After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Trust

Yan Huaixi felt exhausted. The wounds that refused to heal for days, the Sword Intent constantly eroding her flesh, her parched spiritual energy… any one of these things would have killed an ordinary cultivator, yet she lived.

She had been on high alert, unable to rest properly because she didn’t trust Yu Yingxia, just as Yu Yingxia didn’t trust her. Originally, no matter how fatal her injuries were, as long as her spiritual energy remained, everything was under her control. But then Yu Yingxia had appeared out of nowhere, easily leading her into this dead end.

I shouldn’t have saved her, Yan Huaixi thought. Fine. Even if I die, I’ll have that ungrateful wolf accompanying me on the road to the Yellow Springs. Not a bad deal.

She had never felt so tired. As she drifted into unconsciousness, her awareness plunged into a deep, dark abyss. She truly thought she was dying. She seemed to hear sounds from Mount Wanling her home, which had been burned to the ground by her enemies, where her loved ones had left her one by one.

She heard her parents calling her childhood name; she heard her sister calling for “Elder Sister.” Scenes flickered past her mind like a revolving lantern omens that her life was at its end. She missed her childhood home, and the breath she was holding in her chest suddenly dissipated by half.

However, before her consciousness succumbed entirely to the darkness, she heard a commotion from far, far away. Her dying, cold body was suddenly embraced by something warm, allowing her soul to draw a tiny bit of strength from the exhaustion.

Her fading awareness slowly gathered back. She could hear a voice thick with tears: it was Yu Yingxia. Warm fingertips brushed against the corner of her eye, though Yan Huaixi couldn’t tell if she was wiping away blood or tears. The voice begged her to hold on, not to die.

Yan Huaixi didn’t understand. As a Soul Cultivator, she could sense the genuine concern in Yingxia’s soul. Doesn’t she think I want to kill her? Shouldn’t she be hoping for my swift death?

“Yan Huaixi, your great vendetta hasn’t been settled! Your enemies are still living happily on the immortal mountain! Can you really be content with dying now?!”

How bold. Usually, Yingxia was all “My Lord” this and “My Lord” that, maintaining a calculated distance. Now, she dared to call her by her name.

But the word “revenge”…

That word sharpened Yan Huaixi’s consciousness. Yes, that old fossil was still alive, and that stupid girl was still being kept in the dark. She couldn’t die yet.

After a long while, Yan Huaixi regained enough control to move her cold fingers. Immediately, they were grasped by a warm hand. She found herself craving this warm, vibrant temperature. The sobbing whispers continued in her ear; she found them annoying, yet she didn’t hate them. Perhaps it was because there was no malice in Yu Yingxia’s soul—only warmth and a faint scent of peach blossoms.

Yan Huaixi tried to mobilize her spiritual energy to heal, but the moment she moved, a sharp, piercing pain erupted from the wound near her heart. She suffered a small backlash and realized she couldn’t use her power yet.

Just then, she felt something touch her lips—something round.

“What do I do if she won’t open her mouth? I can’t get the medicine in…”

Yan Huaixi figured she could just wait a few hours to wake up properly, but then something incredibly soft pressed against her lips. Her teeth were gently pried open, and a pill was delivered into her mouth. It dissolved instantly, turning into pure spiritual energy and medicinal power that began to mend her body.

Yan Huaixi’s soul shuddered. What was that?!

Before she could process it, the medicinal power soothed her consciousness, forcing her into a deep, restorative sleep. As she relaxed, her right hand—which had been clenched tightly inside the covers slowly loosened. The poison needle hidden in her palm, now coated in blood, gradually dissolved until it vanished completely.

Yu Yingxia felt Yan Huaixi’s pulse and chest. Her heart was beating again! Cold sweat drenched Yingxia’s forehead.

Thank goodness. She’s alive for another day!

Fortunately, Yang Xunzhou had given her a Heart-Protecting Pill, or tonight would have been the end. She owed Yang another favor; it seemed she really wouldn’t be able to leave that “thief ship” now.

Yingxia tucked Yan Huaixi’s hand under the blanket and used a damp cloth to wipe the blood from the woman’s lips. She then gently wiped the corner of the villain’s eye. She wondered what this feared Great Villain had dreamt of at the brink of death to make her shed a tear.

She had read the system’s files and knew Yan Huaixi’s background. She knew what the woman’s softest, most forbidden spot was. Was she dreaming of home?

