Transmigrated as The Cannon Fodder Bride of The Villainess

Luo Jinxiao had been sleeping deeply in the wind and snow for a long time. She was unsure of the hour when she finally awoke, but no longer felt like sleeping. She rose from her icy bed and walked out into the snowy night.

The biting cold made her shiver. She summoned spiritual energy to her fingertips for light, using it to examine the snowmen outside her door. Though they leaned a bit, they still stood firm.

The largest snowman had two rosy cheeks, giving it a silly yet charming appearance.

“This snow has blown down from the higher peaks. It’s an unseasonably cold spring, with strong raging winds. Perhaps we should move them inside.”

Luo Jinxiao turned to see the Sect Leader standing there, her white robes billowing in the wind. Her silver hair nearly blended with the falling snow, making her slender figure look cold and ethereal.

Luo Jinxiao smiled faintly and shook her head. “It’s alright. If they fall, I’ll just build them again.”

The Sect Leader stepped forward to stand beside her at the cliff’s edge. They gazed down at the dark expanse of mountains and rivers below. The view never changed, like staring at the same landscape painting day after day. Yet Luo Jinxiao still loved to stand here and look out at it.

“Are you thinking of her?” the Sect Leader asked.

Luo Jinxiao glanced at her, only smiling without a word.

“Sect Leader, how is Zhao Zhao lately?” Luo Jinxiao inquired.

“I’ve told you many times, I’m no longer the Sect Leader. Call me Bei Sang.” The Sect Leader sighed, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Her last soul fragment will soon disappear.”

She had guarded it for decades, but it seemed to have been in vain.

Compassion welled up in Luo Jinxiao’s eyes. She removed her outer robe and gently draped it over the Sect Leader’s shoulders, smiling. “Then shall we go see her again?”

The Sect Leader coughed lightly and agreed.

Ever since she helped Luo Jinxiao save that person, her health had deteriorated. Whether it was due to age or the sudden expenditure of a vast amount of energy after years of neglecting her cultivation, she had yet to recover.

Luo Jinxiao noticed this and felt deeply guilty. As a result, she never mentioned wanting to leave.

Although the longing in her heart hadn’t diminished with time, she often imagined what kind of life Qu Weiyin was living down the mountain and whether she had forgotten her.

Generations had changed at the Wuhui Sect, and countless new disciples had come and gone.

Luo Jinxiao took one last glance at the snowman with rosy cheeks and then helped the Sect Leader towards the cave.

The cave remained much the same as it was five years ago, except for a large, fluffy cat curled up near the edge. Compared to five years ago, Qiongqi had grown significantly larger. Luo Jinxiao could no longer hold her.

However, she had also become thinner, and her fur had grown thicker to ward off the cold. This made Luo Jinxiao realize that animals adapted much better than she did.

Zhao Zhao lay there as always, motionless. The Sect Leader lifted her skirt, knelt beside the coffin, and gazed at her intently.

“Once her last soul fragment disappears, we won’t be able to preserve her body anymore,” the Sect Leader said softly, her voice filled with sorrow.

She remained there, staring intently at Zhao Zhao. After decades, she had almost forgotten her voice, appearance, and smile.

If even Zhao Zhao’s body was gone, what would she have left to remember?

After an unknown amount of time, she finally raised her head. Luo Jinxiao was sitting beside her, leaning against the coffin, her eyes fixed on the dark entrance of the cave, lost in thought.

“Your clothes have grown too small,” the Sect Leader remarked.

Luo Jinxiao’s attention was drawn back by her words. She glanced at her sleeves and smiled faintly. “These clothes were given to me by Junior Shishu. They are indeed quite old.”

Suddenly, someone rushed into the cave. It was the old woman, looking somewhat flustered with a few snowflakes stuck in her graying hair. She spoke hurriedly, “Sect Leader, there’s a problem with the barrier! A large bird has broken through!”

“A large bird?” The Sect Leader’s brows furrowed slightly. She slowly rose and walked towards the entrance. “How could the barrier malfunction?”

“Wait!” Luo Jinxiao quickly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. “Sect Leader, let me go.”

