The Villain Is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 14

Xia Zhitao controlled her sword to block. The pitch-black dagger struck the white blade with a loud “clang,” making it hum and tremble.

This person’s strength was above hers!

Xia Zhitao forcibly blocked the other party’s strike, but her wrist was already aching faintly, almost losing all strength. She retreated several steps and silently recited an incantation.

Almost in an instant, four long, thin flames ignited beside her, hovering in midair as they continued to burn.

“Go!” Xia Zhitao gave the order, and the four flames shot out, carrying scorching heat as they rushed toward that person.

That person neither dodged nor avoided. The dagger in her hand lightly spun in a circle and slashed horizontally. The four clusters of flame were cut in two with a single strike, shrieking as they vanished into the air.

The flames had only been a smokescreen to begin with. Xia Zhitao had no intention of staying. She only wanted to use the spreading smoke as cover to escape, but that person directly broke through her move, tapped her toes against the ground, and attacked Xia Zhitao.

She was completely being suppressed and beaten by the other party. Xia Zhitao felt regret in her heart. If she had known earlier, she would have listened properly during Grandmaster’s lessons.

She had only run two steps when that person’s figure flashed and appeared in front of her. Spiritual power spilled around that person’s body, forcing Xia Zhitao back to the side of Shuijing Lake.

Every attack that person made was a killing move. The cold dagger tip carved out gusts of sharp wind, coming straight for Xia Zhitao’s neck. She finally managed to dodge one strike, only for the next to immediately follow. She simply could not keep up.

Under this absolute suppression of strength, Xia Zhitao could not deal with it. After several exchanges, her clothes had already been torn open in many places, and her body was covered in wounds.

“Who exactly are you?”

With the mindset that even if she had to die, she should at least die knowing why, Xia Zhitao dodged a strike near her cheek and shouted, “Why are you attacking me?”

That person’s expression was cold, and the attacks in her hand became even tighter. “The dead don’t need to know these things.”

If you have the ability, then show your true form. Don’t use someone else’s adorable little junior-sister face to say such villain-boss declarations, all right!

Xia Zhitao gritted her teeth. Jiyan turned in her hand and drew a circle edged with flames in the air as she poured all the spiritual power in her body into the sword.

Jiyan’s light flared brightly. The white blade hummed, countless tiny sparks leaping around it, even boiling the air nearby.

Xia Zhitao’s innate aptitude was good, but unfortunately, her comprehension was lacking. After entering the sect for so long, this was the only move she used skillfully. According to Bearded Grandmaster, this technique seemed to have some impressive name—

The person before her actually paused for once. Looking at Xia Zhitao’s movements, she let out a soft “eh” and said, “One Sword Melts the Sun?”

Xia Zhitao: “…”

Mm, that’s right. The moment she heard such an extremely mainstream name like “One Sword Something the Sun,” she knew she had the right technique.

She took a deep breath, mobilized all the spiritual power in her body, and used the first form of this “One Sword Melts the Sun,” whose name she could not remember at all.

A flash of rainbow light appeared. Countless tiny flames gathered into a line and, together with the sword energy, suddenly shot out, stabbing straight toward that person!

At the same time, Xia Zhitao did not linger at all. She turned and ran.

To use this move, she had already exhausted all the spiritual power in her body. She could only use the brief moment the technique delayed the enemy to flee as far as possible.

Since that person had used her little junior sister’s face to lure her to this deserted Shuijing Lake, it proved that she—or he—did not want to confront Yashan directly.

As long as Xia Zhitao could rush to a crowded place, or hold on until she reached the main hall, that person would definitely fear Grandmaster’s strength and retreat resentfully.

Unfortunately, she had underestimated the other party’s strength.

With a soft “puchi,” Xia Zhitao’s expression stiffened. She gasped shallowly and slowly lowered her head.

The pitch-black dagger had stabbed into her abdomen. Bright red blood gushed out, soaking her ivory-white clothes, the red glaringly vivid.

She suddenly remembered a line from the original text: “The suppression between ranks is absolute. Even top-grade roots and a single spiritual root cannot withstand someone a full realm higher, even if that person has inferior roots.”

She was still a Foundation Establishment disciple, at least. Usually, Grandmaster often praised her extraordinary roots. But that person had only used one move to easily break through the flames she had condensed with all her spiritual power, and even approached her in an instant.

…She really had no ability to resist at all.

Xia Zhitao smiled bitterly in her heart. Demonic qi seemed to be attached to the dagger, suppressing the spiritual power inside her body. A wave of dizziness struck her, and her body swayed, on the verge of falling.

That person gripped the hilt and twisted the knife inward. Her knuckles were stained with blood, yet she seemed completely unaware, still smiling with incomparable gentleness.

She pushed lightly, and Xia Zhitao could no longer stand steadily. She fell into the Ruoshui.

Her body struck the surface of the water, yet there was not even the slightest sound. The mild, slow Ruoshui surged up at once, climbing over her body and slowly devouring her completely.

Only after the lake surface returned to calm, without even a single ripple left, did the person standing there gather her long hair and say flatly, “Done.”

Someone in the shadows nodded slightly and stepped out a little, saying calmly, “Not bad. You did very well.”

“Little Junior Sister” turned around. She reached up and lifted off the mask on her head, revealing an entirely different face.

She took out a pair of gloves and slowly put them on, looking at the person in the shadows. Her voice was calm. “Don’t forget what you promised me.”

That person chuckled twice. “Naturally.”

.

The lake water surged over from every direction, rushing into Xia Zhitao’s collar and sleeves, layer upon layer pressing downward.

Xia Zhitao’s body dropped rapidly. Ruoshui poured into her mouth and nose. Before long, she broke through the water’s surface and landed with a “dong” on the solid rocky ground.

