The Villain Is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 3

That light, airy “oh” fell unhurriedly, yet it made the standing woman’s heart tighten. The space between her brows throbbed, and for some reason, a strong sense of unease rose inside her.

No way. We’re all outer disciples who failed the test, the woman thought, forcing down that intense unease as she comforted herself. She’s just putting on airs.

Thinking this, she suddenly gained a little more confidence. She took a fierce step forward and raised her voice. “Are you deaf?! Hurry up and go!”

Zhang Lan leaned against the wooden wall. Lazily, she lifted her hand. Between her slender white fingers, a clear, transparent petal had gathered.

She lightly rubbed one corner of the petal with her fingertip and said slowly, “How rare. You’re the first person who has ever dared to order me around like this.”

The woman in the lead still wanted to say something, but another gray-robed woman beside her suddenly stood up and grabbed her sleeve, her voice trembling slightly. “Yuan Shuang, stop talking. Come back quickly.”

Yuan Shuang frowned. “What are you doing? Are you afraid of her?”

The woman shook her head, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “Look at the petal in her hand.”

The petal Zhang Lan was holding was truly strange. It did not have the veins and patterns of an ordinary plant. Instead, it was as clear and transparent as gold and jade, as if it had been condensed from spiritual power.

Before Yuan Shuang could turn her head, Zhang Lan made her move.

With a tap of her fingertip, the petal shot out in an instant. A cold wind rushed toward Yuan Shuang’s face, brushing past her neck before stabbing viciously into the wall.

A sharp pain came from Yuan Shuang’s neck. She could not help reaching up to cover it, only to find her hand covered in blood.

No, impossible. She was clearly only an outer disciple. How could she possibly—

Zhang Lan lazily lifted her eyelids and smiled with unclear meaning. Just as she was about to speak, the wooden door behind her suddenly let out a loud “bang.”

Everyone froze, including Zhang Lan, who hurriedly turned her head in panic and stood rooted to the spot.

Xia Zhitao was holding onto the door, her chest rising and falling slightly. She looked at the girl clutching her neck, then at the other gray-robed women, and said sternly, “What is going on?”

She grabbed Zhang Lan’s arm and pulled her behind herself, then said to those women, “I heard everything from outside. Bullying someone so blatantly like this—what kind of disgraceful behavior is that?”

The girls were dumbstruck. Yuan Shuang froze for a long moment before remembering that she seemed to have shouted, “Are you deaf?” earlier. Xia Zhitao had probably happened to hear it.

“Junior Sister only came up the mountain today, and this is how you treat her?” The more Xia Zhitao thought about it, the angrier she became, and her voice turned colder. “You are truly bringing shame to my Yashan.”

Bullying? That delicate little girl had carved such a huge gash into her, nearly chopping off her head. Who exactly was bullying whom here?!

Yuan Shuang had no words for her suffering. She clutched her neck and watched helplessly as that little girl changed faces like an opera performer. With a soft whimper, Zhang Lan clung to Xia Zhitao’s clothes and hid behind her.

“Senior Sister, they didn’t bully me,” Zhang Lan sniffled and said softly. “They only told me to fill the water vat outside the door…”

Fill the water vat outside the door. Only?

Xia Zhitao thought of the huge water vat outside, which was about as tall as Zhang Lan, and became furious.

Her little junior sister was so small. If they made her fill that water vat, wouldn’t she have to go the entire night without sleep?

“This is outrageous.” Xia Zhitao directly took Zhang Lan’s right hand, pulled her along, and walked outside. “We’re leaving. You’re not staying here.”

Zhang Lan obediently let herself be led out. After walking for a while, Xia Zhitao suddenly smacked her forehead and remembered one important thing.

Although she had taken Zhang Lan away in a moment of anger, where was Zhang Lan supposed to sleep tonight?

