After the Villainess Awakens

Leng Mu Shi wanted to laugh out loud, but she turned her head away from Xiao Mian's gaze as if she couldn't bear to face him. Her voice trembled as she said tearfully, "I don't know why he's acting like this. A few days ago, he went to Cang Sheng courtyard to get some medicine, and then…"

Leng Mu Shi's tears wouldn't stop. Part of it was from holding back her laughter, and the other part was from the unique pain of pinching her own thigh. It was excruciating.

As a result, a small vein even popped out on her forehead, making her face look almost twisted, a picture of utter humiliation.

Xiao Mian's expression was terrifying enough to eat someone alive. He stepped forward, his sword ringing as he unsheathed it. With a "Zheng" sound, the long sword pointed directly at You Zi Shu's throat.

Leng Mu Shi didn't even care about adjusting her clothes anymore. She quickly grabbed Xiao Mian's hand and pleaded, "Don't do this, Brother Xiao!"

If you stab him, things will get out of hand!

"He's the sect leader's disciple, you can't do this! I… I'm fine! I was just a little startled." Leng Mu Shi begged Xiao Mian with tears in her eyes. Xiao Mian slowly lowered his Shui Yun sword.

You Zi Shu, who was lying on the ground, was so wronged that he almost vomited blood. Tears welled up in his eyes, whether from anger or fear. Not far away, his Xue Ling sword buzzed, but it couldn't do anything without its master's control, let alone jump up and avenge him.

Xiao Mian naturally thought You Zi Shu was scared. After all, he wasn't the only one who saw You Zi Shu forcefully dragging Leng Mu Shi away earlier.

"Take him to the Disciplinary Hall." Xiao Mian's voice was laced with suppressed anger.

He didn't know why he was so angry. Over the past month, he had sworn to himself that he would never interfere in Leng Mu Shi's affairs again. But when he saw You Zi Shu dragging her away, he hesitated for a long time and couldn't help but follow them.

He had only wanted to take a look, but now…

He sheathed his Shui Yun sword, took two deep breaths, and looked up at Leng Mu Shi, who still had tears in the corners of her eyes. It was as if a fire was burning inside him.

At first, it was just a few sparks, but soon it spread throughout the wasteland of his heart. The withered grass that occupied his heart burned in the raging fire and was reborn in the flames.

Even his breath was scorching hot. He knew he was losing control again, but he really couldn't stand seeing Leng Mu Shi so helpless.

Xiao Mian tried to deceive himself into thinking that maybe… maybe what she said that day was just out of anger, maybe his timing for confessing wasn't right that day. She had just witnessed her mother's death… Facing her father's betrayal, was she resistant to feelings and men?

Leng Mu Shi stood there, looking at Xiao Mian, wondering what to do next.

The Law kept urging her: since Xiao Mian was here, the plot must go on.

But Xiao Mian reached out to her, slowly gathering her clothes and tying her belt. He didn't say a word during the whole process, but his whole body was inexplicably shrouded in a kind of unspoken sadness.

After he tied her sash, Xiao Mian tentatively hugged her gently. Leng Mu Shi's mouth twitched, and her nose felt a little sour.

What a good young man… It's a pity his brain isn't working.

Leng Mu Shi took out the pill, tilted her head up, pinched Xiao Mian's face with one hand, and fed him the pill with the other. The whole series of movements was as smooth as flowing water, easier than catching a piglet.

She had developed her speed from fighting with demonic beasts and her Shizun in Cang Sheng courtyard. As for the skillful pill-feeding technique, she had Xiao Mian to thank for that.

Xiao Mian had already formed a habit with Leng Mu Shi, so when the pill reached his mouth, he didn't even need to use his spiritual power to force it down his throat like You Zi Shu did. He swallowed it directly with a gulp.

After swallowing, he realized something was wrong and quickly raised his hand to push Leng Mu Shi away.

Leng Mu Shi held him tightly. She wasn't afraid of Xiao Mian. She didn't know where her confidence came from, maybe it was the way Xiao Mian looked at her.

Leng Mu Shi just felt that Xiao Mian wouldn't hurt her.

"Let go of me! What did you feed me again!" Xiao Mian pressed on Leng Mu Shi's shoulder, using a lot of force in his hand. But Leng Mu Shi's hands were clasped behind his waist, determined that as long as Xiao Mian didn't break her arms, she wouldn't let go.

