The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 47

Unaware of the undercurrents behind the door, Yun Chuanzhi stepped out into the moonlight, activated her Wind Manipulation Technique, and sped northwest.

Ling Shui’s cultivation was a level higher than her own, her spiritual energy naturally far more abundant. Knowing she couldn’t catch her in a short time, Yun Chuanzhi wasn’t overly anxious, since she knew she was headed for Floating Jade Mountain.

Whenever her spiritual energy neared depletion, she followed the faint light points to the nearest town or village to rest. But this wasn’t true rest; she merely switched from Wind Manipulation to horseback riding, galloping along the official roads on rented steeds.

Floating Jade Mountain lay several hundred miles from Mount Everlasting, the journey winding through towering peaks, countless lakes, and rushing rivers. As she traveled northwest, the autumn colors deepened, and the wind grew increasingly fierce and biting.

The landscape transformed dramatically along the way. One moment, she was soaring over layers of maple forests; the next, she was crossing boundless deserts. Several times, Yun Chuanzhi felt the urge to stop and admire the vastness of the Qianyuan Realm.

But her mission was to find someone, so she pressed on relentlessly. Two days later, she finally set foot within the territory of Floating Jade Mountain.

The mountain lived up to its name. Its peaks soared skyward, the lower slopes veiled in the emerald green of pine needles, while the summit resembled a venerable elder, its crown dusted with silvery frost.

Nameless rocks stood tall amidst the mountain range, their gray forms blending seamlessly with the overcast sky. From a distance, they resembled a piece of white jade floating above the mountains, mysterious and awe-inspiring, a masterpiece of nature’s artistry.

Yun Chuanzhi had glimpsed its form from across the mountain range, but by the time she finally approached Floating Jade Mountain, half a day had passed.

As she ventured deeper into the foothills and looked up at the silver frost crowning the peak, the initial sense of sacredness vanished abruptly. The oppressive, gloomy sky pressed down on the gaunt mountain, filling her with a chilling dread.

A dense demonic aura emanated from the mountain, spreading slowly with the thick mist. Yun Chuanzhi quickly sensed its suppression of her spiritual energy, as if a heavy stone had been placed on her heart. She immediately landed.

Daring not use her Wind Manipulation Technique again, she hurried along the mountain path on foot. The well-worn earth bore faint traces of cart tracks, indicating a town or settlement ahead.

After trudging for some time, panting for breath, Yun Chuanzhi finally noticed more signs of human presence along the desolate road: shattered carriages, lost embroidered shoes, and even a few unidentified bones, their stark whiteness gleaming under the somber sky.

For a moment, Yun Chuanzhi felt as if she had returned to Avici City. She stood before the scattered remains, hands clasped behind her back, and experienced a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had come home.

After a few more steps, Yun Chuanzhi rounded a bend and saw a dilapidated signboard slowly unfurling overhead. Half the characters had been worn away by wind and frost, but she could vaguely make out the three large characters: “Jade Gathering City.”

This dilapidated signboard stood in stark contrast to the magnificent Youji City at the foot of Mount Everlasting, resembling nothing more than a run-down village.

A gust of sand and dust surged from beneath the signboard. Yun Chuanzhi covered her mouth and nose as she approached, only to suddenly see a figure standing beneath the sign, mechanically waving an arm at her.

The sudden appearance of a person in such a desolate place felt eerie. The figure’s ashen face, covered in dust and utterly devoid of color, contrasted sharply with its vividly red lips.

Yun Chuanzhi recalled the Roadblocking Ghost she had encountered in Avici City, which had a similar appearance. It would stand at crossroads, pointing travelers toward the wrong path, leading them to step off cliffs to their deaths.

“Traveler, do not proceed further. Demonic fiends lie ahead,” the figure suddenly croaked in a hoarse, aged voice.

“Senior, I am an Immortal Cultivator here to find someone,” Yun Chuanzhi shouted back, realizing the figure was not a ghost. “Have you seen a woman in white pass through here?”

“Traveler, do not proceed further. Demonic fiends lie ahead,” the figure repeated, ignoring her question.

Yun Chuanzhi paused, then gestured again. “What about the young woman in the short tunic? About this tall, with bright, round eyes?”

“Traveler, do not proceed further. Demonic fiends lie ahead…”

Yun Chuanzhi clicked her tongue and slapped the “person” across the face. Its gray-green head spun halfway around, its crudely carved crimson mouth opening and closing mechanically as it repeated, “Traveler, do not proceed further…”

Who put this wooden puppet here? Yun Chuanzhi muttered to herself. She twisted the puppet’s head back into place, pried open its mouth, and peered inside.

