Snuggling for Survival: A Quick Transmigration Tale - Chapter 15

A-Yuan felt conflicted as he looked at the woman before him, whose expression was clouded with confusion.

Remembering nothing and returning to the base of the mountain to resume her ordinary life was the best choice for her. Moreover, this was exactly what Li Yuan had wanted.

Clutching the small pouch in his hand, A-Yuan spent the entire trek down the mountain deep in thought. It was only when they reached the foot of the trail that he finally handed the small red pouch to Yu Yu.

The little red bag was bound with golden silk thread and embroidered with patterns Yu Yu did not recognize. The pouch looked stiff, but it felt soft and squishy to the touch.

“What is this?” Sensing that the item was precious—and noting it came directly from the male lead—Yu Yu’s confusion deepened.

A-Yuan looked at the object and fabricated an explanation. “Think of it as a lucky charm. Carrying it will be good for you; it will keep you safe.”

He did not know how to tell her that Li Yuan’s soul was inside that bag. Looking at the bewildered Yu Yu, he feared she might accidentally toss it away half-way through her journey. After a moment of thought, he pulled a red string from his robe.

Yu Yu watched as one end of the red string wound around her wrist while the other connected to the red pouch. Before she could even express her surprise, the string vanished from sight.

Yu Yu’s heart jumped into her throat. She had not committed some heinous crime in this world, had she?

[!!!! Is the protagonist casting a curse on me?!]

Six-Six had only just returned to its host’s side and had not yet fully grasped what had happened in this world during its absence. However, having gained more authority after the upgrade, the system now understood the general outline of the world’s events.

Since the upgrade, the system had become slightly more composed, even adding a pair of fake small glasses to its digital forehead. The system immediately launched into an explanation. [No, this world has added supernatural elements. The male and female leads are disciples of a Taoist master, and they have been leveling up by fighting monsters. This was their first major mission, and their temperaments are not yet fully mature. The things they give you will not cause any harm. Keep it for now; I have detected a very powerful energy inside this red pouch. Keeping it might even be beneficial for us.]

Finding the upgraded system much more reliable, Yu Yu trusted it completely.

She carefully tucked the small red pouch into her chest pocket and nodded. “Okay, I will keep it with me always.”

Seeing that she did not harbor any further suspicions, A-Yuan looked at Yu Yu once more, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.

Yu Yu looked back at him, wondering what else the male lead had to say. However, he remained stuck in a state of wanting to speak but finding no words. They stood at the crossroads for a long time before he finally gave up.

“Where are you headed next?” The female lead finally stepped in to break the stalemate, unable to watch any longer.

Yu Yu lowered her head and smiled. Since she was about to leave this world anyway, she felt there was no harm in answering vaguely. “I am going home. There is nowhere else for me to go.”

She politely declined their offer to escort her. As she sorted through her thoughts, she felt a gap in her memory as if something had been forgotten. However, in the presence of the protagonists, she did not dare to be too bold by asking the system to check.

Her heart felt strangely empty. Yu Yu touched her chest, feeling a faint, bittersweet ache.

After parting ways with the protagonist group, Yu Yu had no real goal. The only memories left in her head were of her role as a cannon fodder character, and even those had been clarified by the system.

[So, how did I get into that Li family manor without anything happening to me?]

[Because you were kicked out!] The system played small images in Yu Yu’s mind. The scenes from before it left for the upgrade were perfectly replicated in the system’s core, and Yu Yu’s memories slowly began to return.

However, everything after the system’s departure remained a total blank.

In a place where Yu Yu could not see them, the protagonist group showed very little joy on their faces.

It felt as though time had passed quickly, but in reality, they had spent a significant amount of time in that manor. It had taken three days and three nights just to gather all the souls inside, and even then, it was only possible with Li Yuan’s help. The souls in the side courtyard were easy enough to handle, but the main manor where Old Madam Li resided was a nightmare for A-Yuan and Lin Yu.

When their master first sent them here, they had not realized how serious the situation was. Even when they first met Li Yuan, they had maintained an air of confidence. It was only when Old Madam Li’s resentment and obsession enveloped them that a sense of dread slowly began to rise.

“If it were not for Li Yuan, we might have all died there.” Even the memory made A-Yuan’s face turn pale. His hands were still shaking at the thought of those few days.

Lin Yu fell silent for a moment and then gave a serious nod.

At the most critical moment, Li Yuan had swallowed all the resentment. The accumulated spite and obsession of hundreds of years, combined with countless vengeful spirits, created a terrifying energy that they simply could not have handled.

Even after consuming so much, Li Yuan was able to maintain her sanity for a brief period.

“If it were not for the Spirit-Binding Bag Master gave us…” Lin Yu’s eyes turned red as she recalled how Li Yuan had suppressed all her own energy and willingly entered that red pouch. She could not stop the tears from falling.

