After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Breakthrough

She really wanted to lock Yu Yingxia inside her own room.

Being brought over for no reason, then taken away just as inexplicably Yu Yingxia was utterly bewildered. The artifact refiner back at the tower felt even more innocent; she had simply asked the Lord if she needed an artifact forged, so why the sudden glare? Had she done something wrong? No?

The Lord’s temper was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

“Sister, weren’t we there to customize my life-bound artifact?” Yu Yingxia couldn’t help but ask after they left the Forge Tower.

Yan Huaixi fell into a brief silence. She simply didn’t want Yu Yingxia to keep staring at others with that appreciative gaze, but she certainly couldn’t say that out loud.

“I… I just suddenly thought that since you are skilled at drawing, explaining it to her verbally might not be clear enough. You can draw the style you want first; it will be much more precise,” Yan Huaixi said, her face heating up slightly. She felt the excuse was quite flimsy.

“Is that so?” Yu Yingxia looked at Yan Huaixi’s expression, which screamed “guilty conscience.” She couldn’t convince herself to believe such a reason.

However, Yu Yingxia didn’t dare press further, fearing Yan Huaixi might lash out in embarrassment.

“Then should I go brainstorm a design?” Yu Yingxia sensed Yan Huaixi wanted her to do just that—after all, it gave the other woman a graceful way out.

“Consider it carefully. Unless something unexpected happens, this artifact will be with you for a lifetime. Think about what you want it to look like.” Yan Huaixi offered a relaxed smile.

Though suspicious, Yu Yingxia didn’t dwell on it, as she had another favor to ask.

“Sister, that move you used at the Earth Fiend Sect… I’ve tried to simulate it, but I haven’t succeeded. Could you teach me again?” Yu Yingxia had been shocked for a long time after seeing Yan Huaixi scoop a moon from a sea of mist to slay the black dragon. She felt that if she mastered this move, it would be a perfect trump card.

“That move is quite difficult for you; it’s normal not to succeed immediately. Since things are quiet right now, I’ll teach you some other basic spells alongside it.” Yan Huaixi was more than happy to have Yu Yingxia stay by her side to learn. Yu Yingxia had much to learn—it would be best if it took a few decades or even a century.

That way… she wouldn’t have to spend every day in the darkness of her mind thinking about whether to lock Yu Yingxia up. If not for the constant reminders in Yang Xunzhou’s book, Yan Huaixi feared she might have already done something extreme.

Particularly just now, those dark thoughts had been exceptionally vivid. It was only then that Yan Huaixi had to admit Yang Xunzhou truly deserved her title as a Saint of Literature; no one could match her in navigating the threads of fate, not even Yan Huaixi herself.

Speaking of which, is the new book not finished yet? Yan Huaixi frowned slightly when Yu Yingxia wasn’t looking. That old book was too unlucky, especially since she had seen traces of destiny within it. She desperately needed a better “fate” to soothe her mood.

If Yang Xunzhou didn’t send the new book soon, Yan Huaixi would have to send someone to have a “chat” with her.

In Sanxi City, Yang Xunzhou, who was currently scratching her head over plot points, suddenly felt her nose itch. She had a feeling she was being watched from the shadows. She pulled out the Book of Fate to check; a thread of destiny was connected to a pitch-black “Abyss.” This wasn’t her first time dealing with this owner of destiny, so she recognized the identity instantly.

Speak of the devil. She was already struggling with how to write the new story. It wasn’t that she couldn’t write a happy ending; it was that she knew the protagonists were those two. This book was for Yan Huaixi’s personal consumption; Yang Xunzhou didn’t have the courage to follow her whims anymore. She had to weigh every plot point carefully to prevent the “Dread Sovereign” from coming to kill her over a minor disagreement.

It was hard…

Yang Xunzhou was worried to death. With a killing god watching, she didn’t dare write anything too “passionate,” yet writing a bland story didn’t excite her. She leaned back in her chair, pondering what exactly would satisfy that woman.

Meanwhile, Yu Yingxia, who was making up for her overdue work during breaks in her cultivation, was wondering if Yang Xunzhou would even dare to contact her again, now that she officially held the title of a Demon Cult Protector.

She had no idea that while she worried about losing a friend, the other two were already in a tug-of-war over new fanfiction!

Yu Yingxia’s life-bound artifact was currently being forged. However, since that day, she hadn’t seen the refiner again. Any necessary communication was handled by Yan Huaixi.

