After Rebirth, the Heroine is Consumed by Overwhelming Regret Chapter 39

It was a truly strange sensation—twisted yet smooth, and fleshy. In Qi Qing’s experience, only one kind of creature could feel like that underfoot: a snake.
Encountering a snake in such a narrow place meant a hundred percent chance of being bitten. Not to mention, Qi Qing was terrified of snakes. Generally, few humans could control their fear of them; it was an instinct carved into their very genes.
So, Qi Qing froze.
She was truly, utterly frozen. Her body wouldn’t obey her; she couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. She thought she was petrified by fear, but that wasn’t it. The scenery before her eyes suddenly changed, abruptly and starkly, from a cramped mountain cave to a magnificent, resplendent palace. The palace was lavishly decorated; even to her, a well-traveled modern person, it seemed excessively luxurious.
She was forcefully pulled inside the palace gates. Before her hung layers upon layers of fragrant gauze curtains. All around was darkness, except for a faint light emanating from behind the curtains.
She could only walk tentatively towards that light.
When she reached the end, she discovered the light came from a bed. This bed was entirely crafted from spirit stones, shimmering with a dazzling, extraordinary silver light. In this world, spirit stones were currency, so it was like a bed made of gold.
Of course, the bed wasn’t the point; the person on it was.
Someone lay on the bed, their back to her, face unseen.
The person was covered only by a layer of transparent, fine gauze. Under the candlelight, the gauze appeared even more ethereal, making their snow-white skin seem even more radiant. Combined with their jet-black, smooth hair and curvaceous figure, the person looked utterly seductive.
Qi Qing caught a glimpse and quickly averted her eyes. Realizing this was someone else’s bedchamber, she felt embarrassed and hurriedly tried to retreat.
But she had only taken a step back when the person on the bed spoke.
“Don’t go.” It was a sweet, delicate, coquettish voice, like a lover trying to make her stay. “Am I still not enough to move your heart, even like this?”
The person smiled and turned around, extending a hand towards her.
A beautiful, smooth, completely naked body was revealed before her. Anyone else would likely have been captivated.
But Qi Qing looked as if she had seen a ghost. She stumbled back several steps and ran towards the palace exit. It was for no other reason than the person before her was Hua Jiaolian again. Hua Jiaolian had a face familiar to the point of disgust, and had repeatedly and shamelessly tried to seduce her. Even if Qi Qing had lost her mind, she couldn’t help but suspect this was a trap.
What was Hua Yayun up to?
Did she lure her in just to have her daughter use her charms to seduce her? Qi Qing didn’t understand. Previously, she thought it was another of Ling Aorui’s tricks, but this was clearly different. It didn’t even make sense if it was Hua Yayun’s idea. She was completely baffled by what they were trying to do.
It was just… utterly inexplicable, and disgusting.
She had only run a few steps when she found a barrier in front of her. Behind her, Hua Jiaolian approached with light, graceful steps, walking unhurriedly to her side. A pair of hands, soft as if boneless, rested on her shoulders. Hua Jiaolian giggled, “I told you not to run, yet you still did. Did you think you could get out so easily?”
Qi Qing flung her hands away and said angrily, “Are you insane? Didn’t I tell you not to touch me? I find it truly disgusting. What on earth are you thinking? Stop bothering me, will you? Is there no end to this? Don’t be so shameless!”
Before, she had merely disliked Hua Jiaolian by association; now, it was genuine hatred.
Hua Jiaolian, whose hands had been struck away, seemed deeply hurt. Tears welled in her eyes as she said aggrievedly, “Why? What did I do wrong for you to look down on me so much?”
Qi Qing thought the woman had gone mad. Hua Jiaolian was the one who had interfered, and now she was trying to disgust her. The first time, it was with a child; the second, an invitation to ride together; the third, directly offering herself. If the first two times could have been misunderstandings, this third time was blatant, with no other explanation.
