After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Soul Departure

Crunch, crunch, crunch…

Since returning home, Yu Yingxia kept hearing the sound of grinding teeth. It was so persistent it made her own jaw ache.

She didn’t need to look to know it was Jiang Li. Yingxia was currently hiding to Yan Huaixi’s left, while Jiang Li was stationed on Yan’s right. Under Yan’s strict supervision, the only thing Jiang Li could do to vent her hostility was grind her teeth.

Yingxia sighed inwardly. She understood Jiang Li’s perspective; the original “Yu Yingxia” had committed countless atrocities. It was only natural for a loyal subordinate to snap at the slightest sign of trouble. Unfortunately, Yingxia was the one left holding the bag for the original host’s sins.

If Yan Huaixi was the world’s number one scapegoat, Yingxia was a close second. She didn’t dare speak up, fearing she would only make things worse. Her only hope lay in Yan Huaixi’s ability to pacify her own people.

However, she didn’t realize that her internal sigh had manifested physically. The soft sound was faint, barely louder than Jiang Li’s teeth-grinding, but in the silence of the small courtyard, it stood out.

Yan Huaixi glanced at her, then turned to the hostile Jiang Li on her right. “Use a bit more strength, why don’t you? It would be for the best if you ground those teeth into dust.”

Jiang Li stopped immediately. she pointed at Yingxia, looking like she wanted to say something but held back. She knew her words were clumsy; if she presented evidence now, the “vixen” next to them might find a way to manipulate the truth. Yingxia’s performance earlier with the ghost-servant had been terrifyingly convincing.

But Jiang Li was frantic. Her Master was usually cautious and suspicious, never trusting easily. Yet, over the past few days, she had watched Yingxia coax the Master into dropping past grievances—something that had never happened before.

Look at this! Jiang Li thought. I just grind my teeth, she sighs, and the Master scolds me! She truly is a disaster!

“Jiang Li,” Yan Huaixi said calmly. “Yingxia’s contact with that side was arranged by me. Don’t be so jumpy.”

“Yes… Wait, what?” Jiang Li looked up in shock, staring first at Yan and then at the girl hiding behind her. Part of the intelligence report from Bai Xiao had arrived, and it suggested things weren’t that simple. Does the Master know? She decided to report privately later.

Jiang Li averted her eyes. “I understand. My apologies, Protector Yu. I misunderstood.”

“It’s fine,” Yingxia said sweetly. “It happened so fast I didn’t have time to explain. Your suspicion just proves my disguise was good enough to fool the enemy.”

Tch… Jiang Li thought. If I hadn’t seen the secret letter, I might have believed her. What a terrifying actress.

Yan Huaixi saw through Jiang Li’s insincerity. With a flick of her finger, a gust of wind flicked Jiang Li’s forehead. Jiang Li winced, then silently handed a secret letter to Yan. The letter vanished the moment it touched Yan’s palm; Yingxia, from her angle, saw nothing.

“Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, go back to your duties,” Yan said aloud.

Then, two separate mental transmissions followed. One reached Jiang Li’s ears, and the other echoed in her mind: [No retaliating. No poisoning her. I will ask you about the letter later.]

“Yes.” Jiang Li felt a weight lift. At least the Master still had some guard up.

Once the scent of medicine faded, Yingxia finally spoke. “I’m glad Doctor Jiang is reasonable.”

Yan Huaixi let out a dry chuckle. “It’s not that she’s reasonable, it’s that I am. Otherwise, you could have talked until your lips bled and she wouldn’t have listened.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you for believing in me, Sister~” Yingxia chirped. To avoid being poisoned, she dialed the “coyness” up to eleven, her tone so syrupy it made her own skin crawl.

Yan, however, seemed quite amused.

“Good that you know. Jiang Li is actually the calm one. Soon, some of my more hot-headed subordinates will arrive. You’d better find a way to stay glued to my side. If you get killed by accident, it might be too late for me to save you.” Yan spoke to her like one would frighten a child with ghost stories.

Except, this was the truth. Yingxia instinctively leaned closer to Yan, showing a clear sense of reliance.

“Don’t be afraid. As long as you stay within my sight, no one can touch you,” Yan said, stroking Yingxia’s hair.

Yingxia realized she was standing a bit too close and awkwardly shuffled away, cursing herself for being so easily rattled. Yan’s smile dimmed slightly at the distance. She reached out and took Yingxia’s hand; the palm was soft and a bit chilly from the wind.

Yan led her into the bedroom. “Since Yang Xunzhou is laying low, your lessons with her are on hold. But cultivation cannot stop. I will teach you myself.”

Yan was actually quite pleased the “wolf pup” Nie Xuan had scared Yang away. It left Yingxia all to her. She found Yingxia’s talent for the Soul Path intriguing and wanted to carve this “uncut jade” herself, ensuring no one else’s influence stained the final product.

However, Yingxia soon realized that Yan’s teaching style was a form of torture.

Yan would sit right next to her. When Yingxia picked up a brush, Yan would lean in, placing her hand over Yingxia’s to guide her spiritual energy. It was like teaching a toddler to walk—hovering, holding, protecting.

