A Cannon Fodder Who Became The Future Queen - Chapter 6.1

[Target’s Favorability -10]

The system’s prompt rang out, and Ji Ping’an slowly closed her eyes.

From a normal standard, favorability between strangers is 0-30. Between friends, it’s 30-50. The higher the favorability, the closer the relationship. Negative favorability, on the other hand, represents the degree of aversion.

She opened the system panel in her mind and looked at the current data.

[Shen Zhiyu’s current health: 33 (max 100)]

[Shen Zhiyu’s current favorability: -50 (max 100)]

[Current draws available: 0]

A -50 favorability rating was a sign of extreme aversion, bordering on hatred. With this thought, Ji Ping’an opened her eyes, wanting to say something else to Shen Zhiyu to salvage her favorability. But as soon as she turned her head, she was met with Shen Zhiyu’s icy gaze. “What, do you want to let me go now?”

Ji Ping’an immediately looked away, shrugging her shoulders and staring up at the sky, pretending she hadn’t heard the question. Letting you go is a definite no.

After checking the favorability, Ji Ping’an noticed another piece of information on the data panel. Last night, Shen Zhiyu’s health was at 30, but now it had increased by three points to 33. It must be because she had gotten medicine from Doctor Zhuang, which brought down Shen Zhiyu’s fever. She also ate today, so her body was improving.

There was also that sentence the system had prompted when Shen Zhiyu asked to be let go.

[Warning: Host and mission target’s life values are linked.]

She hadn’t seen this information in the beginner’s guide or on the draw interface. This meant it was a hidden rule, a detail about the mission that was only triggered under specific circumstances. If she let Shen Zhiyu go, she obviously couldn’t complete the mission.

Ji Ping’an quietly thought about the word “linked” to herself. The first possibility was that she and Shen Zhiyu were mutually linked, a “shared fate.” For example, she had once read a novel where a protagonist had a special ability to plant a ‘live and die together’ curse on someone they loved. If one of them died, the curse would trigger in the other, causing instant death.

But Ji Ping’an immediately ruled out this possibility. She remembered the venomous snake she had encountered in the forest today. An encounter like that was far more dangerous than letting Shen Zhiyu go. After all, if Shen Zhiyu left, she might find a good person to help her and survive, but Ji Ping’an’s life had truly been on the line today. But even then, the system never gave her any warnings or help. Ji Ping’an hadn’t forgotten that the system’s objective was to “ensure Shen Zhiyu successfully becomes empress.” This could only mean her life was not linked to the mission objective. It was impossible that she and Shen Zhiyu shared the same fate.

That left only the second possibility. She was unilaterally linked to Shen Zhiyu. She was Shen Zhiyu’s accessory. This meant she would live as long as Shen Zhiyu lived. And if Shen Zhiyu’s health dropped to zero, she’d die, too?

“System, isn’t this an ‘overlord clause’?”

When she saw the beginner’s pack, Ji Ping’an thought the system was great. And when she got a rare item on her first draw, she even suspected the system was giving her special protection as a new player. But now it seemed like it was all a trap! This was an impossible, hellish mission! The system should compensate her with ten more rare items!

While Ji Ping’an was lost in thought, Shen Zhiyu was also pondering the Alpha’s strange behavior. She said she would be good to her, but she wouldn’t let her leave. This could only mean that she wanted something from Shen Zhiyu.

The fire crackled, and the smell of roasted rabbit slowly began to fill the air. Shen Zhiyu rubbed her fingertips together, listing two possibilities in her mind. One, the Alpha knew her past identity and wanted to use her for leverage to get what she wanted. Two, she still wanted to mark her but wanted Shen Zhiyu to submit willingly. Or perhaps she was greedy and wanted both.

After thinking it through, Shen Zhiyu decided she had been confused by the Alpha’s strange behavior and had foolishly listened to her nonsense about “being Ji Ping’an but not being Ji Ping’an.” Looking back now, the Alpha had been deceptive from the very beginning, speaking only falsehoods. She had simply wasted her time.

