The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 225p1

Chapter 225: What’s This About Marrying First and Loving Later? 10(1)

The cozy moment of mutual warmth didn’t last long.

Just as Tao Ning closed her eyes, a faint voice echoed from her arms: “You’re not asleep.”

Tao Ning: “…”

If this weren’t his wife, it would have been truly frightening.

There was no safer place in the world than under the covers, yet she, bold and daring, had a ghost snuggled up with her.

Tao Ning, still sleepy, was now fully awake. She lifted her head from the covers, revealing her snow-white profile, her eyes slightly lowered, the hair by her face a little messy.

In terms of appearance, she was undoubtedly beautiful, like a painting of red plums against white snow.

However, the inhuman aura around her was too strong, making it difficult to harbor any inappropriate thoughts.

Xuan Miao stirred, lifting her head from Tao Ning’s chest: “As expected, your heartbeat has changed.”

Tao Ning sat up: “You’ve been listening all night?”

Xuan Miao didn’t answer, slowly sitting up, her expression clearly saying—is there a problem?

Of course, there was no problem.

Free from the doll, Xuan Miao seemed calmer. She looked at the crumpled double happiness symbols on the floor: “I just remembered some things.”

She paused, seemingly hesitant to speak.

Tao Ning didn’t give her time to hesitate: “What did you remember?”

Xuan Miao: “In my previous life, I was born into an official family. I went with my mother to find my father where he was stationed, but we were separated by refugees on the way.”

“That year, there was a severe drought. I was young and hit my head, losing my memories. I was taken by human traffickers and sold to a wealthy merchant’s house as a servant, where I grew up until I was fifteen.”

“The merchant had few children. The eldest son was foolish, the second son was disabled, and the youngest son died before he was three. So someone said that the young master needed someone to take care of him.”

“I was chosen to care for the young master, to be his child bride. A cup of poisoned wine ended my life, and I was placed in a coffin, to be buried with him.”

“Seven days later, my soul returned, unwilling to accept my fate. I went back to the merchant’s house, determined to make them pay with their lives, and then set a fire to burn everything clean.”

“The fire that day was indeed huge, burning red half the sky. None of the sixty-one people in the house survived.”

As she spoke, a rare smile appeared on Xuan Miao’s usually expressionless face, her dark eyes gradually turning red, approaching Tao Ning.

She seemed to see that fire again, burning the prosperous mansion to ashes.

Then Tao Ning held her shoulders, her warm hand gently touching Xuan Miao’s neck: “Poisoned wine must be awful, your throat must have hurt a lot, right?”

Xuan Miao: “…” Shouldn’t the focus be on the sixty-one people who died?

Xuan Miao was momentarily speechless, thinking, that was ancient history, she had long forgotten: “You only want to ask this?”

She was keen on scaring Tao Ning, but this person never fell for it, always full of tricks.

This made Xuan Miao, a true Ghost King, feel frustrated, wanting even more to scare her successfully.

But if she really scared her away, Xuan Miao probably wouldn’t want that either. Now, she seemed to be proving something step by step, repeatedly overturning her own fixed perceptions.

Tao Ning thought, it must have hurt, poison was so awful, her fingertips unconsciously caressing Xuan Miao’s throat.

Originally intending to scare someone, she ended up having her throat touched. The sensation was tingling, not quite itchy, nor uncomfortable.

Before Xuan Miao could bear the strange feeling any longer and pull Tao Ning’s hand away, Tao Ning spoke: “You didn’t set the fire, who did?”

Xuan Miao was slightly taken aback, immediately retorting: “Why wouldn’t I have set the fire? A life for a life, it’s only right.”

The hand on Xuan Miao’s throat moved, holding the back of her neck, preventing her from retreating. Tao Ning said, “Sister Ghost King, you’re bullying me, you almost tricked me.”

The distance between them suddenly closed, Tao Ning’s breath brushing against Xuan Miao’s lips and chin. The distance was too close, as if they were about to kiss in the next second.

