#15: Concealment

Shi Luoyi was preparing for the wedding.

Outside, it was winter, but inside Qingshui Village, it was scorching summer. At dusk, she followed Jiang Yan to his mansion in Qingshui Village.

The large estate had red walls and gray tiles, with a plaque above the gate reading “Jiang Manor.” Inside, lanterns were strung up everywhere, red lights illuminating the surroundings—it was clear that a wedding was being prepared.

A small place like Qingshui Village could never have such a grand estate as this. Shi Luoyi held the lotus flower tightly, pretending not to notice anything amiss as she averted her gaze.

In her past life, everything in Qingshui Village had felt out of place, yet back then, she hadn’t thought twice about it. Perhaps this was another ability of the Untransformed Toad—within the world it constructed, it reigned supreme like a god, slowly consuming people’s minds and bodies to birth its offspring.

This time, however, Shi Luoyi’s mind was clear as she followed Jiang Yan into the mansion.

Several elderly women hurriedly greeted them: “Ah, Master, you’ve finally brought the young miss back! Hurry and change your clothes; the ceremony must not be delayed—it would be bad luck!”

Jiang Yan smiled faintly: “Go ahead.”

Shi Luoyi glanced at him before following the women.

The scenery inside the mansion was pleasant—rockeries stood everywhere, and there was even a clear pond. Shi Luoyi discreetly sniffed the air and caught the stench of rotting mud.

Her gaze shifted to the women leading the way. They appeared to be in their forties or fifties, with plump figures and noticeably swollen bellies.

Shi Luoyi thought of the countless eggs of the Untransformed Toads inside them and felt a wave of nausea.

Passing by a rockery, Shi Luoyi spotted a familiar face. She stopped and called out: “Xue An?”

Xue An was pinning someone down, his clothes disheveled. Hearing his name, he paused his actions.

Ignoring the women’s attempts to stop her, Shi Luoyi walked behind the rockery and saw Xue An and a disheveled Bian Qingxuan.

Seeing her approach without hesitation, Xue An scrambled to fix his clothes while trying to shield the pitiful-looking Bian Qingxuan in his arms: “Shi Luoyi?”

He looked embarrassed but still maintained the indignation of a spoiled young master: “What are you looking at? Get lost!”

Shi Luoyi ignored him, instead studying Bian Qingxuan in his arms.

Bian Qingxuan’s eyes were sultry, her cheeks flushed. Seeing Shi Luoyi staring at her, she bit her lip in irritation: “Sister Luoyi, isn’t today your wedding day? Why are you here?”

If Shi Luoyi’s guess was correct, the Xue An before her was real, but Bian Qingxuan was fake.

Unless she was a fool, she knew Bian Qingxuan wouldn’t look at Xue An, let alone willingly fool around with him behind a rockery. What a ridiculous dream Xue An was having!

From the moment they entered Qingshui Village, everyone became a target for the Untransformed Toads.

Shi Luoyi remembered that in her past life, when she last saw Xue An, he had already transformed into an Untransformed Toad and never left Qingshui Village.

This time…

Perhaps because of her cooperation, Jiang Yan hadn’t needed much effort to bring her here, so Xue An likely hadn’t yet completed his transformation into an Untransformed Toad.

Shi Luoyi raised her hand and slapped Xue An hard on the shoulder, sneering: “Brother Xue, if you truly like Junior Sister, go home and propose properly before doing such things.”

Xue An flushed with anger and embarrassment, brushing her hand away.

Shi Luoyi had already embedded a magical seal into Xue An’s body. Whether he could hold on, stay aware, and remember that this was Qingshui Village depended entirely on him.

The elderly women urged her from the side: “Young miss, hurry along. Your groom is waiting for you.”

Shi Luoyi nodded and followed them away.

As for Xue An, he could only hope for the best. Before entering Qingshui Village, she had warned everyone not to trust anyone. Yet he still dared to indulge in fantasies about Bian Qingxuan—turning into an Untransformed Toad was his own fault.

Though she despised him, Shi Luoyi understood that her mission was to eliminate the Untransformed Toads, not allow more of them to spawn. Saving one person was better than nothing.

Now, she had no time to spare—she needed to deal with the most powerful Untransformed Toad.

After changing into her wedding attire, the women began styling her hair. Shi Luoyi knew they were low-level newborn Untransformed Toads, completely different from Jiang Yan. She probed them for information: “Why is Xue An here?”

“Master Xue is the young miss’s senior brother. Naturally, he came to attend the wedding feast between the young miss and our master.”

“What about the others? Did my other fellow disciples come too?”

The women exchanged glances, replying vaguely: “We’re only responsible for dressing the young miss. If you want to know more, you can ask Master directly.”

Shi Luoyi’s heart sank. She didn’t know how the others were faring.

Untransformed Toads often created separate mirages to lure their victims. If her fellow disciples couldn’t resist the temptation and allowed the Untransformed Toads to lay eggs inside them, it would spell disaster.

“Young miss is already a heavenly beauty. Dressed like this, we’re all mesmerized. Master is truly blessed.”

Shi Luoyi smiled faintly and took the bridal veil to cover her face herself.

Hurry, hurry. Xue An had fallen into the trap so quickly—she didn’t know what had become of the others.

She was deeply worried about Elder Han Shu. Had Elder Han Shu recognized the Untransformed Toads? Would she be safe?

And what about Bian Lingyu? He was just a mortal. Even if he could resist temptation, what if… he was forced?

The young sword cultivator was deeply troubled. If she couldn’t even fight back against him, what could he possibly do if confronted by a reckless Untransformed Toad?

Many of her fellow disciples had died in Qingshui Village in her past life, often because they were overpowered by Jiang Yan, killed, and forcibly used as hosts to breed more Untransformed Toads.

No matter what, if she wanted everyone to survive, she first had to deal with Jiang Yan.

As night fell, Shi Luoyi was led to the main hall.

The bridal veil covered her vision. To placate Jiang Yan, she remained cooperative, planning to wait for the right moment to strike and decapitate him.

Through the veil, Shi Luoyi saw the villagers’ shoes and, judging by the hems of their clothing, realized they were disciples from Chuan Yun Sect who had entered Qingshui Village with Jiang Yan.

All of them had already transformed into Untransformed Toads.

At this moment, all their eerie gazes were fixed on her. The silence in the air was unnerving.

“…” Shi Luoyi thought of herself in the heart of the Untransformed Toads’ lair, surrounded by cold, slimy toads. Even as a demonic cultivator, she had never faced such a scene—raiding a monster’s den directly made her scalp tingle.

She could only hope that some of her fellow disciples would regain their senses soon and find her to lend a hand.

Jiang Yan, dressed in his groom’s attire, walked in. He saw hundreds of pairs of covetous eyes hungrily staring at his bride.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and the others quickly snapped out of their daze, no longer daring to covet Shi Luoyi. They all rushed to congratulate him on his marriage.

For a moment, the hall was filled with clinking glasses and lively chatter.

Jiang Yan stepped forward and took her hand: “Come, let’s bow.”

The village chief stood at the head of the hall, smiling as he presided over the wedding: “First, bow to heaven and earth.”

Shi Luoyi didn’t bend down, and neither did Jiang Yan. After a brief silence, his face turned icy cold as he looked at the “village chief,” still speaking in his gentle voice: “I, Jiang Yan, was never blessed by heaven or earth. I have no father, no mother. Let’s skip those two steps—I won’t bow to heaven and earth, nor honor my parents. I’ll only bow to my wife.”

Under the bridal veil, Shi Luoyi tilted her head slightly to look at him.

In both lifetimes, she had never understood—was Jiang Yan’s body now entirely consumed by the Untransformed Toad, or… had he not yet been completely devoured, and could still be considered Jiang Yan?

Under the cover of night, countless black shadows crawled out of the pond in Jiang Manor.

Thousands of skinned toads, exposed to the moonlight, began to grow rapidly. Sharp claws and teeth sprouted from their bodies, and their skin gradually hardened into an indestructible grayish-white, resembling rock. From the size of a fist, they grew to the size of dogs in mere moments.

During the day, the women who had guided Shi Luoyi—and even some men—had their lower bodies transformed into toads, submerged in water to lay eggs.

Behind the rockery, Xue An was drenched in cold sweat, trembling as he watched the horrifying scene unfold.

All of them… were toads!

Seeing them mate and lay eggs under the moonlight, recalling his encounter earlier that day, Xue An covered his mouth, nearly vomiting.

He had almost consummated his relationship with “Bian Qingxuan,” but fortunately, Shi Luoyi had interrupted him. Later, when “Bian Qingxuan” tried to lean into his arms again, he finally remembered the teachings and etiquette he had grown up with. He told the junior sister that after he formally proposed and they became Daoist partners, they could do such things.

“Junior Sister” gave him a lingering look, then glanced toward the main hall, seemingly considering something before simply pouting and leaving.

She muttered under her breath: “If only Master hadn’t been getting married tonight…”

Xue An clutched his stomach, carefully hiding himself. The thought of what might have happened if he had completed the act with that monster during the day—of becoming one of those creatures laying eggs in the pond at night—sent chills down his spine.

What exactly were these things? How could males also lay eggs? And they could use illusion magic too.

He didn’t dare move. The thought of what would happen if all these creatures grew and transformed into humans made him shudder.

Under the moonlight, the number of toads kept increasing. For some reason, Xue An thought of Shi Luoyi’s situation.

He gritted his teeth. Trapped here, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Though he despised Shi Luoyi because of Bian Qingxuan, just as Shi Luoyi had helped him in his time of need, they were still fellow disciples, raised with the teaching to “punish evil and promote good.” No matter how bad he was, he wouldn’t wish harm upon Shi Luoyi.

Had Shi Luoyi also been deceived by the monsters? He wanted to warn her, but surrounded by toads, how could he possibly move without being torn apart and buried alive by these disgusting creatures? He could kill one or two, but could he kill thousands?

Where were the others? Where had they gone? Who would save that fool Shi Luoyi?

As if responding to his thoughts, someone walked over under the moonlight.

The youth was tall, his steps weak, blood dripping from his wrists. Wherever he passed, the newly born toads scattered like rats fleeing from a cat, parting to make way for him before frantically retreating back into the pond.

The person slowly approached him.

At first, Xue An couldn’t make out who it was. Overjoyed, he thought it was Wei Changyuan who had come to save them. But when he saw the pale-faced Bian Lingyu, his heart sank, feeling utterly hopeless.

How could it be this useless mortal!

Yet even this useless mortal dared to walk through an army of monsters, while he could only cower here. This realization made his face burn with shame, and he quickly stepped out from behind the rockery.

“Bian Lingyu!” Xue An called out to him. “Have you seen the others? Hurry and find someone to save Shi Luoyi! She’s in the main hall, bowing with that monster!”

Bian Lingyu looked at him.

Whether it was Xue An’s imagination or not, under the moonlight, this person, though obviously weak, had eyes that faintly glimmered with a cold silver light. His hoarse voice asked, “Where is she?”

His clothes were stained with sticky, foul-smelling liquid that looked like the blood of those monsters.

Relying on memory, Xue An pointed the way.

The youth nodded slightly: “Thank you.”

“Hey, hey!” Seeing him walk straight in that direction, Xue An hurriedly shouted, “Are you insane? Go call for help! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

But the youth ignored him, walking resolutely toward the mansion without looking back.

Xue An wanted to follow, but the swarm of toads had silently surrounded him again.

And they had discovered him! Xue An hastily swung his sword, but it felt like striking hard rock when it hit the creatures.

Even after severing their limbs, they regrew almost instantly.

Damn it, it’s like seeing ghosts! Did these monsters recognize people? Why hadn’t they attacked Bian Lingyu earlier? At this moment, Xue An finally realized something—he had been too slow to question whether the Bian Lingyu he saw earlier was real or another transformed toad.

His face paled, and he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.

Shi Luoyi was escorted into the bridal chamber.

Several young women, smiling and witty, showered her with blessings. In life, they had been village maidens, but now, transformed into Untransformed Toads, they were sent by Jiang Yan to serve as her attendants.

Shi Luoyi sat by the bed, casually reaching out to touch something—longan fruits and peanuts.

“…” Jiang Yan was the most meticulous monster she’d ever encountered.

The wedding followed the strict rules of mortals. Shi Luoyi was baffled: why go through so much trouble? Was he that hateful toward her, planning to torment her slowly and ensure she met a miserable end?

Couldn’t he have just done what he did with Xue An—push an Untransformed Toad onto the rockery and be done with it?

Shi Luoyi had been searching for where Jiang Yan hid his head. Just as she was about to send the attendants away, their expressions suddenly changed. They flung open the windows and fled like souls pursued by demons, scrambling to escape.

The door was blown open by the night wind.

A man’s shadow was stretched by the moonlight to her feet. Shi Luoyi’s heart jolted—what was going on? Had Jiang Yan come so soon?

The figure walked over, and Shi Luoyi tensed her body, ready to summon her Divine Meteor Blade at any moment.

A pair of silvery-gray boots came into view.

Silvery-gray? Shouldn’t they have been red? But before she could act, the person collapsed directly in front of her.

Shi Luoyi froze for a moment, catching a faint whiff of Thousand Fragrance Silk on the fallen figure. Instinctively, she caught him, and in the next moment, her bridal veil was stubbornly yanked off.

The tinkling sound of the hairpin in her hair rang out as she lowered her gaze, surprised to see who it was: “Bian Lingyu?”

The youth’s fingers tightened around the edge of her veil.

His wrists were covered in blood, and his cold eyes stared intently at her.

Seeing her clothes intact, he finally exhaled, coughing softly twice.

From the scent of Thousand Fragrance Silk on him, Shi Luoyi knew that the person in her arms was the real Bian Lingyu, not an Untransformed Toad.

“How did you end up like this?”

His body was covered in the sticky mucus of the Untransformed Toads, mingled with his own blood.

Shi Luoyi faintly heard the sound of footsteps approaching. With no time to explain, fearing Jiang Yan might discover Bian Lingyu, she hastily helped him into the wardrobe.

“You stay here for now!” she said, closing the cabinet door.

“…” In the next moment, her wrist was gripped tightly.

Shi Luoyi had never realized that this frail-looking youth possessed such strength. His grip on her wrist was painful.

Let go quickly! If Jiang Yan walked in now, they’d both be dead.

She had no choice but to pry his fingers open.

“Let go!”

“That man is a monster, not your senior brother…” The backlash of the Soul-Purging Pill made Bian Lingyu’s throat sweet with blood. Along the way, he had forgotten how many Untransformed Toads he had killed or how many mirages he had shattered.

By nightfall, the effects of the Soul-Purging Pill had long worn off. Relying on his own blood to terrify the Untransformed Toads, he had managed to reach this point. By dawn, he was already at his limit, barely able to stop them from consummating the marriage after hearing Xue An’s directions. The sight of the crimson room and the obedient girl waiting for her beloved pierced his eyes like needles.

After finally grasping her hand, the girl forcibly pried his fingers away.

Bian Lingyu’s eyes burned red with fury.

Don’t go! I forbid you to go! Do you like him so much that you failed to notice anything amiss, preferring to remain trapped in the mirage, believing in an illusion?

Yet the cabinet door closed mercilessly before his eyes, and his blood-stained fingers were forcibly pried open by the girl.

A mouthful of blood spilled out, and Bian Lingyu’s world plunged into darkness.