After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Lullaby

Yan Huaixi spent the entire afternoon and dinner pondering one question: was Yu Yingxia’s previous gesture intentional or accidental?

She stole glances at Yingxia’s face throughout the evening. Yan considered herself a master of insight, especially with her soul-path cultivation; there were few people in the world she couldn’t see through.

Yet, Yingxia’s soul fluctuations had recently become steady and calm, as if a protective layer had been draped over her spirit, making it opaque to outsiders. Yan suspected it was the work of her “good ancestor,” Yan Qingxu. She sighed inwardly; that ancestor of hers was truly proving to be quite a handful, even from beyond the grave.

Since Yan had read the scripts that Yingxia had illustrated, she knew for a fact that Yingxia had seen those romantic scenes. Therefore, Yingxia had to know the meaning of touching a palm like that.

…What exactly is this bad rabbit thinking? Yan couldn’t figure it out.

When it came time for dinner, Yan noticed Yingxia’s hands were still trembling slightly as she held a kitchen knife. She stopped the girl and ordered a meal from the restaurant instead. She thoughtfully ordered only vegetarian dishes; based on her experience, she knew Yingxia wouldn’t want to see anything resembling “flesh” right now.

“Sister, are Miss Nie and Sister Yang okay? Did you stop Miss Nie?” Yingxia asked, sipping a cup of sedative tea brewed by Jiang Li. The lingering images of gore were finally fading.

“The ones who deserved to die are dead; the ones who didn’t are alive,” Yan said calmly, though her words were terrifying. “I’ve covered the trail. No one will find out. Yang Xunzhou just needs to clean up the crime scene.”

Yingxia choked on her tea. She should have known that once this villainous boss got involved, she wouldn’t just “stop” the killing she likely added a few lethal strikes of her own.

“But those were Tianqiu Elders. They won’t let this go. If they investigate…”

“That’s why the little girl picked a perfect spot to kill them,” Yan fed Yingxia a piece of pastry. The sweet taste made the girl’s furrowed brow relax.

“Where?”

“A place where the Tianqiu ‘moths’ hide their own victims,” Yan chuckled with malicious glee. “The elders will be more anxious to hide those bodies than we are. I left them a grand gift there.”

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the “Samoyed” (Fang Yuetong), who usually visited every day, was still missing.

“She is my second gift to those people,” Yan’s eyes danced with playfulness. To Yan, Fang Yuetong was the only “clean” person in the Tianqiu Sect. With Yan’s spies watching, Fang wouldn’t be used as a puppet anymore. Instead, she was the perfect sword to thrust into the dark side of her own sect.

“She’ll be busy for a few days then,” Yingxia murmured.

“Don’t worry about her. She’ll show up when she’s hungry.” Yan propped her chin on her hand and stared at Yingxia’s face for a long time.

Yingxia knew she was being watched, but she pretended not to notice. However, as the minutes ticked by, her grip on her teacup tightened. Why is she staring so long? What is she planning now?

“Yingxia, Sister has something to ask you…” Yan began, finally steeling herself to ask the question that had bothered her all afternoon.

“What is it?” Yingxia turned to her. Her eyes were still red and misty from crying, making her look incredibly pitiable and innocent.

Yan’s heart tightened. Seeing that innocent face, Yan felt as though she was the one with the “unclean” thoughts for obsessing over a palm-brushing. The question stuck in her throat. Just as she was about to force it out, a massive explosion drowned out her voice.

A brilliant burst of fire replaced the setting sun, becoming the brightest source of light in the world.

Yingxia’s ears rang with the shockwave. The topic was forgotten as both women turned to the window.

“What happened?!”

“Some cultivators are fighting. It’s just a small skirmish,” Yan said dismissively, though she knew better. Her divine sense saw the chaos: Fang Yuetong had clashed with the Tianqiu Sect. Someone had reacted quickly to destroy the evidence, but they hadn’t expected the “sword” they forged to turn against them.

Dinner was a strange affair. The restaurant delivery boy arrived trembling, having nearly dropped the expensive food when the explosion went off.

Jiang Li, sensing the atmosphere, grabbed her bowl and fled to eat elsewhere. She didn’t want to watch the Master who normally hated physical contact diligently coaxing Yingxia to eat, bit by bit, like a doting lover.