She drew her sword and slashed open the barrier, turning to leave, but Hua Jiaolian grabbed her sleeve, crying and begging, “Please don’t go, okay?”
Ling Aorui had made that exact same gesture.
Qi Qing was forced to recall the discomfort of that moment. Her body reacted as if shocked by electricity, and she swung her sword backward. Though White Dragon was a sword, its cutting power was no less than a famed saber. With just one strike, she cut Hua Jiaolian’s illusion in two.
No, it wasn’t an illusion.
Qi Qing clearly felt it through her sword, like she had truly cut someone. The bisected Hua Jiaolian, however, didn’t give up. She continued to drag her lower half, stubbornly crawling forward. A real trail of blood was left behind her, and there was even a strong, metallic scent.
Qi Qing couldn’t bear to look anymore; she was afraid she would vomit.
Just before leaving, she heard Hua Jiaolian’s cry again and couldn’t help but look back. Hua Jiaolian’s face was as pale as if drained of blood, and her tears had turned to blood, yet she was still waving, trying to call her back. The scene was terrifying, a thousand times more real than any horror movie.
Qi Qing couldn’t stop herself from retching.
…
When she woke up again, Qi Qing couldn’t stop dry heaving.
She heaved for a long time but brought nothing up. Finally, she managed to calm down, taking deep breaths of fresh air. Yu Yan handed her a cup of water and helped wipe the sweat from her face. “Had another nightmare?”
Qi Qing nodded. It was the first time she had killed someone. Even though it was an illusion, the image had been so horrific that it left her with significant psychological trauma.
“Yes, I killed someone in my dream.” Qi Qing paused, then added, “Not in an ordinary way, but…”
She wanted to explain but didn’t know how. The scene was too gruesome. Now that she was out of it, it was better not to scare Yu Yan.
Yu Yan gently stroked her head. “There, there, don’t be scared. It’s okay. You just killed someone, that’s all. That person must have been bad. Think of it this way: you rid the world of a menace. It’s a good thing.”
Qi Qing opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Yu Yan’s understanding was completely different from what Qi Qing had experienced. Thinking carefully, all three dreams involved Hua Jiaolian and were incredibly strange, almost indescribable.
But now, she had to suspect Hua Yayun’s motives. As Yu Yan had said, Hua Yayun might not have brought her here to find treasure. The proof was that she hadn’t encountered a single treasure since arriving.
Instead, she had encountered many strange things. The first two dreams happened while she was asleep. But the third one? She hadn’t been asleep; she was just startled. Could she have fainted then?
So, was stepping on the snake real, or a dream?
“When you came over just now, did you see a snake?” Qi Qing asked. “How did I faint?”
Yu Yan replied, “There was no snake. The air in this cave is thin; you probably fainted from lack of oxygen. Why, did you dream of a snake?”
Qi Qing slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s so strange.”
Yu Yan hadn’t experienced anything unusual. She said, “Qi Qing, things have come to this point. Don’t hide it from me anymore. Tell me what happened so we can make a plan.”
Yu Yan was a little nervous as she said this.
Truthfully, she asked partly to solve the problem and partly to glean some information. This was her second attempt. Even a few words would be enough to satisfy a bit of her curiosity.
Qi Qing was silent for a long time. She felt that constantly hiding it wasn’t a solution. The whole affair was bizarre, and she couldn’t solve it on her own. So, she recounted the contents of the dreams, silently omitting the fact that she had known Hua Jiaolian before.
Yu Yan was naturally just as confused.
Because Qi Qing had omitted some information, mainly the relationship between the three of them, Yu Yan naturally saw Hua Yayun as the mastermind behind this secret realm. But why would Hua Yayun do this?
Did she lure Qi Qing in to seduce her?
There was one thing, however, that Yu Yan found amiss.
Yu Yan said, “If these three dreams are in chronological order—Hua Jiaolian’s childhood, youth, and adulthood—then the little girl in the first dream must be Hua Jiaolian, and the woman holding her must be Hua Yayun.”
