After the Villainess Awakens

It is said that you can't judge a book by its cover.

Some people may appear solemn and aloof on the surface, like the many self-possessed and upright immortals from prominent sects.

But behind closed doors, they take petal baths and don't dry their hair properly, nor do they dress themselves properly. Instead, they show up in the middle of the night, carrying a food box, to tempt someone.

Leng Mushi's initial impression of Xiao Mian was that of a dull and rigid, upright immortal, not much different from You Zishu. Although Xiao Mian was exceptionally handsome, she took it for granted because he was the male protagonist.

However, as they spent more time together, she discovered that Xiao Mian, despite being meticulous and gentle, was actually a naive and easily fooled fool.

But ever since Xiao Mian's failed confession and subsequent coaxing of Leng Mushi into being his good friend, his hidden intentions had been exposed once again, as he dressed up like this in the dead of night to entice her.

Leng Mushi came to a conclusion about Xiao Mian in her heart: this was a real - flirt.

However, there was no denying that Leng Mushi was truly captivated by his behavior. It tickled her heart, and it took all her willpower to resist the urge to let Xiao Mian in and see what he was up to.

No, she had to learn from the Laws how to suppress other spiritual roots.

Leng Mushi told herself.

That's why, although her eyes were practically undressing Xiao Mian's already loosely worn robe, her face remained impassive. Blocking the doorway to stop Xiao Mian from entering, she said coldly, "The autumn nights are chilly, Xiao-shixiong. You'll catch a cold dressed like that."

Xiao Mian was a flirt, but he was always subdued about it. Such blatant flirting was truly a rare occurrence for him, so he was incredibly embarrassed. Seeing Leng Mushi's attitude and hearing her words, the veins on his arm, which was clutching the food box, bulged.

"I… I was thinking that you hadn't eaten anything, so I came out in a hurry." Xiao Mian regretted it deeply, but with flushed ears, he made excuses that he himself didn't believe.

He couldn't understand why Leng Mushi didn't like him like this?

Wasn't he charming enough?

As Xiao Mian stood there lost in thought, Leng Mushi stared at him, struggling to hold back her laughter.

It was only now that she realized she didn't know when she had become so tolerant of Xiao Mian. And once she began to understand her own feelings, Leng Mushi was a little surprised. She and Xiao Mian had even passed the initial period of passion and had directly entered the flirting stage of an old married couple.

She didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable or offended by Xiao Mian. Looking at him didn't make her feel embarrassed, only an unspeakable intimacy.

If it were someone like Xiao Mian?

If it were Xiao Mian, someone completely opposite from her father and even herself, could being with someone like him truly bring her the love that was so hard to find in this world?

"Xiao Mian…" Leng Mushi stood inside the door and called softly.

Xiao Mian looked up at Leng Mushi, his eyes, slightly red from either shyness or anxiety, were filled with such undisguised emotions.

Leng Mushi's heart skipped a beat with just one glance. She moved her lips slightly, but what came out was, "Just give me the food box. Men and women shouldn't touch each other. It's so late, you should go back to your own room."

Xiao Mian's expression froze on his face. A moment later, the turbulent emotions in his eyes gradually cooled, returning to his usual stern look. He moved his beautiful, red lips but pursed them together without speaking. He just nodded slightly, then handed the food box to Leng Mushi and took a step back.

Leng Mushi clicked her tongue inwardly and opened the door a little wider to take the food box. At this moment, the sound of several disciples talking and footsteps came from the corridor. The voices were quite familiar, Yi Tu's and Leng Tianyin's among them.

Xiao Mian's body swayed, and he immediately pushed the food box forward, wanting to slip away. In his current state, he really couldn't face anyone other than Leng Mushi.

But the thought of running away at the sound of Leng Tianyin's voice… Thinking of the events that would follow, Leng Mushi frowned slightly. So when she took the food box, she grabbed Xiao Mian's hand, not letting him let go of the box, and naturally not letting him leave.

"What are you afraid of?" Leng Mushi asked Xiao Mian, standing at the door. "Are you afraid of people seeing you trying to seduce me, or are you afraid of your Tianyin-shimei seeing?"

Xiao Mian looked at Leng Mushi in astonishment. Leng Mushi looked at him with a cold face. Xiao Mian opened his mouth slightly and shook his head. "Of course not!"

But the sound of the conversation was getting closer and closer, about to reach the corner. Xiao Mian closed his eyes, his face flushed red, and didn't pull his hand away.

Leng Mushi, however, pulled him into the room and closed the door.

Underneath their overlapping hands was the food box. Because they were both holding the food box, they naturally couldn't stand far apart, practically plastered against each other at the door, face to face.

Xiao Mian's breath hitched. The hand with which Leng Mushi had closed the door was still pressed against the small of his back, her arm half-circling his extremely sensitive waist, like a loose embrace.

Xiao Mian could hold his breath, but he couldn't control the way his heart pounded against his chest. Leng Mushi was pressed close to his chest, and even though her sharpest sense wasn't hearing but sight, it was hard to miss Xiao Mian's unconcealed excitement.

Why hadn't she noticed it before?

Leng Mushi laughed inwardly, deliberately maintaining this posture, not moving a muscle.

Xiao Mian leaned against the door, unsure of what she meant. He didn't dare to move or ask, and he listened with her as the group outside passed by.

"Oh right, Yi Tu-shixiong, you go back first. My sister hasn't eaten yet. Her room is still lit, so she must not be asleep. I'll ask her what she wants to eat and have the innkeeper send it up…"

"It's fine, I'll wait for you," Yi Tu said.

Leng Tianyin's and Yi Tu's voices sounded right outside the door. There were other footsteps leaving, the other disciples who had been with them. Then, "knock, knock, knock," three knocks, each one hitting Xiao Mian's heart.

Xiao Mian's whole body tensed as he suppressed his emotions, controlling his heartbeat and breathing.

Leng Tianyin asked from outside, "Sister, are you asleep? Do you want to eat something? I'll have the innkeeper send some up…"

Leng Mushi didn't answer. She just slowly raised her head.

Because the two of them were standing so close together, when she raised her head, it was almost touching Xiao Mian's chest, neck, throat, jaw…

Xiao Mian's eyelashes fluttered wildly as he tried his best to tilt his head back. He could avoid skin-to-skin contact with Leng Mushi, but he couldn't avoid her breath brushing against his throat.

This was too much.

For a moment, Xiao Mian even suspected that Leng Mushi was doing this on purpose.

But he didn't even dare to lower his head to meet her gaze, afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from doing something irreversible.

As long as she didn't agree to be with him, the most Xiao Mian would do was to take care of her and be close to her in the name of friendship.

Xiao Mian might be a flirt, but he wasn't a jerk.

Leng Mushi was different. Leng Mushi was a complete and utter scoundrel. If she wasn't, they wouldn't have gotten to this point.

So she deliberately didn't answer Leng Tianyin, making her knock on Xiao Mian's back a few more times. This was more torturous than the Heart-Questioning Formation.

Leng Mushi carefully observed Xiao Mian's expression and saw that he was only embarrassed and nervous, not guilty or conflicted. Only then was she satisfied.

When Leng Tianyin didn't get a response, she left with Yi Tu, and the corridor fell silent again.

Only then did Leng Mushi look away. The hand that was gripping Xiao Mian's hand released its hold and grabbed the food box. At the same time, she shoved the door open forcefully, flinging both the door and the tightly pressed Xiao Mian out.

"Xiao-shixiong, thank you for the food box," Leng Mushi said, suppressing a smile. "Go back and rest early."

Xiao Mian, in order to avoid Leng Mushi, had pressed his back against the door. When the door was suddenly pushed open, he stumbled back, the food box in his hand snatched away, leaving him shut out.

He looked at Leng Mushi's indifferent eyes, and this time, his heart truly sank.

It still wouldn't work.

Xiao Mian nodded somewhat dejectedly, turned around, and quickly disappeared down the corridor.

Leng Mushi closed the door, carried the food box to the table, and as she went to open the lid, she found her hand was wet. It was water dripping from Xiao Mian's hair onto the back of her hand.

It carried a faint floral fragrance. A grown man taking a petal bath, really…

Leng Mushi finally laughed. She lifted her hand, bringing it close to her lips, and then extended her tongue, licking the water stains on the back of her hand, sucking the moisture into her mouth as if she were eating a wild fruit called "Xiao Mian."

It was indeed wild.

And sweet.

With this sweetness, Leng Mushi finished the entire box of food that she liked and was just the right amount for her appetite. After washing up, she lay in bed and began to circulate her spiritual energy, digesting the changes in her newly advanced, heavier body.

Xiao Mian went back and tidied himself up. He lived next door to Leng Mushi. He sat cross-legged on his bed, facing Leng Mushi's room, neither resting nor cultivating.

