After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Breach

As the grip on her throat tightened, Yu Yingxia felt the bones in her neck let out a faint groan. The suffocating pressure made her own heartbeat sound like a thundering drum in her ears.

Fortunately, the original owner of this body had believed the Tianqiu Sect was no match for Yan Huaixi, so she hadn’t committed many stupid acts before Yan Huaixi’s eventual defeat. The assassination attempt had been halted by Yu Yingxia’s arrival; now, the only “hole” she needed to patch was the fact that she had opened the Great Sect-Protecting Array.

Just a moment ago, while dealing with Yan Huaixi, she had coordinated her explanation with the system.

“My Lord, I never intended to betray you,” she rasped, her voice hoarse and struggling to push out the words. “It’s just that all the high-level combatants of the Tianqiu Sect have arrived. Our Great Array wouldn’t have held for much longer. Once the formation failed, we would have been surrounded and trapped in a very passive position.”

“So you took the initiative to open the array yourself.” Yan Huaixi slightly narrowed her dangerous eyes. She was actually curious to see what kind of words this traitor would use to fool her.

Yan Huaixi’s hand did not leave Yu Yingxia’s neck. A teardrop rolled down Yu Yingxia’s cheek and accidentally splashed onto Yan Huaixi’s wrist.

Yan Huaixi’s expression darkened instantly. She was obsessed with cleanliness and loathed having filthy things touch her—including the tears of a “filthy thing.”

Yet, she found it somewhat incredible that she didn’t instinctively hurl the person away. Looking into those tearful eyes, she saw that the usual flattery and hidden malice had been replaced by a clear, watery gaze. This was much more interesting than her previous hypocritical acting.

If Yan Huaixi hadn’t been keeping a close eye on her actions all this time, she might have actually believed her.

Perhaps because she looked forward to the traitor’s new tricks, Yan Huaixi slightly loosened her grip. Yu Yingxia finally managed to draw a breath.

She immediately seized the chance to reveal her plan: “Your subordinate’s plan is to lure them into a trap. By reversing the Great Sect-Protecting Array, we can imprison all the enemies inside, and then take the opportunity to escape…”

Yu Yingxia wanted to live. Even if the original owner hadn’t opened the array, it wouldn’t have taken the protagonist long to shatter it completely. Once Yan Huaixi died, even if the protagonist spared Yu Yingxia, the Puppet Seal in her soul would obliterate the host body upon the master’s death.

Staying here was a death sentence. Rummaging through the original owner’s memories, the only way she could think of was to do the opposite: use the reversed array to trap everyone who posed a threat. It would take time for the Tianqiu Sect members to break out from the inside, which would give the system enough time to transfer her and Yan Huaixi to safety.

With the system’s “after-sales service” guarantee, the feasibility of this plan was extremely high.

Yan Huaixi released her hand. Yu Yingxia thought she had convinced her, only to be met with a cold sneer.

“You underestimate that little girl from the Tianqiu Sect. How long do you think this array can hold her?” Yan Huaixi glanced at the sky where the barrier no longer existed, the corners of her mouth twitching upward as if she weren’t discussing her own desperate situation.

This… Yu Yingxia really didn’t know.

Cultivation in this world was divided into five ranks: Refining the Self to Build the Foundation, Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit to Return to Emptiness, and Refining Emptiness to Join the Dao.

The original owner had just luckily broken through to the Refining Qi into Spirit stage, while the power of the protagonist and the top villains were all at Refining Emptiness to Join the Dao. Yu Yingxia had no idea how massive the gap was between two major realms.

Yan Huaixi knew she was ignorant, so she gave the answer directly: “This Great Array can only withstand ten moves from that girl at most. Are you certain you can flee to a place where she cannot find you within ten moves?”

The original owner certainly couldn’t, but with the system, it was different. Furthermore, Yu Yingxia knew the upcoming plot: the protagonist would rush into the Changsheng Sect and first see the evidence of crimes in the main hall, followed by a death match with the villainous Master. She wouldn’t be able to spare any attention for this area.

Yan Huaixi wanted to see Yu Yingxia’s expression turn to despair in the face of cruel reality, but she was disappointed to see Yu Yingxia remain unruffled.

She suddenly found it boring. “If you want to live, you can cut off my head and use it to claim credit.”

Yan Huaixi seemed “considerate,” as if planning a way out for her final subordinate, but Yu Yingxia suppressed the urge to twitch her lips. She knew that every word in that sentence was a deadly trap.

However, this was a great opportunity to show loyalty.

Yu Yingxia immediately said: “My Lord, your subordinate would never do such a thing! Rest assured, I will definitely bring you to a safe place.”

“No need. If you can escape, then escape on your own.” Yan Huaixi leaned back against the tree, watching the sinking sun with exhaustion. The blood-red sunset was being swallowed by darkness, seemingly foreshadowing her fate.

Yu Yingxia had considered many possibilities, but she never expected Yan Huaixi to refuse to flee! Why refuse a chance to live?

Dear Host, a friendly tip from the System: The villain Yan Huaixi’s ‘World-Weariness’ value is maxed out. In this state, it is highly likely she has developed self-destructive tendencies.

If you want to ask why, the specific details involve Yan Huaixi’s past. The text is quite long, and you don’t have time to read it now, but I can leave the text for you before I go.

The protagonist has already entered the Changsheng Sect. If you don’t leave now, you really won’t be able to get away~

Yu Yingxia snapped back to her senses. Yan Huaixi was suicidal? Oh right, in the original plot, she did commit suicide…

No, no way! Yan Huaixi had to stay alive!

Yu Yingxia felt the tears falling from her eyes now contained a shred of genuine emotion. To her, this villain wasn’t just a villain she was a ticking time bomb tied to her own body. If Yan Huaixi met her end, Yu Yingxia would die too!

At that moment, Yu Yingxia felt a powerful aura approaching. It had to be the protagonist, Fang Yuetong.

Dear Task-Taker, please make a decision immediately.

Time was tight. If they were caught red-handed by the protagonist, it would be over.

Yu Yingxia gritted her teeth. It was impossible to convince a suicidal person to live in such a short time, so she made a bold decision.

Under Yan Huaixi’s startled gaze, Yu Yingxia lunged forward with lightning speed and hugged her around the waist.

“You… how dare you!”

A spark of genuine rage flared up in Yan Huaixi’s heart. Even Guardian Yu’s betrayal hadn’t truly angered her, because she had never trusted such a person; watching them act like a clown on a stage was almost amusing.

But she loathed being touched by such “filthy things” the most!

Yan Huaixi was a Soul Cultivator, supplemented by the Dao of Music, making her exceptionally sensitive to the aura of souls. Souls that were filthy, decaying, or blinded by greed emitted a distinct stench of malice. To her, everyone in the Changsheng Sect smelled like a trash heap—incurable and beyond saving!

Yu Yingxia actually dared to bring such a filthy soul close to her! Yan Huaixi instinctively held her breath, but it was useless the scent of a soul is not perceived by the nose, but by the resonance between souls.

She truly wanted to kill Yu Yingxia! But if she let the other’s blood stain her clothes, it would be even more nauseating… Wait.

Why is there a faint scent of peach blossoms?

Yan Huaixi froze for a second. The expected stench of decay did not appear; instead, a sweet, clear fragrance of peach blossoms enveloped her, shielding her from the indelible stench of the Changsheng Sect.

It was like the scent she smelled as a young girl, playing with her younger sister in the peach orchard of their backyard. Back then, her parents hadn’t been murdered by enemies, and she and her sister hadn’t been separated during their flight. This scent represented not just the peach trees at home, but a youthful happiness that was now forever out of reach.

The hand Yan Huaixi had prepared to cast a spell froze. Taking advantage of the gap, Yu Yingxia picked her up or more accurately, she threw her over her shoulder and carried her.

Yu Yingxia remembered the novel mentioning this villain had severe mysophobia. As long as she held on tight, Yan Huaixi would hesitate because she wouldn’t want to be sprayed with blood if Yu Yingxia “exploded” near her!

A moment’s hesitation was all she needed. She admitted she was taking a gamble!

“System!”

Understood. Reversed Great Array has been calibrated. Transfer location confirmed. Task-taker will be teleported to Sanxi City.

Warning! System energy insufficient. Emergency measures initiated. System will extract energy from the Task-taker’s body for refueling.

The two figures beneath the tree vanished. In the next instant, several figures appeared high in the air above the Changsheng Sect.

“I hear the wailing of countless wronged souls. This place is truly… devoid of humanity.” A female cultivator holding a golden lotus closed her eyes, her face showing pity.

“We shall perform the rites for these souls later. Yuetong, the demon Yan Huaixi is at the back of the mountain. Go after her quickly!” said a cultivator in the center of the crowd, wearing the white robes of the Tianqiu Sect, to the girl beside him.

“Yes, Master.” Fang Yuetong immediately sped toward the back of the mountain.

The man Fang Yuetong called “Master” concealed the ruthlessness in his eyes. After luring his disciple away, he immediately sent an avatar to destroy the evidence Yan Huaixi held regarding his own crimes.

Yan Huaixi, heaven has blessed me by letting me start over in this life. Your schemes are for naught!

He could barely suppress the predatory look in his eyes. However, within moments, Fang Yuetong returned. She explained to her Master that Yan Huaixi was not at the back of the mountain and asked if his intelligence was incorrect.

Yin Duo’s smile froze. He rushed to the back of the mountain to check. In his previous life, Yan Huaixi hadn’t committed suicide yet at this point; he had come early specifically to capture her alive. Now, not only was she gone, but there were no traces of the self-detonation that happened in the previous life!

Where was Yan Huaixi?

She held evidence of his crimes. If she didn’t die, even if he destroyed the physical evidence in the Changsheng Sect, there would always be a risk of exposure in the future! She absolutely could not live!

How could a heavily injured person escape right under his nose? Even if she fled, she shouldn’t have gone far. Yin Duo wanted to give chase, only to slam headfirst into the reversed Great Sect-Protecting Array.

Clutching his bruised head, his eyes swirled with confusion and malice.

What is going on? Everything is different from the previous life!

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