Competing with the Male Lead for the Female Lead (Transmigration) - Chapter 15
The ancient painting of the Lin family only appeared once or twice in the original book without much detail, so Sheng Baihe didn’t know the reason for the changes within the painting.
However, there was still one person left in the Lin family. She would definitely know what was going on. Sheng Baihe now wished he could flay that woman alive, but he couldn’t leave now. The Wen father and daughter would definitely think he was taking the opportunity to escape.
Sheng Baihe’s gaze swept across the painting, his heart pounding like a drum. If he were to be misunderstood by Wen’s father, things would definitely not end well for him.
Suddenly, he caught sight of a place.
Moving closer for a careful look, it was a small round platform. He remembered that this was where Wen Ran and the others had landed when they entered. Sheng Baihe’s heart stirred, and he noticed that the three people still alive in the painting also seemed to have discovered something, supporting each other as they ran towards the round platform.
However, the white birds were numerous and ferocious, blocking their retreat.
Wen’s father and Wen Wuning also noticed the abnormality in the painting at this time, staring anxiously at the scroll.
Sheng Baihe used to be a conservative, but now he was an adventurer. If Wen Ran didn’t come out this time, he couldn’t escape blame. Even if Wen Ran did get out, things wouldn’t be easy for him. He had to take a gamble.
Turning back to look at Wen Wuning, he stared intently at this person, his gaze deep. He was determined to have this person.
For this person, he had to get out!
“I’ll go help Elder Brother.”
Having said that, Sheng Baihe’s lips moved quickly, and he was instantly sucked into the painting.
Wen Wuning, who was beside him, stared blankly at the spot where Sheng Baihe had been standing. Her expression was complicated as she looked at the figure that had appeared in the painting. Turning back to Wen’s father, she said quickly, “Father, I’ll go bring Elder Brother back.”
With that, she also disappeared before Wen’s father.
They still couldn’t be sure if they could really come back. If something unexpected happened to his only children, Wen’s father’s face turned pale, and he took a few steps back, collapsing into a chair.
The disciples beside him also requested to enter the painting one after another. Wen’s father looked up at them. As a father, he would give anything for his children, but he wasn’t just a father. He waved his hand, dismissing these disciples who now only seemed to be in the way.
As soon as Wen Wuning entered the painting, she smelled the decaying aura permeating the air. The place was vast and empty. The palace in the distance was magnificent, and the strange birds attacking people were exceptionally fierce and huge.
Wen Wuning took three steps in two, flying down the round platform and charging into the flock of birds with her sword. Sheng Baihe supported the bl00d-soaked Wen Ran, with two junior brothers supporting each other behind them.
These birds couldn’t be killed. The arrival of Sheng Baihe and Wen Wuning eased the situation somewhat. They led the others, struggling with each step, towards the round platform.
The distance that could usually be covered with a single leap now seemed so far away.
Wen Wuning raised her sword to block the hard claws of a giant bird. In an instant, she felt immense pressure from above, her chest heaving with churning bl00d. A faint sound came from the sword in her hand, and she spat out a mouthful of fishy-sweet bl00d.
Fortunately, they were not far from the round platform at this time. Sheng Baihe threw Wen Ran over, grabbed Wen Wuning, who was trying to clear a path for the other two junior brothers, and shouted, “Hurry up!”
Wen Wuning didn’t even turn her head as she said, “You take my elder brother and leave.”
Looking back at the two supporting each other, one of them had almost lost the ability to move.
Sheng Baihe knew that if he abandoned these two at this moment, his risk-taking would have been in vain. In Wen Wuning’s eyes, he would still be a despicable person, but every extra second meant more danger.
Suddenly, a *zheng* sound rang out, followed by a crisp cracking sound. Wen Wuning’s sword broke, and the fragments flew towards the two people. Sheng Baihe didn’t have time to think, waved his hand to brush away the fragments, and pushed Wen Wuning onto the round platform with a palm strike.
He fought with all his might, finally grabbing one of the disciples who could still move and flying onto the round platform. The four of them disappeared from the painting just before the sharp claws of the strange birds could reach them.
Wen Ran had lost too much bl00d and fainted as soon as he came out. The disciple Sheng Baihe brought out wasn’t much better.
Wen’s father immediately ordered people to send them for treatment.
Sheng Baihe immediately pleaded guilty, “Uncle, this time it was Baihe’s negligence that implicated Elder Brother and those senior brothers.”
Although not as serious as Wen Ran’s, Sheng Baihe also had many injuries. His disheveled appearance, coupled with his selfless act of rushing in to save people, meant that even if Wen’s father truly held resentment in his heart, it wasn’t appropriate to say anything more.
“We’ll discuss countermeasures for this painting after Wen Ran recovers. You’ve also been injured, so go back and rest well.”
After Wen’s father left, only Sheng Baihe and Wen Wuning remained in the hall.
Wen Wuning’s injuries were similar to Sheng Baihe’s. Not wanting to be alone with him, she turned to leave.
There was a streak of not fully congealed bl00d below Wen Wuning’s left eye. The size of the wound suggested it was caused by a broken sword. Sheng Baihe grabbed her, his voice filled with concern, “Wuning, you’re injured.”
Wen Wuning frowned. “This little injury is nothing.”
How could it be nothing? This person was his, and this face was also his. Thinking this, Sheng Baihe only gave a sheepish smile on the surface. “I was just worried and got flustered.”
