The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 45

“Sect Leader, I… I still…” Ling Shui stammered, her reason telling her to avoid the situation, but her proud nature prevented her from fabricating excuses.

After a long, awkward silence, Bai Fenghuo finally offered her a way out. “I left some scrolls with Sect Leader Bi earlier. Retrieve them for me and return them to Spring Encounter Pavilion.”

Ling Shui immediately sighed in relief, bowed respectfully, and vanished without another word.

Bai Fenghuo’s hands were delicate and warm, like polished jade, so fragile one feared dropping them. Yun Chuanzhi walked with utmost care, her gaze repeatedly drawn to her fingertips.

Slender and beautiful, they make me want to hold them in my palm and knead them.

“What are you thinking about?” Bai Fenghuo suddenly asked. Yun Chuanzhi quickly averted her gaze, pretending to study the ground.

“Nothing,” Yun Chuanzhi replied with a smile, changing the subject. “We saw a group of Immortal Cultivators hurrying into Bright Existence Hall earlier. I heard there’s a Great Demon causing trouble down the mountain.”

“I was just wondering what a Tenth-Tier Great Demon might look like.”

Bai Fenghuo glanced at her sideways, pursing her crimson lips. “Incorrect. The lower the tier of a demonic creature, the more grotesque its appearance. If a true Tenth-Tier Great Demon stood before you, you wouldn’t be able to tell whether it was human or demon.”

“You’re right,” Yun Chuanzhi nodded. “A Tenth-Tier Great Demon’s cultivation far surpasses that of ordinary demonic creatures. Even if its original form were a cockroach, it could still manifest into a peerlessly beautiful appearance.”

“Ling Shui said the last time she saw such a powerful demon was twenty years ago. Sect Leader, did you ever encounter that Great Demon? Was it truly as formidable as the legends claim?”

Bai Fenghuo shook her head. “This Seat has never concerned herself with the sect’s trivial affairs, nor with the safety of mortals below the mountain. I’ve only heard rumors. However, since it was a Tenth-Tier Great Demon, its cultivation must far exceed mine. I wouldn’t risk provoking such a formidable foe.”

The pair reached a level path, flanked by lush shrubs adorned with nameless white flowers. Though the fallen leaves had recently been swept, a few scattered flakes still drifted down.

Sensing Bai Fenghuo’s desire for a stroll rather than returning to the sect via Wind Manipulation Technique, Yun Chuanzhi guided her toward the rustling maple forest.

The maple forest was serene and tranquil, its only sound the soft crunch of leaves underfoot. Intertwined crimson branches formed a natural canopy, filtering the setting sun into dappled patterns on the ground.

“Why is a junior Immortal Cultivator who hasn’t even reached Foundation Establishment suddenly so interested in Great Demons?” Bai Fenghuo asked sharply, gracefully raising her palm and lightly tapping Yun Chuanzhi’s shoulder with her fingertip.

Yun Chuanzhi immediately felt as if a wall had slammed into her shoulder. Half her body went numb, and she staggered against a tree trunk, bending over and groaning in pain.

Bai Fenghuo’s heavy-handedness left Yun Chuanzhi drenched in cold sweat from the pain. Just as she was about to protest, the woman leaned closer, pinning her waist against the tree with one hand, rendering her immobile.

Her other hand tilted her chin upward, forcing Yun Chuanzhi to meet Bai Fenghuo’s gaze. The willow-leaf eyes, filled with the glow of the setting sun, revealed no hint of her thoughts.

Is she still wary of me? Yun Chuanzhi fell silent, her eyes flickering. Suddenly, she chuckled, “Sect Leader, are you binding me like this to force me?”

Bai Fenghuo’s smile froze for a moment at her words, then she let out a disdainful laugh. “What would I gain from forcing a scrawny little girl like you?”

“I’ve gained some weight recently, I’m not so scrawny anymore. Sect Leader, would you like to test that?” Yun Chuanzhi retorted smoothly.

As she spoke, she tilted her head to the side, exposing the pale nape of her neck to the fading sunlight. Occasional rays brushed across her skin, revealing the fine downy hairs and the intricate network of veins pulsing beneath her flesh.

Bai Fenghuo released her first, her lithe figure retreating several steps. Strands of hair drifted across her face, obscuring her expression.

