The Possessive Villain Is Too Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 45

Time passed, and the world changed.

Thirty years flew by quickly. With Chu Ning by her side, Ye Zhixia welcomed her eternal rest in this world by the seaside.

After returning to the Quick Transmigration Bureau, Ye Zhixia organized the recent documents from her department and secretly used the Mirror of Time to watch Chu Ning live out her life.

Chu Ning not only turned the Chu Corporation into a leading national enterprise but also established an educational foundation, providing many impoverished children with the opportunity to attend school. From among them, she successfully selected an outstanding successor—Little Linghua.

The moment Chu Ning’s heart monitor flatlined, a strangely shaped white stone appeared on Ye Zhixia’s desk.

The stone’s surface was smooth, its outer layer translucent and hazy, as lustrous and refined as white jade. Yet, it had two inward indentations, as if it were incomplete.

Ye Zhixia regarded it as Chu Ning’s incarnation and fashioned a metal frame to wear it around her neck.

She waved her hand, summoning Xiao Mi.

“Are all the necessary preparations ready?” she asked softly.

Xiao Mi, now appearing as a girl of twelve or thirteen, stood straight and saluted. “Reporting, Minister! Everything is prepared!”

Ye Zhixia nodded and stood up, leading Xiao Mi into the transmigration pod.

–

A sharp pain surged through Ye Zhixia’s limbs, forcing her to open her eyes quickly.

Xiao Mi, transformed into an invisible flying cat, didn’t wait for Ye Zhixia’s orders before pulling out various elixirs and feeding them to her.

The pain in Ye Zhixia’s body eased, and her injuries healed rapidly.

This time, Ye Zhixia had taken over the body of a general from the Southern Sheng Dynasty who had died in battle.

The general had led troops to the southwestern border to fight against an allied force of southern tribes. However, the Southern Sheng emperor had issued multiple decrees ordering the general to withdraw his troops and return to the capital.

But how could a border general abandon the people?

Defying the imperial decree, the general led his elite soldiers and held the line for half a month.

Unfortunately, with supply lines cut off and reinforcements withdrawn by the court, the entire army was ultimately doomed to perish in battle.

Fortunately, all the civilians had evacuated before the city fell, ensuring the soldiers’ sacrifices were not in vain.

Only after Ye Zhixia’s soul fully merged with the corpse—already showing signs of lividity—did she realize she was now lying in a mountain of bodies.

A soldier tasked with clearing the battlefield noticed movement among the corpses and approached. Discovering Ye Zhixia was still alive, he quickly gathered others and escorted her to a tent where “enemies” were being held.

As she followed the soldiers, Ye Zhixia cracked her neck, adjusting to the body’s movements.

The southern tribes’ soldiers didn’t know she was the general. After a brief inspection, they grabbed her arm and threw her into a crowd, sneering, “Stay put!”

Ye Zhixia landed in a group of men, who made some space for her.

She chose to stand up, brushing off the dirt on her clothes, though the mud had long since dried and wouldn’t come off.

With a sigh, she walked over and sat down among the women.

Beside her was Qi Xin, the daughter of the Southern Sheng Ministry of War’s vice minister and the original general’s longtime friend.

A faint glimmer appeared in Qi Xin’s lifeless eyes. “Sister Ye… you’re alive?”

Then the light in her eyes dimmed again. “But it’s a pity we didn’t die…”

Ye Zhixia didn’t respond, only gently patting Qi Xin’s shoulder.

The Southern Barbarians not only launched military attacks against Nancheng but also secretly bribed many high-ranking officials to destabilize the court and persuade the Nancheng emperor to cede territory for peace.

Moreover, these treacherous ministers ruthlessly persecuted loyal officials, systematically eliminating all pro-war faction members during the peace negotiations. They even proposed that the Nancheng emperor use the families of loyal officials to appease the Southern Barbarians, sending them as slaves.

Now, inside the tents at the frontlines were the families of these loyal officials, delivered by Nancheng.

Ye Zhixia didn’t knock out the enemy and escape. She had to follow the slaves to the largest kingdom in the Southern Barbarian alliance—Li—because the villain she needed to save was among them.

