After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Sowing Discord

Despite her internal reflection, Yan Huaixi remained stubborn. She insisted that Yu Yingxia treat her as a sister.

On the surface, Yingxia could only obey, but Yan’s odd behavior left her utterly confused. As the saying goes, when things are abnormal, there must be a demon afoot. Yingxia racked her brain but couldn’t figure out what medicine Yan was selling in her gourd.

Later, she found an opportunity to study the basics of the Painting Path with Yang Xunzhou. However, her mind kept wandering during the lesson. Yang reached out and lightly flicked Yingxia’s forehead.

Yingxia jumped, thinking it was Yan Huaixi. She had been flicked on the head by Yan so many times that the gesture triggered a reflexive flinch.

“What are you thinking about so intently?” Yang was a gentle teacher. If it had been Yan Huaixi, that flick would have been much harder.

“I…” Yingxia hesitated for a moment before finally confessing the thoughts that had been stifling her. “I have a friend who’s run into a bit of a situation.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yang slid over to sit beside her, eyes gleaming. Yingxia could see the word “Gossip” written all over her.

“Tell me, tell me! What happened to your friend?” Yang wasn’t fooled by the “I have a friend” routine everyone knew that usually meant the speaker themselves!

Yingxia sighed. “To be precise, my friend met a certain person.”

Yang’s eyes brightened further. She held her breath, not wanting to interrupt the flow.

“That person treated her very poorly before. Because of some misunderstandings, she even tried to kill my friend several times.”

Yang’s brow furrowed, her expression turning somber.

“She has a strange, temperamental personality, but she’s also saved my… friend’s life several times. Lately, for some reason, her attitude has softened. She’s actually being quite nice to my friend.” Yingxia fiddled with her brush, stroking the handle nervously.

“Maybe because the misunderstanding was cleared?” Yang mused. “How else do you explain someone who wanted your… friend’s life suddenly changing? But A-Sheng, someone who treats life so lightly isn’t a good person! Who has your friend run into?”

Yingxia shook her head. “The main issue is that the person is incredibly suspicious. Her trust in my friend is pathetic. The slightest disturbance makes her doubt her again. And because of some ‘historical baggage,’ my friend is forced to take the fall for others, so to outsiders, she seems untrustworthy too.”

Yang listened intently. She had expected a story of a young girl’s secret crush, but this sounded far more heavy and complicated.

“A-Sheng,” Yang said earnestly, “you’ve read many of my books. I like to write stories that transcend reality, where the grievances are exaggerated. But you must remember: those are stories. In real life, when looking for a partner, you must find someone who treats you well, with a good character. You must stay away from those who are prone to violence and paranoia! Promise me, stay away from those weirdos!”

Yang loved writing heart-wrenching angst, but she didn’t want Yingxia to live it.

“Where is your mind going?” Yingxia waved her hands. “It’s nothing like that! My friend is just wondering how to get along with her, and if she has an ulterior motive. As for me… it’s even more impossible.”

“I hope so,” Yang said, only half-relieved. “Tell your friend to keep her guard up. That person sounds difficult. A little caution never hurts.”

Yingxia nodded. Her face was calm, but her heart felt a sudden pang of bitterness. Yan Huaixi had been so good to her lately that she had almost forgotten the night she was nearly strangled. No one can face a person who tried to kill them without any lingering scars.

If Yan remained temperamental, it would be easier. Yingxia’s greatest fear was that Yan would be overly kind, only to reveal her killing intent the moment Yingxia let her guard down. Her heart couldn’t take the whiplash.

If only we had met as normal people, Yingxia sighed. Well… sisters it is. I don’t know what ‘Sister Game’ she’s playing, but if she wants a good younger sister, I’ll play the role to keep her happy. That’s all.

She heard the sound of a pen scratching on paper. She turned to see Yang Xunzhou frantically scribbling notes, filling a page with dense text. She was clearly preparing a new novel.

“Are you writing a new story, Sister Yang?”

“I’m starting now! Your story—I mean, your friend’s story—gave me great inspiration. I’ll give you an extra ten percent of the profits for this one!” Yang accidentally let the truth slip again.

Yingxia’s lip twitched. At least I’m getting spirit stones out of my misery, she thought.

“If your friend has more issues, why not ask Elder Sister Yu to analyze it?” Yang suggested. “She seems like she’d be much better at handling these things.” Like making the problem person disappear permanently, Yang thought. That woman is a real heavy-hitter.

