Transmigrated as The Cannon Fodder Bride of The Villainess

Hearing this, Luo Jinxiao strode forward, her tall figure pushing through the men. She smiled and said, “I’ll take this girl.”

The men, seeing their prize about to be snatched away, cursed and tried to shove Luo Jinxiao aside. However, one of them was caught by the wrist by a slender hand.

The hand belonged to a woman dressed in red, extremely beautiful with her hair loosely tied back. Though her fingers were delicate, her grip was surprisingly strong, leaving the man unable to break free.

The group of men froze, suddenly at a loss for words.

Xiu’er finally dared to open her eyes. Seeing Luo Jinxiao, her clear eyes widened. She scrambled forward on her knees and hugged Luo Jinxiao’s legs, tears streaming down her face, washing clean streaks on her grimy cheeks.

Feeling sorry for her, Luo Jinxiao grasped Xiu’er’s arm and helped her to her feet.

“Well, well, well, but you’re a step too late. This Yao has already been priced and purchased by these gentlemen,” the man in the bamboo hat said with a troubled tone.

“That’s right, we’ve already…”

The men stopped mid-sentence, feeling a chill down their spines.

“How much silver did they offer? I’ll pay half more,” Luo Jinxiao said gently, though her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Tw-twenty taels,” the man stammered, holding up two fingers.

Luo Jinxiao nodded, then turned to Qu Weiyin with a grin. “Junior Shishu, lend me some silver.”

Qu Weiyin’s phoenix eyes looked at her reproachfully, but she took out several silver ingots from her sleeve and handed them to Luo Jinxiao.

They took Xiu’er to an inn and provided her with water to clean herself. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Xiu’er timidly knocked on the door.

Luo Jinxiao and Qu Weiyin exchanged glances and opened the door. Xiu’er had changed into clean clothes, her hair still damp and hanging down her back.

Though she carried demonic energy, her eyes were still bright and clear, innocent and pure.

Qu Weiyin stepped forward and placed her hand on Xiu’er’s forehead, channeling pale golden spiritual energy into her body to carefully examine her.

“She’s a half-Yao,” Qu Weiyin said, slightly surprised, turning to look at Luo Jinxiao.

“A half-Yao?” Luo Jinxiao frowned and leaned closer to look into Xiu’er’s eyes.

A half-Yao was originally human but had become a Yao through some later opportunity. Such cases were rare.

“Where’s the tree demon?” Luo Jinxiao asked.

The question seemed to burst a dam within Xiu’er. Tears quickly filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, soaking her new clothes. She suddenly dropped to her knees before Luo Jinxiao, making inarticulate sounds. Luo Jinxiao, quick to react, caught her before she could fully kneel.

Neither of them understood sign language, nor could they understand her speech like the tree demon could. They could only piece together the story through fragmented gestures and drawings.

After they left that day, Xiu’er and the tree demon had lived in seclusion in the mountains. Their days were peaceful until someone entered the forest to exorcise demons and insisted on capturing them. Xiu’er was injured, and the tree demon gave her, her inner core before being captured. Her whereabouts were unknown.

As Xiu’er finished her tale, she was sobbing uncontrollably. The sight was heart-wrenching, and Luo Jinxiao couldn’t help but look to Qu Weiyin, whose eyes remained as calm and deep as a still pond.

Luo Jinxiao hid her own sadness and reached for Qu Weiyin’s hand, asking softly, “Junior Shishu, what should we do now?”

“In the eyes of the world, yao and humans, demons and immortals, are seen as good and evil. They will never have a good ending,” Qu Weiyin said suddenly, her voice cold and indifferent.

Luo Jinxiao felt as if a giant stone had been dropped into her heart, sinking all the way to the bottom.

Qu Weiyin turned to leave, but her steps faltered. She turned back and strode towards Xiu’er, her eyes cold and hard. “You have demonic energy but no demonic powers. You’ll be a target for many cultivators. We can save you once, but we can’t save you every time.”

