After Transmigrating, the Female Lead Went Dark (GL) - Chapter 33

Zhou Zhuying’s chest injury healed faster than expected. By only the second day, the bruising had already faded quite a lot. When she brought this up, she was even rather proud. “Good thing I reacted quickly earlier and dodged three whip strikes. Otherwise, if I’d been beaten until my skin split and my flesh tore, how could I have healed this quickly?”

“How did the Cult Leader dodge them?” Xiao Xinyue asked while applying medicine for her.

“I don’t know either. I just dodged subconsciously.”

Hearing this, Xiao Xinyue’s movement paused, and her eyes flickered slightly. After a long while, she said with faint self-satisfaction, “Perhaps it is because the Cult Leader watches me practice martial arts every morning, so you remembered a move or two.”

At the mention of martial arts practice, Zhou Zhuying thought again of the moves Xiao Xinyue had taught her last night: “Spring Murmurs Among Hibiscus,” “Fish Playing in the Water,” “Watching Fish by the Stream,” “Touching Only with Fingers.” In the end, not only had she failed to eat Saintess fruit, she had also embarrassingly cried.

“What is wrong with the Cult Leader?” Xiao Xinyue asked when she saw Zhou Zhuying’s strange expression.

Zhou Zhuying glanced at her and covered her face. “I want my period to come. That way, I won’t have to practice martial arts.”

Xiao Xinyue froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. Both amused and exasperated, she said, “If the Cult Leader feels tired, then we will not practice.”

Zhou Zhuying: “…”

Tired? Not really. It had felt good, and that was also true. They were both young, and newly married too. Having a little drive was normal. There was no need to deliberately restrain themselves. They could just let nature take its course.

Of course, she absolutely did not dare say this out loud. First, it would make her seem unreserved. Second, if she really said that, she feared she would still be crying and shouting “No more” tomorrow.

At noon today, she had even seen some ambiguity and teasing in the female disciple’s eyes, exactly like the obscene and rippling expression Meng Xiaoxiao showed when reading smut.

So there was no need to think about it. It must be because for three nights in a row, she had needed hot water in the middle of the night, and the next day, she had slept until noon before getting up, causing everyone to misunderstand!

If they did not restrain themselves a little, she was afraid she would end up bearing the dirty reputation of “insatiable desire” and “a beauty who brings calamity.” Xiao Xinyue would also go from the wise Saintess in everyone’s hearts to the model of “from then on, the ruler no longer attended morning court”!

After the medicine was applied, Zhou Zhuying put on her inner skirt, tied her sash, and turned around to apply medicine to Xiao Xinyue’s hand. Looking at that wound, she felt it was shocking to the eye—even an expert like Xiao Xinyue could be injured until her skin split and flesh tore. It was clear that Fu Feifei’s strike had truly intended to take her life!

For the first time, Zhou Zhuying felt resentment toward Fu Feifei. It was not because Fu Feifei had wanted her life, but because she was angry that Fu Feifei had attacked so ruthlessly and accidentally injured Xiao Xinyue.

Zhou Zhuying thought that if she could remember even one or two moves from the original owner, she definitely would not let Fu Feifei be so arrogant!

“You caught that multi-section whip barehanded. Didn’t your palm get cut open?” Zhou Zhuying asked.

Xiao Xinyue looked gently at the Cult Leader’s heartaching expression and said, “No. I had true qi protecting my body. So although the injury looks serious, it did not hurt the tendons or bones.”

The Cult Leader sighed with emotion. “True qi really is a good thing. It can help you withstand blows and hurt people too.”

Xiao Xinyue’s gaze froze slightly. She lowered her eyes and murmured, “Yes. True qi is so good, yet it was given to me.”

“What did Sister Saintess say?” The Cult Leader had not heard clearly.

Xiao Xinyue shook her head. “Nothing.”

Zhou Zhuying did not mind. She looked at Xiao Xinyue full of expectation and tentatively asked, “Sister Saintess, Moshan Sect’s important matters are all handled now, right? I wonder whether you have time. Shall we go stroll around Yunxi Pavilion? Sister Saintess promised me.”

