The Female Lead Always Comes Around [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 7

Ning Shu changed her clothes as if Li Xiao didn’t exist at all.

Of course, she knew there was someone alive in the room. Changing in front of Li Xiao was deliberate after all, someone as aloof as him wouldn’t be won over without a little special effort.

When she heard Li Xiao cough, a mischievous gleam filled Ning Shu’s eyes, and she deliberately slowed her movements. It took her five whole minutes to put on a few pieces of clothing.

Li Xiao glanced briefly before quickly averting her eyes, acting nonchalant as she ate her breakfast. But the slight furrow in her brows and the faint blush on her ears betrayed that she was far from calm.

Ning Shu was confident in her figure. Whether her methods were proper or not didn’t matter as long as they worked. She wasn’t some righteous person anyway, so why hold back?

She instructed the inn’s attendant to buy clothes according to her size without specifying colors. The attendant brought back two sets one white, one red. To complement Li Xiao’s white attire, she deliberately chose the red.

Although Ning Shu didn’t usually favor such bright colors, the outfit fit her surprisingly well. The waist-cinching design accentuated her bust perfectly, and the skirt’s length was just right, she could even fight in it without hindrance.

By the time Ning Shu sat down, Li Xiao had finished her bowl of porridge, leaving the buns and fried dough untouched. Thinking of what she’d just seen, her ears burned even more, and she avoided Ning Shu’s gaze entirely.

“After you finish, go back to your room,” Li Xiao said.

She rose to leave, but Ning Shu grabbed her hand, batting her big eyes and speaking softly, “Sister, eat a little more. It’s still hours until noon. If you don’t fill your stomach, it’ll hurt later.”

The warmth of Ning Shu’s hand transferred through her thin sleeve, and Li Xiao felt her face heat up. She quickly withdrew her hand, feigning indifference. “I eat lightly. This is usually enough for me.”

Li Xiao’s reaction to Ning Shu’s touch was almost reflexive. Seeing her hand reminded her of last night of Ning Shu’s unconscious movements over her body and the tantalizing glimpse she’d just had when Ning Shu partially removed her clothes.

Her body reacted in ways she couldn’t control, and she knew she had to leave.

“Then just consider it keeping me company. Eating breakfast alone is so lonely,” Ning Shu said, staring at her expectantly.

Li Xiao’s lips moved, but she said nothing. Ning Shu took her silence as consent and grinned like a flower in bloom. “I knew you were the best! If nothing comes up later, let’s go shopping together.”

Li Xiao felt she was pushing her luck and replied lightly, “I have something to do.”

“Oh, that’s fine too. I’ll go with you, more hands, more help.”

Li Xiao: “…feels like I’m stuck with chewing gum I can’t get off.”

She said nothing further. After Ning Shu finished eating, Li Xiao picked up her sword hidden under the pillow and left.

Ning Shu obediently followed, saying nothing. She knew Li Xiao didn’t want her along, so she tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

Ning Shu didn’t openly declare her presence, so Li Xiao ignored her. Only after leaving the inn did she turn back and ask, “Where are you going?”

Ning Shu smiled politely, a touch awkward, and gestured toward a narrow path on the left. “Just wandering around. How about you?”

Li Xiao: “Coincidence we’re going different ways.” And she went right.

Ning Shu: Oops.

They parted ways. Ning Shu didn’t secretly follow Li Xiao either after all, she had clearly stated she didn’t want company. Lingering would be rude.

The left path led to a more secluded area. As Ning Shu walked, she started to feel lost; the path seemed endless.

By the third time she passed the same tree, she realized she was going in circles.

She surveyed her surroundings. Still in the city, yes, but desolate. Only a few trees and a river no one else in sight. This was impossible.

The capital was crowded; no matter how remote, she shouldn’t be alone. The only explanation: some kind of trap was deliberately keeping her here.

To conserve energy, Ning Shu sat under a tree, leisurely eating a sugar cake she’d bought from a stall. She’d walked long enough to be tired and needed to restore her strength.

After finishing, she looked up. A thick mist now enveloped the area, making everything surreal.

“Wow, impressive,” she murmured. “This formation must be draining a lot of inner power just to maintain. I wonder who’s willing to go to such lengths for me.”

“Have you deliberately trapped me here, yet you don’t even dare show yourself?”

A cold wind suddenly struck her forehead, and a sharp pain pulsed there like when her master first transmitted inner power to her.

Could it be someone from the Moon Concealment Palace?

