After Transmigrating into a Book as a Cannon Fodder Character, The System Turned out to be Completely Unreliable! - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The System Is Unreliable, and Even the Equipment is Unreliable!

At the inn.

Ye Lingxi leisurely sipped her tea, completely unaware that someone at the neighboring table had been watching her for a long time.

“This tea is really good,” she remarked casually.

System: Host, should you return to Qingyang Sect now?

“Let me have some fun first. I’m not in a hurry.” Ye Lingxi took another sip of tea.

System: …

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go back—the story had just begun. No matter how urgent things seemed, it wouldn’t change anything. She might as well take a break first.

Ye Lingxi stood up, retrieved a small piece of silver, and placed it on the table. “Waiter, the bill.” Leaving the silver behind, she walked away.

Stretching lazily, she carried her broken sword, wondering where to go next for some fun. After walking for a while, she noticed a crowd gathered near the city wall, whispering about something.

Curious, she joined them and saw a notice posted—the four major sects were recruiting new disciples. Just as she was reading, she overheard a conversation nearby.

“Why are they recruiting again? Didn’t they just do that a few months ago? Now they need more people?”

“Hey, are you going to apply?”

“How could I? They only accept female disciples, not men.”

“But Jiuxuan Sect accepts male disciples, right?”

“Seems like it. Let’s go check it out.”

After discussing, the young men hurried off to register.

System: Host, this is an opportunity. Do you want to apply?

Ye Lingxi replied, “No rush.”

System: Huh? If you wait too long, there won’t be any spots left.

Ye Lingxi chuckled. “Nonsense. Look at the deadline—it’s still three days away. Plenty of time for me to enjoy myself first.”

System:  …

“But now that I think about it, the NPCs here mentioned that they recruited recently. Why are they doing it again? Are they really that short on people?” Ye Lingxi rubbed her chin, deep in thought.

System: Analyzing:

Mo Huaishu is ruthless—anyone who doesn’t meet her expectations is eliminated.

There are too many demons, causing a shortage of manpower.

Ye Lingxi: “…”

“So basically, they don’t have enough people. We cannon fodder are everywhere, but those with plot armor don’t care about us. Most disciples were killed because of her jealousy—just like me. Who knows what I did to offend her? She threw me into the Snake Pit to fend for myself.” Ye Lingxi complained.

System: You’re right, Host. That’s why, no matter what, you must return to them, push the plot forward, and change your fate.

Ye Lingxi sighed in frustration. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You talk too much.”

System:

She decided to head back and plan her next steps, but accidentally bumped into someone. She quickly stepped aside. “Sorry.”

However, the person blocked her path. She moved left, they moved left. She moved right, they moved right.

Annoyed, she looked up and shouted, “Are you crazy?” But before she could continue cursing, her angry expression instantly turned obedient.

Three rough-looking men, each wielding large blades, sneered at her. “Why aren’t you cursing now?”

Ye Lingxi nervously backed away. “What are you talking about? How could I possibly curse at you?” She inched backward, keeping a forced smile. Seeing an opening, she bolted.

“Chance!” She sprinted away, not giving them a moment to react.

The three men shouted, “Get her!”

If there was one thing Ye Lingxi excelled at, it was clinging to powerful figures and running away.

System: Host, be careful!

Ye Lingxi boasted, “Relax! I was a national-level athlete in the sports team.” She held her nose high with pride.

System:

But as she ran into a narrow alley, a massive wall loomed ahead. “Uh-oh.”

System: Host, did anyone ever teach you how to climb walls?

“You’re kidding, right? What kind of school teaches wall climbing?” Ye Lingxi turned to find another exit, but the three men were already closing in, grinning maliciously.

The burly man in the center mocked, “Run? Go on, run! Why aren’t you running anymore?”

Ye Lingxi broke into a cold sweat. “You gentlemen are generous—please don’t hold a grudge against a weak girl like me.”

The man smirked. “We don’t want to fight you. But… you have money.”

