Female Lead, Something's Not Right (GL) - Chapter 2

A wave of oppressive power bore down, and Gu Shiyan’s face turned pale as her legs went weak, causing her to fall to her knees.

“You’re a brave one, to think a two-hundred-year-old low-grade Hundred Flower Dew is worth two hundred low-grade spiritual stones.” Qin Qianqian twirled a black hairpin between her fingers, haughtily tracing it along Gu Shiyan’s cheek. “I understand you’re an outer sect disciple and can’t afford the spiritual stones right now. How about this? I just refined a Black Snake Hairpin!”

A sinister smile twisted Qin Qianqian’s lips. “They say that besides dragons, snakes are the most lewd beasts, known for their orgies. Even the most frigid person who touches the poison on my Black Snake Hairpin will turn into a shameless harlot. How about… you help me test if the poison on this hairpin can really make someone feel such a profound ecstasy?”

Gu Shiyan was so terrified she recoiled completely, wanting to avoid Qin Qianqian like the plague.

She really couldn’t come up with two hundred spiritual stones right now. All her belongings combined were worth fifty at most. But Qin Qianqian was a woman of her word; her promiscuous reputation was no less than that of the Dual Cultivation-based Hehuan Sect.

Seeing the disciple on the ground speechless, Qin Qianqian assumed she was simply scared senseless. She grabbed the other’s chin and raised the hairpin, ready to strike!

Gu Shiyan seized Qin Qianqian’s wrist. “Senior Sister Qin, I just heard the paper crane message tell you to go to the Western Marshes to find the Bloodvine Flower. The bloodvine is deep within the poisonous miasma. Collecting it can cause minor disfigurement from the venom or severe damage to one’s spiritual roots. I hope Senior Sister can give this disciple a chance to atone for her mistake!”

Rather than damaging her spiritual roots now, she’d rather take a gamble for a chance at survival.

Gu Shiyan was a slow learner, but she excelled at rote memorization and diligent cultivation. She had read the Collection of Elixirs a hundred times and was well-versed in the habits and dangers of various herbs. In her past life’s secret realm, she had been fortunate enough to gather a bloodvine once before.

“You’re a clever one. Alright then, you can travel with me the day after tomorrow.” Qin Qianqian tossed ten low-grade spiritual stones to the ground, raised her head, and walked away.

Gu Shiyan wiped the cold sweat from her brow, calming herself, and carefully picked up the spiritual stones one by one.

Having died once, she had a new perspective. As long as she was alive and had spiritual stones, nothing else mattered.

What was dignity worth?

Two days later, Gu Shiyan boarded the immortal vessel bound for the Western Marshes.

She was slightly stunned when she saw the vessel. After being nudged, she came to her senses. It wasn’t an ordinary passenger vessel but a top-grade immortal artifact with extremely high defenses. There was a pavilion on the ship with two floors: a large hall on the lower level and private rooms on the upper one.

Gu Shiyan stood dazed on the deck outside the hall. She remembered that the message paper crane only said the private rooms would be occupied by important figures. She and the other disciples would be on the outer deck, which was exactly what she wanted. If she had to share a room with Qin Qianqian, she couldn’t guarantee that the other woman wouldn’t change her mind and find some other way to torment her.

The immortal vessel flew swiftly and steadily through the clouds, its golden light shining on its protective shield. On the deck, Gu Shiyan stood in a corner at the stern, looking up at the lush green peaks below. Occasionally, a few pure white immortal cranes she couldn’t name soared freely. She overheard other disciples’ whispers.

“Did you know many important people came with us to the marshes today?”

“I heard that Senior Uncle Chu Ran, the sole disciple of Elder Qiu of the Fourth Peak, and Senior Sister Zhao Feixue from the Alchemy Division of the Eighth Peak are both here.”

“You’re forgetting one person.”

“Who?”

Although Gu Shiyan didn’t hear who it was, she probably already guessed.

Just a second before the conversation, a sword hum came from the vessel’s pavilion above Gu Shiyan. She looked up, her gaze meeting those cold eyes.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

She had only seen those eyes once in her life, but that single glimpse was enough to leave a lasting impression.

