The Villain Is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 8

After leaving the teahouse, Xia Zhitao saw that it was still early, so she put off buying supplies a little longer and continued strolling leisurely through the streets.

Now she finally understood why jianghu heroes always left with carefree elegance after doing a good deed, never leaving their names behind—

This feeling was amazing!!

Although she probably would never see Zhang Kuang herself in this lifetime, and Zhang Kuang would never know what had happened today, Xia Zhitao still felt inexplicably refreshed.

While listening to the story, she had been so stifled by the storyteller’s words, then made dizzy by the crowd of people who did not know the truth. Now that she had finally vented that anger properly, her mood could not help becoming excellent, and even her steps grew a little quicker.

The marketplace was prosperous, packed tightly with shops. Xia Zhitao looked around as she walked, dazzled by all kinds of things. She wanted to touch everything and try everything.

Just as she passed by a small ground stall, she unconsciously stopped and curiously examined the goods inside the bamboo baskets.

Seeing a graceful, delicate-looking woman bend down, the peddler hurriedly began introducing his wares with great effort. “Miss, have a look. All these little trinkets of mine were brought over from the Song Kingdom. Don’t even mention how novel they are!”

Ever since entering Yashan’s immortal sect, Xia Zhitao had rarely heard news about the mortal world.

The changing of thrones, the shifting of power—these were clearly things close at hand, yet they all seemed very, very far away from her.

She absentmindedly made an “mm” sound. Her attention was drawn to a small figurine on the stall.

It was an exquisite little white rabbit, its body made of white porcelain and its eyes adorned with red beads. It looked vivid and lifelike, as if it were tilting its head and sizing up Xia Zhitao.

Xia Zhitao could not resist reaching out. She held the little porcelain rabbit in her palm and touched its perked-up little ears with her fingertip.

The texture was smooth and delicate, slightly cool to the touch.

The little porcelain rabbit was white and tiny. Lying in her palm, it was as obedient as could be, making Xia Zhitao think of a certain aggrieved little face.

—It looks so much like Little Junior Sister.

Xia Zhitao could not help letting out a “puchi” laugh. She gently covered the corner of her lips, but her brows and eyes curved like crescent moons.

Her little junior sister’s fair, soft, bun-like cheeks, those damp eyes, and that shy, awkward little movement of tugging at the corner of her clothes—wasn’t she just like an adorable little rabbit?

Seeing the woman in front of him smiling softly, the peddler quickly struck while the iron was hot. “Miss, this porcelain rabbit is cute, isn’t it? Since you like it so much, I’ll grit my teeth and sell it to you at a loss for ten copper coins. How about it?”

Before entering the path of cultivation, Xia Zhitao had relied on her modern mind to save up a fairly considerable amount of money. Now she also had the wealthy and powerful Yashan behind her. Ten copper coins were hardly worth mentioning.

Although she knew the peddler had deliberately raised the price, Xia Zhitao was not annoyed. She counted out ten copper coins and said politely, “I’ll take it.”

The peddler was delighted. He hurriedly took out a delicate little box and a piece of soft cloth, carefully packed the porcelain rabbit inside, and handed it to Xia Zhitao. “Thank you, Miss!”

Xia Zhitao thanked him, carefully put the little box away, and stroked the edges with her fingertips, a smile spreading from the corners of her eyes.

When she saw her little junior sister, she would give this little white rabbit to her.

.

Because she had enjoyed shopping too much, by the time Xia Zhitao returned to Yashan, the sun was already slanting westward, nearly evening.

She handed the supplies she had bought to the senior sister in charge of managing materials. After that, she had nothing else to do, so she planned to sneak over and circle around the classroom where the new disciples were being taught.

Maybe she would happen to run into her little junior sister coming out, and then she could give her the little porcelain rabbit.

That was what Xia Zhitao thought, and so she followed her heart and did it. Who knew that just as she had flown halfway there on her sword, she suddenly saw a small cluster of fireworks.

The fireworks rose from the direction of the main hall, crashed into the clouds, and burst into a gorgeous bloom.

Those were Yashan’s warning fireworks. Different colors and different shapes each had their own meaning. Every disciple had to carefully memorize them before entering the mountain.

After Xia Zhitao saw the color of those fireworks, she nearly lost her balance and almost fell off her flying sword—

Red represented Yashan’s highest alert!!

In other words, something extremely serious had happened. All disciples had to rush to Yashan’s main hall to gather at the first possible moment. There was no room for discussion.

Xia Zhitao had been in Yashan for so long, but this was the first time she had ever seen red fireworks. Her heart thudded violently. She hurriedly changed direction and rushed toward Yashan’s main hall on Yubai Peak.

The main hall, which usually had only a scattering of people, was now brightly lit and crowded with figures. All of Yashan’s disciples had gathered on the Baiyu Altar, while ten of the thirteen peak masters had arrived and were standing in front of the great hall, discussing something.

Xia Zhitao leapt down from her sword, sheathed the Jiyan Sword, and found the place where Shuijing Peak’s disciples were gathered.

Seeing everyone looking terrified, as if something terrible had happened, Xia Zhitao felt even more uneasy.

She turned through the crowd and spotted a familiar person at once, then quickly grabbed her. “Senior Sister Lu Guo!”

“Zhitao, where did you go? Why are you only coming now!” Lu Guo held her by the shoulders and looked her up and down, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Good thing you’re fine.”

