The Villain Is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 15

She suddenly discovered that she was not the only one in the room. A woman in black had pulled over a chair and was sitting by the head of the bed, her back facing Xia Zhitao.

Xia Zhitao quietly pushed the quilt aside a little and lifted her head slightly. She caught sight of a somewhat thin side profile.

That person’s brows and eyes were extremely clean, her features distinct. Although her face was full of exhaustion, it still could not hide how stunning she was, like a beauty carefully carved from white jade.

Her lips were pressed together. She was dressed entirely in black, her collar in disarray, her hands clasped tightly together as she stared blankly out the window.

Even though Xia Zhitao’s vision had been blurry beneath Shuijing Lake, just from that identical feeling alone, she could more or less confirm it—

This was the person who saved her yesterday.

As if she had heard the faint rustling of the quilt, the woman in black abruptly came back to herself. She hurriedly turned around and said softly, “Are you awake?”

That voice was like the clear chime of a jade pendant, cool and crisp, filling her ears.

Xia Zhitao instinctively shut her eyes tight, slightly held her breath, and pretended to still be sound asleep. Whether the other party truly had not noticed or was only pretending not to, in any case, she escaped this disaster.

The other woman sighed softly, her voice very low. “The injury was too serious.”

A faint, pale floral fragrance curled around the tip of Xia Zhitao’s nose. She felt the other woman move a little closer and instantly grew nervous. In the end, however, the other woman only placed a hand on her forehead to check her temperature.

She leaned down slightly, her ink-black hair falling from her shoulder. The ends of her hair brushed across Xia Zhitao’s cheek, leaving behind a trace of cold, damp air.

Slightly cool fingertips covered her forehead, resting there for a moment before quickly leaving.

“She’s still a little warm,” that person sighed, her voice faintly tired. “What should I do…”

At this point, it was already too late for Xia Zhitao to pretend she had just woken up. She could only treat a dead horse as a living one and secretly listen to the other woman muttering to herself.

Why was this actually a little thrilling?

That person did not say much. The little wooden hut quickly returned to its previous quiet atmosphere, leaving only faint, soft breathing.

Xia Zhitao had only seen a side profile just now before hurriedly closing her eyes, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was not quite right.

The other party was dressed entirely in black and did not really seem like one of Yashan’s masters. And Xia Zhitao had clearly never met that person before, yet for some reason, she found her face familiar.

The room was far too quiet. After lying there for a long while, Xia Zhitao felt an itch in her heart and could not quite hold herself back.

She secretly lifted her head a little and carefully looked outside.

The woman in black had not left. She was still sitting beside her. Her brows and eyes looked as if they had been carved, and her black hair fell down, covering her neck while just barely revealing a sliver of fine, fair skin.

The other woman seemed to be thinking about something and did not notice her. Xia Zhitao grew a little bolder and secretly glanced at her several times. The sight was pleasing to the eye, and Xia Zhitao felt as though she had gotten a bargain.

Her wound had not completely healed yet, and her abdomen throbbed faintly. After waking for only a short while, she began to feel sleepy again.

Xia Zhitao closed her eyes drowsily for a while. When she opened them again, the scene inside the room startled her badly—

“Junior Sister Xia / Senior Sister / Senior!! You’re awake!”

Five or six different voices rang out at the same time. Xia Zhitao stared at the room packed full of people and went dumb. “Huh?”

What was going on? Did they think this was a marketplace? This tiny room would already feel crowded with three or four people standing inside, and yet all of them had swarmed in and squeezed six people inside?

.

A group of people spoke all at once. Xia Zhitao listened for a long while but still could not understand what was going on. Then she caught sight of a familiar face and quickly grabbed her sleeve for help. “Senior Sister Lu, what happened?”

Lu Guo had the others quiet down first, then explained the whole story to Xia Zhitao. “At first, I couldn’t find you anywhere, and the spirit bird just kept circling in place, so I went to ask Immortal Venerable Qin Zhi for help.”

After Xia Zhitao was pushed into the Ruoshui, her connection with Yashan’s spirit bird had been cut off, so naturally, it could not find her.

Xia Zhitao made an “mm” sound. “And after that?”

“Who knew that even Master Qin couldn’t find you? We were all frantic,” Lu Guo said. “Luckily, Junior Sister Yuan Shuang spotted signs of a fight beside Shuijing Lake. After endless hardship, she pulled you out.”

