The Villainess Always Wants to Cuddle With Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

As Ling Jun had predicted, after they left Pingcheng County, the yamen received the complaint and evidence. They raided the human trafficker’s mansion, uncovering a trove of silver transaction receipts and other incriminating documents. The yamen officers brought the traffickers to court for interrogation, where they confessed everything under severe torture.

Over the past few years, the names, appearances, and distinguishing features of missing children from various counties had been circulated and recorded in each county’s archives. The yamen cross-referenced the traffickers’ confessions with these records. Before the day was out, some missing children who wished to return home came to the yamen seeking assistance, while others who didn’t want to go back or had no home to return to ventured out into the vast world, making their way as wanderers.

As for the human trafficker and her subordinates, their fate was grim. They were sentenced to a month of grueling imprisonment, followed by public execution at the busiest intersection as a warning to others.

This was reportedly the first time a human trafficker had met such a fate. Storytellers claimed that the missing children’s cases involved high-ranking officials and nobles. Whether this was true or not, the public treated it as mere entertainment for their leisure hours.

Ling Jun and her two companions hurried back from Pingcheng County to Cuiyue Mountain at top speed, arriving just before the full moon on the fifteenth.

Without a second thought, Ling Jun rushed to Jian Qiongjun’s residence the moment they returned to the Cuiyue Sect, not even turning her head.

Pushing open the door, she found the room in complete disarray.

The teapot and decorative trinkets that had once adorned the table lay shattered on the floor, reduced to dust and fragments. Yunyin, ever meticulous, had already begun sweeping up the mess.

A faint floral scent hung in the air, so complex that Ling Jun couldn’t immediately identify its source. Seeing Yunyin about to pour tea, Ling Jun raised a hand to stop her. “Senior Sister, don’t rush. Leave it for now.”

The chaos in the room felt suspicious. Ling Jun’s instincts flared, as if she could detect the faint traces of poinsettia, yellow rhododendron, and white azalea…

Poinsettia plants are entirely poisonous, especially the milky sap in their stems and leaves. While accidental ingestion might cause only mild symptoms, concentrated extracts brewed from these parts could prove far more dangerous.

Yellow rhododendrons are similarly toxic, causing poisoning if ingested. White azaleas, on the other hand, can induce respiratory distress and other severe symptoms.

“Cough… cough…”

A weak cough echoed from within the inner chamber. Ling Jun darted inside, while Jian Qigui and Yunyin exchanged glances and closed the door behind them.

“Mother!” Ling Jun knelt beside the bed, her heart racing as she gazed at the frail figure of Jian Qiongjun before her.

Jian Qiongjun’s condition was dire. Her breathing was ragged, her chest rising and falling with barely a ripple. Slowly, she raised a hand, clutching the Cult Leader’s Token in her palm, and offered it forward.

It was clear that Jian Qiongjun couldn’t even manage a breath, let alone answer. Ling Jun quickly calmed herself, shedding the panic that had gripped her upon entering. She steadied her breathing, first taking her mother’s pulse, then withdrawing a set of silver needles from her sleeve.

Jian Qigui and Yunyin watched as Ling Jun began administering the needles to Jian Qiongjun, who clung to her last breath. They held their breath, trying not to disturb her.

Baihui, Zhongting, Shangwan… Fine beads of sweat dotted Ling Jun’s forehead as her hands moved ceaselessly.

After the treatment, Jian Qiongjun’s condition improved slightly, her breathing gradually stabilizing.

Ling Jun wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to Jian Qigui, her voice hoarse with emotion. “Qi Gui, come help me!”

Without hesitation, Jian Qigui rushed to Ling Jun’s side. “What do I need to do?”

“Focus your inner energy from your Dantian into your palm. Use your inner energy to push these silver needles in by a third of their length, rotate them once, then push them in another third,” Ling Jun instructed, her eyes bloodshot and her fingers occasionally rubbing at the corners.

