The Male Lead I Wronged Has Blackened

CHAPTER 26: Their First Meeting

　　In a moment of impulsiveness, Si Yao made a snap decision to go find Jiang Shuo and try to persuade him to take over as Sect Leader.

　　It was already evening. The sun was sinking behind the mountains, and dusk was creeping in.

　　Even though night was approaching, the succession ceremony was right around the corner, and the plot had already gone this far off the rails. Si Yao could not afford to wait another second. In a hurry, she set off to look for Jiang Shuo.

　　Finding his residence was not difficult. After asking around briefly, she located it without much trouble.

　　But once she rushed to his door, Si Yao froze, hesitating over whether she should go in.

　　Lately, nothing about her missions had gone smoothly, and she had almost lost her composure. If she went to Jiang Shuo like this, there was no way he would listen to her. With that awful temper of his, he might even deliberately go against her.

　　Suppressing the impulse in her chest, Si Yao decided she needed to be more cautious. It would be better to think of a foolproof plan first.

　　With that thought, she turned around and left.

　　Head lowered, she walked on while pondering how she could possibly get Jiang Shuo to obediently accept the position of Sect Leader.

　　Threats or bribes were obviously useless. Jiang Shuo was basically a block of wood that neither oil nor salt could penetrate.

　　She wracked her brain and still could not come up with anything. Lost in thought, she kept walking without paying attention to where she was going. By the time she snapped back to her senses, she had already wandered into a desolate area.

　　Si Yao looked around carefully. Bushes grew everywhere, and there was not a single person in sight.

　　Isn’t this the back mountain? She used to come here alone when she had nothing to do, picking wild fruit and drinking good wine. She had not expected to wander here without realizing it.

　　She recalled what Mu Yuanbai had told her about the hellfire erupting from the back mountain. Hellfire could burn away anything, and once you ran into it, escaping would be extremely difficult. Si Yao did not want to invite trouble at such a critical moment, so she turned to leave.

　　But after taking only two steps, she stopped.

　　She felt like she had faintly heard voices.

　　The sound was very soft, almost imperceptible, yet Si Yao still caught it.

　　A sudden cold wind blew, sending chills down Si Yao’s spine. Her eyes darted around, and her heart tightened. This place was completely deserted. Could there really be ghosts here?

　　As a true 21st century person, Si Yao didn’t believe in superstitions. Still, the eerie surroundings made her break out in a cold sweat.

　　“Who’s there?”

　　Just as Si Yao was startling herself, a sharp, icy voice came from the darkness.

　　Si Yao’s heart leapt. It was Jiang Shou’s voice.

　　But why would he be here in the middle of the night? Puzzled, she stepped forward, intending to check.

　　“Leave this place.”

　　It was as if Jiang Shou had heard her footsteps. The warning in his voice sounded dangerous this time, meant to drive her away.

　　Si Yao froze. She frowned, sensing something unusual. Why did his voice tremble with a hint of restraint?

　　For a moment, the surroundings fell completely silent, broken only by Jiang Shou’s heavy breathing, occasionally punctuated by low groans.

　　Si Yao’s instincts flared. Something was wrong. She called out anxiously, “Jiang Shou!”

　　“Leave this place!”

　　His voice rang out again, but it lacked its usual cold edge. Instead, it carried the weight of pain, trembling ever so slightly.

　　Worry surged in Si Yao’s chest. She ignored his warning and stepped toward the direction of his voice.

　　Pushing aside a few bushes, she saw him leaning against a large tree behind the undergrowth.

　　Jiang Shou looked as if he were enduring unbearable pain. His face was pale as paper, his brows tightly furrowed, and sweat streamed down his forehead.

　　Jiang Shou seemed to be slowly consumed by excruciating pain, collapsing against the tree. His eyes were half-closed, and his long, jade-like hands clenched into fists as he let out occasional muffled groans.

　　Si Yao’s heart sank. How could she have forgotten this?

　　She had long known that Jiang Shou was poisoned with an incurable poison, but recent task troubles had distracted her from remembering it.

　　The poison would not kill him, but on nights of the full moon, it would flare up, burning through his organs and leaving him in unbearable agony.

　　Si Yao knelt down quickly, carefully supporting Jiang Shou’s trembling body and taking on some of the weight as he leaned against the tree.

　　He seemed close to losing consciousness, yet only emitted occasional groans, a clear sign that he had lived with this poison for a long time and had grown accustomed to enduring it silently.

　　With his head resting on her shoulder, Si Yao’s gaze swept over his pale face, panic and worry rising in her chest. She grasped his hand tightly, channeling her spiritual energy into him to help ease his pain.

　　At the same time, she spent twenty points to exchange for a Nine-Turn Yin-Yang Pill from the system.

　　Gently prying open Jiang Shou’s mouth, she fed him the pill.

　　Not long after swallowing it, the tension between his brows began to ease slightly. Seeing his pain abate even a little, Si Yao allowed herself a small sigh of relief.

　　This poisoning was not in the original storyline. Si Yao had only learned about it through the system’s alert. The poison itself was strange, unprecedented in the world, with no known antidote. Only the system's cheat-like ability could alleviate it somewhat.