“Huh?” Ye Lingxi looked confused. “I have money?”

“Exactly! Exactly!” The skinny man chimed in.

Ye Lingxi thought they must be blind. “How could I possibly have money? If I were rich, would I be wearing coarse linen clothes?” She gestured to her outfit.

The burly man scoffed. “We don’t care what you’re wearing.”

“That’s right!” The slightly slow-witted third man agreed.

“Rich people love acting like they’re poor.”

“We saw you had plenty of silver pieces.” The skinny man reached out, about to search her.

Ye Lingxi guarded herself. “Hold on a second.”

The three men paused.

She suddenly collapsed to the ground, sobbing dramatically. “Ah! You three big men are bullying a weak, helpless woman like me!” She raised her hand toward the sky. “Is there no justice left in the world?”

The three men: “…”

“Cut the act.” The skinny man crossed his arms. “We’re not falling for that.”

The slow-witted man added, “Be smart and hand over the money, or we’ll search you ourselves.”

Ye Lingxi asked the system, “System, what’s going on? My face isn’t that of some wealthy noble, right? Why are they so convinced I’m rich?”

System: It’s because you belong to the same tier as them. To people at this tier, you appear to have a face. But to higher-tier characters, you either have no face or just a generic one.

“That’s just blatant hierarchy discrimination!” Ye Lingxi huffed in frustration. “Fine, fine. Looks like I need to pull out the big guns.”

System: Host, what are you planning?

Ye Lingxi’s expression darkened, and her aura grew ominous. She stood up, gripping her sword tightly. “If you insist on force, then I’ll have to get serious too.”

The three men gulped nervously, watching her sudden shift in demeanor.

Ye Lingxi slowly unsheathed her sword, her eyes locked onto them.

Just as she drew the blade, it got stuck halfway.

A long silence followed.

The three men burst into laughter.

Ye Lingxi struggled to fully unsheathe the sword, her face turning red with effort. “System, can I just throw this sword away?!” she yelled.

System: No, it’s your weapon.

Ye Lingxi: “Damn you, system.” She was drenched in sweat. “This sword is just as unreliable as you.”

She was about to lose her temper—not only was the system useless, but even the equipment she picked up was faulty.

“Seems like you can’t put on a show for us. How about we give you a demonstration instead?” The men raised their large blades, swinging them above their heads, preparing to strike her down.

Ye Lingxi squeezed her eyes shut, thinking to herself: Is this really the end? Am I about to restart already? The story just began, and I’m already getting eliminated? Is this really the fate of a cannon fodder character?

The next second, screams erupted—but they weren’t hers. They came from the three men.

What’s happening?!

Ye Lingxi opened her eyes wide, only to see the three men scrambling away in terror.

Ye Lingxi: “??????????????????”

She thought she had scared them off herself and laughed proudly. “I told you I was serious! System, thanks for the help.”

System: It wasn’t me.

“Huh? Not you?” Ye Lingxi was confused. “If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

“It was me.” A soft, childlike voice rang out.

“System, did you change your voice?”

System: I didn’t.

“Then who is it?”

“It’s me!” The voice grew impatient.

Ye Lingxi looked around, scanning her surroundings. “There’s no one here.”

“Look down!”

“Down?”

She hesitated, but when she looked down, she was startled. “Who are you?!” She instinctively backed away, then crouched down. “Which family’s child are you?”

The child before her was incredibly adorable, round-faced and chubby, but their eyes were cold and emotionless. Their clothing was luxurious, clearly the attire of a noble lady.

A bright red silk robe, exquisite embroidery, and—most notably—a beautiful feather earring.

Wait! A feather earring?!

Just moments ago, Ye Lingxi had been admiring it, but now she was drenched in sweat, her smile frozen on her face. She pretended not to notice and tried to stand up.

The child grabbed her collar, forcing her to kneel. “You’ve got some nerve, huh? How dare you ignore me!”

“Oh crap, I’m doomed. It’s really the demon queen!”