Realizing this, Shen Zhiyu’s cold gaze fell on the back of Ji Ping’an’s neck. When the time was right, she would make this Alpha pay!

Ji Ping’an didn’t call out to the system that was playing dead, but she felt a sudden, inexplicable chill down her spine. She pulled her clothes tighter. Just then, Yun Niang returned to the courtyard. As she got closer, Yun Niang noticed a look of vexation on Ji Ping’an’s face. She didn’t know Ji Ping’an was annoyed at the system, so she assumed she had argued with the Omega. After all, they were sitting much farther apart than before.

Yun Niang’s heart skipped a beat, worried that Ji Ping’an was about to do something foolish again. She had been good friends with Ji’s mother. She had even told her not to spoil her children so much, or they wouldn’t be able to handle things on their own later in life. Ji’s mother would always just laugh and say the children were still young. She’d go into the mountains a few more times to save money so the kids could have a better life and never have to worry about buying candy. It was a shame things didn’t go as planned, and her well-intentioned advice had turned out to be true.

Yun Niang broke the silence between them. “Even though it’s still early spring, this rabbit is quite fat. What made you go to the mountain today, Ping’an?”

“I ran into someone from the county the other day, and they said I was good for nothing,” Ji Ping’an said, her voice loud and full of indignation. “Look! I only went to the mountain once, and I already found a wild rabbit! I should make them all see for themselves!”

After saying this, she crossed her legs and looked at Shen Zhiyu. In a frivolous tone, she said like a vulgar lecher, “Besides, with such a pretty Omega here, how could I bear to let her suffer?”

She needed an excuse for her sudden change in behavior so her future actions would seem less suspicious. The original host was a lecher, so Ji Ping’an simply amplified that trait. It was a better reputation than being a violent bully. Besides, truthfully, no one in the village could hold a candle to Shen Zhiyu’s beauty, so it was only natural for her to treat her well.

But as she said this, Ji Ping’an felt like crying as she met Shen Zhiyu’s murderous gaze. At this moment, she was grateful that she had forgotten to buy a knife in the county. Otherwise, Shen Zhiyu might sneak into her room and stab her in her sleep tonight. The more Ji Ping’an thought about it, the more she believed it could happen. She mentally crossed “buying a knife” off her to-do list. Until Shen Zhiyu’s favorability went back up to zero, she wouldn’t buy a knife. Oh, and she had to hide the arrow she brought back and put it under her pillow. She couldn’t let Shen Zhiyu get her hands on it!

The words were so vulgar that even though Yun Niang was married, she couldn’t find a reply. She didn’t know where to put her hands or feet. Thankfully, Suisui ran over, sniffing the air. “Big sister, the roasted rabbit smells so good.”

Wild rabbit meat was fatty, and Yun Niang had even added some of her family’s salt. As it roasted, a rich, savory aroma spread through the air, making it hard to look away.

Yun Niang smiled at the two children. “It’s not ready yet. You have to wait another half hour.”

After a half-hour of impatiently waiting and swallowing their saliva, Ji Ping’an took the rabbit off the simple wooden spit. “It’s ready to eat!” she announced.

They couldn’t wait. They ate it right off the spit while it was still hot. Suisui was the first to stuff a piece in her mouth. She hissed from the heat but was unwilling to spit it out, rolling it around in her mouth before swallowing.

Shen Zhiyu also tore off a piece of meat and held it to her mouth. She was also scalded, but she was more refined than Suisui. She only lightly furrowed her brow before blowing on it gently until it was cool enough to eat.

Ji Ping’an couldn’t help but smile, pulling off a leg for herself. The meat was firm but juicy, with a sheen of oil on every fiber. The moment the meat touched her tongue, its fresh tenderness was so good it almost brought tears to her eyes. The hard work today was all worth it!

The villagers were satisfied with their meat, but the other families in Big Willow Village were suffering. Accustomed to wild vegetables and coarse grain, the sudden scent of roasted meat made them all come out of their homes and gather by their gates to talk.

“Whose house is eating meat? Why does it smell so good?”

