Flirting with the Villain's Mother - Chapter 30

Shen Su carried Wei Nanyi ahead, the red-robed girl trailing leisurely behind.

Her footsteps were light and unhurried, yet she never fell behind, her mouth chattering incessantly.

Shen Su channeled her spiritual power to increase her pace, but she couldn’t shake off the red-robed girl. Strangely, she sensed no fluctuations in the girl’s spiritual power.

There was only one explanation: the red-robed girl’s cultivation far surpassed her own.

This wasn’t entirely surprising, given that Shen Su’s cultivation was largely superficial.

Wei Nanyi spoke to reassure her, “Miss Shen, there’s no need to rush. She doesn’t seem interested in buying me.”

Wei Nanyi’s words finally made Shen Su realize the truth. Though the red-robed girl kept mentioning wanting to buy the rabbit, during their long walk, she had mostly talked about the Heaven’s Chosen, bitterly denounced how her Master had tricked her into coming to Fallen Moon City, and complained about how her Senior Brothers and Sisters ignored her. The rabbit had barely been mentioned.

Rather than wanting to buy the rabbit, it seemed the girl simply wanted someone to listen to her gossip.

Shen Su couldn’t understand why the red-robed girl had chosen her as her audience.

After Shen Su ignored her for a long while, the red-robed girl finally paused her endless chatter. But she quickly circled around to block Shen Su’s path, smiling brightly as she asked, “Jin Chuangyao, I’m Lin Qinghuai. What’s your name?”

Hearing the name Lin Qinghuai, Wei Nanyi suddenly understood. “Miss Shen, I know why she’s been clinging to you.”

Wei Nanyi wasn’t the only one who realized it; Shen Su understood as well.

Lin Qinghuai was the granddaughter of the Sheng Lian Sect Leader and the Young Sect Leader of the sect.

Logically, someone like her should have been the center of attention, adored by all. But Lin Qinghuai was different. She was noisy and boisterous, uninterested in cultivation and preferring to chatter about nonsensical things.

She had once dragged her Senior Brother out of a Spirit Gathering Formation while he was breaking through to the Golden Core stage, just to keep her company. She had also gathered a group of fellow disciples to watch her Master’s Pill Refinement, causing the refinement to fail. As a result, she was avoided by nearly everyone in the sect, even her own Master disliked her.

Apart from threatening people with her sword, Lin Qinghuai struggled to find anyone in the Sheng Lian Sect willing to talk to her. Her notorious reputation meant that disciples from other sects also avoided her like the plague.

In the original novel, she was part of the main character group. During her first encounter with the Male Lead, she nearly drove him mad with her incessant chatter.

It was unlikely that Lin Qinghuai genuinely wanted to buy a rabbit. More likely, she had discovered that Shen Su was a rogue cultivator without a sect.

Shen Su might have been one of the few cultivators still willing to acknowledge Lin Qinghuai.

Lin Qinghuai was renowned for her sharp tongue, but Shen Su knew she was more than just that. In the original novel’s later chapters, when Jiang Xu besieged the Sheng Lian Sect, with the Old Sect Leader on his deathbed, it was the Young Sect Leader Lin Qinghuai who led the entire sect in resisting Jiang Xu.

Though the outcome was tragic, Lin Qinghuai had her moment of glory in the original narrative.

However, given how thoroughly Shen Su had rejected the Male Lead, it seemed unlikely they could ever become friends.

Now that she understood Lin Qinghuai’s identity, Shen Su grew even more wary of letting her follow. She deliberately took roundabout routes, delaying their arrival at Shen Manor. Both she and Wei Nanyi carried secrets, and associating with someone from a major sect could only bring trouble.

Fortunately, after Lin Qinghuai had trailed them for a while, the jade pendant at her waist began to glow. Silvery light coalesced into strange patterns on the jade, prompting Lin Qinghuai to chuckle. “Oh dear, Master remains as naive as ever. Jiang An and Jiang Ruiping have already arrived, yet she still thinks she can snatch someone? Would my return truly change the course of battle?”

Jiang An!