Realizing this, Ning Shu remained calm. Sitting cross-legged, she circulated her inner power and glared at the mist, huffing coldly.

“Amateurish tricks!”

Before she could even break the formation, the mist dissipated rapidly. A figure emerged, his black robes shimmering in the fog, dramatic, to say the least.

“Subordinate Wu Yin, greets the Young Palace Master.”

His voice came before his figure fully appeared. He spoke respectfully enough, but there was no real deference.

Once the fog cleared, Ning Shu saw him fully. No wonder she hadn’t recognized the formation; she’d never encountered him at the Moon Concealment Palace.

Judging by his presence, he wasn’t a minor character. Ning Shu wondered how many guardians the palace had.

“You start off with this ‘gift’ on our first meeting, what’s the meaning of this?”

Ning Shu’s expression darkened.

“Please forgive me, Young Palace Master. I was merely curious if you had fully absorbed the inner power passed down by the Palace Master. That’s why I tried this,” Wu Yin said. His words were polite, but there was no apology in his eyes, only scrutiny.

Ning Shu ignored him and stepped past. “Stop wasting time on such nonsense. Spend it reading and enriching yourself. Trying to absorb my inner power a thousand times won’t make it yours, but reading a thousand times, knowledge becomes yours. Understand?”

Wu Yin nodded. “Wise words, Young Palace Master. I shall immerse myself in the classics. But there’s one matter you must give me a chance to speak.”

Ning Shu paused, reluctantly looking at the sly man before her.

“What is it?”

“Since the Palace Master passed you his inner power, his health has declined. He can’t participate in this year’s Martial Arts Tournament, so you must represent him.”

“What? Martial Arts Tournament?” Ning Shu was shocked. This place has those, too?

Martial Arts Tournaments weren’t supposed to exist outside wuxia worlds. Was this world partly fantasy, given the earlier mist?

“Yes, in seven days. You, Young Palace Master, will represent the Moon Concealment Palace. We’ll support you, don’t worry.”

Before Ning Shu could reply, Wu Yin disappeared with a tiptoe no chance to refuse.

“Oh, and when channeling the inner power, don’t rush. Try guiding the two types of inner power in sequence it may work better than forcing a fusion.”

Ning Shu glanced at the two pulses of power in her palms and nodded. It made sense he could absorb her master’s power, but he had no idea how to use it, a waste.

With the illusion gone, her surroundings returned to normal. The streets were sparse, but not empty. Ning Shu wandered briefly before deciding to return. Maybe Li Xiao had already gone back.

Taking a shortcut, she felt something was off. Someone was following her and not just one person.

Ning Shu could clearly sense their ill intent.

Seems the world’s getting lively, every demon and ghost wants to make things difficult for me.

She smirked, eyes full of mockery, quickening her pace and hiding around a corner.

Pressing against a wall, she waited. When she heard hurried footsteps, a cold gleam flashed in her eyes. As the pursuer neared, she struck, the sharp wind brushing their hair and sending the attacker crashing into the wall, leaving a faint mark.

Seeing who it was, Ning Shu’s gaze turned colder. She radiated a chilling aura.

How convenient they came straight to me.

Ning Han, spotting Ning Shu, first looked surprised, then reverted to her usual scorn.

“You’re a stubborn fool! Falling off that cliff and surviving?!”

Ning Shu grinned smugly. “Disappointing, isn’t it? Death just won’t take me, so are you angry?”

Ning Han’s face turned green. “Luck won’t favor you twice! This time, you won’t be so lucky!”

She glanced behind her, Ning Ming and a dozen young men in brown uniforms, swords drawn and smirked triumphantly.

Previously, Ning Ming claimed she had been bullied and asked for revenge. Ning Han assumed it was just a reckless girl, but something felt familiar. Now, with Ning Shu in her grasp, she was determined to make her life miserable.

Ning Han didn’t believe Ning Shu could advance her martial skills so rapidly in half a year. But Ning Ming’s assurance made her cautious. She thrust her sword straight at Ning Shu’s heart.

Martial arts require a solid foundation from youth; without it, even the best teacher couldn’t help.

Ning Shu had stolen a few moves from Long Tao. Ning Han’s “three-step tricks” weren’t even a threat a mere ant trying to shake a tree!

Before Ning Shu moved, Ning Han thought she could manage. But when Ning Shu effortlessly deflected the sword with two fingers, that illusion shattered.

Ning Shu stared at the panicked Ning Han, a cold smile forming, eyes brimming with the storm of her hatred.

“It’s my turn now…”