“If you want to see her again, trust us,” she said.

Xiu’er wiped away her tears, her pink lips pressed tightly together as she nodded firmly.

Despite being a delicate woman, she appeared incredibly resolute at this moment.

Qu Weiyin’s gaze finally softened. She opened her palm, revealing a small paper packet that emitted a faint golden light.

“This is a demon-capturing talisman. Come inside, and I’ll ensure your safety.”

Xiu’er looked at Luo Jinxiao, then at Qu Weiyin. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, her body transforming into a faint white light and disappearing into the paper packet.

Qu Weiyin stared at the paper packet, lost in thought for a moment before putting it away.

“Let’s go,” she said, turning to leave.

Luo Jinxiao replayed Qu Weiyin’s words in her mind, and the more she thought about them, the more uneasy she felt. She suddenly rushed forward, blocking Qu Weiyin’s path and shutting the door with a creak.

Qu Weiyin stopped abruptly, raising her eyes to meet Luo Jinxiao’s gaze with indifference. “What are you doing?”

Luo Jinxiao pressed her back against the door, feeling the solid wood behind her. “What did you mean by what you said earlier, Junior Shishu?”

“Nothing,” Qu Weiyin averted her gaze, avoiding Luo Jinxiao’s eyes.

“Why did you mention demons and immortals?” Luo Jinxiao’s tone was unusually firm. She grabbed Qu Weiyin’s wrist and asked softly.

“I said it’s nothing. It has nothing to do with you,” Qu Weiyin said flatly, turning away to avoid Luo Jinxiao’s gaze. However, Luo Jinxiao pulled her back with a tug, causing her to spin around.

Qu Weiyin’s crimson skirt swirled around her ankles like a red wave.

She seemed agitated. She raised her head and glared at Luo Jinxiao. “Let go.”

“I won’t,” Luo Jinxiao said quickly. She suddenly untied her black outer robe, tossing it aside to reveal the flowing blue inner garment underneath.

“What are you…” Qu Weiyin’s face flushed red. Spiritual energy surged around her, pushing Luo Jinxiao away. Her phoenix eyes lowered, veiled with a misty sheen, her long, dark eyelashes fluttering like fans.

Seeing her like this, Luo Jinxiao’s heart thundered.

“I don’t mean anything else. I just want to tell you that I haven’t taken off the clothes you gave me for five years. Don’t you understand what that means?” Luo Jinxiao’s eyes reddened, her almond-shaped eyes reflecting the light from the window, shimmering with sadness.

Qu Weiyin’s head snapped up at these words, as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

“You… what nonsense are you talking about?” Her mind and heart were in chaos, a tangled mess of thoughts she couldn’t unravel.

She thought she had hidden her feelings well, but with Luo Jinxiao’s provocation, they were like a thick fog, slowly seeping out.

She, who had lived for thousands of years, found herself flustered by Luo Jinxiao.

“I’m not talking nonsense, Junior Shishu. Please, look at me,” Luo Jinxiao’s voice grew softer, almost pleading.

“Look at me. I’ve been thinking about you day and night. You said you missed me too, didn’t you…?”

“It’s not the same thing,” Qu Weiyin suddenly interrupted, raising her voice. She took a deep breath and said sharply, “Get out.”

Luo Jinxiao looked at her breathtakingly beautiful face, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her.

During her five years on the mountain, watching the Sect Leader’s love for Zhao Zhao, she had finally understood her own feelings. In her heart, Qu Weiyin was to her what Zhao Zhao was to the Sect Leader.

Perhaps these feelings had always been there, when Qu Weiyin saved her, when Qu Weiyin looked at her, when Qu Weiyin cried, when Qu Weiyin died.

She had already decided that if she ever had the chance to leave the mountain, she would confess her feelings, no matter what Qu Weiyin had become.

For this, she had practiced tirelessly day and night, fearing that she wouldn’t be able to catch up to her, to protect her.