With a soft 噗, a trickle of black bl00d seeped from the corner of Jian Qiongjun’s mouth. Seeing this, Jian Qigui hesitated for a moment, her hand freezing mid-motion.

“Don’t lose focus! Just keep manipulating the needles!” Ling Jun urged urgently.

Ling Jun noticed the black bl00d seeping from Jian Qiongjun’s mouth—the poison was being forced out. She continued to observe Jian Qiongjun closely, her eyes tightly shut. She took Jian Qiongjun’s pulse again, finding it erratic and her wrist burning hot.

Ling Jun’s eyes widened as she muttered to herself, “This is wrong… this is wrong!” She touched Jian Qigui’s neck, finding it cool and free of any feverish heat, then touched Jian Qiongjun’s neck again.

So hot!

This isn’t right! This can’t be a sign of poisoning! It’s more like…

“Bad news! Mother’s Ice Lotus Manual is backfiring!” Ling Jun turned to Yunyin. “Senior Sister, this is critical. Guard the door and don’t let anyone in.”

“Junior Sister, don’t worry,” Yunyin nodded and approached the door. She remained inside the room, not stepping outside. If anyone passed by and saw her, they would surely stop to inquire.

Having overheard Ling Jun mention the backlash earlier, Jian Qigui’s eyes flickered with a complex mix of emotions—a cold indifference tinged with a hint of pity. “When Master’s Ice Lotus Manual backfired before, it felt like being burned alive. Is the backlash even more severe this time?”

Ling Jun’s hands moved ceaselessly. She had no time for anything else as she shed her outer robe and half-loosened her inner garments. A chilling aura radiated from her, revealing skin as smooth as jade and slender arms like lotus stems. The barely concealed allure of her figure was undeniable.

Jian Qigui’s gaze darkened, a restless agitation stirring within her chest. She raised her hand, pressed two fingers together, and silently tapped several acupoints, finally calming the turmoil in her chest.

As Ling Jun reached for a silver needle and moved it toward her chest, Jian Qigui opened her mouth to ask what she was doing. But before she could speak, Ling Jun had already removed the vermilion hairpin from her hair and plunged it into her chest, her ink-black hair cascading down like a waterfall.

“What are you doing?!” Jian Qigui’s phoenix eyes blazed with anger. She reached out to grab Ling Jun, but her hand froze mid-air, her sleeve falling back. She couldn’t touch her—she couldn’t risk harming Ling Jun.

It was heart’s bl00d, slowly seeping from Ling Jun’s chest, vibrant and flowing, carrying a thick, metallic scent. A snow-white silkworm, radiating a silvery glow, crawled out from the wound. Ling Jun dipped a finger into the bl00d and smeared it across Jian Qiongjun’s lips. The silkworm then slowly moved toward Jian Qiongjun’s mouth.

This was the Snow Silkworm, which Jian Qigui was seeing for the first time. She knew it had been hidden within Ling Jun’s body, but she hadn’t realized it could be transferred to another person. Would giving the silkworm to Jian Qiongjun mean Ling Jun would be safe now?

As the silkworm entered her body, Jian Qiongjun’s eyes snapped open as if reborn, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Jian Qigui remained silent, straightening Ling Jun’s position. She pressed two fingers together and began applying pressure to the major hemostatic acupoints around Ling Jun’s body. Ling Jun removed the silver needles from her body, gathered her robes, and dressed herself.

“Silly girl…” Jian Qiongjun’s beautiful eyes strained to stay open as she pressed the Cult Leader’s Token into Ling Jun’s hand, her voice tinged with reproach. “You’ve studied medicine. Surely you know my fate has already run its course. Why waste the Snow Silkworm your father gave you?”

“What? Gu Wen… is my father?” Ling Jun was momentarily speechless. She had always known there was a complex history between Jian Qiongjun and Gu Wen, but she had never imagined Gu Wen was her biological father. No… she had thought about it, even sensed it in the air between them, but she had refused to acknowledge it.

Jian Qiongjun, unsurprised by Ling Jun’s reaction, continued, “My body could have lasted a few more years, but… that poisoned wine accelerated the backlash from the Ice Lotus Manual.”