Her little junior sister had been carefully watching Xia Zhitao’s expression the whole time. Seeing her stop hesitantly, she also stopped and said in a small voice, “There’s no need to trouble Senior Sister. I can go live with those people.”

When Xia Zhitao heard this, she could not help looking back at her.

She saw that her little junior sister’s gaze was open and sincere, her expression serious, leaving Xia Zhitao momentarily speechless.

She silently sighed, tightened her grip on Zhang Lan’s hand, and turned her gaze back to the road. “Yashan is vast. Surely it hasn’t fallen so low that we can’t even find a livable room.”

She was thinking about where she could temporarily arrange for Zhang Lan to stay when the little junior sister behind her rolled her eyes, then excitedly leaned closer.

Her eyes were bright as she looked at Xia Zhitao, blinking expectantly. “Then… then can I bother Senior Sister?”

Xia Zhitao did not react for a moment and hesitated. “Huh?”

.

A moment later—

“Thank you, Senior Sister!!”

Seeing her little junior sister hugging a quilt and pillow while excitedly turning circles inside the room, Xia Zhitao raised a hand and rubbed the space between her brows, sighing helplessly in her heart.

She really was too softhearted.

Originally, she had not intended to live together with her junior sister at all. But when she saw the other girl’s expectant expression and the way she stared at her eagerly, the words of refusal suddenly got stuck in her throat and would not come out.

In the end, Xia Zhitao could only resignedly and helplessly nod, tacitly agreeing to Zhang Lan’s request.

Fortunately, her little junior sister was not exactly an outsider. Although her excitement was a bit abnormally excessive, her behavior was still very measured.

Before Xia Zhitao even opened her mouth, Zhang Lan very consciously took a bamboo mat and spread it on the floor. She crouched down, bobbing her head as she happily and carefully laid out the quilt and pillow.

Seeing her so serious, Xia Zhitao did not even dare tell her that although the wooden hut looked small, next door, there was actually—

Another room.

Zhang Lan moved swiftly and efficiently. In the blink of an eye, she had finished making her bed. She stood up from the floor, patted her hands, and silently looked over at Xia Zhitao.

This was not Xia Zhitao’s first time guiding new junior brothers and sisters. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I’ll take you around Yashan.”

Although she had not stayed in Yashan for that long, she had already more or less memorized all the various places.

In any case, there were only a few places to go. They could look at mountains, look at water, and at most look at some cliffs and precipices. After that, there was nowhere else to visit.

If one wanted to talk about something interesting, then it was still better to go down the mountain and stroll through the market. It was bustling, lively, and full of people, far better than this cold and deserted Yashan, where most of the time, one could not see another person at all.

After leading Zhang Lan around once, Xia Zhitao discovered that this little junior sister was rather interesting.

When they looked at the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, she yawned until she almost fell asleep. But she was actually interested in the library no one visited. However, because she had not yet officially entered the sect, she could only look at it for now.

Seeing that the sky was growing late and ink-dark color had burned across most of the blue heavens, Xia Zhitao led Zhang Lan back.

As luck would have it, the two took a different route on their return and just happened to arrive at a place Xia Zhitao had rarely visited.

It was a deep lake. At first glance, it looked ordinary and did not seem to have any problems. But after Xia Zhitao casually took a few more looks, an inexplicable chill suddenly rose inside her.

Looking carefully, the ground all around was withered and dry, with no sign of any plant life. Even the vast surface of the lake seemed completely still, lifeless and stagnant.

“This is Shuijing Lake. Usually, no one comes here, but occasionally, disciples will come to practice spells and such.” After acting as a tour guide all day, Xia Zhitao naturally began introducing the “scenic spot.”

However, Zhang Lan beside her rarely furrowed her brows. Looking at the lake, she said in an extremely soft voice, “…Ruoshui?”

Xia Zhitao froze, then turned her head and hesitated. “What?”

“There is water from the Heavenly River. Even a feather cannot float on it, and flying birds lose their wings and fall. It devours the lives of countless people.”

