I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 83

Chapter 83:World 5

Huangfu Yue picked up Ji Wan, intending to quickly leave the area. Looking at the slender, fragile girl sleeping against her chest, Huangfu Yue quietly weighed her. Her brows furrowed. A girl her age shouldn’t be this light, yet her outward appearance was no different from a normal person’s. It was as if Ji Wan had to be disguised as healthy.

The forces in the shadows would definitely not send just one person to assassinate Ji Wan. Ji Wan had been in a state of endless tests and pursuits for a long time now. A look of deep meaning and a hint of pity appeared in Huangfu Yue’s eyes.

But just as Huangfu Yue was about to leave with Ji Wan, a murderous aura suddenly filled the air. Huangfu Yue’s eyes sharpened.

“Heh, so you’re not planning on leaving any survivors this time?” Huangfu Yue shielded the girl, looking at the people hidden in the shadows. From the way the air was moving, she could tell there was more than one person.

“Mmm, hurts, Yue, mmm…” The girl sleeping in her arms suddenly frowned and whimpered unconsciously, her hand instinctively clutching Huangfu Yue’s clothes.

Huangfu Yue didn’t reply to Ji Wan but held her tighter. She looked down at Ji Wan with a complex expression. Does she trust me that much? Even though her life is in my hands? But there was no time for Huangfu Yue to think. A moment later, the sound of a blade slicing through the air reached her ears.

Huangfu Yue dodged swiftly. Seeing that they had failed to hit her, the hidden figures began to stir. Soon, four or five men in black appeared before her. Huangfu Yue looked around the environment and frowned. If she abandoned Ji Wan, she could easily escape, but Huangfu Yue had no intention of doing so. She held Ji Wan tightly and retreated, using her lightness skill to escape.

But the men in black behind her were no amateurs. They pursued her relentlessly, their figures flashing through the forest. The men were getting closer, and the path was nearing its end.

Suddenly, Huangfu Yue stopped. A towering, bottomless cliff appeared before her, shrouded in thick mist. She couldn’t hear a sound, even after dropping a rock. The men in black also stopped on the open ground not far from her. A look of triumph appeared on their faces. Their swords were all pointed at Huangfu Yue, but their eyes were fixed on the Ji Wan in her arms.

“Be smart and hand over the Princess,” a deep voice said. But he didn’t dare to step forward easily. The fact that Huangfu Yue could kill his elite subordinates so easily meant she was no ordinary person.

But Huangfu Yue didn’t reply. She cautiously watched them, looking for an opportunity to break through. Just as the two sides faced off, Ji Wan groggily opened her eyes, her mind still hazy. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes were filled with tears. When her vision finally focused, she saw Huangfu Yue’s beautiful profile.

“Yue?” Ji Wan murmured in confusion.

But Huangfu Yue’s gaze was not on her; it was fixed straight ahead. Ji Wan turned her head in confusion and suddenly came face to face with the men in black. Looking at their murderous eyes, Ji Wan unconsciously began to tremble, her grip on Huangfu Yue’s clothes tightening. Fear flashed in her eyes. She could feel the intense killing intent from the other side.

“Are you scared?” Huangfu Yue noticed Ji Wan was awake and looked down at the girl’s innocent, sparkling eyes, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

“No,” Ji Wan said, staring at Huangfu Yue in a daze, subconsciously shaking her head. She felt an inexplicable trust in Huangfu Yue.

Then, for the first time, Ji Wan saw Huangfu Yue smile at her. It was such a beautiful smile that Ji Wan felt her face turn hot.

“Good. Then hold on tight,” Huangfu Yue replied, her eyes now filled with a tender light.

“Hold on tight?” Ji Wan hadn’t even finished wondering what Huangfu Yue was going to do when, in the next second, Huangfu Yue hugged her and leaped backward.

“No, get them!” The leader of the men in black realized Huangfu Yue’s intentions and urgently ordered his men to charge forward. But they were too late. All they heard was Ji Wan’s scream as they disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

“Search. At this height, they probably won’t survive. But whether they’re alive or dead, we must find them,” the leader said expressionlessly.

At the same time, “Ahhhhhh!” The feeling of falling made Ji Wan instinctively wrap her arms around Huangfu Yue’s neck. In her peripheral vision just before closing her eyes, she saw the landscape flashing past.

Help me! Ji Wan never thought Huangfu Yue would do this! She thought Huangfu Yue was just telling her to be careful so she wouldn’t get in the way while she went on a killing spree. Now it was all over! She was going to be a meat patty! My mission is doomed!

Ji Wan was terrified, and she tightened her grip on Huangfu Yue’s neck. Huangfu Yue suddenly found it a little funny. She couldn’t use her lightness skill properly with the girl clinging to her so tightly. She deliberately tried to put a little distance between them, but what she saw was the girl’s bewildered, helpless, tear-filled eyes instantly open wide. It was as if she had been abandoned in that moment, and it made Huangfu Yue’s heart ache.

Huangfu Yue gave up and let Ji Wan hold her tightly. At the right moment, she lightly tapped the branches on the cliff wall, using the momentum to guide them into a lake at the bottom of the cliff.

“Gulp!” Water poured into Ji Wan’s nose, mouth, and ears. She felt herself sinking. But soon, an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her upward.

“Haaah!” The moment she broke the surface, Ji Wan gasped for air. Her chest heaved, and she leaned weakly against Huangfu Yue, who was supporting her from behind. Ji Wan felt like she had just narrowly escaped death. She was terrified.