Jiang An had also come to Approaching Immortals Mountain, and Jiang Ruiping had even brought Jiang Xu to meet him. The father and daughter must have already reunited. Jiang An was likely already preparing to search for Wei Nanyi. Shen Su could only hope Jiang Xu would manage to delay him.

Hearing Jiang An’s name, Shen Su’s heart raced. With her current abilities, she had no way to protect Wei Nanyi from him.

There was no time to waste. She needed to take Wei Nanyi away from Fallen Moon City immediately.

Before leaving, she had to return to Shen Manor to gather some gold and silver and dismiss all the servants.

Lin Qinghuai, however, wasn’t frightened by the mention of Jiang An and Jiang Ruiping. Instead, she became intensely curious. Her eyes curved into a smile as she grabbed Shen Su’s arm. “Even though there’s nothing particularly fun there, Elder Jiang Ruiping of Approaching Immortals Mountain is said to be the foremost figure of her generation. She hasn’t left the mountain in over a thousand years. I have to see her for myself! Jin Chuangyao, why don’t I take you to see the spectacle?”

Shen Su shook off Lin Qinghuai’s hand. “Thank you for your kindness, Miss, but I must decline.”

Shen Su’s refusal was swift, but knowing Lin Qinghuai’s persistent nature, she braced herself for further persuasion. She was mentally preparing another explanation when Lin Qinghuai chuckled softly. “Then I won’t force you. We’ll meet again soon.”

Lin Qinghuai’s most striking feature was her eyes, which seemed to hold a thousand stars within their depths. When she smiled, starlight spilled forth.

Her smile was beautiful, yet there was something unsettling about it.

Shen Su watched Lin Qinghuai disappear, but even after she was gone, Shen Su still couldn’t figure out what Lin Qinghuai meant by saying they would meet again soon.

She instinctively rubbed her arm where Lin Qinghuai had gripped it earlier, perhaps a little too tightly.

But the pressure hadn’t been enough to hurt her, so Shen Su dismissed it.

She had only taken a few steps with the rabbit in her arms when a sharp pain suddenly gripped her chest.

Immediately afterward, her ears began to ache as if some faint, torturous sound was assaulting her hearing. Shen Su hunched slightly, her voice strained as she spoke, “Madam, something seems to be ringing inside me.”

Wei Nanyi responded promptly, “Miss Shen, quickly check your arm.”

Though puzzled by Wei Nanyi’s request, Shen Su obediently pushed up her sleeve, revealing her lotus-root-like arm.

The jade-white skin was flawless. Shen Su looked bewildered. “Madam, there’s nothing on my arm.”

“Channel your spiritual power and tap the Yangxi acupoint three times.”

Shen Su followed the instructions. Beneath the skin on her inner wrist, a green bead materialized, encasing a pale crimson Bl00d Lotus.

Her eyes widened. “Madam, a bead has appeared under my skin, and it contains a Bl00d Lotus!”

“This must be a Jade Lotus Pearl,” Wei Nanyi said, her brow furrowing with worry. Her rabbit-like face was filled with dismay. “The Jade Lotus Pearl was a technique used by the Joyous Union Sect. Once the pearl enters a person’s body, a Bl00d Lotus will emerge from within. These lotuses rapidly devour the cultivator’s consciousness. Once the consciousness is dominated, the pearl’s owner becomes the master of the cultivator’s body, turning them into a Human Cauldron to be drained of their Primordial Yang and Silver Essence by the Joyous Union Sect. Many disciples from major sects fell victim to this, which ultimately led to the combined forces of the great sects annihilating the Joyous Union Sect.”

“After the Joyous Union Sect was destroyed, many disciples scattered and fled. I’ve even heard some changed their names and joined the Clear Lotus Sect. I never thought their Young Sect Leader would resort to such Joyous Union Sect tactics.”

Wei Nanyi implied that Lin Qinghuai had taken an interest in her and intended to use her as a Human Cauldron. But what did Lin Qinghuai want from her?

