The Villain is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration] - Chapter 17

This question was genuinely a bit difficult to answer.

Xia Zhitiao deliberated for a moment, then said, “To be honest, I’m not sure… but it should be an outer sect disciple named Yuan Shuang.”

She could only say this for now. Xia Zhitiao silently apologized to the unknown black-clad woman, thinking that if she ever had the chance to meet her again, she definitely had to award her a Lei Feng medal.

*It really isn’t good to “do good deeds without leaving a name.” If that black-clad woman had left a business card or something, Yuan Shuang wouldn’t have been able to jump out and claim credit.*

However, she didn’t know that if the black-clad woman really had left a token, Yashan would probably be shaken to its core, with everyone scrambling for ten days to half a month.

“Outer sect?!” Wang Yan’s voice suddenly rose eight octaves, asking in surprise, “An outer sect disciple was able to save you from the Ruoshui, which even the masters struggle to break through?”

“I know, right?” Xia Zhitiao inwardly grumbled, then smiled politely, “According to Disciple Yuan, she used an immortal rope to pull me out.”

“I see,” Wang Yan exclaimed, “How clever!”

Everyone: “…”

Xia Zhitiao: “…”

Mu Si’s voice slowly chimed in: “Difficult.”

Although the explanation was barely plausible, everyone present was somewhat unconvinced.

*Do you think an immortal rope comes with a built-in GPS navigation system, capable of automatically finding Xia Zhitiao in the vast Shuijing Lake and pulling her up without tearing her wound wider?*

Her brother Wang Ze smiled helplessly, saying, “In any case, it’s good that Senior Sister Xia is alright. Yesterday, we helped the masters and grand-masters search for a long time, but made no progress at all. We were all incredibly anxious.”

The junior sister, who hadn’t spoken for a while, suddenly reached out and tugged at Xia Zhitiao, muttering softly, “That’s why I said, the Yashan masters are completely useless, utterly ineffective—”

*Hey, hey, you can’t just say whatever you want!*

Xia Zhitiao quickly covered her mouth and said, “It was truly my carelessness that caused everyone worry. I apologize first.”

Zhang Lan blinked her big eyes hard in protest, but Xia Zhitiao was unmoved. She calmly kept her hand over Zhang Lan’s mouth and said, “We are also deeply grateful for everyone’s help today in resolving this.”

“Not at all, as fellow disciples, this is simply our duty,” Wang Ze said gently.

Xia Zhitiao and Wang Ze exchanged pleasantries back and forth for a long time. Wang Yan watched curiously, Zhang Lan was silenced with her mouth covered, and Mu Si remained expressionless and quiet, as if she were air.

Qin Zhi came over after a while, saying something about needing to catch up on training after wasting two days. She mercilessly rounded up all the little “radishes.”

Xia Zhitiao was called aside by Huai Ruishi and stayed with Lu Guo on Jingting Peak for a while longer, detailing the events of that day.

Jingting Peak truly lived up to its name as the Peak of Justice. Xia Zhitiao felt like she was giving a police statement, pressured by the other side, repeatedly recounting the events of that day in meticulous detail.

She turned to look at Lu Guo, who also looked utterly resigned, numbly answering the question for the fifth time.

By the time Jingting Peak finally released them, dusk was already setting. Xia Zhitiao looked at the gradually fading sun and quietly sighed:

*I was clearly determined to cultivate well and improve every day, striving to escape unscathed next time… Now, it seems I’ve wasted another day.*

—

Xia Zhitiao was a little tired. Yawning, she returned to her small wooden house and recited a cleansing incantation before preparing to rest.

Yashan at night was incredibly quiet. All things seemed to have hushed their sounds, leaving only faint, empty cicada chirps.

The room had been bustling all day. It was somewhat unsettling for it to suddenly be so cold and desolate.

At this moment, with everything silent and the moon just rising, it was actually a good time for cultivation. But Xia Zhitiao tried meditating for a while and couldn’t calm her mind.

Having just walked through the gates of death, it was inevitable that her thoughts would be complex. Xia Zhitiao sat on her bed, her long hair draped around her, staring blankly at the softly burning spiritual candle.

