Transmigrated as The Cannon Fodder Bride of The Villainess

Without Chang Siyu to stop them, the remaining disciples naturally didn’t dare to say anything. Luo Jinxiao then grandly led Qu Weiyin out of the teahouse, even offering a friendly smile to the disciples as she left.

Only after the two figures disappeared from the doorway did the disciples dare to breathe a sigh of relief.

Ke Tao patted his chest, shaking his head as he said, “I didn’t realize Senior Luo was so powerful, even able to defeat Senior Brother Siyu. What do you think, what is her relationship with Junior Shishu Qu? Why does Junior Shishu Qu only show leniency towards her?”

“I don’t know. I only heard that five years ago, Junior Shishu Qu took special care of Senior Sister Luo. And back then, Junior Shishu Qu wasn’t as temperamental as she is now. It’s said that the reason for her drastic change in temperament was due to Senior Sister Luo’s disappearance,” Baili Xiao whispered.

“Do you think… Junior Master Qu might have feelings for Senior Sister Luo…?” a young female disciple covered her mouth in surprise.

Oblivious to the disciples’ gossip, Luo Jinxiao was walking down the street with Qu Weiyin. Their elegant figures and graceful steps attracted many glances, though these were quickly averted when people recognized Qu Weiyin.

“Why don’t you summon Qiongqi here?” Qu Weiyin said helplessly. “It’ll take forever to find her like this.”

Luo Jinxiao chuckled. She had been too excited earlier and had completely forgotten about Qiongqi until just now. However, summoning her in the middle of the street would reveal her true beastly form, likely terrifying everyone around.

Just as she was about to say something, Qu Weiyin suddenly reached out and stopped her, then motioned with her chin towards a shop by the roadside that emitted the aroma of beef.

“She’s there,” Qu Weiyin said.

Luo Jinxiao glanced into the shop and nearly choked on her own saliva. She saw a young woman in a light orange dress, with two round buns in her hair, sitting with her back to them and devouring a large meal.

Beside her sat Tang Lan’er, looking utterly lifeless, holding a large piece of beef wrapped in oil paper. The table beside them was piled high with more oil paper wrappings.

Luo Jinxiao guiltily glanced at Qu Weiyin.

Qu Weiyin’s expression remained unchanged, but her gaze lingered on Tang Lan’er for a moment before she led the way into the shop.

“Luo Jinxiao! You’re finally here!” Tang Lan’er exclaimed, looking at Luo Jinxiao as if she were a savior. “This one’s like a cow – no, cows don’t eat beef. She’s a bottomless pit! In just the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, she’s eaten an entire cow!”

However, just as she reached Luo Jinxiao’s side, she felt a chill down her spine and abruptly stopped, glancing at Qu Weiyin in confusion.

“Where did you go earlier? I gave you my invitation card, but you didn’t even say thank you and just left, leaving me with this…” Tang Lan’er pointed at Qiongqi, unable to find the right words to describe her.

“I’m sorry, I forgot,” Luo Jinxiao apologized. She walked over to Qiongqi and patted her head. “Still eating?”

Qiongqi hurriedly swallowed the last bite of meat and then threw herself into Luo Jinxiao’s arms, murmuring, “Hungry.”

Qu Weiyin frowned slightly and looked away. She untied a pouch of silver from her waist and handed it to Tang Lan’er.

Tang Lan’er was taken aback. She looked at the silver in Qu Weiyin’s hand, then back at her, before pushing it back with a smile. “No need. Luo Jinxiao and I are friends. It’s just some food, it doesn’t cost much.”

Qu Weiyin gave Tang Lan’er a long, penetrating look before lowering her hand.

“Hey, when are you leaving? Why don’t we go together?” Tang Lan’er asked Luo Jinxiao loudly.

“No, we still need to stay here for two more days,” Luo Jinxiao politely declined. She led Qiongqi to Tang Lan’er and said, “We really owe you this time. Thank you.”

Hearing this, Tang Lan’er lowered her head and smiled, her expression a mixture of pride and shyness. “It’s nothing. I still haven’t repaid you for saving me five years ago. Well then, we’ll meet again someday.”

“Until we meet again,” Luo Jinxiao smiled.

After bidding farewell to Tang Lan’er, she looked up and saw that Qu Weiyin had already walked half a block ahead. She quickly grabbed Qiongqi and hurried to catch up.

“Junior Shishu, why didn’t you wait for me?” Luo Jinxiao hopped over to Qu Weiyin’s side, her eyes filled with playful reproach.

“Five years have passed, yet you’re still so flighty,” Qu Weiyin said coldly. “You can’t even walk properly.”

Luo Jinxiao looked down at herself, not seeing anything wrong.

Only the blue fabric peeking out from her sleeves, frayed with tiny bits of fluff.

Qu Weiyin noticed her raising her arm and followed her gaze. Her delicate fingers pinched Luo Jinxiao’s sleeve. Her phoenix eyes lowered to examine it for a moment before meeting Luo Jinxiao’s gaze. “What’s this about?”

Luo Jinxiao quickly covered her sleeve, shaking her head with a bright smile. “It’s nothing. The clothes are just old. I’ll get new ones soon.”

Qu Weiyin didn’t bother listening to her excuses. She reached out and pulled Luo Jinxiao’s arm, pushing aside the black outer robe to reveal the blue inner garment underneath.

“What kind of life have you been living these past five years?” Qu Weiyin asked after a long silence, her voice low and husky, stirring something deep within Luo Jinxiao.

Luo Jinxiao felt a strange itch in her heart and uncomfortably averted her gaze. “Junior Shishu, in broad daylight, you’re being so… handsy with me. I’m afraid…”

Qu Weiyin looked around at her words. Sure enough, everyone passing by was turning to look at them. She was currently clutching Luo Jinxiao’s clothes, looking aggressive and rather like a bandit.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she pushed Luo Jinxiao away, turning to leave.