Tao Ning looked directly into Xuan Miao’s eyes: “Killing ten people within seven days makes one a fierce ghost. You killed sixty people, and you were a ghost for only seven days. Once you shed blood, there’s no turning back. But killing too many people will make you lose your mind, become even more bloodthirsty, and turn into a harmful fierce ghost.”

“I don’t think the Taoist priests and monks at that time were pushovers, letting a ghost who killed sixty people and lost her mind leave easily.”

What awaited her wasn’t on-the-spot purification, but sealing and suppression.

Xuan Miao chuckled: “You think I didn’t have the ability to leave?”

These words were another trap for Tao Ning.

“How could I doubt you,” Tao Ning said, “But now, you’re not only not bloodthirsty, but also very resistant to it, proving that this isn’t the path you cultivate. Taking human lives would actually damage your cultivation.”

The moment her true nature was seen through, Xuan Miao subconsciously wanted to leave, but the hand on the back of her neck held her in place.

Tao Ning’s voice lowered: “Am I right?”

But this had nothing to do with the murals in the ancestral hall. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

Tao Ning: “Then when you arrived at Lingxiu Village, were you… already dead?”

Xuan Miao was a little annoyed, not wanting to answer, lazily saying: “You’re so good with words, why don’t you guess?”

At this moment, Xuan Miao didn’t know that giving up control would only lead to being completely exposed.

Tao Ning wanted to understand how things had become like this, so she actually said: “Your enemies died first, but your resentment remained. You cultivated as a ghost, and when your cultivation reached a certain level, you could walk around during the day, just like a normal person.”

“Mm.” Xuan Miao hummed in agreement, thinking that Tao Ning knew quite a lot, and becoming even more suspicious of her origins.

Tao Ning pieced together the clues she had seen these past few days: “Around that time, you encountered war and came to Lingxiu Village with a group of refugees, settling down here. Perhaps you had a good relationship with the people of Lingxiu Village at the time.”

“But the good times didn’t last long. Lingxiu Village was targeted for some reason, about to be occupied, and countless people would surely die. You, kind by nature, decided to step forward, exhausting all your cultivation to move a river and block the spread of war.”

“I saw the murals in the ancestral hall. The Mountain God, having exhausted her cultivation, transformed into something oval on the spot. At first, I thought it was a stone, but then I realized, it was likely a giant cocoon, and you were inside, recovering.”

“That cocoon was enshrined by the villagers of Lingxiu Village at the time, and you became the Mountain God protecting this place. But I don’t know what happened later, leading to the current situation.”

The devoutly worshipped, prosperous Mountain God was trapped in a cold pool deep in the mountains, and Lingxiu Village, under her protection, had become a ghost village with more dead than alive.

“My true body is at the bottom of the deep pool, shattered.” Xuan Miao didn’t say what happened, looking at Tao Ning, “You knew all along, didn’t you?”

That’s why she had used another doll to replace her, slowly sinking it into the depths of the cold pool, allowing Xuan Miao to be free.

The cocoon that had once protected her was at the bottom of the cold pool. The red threads and candles Tao Ning had destroyed were the first shackles, and what truly restricted her freedom was the bamboo forest outside.

If one observed carefully, they would discover that the bamboo surrounding the cave formed a giant formation. To destroy this formation, they would need to remove the entire bamboo forest on the mountain, but this wasn’t something that could be done in a short time.

Using a doll to replace Xuan Miao and continue her suppression was the simplest solution.

In recent years, the villagers frequently went up the mountain to cut bamboo and bring it down to make bamboo lanterns, which gave Xuan Miao the opportunity to awaken.

Tao Ning didn’t deny it: “Yes.”

A cold hand grabbed Tao Ning’s wrist, the temperature chilling to the bone. The hand, instead of retracting, slid up her loose sleeve, grabbing her elbow.

The sound of rustling clothes echoed, and the red-clad figure sitting beside her moved closer, her voice seductive.

“You know so much, what do you want?” Xuan Miao whispered in her ear.

At first, she just wanted to see what lies this person could tell. As for sincerity, she no longer believed in it.

But no matter how much she probed, she couldn’t get a truthful answer.