Wen Wuning looked up at him, pulled her hand away, and said without any trace of politeness, “Hypocritical and sanctimonious, Sheng Baihe, stop putting on an act in front of me.”
Sheng Baihe’s heart stirred with excitement, unable to tell if it was anger or joy. The thought that only Wen Wuning knew his deeply hidden true nature filled him with high spirits.
He didn’t regret his decision just now. The more he did for Wen Wuning, the stronger the connection between them would be. She wouldn’t be able to escape.
After tidying up, Wen Wuning went to see Wen Ran. Wen Ran was out of danger and had woken up, but his injuries were severe and he needed to rest well.
Leaving Wen Ran’s place, Wen Wuning wandered aimlessly, finally ending up in Lan Feier’s courtyard without knowing how. At this moment, the rain that had stopped suddenly started again, so she had no choice but to go inside to take shelter.
The usually vigilant Lan Feier had fallen asleep again after taking the medicine and didn’t even notice Wen Wuning entering her room.
When Wen Wuning came in, Lan Feier was still sleeping. The ginseng doll sat at the head of her bed, quietly plucking the petals of the white feather flower, thoroughly enjoying itself.
The hundred-year-old ginseng doll had the intelligence of a five-year-old human child. Wen Wuning sat down by the window and waved at it. The ginseng doll, which had been staring at Wen Wuning ever since she entered, immediately crawled over with its belly sticking out, looking very endearing.
Seeing Wen Wuning reach out her hand, it tilted its head in confusion, looked uncertainly at the white feather flower in its hand, and then placed the flower in her hand. Seeing a faint smile appear in Wen Wuning’s eyes, it immediately knew it had guessed correctly and raised its head with a silly grin.
The white feather flower had the effect of calming the spirit and soothing the soul. Making it into incense and wearing it would greatly benefit cultivators.
Wen Wuning picked up the white feather flower, wondering how the ginseng doll had preserved it. This flower had been out of the interspatial space for so long, yet its spiritual power hadn’t dissipated.
It was too wasteful to leave it as a toy in the ginseng doll’s hands. After a moment of thought, she took out a piece of scale armor from her bosom. This piece of scale armor was lustrous white, with a very faint blue hue emanating from the inside out at the pointed tip.
The scale armor was about half the size of her palm but felt heavy, and a refreshing coolness emanated from it.
She had found this piece of scale armor on herself after coming out of the spatial rift. It was probably left on her by the Jiao in the cave. She didn’t know the purpose of this piece of armor, but it had the same scent of the ginseng doll’s hometown as the white feather flower.
“How about I trade this with you?”
Lan Feier seemed to vaguely hear Wen Wuning’s voice in her daze. She forced open her eyelids and turned her head towards the source of the sound. Wen Wuning and the ginseng doll seemed to be making some kind of transaction. Her mind was still a bit sluggish. She stared blankly for a while until Wen Wuning realized she was awake and looked over at her. Only then did she fully wake up.
After the initial confusion of waking up, Lan Feier immediately sensed something was wrong. She propped herself up in bed and asked Wen Wuning with a clear gaze, “Senior Sister, where is your sword?”
She noticed at a glance that the sword Wen Wuning always carried was gone, and she also smelled the faint scent of bl00d on Wen Wuning. Although the smell was very faint, what truly made her realize that things might not be simple was the faint red mark below Wen Wuning’s left eye.
Was it the remnants of the Lin family? Lan Feier speculated in her heart.
The fingers of Wen Wuning’s left hand, which had held a sword for many years, moved slightly. Even she herself wasn’t used to it, but she hadn’t expected Lan Feier’s observation skills to be so sharp that she noticed it immediately.
Wen Wuning didn’t intend to hide it from Lan Feier, saying plainly, “We went to the Lin family’s treasure vault just now. It was very dangerous.”
She wouldn’t hide things from Lan Feier, but she wouldn’t bring Lan Feier along either, not out of caution towards her, but because it was too dangerous.
Moreover, recalling Sheng Baihe’s actions just now, she couldn’t help but frown.
She really couldn’t see through this person.
Just when she thought he was a hypocritical and despicable person, he would do something unexpected.
The book hadn’t even mentioned the exact location of the Lin family’s treasure vault, let alone how dangerous it was inside. Lan Feier knew nothing about it, so she couldn’t help Wen Wuning at all and didn’t ask any further questions.
One didn’t plan to say much, and the other didn’t ask further, not out of caution or fear of trouble, but out of consideration for the other.
Now the plot had become a complete mess. Wen Wuning, who should have been in a sweet and loving relationship with the protagonist, couldn’t wait to draw her sword against Sheng Baihe. The one who should have been destroyed was the Wen family, but now it had become the Lin family, and the timing was even earlier.
Wasn’t Sheng Baihe afraid of unpredictable consequences from the butterfly effect after such a drastic change in the plot, just to return to the Wen family? Lan Feier looked up at Wen Wuning, who seemed to be deep in thought.
In the beginning, when the protagonist went to Lingyun Mountain, it was Wen family disciples who escorted Wen Wuning to escape together. Wen Wuning’s great-grandfather was a Golden Core cultivator who had already formed his core and had a place in Lingyun Mountain, successfully allowing the two of them to enter Lingyun Mountain.
In the early stages of entering Lingyun Mountain, Wen Wuning’s great-grandfather provided them with considerable protection. However, as the protagonist gradually revealed his extraordinary talent and luck, his status in Lingyun Mountain rose steadily. He was able to befriend a quirky senior brother and also gained another confidante.
She wondered what Sheng Baihe would do next.