The Female Lead Always Comes Around [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 21

Rong Xue ignored her own injuries, helping Ning Shu onto the bed and inserting needles into several key acupoints. Slowly, Ning Shu’s body relaxed, her eyes finally reflecting the weariness that had been building within her.

“If you’re tired, sleep. I’ll stay here with you the whole time,” Rong Xue said.

Ning Shu closed her eyes, frowning in pain, her face etched with suffering.

Rong Xue stayed by her side through the night, only returning to her own room when dawn broke. Their sect had many rules; when their master was present, the senior disciples would pay respects each morning. Now, with their master absent, it fell to Mo Shang to continue the ritual, ensuring nothing suspicious occurred if Ning Shu was asleep or otherwise occupied.

Before leaving, Rong Xue took the medical book with her, solidifying her resolve:

I will find a cure for Ning Shu no matter what it takes.

When Ning Shu awoke, her entire body ached, drenched in sweat. She raised her hands and noticed that eight of her ten fingers were bandaged, leaving only her thumbs unscathed.

Recalling the events of the previous night, she could only remember fragments, not a single pleasant memory.

Struggling upright, she spotted a paper-wrapped parcel of candied fruit on the cabinet. She smiled faintly, already knowing what it contained, and headed toward the bath at the back of the house.

When ill, she had been horrifyingly tormented; now, she seemed no different from before. Yet she intentionally avoided Wu Yin and the four guardians. With time so short, she didn’t want anyone grieving for her when the inevitable came.

By noon, Rong Xue returned with her small blanket, almost entirely reduced to Ning Shu’s personal physician, always anxious that something might happen, spending most of her day at Ning Shu’s side.

“Rong Jie, can you give me a little privacy?” Ning Shu asked.

Rong Xue pouted. “And when I was sneaking candy for you, you didn’t mind then, did you?”

Caught off guard, Ning Shu obediently fell silent, following Rong Xue into the yard to bask in the sun.

“This morning, Mo Shang told me that the Tian Shu Sect is gathering many forces and may soon lay siege to Yan Yue Palace. What are your plans?” Rong Xue asked.

Ning Shu’s gaze darkened. Her expression unreadable, she looked at Rong Xue before replying, “No specific plans. I’ll meet force with force, respond to threat with strategy. But I will not let a single disciple of Yan Yue Palace be harmed. With our master gone, I will do everything to protect everyone.”

Rong Xue sensed her determination. She popped a candied fruit into Ning Shu’s mouth. “I know you’re strong, but if formidable enemies do arrive, your first priority should be protecting yourself.”

Ning Shu’s cheeks puffed like a little hamster as she chewed. “I know, you’re so nagging!”

Rong Xue gave her a stern glance but said no more.

As the sun began to set, Ning Shu slipped out of Yan Yue Palace, riding swiftly toward the capital.

Though Ning Bai had shown repentance before her, it didn’t stop him from answering Tian Shu’s call to eradicate the demonic sect.

Ning Shu arrived at the Ning residence and leapt onto the rooftop, observing Ning Bai consulting with Zhao Gang.

“That bastard injured Han’er. This time, I’ll take his head back to her to vent her anger!” Zhao Gang snarled, always doting on his niece.

Ning Bai remained silent; he had other plans.

Zhao Gang frowned at Ning Bai’s silence. “You don’t mean to acknowledge that bastard as yours, do you? The last time, you admitted your relationship to her in front of everyone. What are you thinking? I warn you, if you really bring that woman into the Ning family, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Ning Bai, always soft toward the domineering, couldn’t maintain his sternness. He immediately forced a smile. “Brother, you misunderstand. Such a lowly person doesn’t deserve to enter the Ning household. I only intended to use her for our work… but since she doesn’t know her place, then…”

He made a throat-cutting gesture, and Zhao Gang immediately understood, laughing heartily.

“I knew you were clever and wouldn’t do something foolish. Clearly, you had another plan. I wrongly accused you time to punish myself with a drink.”

Zhao Gang downed his cup, and Ning Bai followed, their faces twisted into nauseating smiles. Ning Shu could no longer watch.

Silently, she dropped into the courtyard. Before the guards could react, she finished off the first two and kicked open the door to enter.

Zhao Gang and Ning Bai both rose from their chairs, eyes alert, but relaxed upon seeing only Ning Shu, faces filled with disdain.

“Daring to come alone to die? Then I’ll grant your wish!”

Zhao Gang leapt forward, sword aimed at her vital points. Ning Shu, familiar with his moves, parried each with ease, toying with him as she went.

Realizing this, Zhao Gang attacked even more fiercely but it was of no use. Ning Shu’s defense was flawless.

Ning Bai stood aside, expression inscrutable. He had not abandoned the thought of claiming Ning Shu for himself, naturally offering no help to Zhao Gang.

“You bastard, today is the day you die!” Zhao Gang shouted, throwing a poisoned needle. Ning Shu easily dodged, though a wisp of dust irritated her throat.

Zhao Gang sneered, eyes turning increasingly vicious. “My lethal powder three heartbeats and you’ll be dead! But first, feel the agony of your intestines rotting!”

Ning Shu arched a mocking smile, condensing her internal energy to blast Zhao Gang away. She then picked up the needle from the ground and drove it into his neck.

“Feel your own intestines rotting. And when you’re in the underworld, don’t forget to apologize to my mother. Even dead, I’ll make sure you find no peace.”

Zhao Gang opened his mouth to speak but vomited bl00d instead, wailing in agony.

Terrified, Ning Bai stepped back, flattering Ning Shu. “Shu Shu, you know I’ve always hoped you’d return to the Ning family. You’re my only daughter; everything will be yours one day.”

Ning Shu smiled, resting her sword against her. “And Ning Han?”

“She’s a cripple. Not fit to be my daughter,” Ning Bai said immediately.

“So when I had nothing, I didn’t deserve to be your daughter either, which is why Zhao Xian and Ning Han bullied me. Now that I have value, I suddenly belong?”

Caught off guard, Ning Bai barely avoided a sword thrown straight at him, though its edge still shaved off hair from his forehead.

Ning Shu didn’t hold back. In a few moves, she severely wounded him, letting him share Zhao Gang’s fate and the torment of the lethal powder.

“Don’t forget to apologize to my mother, or I’ll make sure your tongue is cut and heart ripped out, never to rest.”

Turning away, Ning Shu encountered Zhao Xian in the courtyard. Frowning then realization dawning, Zhao Xian shouted, “What are you doing here?!”

Ning Shu smiled enigmatically. Her sword gleamed coldly, instilling fear.

“Just checking on you. Seeing you well… irritates me. So…”

With a swift strike, Zhao Xian fell before she could react. Weak as she was, she was no match for Ning Shu.

Ning Shu retrieved a handkerchief from her sleeve, meticulously wiping the bl00d clean, then stepped into the moonlight and departed cold, proud, like a celestial from the Moon Palace, yet also a shura treading over mountains of corpses and seas of bl00d.