Snapping out of her daze, when Xia Lianqiao caught sight of Ling Chongxiao's current appearance, it felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her mind. Her thoughts went blank, and all she could hear was a buzzing in her ears.
Thanks to this body, even without lighting a lamp, she could clearly see everything in the room. But at this moment, she wished she could trade it back for her pre-transmigration 500-degree nearsightedness.
It was well-known that Ling Chongxiao was an extremely rigid and strict person. Perhaps due to his role in enforcing the laws of the Immortal Sect, every move he made was a model of propriety. Whether standing, sitting, or lying down, his actions were as precise as if measured with a ruler. Even his eating and drinking were strictly regulated—never a bite more than necessary. His snow-white Daoist robe was always spotless.
But now, Ling Chongxiao's appearance was anything but dignified.
It seemed he hadn’t expected anyone to come. The young man's expression was cold and indifferent, a blood-red mark between his brows. His usually immaculate white Daoist robe was slightly disheveled, revealing a glimpse of his pale, smooth chest.
Xia Lianqiao: …Was this her doing?
Ling Chongxiao: “…”
Xia Lianqiao: …Was she dreaming? Where was Bai Ji'an, her dear Bai Ji'an, who was supposed to be right there?
What was going on with this Ling Chongxiao? Why was this human-shaped walking superweapon here, exuding Immortal's Allure?
Under Ling Chongxiao's icy gaze, Xia Lianqiao took a deep breath and decisively said, “I’m sorry, I think I’ve entered the wrong room.”
With that, she quickly turned around and closed the door behind her.
However, a cold, clear voice shattered her attempt to slip away unnoticed.
“You didn’t enter the wrong room,” Ling Chongxiao said from inside the room.
Xia Lianqiao: Aaaaaah! Why did you have to respond now? Where’s your usual aloofness, treating me like air?!
“Oh,” Xia Lianqiao reluctantly turned back, forcing an awkward smile. “Brother Ling, what are you doing here?”
“Are you alright?”
Ling Chongxiao: “This is Bai Ji'an’s room.”
“…”
Xia Lianqiao: “…”
What’s the point of saying that? What exactly do you want me to reply? Why are you in Bai Ji'an’s room in the middle of the night instead of your own? Are you trying to make me say ‘Ling and Bai are real’?
Sorry, but I ship Bai and Li.
After a brief hesitation, Xia Lianqiao chose to ignore Ling Chongxiao’s statement. “Brother Ling, are you okay? You seem to be sweating a lot.”
Ling Chongxiao didn’t respond, simply closing his eyes and beginning to meditate.
Seeing Ling Chongxiao like this, Xia Lianqiao could guess what had happened.
Most likely, the original host had drugged Bai Ji'an, and Ling Chongxiao had accidentally walked in and been affected as well.
Although Ling Chongxiao’s true form was incredibly powerful, this clone was still a novice at the Mingdao stage. Being drugged was practically inevitable.
…The problem was, this scene wasn’t mentioned in the original novel. Was it due to the butterfly effect of her transmigration, or had it simply not been written? If the original host had indeed drugged Ling Chongxiao, no wonder he had killed her in the end—such a scandal would have been unbearable for someone of his stature.
Xia Lianqiao: “…” It feels like I’ve stumbled upon some deadly secret, and my life is hanging by a thread.
To be honest, while reading the novel, she couldn’t help but criticize. With all these advanced tools, why didn’t the original host use them to fight monsters instead of drugging Bai Ji'an? If it could knock out Ling Chongxiao, what monster couldn’t it take down?
As someone who wasn’t particularly fond of Ling Chongxiao, seeing him like this did give her a bit of schadenfreude. But Xia Lianqiao wasn’t unreasonable. Fiction was fiction, and reality was reality. While she might joke about it, the real person and the fictional character were completely different. When faced with the real Ling Chongxiao, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him or immediately resort to violence.
Putting aside their one-sided past grievances, Xia Lianqiao genuinely wanted to get along with Ling Chongxiao (the real version). After all, they didn’t have any deep-seated enmity.
