The Transmigrated Male Lead Confessed to Me - Chapter 25 (Part 2)

The gray-white world instantly shattered.

The invisible curtain vanished, revealing the vibrant, colorful real world once again. The tavern keeper behind the counter looked over with a face full of shock.

From his perspective, just moments ago, the two figures had suddenly disappeared, and after a while, only one reappeared, while the other was nowhere to be seen.

However, having discerned that they were immortals, he naturally dared not ask too many questions.

Su Zhen turned her head to look at the street outside the door.

……………

A quarter of an hour earlier.

Beneath Feihe City.

In the intricate, filthy, and muddy streets, rows of old, dilapidated wooden houses stood haphazardly. Various small courtyards were encircled by crooked walls.

It was working hours, and the streets were bustling with people. Many were pushing carts or carrying goods.

A young woman with a wooden box on her back stumbled across the street. Her patched clothing blended seamlessly with the crowd, making her indistinguishable from others on the street.

The passersby paid her little attention.

She stopped at the entrance of an inconspicuous small courtyard. Those passing by nearby didn’t find it unusual, knowing that there was a small private school inside.

The few teachers in the school were unremarkable, merely literate enough to recite a few mediocre verses to scrape by. Their attire was even more tattered than that of the people outside.

The young woman stood outside the door, looking into the courtyard.

Inside, there were piles of broken and moldy cabinets, tables with missing legs and numerous cracks, and large water tanks with significant damage, their interiors covered in filth.

The ground bore streaks of grime, and even rat droppings were visible, indicating it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time.

The young woman lingered briefly before bowing her head and stepping inside.

The moment she crossed the threshold, the courtyard’s scenery transformed dramatically.

The dilapidated furniture vanished, replaced by smooth, white stone pavements, pristine and spotless. Lush green pines and cypresses lined the sides, fragrant flowers adorned the flower beds, and every branch and leaf was meticulously trimmed.

She pushed open the door to the main house, revealing an astonishingly spacious interior that appeared several times larger than it looked from the outside.

The room was elegantly furnished, with chairs and tables made of fine mahogany. The desk held exquisite writing implements, while the display cabinet housed many valuable antiques. A translucent crystal screen depicted lifelike mountains and streams, where a waterfall cascaded into a clear pool below.

Upon closer inspection, the flowing water seemed to move!

She stared at the screen in amazement, her eyes brimming with curiosity. Taking a few steps closer, she reached out to touch it.

A few people emerged from a room inside. One of them smiled and said, “…As long as you practice diligently, you will grasp the principles of the Painting-Illusion spell within three years.”

The young woman turned her head from the screen. “What if I want to create one myself?”

The group of demon cultivators exchanged glances.

“If you’re fast, thirty years; if slow, a hundred.”

“That long?”

Disappointment flashed across the young woman’s face.

Before she could say more, another door behind her opened, and two others, about her age, entered.

The two newcomers looked around in awe, quickly fixating on the screen with wide-eyed wonder.

A demon cultivator stepped forward and pointed to the chairs and tables. “Please, the three of you, take a seat.”

The three young individuals sat down, all with eager expressions.

“Now that you’ve joined our Thousand Chariots Sect, you are among kindred spirits. Within the sect are a hundred secret archives and countless arcane techniques, all accessible to you.”

The demon cultivator smiled and said, “We are all seekers of knowledge, insatiable in our pursuit of learning, heeding the call of the Demon God of Decrees. Surely, you understand this already?”

The first young woman to enter the room slowly nodded. “That day, I was searching through ancient texts for a cure and was guided by that voice to a particular book—”

It was clear she had a background in medicine.

The other two had different pursuits but similar experiences, and they nodded in agreement.

“I was looking for a way to save the pearl fruit trees my parents grow from withering.”

“I just wanted to learn how to observe celestial phenomena.”

“Excellent.”

The demon cultivator nodded in satisfaction. “Whatever you wish to know must stem from an extremely intense desire to draw the attention of the Divine Lord.”

He scrutinized the three individuals in front of him. “Your aptitudes are average, but your spiritual roots can be refined. Moreover, none of you possess demon bloodlines, which makes this process simple.”

Another demon cultivator beside him added, “Next, we will guide you into the sect. Once you have refined your souls into primordial spirits, you will journey to the Demon Realm.”

The three quickly stood and bowed in gratitude.

The demon cultivators exchanged glances suddenly.

“What’s going on?”

One asked in surprise, “Followers of the Demon God of Blood Sacrifice are pulling people into the Shadow Realm?”

“No, it’s that other person. It’s the aura of my lord—”

They exchanged puzzled looks.

Meanwhile, the battle above ended swiftly.

“It’s nothing. It’s probably just a senior using the boundary gate.”

Someone muttered softly, “I’ll go up with Senior Sister to check. You all continue here.”

“The spiritual energy just now felt like that of a Blood God Priest. If it’s such a high-level expert, the other person must at least be a Vice High Priest.”

The first demon cultivator to speak straightened up and said solemnly, “We ought to pay our respects together.”

After a brief discussion, the group of demon cultivators quickly dispersed, leaving only their disciples and the three newcomers.

The three stood there dazed for a moment before one of them, braver than the rest, took the initiative to ask a question.

Among the disciples of the demon cultivators, there were some who enjoyed talking and began explaining to them.

“We have several boundary gates here. From time to time, seniors pass through…”

“There are many positions in the sect, but those who can recite the secret incantations of the Divine Lord are usually the High Priests. High Priests are responsible for collecting various texts for the sect, by any means necessary. As long as the sect lacks something, they’ll find a way to obtain it…”

“High Priests are divided into three levels based on their strength: Junior Priests, Vice High Priest, and Grand High Priest…”

“The sect has only two Grand High Priests, both capable of holding their own against Saint realm powerhouses from outside. Uh… Surely you all know the Immortal Venerables? What, you don’t even know about the Immortal Venerables?”

“…Senior Brother, don’t put it that way. Some Immortal Venerables really aren’t all that powerful.”

“Ah, I wasn’t being cautious in my phrasing. The strength among Immortal Venerables varies greatly. The Grand High Priests can hold their own against those Immortal Venerables who aren’t sword cultivators, spell cultivators, or body refinement cultivators….”

Under the attentive listening of the three newcomers, the group of demon cultivators enthusiastically delved into their discussion.

……………

West Street, within the city.

Another group of demon cultivators had already gathered outside Zhangji Tavern.

Through the doors and windows, they could clearly see the green-clad girl inside.

The one with the highest cultivation level among them, in just a fleeting glance, also caught sight of the white-haired man who had just left.

At this moment, the seemingly young green-clad cultivator was standing by the counter, receiving a large food box from the tavern keeper. She then moved to an empty table nearby.

As she opened the box, the demon cultivators outside entered one by one.

Su Zhen looked up.

Oh.

They were mostly old acquaintances.

Her expression remained unchanged. “Lord Shaowei, Liu Xianjun, Hong Xianjun, Ying Xianjun—”

The demon cultivators she named lowered their heads one by one.

—The mysterious colleague before them, who concealed her spiritual energy and true appearance, could have countless explanations for her behavior.

After all, guarding the boundary gate had made them accustomed to encountering similar sect members, and were already used to it.

Besides, she clearly recognized them.

Either she had met them in the Demon Realm years ago, or she had previously come to Feihe City and used the boundary gate here under a different identity.

Even if their curiosity nudged them to investigate further, they knew better than to act on it.

Outsiders often believed that followers of the Demon God of Decrees would all die from their insatiable curiosity.

What they didn’t realize was that those who rose to prominence in the Thousand Chariots Sect were rarely consumed entirely by their thirst for knowledge.

Otherwise, they would have long succumbed to their desires and rushed off to raid the libraries of the top-tier righteous sects.

“So, the other person… Hmm.”

The leading demon cultivator asked, ” Is he also accompanying you to the Secret Archive? May I ask what his position is within the sect…”

He wasn’t sure how to address Xiao Yu.

Su Zhen realized once again that Xiao Yu hadn’t concealed his presence from these people. Instead, he let them think he was a low-level cultivator who had yet to form a primordial spirit.

Meanwhile, Su Zhen was using a secret spell to mask her aura.

To others, her spiritual energy would appear as if shrouded in a mist. If they assumed she was in the Soul Transformation realm, they would logically conclude that this perception was inaccurate due to deliberate concealment.

However, Xiao Yu intentionally made them believe his strength truly was below the Nascent Soul realm.

Su Zhen replied, “…My disciple.”

Having told so many lies, she was now fluent at it.

She knew this was the simplest explanation requiring the least elaboration.

Since the sect had very few restrictions on newcomers, technically anyone could be responsible for recruitment.

After all, the Demon God of Decrees welcomed all seekers of knowledge and was pleased to see every follower, regardless of rank, take on the role of teacher and guide others.

The demon cultivators all showed expressions of understanding, identical to the reaction of the white-haired man earlier.

Su Zhen could only feel a sense of resignation.

However, just as her words fell, a tall, upright figure appeared at the door, carrying a parcel wrapped in oil paper.

The man waved in their direction. “Everything going smoothly?”

Smoothly, your big head!

Su Zhen secretly grumbled.

She had completely forgotten about this person earlier, but Xiao Yu likely had a thorough grasp of what had transpired here.

Of course, his lack of intervention was probably because he didn’t want to interfere with her affairs and risk annoying her, as he himself had claimed.

As for other reasons—

Did he believe she could handle Yao Wan, or did he think that if things went south, he could save her in time?

Su Zhen believed it was the former.

At first glance, it made no sense.

After all, Xiao Yu knew she was truly in the Soul Transformation realm, and he also knew that the other person was in the Golden Immortal realm.

And yet, she just had this feeling.

And besides, “handling” didn’t necessarily mean fighting; it could simply mean finding a way to get him to leave.

Thinking this, Su Zhen glanced at the demon cultivators beside her.

The demon cultivators seemed to misunderstand. One of them smiled and praised, “Truly, an exceptional apprentice from a renowned master. He’s bound to become a pillar of our sect in the future.”

Xiao Yu turned his head slightly.

Su Zhen gave him a helpless look.

Another demon cultivator chimed in with a smile, “Has this brother visited the secret archives yet?”

Su Zhen cleared her throat. “With his current cultivation level, going there wouldn’t be of much use.”

The demon cultivator nodded and said, “Though it’s somewhat dangerous, following a master there would be fine. At the very least, it would be a chance to broaden his horizons.”

Su Zhen: “…Let’s see how he performs first.”

Xiao Yu gave her a glance, then suddenly stepped forward, dropping to one knee directly in front of her. “I was wrong before. Please don’t be angry. I’ve already brought back the sweet cakes.”

Despite his height, kneeling on one knee beside her allowed him to meet her eyes.

The black-haired, blue-eyed young man leaned in with a smile, one hand propped on her side, his broad shoulders casting a large shadow that enveloped her.

“Then take me there.”

He said in a low voice, “Master.”

As he spoke, he blinked, his long, curled lashes trembling slightly. In his shimmering blue eyes, like azure lakes reflecting the clear sky, there was nothing but mirth.