After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Assassination

The craftsmen Yang Xunzhou found were no ordinary laborers. In less than two days, the destroyed bookstore was fully restored. On the day of completion, Yu Yingxia inspected the premises, and once she confirmed everything was in order, the workers departed.

Yingxia reorganized the books, gathering all “incriminating evidence” and locking it in the back warehouse. She filled the front shelves with legitimate literature before officially reopening.

Yang’s bookstore primarily dealt in “proper” books anyway; only a few regulars knew where the “special” items were kept. However, to prevent Nie Xuan from making a sudden return, Yingxia hid everything related to Yang Xunzhou’s handwriting.

Regulars could still access the warehouse if Yingxia recognized them, but some regulars found they simply couldn’t bring themselves to ask. Jiang Li was one of them.

If it had been Yang Xunzhou, it would have been fine. But when Jiang Li looked into Yingxia’s sparkling peach-blossom eyes—eyes as clear as a spring lake she felt as though her desire for “indecent” books was being seen right through. Because Yingxia’s gaze was so pure, Jiang Li’s face turned bright red, and she eventually fled in embarrassment.

Standing at the entrance, Yingxia watched her retreat and let out a small chuckle. She hadn’t forgotten that Jiang Li had urged Yan Huaixi to kill her. Even if Jiang Li had saved her once, it didn’t stop Yingxia from a bit of petty revenge. Cutting off Jiang Li’s mental sustenance felt like a fair trade.

Just then, Yingxia spotted a familiar figure walking from the other direction. She greeted her with a smile. “Miss Xu.”

The woman she called Miss Xu gave a slight nod and walked silently into the store. Yingxia was used to her silence. This woman had started coming after the reopening; she was exceptionally taciturn, choosing a book to read every day and buying it before the store closed at night. She never missed a day.

Yingxia didn’t need to worry about her. She just greeted her when she arrived and handled the transaction when she left.

By noon, business was slow. Yingxia considered locking up early to go home and cook. Miss Xu was a cultivator who had mastered Bigu (fasting), so she wouldn’t need lunch. She could just sit quietly in the corner and read.

At that moment, a crimson figure appeared at the door.

It was Yan Huaixi.

Yingxia was surprised. Yan usually preferred lounging in the courtyard soaking up the sun; unless it was absolutely necessary, she rarely moved. Yet here she was, and in her hand was… a food container?

Yan Huaixi caught the surprise in Yingxia’s eyes. Her lips curled up in a slight tease. “What? So surprised to see me?”

“A little. You’re usually resting at this hour.” Yingxia stepped forward to take the container.

“I packed some dishes from the restaurant so you wouldn’t have to rush back and forth at midday.” Yan thought to herself that this was the first time she had been so considerate of another person.

Yingxia thought she saw a hint of “proud cat seeking praise” in Yan’s eyes. Whether it was a delusion or not, it didn’t matter she needed to keep this “big cat” happy.

“Thank you, Sister~” Yingxia pivoted, leaning almost into Yan’s embrace, acting exactly like the “spoiled rabbit” Yan had described.

Yan was caught off guard. She instinctively raised her hand to hold her, but before she could, the rabbit pulled away, leaving nothing but a lingering, warm scent of peach blossoms. The rabbit was already busy opening the container to find her favorite foods.

Yan didn’t know how to feel. She rejoiced in the closeness but felt strangely unsatisfied.

Yingxia peeked at her while pretending to look at the food. Yan had ordered almost all of Yingxia’s favorite dishes. Yingxia’s hand paused slightly. Yan hadn’t been this attentive before. When did she start changing?

The two sat in the small back room to eat. Over the past few days, Yingxia had been in a rush, often leaving Yan to eat alone. Yan had found the food tasteless until now.

“By the way, where are Doctor Jiang and Fang Yuetong? Should we invite them?” Yingxia asked.

“Fang Yuetong is out on business. She’s not a child; she can find her own food. As for Jiang Li, she disappeared early this morning. She’s fasting anyway, so don’t worry about her.”

“I see.” Yingxia tasted her favorite sea bass. It was tender and delicious. She smiled. “The fish at this restaurant is the best. I’d love to ask the chef for the recipe sometime.”