It was just an ordinary folk puppet, its voice emanating from a soundstone rather than any mechanical device. Clearly, the puppet maker was a mortal.

Yun Chuanzhi waved her hand, letting the puppet continue its chant as she stepped through the city gate. Another gust of sand swept past, the gritty dust stinging her eyes.

When the sand settled, the city’s scene unfolded like a curtain being drawn back. The cobblestone streets were pockmarked with holes filled with sand, which swirled in the hollows with each gust of wind.

Abandoned vendor carts littered the streets, their rotting fruits and melons spilling onto the ground. Horse bridles lay discarded, the animals long gone.

The shops lining the streets were in similar disarray. Wooden planks sealed the windows tight, most nailed shut, leaving only narrow slits.

Yun Chuanzhi peered through the crack. The room was pitch-black and devoid of any human presence, yet a putrid, bloody stench assaulted her nostrils, as if someone had ripped open her skull, stinging her eyes until they watered.

Without needing to open the door, Yun Chuanzhi knew what lay inside. She fanned her nose, retreated on tiptoe, and continued her exploration of the city.

Jade Gathering City was small, with every door and window tightly sealed. The silence was deafening, broken only by the howling wind and sand, creating an eerie emptiness. A few houses stood with their doors wide open, interiors bare, and trails of dried bl00d dragged across their thresholds.

She randomly chose a relatively intact-looking house and knocked. A piercing scream erupted from within, followed by two spears shooting through the crack like arrows, stabbing wildly at Yun Chuanzhi. Fortunately, her reflexes were sharp, and she swiftly dodged back.

Otherwise, she might have ended up impaled on the door, serving as a macabre decoration.

It seemed the city wasn’t entirely deserted, but the surviving residents were few and, for some unknown reason, too terrified to show themselves, preferring to lock themselves in their homes and await death in fear.

“Excuse me,” Yun Chuanzhi called out, “I am an Immortal Cultivator from Mount Everlasting, here to help you capture demons.”

She attempted to communicate with the occupants, but the screams only intensified. Countless broken bowls, red-hot coals, boiling water, and other makeshift weapons were hurled out as if they were free. Yun Chuanzhi had no choice but to turn and flee.

She asked at several houses, but they were either eerily silent or erupted into screams and wails as if they had seen a ghost. Yun Chuanzhi felt utterly exhausted.

It seemed the demonic fiends in this city were terrifyingly powerful, having driven many to their deaths and pushed the survivors to the brink of madness.

Suppressed by the oppressive demonic aura, Yun Chuanzhi dared not freely unleash her spiritual energy to search for Ling Shui. Instead, she retrieved the communication horn she used to contact Cheng Jinshu and called out her name. Yet the other end remained deathly silent.

This isn’t right, Yun Chuanzhi thought. If Cheng Jinshu were at Floating Jade Mountain, the distance between the horns would be short enough for her to hear me clearly.

The lack of response meant one of two things: either Cheng Jinshu had discarded the horn, or she had been controlled and was unable to reply even if she heard.

Of course, there was an even worse possibility, but Yun Chuanzhi refused to dwell on it.

She sighed and continued toward the center of Jade Gathering City, crossing two streets littered with rubble. Finally, she came across a complete house, its door still adorned with New Year’s papercuts. Lord Guan, depicted in vibrant colors, gazed down at her with piercing eyes.

Yun Chuanzhi raised her hand to knock. The door creaked open, revealing a wary eye peering through the narrow crack.

The eyelid drooped loosely, obscuring half the lashes. The high brow ridge and sunken eye socket framed the eye, giving it the appearance of a withered old man.

After walking for what felt like an eternity, Yun Chuanzhi finally encountered someone who seemed sane. Relief washed over her as she quickly said, “Elder, I am an Immortal Cultivator from Mount Everlasting. I’m here searching for someone and hunting demons. Have you seen a woman dressed in white?”

The old woman remained silent, her gaze fixed on her, making the hairs on Yun Chuanzhi’s back stand on end.

The door creaked open wider, the pitch-black gap now large enough for a person to pass through. The old woman took a step back, her white hair barely visible in the darkness, as if inviting her inside.

The rhythmic tapping of tree branches against the wall continued, accompanied by the faint scent of pine drifting from within. There was no stench of rotting flesh, and the pine aroma even carried a hint of cooked rice, creating a sense of reassurance.

