Title: After the Villainess Awakens
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 5 - Thank you Brother Xiao (3)
Leng Mushi picked up the small fruit that Xiao Mian had given her, brought it to her lips, and bit down. In an instant, juice splashed inside her mouth. Her fox-like eyes widened. This inconspicuous fruit was so sweet!
She hadn't eaten anything since last night. Such a small fruit wasn't enough to satisfy her, but it succeeded in making her stomach growl.
Her hunger reminded her that she didn't have the luxury to be sentimental about the past or worry about the future. After all, her abilities were limited. She could only take things one step at a time. Filling her stomach was the most important thing!
And so, she picked up the full water bag and decided to go back to the carriage to drink the water while gnawing on the dried rations. However, before she reached the carriage, she saw Leng Tianyin and Xiao Mian talking by a small tree not far away.
Tsk, tsk. Must be in a rush to explain the belt matter.
That's how the plot went. No matter how many misunderstandings the villainess caused, the protagonists would quickly resolve them. Moreover, their relationship would progress as a result.
The novel's law said that after she completed the plot, she would regain her freedom and be able to seek out a path for herself.
Even though her spiritual roots weren't pure enough in the novel, and the Taichu Sect might not be interested in accepting her as a disciple, she still wanted to try to join that cultivator sect. She wouldn't try to seek immortality. Even becoming an outer disciple would be good.
She just wanted to stay away from this lousy couple, get rid of her status as Leng Tianyin's shadow, and live a simple life.
When Leng Mushi reached the side of the carriage, Xiao Mian looked in her direction and saw her scornful smile before she turned around. He instinctively frowned. Leng Mushi suddenly turned around and squeezed her face to direct a ghastly expression at him.
Xiao Mian was startled. He wasn't startled by her grimace, but by the fact that a woman would care so little about her image.
"Little Immortal Xiao?" Leng Tianyin didn't get a response from him and went on to say, "My sister didn't mean to offend you. She just… has a very lively temperament. I hope you don't take it to heart."
Xiao Mian: … If she was like this unintentionally, he didn't want to imagine what she was like when she was deliberately causing trouble.
For the first time in his life, he understood what it meant to not know whether to cry or laugh. He glanced at the side of the carriage. Leng Mushi was already sitting down and nibbling on a pancake.
He nodded. "It's okay. Miss Leng, you should go eat too. We'll have to hurry on with our journey soon and travel until late at night before reaching the next town."
Leng Tianyin nodded.
Xiao Mian took out a handkerchief from his clothes and unwrapped the handkerchief to reveal several small fruits like the one he had given Leng Mushi earlier.
"I found this on the mountain. This fruit is edible. Miss Leng, have some." Xiao Mian offered the handkerchief.
Leng Tianyin pursed her lips and thanked him. Just as she was about to accept the fruits, Leng Mushi appeared out of nowhere and snatched the fruits away.
"Brother Xiao is the best. My sister doesn't like to eat this sort of stuff. The one I tried earlier was so sour. It's better that I eat them!" Leng Mushi picked one up, took a bite, and acted as if she had eaten something extremely sour.
Xiao Mian opened and closed his mouth. He hadn't eaten any either.
In the end, he didn't say anything. He looked at the stunned Leng Tianyin before turning around and walking over to his shixiong.
While eating the small fruit, Leng Mushi walked towards the carriage and muttered in a quiet voice that only she could hear, "This type of scene is so pointless. Novel's law, you keep telling me to do these annoying things. What if the protagonists get too exasperated with me and leave me by the side of the road? Won't I become useless to you…"
[Don't worry. The villainess will still be around till the end. The group will encounter an evil spirit tonight in town, so be prepared.]
"Prepare… for what?" Leng Mushi had an ominous feeling.
Sure enough, the novel's law replied, "Prepare to kill the heroine."
The small fruit suddenly lost its sweetness.
Although she found Leng Tianyin annoying, her feelings towards Leng Tianyin were nowhere close to hatred. She…
It was as if the novel's law could hear her thoughts. It said, "The heroine can't be killed."
Leng Mushi was immediately relieved. Based on what she had confirmed so far about the plot, the heavens were on Leng Tianyin's side, and her sister couldn't be harmed.
That was good. The sooner she finished the plot, the sooner she could escape the villainess's fate.
—
When the team resumed their journey and Leng Mushi finished off the last small fruit in the carriage, Leng Tianyin suddenly spoke, "You…"
"No matter what you want to say, don't say it." Leng Mushi sat up, threw the fruit core out the carriage window, and serenely said to Leng Tianyin, "We definitely won't be assigned to the same place once we reach Taichu Sect. Our family is gone. We don't have any friendship to speak of. Let's cut off our ties and never speak to each other."
"What are you saying?!" Leng Tianyin was surprisingly anxious. She moved forward to touch her, but Leng Mushi dodged her hand.
Leng Tianyin said, "We're the only ones left of our family. We depend on each other for survival. How can we sever our relationship?"
"Why not?" Leng Mushi looked at Leng Tianyin and thought about what she knew. In the future, Leng Tianyin would become the Sect Leader's disciple, and she would be an outer disciple that no one wanted. It was impossible for them to rely on each other. If she stayed away from Leng Tianyin, her life would be a bit better. She wouldn't get into disgraceful situations and serve as Leng Tianyin's foil.
"Just give me a way to survive, okay?" Leng Mushi placed her hands together in prayer and devoutly bowed to Leng Tianyin. "Don't you save young animals all the time? You have the reputation of being a little Bodhisattva. Can you please show mercy to me?"
"Sister!"
Knowing to call her sister now, it was too late.
Leng Mushi saw that she couldn't get through to her, so she turned around and lay down with her back to her. She lifted up the outer layer of her skirt to cover head and refused to communicate.
She laid there with her thoughts wandering. Despite the swaying carriage, she still finally fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was already past midnight. The group had entered the town, but there were only sparse lanterns swaying gently in the night breeze on the street. At this time of the night, most inns and restaurants were closed.
They passed by two streets and finally found a place that hadn't closed yet. Not yet fully awake, Leng Mushi pulled back the carriage curtain. The first floor of the inn was surprisingly brightly lit, and there were several tables of customers still drinking and chatting.
Weary from traveling, Leng Tianyin leaned on the carriage with a tired expression. Only the three young immortals were in high spirits. They would normally be able to fly a long distance on their swords each day, but Leng Mushi and Leng Tianyin's mortal bodies wouldn't be able to withstand traveling that way. Thus, they could only travel by carriage and horses.
The carriage and the horses were handed to the inn's staff, and the group entered the tavern.
The innkeeper had sagging eyelids and a kind smile, but Leng Mushi couldn't shake off her unease.
Leng Mushi had slept along the way and was refreshed. Xiao Mian's shixiong was talking to the shopkeeper about opening rooms. Leng Mushi yawned, glanced at the innkeeper, and saw that the innkeeper's eyebrows were uneven. One eyebrow was close to the eye, and one was so high that it was almost at the hairline. The eyebrows looked like they were anxiously drawn by someone that was in a hurry to greet people.
The innkeeper spoke in a stilted way, "Guest… only two rooms…left."
Here comes the plot.
Author's Note:
Leng Mushi: Only open for business when the plot is underway. Thank you for your cooperation.