After the Second Playthrough, the CP-Less Female Lead Kneels and Begs Me for Forgiveness [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 38

Their moment of relief did not last long; they were discovered.

The ones who found them were the group searching the outskirts. Ultimately, the pace of two people could not outrun a crowd. Upon spotting them, the searchers wasted no time and fired a signal flare into the sky.

At the city gate, Pei Ming watched the yellow smoke rise into the air. “They’ve been found. Everyone, come with me.”

Pei Ming gathered the remaining men and walked quickly toward that location. When they arrived, they found the people who had fired the signal earlier lying unconscious on the ground.

Clearly, Pei Xi did not have the ability to do this. Who was responsible went without saying.

Though they had spent little time together, Pei Ming knew that given that woman’s physical condition, knocking these people unconscious must have cost a massive amount of spiritual power. Her body was likely extremely weak by now.

“Everyone, please continue the search,” Pei Ming said warmly.

As Pei Ming suspected, taking down those men had indeed been more than Shao Xibei’s body could handle. Originally, she had been leading Pei Xi, but now the roles were reversed—Pei Xi was supporting her.

Pei Xi was small and slight, yet she had to support Shao Xibei, who was a head taller than her. Even though Shao Xibei wasn’t heavy, after a while, the exertion began to take its toll on Pei Xi. Furthermore, Pei Xi didn’t know the way. As they walked, the path ahead suddenly ended at a cliff.

Shao Xibei looked ahead. “Ah, it’s a dead end. Pei Xi, why don’t you leave first? I’ll distract them; I should be able to hold out for a while.” Saying this, Shao Xibei straightened her posture. “They won’t do anything to me.”

Pei Xi’s forehead was covered in sweat. She shook her head vigorously. “I can’t leave by myself.” After a long pause, she added, “I wouldn’t be able to find the way alone anyway.”

Shao Xibei sighed. “Then let’s turn back and see if there are any other forks in the road.” Her body could no longer support the use of her spiritual power; otherwise, she would have used it to scout the path ahead.

However, things are rarely smooth sailing. Just as Shao Xibei rested her hand on Pei Xi’s shoulder again, the grass nearby rustled.

The alarm bells in Shao Xibei’s mind rang instantly. She reflexively pulled Pei Xi behind her.

“Who is it?” she whispered.

The bushes shifted, and a figure slowly emerged, parting the tall grass. Shao Xibei looked closely—it was actually Pei Qing!

It had been a long time since she had seen him, and he was almost unrecognizable. If not for the familiar little ghost lingering on him, Shao Xibei might not have been sure. Pei Qing was even more haggard than the last time she had seen him. He looked like nothing more than a layer of skin draped over bone; his bloodshot eyeballs protruded from his sockets. Disheveled and crawling on the ground, he looked like a malevolent spirit crawled out of hell.

Shao Xibei’s brow furrowed. “Pei Qing, how did you find your way here?” Wasn’t he supposed to be at death’s door?

Pei Qing was salivating uncontrollably, his eyes completely devoid of sanity. He barely looked human. He kept making two-syllable sounds, but his throat seemed damaged, making the words a muddled, unintelligible mess.

Seeing Shao Xibei not far away, Pei Qing acted like a dog spotting a bone. He used both hands and feet to crawl rapidly toward her.

Watching this, Pei Xi clenched her fists tight. Whenever situations like this arose, a sense of powerlessness surged within her, making her loathe and despise herself.

Shao Xibei couldn’t focus on Pei Xi’s emotions right now. The moment Pei Qing lunged, she kicked him squarely away. Although she couldn’t use spiritual power, her physical strength remained.

Pei Qing was sent flying, coughing up blood, but he immediately scrambled back up and opened his mouth wide to attack again.

“Tsk, he’s already a living corpse.”

There was no “qi” left in Pei Qing’s body; he was entirely shrouded in black fog. She couldn’t understand how a version of Pei Qing in this state could still track them.

But one Pei Qing wasn’t enough. Moments later, Pei Ming arrived with his men.

Shao Xibei kicked Pei Qing away once more and met Pei Ming’s playful gaze.

“Sister and Concubine, you certainly made me search for you,” Pei Ming said, giving only a glancing look at Pei Qing before focusing entirely on Shao Xibei.

“Sister Xi, how could you be so foolish to do such things?” Pei Ming’s words were directed at Pei Xi, but his eyes never left Shao Xibei.

In response, Shao Xibei gave him three simple words: “You dog thing.”

Pei Ming’s eyes crinkled slightly; he didn’t take the insult to heart.

“Sister Xi, come over of your own accord. Otherwise, if the Wang family members lose their self-control and hurt you, Mother and I would be heartbroken.”

“Or perhaps if the Concubine gets hurt—that wouldn’t be good either,” Pei Ming said casually, as if discussing what to have for dinner.

The men following Pei Ming were a bit intimidated by the strangely behaving, hideous Pei Qing crouching on the ground. But since their master hadn’t spoken, they didn’t dare ask questions, only silently raising their alertness to the highest level.

A monster-like creature such as this was certainly nothing good.

Pei Qing had no sanity left, and no life. It was no exaggeration to say that the Pei Qing standing there was nothing more than a corpse.

Shao Xibei kicked Pei Qing away once again, her physical strength rapidly failing her.

