Crimson_Lore
patreon
Chapter 63: The Blood Jade Bracelet
🕑 Added 2025-04-14 02:08:29 +0000 UTCThe scene that followed was one that Ji Rong could hardly bear to watch.
Gu Baiyi paused for a moment, and then, just as she had described during the sect's meeting, she gently raised her hand and unbuttoned the woman's clothing.
It was as if the woman were drunk. Her face, bathed in the moonlight, flushed faintly.
Gu Baiyi gazed at the woman's face, which was bathed in the moonlight, then leaned down and placed a kiss on the woman's collarbone.
The sensation of her lips must have been soft, which made the woman squint her eyes in a daze and embrace Gu Baiyi tightly.
Gu Baiyi's body stiffened for a moment. She raised her head and found that in the woman’s slightly squinted phoenix eyes, there was still the same indifference as always.
Ji Rong watched as Gu Baiyi's expression shifted repeatedly, a faint hint of embarrassment and anger appearing on her face.
She thought the embarrassment was probably from being attacked without any defenses by the original owner, and the anger came from the fact that even though Gu Baiyi had opened the original owner's clothing, the original owner still seemed like a dead pool of water, her expression unchanged.
It had to be said that, in some ways, these two were truly a perfect match.
Then, Ji Rong covered her eyes with her hand, not wanting to witness Gu Baiyi angrily nibbling on the original owner's neck.
Because even through the dimension wall, she felt embarrassed for the original owner.
Ji Rong hovered in the courtyard, covering her eyes, and waited for half a tea’s time.
By the time the plum blossoms had fallen completely to the ground, Gu Baiyi had finished nibbling on the original owner’s neck and set the woman down.
She lowered her hand from her eyes, thinking, the female protagonist is really something, she’s just like this no matter which version it is.
The original owner was quite the talent. After being nibbled by Gu Baiyi, she even lifted her hand and stroked the other’s hair, smiling as she asked, “Do you like me?”
However, Ji Rong could no longer hear the original owner’s thoughts because the original owner was not even thinking.
She was left speechless.
No thoughts at all. The original owner was just drunk and acting out, wasn’t she?
What a scumbag.
The poor, innocent, sweet girl protagonist just stood there dumbfounded, staring at the original owner after hearing her words.
Gu Baiyi first lowered her head, then gently nodded, and finally lifted her head to gaze steadily at the woman leaning against the plum tree.
The woman’s sheer robes were slightly undone, and her whole body reeked of alcohol. She moved her lips, as if trying to say something.
But in the end, she said nothing. She just tilted her head and passed out under the plum tree.
Ji Rong: “...”
Her obsessive-compulsive disorder was kicking in. If you want to say something, just say it already!!
Gu Baiyi saw this and quickly stepped forward, catching the woman as she collapsed against the tree.
She gazed at the woman in her arms.
A slight blush appeared on the woman’s face, and her breathing slowly grew more even.
Gu Baiyi silently stared at her, her lips curving into a sweet and shy smile.
Ji Rong couldn’t watch any longer.
She couldn’t accept seeing Gu Baiyi, in her sweet innocent period, make such a face with the crazy female lead’s expression. What are you blushing for?
Just when Ji Rong and Gu Baiyi thought the original owner had fallen into a deep sleep, the woman suddenly opened her eyes.
She furrowed her brows lightly, hooked her arm around Gu Baiyi’s neck, her drunken eyes blurred, and asked, “Hey, I’m already asleep, why haven’t you done anything?”
Gu Baiyi: “...”
Ji Rong: “...”
“No thoughts for me, huh?”
The woman’s expression remained cold, but the words coming from her mouth were anything but.
Ji Rong painfully covered her ears. She regretted ever trying to buy the original owner's memories, what a nightmare this was.
Now not only had her own CP's house collapsed, but she was also being forced to endure the original owner’s various shameless actions.
Damn it, the villain's face has been completely ruined by you!
What could Gu Baiyi do at this moment? She just stared blankly as the original owner drifted back into sleep. What else could she do?