Yun Chuanzhi lowered her gaze, a slight smile curving her lips, and stepped across the threshold.

The door slammed shut behind her, locking with a heavy clank. She found herself in a small, square courtyard, a square of gloomy sky visible through the overhead skylight. There were no trees in the courtyard, nor any branches tapping against the walls.

The one-legged old woman stood opposite her, her eyes glinting with malice. She tugged lightly on a rope, and a large net dropped from above, trapping Yun Chuanzhi completely.

Yun Chuanzhi had been carried in on a rickety wooden cart, swaying precariously as she was wheeled through the door. The main hall was old and damp, with a cellar dug into the center of the floor. The thick iron door to the cellar was opened, and Yun Chuanzhi, her limbs bound, was slid down into the cellar, landing on a soft pile of straw.

The iron gate clanged shut, and the rhythmic tapping of a cane faded into the distance. Yun Chuanzhi lay flat on the soft pile of straw, feeling drowsy.

“Yun Chuanzhi?!” A familiar, light voice rang in her ear. A figure in white robes emerged from the far end of the straw pile and gently patted her cheek. “What are you doing here?”

It was Ling Shui. She had been meditating in a corner, but now her eyes widened in surprise as she waved her hand to release Yun Chuanzhi’s bound wrists and ankles.

“And what brings you here?” Yun Chuanzhi grinned. “With your cultivation level, how could a mere mortal old woman possibly subdue you?”

“You don’t understand,” Ling Shui shook her head. “Everyone in this city is insane. The old woman seemed the only one with a clear mind, so I let her imprison me to see if I could extract any information.” She stepped forward to help Yun Chuanzhi up, then bent down to examine her.

“I did the same,” Yun Chuanzhi pushed her away, shaking her head. “Don’t worry, I’m not hurt.”

In truth, Yun Chuanzhi had noticed the trap above the door the moment the old woman opened it. The rhythmic tapping couldn’t have been made by wood striking the wall; it had to be the sound of heavy stones.

The old woman was just an ordinary mortal, incapable of causing any real trouble. The others were all clearly insane, leaving her no choice but to play along.

To her surprise, Ling Shui had come to the same conclusion, a welcome development.

“How long have you been here? Have you discovered anything? Why are the people of this city so terrified and deranged? Is there any news of Cheng Jinshu? What about Sect Leader Bi and the others from Mount Everlasting?” Yun Chuanzhi bombarded her with questions like a barrage of stones.

Ling Shui blinked and answered each question in turn: “I’ve been here for a day, circling the entire city. Apart from the maddened citizens, I’ve found nothing.”

“Floating Jade Mountain lies beyond this city, but the northern gate is shrouded in a dense fog. The fog’s contents are unknown, but approaching it causes mental unease and a surge of violent impulses. I dared not enter and have been forced to remain within the city.”

“Furthermore, there’s no sign of Cheng Jinshu. Sect Leader Bi and the others entered the city ahead of me. I found traces they left behind, but I haven’t been able to locate them. I suspect they ventured into the fog.”

Dense fog, dense fog… It seemed the only way to uncover what lay within was to enter the fog itself. But with its unknown dangers, Yun Chuanzhi hesitated to act rashly.

“Did you see the wooden puppet at the gate?” Ling Shui asked.

Yun Chuanzhi nodded, then looked in the direction Ling Shui was pointing. In the corner, she saw a pile of what looked like human limbs. She was startled at first, but upon closer inspection, she realized they were parts of wooden puppets.

In the mortal realm, there was a type of puppet theater where puppets were manipulated by strings and other mechanisms to perform in place of humans. The old woman they had encountered earlier must have been a puppet maker, a yanshi.

“This old woman created puppets to block people from entering Jade Gathering City and imprisoned those who wandered in,” Yun Chuanzhi murmured. “Though we don’t know her motives, she must know something.”

Ling Shui nodded in agreement. The two sat quietly in the darkness for a while until Ling Shui suddenly remembered something. “What about the Sect Leader?” she asked, her brow furrowed with worry and a hint of fear. “Now that both of us have come to Floating Jade Mountain, what if she wakes up and…”

Before she could finish, the iron door above them clanged open again. The rhythmic tapping of the old man’s cane approached, followed by the sound of another person being thrown into the cellar.

Yun Chuanzhi and Ling Shui instinctively ducked out of sight, watching helplessly as familiar purple robes billowed through the air and landed with a rustle in the straw pile.