The Cannon Fodder Also Has a Will to Survive [Rebirth] - Chapter 16

Perhaps the look of utter exasperation on An Jiu’s face was too obvious, for the demoness finally lost her composure and burst into laughter. “Alright, truth be told, Ah Hua is missing. We’ve searched everywhere, but we have no idea where he’s gone.”

An Jiu hesitated, taking a long moment to find his words. “Um, is the security in the Demonic Palace really that poor?”

If a dog could simply run off and vanish, did that mean he who was surely more capable than a dog could do the same?

“…” The demoness looked at the boy, his eyes sparkling with hope and his every thought written clearly on his face. She felt a wave of pity. “Have you considered that perhaps Ah Hua didn’t want to run away? Perhaps he met with an accident?”

Oh, right. An Jiu slumped back down. He was so useless he couldn’t even cross the boundaries of Dongqi Peak, yet Lin Jingyuan had kidnapped him with ease.

He waved a hand listlessly. “Then what about this wedding feast? Should we just cancel it?”

The demoness shrugged. “Why cancel? It’s rare for things to be this lively. Everything is already decorated; we can’t let it go to waste.”

An Jiu thought, Is “waste” really the primary concern here?

He asked tentatively, “Then what about the groom?” Surely he wasn’t expected to perform a solo act? That would be incredibly awkward.

“There are plenty of people in the Demonic Realm,” she replied. “We’ll just grab someone to fill the slot.”

Well, that’s casual.

An Jiu offered a polite reminder: “Shouldn’t we ask the other party involved what they think?”

“Come and tell me then what are your thoughts?” A raspy voice sounded. Without turning around, An Jiu knew exactly who it was.

An Jiu’s expression shifted instantly, switching seamlessly to a sweet smile. “I have no thoughts, Your Majesty. Your word is law.”

“Since there are no objections, the wedding will proceed as scheduled.” Having said this, Lin Jingyuan remained standing where he was.

An Jiu had no choice but to sit back down and allow the wedding matron to comb his hair.

“One stroke to the end” “Two strokes for a long life together” “Three strokes for many children and”

“Can you please not say that out loud? It’s weird,” An Jiu interrupted. “Do I look like someone who can actually carry a child?”

The matron turned her gaze toward her Demonic Emperor.

Lin Jingyuan replied indifferently, “Indeed. The belly of a slop bucket only holds slop.”

“…” This man is truly wicked, An Jiu thought. Not only was he mocking An Jiu’s inability to conceive, but he was also calling him a trash-eater!

The final step was the bridal veil. Before it was lowered, An Jiu stopped them. “Your Majesty, do you know where Ah Hua went?”

Lin Jingyuan was reaching his limit. Even now, he’s still fretting over that dog!

He recalled the scene he had witnessed through the black crystal: the boy smiling so brightly at a dog, hugging it, and claiming they were partners. Ever since emerging from the Heart Demon Realm, Lin Jingyuan had viewed An Jiu as his personal possession. Shouldn’t those smiles and hugs be directed at him?

Lin Jingyuan let out a cold snort, his voice laced with a jealousy he hadn’t yet recognized. “I slaughtered him.”

He only said it to spite An Jiu. Having been the one to destroy the Beast-Crafting Pavilion, Lin Jingyuan actually found animals far more endearing than humans.

An Jiu, unaware of this history, widened his eyes in disbelief. A moment later, his eyes welled with tears. “You, how could you kill Ah Hua!” He forgot his fear for a moment, his voice rising in accusation.

“If I kill him, I kill him. Stop being so talkative.” Lin Jingyuan was so irritated that his tone became unintentionally harsh.

An Jiu flinched and didn’t dare say another word. Big, silent tears began to roll down his cheeks as he wept into his chest.

This was the first time Lin Jingyuan had seen this simple-minded creature cry so bitterly. His irritation vanished, replaced by a dull, throbbing ache in his chest. In the illusion, this boy had been willing to die for him; yet in reality, he cared more about a dog! But seeing the tears, Lin Jingyuan found his anger dissipated. Finally, brimming with bitter resentment, he flicked his sleeve and strode away.

The matron handed An Jiu a handkerchief. “It’s your wedding day; don’t cry your makeup off. It’s bad luck to cry for too long your future days won’t be easy.”

An Jiu took it and wiped his eyes, sounding mournful. “You don’t understand. My future days were never going to be easy anyway.”

Lin Jingyuan assumed An Jiu was crying because he missed Ah Hua. In reality, An Jiu was mourning his own fate. Lin Jingyuan wasn’t just “killing a dog” he was sending a warning!

What was the difference between him and Ah Hua? They were both just pets whose lives were held in the Emperor’s hands. Thinking of this, and recalling how Lin Jingyuan had essentially caused his death in his previous life, his grief became uncontrollable.

However, his emotions came and went quickly. He soon stopped crying because the matron began stuffing his hands with red dates, longans, and peanuts. “You won’t have a chance to eat all day. Keep some snacks on you, or you’ll starve.”

