Transmigrated as the Villain’s Sword - Chapter 59

The timing of that black mist was far too strange, and since the hidden watcher had yet to show themselves, the two decided to stay in town for a while longer.

In previous years, the Winter Sacrifice Festival concluded with a speech from a prominent figure in Baibian Town to inspire the people and share hopes for the coming year. This year, the invitee was none other than Chen De. Following the events of the previous day, Chen De had become far more cautious, bringing a large group of guards with him before setting out.

Night fell, and the Winter Sacrifice officially began. Baibian Town was ablaze with light. Every household hung red lanterns by their doors, which swayed in the breeze like a sea of celebration. People dressed in their finest attire and flocked to the streets, filling the town with laughter and joy.

Though Guan Luowei and Ling Chenyan remained alert for any surprises, it was a festival after all. They followed local custom and both changed into red robes. At a glance, they looked like a pair of newlyweds prepared to bow at their wedding.

Nearby, Chen Juan couldn’t resist teasing them: “Are you two planning to get married tonight?”

Guan Luowei’s expression softened slightly. Originally, she hadn’t wanted to wear red, but Ling Chenyan had told her that according to her hometown’s customs, wearing white on a festive day was bad luck. Ling Chenyan had rarely found a place in the cultivation world that felt like home, and Guan Luowei didn’t want her to have a bad experience, so she had agreed to the change.

Guan Luowei’s features were naturally cold and elegant, but in red, she took on a touch of eerie allure. The red mole beneath her eye made her look like a soul-stealing enchantress; if one weren’t careful, they would drown in those eyes.

When picking the clothes, Ling Chenyan had played a little trick, specifically choosing a collarless gown for Guan Luowei. For the first time, that stretch of fair skin was fully exposed. Guan Luowei was unaccustomed to it, but Ling Chenyan was dazzled by the sight, and the small flame in her heart began to flicker once more.

If I had known today would be like this, I should have left a few more “plum blossoms” on her neck the other day.

Seeing Ling Chenyan glancing at her from time to time, Guan Luowei looked down at her outfit and asked hesitantly, “Is it… not good-looking?” After all, she had never worn such a vibrant color.

Ling Chenyan shook her head vigorously. “It looks good! Very good!” The kind that could enchant a whole crowd.

Only then did Guan Luowei relax, her lips curving up. “You look good too.” She watched the girl’s lively, vivid appearance, and her own expression softened. Seeing the admiring light in the girl’s eyes made Guan Luowei shy, yet a faint joy rose in her heart.

Chen Juan stood to the side, looking down at her own green dress, and muttered, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have worn green. I look like a background leaf next to you two.”

Ling Chenyan couldn’t help but laugh. “Not at all, you look great in that too.”

Chen Juan gave a huff before joining them as they set off.

The three of them walking together was a sight to behold, drawing the eager gazes of many passersby. Even without any interaction, these burning stares were uncomfortable; Ling Chenyan saw Guan Luowei frown several times before silently enduring it.

Ling Chenyan’s eyes darted around, and she suddenly stopped. Seeing the other two looking at her in confusion, she said, “It’s a grand festival, yet there are only three of us. It feels a bit lonely.”

Chen Juan raised an eyebrow. “What, can you conjure people out of thin air?”

A moment later, Chen Juan fell silent as she stared at a cool-looking youth and a cute child. She really could conjure people.

The streets were lined with vendors selling everything, mostly food. Ling Chenyan looked at the pair—one tall, one short—and said with a smile, “Today is the Winter Sacrifice. You haven’t been out in a long while. It’s a good chance to walk around.”

Guyue hesitated, looking at her. “Boss, my strength is currently limited. I can’t be too far from my main body.” After a period of recovery, though his physical form was still broken, Guyue’s soul-body had solidified significantly—the rare treasures Ling Chenyan had provided weren’t wasted.

As for Jinjin, he blinked his large eyes and looked at her silently, as if to say, I don’t want to walk away from you either.

Ling Chenyan was caught between laughter and tears. ” I didn’t say you had to leave my side. I just meant we can all breathe some fresh air together.” Only then did the pair let out sighs of relief.