Since he's here, might as well get the plot going.

"Leng Nian Ci, you really…" Xiao Mian's voice gradually lowered. Leng Mu Shi estimated that the effect of the medicine was almost over. Sure enough, in the next instant, Xiao Mian lost his self-control and fell towards her.

Leng Mu Shi held him and fell to the ground, Xiao Mian landing on top of her.

It wasn't until he didn't have even a shred of strength to resist and was firmly pressing down on Leng Mu Shi that she finally let out a heavy breath.

She was lying on the ground, exhausted.

Xiao Mian was alarmed and bewildered, but his head was resting on Leng Mu Shi's shoulder, and he couldn't lift it.

Leng Mu Shi raised her hand and patted Xiao Mian's head in comfort, then asked the Law, "To what extent?"

To what extent did she have to push Xiao Mian to be considered complete for the plot?

After the Law told her in her mind, Leng Mu Shi wanted to curse.

But things had come to this point, and she had no other choice. It wasn't that she was being inhumane… it was just that the temptation of purifying her spiritual roots was too great.

"I'm sorry," Leng Mu Shi whispered in Xiao Mian's ear, "I lied to you."

She used an apologetic tone, weaving lies with lies, "After you wouldn't let me test the medicine on you, I couldn't find anyone else. I finally found You Zi Shu, and you just had to follow us."

Leng Mu Shi paused and wrapped her arms around Xiao Mian's waist, caressing the sensitive spot on his side. "You delivered yourself to my doorstep, so don't blame me…"

Leng Mu Shi gritted her teeth and said the lines from the plot, "Don't blame me for taking advantage of you."

Xiao Mian: … He couldn't speak or move, but he was already dumbfounded.

These lines were too shameful. After saying them, Leng Mu Shi felt goosebumps all over her body.

The Law even praised her: "Good job, just the rest of the plot to go."

Leng Mu Shi: …

She had already come this far, there was no turning back. They were still at the edge of the woods, not very convenient, someone could come by at any time.

She had also run out of her Spirit Dispersion Pills. If anyone else came, she would have no way to deal with them.

So Leng Mu Shi started to drag the two of them deeper into the woods, grunting with effort.

This forest was a bit strange. The further in they went, the more eerily quiet it became, to the point where even the sounds of the initial sparring matches couldn't be heard.

But this was better. Leng Mu Shi picked up the elder's jade pendant and tied it back on her waist. She dragged the two of them to the depths of the forest, making sure that even if someone passed by outside and didn't come in, they wouldn't be able to see them. Then she sat between the two of them, opened her storage bag, and began to look for something.

The Spirit Dispersion Pill would make a cultivator lose all their spiritual power, their muscles and bones would become weak and powerless, leaving them at the mercy of others. However, it wouldn't make them faint, so both of them were awake, lying face to face, seeing different kinds of breakdowns in each other's eyes.

Leng Mu Shi wasn't afraid of making a big fuss. At worst, after today, she wouldn't leave Cang Sheng courtyard until her Shizun came back, and no one would be able to do anything to her.

So when the Law urged her to continue the plot, Leng Mu Shi said, "Let's test the medicine first, don't waste it."

She took out a Clear Spirit Pill that she had refined herself. It was black and smelly, and she stuffed it into You Zi Shu's mouth.

You Zi Shu rolled his eyes from the stench and fainted.

Xiao Mian watched all this in shock, thinking that Leng Mu Shi had become even more vicious. Now she wasn't satisfied with just feeding people pills, she started feeding them dung balls!

Who was You Zi Shu? How could he stand such humiliation?!

Then Leng Mu Shi woke him up with a needle prick, repeatedly feeding him the pill and pricking him awake, recording his reaction, and taking out her little notebook to scribble in.

Xiao Mian was lying next to him, and every time Leng Mu Shi looked at him, he would glare back at her with intimidating eyes.

That gaze was too deep and frightening, as if to say - If you dare feed me dung balls, I'll kill you!

Fortunately, Leng Mu Shi treated him differently after all. She didn't feed Xiao Mian her own refined pills because later in the plot, she would have to kiss Xiao Mian, to touch her lips to his, and she couldn't make it too smelly.

Leng Mu Shi didn't really want to go through with this part of the plot. Because even though she was conscienceless, Xiao Mian had indeed been good to her. The look of sadness on his face when he was tidying her clothes earlier was like a weak husband who had failed to protect his wife from being violated by a bully.

Thinking of this, Leng Mu Shi laughed. She didn't know why, Xiao Mian always seemed serious and aloof, similar to You Zi Shu's cold and detached temperament, but the things he did were always silly, making Leng Mu Shi unable to control her laughter.

You Zi Shu had completely fainted, tears of hatred soaking his temples. Leng Mu Shi suspected that if he hadn't been immobilized, he would have bitten his tongue and committed suicide rather than suffer the humiliation of being fed the chili pill - no, the Blood Staunching Pill - for the fourth time just now.

The more this happened, the better. He would never be able to tell anyone about this for the rest of his life.

Leng Mu Shi calculated the time. It was almost time. She stopped tormenting You Zi Shu and turned to Xiao Mian.

Sigh, she still had to follow the plot.

She recalled this part of the plot, reached out to brush aside the stray hair that the wind had blown onto Xiao Mian's face, and said the lines in a gentle voice, "Brother Xiao, why aren't you talking to me? Why didn't you come to me? Do you really not have any feelings for me?"

Xiao Mian's blood surged, and his breathing became as rapid as a rabbit that had run eight hundred miles.

Leng Mu Shi continued, "Since you won't come to me, I'll come to you. I really like you like this. I heard people say that a cultivator's Yuan Yang is very nourishing. I actually saw a dual cultivation technique these days, why don't we try it? After I absorb your essence and advance in my cultivation, we can be together forever…"

The latter part was about the vicious female supporting character's longing to enter the inner sect, which didn't fit the current situation, so Leng Mu Shi didn't say it.

Xiao Mian's eyes widened in shock, his handsome face flushed red.

Leng Mu Shi's fingers gently untied a small tie on his sash.

How could the vicious female supporting character possibly get the male lead in the plot? At this time, someone was bound to rush in and stop everything from happening.

But perhaps it was because Leng Mu Shi had dragged the two of them too far in, there was no sign of anyone discovering them.

Until Xiao Mian's sash was completely untied, and the cool breeze swirled around his lower abdomen.

Leng Mu Shi had been arguing with the Law that it should have ended here.

Xiao Mian thought Leng Mu Shi had gone mad.

He watched her talk to herself one moment and then contradict herself the next.

Finally, she covered his eyes with his robe, said "I'm sorry," blocking Xiao Mian's sight.

Immediately afterwards, something wet and cold touched Xiao Mian's shoulder.

It slowly moved down, causing Xiao Mian's blood to freeze for a moment at the sensation, then quickly go crazy, flowing like a flood.

Xiao Mian had a ridiculous guess, one that shocked him to the core.

She was kissing him… all over.

The truth was - Leng Mu Shi had a leaf in her mouth to moisten it, and she rolled it up with her fingers, gently and coolly sticking the leaf on Xiao Mian's body. She also held the hair that You Zi Shu had cut off in her palm, imitating the feeling of her own hair brushing against Xiao Mian's chest when she leaned over.

This was a compromise the Law had made after their argument.

It was already outrageous enough to do this. Leng Mu Shi didn't want to really kiss Xiao Mian. She was afraid she would have nightmares when she returned to Cang Sheng courtyard at night.

The forest was so silent that there wasn't even the chirping of birds. Xiao Mian's breathing became more and more like a broken bellows, wheezing.

Leng Mu Shi also cooperated with the lines, saying, "Relax, Brother Xiao, you'll enjoy it."

"Your little fruit is so cute." As she said this, she stuck a leaf on it.

Xiao Mian trembled violently, his knees slightly raised, indicating that the effects of the medicine were beginning to wear off rapidly.

Leng Mu Shi pressed him down. She wasn't surprised at all that the effects of the medicine were wearing off so quickly on Xiao Mian. After all, he hadn't been her test subject for nothing all this time.

If a person took pills for years, like Hua Yanyue, they could even withstand a deadly poison for three to five days.

