Transmigrated as the Villain’s Sword - Chapter 31

The room fell into a silence so heavy a needle drop could be heard. Ling Chenyan, at a total loss and panicked, scrambled to cover herself. But since there were essentially two “critical areas” to hide and only two hands, she ended up just turning her back and huddling with her knees to her chest, her face so flushed it looked ready to drip blood.

Fortunately, Guan Luowei was not the type to take advantage of others; she had averted her gaze at the very first instant.

The room remained submerged in stillness. Guan Luowei stood up, retrieved a set of clothes from her spatial bag and placed them by the bed, then walked out without looking back once.

The spot where the girl had gripped her fingertips felt faintly hot. She curled her fingers slightly. At the moment she closed the door, as if possessed by a ghost, she stole one last glance at the girl on the bed.

The girl’s black hair cascaded like a waterfall, veiling her porcelain-white body, leaving only that slender, delicate waist emitting a soft, pearly luster.

With just one look, Guan Luowei retracted her gaze as if scorched. She pulled the door shut with force and stood outside, her mind flooded with the image of that glowing, slender silhouette.

Inside, hearing the somewhat loud thud of the door closing, Ling Chenyan’s tense body finally relaxed.

Wiping the cold sweat from her brow, Ling Chenyan picked up the clothes Guan Luowei had prepared. She looked them over and chuckled, “This is truly the Big Villain’s style.”

For a major antagonist, she didn’t care for cool, edgy black, but favored elegant, simple colors instead—quite a rarity.

Although the System’s vision was pitch black, it knew exactly what had happened. Seeing Ling Chenyan’s frantic dodging, it spoke up mockingly: [Usually, aren’t you the one rushing to get all clingy and ‘touchy-feely’ with her? Now that she’s right in front of you, you hide instead.]

The clothes Guan Luowei chose were a perfect fit. Ling Chenyan checked herself in the mirror, feeling quite satisfied. She replied to the System: [Please, I was wearing absolutely nothing just now. If I had lunged at her, she would’ve thought I was a pervert, okay?]

[…More or less.]

Ling Chenyan: [? What do you mean more or less?]

[Ahem… nothing.]

Ling Chenyan didn’t pay further mind to the System’s weird comments. She patted her cheeks, and once the blush receded, she finally opened the door.

Immediately upon opening it, she saw the Big Villain standing by the doorframe, her expression calm but her gaze wandering, lost in thought.

Both froze for a second. Ling Chenyan instantly became nervous: “Ma—Master, I’m ready.”

“Mm.” Guan Luowei nodded flatly. “Time to go back.”

“Right, okay,” Ling Chenyan agreed, but she felt a strange sense of awkwardness and distance between them.

Previously, she had interacted with Guan Luowei as a sword. Now that she had suddenly become human, she felt like a stranger, unsure of how to behave.

Guan Luowei’s footsteps hesitated for a moment, but she still took the lead, walking in front of Ling Chenyan. Ling Chenyan followed silently behind her.

After a few steps, Guan Luowei suddenly remembered something. Looking at the girl behind her from the corner of her eye, she decided not to turn back. Instead, she flicked her finger, sending a wisp of demonic power drifting slowly into Zen Master Guixu’s room.

For some unknown reason, as they returned to the inn, they didn’t fly quickly but walked slowly, step by step. As they walked, Guan Luowei listened to the girl’s inner thoughts.

[Suddenly becoming human feels weird. I almost forgot how to walk.]

Guan Luowei’s pace didn’t change, but the interval between her steps grew slightly longer.

[I miss the days when I didn’t have to walk—either floating or being carried in the Big Villain’s arms.]

Guan Luowei pursed her lips, and her pace slowed even further.

[Sigh, now that I’m human, I don’t know how to act around her. Especially after what just happened… so awkward.]

After hesitating for a long while, Guan Luowei finally spoke: “Do you still feel the connection with the silver sword?”

Ling Chenyan was in the middle of a heated chat with the System; Guan Luowei’s sudden voice made her pause before replying: “Yes, I even feel the bond is stronger now.”

“Oh?” They happened to step out of the temple gate. Guan Luowei stopped, turned back to the girl, and asked, “How so?”

Ling Chenyan lightly scratched her cheek with her index finger. Then, with a slight movement of her left hand, a silver sword slowly materialized between them. In the next heartbeat, Ling Chenyan’s figure flashed and vanished into thin air, and the sword—just like before—plunged straight into Guan Luowei’s arms. She spoke from within: “I feel like I’ve reached the stage of ‘Man and Sword as One’.”

The System spoke up quietly: [Is this the legendary—Sword-Person?]

[…Shut up.]

Guan Luowei looked thoughtful. Acting as if nothing had happened, she continued walking back while cradling the silver sword. “Is there anything you find difficult to adjust to?”

“No.” Ling Chenyan paused, then added, “Actually, there is. For example, I just realized that walking is actually very exhausting.”

The corners of Guan Luowei’s mouth curled slightly, her tense body finally relaxing. Her lips parted slightly as she breathed out three words: “Little crybaby.”

The silver sword’s voice finally returned to its usual tone, huffing: “I am not! I’m just not used to it yet!”

Guan Luowei walked further away with the sword in her arms. The maple leaves by the road drifted down slowly at her feet, just like years ago.

Zen Master Guixu, after a whole day of fooling around, was finally brought back by people sent by Abbot Guiyi in the evening. As usual, after being tossed into his room by his fellow monks, the drunken Guixu collapsed onto a stool.