Her explanation made sense.
Qi Qing’s preconceived notions had led her to believe it was Hua Jiaolian holding a child to provoke her. But thinking carefully, Yu Yan’s interpretation was more logical. Because Hua Yayun had always appeared as a fox, Qi Qing had overlooked this detail—the Hua mother and daughter must look very similar.
But even so, it didn’t change anything.
She still couldn’t figure out what the mother and daughter were up to.
“If I had to guess, there is one possibility,” Yu Yan said slowly. “She wants you to marry Hua Jiaolian, and this secret realm is a test for you.”
“She’s crazy,” was Qi Qing’s first reaction.
“Impossible,” was Qi Qing’s second reaction.
“Utterly disgusting,” was Qi Qing’s third reaction.
Regardless of whether it was true, she had only one answer: absolutely not.
Of course, Yu Yan wasn’t certain, but it was the only plausible explanation. Her heart trembled as she said it, terrified of Qi Qing’s silence. First Ling Aorui, now Hua Jiaolian—they all had improper designs on Qi Qing. And she, the one by Qi Qing’s side, had no right to stop them.
Yes, what exactly is our relationship now?
Yu Yan couldn’t help but clench her fists. She wanted to ask but didn’t know how. She had been the one to suggest starting this relationship, and later, she had said that liking someone was a personal matter. Now, she had put herself on a pedestal.
She acted as if she didn’t care, so she had no right to question.
Qi Qing had never once said she liked her. Not even once.
Qi Qing could leave at any time. Yu Yan had been prepared for this, but this was the first time it was laid out so directly before her. True, Qi Qing had said it was disgusting, but Yu Yan didn’t know the source of that disgust.
She didn’t know about the grudges between Qi Qing and Hua Jiaolian, so she merely interpreted Qi Qing’s disgust as resistance after being schemed against. Such resistance could easily be reversed. What if, after they got out, Hua Yayun said she had passed the test and gifted her with riches and a beautiful companion, plus assets that could rival a nation…
Yu Yan dared not think further.
She couldn’t think of any reason for Qi Qing to refuse.
As a divine official, she had assets, but they were nothing compared to a leader of the demon realm. It wasn’t about status, but the other party’s network and resources in the mortal realm. Even if she had more money and ability, two fists were no match for four hands.
In terms of influence, she couldn’t compare to Hua Jiaolian.
At least the Hua family could protect Qi Qing from Ling Aorui’s harassment. But she was alone. No matter how hard she tried, she was still just one person. Moreover, she was constantly monitored by a mortal enemy. One misstep, and half her divine power would be stripped away, making her even less comparable.
Anxiety spread through Yu Yan’s heart.
Anxiety about her own weakness, and anxiety about Qi Qing possibly leaving. Even though Qi Qing had said “absolutely impossible” with such conviction, it wasn’t enough to put her at ease.
Qi Qing didn’t notice her unease. She just felt that waiting here wasn’t a solution. If they truly needed to get the Holy Grail to leave, then all they could do was continue searching.
This was, in a way, meeting changing circumstances with a constant strategy.
After another hour, they found the Holy Grail.
Of course, at this moment, the Holy Grail wasn’t yet the Holy Grail, but a bizarre object with a randomly changing form. What truly surprised them was the abundance of treasures surrounding it. These treasures were all high-level; half of them were Heaven-grade magic artifacts. Any one of these treasures taken outside would be enough to cause a bloodbath, but here they were, casually discarded in a pile of spirit stones.
And the spirit stones… were piled up like a mountain.
Both of them gaped.
Even at her peak, Yu Yan had never seen so many treasures. She casually picked up a gourd and found it contained precious Marrow Cleansing Pills.
Of course, one wouldn’t dare to consume such pills.
But daring to eat them was one thing; possessing them was another. So many treasures couldn’t have formed naturally; someone must have collected them and placed them here.