In short, building goodwill with one person was no different from building it with two. More friends meant more opportunities.
Brother Ling, let’s be friends!
With that thought, Xia Lianqiao hesitated for half a second before putting on an innocent, clueless expression. “Brother Ling, why are you in Bai Ji'an’s room? Did something happen?”
Ling Chongxiao remained silent, completely ignoring her.
Feeling awkward, Xia Lianqiao glanced at the teapot nearby. Maybe she should pour him a cup of tea first.
“You seem to be sweating a lot. How about some tea to cool down?” Holding the teacup, Xia Lianqiao earnestly crouched in front of Ling Chongxiao, trying to strike up a conversation.
Ling Chongxiao still didn’t respond, his long eyelashes like butterfly wings, cold as frost.
In this situation, Xia Lianqiao had no choice but to keep trying to ease the awkwardness. “Brother Ling, did you come to discuss with Bai Ji'an how to slay the evil dragon?”
Ling Chongxiao: “…”
Sitting cross-legged with the teacup like an old man, Xia Lianqiao spoke openly, “I heard you’re a disciple of the Zhengyang Sword Sect. They say all Zhengyang disciples are sword cultivators. Seeing you wield your sword today was truly awe-inspiring, your divine grace and heroic demeanor were captivating.”
Ling Chongxiao: “…”
Undeterred, Xia Lianqiao pressed on, “I’ve also heard the Zhengyang Sword Sect has an ultimate technique, ‘Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source.’ I wonder if it’s true. Someone as talented as you must have mastered it already, right?”
Ling Chongxiao: “…”
Eventually, her attempts at conversation became more about seeing how long it would take for him to react.
Still ignoring her? After rambling for a while, Xia Lianqiao glanced at Ling Chongxiao and boldly declared, “I’ve always thought Li Daoyou and Bai Ji'an make a great pair. What do you think—”
Before she could finish, Ling Chongxiao suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze as cold as two icy nails piercing through her.
Xia Lianqiao: !
She knew bringing up Langhuan’s daughter and Bai Ji'an would work!
Hehe.
I always knew you had a one-sided crush on my girl.
Though startled, Xia Lianqiao couldn’t help but grin, her smile growing increasingly mischievous.
From Ling Chongxiao’s perspective, the girl in front of him had sparkling almond-shaped eyes, shining with mischief, her white teeth gleaming as she grinned like a cat that had gotten the cream. “So you’ve been listening to me all along.”
Ling Chongxiao: “…”
Perhaps not wanting to give her any more material to babble on about, the young man coldly closed his eyes again, clearly unwilling to engage.
Now Xia Lianqiao was genuinely curious. Was this level of coldness really the reaction of someone under the influence of a love potion? She wasn’t too worried about staying with Ling Chongxiao for too long. If even Bai Ji'an could resist, someone with higher cultivation like Ling Chongxiao would surely have even greater self-control.
And indeed, the young man before her proved this. Unlike some pseudo-untouchable flowers who would lose all composure and end up entangled with the female lead at the slightest provocation, this young man truly embodied the idea that his only love was the Dao.
With slightly lowered eyes, aside from his slightly erratic breathing, he remained as cold and serene as the moon in the sky, as deep and still as the ocean.
Xia Lianqiao’s legs were going numb from crouching, but Ling Chongxiao still didn’t give her any reaction.
This was getting awkward. The untouchable flower truly was best admired from afar. Across the fourth wall, the cold Daoist was her eternal fantasy, but faced with this unresponsive real person…
Damn it, my fists are clenching.
Having crouched for so long, even someone as lively and energetic as Xia Lianqiao was starting to feel the strain. She wanted to stand up and stretch, maybe do some arm and ankle exercises to loosen up, but her legs had gone numb. With a sudden jolt, the teacup slipped from her hand and landed with a clatter in front of Ling Chongxiao.
“…”
Oh no.
She watched in horror as the tea quickly soaked into Ling Chongxiao’s white robe.
While Ling Chongxiao might have felt a chill below, Xia Lianqiao’s heart was utterly frozen in despair.
Desperately, she looked at Ling Chongxiao.
And at that moment, the icy mountain that was Ling Chongxiao finally opened his eyes again.
Under the cold and indifferent gaze, Xia Lianqiao, feeling immense pressure, braced herself and attempted to salvage the situation. "Um... should I help you wipe it off?"
The coldness in Ling Chongxiao's eyes finally turned into outright disgust at this moment.
Xia Lianqiao: ...
Fine, she wouldn't wipe it! Did he really have to look at her like she was some kind of pervert?
Realizing she had only made things worse, Xia Lianqiao felt her scalp tingle with embarrassment. She didn’t dare provoke the imposing figure before her any further and obediently retreated to a corner, shrinking into herself like a mushroom.
Ling Chongxiao, without a word, closed his eyes again and resumed his meditation.
His black hair was like ink, his white Daoist robes pristine.
To Ling Chongxiao, among all the worldly desires, lust was the easiest to suppress.
From the moment he was born, he had been cultivating. Daoist cultivation emphasized moderation of desires, not outright abstinence. Although he had never deliberately suppressed his desires, years of cultivation had ingrained this instinct into his very being. From infancy to adolescence, as his vitality flourished, it was inevitable that some desires would arise.
But Ling Chongxiao had integrated cultivation into every aspect of his daily life—his words, his actions, his every movement.
Though the surge of yang energy occasionally stirred his body, as the Daoist texts instructed, he maintained his focus, not letting his consciousness be swayed. He gathered the energy as medicine, refined the essence into qi, and thus had never lost his primal yang.
After years of cultivation, though the "medicine" was potent, calming his mind and steadying his breath allowed him to overcome it with ease.
Thus, the moment he inhaled the scent of the incense, Ling Chongxiao immediately sensed something amiss. He sat down cross-legged, regulating the flow of energy within his body.
After so many years, this had become second nature to him. Even with a woman present, he treated her as if she didn’t exist, focusing solely on his meditation. However, her incessant chatter was beginning to grate on his nerves.
Xia Lianqiao, after enduring the tension for what felt like an eternity, suddenly noticed the beautiful youth before her stir.
Once the chaotic energy within his body had settled, Ling Chongxiao stood up, ready to leave.
"Hey, wait!" Xia Lianqiao was momentarily stunned, still not fully processing what had just happened. She quickly grabbed her skirt and chased after him.
But Ling Chongxiao continued to ignore her, not even deigning to acknowledge her presence.
Xia Lianqiao chased him to the courtyard, but before she could take more than a few steps,
Suddenly, Ling Chongxiao tossed something in her direction, cutting through the air.
It was a stick of incense,
Which fell to the ground with a snap, breaking into two pieces.
Following this was Ling Chongxiao's icy voice: "Here is your incense of temptation."
Seeing the broken stick of incense, Xia Lianqiao froze, not daring to make another move.
So, from the very beginning, Ling Chongxiao had known that she was the one who had set up the incense in the room.
Under the moonlight, the young Daoist's sleeves billowed in the wind, his voice as sharp as the edge of a sword, sending a faint, piercing chill through the air.
His gaze fell on Xia Lianqiao's face as he spoke calmly: "I don’t care about whatever grievances you have with Bai Ji'an, but if you dare to use such underhanded and deceitful tricks again, don’t blame me for stripping you of all your cultivation and cutting off your path to immortality."
Each word was cold and precise, carrying the weight of steel.
Having said his piece, Ling Chongxiao said no more. A flash of sword light, and in an instant, he was gone.
The sword light flickered, scattering a shower of silver radiance. The moonlight was faint, like frost covering the ground.
The pine trees swayed gently, the sound of the wind through their branches creating an eerie stillness.
Was he really gone?
Xia Lianqiao stared at the swaying pines under the moonlight, taking a while to come back to her senses. After confirming that Ling Chongxiao had indeed left without a trace, she hesitated for a polite half-second before running over to pick up the broken stick of incense.
Though it felt rather pathetic, she thought it might be worth keeping. After all, it was incredibly effective—who knows, it might come in handy when fighting monsters?
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