Transmigrated as The Cannon Fodder Bride of The Villainess

“You can go,” the Sect Leader said suddenly.

Luo Jinxiao didn’t react immediately. She looked up, staring blankly at the Sect Leader.

“I asked you to stay to help me watch over Zhao Zhao. Now that she’s gone, there’s no need for you to remain,” the Sect Leader shook her head, slowly rising.

Luo Jinxiao realized she was serious. A surge of joy flooded her heart, followed by a wave of guilt.

The Sect Leader seemed to see through her thoughts and said softly, “Don’t overthink it.”

Luo Jinxiao hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Since Zhao Zhao is gone, why don’t you come down the mountain with me and leave this place?”

“It doesn’t make much difference to me where I stay. The constant solitude here serves as my atonement, offering some solace to my heart,” the Sect Leader replied.

Atonement? Luo Jinxiao had never heard her mention this before and was momentarily speechless.

“Atonement to Zhao Zhao. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied with the world’s suffering and worrying about all living beings, Zhao Zhao wouldn’t have died,” the Sect Leader said abruptly, her eyes once again clouded with sadness.

Seeing Luo Jinxiao’s expression mirroring her grief, the Sect Leader suddenly smiled. “These are old matters, no need to dwell on them. Since you’ll be able to travel freely after going down the mountain, you can help me retrieve something.”

“What is it?” Luo Jinxiao straightened up.

“Don’t worry, it’s an old object I’ve been thinking about for a long time.” The Sect Leader pulled a yellowed silk cloth from her sleeve and placed it in Luo Jinxiao’s hand.

“Don’t let anyone know I asked you to find it. The clues are on this silk cloth. The barrier is broken. Pack your things and leave at noon.”

After saying this, the Sect Leader closed her amber eyes, giving Luo Jinxiao no chance to speak further.

Luo Jinxiao held the silk cloth. Regardless of what she had to find, she would have the opportunity to see Qu Weiyin. This thought filled her with such joy that she had never felt during her five years on Southern Peak.

However, she was also worried about the Sect Leader. Luo Jinxiao glanced at her once more, then turned and left without disturbing her.

Behind her, a tear fell from the Sect Leader’s eye as she opened them again, looking in the direction Luo Jinxiao had gone.

“Zhao Zhao, I still can’t bring myself to abandon everything.”

Luo Jinxiao took nothing with her except a well-fed Qiongqi. They trudged through the snow, reaching the edge of the barrier.

She looked at the deserted path leading down the mountain, her heart pounding with excitement.

Footsteps approached from behind. She turned to see the Sect Leader, draped in a snow-white cloak, standing serenely in the snow. The wind lifted her silver hair, and the sunlight shone through it, making it appear almost translucent, like a dream.

“Sect Leader!” Luo Jinxiao called out, feeling a pang of reluctance after spending five years together.

“Be careful on your journey. Don’t make me save you again.”

“Miss Luo, don’t forget to come back and visit,” the old woman said shakily.

Luo Jinxiao’s eyes welled up. She looked at the winding path ahead, then back at the Sect Leader, her heart filled with mixed emotions. After a moment, she hesitantly extended her hand towards the Sect Leader.

The Sect Leader, surprised, didn’t understand her intention.

“Sect Leader, although I don’t know what atonement you’re referring to, I can’t bear to leave you alone on this mountain,” Luo Jinxiao said.

Although the Sect Leader’s cultivation was beyond her comprehension, her health was visibly declining. And the old woman was as frail as a flickering candle in the wind. Luo Jinxiao feared that when she returned, Southern Peak would be deserted.

The Sect Leader was about to shake her head when Luo Jinxiao interrupted her.

“You mentioned atonement earlier. Did Zhao Zhao ever blame you?”

The Sect Leader lowered her gaze and nodded slightly.

“And when she passed away, did she blame you?” Luo Jinxiao asked again.

The Sect Leader froze, her pale hands turning white. She thought for a moment and replied, “No.”

Atonement, Luo Jinxiao thought, was just self-torture born from excessive grief.

She extended her hand further, her eyes shining brightly.

The Sect Leader understood her meaning but struggled to accept it. For the first time, a hint of vulnerability appeared in her usually detached eyes.

The mountains were covered in snow, glistening under the sun. The two stood in silence.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the Sect Leader extended her pale hand. Their palms met, and they slowly moved forward, stepping out of the barrier.

“If I had known this would happen, I would never have helped you that day,” the Sect Leader sighed, shaking her head.

Three days later, Luoyang Prefecture.

Luoyang Prefecture was located on the remote eastern border of Donghu, covering a vast area. It was also the official route into Donghu. As a result, the prefecture entrance was crowded and lively with people coming and going. and crowded atmosphere.

The residents here were a mix of merchants, commoners, and nobles. Houses stood in neat rows, lining wide streets filled with a dazzling array of goods. It was a popular destination for cultivators.

The largest and most prosperous area in Luyang Province was Liuguang Street, where a bustling barter corridor was specifically set up for cultivators.

The teahouse beside Liuguang Street was packed with people. By the window sat a group of young men and women dressed in blue, clearly cultivators, curiously looking around.

In a corner behind them sat a woman alone. She had red lips, a delicate jade-like nose, and slightly downcast phoenix eyes. Dressed in red that wrapped her graceful figure, she was beautiful in both a righteous and wicked way, drawing frequent glances from others in the teahouse.

However, she exuded a cold and murderous aura that deterred anyone from approaching.

A scholarly-looking young man by the window glanced at her occasionally, then lowered his voice to speak to his fellow disciples gathered around the table. “Look, Junior Shishu Qu is sitting alone again. She hasn’t spoken a word to us since we left a few days ago. She’s just as cold as the rumors say.”