And the collector was, naturally, Hua Yayun.
Or rather, her treasure-hunting teams.
On their first day in the demon realm, they had encountered a small fraction of such a team—the group of little demons searching for the Purple Sun Snow Fish. At the time, their skills seemed insignificant, but was that really the case?
The birdman leader was at the Golden Core stage, and there was a mole that could find things. The rest, though lacking in cultivation and special abilities, still counted as manpower—strength in numbers. These dozen or so individuals already formed a standard, complete treasure-hunting team.
There must be many such treasure-hunting teams.
And it seemed Hua Yayun truly had connections with the leaders; they called her “Palace Master Hua,” suggesting she wasn’t just an internal figure. One could imagine how massive her organization would be if internal and external personnel were combined.
Accumulated over time, Hua Yayun must have obtained countless treasures. Perhaps some were acquired through purchases—she had so many pawnshops under her, circulating them wouldn’t be difficult. Perhaps some were gifted to her subordinate leaders—like the White Dragon Sword, which might have been a gift from Hua Yayun to the birdman to solidify their relationship.
In short, she must have handled countless treasures.
Some unneeded ones were given away. Some valuable ones were sold for money. The rest—perhaps medicines or magic artifacts useful to Hua Jiaolian—she had probably used them all. Those that were no longer useful were discarded here.
As for why she didn’t resell them, perhaps some treasures had only a one-time effect and were useless afterward. Or perhaps she didn’t want items that had touched her daughter’s aura to circulate in the market. But this didn’t quite make sense.
If she cherished her daughter so much, why would she make her sell her charms? Even if it was just an illusion, it wasn’t something to be casually shown to others. As the saying goes, you can’t know what’s in a person’s heart. What if Qi Qing used it for blackmail? What if Qi Qing coveted these treasures and wanted them for herself?
Why was Hua Yayun so certain that Qi Qing wouldn’t turn the tables on her?
Yu Yan didn’t believe such a person would be without schemes or depth. Her ability to calmly present an overt scheme before proved she wasn’t a simple woman. She must have a compelling reason for doing this.
She couldn’t figure it out, not even if she assumed the worst-case scenario of “kill after seeing.”
And such inexplicable matters often hid huge pitfalls they could hardly avoid. Yu Yan grew anxious. Although she couldn’t pinpoint the pitfall, this sword was undoubtedly hanging over their heads. At most, it would fall once they got out.
What would happen then, she didn’t know.
Unlike her, Qi Qing was currently thinking more about: Can these treasures really not be taken?
Of course, she wasn’t trying to court death. She was just very curious if there was really a mechanism that would make her explode the instant she picked up a treasure.
What if she accidentally touched one?
If someone else picked it up… Oh, right, only she could.
Yu Yan’s entry was an accident, and she was in soul form. She probably wouldn’t explode even if she picked one up. Qi Qing glanced at Yu Yan, wanting to see her reaction.
Unexpectedly, Yu Yan’s expression was very serious.
Right.
Qi Qing suddenly realized. Yu Yan’s body was still in Hua Yayun’s hands. Naturally, she wasn’t in the mood for games. What she should be doing right now was definitely not coveting treasures here, but quickly obtaining the Holy Grail to get Yu Yan’s body back.
She cleared her mind of distracting thoughts and stepped forward.
She took a deep breath.
The “Holy Grail” before her wasn’t yet the Holy Grail; it was still constantly changing forms. She couldn’t quite see what they all were. Nervousness made it hard to concentrate. She couldn’t help but pre-emptively worry: what if her luck was bad and she got another form?
Would that mean she couldn’t save Yu Yan?
If she couldn’t save Yu Yan, she would be at the Hua family’s mercy.
They would use Yu Yan to threaten her, force her to do things she didn’t want to. And at that time, what could she do but submit?
The more she thought, the more nervous she became, almost to the point of vomiting.
