After the Villainess Awakens

Their hands clasped, damp with sweat. Leng Mu Shi’s heart trembled in her chest, unsure of what to do.

Though hidden by their sleeves, if either of them moved carelessly, their clasped hands would be visible to everyone at the table.

But who could tell her why this scene, akin to a secret love affair happening right under the female lead’s nose, was happening to her?!

Leng Mu Shi felt like her world was crumbling around her. On the surface, she had to pretend that nothing was happening. Xiao Mian, as if possessed, not only refused to let go of her hand but also gently rubbed his thumb against her fingertips, attempting to interlock their fingers!

Oh my god!

Leng Mu Shi couldn’t break free without attracting attention. All she could do was press her fingers together tightly, holding onto the last line of defense, refusing to let Xiao Mian succeed.

With his right hand holding Leng Mu Shi's left hand, Xiao Mian naturally couldn't eat. Everyone else at the table was enjoying their meal, yet he sat there, unmoving. Leng Mu Shi, while shoveling food into her mouth, felt cold sweat trickling down her forehead and almost into her bowl.

“Senior Brother, why aren't you eating?” Leng Tian Yin asked, puzzled.

She had been away for a while, cultivating in this immortal mountain, and she looked much better. The fear from her family's extermination, the hardships of the journey, and the initial unfamiliarity of a new environment had all been smoothed away by this place where even a single breath of air could cleanse the heart and lungs.

She looked even more delicate and beautiful, her voice as gentle and pleasant as ever. She was truly a jade beauty, the kind of fragile beauty that made people want to hold her in their hands and protect her. She was the very image of an ethereal immortal cultivator.

In contrast, Leng Mu Shi, whose beauty was enhanced by the Rejuvenation Pill, possessed a more lively, human air. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, resembling a cunning little animal, simple and adorable.

After Leng Tian Yin's question, everyone at the table paused, their gazes falling upon the untouched bowl of spiritual rice in front of Xiao Mian. It was indeed strange.

Leng Mu Shi seized this opportunity to try and free herself again, but Xiao Mian's grip remained firm. She even tried to dig her nails into his fingers, but he was like a stubborn ox, refusing to budge. Leng Mu Shi was so angry that her chest felt tight.

Compared to Leng Mu Shi, who was about to bury her head in her bowl, Xiao Mian appeared calm and composed under everyone's questioning gaze.

He had always been like this, even when he was caught red-handed holding a girl's hand under the table. He could lie with a straight face.

He said, “I don't have much of an appetite. I think it's because my internal injuries from a while back haven't fully healed. Using too much spiritual power in the formation today has caused the injured meridians to nearly tear again. It's nothing serious. I'll be fine after some meditation later. You all enjoy your meal.”

Everyone knew about his injuries from the barrier of the Cangsheng Courtyard a month ago. However, Xiao Mian never told anyone that it was because he went looking for Leng Mu Shi. He only said that he accidentally touched the barrier of the Cangsheng Courtyard, triggering its defensive restrictions. But everyone knew that Xiao Mian had already reached the Star Weight Realm. How could the restrictions of a formation injure him so severely? Several of his meridians were directly torn, he was vomiting blood, and had to be carried back by his fellow disciples. Even the Fifth Elder, Tian Xuzi, was alarmed.

The Cangsheng Courtyard had always held a special position in the sect. But even though the Second Elder was eccentric, it wasn't like no one had ever touched the barrier before. Nothing like this had ever happened. Xiao Mian’s injury couldn't have been caused by the barrier alone. Someone must have intentionally hurt him.

If he hadn't insisted that it was an accident, Tian Xuzi would have stepped in to seek justice for his disciple.

Hearing this, everyone's expressions shifted. Yi Tu Xing Zhou and the other disciple quickly offered to help Xiao Mian heal his meridians.

Leng Tian Yin also said, “Although my spiritual power is still weak, I can help protect you three Senior Brothers while you heal.”

Xiao Mian nodded lightly and said, “You all eat first. There's no rush.”

As he spoke, he gently squeezed Leng Mu Shi’s hand, which had been struggling to break free, under the cover of his sleeve.

Leng Mu Shi choked, but she didn't dare cough too loudly, afraid that any large movement would expose them.

She was supposed to be the vicious villainess, the one who comes between the male and female leads! Logically, she should be raising her hand right now, showing off to Leng Tian Yin, and creating a fatal misunderstanding between her and the male lead. But here she was, wilting like a frostbitten seedling, not daring to make a sound, her heart weaker than a seventy-year-old man's kidneys.