Xiao Xinyue pretended to have lost her memory. “There was such a thing? Why don’t I remember?”

Zhou Zhuying became anxious and hugged her arm to demand justice. “Before we got married, you said that once things outside became peaceful, you would take me out shopping. You even said, never mind Yunxi Pavilion—even the lands north and south of the great river, you could take me there!”

Xiao Xinyue smiled with pressed lips. “I was teasing you. Originally, I did plan to take you out for a walk today, but you are injured and need to rest quietly—”

Zhou Zhuying hurriedly said, “No, I don’t need to rest quietly. Rather, shopping is good medicine. If I can go shopping, my injury will heal faster.”

“Then the Cult Leader must promise me that if your body feels unwell, you must immediately come back and rest.”

Zhou Zhuying agreed first without caring about anything else.

Before the two could leave, Mo Hongxue arrived.

When Zhou Zhuying saw her, she instinctively thought that Moshan Sect’s Sect Master, Ling Guqing, wanted to see her again. Her heart tightened, and without a sound, she hid behind Xiao Xinyue, seeking a sense of safety.

Xiao Xinyue also knew that her master’s palm strike had frightened the Cult Leader so badly that it had left a shadow in her heart. She asked helplessly, “Senior Sister Hongxue, does Master have some urgent instruction?”

Mo Hongxue, whose attitude toward Zhou Zhuying had originally been neither warm nor cold, now looked at Zhou Zhuying with a rare trace of guilt and shame in her eyes. After a moment, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her robes and said, “These are Ice-Skin Beauty Pills. Grind them into powder, add a little water, stir them into a paste, and apply it to the wound. They can relax the meridians, activate the channels, invigorate blood, and dissolve bruises.”

“For me?” Zhou Zhuying poked her head out, but did not dare accept it.

“I apologize to the Cult Leader on my junior sister’s behalf,” Mo Hongxue said.

Only now did Zhou Zhuying remember that Fu Feifei seemed to be the Second Elder’s youngest disciple, while Mo Hongxue was the eldest disciple. In other words, Mo Hongxue’s junior sister was Fu Feifei. She had come to apologize on Fu Feifei’s behalf!

She said, “My injury isn’t serious. Sister Saintess’s hand injury is the serious one. The person you should apologize to is Sister Saintess.”

“Saintess, I failed to properly discipline my junior sister. I am willing to accept punishment for her!” Mo Hongxue said solemnly.

Xiao Xinyue accepted the Ice-Skin Beauty Pills and said to Zhou Zhuying, “Cult Leader, this is a medicine made from medicinal herbs unique to the northern desert. Aside from relaxing the meridians, activating the channels, invigorating blood, and dissolving bruises, it can also beautify the skin. If one is injured and fears leaving a scar, applying this pill is very effective for eliminating scars… It can be considered a holy medicine of the northern desert.”

“It sounds very expensive!” Zhou Zhuying was tempted.

“Senior Sister Hongxue taking it out as an apology can be considered very sincere.” After Xiao Xinyue said this to her, she turned to Mo Hongxue and said, “She does not know the truth, so this cannot be blamed on her. Since Senior Sister Hongxue personally pleads for her, then the punishment of confinement can be lifted.”

Mo Hongxue thanked her and said, “I will certainly discipline her strictly and absolutely not let her ruin matters again.”

Too embarrassed to stay any longer, Mo Hongxue hurried away in shame, preparing to drag Fu Feifei out and properly discipline her.

Xiao Xinyue asked Zhou Zhuying, “Will the Cult Leader blame me for letting Junior Sister Fu off so easily?”

“After all, all of you grew up together from childhood and have deep feelings. I understand. Besides, everyone says you are thorough in your thinking, so you must have your own considerations.”