“I… I’ll keep that in mind.” Yingxia’s expression turned even more pained. The problem was, the person she was talking about was the “Elder Sister”!

By the time evening rolled around, Yingxia’s arms were practically numb from practice. Yang had been surprisingly strict. “It’s the first day, so I’m being easy on you,” Yang had said. “Tomorrow, it gets serious.”

Easy? Yingxia thought. Yang had fed her spiritual recovery pills so she wouldn’t have to stop practicing. It felt like an overnight overtime shift at a corporate job.

As she walked home, she spotted a familiar, dejected figure. It was the “Samoyed,” Fang Yuetong. The failure of the raid on the corpse-refiners had clearly taken a toll on her.

Seeing Yingxia, Fang offered a weak smile. The poor girl had been outplayed by “old foxes.” If things had gone according to the original plot, Fang would have exposed Yin Duo and become an immortal. Now, with Yin Duo dead and the timeline shifted, her enemy was Yan Zheng.

Yingxia felt bad for the “stray dog” and led her home. She intended to just give her some sugar water and keep her away from Yan Huaixi, but Yan was already waiting at the gate.

“The corpse-refiners haven’t been wiped out yet,” Fang explained simply to Yan. “I heard Miss Yu was being targeted because she helped us, so I escorted her home for safety.”

“Something went wrong?” Yan asked.

Fang looked frustrated. “A small issue, but we found a lead.” Someone had left her a note with evidence. The core members had been hidden away, and the trail pointed directly back to her own sect, the Tianqiu Sect. The realization that her honored elders might be involved had shattered her trust. She didn’t know who to trust anymore not even her Master or the Sect Leader.

She didn’t mention that the deaths of the cultists looked suspiciously like Yan Huaixi’s handiwork. Soul cultivators were rare, and no one killed with such artistic precision as the Demoness. She kept these dark thoughts away from the “mortals,” not wanting to give them nightmares.

Yan Huaixi noticed Fang’s silence and felt a rare, complex emotion. She couldn’t bring herself to be truly cruel to this child; otherwise, Fang wouldn’t have survived their last battle.

“Come in,” Yan said, stepping aside.

“I shouldn’t intrude…” Fang began, feeling guilty for failing to protect Yingxia.

“Don’t be polite. Go to the kitchen and see what you like to eat,” Yingxia invited.

In the kitchen, Yingxia busied herself with dinner. She realized that Fang and Yan shared the same love for sugar water; perhaps their palates were similar in other ways too.

Outside, Yan and Fang stood in a bizarre, heavy silence. Fang buried her face in her sugar water, drinking without a sound. She felt a strange pull toward this “Elder Sister Yu”—a sense of kinship she couldn’t explain. But Yan’s gaze also made her feel the pressure of a strict elder, the kind that looks at a child with “disappointed-that-you’re-not-better” eyes.

Yan Huaixi eventually left the room and walked into the kitchen. She crept up behind Yingxia, who was kneading dough.

Poke. Yan poked Yingxia’s cheek.

Yingxia jumped like a startled rabbit. “Master! Do you walk on cat paws? You always sneak up on me.”

“You look exhausted. Was today that hard?” Yan wiped a smudge of flour off Yingxia’s face.

“Sister Yang is strict, but it’s for my own good. I learned the basics of ‘Form Painting’ today. Want to see?” Yingxia smiled despite her fatigue.

“Too much is as bad as too little,” Yan said, trying to lure her away. “If it’s too tiring there, you can learn here instead.”

“It’s okay! Sister Yang said the children in her clan all learn this way. I can’t be worse than a child.”

Yan sighed, but she was secretly pleased by her dedication. “We still have Soul Path lessons tonight. Will you be too tired?”

“No. It’s much better than it was under the previous Sect Master.” In the original memories, the second Sect Master’s “guidance” was more like torture. Compared to that, this was a greenhouse.

“Are you just going to leave Fang Yuetong out there alone?” Yingxia asked, seeing Yan helping her with the vegetables.

“Do I have to stay there?” Yan asked, confused.

“I thought you’d use the chance to… say something to her.” Like sowing discord, Yingxia thought.

“The evidence I left for her is enough,” Yan said with a small, satisfied huff. “Look at her too depressed to even go home. I don’t need to say a word.” At least, as a Yan descendant, Fang wasn’t entirely beyond hope.

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