When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 37

A sudden, subtle sting pricked her collarbone, followed immediately by the gentle brush of something damp and soft.

Shi Yining couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp, her slender fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the brocade quilt beneath her.

“Mo’er, what are you doing?”

Shumo lifted her head slightly, gazing directly into Shi Yining’s eyes. Her gaze was deep, filled with an evident stubbornness.

“This is punishment for your question just now. In the future, you are not allowed to speak of regrets or leaving me again…”

Her voice was no longer the cool, clear tone she used before outsiders, nor was it the gentle warmth she showed during their private moments. Instead, it was slightly low and hoarse, carrying an unquestionable sense of possessiveness and, if one listened closely, a hidden trace of insecurity.

Shi Yining’s heart softened. She reached up to stroke the jade-like face, her fingertips moving lightly to smooth the slightly furrowed brow.

“Alright…” she answered softly, “I won’t say it again…”

This response allowed Shumo’s tense nerves to relax slightly. She caught the warm, jade-like hand and pressed it against her cheek, nuzzling it repeatedly. Her voice was muffled as she said, “Yining must keep her word.”

Shi Yining gave a soft hum of affirmation. The texture beneath her fingertips felt wonderful; as she drew closer to those soft lips again, she instinctively gave them a little pinch.

Realizing what she had done, a flush of crimson immediately rushed to her cheeks. She hurriedly tried to withdraw her hand, but it was held tightly by the person before her.

“I like it when Yining treats me like this…” Shu Mo slowly guided her hand downward, inch by inch, pressing it gently over her own heart, letting the slightly hurried heartbeat convey a silent palpitation.

Too shy to look directly into those burning eyes, Shi Yining turned her face away: “Don’t… don’t tease me…”

Before she could finish, her waist suddenly tightened, and she was drawn into a warm embrace.

Then, a gentle nibbling sensation came from her earlobe. The weight of it, neither too light nor too heavy, brought a tingling itch that made her tremble uncontrollably.

“Mo’er…” Shi Yining protested weakly, her voice incredibly soft.

Warm breath brushed against her sensitive skin as Shu Mo whispered in her ear, her voice carrying a playful hint of laughter, “Wasn’t Yining quite bold just now? Why so shy all of a sudden?”

Speechless from the question, Shi Yining could only bury her increasingly burning cheeks into the woman’s shoulder.

This instinctive gesture of reliance softened Shumo’s gaze. She finally stopped her teasing and instead held her gently.

Deep down, she craved more. However, as Yining had said before, now was not the time. Their priority was to resolve the impending crisis and slowly pave the way for a long-term future…

……

After a night of sound sleep, the next morning arrived as the sky grew bright.

Shi Yining woke up slowly from her deep slumber. Opening her eyes, she found herself still held tightly in Shu Mo’s arms.

A faint, cool fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose—a familiar scent that brought peace of mind. As she moved her body slightly, her lips accidentally brushed against an extremely soft spot.

Woken by this tiny movement, Shu Mo’s slender hands tightened their grip around her waist.

Pressed close together, Shi Yining could clearly feel the woman’s steady and powerful heartbeat.

The morning light filtered through the gauze windows into the room. Looking at the perfect sleeping face inches away, she couldn’t resist reaching out to lightly stroke those exquisite features.

As she was lost in thought, the long, butterfly-wing lashes fluttered and slowly opened.

Meeting those eyes that were as bright as the stars, Shi Yining realized belatedly that her actions were too intimate. She hurriedly tried to retract her hand, but it was caught instantly.

A soft kiss was planted on her fingertips by warm lips.

“Did Yining sleep well last night?” Shu Mo’s voice still carried a hint of sleepiness, low and soul-stirringly resonant.

Shi Yining gave a soft “mm” but said nothing more.

In the faint morning light, the two embraced in silence, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

……

As the morning light grew stronger, casting golden brilliance across the room through the windows, Shi Yining gently pushed the person who refused to let go. “We must set out for the Xuanqing Sect today. I have promised the Sixth Princess to depart on time; I cannot break my word.”

Shu Mo reluctantly released her embrace and sat up slowly from the soft couch.

“There are still two quarters of an hour before the hour of the Dragon (8:00 AM). How about I help Yining dress and do her hair?”

Shi Yining’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Then I shall trouble Mo’er.”

Before the dressing table, the bronze mirror reflected two beautiful figures.

Shu Mo stood behind her beloved, holding a wooden comb, brushing the waterfall of silken black hair with extremely gentle movements.

“Does Yining like the ‘Flying Immortal’ bun?” Shu Mo Shumo leaned down and whispered, her cool breath brushing past Yining’s nose.

Shi Yining nodded gently, the tips of her ears flushing crimson once more.

Dexterous hands moved back and forth through the hair, every movement filled with tenderness.

Warm fingertips occasionally brushed against the side of her neck, bringing a faint itch.

As the hairstyle took shape, Shu Mo took out a pair of exquisite Red Lotus Tassel pins and carefully tucked them into the sides of the looped hair.

Looking at the tassels swaying in the mirror, a flash of amazement crossed Shi Yining’s eyes.

“This is…”

Shu Mo said with a beaming smile, “I happened upon some Heavenly Spirit Jade a few days ago. Thinking it would suit Yining well, I took some spare time to slowly carve them into these tassel pins. Do you like them?”

Shi Yining nodded repeatedly, her voice filled with unmistakable joy, “Of course I like them!”

The hanging tassels swayed gently with her movements, much like her current state of mind—full of ripples.

She reached up to lightly touch the jade pins, looking through the bronze mirror at the eyes of the person behind her, which were full of tenderness. She asked softly: “Does Mo’er have anything she desires?”