“It is good,” Yan noted. In the past, she would have simply kidnapped the chef or paid an exorbitant sum for the recipe. Now, that would cause unnecessary trouble. But since Yingxia wanted to learn, she decided to find a way to get it for her.

Suddenly, Yan heard a commotion at the front of the store. Several powerful individuals had entered. She frowned, her divine sense detecting the insignia of the Tianqiu Sect on their robes.

Yingxia was slower to realize the danger. Hearing customers, she dropped her chopsticks to head out, but Yan pressed her hand down.

“Those are Elders of the Tianqiu Sect,” Yan said grimly. “The leader belongs to Yin Duo’s faction.”

Yingxia gripped Yan’s hand, her eyes flashing with anxiety. Why would cultivators visit a mundane bookstore? Have our tracks been exposed? If a fight breaks out, can Yan survive in her current state?

Seeing her fear, Yan’s stern expression softened. She stood up and patted Yingxia’s head. “I’ll go check. Keep eating. Nothing will happen.”

“But…” Yingxia hesitated, but Yan had already stepped out.

The shop was small; ten people made it feel crowded. Miss Xu, reading in the corner, frowned and looked up. The lead Elder was at the Lian Shen Fan Xu (Refining Spirit to Void) stage. Miss Xu instinctively reached for her waist, but found it empty—she had hidden her weapon.

Quietly, she summoned her natal weapon under the table. A flash of red light vanished in the shadows; her bloodthirsty blade was perfectly suppressed by its scabbard.

“Is anyone here?” the Elder demanded.

Yan Huaixi pushed aside the curtain and stepped out with a polite smile. “I am here. What books are you looking for, gentlemen?”

The Elder scrutinized her. He sensed she was not simple. He had received intel that this bookstore owner was a powerful cultivator, and he assumed Yan was the one.

“Are you the owner of this establishment?” The Elder glanced toward the curtain behind her before looking back.

“No, I am a friend of the owner. She is away on a long trip and left the shop in my care. If you have business with her, I can pass on a message.” Yan stopped a few paces away. The weaker disciples in the group felt an inexplicable pressure.

“We have a very important matter that requires her cooperation,” the Elder said, his tone polite but laced with arrogance. “As far as we know, this bookstore is linked to the Living Corpse cases. Tell the owner to return and cooperate with our investigation, or we will assume she is in league with the Demonic Path.”

Nonsense, Yan thought. Her polite mask faded. “I believe there is a misunderstanding.”

While they were technically right by accident, they clearly didn’t know the full story, or they would be at her house, not the shop. It seemed these “righteous” hypocrites needed a scapegoat, and Yang Xunzhou was the unlucky target.

Yan raised her hand, a thread of invisible energy swirling at her fingertips. She was about to use a “soul-searching” technique to force the truth out of them when a chair suddenly clattered to the floor.

Miss Xu stood up abruptly. The sudden noise drew everyone’s attention. She had been using a technique to lower her presence, so Yan hadn’t focused on her until now. Seeing her up close, Yan sensed something off. This was the “Miss Xu” Yingxia had mentioned.

There was something at the girl’s waist something she was hiding. Yan felt a faint sense of danger.

The Tianqiu Elder glanced at her and looked away, dismissing her as a low-level cultivator. “Our spies saw the owner acting suspiciously, contacting toxic corpses in Sanxi City. We’ve seen her enter the hideouts of corpse-refiners. These are ironclad facts. Tell her to come to the Tianqiu Sect to explain herself, or we will issue a warrant.”

A Tianqiu warrant was essentially a death sentence from the Righteous Path. Once blacklisted, Yang Xunzhou would never be able to clear her name.

Yan realized Yang’s own investigation into the corpses had been used against her. Even though Yang had stopped her probe, the “moths” within the Tianqiu Sect weren’t letting her go.

“I understand. I will contact her. Please stay a while longer…” Yan’s voice turned cold. She had already locked onto their souls. Even if she wasn’t at full strength, she could control them all if she risked aggravating her injuries.

But then, Miss Xu stepped in front of Yan, blocking the Elders’ view.

“I know where the owner is,” Miss Xu said suddenly.

Yan Huaixi’s brow furrowed.