The Sect Leader paused, then nodded in agreement. She looked Luo Jinxiao up and down and said, “Very well. This will be a good opportunity to test your cultivation. Let’s see how far you’ve progressed.”

With a task at hand, Luo Jinxiao’s energy surged. She dashed out of the cave and into the snowy wind.

“Sect Leader, that bird seems to possess demonic energy. Aren’t you worried she’ll get hurt?” The old woman followed, her expression filled with concern.

The Sect Leader shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Southern Peak’s spiritual energy is nourishing. She cultivates quickly, and her cultivation has grown considerably over the years. Don’t underestimate her.”

The old woman nodded, still half-doubtful. “But how come I can’t sense Miss Luo’s cultivation level?”

“Someone has cast a spell on her. You can’t see it, but I can.”

As soon as Luo Jinxiao stepped outside, a giant bird’s wing swept towards her, kicking up snow and obscuring her vision. Luo Jinxiao leaped into the air, and Wujue swiftly appeared beneath her feet, stabilizing her amidst the raging wind.

Golden feathers were scattered across the snow, and Luo Jinxiao found them oddly familiar. She looked up in surprise. Wasn’t this Qu Chengzhou’s golden eagle from five years ago?

So it hadn’t been killed by Qiongqi and had survived until now.

However, for some reason, it seemed to have been infused with demonic energy, transforming from a spirit beast into a demon beast. Its golden feathers had turned black, and it circled in the air, screeching.

It targeted Luo Jinxiao once again, diving down with a powerful surge of turbid energy, as if determined to swallow her whole.

Luo Jinxiao was puzzled but not afraid. Her right hand transformed into an ice blade, which she swung with in a backhand motion. The blade, swirling with ice and snow, nearly sliced off the golden eagle’s wing.

Despite its massive size, the golden eagle was agile. It dodged the ice blade, opened its beak wide, and spewed forth a torrent of black energy. Seeing the demonic energy, Luo Jinxiao’s eyes turned sharp. She retracted the ice blade, gripped Wujue in her hand, and floated into the air.

“Demons again,” she said with a hint of anger. Wujue spun twice, and suddenly, the surrounding snowflakes seemed to come under her control. They paused for a moment, then swirled together, forming countless sharp blades that shot towards the golden eagle.

The golden eagle had nowhere to hide and could only use its tough feathers to block Luo Jinxiao’s attack. After a series of loud clangs, it looked up to see the gleaming Wujue right before its eyes.

In the next instant, before the golden eagle could even let out a cry, its head was severed by Wujue. Its massive body glided with the wind before crashing into the snow, leaving a long, bloodstained trail.

Luo Jinxiao slowly descended, standing tall and graceful on the icy peak, her blue robes billowing behind her, her black hair whipping in the wind.

She let out a soft snort, retracting Wujue into her hand. She muttered a spell, and the eagle’s corpse in the snow was suddenly stripped of its feathers, becoming an enormous, featherless chicken.

Knowing that the person she hated most was Qu Chengzhou, Luo Jinxiao thought viciously that this stupid bird deserved its fate for daring to attack her.

Qiongqi, awakened by the commotion, came bounding out joyfully. It swallowed the bird’s head in one gulp, then wagged its tail and charged towards the bird’s body, which resembled a small mountain, and began to devour it.

Luo Jinxiao’s face was splattered with snow kicked up by Qiongqi’s paws. She helplessly shielded her eyes, laughing as she said, “Slow down, you’ll choke yourself.”

For the past five years, there had been little to eat on the barren mountain, Qiongqi had been starved nearly to death. Now, she had even overcome her picky eating habits and was almost ready to eat anything except grass.

Luo Jinxiao noticed her sleeve had been torn by the eagle’s feathers. She touched it gently, lamenting that she’d have to mend it again.

As she returned to the ice chamber and entered the cave, she immediately sensed something was amiss. Her heart sank. She quickly rushed to the Sect Leader’s side, crouching down to examine her face. “Sect Leader, what’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.

The old woman wiped away her tears and shook her head. “Miss Luo, Zhao Zhao… her last soul fragment has departed.”