　　Once the poison was restrained, Si Yao exhaled, sinking to the ground. She looked down at Jiang Shou, snow-white in complexion, leaning against her shoulder.

　　Her eyes shimmered in the night, reflecting faint light, and her delicate hand unconsciously brushed across his brow. A flicker of unspoken tenderness passed through her gaze, a feeling even she had not realized.

　　Si Yao knew better than anyone how strong Jiang Shou’s willpower was. He had survived countless life-and-death trials, endured injuries that would shatter bones, yet never once cried out. And now, here he was, writhing in pain to the point of losing consciousness.

　　How long had this agonizing poison tormented him?

　　The medicine needed time to take effect. During Jiang Shou’s unconsciousness, Si Yao sat on the ground, leaning against the tree, with Jiang Shou resting on her shoulder.

　　She did not dare move, quietly waiting for him to wake. Any unnecessary touch now would be nothing short of torture for him.

　　Watching his calm, sleeping face, a rare sense of peace settled over her.

　　It seemed like it had been a long time since she had looked at him this quietly.

　　Jiang Shou was beautiful—the most handsome man Si Yao had ever seen. His features were sharp, his expression noble, and his presence was almost otherworldly, like a celestial being.

　　She recalled the first time she had seen him, utterly captivated by his beauty.

　　Back then, she had just arrived in this new world, reckless and fearless like a newborn calf, thriving in this unfamiliar place with her audacious courage.

　　And it was during that time that she had met him—

　　Under the high, full moon, her thoughts drifted further and further away…

　　—

　　The scorching June sun blazed down as the heat hung thick in the air. It had already been seven days since Si Yao had been transported to this strange world.

　　She had been hit by a car while crossing the street, sent flying more than ten meters. Normally, she would have expected to die then and there, but somehow luck—or misfortune—had led her to this bizarre, colorful world instead.

　　In the past few days since her arrival, Si Yao had gotten a rough understanding of this world. It was much like the cultivation worlds described in 21st century novels.

　　Her current identity here was that of an inner disciple in the Xuanming Sect, one of the prominent righteous sects of the time.

　　Now it was midday, and Si Yao strolled lazily toward the Herbal Pavilion. Beside her, a girl of around fourteen or fifteen chattered nonstop. “This year the herbs on Spirit Mountain are flourishing. The elder said every disciple will get a herb to help with their cultivation.”

　　The girl’s name was Shen Rong, the first friend Si Yao had made in this world. Both of them had joined the Xuanming Sect not long ago and had been assigned to the same elder for guidance. Their personalities clicked instantly, and it didn’t take long for them to become close.

　　“I’ve only been in the sect for three months. I’m still mid-stage Qi Refinement. If I get a high-grade herb this time, maybe I can make real progress,” Shen Rong said, her voice bright and excited.

　　“The elder said your talent is exceptional. Even without the herb, reaching the peak of Qi Refinement is only a matter of time,” Si Yao said, patting Shen Rong’s shoulder to calm her down. Shen Rong had been chattering nonstop the whole way, enough to make Si Yao’s ears feel sore.

　　The two of them played and laughed all the way to the Herbal Pavilion, each selecting a herb that matched their attributes before happily leaving.

　　On the way back, they passed a secluded, dilapidated courtyard. Si Yao glanced at it curiously. Although she had only been in this world a short time, the Xuanming Sect had given her a strong impression of brilliance and grandeur, so she hadn’t expected such a rundown corner within the sect.

　　Seeing Si Yao staring, Shen Rong quickly explained, “This used to be where the outer disciples lived. Now they’ve all moved elsewhere, so no one lives here anymore.”

　　Si Yao nodded, understanding why this place was so desolate. Clearly, no one lived here anymore.

　　“I told you not to go to the Herbal Pavilion! Can’t you understand? With your useless self, even if you get a spiritual herb, it’ll be a waste!”

　　“Just stay here obediently. We’ll bring your herb back to you.”

　　Just as Si Yao and Shen Rong were about to leave, voices of an argument suddenly rang out from the abandoned courtyard.

　　Judging from the shouting, it was definitely a fight among sect disciples.

　　Inner disciples had strict rules and rarely did anything so lowly. Most likely, these were outer disciples brawling among themselves.

　　Si Yao and Shen Rong exchanged a glance, both reading the unspoken meaning in each other's eyes.

　　They decided to go in and see.

　　“Staring at me again, you little brat, and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

　　“If you dare tell the elder, I’ll tear off both your legs and make you a real waste!”

　　As Si Yao and Shen Rong stepped closer, the shouting grew louder, mixed with the sounds of fists and feet pounding.

　　Si Yao ran forward, following the noise, and saw a group of outer disciples in Xuanyin Sect robes surrounding someone on the ground. They were cursing and striking the helpless figure with fists and kicks.

　　Anger surged in her chest. She shouted sharply, “What are you doing!”

　　The attackers were brutal, hitting with all their strength, some even using their hand seals to attack the defenseless disciple. Fearing for the person’s life, Si Yao acted immediately. Her sword left its sheath, and with a graceful motion of her hand, she unleashed a slash of sword energy.

　　The sword energy cut through like a blade through bamboo, scattering the attackers instantly.

    

    

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