Professor Pei said simply, "Keep this safe. It is important. When the time comes, you will need it."
Lan Jin stared, baffled. She was about to ask a few questions when Pei Xin snapped from the side, "Grandpa, how can you give something so important to her?"
Even if it had to be entrusted, it should be to Pei Xin. Pei Xin was Professor Pei's granddaughter. Lan Jin was an outsider.
Professor Pei replied as if it were obvious. "If not her, then you? Do you think you can live longer than she can?"
"But still, you cannot…" Pei Xin's protest was cut off when Professor Pei said, "Enough. Don't interfere."
Professor Pei looked troubled, as if he truly didn't expect to leave this place alive. He kept explaining what to do afterward.
A bolder guess flashed through Lan Jin's mind. Everyone sent on this mission had strong abilities. For a task this dangerous, were they here to complete it, or to die for it.
Then Lan Jin thought again and found it wrong. Even if someone wanted them to die, they would not sacrifice the professors. The professors were too valuable in the apocalypse.
Lan Jin pushed away such wild thoughts. "Professor Pei, I don't know what this is or what it stands for. Since you are giving it to me, I will keep it safe."
She tightened her grip on the chip and slipped it into the outer pocket of her suit, zipping it up. At the same time, with a thought, she moved the chip into her space.
No one else knew that. Seeing how casually Lan Jin handled it, Pei Xin ground her teeth. "My grandpa gave that to you. Keep it safe. Don't lose it."
"Don't worry, even if you do, it won't be lost."
It was already in her space. No one could enter her space to steal it. Impossible.
Yes, Lan Jin's motion looked casual. But it was dangerous outside. She could not take off the protective suit. She could find a quiet place later and store it properly.
Professor Pei was far more thoughtful than Pei Xin. He also found Pei Xin's fussing useless. If Pei Xin had ended up here, it was not entirely her fault, but there were reasons.
Just as Pei Xin opened her mouth again, Professor Pei said, "Xin Xin, check whether the dust inside is cleared."
Noticing that Professor Pei wanted her gone, Pei Xin called out unhappily, "Grandpa."
"Hurry. And don't talk too much."
Pei Xin glared at the two in front of her, then turned and went inside.
After Pei Xin left, Professor Pei handed over his work identification and an IC card to Lan Jin. "If you reach the destination, use this IC card to open the door. I don't know exactly what they want. What I can give you, apart from the chip, are these two items. I am placing them in your care. Whether you let them know about the cards does not matter. But the chip must never be revealed. Don't worry. Pei Xin will not speak of it. She understands the weight of this."
Lan Jin looked at the two cards but didn't take them immediately. "Professor Pei, to be honest, I know nothing about this place or what lies behind it. Your actions tell me the danger ahead is more than a little. Can we still pull out now? They may not all make it back alive."
Professor Pei shook his head. "It is useless. The road ahead is certainly dangerous. But where on this path has been safe? Since the apocalypse, there has been no safe place. I don't know what you are thinking, but don't doubt Captain Zhang. What he did was to protect you. From here on, follow his commands. As for me… I probably will not make it back. As for Xin Xin… forget it. Forget it."
Professor Pei would not say more. There was no need for Lan Jin to reply. Anyone could hear the hidden, unspeakable secrets in his words.
When the dust inside was mostly cleared, Professor Pei ended the talk and went back into the cabin.
Two people remained outside.
Huang Jinghe asked, "Sister Lan, I don't know how to explain it. But I feel Professor Pei would not lie to us. He has no reason."
Lan Jin said, "But there are secrets in his words. can't you tell?"
"Ever since we reached the base, it feels like everyone speaks with secrets. Only we four know nothing." Huang Jinghe frowned for a moment, then asked, "Sister Lan, do you believe what Professor Pei said about Captain Zhang protecting us?"
"What words?" Lan Jin looked at Huang Jinghe, puzzled.
"The part about Captain Zhang protecting us. Do you believe it."
Lan Jin answered coolly, "What's the point of believing it or not? It is not like I have a choice. From beginning to end we have been the passive ones. Don't mind others. Guard yourself. Stay alive. That is how we have lived this long in the apocalypse."
The lives and deaths of others were not theirs to carry. They only wanted to keep living.
Could everything go as Lan Jin wished.
Enough. Thinking further would only be too pitiful.
Lan Jin stored the work ID and IC card into her space. Then Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe returned inside.
…
The interior was much cleaner than before. The empty cabin felt full with everyone inside, but it didn't feel crowded.
They finally had a place to rest. Dinner was still compressed biscuits. In a forest like this, mutant creatures were everywhere. Their sense of smell was keen. If they attracted more, the trouble would be more than a little.
Dinner ended quickly. Captain Zhang assigned watches, then told the rest to sleep.
Perhaps out of private caution, Captain Zhang placed Lan Jin and Lao Gao on the same watch as himself. During the not-quite-dark night, Captain Zhang said, "I didn't expect you to suspect me."
Lan Jin said flatly, "What is there to be surprised about? If your ability failed, why did you not say so earlier? You didn't think I was the only one who would suspect you? My suspicion is normal."
Captain Zhang was choked for words. "I really told Zhou Zhiye. When I was about to tell everyone, another wave of mutant creatures hit us. I didn't have time. Then the vines attacked and scattered the team. I had no chance to explain."
===
After Killing Dao Partner, the Villainess Becomes the Demon Ancestor has officially gone through the book vetting process and is now available on my profile! So far, I've translated 100 chapters, and my impression? This novel is pretty solid.
The beginning is packed with schemes, like layers being built up and peeled away one after another. It's more about scheming than fighting at first. Then from chapter 100 onward, the scheming runs really deep. You can't just set it aside and only look at the fight scenes. The level of intrigue is almost on par with Gōngdòu (宫斗), the "Palace Fight." That kind of scheme-driven tension and pacing is super rare in xianxia, which makes this novel feel really fresh. Of course, the fight scenes are also well written.
I think it's good overall, though the author's writing in the early chapters can feel a little stiff or awkward at times, mostly because it focuses on Yun Qingyue's intelligence and intricate intrigues. I get what the author wanted to convey, and I polished it a bit so it's easier to digest. At least I think it's better now—though I'm curious what you'll think!
The later chapters with fighting are really well done. I even found myself laughing and speechless in some moments, lol. There's that saying, "you will find happiness watching others' misfortune." She's definitely not a saint—she's ruthless, and I'd say she's somewhat similar to Song Wanníng.
The author has a very distinctive style—I got this unique feeling while reading and translating it, something I haven't experienced in other novels I've worked on.
Anyway, I personally think you should give this one a shot!
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Yun Qingyue never expected her grand wedding to end in divine execution. All because a manipulative little junior sister with a hidden "system" and a talent for tears convinced their entire sect to force Yun Qingyue aside. When she unleashed her full power to crush the traitors, it wasn't her enemies who finished her—it was the Nine Heavens' Thunder Tribulation, a punishment she never deserved.
She thought it was the end. But a shred of her soul survived, now trapped in a mortal body so weak it's practically a prison. Her spirit root is gone, her meridians are feeble, and her immortal path is sealed shut.
But Yun Qingyue has finally seen the truth: her "pure" junior sister is a system-wielding thief, her sect are all pawns, and the very Heavens are blind. So if the heavens call her a villainess, she'll become the demon they fear. If the path of immortality is closed, she'll open the road to the Demonic Path.
Her new philosophy is simple: sever all karma and dominate everything in her path. This time as Xie Zhaolin, she's not just climbing to the top; she's burning the entire mountain down on her way up.