The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 24

The sound of the bed frame splintering echoed in Yun Chuanzhi’s ears. Her waist slammed into the mahogany canopy, snapping it in half before she crashed into the soft curtains. Though the bedding cushioned her fall, the impact nearly cost her half her life.

To make matters worse, Bai Fenghuo’s entire weight pressed down on him. Stars danced before Yun Chuanzhi’s eyes, and it took her a long moment to regain her senses.

Simultaneously, the restraints binding the trio vanished. Ling Shui shouted a warning, then thrust her whip forward like a sword, aiming for the Shadow Demon. Undeterred, the massive creature swallowed the whip whole, its body swirling like a vortex.

Then it opened its fathomless maw, growling as it lunged to devour Ling Shui.

“Cheng Jinshu, extinguish the lights!” Yun Chuanzhi roared, enduring the suffocating pain. The room plunged into darkness, the earlier chaos replaced by an eerie silence.

So quiet, you could hear everyone’s breathing. Yun Chuanzhi gasped for air, shoving at the limp body on top of him. “Hey, Bai Fenghuo!”

The woman lay sprawled across her chest, separated only by their thin robes. Her breathing was slow and even.

Has she really passed out? Yun Chuanzhi shoved her shoulder, rolling her off her and onto the floor. She wiped her lips, which had brushed against Bai Fenghuo’s cheek.

“Why is she wearing so much makeup?” she muttered under her breath.

“Ling Shui, are you still alive?” Cheng Jinshu asked timidly from the corner. Only after hearing Ling Shui’s reassuring voice did she exhale in relief.

“That was terrifying! We need to get out of here immediately,” Cheng Jinshu said, her voice still trembling. She groped her way to the door and reached for the handle, but Ling Shui grabbed her wrist.

“Wait, someone’s coming,” Ling Shui whispered. With a swift motion, she summoned the long whip that had been swallowed by the Shadow Demon. Her body arched backward like a falling tree, narrowly dodging a short arrow that shot through the door crack.

The whip snaked through the darkness like a swimming dragon, intercepting the arrow just before it struck Yun Chuanzhi.

Though Cheng Jinshu couldn’t see what was happening, she could hear the commotion. Her voice broke with panic. “They’re still coming? Who have we angered?”

“I don’t think it’s us they’re after—it’s the Sect Leader,” Ling Shui said, steadying herself. She strode to the bed and pulled Yun Chuanzhi, who was writhing in pain, to her feet. “You and Cheng Jinshu take the Sect Leader and leave first. These attackers are relentless. I’ll hold them off.”

“Alright,” Yun Chuanzhi replied without hesitation, ignoring even Bai Fenghuo. She groped along the wall to the window and, gritting her teeth against the pain, climbed through.

Cheng Jinshu frantically groped for Bai Fenghuo on the ground, hoisted her onto her shoulder, and slipped out the window.

No sooner had they left than a violent gust of wind tore the tightly sealed doors off their hinges. Ling Shui stood motionless amidst the gale, her hair and white robes whipping wildly around her.

Dozens of assassins, clad in black, stormed into the room. Without a word, they lunged for vital points. Ling Shui parried with her whip, then lashed it against the floor, the force shattering the stone tiles beneath her feet.

The entire floor collapsed with a thunderous roar, plunging Ling Shui and the assassins into a swirling cloud of dust and debris.

Meanwhile, Cheng Jinshu, carrying Bai Fenghuo, hurried after Yun Chuanzhi.

The palace corridor twisted and turned, growing increasingly dark. With no windows ahead, even the faint sunlight that had filtered through the window vanished, leaving them enveloped in impenetrable darkness. They could only rely on their spiritual senses to navigate.

Yun Chuanzhi had little spiritual energy left. Fortunately, Blackie perched on her shoulder, constantly issuing directions:

“Master, turn left. Go straight. Turn right…”

Yun Chuanzhi crashed into a wall with a thud, tears welling in her eyes from the pain. Gritting her teeth, she snapped, “Didn’t you say right?”

