Chapter 11

Lin Niaoniao felt resentful. Outside, Wen Wuning overshadowed her in every way, but at least inside the Lin family, she could act without restraint. No one dared make things difficult for her.

But today, by chance, she overheard the young ladies she usually got along with mocking her behind her back. They said she had no shame, throwing herself at Sheng Baihe, yet still failing to compete with Wen Wuning.

Cultivators were not bound by the etiquette of the mortal world. Whether men or women, most of them acted according to their hearts. Those two words, “no shame,” were only something they mentioned in passing, and Lin Niaoniao did not care much about them either. What they were really laughing at was that Lin Niaoniao could not beat Wen Wuning in anything, and that was what made Lin Niaoniao feel the most unwilling and furious.

Wen Wuning was only a few years older than her, yet she outshone her in everything.

And now, even the person she liked had to be fought over with her!

She had originally thought that after Wen Wuning treated Sheng Baihe so heartlessly that day, Sheng Baihe would finally give up. But who would have thought that as soon as Sheng Baihe’s injuries healed, he would frequently go to the Wen family? He had even brought up leaving the Lin family many times. If she had not tried every possible way to make him stay, he would have returned to the Wen family long ago.

For more than a month, she had taken care of Sheng Baihe with meticulous attention, thinking she could move him. But to her surprise, Sheng Baihe always treated her with perfect courtesy and never crossed the line. No matter how openly or secretly she hinted, he pretended not to see.

Lin Niaoniao felt deeply unwilling. Just where was she inferior to Wen Wuning? Why was he so heartless toward her?

Father Lin was romantic and fickle. Aside from Lin Niaoniao, his one legitimate daughter, there were also more than twenty concubine-born brothers and sisters in the residence. One of them was around Lin Niaoniao’s [stolen content]age. She usually kept to herself and was named Lin Wan.

Lin Niaoniao looked down on these concubine-born brothers and sisters. On ordinary days, she had often mocked and sneered at them. If they were the type who could swallow their anger, there would be fewer conflicts. If they had a fierce personality, then arguments were inevitable. As for Lin Wan, Lin Niaoniao barely had any impression of her. Presumably, aside from showing herself during New Year’s and other festivals, she rarely appeared in public. So Lin Niaoniao did not know why this concubine-born elder sister had come looking for her.

Lin Wan was only one year older than Lin Niaoniao, but she was much steadier. Her whole person was gentle and mild, like a woman from Jiangnan, not at all like the child of a cultivation family. Yet the words she spoke were no more tactful than those of any other cultivator.

“In the Treasure Catalog in the study, I read that there is a kind of incense in the family treasury. After a man smells it, whoever he sees will become the woman he most wants to obtain, and it can also stir his desire.”

Lin Niaoniao’s face flushed. She asked, “Really?”

Lin Wan looked at her with a smile. “I only saw it in the catalog. As for whether it truly exists, I’ve never been to the treasury, so I don’t know. If Little Sister wants to know, you can go look for yourself.”

The three families of Ancheng each had something they relied on to establish themselves there. The Wen family had a spiritual vein, the Lin family had a treasury filled with rare treasures, and the Zhao family had a Black Tortoise spirit beast.

Ordinary people could not even find where the Lin family treasury was, let alone enter it to investigate. Lin Wan had only come this time to test whether Lin Niaoniao knew about it.

Lin Niaoniao had always been arrogant and looked down on those born of concubines. That was even more true when it came to Lin Wan, an elder sister who looked utterly useless. She did not guard against her and smiled smugly. “If this matter succeeds, Yinyin won’t forget Elder Sister.”

Lin Wan smiled. Now she knew.

That very day, Lin Niaoniao went to the treasury and truly found this treasure. She took a small piece of incense from the wooden box. The image of Sheng Baihe’s distant, untouchable figure appeared in her mind, and her heart filled with both bitterness and anticipation.

Night fell, and Sheng Baihe returned to the Lin family. In truth, his current position in the Lin family was extremely awkward. If he and Lin Niaoniao were truly a couple, that would be one thing. But unfortunately, Lin Niaoniao was the only one burning with affection, while he kept going in and out of the Wen family. In outsiders’ eyes, he still had not given up on Wen Wuning.

Sheng Baihe returned to his room. In truth, the Lin and Zhao families currently had no motive to wipe out the Wen family completely. But even if there was none, he would make one exist. If one was putting on a show, one had to perform the whole thing. He absolutely had to make these two families destroy the Wen family. Otherwise, how could he win the Wen family’s trust? How could he return to the Wen family?

Sheng Baihe was thinking about these matters. As soon as he entered the room and discovered someone inside, that instead made him overlook the faint fragrance in the air that was not usually there.