As the effects of the medicine on Xiao Mian began to fade, Leng Mu Shi simply removed the robe covering his eyes, leaned over and hugged him, and kissed him.

She closed her eyes tightly, her features scrunching together, imagining the steps she took the last time she blew air into Xiao Mian's mouth. She pressed her lips against his, and in Xiao Mian's mortified gaze, she blew his stomach up again.

If Fen Lian were here, she would definitely be laughing her head off, but there was no one here now. Leng Mu Shi blew a few times and felt the Law heat up, and her heart finally settled down.

It's done!

She hurriedly tried to get up, but her knee bumped into something. Leng Mu Shi was stunned for a moment. Xiao Mian closed his eyes tightly, but he bit his lip until it bled.

Leng Mu Shi scrambled down, her face redder than Xiao Mian's, and hurriedly tied Xiao Mian's sash into a dead knot. She stammered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I… I didn't, hahaha, I was just kidding!"

Leng Mu Shi waved her hands at Xiao Mian, who had opened his eyes again and was staring at her fixedly. She said, "Just pretend it never happened. You just close your eyes and go to sleep, really, nothing happened, I wasn't even here!"

Xiao Mian's eyes were dark and deep, his hair tangled around his neck and body like messy grass. The two patches of red at the corners of his eyes, coupled with the specks of blood on his lips, made him look as alluring as the most bewitching Fox King.

He looked at Leng Mu Shi, a certain indescribable wave causing the blood in his body to rush wildly, fiercely washing away the medicinal restraints in his blood.

By the time Leng Mu Shi finished speaking and got up to leave, Xiao Mian had already grabbed her wrist.

Leng Mu Shi let out a cry of "Ah!" and was so scared that she sat down on the ground and scooted back several steps. But Xiao Mian had already gotten up. His messy collar and his current disheveled yet inexplicably alluring vulnerability made Leng Mu Shi subconsciously swallow her saliva.

This is bad.

Leng Mu Shi thought.

A line of blood slowly flowed down from the corner of Xiao Mian's mouth, but this only made his beautiful features even more enchanting. He had forced himself to regain control, causing his blood to flow backwards, but Leng Mu Shi couldn't help but think of the later plot in the book, where Xiao Mian, as a Heavenly Demon, awakened with a charm that captivated all beings.

Now, she had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, and even a mortal like Leng Mu Shi was already feeling parched.

Of course, there were other reasons for her dry mouth, like the fear that Xiao Mian would completely recover and chop her up.

People die when they get chopped up, and she calculated that it was almost time for her competition. She had to run!

Leng Mu Shi flung away Xiao Mian's hand, which hadn't fully regained its strength, and scrambled to her feet to run.

But unexpectedly, her ankle was grabbed again, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

Before Leng Mu Shi could turn her head, Xiao Mian had already pressed down on her like an evil spirit from behind. His elbow pressed against the back of her neck, his long hair scattered across her cheek. He said with some difficulty, "What have I done to you… that you would humiliate me so?"

His every word was filled with grief. Leng Mu Shi cursed herself inwardly for being inhuman, but she still instinctively grabbed Xiao Mian's hair and pulled him off her back with all her might.

Then she rolled on the spot and, using all the escape skills she had learned from fighting demonic beasts in the past few months, she quickly ran towards the edge of the woods.

Xiao Mian stood up behind her, his Shui Yun sword unsheathed with a "Zheng" sound, and roared furiously, "I'll kill you—"

Things had gotten out of control. Xiao Mian chased Leng Mu Shi out of the woods with his sword drawn. Sword Qi constantly swept past her, carrying with it a turbulent flow of spiritual energy filled with anger. Twice, Leng Mu Shi was almost cut in half.

She ran with her head in her hands, questioning the Law, "Didn't you say he would never kill me?!"

The Law: Who told you to set him on fire and then say you were just kidding, to pretend it never happened?

Leng Mu Shi sneered, "How was I supposed to know that he could get turned on by sticking leaves on him? Is he a thousand-year-old dead tree that spontaneously combusts when exposed to sunlight?!"

"Besides, in those romance novels, aren't the male leads only ever interested in the female leads?!"

The Law couldn't argue and played dead. Leng Mu Shi could only rely on her own abilities to dodge the attacks and run around the woods.