Ji Rong watched as the female protagonist carried the original owner back to the Wantangju, carefully wiped her face and hands, then gently laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
Finally, Gu Baiyi stood by the bed, staring at the mark on the woman’s neck, her lips pressed into a shy smile. Then, rather awkwardly, she looked away and fled in embarrassment.
...Is she running away now?
It seemed that the female protagonist really wasn’t up to the task.
At this moment, Ji Rong could only say one thing: impressive.
The original owner was impressive! The female protagonist was impressive!
After watching this memory, Ji Rong felt utterly defeated.
She never wanted to ship a CP again in her life, it was just too damn heartbreaking. As expected, the CP fans are always the most foolish.
Just as she was reflecting on this, a sudden electronic voice interrupted her thoughts.
[Gong Yu has appeared]
Ji Rong: ?
What does Gong Yu’s appearance have to do with her? Why was the system notifying her about this?
Then she heard a cold, mechanical voice again.
[The system will automatically help the player sober up.]
[Please continue with the next phase of the task.]
Ji Rong frowned at the sight of the original owner, still fast asleep, and reluctantly sat up from the bed.
She froze.
If that electronic voice wasn’t coming from the trash system…
Does the original owner have a system too?
What does this mean?
Shit, could the original owner have transmigrated as well?
...
In the courtyard of Wantangju, there was a stone table surrounded by several stone benches.
At this moment, the woman in sheer robes was sitting on one of the stone benches, handing a teacup to Gong Yu, and asking, “Elder, your late-night visit, what is the matter?”
Sitting opposite her was Gong Yu, dressed in bright red clothes, her face betraying a faint aura of illness.
Gong Yu took the teacup from the woman and said, “There’s nothing urgent, really. Before you joined the inner sect, your father was a bit worried and asked me to keep an eye on you. I happened to pass by here today, so I thought I’d drop in for a visit.”
With that, she removed the lid from the teacup, sniffed the tea’s aroma, and smiled as she asked, “Changqin, is this tea from Xuanji City’s ‘Smiling Spring Breeze’?”
The woman’s face remained calm as she nodded slightly. In reality, she had no idea it was "Smiling Spring Breeze."
Ji Rong, watching this magical scene unfold, was already utterly shocked.
She turned to the system and said, “Shit, the original owner’s system isn’t you, is it?”
[No, dear, it’s not.]
“If it’s not you, then how do game NPCs have systems?”
[Dear~ I don’t know.]
Ji Rong was completely stunned by this series of events, feeling like her worldview was on the brink of collapsing.
Maybe I’m the fake one.
However, Ji Rong’s thoughts had no impact on the conversation between the two.
Gong Yu took a sip of tea, placed the cup back on the table, and said, “This really is good tea. The last time I had it must have been four years ago. Your father was holding your coming-of-age ceremony, and both Senior Sister Mei and I were present.”
She paused, smiling as she continued, “But it’s been so long; you probably don’t remember, right?”
The woman shook her head and replied, “That was the first time I met the Elder, so naturally, I remember it.”
“Oh, it was your first time meeting me?”
Gong Yu smiled and then casually said, “But it wasn’t my first time meeting you, Changqin.”
The woman froze.
Ji Rong was also a bit dazed.
According to the game's setting, this should be the first time Gong Yu met the original protagonist.
But Gong Yu picked up her cup, took another sip, and said, “Changqin, on the day of your coming-of-age ceremony, I gave you a bracelet. It’s called ‘Blood Soaked,’ a very precious ancient artifact. Do you know why I gave it to you?”
The woman naturally had no idea why, so she didn’t know how to respond.
[Please continue with Gong Yu’s words.]
But hearing the cold electronic voice of the system, she could only ask, “Why?”
Gong Yu smiled and replied, “Because a hundred years ago, when I first met you, you were wearing this bracelet. Afterward, it came into my possession, and I thought it belonged to you. So, I gave it back to you four years ago.”
The woman furrowed her brows, feeling confused.
She didn’t understand what Gong Yu was saying.
Ji Rong was stunned. How could the original protagonist have met Gong Yu a hundred years ago?
After all, the original protagonist wasn’t even twenty yet.
Gong Yu looked at the woman and said faintly, “A hundred years ago, on the Xuanhe Flying Immortal Bridge, I mistook you for my master, and then you disappeared from the spot. Don’t you remember?”
