The Villain is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration] - Chapter 12

On the other side, Xia Zhitiao glanced at the person in front of her, then at the familiar surroundings, and said wordlessly, “What’s going on?”

They said she’d “confront her nightmare and inner demons.” So how was it that when she walked into the cave, she literally just walked into a cave?

It looked like an ordinary cave, though the lighting was a bit dim, only vaguely revealing the inside.

A white halo stood in front of her, speaking in the tone of a customer service representative, amicably saying, “Hello, esteemed disciple. Because your physique is special, the formation has malfunctioned.”

*Is it because I’m a transmigrator that this formation doesn’t affect me?*

Xia Zhitiao: “…Can I leave a bad review?”

“I apologize,” the halo’s voice was amiable, “This is a conscious projection and can only respond to specific inquiries.”

*Alright, alright,* Xia Zhitiao sighed, crossing her arms, and glanced down at her feet. “What is this?”

Not far away, several stones, pieces of wood, and some strange talismans were arranged together to form several odd circles, looking like a deployed formation.

It looked like a setup within this “Nan Ke Yao” grotto. *Is it really okay that the illusion formation is exposed like this?*

“You should have seen it already; no need to doubt. That over there is the entire formation,” the halo quietly explained, its voice surprisingly a little shy.

“I didn’t read the scrolls carefully back then, and I accidentally created an ancient killing formation just by haphazardly arranging things. It can kill regardless of whether you’re at Core Formation or Nascent Soul stage, so be very careful not to kick that little purple stone.”

*There are too many things to mock, what should I do?!*

Xia Zhitiao shivered and silently retreated three steps backward, keeping far away from the formation, fearing she might accidentally sneeze and cause some tragic “illusion-realm murder” incident…

*My adorable junior sister is still in there!*

The halo seemed to have built-in GPS navigation. As Xia Zhitiao retreated, the halo floated over, faithfully and diligently asking, “Esteemed disciple, do you have any other questions?”

Xia Zhitiao negotiated with the halo, “Can I go out?”

To her surprise, the halo swayed and amicably said, “No, not possible. Since you’re already here, it would be such a pity to leave. Let me find something fun for you to see.”

Xia Zhitiao: “…”

*I’m sorry, I’m really not interested.*

Clearly, Xia Zhitiao had no choice. A flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and she instinctively raised a hand to block it.

When she opened her eyes again, her vision cleared dramatically.

Xia Zhitiao found herself standing in a vast library. Bookshelves were scattered around, and countless open books floated in the air, slowly turning their pages, making soft rustling sounds.

“This is your Sea of Consciousness; you can see all your past memories,” the halo proudly said. “How about it, isn’t it fun?”

*What’s fun about looking at my own memories? It’s even a little creepy, okay?*

Xia Zhitiao couldn’t be bothered to complain. Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. She began strolling through her memory realm.

This library had a modern style, with clean, sharp lines and distinct contours, which was her preferred aesthetic.

She randomly pulled out a book, flipped a few pages, and saw her tiny self arguing fiercely with her younger brother. Flipping a few more pages, she saw herself discussing work matters with her brother; both were adults, but their relationship was still very good.

Some things she remembered, others were blurrier. Xia Zhitiao couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic, wanting to keep flipping through.

Strangely, from a certain period onwards, the images and text in the books suddenly became a jumbled mess, as if completely soaked in water, making nothing clear.

Several consecutive books were like this, and the missing fragments were all from the same time period, which made Xia Zhitiao suspicious.

Sometime before her transmigration, her memories suddenly became blurry, and only became clear again fourteen years after her transmigration, when she joined Yashan.

This period seemed to have been forcibly cut out or locked away. No matter how hard Xia Zhitiao tried, she couldn’t recall anything that happened during that time.

“Is this what Master Qin called ‘locked’?” Xia Zhitiao closed the book and asked the halo.

Naturally, the halo didn’t understand her question and slowly explained, “My true form has long since vanished into thin air. This is a conscious projection and cannot answer your inquiries.”

Xia Zhitiao sighed. She closed the book and put it back in its original place.

“I’ve seen enough. Take me out,” Xia Zhitiao said softly.

The halo then surged, the surrounding scenery began to blur, like a receding tide losing its color. The last sound she heard was the halo’s sigh-like remark:

“…As you wish.”

—

When she opened her eyes again, Xia Zhitiao found herself back in “Nan Ke Yao.”

She steadied herself and walked out of the grotto, only to find the area completely empty; all the disciples were gone.

Qin Zhi and Hu Zi stood not far away, looking at her with shocked expressions.

Xia Zhitiao calmly bowed, saying, “Grand-master Hu, Master Qin.”

Qin Zhi was too stunned to speak clearly, stammering, “You, you… how is this possible… What’s wrong with your disciple?!”

The bearded Grand-master said innocently, “You ask me, who am I to ask! What’s wrong with your broken formation?”