Suddenly, a hand gripped hers—warm and firm.
Qi Qing looked back to see Yu Yan smiling at her. “Don’t be nervous. I’ll draw with you. Whatever the result, we’ll have drawn it together.”
“But…” Qi Qing didn’t want Yu Yan to take responsibility for her.
“Be good,” Yu Yan said softly. “We’ve already…”
Yu Yan spoke the last words very softly, and Qi Qing didn’t hear them clearly. But with her support, the pressure on Qi Qing suddenly lessened, and her hand wasn’t trembling as much.
Together, they reached out and touched the treasure. The moment they touched it, the treasure continued to change, but its speed slowed, and then it began to shift one form at a time.
Qi Qing was so nervous her heart almost stopped beating.
Finally, the changes stopped.
It stopped on a wooden sword.
The most worthless wooden sword. The Heavenly Sword Sect’s armory had at least millions of them. Even discerning Qi Refinement stage disciples looked down on such rubbish.
Qi Qing’s heart sank. All her worst fears had come true. She couldn’t help but imagine herself as a defeated dog at the Hua family’s beck and call. Would they make her treat Hua Jiaolian’s illness, or Ling Aorui’s?
But how could she possibly heal them? She would have to trade her lifespan again. In any case, she was doomed to repeat her past mistakes, unable to escape her fate or forge a new path.
It was over. All over.
Qi Qing’s legs gave way, and she slid down the platform holding the treasures. All that talk about defying heaven and changing fate, about getting stronger to protect others—she couldn’t even handle a mere Hua Yayun. What hope was there?
Her heart was like dead ashes; this was it.
Just then, she suddenly heard Yu Yan’s voice: “Wait, it changed again!”
Qi Qing quickly looked up. The object had indeed changed form again, from a wooden sword to a gourd. Although a gourd wasn’t the right answer either, it was slightly better than a wooden sword—at least it could be used to hold wine, allowing her to drink herself into oblivion.
She thought this, almost in a state of reckless despair, the light in her eyes dimming again. Yu Yan told her not to rush, that the object was still changing, just very, very slowly. They needed more patience; until the very last moment, they wouldn’t know the result.
Qi Qing didn’t feel she had any hope left. Her supposed “strong luck” was probably a joke played on her by the heavens. Why had she been so blind back then, to make such a big gamble with Hua Yayun? Taking the money and leaving would have been so much better. Her “noble character and integrity” had brought her nothing.
Just then, the object shifted again.
This time, it changed into a long flute.
This flute was indeed a treasure, but unfortunately, it wasn’t what they needed. Qi Qing’s heart throbbed with its changes, an aching pain.
Yu Yan still held her hand, encouraging her.
It was thanks to Yu Yan that Qi Qing hadn’t gone mad. They waited for a full hour before the changes finally stopped. The process was so long that when the Holy Grail appeared, Qi Qing didn’t even react, just stared blankly.
“It’s out!” Yu Yan exclaimed joyfully.
“What?” Qi Qing was still dazed.
“The Holy Grail! We succeeded!” Yu Yan hadn’t expected it to actually take the form of the Holy Grail. And after it stopped, the Holy Grail emitted a golden light, indicating it wouldn’t change anymore.
Qi Qing looked up and saw that the object before her had a strange appearance, not like a cup or a bowl, somewhat like a trophy, but it couldn’t hold much water.
Then she suddenly realized. Heavens!
The Holy Grail!
She looked at Yu Yan in astonishment, and Yu Yan looked back with equal surprise. They were silent for a long moment, then suddenly high-fived and hugged, spinning around.
They had succeeded! The future could be changed!
She finally wouldn’t be forced by others to do things. At long last, all the nightmares were over!
As they were crying and laughing, a voice came from above, also very surprised and full of emotion: “Qi Qing, I didn’t expect you to actually succeed. You truly are worthy of being the one I’ve chosen!”