The Villain is Soft and Clingy [Transmigration] - Chapter 5
“Yes, I came to watch you.” Xia Zhitiao nodded. She glanced at the tightly tied knot in the rope around Zhang Lan’s waist and couldn’t help but feel a little confused. “How are you planning to pass the trial?”
“Oh, this?” Zhang Lan looked down, unhurriedly tugged at the rope, and said, “Jump down, then climb back up using the rope.”
Master Qin Zhi and the bearded Grand-master also noticed them and walked over together. Qin Zhi frowned, “What’s this newcomer’s name again… In any case, her situation is a bit strange.”
“She reached Foundation Establishment upon arrival; her aptitude is acceptable,” Qin Zhi sighed. “It’s just a pity she can’t use spiritual power.”
Zhang Lan completely ignored Master Qin Zhi, secretly tugged at Xia Zhitiao’s sleeve, and quietly moved closer to her.
“No way, why can’t she use spiritual power?” The bearded Grand-master was very surprised. He avoided the other disciples and transmitted a message to Qin Zhi through their spiritual sea, “Could it be that Zhang Lan has a Furnace Cauldron physique?”
Qin Zhi: “…”
*Furnace Cauldron, my foot.*
She shook her head firmly: “No, if she truly had that physique, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice.”
“This newcomer is quite intelligent; her calligraphy assignments are always excellent,” Qin Zhi said. “It’s just that her spiritual power path is completely blocked.”
Xia Zhitiao couldn’t help but speak cautiously: “If she can’t use spiritual power at all…”
The bearded Grand-master hesitated, but Qin Zhi answered mercilessly: “Either get out of the mountain, or go to the outer sect.”
Xia Zhitiao was stunned and instinctively looked at Zhang Lan. The junior sister, however, rubbed against her shoulder, her voice nonchalant: “As long as I pass the trial, won’t I also be able to become an inner disciple like Tiao—*cough*, like Senior Sister?”
Qin Zhi looked at the new disciple’s laid-back demeanor, feeling displeased. She pointed at the cliff and scolded, “That’s easy for you to say. If you don’t make it back before half of the others, you can pack your bags and leave the mountain tomorrow!”
Zhang Lan was clearly startled by the master’s scolding. She couldn’t help but shrink back, turning to look at Xia Zhitiao, her big eyes unblinking and looking pitiful.
*Why are you looking at me…?*
The junior sister’s eyes were watery, staring at her without speaking, which immediately put some psychological pressure on Xia Zhitiao.
She allowed Zhang Lan to cling pitifully to her shoulder, hesitant for a long while, unsure what to do. Finally, she could only tentatively say, “Then… go, Junior Sister?”
Zhang Lan had been waiting for these words. Her small face instantly cleared from cloudy to sunny, and she nodded heavily, earnestly saying, “I will!!”
She straightened up and walked towards the cliff, pulling the rope. Xia Zhitiao had already roughly guessed the junior sister’s method, but still felt a bit uneasy: “This is too dangerous.”
“What are you dilly-dallying for?” Qin Zhi said helplessly. “If you’re going, go quickly.”
Zhang Lan nodded, turned and smiled sweetly at Xia Zhitiao, saying, “Wait for me.”
Xia Zhitiao opened her mouth, but the words on the tip of her tongue remained unsaid. She simply watched Zhang Lan, holding the rope, stand at the edge of the cliff.
She was so small, standing at the edge of the abyss, surrounded by biting cold wind that whipped her clothes about.
Xia Zhitiao clutched her sleeve tightly. She unconsciously took a step forward, suddenly wanting to grab the other person, but it was already too late.
Zhang Lan released the rope in her hand, took a step forward, and with no support beneath her feet, she abruptly stepped into emptiness, plummeting into the abyss. Her figure gradually blurred in the endless darkness until it completely disappeared.
As the rope was pulled, the bundled coils rapidly diminished. Finally, with a “snap,” the end of the rope violently secured itself to the protruding rock.
The rope was stretched extremely taut, as if it would snap at any moment. Xia Zhitiao quickly rushed forward, carefully protecting the lifeline with her spiritual power.
“This fellow is quite clever. Doing it this way is actually faster than many others.” Compared to Xia Zhitiao’s tension, Qin Zhi appeared much calmer.
She glanced at the disciples below who were carefully creating “stairs” with their spiritual power. She touched the rope with the back of her finger and calmly said, “That little girl should have reached the bottom. Now it depends on how she gets up.”
Time passed by the minute. The top disciples praised by Qin Zhi had returned one by one. They ascended on their swords, stopping respectfully before Qin Zhi, presenting the wooden plaques distributed by the Grand-master at the mountain’s base with both hands.
Qin Zhi checked the authenticity of the plaques, and looked at them with satisfaction, saying, “Good.”
“Thank you, Master!” The few bowed in gratitude, then stood aside. Although they stood respectfully without speaking, their excitement was barely concealed.
The first two to ascend were a man and a woman. Their sword manipulation skills were both superb, making it difficult to determine who was faster.
“Wang Ze, Wang Yan,” Qin Zhi said with a smile, “I know you two like to compete, but this time I can’t declare a winner.”
Hearing their names, the first place still went to two siblings?