As someone who had also lost her home, Yingxia felt a sudden pang of sympathy. A flash of pity crossed her eyes as she looked at the patient.

The candle flickered. Yingxia shook off her thoughts and looked at the mess in the room. As she stood up to clean, a wave of dizziness hit her. She grabbed the wall to steady herself, assuming it was just exhaustion and the shock from the night’s events.

She stayed by the bed all night. Only when dawn broke and she was sure Yan Huaixi was stable did she fall into a weary sleep, slumped against the edge of the bed.

In her sleep, Yan Huaixi frowned. She had a complex dream. One moment she was in the fire that consumed Mount Wanling, the next she was a “medicine child” for the second Sect Master of the Changsheng Sect. These were mostly nightmares, until a scent of peach blossoms led her to a grove free of fire and darkness.

She realized she was home, before the disaster. She looked at herself; she wasn’t a child, but her adult self. A figure stood in the distance. Yan Huaixi walked forward, and the figure turned to smile at her.

It was Yu Yingxia.

She walked toward her with light footsteps, lacking her usual feigned dignity. In the dream, Yan Huaixi forgot her suspicion. The girl threw herself into her arms and, in a moment of shock, kissed her. The soft touch carried the scent of medicine, jolting Yan Huaixi awake.

Yan Huaixi stared at the ceiling for a long time. Last night… was that an illusion?

She looked at Yu Yingxia sleeping by her bed. The girl’s own lips were bitten slightly red. Yan Huaixi struggled to sit up, but the movement pulled at her wound, causing her to let out a muffled groan.

The sound woke Yingxia instantly. Seeing Yan Huaixi awake, her bloodshot eyes filled with relief. “My Lord, you’re finally awake! I was scared to death last night.”

Yingxia noticed Yan Huaixi staring at her with a strange expression like little needles pricking her. Did I offend her again?

“Sorry, My Lord. I should have been back earlier, but I ran into a Poison Corpse on the way.”

Yan Huaixi narrowed her fox-like eyes. Last night, Yingxia was suspecting her of attempted murder; now, there wasn’t a trace of doubt on her face.

“Poison Corpse…” Yan Huaixi began, but she was interrupted by Yingxia’s indignant outburst.

“It must be that old fossil from the Tianqiu Sect! He must have stolen those corpses from the dungeon after we left! That shameless coward is trying to frame you! Everyone outside says you’re using them for revenge, while he uses them to eliminate his rivals and throws all the dirty water on your head!”

Yu Yingxia considered herself even-tempered, but Yin Duo’s actions were infuriating. Yan Huaixi looked at her in surprise, stunned that she could deduce this far.

“Once you’ve recovered, we’ll find a way to get revenge,” Yingxia added.

Yan Huaixi’s surprise faded into a light snort. “I told you to dispose of those corpses. If you had listened, last night wouldn’t have happened. The corpses were coming for me; you were targeted only because you carry my scent.”

Everyone thought the Changsheng Sect leaders could control the corpses, but that was wrong. The second Sect Master had given them a final order before he died: Kill Yan Huaixi. They attacked anything carrying her aura.

“Ah… so you meant for me to destroy them?” Yingxia felt a headache coming on. The original owner had misinterpreted the order and left a trap for herself.

Looking at Yingxia’s helpless expression like a confused rabbit Yan Huaixi reached out from the covers and poked the girl’s forehead with her fingertip.

“Stupid.”

The touch sent a sudden jolt of heat through Yingxia’s forehead, making her entire face flush. This gesture… seems a bit too intimate?

Yingxia bit her lip and stood up quickly. “You didn’t take your medicine last night; we can’t miss this morning’s dose. I’ll go brew it now. Rest a bit more.”

Yan Huaixi, who had intended to use the moment to peek into Yingxia’s memories, failed because the girl fled. She retracted her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips. Since the girl wasn’t that stupid and knew who to trust at the critical moment, Yan Huaixi was in a good mood. She didn’t even feel like fighting the bitter medicine.

Hmm? What did Yu Yingxia leave by my pillow?

Yan Huaixi noticed a book. She endured the pain to pick it up. The cover read: Blood Linglong. It looked like an ordinary storybook. So Yingxia likes reading these?

She flipped it open. The title page made her freeze.

Days and Nights in the Valley of Joy with the Daoist Master

Yan Huaixi: “…”

Support After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain