The Wicked Saintess Who Transmigrated into the Book Will Never Reveal Her Secret Identity

Chapter 29: A Strange Feeling?

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"Heh."

The thug let out a cold laugh. "Now you know fear?"

"Come on then, if you have the guts, kill me."

The thug, still unsatisfied, said arrogantly.

"Mhm~ that's what you say, but I really don't dare,"

Jiang Cheng narrowed her eyes, smiling sweetly.

"But who gave you permission to act so arrogant?"

Jiang Cheng's expression suddenly turned cold.

With a casual flick, a scalpel—no one knew where it came from—was thrown by Jiang Cheng into the thug's thigh.

"Puchi!"

The sound of the blade sinking into flesh rang out.

"Aaaah!"

The thug, who thought himself a true tough guy, couldn't help but cry out from just this one wound.

Strolling forward unhurriedly, Jiang Cheng pulled out the scalpel and, staring at the blood on the blade, wiped it gently.

"Do you know why Divine Art Users are considered the best interrogators?"

"Ugh, ha, ha..."

The thug didn't answer, still unable to recover from the intense pain.

"Looks like you do know. That's right—a low-ranked Divine Art User unlocks a very special ability: doubled pain."

For mid-rank Divine Arts, the price to pay always included multiplying one's own sense of pain by one-point-five or two times.

As for high-ranked Divine Art Users, they spent their daily lives with enhanced pain sensations.

And this ability... could be used on others they came into contact with.

When Jiang Cheng stabbed him earlier, she had tripled the thug's sense of pain.

That's why, with just a single stab to the thigh, it had taken him this long to recover.

"Hm? Still not talking?"

Jiang Cheng continued to smile, then stabbed the scalpel into the thug's lower abdomen.

"AAAAHHHH!"

Another agonized wail echoed through the sewers, scaring off a few rats.

"I'll talk, I'll talk! Please, stop stabbing, lady Elf, I was wrong!"

Wailing in agony, the thug finally spilled everything he and the guildmaster knew about Jiang Cheng.

"You dared expose yourself knowing you were under surveillance? Don't you understand this entire city is under our watch? Should I praise your courage or your stupidity?"

"Every time I operate outside, I use magic to conceal myself,"

Jiang Cheng frowned.

"So, that shouldn't happen. With your surveillance devices' detection range, my concealment magic shouldn't be ineffective."

"So, what happened? Or are you lying to me?"

Jiang Cheng looked coldly at the thug, the scalpel dancing between her fingers.

"I'm not lying!"

Seeing the scalpel so close, the thug cried out in terror.

"There are even more precise surveillance devices throughout the city, specifically designed to break beginner-level concealment!"

The thug finally poured it all out in a single breath.

"?"

Jiang Cheng frowned.

This shouldn't be—it had never appeared in either the original novel or in the lore book she had especially bought later.

That was why she dared roam the city disguised, wearing only beginner-level magic concealment.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Cheng's mouth twitched; she seemed to realize why.

It was because, in the original story, the absolutely idiot, super-invincible Lyle never bothered with concealing himself, so the more advanced surveillance wasn't even needed to keep tabs on him.

Jiang Cheng's face turned grim. That idiot—such a fool—had totally screwed her over.

If she didn't mess with her old identity until Lyle cried today, she wouldn't be worthy of her family name!

"So, which identity of mine have you discovered?"

Jiang Cheng raised her eyebrow and asked.

"We know," the thug replied cautiously, "that you're the Elven Great Mage who was very active in Adventurer City a few years ago."

"At the same time, you're rumored to be the teacher of the current generation's Hero. And since there's an elven envoy team in the city right now, we suspect your disguise as a Saintess must be part of some elven conspiracy."

"Phew."

Jiang Cheng exhaled slowly, her erratic heartbeat calming at last. So that was the identity discovered.

For a moment, she'd thought they'd uncovered everything—what a fright! Thank goodness it wasn't all exposed.

But still, Jiang Cheng obviously didn't want Lyle to uncover that particular identity of hers.

So, the person in front of her couldn't be left alive—but neither could she kill him. What to do, then...?

Got it! Suddenly reminded of a certain Divine Art, a smile curled at Jiang Cheng's lips.

"Why aren't you responding? Jiang Cheng? Jiang Cheng? Are you alright?"

In the side chamber, Lyle was channeling holy light healing while shaking her.

After a long moment with no response, Lyle gritted his teeth. There was no time to hesitate—he needed to do CPR!

He reached out and pressed onto Jiang Cheng's gently rising chest...

"I...what the—! Pervert!"

Jiang Cheng, opening her eyes, saw what was happening and felt a very off sensation in just the wrong spot.

Even with all her self-restraint, she almost let out a curse, but all she could do was suppress it and let out a shriek in the next second.

"Ah, um..."

Lyle scratched his head, embarrassed and at a loss for words.

"Well,"

Jiang Cheng shrugged, pretending to be indifferent. "It was just CPR, I get it. At least you didn't do mouth-to-mouth."

She wasn't some delicate, innocent girl; this sort of thing didn't bother her much.

Besides, Lyle was the only man who could get this close to her and not be killed on the spot.

"Jiang Cheng, are you really alright?"

Lyle asked, worry on his face.

"I'm fine,"

Jiang Cheng replied flatly. "You can stop with the unnecessary concern."

Having been rebuffed, Lyle fell silent, only glancing at Jiang Cheng from time to time.

"What do you really want?"

Finally, Jiang Cheng asked in annoyance, looking at Lyle.

"Nothing,"

Lyle replied. "It's just... I'm surprised—didn't expect you to have such a big emotional outburst just now."

"Hm?"

Jiang Cheng narrowed her eyes. "So what?"

"It's nothing. Just, um, I thought it was kind of... cute."

Lyle said, a bit awkwardly.

"Eh?"

Jiang Cheng froze.

"Heh."

She quickly scoffed. "What a lousy compliment. Next time, try saying my strength is unrivaled in the world."

Jiang Cheng sneered lightly, though internally she felt conflicted. She wasn't supposed to care about this sort of thing.

She was supposed to hate being called cute, but for some reason, she found herself feeling a bit happy.

Shaking her head to fling the strange thoughts out, Jiang Cheng reminded herself that after so many years with Lyle, she'd learned the best way to deal with these feelings was to just throw them away.

But this time, things didn't go as she wished. No matter what, that little trace of happiness lingered, so she just decided to ignore it.

"Who would have thought—the great Hero, actually looking out for someone like me who's got such a bad reputation?"

Jiang Cheng grinned, continuing her banter.

"Well, you're my comrade after all,"

Lyle replied sincerely. "So of course I'll save you. Besides..."

"Besides what?"

"Besides, when I reached near your chest just now, I felt your heart,"

Lyle looked Jiang Cheng straight in the eyes.

"Jiang Cheng, the Hero's gift let me truly sense your pure and flawless heart."

"I don't know what made you the way you are now, but I believe in you—a person with such a pure heart could never betray me."

Huh? Jiang Cheng thought, there's something wrong with your senses. How could I possibly have a pure heart?

But for some reason, that little happiness in her chest seemed to grow even bigger...