*Who was that black-clad woman who saved her?*

Ruoshui was known as the “Water of the Heavenly River.” Like quicksand in a desert, even the slightest contact could instantly devour most of one’s spiritual power.

Wang Yan had also said earlier that even Yashan’s masters struggled to break through the Ruoshui barrier. Since that black-clad woman was able to find her, her strength must be extraordinary.

*Perhaps, she was an reinforcement sent by the grand-masters?*

But if she was a reinforcement, why was she so secretive, unwilling to reveal her identity?

Xia Zhitiao racked her brains, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation. She simply lay down to sleep.

She lay on her side, and amidst her random thoughts, she inexplicably recalled the embrace from under Shuijing Lake.

Extremely light, extremely soft, carefully, holding her in an embrace…

Her cheek inexplicably flushed. Xia Zhitiao quickly pulled the blanket over her head and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

—

In the following days, she cultivated much more diligently. The spiritual power within her body flowed more smoothly, already subtly approaching a bottleneck.

Human cultivation was divided into ten realms: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Manifestation, Void Transcendence, Body Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, Great Accomplishment, and Spirit Transformation. Each realm was divided into five stages, with increasing difficulty. Crossing realms was the most arduous and time-consuming step.

As the foremost sect in the world, Yashan was naturally very proud. Not only did it only recruit once every ten years, but it rejected those with low comprehension, inferior spiritual roots, and even had strict requirements for spiritual affinity.

This batch of disciples had good spiritual roots, but most were still at the “Way-seeking” stage before Qi Condensation. Only a few exceptional disciples like Mu Si and the Wang siblings had reached Qi Condensation.

Therefore, for a junior sister like Zhang Lan to be at Foundation Establishment right from the start was truly an astounding talent—

*It’s just a pity she couldn’t use her spiritual power. She had such high cultivation but couldn’t utilize it, making everyone think she hadn’t even reached Qi Condensation.*

“Zhitiao, come here for a moment.”

Hearing the bearded Grand-master call her name, Xia Zhitiao stood up and walked over: “Grand-master.”

“I see your spiritual power has been stagnant recently,” Hu Zi observed her. “Have you hit a bottleneck?”

Xia Zhitiao nodded: “This disciple is already at Foundation Establishment, Five Stage, but the realm is truly difficult to cross. I feel somewhat powerless.”

“The Core Formation stage is crucial. If the Core formed has flaws, it will adversely affect future cultivation,” the bearded Grand-master said. “This matter cannot be rushed; it must be taken slowly.”

Xia Zhitiao bowed slightly: “This disciple will heed your teachings.”

“How about this? The trial competition is in a few days. At that time, you’ll not only fight as a Shuijing Peak disciple but also lead a team as a senior sister in the initiation trial…”

The bearded Grand-master frowned and thought for a moment, then said, “You should stay at Foundation Establishment, Five Stage for a while. Focus on advancing after the competition.”

The Grand-master made a good point. Staying at Foundation Establishment meant she would still fight as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, avoiding battles with Core Formation disciples. Xia Zhitiao thought for a moment and agreed: “Then I’ll follow Grand-master’s instructions.”

*Alright, so much for “cultivating well.” Now she had a legitimate reason to slack off again.* Xia Zhitiao hummed a little tune, stepped onto her Jiyan sword, and planned to head back to her cabin.

Because she took a shortcut, coincidentally, she passed by the quiet Shuijing Lake again.

She now felt a chill down her spine whenever she saw the lake and wanted to walk around it. She also picked up her pace considerably, just wanting to leave the place quickly.

Since her fall into the water, the Grand-master had placed a restriction around Shuijing Lake, and people regularly patrolled its perimeter to prevent disciples from approaching.

Logically, the restricted area should be empty. Xia Zhitiao casually glanced inside, but a tall, well-proportioned, slightly blurry figure suddenly entered her sight.

Someone stood by Shuijing Lake, strands of dark hair pulled by the wind, looking down at the calm surface of the lake, lost in thought.

Author’s Note:

Someone: I’m thinking about how to dismantle Shuijing Lake.