Ling Jun, her jade-like cheeks already streaked with tears, nodded. “Mother, I’ll take you to Gu Wen. His medical skills are unparalleled. He can heal you…”

Jian Qiongjun shook her head, meeting Jian Qigui’s indifferent gaze. “After I’m gone, Ling Jun will have no martial arts. I entrust her to you.”

Jian Qigui nodded, her eyes remaining cold and detached.

Seeing this, Jian Qiongjun sighed inwardly and slowly closed her eyes. This child, Jian Qigui, is my karmic retribution. I only hope Ling Jun won’t be dragged down with her.

Jian Qiongjun fell silent, her life force merely flickering like a dying ember sustained by the Snow Silkworm’s magic.

Ling Jun frantically checked Jian Qiongjun’s pulse. “Mother… Mother!” There was only deathly stillness, no heartbeat at all. Overwhelmed by grief, Ling Jun fainted.

Jian Qigui embraced Ling Jun, her gaze lingering on the dried bloodstains on Ling Jun’s chest. Her expression shifted slightly as she licked the corner of her lips. With a flick of her fingertip, she drew Ling Jun’s heart bl00d onto her fingertip. Lowering her eyes, she smeared the bl00d across her own lips, then pulled open her robes. Without hesitation, she picked up the fallen hairpin and plunged it into her own chest, extracting her own heart bl00d to smear across Ling Jun’s lips.

The agitation in her chest began to slowly rise. Jian Qigui leaned down without hesitation and kissed Ling Jun. As their lips met, two slowly wriggling gu worms emerged from their bodies. With a firm pinch, she crushed the worms into fine powder, scattering it into the air.

“How is the Sect Leader?” Yunyin’s voice rang out from behind them.

By then, Jian Qigui had already dressed properly, wiping the bl00d from the hairpin as she arranged Ling Jun’s hair and secured it with the hairpin.

“The Sect Leader has passed away,” she replied.

Yunyin’s expression turned frantic as she noticed Ling Jun’s unconscious state. “What happened to Junior Sister?”

“Overwhelmed by grief, she fainted from crying,” Jian Qigui answered calmly.

Seeing her composed demeanor, Yunyin frowned in anger. “Your Master has died, and Junior Sister has collapsed! How can you react so calmly? Jian Qigui, do you even have a heart?”

Jian Qigui didn’t find anything wrong with Yunyin’s words. Her heart had long been lost in that bloody night. She chuckled softly. “So, how should I react? Should I faint from grief like Ling Jun? Senior Sister, starting tomorrow, you’ll address me as Protector Lord. Prepare the funeral arrangements for our former Sect Leader.” With that, she carried Ling Jun away.

Yunyin clenched her fists, her gaze fixed on Jian Qigui’s retreating figure as she gritted her teeth.

Just now, Jian Qigui had crushed the Love Gu—a Gu poison Jian Qiongjun had secretly implanted. She had discovered this on her way back, learning it from Ling Jun herself. She had casually asked if there was an antidote, never expecting such a swift resolution. So, all her past infatuation with Ling Jun—her devotion, her seeing her as the center of her world—had been the work of Jian Qiongjun’s Gu poison. Ling Jun had been completely unaware; otherwise, why would she have revealed it so readily, or rejected Jian Qigui’s kiss?

Jian Qigui scoffed. Years ago, the Qi Family had been massacred overnight, and their Formless Sword Manual stolen. She had initially suspected the two Rudder Envoys, based on the token she had glimpsed during that bloody night—a token exclusive to those above the Rudder Envoys. After comparing it to her memories, she knew it couldn’t have been Jian Qiongjun. That night, when Jian Qiongjun found her, she had seemed to have merely stumbled upon her by chance.

Yet no matter how Jian Qigui tried to rationalize Jian Qiongjun’s actions, when she found the sword manual in Jian Qiongjun’s study, she could no longer deceive herself.

It seemed everything had been a deception.