Alone, Beautifully – Chapter 1

WARNING: MTL

Sharing a bridal chamber with you (1)

“I, you see, want to enter the bridal chamber with Senior Sister.”

Fiery red enchanting flowers bloom all over the mountains, their crimson stamens like serpentine tongues. Delicate stone garlic flowers stand tall on their slender green stems. After the leaves wither, what blossoms forth are flowers as if drenched in fresh blood.

These flowers bloom on the edge of treacherous cliffs. Ahead lies an abyss, from which terrifying black miasma billows, piercing the sky, staining the azure heavens with a dark gray hue. Occasionally, black, unidentified birds flap their wings and emerge from the abyss, emitting hoarse and eerie cries.

Ahead lies the heart-pounding darkness, while behind the cliffs, there is a fiery red glow as if everything could be set ablaze.

Amidst the densely packed flower sea stands a small wooden house. In this scene of rampant malevolence, this angular wooden house appears extraordinary.

At this moment, bright light shines through the square windows of the wooden house, casting beams onto the flower bushes in front of the door, emitting a strangely suffocating and eerie beauty.

Within the flower bushes, malevolent energy gathers, slowly coalescing into small, shapeless black balls, their features indiscernible. With a forceful bounce, one of these small black balls leaps from the ground to the only open window sill, emitting a soft sound.

“Gu.”

From the ethereal black ball emerge two large eyes, peering into the room—

Inside the room hangs a tall candlestick, its celebratory crimson candles crackling as they burn. Tears of wax drip from the candle, coating the holder and the floor, evidence of its long burning.

The room is adorned with large red characters denoting ‘happiness’. On the table lie lilies, peanuts, red dates, and other earthly foods, accompanied by an exquisitely carved silver pot. Its spout slender, its body adorned with rubies, it stands near two tall silver cups.

If a mortal were to enter at this moment, they would surely recognize the furnishings of a human marriage chamber.

The small black ball bounced lightly on the window ledge, emitting a faint “Gu?”

“Who’s there?”

Suddenly, a clear and cold voice echoed from the corner of the room.

Startled, the small black ball lifted its gaze to see layers of curtains piled in the corner. Before the inhabitant of the room could inquire further, the mischievous essence of the black ball dissipated into wisps of black mist, fleeing once again from the wooden house.

After a long while, the previous voice inside the room tentatively asked again, “Is there someone?”

Silence, deathly silence.

Within the layered curtains, a hint of snow-white flickered through the gorgeous gauze, accompanied by faint, crisp collision sounds, tinkling melodiously.

“This is the abyss of the Demonic Realm. Where does this person come from?” A cold and indifferent voice responded to the tinkling sound, unheard by any sound in this realm, as the commotion resonated within the person’s consciousness.

The commotion behind the bed curtains intensified, metallic sounds clashed back and forth, obscuring the canopy as it was pulled apart, emitting a “crackling” sound as it tore, and like snowflakes, it fluttered down, finally revealing the scene within.

Lying on a smooth jade stone cushion covered with red silk fabric, there lay the figure of a slender Taoist practitioner. The person wore a Daoist robe alternating between black and white, with a hairpin crafted into a Taiji symbol adorning the crown. Three thousand strands of black hair cascaded like a waterfall onto the red silk beneath, winding around the delicate neck like winding through mountains and ridges, tracing a path from the prominent collarbone.

What a remarkable young Taoist nun.

Unfortunately…

Her condition at this moment wasn’t very good.

A fine black silk covered her face, obscuring her eyes, leaving only her petite and straight nose, crimson lips, and a small beauty mark at the corner of her lips exposed.

The tinkling sound rang out again. It was the sound of the dark iron chain extending from her spacious sleeves, winding like a dragon from her wrists to the square pillars of jade. At first glance, one couldn’t even discern the connection points of the chain, as if it were naturally formed.

With youthful fingers clenched into fists, she moved them left and right, attempting to untangle the shackles to no avail. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, she lay back, gazing blankly upward, and responded in her mind to the voice:

“The abyss of the Demonic Realm?”

“No, System, according to the plot, it was just now that Xia Jingzhe was falsely accused by those senior sisters of colluding with the Demonic Realm. Didn’t I protect her, prevent her from being stripped of her skills and expelled from the sect? When did she have any connection with the Demonic Realm?”

The system she called upon in her mind responded coldly: “You wrote it, so why are you asking me?”

The Taoist nun: “…”

As she was about to say something more, a faint “squeak” sounded, and the sound of a wooden door being pushed open came from nearby.

Accompanied by a faint, light fragrance, mixed with a heavy scent of blood, inexplicably frightening the person on the jade stone bed to the point where their thoughts ceased. They listened as the footsteps approached steadily, from a distance to close, stopping in front of them.

In the next moment, a cool and soft touch met the person’s cheek on the jade bed. The sensation, akin to a serpent’s tongue, brought forth a shiver from the depths of their heart.

Sensing the slight trembling beneath their palm, Xia Jingzhe slowly curved her lips, as if about to unwrap her favorite gift. Her fingertips brushed over the delicate skin, finally resting on the edge of the black silk cloth at the temple…

Slowly sliding into the hairline, her agile fingers made a slight movement, unlocking the restraint.

The person on the jade bed turned their head slightly, tightly shut their eyes, and took a while to adjust to the sudden brightness before squinting and asking, “Junior Sister Xia? What brings you here?”

Junior Sister Xia.

Upon hearing this address, Xia Jingzhe smiled even more beautifully. Her lovely phoenix-like eyes curved with warmth, yet held no warmth within, as if they had been soaked in frost and snow, beautiful yet chilling.

Seeing her smile, the person on the jade bed inexplicably sensed a hint of danger, and oddly enough, the danger seemed to emanate from the person before them.

“Junior Sister Xia… Forget it. I fear I’ve fallen victim to an ambush by evildoers, brought into this Demonic Realm, and my cultivation method has been sealed. It may not be safe for me to stay here any longer. You, too, possess a pure celestial body. Though I do not know how you received the information to come to my rescue, we should leave together swiftly.”

As she spoke, Xia Jingzhe remained silent, simply standing calmly by the bed, watching her with playful eyes.

When she finally stopped talking, Xia Jingzhe slowly bent down, resting her hands on the red silk, feeling the icy chill of the jade stone seeping through her palms. She spoke in a leisurely manner:

“Xu Jiao.”

She called again, “Senior Sister Jiaojiao.”

Hearing the hint of charm in her tone, Xu Jiao felt her ears go numb, especially when faced with such a captivating face. Just as she managed to steady herself, she heard the person in front of her speak again:

“Why are you and I here? Senior Sister should know it well, shouldn’t she?”

Xu Jiao’s throat moved slightly, trying hard not to avoid the oncoming scent of darkness, she pursed her lips and pretended to be stupid, “Junior Sister, what are you talking about? I don’t understand a word.”

Xia Jingzhe chuckled softly, raising her hand to help Xu Jiao pull out the strands of hair that had fallen into her neckline. Her movements were gentle, but it was precisely this gentleness that made Xu Jiao shiver.

Focused on this task, Xia Jingzhe took a long time to lift her gaze again, meeting Xu Jiao’s dark eyes flickering with uncertainty. Her tone softened as if it could drip with water:

“You’re pretending to be stupid again, Senior Sister.”

Xu Jiao: “…”

She carefully assessed the tone and demeanor of the person in front of her, couldn’t help but ask in her heart, “System, why do I feel like she’s about to go crazy?”

The system replied earnestly, “Congratulations, you’re correct. The protagonist Xia Jingzhe’s current blackening value is 99.”

However, upon hearing the word “congratulations,” Xu Jiao couldn’t find it in herself to smile.

Just then, Xia Jingzhe had already helped her lay her long hair beside her, meticulously using her hands as a comb to smooth out the silky black strands. Seeing her return to her previous neat appearance, Xia Jingzhe couldn’t help but show a satisfied smile.

“Senior Sister Jiaojiao,” she spoke again, “I am indeed the ‘evil person’ in your mouth, who brought you here— I’ve had these flowers planted here for a long time. Is it not nice for you to stay with me here?”

She turned aside, allowing Xu Jiao to see the glaring red in the room. Too many festive colors gathered together in one place became intense and eerie.

In short: eye-searing.

Xu Jiao avoided looking at the garish decoration, closing her eyes slightly. Her long eyelashes folded like birds retracting their wings, obediently drooping down.

She asked coldly, “Xia Jingzhe, have you gone mad?”

Upon hearing her words, the smile faded from Xia Jingzhe’s face. Perhaps due to intense emotions, bloodshot veins appeared in the corners of her eyes. It was indeed a kind of hysterical madness, with a mixture of admiration and resentment towards the person before her, but mostly, it was a desperate sense of unattainable longing.

“Mad?” She pondered Xu Jiao’s words carefully, murmuring softly, “Perhaps.”

She stared intently at Xu Jiao’s face, noticing the other’s indifference, unwilling even to look at her. Anger surged within her, and she lifted Xu Jiao’s chin with her hand, raising her face—

Xia Jingzhe gazed deeply into Xu Jiao’s eyes and asked:

“Senior Sister, why did you come into my world?”

“Why is it that every time I’m in danger, you come to save me, yet on ordinary days, you refuse to even look at me?”

“Look, it’s that kind of gaze, full of pity… like a deity’s.”

“In Senior Sister’s eyes, am I just a pitiful creature? Only able to crawl humbly in the dirt, while you are high above, willing to bestow your help upon me at your whim. If not, then I am not even worthy of your glance.”

“You clearly know my affection for you, yet you avoid me like the plague. If you dislike me so much, why bother clearing my name when you hear rumors of my collusion with the Demonic Realm?”

Pausing here, she stopped and a smile slowly appeared on her lips. “Senior Sister Jiaojiao, playing with me like this, watching me go mad for you, is it amusing?”

Xu Jiao: “…”

She moved her lips as if she wanted to sigh, yet also as if she wanted to explain—

“Hush.”

Xia Jingzhe gently tapped her index finger on Xu Jiao’s lips.

“I don’t want to hear it, nor do I want to know.”

“Whatever Senior Sister wants to obtain from me, I’ll give it to you.”

With that, Xia Jingzhe moved her fingertips aside and, in their place, covered Xu Jiao’s lips with her own, giving them a kiss.

Xu Jiao stiffened all over, her eyes widening as if in disbelief.

Seeing her reaction, Xia Jingzhe smiled unabashedly and mischievously, affectionately asking, “Senior Sister, why are you so surprised? Your expression makes it seem like I’ve bullied you, but I haven’t even started yet.”

There was a subtle tremble in Xu Jiao’s voice:

“What… do you want to do?”

Xia Jingzhe raised an eyebrow in apparent surprise as she looked at Xu Jiao, then affectionately gave her answer:

“Senior Sister, haven’t you figured it out yet?”

“I… I want to marry Senior Sister and enter the bridal chamber.”

LP: I was looking around novelupdates and found this gem again… It’s really sad when the translator stopped so… I want to have my own translation of this novel! There’s already 45 available chapters from another translator so feel free to read those :3