After dinner, Yan stood by the window, sighing. She was still a bit worried about the “little girl” Fang Yuetong and kept a sliver of attention on the mountains.

Suddenly, a warm, soft body pressed against her back. A pair of arms wrapped around Yan’s waist, smelling faintly of peach blossoms. Yan froze, forgetting how to move.

“Why are you sighing? Is something wrong?” Yingxia asked. Her voice was purely concerned, with no hint of ambiguity, yet the action was the complete opposite.

Do sisters really hug like this? Yan’s heart raced.

“It’s nothing,” Yan said, her voice stiff.

Outside the window, Jiang Li stood holding a bowl of sedative soup. She saw the two of them embracing through the glass and froze. Should I go in? Should I leave? She signaled to Yan from the shadows.

“Jiang Li finished the tea. Drink it and rest early. It prevents nightmares,” Yan said, gently patting the hands at her waist. As she turned, her cheek brushed against something soft and warm Yingxia’s face.

Both women froze. Yan’s heart rhythm went completely haywire. Seeing Yingxia look away with a shy blush in the candlelight, something finally broke through Yan’s inner defenses and took root in her heart.

After Yingxia drank the bitter tea, Yan blew out the candle, intending to head to the mountains. But the moment the room went dark, her hand was seized.

“Sister…” Yingxia’s voice was trembling, full of terror and a pleading, spoiled tone. She didn’t have to say it; Yan understood. Yingxia was afraid of the dark, afraid of the blood, afraid of being alone.

Fang Yuetong is fierce; she won’t lose in a few minutes, Yan thought. I can go later.

She sat on the edge of the bed. “Sister is here with you. Don’t be afraid.”

Yingxia’s reliance was half-acted, half-real. The warmth of Yan’s palm was more effective than any sedative.

Outside, Jiang Li heard the Master humming a lullaby. She rubbed her ears, wondering if she was hallucinating. The Master? Humming a nursery rhyme? To a tool?

Jiang Li felt a wave of pity for Yingxia. The Master is a cold-hearted stone. To act this well just to keep a tool loyal… if Yingxia actually falls for her, it’s going to be so cruel. Jiang Li felt a twinge of guilt for being a witness to such “heartless” manipulation.

Hours later, Yingxia fell into a deep sleep, but her hand still gripped Yan’s tightly, like a drowning person clutching a liferaft.

Yan signaled Jiang Li to enter. “Tianqiu is in chaos. I need to go. Watch her until I return. Don’t let anything disturb her.”

“Yes,” Jiang Li whispered.

Yan tried to pull her hand away, but even in sleep, Yingxia tightened her grip. “Stay…” she murmured.

“Be good. I’ll be back soon,” Yan coaxed patiently. It took a long time for her to gently disengage. She tucked Yingxia in and sat there for another moment before finally standing.

“Don’t worry, Master,” Jiang Li whispered. “My sedative is top-grade. She’ll sleep until dawn.”

Yan gave her a chilly, warning look, and Jiang Li immediately shut up. The Master is back to her normal self. For a second there, I thought she’d been possessed!

Yan vanished into the night.

Once she was gone, Jiang Li looked at the sleeping girl and sighed. “Our Master is a person of iron and stone. You… better not dream of things you shouldn’t.”

In the mountains, the chaos was reaching a peak.

The first explosion had been an attempt by a Tianqiu “moth” to destroy the corpse hideout. Fang Yuetong had blocked it.

The second explosion was a “silencing” move. An outer-sect Elder, who had been caught, “escaped” and was “accidentally” killed by an inner-sect Elder. The trail was cold.

Fang Yuetong stood there, feeling lost. Her intuition told her that her own Master the “saintly” Yin Duo—was the one who had let the prisoner escape. She didn’t want to believe it, but she couldn’t ignore the facts anymore.

Just as the Elders were about to pin everything on the dead outer-sect Elder, a girl in Tianqiu robes stepped out of the darkness. She was calm and elegant, holding a pink sachet exactly like the one Fang had given Yingxia.

It was one of Yan Huaixi’s top spies, sent to “assist” the Samoyed.

The spy smiled at Fang. So naive, she thought. No wonder the Master looks after her so much—sending me to protect her and even intercepting the souls of those who were silenced.

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