Fortunately, her ability to court death and her ability to run were equally matched. Xiao Mian hadn't fully recovered yet, so Leng Mu Shi finally managed to run out of the woods ahead of him. She picked up You Zi Shu's Xue Ling sword and turned around to block Xiao Mian's Shui Yun. With a "Clang," Xiao Mian took a step back—

Leng Mu Shi was directly sent flying by the sword Qi—

But just as she was about to fall to the ground, she twisted her waist in mid-air. Her entire body was so flexible that she was like a ribbon that could be bent and curled at will. She twisted herself back upright, then landed on her feet, holding the Xue Ling sword, and ran towards the disciple sparring area without looking back.

She had a good plan: to run to a place with many people, so Xiao Mian wouldn't follow.

But she really didn't expect that Xiao Mian, driven mad by her, would actually chase after her with his sword drawn—

Leng Mu Shi went from running around the woods with her head in her hands to running around in a crowd with her head in her hands.

She had never really used a sword before, and the Xue Ling sword wasn't her life-bound sword either. It was a sword with a sword spirit, and it had personally witnessed her bullying its master. Naturally, it refused to be controlled and kept shaking in her hand.

Leng Mu Shi almost couldn't hold onto it, her arm numb from the vibrations. But she couldn't let go either. After all, if she faced Xiao Mian empty-handed, he might just split her in half with one slash.

Leng Mu Shi ran in a panic and went straight to the side of the Spirit Projection Formation. Seeing that there was nowhere to go, Xiao Mian followed closely behind, his sword raised with murderous intent. He had already caused quite a commotion, but it seemed that he had no intention of stopping.

He's gone berserk.

Leng Mu Shi's head was buzzing along with the Xue Ling sword in her hand. Seeing that there was no way out, the disciples of the Disciplinary Hall noticed the commotion here and were just about to walk over when Xiao Mian's cold sword Qi brushed against the back of her neck—

Leng Mu Shi's scalp tightened. Just then, the previous round of sparring ended, and a disciple came out of the Spirit Projection Formation in front of her.

The disciple hosting the matches called out the numbers of the next pair of disciples. It was the number that You Zi Shu had given to Leng Mu Shi before. She remembered it very clearly!

Without a second thought, Leng Mu Shi grabbed the disciple who had just come out of the Spirit Projection Formation and was still dizzy, threw him aside, and plunged headlong into the formation.

Xiao Mian's sword Qi hit the Spirit Projection Formation and was easily neutralized. Projecting one's spiritual consciousness was not to be taken lightly, so this Spirit Projection Formation was personally drawn by the elders with runes to ensure that nothing would go wrong.

Xiao Mian couldn't enter. He stood outside the Spirit Projection Formation, so angry that his wrist trembled more than Leng Mu Shi's, who was gripping the Xue Ling sword.

Soon, the number on the other wooden token was also called out. As luck would have it, it was the one that Leng Tian Yin had drawn.

Yi Tu and Xing Zhou had been accompanying her and didn't notice the commotion here. Leng Tian Yin's face was pale. She had eaten something bad in the past two days, and coupled with her nervousness before the test, she was in a very bad state, as if she could faint at any moment.

Seeing the disciples of the Disciplinary Hall approaching, Leng Mu Shi had already projected her spiritual consciousness onto the sparring platform. She held the Xue Ling sword and looked around for Xiao Mian. Seeing him standing outside the Spirit Projection Formation, unable to do anything but watch her with a livid face, she finally heaved a sigh of relief.

But she couldn't laugh for long, because Xiao Mian quickly went to the side of another Spirit Projection Formation, picked up Leng Tian Yin, who was about to collapse to the ground and faint, and plunged straight into the formation.

Their spiritual consciousnesses were projected onto the sparring platform. Leng Mu Shi was originally sitting on the ground, catching her breath with the Xue Ling sword in her arms, when a shadow fell beside her. She slowly raised her head, then revealed a mournful expression.

The entire audience was in an uproar. The disciples of the Disciplinary Hall rushed over, but they couldn't possibly pull Xiao Mian out of the Spirit Projection Formation. They could only wait until there was a winner and their spiritual consciousnesses were ejected back into their bodies by the formation.

What followed was truly spectacular.