“Mmgh…”

Her body hurt so badly it felt as if it were about to fall apart. Her hands and feet were cold. Blood spread from her abdomen, mixing with the lake water as it slipped from her fingertips and fell drop by drop onto the dry sand and stone.

Water had seeped into the wound, sticking to her clothes. The moment she tried to pull the fabric away, there was a tearing pain as if flesh were being ripped apart.

Xia Zhitao gritted her teeth and crawled bit by bit along the lake bottom. Through her hazy vision, she vaguely saw a rock and leaned against it, panting nonstop.

The person who wanted to kill her had definitely come prepared. The demonic qi on the dagger suppressed the circulation of her spiritual power, while the Ruoshui seeped into her skin, greedily sucking away the spiritual power in her body like water lice.

Xia Zhitao covered her wound, but the blood would not stop. It gushed from her abdomen, soaking her slender white fingers and dyeing her clothes scarlet.

Her vision blurred, as if a heavy mist covered her eyes. Xia Zhitao lifted her head to look at the scenery above, only to suddenly freeze.

…Sunlight.

The Ruoshui hung suspended in midair, and the noon sunlight pierced through the lake surface like arrow feathers, spreading out a layer of shimmering golden light.

It was like the golden glazed tiles one saw when looking up at Yashan’s great hall, surging endlessly, living and flowing without cease.

As she looked at that brilliant sunlight, her eyes suddenly reddened.

She clearly had not done anything. She had been in this fantasy world for so long and had always been careful and cautious. She measured her words properly, afraid of provoking unnecessary trouble, all just so she could survive.

But in the end, for no reason at all, someone had stabbed her and thrown her into Shuijing Lake, which could cut off spiritual power. That person had clearly made complete preparations, single-mindedly wanting her dead.

It felt as though something was pressing down on her heart. Waves of grievance and pain rose inside her. Even when she reached out, wanting to touch the Jiyan Sword that had fallen nearby, she could not reach it no matter what.

The sunlight was a little dazzling. Xia Zhitao slowly lowered her head, her breathing gradually steadying as her consciousness slowly scattered.

Sleepiness spread layer by layer. In her daze, it was as if someone reached out with both hands and gently closed her eyes.

.

The midday sun was blazing hot, making people’s mouths dry and their tongues parched. Yet in the afternoon, clouds unexpectedly rose.

Thick clouds layered over one another, slowly swallowing the blue sky into their belly. They chewed and savored it unhurriedly, not revealing even a bit of deep blue for a long time. In the end, they simply covered the sun as well.

Xia Zhitao did not know how long she had been unconscious when she suddenly regained a bit of awareness.

How long has it been… Am I still alive?

Her head throbbed with pain. She struggled to open her eyes slightly, but everything was gray and blurry, impossible to see clearly.

Xia Zhitao sighed inwardly, bitterness filling her.

Couldn’t that person have killed her cleanly? One quick stab would have been enough, saving her from falling into this state where she could neither live nor die.

She closed her eyes, only to suddenly realize that her wound did not seem to hurt anymore. The weakness caused by the exhaustion of spiritual power had also completely vanished.

Xia Zhitao lifted her head slightly in astonishment. Through the haze, she realized someone seemed to be kneeling beside her, dressed in black and blocking the light.

That person had her head lowered. The rippling waterlight made it impossible to see her expression clearly. Xia Zhitao could only hear an extremely soft, slow voice, as if it had come from somewhere far and misty.

“…I’m sorry.”

That person’s expression was lost and blank. She murmured to herself, repeating this one sentence again and again, nonstop, as if there was nothing else she could say.

What is going on? Why are you apologizing to me?

Xia Zhitao’s mind was heavy and muddled. She lowered her head and saw that because her fingers had been pressing against her abdomen, they were long since soaked with blood and stained with dirt, wrinkled and curled together.

So ugly, she thought. Truly improper.

She was at least a senior sister of Shuijing Peak. Not only had she failed to set a good example, she had even ended up in such a sorry state.

The person beside her paid no mind to it at all. Slender fingers covered the back of Xia Zhitao’s hand, which was full of dried blood, and interlocked with hers.

Her breathing was sometimes light, sometimes heavy. Her voice was hoarse and low, trembling nonstop. “…I’m sorry. The Ruoshui blocked spiritual power. I searched all over Yashan. I looked for so long, searched for so long… I…”

A warmth melted open where their skin touched. Gentle spiritual power was controlled with extreme care, seeping into Xia Zhitao’s body little by little.

Xia Zhitao wanted to say something, but her throat seemed hoarse. She could not make a single sound.

That person carefully reached out and drew Xia Zhitao into her arms. Her movements were extremely gentle and cautious, as if Xia Zhitao were a porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.

It was like being pulled back from a precarious steel cable. Her tightly stretched nerves suddenly relaxed. Held in that embrace, leaning against that shoulder, Xia Zhitao began letting her thoughts wander.

Shuijing Lake itself was located on the edge of Yashan. Its position was remote and deserted. Add in the Ruoshui that fed on spiritual energy, and it could be called an excellent place to kill someone, silence them, destroy the corpse, and erase all traces.

She had originally been completely hopeless and ready to write her will. For this person to find such a damned place before Xia Zhitao breathed her last really must have been difficult…

Even while holding her, the woman in black’s voice was still tense, panicked, and helpless. Again and again, she said softly, “I promise, I promise—this will never happen again.”

Buried against the other person’s shoulder, Xia Zhitao inexplicably felt a wave of peace. She closed her eyes, and sleepiness surged up.

A beast-fang pendant hung from that person’s neck, swaying lightly beside Xia Zhitao’s ear and letting out a few lonely, delicate sounds.

Author’s Note: Zhang Kuang: Taotao, I’ll secretly show you my other account! It’s already been leveled to max!!