The Villain Is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 10

Zhang Lan curled her lip and calmly blended into the crowd of disciples, watching as that “Zhang Kuang” started fighting with several of the strongest disciples. Blades flashed, swords crossed, sand flew, and stones scattered. It looked quite impressive.

She was watching with great interest and did not notice someone come up behind her and gently pat her shoulder.

With her cultivation sharply reduced, she actually could not even sense someone approaching from behind anymore.

“Who?!” Zhang Lan snapped. At the same time, she pressed her five fingers together like a blade and swung them fiercely behind her.

Xia Zhitao said calmly, “Me.”

That hand-blade instantly softened. Zhang Lan blinked, then softly clung over, her voice carrying a hint of ingratiation. “Senior Sister, you came too.”

Xia Zhitao smiled. “Never mind me. The moment everyone heard the name Zhang Kuang, more than half of Yashan rushed over.”

“That isn’t Zhang Kuang,” Zhang Lan said, pouting, her cheeks looking puffed up. “It’s fake.”

Not just Xia Zhitao—the other disciples watching had been startled at first, but they slowly reacted as well.

This was definitely a fake, right?!

What a joke. The Demon Sect Leader whom Yashan cursed every other day and brought up constantly—fine, maybe she was currently at a disadvantage in a fight, but to think she could not even beat one Golden Core cultivator and three Foundation Establishment cultivators? Wasn’t that far too weak?

Xia Zhitao patted Zhang Lan’s shoulder and smiled rather helplessly. “Mm, I can tell. This ‘Zhang Kuang’ is probably someone Grandmaster disguised as to test us.”

Zhang Lan flattened her mouth. “Oh.”

Xia Zhitao saw her little junior sister puffing out her cheeks, looking gloomy and unhappy. The way she looked ahead even carried a trace of… displeasure.

Was this child throwing a tantrum?

Looking at those puffed-up little cheeks, Xia Zhitao wanted to pinch them, but afraid Zhang Lan would dislike it, she still tucked away her itching hand, gathered her sleeves, and continued watching the fight.

Xia Zhitao’s guess was quite accurate. Not long afterward, that “Zhang Kuang” put away her sword, reached up, and lifted the mask from her head, revealing a familiar face.

“Not bad. Your reaction and organizational ability were both excellent.” Qin Zhi gathered the long hair behind her and called out a few disciples. “Wang Ze, Mu Si, Zhang Lan. The three of you, come here.”

“Master is calling for you,” Xia Zhitao said, pushing Zhang Lan lightly. “Hurry and go.”

Zhang Lan obediently gave an “oh,” then left Xia Zhitao reluctantly, looking back every few steps as she walked over.

She had only watched from the sidelines the entire time, so she had no idea what was going on or why Grandmaster had suddenly called her too.

Qin Zhi wore white robes, feathers layered and interwoven, glowing with a faint white light. She nodded and praised Wang Ze and Mu Si for their performance today, then turned her head. Her voice lowered, meaningful and deep. “Zhang Lan, come here.”

Zhang Lan was reluctant. “Master.”

Qin Zhi had always worn a pair of pure white gloves, but now she slowly took one off. A few fine white threads were wound between the knuckles of her right hand.

She reached out and grasped Zhang Lan’s wrist, her thumb pressing against her life pulse as she poured in a thin stream of weak spiritual power. Zhang Lan was held in place by her. Her brows furrowed, and her gaze was displeased, but she did not pull her hand back.

After a long while, Qin Zhi withdrew her hand and slowly put her glove back on. Her expression did not change. “You still cannot use spiritual power?”

“Replying to Master,” Zhang Lan said coldly, “the situation has improved slightly, but my spiritual power is still very stagnant. I can only use relatively shallow spells.”

Qin Zhi nodded faintly. Propping up her chin, she looked at Zhang Lan thoughtfully.

Zhang Lan blinked. Her amber-like eyes held scattered points of light, like a golden glass bead, delicate and fragile.

Qin Zhi stood up. She brushed past Zhang Lan, but when she reached her side, she lowered her head slightly.

Leaning beside Zhang Lan’s ear, she said softly in a volume only the two of them could hear, “Your eyes are very beautiful.”

…Huh? What about my eyes?

Zhang Lan turned around expressionlessly, only to see that Qin Zhi had already gathered her long sleeves and stepped onto her sword to fly away.

She watched as Qin Zhi vanished from sight in the blink of an eye, then puzzledly reached up and touched her own face.

Her eyes, nose, and mouth were all properly staying in their original places. After touching here and there, she did not feel anything strange either.

Zhang Lan muttered inwardly, “Inexplicable.”

.

The wind howled sharply. A fierce sword wind cut across the sky, leaving behind a streak of white light.

Jiyan returned to its sheath and withdrew the burning radiance around it. Xia Zhitao smoothed her slightly disheveled sleeves and glanced at the scenery around her.

Although Yashan was nothing but mountains and water, and most of the scenery was more or less the same, Master Qin Zhi’s Zhihe Peak seemed to have more clouds and mist than the other peaks.

White mist spread everywhere, layer upon layer enveloping the entire mountain peak, making it impossible to clearly see the surroundings.

Led by someone, Xia Zhitao entered the study behind the great hall. Unexpectedly, Qin Zhi was waiting for her inside.

“Good afternoon, Master.” Xia Zhitao respectfully bent down and saluted.

“No need for formalities. Sit.” Qin Zhi had little expression on her face. Her ink-black hair fell casually over her shoulder, sketching fine strands of pattern against her white feather robe.

“I called you to Zhihe Peak this time because of that little junior sister of yours.” Qin Zhi raised a hand and lightly pressed her temple, frowning. “…What was her name again?”

