After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Corpse Scare

After a torrential downpour, the air was heavy with the scent of lush grass and damp earth, effectively masking the lingering stench of sin.

As the first light of dawn spilled over Sanxi City, vendors began setting up their stalls. Yu Yingxia headed out early with her vegetable basket. Haunted by yesterday’s events, she was more vigilant than usual, casting wary glances at any strangers lurking along the roadside.

Having lost her cultivation, Yingxia’s body required regular meals. Originally, she only cooked for one, but when Yan Huaixi first heard she was going to use the kitchen, the villain’s skeptical gaze suggested she expected Yingxia to blow the house up. Yan Huaixi had initially refused to even taste the food.

Back then, Yingxia was unfamiliar with ancient stoves, and her first few attempts were indeed… questionable. But as she grew more proficient, the aroma of her cooking became irresistible. Eventually, the Great Villain forgot her initial disdain and began “monopolizing” all three of Yingxia’s daily meals.

Yingxia had no choice but to start cooking double portions.

As she pondered what her “Living Ancestor” might like to eat while searching for the freshest greens, she overheard a conversation between a vegetable seller and a customer.

“Did you hear? There’s a death in the Wang family!”

“The Wangs? Which one? Not Wang the scholar from the south side?” a woman buying vegetables gasped.

“Exactly him! And it’s the scholar himself who’s gone!”

“Hiss… Scholar Wang was so young. He passed the entry exams and had such a bright future. How could he just drop dead?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” the vendor lowered his voice. “He gave up on the imperial exams long ago. Lately, he’s been obsessed with seeking immortality. He spent a fortune on ‘Immortal Pills.’ I guess he just didn’t have the fate for it. They say he died horribly looks like he offended some deity.” The vendor colorfully described the body, claiming the skin had rotted away as if he’d been dead for weeks, not hours.

A crowd soon gathered. People used buying vegetables as an excuse to eavesdrop. Before long, the vendor had sold out of everything and could focus entirely on gossiping about the Wang family.

More rotted corpses…

The thought of the pill she had touched yesterday made Yingxia’s stomach churn. Suspecting the scholar’s death was linked to the Corpse-Refining Pills, she forced herself to keep listening.

“They say Scholar Wang went out for drinks last night and came back stumbling. His wife thought he was just drunk. But this morning, she woke up to a foul stench. She gave him a nudge to see if he’d been sick on the bed, and guess what happened?”

The vendor paused for effect until the crowd urged him on.

“The rotted flesh literally fell off him in chunks! When his wife ran out screaming, a piece of his skin was still stuck to her sleeve!”

The story sent a wave of panic through the onlookers. This clearly wasn’t a natural death; it sounded like the work of demons.

“If this is true, we have to ask the immortals from the mountains to come down!” someone shouted.

“Yes! If it’s a demon, the magistrate will surely petition the sects.”

After buying her vegetables, Yingxia went to get some meat. Despite the tragedy that had struck Auntie Peng’s family, she and her husband were out early at their stall to support the household.

Yingxia bought a pound of pork, but when Auntie Peng handed it over, it felt closer to two pounds. Auntie Peng gave her a knowing smile before turning to the next customer. Yingxia silently thanked her, planning to stew the meat later and share some with them.

She was calculating her lunch menu as she passed a narrow alleyway. Suddenly, a sickening stench wafted out. Yingxia’s limbs turned cold, and a shiver crawled up her spine.

Her body still retained the original owner’s honed instincts. At the moment of impact, she instinctively stepped aside.

THUD.

A heavy body, reeking of intense rot, brushed past her and collapsed onto the ground, motionless.

It was a corpse with sloughing, rotted skin.

The street went silent for a heartbeat before erupting into terrified screams. Yingxia’s back was soaked in cold sweat. Despite the summer heat, she felt as if she had been plunged into a lake of ice.

She looked toward the narrow, dark alley. It felt like a hungry beast was hiding in the shadows, waiting to swallow her whole.

“A dead body!!!” someone shrieked.

More than one person had seen the corpse “rush” out of the alley on its own before collapsing.

“Erzhu?!” A man pushed through the crowd. It was Auntie Peng’s husband. The name he cried out belonged to his missing, debt-ridden younger brother.

Yingxia took a step back. No wonder the clothes looked familiar; it was the “Immortal Pill” addict. It was just as Yan Huaixi had guessed. These pills, made from rotted flesh, were highly toxic. A single pill could turn a mortal into a living corpse, but if the transformation failed, the body simply became a pile of accelerated rot.

A body in this state shouldn’t have been able to “run” out. If I hadn’t dodged… Yingxia stared deep into the alley. For a split second, she felt certain someone was watching her from the darkness.

She clutched her basket and fled toward home.

She was in such a hurry that she didn’t notice a flash of red on a nearby tree. A blood-colored butterfly fluttered down, following the trail left by the corpse into the black alley.

Deep in the darkness, the butterfly landed on a crate stained with blackish-red blood.

In the small courtyard, Yan Huaixi opened her eyes. A flash of crimson flickered in her pupils.

This city is hiding quite a bit of filth. I wonder how much of it is aimed at me? I’ve gone and involved my poor Guardian; look at her, she’s so scared her face is as white as mine.

A moment later, the “little wretch” arrived home. She was pale and pressing a hand against her chest. After the fright, Yingxia’s heart a lingering weakness from her soul’s past felt tight and uncomfortable.

Seeing her, Yan Huaixi sat up and gestured. “Come here.”

Technically, Yan Huaixi was more dangerous than any corpse, but seeing those smiling fox-eyes, Yingxia felt a desperate urge to be near her. She crouched by Yan Huaixi’s side, and her fear was miraculously soothed.

“My Lord,” she whispered. Her dependence and lingering dread were transmitted to Yan Huaixi through the scent of her soul.

Yan Huaixi’s hand paused for a second. Infected by the girl’s emotions, a rare spark of pity rose in her chest. The way the girl sought comfort was like a child. At least she knows who to turn to when she’s in danger.

Yan Huaixi curled her lips into a faint smile. She placed a hand gently on Yingxia’s head and began to chant a low incantation. It was a “Soul-Soothe” spell her family used for frightened children; she hadn’t used it in years, but luckily, she hadn’t forgotten it.

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