Yu Yingxia spent her time learning the one-hit-kill spell. It was a hundred times harder than she had imagined. Under Yan Huaixi’s strict tutelage, she was soon too exhausted to notice Yan Huaixi’s strange behavior.

Ten days passed in a flash. Yan Huaixi’s residence was almost constantly shrouded in mist. Because Yu Yingxia’s power was purer and gentler, her mist wasn’t a bloody sea, but a celestial, ethereal cloud.

After a short rest, Yu Yingxia tried once more to condense a moon shadow from the mist. A massive amount of spiritual energy flowed into the spell, and soon her internal reserves were nearly depleted. Through this cycle over the last ten days, her spiritual energy had improved significantly. She felt that it wouldn’t be long before she could attempt to break through to the stage of Refining Essence into Qi.

This time, the sea of mist she summoned was thicker than ever. The so-called mist was a tapestry of spiritual and soul power—a domain. Once enveloped, any enemy not significantly higher in level would find themselves restricted.

With the mist woven, the truly difficult part began: she needed to use the mist to capture the power of heaven and earth to form the Soul Moon.

Yu Yingxia held her breath, focused on hooking the celestial power together, turning her soul power into fine threads to link the energy bit by bit.

In the center of her mist, a soft moon shadow began to take shape.

Her spiritual energy was spent, but she was the closest she had ever been. She consumed a medicinal pill to replenish her energy and gathered all her remaining strength into the moon shadow.

The center of the mist suddenly brightened. A moon shadow finally condensed! Overjoyed, Yu Yingxia reached out to touch it, only for the hard-won shadow to vanish like a reflection in water.

A look of disappointment crossed her face as the mist dissipated.

But she quickly cheered up. She had made great progress today; greed leads to indigestion!

As she relaxed, she noticed fine beads of sweat on her forehead. Overextending her power had left her mentally fatigued.

“Fast progress,” Yan Huaixi’s appreciative voice came from nearby. “But don’t take risks like that next time. Do it when I’m around, otherwise, if your energy is completely drained, you’ll be crying from the discomfort.”

“I only dared to be reckless because I knew Sister was nearby.” Though tired, Yu Yingxia was in a good mood.

She looked toward the voice. A figure appeared in the thinning mist… but something was off. Yu Yingxia looked closer and realized the figure was carrying something.

As Yan Huaixi drew near, Yu Yingxia saw she was holding a child by the collar.

“Is that… Xiao Xiao?” Yu Yingxia almost didn’t recognize her. After a period of recuperation, the children they had rescued from the dungeon had filled out and looked healthier. The one Yan Huaixi was carrying was the youngest.

The girl was like a little quail, frozen in terror as she hung from Yan Huaixi’s hand. The moment she saw Yu Yingxia, she reached out her arms, wanting the kind sister to hold her.

Unfortunately, the terrifying sister holding her didn’t let go.

“I saw this little brat sneaking over when I got back. She got lost in the mist, so I picked her up. I don’t know where her sister ran off to; she should be nearby.” Yan Huaixi looked toward a nearby wall, where a head popped up, watching her nervously.

“Xiao Xiao, why are you here?” Yu Yingxia patted the girl’s head.

“This… flower… for sweet…” Xiao Xiao handed a cloth bag to Yu Yingxia.

Yu Yingxia could already smell the osmanthus. She opened the bag; it was full of dried osmanthus flowers.

Recently, the osmanthus in the Valley had bloomed. Yu Yingxia had gathered some to make osmanthus cakes and had shared them with the recovering children. This child must have seen her gathering flowers and thought to barter.

“You really are a clever one.” Yu Yingxia smiled at her, then turned to Yan Huaixi. “Sister, why don’t you let me give a couple of your osmanthus cakes to the child? She brought raw materials, and I’ll make more tonight.”

The remaining cakes were Yan Huaixi’s, and since the villain boss had a habit of being protective of her food, Yu Yingxia had to ask permission.

Yan Huaixi actually took a moment to think before nodding reluctantly. “Fine. Give her a few.”

The little girl happily received her cakes and sat by the door to eat, waving her hand at her sister on the wall.

Yan Huaixi checked Yu Yingxia’s sea of consciousness and meridians to ensure she hadn’t left any hidden injuries from pushing too hard. Fortunately, Yu Yingxia wasn’t that impulsive; she knew when to stop.

Yan Huaixi took a pill from her storage bag and fed it to her. The warm medicinal power circulated through Yu Yingxia’s body, and the weakness from overexertion vanished.

The child on the wall finally shuffled over. Having taken a beating from Yan Huaixi before, she was terrified of her and rarely stayed in the same place.

