In no time, the multicolored essence of spiritual stalactites had been completely drained, leaving only a faint glow in the stone chamber. Wei Liang, with amusement in his eyes, slowly peeled Lin Jiu out of her plaster cast, bit by bit.
Occasionally, ripples spread across the clear spring. Lin Jiu lowered her head, using the water’s surface as a mirror to check her reflection. The veil on her face had already been removed by Wei Liang, and she now saw herself looking like a preserved egg—after shedding the thick outer shell, the skin beneath appeared incredibly soft, smooth, and delicate.
Under the dim light, the reflection in the water was so enchantingly beautiful that it felt almost surreal. As a typical evil side character, Lin Qiu had a striking face that was both beautiful and seductive. Lin Jiu, on the other hand, was a long-time corporate slave who worked overtime daily, year long. Even outside of work, her exhausted eyes appeared dull and lifeless, yet her nerves remained constantly on edge, prepared for emergencies—like a lazy-looking yet easily startled cat. Such an original disposition combined with this body’s enchantingly stunning face created an indescribable charm, one that was unique and unforgettable at first sight.
‘Had Wei Liang become infatuated with this beauty?’ Lin Jiu couldn’t resist herself and blurted out, “Why are you helping me so much?”
Wei Liang had just finished peeling the hardened plaster from her neck and slipped his hands into her collar, dislodging more with a firm shake. Numerous splintered fragments slid down from her robes into the spring. As he withdrew his hands, the breeze from his fingertips delicately grazed her shoulder blades, making her shiver involuntarily.
Grabbing onto her wrist once more, Wei Liang promptly led Lin Jiu out of the stone chamber, speaking casually as they left. “Reason? It’s simple: draining a weakling in the Foundation Establishment stage is hardly interesting. After being refined by the stalactites’ essence, you at least became somewhat useful.”
“…” Lin Jiu stared at his profile in horror. In the faint glow of the stalactites, the man’s eyes sparkled like a lone star in the night sky.
“You believe that?” Wei Liang glanced at her from the corner of his eye, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Complete resignation overwhelmed Lin Jiu. “My fate is in your hands; you can do whatever you want. But I have to remind you, if you truly consummate our marriage, this will undoubtedly become a thorn in the female lead’s heart and damage your relationship with her!”
Wei Liang suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing into slits, obscuring their light. “Female lead? What is that?” His tone turned slightly cold.
Naturally, someone from ancient times wouldn’t know what a ‘female lead’ meant, so Lin Jiu improvised on the spot, “Of course it means the lady of Wanjiangui.”
“Oh?” Wei Liang turned his head, his cold, narrow eyes locking onto her. “Aren’t you already that person?” He raised a hand, gently brushing Lin Jiu’s cheek. “This is the first time I’ve gotten married,” he said. “The process was too troublesome, so there won’t be a next time.”
After a brief pause, he added, “Unless you die.”
“…” Lin Jiu was flabbergasted. ‘Is that why the side character meets such a terrible end?!’
In the end, she sighed and asked directly. “Do you like me?”
Wei Liang gave her a strange look, “What counts as liking?”
Lin Jiu gave it a serious thought but realized she didn’t know what ‘liking’ truly meant. Although the book described Wei Liang and Liu Qingyin as mutually infatuated, she had never been able to tell what was so special about Wei Liang’s feelings toward the female lead.
After a moment of silence, Wei Liang raised his hand and gently ruffled Lin Jiu’s head. Just as she was about to speak again, she saw a group of glowing lights approaching in the distance—they must be the Wang family’s reinforcements.
Wei Liang wrapped his arm around her waist, and in a few quick steps, they slipped into the dense forest beyond the barrier, narrowly avoiding the incoming high-level cultivators. Once they reached a secluded spot, he summoned his flying sword, returning to his abode in Wanjiangui just before dawn.
After closing the door behind them, Wei Liang removed his outer robe and veil, tossing the now useless garments into the burning brazier.
Lin Jiu, imitating his actions, burned her outfit as well.
Then he walked to the wardrobe, casually pulled on a white long robe, and made his way back to the bed, sitting at the edge as he meticulously tied up his dark hair.
“Master,” Liu Qingyin’s voice came from outside the door, “Sect Leader Lin Dong of Dongting Qingyin Sect and his mother seek an audience with you.”
Lin Jiu keenly noticed that Liu Qingyin’s voice was slightly hoarse as if she had been crying.
“Understood.” Wei Liang slowly opened the wooden door, letting a slightly cold mountain breeze swirl into the room. Dressed in cool white, he stood tall and imposing amidst the morning mist.
After a quick wash, Lin Jiu followed Wei Liang down from the main peak to the sect’s main hall where guests were received.
As soon as they stepped inside, a thin woman darted toward them like a starved cat, grabbing Lin Jiu’s arms with claw-like hands and bursting into tears.
“My poor, pitiful daughter! You’re still in mourning for your father, and now you have to marry a stranger! Mother knows you must feel conflicted, right? Is your husband treating you well? Has he bullied you? If he dares bully you, the whole world will drown him in their spit! If it weren’t for saving him, how could your father have died so young?! Oh… my poor husband! He left us, a widow and orphans, all alone…”
Lin Jiu observed the woman in front of her with indifferent eyes, sneering coldly inside. She glanced up and saw a young man, about seventeen or eighteen, sitting arrogantly on a black ebony chair, his nose high in the air. From his facial features that bore a striking resemblance to her current appearance, Lin Jiu knew his identity at a glance—Lin Qiu’s younger brother, Lin Dong.
A chilling sensation filled her heart.
“Son-in-law!” Zheng Ziyu pushed Lin Jiu aside and rushed toward Wei Liang, immediately beginning to complain. “My dear son-in-law, listen! Your disciple is too much! Not only did he not respect me, but he also insulted me, an elder! You need to discipline him!”
Lin Jiu turned her head and saw one of Wei Liang’s disciples, whom she had met the night before. Although the man stood motionlessly after bowing politely to Wei Liang, his fury was evident from his strained breathing and red face.
With a slight lowering of his gaze, Wei Liang briskly shook his sleeves in a manner that exuded both authority and coldness.
Zheng Ziyu awkwardly retracted her hand, which had almost reached out to Wei Liang, and took two steps backward. Pointing at the disciple standing beside them, she tearfully complained, “Without my husband’s sacrifice, would your Wanjiangui still stand so grandly today?! Such an ungrateful white-eyed wolf!1 All I asked for was a mere two hundred years of his cultivation to help my son, and he flatly refused! How could he be so unreasonable?”
Wei Liang glanced subtly at Lin Jiu, who responded by raising her eyebrows and giving him a meaningful gaze—‘See? I told you so.’
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Hm, is it possible that the ML is also a transmigrator? FL keeps saying how he is acting abnormal, but then again, the FL could be an unreliable narrator.