After Transmigrating Into a Cannon Fodder, I Got a Happy Ending with the Female Lead [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 14

The path ahead was smooth, no obstacles except for the long stretch of mountain road.

After walking for most of the day, Yue Xi finally saw a glimmer of hope—at the foot of the mountain, there seemed to be a household.

She couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy and quickened her steps, but in her haste, she tripped over a stone, lost her balance, and fell forward. She reached out to grab a stalk of wormwood beside her, but the plant swayed to the side as though alive, making her tumble down the slope.

Lying on the slope, it took Yue Xi a while to regain her senses. She had just been tricked by a clump of wormwood.

Does this thing really have such a spirit of its own?

She lifted her head and saw she was already quite far from the path.

So, she simply lay flat for a while, resting until she had enough strength to climb up and head down the slope.

A flicker of green light appeared before her eyes. Curious, Yue Xi reached out to grab it, but the light spots darted into the flowers, grass, and trees, vanishing without a trace.

It was then that Yue Xi realized—what she saw were the “spiritual energies” of plants.

She vaguely remembered hearing about this before, but with her cultivation level, it was too difficult to sense, so she had long dismissed the idea. Only now, seeing it with her own eyes, did she recall. She hadn’t even left Feng Mountain’s domain yet; all the plants here naturally carried spiritual energy.

She could see them, but not seize them, nor use the energy for herself.

Not bothering to dwell on it, she continued walking forward.

She had always been clear-headed about her own limits—absorbing the spiritual essence of heaven and earth was something as difficult as ascending the skies. It wasn’t worth wasting thought on.

The place should be somewhere mid-mountain; the trees grew thick and lush, blotting out the sky. She pushed through grass as tall as herself to find a way out, the rustling sound magnified in the silence.

After a few steps, Yue Xi sensed something wrong.

Logically, in a place so abundant in spiritual energy, there should have been many birds and beasts. Yet apart from the sound of her own movements, she heard nothing at all.

Not daring to act recklessly, Yue Xi took out yellow paper and cinnabar ink from her bundle and drew two talismans for warding off evil.

Normally, drawing such charms consumed half her mental strength, but this time it was effortless.

So effortless, it was as natural as eating or drinking.

She stopped, staring at the symbols glowing with power, dumbfounded.

A droplet of cinnabar ink dripped from her brush onto the ground, instantly burning a patch of grass to death. Something flashed across Yue Xi’s mind, but too swiftly to grasp.

The spiritual power infused in the talismans was comparable to that of someone who had cultivated for thirty years. When had she become so powerful?

Yue Xi instinctively felt that something about her very birth had been unusual, but she couldn’t remember what.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. Since I’ve grown stronger than before… does that mean I can survive a few more chapters?

According to the plot’s timeline, the heroine Qing He should have just been unsealed. If she hurried to cling tightly to Qing He’s thigh before the girl fully became the Demon Lord, maybe she’d have a sliver of hope.

The original Yue Xi had blindly provoked Qing He and touched her reverse scale. She wouldn’t do that!

Not only would she never provoke the Demon Lord, she could even play the role of her follower—stand guard for her when she was busy being all lovey-dovey with the other female lead.

Of course, not to eavesdrop. Absolutely not.

The plan sounded perfectly workable.

She tried setting up a directional array to find her way. A formation that the original host had failed at repeatedly, Yue Xi completed on her first try.

Well, well. It seemed she’d been given a transmigrator’s starter gift pack.

Though she had no idea who granted it, she inexplicably felt more confident that she could alter her cannon-fodder fate.

Calming her mood, Yue Xi followed the array’s guidance. But as she delved deeper into the dense forest, the light dimmed.

“Smells so good, don’t you think, big brother?”

“Of course I smell it, fool. If you can, how could I not?”

“No spiritual power. Must be a human.”

“What are we waiting for? I’ll eat her first!”

“Don’t be so hasty. Let big brother have a taste before you.”

The voices drew closer. Yue Xi saw a few grotesque creatures surrounding a girl dressed in blue.

At that very moment, the girl lifted her head, her round almond eyes brimming with fear and helplessness, like a startled fawn.

She clearly saw Yue Xi but didn’t cry out for help. She only looked at her with hopeful, tear-bright eyes, stirring an unbidden tenderness in Yue Xi’s heart.

When Yue Xi met her gaze, it was as if something pulled her in, an urge to sink deeper.

Though this was their first meeting, it felt as though she had known her for a long time.