Xiao Xiao shared half a cake with her sister. The older girl tasted a tiny bit and wrapped the rest in a clean handkerchief, likely saving it for her sister later.

Yu Yingxia gave the last of the candy in her storage bag to the two children. Xiao Xiao was delighted, while the older girl looked overwhelmed.

“Thank you.” The older girl’s throat had been damaged by the demon blood, but after treatment, she could finally speak in coherent sentences, though her voice remained raspy.

“You’re welcome,” Yu Yingxia smiled. “Little one, I don’t even know your name yet. I can’t just keep calling you ‘Xiao Xiao’s sister,’ can I?”

“You can call me Xun Qing,” the child whispered raspily. “Xun as in the herb, Qing as in the valley.”

“Oh, little Xun Qing, do you like the cakes?”

In front of Yu Yingxia, Xun Qing was less tense.

“They’re good.” Xun Qing nodded. They had suffered so much that even a plain bun would have tasted like a delicacy.

“Then eat more; don’t save them all for your sister. That sister over there looks scary, but she won’t deprive you of food. I’ll tell the caretakers to prepare snacks for you every few days.”

Xun Qing realized her plan had been seen through and blushed slightly, whispering her thanks again.

Yan Huaixi had gone inside to grab something. In her absence, Xun Qing asked, “I see you call that Lord ‘Sister.’ Are you two related?”

“You could say that,” Yu Yingxia hesitated before answering.

“By blood?” Xun Qing looked even more confused.

“No.” Yu Yingxia shook her head slightly.

“No wonder. You and that Lord don’t look like real sisters at all.” A “just as I thought” expression appeared on Xun Qing’s tense face.

Yu Yingxia laughed. “Is it that obvious?”

“Mhm.” Xun Qing nodded. It was too obvious; their personalities were worlds apart. “You are very kind, like a flower in the mountains. That Lord is very scary, her aura is even more terrifying than the big black snakes. Anyway, you’re very different.”

Yan Huaixi had only stepped inside for a moment and already heard the little brat bad-mouthing her.

“It seems I hit you too lightly that day,” Yan Huaixi said, appearing silently behind the three. “To give you the courage to talk behind my back.”

Xun Qing immediately hugged her sister, who was preoccupied with eating. “It’s not bad-mouthing, it’s the truth.”

After being forcibly merged with demon blood, she had the special perception of a black dragon, able to judge danger by a person’s aura. The child didn’t know how to describe it, so she used things she had seen as metaphors.

Sister Yu’s aura was soft and fragrant, like mountain flowers. But the red-robed Valley Lord… her aura was indeed scarier than the black dragons, like the heavenly punishment she had once witnessed.

Yan Huaixi laughed softly and gave Xun Qing a firm knock on the head. Despite her head being as hard as a black dragon’s, the knock was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“You didn’t need to add that last part.”

Xun Qing sat to the side, stubbornly hugging her sister. She looked pitiful, but Xiao Xiao thought the two older sisters were playing and giggled. Xiao Xiao then ran to Yu Yingxia and gestured clumsily. “Sister, the bright thing! Pretty!”

“Bright thing?” Yu Yingxia couldn’t guess what she meant.

“The bright thing inside the white.”

“She probably means the ‘Moon in the Mist.’ She got lost in the fog earlier and only knew to follow the brightest moon shadow.” Yan Huaixi guessed what Xiao Xiao meant.

Yu Yingxia realized the danger. What if the child had gotten too close and been hurt? She would have to set up a barrier next time she practiced.

“Want to see again!” Xiao Xiao blinked her large eyes.

Yu Yingxia was in a bind. She looked at Yan Huaixi, who smirked and shrugged. “If I used that move, forget the little one the big one would be crying from terror.”

Yu Yingxia’s version was celestial and ethereal, but Yan Huaixi’s was a ghastly blood moon. Honestly, forget these two kids even the Earth Fiend Sect Leader would have cried if he took it at close range.

“I can’t let a child get near an offensive spell. I’ll just give her something similar to play with.” Yu Yingxia raised her hand, gathering spiritual energy. She molded a gentle, harmless glow into a ball that looked like a tiny moon enough to entertain a child.

However, she didn’t expect that at the moment she channeled her energy, her spiritual power, which had been at capacity, suddenly breached a threshold, reaching the realm of Refining Essence into Qi.

Compared to others who struggled for years and required medicinal assistance, her breakthrough was like water flowing into a channel—shockingly smooth. Not only was Yu Yingxia surprised, even Yan Huaixi failed to react in time.

Support