Before Shen Su could even ask, Wei Nanyi answered her unspoken question: “Probably because all the cultivators who’ve come to Fallen Moon City are from sects, and they’re all vying for the Heaven’s Chosen under the guidance of their Elders. When she didn’t see Miss Shen in the pigsty, she likely deduced you were a rogue cultivator—unaffiliated, attractive, and someone whose drained Yin Essence would likely go unnoticed. That’s why she set her sights on you.”

Shen Su wanted to shout, “A rogue cultivator’s life matters too!”

She took two deep breaths, barely suppressing the urge to confront Lin Qinghuai immediately. “Madam, how do I remove the pearl?”

Wei Nanyi paused for a long moment before replying, “Miss Shen, the Jade Lotus Pearl can only be extracted by its caster or forcibly broken open using cultivation power. If Martial Uncle Jiang were here, he could shatter the pearl’s protective barrier and retrieve it for you. But…”

Wei Nanyi trailed off, and Shen Su understood.

She and Wei Nanyi—one a newly initiated cultivator, the other a cultivator whose cultivation had been crippled—attempting to forcibly break the pearl’s barrier was utterly unrealistic.

Shen Su’s face fell. She lifted the rabbit, gazing at it pitifully. “Madam, if Lin Qinghuai controls me, what will you do?”

She couldn’t possibly have just promised Jiang Xu to take good care of Wei Nanyi, only to end up as someone else’s plaything, dragging Wei Nanyi along with her.

Jiang Xu had been right all along—human hearts were indeed treacherous.

Cultivators who casually live for over a century have even more venomous hearts. Fortunately, Mirror Quilt had already tampered with the Jade Marrow beforehand. Lin Qinghuai hadn’t discovered the Jade Marrow hidden on Shen Su’s person; otherwise, if she had tried to seize it again, the situation would have been far worse.

Shen Su realized she hadn’t been cautious enough. However, her cultivation level was far inferior to Lin Qinghuai’s. Even if she had detected Lin Qinghuai’s scheme earlier, she might not have been able to escape the Jade Lotus Pearl.

Returning Wei Nanyi to Jiang Xu was no longer feasible. Jiang Ruiping had already met up with Jiang An. If Shen Su tried to find Jiang Xu now, she would be walking straight into a trap.

The rabbit reached out and gently stroked Shen Su’s cheek, whispering comfortingly, “Miss Shen, there’s no need to worry too much. The Jade Lotus Pearl is meant for humans. As a half-demon, it won’t have a significant effect on you. Moreover, the power left by Miss Guiyan within your body prevents the pearl from being removed, but it also prevents the pearl from devouring your consciousness.”

Shen Su suddenly realized that the intense pain in her chest had only occurred when the Jade Lotus Pearl first took effect. Now, the pain had completely subsided.

She glanced at the pearl embedded in her inner arm. The Bl00d Lotus within remained still, like an exquisite ornament, showing no signs of trying to break free.

It seemed she could continue to care for Wei Nanyi.

Shen Su sighed in relief, secretly adding Lin Qinghuai’s name to her mental ledger of debts.

Lin Qinghuai had been a member of the protagonist group in the original novel. Though flawed, she was generally considered a positive character. Shen Su never imagined she would stoop to such actions.

Indignant, Shen Su felt Wei Nanyi’s soft rabbit paw gently brush her cheek again. “Miss Shen,” Wei Nanyi murmured, “you should quickly find Junior Brother Shen’s aura-concealing jade pendant and wear it. In the cultivation world, rogue cultivators are the easiest targets for bullying.”

Shen Su had no idea what the pendant looked like. Relying on Wei Nanyi’s description, she found two similar jade pendants and, deciding to go all in, wore both around her neck before finally relaxing.

Clutching the rabbit, Shen Su continued toward Shen Manor. Before she even reached the estate, she heard frantic cries for help.

“Help! Someone, help me!”

Startled, she bolted forward.

Gradually, she realized the cries were coming from a burning residence, thick smoke and flames mingling with the twilight sky.

Shen Su’s secluded dwelling was the only residence within a hundred meters, aside from Shen Manor itself.