After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Considerate

Yu Yingxia nearly scrubbed a layer of skin off her hands. Even so, when she finally raised her reddened fingers to her nose, the lingering stench of rot seemed to haunt them. Her face was pale; the thought of the “Immortal Pill’s” raw ingredients made her stomach churn.

On the lounge chair, Yan Huaixi had waited a long time without seeing the girl return. She knit her brows, a flash of worry one she wasn’t even aware of flickering in her eyes.

Finally, Yingxia’s silhouette emerged from the kitchen, but she didn’t approach immediately. She seemed to be intentionally keeping her distance.

“Guardian Yu, why stay so far away? Do you think I’m going to eat you?” Yan Huaixi asked, her voice tinged with displeasure.

“Your subordinate is only worried the smell on my hands will offend you.” Yingxia knew this villain could be fastidious in certain ways; she feared that if the scent hadn’t fully dissipated, she might be swatted away by a single palm strike.

Yan Huaixi let out a snort. The smile that followed held a hint of disdain, but it was mostly a form of indulgence toward a “clumsy subordinate” that neither of them quite recognized yet.

“Come here. This scent is much better than the Medicinal Caves of the Changsheng Sect.” Yan Huaixi waved her hand dismissively, signaling Yingxia to sit by her side. Besides, the peach-blossom scent of Yingxia’s soul was enough to mask the faint rot. If it had been anyone else, Yan Huaixi would have personally tossed them out of Sanxi City.

At the mention of the Medicinal Caves, images from the original owner’s memory flooded Yingxia’s mind. The Changsheng Sect had two terrifying locations: the Corpse Pits created by the first-generation madman Sect Leader, and the Medicinal Caves formed by the second-generation pervert Sect Leader’s experiments.

Yan Huaixi had essentially crawled her way out of those Medicinal Caves.

The original owner recalled Yan Huaixi’s extreme hatred for the smell of medicine, which likely stemmed from that trauma. While the original owner had never fully entered the caves, she had seen enough from the outside to know they were a living hell. Even in the system’s data, these events were only briefly mentioned, but seeing the fragmented memories of a young, broken Yan Huaixi made Yingxia’s heart ache with pity.

Yan Huaixi heard Yingxia’s footsteps draw closer. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sun and the thickening scent of peach blossoms. She heard Yingxia pick up the bowl beside her, followed by the sensation of a cool spoon touching her lips.

Yan Huaixi instinctively opened her mouth and took a sip. The sweetness improved her mood. The earlier stench had ruined her appetite, but Yingxia’s return to her side had chased the gloom away.

“Why have you suddenly become so considerate?” Yan Huaixi’s fox-like eyes held a trace of confusion. She could sense a complex shift in Yingxia’s emotions as if the girl felt closer to her now.

“Is your subordinate not usually considerate?” Perhaps driven by her sympathy, Yingxia couldn’t help but tease back.

Yan Huaixi narrowed her eyes, scanning Yingxia from head to toe until the girl grew nervous.

“Not as much as you are now.” Yan Huaixi raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Yingxia’s ear. Fearing the sudden movement might pull at the villain’s wounds, Yingxia leaned in slightly. The posture was intimate; Yingxia found herself holding her breath.

Yan Huaixi’s tone was unusually gentle, lacking its usual mockery or sarcasm. Yingxia was unaccustomed to it and began to wonder if the “Living Yama” was leading her into a trap.

“My Lord, although you praise my consideration… you still have to take your medicine tonight,” Yingxia said cautiously. Usually, Yan Huaixi only acted soft when she was trying to get out of taking her bitter decoctions.

“Tch.” The warmth in Yan Huaixi’s eyes vanished instantly. Her hand, which was about to retreat, moved to the center of Yingxia’s forehead and gave it a sharp flick.

She didn’t hold back. Yingxia clutched her forehead, her eyes welling with tears.

Yan Huaixi ignored the pitiful gaze and snorted internally: Serves you right.

As the sweet soup reached the bottom of the bowl, Yingxia remembered the “Immortal Pill” bundle she had dropped on the ground. She looked over, but the bundle was gone.

Knowing no one could steal from under Yan Huaixi’s nose, the answer was obvious.

“My Lord, that pill…”

Yan Huaixi poked her head with a fingertip. “I buried it. Stupid. Don’t you know the scent on that pill could attract all sorts of trouble?” Yan Huaixi felt this Yu Yingxia possessed an innocent naivety that bordered on dangerous; she lacked the necessary vigilance of the cultivation world. But it’s fine. I can teach her slowly. As long as she is obedient, I can grant her my protection.

Yingxia’s pupils contracted. Yan Huaixi’s words reminded her of Auntie Peng’s ransacked home. Was their goal truly just money? When she had left the neighbor’s house, she had felt a cold gaze on her back. Was it just her imagination?

“Don’t be nervous. I’ve handled it; the scent won’t spread,” Yan Huaixi said, soothing the pale-faced girl like one would a frightened rabbit.

“I wonder what that pill actually does,” Yingxia murmured. “I heard many people have bought them.”

“It smells like a Corpse-Refining Pill. It turns living people into living corpses. The Poison Corpses of the Changsheng Sect were originally created using such pills…” Yan Huaixi’s voice trailed off.

They both realized the gravity of the situation. Silence fell over the courtyard.

Yan Huaixi had already been framed for the Poison Corpse attacks. If these pills derived from the same source appeared in Sanxi City, she would be the first person anyone suspected. Another conspiracy was quietly coiling around them.

Yingxia’s expression turned solemn. Without cultivation, she was powerless, and Yan Huaixi was too injured to reveal herself. The only way to break the stalemate was Fang Yuetong.

“My Lord, let’s write about the ‘Immortal Pill’ and put it in the sachet for Fang Yuetong. She won’t ignore this. If Yin Duo is behind it, we might finally plant a seed of doubt in her mind about him.”

Yan Huaixi gazed at the distant mountains, her eyes dark. “Very well.” She took the green sachet and, mimicking Yingxia’s handwriting, tucked a message inside.

Dark clouds soon blotted out the sun. The air grew heavy, and thunder rumbled in the distance. A storm was coming.

Yan Huaixi’s complexion looked poor; Yingxia helped her back to the room to rest before gathering the items from the courtyard. Just as she finished, the sky opened up.

Under the cover of the torrential rain, a pair of eyes appeared above the wall of the Yu family courtyard. They rotated slowly, eventually fixing their gaze on Yu Yingxia, who was busy in the kitchen.

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