Luo Jinxiao’s heart, which had been somewhat light just moments ago, suddenly plummeted. She hurriedly looked into the coffin and saw the once beautiful and youthful girl rapidly aging, turning into shimmering dust that rose into the air and gradually dispersed.

Even Luo Jinxiao, who had never met Zhao Zhao alive, felt a pang of sadness at this sight.

The Sect Leader’s expression remained calm. She looked up at the spot where Zhao Zhao had disappeared, her glassy eyes reflecting the starlight, but the sorrow in their depths couldn’t be concealed.

After a long silence, a tear slipped down her pale cheek.

“I always knew this day would come,” the Sect Leader said, her usually rosy lips now devoid of color. Her voice was weak, and her body swayed.

“It’s time for her to go,” she added, then slowly rose, supporting herself on the coffin.

Before she could fully stand, she swayed forward. Luo Jinxiao quickly stood and steadied her. Over the years, the Sect Leader had not only treated her well but had also imparted her with cultivation techniques and knowledge. Luo Jinxiao had come to regard her as a mentor.

Seeing her in such pain and desolation, Luo Jinxiao felt deeply troubled but didn’t know how to comfort her. Her thoughts unconsciously turned to Qu Weiyin, wondering if she would be this distraught.

Five years of constant longing reached its peak in this moment.

“Sect Leader, please take care of yourself!” The old woman also shuffled forward, her withered hands wiping away tears.

“I’m fine,” the Sect Leader said, clenching her teeth to prevent her grief from showing too much. She pushed Luo Jinxiao away and slowly walked towards the cave entrance.

Worried that she might faint, Luo Jinxiao followed closely behind until the Sect Leader lay back down on the ice bed. Only then did she sit down beside her with a sigh of relief.

“You don’t need to watch over me. I want to be alone,” the Sect Leader’s voice was no longer as ethereal as usual.

“Sect Leader has been alone in peace for decades. It’s enough,” Luo Jinxiao said boldly. She took out a handkerchief from her pouch and gently wiped away the Sect Leader’s tears.

The Sect Leader remained silent. She lay flat, her silver-white hair spread across the icy bed like flowing light. When she closed her eyes, Luo Jinxiao had the illusion that she too had departed.

This made Luo Jinxiao even more reluctant to leave. She sat there, waiting for her to wake up.

The snowstorm outside blew all night, finally stopping early the next morning. The fiery red sunlight reflected off the snow, making the outside brighter than usual.

When the Sect Leader opened her eyes, Luo Jinxiao was carving a small ice figurine. Several others were neatly arranged on the ground in front of her.

“Sect Leader, you’re awake,” Luo Jinxiao said with a smile.

The Sect Leader was momentarily stunned. She looked away and gestured towards the ice figurines with her chin. “Who are these?”

Luo Jinxiao’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. She picked up the most delicate and beautiful one, held it in her palm, and showed it to the Sect Leader with a beaming smile. “This is my Junior Shishu. Look, she has the most graceful figure and is the most beautiful.”

The Sect Leader coughed, her gaze fixed on the ice figurine in Luo Jinxiao’s hand.

Luo Jinxiao happily hugged the small ice figurine of Qu Weiyin to her chest and picked up another one with a square face. “This is my Master. His face is as black as charcoal.”

“This is Lu Fanzhi, my good friend. And this is Luo Ning, my younger sister, and my only family in the world.”

“And the one in your hand?” the Sect Leader asked.

“This is you,” Luo Jinxiao handed the ice figurine she was carving to the Sect Leader.

The ice figurine was only half-finished, its lower body still unformed, and its hair was long, trailing on the ground.

“Not bad,” the Sect Leader said softly.

Luo Jinxiao looked at her with concern. “Sect Leader, how are you feeling?”

“Nothing different, just like usual,” the Sect Leader replied. Perhaps years of sorrow had numbed her, or perhaps this day was truly no different from any other, because Zhao Zhao had long been gone.

“Do you really want to go down the mountain?” the Sect Leader suddenly asked.

Luo Jinxiao fell silent. She hugged the ice figurine of Qu Weiyin in her arms, stroking her hair.

It wasn’t that she desperately wanted to leave the mountain. She could endure loneliness well enough.

But she truly missed her. Missed her so very much.