At the end of the day, her relationship with the female lead was one of cooperation, mutual use, and occasionally hooking up, while Fu Feifei and the female lead had grown up together as fellow sect sisters. Human hearts were made of flesh. It was only human nature for the female lead to emotionally lean toward Fu Feifei, who was like family.

Just like how she had honestly accepted her identity as a prisoner back then, she was also very clear about her current position now. With no extravagant hopes, naturally there would be no blame.

Hearing this, the smile on Xiao Xinyue’s face became shallower.

Zhou Zhuying tugged at her sleeve and impatiently trotted toward the door. “Sister Saintess, let’s go. If we delay any longer, it’ll be dark!”

“Mm.” Xiao Xinyue smiled faintly, opened an umbrella, and followed behind at an unhurried pace.

As the year-end approached, the New Year atmosphere in town grew stronger.

Aside from the shops lining both sides of the street that had opened for business as usual, the open spaces were filled with stalls selling red couplets, door gods, and red lanterns. A little farther away were sellers of firecrackers and fireworks.

Many commoners stopped before these stalls to choose items, while women were dragged by children toward peddlers carrying shoulder poles through the streets and alleys to buy novel little toys, preserved fruits, candies, and other snacks.

When Xiao Xinyue saw bamboo-copters being sold, she called Zhou Zhuying back and asked, “Cult Leader, do you want a bamboo-copter?”

“A bamboo-copter? Why would I want to play with—” Zhou Zhuying recalled the bamboo-copters she had played with during childhood, and her hands instantly itched. She glanced at Xiao Xinyue, then pretended to be reserved and said, “Since Sister Saintess wants me to play, I’ll play a little!”

Xiao Xinyue did not expose her and bought one for her. Zhou Zhuying immediately took it, held it between her palms, and rubbed. The bamboo-copter flew up, and she shouted, “Two meters!”

The bamboo-copter fell to the ground. She picked it back up and stuffed it into Xiao Xinyue’s hands. “Sister Saintess, you try. Let’s see if you can beat me.”

Xiao Xinyue raised her right hand. “Does the Cult Leader not think this would be an unfair victory?”

“I don’t.”

Xiao Xinyue smiled and said, “Does the Cult Leader think that just because my hand is injured, I cannot win?”

As she spoke, she pinched the bamboo-copter with the index finger and thumb of her left hand and lightly rubbed. The bamboo-copter flew up as usual, and it flew far higher than Zhou Zhuying’s.

Zhou Zhuying widened her eyes, her face full of indignation. “You used martial arts. That was an unfair victory!”

Xiao Xinyue returned her original words to her. “I don’t think so.”

“Hmph!” Zhou Zhuying ran off angrily to pick up the bamboo-copter, determined to fly it higher than Xiao Xinyue.

Even with Xiao Xinyue’s hand injured, she could still make it fly so high. Zhou Zhuying had no reason not to!

Playing along the way, they arrived before an extremely lively large shop. There were many carriages parked outside, and most of the people entering and leaving were women. Occasionally, men appeared, but most of them were accompanying women.

The shop had two floors. A plaque hung above the door, reading “Yunxi Pavilion · Moshan Branch Pavilion.” On both sides were couplets carved into wooden boards. Many colorful flags hung from the eaves upstairs, written with Yunxi Pavilion’s featured products. At a glance, it was obvious they were advertisements.

“We’ve arrived at Yunxi Pavilion,” Xiao Xinyue said.

“Moshan Branch Pavilion? Yunxi Pavilion even has branch stores?!” The Cult Leader was shocked.

“Mm. Yunxi Pavilion has seventy-two branch pavilions, spread across the lands north and south of the great river.”

“Then where is the main pavilion?”

“Jinling.”

The young girl at the door welcoming customers saw the two of them and cleverly stepped forward. “Saintess, Saintess’s Wife, you’ve come! Please come inside.”

“You know me?” Zhou Zhuying asked.

The young girl said, “On the day of your wedding, I was also on the street joining in the excitement and sharing in the joy!”

Zhou Zhuying praised, “Then did you catch any wedding coins?”