“What happened?” Xia Zhitao looked around, puzzled. “This is the first time I’ve seen red fireworks.”

Lu Guo’s expression was grave. She leaned close to Xia Zhitao’s ear and whispered to her, “Grandmaster said someone came to report that the Demon Sect Leader suddenly appeared at the marketplace below our mountain and beat a burly man half to death.”

“That beast Zhang Kuang hadn’t made a move for months, and now she suddenly appeared near Yashan.” Lu Guo’s expression was agitated, and her fists clenched tightly. “She must be harboring evil intentions and trying to destroy Yashan’s peace!”

—Zhang Kuang again?

As luck would have it, Xia Zhitao had only just heard a round of her “deeds” at the teahouse not long ago, and now this happened too, making all of Yashan so panicked that they had even sent up red fireworks.

She thought over what Lu Guo had said and picked out the point she was confused about. “Where is the person Zhang Kuang injured?”

“Although that burly man kept his little life, he’s already been frightened out of his wits and is crying loudly in the main hall.” Lu Guo answered truthfully and casually pointed her in the right direction.

Xia Zhitao looked over from a distance and saw that beside the ten graceful, otherworldly, immortal-like peak masters, there really was a tall, fierce-looking figure sitting collapsed on the ground like a child, howling about who knew what.

…It seemed he really had been scared badly.

Xia Zhitao thanked Lu Guo, then sat on the ground with the other disciples. After carefully thinking things over, she suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Although she did not know why that burly man had brought disaster onto himself and provoked the Demon Sect Leader into acting publicly, the strange part lay in one thing.

Why didn’t Zhang Kuang just kill him?

.

It was not that Xia Zhitao was cold-blooded. Rather, because of Yashan’s level of hatred toward Zhang Kuang, Zhang Kuang’s image in the minds of the disciples was truly not good. Not only was her temperament unpredictable, there were even rumors that she “ate human flesh, drank human blood, and gnawed human bones.”

So what reason would the bloodthirsty, cruel Demon Sect Leader of legend have to leave that person alive and simply leave after beating him up?

Xia Zhitao thought for a long time but still could not reach a conclusion. She sighed and lifted her head to glance at the pitch-black sky.

A bright moon hung high above, curved like a hook. Silver light poured down from the clouds like a waterfall, spreading layer upon layer of cold clarity.

Xia Zhitao watched somewhat dazedly. She could not resist reaching out, wanting to touch that pure moonlight.

Just then, the corner of her clothes behind her suddenly moved. Someone had tugged on it.

Xia Zhitao turned her head in surprise. Looking at that familiar face, she blurted out, “…Little rabbit?”

Zhang Lan froze, then tilted her head in confusion. “What?”

Oops. The moment she saw her junior sister’s soft little face, she subconsciously thought of the little porcelain rabbit she had bought. She had actually said it out loud right in front of her.

Xia Zhitao’s face reddened. She hurriedly pretended to cough several times, obviously trying to cover up what had just happened. “Zhang Lan, why are you here? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Zhang Lan patted the ground and sat down beside Xia Zhitao. “When the fireworks went off, we were in class, and then Master Qin Zhi brought us here in a muddle.”

Xia Zhitao breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s good that you’re fine.”

Zhang Lan blinked, and her little face suddenly became a little more serious. Her voice was proper and solemn. “Senior Sister! Did you hear Master say it? That bastard Zhang Kuang suddenly appeared near Yashan!”

How much hatred did Yashan have for Zhang Kuang, exactly? One moment she was a beast, the next she was a bastard. Xia Zhitao helplessly rubbed her forehead and asked, “What about her?”

“That person has committed countless evils and is rotten to the core. Senior Sister, you must be extra careful.”

Zhang Lan leaned closer, clenched her fist, and waved it lightly in the air, vowing with complete certainty, “I’ll protect you.”

Xia Zhitao laughed despite herself and raised her hand to rub her little junior sister’s head. “You should take care of yourself first. There’s no need to worry about me.”

Her intention was good, but after her little junior sister heard this, her brows and eyes instantly drooped. She dragged out the end of her words. “Senior Sister, you don’t believe me. I’m very powerful—”

“Sit up straight. You’re always squeezing toward my side. What kind of behavior is that?” Xia Zhitao scolded, reaching out to scrape Zhang Lan’s nose.

After Zhang Lan was scolded by her, the body that had originally been leaning entirely against Xia Zhitao instantly sat upright, her back straight, looking exactly like a model top student.

“Listen carefully. Since Grandmaster entrusted you to me, I will always be your senior sister. I will do everything I can to take care of you and protect you.”

Xia Zhitao said each word seriously. “No matter what happens, or what grievances you suffer, you must come to me at the first possible moment. Understand?”

Zhang Lan listened obediently, her little head swaying once before she nodded.

Moonlight fell on the tips of her brows and in the gaps of her hair, like a tree full of pear blossoms rustling together. When the wind brushed past, it left only a cold clarity filling the eye.

“Senior Sister.” Zhang Lan softly called out. Her body, which had just been sitting upright, tilted again, secretly scooting closer toward Xia Zhitao.

This time, Xia Zhitao did not push her away. Instead, she smiled gently and said, “You can’t even sit properly. So improper.”

Zhang Lan stared at her without blinking. Her eyes were like gemstones washed clean by water, clear and cold, filled entirely with a single figure.

Author’s Note: Mini-Theater:

Zhang Kuang: When this Venerable One gets ruthless, I even curse myself.