Transmigrated as the Villain’s Sword - Chapter 44

That night, after falling into a deep slumber, Ling Chenyan had a nightmare.

Everything in the dream felt shrouded in a mysterious veil, making it impossible to see clearly. It was a blurry, rainy day; fierce winds accompanied a sudden downpour that snapped forest leaves. She was in a narrow, dark cave, and beside her was the warm breath of a woman.

Noise erupted from outside. The woman seemed to whisper something in her ear, but she couldn’t hear it; she could only vaguely see the woman’s pale lips.

Then, surreal images flashed by. She saw sharp blades glinting in the rain. Figures surrounded her and the woman. She couldn’t see the expressions on their faces, but she could feel their malicious, lecherous gazes. Large splashes of blood hit the ground. In a daze, the woman’s wounded groans, the men’s lewd words, the howling wind, and the mourning cry of the rain all intertwined.

Afterward, the world suddenly fell silent. All sound vanished. Waves of sharp pain shot through her body, as if she were being consumed by fire or sliced by a thousand cuts…

Ling Chenyan’s brow furrowed in pain, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Just then, a gentle power slowly enveloped her body. The pain and the sticky, suffocating sadness were gradually dissolved by this power. Following that, she fell into a deep sleep as if exhausted.

The next day, when Ling Chenyan woke up, the person beside her was gone. It was still pitch black outside the Demon Palace; only when demon guards passed by holding night-luminescent pearls did a bit of light drift in.

Ling Chenyan flipped out of bed and opened the doors to find Guan Luowei. As the heavy red doors slowly creaked open, Ling Chenyan had just stepped out with one foot when she saw a tall man leaning lazily against the doorframe.

Seeing that familiar red hair, Ling Chenyan spoke tentatively: “Tong Di?”

“Hmm?” The red-haired youth tilted his head, then turned to stretch. He stood firm, crossing his arms and looking down at the girl. “Yo, finally awake?”

Ling Chenyan rubbed her head sheepishly and asked, “Where’s Her Highness?”

At the mention of this, Tong Di’s resentment seemed quite large. He said gloomily, “Her Highness was called away by His Majesty early this morning to discuss matters. So, she dragged me out of my warm blankets to watch over you, just in case you woke up not knowing where she was and started crying again.”

Ling Chenyan’s mouth twitched. She squinted, and by the light of the pearls, she saw a large patch of dark blue bruising under Tong Di’s eye. She mocked, “Is that eye because you talked too much and someone punched you?”

“Ow!” The red-haired youth gnashed his teeth and suddenly leaned down to look at the girl’s face. “I don’t believe you—”

“You don’t?!” Tong Di’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the smooth skin under the girl’s eyes. “How is that possible? Did you not have nightmares last night?”

Ling Chenyan was satisfied with his shock, so she decided to tell a small lie: “No, I slept very soundly.”

“Crap!” Tong Di stared suspiciously at her. “That’s impossible. I asked the brothers on patrol, and everyone had nightmares last night. Some of them today barely even woke up. Why are you the only one who slept so peacefully?”

“Could it be you’re immune to that old man’s ultimate move?” He scanned her up and down, then shook his head with certainty. “Definitely not. It must be because of Her Highness.”

Ling Chenyan: “?” What do you mean?

Ling Chenyan glared at him and was about to close the door when the youth blocked it, grinning. “Her Highness isn’t back anyway. Why don’t we chat?”

Ling Chenyan’s eyes darted. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Hehe, nothing much.” The youth rubbed his hands, his eyes full of gossip. “Just curious about the relationship between you and Her Highness.”

“Oh?” Ling Chenyan subtly probed, “Why? You all seem very concerned about your Highness’s situation.”

“Heh, of course! We just want to see what kind of person isn’t afraid of death—no, I mean, who could actually subdue someone like our Highness.” Tong Di seemed to recall some unpleasant past and said tentatively, “Aren’t you afraid of being beaten, being with her?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Ling Chenyan was puzzled about Guan Luowei’s image in their hearts. “Does she hit you often?”

Tong Di’s gaze drifted. “Not constantly, per se. But in the Demon Realm, she’d look for us Division Chiefs every few days to ‘practice.’ Of course, it was just a mutual exchange; it doesn’t count as her hitting us. You understand what I mean, right?”

Ling Chenyan gave a long “Oh,” knowing he was trying to save face by implying he wasn’t just being one-sidedly bullied. She nodded. “I understand.”

“Hehe.” Tong Di smiled, looking at her with appreciation. “I knew you were a sensible person.”

Ling Chenyan suppressed a laugh, thinking this must be male pride. She continued her interrogation: “But even if you can’t beat her now, surely you could beat her when you were kids?”

“Not necessarily.” Tong Di didn’t realize he was being led on. “Her Highness was quite easy to bully when she was little…”

Under Ling Chenyan’s intentional questioning, Tong Di slowly began to talk about Guan Luowei’s childhood.

“The first time I remember seeing her was at the Demon Title Ceremony. His Majesty seemingly produced a Little Highness out of nowhere and told us, the remaining demon citizens, that she was our Princess and the future Demon Emperor. Back then, the Demon Realm had just been rebuilt, and everyone hoped for a strong successor. But Her Highness was only three or four at the time—she looked adorable with red lips and white teeth. The Demon Realm worships strength. Plus, when her mother was in power, the Demon Pearl went missing and she went mad, indirectly causing the deaths of many demons. So, many people harbored a bit of hatred and no one was impressed.”