“Hurry and look! The First Chief sent a message commanding us to find Princess Ji Wan! We must find her, whether she’s alive or dead!” a leader of the men in black shouted.

“Boss, it’s so high up, she must be dead,” one of the men said.

“Yeah, boss, it’s almost dark. It’ll be hard to find them. They’re definitely dead,” another added.

“Exactly. With a frail princess like Ji Wan, there’s no way she’d survive a night in this damned place.”

“Stop talking nonsense and search.”

The conversation, though not loud, reached Ji Wan’s ears in the water. She froze. Subconsciously, she moved closer to Huangfu Yue behind her, as if she had found her only salvation in the water. Ji Wan had thought this was Huangfu Yue’s tribulation, but it turned out to be hers. Do cannon fodder characters have to endure so many plot points these days?

“Boss, look! I think I see a shadow on the water,” a man named Wang Er suddenly shouted, holding up his torch. But the group of men all looked over and saw nothing.

“Wang Er, are you blind? Where is there anyone?”

“Yeah, Wang Er, it’s so dark. Don’t tell me you’re seeing ghosts?”

“Boss, believe me, I really saw someone,” Wang Er insisted.

“Mhm, wait a bit. People can’t stay underwater for long,” the leader of the men said, looking at the calm lake. The sun had already set, and the light was fading. They had to find them quickly.

At the same time, under the water, although Ji Wan had prepared herself and taken a deep breath before being pulled down, she couldn’t hold it forever, especially with a group of people waiting above. Ji Wan’s cheeks were puffed out, and she felt incredibly uncomfortable. Involuntarily, small bubbles escaped from her mouth. In the water, Ji Wan looked at Huangfu Yue’s beautiful face and blinked helplessly, signaling that she couldn’t hold on much longer.

But Huangfu Yue only looked at the torchlight above the water, tapping her own lips with her index finger, signaling for Ji Wan to hold on a little longer. But Ji Wan felt her consciousness starting to fade. More and more little bubbles escaped from her mouth.

“Wang Er, it’s been so long. There’s no one here. You must have been mistaken,” another man said impatiently.

“Boss, just wait a little longer. I really did see them,” Wang Er said, feeling a bit unsure of himself now that his companions were doubting him.

“Let’s go. Don’t waste time. If we don’t find them, we won’t have time. The Lord won’t care about our lives,” the leader said calmly, looking at the peaceful water. But Wang Er was still not ready to give up. After the main group left, he stayed behind to look around.

Ji Wan was at her limit, and now there was still one person above. She finally couldn’t hold on any longer. Ji Wan looked at Huangfu Yue, who was closest to her. Her consciousness was fading, and she began to see things. Acting on pure instinct for survival, Ji Wan lunged toward Huangfu Yue’s face.

Huangfu Yue was a bit confused as Ji Wan came closer. In the next second, her cheeks were held, and she watched as Ji Wan lunged forward, wanting to take the oxygen from her mouth. But Ji Wan’s consciousness had already faded, and she had no strength to grab the little bit of oxygen Huangfu Yue had. Finally, Ji Wan felt her vision go dark and she passed out.

On the shore, Wang Er rubbed his eyes after seeing no one. “Looks like my eyes really are playing tricks on me.” With that, he too left.

Watching the light on the shore gradually disappear, Huangfu Yue swam to the surface with Ji Wan.

Inside a hidden cave, a fire was set up. Huangfu Yue took off her wet clothes and sat across from Ji Wan in her undergarments. She looked at Ji Wan, who was lying unconscious on the ground, with a complex expression. She reached up and touched her own lips, a complex look in her eyes. She recalled the soft touch from a moment ago and the way Ji Wan had tried to open her lips.

Huangfu Yue shook her head, not wanting to remember. She felt a bit strange tonight. She knew Ji Wan’s actions were just a desperate attempt to survive, but she couldn’t ignore that brief contact. The memory was like a poison, replaying over and over in Huangfu Yue’s mind. Her cheeks, illuminated by the firelight, showed a rare blush. She looked at Ji Wan with a complex gaze, her thoughts drifting far away.

It wasn’t until the unconscious Ji Wan let out a pained whimper that Huangfu Yue remembered she hadn’t taken off Ji Wan’s wet clothes. She looked at the soaked Ji Wan and felt a bit awkward. But remembering the girl’s fragility, she knew that if she didn’t take off the wet clothes, even a small cold could cost her her life.

Finally, Huangfu Yue reluctantly stood up and approached Ji Wan. She knelt down and carefully undid the ribbons she had just tied that morning. Slowly, the girl was peeled out of her wet clothes like a fresh egg from its shell, revealing her fair, tender skin. Ji Wan’s long, flowing hair was wet, sticking to her tight, cute cheeks. Her long, black eyelashes were also wet, hanging limply. The flickering firelight danced on the girl’s fair skin.

For some reason, Huangfu Yue felt her lips go dry. Looking at the girl’s pitiful, water-soaked appearance, Huangfu Yue was captivated for a moment. But then her hand stopped at the delicate ribbon of Ji Wan’s inner garment. Huangfu Yue quickly realized what she was doing and pulled her hands back as if she had been shocked. Her heart pounded, and a rare blush appeared on her face.

She quickly calmed herself, picked up Ji Wan’s wet clothes, and turned to dry them by the fire. But she made sure to place Ji Wan in her blind spot.