Qin Zhi yelled, “Hu, Zi! Don’t you dare slander my Master’s formation—”

Xia Zhitiao saw the expressions of the two peak masters and inwardly thought, *Oh no, I probably came out too early and startled them both.*

Indeed, Qin Zhi gradually calmed down. She took a deep breath and inquired, “This, Xia Zhitiao, right? How did you come out so early?”

Xia Zhitiao quickly told the truth: “After this disciple entered the grotto, a projection of an immortal master appeared and said the formation wasn’t working.”

“So that’s it,” Qin Zhi said, relieved after hearing the explanation. “Such phenomena have indeed occurred before, for example, Buddhist disciples who cut off their seven emotions and six desires, or immortal spirits with perfectly compatible spiritual roots…”

Xia Zhitiao chuckled in agreement and said, “So, does that mean I passed?”

“The formation was ineffective, so you naturally passed,” the bearded Grand-master stroked his chin, sounding a little regretful. “It’s just a pity you missed a chance to confront your inner demons.”

Xia Zhitiao was naturally happy to pass without the trial, but she still followed the Grand-master’s words, saying, “It is indeed a pity.”

She paused, then asked, “Have all the disciples entered the illusion realm?”

Qin Zhi gave a cool “hmph” and said, “That junior sister of yours is quite fond of you; she was the first to rush in. I’d like to see when she comes out!”

Although Qin Zhi could monitor the disciples’ status and the depth of the illusion, she herself could not observe the scenes within. This meant that each disciple’s inner demon was known only to themselves.

Xia Zhitiao turned to look at the cold “Nan Ke Yao” grotto, a little lost in thought. She wondered what the junior sister was seeing inside.

—

“…Don’t look for me. You won’t find me.”

Zhang Lan stood amidst vast snow. She reached out, wanting to pull the person in front of her, but her fingers passed through their sleeve, touching nothing.

Zhang Lan stared blankly at her palm, then suddenly, as if released, she muttered to herself, “It’s all just an illusion. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Snow fell in a flurry, and a chill seemed to seep into her fingertips, spreading through her body. Zhang Lan took a deep breath and, regardless of whether she might hit something, ran forward with her eyes closed.

She didn’t know how long she ran. The snow seemed to have stopped. A soft breeze brushed against her cheek, bringing a faint tickle. She suddenly opened her eyes, and her nose caught a light-colored petal.

The previous scene had vanished without a trace, replaced by a magnificent grand hall standing atop a peak. She was standing on the stone path in front of the hall.

The scene before her was all too familiar; she recognized this place.

—Qiling Mountain, Demon Sect Main Hall.

Zhang Lan steadied herself. She quickly walked forward along the stone path, reaching the main hall. She gently pushed, and the heavy black stone door opened in response.

The hall was dimly lit, and black mist seemed to have solidified, heavily pressing down on the atmosphere.

Zhang Lan looked up and saw a figure in black robes, sitting with legs crossed on the high seat. Ink-black hair cascaded over their shoulders, and their voice was nonchalant: “You clearly know in your heart, the truth is what it is.”

Facing the Demon Sect Leader, Zhang Lan showed no fear, calmly saying, “How long do you intend to stay in this dilapidated mountain?”

“She’s already dead, why deceive yourself?” Zhang Kuang said. “It’s nothing but futile effort.”

“…No.”

Zhang Lan’s face suddenly darkened. She tightly clenched a petal in her hand: “She’s not dead. She’s still alive and well.”

Zhang Kuang sneered, mocking, “Naive. Did you see clearly that day? The entire place was burned clean; no one survived. How could she still be alive?”

“—Shut up!”

Zhang Lan roared sharply, her body trembling slightly with emotion. “It’s nothing but a mere illusion! What right do you have to say such a thing?!”

All the people, all the scenes, even the conversations and sounds, were merely an illusion set up by the White Crane clan!

Zhang Lan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m leaving. I’m going to find her.”

Her voice was very soft. Rather than speaking to the person in front of her, it was more like speaking to herself.

“I can’t give up. Even if she remembers nothing, I want to try.”

Zhang Lan slowly opened her eyes and found herself in black robes, standing blankly on a high platform.

The main hall before her was empty. Outside the window, flower trees grew everywhere. When the wind passed, they rustled, casting a serene coolness over everything.

All this time, there had only ever been one person.

She lowered her head, murmuring, “If she gets annoyed, if she finds me noisy, if she finds me bothersome… I’ll leave, and come back here.”

—

The disciples exited one after another. Qin Zhi also led out a few disciples who were completely trapped, but there was no sign of the junior sister.

Xia Zhitiao waited until she almost molded. She yawned, then finally saw Zhang Lan appear at the grotto entrance, her eyes lighting up.

Zhang Lan pursed her lips, slowly shuffling forward. After just a few steps, she was suddenly blocked.

She abruptly looked up to see Xia Zhitiao standing in front of her, smiling brightly.

Xia Zhitiao’s eyes curved slightly. She reached up and ruffled her own hair, her voice gentle: “What’s wrong?”