“You’re back?”

The voice of a middle-aged man, carrying an indescribable divinity, rang out slowly.

Guixu glanced over and smiled. “Heaven-Prison, eh? So, did it work?”

Heaven-Prison (the cage spirit) seemed accustomed to his state and replied indifferently, “It worked.”

“Good,” Guixu said with a smile. “The future depends on her now. I hope she can become even stronger.”

Heaven-Prison was silent for a while before saying, “That soul is a bit strange. Clearly an outsider, yet she possesses the aura of this world. Will she become an obstacle?”

Guixu opened his eyes a bit wider. “Did you do what I asked you to do?”

“Mm.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. At the critical moment, she might just become our trump card.”

After speaking, Guixu stood up as if the wine had worn off, stretched, and said, “I’m tired today. Time for a good night’s sleep.”

Heaven-Prison opened his mouth to speak, but Guixu had already walked past the screen.

He was met with a bare bedframe and the charred, black remnants of what used to be a blanket.

After staring blankly for a long while, Guixu finally reacted, his mouth twitching uncontrollably. “That girl…”

She just lay on his bed for a bit, didn’t she? Was it really necessary to leave him with nothing but a bedframe?

He let out a helpless sigh and walked to the bedside, only to find a bag of spiritual stones resting next to the charred remains.

Guixu’s eyes lit up, as if seeing tomorrow’s wine money. His lips curled into a smile as he muttered to himself, “At least she has a bit of a conscience.”

The atmosphere in Xiling City was truly peaceful, and the cultivators and travelers were very friendly. Guan Luowei and Ling Chenyan decided to stay for a while longer. Plus, at Lingbao Pavilion, Qinghan had not yet fully recovered, so they stayed with a clear conscience.

However, now that Ling Chenyan had a human body, Guan Luowei felt it was no longer appropriate to share a room. She intended to open another room next to hers.

“Kind Immortal, it’s not that I won’t open one for you, but our inn truly has no rooms left.” The innkeeper looked at the pile of spiritual stones, his eyes practically bugging out, but he could only refuse with tearful regret.

“No more?” Guan Luowei raised an eyebrow. “But weren’t there many vacant rooms a few days ago?”

“That’s because you didn’t know,” the innkeeper explained. “In a few days, Xiling City is hosting a major event famous in the cultivation world. People from all over have arrived, so all the rooms in the city are booked solid.”

“A major event?” Ling Chenyan stepped forward. “What major event?”

Unlike Guan Luowei, Ling Chenyan didn’t wear a bamboo hat when out. Her excessively beautiful and pure face always drew many gazes. The innkeeper was no exception; as the girl approached, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. He was about to stammer a reply when the woman in the bamboo hat beside the girl suddenly pulled her back.

“I know. I’ll tell you,” Guan Luowei said coldly.

With that, she pulled Ling Chenyan back to their room, leaving the innkeeper behind with a face full of sorrow and envy.

Guan Luowei led Ling Chenyan all the way back. Once inside, she finally let go of her hand, removed her bamboo hat, and said, “What do you want to know? Ask me.”

Thinking of the moment the girl approached the innkeeper, she felt a strange flicker of irritability. Without thinking much, she had pulled her into her own room.

Originally, she had intended to get her a separate room, but inexplicably, she had brought her back here instead. Looking at the girl’s overly beautiful and eye-catching face, before she could even ask a question, Guan Luowei spoke first: “Next time you go out, you should wear a bamboo hat too.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.” Although she didn’t know why Guan Luowei wanted her to wear one, she accepted.

“Mm.” The irritability in Guan Luowei’s heart was quietly smoothed over by the girl’s obedient demeanor. This time, without waiting for the question, she explained: “Every three years, Xiling City has a festival called the Bonfire Baptism Festival…”

Ling Chenyan sat beside Guan Luowei, listening obediently. This festival was co-hosted by the Buddhist Sect and the local power, Lingbao Pavilion, lasting for a month. Lingbao Pavilion provided the venue, while the Buddhist Sect handled the baptism. It was a festival mainly for established Dao-couples or single young men and women. It offered blessings for a long life together for couples and the hope of finding a partner for singles.

The lively bonfire party combined with the sacred baptism seemed like an odd mix, but it worked perfectly, drawing countless people.

Furthermore, it wasn’t just a party. During the festival, the two powers also hosted a grand competition. Participants had to enter as a couple and fight in an arena format. The ultimate winners would receive a massive prize prepared by the Buddhist Sect and Lingbao Pavilion.

It sounded very interesting indeed.

Guan Luowei finished her introduction, took a sip of tea, and added, “However, participants must pay a fee of one thousand spiritual stones.”

Ling Chenyan: “…So it’s basically a cash grab.”

Guan Luowei smiled and nodded. “You could say that.”

“The Buddhist Sect actually participates in organizing such a competition!” Ling Chenyan said. “I thought they were all ascetic monks!”

Guan Luowei gave a noncommittal response. She was about to turn and speak to her when she realized the girl had leaned in close at some unknown point. Ling Chenyan’s thick lashes fluttered like springtime butterflies. Looking at the girl’s skin, so white it seemed to reflect light, Guan Luowei’s heart skipped a beat for no reason.

Before the girl could look up, she retracted her gaze with extreme speed. To cover her momentary loss of composure, she asked:

“Do you want to go and see it with me?”