“However, His Majesty probably knew everyone was unconvinced, so he set a rule: any child under ten could challenge Her Highness in the martial arena. It was clearly a chance for everyone to vent their anger. So during that period, Her Highness would appear clean in the arena every morning and go back at night covered in wounds and misery. Then she’d repeat it the next day.”

“Because my parents died protecting His Majesty, I was kept by his side and knew a bit more. Her Highness never cried in front of others. No matter how bad the injury, she never showed weakness to outsiders. But when she went back at night, she’d huddle in His Majesty’s arms, crying softly and saying it hurt. I only found out once when I accidentally barged in. As soon as I entered, she immediately stopped her tears. I don’t know how such a small child kept a cold face all day; even her crying was like a small animal’s whimper, tiny and hushed.”

“Although His Majesty loved her, he was far stricter with her than with anyone else in the Demon Realm. Because she was our Princess, she was the one who had to carry the burden of our revival. So whenever she cried, he’d comfort her briefly out of soft-heartedness, then tell her to wipe her tears and continue cultivating. This went on until one day, not a single child under ten in the realm could beat her. Only then did His Majesty call a stop.”

“Then, it was my turn.” Tong Di gave a bitter smile. “When she beat all the kids under ten, His Majesty made me her sparring partner.”

“The first time we fought, a lot of demon kids gathered around, shouting for me to hit her hard. But back then, she barely reached below my chest. I didn’t want to hurt her because I knew how hard she had it. But, well, I had a big mouth when I was a kid. I didn’t know how to show concern. I told her, ‘Brother’s fists don’t reason. Little sprout, don’t go crying back to His Majesty when you get hit.'”

“I didn’t realize what I’d said. Going back at night to cry to His Majesty was the thing she was most ashamed of, and I said it in front of everyone. That was the first time I saw the little Highness’s face change in panic. She lost that fight, naturally. Afterward, I wanted to apologize, but at His Majesty’s door, I heard her wailing loudly for the first time.”

“After that, she never went to His Majesty to cry at night again.” Tong Di’s face showed self-reproach. “Her talent was staggering. By the time she was fifteen, I could no longer beat her. By then, she had become a true ice mountain; it was hard for anyone to know her thoughts. Even when she defeated me, she didn’t show much joy. After that, her cultivation soared, and the voices of discontent in the clan faded.”

Tong Di sighed. “We aren’t those little brats anymore, and Her Highness has become the pillar she was meant to be. Looking back, she really had it hard. Growing up, it was nothing but cultivation or being beaten, while enduring the undisguised malice of other children. She couldn’t even cry properly. For years, she didn’t understand love, and she never found a ‘Young Madam.’ But His Majesty will eventually grow old. While we count on her for our revival, we ultimately want her to be happy…”

As the youth’s words fell, the past that was never written in the original story finally formed a picture before Ling Chenyan’s eyes.

In a daze, she saw a little girl with a cute face acting cold, cultivating day after day, being beaten, then cultivating again, burying all her tears until she grew into this ice mountain. Yet beneath that cold exterior, there had always been a kind and soft heart.

Ling Chenyan’s heart trembled, and she thought furiously: [How did that Mu Yunze dare to deceive and use her feelings?! That dog of a man—kill, kill, kill! Next time I see him, I’ll take his life!]

[Calm down, calm down,] the System said. [If you don’t calm down, I won’t be able to hide my own murderous intent for long.]

Ling Chenyan slowly calmed herself, then looked at the red-haired youth with a thoughtful gaze. “But speaking of which, in all these years, I haven’t seen you like anyone?”

“Me?” Tong Di scratched his head, his eyes shifting. “I only love cultivation, okay?”

“Is that so?” Ling Chenyan looked at him suspiciously. “You wouldn’t happen to… be into men, would you?”

“NO! Absolutely not! I would never like someone who’s a cold ice mountain that hits people ruthlessly every day!”

“Wait—” Ling Chenyan realized what he meant.

Two voices rang out simultaneously. Ling Chenyan and Tong Di both stared at each other in shock.

Ling Chenyan: “You, you, you…”

Tong Di: “You, you, you…”

Before either could finish, a cold, oppressive aura surrounded them. A flat voice rang in Tong Di’s ear, making his whole body tense up.

“Is that so? I didn’t realize Division Chief Tong had such a large grievance against me.”

Tong Di trembled, offering a tragic smile. “…My life is over.”

In the next second, a powerful demonic energy swept him off his feet. Tong Di flew through the air, his features contorted, still trying to explain to Ling Chenyan: “I’m not into men—!”

Ling Chenyan looked up at the tiny dot in the sky and waved. “Safe travels!”

Guan Luowei stood by, watching quietly. When the girl turned around, she pursed her lips and asked hesitantly, “What were you and Tong Di talking about?”

She had only heard the last few sentences about “liking” someone, which she found strange.

Ling Chenyan gave her a long look, walked into the palace, and sat on a stool. “Nothing much. Tong Di just asked me what the relationship between you and me actually is.”

Guan Luowei followed her in and closed the door. Her heart tightened inexplicably, and she felt a surge of nervousness as she looked at the girl.

Ling Chenyan saw that Guan Luowei clearly wanted to know the answer but wouldn’t ask. She stood up with a smirk and walked over to her. She gently straightened Guan Luowei’s collar and, as the woman’s breathing grew rapid, she slowly leaned into her ear:

“Want to know how I answered?”

Visibly, Guan Luowei’s earlobe turned pale pink from the warm breath, then gradually deepened to a blood-red. Guan Luowei’s throat rolled as she swallowed. Before she could speak, the girl pulled away, her watery eyes staring at her. After a moment, she spoke in a teasing tone:

“I didn’t realize Your Highness was so charming. It seems people around you—one by one—all like you.”