Shu Mo leaned down to pull her into an embrace, resting her chin lightly on the top of Yining’s head. Looking at their intertwined figures in the mirror, she said softly: “As long as it is a gift from Yining, I will love it. Even if it is just a fallen leaf, to me, it would be a supreme treasure.”

This answer caused the corners of Shi Yining’s lips to lift into a bright arc, and a thought quietly surfaced in her heart.

When everything is settled in the future, she must prepare a unique treasure to give Mo’er a similar surprise…

……

Fifteen minutes later, Shi Yining and Shu Mo walked hand-in-hand into the garden pavilion of the manor.

At that time, Yu Chang was already waiting in the pavilion. Seeing the two of them walking with their sleeves overlapping in such an intimate manner, a surge of bitterness immediately welled up in her heart.

Her Senior Sister had styled her hair in a beautiful new fashion today. Yu Chang had never seen those Red Lotus tassel hairpins before; they must have been crafted by Shumo’s hands… She remembered her Senior Sister once saying that while the “Flying Immortal” bun was lovely, it was quite a hassle to style. Usually, her long black hair was simply held back with a wooden hairpin.

The hairstyle suited her Senior Sister perfectly. During the days when Senior Sister had lost her memory, Yu Chang had offered to help her style her hair, only to be rejected without hesitation…

Outside the pavilion, a sudden breeze blew past, sending pear blossoms fluttering through the air.

Shu Mo paused her steps slightly to brush a fallen petal from her beloved’s shoulder.

From a distance, Yu Chang watched the tenderness that unconsciously surfaced in Senior Sister’s eyes whenever she looked at Shu Mo. The bitterness in her heart deepened… that was a longing she had never received. Her rounded nails quietly dug into her palms. She knew she had no standing to interfere, so she could only force a smile and swallow her jealousy whole.

Inside the pavilion, Sheng Huan suddenly rose and walked slowly to Shi Yining’s other side, taking her jade-like hand without a word.

This action caused Shumo’s gaze to turn cold in an instant.

After a moment of being stunned, Shi Yining instinctively tried to struggle, but Sheng Huan’s intentionally lowered voice sounded in her ear: “Imperial Mother has sent people to follow us. For now, please wrong yourself and cooperate, Yining.”

Shu Mo pursed her lips slightly. From the corner of her eye, she spotted two Golden Core cultivators dressed as palace servants in the distance and understood immediately.

Though she knew rationally that this was a temporary measure of expediency, seeing Yining close to someone else felt like her heart was being pricked by countless fine needles, bringing an indescribable ache.

She gave the back of her beloved’s hand a firm pinch. Shi Yining noticed quickly and gently squeezed back, her fingertips tracing across Shu Mo’s palm—an act that seemed both an appeasement and a promise.

Yu Chang took all of this in, finding the sight of their joined hands particularly eyesore. She silently lowered her eyes, hiding her roiling emotions deep within…

……

Half a cup of tea’s time later, a phoenix-patterned carriage rose above the clouds from the Sixth Princess’s manor.

The palace servants dispatched by the Empress sat on either side of the carriage’s exterior, driving the spirit beasts forward.

To avoid raising suspicion from the observers, Sheng Huan only took Shi Yining inside the carriage, while Shu Mo and Yu Chang flew separately on their swords.

In truth, there had been more than one carriage available. However, since the two of them could not stand the sight of each other and neither was willing to go to a separate carriage, it resulted in the current situation.

Not long after leaving the Imperial City, the originally bright sky gradually turned dark and lightless.

Shu Mo felt a premonition and realized something was wrong. Just as she was about to call out a warning, one of the servants driving the carriage suddenly lashed out, sacrificing a demonic treasure in a self-detonation.

In an instant, the void was torn asunder. The defensive barriers that had automatically risen from the phoenix carriage fluctuated violently several times before shattering with a bang.

Inside the carriage, Shi Yining had reacted quickly the moment the anomaly occurred. A streak of light flew out from her sleeve, transforming into a protective treasure that carried both her and Sheng Huan out of the carriage.

The two figures soared out like startled swans, quickly joining Shu Mo Shumo and Yu Chang.

Faced with the coming crisis, the four of them gathered in one spot, standing back-to-back in the simplest yet most effective defensive formation. In this life-or-death moment, the rivals who had previously disliked each other put aside their personal grievances.

Within moments, four glows of spiritual light rose, instantly forming multiple defensive barriers.

By then, the other servant driving the carriage had already been caught in the aftershocks of the demonic treasure’s self-detonation and perished on the spot.

Yu Chang scanned the surroundings warily, her tone icy: “Both of those people were sent by the Empress. What does she mean by this? Creating animosity with the Three Sects brings her no benefit whatsoever!”

Sheng Huan said decisively: “Imperial Mother could not have done this. If she truly wanted to act against you, there are countless ways to do so within the Imperial City. Why use such a method? As it stands, there is only one possibility: the one who self-detonated was a hidden mole planted in the palace by an enemy, controlled by them!”

Shi Yining furrowed her brows tightly. “That enemy… who exactly is it?”

Shu Mo suddenly sensed something and said in a heavy voice: “There is more than one enemy. They share common interests. Now, one of them has appeared.”

The moment her voice fell, a powerful pressure descended like a mountain ten thousand feet high.

Without warning, the surrounding space shattered inch by inch, forcing the four gathered people to be separated.

At the critical moment, Shu Mo and Shi Yining’s fingers moved simultaneously to form a seal. As if sharing a telepathic connection, they swiftly cast the Art of Heaven and Earth Lock…

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