Yun Chuanzhi knew this tactic worked on Bai Fenghuo, but this time felt different. A faint warmth flushed her own cheeks.

While Bai Fenghuo’s back was turned, Yun Chuanzhi frantically fanned her cheeks to dissipate the heat.

Could it be that possessing this girl’s body for so long has thinned my skin? Yun Chuanzhi mused inwardly, her expression betraying nothing. She reached up to rub her shoulder, astonished to find that the aching left shoulder now felt strangely warm, and her entire body seemed lighter than air.

“Sect Leader, did you just stimulate my acupoint?” Yun Chuanzhi asked, surprised. She swung her now-relaxed arm and stepped forward to continue supporting Bai Fenghuo, but the woman brushed her hand away with a flick of her sleeve.

Bai Fenghuo swept aside a stray strand of hair, glared at Yun Chuanzhi, and strode ahead without another word.

“Relax, I’m not related to that Great Demon,” Yun Chuanzhi said with a smile, hurrying to catch up. “I was just thinking that if I could obtain a Great Demon’s Inner Core, I could achieve Foundation Establishment much faster.”

“How rare,” Bai Fenghuo sneered. “You’ve actually taken an interest in cultivation.”

Not really an interest—just looking for a shortcut to live a few more years, Yun Chuanzhi thought to herself.

After another quarter of an hour’s walk, Bai Fenghuo finally used her Wind Manipulation Technique to return to the sect. The following day was a rest day, so Bai Fenghuo didn’t need to rise early to teach at the Main Peak. She allowed herself the rare luxury of sleeping in, without summoning Yun Chuanzhi to attend to her morning rituals.

Yun Chuanzhi, enjoying this rare moment of leisure, was nevertheless awakened early by the cries of geese flying south for the winter. Once awake, she found herself unable to fall back asleep.

Bored, Yun Chuanzhi got up, washed, and sat in meditation at the center of the Formation she had drawn for half an hour. When she opened her eyes again, the brilliant morning sunlight streamed through the window lattice, bathing her in warmth.

If she hadn’t opened the window to smell the crisp autumn breeze, she might have mistaken it for spring.

Yun Chuanzhi stretched lazily, stood up, and took a sip of the overnight cold tea from the table. She immediately felt refreshed and invigorated, finding her cultivation practice flowing much more smoothly than usual today.

Her method hadn’t changed. Could it be that Bai Fenghuo’s finger strike yesterday had cleared her meridians, allowing her to achieve twice the results with half the effort?

Bai Fenghuo can be surprisingly considerate at times, Yun Chuanzhi thought, a smile curving her lips. Though the word “considerate” seemed an odd fit for him, she happily picked up the already woven cloud collar from beside her pillow.

She had been neglecting her embroidery lately, putting off stitching the pattern Bai Fenghuo had requested. Since she had helped her yesterday, she decided to be diligent today as a thank-you gift.

Yun Chuanzhi sat cross-legged, head bowed as she embroidered. Blackie, the black egg, crawled out of her little wooden bed in the corner and sat beside her in the same posture, watching with curiosity.

Yun Chuanzhi had never learned embroidery, but the hands of an Artifact Refiner were exceptionally nimble. Though her first few stitches were crooked and clumsy, by the seventh or eighth stitch, her work already showed promise.

Fortunately, while Cui Ergou’s body lacked aptitude for Immortal Cultivation, its dexterity remained sufficient to execute the ideas in her mind.

She embroidered from dawn until noon, and the phoenix flower had largely taken shape. Hesitating over the colors for the branches and leaves, she picked it up and asked Blackie for advice. The puppet propped its chin in its hands, unable to offer any meaningful input after a long pause.

“What am I asking a puppet for?” Yun Chuanzhi muttered to herself in exasperation. She rose and stepped outside, intending to seek Cheng Jinshu’s opinion.

However, after shouting through the horn several times, there was no response from across the way. A sense of unease crept into Yun Chuanzhi’s heart. “If Ling Shui or the Sect Leader comes looking for me,” she instructed Blackie, “tell them I’ve gone to find Cheng Jinshu.”

With that, she left Spring Encounter Pavilion, stood beneath the eaves, and recited a few lines of the Heart Incantation. Simultaneously, she drew spiritual energy from her Spirit Platform, attempting to expand it outward and catch the passing winds around her.

