How to Be the Perfect Junior Sister to a Reborn Villain - Chapter 41

After choosing their residences, the group rode their spirit cranes to the Transmission Hall.

The hall stood shrouded in mist, as if it had been built upon clouds themselves majestic and ethereal.

Everyone went inside to select their cultivation techniques, except for Li Xi, who already had her own inherited art. She waited outside.

The entrance of the hall was elegantly designed with odd-shaped rocks and miniature mountains arranged with artistic care, seemingly aligned according to some hidden formation.

Li Xi lingered at the doorway, admiring the scenery with curiosity. Her gaze soon landed on a peculiar stone stele in the garden, about as tall as a person.

She had always liked calligraphy, so she approached out of interest, leaning closer to examine the inscription.

The surface bore two ancient characters ones she didn’t recognize.

The strokes were powerful yet graceful, every line carrying a vitality that felt alive, like a dragon soaring freely across the heavens. The script was bold, unrestrained, and filled with an indescribable sense of spirit.

Li Xi’s eyes were glued to the words. She studied them over and over, savoring every detail.

Unfettered, carefree, wild, free, at peace… joyful?

Was that what the words meant to express?

Without realizing it, Li Xi became completely absorbed. The world around her began to blur, and the next thing she knew, she was somewhere else entirely.
She couldn’t remember who she was or why she had come here.

She only knew that she was running and laughing, free and lighthearted, as though nothing in the world could hold her down.

She arrived beside a lake of crystalline blue.

An old man sat by the shore, quietly fishing. His robe was patched in several places, plainly showing a life of simplicity, yet his expression was tranquil and deeply content.

Li Xi thought he looked… satisfied with such a life.

If it were me, she mused, I’d never be happy living in poverty.

With a splash, she suddenly leaped into the water, sending ripples dancing across the surface.

She played among the waves, chasing the darting fish with delight.

When she’d had her fill, she wrapped one of the larger fish in spiritual energy, jumped from the lake, and dropped it neatly into the old man’s basket before bounding away up the mountain.

The mountain scenery was like something from a dream: fields of wildflowers in every color, butterflies fluttering among them, streams winding through green slopes like ribbons of jade.

In the distance, she could hear the laughter of women washing clothes by the creek.

With a light step, she climbed up a tree and sprang into the air, touching the treetops with her toes. From above, she watched the sun dip below the horizon, the sky ablaze with crimson clouds and the flicker of evening lanterns far below.

The world here was peaceful, quiet, and beautiful.

A voice echoed softly in her mind, neither kind nor cruel, neither male nor female:
“Is this happiness to you?”

She smiled. It is. But  I want more than just this kind of happiness.

Her heart stirred, and the scene shifted.

In the blink of an eye, she stood in a bustling city.

Crowds filled the streets, vendors shouting cheerfully, children laughing as they clutched sugar figurines in their parents’ arms.

She sat at a tea stall, lifting a cup to her lips. The bitter taste made her frown and stick out her tongue in disgust.

Just then, a candied-haw vendor passed by. She bought two sticks, one for each hand, and happily began to eat.

As she looked around at the rich and poor alike moving through the streets, flashes of memory or perhaps illusion flitted through her mind.

An old woman is offering her a silk pouch.
A man is handing her fried sweets.
A tearful mother clutching her child.
Crowds were waving her farewell.

She hesitated. Had she seen these people before?

That same ethereal voice asked again,
“Is this happiness to you?”

Chewing on the sweet-and-sour hawthorn, Li Xi mumbled vaguely,

 “Yes… It is.”

But in the next instant, the once-clear sky darkened.

A suffocating mass of black clouds rolled in, devouring the light as they came.

The peaceful city erupted into chaos. Screams filled the air, followed by the crash of debris, desperate shouts, and the wailing of frightened children.

The tea-seller’s wife ran over in terror, seizing Li Xi’s hand.
“Miss, hurry! 

There’s a monster running to the shelter!”

Li Xi stumbled as she was dragged along, confusion clouding her eyes.

When she looked up again, she realized the “clouds” weren’t clouds at all but an enormous flock of monstrous birds, each one radiating a sinister, demonic aura.

One of the creatures swooped down, its talons snatching up a child still clutching his sugar figurine.

The father screamed in agony, charging toward the monster with no regard for his life.

Li Xi tore her hand free from the woman’s grasp and leaped into the air. Her sword flashed from its sheath.
Wood-Moon Sword Art, First Form: Silver Hook and Falling Moon!

A crescent of mercury-colored swordlight sliced through the air, severing the creature’s talons in one strike.

Black bl00d splattered the ground as the monster shrieked in pain.

Li Xi caught the falling child midair and returned him safely to his father’s arms.

Without hesitation, she spread her spiritual barrier to shield the panicked townsfolk, then shot back into the sky to face the swarm head-on.

That calm, detached voice spoke again:
“Are you afraid? You can run, you know. You have no duty to save them.”

She did not answer. Swordlight blazed around her, her will sharp as steel. The air was filled with the shimmer of countless blades.

But the monsters kept coming. No matter how many she cut down, more poured from the dark clouds above.

The corpses beneath her piled higher and higher, their stench thick in the air.

And still, the horde pressed in.

Wounds covered her body, her strength fading fast. Yet her sword never stopped moving.

Her breath came ragged, her limbs trembled, but she stood tall, spine straight, eyes unwavering.

The lively streets had become a ruin broken stalls, splintered tables, abandoned shoes, and half-eaten food scattered across the ground.

“Aren’t you afraid?” the voice urged. “There’s a way out to the south. Escape while you can.”

Of course, she was afraid so afraid her very bl00d seemed to quake.

She knew that if this continued, she would die.

But if she ran, everyone here would die instead.

These were ordinary people with no power to fight back.
And she… she had a sword.

Even if that sword wasn’t strong enough.
Even if her body was battered and her hands shook so hard she could barely hold it—
Her heart refused to yield.

Bl00d and sweat blurred her vision, stinging her eyes. She didn’t know how long she could keep standing.

Drops of bl00d fell at her feet, blooming on the ground like red plum blossoms.

Her dantian was empty; no spiritual energy left to draw upon.

Still, she raised her sword, gaze burning with unshakable resolve.

The silver arcs of swordlight swept through the sky once more, reaping the lives of the beasts.

If retreat was impossible, then she would do as her heart willed.

To live, she would live freely.
To die she would die without regret.

Life or death, both were her own choice.
And whatever the outcome, she would never look back.