They were the last eyes she saw before her unwilling death in her previous life.

After just one glance, Gu Shiyan immediately lowered her gaze, afraid that something was off. What happened to her was too strange; it wasn’t a well-known case of possession. If a powerful being discovered her secret and tried to search her soul, things would not go well.

But on a serious note, the Tianxuan Sect had even dispatched Shen Shu to the Western Marshes. Could the matter be more complicated than it seemed?

Gu Shiyan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly with worry. The immortal vessel continued to fly, passing over many human cities. The sun was high in the sky, but fortunately, the vessel had a spiritual energy shield, so they wouldn’t be scorched by the heat. At lunchtime, the disciples entered the hall of the immortal vessel.

“Why is this outer sect errand disciple with us?”

Liu Shuang came out of the pavilion and looked at Gu Shiyan, who was sitting in a corner gnawing on dried meat, with contempt.

Gu Shiyan pretended not to hear the mockery and lowered her head to bow with the other disciples.

“It seems Senior Sister Qin brought her.”

“Oh, a person brought by Junior Sister Qin? Her appearance is quite ordinary. I’ve always heard Junior Sister Qin likes women, but I never knew she’d stoop so low.”

Despite being the center of the gossip, Gu Shiyan kept her head down, staying out of it. This greatly displeased Liu Shuang.

“So arrogant! It looks like I need to teach you a lesson about manners!”

Liu Shuang’s silver whip lashed out. If it hit, Gu Shiyan would definitely suffer from the attack of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. She ducked her head to try and avoid it, but the attack was blocked.

Qin Qianqian walked into the hall and sneered, “You should look at the owner before you beat their dog. You’re still holding a grudge because I stole an immortal artifact from you at the auction last time. Junior Sister Liu, you have such a small mind.”

Liu Shuang’s anger flared at the jab. Just as she was about to lash out, footsteps came from the stairs. Lu Ran, dressed in a top-grade immortal artifact green robe with silver thread defensive patterns, walked down, fanning himself with a feather fan. His handsome face wore a well-practiced smile. “My, it’s always lively where there are a lot of people.”

“Senior Uncle.”

“Senior Uncle Chu, Senior Sister Zhao.”

The tense atmosphere dissipated as everyone stepped back to bow to the newcomers.

Lu Ran joked, “Feixue, I’ve been telling you to go down the mountain and get more experience. It’s so boring always staying in the cave.”

Zhao Feixue, dressed in a black outfit, stood ramrod straight, exuding a stern and righteous aura. As the captain of the Tianxuan Sect’s guard team, she appeared especially serious.

“Private fights among fellow disciples are forbidden. Those who violate the rules must go to the Judicial Hall to receive their punishment.”

Qin Qianqian and Liu Shuang gritted their teeth and glared at each other. They didn’t dare to be presumptuous in front of Zhao Feixue and could only lower their heads and admit their mistake.

The commotion downstairs didn’t affect Shen Shu in the slightest on the top floor of the pavilion. Soon, the immortal vessel arrived at the border of the Western Marshes. The group disembarked. Qin Qianqian gave Gu Shiyan a look, and Gu Shiyan, understanding the signal, walked over and stood behind her.

Shen Shu was the last to descend, along with Lu Ran and Zhao Feixue.

When Shen Shu appeared, everyone bowed. “True Monarch Hehua.”

Shen Shu looked toward the west of the Western Marshes, her tone devoid of any warmth. “I will go to the west side. The rest of you can form your own teams.”

Standing below the immortal vessel, Shen Shu wore an ice-blue dress covered with a silver silkworm gauze. The hem was embroidered with extremely beautiful and complex patterns. The silver spiritual energy flowing around her indicated it was a top-grade immortal artifact. Her waist-length black hair was simply tied up with a seemingly ordinary piece of sunk-wood hairpin, from which a few long, soft silver chains dangled. Even with a veil covering her face, one could vaguely see her elegance, leaving only her eyes, which kept people a thousand miles away.

