The Villain is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration] - Chapter 14
Xia Zhitiao used her sword to block. The pitch-black dagger struck the sharp white blade with a resounding “clang,” vibrating intensely.
*This person’s strength is above mine!*
Xia Zhitiao forcefully parried the attack, her wrist already aching and almost giving out. She retreated several steps, silently reciting an incantation.
In almost an instant, four slender flames ignited beside her, hovering in mid-air, still burning.
“Go!” Xia Zhitiao commanded. The four flames shot out like arrows, carrying scorching heat, rushing towards the assailant.
The person didn’t dodge or evade. Their dagger spun gently, cutting horizontally across, and the four fireballs were sliced in half, disappearing into the air with a hiss.
The flames were merely a diversion. Xia Zhitiao didn’t want to linger; she only wanted to use the dissipating smoke as cover to escape. But the assailant directly broke her move, then, with a tap of their foot, attacked her.
*I’m completely being suppressed,* Xia Zhitiao regretted, *I should have listened carefully to Grand-master’s lessons.*
She had barely run two steps when the person’s figure flickered, appearing before her, spiritual power surging around them, forcing her back to the edge of Shuijing Lake.
All of the assailant’s moves were lethal. The sharp, cold dagger tips carved gusts of wind, aimed directly at Xia Zhitiao’s neck. She barely managed to dodge one attack, only for the next to follow immediately, leaving her no time to react.
Under the overwhelming power, Xia Zhitiao couldn’t cope. After a few exchanges, her clothes were torn in many places, and she was covered in wounds.
“Who are you?”
Xia Zhitiao, with the mentality of dying with clarity, dodged a strike near her face and shouted, “Why are you attacking me?”
The person’s expression was cold, their attacks becoming more relentless. “The dead don’t need to know such things.”
*If you have the guts, show your true form! Don’t use junior sister’s cute little face to utter such villain BOSS declarations, okay?!*
Xia Zhitiao gritted her teeth. Her Jiyan sword spun, drawing a fire-edged circle in the air as she poured all her spiritual power into the long sword.
The Jiyan sword glowed brightly. The sharp white longsword hummed, countless tiny sparks danced around it, heating the surrounding air.
Xia Zhitiao had good spiritual roots, but her comprehension was lacking. Even after so long in the sect, this was the only move she used proficiently. According to the bearded Grand-master, this move had some powerful name—
The person in front of her surprisingly paused, looking at Xia Zhitiao’s movement, and gave a soft “oh?”, saying, “One Sword Melts the Sun?”
Xia Zhitiao: “…”
*Yep, that’s right. Hearing such a common “X Sword X Sun” name, I knew my move was correct.*
She took a deep breath, mobilized all her spiritual power, and unleashed the first form of “One Sword Melts the Sun,” whose name she couldn’t even remember.
A rainbow light flashed. Countless tiny flames merged into a line, shooting out violently with sword qi, piercing straight towards the assailant!
At the same time, Xia Zhitiao turned and ran without a second thought.
To use this move, she had expended all the spiritual power in her body. She could only use the one and a half seconds the move bought her to escape as far as possible.
Since the person used the junior sister’s face to lure her to the deserted Shuijing Lake, it proved that she, or he, was unwilling to confront Yashan head-on.
As long as she could reach a crowded place or hold out until she reached the main hall, that person would surely be wary of the Grand-master’s strength and retreat.
Unfortunately, she underestimated the opponent’s power.
With a soft “thwack,” Xia Zhitiao’s expression stiffened. She gasped softly, slowly lowering her head.
A pitch-black dagger had pierced her abdomen. Crimson bl00d gushed out, staining her ivory-white robe, a dazzling red.
She suddenly recalled a passage from the original novel: “The suppression between ranks is absolute. Even the most excellent spiritual roots and single-element spiritual roots are no match for a lower-grade spiritual root that is one realm higher.”
She was a Foundation Establishment disciple, and Grand-master often praised her exceptional spiritual roots. Yet, that person used only one move to easily break the flames she had condensed with all her spiritual power, and even closed in on her in an instant.
*…I truly am utterly defenseless.*
Xia Zhitiao gave a bitter smile. The dagger seemed to be infused with demonic power, suppressing the spiritual power within her body. She felt a wave of dizziness, her body swaying precariously.
The person held the hilt, twisting the dagger further inward. Their knuckles were stained with bl00d, yet they seemed oblivious, still smiling with extreme gentleness.
With a gentle push, Xia Zhitiao lost her balance and fell into the Ruoshui.
Her body struck the water, yet there was no sound. The placid Ruoshui surged over, enveloping her body, slowly consuming her.
When the lake surface returned to calm, with no ripples, the standing person tidied their long hair and calmly said, “Done.”
A figure from the shadows nodded slightly, stepping forward, and said blandly, “Good, you did well.”
The “junior sister” turned around. She reached up and pulled off the human skin mask she was wearing, revealing a completely different face.
She slowly put on a pair of gloves, looked at the person in the shadows, and said calmly, “Don’t forget your promise.”
The person chuckled twice: “Naturally.”
—
The overwhelming lake water surged over, pouring into her collar and sleeves, pressing down in layers.
Xia Zhitiao’s body plummeted rapidly. The Ruoshui filled her mouth and nose. Before long, she broke through the water’s surface, landing with a “thud” on the solid rock ground below.