Xiao Mian was still young, and he didn't have any knots in his heart. He had developed feelings for Leng Mushi, and because he had never given up, no inner demons arose.

He was just thinking about what he should do in the future.

She was aware of his feelings again, yet she still refused to be with him. In the future, she would definitely not let him get close to her again.

Xiao Mian racked his brains but couldn't come up with a solution. Unable to sleep, he reluctantly began to circulate the spiritual energy within his body. Recently, the meridians in his body had expanded quite a bit. The reason he wasn't in a hurry to advance was that the transition from the Star realm to the Moon realm was the foundation for cultivators. The more one accumulated, the more stable their realm would be after advancing.

Although he spent all day revolving around Leng Mushi, he hadn't neglected his cultivation and accumulation. Now that he had suffered another setback emotionally, he thought that he wasn't even as high as Leng Mushi in terms of cultivation. It was no wonder she didn't like him…

Thus, on this night, the small inn experienced a slight tremor. In the middle of the night, spiritual light surrounded the inn, bright as day, and the chirping of birds and cicadas continued incessantly, attracting other cultivators staying at the inn to peek and marvel from their windows.

"To advance so quickly, they must be about to enter the Secret Realm."

"They even advanced two levels in a row. Which elder's disciple from the Tai Chu Sect is this? Their foundation is quite solid. Can their meridians handle it?"

"I heard from the disciples below that it's the closed-door disciple of the Fifth Elder of the Tai Chu Sect. Only twenty years old this year, and already at the middle stage of the Moon realm."

"Tsk, tsk… such talent, it's enviable."

The surrounding discussions were endless. Leng Mushi, who had just fallen asleep, was awakened by the commotion. She got up and pushed open the door, only to see a group of newly inducted disciples standing outside her next-door neighbor's room, cultivating by taking advantage of the spiritual light from Xiao Mian's advancement.

Leng Mushi touched her storage bag, thinking of sending Xiao Mian some advancement pills. However, she paused, then remembered that Xiao Mian had no fewer pills than she did. Leng Mushi always gave him more than she kept for herself.

Leng Mushi wasn't surprised at all by Xiao Mian's advancement. It would have been strange if he hadn't advanced. She had fed him a lot of good things this year. Not to mention a pure spiritual root, even she, with her mixed spiritual roots, had already reached the Moon realm.

She naturally knew that Xiao Mian had a plan, and he had also told her that he wanted to accumulate more.

It was normal for him to choose to advance before entering the Demonic Beast Legacy Realm. It was just this advancement gift…

This time, it was Leng Mushi's turn to lose sleep. She sat on the bed, pondering, "What should I give him?"

For her birthday, the Mustard Seed Pill Furnace that Xiao Mian had given her was truly useful. Naturally, Leng Mushi had also used the Barlowe Bone that Xiao Mian had brought up the mountain to refine a Bone Substitution Pill for him, which could create a substitute to block a disaster in times of crisis.

A few days ago, when she advanced, Xiao Mian asked her what she wanted and said he would find it for her after they came out of the Demonic Beast Legacy Realm. This made Leng Mushi also start thinking about what to give Xiao Mian to congratulate him on his advancement.

This night was destined to be a restless one. Just as the commotion from Xiao Mian's advancement subsided, rumbling thunder echoed from the sky not far from the inn.

Of course, this time it wasn't a cultivator advancing. Cultivators didn't advance so easily, especially these newly inducted disciples.

This time, it was a female cultivator from the Joyful Union Sect fighting with a Buddhist cultivator from the True Martial Temple.

The Joyful Union Sect cultivated the art of seduction, naturally for the purpose of enticing cultivators into dual cultivation. But it wasn't something to be criticized either. After all, there were three thousand paths to enlightenment.

Moreover, dual cultivation emphasized mutual consent. No one could blame anyone else. Naturally, this consent didn't involve true feelings; everything was for the sake of cultivation. To think too much about it was a problem.

Furthermore, the cultivators of the Joyful Union Sect, skilled in the art of seduction, were also adept at breaking demonic illusions. Therefore, the cultivation world didn't despise their cultivation methods.

However, there was one exception: the Buddhist cultivators of the True Martial Temple.

They cultivated the path of severing the six desires and cutting off the seven emotions, of sacrificing oneself to save all sentient beings. Therefore, unlike other sects, even if their disciples were seduced into dual cultivation by cultivators from the Joyful Union Sect, it was no big deal. Being taken advantage of for a portion of their cultivation was just considered a lesson learned. At least they had a night of pleasure.