Yingxia was so nervous her thoughts drifted, her mind going blank as she simply followed the flow of Yan’s power. A flower bloomed on the paper, emitting a faint fragrance.

Tap. Yan flicked her forehead.

“Sorry, Master! I spaced out,” Yingxia apologized immediately, feeling like she was back in a primary school classroom.

“Did you space out this much with Yang Xunzhou?” Yan asked. She wasn’t angry, just curious.

“N-No.” Because Yang didn’t sit this close! Yingxia’s face flushed as she shook her head.

“So you just like daydreaming when you’re with me,” Yan teased, poking Yingxia’s burning cheek.

“I… I’ll be more careful.” Yingxia couldn’t exactly say it was because Yan was too close.

The “Bad Cat” Yan Huaixi loved to see her flustered. “It seems my lessons are too boring. Fine, let me teach you something ‘fun’.”

Yan gripped Yingxia’s hand and began to draw. This time, she used her own spiritual power, letting Yingxia simply feel the intent.

The paper turned gray and black. Within a thick fog, several dark, ghastly figures appeared. Finally, Yan added glowing green eyes to the shadows.

The moment the painting was finished, Yingxia was swallowed by darkness.

The yin energy was terrifyingly real. A bone-chilling cold pierced her skin. She couldn’t move. Fear gripped her heart. Usually, she could run from a corpse, but here, she was paralyzed.

Ghosts wailed in the wind, their shrieks piercing her soul. Ghost fires flickered in the dark, approaching rapidly. When they got close, Yingxia saw their horrific faces limbs twisted, skin missing, shark-like teeth bared.

A ghost with twisted limbs crawled toward her, grabbing her right foot. It was so cold her foot went numb. It opened its blood-red maw, lunging for her neck.

Then, everything vanished. It was a normal afternoon in a normal room.

Yingxia sat frozen, eyes wide.

“How was it? Want to learn?” Yan asked, quite proud of her work. “Yang Xunzhou is too traditional. Painting flowers is useless. It’s better to learn how to suppress your enemies.”

Yan wasn’t a master of the Path of Painting, but against a beginner like Yingxia, her “little tricks” were absolute. She expected Yingxia to be impressed by the power. Instead, she looked down and saw Yingxia’s eyes were brimming with tears.

Uh oh.

Yingxia didn’t sob; she just sat there, silent, her lashes wet.

Is she really this easily scared? Yan wondered.

“Actually… flowers are fine too. They build character,” Yan softened her voice instantly. She had lived in the Sect of Longevity for too long everyone there was a lunatic. Even the children wouldn’t be scared by a few ghosts. Faced with a crying Yingxia, the terrifying Master was suddenly at a loss.

Yingxia’s hands were ice-cold. Yan reached into her storage bag and pulled out a soft, cloud-like magical item, placing it in Yingxia’s hands and infusing it with warmth.

Yingxia’s soul smelled like peach blossoms, and she seemed just as fragile as one.

“I… I’ll learn it,” Yingxia choked out, her eyes stubborn despite the tears. She knew it was a valid survival tool.

“You don’t have to force it. I can teach you other things,” Yan said. She couldn’t stand this kind of crying. If Yingxia wailed, she could throw her out, but this silent, hidden weeping made her chest feel tight.

That evening, after a session of Soul Path training, Yingxia entered a meditative state. Once she was deep in practice, Yan slipped out of the room.

Jiang Li was waiting. They entered a separate room where Yan produced the secret letter. It was from Bai Xiao, her intelligence specialist.

Bai Xiao reported that several of Yan Zheng’s previous locations overlapped with Yu Yingxia’s movements before she met Yan Huaixi. This contradicted Yingxia’s claim that she had no prior contact with him.

“She’s a liar!” Jiang Li hissed. “Master, you can’t be soft on her. Her story doesn’t match the facts. She’s colluding with your enemy!”

Yan looked at the letter, her expression unreadable. She held the paper over a candle flame. “I suspected as much.”

“Then why keep her?”

“They are not the same person. Tell Bai Xiao: if she wants to investigate Yu Yingxia, she should look into who Yingxia met before the Sect of Longevity fell. See if anyone noticed a sudden change in her personality.”

“You mean… she’s an imposter?!” Jiang Li gasped. “That’s even more dangerous! Why not just eliminate the threat?”

Inside the bedroom, Yingxia finished a cycle of cultivation. Feeling her power stabilize, she decided to try a small technique from her manual: Soul Departure.

She followed the instructions. Suddenly, she felt like a balloon drifting away from her body. It was a magical sensation—until she lost control. Her soul fell off the bed and, to her horror, she didn’t hit the floor as a person.

She had turned into a “Soul Ball.”

She began to roll. Gulu, gulu, gulu…

Uncontrolled, she rolled right through the wall like a ghost. She felt dizzy as she spun. Just as she stopped and tried to figure out how to “un-ball” herself, she heard voices nearby.

It was Yan Huaixi and Jiang Li. And they were talking about her.

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