The young girl shook her head. “I stood too far away. The people in front picked them all up.”

Zhou Zhuying held her hand out to Xiao Xinyue. “Sister Saintess.”

How could Xiao Xinyue not know what she was thinking? But on account of this young girl being so clever and good with words, she was also willing to give this money.

She rewarded the young girl with ten wen. The girl was so delighted that her brows opened and her eyes smiled, and she warmly welcomed them inside. She found the shopkeeper and said, “Sister Xue, the Saintess and the Saintess’s Wife have come.”

Only after entering did Zhou Zhuying discover that all the workers in Yunxi Pavilion were women, ranging from teenagers to women in their thirties or forties. They all wore uniform clothing. It was immediately clear who were customers and who were workers.

“The management is quite orderly,” Zhou Zhuying whispered to Xiao Xinyue.

Xiao Xinyue smiled faintly and did not comment.

“Saintess, Saintess’s Wife, forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar!” The shopkeeper here came forward.

She was a woman around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Her brows and eyes were delicate and pretty, her face had exquisite makeup, and her behavior and bearing were very dignified and elegant. Just looking at her made people first develop three parts goodwill.

Xiao Xinyue said, “Shopkeeper Xue, you are too polite.”

Shopkeeper Xue smiled and welcomed them upstairs. There were quite a few private rooms here, and inside, tea, preserved fruits, pastries, and the like were provided. The service was very thoughtful and belonged to the treatment only distinguished guests received.

Zhou Zhuying leaned by the window and looked down. She could also see the functional divisions below. There were areas specializing in rouge and powder, cleansing products, and exquisite accessories, as well as areas selling cloth and ready-made clothes. There was also a small area where only women were allowed to enter. It was said that the things sold there were all private female products.

Zhou Zhuying thought, this management was not just orderly. It was practically a modern-style shopping mall management system!

“Didn’t the Cult Leader want to stroll around?” Xiao Xinyue suddenly said.

Zhou Zhuying looked at her. “You don’t plan to stroll around?”

“I have strolled around too many times. There is not much novelty left.”

Zhou Zhuying accepted this explanation and happily went downstairs. Shopkeeper Xue found a worker to accompany her around, then returned to Xiao Xinyue’s side, closed the door, and said respectfully, “Steward Xiao.”

“Is Wen Xi here?”

Shopkeeper Xue said, “Chief Supervisor Wen has already followed Steward Xiao’s instructions and mobilized the seventy-two branch pavilions to search everywhere for the whereabouts of the divine doctor Sheng Ying.”

“Is there any news?”

“Not yet, but there was news before that the divine doctor once appeared in Jiangnan.”

Xiao Xinyue said nothing.

Shopkeeper Xue followed her gaze out the window. After considering for a moment, she asked, “Steward Xiao, is she the Pavilion Master?”

“Mm.” Xiao Xinyue responded faintly.

“Then why—”

Xiao Xinyue glanced at her. “Do not ask what you should not ask.”

Shopkeeper Xue was startled and hurriedly said, “This subordinate overstepped.”

Zhou Zhuying ran upstairs with a da-da-da. She pushed open the door, her gaze landing on Xiao Xinyue and Shopkeeper Xue’s faces. With an expression like she had caught an affair, she asked, “Why did you close the door?”

Shopkeeper Xue smiled and explained, “We were afraid it was too noisy outside and would disturb the Saintess.”

“If you’re afraid of noise, why open the window?” Zhou Zhuying pointed at the window.

Shopkeeper Xue’s expression stiffened. At this moment, Xiao Xinyue put down the teacup and said, “We still need ventilation. Are you afraid I’ll be eaten by a tiger, or carried off by a cat?”

Zhou Zhuying was thirsty, so she conveniently drank the remaining half cup of tea Xiao Xinyue had left. “With your martial arts being so powerful, I’m only afraid the tiger would be beaten to death.”

Xiao Xinyue did not feel there was anything improper in her behavior. Instead, she peeled a peanut for her and personally fed it into her mouth.

