Transmigrated as the Villain’s Sword - Chapter 32

As soon as the words left her lips, the girl looked up, her watery eyes filled with a trace of surprise and confusion.

Guan Luowei also snapped back to her senses at that moment. The question she had just asked echoed in her ears, and her fingertips tightened around the porcelain teacup. Casting her gaze downward in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, she said, “We will go in our individual capacities.”

In other words, they didn’t need to pose as a Dao-couple; they would simply be single cultivators entering for leisure.

Only then did Ling Chenyan breathe a sigh of relief. “Alright!” she said cheerfully. “I happen to want to see what’s so special about this Bonfire Festival myself.”

“Mm.” The heat in Guan Luowei’s ears gradually receded. “Tomorrow, we will go to Lingbao Pavilion to reserve two slots.”

Ling Chenyan followed Guan Luowei out of the inn and looked up to stretch. The perfect sunlight made her squint her eyes. The weather in Xiling City was always so beautiful; large clusters of white clouds huddled together against the backdrop of the emerald-blue sky, looking like milky white pearls embedded in blue agate. It made one feel refreshed just looking at it.

Last night, she had retreated into her sword form just to be able to sleep beside Guan Luowei. Originally, she hadn’t thought much of it, but after getting used to a human body, being inside the blade felt uncomfortable. She made a firm decision: tonight, she would definitely have a proper discussion with the Big Villain to let her sleep on the bed in human form.

Guan Luowei, walking behind her, watched the girl’s eyes darting around and raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.

Perhaps because it was her first time out in the streets as a human, Ling Chenyan felt quite excited. On the way to Lingbao Pavilion, she would stop to look at a stall one moment and chat with a vendor the next, her energy seemingly boundless.

Fortunately, Guan Luowei had prepared a bamboo hat for her as well today, so the journey was relatively peaceful.

Once they arrived at Lingbao Pavilion, they were quickly invited into the VIP guest room. Ling Chenyan, holding a steamed bun in her hand, reached out and held it toward Guan Luowei. “Mas… do you want to eat this?”

The word nearly slipped out, but she swallowed it at the last second. Now that they both had human forms, calling her “Master” felt embarrassing.

Guan Luowei’s gaze flickered over the girl’s lively face and she shook her head. “No need.”

Most cultivators had already achieved Inedia and didn’t need to eat. Back when Ling Chenyan lived in the sword, she never felt hunger either; she was just a glutton who loved buying snacks for the taste.

“Alright then.” Ling Chenyan prepared to withdraw her hand dejectedly, but mid-air, her wrist was caught by a pair of cool fingers.

Ling Chenyan looked at the owner of the hand in surprise, only to see Guan Luowei’s fingertips pause for a moment. She released the girl’s wrist, took the bun from her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, brought it to her face in silence, and took a tiny bite.

It was truly a tiny bite. If the whole bun was the size of a palm, the bite Guan Luowei took was about the size of a fingernail.

Looking at that tiny little tooth mark, Ling Chenyan couldn’t hold back a “pfft” and started laughing.

Guan Luowei didn’t know what she was laughing at; she only assumed the girl was mocking her strange behavior—specifically, saying she didn’t want it, only to take it when she saw the girl looking disappointed.

A faint blush stained her fair earlobes. Guan Luowei held the bun in her hand, feeling both annoyed and ashamed, and finally glared coldly at the girl.

Ling Chenyan quickly made an “X” over her mouth with her fingers, covering it to signal she wouldn’t laugh anymore. But even though her mouth was covered, the mirth leaked out from her crescent-shaped, watery eyes, making Guan Luowei feel even more restless than before.

Guan Luowei pursed her lips, keeping her expression taut. Holding the bun with the tiny bite in her left hand and resting her right hand on her lap, she was about to speak when the girl’s lively voice rang out: “If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t.”

Accompanying those words was the warmth of the girl’s palm, snatching the bun back from her hand.

Guan Luowei relaxed slightly. Perhaps because she was used to Inedia, eating such things—while manageable—was indeed something she wasn’t accustomed to.