“I was just thinking the same thing. My child was almost asleep, but the smell of the meat woke him up. He’s so hungry he told me to go to the county tomorrow and buy some, but where am I supposed to get the money?”

“My child too. I had to beat her a couple of times before she finally settled down and went to bed.”

Ms. Fugui, who lived in the same area, also ran out of her house when she smelled the meat. “All the families around here are accounted for. Could the smell be coming from the north side of the village?” she asked. The families in the northern part of the village owned dozens of acres of land, had better harvests, and could sell their surplus grain in the county, so they were wealthier and ate meat often. That was her first thought.

A man laughed at Ms. Fugui’s words. “That’s a long way off. How could we smell the meat from there?”

“That’s right. This scent is so strong it’s like a platter of meat is right in front of me. It can’t be coming from the northern families.”

“You’ve got a point. Speaking of which, aren’t the Ji and Yun families missing from our little group?”

At that, the crowd looked around. But to them, the idea of the Ji or Yun families having meat was even more unbelievable than the smell coming from the north.

A woman who was eating her dinner, holding a bowl of rice porridge in her hand, said, “Yun Niang is a widow with a child. She’s just happy if she can eat her fill. As for the Ji family, let’s not even talk about that hooligan. How could a child earn enough money for meat?”

The families continued to argue, but then someone suddenly spoke. “Look, the smoke seems to be coming from the Ji family’s house. Could they be roasting meat?”

They all looked over. Even the ones who were just mocking her fell silent. Ms. Fugui stared, not daring to blink, afraid she was mistaken.

After a long time, someone spoke. “That smell is better than pork. Could it be that the Ji family’s girl really did catch something this afternoon?” Many of the villagers already knew that Ji Ping’an had gone hunting today. Even those who didn’t would bring it up in passing conversation. If someone had said yesterday that Ji Ping’an could hunt and was eating roasted meat, the villagers would have thought they were dreaming. But now the evidence was right in front of them, and they had no choice but to believe it.

“A few years ago, when her mother was still alive, she was a great hunter. Do you think that skill can be passed down from mother to daughter?”

Ms. Fugui scoffed. “You all know what the Ji family’s eldest girl is like. It’s more likely the rabbits are just dumb since winter is over, and one of them ran into a tree and she just picked it up.”

“That makes sense…”

This explanation was much more reasonable. The villagers began to wonder if they should also try their luck in the mountains. After all, it was meat! It was the busiest time of the year, working from morning to night. Being able to eat some meat in the evening would give them a lot more hope in life. But even with these thoughts, no one spoke them out loud. They just changed the subject. After all, the more people went to the mountains, the smaller their chances of finding game.

Ms. Fugui didn’t join in the small talk. She turned and went back into her house, calling her son over. “Fugui, come here. I need to talk to you about something.”

Fugui was an Alpha, too, and was quite strong. He worked in the county and earned a few hundred coins a month, which was considered excellent for Big Willow Village. But he was honest and quiet, preferring to stay in his room when he wasn’t working. Ms. Fugui looked at him as he came over. “I don’t know where you learned to be such a quiet old gourd,” she said with exasperation. “Neither your father nor I are quiet. It’s bad enough you don’t talk to the villagers, but you don’t even talk to Omegas. That one I introduced you to last month…”

Fugui interrupted her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

It was then that Ms. Fugui remembered the real reason she called him over. “I’m going to tell you something…” She told him about how Ji Ping’an had found game on the mountain. “She’s nowhere near as good as you. The day after tomorrow is your day off, and you don’t have to work in the fields, so go to the mountains. I’m sure you can find a wild chicken or rabbit.”

“Mom, she didn’t find it.” Fugui had seen the animals on the mountain; they were much more agile than people. There was no way she just “found” one.

“She didn’t find it? Then do you think she actually hunted it?”

“Why not?” Fugui said before turning to go back to his room.

“Now you’ve got a lot to say!” Ms. Fugui huffed. “It doesn’t matter. Just go to the mountain. Don’t forget!”