“Are you like those people, greedy and insatiable, wanting something from me?” Xuan Miao’s voice was like a hook, burrowing into Tao Ning’s heart, making her want to reveal her deepest desires.

As if it wasn’t enough, Xuan Miao’s other hand rested on Tao Ning’s shoulder, her whole body almost hanging onto her: “Tell me, and maybe if I’m happy, I’ll agree.”

A weight settled on her shoulder, the cold and enchanting ghost leaning against her. Tao Ning lowered her eyes, meeting Xuan Miao’s gaze, her eyes reflecting Xuan Miao’s alluring appearance.

Xuan Miao was stunned by her clear gaze, not understanding why her charm didn’t work.

Not only was she confused, but Tao Ning also didn’t quite understand why Xuan Miao became like this at night, questioning everything.

Then she thought, perhaps even a Ghost King wasn’t immune to late-night emo moments.

“Haven’t you always wanted to know what I want?” Tao Ning said, “I’ll tell you now what I want.”

Under Xuan Miao’s shocked gaze, she leaned down and kissed her cold lips.

A human, daring to kiss a cold, lifeless ghost.

Caught off guard, Xuan Miao’s lips were captured, her head supported by a hand.

Suddenly, Xuan Miao stopped struggling, her eyes widening. A familiar metallic taste spread in her mouth. In her struggle, her teeth accidentally bit Tao Ning’s lip.

Even so, she didn’t want to stop, her tongue entwining with Tao Ning’s, sharing her warmth.

Tao Ning released her lips, a thin red line of blood connecting them.

Xuan Miao touched her lips, blood staining her hand, Tao Ning’s blood. She gritted her teeth: “You’re crazy.”

Tao Ning didn’t deny it, wiping the blood from the corner of her lips with two fingers, glancing casually: “I think I am too.”

It had been a long time since anyone had said that to her. This was the real Tao Ning.

Xuan Miao was speechless, her fingertips subconsciously wanting to touch her burning, swollen lips, but under Tao Ning’s gaze, she lowered her hand.

After a moment of silence, she pushed Tao Ning down, grabbing her wrists and pinning them to the soft mattress, returning the kiss.

As the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, the white fog gradually dispersed.

The Wandering Ghosts roaming around shuddered, all instinctively heading back to where they came from.

The tourists had become increasingly vigilant, refusing to come out at night no matter what sounds they heard.

The Wandering Ghosts were starving, their stomachs rumbling.

A Wandering Ghost kicked something on his way home. He glanced at the body mostly buried under straw, only a foot exposed, and continued walking home, unfazed.

Wandering Ghosts only craved fresh flesh and blood. If he had found this body during the day, he would have taken it back to share with his family.

Unfortunately, this Wandering Ghost didn’t even have the ability to think, only feeling that the thing under his foot was obstructing him.

As the sky brightened further, the fog dispersed. It was still too early for the villagers to be active.

In the distance, a figure appeared, tall and slender, approaching quickly.

Soon, the tightly wrapped figure arrived at the straw pile, squatting down and trying to pull apart the high pile of straw.

Hearing a sound behind her, she immediately retracted her hand, turning around warily: “Who’s there?!”

The figure who had secretly followed her was startled, letting out a small cry. Realizing her voice was too loud, she quickly covered her mouth.

A muffled voice said, “Sister Liang, it’s me, I’m here to help you.”

Liang Chun took off her hood, staring at her for a long time before saying, “Come here then.”

Yan Wenruo, slightly happy, rolled up her sleeves and came over to help. Together, they lifted Zhang Lei’s body out. Liang Chun was going to burn her brother’s body.

If it was left here, the villagers would find it and take it away as food.

Xiao Pang, on the first day, hadn’t he been taken home and eaten by the villagers?

If they appeared at night without a lantern, they would be devoured by the Wandering Ghosts.

Liang Chun glanced at the energetic Yan Wenruo beside her: “You seem happy?”

“Sorry, Sister Liang, I’m only happy because I can help you.” Yan Wenruo also felt that her attitude wasn’t appropriate, quickly apologizing.

After all, the deceased was Liang Chun’s brother, and her attitude was a bit insensitive.