So it was Yuan Shuang who saved me?

Gratitude welled up in Xia Zhitao’s heart. She thought that the only reason she had survived after falling into such a dangerous situation yesterday was all thanks to “Yuan Shuang” arriving in time.

A gray-robed woman was pulled out by Lu Guo. She lowered her head slightly and said shyly, “I only happened to pass by. Because I couldn’t break through the Ruoshui, I could only use an immortal rope to pull Senior Sister Xia ashore.”

The woman’s appearance was delicate and pretty, her clothes simple and plain. She also carried the wooden tablet of an outer disciple. But after Xia Zhitao sized her up twice, suspicion abruptly rose in her heart.

No. It wasn’t her.

The person who saved her was clearly a woman in black, and she had even stayed by Xia Zhitao’s side for a long time. How had that suddenly become this “Yuan Shuang” whom she had never even met?

Although Xia Zhitao thought this inwardly, she did not show it on her face.

She gently held Yuan Shuang’s hand and said solemnly, “Thank you, Junior Sister, for saving me. In the future, I will certainly repay you with all my strength.”

“Senior Sister Xia, there’s no need for that.” Yuan Shuang lowered her head. Her palm was slightly damp. “It was only what I should have done.”

“They say even the grace of a single meal must be repaid, and even the grudge of a glare must be avenged.” Xia Zhitao smiled faintly. “As for Junior Sister Yuan’s life-saving grace, that leaves me truly at a loss for what to do.”

When Yuan Shuang heard this, she lifted her head slightly, and the hand holding Xia Zhitao’s tightened a little. “I’m still an outer disciple. If-if Senior Sister Xia is willing…”

Not only did you steal someone else’s credit for no reason, you even have the nerve to want me to put in a good word for you in front of Grandmaster so you can enter the inner sect?

If it sounds that nice, then you can keep dreaming.

Xia Zhitao smiled as she withdrew her hand and said gently, “That is only natural. I will choose a day to speak with Grandmaster.”

But as for exactly what “day” she would choose, only Xia Zhitao herself knew.

She then chatted a little more with the other disciples who were concerned about her, roughly telling them that her condition was fine and that the flow of her spiritual power was normal, so they could rest assured.

Xia Zhitao looked at everyone’s concerned expressions and kept feeling as though something was missing. The little junior sister who usually looked wronged if Xia Zhitao left for even a little while, who wanted to run to her room every day, and who loved clinging to her the most—why wasn’t she here?

As she thought this, she also asked it out loud. “Where is Zhang Lan? I don’t see her.”

Who knew that the moment she said this, the disciples would react extremely fiercely? Lu Guo slammed the table and cursed, “You’re still worried about that little beast! She’s been taken to the main hall for questioning. By now, her roots have probably already been crippled and she’s been driven down the mountain!”

“Watch your words!” Xia Zhitao was thoroughly angered by that form of address, and her voice rose several degrees. “How can you call our junior sister that?”

Xia Zhitao usually appeared gentle and warm, speaking softly and never getting angry no matter what. Now that she suddenly flew into a rage, her imposing air abruptly pressed down, stunning Lu Guo silent.

“What do you mean by questioning?” Thinking over what Lu Guo had just said, Xia Zhitao suddenly had an ominous feeling. “And what do you mean by driven down the mountain?”

After being shouted at by her just now, Lu Guo’s voice weakened a little. She stammered, “Junior-Junior Sister Yuan Shuang found a sound-image stone beside Shuijing Lake…”

Yuan Shuang nodded. “Senior Sister, you must not be fooled by her obedient appearance. A sound-image stone can record sound and images from a certain period of time, and it just happened to record the entire process of Zhang Lan injuring you.”

That strange, sarcastic person wasn’t Little Junior Sister at all, okay? Xia Zhitao was nearly so angry she coughed blood. She rubbed her forehead, directly threw off the quilt, and got out of bed.

The disciples were all frightened when they saw her move so drastically before her injuries had healed. They all crowded forward to support her, but Xia Zhitao blocked them back.

She grabbed Lu Guo’s sleeve and looked straight at her. “Which main hall is Zhang Lan in? Take me there.”