“I’m sorry, it’s too dark here. I can’t see very well either,” Blackie said softly.

Ordinary darkness would have been manageable, but the darkness surrounding them was clearly not natural. It was so dense that even their spiritual senses could barely penetrate a few inches. Cheng Jinshu had no choice but to stop and pant for breath.

“Are we going to die here?” Cheng Jinshu asked.

“Who knows?” Yun Chuanzhi pursed her lips, still harboring doubts. Would a cunning woman like Bai Fenghuo allow herself to be cornered in such a deadly situation?

But she had no time to dwell on it. Blackie, perched on her shoulder, began tugging frantically at her hair, sighing, “Master, those nasty things are back.”

The air around them plunged into an icy chill, the cold seeping into their very meridians. Cheng Jinshu, with her higher cultivation, reacted swiftly, yanking Yun Chuanzhi aside just as an Evil Spirit howled past.

The Evil Spirit’s putrid stench lingered in their nostrils, impossible to shake off. Yun Chuanzhi, blind and helpless, nearly had her heart pierced several times, saved only by Cheng Jinshu’s timely interventions.

“This won’t work. It’s too dark here. I can’t use my spiritual sense effectively,” Cheng Jinshu said, pacing anxiously while carrying Bai Fenghuo. “I bet they’re trying to force us to light a fire, giving the Shadow Demon a chance to appear.”

Cheng Jinshu roared, a burst of light erupting from her hands, forming a circular barrier to repel the Evil Spirits. But these spirits were dozens, even hundreds, of times more numerous than those in the earlier room, swarming the entire hall in a frenzied dance.

“I can’t hold out much longer, Er Gou. Take Aunt and find a place to hide.” In this dire situation, Cheng Jinshu abandoned her usual banter, switching to a defensive stance, blocking all the Evil Spirits before her.

“Though Aunt has committed terrible deeds, she was once family to me. Cui Ergou, please help me protect her.”

Yun Chuanzhi remained silent, glancing at Bai Fenghuo slumped against the wall before sighing. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m just an Immortal Servant. I can’t even lift her, let alone protect her.”

We might as well die together here, she thought. At least dying together would be more lively.

But Cheng Jinshu couldn’t hear her words. Spiritual energy poured ceaselessly from her palms, the veins on her forehead bulging as sweat streamed down her face, as if she were on the verge of collapse.

“Hurry!” Cheng Jinshu hissed.

What a damn mess, Yun Chuanzhi thought, closing her eyes tightly before rising and rushing to Bai Fenghuo’s side. Her hands groped frantically over her body, palms sliding around her slender waist until she finally located the gourd-shaped glass bottle.

Yun Chuanzhi uncorked the bottle, tilted her head back, and poured the liquid into her mouth. The tears, brimming with spiritual energy, slid down her throat and surged through her body as a powerful warmth flooded her limbs.

No wonder they’re the tears of a divine beast—they truly have miraculous effects. Yun Chuanzhi suddenly felt a surge of strength coursing through her. She bent down, slipped her hands under Bai Fenghuo’s knees, and lifted her into a horizontal carry.

The woman’s soft cheek rested against her shoulder, and the faint scent of soapberry that clung to the young man’s body filled her nostrils.

Bai Fenghuo’s eyelashes fluttered again.

“Bai Fenghuo, oh Bai Fenghuo,” Yun Chuanzhi murmured to herself, “see? There are still people in this world who care about you.” She tightened her grip on her and charged into the darkness.

They had escaped, but the situation remained dire. Yun Chuanzhi nearly crashed into walls several times, surrounded by endless blackness. She quickly grew disoriented.

“Ever since I came here and met you, I’ve been constantly thrown into these impossible situations,” Yun Chuanzhi muttered as she stumbled blindly through the dark. “Either you’re trying to kill me, or someone else is trying to kill me because of you.”

“If I make it out of this alive, I’m definitely slipping some laxatives into your food while you’re asleep. That’ll teach you to mess with me!” Yun Chuanzhi, emboldened by Bai Fenghuo’s unconscious state, grew increasingly reckless with her words.

“Say that again,” a voice as thin as a spider’s silk whispered in Yun Chuanzhi’s ear. She stumbled, nearly dropping Bai Fenghuo.

Fortunately, her palm was still gripping Bai Fenghuo’s robe. She desperately regained her balance and yanked her back.

“You’re awake? When did you wake up?” Yun Chuanzhi asked, startled.

After a long silence, Bai Fenghuo finally spoke, her voice hoarse, “The part about the laxative.”

Fine, let her hear it, Yun Chuanzhi thought. We might not even make it out of here alive anyway. What’s Bai Fenghuo going to do, execute me on the spot?

Having reassured herself, Yun Chuanzhi’s courage grew. She spoke without fear, “Good, you’re awake. Sect Leader, do you still have any strength left? Can you destroy that Shadow Demon and help us escape?”

“Ling Shui and Cheng Jinshu stayed behind to cover our retreat for your sake. Their fates are unknown.”

Bai Fenghuo coughed weakly, her voice raspy. “This Seat has always been frail. Senior Sister’s sword struck me with Cold Poison, and while I was healing, an Evil Spirit invaded my lungs. I doubt I can even save my own life, let alone escape.”

“You’d be better off putting me down and finding those two to escape.”

“This Seat has always been alone,” she sneered. “Why would I need your hypocritical attempts to risk your lives for me?”

At her words, Yun Chuanzhi’s footsteps abruptly halted. Bai Fenghuo, jostled in her arms, instinctively reached out to steady herself, her fingertips hovering in mid-air.

In the boundless darkness, no one could see the tremor in her fingertips.

“How can you so casually dismiss their genuine kindness?” Yun Chuanzhi rarely showed such emotion, feeling indignant on behalf of Ling Shui and Cheng Jinshu. “Ling Shui may fear and respect you, but she wholeheartedly wishes to become your disciple. Cheng Jinshu, despite knowing your past, still considers you her closest kin.”

“How dare you call them hypocrites?”

Bai Fenghuo remained silent. Yun Chuanzhi bit her lip, set Bai Fenghuo down, and strode over her body, disappearing into the darkness without a backward glance. Bai Fenghuo lay alone in the darkness, motionless for a long moment.

A mocking chuckle echoed through the silent corridor. Bai Fenghuo’s gaze drifted into the void, unsure who the mockery was directed at.

Without the girl’s warmth, the ground felt cold, as if winter had descended in an instant. Bone-chilling frost crept along the cracks between the floor tiles, seeping into her thin robes.

Countless Evil Spirits swarmed up the walls, surrounding Bai Fenghuo and emitting a cacophony of discordant whispers that sent chills down her spine. One spirit lunged forward, piercing her chest. Bai Fenghuo closed her eyes, offering no resistance.

But a hand moved faster than the spirit. Thin strands of spiritual energy surged from the palm, precisely pushing the spirit aside. Then, the girl’s arm swept across Bai Fenghuo’s back, pulling her into a tight embrace amidst a sudden wave of tingling numbness.

Blackie leaped off Yun Chuanzhi’s shoulder, scattering the remaining spirits. Yun Chuanzhi turned and fled, Bai Fenghuo cradled in her arms.

In the vast, silent corridor, only the heavy, uneven thud of Yun Chuanzhi’s footsteps echoed. Bai Fenghuo remained silent in her arms for a long moment before finally whispering, “Weren’t you going to avenge them? Why are you holding This Seat now?”

“I promised them both,” Yun Chuanzhi replied, her voice muffled. “Cui Ergou may not be a gentleman, but I keep my word.”

“And,” Yun Chuanzhi added, “I know you’ve suspected my identity all along. You don’t need to test me anymore. I would never harm you.”

Her words were soft and deliberate, spoken like a vow rather than a simple statement.

Bai Fenghuo’s heartstrings trembled.