“Oh?” The Elder finally looked at the plain-looking girl. His contempt was obvious, but he spoke with a condescending tone. “Lead the way then. Here is your reward.”

He tossed two high-grade spirit stones. Miss Xu caught them and tucked them into her pocket.

Only Yan, standing behind her, saw that Miss Xu hadn’t used a shred of spiritual energy she had crushed those high-grade stones into dust using pure, raw physical strength.

Yan sensed her boiling rage. She didn’t stop her, watching as Miss Xu led the group away. Yan had a premonition: if she did nothing, she might never see those people alive again.

She was happy with that outcome, but “Miss Xu” might run into trouble. Out of gratitude for Yang saving Yingxia, Yan used a communication device to send a message to Yang.

Tianqiu people are looking for you. They’ve framed you. That girl who was looking for you seems intent on killing them all. Whether you come back to clean up the mess is up to you.

Yingxia watched her from the side, her food untouched and cold.

“Don’t worry, Yang will handle it,” Yan said, sitting next to her. Seeing her worried face, Yan picked up a piece of fish to feed her, only to realize the food was cold. “They really picked the worst time to show up.”

Yan used her energy to reheat the food and fed Yingxia. Yingxia was so distracted she only ate the fish when it touched her lips.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from the communication device. Yingxia jumped and instinctively ducked into Yan’s embrace.

Yan patted her back. “Don’t be afraid.”

Why is SHE back?! What did those Tianqiu bastards do?! I’m coming back right now! Miss Yu, please stop her! No… if that child has gone into a bloodlust, don’t go near her! Don’t get hurt! Yang Xunzhou’s voice was trembling.

Yang wasn’t far away; it wouldn’t take her long to return. But Miss Xu—who was clearly Nie Xuan in disguise—would need time to find a suitable “slaughterhouse.”

Miss Yu, I know your strength is significant. Even if you can’t stop the child, please help hide the evidence! She must not be exposed! I’m almost there!

Yan wasn’t the type to be moved by pleas, but she felt the pleading gaze of the girl in her arms. “Fine,” Yan sighed, pinching the rabbit’s cheek. “I’ll go watch and clean up the trail. Stay here and finish your food. Don’t let it get cold again, or your stomach will ache.”

“If Jiang Li has to give you more medicine, aren’t you afraid she’ll tamper with it?” Yan teased.

The rabbit looked up with eyes full of trust. “With Sister here, she won’t dare.”

Yan felt a surge of pleasure. Yingxia was developing exactly as she had hoped. She watched Yingxia pick up her chopsticks before turning to leave. The moment her red robes vanished, the trust and submissiveness on Yingxia’s face disappeared instantly.

Yingxia had no appetite. She had been listening carefully and knew the Elders were framing Yang. She realized “Miss Xu” was indeed Nie Xuan. The “Samoyed” (Fang Yuetong) clearly hadn’t kept the secret, and Nie Xuan had gone undercover to watch the shop.

The street was quiet as it was lunchtime. Yingxia absentmindedly tidied the books. Yang had chosen this quiet, remote location on purpose.

But it shouldn’t be this silent.

A splinter from a new shelf pricked Yingxia’s finger. The sharp pain made her pull back, and in that split second, she saw a shadow on the other side of the shelf.

Instinctively, Yingxia shoved the heavy shelf over. It crashed down, followed by a muffled groan.

She had gained some combat experience recently. She threw a Soul-Fettering Curse and sprinted for the door.

As she was about to burst out, something dropped from the ceiling. A flash of cold steel aimed for her neck—the assassin meant to take her head!

Yingxia lunged to the side, avoiding the lethal blow, but the force of the impact sent her flying. She crashed into another shelf. Before she could catch her breath, the assassin was upon her again.

She could barely handle one, let alone two. The only silver lining was that these assassins weren’t exceptionally powerful.

Who wants me dead? Using this level of assassin… Yingxia immediately thought of the Corpse Refiners.

She vaulted through a side window. The assassin followed, but as the first one jumped out, a massive boulder fell from the sky, crushing his head into the dirt.

The second assassin didn’t even look at his fallen comrade; he stepped on his body and threw out a pitch-black spiritual net.

Yingxia tripped and fell. As she rolled over, her pupils shrunk—the glint of a dagger was inches from her eyes!

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