A corpse like Pei Qing felt no pain; as long as his limbs weren’t severed, he would keep moving.

It’s over. I’m really going to go down this time.

With Pei Qing in front and Pei Ming behind, Shao Xibei couldn’t help but curse under her breath, “Damn it, I’m truly cursed when it comes to anyone named Pei.”

Seeing Pei Qing lunging at her again, Shao Xibei put every ounce of her remaining strength into her next move. She kicked him so hard he flew a great distance; his arm struck the ground and twisted into a gruesome, deformed angle, temporarily robbing him of his mobility.

Pei Ming watched this scene and nodded with satisfaction. Except for the weak constitution, this woman was perfect in every way. She truly was a body worth coveting.

Behind Shao Xibei was a precipice; in front of her were Pei Ming and his men. She and Pei Xi had absolutely no path of retreat. It was either leap from the cliff or try to break through Pei Ming’s encirclement.

Shao Xibei shielded Pei Xi as they backed away. She leaned her head back and whispered, “Are you afraid of jumping?”

Pei Xi nodded firmly; she had already guessed Shao Xibei’s intention.

Shao Xibei let out a small laugh. “Good.”

But there was one thing Pei Xi didn’t say: she wasn’t afraid of the fall, she was afraid of Shao Xibei dying. Looking at the thin back in front of her, Pei Xi’s gaze grew increasingly profound. She stepped around from behind Shao Xibei to stand in front of her, spreading her arms to shield the woman.

“Pei Ming, I will go back with you. Let Concubine Shao leave.”

Shao Xibei frowned. What is this brat talking about?

Pei Ming’s expression remained unchanged. “Pei Xi, you need to understand one thing. It is because the Concubine is with you that things have escalated to this point. She was never at fault from the beginning, so there is no ‘letting her go.'”

These words caused Pei Xi’s body to tense. Pei Ming’s words were undoubtedly another crushing blow to her.

Pei Ming continued, “Pei Xi, why must you drag others down to suffer for the mistakes you committed? Stop being so willful. The Concubine is in such poor health; she can’t handle being dragged around by you.”

Pei Xi’s face turned deathly pale, her eyes as dark as ash. She couldn’t deny that everything Pei Ming said was true—it was all because of her.

Pei Ming sighed. “Ah, Xiao Xi, it’s time you grew up.”

Just as Pei Ming finished speaking, another voice roared from behind him.

“Pei Xi! Give me back my Chen’er’s life!!!”

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air past Pei Ming’s ear, an arrow flying straight for Pei Xi’s heart. Shao Xibei’s pupils contracted, but because her energy was depleted, she couldn’t block the arrow’s speed. Out of desperation, she could only grab Pei Xi and spin their positions.

The sharp arrow pierced deeply into her body. Fortunately, since she was significantly taller than Pei Xi, the arrow struck her just above the abdomen. Even so, Shao Xibei coughed up a large mouthful of blood, which splattered onto Pei Xi.

Pei Xi’s mind went blank.

Seeing this, Pei Ming’s expression soured for the first time. How could she be injured?

Before he could say anything, Pei Qing—whom everyone had nearly forgotten—suddenly charged at Shao Xibei and the girl. Pei Ming’s eyes narrowed; he didn’t have enough time to cast a spell.

Shao Xibei noticed him, but she couldn’t move anymore. Blood was gushing out, and it… hurt so much. Her grip on Pei Xi tightened, hoping to shield her one last time. She wasn’t a saint, nor did she have some noble martyr complex; she just… she didn’t know why. As her blood drained, her consciousness began to blur.

From the corner of her eye, Shao Xibei saw Pei Qing’s distorted face getting closer. She slowly closed her eyes, her strength spent.

However, Pei Xi found a burst of strength from somewhere and pulled Shao Xibei into a different position. Pei Qing lunged and bit into Pei Xi’s shoulder, tearing away a large chunk of flesh before immediately leaping back.

The blood flowing from Pei Xi’s wound merged with Shao Xibei’s blood. No one noticed that at that moment, Shao Xibei’s eyelashes flickered.

Seeing this, Pei Ming stopped himself from intervening.

The owner of the arrow strode to Pei Ming’s side—it was Master Wang. He had practiced archery in his youth and had intended to kill Pei Xi with one shot, only for that woman to block it. Master Wang raised his bow again, this time drawing it with full force, determined to kill Pei Xi.

“Eldest Miss Pei, you won’t mind if I deal with your sister, will you?”

Pei Ming replied indifferently, “Do as you wish, Master Wang. It is only natural that a life should be paid for with a life.”

Master Wang felt a chill at those words, but his rage was currently in the driver’s seat. The bowstring was pulled taut, the arrow ready to fly. Finally, he released it, the tip aimed directly at Pei Xi.

This time, Pei Xi could not dodge.

But no one expected that at the critical moment, the creature that was no longer human—Pei Qing—would lunged toward them again. The arrow struck Pei Qing instead. Because of the immense force of his lunge and the impact of the arrow hitting him, he slammed into Shao Xibei and Pei Xi.

The force of the collision was so great that it knocked both Shao Xibei and Pei Xi off the cliff. All three of them plummeted into the abyss together.

This was a turn of events that no one had anticipated.

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