The monsters reached their claws toward the girl. She retreated in terror, only to be stopped by a large tree. Nowhere left to run.

“So fresh and tender. Eating her raw would be a waste… why don’t we—”

One little monster suggested, and the leader glanced at her, his eyes lecherous.

“Everyone gets a share. One at a time.”

The girl wept silently, never uttering a word. Yue Xi couldn’t bear it any longer—she flung one of her talismans.

These fiends had long committed countless evils. Their souls corroded by sin, their bodies cloaked in baleful energy.

The talisman, empowered by her new strength, reacted ferociously. In a flash, the weakest monster was reduced to ash.

The remaining three turned toward Yue Xi warily, charging at her with claws bared.

Not wasting more talismans, Yue Xi drew her peachwood sword. Once a useless tool, today it was sharper than ever, cutting down all three with just a couple of strikes.

Staring at the pure spiritual energy flowing from the blade, Yue Xi froze again.

Could it be… I’ve really become a peerless master?

The girl leaned against the tree, panic still lingering in her black-and-white eyes, her jade-like face streaked with tears—pitifully beautiful.

She looked about fifteen or sixteen, still youthful, yet so breathtakingly lovely that Yue Xi was stunned after a single glance.

Her eyes were so captivating that Yue Xi hadn’t even noticed her fairy-like features before—delicate face, sculpted features, and a purity that made her seem too sacred for this filthy human world.

The world is too sullied for someone like her, Yue Xi thought.

The girl stepped forward, stopping just a step away. Her large eyes blinked, fixed on Yue Xi.

Putting away the peachwood sword, Yue Xi asked, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

The girl shook her head.

“What about your family? How could they let you come alone to such a place?”

She shook her head again.

Seeing her remain mute, Yue Xi tested, “Can’t you speak?”

The girl nodded, then shook her head—unclear.

Yue Xi pressed her forehead. This is troublesome.

Such a beautiful girl wandering alone here was bound to attract monsters. Yet she had no answers, leaving Yue Xi unsure how to help.

“What’s your name?” Yue Xi asked, without much hope.

The girl parted her lips, a soft sound escaping: “Qing…”

“Qing? Or Qing [‘Green’]?” Yue Xi tried.

The girl, after staring at her for so long, seemed finally certain she wasn’t a threat. She boldly stepped closer and grasped Yue Xi’s hand.

Yue Xi stiffened. Turning her head, she saw the girl’s radiant smile. Something stirred in her chest, and instinctively she returned the grip.

“Heehee.” The girl’s smile deepened, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

Yue Xi felt even more moved. She said, “It’s getting late. This place isn’t safe. We should head down the mountain. Will you come with me?”

The girl: “Yes!”

Her answer was crisp and firm, nothing like someone with a speech problem.

Yue Xi found it strange but had no time to dwell on it—she still had to look for Qing He’s whereabouts.

But when she turned to check her directional array, the formation shattered into pieces before her eyes.

“…?”

Something’s wrong with the magnetic field?

She glanced at the girl, only to notice her staring at their clasped hands. Yue Xi quickly let go, and a flicker of disappointment passed through the girl’s eyes.

“Then I’ll call you Xiao Qing,” Yue Xi said.

The girl’s eyes lit up, seeming to approve.

Yue Xi tried setting up another array, but no matter what, the formation always collapsed midway.

“Forget it. Let’s just head down first.”

She put away her tools, planning to escort Xiao Qing off the mountain.

As Xiao Qing moved, her long hair fluttered in the wind, cascading behind her like a waterfall of ink, nearly brushing the ground.

Noticing the inconvenience, Yue Xi snapped a branch of suitable thickness and carved it with her peachwood sword into a hairpin.

“Your hair’s too long; it’ll get in the way. Use this for now. It’s crude, but once we’re down the mountain, I’ll get you a better one.”

Xiao Qing’s eyes glimmered with laughter as she turned her back to Yue Xi.

“You want me to do it for you?” Yue Xi asked.

The girl nodded.

I don’t know how either, Yue Xi thought, but since the girl was waiting, she forced herself to try, tying a loose, sloppy bun.

Xiao Qing reached back, touched it, and said, “Like it.”

Yue Xi knew she meant the bun, but it still felt like a confession, making her heart leap uncontrollably.

Realizing her odd reaction, she suppressed the flutter, coughed lightly with feigned composure, and strode ahead.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Xiao Qing followed, reaching out with surety to hold her hand again.

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