Chapter 4
It was late at night and the candlelight flickered in the bedroom.
Luoluo was packing her luggage happily, while Lin Yibai was lying on the couch with empty eyes, thinking about life.
In just one day, a series of misfortunes unfolded. However, the plot seemed to be accelerating at full speed, and tomorrow she would be on a long journey without stopping. She felt exhausted, both physically and mentally, and even the energy to think had been drained away. With her eyes open, she fell into a mysterious state of emptiness.
She was obviously exhausted, but the maid beside her was still chattering. She rolled her eyes and looked at the curtain hanging beside the couch, and suddenly she had the urge to hang herself.
But the thought only flashed through her mind. The system would not allow her to die.
At least before "Lin Yibai" met the destined ending of the original novel, her every move was like a puppet, and she was even deprived of the right to end her life.
Thinking of this, she rolled her eyes, covered her head, turned to the side, and forced herself to fall asleep.
But just as she closed her eyes, Luoluo suddenly cried out "Aiya" and jumped to the front of the bed, clutching a cloud shirt and jumping excitedly: "Young Sect Master, I just remembered that we will pass by 'Yun Ni Town' on this trip——"
Lin Yibai suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Luoluo in horror, and begged, "No! Auntie, please shut up!"
But her words fell silent immediately after she spoke. Luluo was only staring at the clothes in her hands, completely unaware of her fear, and continued to speak:
"—Haven't you been talking about this before, every day, about an embroiderer who arrived in Yunni Town, whose skills were unmatched in Yunzhou, and whose cloud shirts were so exquisite that young ladies from all families were vying to buy them? Because the journey was long and the embroiderer's work was scarce, you hadn't been able to get one. Isn't this a godsend opportunity?"
It's over.
Lin Yibai closed his eyes resignedly.
——Yunni Town!
She had actually forgotten about this! In the original novel, the reason Lin Yibai failed in this mission was because she was so arrogant that she threatened to die mid-way, putting pressure on the two elders and staying in this small town for two days, just to get the embroiderer's fabric as soon as possible!
Logically speaking, a two-day delay wouldn't have been a big deal, but she was so unlucky. During those two days, a once-in-a-century tsunami struck the village where the boy she was looking for was, and the boy was killed in the tsunami!
Lin Yibai was also careless. He did not realize the seriousness of the situation after seeing people die. He just casually kidnapped another young man on the way back to the sect to deal with the matter perfunctorily. Eventually, the truth was revealed, causing Lin Wuya to be furious and his evil heart was aroused. He ordered her to replace the sacrifice!
——It’s just a coincidence that Lin Yibai was also born on a yin year, yin month and yin day!
Blame it on her for being too exhausted today, letting her guard down and forgetting this crucial turning point. Had she known this, she should have closed her five senses before reaching the Forbidden Demon Sea, not seeing anyone until she had thrown Yan Bujian into the sea! That way, no one would have let her know about "Yun Ni Town," and perhaps the subsequent tragedy could have been avoided.
Looking at Luoluo's innocent face, she felt extremely hateful. Anger rose from her heart. She grabbed the Jade Dew Cake on the small table beside the couch and stuffed it into Luoluo's mouth, wanting to open her mouth to scold: "I don't..."
But before she could finish her words, she was horrified to find that she had lost her voice again, and her head nodded uncontrollably twice!
——The system doesn’t allow her to refuse!
"That's wonderful." Luluo's eyes filled with tears. She was convinced that the Young Master had changed his ways and was willing to give her his most precious Jade Dew Cake. She nodded repeatedly in gratitude, "I will go and tell the messenger to stop when we pass through Yunni Town!"
Looking at the figure rushing out of the bedroom like a green whirlwind, Lin Yibai silently spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood.
——What is coming will eventually come. This is a destined defeat and she has no way to avoid it.
*
After Luoluo finished her preparations, she returned to the palace happily, only to find that Lin Yibai was nowhere to be seen.
Because she was upset and couldn't sleep in bed, she decided to go out alone to relax.
She walked with her head down on the mountain path. The cool night air penetrated her heart and lungs, gradually clearing her mind and dissipating some of the depression in her chest.
Whatever, I'll fight it. Since everything is already doomed and cannot be avoided, it's better to just follow the plot and save yourself the trouble.
"Why make things so hard on myself?" She murmured to herself, and it seemed like she had finally come to her senses. She felt that it was late at night and she should go back home, lest that reckless girl cause any more trouble.
But when she looked up, she couldn't help but stand there in a daze.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the dungeon.
A faint glow of fire could be seen from the dark cave entrance, and the guards were still on duty.
She inexplicably recalled what she had done during the day - although she gave Yan Bujian the elixir to heal his wounds, she had ultimately tortured him to the point where he was worse than death, and tomorrow she would have to take him "towards" the next ordeal.
Even if he couldn't die, she would still be sorry for him.
Thinking of this, she felt into her sleeve, then made up her mind and walked towards the dungeon.
The night was as cold as water, and the dungeon entrance was like a dormant beast, emitting a gloomy and decayed atmosphere.
Lin Yibai felt uneasy and secretly asked the damn system, "I... I'll just secretly send him some medicine to ease his pain. That's not OOC, right? After all, he doesn't know who sent the medicine."
There was silence in my mind, and the system did not give any warning or denial.
"I agree by default." Lin Yibai beamed immediately, feeling she had found a loophole in the rules. Her previous melancholy was instantly dispelled by a smug elation. She clutched the few remaining basic healing pills in her sleeve, signaled the cave entrance guard, and quietly approached the special cell deep within the cave.
