The Villain is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration] - Chapter 11
Though Master Qin Zhi seemed somewhat unhinged, even giving her a dagger to deal with her junior sister, Xia Zhitiao didn’t take her instructions to heart at all.
That “demon-slaying” dagger was tossed into her storage ring, completely forgotten along with a pile of other miscellaneous items.
However, having gained a junior sister, and embodying her role as a senior, Xia Zhitiao finally put more effort into her cultivation. She no longer dared to slack off every day.
Her body, after transmigration, had pretty good spiritual roots. Once she started cultivating seriously, her spiritual stage shot up, startling Xia Zhitiao so much that she even went to ask the bearded Grand-master of Shuijing Peak.
To her surprise, the bearded Grand-master gave her a lingering look and said, “Zhitiao, if you had gotten enlightened earlier, you’d already be the head senior sister of Shuijing Peak.”
Xia Zhitiao: “…”
The bearded Grand-master wasn’t actually called that, but his real name, “Hu Zi”, sounded quite similar to “beard”. Combined with his uninhibited personality and full beard, the Shuijing Peak disciples just called him “Beard.”
Xia Zhitiao chuckled awkwardly, “Grand-master, I’ll definitely cultivate well tomorrow.”
“No need for tomorrow,” the bearded Grand-master shook his head.
Xia Zhitiao was taken aback: “Huh?”
The bearded Grand-master unhurriedly and leisurely said, “Let’s start today.”
So, with Xia Zhitiao utterly bewildered, the bearded Grand-master led them, a group of disciples, grandly away to another peak.
Xia Zhitiao looked at the surrounding mist and fell into thought: “Master Qin’s Zhihe Peak?”
The bearded Grand-master chuckled, “Exactly. Today, we’re here to use her illusion realm.”
Xia Zhitiao: “…”
*This righteous attitude—Grand-master! Why are we always running off to other peaks instead of staying properly on our own Shuijing Peak?*
First Yubai Peak, now Zhihe Peak. It was as if their own peak was just a display, always taking a bunch of disciples out for excursions.
The bearded Grand-master showed no trace of shame, swaggering with his disciples to one of Qin Zhi’s caves. His confident demeanor and familiarity with the route clearly showed this wasn’t his first time doing so.
Only this time, they were caught red-handed.
Quite a few people stood before the cave entrance. Coincidentally, it was Master Qin Zhi, the Peak Master of Zhihe Peak herself, followed by a group of new disciples of varying ages, preparing for their next trial.
Qin Zhi saw Hu Zi from afar and gave him a cold glance. However, Hu Zi was thick-skinned. He brazenly flew down with his disciples and said, “Master Qin! Still doing well!”
Qin Zhi gave a humorless smile: “I *was* well, until I saw you and my head started to ache.”
The bearded Grand-master pretended not to hear, stroking his beard and saying, “Master Qin, I brought my disciples here today to borrow your… what was it… that illusion realm thingy.”
“This is a formation left by an ancient immortal venerable!” Qin Zhi bristled, grinding her teeth in indignation. “You don’t even remember the name, and you have the nerve to come here?!”
The bearded Grand-master chuckled, brazenly saying, “What’s the big deal?”
Qin Zhi usually maintained a noble and aloof demeanor, but every time, the bearded Grand-master managed to infuriate her into her true self. The disciples were long used to it, looking down and feigning ignorance.
While the two were still arguing, Xia Zhitiao took a few steps forward, unable to resist examining the cave before her.
Calling it a cave was misleading; it was more like an artificial grotto, embedded halfway up the mountain, surrounded by wisps of spiritual power and lush green bamboo, as if to proclaim it an important immortal land.
A weathered wooden plaque hung above the grotto, its borders delicately outlined in vermilion, with three ancient, slender characters carved in the middle:
*南柯谣* – Nan Ke Yi Yao
(Southern Branch Ballad)
*Nan Ke Yi Yao, when the tune ends, no one remains.*
The character “Yao” (谣, ballad) sounds similar to “yao” (窑, cave), making it sound like an ordinary grotto, yet it carried a poetic charm. She wondered what it meant.
As Xia Zhitiao pondered, someone quietly came up beside her.
She looked down and saw her junior sister blinking, her fingertips tugging at her sleeve. When discovered, she looked a little flustered, then sweetly smiled at her.
Her smile was a bit goofy, and her actions were secretive, like a little hamster. Xia Zhitiao chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Zhang Lan’s hair.
*I almost forgot, Master Qin Zhi is still guiding this batch of newcomers. It makes perfect sense for me to run into my junior sister.*
“Senior Sister,” Zhang Lan blinked her dark eyes. “Today is the last trial. Are you here to watch us?”
Seeing the child’s eager expression, Xia Zhitiao didn’t want to disappoint her, but the bearded Grand-master was nearby, so it was better to be honest.
Xia Zhitiao shook her head and said, “Grand-master Hu brought us here.”
Fearing the junior sister might be sad, Xia Zhitiao added, “I’ve been looking for you lately, but Master Qin Zhi kept stopping me, saying the cultivation was too rigorous and I couldn’t visit.”
