The Villain Recognizes the Female Lead as His Master [Transmigration] - Chapter 19

The wind howled and snow swirled outside as Chi Jinnian fastened her cloak and stepped out of the cave, making her way down the mountain step by step.

The path was shrouded in darkness, the moonlight dim and hazy. Chi Jinnian moved forward slowly, her thoughts unsettled.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that leaving Yuan Shao alone in that cave wasn’t right. But then again, Yuan Shao, blessed with the protagonist’s halo, would surely emerge unscathed from any danger.

Besides, the storage pouch she had left for Yuan Shao was fully stocked with food, medicine, and all the daily necessities one could need. And with the male lead on his way to fetch her soon, everything would be fine. Chi Jinnian comforted herself with these thoughts.

Her mind wandered, and for a moment, she lost track of her direction. She didn’t recall passing through this dense forest on her way up the mountain. The dark trees, tightly wrapped in vines, cast eerie shadows under the moonlight, filling the air with an unsettling atmosphere.

Distracted, Chi Jinnian misstepped and tripped over a tangle of vines.

Her ankle took the brunt of the fall, likely sprained, and throbbed with pain.

As she fell, the vines snagged the small embroidered pouch at her waist the one that had once held talismans.

Rubbing her wrist, Chi Jinnian noticed the reddened skin on her pale arm. She struggled to sit up and picked up the pouch.

Of course. Without the protagonist’s halo, everything went wrong the moment her path diverged from Yuan Shao’s.

Frustrated, her fingers tightened around the pouch and then she sensed something amiss.

Hadn’t she used all the talismans on Huang Er? The pouch should have been empty. Yet now, she could clearly feel something tucked inside.

Her nimble fingers untied the pouch’s drawstring, revealing a small, neatly folded red cloth bag.

It was unmistakable the protective charm she had given Yuan Shao the day before.

But how had it ended up in her possession? Who had put it there? Yuan Shao?

Did that mean Yuan Shao knew about her plan? Impossible!

There was no time to dwell on it. She had to return the charm to Yuan Shao immediately!

With the charm in hand, she could at least argue that her intentions had been genuine if Yuan Shao ever confronted her. Otherwise, wouldn’t she just be the villain who had callously abandoned someone in danger?

With that thought, Chi Jinnian immediately turned around and ran back the way she had come.

In her haste, she paid little attention to her footing, stumbling through the uneven terrain as she raced toward the cave from memory.

The wind whipped at her skirt, only to be subdued by her cloak. But just as the cave entrance came into view, her foot slipped, and she plunged into an endless abyss of darkness.

She fell for what felt like an eternity, yet the expected pain never came. Instead, a force, accompanied by the faint scent of mint wrapped around her waist.

When Chi Jinnian opened her eyes and saw the face before her, her initial excitement was quickly replaced by dread.

Why was Yuan Shao here?

“What are you doing here?” Yuan Shao voiced the very question in Chi Jinnian’s mind.

“I ” Before she could answer, the “ground” beneath them shifted, and another dizzying drop sent them tumbling downward once more, accompanied by Chi Jinnian’s scream.

Just before impact, Yuan Shao formed a quick hand seal, softening their landing or rather, softening hers. Because Chi Jinnian remained securely cradled in Yuan Shao’s arms the entire time.

“Master!” Chi Jinnian quickly scrambled to her feet after landing, eager to check on Yuan Shao’s condition. But Yuan Shao seemed indifferent to her own state, her grip on Chi Jinnian’s wrist unrelenting.

It was as if the slightest loosening would allow Chi Jinnian to slip away from her grasp.

She stared intently at the other, silent, yet the pressure in her hand grew increasingly stronger.

Chi Jinnian had already fallen in the dense forest earlier, leaving her wrist slightly swollen and tender. Yuan Shao’s forceful grip sent a sharp, piercing pain through her, and in an instant, tears began to spill uncontrollably. “Master, please be gentler. it hurts.”

Chi Jinnian’s tears snapped Yuan Shao back to her senses. She abruptly released her grip, but instead of offering comfort upon seeing the reddened swelling on the other’s wrist, she demanded, “What were you doing out so late at night instead of sleeping?”

“I” Chi Jinnian didn’t know how to answer. She wasn’t sure whether Yuan Shao had spotted her the moment she emerged or if she had been following her all along.

Before Chi Jinnian could respond, a deafening roar echoed from behind them. In the darkness, a pair of glowing yellow orbs appeared out of nowhere.