“I won’t,” she said coldly.

“Get out!” Qu Weiyin shouted, her face contorted in pain. She clutched her chest and took a deep breath.

Seeing no reaction from Luo Jinxiao, she suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Luo Jinxiao’s collar and pushing her against the door. Her phoenix eyes were cold and sharp, and a small knife materialized in her hand, glowing with golden light.

“Do you know what I will become? Do you know how vicious I am?” she said, each word laced with pain. The tip of the knife pressed against Luo Jinxiao’s neck. “Don’t think that just because you saved me, you can say whatever absurd things you want.”

Luo Jinxiao tilted her head back, avoiding the blade. Her eyes locked onto Qu Weiyin’s, and she whispered, “I know.”

Having died by her hand in her past life, how could she not know?

“But I also know that you are the best Junior Shishu in the world,” she said, suddenly bursting into tears.

She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, exposing her long, white neck completely to Qu Weiyin.

Qu Weiyin’s hand trembled, so much so that she couldn’t hold the knife. Luo Jinxiao’s profile looked as if it had been delicately carved, every feature perfect. She was both very different from five years ago and somehow exactly the same.

She had finally blossomed into a stunning beauty, capable of stirring hearts with just a few words.

Qu Weiyin’s hand loosened, and the knife clattered to the ground, dissolving into golden light.

“I can give you anything – my life, my whole self. Whatever you want, it’s yours,” Qu Weiyin whispered, her breath carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.

“But I don’t want to harm you. I just want you to live a good life.”

With that, she pulled Luo Jinxiao towards the door, opened it, and pushed her out.

“Rest here tonight. I’m tired,” she said.

The door slammed shut in Luo Jinxiao’s face. She stumbled back a few steps before steadying herself against the wall.

Her eyes were vacant, filled with a desolate emptiness. She looked at her fingertips and sighed softly, staring at the closed door for a moment before turning to leave.

In the evening, a bustling crowd gathered at a roadside tavern, mostly unaffiliated cultivators without sects or clans. They held their cups, chatting and laughing boisterously.

In a corner of the tavern sat a woman in blue, gulping down bowl after bowl of wine. After finishing each bowl, she would slam it on the table and call for a refill.

Beside her, a well-behaved young woman with long brown hair would nod solemnly and diligently refill the bowl with the wine pot.

Back and forth, she performed her duty without a single complaint.

After three rounds of drinks, the table was a mess of empty bowls and dishes. Yet, Luo Jinxiao showed no signs of intoxication. Frustration gnawed at her. She had often heard people say that alcohol could drown sorrows, but she couldn’t even get drunk after trying it for the first time?

She refused to believe it and ordered three more jars of wine.

Qiongqi had been pouring wine all evening and was getting tired of it. She simply pulled out the cork and placed the jar in front of Luo Jinxiao.

“Even you’re bullying me now,” Luo Jinxiao grumbled, picking up the jar and tilting her head back to guzzle it down.

As the night wore on, Luo Jinxiao’s drinking attracted unwanted attention from some men, but Qiongqi efficiently tossed them aside. Luo Jinxiao managed to finish all three jars of wine without getting drunk.

Still, she felt no trace of drunkenness.

She was baffled but couldn’t drink anymore. She leaned on Qiongqi’s shoulder and stumbled back to the inn, stopping in front of Qu Weiyin’s room.

“Little sweetie, what should I do?” she muttered.

“Why won’t Junior Shishu accept my feelings? Does she still think I’m too young? But I’m… not that young anymore,” Luo Jinxiao said, looking down at her chest with a pout.

Only then did she feel a warmth in her head, a slight hint of intoxication finally setting in. However, it was far from enough to alleviate her sorrow.

Qiongqi let out a soft growl.

“Speak human.”

“Small,” Qiongqi said.

Luo Jinxiao was speechless. She pushed Qiongqi away and continued walking, soon reaching the inn and pacing back and forth in front of Qu Weiyin’s door.