“Junior Sister Xia, hurry and lie down to rest. Your wound hasn’t healed yet!” Lu Guo said anxiously. “Don’t worry. As for disciples who deliberately harm fellow sect members, Yashan will never let them off lightly!”

“I’m very well. I’m completely fine.” Xia Zhitao sighed inwardly. “We can talk about the details at the main hall. Take me there first.”

.

Lu Guo earnestly tried to persuade her for a long while, but Xia Zhitao showed no intention of backing down at all. In the end, Lu Guo could only nod and agree.

When Xia Zhitao turned her head, she saw that her Jiyan Sword was lying on the desk, placed perfectly straight. Someone had carefully wiped it clean, leaving not a trace of blood or dust on it.

She grabbed the sword. With a clear ring, it came out of its sheath, and she stepped steadily onto it. “Let’s go!”

“Junior Sister Xia, be careful.” Seeing her movements flow so smoothly, Lu Guo was badly startled. “Your injury only just got better. Don’t recklessly circulate your spiritual power.”

Xia Zhitao made an “mm” sound and said, “Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister, but the situation is urgent. Please take me there.”

Lu Guo sighed. She also stepped onto her sword and led Xia Zhitao outside.

The wind was sharp and cold, whipping their clothes into constant fluttering. The two moved extremely quickly, one in front and one behind. Before long, they had arrived at Jingtang Peak.

Among Yashan’s thirteen connected peaks, Jingtang Peak ranked third. In addition to cultivation, it mainly handled judicial matters and placed importance on impartiality, sincerity, and trust.

Its peak master was called Gao Ze. He was a stern old man whose strength was unfathomable, and he rarely appeared in ordinary times. If he was absent, then the chief eldest disciple, Huai Ruishi, presided over the overall situation.

There were many people inside the great hall. Grandmaster Hu Zi stood off to the side, while her little junior sister was surrounded in the middle.

Zhang Lan’s long hair was loose and messy, her clothes in disarray. She looked somewhat wretched, but her back remained perfectly straight as she glared ahead.

“The evidence is conclusive. What else do you have to quibble about?” Huai Ruishi scolded. “Deliberately harming a fellow disciple is conduct no better than dogs and swine. You have brought shame upon Yashan!”

“What nonsense. I already said it wasn’t me.” Zhang Lan sneered, slapping away the disciple who was trying to bind her. She said sharply, “I would never harm Senior Sister!”

That disciple was struck hard by her and retreated several steps in a row. Huai Ruishi’s expression darkened a little, and he ordered, “Restrain her!”

Hearing this, several disciples were about to surround her. Grandmaster Hu Zi’s expression was complicated, as if he were weighing whether or not to make a move.

Just then, Xia Zhitao appeared at the entrance. Seeing the tense, sword-drawn situation inside, she quickly shouted, “Wait!”

Everyone’s expressions differed, but more or less, all of them were somewhat surprised as they looked toward the door in unison.

Zhang Lan, who had still been full of righteous fury just now, suddenly froze. She stared blankly at Xia Zhitao.

Xia Zhitao had already mentally prepared herself, but the moment she saw her little junior sister, her heart suddenly palpitated for no reason, and she unconsciously took two steps back.

Yesterday’s incident was too deeply engraved in her memory. When she closed her eyes, it was as if she could still see that cold dagger tip cutting through flesh, and “Zhang Lan’s” smiling face—even if it was only for an instant, it made her body turn cold and tremble uncontrollably.

Her little junior sister naturally saw her step back. Her eyes reddened, and her voice trembled as she murmured, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…”

As soon as these words came out, the entire hall erupted. Accusations rose from all sides, while Zhang Lan stood there all alone, lowering her head and saying nothing more.

Xia Zhitao steadied herself and gave a soft cough. “As the person involved, I have the right to say a few words, yes?”

The moment she spoke, everyone quieted and looked at her.

Under everyone’s gazes, Xia Zhitao walked up to Zhang Lan. Her little junior sister’s eyes were red at the corners, and she was sniffing softly, head lowered, not daring to look at her.

Suddenly, Xia Zhitao reached out and tightly held Zhang Lan’s hand. Turning to face the crowd, she said calmly:

“I believe her.”

Author’s Note:

Quote:

① “The grace of a single meal must be repaid, and the grudge of a glare must be avenged.” — From Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Fan Sui and Cai Ze