Watching her retreat, Luo Jinxiao’s lips twitched into a smile. She quickly adjusted her clothes and hurried to catch up.

“Junior Shishu, have you forgotten? These clothes were given to me by you. I’ve been wearing them all this time.”

Qu Weiyin’s memory was suddenly jolted. She had indeed given Luo Jinxiao a set of clothes, but after so many years, she had long forgotten about it.

“I thought I would never be able to leave the mountain, so this robe and the pouch were the only things I had that could represent you, Junior Shishu,” Luo Jinxiao said, half-joking, half-serious.

Qu Weiyin slowed her pace, her phoenix eyes seeming to glisten with moisture. The anger that had lingered from her encounter with Tang Lan’er slowly dissipated.

“Watch out!” she suddenly shouted. Luo Jinxiao also sensed the movement, and they both retreated simultaneously, dodging a runaway carriage that came barreling towards them.

This was no ordinary carriage. The horse pulling it had a sleek coat and strong hooves, clearly not a common beast. Behind it was a cage as large as two horses, containing several men and women. They all had blank stares and disheveled hair, looking as pitiful as beggars on the street corner.

Strangely, the surrounding people didn’t seem to react, as if they were accustomed to such a scene.

“What is this?” Luo Jinxiao asked in surprise.

Qu Weiyin’s expression changed the moment she saw the carriage. Her narrow phoenix eyes seemed to swirl with countless emotions before settling into calmness.

“Yao,” she said.

“Yao?” Luo Jinxiao had never seen such a scene before and was puzzled. “Then where are they taking these Yao?”

“To be sold,” Qu Weiyin said flatly, then looked away. “Let’s go.”

Luo Jinxiao responded with an “oh,” but she couldn’t help but glance back at the cage. She felt a strange familiarity with the woman slumped in the corner, her hair tied in two braids.

She had taken a few steps when she suddenly grabbed Qu Weiyin’s arm. “Wait, Junior Shishu, look at that woman. Haven’t we seen her before?”

Hearing this, Qu Weiyin also turned to look. Her gaze lingered on the woman in the corner for a moment, her expression doubtful. “Judging by her figure and age, she looks a lot like Xiu’er.”

As soon as the name was spoken, Luo Jinxiao suddenly remembered. Wasn’t this the young woman who had left with the tree demon when they were in Pingxi Town?

How did she end up here?

“She has demonic energy around her. It seems she’s no longer human,” Qu Weiyin said. She hesitated for a moment, then followed the carriage.

Seeing that Qu Weiyin intended to uncover the truth, Luo Jinxiao didn’t stop her but silently followed, tucking the now-stuffed and yawning Qiongqi into her pouch.

“Compared to demons, the magical powers of the Yao are much weaker, especially for young yao who haven’t cultivated for long. Therefore, some cultivators will buy them as slaves, or for other purposes,” Qu Weiyin said indifferently.

“Although this is not permitted by the Immortal Order, in the black markets of the mortal realm, there are often people who capture and sell Yao in exchange for silver.”

“Cultivators can’t be enslaved, mortals are weak, and demons are evil. Therefore, Yao become the best choice for some people, bound by chains made of spiritual energy, destined to be slaves for life.”

Luo Jinxiao listened, a fire igniting in her heart. “Then if she really is Xiu’er, how could she, a mortal, become a Yao?”

Qu Weiyin shook her head, indicating that she didn’t know either.

The carriage twisted and turned, soon arriving at a narrow alley. This alley was the so-called black market, where low-grade spirit weapons, spirit stones, and spirit beasts were commonplace. There were also a few Yao, bound by various chains, either lying on the ground or huddled in corners, looking utterly pitiful.

People came and went, picking them up and examining them one by one, as if choosing goods.

Luo Jinxiao felt deeply uncomfortable.

She couldn’t help but look at Qu Weiyin, who didn’t seem to react, as if she had long been accustomed to such a scene.

The carriage swayed to a stop in an open space. The driver wore a large bamboo hat, obscuring his face. He abruptly opened the cage door and dragged the Yao inside out one by one.

The woman in the corner was the last to leave the cage. She stumbled a few steps, then knelt on the ground, her head lowered as she trembled.

“Junior Shishu, it seems to be Xiu’er,” Luo Jinxiao said, stretching her neck to get a clearer look at the woman’s face.

At that moment, a bound Yao near them seemed to be startled and suddenly jumped up violently, its chains rattling as it charged straight towards Qu Weiyin, attempting to bite her neck.

Luo Jinxiao’s eyes flashed. She instinctively wrapped her arms around Qu Weiyin, pulling her close for protection, and struck the Yao with a palm, sending it crashing against the wall.

In her embrace, the woman’s waist was soft and slender. The cool, smooth fabric of her robes brushed against Luo Jinxiao’s hand, mingling with strands of loose hair.

“Luo Jinxiao!” Qu Weiyin gritted her teeth, her voice no longer calm. She pushed Luo Jinxiao away and quickly stepped back.

However, the spot on her waist where Luo Jinxiao had touched, along with the wrinkles on her clothes, couldn’t seem to settle down.

Luo Jinxiao stared blankly at her own hand, a faint joy welling up in her heart, mixed with the disappointment of being pushed away. She had momentarily forgotten Qu Weiyin’s cultivation level.

“They’re going to buy her,” Qu Weiyin suddenly said, a trace of lingering panic and shyness in her voice.

Several men who looked like servants were surrounding Xiu’er, examining her. One of them even reached out to touch her face, haggling with the man in the bamboo hat.

Translation note:
              Yao – They are demons but not really demons, I guess the closest would be a Yokai? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaoguai