After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Bad-mouthing

She had a strong vengeful streak in her youth, and she loved to play dirty.

“That mischievous?” Yu Yingxia stole a glance at Yan Huaixi. Seeing no reaction from her, she quietly shuffled two steps closer to Zhao Xi.

“She was a child; it’s normal to be a bit lively and active.” If it were up to Zhao Xi, she truly wished Yan Huaixi could have stayed that lively forever.

“Just normal lively?” Yu Yingxia felt that Zhao Xi was holding a lot back.

Zhao Xi fell silent. For a normal child, being active was fine, but for a genius in the cultivation world, even a child’s antics could cause quite a stir.

Yu Yingxia found her answer in Zhao Xi’s silence. The corners of her mouth twitched upward, but she quickly suppressed the smile to avoid being caught. “Actually, my sister looks steady now, but she’s full of dark schemes. She just hides it well in front of outsiders.”

Zhao Xi drifted into a memory, a helpless smile appearing in her eyes. “My friend back then was consistent inside and out she only acted like a ‘good girl’ in front of her mother.”

“Then she must have caused trouble outside and gotten a scolding from her mother when she got home,” Yu Yingxia guessed.

“Indeed.” Zhao Xi remembered. Long ago, the major families of the Southern Region organized competitions for the younger generation every few years. One year, the Yan family was the host, and geniuses from all over gathered together.

These young stars were proud and refused to yield to one another. Eventually, a conflict broke out, and the Eldest Miss Yan was dragged into it. At the time, she was significantly younger than the others.

But was Yan Huaixi the type to suffer a loss? She quietly slipped home, tamed a powerful ghost servant, and then, during the trial, beat those older kids until they cried for their parents. Moreover, she loved to play dirty—she even blew up the trial grounds. None of the children who had crossed her escaped unscathed.

Many of her methods were… less than honorable. They included, but were not limited to, making people have upset stomachs so she could ambush them at their weakest. She took many risks in the process, and when Madam Yan found out, she caught her and gave her a sound thrashing.

To make sure she learned her lesson, Madam didn’t hold back. Afterward, the Eldest Miss had to stand up to eat her meals and sleep on her stomach for days.

Finally, Madam made her study the Way of Music, hoping it would temper her character and make her more serene. Little did she know, learning music only made Yan Huaixi’s methods of tormenting people more sophisticated! Afterward, those kids couldn’t even find evidence to complain.

However, Yan Huaixi was fiercely protective of her own. If anyone following her was bullied, she would strike back even harder. Consequently, for a long time, the arrogant prodigies who looked down on smaller families were exceptionally polite in her presence.

“Pfft…” Having squeezed these details out of Zhao Xi, Yu Yingxia couldn’t hold back a laugh.

She knew she should be solemn after all, from Zhao Xi’s perspective, Yan Huaixi was a deceased friend but hearing about the “Bad Cat’s” childhood misdeeds and her getting “thrashed” was just too much to handle.

Her laughter successfully drew Yan Huaixi’s attention. Yan Huaixi had just pinpointed a problem and was about to share the news when she heard the whispering.

Listening closely, she realized Zhao Xi was spilling all her secrets!

Yan Huaixi’s eye twitched. I rushed over here to save her, and this is how she repays me?!

Perhaps because Zhao Xi had just brushed with death, she was talking more than usual to vent her lingering fear. With Yu Yingxia’s gentle prodding, the details were getting more and more specific. Yan Huaixi knew she was a terror at that “annoying” age, and she absolutely could not let this continue!

“Ahem.”

She let out a soft cough, radiating an aura of absolute authority.

Zhao Xi reflexively shut her mouth. Yu Yingxia instinctively shuffled away, looking so guilty that Yan Huaixi almost laughed out of sheer exasperation. She knew Yu Yingxia was curious and bold, but why couldn’t she use that boldness in other areas?

“Chatting about something interesting?” Yan Huaixi asked with a hint of unreadable amusement. Though her voice was light, it carried significant pressure. Her gaze landed on Yu Yingxia, who immediately lowered her head in a submissive, “I was wrong” pose.

In reality, the corners of Yu Yingxia’s mouth were curled up. She couldn’t stop it, so she had to look down.

“Senior, it’s like this: your sister and I were discussing an old friend of mine,” Zhao Xi explained seriously, unaware of the undercurrents between the two.

Yan Huaixi glanced at Zhao Xi. She looked much as she did when they first met. Back then, to build a relationship with the next Yan heir, the Zhao family had handpicked children to be her playmates and attendants. But because Yan Huaixi was young and the kids sent over were noisy, she eventually lost her patience and “packaged” them all back home.

Later, the Zhao family got smart and sent someone steady—Zhao Xi—who was quite a bit older. Because she wasn’t noisy, Yan Huaixi allowed her to stay.

If I’d known she’d remember my childhood antics and tell them to Yingxia, I would have packaged her up and tossed her back too!

Yan Huaixi’s mouth drooped slightly, looking displeased. Zhao Xi began to grow nervous, wondering if she had offended the senior. Fortunately, Yu Yingxia stepped in to “stroke the cat’s fur,” shielding Zhao Xi from the pressure.

“Sister, don’t be angry. I was just curious… I won’t ask again.” Yu Yingxia tugged at Yan Huaixi’s sleeve like she was acting spoiled. She’d already heard what she wanted to hear anyway. She knew someone like Yan Huaixi wouldn’t have been ordinary as a child, but she hadn’t expected her to be such a brat!

It sounded quite cute, actually. Mischievous as she was, the young Yan Huaixi had been genuine and protective of her friends. It was a pity—if she hadn’t gone through those tragedies, she might have grown up to be a very beloved person.

Suddenly, Yan Huaixi tilted Yu Yingxia’s chin up. Yu Yingxia looked up blankly as Yan Huaixi studied her face with suspicion. “You truly know you were wrong?”

For some reason, she felt Yu Yingxia was secretly laughing, yet the girl’s face was now a mask of solemnity.

Did I misjudge her? Yan Huaixi felt a twinge of guilt for doubting her. Yu Yingxia struck while the iron was hot, nodding vigorously. She let out a silent sigh of relief; she’d almost been caught.

“If you want to know anything in the future, you can just ask me. It’s been so many years; she couldn’t possibly remember everything correctly,” Yan Huaixi transmitted to Yu Yingxia, trying to salvage her image.

Yu Yingxia saw a flash of nervousness in Yan Huaixi’s eyes. Did the little Yan Huaixi, who was once beaten so hard she couldn’t sit down to eat, have this same expression when she was caught doing something bad? The image was incredibly adorable.

She silently mouthed the word: “Okay.”

Zhao Xi waited nervously for a response. To punish her for spilling the beans, Yan Huaixi intentionally let her sweat for a moment.

Finally, Yan Huaixi spoke slowly: “I have found the cause of the spatial anomaly.”

The Zhao family treasure that was supposed to allow them to escape the realm had originally belonged to the Yan family. Yan Huaixi knew its mechanics better than any Zhao clansman. By channeling power through it, she was able to trace the flow of energy.

The space wasn’t just locked; it was being tightened. The imperceptible spatial currents were all pointing toward the Soul Tower.

If the Qian family had a conspiracy, the events outside were just the appetizers. The real crux was inside the tower. Yan Huaixi informed the Zhao group: the outside was unsafe, but the inside was more dangerous. The Qian family’s main force was likely there.

“Do you still want to go to the Soul Tower?”

The Zhao Elder coughed and waved his hand. “No, no. No matter how good the treasure is, life is more important.”

“But… I’m worried. If space is locked, can we really leave when the time is up?”

This was exactly what Yan Huaixi was considering. She had never seen such a massive spatial lock on an entire secret realm. If it was truly isolated, would the realm’s natural laws be able to expel them?

Considering her own strength, she could potentially lock a small space, but doing it on this scale was high-risk, low-reward. It wasn’t worth it for most people. What were they planning?

The atmosphere became heavy. Only the medical cultivator continued treating the wounded.

“I know a safe place,” a man who had barely been saved by the medic gasped.

“Don’t move! I just got you back!” the medic scolded as blood leaked from the man’s mouth. It was a miracle he was alive.

The Elder looked at him. “Where?”

“There is a pocket of space within the Soul Tower. Once you enter, the passage can be closed from the inside. Outsiders can’t get in. We can wait there until the time ends. Even if we can’t get out, we’ll be safe while we wait. But the problem is… we are all injured. We might not make it there.”

The Zhao family was decimated. Many were missing, likely dead. The remaining team was in poor shape, with several unconscious. If there were ambushes at the tower as Yan Huaixi suspected, they were walking into a death trap. But if they stayed outside without shelter, the enemy would eventually find them.

Finally, all the pitiful gazes landed on Yan Huaixi. They knew she had already been kind enough to save them once and couldn’t expect more. The Zhao clansmen, starting from the Elder, began pulling out whatever treasures they had left as payment.

Yan Huaixi had seen everything; she didn’t care for these trinkets. But when she saw Zhao Xi add her pathetic, shriveled storage bag to the pile, Yan Huaixi finally sighed.

Fine. Considering how many times she’d made Zhao Xi clean up her messes as a child, she couldn’t just leave them to die. Saving one or saving many—it made no difference.

“Let’s go. I’m heading there anyway. I’ll drop you off.”

The Zhao family thanked her profusely. Once the wounded could be moved, they set off behind Yan Huaixi and Yu Yingxia.

“Sister must have been very close with Miss Zhao when you were young,” Yu Yingxia whispered at Yan Huaixi’s side.

“It was alright. We studied together. She took a lot of blame for me in front of my mother. Thinking back, I really was a bit of a brat.”  Yan Huaixi suddenly noticed the tone in Yu Yingxia’s voice and teased: “Jealous?”

“I am not.” Yu Yingxia gave her a mock glare. It wasn’t jealousy, but a bit of envy was real. To have met Yan Huaixi in the past… that must have been a very pure friendship.

Pity they had met at the wrong time, under the wrong identities. She wondered if there would be a turning point once she revealed everything.

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