With the source of her distress taken away, Guan Luowei naturally glanced at the girl, only to see her take a huge bite out of the very same bun she had just bitten.

Guan Luowei’s body stiffened. She had clearly just eaten from that bun.

An indescribable sense of unease and embarrassment made her snap her head away immediately. Ling Chenyan had been watching her from the corner of her eye the whole time; seeing this, her eyes narrowed into fox-like slits of amusement. Looking at those crimson earlobes, her mood felt quite joyous.

As I thought, Ling Chenyan mused. In some ways, Guan Luowei is as innocent as someone who hasn’t lived two lives.

Perhaps the System wasn’t entirely wrong—she did have a bit of a “perverse” streak. Watching Guan Luowei’s pure, innocent reaction actually made her feel quite delighted.

They waited in the guest room for a long while before Qingtan finally made her appearance.

She wore her usual graceful smile and nodded to Guan Luowei. “Miss Guan…”

Then, her gaze shifted to Ling Chenyan. She hesitated for a moment until the girl winked at her. “Sister Qingtan.”

Recognizing the voice, Qingtan immediately associated it with Guan Luowei’s sword spirit. Surprise flashed across her face as she took in the girl’s stunning appearance, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “So it’s you.”

Recalling the two divinations the girl had given her earlier and the man who had visited the other day, Qingtan’s heart grew more cautious. She nodded in thanks. “My thanks to the Sword Spirit Lady for that day.”

“Heh, it was nothing,” Ling Chenyan giggled. “I’m just glad I could help.”

Guan Luowei, completely in the dark, instinctively tightened her grip on her teacup. These two are keeping secrets from me.

Watching Ling Chenyan’s brilliant smile and Qingtan’s responding grin, a sudden surge of irritability rose in her heart.

Guan Luowei frowned and gave a light cough, interrupting them expressionlessly. “Miss Qingtan, the two of us have come today to reserve two slots for the upcoming Bonfire Baptism Festival.”

Surprise flashed through Qingtan’s eyes, but she quickly masked it. “For the two of you?”

Guan Luowei saw the fleeting surprise and knew Qingtan had misunderstood something, but she chose not to explain. Instead, she simply nodded. “Yes.”

Ling Chenyan chimed in hurriedly, “In our individual capacities.”

[Why didn’t the Big Villain explain clearly? It would be bad if Miss Qingtan misunderstood.]

The System spoke up gloomily: [Is it possible she did it on purpose?]

[How could that be?]

Ling Chenyan immediately dismissed the System’s suggestion and continued, “Miss Qingtan, sorry to trouble you.”

Qingtan’s gaze flickered between the two of them before she discreetly withdrew it, offering a fox-like smile. “The Sword Spirit Lady is too polite. I should thank you for your divination that day.”

She said this intentionally, using her peripheral vision to catch Guan Luowei’s reaction. As expected, she saw a trace of confusion and a strange light in Guan Luowei’s eyes.

The corners of Qingtan’s lips curled upward. She looked at the oblivious sword spirit who was smiling brilliantly at her, and her eyes darted again. “By the way, I still don’t know how to address the Sword Spirit Lady.”

Instinctively, Ling Chenyan replied, “My surname is Ling. You can just call me Miss Ling.”

“Miss Ling, I see.” Qingtan’s eyes curved as her crimson lips hooked slightly. “Miss Ling is truly adorable…”

Qingtan kept a close eye on Guan Luowei. Sure enough, before she could even finish the sentence—just as she said Miss Ling was adorable—Guan Luowei’s face chilled.

“I’ve troubled Miss Qingtan enough for today,” Guan Luowei said. “We have other matters to attend to, so we shall take our leave.”

She picked up her bamboo hat from the table and said coolly to the dazed Ling Chenyan behind her, “Let’s go… Miss. Ling.”

As if afraid Ling Chenyan wouldn’t catch the tone, Guan Luowei emphasized each word.

Ling Chenyan was initially confused by why the Big Villain was acting so strangely, but upon hearing how she addressed her, she realized she had accidentally let her real surname slip in a moment of carelessness.

“!” Regretting her slip-up, Ling Chenyan quickly put on her bamboo hat and chased after her. “Mas… Master, wait for me!”

Watching the two depart, Qingtan found the situation quite amusing. One was too simple to see the other’s thoughts, and the other was too oblivious to realize her own feelings. How interesting.

She shook her head with a smile and was about to return to work when a servant from the backyard ran over in a panic. “Pavilion Master, Manager Li is awake! But he insists on leaving Lingbao Pavilion. He says if he isn’t allowed to leave, he will apologize with his life!”

Hearing this, Qingtan let out a long sigh. “Take me there.”

At the same time, the maids taking care of Qinghan were whispering. Qinghan sat in her wheelchair, looking like a naive child of only a few years.

“I heard Manager Li is awake and is throwing a fit to leave.”

“Is that so? If I were him, I wouldn’t have the face to stay either. Our poor Second Miss… she should have been a natural in the business world, but now she has to spend years in a wheelchair.”

“Don’t say that. Manager Li raised our Miss for so many years. Aside from the Second Miss, he’s the only one who counts as the Miss’s family.”

“Sigh, but this matter is ultimately difficult to handle.”

Qinghan listened to the maids’ back-and-forth, a thoughtful light gleaming in her eyes.

In fact, she had recovered several days ago. But out of a certain hidden desire to make her sister care more about her, she hadn’t revealed it immediately, continuing to pose as a child. Hearing the maids’ words now, thoughts began to churn in her mind.

One voice told her: Don’t explain what happened back then. If Manager Li leaves or dies, you will be your sister’s only family. She will cherish you above all else.

Another voice argued: But Sister will be unhappy. Manager Li is her family too; you can’t be so selfish.

The first voice continued: People are selfish by nature. Besides, she just wants more attention from her sister, so what? Manager Li imprisoned me for over ten years; what does it matter if he dies?

But if you hadn’t voluntarily entered that magical artifact ten years ago, Manager Li would never have succeeded. He only knew that the artifact could take away a soul; he didn’t know it was meant for escaping. If you hadn’t climbed in yourself, he never would have succeeded. This was all your own direction—without Manager Li, you would have found another ‘accident’.

So what? As long as he is gone, Sister’s attention will be entirely on me.

No, Sister will be miserable.

The two voices argued incessantly. Qinghan’s eyes flickered with an unsteady light until the sound of footsteps coming from outside interrupted her thoughts. The arguing voices vanished instantly, and her gaze returned to a state of innocent daze.

A silhouette in a qipao slowly approached. Her gaze fixed on the girl, and she offered a slight smile. “You all may leave.”

Qinghan knew her sister was going to take care of her personally.

The malicious thought surfaced again: See? If Manager Li isn’t around, you’ll get even more attention.

Qinghan’s eyes were clear as she looked at the woman before her and called out, “Sister.”

“Mm.” A trace of a smile appeared on the woman’s weary face, but it slowly flattened into a sigh. She pulled Qinghan into her arms, burying her head in the girl’s shoulder. “Han’er… tell me, what should I do with Manager Li? He has been like family to me for so long. Am I really supposed to drive him away?”

A look of confusion appeared in Qingtan’s eyes. “But Han’er suffered so much. If Manager Li stays here, you will inevitably be sad…”

The moment she was hugged, Qinghan had already made her decision. But the woman’s sorrowful words were right by her ear, her soft body pressed close, the fragrance of her hair swirling around her nose.

Qinghan’s expression shifted subtly, and she let out a long, silent sigh in her heart.

The malicious thought whispered: Don’t you want Sister to stay with you always? Just drive Manager Li away and it’s done. You can’t waver.

This time, Qinghan actively crushed the evil thought. She said to herself: I don’t care about Manager Li, I only want Sister to be happy. Her happiness is my only wish.

As Qingtan held her sister, a slightly raspy girl’s voice suddenly reached her ear: “Sister, what’s wrong?”

Qingtan’s body jolted. As if thinking of something, she quickly released Qinghan and grabbed her shoulders, staring into her eyes.

Qinghan blinked, her voice growing clearer: “Sister, can you tell me what happened?”