The red-haired girl behind them broke down in sobs. She was overcome with guilt, regretting how poorly she had treated Yu Yu that day. She and the chubby boy never wanted to go on an “adventure” like this ever again.

After crying for some time, Lin Yu finally composed herself. She thought about how A-Yuan had tethered the Spirit-Binding Bag to Yu Yu. “Is it really alright not to bring the bag back to Master?”

“She saved our lives. It is all thanks to that girl. Being with the person she loves is likely what she wanted. A powerful soul that is neither living nor dead is not something we can truly control. Allowing her to stay in the place she loves most is the only way to soothe her.” A wave of exhaustion washed over A-Yuan. His eyes were tired, and his voice was faint as he explained. “Perhaps many years from now, even the Spirit-Binding Bag will not be able to contain that powerful energy. When that time comes, we will have to see if Li Yuan wins, or if…”

The rest of the sentence remained unspoken.

A violent, immortal soul needs soothing, but Yu Yu is just an ordinary human. Can a lifespan of a hundred years truly keep her calm?

What happens one day when Yu Yu grows old and passes away?

No one dared to guess what the final outcome would be. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy again.

[Why can’t we leave?] Yu Yu sat beneath a tree, her expression pained.

Finally, the system had upgraded, and she was able to take on slightly higher-level roles instead of just being a nameless passerby. Yet, at this crucial moment, the system had glitched. The portal to the next world simply would not open.

How could this happen?

[This…] The system was also in a panic. It had clearly opened the door, but it felt as though there was a wall blocking their path. The door was right there, but they could not even step a single foot through it.

After trying several more times, Yu Yu felt as if she was banging her head against a brick wall.

A red mark had already formed on her forehead. Yu Yu rubbed her brow helplessly, her voice sounding muffled. [Should you check again to see what exactly is going on?]

Who was so bold as to prevent her from leaving this world?

The mission target that allowed her to absorb energy had already disappeared. Even if she could stay in this world temporarily, she would explode once her energy was depleted. Traveling to the next world to find a new target and continue absorbing energy was her top priority.

The little ball of light spun around in circles. After a thorough check, it realized it was not a system error. It locked its gaze onto the red pouch in Yu Yu’s chest.

Yu Yu looked at the red lucky bag in her hand with a complex expression, unable to believe it. [So, you mean I have to throw this thing away?]

[Yes!]

[But you just said this thing has massive energy that might help me.]

[But this is an item of this world. If you carry it, you cannot go to the next world.] The system felt a bit guilty. The item was good, but if it could not be taken along, there was nothing to be done.

After thinking it over, Yu Yu agreed with the system. She touched the red bag and sighed. This was a gift from the protagonist, so it certainly was not anything bad, but if she could not take it, she had no choice.

Reluctantly, she placed the red bag at the base of the tree and gave it a little poke with her finger. Yu Yu felt helpless. After lingering for a few more moments, she stood up to leave.

However, the moment she was more than a meter away from the pouch, the object seemed to have a life of its own and flew right back into her hand.

With a racing heart, Yu Yu watched the pouch bounce back like it was on a spring. She was stunned until she remembered the red thread the male lead had used to tie her to the bag.

The pouch was acting like a rogue; she could not throw it away no matter what. After several failed attempts to discard it, Yu Yu was ready to give up. As expected, she should not have been greedy for the protagonist’s things; this was not something a minor cannon fodder like her should have received.

With a slumped posture, Yu Yu was completely out of options.

It seemed the red pouch had grown resentful from being thrown away so many times. It stuck itself directly to Yu Yu’s chest, and she could not pry it off.

[What should we do?] Yu Yu could not even pull it off. After trying several times, she became frustrated. Faint traces of black smoke seemed to seep from the red bag, but Yu Yu could not see them clearly. Looking closer, she thought it was just her imagination.

[How about we just put it into the system’s brain space? Let us find a way to take it with us.] The system was also frantic. The energy in this small bag was far more powerful than its own. That was only what it could perceive; if the bag were to break, there was no telling how much energy would explode. It was impossible to cross the threshold into the next world like this, but perhaps taking it along as stored data was possible.

Opening its system page, Six-Six linked Yu Yu’s data with the small lucky bag while simultaneously connecting itself. The linked data formed a small opening that did not touch the gates of space-time, allowing the pouch to be tossed directly into the system space.

The unfamiliar environment caused the red bag to jump slightly, but the linked data seemed to share certain information with it. After struggling for only a few seconds, it settled down.

[Let us go! Let us go! We can enter the next world now!]

As the blocking energy vanished, Yu Yu’s mood brightened. Following the system’s instructions, her body passed through the rift.