Qin Qianqian’s gaze was fixed on Shen Shu from the moment she appeared and never left. It was a rare occasion to see her, usually only during grand ceremonies and similar events. With her own status, she certainly wasn’t qualified to speak to her.

This time, she had spent a fortune to find out about Shen Shu’s trip to the Western Marshes. Knowing the danger, she was willing to take the risk. If they were to part ways now, it would be a huge waste! Besides, she brought that outer sect disciple, Gu Shiyan, precisely to make it easy for her to leave later.

Thinking this, Qin Qianqian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a step forward, her voice dripping with eagerness. “True Monarch, this disciple volunteers to go with you”

Shen Shu gave a quick glance. Her cold, arrogant, and detached eyes seemed to freeze everything they looked at. No one dared to get close, but there were always some who thought they were special and wanted to challenge authority.

“No need.” With that, she left on her sword, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

“We’ll go to the east. Liu Shuang, you and the others will split up and head north and south. If you find the Bloodvine Flower, use a flare as a signal! The bloodvine’s blooming will definitely attract attention, so everyone wait where you are and be extremely cautious!” After instructing them, Zhao Feixue and Lu Ran followed close behind.

Once the two left, Liu Shuang let out a little laugh, causing Qin Qianqian’s face to burn with shame. She didn’t say anything, however, and stepped into the marsh with her head held high. After all, they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators and knew how to prioritize serious matters.

Upon entering the marsh, Gu Shiyan felt completely out of place. Her cultivation was too low. Of the seven of them, all except her were at the Great Perfection stage of Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment. She was only at the third stage, and the feeling of the miasma entering her body was extremely uncomfortable. The others had either taken anti-poison pills in advance or had protective artifacts. She, with nothing, could only barely use her spiritual energy to protect herself.

Looking around, the marsh was a desolate wasteland. Only a few withered trees stood, and some poisonous insects Gu Shiyan couldn’t name crawled quickly on them. Complex vines were woven into a network of small paths. Underneath the vines was green, bubbling, and scalding stagnant water.

It was strange, but this stagnant water seemed to be the enemy of cultivators. The higher the cultivation, the greater the backlash from touching it.

The bloodvine grew in this stagnant water, its roots buried deep in the marsh, wriggling like a snake. Poisonous things often grow near their antidotes. The entire bloodvine was a treasure: its skin and thorns could be used to forge weapons, and its roots could be used in medicine to create the Universal Anti-Poison Pill. The Bloodvine Flower was the most valuable part of the plant. Demon energy could cause irreversible damage to cultivators, but with a Soul Nourishing Pill, the demon energy could be suppressed. This was a lifesaver for cultivators whose bodies were too tainted to continue cultivating.

The Bloodvine Flower was the primary catalyst for the Soul Nourishing Pill!

In a harsh environment like the Western Marshes, it was incredibly difficult for the flower to bloom. Only the mother vine would bloom once every hundred years, and the flowers would wither within three breaths, making them extremely fleeting. Therefore, Soul Nourishing Pills were incredibly rare. A single medium-grade Soul Nourishing Pill could even fetch a thousand high-grade spiritual stones at an auction!

“Everyone, pair up and follow the spirit bees in four directions. The spirit bees will signal each other when they find a mother vine about to bloom. The blooming will definitely attract attention, so everyone stay where you are and wait for a signal to regroup. Be extremely careful!” Liu Shuang released a swarm of spirit bees from her storage bag.

Gu Shiyan and Qin Qianqian followed the spirit bees towards the southern part of the marsh. Before long, the bees stopped in front of a mother vine, and in the boiling stagnant water, a tightly-budded flower was clearly visible.

Qin Qianqian’s eyes lit up. She shoved a jade box into Gu Shiyan’s hand. “I will infuse spiritual energy into the Bloodvine Flower. The moment it blooms, quickly pick the flower and put it in this jade box!”

Gu Shiyan was stunned. “But…!”

Qin Qianqian’s face immediately turned cold. “Don’t forget why you’re here. You don’t have to worry too much. I just used my divine sense to check the surroundings, and there’s no danger. Once we get the flower, we’ll leave quickly. You can return to the immortal vessel with the others, and I’ll forget everything that happened.”