When Shopkeeper Xue saw the two of them acting so intimate as if no one else were there, she tactfully withdrew.

Only then did Zhou Zhuying ask, “Sister Saintess, why are the employees—uh, workers here all women?”

Xiao Xinyue pondered for a moment, then said, “That begins with the original purpose behind Yunxi Pavilion’s creation.”

Zhou Zhuying moved a stool over and sat beside her. “I’m all ears!”

Xiao Xinyue said, “Four years ago, a woman knight-errant suddenly appeared in the jianghu. She helped the weak and fought the strong, often drawing her blade to help when she saw injustice on the road. However, she believed that doing good deeds did not require leaving her name behind, so she was always unknown in the jianghu.

“Afterward, she rescued a newlywed woman who had suffered beatings from her husband and abuse from her in-laws and had chosen to flee. This newlywed woman decided to follow the knight-errant to repay her life-saving grace. Thus, the two of them traveled the jianghu together, saving one woman after another who had been forced into desperate straits by fate.

“Later, she rescued another woman being hunted in Jinling. This woman was named Yunxi—”

Zhou Zhuying interrupted her. “Could this be Yunxi Pavilion’s Pavilion Master?!”

Xiao Xinyue paused, then said, “No. That woman knight-errant is Yunxi Pavilion’s Pavilion Master.”

“What is the knight-errant’s name?”

“…” Xiao Xinyue glanced at her. “Zhou Shuren.”

“Pfft—” Zhou Zhuying laughed.

Xiao Xinyue raised her brows and asked, “What is the Cult Leader laughing at? Is there something wrong with this name?”

Zhou Zhuying laughed so hard she trembled like a flower. She took the time to answer her question. “Which shu?”

“The shu from books.”

Zhou Zhuying gave an “oh” and said, “Good thing she isn’t called Zhou Shuren with the shu for tree. Otherwise, she could choose a fake name or pen name called Lu Xun.”

Xiao Xinyue quietly watched Zhou Zhuying laugh until she collapsed into her arms.

Only after a good while did Zhou Zhuying recover. “Sister Saintess, continue.”

“The one who founded Yunxi Pavilion was not the Pavilion Master, but the women rescued by the Pavilion Master. They did not want to waste the Pavilion Master’s life-saving grace for nothing, so they decided to establish an organization specifically to rescue suffering women and children under heaven.

“However, most of them did not know martial arts. Some knew martial arts, but only a few superficial moves, so establishing a martial sect was not a viable path. Very soon, they thought of another way out: doing business.

“On the surface, they do business. In reality, they collect and organize all kinds of information from the jianghu. If they encounter women and children who need help, they will lend assistance.

“They had no capital to do business. Seeing that their original intention was truly moving, the Pavilion Master decided to support them and gave them all of her wealth. Thus, Yunxi Pavilion’s main pavilion was successfully built, and the Pavilion Master was also recommended as Pavilion Master because of it.”

Zhou Zhuying thought, Isn’t this basically a women and children’s foundation?

She still did not understand. “Then why is it called Yunxi Pavilion? Shouldn’t it be called ‘Women and Children Pavilion’ or ‘Shuren Pavilion’?”

Xiao Xinyue said meaningfully, “Back then, someone did indeed suggest naming it ‘Shuren Pavilion,’ but the Pavilion Master rejected this proposal. As for the reason, only the Pavilion Master knows.”

Zhou Zhuying did not dwell on this either. Perhaps “Zhou Shuren” and “Yunxi” were a couple, and she was happy to name it after her girlfriend?

Author’s Note:

Cult Leader: If it were me, I would name it Lu Xun Pavilion. If enemies came to the door in the future, I’d say, the person you’re looking for is Lu Xun. What does that have to do with me, Zhou Shuren?

Saintess: …

—

Who is Yunxi? If you don’t understand this chapter, you can go back to Chapter 13 and look for the description of that qin, hahaha.

The word count for this chapter is truly high. Shouldn’t everyone praise Fangbianmian?