Just as she quietly approached, looking for a gap outside the cell and preparing to throw the pill in, the subtle movement and whispers of the guards changing shifts inside made her stop.
She hid herself better in the darkness and pricked up her ears.
A newly arrived guard seemed to be very interested in Yan Bujian. He lowered his voice and asked his companions, "Hey, boss, who's this kid? He looks so delicate and tender, not like a tough guy. How come he's still breathing after being bitten by the Young Sect Master with the Myriad Insects Attractant? He's quite tough!"
Another slightly hoarse voice sneered strangely, "Hard? This person is the reincarnation of an evil star. How can there be a non-hard fate?"
"Oh? What do you mean?" The new guard's curiosity was piqued.
The guard with the raspy voice seemed to be in the mood for conversation, his tone tinged with disdain and curiosity. "I heard he was born in a poor village on the edge of the 'Black Wind Territory.' The night he was born, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky, a blood moon appeared in the sky, and the village's only spiritual well dried up overnight. The midwife saw that it was a boy with an 'ominous' birthmark and immediately declared it a sign of genocide and sacrificed him to the demon god."
Lin Yibai's heart suddenly tightened.
——She remembered Yan Bujian’s life experience.
"And then?"
"What happened next? His parents had practiced Taoism for a few days, after all. They were too soft-hearted to let him go, so they secretly raised him. And then—well, the midwife's predictions were right!" The guard's voice carried the delight of someone telling a horror story. "Within two years, the village was struck by a rare plague, killing most of the people. Then it was looted by roving bandits. And finally... I heard a high-level demonic beast emerged from some unknown abyss and flattened the village! There were about a hundred people in the village, and only he, a baby who had wandered off to steal bird eggs, survived. He lay among his parents' gnawed corpses, starving and chewing mud. When he was found by visiting distant relatives, his eyes were wide open, unable to cry or laugh, like a fool."
"Hiss... How could this guy be so evil?"
"Strange? Stranger still to come! Within a year of the distant relative who adopted him, the man was in the mountains collecting herbs when a landslide occurred, leaving no trace. The woman soon contracted a strange disease and died of festering wounds all over her body. He was left an orphan, struggling to grow up like a wild dog in the Black Wind Territory, a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones. This kid seems to have a bit of a devilish nature in his bones, attracting demons and bringing bad luck to anyone he gets close to. But he's as hard as a stone in a toilet, and he can't die no matter what! What else do you think is this but an evil star?"
Lin Yibai quietly looked into the cell——
The young man remained silent, head bowed, tied to the rack, his expression unclear. From a distance, his posture was so calm, as if the cruel past had nothing to do with him.
Her hands unconsciously clutched her collar.
How many malicious slanders have you heard along the way to be able to remain calm at this moment?
The hoarse guard spat, "Later, he was discovered by our sect's elders who were out looking for a herbalist. Seeing his unique physique and abnormally abundant blood energy, the elders thought he was a natural material for a herbalist. They weren't afraid of the bad luck he might bring to bear—why would we in the Demonic Sect be afraid of that? So they picked him up and kept him captive until now."
A low, malicious laugh broke out between them.
Lin Yibai felt her palms turn cold when she heard this. The slight sense of guilt she felt for putting the curse on Yan Jian was now growing like vines, wrapping around her heart.
She didn't even dare to look at the young man in the cell. While the two guards were engrossed in their conversation, she quietly and accurately threw the healing pills carefully wrapped in oil paper through the gap in the fence, landing on a haystack not far from Yan Bujian's hand, making an almost inaudible sound.
After doing all this, she immediately shrank back into the shadows outside the cell like a frightened rabbit, her heart pounding.
She wasn't worried about Yan Bujian not taking the medicine. This was because, while this "Yu Sui Sheng Ji San" was only a basic healing remedy, it had a hidden advantage: it didn't have to be taken orally to be effective. Once the pill was exposed to air, it would begin to evaporate extremely slowly, emitting a colorless and odorless medicinal aura that would be naturally absorbed by the injured person's pores, silently nourishing the damaged body.
While the effect wasn't as immediate as swallowing it directly, it was more discreet and lasting, perfect for this situation. As long as the pill was nearby, her small act of kindness wouldn't be in vain.
She thought she had done it without anyone noticing, like a silent breeze in the dark night. However, she didn't know that inside the cell, Yan Bujian, curled up in the corner, had his tightly closed eyelashes trembled imperceptibly the moment the pill fell to the ground.
His senses, numbed by pain and cold, instantly caught the slightest unusual sound, as well as a faint, slightly astringent medicinal fragrance that wafted along with it, which was incompatible with the rotten blood in the dungeon.
He didn't open his eyes or look to see what it was.
His long-standing beast-like survival instinct made him extremely vigilant against any sudden changes.
He knew what it was, and he could smell the scent of the person coming, but he just didn't understand—
What she said during the day would be fine, but why is she doing this now?
What is this, a new tease?
That witch...what tricks is she playing?
His fingertips curled slightly on the cold rack, and the excruciating pain from the gnawing of countless insects in his body was still surging, but that unexpected medicinal fragrance was like an insignificant stone thrown into the originally dead and cold lake of his heart, stirring up an indescribable, subtle ripple full of doubt.
Seeing that there was no more movement inside, Lin Yibai thought that Yan Bujian had not noticed, so he felt a little relieved.
"See you tomorrow, little boss." She took a last look at the dark corner. With complicated and indescribable feelings, she quietly exited the dungeon as she came in, blending into the dark night outside.
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