“I don’t remember such a thing.”
“Well… whether you remember or not doesn’t matter.”
Gong Yu set the cup down, gazing at the woman’s face, and softly said, “Changqin, you and my master are really similar. You don’t seem like people from this world.”
A puzzled expression appeared again on the woman’s face.
At that moment, Ji Rong frowned after hearing Gong Yu’s words.
Because something suddenly came to her mind.
A year ago, in the Tianshui Secret Realm, she had been sucked into a painting, disappearing for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
According to Xie Bai, she had stood still at the time, not moving at all.
After entering the painting, she had first met Mei He, who was about to meet with the four major sects, and then encountered Gong Yu. Gong Yu had mistaken her for Yue Qianqiu and had spoken a few words to her.
Ji Rong was shocked.
She had originally thought she had just entered an illusion, but had she really returned to the past?
However, the original protagonist was an NPC in the game. How could her later actions affect the past?
Unless—
Unless this world was real, and only then could she return to the past and change the course of events.
While Ji Rong was caught in this whirlwind of thoughts, Gong Yu calmly said, “But I know you’re not my master, because she’s already dead.”
“I watched her jump into that abyss, but I couldn’t stop her. Do you know? Mei He was standing right there. With her cultivation, she could have jumped into the Ghost Tomb and saved my master.”
Gong Yu shook her head and continued, “But she didn’t.”
“I hated her. I hated her for fearing death and for being too afraid to act, so I followed my master and jumped down.”
“The Ghost Tomb was so cold, the flames burned me so painfully. I’m hurt for my master. I didn’t want her to suffer like that. But at the same time, I was so happy. That way, I could die with my master.”
“But I didn’t die, because in the end, my master’s spiritual power pushed me out.”
Gong Yu furrowed her brows, her tone still eerily calm. “That day, Mei He saved me, but I became a cripple.”
The woman fell silent for a while, unsure of what to say. She didn’t understand why Gong Yu was telling her all this.
Gong Yu whispered, “I was once the proud disciple of the Sword Saint, just like the head of the Tianyin Sect, also in the Infinite Middle Realm, ranked fifth on the Immortal Cultivation Leaderboard.”
“But now my cultivation is the same as that little girl Jiang Fei’s. Well, not quite. She’s a rising star, but my life is destined to stop at the Chasing the Clouds Realm.”
After saying this, Gong Yu smiled and asked, “Changqin, do you think my life is tragic?”
The woman shook her head.
“You must be wondering why I’m telling you all this.”
The woman fell silent for a moment and then replied, “Yes.”
Gong Yu smiled. “Because soon, you’ll forget everything I’ve said, and all that’s happened tonight.”
“All that’s happened?”
“Yes.”
“But I can’t forget.”
The woman said firmly, “Elder Gong, I can’t forget tonight, because…”
“Because you saw Gu Baiyi and even drank with her?”
The woman was surprised to learn that Gong Yu had seen everything.
But Gong Yu shook her head and calmly said, “But Gu Baiyi is a pawn of Mei He. I won’t allow her to live.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the woman felt an overwhelming darkness take over, and her head grew incredibly heavy.
Before collapsing onto the desk, she vaguely saw Gong Yu walking toward her.
Then, she fell onto the table, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
Logically, the original protagonist had fainted, and Ji Rong should no longer be able to see what happened next.
But she still heard the system’s cold electronic voice.
[Beep! Detected that Gong Yu’s favorability toward the player is ≥10. Hidden storyline “Gong Yu’s Monologue” is about to trigger.]
“Mei He wants to bring my master back to life? There’s no such thing as a cheap deal. My master is already dead, and even if she came back to life, she wouldn’t be my master alone anymore.”
A faint smile appeared on Gong Yu’s face. She brushed the bloodstained corner of the desk and softly said, “I didn’t save my master back then. What’s the use of regretting now? Mei He, even if you travel the world and find those few swords, you can’t change what you did back then.”
“Once something is lost, it’s gone forever. Wrong is wrong, and not doing it is not doing it. You’ll never atone for your sins in this lifetime.”