That person was Ninghua, the Ninth Princess of Li.

Princess Ninghua was a cannon-fodder villain who dared to contend for power with her imperial brother, Duan Run, the future ruler of the realm.

In the original plot, Princess Ninghua had her own troops but refused to hand them over to her father or the then-Crown Prince Duan Run. With a simple scheme, Duan Run easily eliminated this ungrateful younger sister and absorbed her forces into his own.

Drawing from her experience in the previous world, Ye Zhixia carefully researched the details and uncovered the truth.

Princess Ninghua was the youngest daughter of the Li emperor. Her mother, a princess from the Western Rong who had come for a political marriage, died of illness when Ninghua was seven. Following his beloved consort’s wishes, the emperor sent her body to the Western Regions for a sky burial.

The Li emperor had five sons and four daughters. As a young princess who lost her mother early, Ninghua should have lived cautiously, treading on thin ice.

However, when the Western Rong princess married into Li, she brought thousands of guards. Later, she followed the emperor in his campaigns, incorporating many Southern Barbarian soldiers into her ranks.

These troops had always been under the Western Rong princess’s command. After her death, they became Ninghua’s backing.

From a young age, Ninghua excelled in horseback riding, archery, and swordsmanship, with her mastery of the nine-section whip being particularly exceptional.

Yet, at sixteen, she was sent to the Yanlin Tribe for a political marriage.

Defiant and competitive, Ninghua pretended to agree to the marriage. She led five hundred soldiers to the neighboring kingdom, intending to force the royal family to annul the marriage through sheer force.

But she fell victim to the emperor’s stratagem of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

During the three months she was away, the Li emperor and his sons repeatedly ordered her troops to serve as vanguards in various military campaigns.

Within just three months, victory reports poured in, but Ninghua’s army was nearly depleted.

Worse still, to conceal this ruthless scheme, the emperor and Duan Run launched a surprise attack on Yanlin before Ninghua could leave.

Amid the chaos, hidden arrows flew, and in the end, Princess Ninghua and her five hundred warriors perished in a foreign land.

Ye Zhixia silently pieced together the plot. Princess Ninghua was now fourteen, with two years left before she would be sent away for the political marriage.

–

Night fell, and the victorious Southern Barbarian soldiers drank and celebrated around bonfires.

Outside the tents, soldiers laughed and chatted, while inside, the slaves remained silent.

Before long, a few ugly-looking soldiers staggered into the tent, one of them reaching out to grab a young woman nearby.

The girl, about fifteen or sixteen, had fair skin and delicate features—clearly a sheltered noble lady. Trembling, she kept her head down, afraid to provoke the intruders.

Ye Zhixia stepped forward and slapped the soldier’s hand away.

“Brother, we’re slaves sent by Nancheng, not your captives. I doubt you can just do as you please with us, can you?”

Her voice was loud and confident, nothing like a starving slave who had survived on scraps for days.

The soldiers who barged in weren’t actually drunk—they were just emboldened by alcohol, using it as an excuse to wreak havoc.

“Who the hell are you, a defeated soldier, to meddle in my business?!”

As he spoke, the soldier reached for his blade.

Ye Zhixia struck his wrist with a swift chop, instantly numbing his hand and rendering him unable to draw the weapon.

Seeing this, the soldier’s companion also moved to unsheathe his sword, but Ye Zhixia didn’t hesitate, subduing him with the same technique.

One of the soldiers, a shifty-eyed man, took one look at the situation and bolted out of the tent, while the others remained inside, locked in a standoff with Ye Zhixia.

Her face was smeared with soot, her armor in tatters, yet she stood firm—a ragged but unyielding barrier between the Nanman soldiers and the women.

Before long, heavy footsteps echoed from outside.

The tent flap was thrown open, and a portly officer strode in.

The shifty-eyed soldier pointed at Ye Zhixia. “Captain, it’s her!”

The officer scoffed, though his tone held no real curiosity. “Hah, how did a stray from the Nansheng army slip in here?” He drew his blade casually, adding mockingly, “Couldn’t defend your city, and now you think you can protect these slaves?”

With that, he swung his sword at a young girl no older than four or five standing nearby.

Ye Zhixia’s eyes flashed. In the blink of an eye, she snatched a blade from one of the soldiers and slashed it across the Nanman captain’s throat.

The captain’s sword was kicked into a corner of the tent, and blood sprayed from his neck, staining the white canvas beside him.

The little girl, meanwhile, was safely shielded beneath Qi Xin.

Ye Zhixia gave Qi Xin a thumbs-up.

The surrounding Nanman soldiers froze for a moment, stunned—killing was nothing unusual to them, but this was their own camp, and the victim was their own captain!

They quickly retreated from the tent, scrambling to call for reinforcements.

The women inside looked at Ye Zhixia with deep gratitude.

But then a man in gray robes suddenly shouted, “You killed a Nanman captain! What if they take their anger out on us later?”

Before the other men could even lift their heads to chime in, a middle-aged woman slapped the gray-robed man hard across the face. “Didn’t you see those beasts trying to kill Xiao Yun? If you’re too useless to save her, at least don’t blame the one who did! How did our Chen family produce such a cowardly waste like you?”

Her slap was strong enough to draw blood from the man’s lip.

The other men, whether cowed by her strength or shamed by her words, lowered their heads and stayed silent.

Ye Zhixia thought for a moment, then gestured for everyone to stay quiet. She grabbed the dead captain by the collar and dragged his body outside.

Soon, torchlight flared beyond the tent. The leading general stared at the captain’s corpse, carelessly discarded by Ye Zhixia, and his voice rumbled like a lion’s growl. “You did this?”

Ye Zhixia stood tall and lean, meeting the general’s gaze evenly. “I take full responsibility. It was me.”

“Since you’re so honest, I’ll make it quick for you.” The general drew his sword.

Ye Zhixia and Xiao Mi braced for battle—but just then, the sound of galloping hooves cut through the air.

Everyone’s attention snapped toward the noise, even the sword-wielding general.

Only Ye Zhixia looked down at the pendant on her chest—the stone within it glowed faintly, though the light faded just as quickly.

A strikingly beautiful woman rode forth on horseback, clad in metallic armor with an overlord’s helmet upon her head, her entire demeanor radiating heroic vigor.

“Whoa—!” The newcomer reined her horse to a halt before the crowd.

All the soldiers knelt in reverence: “We pay homage to Princess Ninghua.”

Princess Ninghua’s face was as cold as frost as she swept her gaze over the surrounding people, then scrutinized Ye Zhixia, whose eyes held a trace of bewilderment.

“What brings you all gathered here?” Her voice was crisp and clear.

The general immediately reported, “This man killed Captain Ruan. I was just about to execute him.”

“Oh?” Princess Ninghua’s delicate brows furrowed as she lifted her chin, her eyes turning sharp. She pointed her sword hilt at Ye Zhixia. “You dare kill one of my soldiers in the military camp of our Eight-Nation Alliance?”

Ye Zhixia slightly parted his lips, wanting to say something, but it was as if his throat had been choked.

He could vaguely sense that there was something about Princess Ninghua—something eerily reminiscent of Chu Ning.

“Speak!” Princess Ninghua grew impatient with the wait.

Startled by her shout, Ye Zhixia quickly clasped his hands in salute. “Your Highness, your soldiers were drinking and celebrating, and a minor altercation arose with me. Later, this Captain Ruan arrived and sought to vent his anger by killing a child. I had no choice but to fight him…”

How could Princess Ninghua not know what his “minor altercation” truly meant?

The slaves sent by Nansheng were unarmed—how could they dare provoke the soldiers in the camp?

She dismounted, tightened her grip on her treasured sword, and strode purposefully into the tent.

The general, still kneeling on the ground, hastily rose and followed.

As Princess Ninghua passed in front of Ye Zhixia, the white stone hanging from his chest grew faintly warm.

Ye Zhixia found this strange, but fearing harm might come to the women and children inside the tent, he quickly followed the princess inside.

The bloodstains on the tent had oxidized into a reddish-brown hue. The Nansheng people seated on the ground looked up at the three who had entered.

Princess Ninghua surveyed the hundred or so people before her, understanding dawning in her heart.

Among them, eighty percent were women. Near the bloodstains, a timid four- or five-year-old girl dared not lift her head, as if traumatized by what had happened earlier.

Ye Zhixia’s claim that someone had “sought to kill a child in anger” was likely not false.

Princess Ninghua looked at Ye Zhixia, her gaze softening slightly. Ye Zhixia, in turn, met her eyes.

The white stone grew even hotter than before, deepening Ye Zhixia’s sense of unease.

After a moment, Princess Ninghua averted her gaze and once again regarded the Nansheng people before her.

“General Xu!” she called sharply.

“Your servant is here!” General Xu stepped forward with a salute.

Princess Ninghua turned, her icy voice laced with warning: “These Nansheng slaves were sent as tribute to the royal family of Li Kingdom. By what authority do you presume to deal with them?”

General Xu paled at her words—Princess Ninghua was subtly accusing them of disloyalty.

Realizing he could no longer touch Ye Zhixia or the slaves today, he could only reply meekly, “Your servant… would not dare.”

“If I do not see these one hundred and forty-eight Nansheng slaves—and this Nansheng soldier—in Li Kingdom,” Princess Ninghua’s tone turned ominous, “then I shall have no choice but to report this matter truthfully to His Majesty.”

Ye Zhixia frowned. When had the princess counted their numbers?

“Yes, Princess!” General Xu bowed to Princess Ninghua and then turned to leave the tent, loudly reprimanding his subordinates outside: “From today onward, no one is to trouble the envoys from Nansheng. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with just like Captain Ruan!”

The soldiers outside exchanged uneasy glances but dared not defy the general’s orders, responding with their loudest voices: “Yes!”

–

Ye Zhixia followed the main group to the capital of the Li Kingdom.

Thanks to Princess Ninghua’s earlier warning to General Xu, the Nansheng slaves also arrived safely.

To ensure their survival, their rations even improved slightly afterward.

Though Ye Zhixia was a woman, her strong and healthy physique earned her a job in the royal stables.

Every horse in the imperial stables was a fine steed.

“Ah!” A stablehand was sent flying out of a stall.

The eunuch explaining their duties to them was also startled and quickly turned toward the source of the commotion.

“Oh, my ancestors…” The eunuch didn’t dare approach, merely muttering under his breath, “It’s that wild horse of Princess Ninghua again.”

Hearing Princess Ninghua’s name, Ye Zhixia’s ears perked up immediately.

The eunuch pointed at a petite girl nearby. “You! Go feed that horse. You’re small—it won’t be able to kick you.”

Ye Zhixia stepped forward swiftly. “Sir! Let me take care of that horse. I used to work with horses back in Nansheng!”

As she spoke, she discreetly slipped a few pieces of broken silver into the eunuch’s hand.

The eunuch pocketed the silver, shaking his head inwardly—what a fool, bribing him just to tend to that unruly beast.

Ye Zhixia got her wish and was assigned to care for the horses, with full responsibility for Princess Ninghua’s steed, Liying.

During the handover, the previous stablehand, covered in injuries, warned Ye Zhixia that Liying had been brought back from the wild by Princess Ninghua. It had never been properly tamed, was extremely vicious, and showed no trace of docility.

Ye Zhixia waited patiently in the stables for Princess Ninghua’s arrival.

As she did, she revisited the plot in her mind. This Princess Ninghua seemed different from the one in the original story.

The original narrative hadn’t dwelled much on Princess Ninghua, but from what little was written, she came across as impulsive, straightforward, and lacking in cunning.

Yet, that day in the military camp, the veiled warning Princess Ninghua had given General Xu, along with the chilling aura around her, made Ye Zhixia suspect she was actually calm and meticulous.

Half a month later, when Princess Ninghua finally had some free time, her first act was to visit the stables to bond with Liying.

Princess Ninghua arrived at the royal stables alone—she wasn’t the pampered type who needed attendants and preferred solitude.

When she found Liying’s stall empty, fury ignited in her chest. Her eyes blazing, she turned to the eunuch nearby. “Where is my Liying?”

The eunuch, who usually avoided the stables due to the stench, had no idea where the horse had gone.

He stammered, head bowed, unable to answer.

A Nansheng woman sweeping the stables spoke up timidly, afraid of provoking the seemingly ill-tempered princess. “Ye Zhixia is in charge of Liying. She takes him out for runs every day. They’re probably still outside the grounds.”

Hearing this, Princess Ninghua hurried toward the training field.

Ye Zhixia was dozing on a wooden bench when Princess Ninghua arrived. In a few quick strides, the princess blocked the light in front of her.

Ye Zhixia slightly opened her eyes and saw Princess Ninghua before her. She closed them again, muttering, “Why isn’t Ningning in my dream today? Back to sleep!”

“Where is my Liying?” Princess Ninghua demanded sharply.

Startled, Ye Zhixia tightened her abs and sat up abruptly. “Oh, you’re real!” she exclaimed.

As she stood, the palace official frantically signaled for her to kneel in respect.

But Princess Ninghua, anxious about Liying’s whereabouts, paid no attention to such formalities. Her voice carried a hint of urgency, “Where have you taken my Liying? It’s a wild horse and could easily get lost!”

Ye Zhixia squeezed her eyes shut a few times to shake off the drowsiness, then formed a circle with her index and middle fingers and brought them to her lips. With a sharp blow, a clear whistle echoed across the open field. Soon, the sound of galloping hooves emerged from the nearby woods.

A pure black figure leaped over the high fence and charged toward Princess Ninghua and Ye Zhixia.

Liying’s glossy black coat was flawless, without a single stray hair. Its mane, flowing smoothly from head to neck, was equally dark. The horse’s robust and towering frame was a full size larger than any other in the stables.

Liying came to a halt before Ye Zhixia, but then, as if realizing something, it took a couple of steps toward Princess Ninghua.

Princess Ninghua stroked Liying’s back with relief. “It seems much stronger than before.”

Ye Zhixia proudly replied, “Of course! You were all too wary of its wild nature to let it out. Over time, it grew restless and even lost interest in food. When I took over, this poor thing was skin and bones.”

“Now it plays well, eats well, and sleeps well—naturally, it’s grown strong.”

With that, Ye Zhixia grabbed Liying’s reins, stepped onto the stirrup, and mounted the saddle.

“What?” Princess Ninghua exclaimed, her eyes flashing with surprise and displeasure. “I’ve never even ridden Liying before!”

From her high perch, Ye Zhixia leaned down and extended a hand to the princess.

Without hesitation, Princess Ninghua placed her hand in Ye Zhixia’s and leaped up, settling in front of her.

Ye Zhixia held the reins with both hands, encircling the princess between her arms while maintaining a careful distance.

Yet, a familiar yet unfamiliar scent drifted into Ye Zhixia’s nose—the metallic tang of the helmet, the fragrant balm from the hair ribbon, and the faint, elusive hint of lily in the strands of hair.

Though Princess Ninghua bore no resemblance to Chu Ning in appearance, her scent and the warmth of the white stone she carried seemed to whisper something to Ye Zhixia.

Lost in thought, Ye Zhixia recalled the Ningning who had once been her lifelong companion, and her nose tingled with emotion.

Only after Liying had leisurely circled the field twice did Ye Zhixia regain her composure.

She leaned close to Princess Ninghua’s ear and whispered, “This is a once-in-a-century celestial steed, born of heaven and earth. With it, you will gallop across battlefields, conquer the realm, and become the sovereign of the people!”

Princess Ninghua, who had been beaming with joy from her first ride on Liying, suddenly grew solemn at these words, lost in contemplation.

From behind, Ye Zhixia noticed the slight droop in the princess’s facial muscles, signaling the fading of her smile. With a flick of the reins, she called out, “Giddyap!”

Liying, understanding the command, surged forward at full speed.

After circling the field a few times, Ye Zhixia tightened the reins, and Shadowcat charged toward the fence, leaping over it and landing outside the arena.

Then, carrying both Ye Zhixia and Princess Ninghua, it galloped off into the distance.

The eunuch watched helplessly as Shadowcat carried the two away, momentarily at a loss.

“Prin… Princess, please come back at once!”

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