The orbs drew closer, accompanied by the sound of something massive scraping against the stone walls. Under the moonlight filtering through the collapsed opening above, Chi Jinnian saw it the giant serpent!

With a single flick of its tongue, the serpent unleashed a fireball hurtling toward them.

Acting on instinct, Chi Jinnian tackled Yuan Shao to the ground. They rolled several times, narrowly avoiding the fireball. But the scattered embers still landed on Chi Jinnian’s robes, leaving behind charred holes of varying sizes.

“Master! That’s the one!” Chi Jinnian pointed at the serpent. “That’s what I told you about!”

Yuan Shao turned her head. The serpent towered three stories high, undoubtedly a formidable foe.

However, its massive size seemed to hinder its movements, making it sluggish. Slowly, it turned its head, fixing its glowing yellow eyes on the two of them before preparing to spew another fireball.

This time, Yuan Shao didn’t wait idly. She shielded Chi Jinnian beside her and raised both hands, conjuring a luminous white circular barrier in front of them. The fireball crashed into the barrier and ricocheted back, striking the serpent squarely in its left eye.

The impact must have been excruciating the glow in its left eye dimmed instantly, clearly severely injured.

A thunderous howl erupted as the serpent thrashed its head wildly, shaking the entire cavern. Dust and debris rained down from the trembling walls, coating them both. Chi Jinnian hastily pulled out her cloak, draping it over Yuan Shao’s head to shield her pristine white robes from the grime.

But both of them could tell the serpent was enraged.

After a brief lull, the uninjured right eye glowed brighter. A low, continuous growl rumbled from its throat before it suddenly lunged toward them.

Yuan Shao swiftly formed another spell with one hand while clutching Chi Jinnian with the other, pulling her away in a rapid retreat. But it was clear her strength, not yet fully recovered, was waning. Her once-fair complexion had turned ashen, and despite the frigid environment, beads of sweat trickled down her temples. She was nearing her limit.

Yet she didn’t retreat. Still shielding Chi Jinnian behind her, the hand holding the barrier trembled faintly.

Chi Jinnian watched as the other person shielded her, suddenly feeling that her earlier intention to abandon them alone in the cave was rather unkind.

“Master, I’m sorry…” Chi Jinnian murmured. “It’s all my fault. I dragged you into this.”

Yuan Shao heard her words but didn’t turn to meet her gaze.

Gradually, Yuan Shao’s spiritual energy dwindled, and the protective barrier surrounding the two of them weakened.

The giant serpent seemed to sense Yuan Shao’s exhaustion and waited patiently until the light before them completely faded before coiling its body slightly.

Chi Jinnian knew it was gathering strength to charge at them.

Before she could think further, the serpent indeed lunged toward them at an incredible speed, spewing a massive fireball, this attack was far more intense than all the previous ones combined.

“Master!” Instinctively, Chi Jinnian pushed Yuan Shao aside but couldn’t dodge in time herself.

Just as the fireball was about to strike, a beam of white light descended from above. Then, a white figure, strikingly similar to Yuan Shao, appeared at the edge of Chi Jinnian’s vision.

If she wasn’t mistaken, that was the male lead of the entire story, Yuan Shao’s true disciple, Su Tingxi.

The man brandished his sword, piercing straight into the serpent’s remaining glowing eye. With a leap, he descended from the serpent’s body and unleashed three flashes of light, neutralizing the fireball.

However, the collision of spiritual forces created a violent backlash. A blinding light and an invisible force lifted Chi Jinnian’s body and flung her backward. The red-clad figure soared through the air before crashing to the ground.

The fall itself wasn’t the worst of it by sheer misfortune, Chi Jinnian’s teeth clamped down on her tongue, filling her mouth with the metallic tang of blood.

Compared to the pain in her backside, the sting in her mouth was far more excruciating.

“Ah Nian!” Yuan Shao rushed to Chi Jinnian’s side immediately, crouching down and cradling her delicate, peach-blossom face in her hands. From her gaze, Chi Jinnian seemed to catch the glimmer of unshed tears.

Just as Chi Jinnian tried to speak, a trickle of blood escaped the corner of her lips.

Hiss, who knew biting your tongue could hurt this much!

The pain was so intense it robbed her of speech. The searing ache twisted Chi Jinnian’s expression, and involuntary tears welled up one after another.

But as that crimson line traced down Chi Jinnian’s lips, Yuan Shao’s eyes darkened abruptly.

Those once-affectionate peach-blossom eyes turned chillingly cold in an instant.