Thus, the trio became a quintet. With Guyue and Jinjin there, the overly intense stares from the crowd were either met by Guyue’s cold glare or Jinjin’s playful zither notes. The annoying gazes finally thinned out. Ling Chenyan stole a look at Guan Luowei; seeing her relaxed expression, she smiled and patted the head of Jinjin in her arms.

Ling Chenyan adored Jinjin’s cute appearance. Every time they passed a snack stall, she couldn’t help but buy him a treat. Seeing him eat with puffed cheeks made her feel a sense of maternal satisfaction. Guyue, being a youth at heart, was soon distracted by the novelty of the festival, losing his cool facade as he discussed the sights with Chen Juan.

Guan Luowei walked beside Ling Chenyan, watching the girl “dote” on the child, and shook her head with a smile. As the streets grew more crowded, they eventually became separated from Chen Juan and Guyue.

They stopped before a man selling candied haws. Jinjin’s eyes lit up instantly. He pointed at the treat and said, “Sister Yinye!”

Before he could finish, Ling Chenyan knew what he wanted. Just as she was about to pull out her wallet, Guan Luowei stopped her. “He has eaten enough tonight.”

Ling Chenyan paused and reached out to pat Jinjin’s bulging belly, making him giggle. Ling Chenyan laughed too, then said firmly, “You can’t eat any more, Jinjin.”

Jinjin stared with watery eyes in disbelief, but seeing the resolve on Ling Chenyan’s face, he dejectedly hung his head. Ling Chenyan felt her heart soften, but then she heard Guan Luowei say calmly, “If you eat too much, your stomach will hurt. Jinjin shouldn’t want to eat more, right?”

She looked at Jinjin. The child’s tiny body tensed for a moment, and he quickly hugged Ling Chenyan’s neck. “I won’t eat it, I won’t! Sister Yinye, I’m full!”

Guan Luowei nodded serenely. “Yanyan, he doesn’t want to eat.”

Ling Chenyan: “…” She looked at Guan Luowei with amusement, then at Jinjin who was trying to burrow into her arms. She shot the woman a mock glare. “You’re even scaring children now.”

Guan Luowei gave a light cough and wisely remained silent.

The vendor, who had been staring blankly at Guan Luowei since she arrived, saw them about to leave and hurriedly said, “Hey, the little one likes it so much, why not buy a stick?”

Ling Chenyan saw Jinjin’s eyes sparkle again, and a smile was about to form on her face when she noticed the vendor’s lecherous, eager gaze fixed on Guan Luowei. Her smile vanished instantly.

“Wife,” Ling Chenyan turned to the woman beside her, her voice dripping with sweetness. “My arms are a bit sore. Why don’t you hold our child for a while?”

With that, under the vendor’s shocked gaze, she handed Jinjin over to Guan Luowei.

After a brief moment of being stunned, Guan Luowei stared blankly at the shimmering eyes of Ling Chenyan. She didn’t even realize when she had taken Jinjin into her arms; her mind was still reeling from that one word—”Wife.” It wasn’t until the weight of the child settled in her arms that the reality hit her, and she snapped her head toward Ling Chenyan.

Ling Chenyan wore a distant, polite smile as she said to the vendor, “No, thank you. My wife is right; we shouldn’t spoil the child too much.”

The vendor was petrified, staring at Ling Chenyan, then at Guan Luowei, as if he had heard something impossible. Ling Chenyan ignored him and pulled on Guan Luowei’s sleeve to lead her away. Once they were far from the vendor, Ling Chenyan turned back to the two of them.

Guan Luowei’s face was flushed with embarrassment and bewilderment, while Jinjin was frozen stiff, looking at Ling Chenyan as if he were about to cry. Ling Chenyan realized the child was still in Guan Luowei’s arms; she coughed and took the terrified Jinjin back into her own embrace. Then she looked at Guan Luowei and said, “Your Highness truly is charming. Everyone on this street wants to take a second look at you.”

Guan Luowei gazed at her steadily, heat radiating from her ears, but she still managed to ask, “What did you just call me?”

Ling Chenyan glanced at her with a half-smile. “Highness?”

Guan Luowei bit her lip. “Not that.”

“Oh?” Ling Chenyan lowered her gaze and smiled brilliantly. “Then… Master?”

“Not that either.” Guan Luowei stared intently at the girl, who merely rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Then I don’t know.”

