The Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Character is Still Alive Today - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: An Shu

235

Gui An silently swept the peach slice off her skirt: “It’s alright.”

Bai Yao said to Luo Qi: “Master Gui An wasn’t going to hit me; she was just asking me a question.”

Luo Qi nodded, still keeping one arm extended to shield Bai Yao.

Seeing Luo Qi’s action, Gui Lan laughed out loud and also reached out to pull Gui Wang into her arms. Gui Wang once again gave her a cold glare, but didn’t try to struggle free.

236

Gui An walked up to Bai Yao and pulled a wooden plaque from her sleeve.

“Is this the one Miss Bai spoke of?”

Bai Yao looked at the wooden plaque. The book had only mentioned a “free” (免) character on the blood-stained plaque. Now, looking closely, Bai Yao recognized the four characters written on it: “Death Exemption Gold Plaque”.

After recognizing those four characters, Bai Yao was initially overjoyed, but after seeing the arrangement and style of the characters, Bai Yao slowly typed out an internal…

237

Is this the “Death Exemption Gold Plaque” I often see in books and dramas?

But why does the layout look a little crooked?

And why does the calligraphy look a little clumsy?

238

Gui An tucked the wooden plaque back into her sleeve and said to Bai Yao: “Now, Miss Bai should answer me: How did you know I possess this wooden plaque?”

Bai Yao spoke with great seriousness: “If I tell you, I fear no one will believe me.”

Bai Yao did not change her expression: “Actually, I am a fortune teller.”

Bai Yao continued: “I was born with spiritual powers and can, to a certain extent, predict future events. A few days ago, I had a dream where I was being chased and attacked by a group of black-clad men. Later, a woman in white appeared and used a wooden plaque to save me.”

Bai Yao asserted confidently: “When I saw you today, I recognized immediately that you look very much like the woman in my dream.”

After she finished speaking, everyone in the room fell silent, staring at Bai Yao.

In the long silence, Bai Yao cleared her throat: “Cough, well…”

“Luo Qi believes you.”

Bai Yao was startled. Luo Qi had stepped forward.

Holding Bai Yao’s wrist, she stated confidently: “I believe Yao Yao’s words.”

239

Bai Yao turned her wrist and grasped Luo Qi’s hand.

Looking up, Bai Yao felt as if she saw the shimmering halo of an angel floating above Luo Qi’s head.

This world is cruel and cold; only the Female Lead offers me the warmth of truth, goodness, and beauty.

240

The moment Luo Qi’s words fell, Gui Lan laughed.

She pointed at Luo Qi and said to Gui Wang: “Look at Qi Qi, she’s like a little chick guarding its food.”

With Gui Lan’s jest, the atmosphere completely relaxed.

Gui An smiled and asked Bai Yao: “Since Miss Bai can divine through dreams, did you also dream about who gave me this wooden plaque?”

According to the conventions of various TV dramas and books, there is only one person who can grant a Death Exemption Gold Plaque.

Bai Yao said: “Did Qin Mang give it to you?”

Realizing belatedly that she should have addressed him with the title “Emperor,” Bai Yao was about to correct herself when Gui An said: “Yes.”

Patting Luo Qi on the shoulder, Gui An said: “Stop being so tense. Lend Miss Bai to me for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. I’m going to show her around.”

241

Gui An led Bai Yao to fly down the Sea of Suffering Cliff. Bai Yao followed her and saw Gui An walk a few steps to the largest peach tree. She looked up and then simply collapsed onto the grass.

Gui An raised her hand and beckoned to Bai Yao: “Miss Bai, come here.”

Bai Yao walked over and sat down beside Gui An. After a moment’s thought, she simply lay down, mimicking Gui An’s posture.

Gui An smiled and said: “Miss Bai, are the peaches from Sea of Suffering Cliff delicious?”

Bai Yao nodded: “They are delicious.”

She genuinely sighed: “This is truly a great treasure land.”

Gui An said upon hearing this: “But many years ago, this treasure land was hidden in the clouds and mist, unknown to anyone.”

Gui An turned to look at Bai Yao: “Miss Bai, guess who discovered this place?”

The book had mentioned it briefly. Bai Yao replied: “Was it you?”

As for how exactly she discovered it, the book didn’t elaborate.

But she vaguely figured it must have been an accidental discovery while practicing Qinggong or perhaps the peaches on the cliff smelled so good that she followed the scent.

Gui An said: “It was me. I also named it.”

Unaware of Bai Yao’s wild speculation, Gui An pointed to the towering peak above: “I jumped from up there, intending to die, but I landed here instead.”

Bai Yao: “…”

Gui An continued: “It was a mistake in calculation. I initially saw how high the mountain was and thought jumping would surely kill me.”

She added with regret: “Who knew there was a cliff halfway down?”

Bai Yao: “…”

242

Subject: Bai Yao.

Malfunctioning Skill: Complaining/Snark.

Malfunction Status: Shattered.

Cause of Malfunction: Severe trauma.

Repairing, repairing.

Rebooting.

243

Gui An patted the soft grass beneath her: “I fell onto this patch of grass. Finding I didn’t die, I just lay there and didn’t move.”

Bai Yao asked puzzledly: “Why didn’t you move?”

Gui An answered calmly: “I originally planned to lie there and be eaten by wild beasts.”

She added: “The wild beasts didn’t arrive, but a peach fell down and hit me in the face.”

Bai Yao: “And then you discovered gravity?”

Gui An blinked. The face of the still-beautiful woman showed a girlish playfulness: “No. Then I discovered that the peaches here are exceptionally delicious.”

Gui An said: “I sat up and ate several of them. I was full. And then I didn’t want to die anymore.”

