The Villain is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration] - Chapter 2
Wait a minute, why does that name sound so familiar?
She’d been in this world for fifteen years. Due to the scarcity of resources in ancient times and the lack of entertainment like phones and computers, she had no choice but to read that small booklet over and over.
Over the past decade or so, she’d become intimately familiar with its contents. So, when she heard the name “Zhang Lan,” the book’s details flashed through her mind.
…Year 264, Zhang Lan changes her name to Zhang Kuang.
Who is Zhang Kuang? The legendary, notoriously violent and wicked Demon Sect Leader! !
This person’s power was unfathomable, and her temperament unpredictable. Her appearances always brought bloodshed. Her name, let alone in their immortal path, was enough to strike fear into the hearts of mortals.
Two years ago, Zhang Kuang, by herself, slaughtered the entire Shura Sect on Qiling Mountain. It was said that on that day, bl00d flowed all the way down to the foot of the mountain, and not a single peak or even a dozen large halls survived.
The black embers of countless demonic cultivators’ corpses rose, thick smoke swallowing the vast clear sky completely, lingering for over a month.
A year ago, she broke into Yashan, shattering nine layers of seals in three moves, snapping eighty-one layers of profound iron chains, reducing the entire Demon Locking Tower to ashes, and swaggering off with the trapped Demon Lord.
It was like a basin of icy water had been thrown over her head; Xia Zhitiao’s heart went cold.
It’s over.
I actually dared to touch the head of a powerful villain, and because it felt nice, I rubbed it at least a few times… Is it too late to sincerely prostrate myself and apologize now?
Although Xia Zhitiao’s expression was calm, her inner world was churning.
Calm down, calm down!
It’s just the same name. “Zhang” is a common surname, and the character “Lan” isn’t rare. How could there be only one person named Zhang Lan?
It must just be a coincidence.
Xia Zhitiao took a deep breath. She quickly pulled her hand back, clasped it behind her back, and finished her sentence with a stiff smile: “…A good, good name.”
The young girl lowered her head shyly, her slender white fingers twisting the corner of her clothes, and softly asked, “What about Senior Sister?”
“Xia Zhitiao,” Xia Zhitiao replied honestly. She tidied her sleeves and turned around. “Follow me, I’ll take you to find a place to stay.”
Because her back was turned, she didn’t see the young girl behind her lower her head, looking at her retreating figure. Zhang Lan whispered the name, circling it around her lips and teeth with extreme tenderness:
“Zhitiao… Xia Zhitiao.”
.
Xia Zhitiao returned to the bluestone path she had taken earlier, but this time, she had a well-behaved little tail following behind her.
…And not just any little tail, but a ferocious one that could devour someone whole and spit out no bones when angered.
Because of her inner apprehension, Xia Zhitiao couldn’t help but walk a little fast, barely looking back.
The little tail kept following, and perhaps because she wasn’t familiar with the path, she suddenly kicked a stone.
Xia Zhitiao heard a “plop” sound. She quickly turned her head and saw the little tail fall to the ground, biting her teeth, wanting to get up with a pitiful expression.
Leader! Leader, why did you fall?!
Xia Zhitiao’s heart tightened. Ignoring the cold dampness on the bluestone steps, she half-knelt down and lowered her head to check on Zhang Lan.
The little tail’s fall was quite severe. Her knee had hit the bluestone hard, already oozing specks of bl00d, looking quite dreadful.
Zhang Lan frowned, her eyes misted with tears. She sat halfway on the ground, her voice trembling slightly, with a hint of a sob, apologizing repeatedly: “I’m, I’m sorry, I was too reckless…”
“How could you be so careless?” Xia Zhitiao paid no mind to anything else. She quickly pulled out a soft cloth from her storage ring and carefully covered the knee wound.
She felt a pang of sadness and blamed herself: “It’s my fault. Junior Sister, you just joined, I should have walked slower.”
Zhang Lan shook her head, biting her lip without speaking.
With the soft cloth covering the wound, Xia Zhitiao lowered her head, spiritual power gathered in her fingers. Through the thin soft cloth, she gently and warmly covered the wound, making the bloodstains disappear little by little.
Having spiritual power was great. As long as the wound wasn’t too severe, a small bump or scrape could heal instantly.
After removing the soft cloth, the wound on the junior sister’s knee had vanished, replaced by delicate, soft white skin.
Zhang Lan, teary-eyed, said, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”
Xia Zhitiao breathed a sigh of relief, putting her handkerchief back into her storage ring. She then looked up at the pitiful little junior sister again.
Thinking this way, Zhang Lan was probably just someone with the same name. After all, the mighty Demon Sect Leader falling flat on her face and even shedding tears… that seemed a bit unrealistic.
Thinking that she had misunderstood the other person because of a name, Xia Zhitiao felt even more guilty towards her junior sister.
She extended her hand to Zhang Lan, gently saying, “Let me help you up.”
Zhang Lan froze. One second she was pitiful, the next, her expression suddenly brightened.
She excitedly extended her hand, placing it in Xia Zhitiao’s palm: “Okay!”
The other person’s palm was soft, warm against hers, her fingers like they were cupping a cloud.
Xia Zhitiao pulled her up. Just as she thought Zhang Lan was steady and was about to let go, Zhang Lan suddenly stepped a little closer, clasped Xia Zhitiao’s hand in return, and wouldn’t let go.