While her cultivation level made using the Wind Manipulation Technique somewhat challenging, Cheng Jinshu’s cliffside residence wasn’t far. Within half an incense stick’s time, Yun Chuanzhi landed gracefully beside the rushing river at the cliff’s edge.

A massive boulder jutted out from the cliff face, and atop it grew a crooked-necked tree. Beside the tree stood a dilapidated thatched hut—Cheng Jinshu’s current dwelling.

Yun Chuanzhi clung to the cliff face and leaped down, pushing open the door. The room was clean and tidy, with neatly stacked books arranged by the window. Scattered papers lay strewn about, their ink-stained surfaces covered in messy strokes that seemed to repeatedly write a single name.

However, Cheng Jinshu’s handwriting was barely legible, no better than a ghost’s scribbles. Yun Chuanzhi couldn’t decipher the specific characters.

“Cheng Jinshu!” Yun Chuanzhi called out, her voice echoing through the room and out the window, quickly drowned out by the deafening roar of the waterfall.

Where could she have gone in broad daylight? Yun Chuanzhi’s anxiety grew. She decided to use her Wind Manipulation Technique to return to Spring Encounter Pavilion and knocked on the door of Ling Shui’s room.

The door opened quickly, revealing Ling Shui holding a bamboo scroll. Her voice was gentle as she asked, “Yun Chuanzhi? Did the Sect Leader summon me?”

“No, the Sect Leader is still resting,” Yun Chuanzhi replied, pressing her lips into a thin line. “Cheng Jinshu has disappeared.”

Ling Shui didn’t seem concerned. She nodded casually. “She always wanders around the mountains. She might have gone to the Main Peak again. Is there something you need her for?”

“It’s nothing urgent, but I can’t shake this uneasy feeling,” Yun Chuanzhi said, frowning. “We have a communication horn; usually, she responds the moment I call. But today, I’ve been shouting into it for ages, and there’s been no reply at all.”

“I checked her room earlier, but she wasn’t there, and the horn was missing too. She must have taken it with her. The horn has a limited range, though; if we’re too far apart, we can’t communicate.”

Ling Shui’s expression turned serious, but she still tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry too much. I’ll ask around; someone might have seen where she went.”

True to her word, Ling Shui acted swiftly. She left to inquire and returned in less than a quarter of an hour, a flash of white light accompanying her as she reappeared before Yun Chuanzhi with Qiu Feng in tow.

“I asked the Immortal Cultivators patrolling above Mount Everlasting,” Ling Shui said gravely. “They saw her heading southwest alone last night.”

“Southwest?” Yun Chuanzhi asked. “What’s in that direction?”

Ling Shui shook her head. “The sect is buzzing about the Tenth-Tier Great Demon. They say it has already claimed Floating Jade Mountain and devoured all the villagers there.”

“Floating Jade Mountain is northwest… Could it be…?”

Yun Chuanzhi’s heart sank, and Ling Shui’s brow furrowed deeply, her eyes filled with worry.

“We don’t know if Cheng Jinshu went to Floating Jade Mountain because of what happened years ago, but this journey is undoubtedly fraught with danger. I’ll report to the Sect Leader immediately and then we’ll make a plan,” Ling Shui said, hurrying away.

Yun Chuanzhi followed her out the door, but after only a few steps, a figure appeared before her, forcing her to stop abruptly to avoid colliding with them.

She looked up and saw Bai Fenghuo standing before her, the woman’s elegant figure framed by an indifferent expression.

Startled by the sudden obstruction, Yun Chuanzhi took a step back, still shaken, and finally spoke, “Sect Leader.”

“This Seat will be cultivating now. You are to guard me,” Bai Fenghuo said slowly, turning to walk toward her chambers. When she noticed Yun Chuanzhi hadn’t followed after a few steps, she glanced back coldly.

“Cheng Jinshu made her choice and must now bear the consequences. I have already shown enough benevolence by not stopping Ling Shui from reporting to Senior Sister.”

“As for you,” Bai Fenghuo’s voice was soft, but her gaze was sharp as a blade, “you belong to This Seat. The lives of others mean nothing to you—except for This Seat.”

“Do you understand, Yun Chuanzhi?”