Zhang Lan nodded, then her expression suddenly turned serious. She whispered into Xia Zhitiao’s ear, “Senior Sister, I think there’s something fishy about this illusion realm, I’m afraid it might be…”
Her words were cut short. Qin Zhi turned and saw the two clinging together again. Her anger instantly doubled, and she roared:
“—Zhang Lan! Get back here!”
Xia Zhitiao was startled, but Zhang Lan showed no reaction, still clinging to her.
“Hooking up and being lovey-dovey with Shuijing Peak, what kind of behavior is that!” Qin Zhi’s voice rose two pitches in anger. “Stop clinging to your senior sister! Which peak do you even belong to?!”
Zhang Lan slowly said, “After the trial competition, I intend to join Shuijing Peak…”
“Trial competition, indeed! Thinking you’ll pick your peak after being first in the team?” Qin Zhi said coldly. “Leaving aside whether any peak master would accept you, with your tail-ender performance, this trial competition looks very shaky for you.”
After all, they were in public, and they still had to listen to their master. Zhang Lan pouted, grudgingly walked back, and folded her sleeves, saying nothing.
Xia Zhitiao silently sighed, thinking:
*Master Qin, you just suspected Zhang Lan was Zhang Kuang’s illegitimate daughter not long ago. Now you dare to yell at our Demon Sect princess. How audacious can you be?*
However, Qin Zhi was clearly in a fit of pique just now, and soon calmed down. She stood there with a cold face for a while, then turned and began to introduce the cave behind her, resembling a dutiful NPC.
“I’ve already explained it to you in detail just now, but I’ll briefly reiterate,” Qin Zhi scanned the crowd, cleared her throat, “This illusion realm is called ‘Nan Ke,’ and it has three layers. Today, I will open the first layer for you.”
“Upon entering the illusion realm, you will encounter your deepest fears. It might be something you expect, or it might be something beyond your memory. As for the method to pass the trial, it is exceptionally simple.”
Qin Zhi’s voice suddenly softened slightly, with a hint of playful amusement: “…Just walk out.”
After she finished speaking, the disciples were silent for a moment, then a few whispers broke out.
Wang Yan had always been among the top ranks in many trials, with outstanding strength, and thus held herself in high regard. She was the first to speak: “That simple?”
“It’s that simple,” Qin Zhi nodded with a smile. “How about it, want to try?”
Wang Yan gathered her sleeves, eagerly wanting to go in, but her brother Wang Ze pulled her by the sleeve.
Her brother shook his head slightly and quietly told her, “Master Qin is always quite strict. This is the last trial of the selection competition; you must be extra careful.”
Although Xia Zhitiao couldn’t hear the siblings’ conversation, her thoughts coincided with Wang Ze’s.
The condition “just walk out” sounded simple, but if one thought about it carefully, many strange points would emerge.
For example, under what circumstances would one be “unable to walk out”?
Suffering severe injuries, being unconscious, spiritual power depleted, sword broken, legs severed… or perhaps one’s soul trapped in a nightmare, never to awaken.
Xia Zhitiao merely thought about it and felt a chill run down her spine, shuddering.
In previous trials, such as the initial cliff climbing, if one accidentally fell, someone would be there to protect them, so it wouldn’t be life-threatening. But with this illusion realm trial, there was no way to know.
“Wang Yan, there’s no need to rush,” Qin Zhi deliberately glanced at the bearded Grand-master, and said unhurriedly, “However, as senior brothers and sisters, shouldn’t you all set an example for the newcomers?”
The bearded Grand-master “hmph-ed” and declared loudly, “Politeness is secondary to obedience!”
He pointed to the grotto and said, “Disciples, go! Let Master Qin see what we’re capable of!”
Shuijing Peak disciples: “???”
*Grand-master, it’s easy for you to say when you’re not doing the work. Master Qin Zhi is notoriously ruthless. Do you really think entering this illusion realm is as easy as cutting tofu?*
*And we are the ones actually entering the illusion realm. You’re just loitering outside, doing nothing!*
The bearded Grand-master ignored the disciples’ resentful gazes and calmly had them line up, entering the grotto one by one without missing anyone.
It was strange. The grotto looked narrow and small, too cramped for even two people, but once the disciples entered, their figures would completely disappear, leaving only a faint, empty sound of dripping water.
Zhang Lan watched wide-eyed as Xia Zhitiao took a step, her figure instantly vanishing. An intense sense of unease welled up in her, a mix of fear and helplessness, like she had suddenly been pushed off a cliff, adrift without an anchor.
As soon as the Shuijing Peak disciples had all entered, Zhang Lan immediately rushed forward, silently standing at the very front of the line.
Qin Zhi didn’t stop her. She again gave a few more instructions to the crowd, then allowed the new disciples to begin entering the grotto.
Zhang Lan took a deep breath. She walked forward, and the swirling mist seemed to gain consciousness, quietly receding to the side, revealing a small path leading into the grotto.
The moment she touched the edge of the formation, a bright white light suddenly erupted before her eyes, causing Zhang Lan to instinctively close them. When she opened them again, the scenery before her had changed.
She looked at the familiar sight before her, her eyes widening abruptly. Her body felt controlled, walking forward step by step.
The closer she got, the clearer the figure became.
Zhang Lan could no longer control herself. She reached out, wanting to touch that person, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible tremor: “…Don’t look for me.”