“Zhang Lan?” Xia Zhitao was somewhat puzzled.

Qin Zhi nodded faintly. “Yes, it should be her.”

What happened to Zhang Lan? Xia Zhitao was confused, but it was not very appropriate to ask directly.

She had previously tried asking around indirectly. Aside from not liking to talk and loving to sleep, her little junior sister had always been well-behaved and never caused trouble. Xia Zhitao had no idea why Master Qin Zhi had suddenly called her here.

Qin Zhi wore a pair of white gloves. Her fingers rubbed unconsciously against each other, making a faint rustling sound.

After a moment of silence, she gently reached out. Her fingertip seemed to land unintentionally on the back of Xia Zhitao’s hand.

“Mmgh—!!”

In an instant, Xia Zhitao felt as if her body had been torn apart. Countless chaotic images flashed before her eyes. Her ears buzzed, and her entire body curled forward in pain.

“Hey, hey? What’s wrong?”

Qin Zhi had not expected such a strong reaction from her. She hurriedly stood up and supported Xia Zhitao, who could no longer sit steadily and was almost about to fall. Anxiously, she asked, “Are you all right?”

Xia Zhitao’s mind was a mess. Her brows were tightly furrowed, a thin layer of sweat already seeping across her forehead. Her voice was slightly hoarse. “…I’m fine.”

“It was my fault. I read your memories without permission.” Qin Zhi patted the back of her hand soothingly, slightly puzzled. “Most people can’t sense it at all. I didn’t expect you to be this sensitive.”

Read my memories?

Xia Zhitao was completely stunned. Although this fantasy world where everyone rode swords all over the sky was already very unscientific to begin with, the ability to read memories just by touching someone’s hand was still far too excessive.

“However, your memories before the age of fourteen are very blurry. I can’t see them clearly.” Qin Zhi frowned slightly, somewhat confused. “It’s as if someone deliberately locked them away.”

Hearing this, Xia Zhitao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she herself did not really remember what had happened before either, if Qin Zhi had seen all kinds of modern cars, airplanes, and high-speed trains from her memories, wouldn’t that have frightened her to death?

Because of Banana Peel-jun’s heartless abandonment of the story, Xia Zhitao also did not know the specific setting behind her transmigration into this novel. If dissection had already been invented here, then wouldn’t she be treated like some kind of “alien” and…

Stop, stop. Yashan’s masters probably were not that deranged, right?

“My white crane clan is skilled at weaving dreams and creating illusions. As long as we come into contact with someone, we can also flip through their memories and past.”

Qin Zhi did not know that Xia Zhitao’s soul had already wandered off somewhere. She was still dutifully explaining the setting. “In short, regardless of the other person’s strength, I can more or less see their memories.”

She paused, and her voice suddenly became a little more serious. “But the strange thing is, I actually cannot read your junior sister’s memories.”

It’s better if you can’t read them. This counts as violating someone’s privacy rights.

Xia Zhitao complained inwardly, but on the surface, she still asked, “Is it the same as me? Were they locked away?”

“No, it’s different.” Qin Zhi pressed her fingers against her forehead and slowly rubbed the space between her brows. “It’s an empty blankness. I can’t sense anything at all.”

She was clearly at Foundation Establishment, yet she could not use spiritual power. She had near-amber eyes, and memories that seemed to have been deliberately blurred—

There were truly far too many strange things about that person.

Qin Zhi thought for a moment, then lightly tapped her fingertip and took a dagger out of her storage ring.

With a wave of her hand, the dagger drew a curve through the air and landed in Xia Zhitao’s hand.

Qin Zhi propped up her chin. “Keep it. This weapon has soaked in a spiritual spring for a very long time. It has a fatal effect on demonic cultivators and demons.”

Xia Zhitao took the ram-horn dagger and curiously examined it. The sheath was pitch-black, edged with a line of silver, and it felt very good in her hand.

Qin Zhi gently set down the teacup in her hand, curled her fingers together, and said in a voice so flat it had no fluctuation at all, “If necessary, kill her.”

…What?

Xia Zhitao’s eyes abruptly widened. That small dagger seemed to suddenly become a thousand jin heavy, pressing down on her.

“I suspect the reason Zhang Lan’s memories were sealed is because of the existence of a conflicting power. And in this world, the only person who can stop the white crane clan is the Demon Sect Leader.”

Qin Zhi said lightly, “Zhang Kuang’s whereabouts are uncertain, but she is abnormally fixated on a certain matter. I suspect that this Zhang Lan is very likely her illegitimate daughter.”

Xia Zhitao: “…………”

Wait, wait. The first half still had some logic to it and sounded like a reasonable, evidence-based suspicion. How did the style suddenly change so drastically in the second half?

Zhang Kuang’s constitution was special, so it was normal that Qin Zhi could not see her memories. Her little junior sister might indeed have some relationship with her, but what the hell was this illegitimate daughter business?

Her little junior sister looked thirteen or fourteen, and according to the novel Xia Zhitao had read before transmigrating, Zhang Kuang herself was also very young. Where would she get such a huge illegitimate daughter from?

Xia Zhitao finally understood. Qin Zhi was probably also one of the innocent masses harmed by rumors. She thought Zhang Kuang had lived for tens of thousands of years, completely unaware that Zhang Kuang was much younger than her in who knew how many ways.

Seeing Xia Zhitao’s gaze fill with sympathy, Qin Zhi could no longer sit still. She frowned and said, “What do you mean by that?”

“This disciple understands,” Xia Zhitao replied calmly.

She bowed, casually tossed the dagger into her storage ring, and then left.

As she walked, she silently sighed. How could such a noble, cold, and glamorous master be missing a screw in her brain?