“Ugh…”
Her body ached as if it were breaking apart. Her hands and feet were cold. Bl00d spread from her abdomen, mixing with the lake water, sliding from her fingertips, dripping onto the dry sandy ground.
Water seeped into the wound, sticking to her clothes. Any attempt to pull them apart brought a tearing pain, as if skin were being ripped away.
Xia Zhitiao gritted her teeth, crawling little by little at the bottom of the lake. She vaguely saw a rock and leaned against it, panting uncontrollably.
The person who tried to kill her was definitely prepared. The demonic power on the dagger suppressed her spiritual power, and the Ruoshui, like water lice, greedily absorbed the spiritual power from her body.
Xia Zhitiao clutched her wound, but the bl00d wouldn’t stop, gushing from her abdomen, soaking her slender white knuckles, staining her clothes bright red.
Her vision blurred, as if a thick mist covered her eyes. Xia Zhitiao looked up at the scenery above, but suddenly froze:
…Sunlight.
The Ruoshui hung in mid-air. The midday sun, like feathered arrows, pierced through the lake surface, spreading layers of shimmering golden light.
It was like the golden glazed tiles of Yashan’s main hall, churning endlessly, ceaselessly alive.
She looked at the brilliant sunlight, and her eyes suddenly reddened.
She had clearly done nothing wrong. She had been in this fantasy world for so long, always cautious, speaking with careful measure, afraid of attracting unnecessary trouble, just to survive.
Yet, in the end, she was inexplicably stabbed and thrown into Shuijing Lake, which could isolate spiritual power. That person was clearly fully prepared, intent on killing her.
Her heart felt as if something was pressing down on it, waves of grievance and distress. Even when she reached out for the Jiyan sword lying nearby, she couldn’t reach it.
The sunlight was somewhat dazzling. Xia Zhitiao lowered her head slightly, her breathing gradually steadied, and her consciousness slowly faded.
A sense of drowsiness spread in layers. In a daze, it felt as if someone reached out and gently closed her eyelids.
—
The midday sun was scorching, making one’s mouth and tongue dry. In the afternoon, clouds gathered again.
Thick clouds piled up, slowly swallowing the azure sky, chewing and savoring it. For a long time, not a hint of blue was revealed, and finally, they completely obscured the sun.
Xia Zhitiao didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, but suddenly, she regained some awareness.
*How long has it been… Am I still alive?*
Her head ached in waves. She painstakingly opened her eyes a little, but everything was hazy and indistinct.
Xia Zhitiao sighed inwardly, feeling bitter.
That person wasn’t even clean in killing her. They should have given her a quick, merciful death, instead of leaving her in a state where she couldn’t live or die.
She closed her eyes, but then suddenly realized that the wound no longer hurt. The feeling of exhaustion from depleted spiritual power was also completely gone.
Xia Zhitiao lifted her head slightly in surprise, vaguely seeing someone kneeling beside her, their dark clothes blocking the light.
The person’s head was bowed, and the water rippled, obscuring their expression. She could only hear an extremely soft and slow voice, as if from a distant, ethereal place:
“…I’m sorry.”
The person’s expression was blank, murmuring to themselves, repeating this sentence over and over, as if there was nothing else to say.
*What’s going on? Why are you apologizing to me?*
Xia Zhitiao’s head felt heavy and muddled. She looked down and saw her fingers, which had been clutching her abdomen, were already soaked in bl00d, also stained with gray dirt, and wrinkled, curled up.
*So ugly,* she thought, *how unseemly.*
She was, after all, a senior sister of Shuijing Peak. Not only had she failed to set a good example, but she had also fallen to such a wretched state.
The person beside her paid no mind. Long, slender fingers covered her own bl00d-dried hand, interlacing with hers.
Their breathing was sometimes light, sometimes heavy, their voice low and hoarse, trembling incessantly: “…I’m sorry, the Ruoshui blocked spiritual power. I searched all over Yashan, looked for so long… I…”
A warmth spread from where their skin touched. Gentle spiritual power was controlled with extreme care, seeping into her body little by little.
Xia Zhitiao wanted to say something, but her throat felt hoarse, unable to make a sound.
The person carefully reached out and embraced Xia Zhitiao, their movements extremely gentle and cautious, as if she were a porcelain doll that would shatter at a touch.
Like being pulled back from a precarious tightrope, her taut nerves suddenly relaxed. Held in the embrace, leaning against their shoulder, Xia Zhitiao’s thoughts began to wander.
Shuijing Lake itself was located at the edge of Yashan, a remote and desolate place. Coupled with the spiritual power-devouring Ruoshui, it was truly an excellent location for murder and destroying evidence.
She had already completely despaired and was about to write a will. For this person to find this ghost of a place before she breathed her last, it truly was difficult for them…
Even while embracing her, the black-clad woman’s voice was still strained, flustered and helpless, whispering repeatedly: “I promise, I promise—it won’t happen again.”
Xia Zhitiao buried her face in the other person’s shoulder, feeling an inexplicable sense of security. She closed her eyes, and drowsiness washed over her.
A beast-tooth pendant hung at the person’s neck, gently swaying by her ear, making a few faint, solitary clinking sounds.
Author’s Note:
Small Theater:
Zhang Kuang: Taotao, let me secretly show you my other account! It’s already max level!!