An Jiu, his eyes still red, reached out with both hands. The matron paused, then grabbed two more handfuls until his cupped palms were overflowing.

“Thank you.” An Jiu pulled out a small pouch and tucked the snacks away. Then, he pulled out another pouch, took out a pastry, and began nibbling on it. He looked up at the matron as if to say: See? I have food. I won’t starve.

The matron: “…” He’s a bit of a fool, but at least he’s polite.

For the rest of the ceremony, An Jiu was blind behind the veil. He only knew that someone came to receive him at the door. He caught a glimpse of the hand extended toward him; the fingers were well-defined, slender, and elegant a very beautiful hand.

They proceeded to bow to Heaven and Earth. An Jiu waited patiently for the other formalities to end.

What An Jiu didn’t know was that this wedding was actually a double performance. The “An Jiu” at the public banquet where An Yunge and Han Zhong were watching was a puppet. Even the “Demonic Emperor” presiding over that feast was merely a puppet infused with his aura.

An Yunge watched the “Bride An Jiu” being led by a grey-skinned demon, his expression shifting.

An Jiu.

He watched with rapt attention, but gradually, he sensed something was wrong. For instance, that person’s stride was slightly longer than An Jiu’s. Their waist wasn’t quite as slim. And the aura, he couldn’t sense An Jiu’s unique presence at all.

“That is not An Jiu!” An Yunge stated firmly.

Han Zhong’s tone was lazy. “Oh? What makes you say that?”

An Yunge shared his observations. Han Zhong glanced at him with a knowing smile. “You certainly observe him closely.”

He wasn’t just talking about the puppet. An Yunge frowned, quickly smoothing over his slip. “Though I cannot recall our past clearly, we were brothers for over a decade. It’s only natural that I would have a sense of familiarity.”

Unlike the original An Jiu, he didn’t falter or show guilt when faced with a suspicious gaze. Han Zhong turned back to the main stage, his eyes bored. “Stay here and keep things steady. I’m going out to look for him.”

An Yunge nodded subtly. Having Han Zhong look was the best choice. Lin Jingyuan was arrogant and wouldn’t care if a few Wan-Yan disciples went missing from the crowd, but he would definitely notice if An Yunge himself left. Furthermore, Han Zhong’s cultivation was high; if something went wrong, he could escape more easily.

Once they reached an agreement, Han Zhong performed a technique. Though he appeared to still be standing there, his presence vanished. He walked openly past the demon guards and Wan-Yan disciples, yet they only saw him as a passing stranger.

Meanwhile, the ceremony between An Jiu and the stranger had reached the point of the Heart Demon Oath.

An Jiu called a halt. “Wait! I don’t even know the name of the person I’m marrying. How am I supposed to make a Heart Demon Oath?”

The oath usually involved swearing never to betray or abandon one’s partner. For cultivators, an oath sworn upon one’s Heart Demon was a serious test; failure to uphold it would stall one’s cultivation forever. Most people hesitated out of fear of failure, but An Jiu was hung up on the name.

The person opposite him was silent for a long time before saying, “Skip this step.”

An Jiu froze upon hearing the voice. He whispered tentatively, “Lin?”

“Mhm.”

Lin Jingyuan answered quickly, his heart suddenly thudding. He wondered if An Jiu, now knowing his “identity” as the secret guard, would insist on completing the oath.

An Jiu didn’t mention the oath again. Instead, he gently squeezed the man’s hand.

Lin Jingyuan realized then that An Jiu might not be as stupid as he thought but he was still a fool. Even now, his first instinct was to consider the other person’s feelings. An Jiu likely thought ‘Lin’ was also being forced into this and didn’t want to make things difficult for him.

Sure enough, An Jiu spoke with a tone of comfort. “You’ve been wronged.”

Lin Jingyuan: “I don’t feel wronged.”

To think he would pity me truly a fool.

When Han Zhong followed the trail and arrived, he saw the ceremony drawing to a close.

While he couldn’t judge An Jiu’s identity by his gait, the existence of this second, private wedding confirmed An Yunge’s suspicion. He shifted his gaze to the other protagonist of the wedding.

His brow furrowed. Han Zhong had never seen Lin Jingyuan’s true face, knowing only his silver hair and heterochromatic eyes. Consequently, he didn’t recognize the man as the Emperor himself, but he was struck by the man’s aura. The tall, handsome man clearly didn’t look like an ordinary demon cultivator… at the very least, he was high-ranking, with cultivation perhaps equal to his own.

This was why Han Zhong didn’t dare draw any closer. After a moment’s thought, he decided to return to An Yunge. The plan to “kidnap” An Jiu would have to be moved up.

Marrying a dog was something they could have delayed it was just Lin Jingyuan’s way of humiliating the boy. But marrying a cultivator meant An Jiu’s status as a Heavenly Spirit Root would be discovered tonight. That would complicate things immensely.

If they wanted to fish in troubled waters, they had to muddy the pool first. He planned to arrange for someone to “raid” the wedding and snatch the bride.