Xiao Mian didn't like her before, so no matter how outrageous her performance was, it wouldn't have mattered. But now that she knew the plot had been twisted and Xiao Mian genuinely liked her, she just wanted to disappear. If she showed off now, how would she ever explain herself to him later?

In the original story, no matter how she confessed, Xiao Mian only saw her as a vicious and malicious woman, filled with disgust and loathing. Leng Tian Yin was the true love of his life, the pure and elegant fairy, the porcelain doll in his heart.

Under those circumstances, no matter how hard she tried, the plot wouldn't change.

That was why, even though she had loosened up a bit, using him, deceiving him, and taking advantage of his kindness, it was all just to record the different reactions of someone with higher cultivation than her, someone whose body wasn't as numb to pills as Hua Yanyue's.

After all, her cultivation was too low. Sometimes, her strong reactions to even a small amount of medicine couldn't be considered normal drug reactions. These pills were ultimately intended for disciples with decent cultivation, not a good-for-nothing with a trash spiritual root like her.

Besides, Hua Yanyue had promised her that she wouldn't die. Back then, she had used almost every elder as a guinea pig, and not only did she not kill any of them, but she also inadvertently helped them become the renowned experts they were today.

At that time, Hua Yanyue wasn't as skilled as she was now. Now, the pills she refined were almost guaranteed to be successful. How could they possibly harm anyone?

That was why Leng Mu Shi dared to trick Xiao Mian into being her test subject.

But now, Xiao Mian was acting as if he had taken the wrong medicine and it had affected his brain. He actually liked her, the vicious villainess who took advantage of him. Leng Mu Shi had no idea how this plot was supposed to proceed…

The entire meal, Leng Mu Shi ate like a wax statue, her senses dulled. Her fingers were rubbed raw by Xiao Mian, her entire left arm numb, the redness spreading from her fingertips to the tips of her ears.

When the long torment finally ended, Xiao Mian finally let go of her. Leng Mu Shi stood up, forgetting even basic courtesy. She mumbled a quick farewell to the group and then bolted out of the dining hall –

To her, the Five Grains Hall now felt like a demon’s lair, and Xiao Mian was the terrifying monster she couldn't face.

Leng Tian Yin didn't get to say much to Leng Mu Shi. She wanted to chase after her, to tell her that she was doing well in the sect, that she was cultivating diligently. She wanted to tell her that if there was a next time… the next time they were in danger, she wouldn't just freeze up and become a burden.

But Leng Tian Yin also knew that if possible, Leng Mu Shi wouldn't want to hear a single word from her.

What stood between them was an insurmountable wall, a vast and impassable ocean.

But she still took a step forward. Because in this world, besides Leng Mu Shi, who shared her blood, she truly didn't know who else she could talk to.

However, before Leng Tian Yin could chase after her, someone else had already swiftly followed Leng Mu Shi.

“You all head back and rest. I need to speak with Senior Brother Xuan Zhu from the Second Elder’s courtyard. I'll ask Nian Ci where he is.”

Xiao Mian had spent the entire meal coming up with this excuse. It was perfectly reasonable and even subtly shifted the blame for his previous injuries to the elusive Senior Brother Xuan Zhu from the Second Elder’s courtyard.

Xiao Mian refused to say who hurt him, but if it was the unruly and eccentric Xuan Zhu, who was only slightly less powerful than the sect elders, it would make sense. After all, Xuan Zhu was known for being unorthodox. It was plausible that he had a conflict with Xiao Mian and injured him.

Therefore, everyone tactfully refrained from asking further, including Leng Tian Yin.

And so, the one who suffered was Leng Mu Shi.

She was sprinting towards the testing formation in front of the Hall of Healing. This was one of her goals for leaving the Cangsheng Courtyard today. But now, she regretted it!

Leng Mu Shi was filled with regret. She thought that if she ran, that would be the end of it. Who knew that Xiao Mian, that stubborn mule, would actually chase after her so blatantly, and he was so fast!

Leng Mu Shi felt like a dog was about to bite her at any moment. She didn't care about anything else and ran as fast as she could, her feet barely touching the ground. She weaved through stone steps, bushes, intricate decorations, and even formation barriers at impossible angles, as light and agile as a butterfly dancing in a field of flowers.

Xiao Mian, to his surprise, couldn't catch up to her. His eyes widened in shock.

This escape technique… In the entire Tai Chu Sect, even Star Weight high-level disciples might not be able to achieve such speed and agility. Even with Xiao Mian giving chase with all his might, he could only catch glimpses of her figure, unable to even grasp the corner of her clothes.

It seemed that the Second Elder hadn't neglected to teach her anything other than alchemy.

He watched as Leng Mu Shi, like a phantom, darted into one of the formations. Xiao Mian had participated in the construction of most of these formations. He hesitated for a moment and glanced at the runes inscribed above the formation – it was the Heart-Asking Formation.

It was used to test the firmness of a disciple’s Dao Heart. Xiao Mian took a deep breath and pursed his lips. After a moment, he clenched his right hand. He could still almost feel the warmth of Leng Mu Shi’s palm in his, not particularly soft, even a little calloused.

He let out a soft sigh, as if making a decision, and then followed her into the formation.

Leng Mu Shi had no idea what these formations were for. Like a terrified deer being chased by a hunter, she had blindly rushed in, only to find herself seemingly traveling back in time, returning to the past.

She stood in the familiar courtyard, watching the gentle woman walking towards her under the eaves, her heart feeling as if it had been ripped from her chest. She stood frozen, unable to move.

It was her mother.

An invisible hand seemed to pinch Leng Mu Shi, and she looked down to see her hands and feet shrinking until she was a small child again.

Her mother smiled and beckoned to her, and Leng Mu Shi, unable to resist, ran towards her on her little legs, throwing herself into her fragrant and soft embrace.

Then, she looked over her mother’s shoulder and saw her father, his eyes crinkled with a smile.

Leng Mu Shi’s blood ran cold. Had this man, who had so ruthlessly abandoned her, ever shown her such fatherly love?

But her mother’s embrace was too warm, the kiss on her cheek too tender, melting away the questions that were about to spill from Leng Mu Shi’s lips. She let her father walk over and embrace both her and her mother.

Leng Mu Shi was like a horse that had been sold by its owner, breaking free from its restraints and running for days and nights, only to finally return to its owner’s side, exhausted, its breath ragged and tinged with blood. It closed its eyes, seeking only a moment of its owner’s gentle touch, a small comfort after its arduous journey.

But the moment she closed her eyes and opened them again, the warm and beautiful scene changed abruptly. She couldn’t control her own growth, couldn’t stop her father from turning and leaving, couldn’t even fully embrace her heartbroken and lonely mother with her small arms, to offer her a shoulder to cry on.

She watched as the bright red wedding sedan chair was carried into their home that night. Her mother wept silently, her beautiful face illuminated by the flickering candlelight, which shattered the illusion of their vows, shattered the lie of a lifetime together.

Leng Mu Shi clung to her mother’s neck, but she couldn’t stop her tears.

She tried to break free, but it was as if invisible ropes bound her to the spot.

Time flew by, and the scenes that had once chilled Leng Mu Shi to the bone played out one after another. Finally—no matter how much she resisted—she arrived at the day of her mother’s death.

Snow fell heavily, and she didn’t dare enter the tent to see her mother on her deathbed.

She knelt in another courtyard, in a courtyard filled with laughter and joy, kneeling before the family she had once had. She was like a demon that had been beaten back into its original form, its skin no longer fitting, its bones broken. She lay prostrate in the snow, begging for a single glance from the heartless man.

But no matter how long she knelt there, letting the cold and snow bury her, she received no pity.

So, her limbs stiff, she returned to her mother’s courtyard. She walked through the unguarded corridor and entered the inner chamber.

Tears froze on her face. For a long time, she stood outside the curtain, watching her mother’s hand, thin and frail, reach out from within, only to fall back weakly.

This hand had once been a shield over her head, a balm for her pain, the source of her warmth and joy throughout the years. But now, it was like the withered grass outside, dry, shrunken, and bone-chillingly cold, devoid of all life.

Leng Mu Shi didn’t know how long she stood there. Slowly, she approached the curtain, her entire body numb, her tears dried. She raised her hand, her eyes wide, wanting to see everything clearly.

She pulled back the curtain—

But at that moment, someone covered her eyes.

A warm, gentle, scorching hand, capable of dispelling all cold, covered her eyes, shielding her from the nightmare unfolding before her. She was pulled into a warm embrace, but her frozen limbs felt as if they were being burned.

She couldn’t feel the warmth, only pain.

“Don’t look, it’s not real!” Xiao Mian said, holding her from behind, his words a constant refrain in her ear.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, it’s all fake. This is an illusion, everything is fake. Close your eyes and take a deep breath…”

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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