“Who’s there?!”

A slender figure stood before the window. Hearing him, she turned around. The person who was usually cold as ice now gave him a reserved smile. “Baihe.”

Sheng Baihe’s heart was struck by that smile and softened completely. He did not even think about why this person would appear here at this time. “Wuning.”

Wen Wuning lowered her brows and eyes, then turned and slowly walked toward the bed. Sheng Baihe’s gaze followed her closely. He could hear his own heart pounding violently inside his chest.

Wen Wuning sat sideways on the bed, lifted her eyes to look at Sheng Baihe, and smiled faintly.

In that instant, all of Sheng Baihe’s reason collapsed.

Wen Wuning had stabbed him with a sword. It was not that he had not been angry. He had even thought that if he could obtain her, he would definitely make her suffer. But when this person shed all her guardedness and hostility and looked at him with tender affection like flowing water…

All the resentment and anger from before vanished like smoke.

This woman deserved every bit of tenderness he could give her.

“Wuning.” Sheng Baihe walked over and gazed at the face that had haunted his dreams, then kissed her with cherishing affection.

He held her, giving this person all his tenderness, then fiercely possessed her. Yet it was not to vent his anger. In this moment, he realized that he actually loved this woman.

The bed was filled with spring scenery. No one noticed the small half of a head poking out from the floor beneath the table.

Far away in the Wen family, Lan Fei’er watched, dumbfounded. She was not surprised that Sheng Baihe had hooked up with Lin Niaoniao. Although this woman had not been part of the protagonist’s harem in the original book, what shocked her was that Sheng Baihe was calling Lin Niaoniao by Wen Wuning’s name.

What strange game was this?

Then she really had to admire Lin Niaoniao’s broad-mindedness.

After coming to this world, where entertainment was extremely scarce, Lan Fei’er suddenly had a live erotic show to watch. She felt it was rare. Besides, since she was already here, it would be a pity not to watch, so she let the ginseng doll stay a while longer.

The sour stench of lovemaking filled the air.

Although she did not discover anything valuable, Lan Fei’er did not dare let the ginseng doll explore deeper into the Lin family and summoned it back.

After it returned, she flicked the ginseng doll’s big forehead and said with a smile, “We got to watch a live erotic show for free. This trip wasn’t a loss.”

It was unclear whether she was saying this to the ginseng doll or to herself.

The ginseng doll still felt lingering fear toward her. It shook its little roots, not understanding what was so interesting about two humans wrestling. It glanced at Lan Fei’er, whose eyes were curved with laughter. Humans really were too strange.

Lan Fei’er’s smile faded as she remembered there was still serious business to do. In a good mood, she patted the ginseng doll’s head and said, “Go to the back mountain and look for Wen Wuning. Find her exact location.”

In truth, while she had been watching the live erotic show just now, she had been thinking that if Wen Wuning had been with her and had [read the original at bailiantales.com]also seen that scene, she wondered what expression Wen Wuning would have.

Thinking that Wen Wuning would definitely look as if she had swallowed a fly, Lan Fei’er collapsed onto the bed, hugged her stomach, and could not help laughing loudly.

At sunrise, in Sheng Baihe’s room at the Lin family.

The room still held the lingering scent after lovemaking. Lin Niaoniao nestled in Sheng Baihe’s arms with a sweet smile. Although Sheng Baihe had called another name all night, the one who had truly shared the pleasures of intimacy with him was herself.

Sheng Baihe had also awakened. Without opening his eyes, he savored the wonderful experience of last night, his heart filled with indescribable satisfaction.

Wherever Sheng Baihe’s palm passed, tingles followed. Lin Niaoniao shyly pressed herself closer to Sheng Baihe’s strong chest and nuzzled him coquettishly. “Baihe~”

The hand caressing her suddenly stopped. Lin Niaoniao lifted her head in confusion. Her vision blurred, and her whole body was shoved away, rolling toward the inside of the bed and hitting the wall. She lifted her head blankly, only to see Sheng Baihe standing at the bedside. He had already put on a robe, his face full of disbelief and rage.

Lin Niaoniao felt guilty. “Baihe.”

“Why is it you?!” Sheng Baihe drew his sword in one motion, his face savage as he pointed it at Lin Niaoniao.

Looking at the sword pointed at her, the naked Lin Niaoniao trembled all over, her face turning deathly pale. She did not understand Sheng Baihe’s anger. She knew he would be angry, but the rice had already been cooked. So what if he was angry?

But at this moment, she could clearly sense Sheng Baihe’s killing intent.

After experiencing the fall from the clouds into the mud, Sheng Baihe truly wanted to kill this lowly woman.