With that, she turned to comfort Jinjin. “Jinjin, is there anything you want to play? Sister Yinye will take you.”

Jinjin: “Yes!”

Guan Luowei trailed a few steps behind, watching the girl’s back. Her eyes brightened, and after a pause, she followed.

Along the way, Ling Chenyan held Jinjin as they played, and Guan Luowei followed silently. From a distance, they truly looked like a family of three out on the town.

A firework burst in the sky, trailing embers like drifting feathers. Guan Luowei looked up just as the two—the big and the small—smiled at each other and pointed at the sky, exclaiming, “So beautiful!”

The girl’s profile was illuminated red by the fireworks, her hair slightly messy, her eyes filled with starlight. That bright smile was like a lantern in the dark, dispelling the chill of the winter night and warming the heart. Guan Luowei’s gaze softened involuntarily, the edges of her icy exterior melting away.

Ling Chenyan turned back with a radiant smile. “Highness, look!”

In that instant, the fireworks seemed to lose their color. Guan Luowei stepped forward and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind the girl’s ear. “Your hair is messy.”

Her cool fingertips brushed behind her ear. Ling Chenyan saw the rising mirth and blatant affection in the woman’s eyes, and her heart began to race. She stared straight at her and mouthed the word: “Wife.”

As expected, Guan Luowei froze for a second, the light in her eyes becoming startlingly bright. Ling Chenyan gave a mischievous smile and turned away to keep playing with Jinjin. She watched the woman out of the corner of her eye; seeing her anxious yet restrained expression, Ling Chenyan’s smile deepened.

Suddenly, a flute melody rang out. Simultaneously, screams erupted from the once-joyous crowd. A fierce wind rose, and the bright lights flickered ominously. Several clouds of pitch-black filth appeared in the crowd, accompanied by a foul stench. Total chaos descended upon Baibian Town.

The residents were only low-level cultivators; the stench from these evil things was not only foul but toxic. The crowd scattered. Those who were fast fled in panic, while those who were slow were swallowed by the black mist, leaving behind nothing but skeletal remains and blood-drenched ground.

Those evil creatures had originally been people celebrating in the crowd, but they had transformed in an instant. Combined with that strange flute melody, Ling Chenyan felt a surge of dread.

The festive scene turned into a nightmare in a heartbeat. Ling Chenyan’s heart hammered with fear. Guan Luowei had protected her the moment the anomaly began; seeing her state, she reassured her: “Don’t be afraid. I am here.”

Ling Chenyan took a deep breath. With Guan Luowei there, her life was safe, but the ordinary people and cultivators of the town were being slaughtered.

“Highness, I can protect myself,” Ling Chenyan said. “Go deal with those things!”

She summoned the Deceptive God Zither and shouted, “Jinjin, immobilize them!”

Jinjin’s tiny body erupted with golden light. The lunging evil creatures froze instantly, and many people about to be killed scrambled away in terror. The creatures were not high-level, but they were numerous. With Jinjin holding them, Guan Luowei launched an offensive. Countless beams of light enveloped the monsters, and their grotesque bodies were torn apart within seconds. Rotting sludge flowed across the ground, and the stench grew heavier.

At that moment, a new wave of evil creatures appeared. Unlike the previous ones, these had partial human forms—like creatures whose transformation was incomplete. Some had faces covered in tears, struggling for control; others screamed in terror; some were lost in a manic frenzy as they lunged. Among these faces were ordinary vendors they had spoken to just moments ago.

Ling Chenyan bit her lip. “Jinjin, can you stop them?” She didn’t know what had happened to them, but from their expressions, she knew they didn’t want this.

Jinjin understood her heart immediately. “I can stop them, but once the time is up, they will still attack us frantically.”

Ling Chenyan gritted her teeth. Must they really be killed like this?

Beside her, Guan Luowei was ready. If they took another step, she would kill them without mercy. She had to protect Ling Chenyan.

In that split second of decision, Ling Chenyan shouted, “Jinjin—”

She was prepared to immobilize them first. Guan Luowei didn’t stop her, though her eyes held an unreadable emotion. Just as Jinjin was about to act, time seemed to freeze for an instant. Then, a youth’s voice rang out:

“Lost Path Illusion, Nightmare Descends.”