244

So the saying that peaches can calm your nerves was actually told to Gui Lan by you, wasn’t it?

It was you, wasn’t it?

245

While Bai Yao was completely focused on the “peach problem,” Gui An said: “But now, I still have to die.”

She raised an arm and pulled back her sleeve.

Her fair arm was clearly wrapped with many thread-like black veins, coating the entire arm like a spiderweb.

Gui An held the wooden plaque between her fingers, shaking it slightly: “This wooden plaque, I earned it with my life back then.”

246

Rewind time by more than ten years.

In those days, the royalty of Shi Yu also had dedicated guards, but they weren’t yet called Dark Disciples.

Gui An was highly skilled in martial arts and medicine. She was the most outstanding among those guards.

But she fell in love with the wrong person.

Bai Yao asked doubtfully: “The Emperor?”

Gui An shook her head and smiled softly: “His sister.”

Qin Mang’s sister, Princess Rongning of Shi Yu, Qin Shu.

Bai Yao remembered that the princess was married off early to Shui Yan (Water Color) for a political alliance.

Gui An recalled: “Someone broke into the palace that year. I exchanged my life for Qin Mang’s life. He promised me one wish.”

“So, I asked him for Qin Shu.”

Gui An smiled to herself: “But who knew the Emperor’s word didn’t count either? He heard my request and had me thrown out immediately.”

Gui An continued: “But on the day before Shu’er left the Imperial Palace for Shui Yan, he found me again and gave me this wooden plaque.”

Gui An rubbed the crooked carvings on the plaque a few times: “It’s ugly, isn’t it? There was no such thing in the palace back then; he figured it out and made it himself.”

She clasped the plaque back into her palm and said: “Qin Mang told me that this plaque could save my life if I committed a capital offense. He told me to use this life well to do what I wanted to do.”

Bai Yao said: “Did he mean for you to—”

Gui An nodded: “Exactly. That’s what I thought, too.”

She said: “He wanted me to take Shu’er away.”

But in the book, Qin Shu successfully arrived in Shui Yan.

Bai Yao said: “But you ultimately didn’t succeed.”

Gui An said: “Almost.”

She sat up, vaguely recalling that day: she had fought her way to the sedan chair, lifted the curtain ecstatically, only to be met with the woman’s angry eyes.

“Who do you think I am? I am a princess of the nation. I bear the glory and peace of Shi Yu on my back.”

Gui An closed her eyes, pulling her sleeve back over her wrist, covering the ferocious poison marks: “After the moment of impulse passes, one can figure out many things.”

Just as then, facing Qin Shu’s cold eyes, her passionate fervor instantly drained away. She vaguely recalled that she was merely a person of limited fortune whose life would not be long.

Gui An turned back and said: “But Miss Bai miscalculated one thing.”

She said: “I’ve already used this wooden plaque once.”

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Imperial Guards, after all, knew too many royal secrets that could not be told to outsiders.

Even without taking Qin Shu, Gui An couldn’t have left the palace alive on her own.

She stood on the palace wall, covered in blood, and raised the wooden plaque in her hand toward the arriving Qin Mang.

Qin Mang waved his hand. A thousand archers lowered their bows, granting her a path to survival.

Gui An said: “A Death Exemption Gold Plaque that has already been used once is probably useless.”

Bai Yao stepped forward and grabbed Gui An’s wrist: “No! I think it’s very feasible!”

Since the text specifically gave it a close-up description, she didn’t believe this wooden plaque was just a worthless piece of junk.

Gui An was startled by Bai Yao’s assertive tone. She flipped the wooden plaque a few times in her hand, smiled, and said: “Alright. Then I’ll give it a try.”

248

Gui An went down the mountain alone and found a Dark Disciple who was still guarding the foot of the mountain. She handed the wooden plaque over.

Three days later, the foot of Gui Ming Mountain returned to silence.

Five days later, Lie Ruyang returned to Gui Ming Mountain. She flew directly onto the peak and, after taking three palm strikes from Gui Lan, she handed a letter to Gui An.

After reading the letter, Gui An followed Lie Ruyang down the mountain and met someone at the foot of the mountain.

Luo Qi and Bai Yao watched from afar. Bai Yao guessed that the person was probably Qin Mang, but they were too far away for her to sense any aura of a true son of heaven.

However, Lie Ruyang, standing next to them, kept looking over at Bai Yao, a strange, faint smile visible on her face despite the black half-mask.

After this happened a few times, a conscious Luo Qi took half a step forward, blocking the view between the two.

Her line of sight obstructed, Lie Ruyang raised an eyebrow and withdrew her gaze.

249

After returning from the foot of the mountain, Gui An transferred all her internal energy to Luo Qi.

Gui An said: “The poison has entered my heart meridian. I won’t survive anyway, so I can’t let this good martial arts skill go to waste.”

That night, surrounded by everyone, Gui An closed her eyes with a smile, as if falling into a sweet dream.

Gui An was buried at the Sea of Suffering Cliff.

In life, Gui An had sat countless times at the cliff edge, chewing on a large peach while her heart still yearned for the person she could not have.

She named this place Sea of Suffering Cliff. The name expresses the wish for the Sea of Suffering to have an end.

She was willing to be immersed in the Sea of Suffering, hoping that she wouldn’t have to turn back to reach the shore. Even if she charged with solitary courage against a brick wall, she would ultimately taste a sweet, fresh peach.

In the years that followed, although she was unable to reunite with the person she thought of day and night, she was finally able to be accompanied by the sweet peaches she loved deeply.

250

After the vigil ended, Bai Yao followed Luo Qi down the mountain, heading toward Jiang Qi.