zhuying: “…”

So what did the female lead come here for?

She didn’t say anything, so why would the female lead get angry?

Did she think her food was too good and she was going to go find trouble with the prison guard?!

Zhou Zhuying’s heart turned cold. Will I only get plain water and white rice from now on?

Maybe she should just escape! If she dug out a spoonful of dirt every day, she could definitely dig through this wall in ten years or so.

Just as she was holding her spoon and trying to figure out how to dig, the cell door opened again. With a guilty conscience, she hid the spoon behind her back. Xiao Xinyue glanced at her back and said nonchalantly, “You can try and see if the wall is harder or your ceramic spoon is harder.”

Zhou Zhuying: “…”

She forced a laugh and put the spoon back in her bowl. “I was just bored and wanted to try some percussion. I wasn’t trying to use the spoon to dig a hole and escape.”

Xiao Xinyue: “…”

Using a spoon to escape? You’re a real genius.

After a moment of shock, she asked, “You really want to escape?”

Zhou Zhuying was stunned. So the female lead hadn’t realized she wanted to escape? She had just confessed!

She was annoyed at her own stupidity, but Xiao Xinyue poked at her even more. “Why go through so much trouble? With your martial arts cultivation, a single finger is enough to bring this wall down.”

Zhou Zhuying suddenly had a realization.

Oh, right. Meng Xiaoxiao said the villainess had “three supers”—super good looks, a killer figure, and super strong martial arts. As the most capable underling of the villain boss, besides the male and female leads, there shouldn’t be anyone in the righteous path who could defeat her, right?

I miscalculated! I’ll just wait until the female lead and the others let their guard down, then I’ll break through this wall and make my escape!

However, she didn’t have any knowledge of martial arts techniques, nor did she know how to use the internal energy they talked about. So how was she supposed to break the wall?

Realizing that the possibility of escape was zero, Zhou Zhuying was greatly disappointed. Are you serious? You can’t just make me transmigrate like this! At least give me some of the original owner’s memories so I know the backstory and how to use her martial arts!

Xiao Xinyue looked at her with a half-smile. “Don’t bother. My living quarters are behind this wall.”

Zhou Zhuying: “…”

Is your Moshan Sect crazy? Building your house next to a dungeon? Aren’t you afraid of bad luck? In feng shui, having negative energy enter your home is very unlucky.

She didn’t know where she found the courage to snap at the female lead. “You should have told me earlier. You made me dream in vain.”

Xiao Xinyue was so amused she laughed. “The Sect Leader is indeed the Sect Leader. Even in this state, you’re still so arrogant. In that case, I assume the Sect Leader also disdains eating the Moshan Sect’s food. I’ll just take these dishes with me.”

Only then did Zhou Zhuying notice that Xiao Xinyue was holding a plate of steaming, fragrant braised lion’s head meatballs. This was her favorite dish from the Huaiyang cuisine.

She grabbed Xiao Xinyue’s sleeve, acting as obsequious as she could. “Saintess sister, you misunderstood me. I don’t have many strengths, but I know how to adapt. I am very clear about my position—I’m a prisoner! I understand a prisoner’s place. I swear I will never argue with Saintess sister again.”

She swore that the only other time in her life she had acted so shamelessly was when she was asking her mom for pocket money. She was treating the female lead like her mom now, hoping they could have a “kind mother and filial daughter” relationship.

Xiao Xinyue stared at her, her eyes inexplicably reddening. Suddenly, she tossed the plate in her hand. The braised meatballs and the plate hit the corner of the wall. The plate shattered, and the meatballs scattered.

“What are you doing? Wasting food is shameful.” Zhou Zhuying was enraged and rushed to pick up the four meatballs.

But Xiao Xinyue grabbed her wrist, stopping her from doing so.

Zhou Zhuying’s wrist was hurting from her grip, and her brows were almost twisted into a wave. She grimaced. “I was wrong, I was wrong. I promise I won’t be difficult anymore.”

Xiao Xinyue ignored her and pulled her out of the dungeon.

As soon as they were out, the night breeze swirled around her, seeping in through her collar, sleeves, and the hem of her skirt. The cold felt like ivy, slowly climbing and wrapping around the bones in her body, but this was not the vitality of spring; it was bone-chilling cold.

So cold!

Why didn’t the original owner wear long underwear in this weather?!

The two disciples guarding the door were startled when they saw them. “Saintess, why did you bring this demon out?”

Xiao Xinyue gave a small smile and said, “I have my reasons. You don’t need to worry.”

The two disciples looked at each other and didn’t dare to interfere further.

Xiao Xinyue dragged Zhou Zhuying to the adjacent courtyard.

Under the moonlight, Zhou Zhuying observed her surroundings, calculating if there was any chance of escape. When she was brought into a room and the beautifully carved huanghuali wood door was closed, her world suddenly became smaller, and she gave up her thoughts of escaping.

The room was lit by candlelight, casting her shadow on the back of the door. At the same time, another shadow appeared beside hers. As Zhou Zhuying turned around, she was startled and took a step back from the rapidly approaching Xiao Xinyue, hitting her back on the wooden door.

There was a loud “bang” that made the candlelight flicker.

Xiao Xinyue stood with her back to the candle, pinning her against the door. Her face was in the shadows, her expression unreadable. “Are you afraid of me?”

Zhou Zhuying thought: You’re the female lead, a great and righteous character. Can you stop acting like a villain all the time? Your lines sound more like a villain than me, I mean, the original owner.

She forced a laugh and said, “No, I was just thinking. You really live next to the dungeon! But I heard people say it’s not auspicious to live next to a dungeon.”

“It’s fine. It’s just a temporary residence built to watch over you.”

Zhou Zhuying was dumbfounded. Your Moshan Sect is not only crazy but also rich! You used precious huanghuali wood to build a temporary guardhouse. How rich is this sect?

She suddenly thought that if she escaped and took all the wood with her, wouldn’t she become rich overnight? With that huge sum of money, would she have to worry about finding a place to live?

As she daydreamed, she asked in a negotiating tone, “Saintess sister, could you consider improving the prisoner’s food? Like, a balance of meat and vegetables for a healthy diet!”

Xiao Xinyue paused her breathing for a moment at the way Zhou Zhuying addressed her. She then said, “Didn’t you say that eating lightly helps with digestion?”

“Good digestion means things pass quickly, passing quickly means getting hungry quickly, getting hungry quickly means getting thin quickly, and getting thin quickly means dying—” Before Zhou Zhuying could finish, Xiao Xinyue covered her mouth.

Xiao Xinyue scowled and threatened her, “Shut up!”

To save her own life, she obediently shut her mouth.

But even though her mouth was closed, her eyes couldn’t help but dart around, wondering why the female lead brought her here. Two girls, with a candle, in a bedroom… was she going to…

Was the female lead going to torture her?