In the past, Qinghan would call her sister, but she never said anything else. She only ever said that one word. But now…

Qingtan’s fingertips trembled slightly. “Han’er… you… you’re awake?”

A smile appeared in Qinghan’s eyes as she nodded. “Sister, I’m awake.”

“Good, good!” Qingtan pulled Qinghan into a fierce embrace, her strength almost enough to pull the girl into her own flesh and blood. After a moment, she finally released her, feeling guilty. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, Sister.” Qinghan stared at her intently and whispered, “I wish Sister would use even more strength.”

More strength—hold me in your arms until I can’t catch my breath, so I can feel that you love me.

Qingtan didn’t catch the latter half of the sentence. Thinking of Manager Li, her expression dimmed. “Han’er, let Sister tell you something…”

Qinghan listened to her sister’s words with total focus, her gaze never leaving her for a second. “Sister, actually… I did that voluntarily.”

Word by word, Qinghan recounted the events of back then. Finally, she said, “So, it wasn’t Manager Li’s fault. I was willing.”

After hearing everything, Qingtan only felt a series of sharp pangs in her heart. She looked dazed at the girl before her. “Han’er, you…”

Before she could finish, a tear slid from the corner of her eye.

Qingtan had never imagined the truth was like this. Because Qinghan didn’t want her to be unhappy, when their father was testing her ten years ago, she decided to create an “accident” so Qingtan could inherit Lingbao Pavilion with peace of mind. But before she could stage one, the real “accident” appeared.

And back then, because she hadn’t seen through her father’s intentions, Qingtan had been secretly resentful and refused to see her.

These ten years were what Qinghan had given willingly, just so Qingtan could fulfill her ambitions and do as she pleased.

Qingtan knew she shouldn’t act like this in front of her sister, but the pain in her heart was uncontrollable. She could only let the tears fall.

Qinghan watched her sister’s red eyes and falling tears, thinking that her sister was beautiful even when she cried. She is crying for me—does that mean she cares about me too? Could she have a bit of pity and love for me as well?

If so, these ten years were worth it. From the moment her sister picked her up, her whole life belonged to her. She didn’t care about outsiders; she only cared about her sister.

Theoretically, Qinghan wanted to see her sister cry for her—the more she cried, the more she cared. But the inexplicable sadness in her own heart made her reach out to cup her sister’s face.

She desperately wanted to kiss away the tears, but she feared scaring her. She could only suppress the overflowing love, slowly wiping away the moisture. Her voice was slightly raspy. “Don’t cry, Sister. It hurts my heart.”

On the other side, Ling Chenyan followed Guan Luowei, regretting her slip-up immensely. How could I not keep my mouth shut? How do I explain this now?

Should I say I secretly gave myself a surname called Ling Yinye?

Forget it. The Big Villain wasn’t an idiot.

[Sys, what if I just tell her I’m a transmigrator?]

[Not a good idea. Electric shock warning.]

[Sigh, fine.]

Ling Chenyan let out a sigh with her eyes closed. The probability of a lie not being seen through was zero. It would be better to just say she gave herself a surname.

But why did she have to let it slip?

And the Big Villain was acting strange—it’s just a surname, right? Why was she so angry?

Ling Chenyan rested her chin on her hand, watching the Big Villain who was meditating with her eyes closed. She sighed for the three-hundredth time before finally standing up and transforming back into her sword form. She drifted onto the bed and thought, Whatever, I’ll deal with it tomorrow.

But shortly after she lay down, a shadow fell over her. Ling Chenyan opened her eyes to see the Big Villain looking at her with a gaze cold enough to freeze someone to death. Her body stiffened as she gave a nervous laugh. “Haha… that, haha… Master, do you want to sleep together?”

Guan Luowei looked down at her, a cold sneer slowly curling on her lips.

A moment later, Ling Chenyan was lying in the sword box on the table, wrapped tightly in her little blanket. She said to the System: [Sys, the night is long. How about we discuss how to reveal my identity to the Big Villain?]

[Electric shock warning. Electric shock warning.]

[Do you even have a heart? If this keeps up, I’ll never get to sleep on the bed again!]

[I don’t have a heart.]

[…] You win!