Their fingers intertwined, a very intimate gesture.
Xia Zhitiao was slightly taken aback. She turned her head and saw Zhang Lan looking at her unblinkingly, her eyes clearly screaming “I want to hold hands.”
Xia Zhitiao: “…”
Oh well, this child had just been forced to leave her family and come to this unfamiliar Shuijing Peak. She must be incredibly anxious. Xia Zhitiao should take better care of her.
Thinking this, Xia Zhitiao sighed and let Zhang Lan have her way.
The previous look of distress vanished. The junior sister held Xia Zhitiao’s hand tightly, brightly saying, “Senior Sister, where are we going?”
Xia Zhitiao looked up at the sky and said, “I’ll take you to the outer sect residence first to settle down. If there’s still time, we can walk around.”
“Does Senior Sister live there too?” Zhang Lan asked.
Xia Zhitiao shook her head: “I’m an inner disciple; our residences are separate.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw Zhang Lan’s entire demeanor dim. Her eyebrows drooped, like a wilting flower, and she said weakly, “Is it very far from Senior Sister’s place?”
Xia Zhitiao was both annoyed and amused. She extended her free hand and flicked the other’s forehead, saying, “You’ve only been here for one day. After tomorrow’s spiritual power test, you’ll have your own room.”
Although she said that, Xia Zhitiao felt a little bad and secretly hid something.
—Only recognized disciples can have their own rooms.
In other words, if this junior sister passes the spiritual power test tomorrow, she will be temporarily taken in as an outer disciple, and Xia Zhitiao will be able to continue teaching her. After a series of trials, Zhang Lan would be able to officially join Shuijing Peak and become an inner disciple.
However, if the spiritual power detected tomorrow is too low, or her spiritual roots are too inferior, she will be assigned to the outer disciples and will no longer receive guidance from lecturers or elders.
As an outer disciple, she would have to attempt cultivation on her own. If she couldn’t figure out the knack, and failed to perform well in the trials, then it would be almost equivalent to being abandoned by Yashan, remaining an outer disciple in obscurity forever.
Xia Zhitiao couldn’t help but glance at her junior sister. Seeing her “steamed bun-like” little face, and then thinking about how the child could fall flat on her face while walking, she couldn’t help but worry a little for her.
The junior sister didn’t know Xia Zhitiao’s thoughts. Upon hearing that the residence was only temporary, she instantly reverted to her previous cheerful demeanor, confidently saying, “I’ll do my best!”
Xia Zhitiao nodded with a smile. The two followed the small path downwards, and before long, arrived at several wooden houses near the foot of the mountain.
.
Outer disciples naturally didn’t receive the same treatment as inner or core disciples. Their residences were relatively much worse, though not dilapidated to the point of being uninhabitable; they were just comparatively poorer and noisier.
Zhang Lan had been holding Xia Zhitiao’s hand. She looked around several times and asked, “Am I going to live here?”
Xia Zhitiao nodded and said, “Yes. If you pass the spiritual power test, you can change rooms tomorrow.”
She led Zhang Lan into one of the small houses, stopped in front of a table, untied the wooden plaque from her waist, and handed it to the gray-robed woman in front of them.
The gray-robed woman took the wooden plaque and looked at it twice, her expression suddenly becoming a bit excited, saying, “Senior Sister Xia, an inner disciple?”
“This is a new junior sister; she hasn’t had her spiritual power tested yet,” Xia Zhitiao glanced at Zhang Lan beside her and explained to the gray-robed woman, “Please arrange a room for her.”
“Of course, of course.” The gray-robed woman agreed repeatedly. She turned and pulled open a drawer, selected a key from among countless others, and respectfully handed it to Xia Zhitiao. Throughout, she didn’t even glance at Zhang Lan.
“The key you wanted, the fifth house to the right,” the gray-robed woman carefully handed it over, saying, “There are already four girls living inside.”
Xia Zhitiao frowned slightly in displeasure: “Are there no empty rooms?”
The gray-robed woman shook her head, saying, “All of them are full. This one has the fewest people.”
There was nothing to be done. Xia Zhitiao smiled apologetically at Zhang Lan, saying, “I’m sorry to trouble you.”
Zhang Lan shook her head at her, her voice soft: “It’s fine.”
Xia Zhitiao led Zhang Lan to the small wooden house. She handed the key to Zhang Lan, saying, “Go inside and get familiar with it first. I’ll go get some things for you and be right back.”
Zhang Lan obediently nodded. She watched Xia Zhitiao’s figure walk away, then used the key to open the wooden door and stepped inside.
The room was narrow, and the air was stuffy and choking. Several girls inside stopped talking abruptly when they saw Zhang Lan enter.
“What? A newcomer actually arrived?”
One of them stood up, lazily narrowing her eyes, and commanded, “Newbie, go fill the water tank by the door for me.”
The others covered their mouths, giggling, pointing at Zhang Lan with expressions full of disdain.
Then, they saw the slender young girl at the door smile and slowly raise her head.
Her amber eyes suddenly lost their color, their bright light gradually peeling away, dimming, until they were finally covered by a thick, dark mist, pressing down coldly, making it hard to breathe.
She smiled, but not quite, and said, “Oh?”
Author’s Note:
Small Theater:
Zhang Kuang: Why can’t a Demon Sect Leader fall flat on her face? Can’t I intentionally fall for my wife to see? Any objections?
Xia Zhitiao: ………………