As Zhang Lan explained, she crouched down and lightly stirred the water’s surface with her fingertip. “Also, Ruoshui can absorb spiritual power and use it for itself. Look underneath.”

Xia Zhitao crouched down with her and saw that beneath the colorless surface of the lake, there was actually something hidden.

Beneath the heavy body of water, it seemed as if daylight had been stored away. The waves glittered, clear and bright, reflecting a lush and thriving scene—

As far as the eye could see, a vast space was hidden there. Vines climbed the walls, rocks were scattered everywhere, and one could even see grains of sand slowly rolling.

“It’s hollow underneath?” Xia Zhitao found it hard to believe. She could not help reaching out, wanting to touch the surface of the water the same way Zhang Lan had.

Water floating above air was far too contrary to common sense. A certain highly respected old English grandfather would probably flip open his coffin lid and be so angry he could not speak.

“—Don’t touch it.”

Xia Zhitao’s hand was stopped in midair. Zhang Lan gently held her wrist, her expression becoming rarely solemn. “Cough, as for this… Grandmaster said that Ruoshui devours spiritual energy. It cannot be touched lightly.”

Xia Zhitao looked at her little junior sister in surprise. While silently grumbling, Weren’t you touching it just now? she quietly withdrew her hand.

Her little junior sister nodded solemnly with a serious expression. Her small face puffed up roundly, making her look a little cute, like a soup dumpling.

Xia Zhitao reached out and rubbed her hair. “All right, let’s go.”

Zhang Lan made a soft “mm” sound. While Xia Zhitao was not paying attention, she looked back at the lake a few more times, then jogged after her in small steps.

.

For some reason, Xia Zhitao slept especially soundly that night. The chaotic dreams that usually poured into her mind suddenly stopped, letting her sleep peacefully and properly for once.

When she woke up the next day, the dawn light was just beginning to glow faintly. Xia Zhitao rubbed her eyes and immediately saw the bamboo mat spread beside her.

Her little junior sister did not seem to be awake yet. Her breathing was steady, her long lashes lowered. Curled up into a tiny ball, she looked like a little glutinous rice dumpling.

Xia Zhitao called her a few times, but there was no response. She was just about to take advantage of the other girl being asleep and unguarded to rub that cheek that looked very soft at first glance.

Unexpectedly, just as her hand reached over, Zhang Lan’s breathing hitched. Her eyes suddenly opened, and then she abruptly flipped over and sat up, startling Xia Zhitao badly.

Zhang Lan looked at her, dazed for a full dozen seconds before saying blankly, “…Good morning, Senior Sister.”

“Mm. Get ready and get up.” Xia Zhitao stood up, pretending to be mature and steady. She gave a light cough and said, “I’ll take you to the Baiyu Altar to test your spiritual power.”

Zhang Lan nodded. After the two washed and tidied up, they immediately set out.

Halfway there, Zhang Lan suddenly snuck closer. Leaning near Xia Zhitao’s ear, she quietly asked, “Senior Sister, Senior Sister, what rank is your spiritual power?”

“Me?” Xia Zhitao was a little surprised, but she still answered, “Third rank of Foundation Establishment.”

Zhang Lan gave a very serious “mm,” then obediently retreated behind Xia Zhitao.

By the time the two arrived at the Baiyu Altar, Grandmaster had also just arrived. He led Zhang Lan up onto the high platform, patted the vast stone pillar at the center, and said, “Place your hand on it. Let me see your cultivation level.”

Zhang Lan said, “Okay.”

After saying that, she gently placed her hand on the stone pillar. All at once, the stone pillar suddenly lit up, flowing light spilling everywhere. Grandmaster could not help furrowing his brows.

Author’s Note: Mini-Theater:

Xia Zhitao, pushing up her glasses: I understand now. Shuijing Lake is a rare gas-liquid coexistence state.

Zhang Lan: Huh?