But Buddhist cultivators couldn't do that. Buddhist precepts were strict. Breaking them not only prevented one from cultivating into a true Buddha but also resulted in expulsion from the temple.

Therefore, Buddhist cultivators were extremely cautious towards the Joyful Union Sect because it wasn't easy for them to recruit disciples.

Entering the Buddhist sect was even more difficult than entering a prestigious family. From then on, worldly thoughts and desires were all violations of the precepts. Unlike other sects, where one could at least satisfy their physical and emotional desires and only start suppressing them after reaching the Sun realm, Buddhist cultivators had to sever them from the very beginning. This led to the True Martial Temple being the only sect with a desolate entrance during the annual sect recruitment.

This year, they had finally managed to recruit a few good seedlings, so naturally, they protected them like precious treasures. However, the disciples of the Joyful Union Sect, who cultivated the art of seduction, were essentially stealing other people's cultivation for their own use. Moreover, those who cultivated the art of seduction needed to have a yin-leaning constitution. Therefore, they absolutely loved these little monks who cultivated the supremely yang, pure, and righteous Buddhist methods.

They didn't dare to provoke high-level Buddhist cultivators. A single "Setting Sun Illuminating Snow" technique from a Buddhist master could blind them. So, naturally, they specifically targeted those young disciples who had just entered the Buddhist sect, who had just begun cultivating Buddhist methods and hadn't yet severed their desires and emotions.

Hooking one was a gain; even if they failed and got beaten up, it was no big deal.

This infuriated the Buddhist disciples. However, seeing that several high-level disciples, and even the Buddhist Son, Bu Jin, had come for this new disciple trial showed how much importance the True Martial Temple placed on these new recruits.

And at this moment, not far from the two inns, one of the two people engaged in battle was that very Buddhist Son, Bu Jin. He was draped in a gauze robe covered in crimson-gold scriptures. In the dark of night, the crimson-gold scriptures moved like a small sun.

Buddhism was always the best counter to evil and demonic beings. Behind Bu Jin was the entrance to the Demonic Beast Legacy Realm's formation. As he unfolded the Thunder Array Diagram, the Shadow Demons that had been roaming above the Legacy Realm within the formation scattered like birds and beasts.

Booming thunder poured down from the dark clouds in the sky, striking the female cultivator from the Joyful Union Sect facing him, making her look like an ant beneath a thunderstorm, only able to dodge in a panic.

"Stop striking, stop striking! It was just a touch! I didn't even have time to do anything, I didn't even undo his belt before you showed up!"

The woman was extremely beautiful, with alluring eyes and blood-red lips. She was the eldest senior sister of the Joyful Union Sect, responsible for bringing the disciples out for this training, and her name was Ni Hanyan.

Bu Jin turned a deaf ear to her pleas. Holding the Thunder Array Diagram, his gauze robe fluttered, and his gray-white long hair danced in the wind. He carried out this murderous act with a calm and composed expression, his eyes downcast, his appearance dignified and solemn.

He was the only Buddhist cultivator in the True Martial Temple who cultivated with his hair uncut. It was said that even Leng Mushi, who didn't attend classes, had heard of him. He was originally an ordinary young master from a common family. During a plague, unable to bear the thought of the entire city's people being massacred by the imperial court, he led his family's guards in resistance.

In the end, although he couldn't save the people, he attained enlightenment about life and death. In an instant, his hair turned white, and he entered the monastic life on the spot, his body bathed in golden light and surrounded by moving scriptures. He was hailed by the people as a Buddhist Son descended upon the mortal world.

The plague also receded like a tide after the appearance of this phenomenon on Bu Jin.

It just so happened that at that time, a Buddhist cultivator from the True Martial Temple was in the human world exorcising demons. Upon hearing about this good fortune, he happily brought the Buddhist Son back to the mountain.

As for why he hadn't shaved his head after entering the Buddhist sect…

Leng Mushi, squeezed between Leng Tianyin and Zhu Rong by the window, listened as they craned their necks to watch the spectacle outside. They excitedly explained to Leng Mushi.

"It's said that it's because he had a fiancée he was betrothed to since childhood before he attained enlightenment and entered the monastic life." Leng Tianyin said.

Zhu Rong quickly chimed in, "It's said that when the Buddhist Son led the guards in resistance against the imperial soldiers, his fiancée was forced by her family to marry someone else. But the Buddhist Son couldn't forget her and said that he would only shave his white hair after his fiancée died and entered the cycle of reincarnation. Isn't that touching?!"

Hearing this, Leng Mushi froze. Zhu Rong had somehow managed to put on a jade hairpin without her noticing, and its sharp tip was only two fingers away from Leng Mushi's chin. She said, both amused and exasperated, "I wouldn't dare move."

She knew that this was probably the most beautiful story circulating among the people, but whether it was true or not was debatable. Nowadays, strange things happened frequently. Leng Mushi believed that the Buddhist Son, as a mortal, had witnessed the suffering of the people and attained enlightenment about life and death, leading him to enter the monastic life.

But to say that the Buddhist Son refused to shave his head because he couldn't let go of his fiancée… Come on, he had attained enlightenment about life and death, but couldn't see through a marriage?

Leng Mushi guessed that the reason he didn't shave his head… Maybe he had ringworm on his scalp?

The fight below continued. Ni Hanyan saw that Bu Jin wouldn't let up and stopped dodging. Her eyes turned sharp as she summoned her magical weapon, a retractable beast bone whip.

As the whip lashed out, spiritual light exploded, actually able to draw upon the lightning from Bu Jin's Thunder Array Diagram. It wrapped itself in crackling blue lightning fire, like a shower of silver flowers, and lashed towards Bu Jin.

Leng Mushi's eyes lit up at the sight of the beast bone whip. What a treasure!

At this moment, Leng Tianyin and Zhu Rong, chattering excitedly, decided that Leng Mushi's room was a bit too far out of the way and didn't offer a clear view of the fight. They pulled Leng Mushi, wanting to go downstairs.

Leng Mushi shook her head like a rattle drum. After seeing the other sects here, she realized that her own abilities were really nothing to brag about.

Just now, Ni Hanyan had been able to joke around while being pursued by the Thunder Array Diagram, which showed how nimble her movements were. The beast bone whip she summoned was no ordinary weapon either. Even without a master controlling it, it was already so powerful, and this was just a senior sister of the sect, similar in status to You Zishu.

It seemed that there were countless paths to enlightenment, and there would always be someone stronger.

Moreover, although the Thunder Array Diagram could summon rolling thunder, with so many people watching, Bu Jin only used the lightning to strike Ni Hanyan. Not even a single tree was accidentally harmed, which showed his strong control and that he wasn't using his full strength.

Therefore, Leng Mushi didn't want to get any closer and risk her life. She shook her head and said, "It's dangerous, you shouldn't go either…"

Naturally, the two of them didn't listen to her advice. They met a few other female cultivators at her door and excitedly ran downstairs together.

Leng Mushi shook her head and sighed, continuing to watch the escalating battle below. The little monk kneeling behind Bu Jin had opened his eyes and began to plead with the two of them to stop fighting.

Leng Mushi simply watched it as if it were a fireworks display, but she also observed their weapons and movements. She couldn't keep up with Leng Tianyin and the others, but even without going downstairs, she could still rely on her excellent eyesight, honed from eating Thousand-Eyed Demon Hawks, to clearly see the extremely fast movements and techniques of the fight below, which were practically afterimages.

Just as she was concentrating, Ni Hanyan was suddenly struck with a solid palm to her abdomen.

Bu Jin's palm shone with golden light, and at this moment, someone shouted, "It's the Setting Sun Illuminating Snow!"

"As expected of the Buddhist Son, he has already mastered the secret Buddhist technique…"

Ni Hanyan flew backward through the air, the beast bone whip slipping from her grasp. It was still wrapped in lightning and with a flick of her wrist, she sent it straight towards the secluded second floor where Leng Mushi was.

Standing by the window, Leng Mushi's first reaction was: As expected, I should have gone downstairs with Leng Tianyin and the others!

She was about to dodge out of the way. This whip, imbued with lightning, would probably collapse this corner of the inn.

But at this moment, she was suddenly hugged from behind and pulled away. In the next instant, a protective barrier unfolded around both of them—

Leng Mushi didn't need to turn around. She could tell from the scent that it was Xiao Mian.

Golden light exploded outside the window beside them, like fireworks blooming in the sky. Leng Mushi turned her head and saw her own smiling reflection in Xiao Mian's slightly widened eyes, filled with worry.

Leng Mushi couldn't help but think, oh my god, just his appearance is enough to make me this happy.

What am I supposed to do?

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