Never before had a new disciple sparring match been so exciting that it even alarmed two elders who were stationed in the Hall of Healing to come and watch—

Leng Mu Shi was being chased by Xiao Mian to the point where she almost twisted herself into a rope. It was only now that she realized she had misheard the match number. This was only the third round, and she was in the fourth round. Her opponent wasn't Leng Tian Yin, but Sun Wufang.

But it was too late. Not only could she not get out now, but she was also being hunted down by Xiao Mian in front of all the sect disciples!

Fortunately, after the Xue Ling sword was projected in, it wasn't as difficult to use as her own sword. So Leng Mu Shi could only grit her teeth and endure. If she couldn't endure, she would run. The entire formation wasn't that big, just a sparring platform. There was nowhere she couldn't dodge to or stand on.

More and more disciples gathered outside, even the high-level disciples who didn't bother to watch the new disciples spar came. After all, a cross-level battle like this had never happened before.

It was unheard of for a Second Elder's disciple, who was an alchemist, to spar against a high-level disciple. Everyone knew that alchemists focused on alchemy and not combat. Leng Mu Shi was also a new disciple, having only been here for three months, yet she was sparring against Tian Xuzi's most prized disciple, a disciple with exceptional talent even among the Tai Chu sect. This was simply too good to miss.

What was even more interesting was that someone discovered that the sword Leng Mu Shi was holding was the Xue Ling sword. This was the life-bound sword of the sect leader's chief disciple, You Zi Shu. Others had seen it, but they had never even touched it!

Adding to that was the rapidly spreading rumor of the sect leader's chief disciple, You Zi Shu, dragging the Second Elder's disciple into the woods, as well as Xiao Mian's current appearance—his clothes disheveled, his hair messy, his eyes bloodshot with hatred.

Someone even spread the word that he and Leng Mu Shi had run out of the woods together—this instantly set the entire Tai Chu sect ablaze.

For an entire hour, waves of excitement crashed upon the crowd.

Someone found You Zi Shu unconscious in the woods!

You Zi Shu had been dragged around by Leng Mu Shi for so long and then tortured with medicine, so naturally, he didn't look too good either. He looked like a patch of grass that had been rolled halfway through before being knocked unconscious.

And so, rumors of a love triangle, two geniuses fighting over a little alchemist junior sister, a new disciple who could actually escape for an hour under the pursuit of a Star Condensation Realm disciple…

No one knew which rumor was more exciting. In any case, all the disciples of the Tai Chu sect were excitedly discussing and speculating about the truth behind this farce.

And every breath Leng Mu Shi took was a test of her limits. It was only now that she understood what Hua Yanyue meant when she said that she was teaching her cultivation techniques every day.

She took pills to replenish her energy as she ran. The more she ran, the faster she became. Xiao Mian simply couldn't catch up to her. Moreover—she was even using the moves that Xiao Mian had taught her against him.

However, only the high-level disciples could tell that the reason Leng Mu Shi had been able to escape for so long and was still standing on the platform was because Xiao Mian had repeatedly shown mercy. It seemed that he was only venting his anger.

Leng Mu Shi was being chased by him like a stray dog with its tail between its legs. Gradually, she also realized something was wrong. She simply stood there and stopped running, shouting at Xiao Mian, "That's enough! Stop being so aggressive! Even if you like me, I won't agree to be with you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, another wave of commotion swept through the crowd of onlookers.

"I knew it, a love triangle!"

"You can't force love!"

"This little junior sister is something else—"

Amidst the endless discussions, Leng Mu Shi closed her eyes and threw away the Xue Ling sword.

She thought that she might as well let Xiao Mian stab her once and be done with it. Looking at the situation, if she didn't let him vent his anger, he would probably keep chasing her like this until nightfall.

Anyway, this was the Spirit Projection Formation. Even if she was stabbed, it would only be her spiritual consciousness that would be injured. At worst, she would just go back to Cang Sheng courtyard and lie down for a few days.

Xiao Mian didn't expect Leng Mu Shi to suddenly stop resisting. The sharp sword Qi went straight for her face. It was too late to withdraw his attack. His anxious expression instantly shattered his originally angry and murderous look.

He gripped the Shui Yun sword tightly and instantly appeared in front of Leng Mu Shi, blocking the attack for her—

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