Xia Zhitiao curiously observed them. The brother, Wang Ze, smiled helplessly, while the sister, Wang Yan, pouted, angrily glaring at her brother beside her and muttering something under her breath.
The third was a woman named Mu Si. She didn’t have the flamboyant demeanor of the Wang siblings, but rather, she restrained her aura and stood quietly to the side.
As these few led the way, more and more people came up. Soon, many of the disciples who had gone down the mountain had returned, their numbers gradually approaching half of what Qin Zhi had set.
Xia Zhitiao stared intently at the edge of the cliff, her heart in her throat. Beside her, Qin Zhi was slowly counting, and her voice, falling on Xia Zhitiao’s ears, added a sense of urgency: “Out of a hundred disciples, remove half. There are only two spots left.”
So fast? Where is the junior sister? What should she do if she doesn’t get the last spot?
Logically, whether the junior sister passed the trial or not had no conflict of interest with Xia Zhitiao. In fact, if she failed, Xia Zhitiao would even save herself the future worry of her other trials.
But for some reason, Xia Zhitiao suddenly panicked. Her thoughts were muddled, she gently bit her lower lip, and her breathing became rapid.
Just then, a disciple came up.
She was panting, her spiritual power almost depleted. She was holding a grappling hook condensed from spiritual power, climbing up with difficulty.
“Number 49. Congratulations.”
Qin Zhi announced unhurriedly, her voice as calm as ever, but to Xia Zhitiao’s ears, it was like a clap of thunder: “Only one spot left.”
The 49th disciple let out a long sigh of relief. Ignoring her disheveled clothes and dripping sweat, she sat directly on the ground, panting heavily.
The junior sister might be in trouble.
Anxiety in her heart, Xia Zhitiao disregarded the surprised glances of others and quickly walked to the bearded Grand-master, cautiously saying, “Grand-master, there’s only one spot left, Zhang Lan…”
The bearded Grand-master shook his head helplessly and quietly told Xia Zhitiao, “Although I led Zhang Lan into the sect, if she cannot pass Master Qin’s trial, I am helpless.”
“But, but,” Xia Zhitiao said anxiously, arguing passionately, “The junior sister joined late; she has had much less cultivation time than the other disciples. Isn’t this unfair to her—”
“Zhitiao,” the bearded Grand-master interrupted her.
“I have no other way. Although the situation is indeed disadvantageous for Zhang Lan, if I were to allow Qin Zhi to accept her exceptionally, wouldn’t that be unfair to the other fifty who failed, to the true fiftieth disciple who made it up?”
He sighed deeply, patted Xia Zhitiao’s shoulder, his voice low: “Although Yashan is the foremost immortal sect in the world, it never accepts useless individuals. And in this world, is it not always so?”
Xia Zhitiao knew she had spoken out of turn. She lowered her head and said, “My apologies.”
Because she was facing away from the cliff, Xia Zhitiao couldn’t see what was happening behind her.
She faintly heard Qin Zhi walk up quickly, her usually calm voice suddenly showing a surprised fluctuation: “…Fiftieth. Congratulations.”
“What a coincidence,” the fiftieth disciple patted the dust from her sleeve, her voice clear and bright, full of vitality, “Luckily I was fast.”
That voice was all too familiar. Xia Zhitiao turned around in surprise and delight, seeing Zhang Lan standing perfectly fine not far from the cliff.
Unlike the other tired disciples, her expression was normal, her breathing steady, and she looked perfectly well.
“Hmph,” Qin Zhi chuckled faintly, handing the token back to her, “Just good luck.”
Zhang Lan shrugged noncommittally and said, “Master, you promised that as long as I passed the trial, you wouldn’t be able to kick me out, right?”
Qin Zhi nodded slightly and said, “Naturally.”
The rope was originally just for show. Zhang Lan had tied a random knot earlier, but now she couldn’t untie it no matter what. She was pondering this when a weight suddenly pressed on her shoulder, and she was embraced.
Zhang Lan was completely stunned. She didn’t even bother to untie the rope, and dazedly said, “Se-Senior Sister?”
Xia Zhitiao held her tightly, her arms wrapped around Zhang Lan’s slender white neck, her voice urgent and annoyed, but more than that, joyful: “Truly… it’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back.”
Zhang Lan let the other person embrace her. Her small face was pale, her expression calm, but her jade-like earlobes were already completely red, as if scorched by flames, radiating warmth.
“Didn’t I make it in time?” Zhang Lan whispered, sniffing.
Xia Zhitiao sighed, released Zhang Lan’s shoulders, and stood opposite her, her posture straight, truly having a bit of an elder’s demeanor.
She said earnestly, “You cut it too close. I waited for a long time and thought you wouldn’t make it. You know the consequences; if you were relegated to the outer sect, it would be much harder to get back in.”
The junior sister blinked, saying nothing, just listening obediently.
*Did she even listen? A child of thirteen or fourteen inevitably has her own thoughts.*
Xia Zhitiao pondered for a moment, then added another instruction: “Next time, listen to Master’s orders and set off with the other disciples. Give yourself more time, so you won’t be in such a rush.”
Zhang Lan earnestly replied: “Mm.”
Then, she slightly raised her head, her delicate, long eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes sparkled: “Senior Sister, are you… concerned about me?”