If this had been his original world, and a woman had offered herself to him, he would definitely have been overjoyed.

But now, Sheng Baihe’s identity was different, and his standards had risen too. He had never taken a fancy to this woman, who had not even earned a place in his harem. Now he had actually been schemed against by a woman he looked down on.

To him, this was simply extraordinary shame and humiliation.

Moreover, this was his first time across two lifetimes. His first time had actually been with a woman he looked down on, and he had even been tricked into it.

Furthermore, last night, he had treated her as Wen Wuning and given her every ounce of tenderness.

Whether in body or heart, Sheng Baihe felt an indescribable humiliation.

“Ah—”

The tables and chairs in the room were instantly split into pieces. Sheng Baihe’s eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted and savage. Lin Niaoniao’s heart felt as if it had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil. Last night, they had been joined as intimately as water and milk, yet today he was treating her like this.

Biting her lip, tears filling her eyes, she said, “Baihe, I treated you sincerely. You shouldn’t treat me like this.”

Sheng Baihe turned and pointed his sword at her, gritting his teeth. “If you weren’t the young lady of the Lin family, I would have killed you already.”

“Do you love her that much?”

“Shut up!”

Lin Niaoniao’s heart shattered. Although Sheng Baihe’s attitude had always been very clear—he did not love her; the one he loved was Wen Wuning—she had not believed it. She had thought that as long as the two of them had become husband and wife in truth, Sheng Baihe would treat her differently. But now, reality told her it was impossible.

Thinking of his tenderness last night, all of which had been meant for Wen Wuning, Lin Niaoniao’s tears fell like rain. “Why? Why must it be her? How am I inferior to her? What can she give you? Whatever she can give you, I can give you too.”

Seeing Sheng Baihe turn to leave, Lin Niaoniao seemed to suddenly think of something. She wrapped a bedsheet around herself, ran off the bed, grabbed him, and pleaded with the utmost humility. “Don’t go. Wen Wuning can’t give you anything, but I can. I can give you the Lin family!”

Sheng Baihe, who had been about to shake Lin Niaoniao off, [read the original at bailiantales.com]paused when he heard that final sentence. He turned his head to look at this woman, who had cried herself into a mess, and said coldly, “I don’t care for the Lin family.”

“The Lin family treasury. Aside from Grandfather, I’m the only one who knows about it. I’ll tell you. Don’t go.”

Sheng Baihe sneered. The Lin family treasury. He had not even thought of that. Fortunately, Lin Niaoniao had reminded him.

Sheng Baihe stood still, but he said nothing. Lin Niaoniao knew his attitude had softened and immediately pulled him back into the room.

He thought Lin Niaoniao would bring him to open a secret passage, but instead, he saw Lin Niaoniao take down a painting hanging on the wall and hand it to him.

Sensing Sheng Baihe’s impatience, Lin Niaoniao quickly said, “All of our Lin family’s treasures are in here.”

Sheng Baihe did not believe she would lie to him, so he picked up the painting and examined it carefully.

Gradually, he discovered something wrong. There was only a grand and magnificent palace in the painting. Thick fog surrounded the palace on all sides, and a flock of white birds circled above it.

At first glance, the painting seemed unremarkable. But on closer inspection, every part of it revealed something strange.

Lin Niaoniao said softly, “This is our Lin family mausoleum. ​unauthorized copy​All of our Lin family’s treasures are inside.”

“To enter and exit, one only needs to recite an incantation. But this incantation has been passed down orally in our Lin family. Right now, in the entire Lin family, only Grandfather and I know it.” Lin Niaoniao stared at Sheng Baihe, hoping to see even the slightest hint of joy or softening on his face.

But she was destined to be disappointed. Sheng Baihe did not like being threatened. Moreover, he knew that as the protagonist, the world awaiting him in the future would not be limited to a tiny place like Ancheng. These treasures might be impressive to the people of Ancheng, but compared to what he would encounter in the future, they were not worth mentioning.

Lin Niaoniao cried with a miserable face. “Baihe, can’t you even smile at me? Give me just a little of the tenderness you give Wen Wuning, and I’ll give you everything. Truly, everything.”

“Don’t say that name.” Hearing that name from Lin Niaoniao’s mouth constantly reminded him that he had been schemed against last night.

Lin Niaoniao grabbed Sheng Baihe’s hand. “As long as you’re willing to stay in the Lin family, I’ll tell you the incantation. I really love you.”

Sheng Baihe sneered, shook her off, and strode away.

The Lin family was about to be destroyed. When the time came, Lin Niaoniao would beg to tell him, and he would actually be interested in knowing.