“Baili Xiao, keep your voice down,” a young woman beside him quickly covered his mouth.

“You can’t even handle this? I think she’s just old and grumpy, that’s why she’s always so fierce. Yesterday, I almost dirtied her pouch, and she used her spiritual pressure to suppress me without saying a word. It was terrifying,” another young man with a square face and a sturdy build complained, shaking his head.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that anymore,” the square-faced young man waved his hand and poured himself a cup of tea. “Do you think we’ll find any good treasures at the Treasure Hunting Event later?”

“What else can we find? Ever since the Upper Celestial Realm became inaccessible, it’s become even harder to find good spiritual artifacts. I just hope we can find one or two that are suitable,” Baili Xiao sighed.

The Treasure Hunting Event was a relatively new event. Talented individuals who found or forged spiritual artifacts would sell them to the event organizers. These artifacts would then be collected and displayed once a year for disciples from various sects to purchase. However, some valuable treasures couldn’t be bought with money and had to be won through combat.

A young man in white entered from outside. It was Chang Siyu. He still looked bright and cheerful, unchanged over the years. Seeing him, the disciples quickly stood up and greeted him as Senior Brother Si Yu.

Chang Siyu nodded and walked towards Qu Weiyin. However, he only dared to sit half a meter away from her. He smiled and asked, “Junior Shishu Qu, the event might be delayed. You just arrived from the Sea of Exile. Why don’t you rest for a while?”

“No need,” Qu Weiyin replied indifferently, her pale fingers holding the teacup, her expression cold.

Chang Siyu’s gaze involuntarily lingered on her slender fingers. He swallowed, his thoughts stirring.

Over the years, he had been content with the occasional conversations he managed to have with her, taking advantage of his position as the senior brother responsible for teaching new disciples.

He believed that with time, he could melt her heart.

The noise in the teahouse made Qu Weiyin feel restless and irritable. But if she returned to her room, she would be consumed by endless longing. It was better to endure the restlessness here.

She wondered what Elder Liu was thinking, summoning her back from the Sea of Exile and making her accompany these noisy new disciples to Luyang Province.

She wanted to return to Wuhui Mountain and visit Southern Peak.

The sound of gongs and drums echoed from somewhere. Chang Siyu’s ears twitched, and he stood up. “Junior Shishu Qu, let’s go. The Treasure Hunting Event is starting.”

Meanwhile, at a food stall across the street, Luo Jinxiao gripped her chopsticks tightly, her eyes fixed on the young woman devouring food beside her.

After leaving the mountain, she had searched for Qu Weiyin without alerting anyone, but couldn’t find a trace of her. By chance, she overheard someone mentioning that Junior Shishu Qu was attending the Treasure Hunting Event, hoping to find some good spiritual artifacts.

Thus, she followed them all the way to Luyang Province. However, Luyang Province was vast, and finding Qu Weiyin was like searching for a needle in a haystack. She could only hope for a chance encounter at the event.

Coincidentally, this place matched the location marked on the map given to her by the Sect Leader. Perhaps she could not only see Junior Shishu but also find the object the Sect Leader was looking for.

The thought of being in the same place as Qu Weiyin made her heart pound with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to get to the Treasure Hunting Event.

Therefore, she gripped her chopsticks even tighter as she looked at Qiongqi.

Qiongqi let out a long, satisfied burp, then opened her oil-covered mouth and said, “One bowl.”

The chopsticks in Luo Jinxiao’s hand snapped in two with a crack.

Over the years, apart from getting fatter, Qiongqi had made some progress. Her slow mind had finally learned to speak human language, though her vocabulary was limited to single words.

If she tried to string together a sentence, it would be nonsensical.

The other patrons at the food stall, though chewing, kept glancing their way, marveling at how much the young woman could eat. She had already consumed at least ten bowls of beef noodles, twenty pieces of roasted beef, and twenty bowls of beef soup.

Fortunately, Luo Jinxiao was wearing a black tight-fitting outfit with a veil covering her face. Otherwise, her reputation would have been completely ruined by Qiongqi’s behavior.

Luo Jinxiao gritted her teeth, nodded, and beckoned to the waiter. “One more bowl of beef noodles, please.”

Don’t ask why she didn’t give Qiongqi beef to eat. Her funds were embarrassingly low. She had brought some silver, but most of it had been spent on Qiongqi’s meals along the way. They had been traveling non-stop, leaving no time for Qiongqi to hunt for herself.

Suddenly, people on the street started running in one direction. Luo Jinxiao looked up and stopped a burly man at a nearby table to inquire.

“The Treasure Hunting Event has begun. Us wandering cultivators are hoping to snag some good treasures,” the man said with a grin.

“Thank you,” Luo Jinxiao smiled politely, but her eyes remained calm. She patted Qiongqi’s head with a hint of warning. “No more eating. Once we find Junior Shishu, you won’t go hungry.”

Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the street. Luo Jinxiao looked up and saw two groups of cultivators clashing, arguing about something. Judging by their attire, one group was from the Shengsi Sect, and the other from the Baiyue Sect.

Luo Jinxiao had a negative impression of the Shengsi Sect and had no desire to get involved. She decided to take Qiongqi and leave through another route.

However, just as she stood up, a fight broke out. The air filled with swirling energy and flashing lights, tearing the canopy above Luo Jinxiao’s head. The attendant, seemingly accustomed to such scenes, calmly gathered his valuables and disappeared.

Then, with a loud crash, a man dressed in black fell in front of her, rolling on the ground several times.

He cursed, scrambled to his feet, and shoved Luo Jinxiao aside, snarling, “Get out of my way!”

Luo Jinxiao stepped back, frowning, and brushed off the spot where he had touched her. Before she could say anything, the man, blinded by panic, stumbled back and held a knife to her neck.

“C-come with me!” he stuttered.