After Transmigrating into a Book as a Cannon Fodder Character, The System Turned out to be Completely Unreliable! - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: You Are a Phoenix! The King of Our Demon Clan

“Seriously, why are you yelling at me?” she said with a wronged expression. “I was just asking a question. I can’t even ask now?”

“Fine, I’ll tell you. Do you have an antidote then?” Ye Lingxi’s voice grew weaker and weaker.

Lan Mushu replied, “I only just finished making the experimental version, how could I have an antidote?”

Ye Lingxi: “…”

You’re my sister, why the heck are you researching this kind of thing? And really, this is all your fault! If you hadn’t messed around and developed that stuff, Ji Fuyu wouldn’t have drunk it, and I wouldn’t have lost my innocence either!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

“It’s actually a common aphrodisiac,” Lan Mushu said awkwardly, cheeks tinged with embarrassment. She couldn’t help but think of Ji Fuyu.

Ye Lingxi panicked a little. If I end up like her, I’m toast!

Lan Mushu sniffed the air. “No wonder this scent felt so familiar.”

Ye Lingxi: “…”

Sis, now is really not the time to be talking about this. I’m begging you.

“Do you or do you not have an antidote?” Ye Lingxi wailed.

Lan Mushu replied, “Nope. But I can suppress the effects temporarily. Once we get down the mountain to a nearby town, we should be able to find a solution.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Ye Lingxi finally felt a bit of hope.

Lan Mushu handed her a pill, and after she took it, she started eating the compact pastries Lan Mushu gave her.

Once she’d regained a bit of strength, she asked, “Why are we heading this way?”

“Because earlier, one of my people reported seeing the old man heading in this direction.”

Ye Lingxi swallowed and took a drink of water. If that’s the case, then the old man I saw earlier wasn’t my senior brother after all. I knew it—no way the world could be that coincidental.

“Then let’s pick up the pace. I really don’t want to relapse halfway with no one to help me,” Ye Lingxi said, standing up, feeling much better.

Lan Mushu helped her up. “OK.”

Ye Lingxi: “…”

You’re learning fast…

She gave her a thumbs-up. “You’re amazing.”

“What does that gesture mean?” Lan Mushu tried mimicking the gesture.

“It means you’re great, awesome!”

“Awesome?”

“Mhm!”

“You’re awesome too,” Lan Mushu replied proudly, mimicking her perfectly.

Ye Lingxi: “…”

This really isn’t the time for this kind of talk. Bai Luotang probably can’t hold on any longer—well, I definitely can’t.

“Let’s get going already!” Ye Lingxi dragged her along down the mountain.

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind them and said, “Such a familiar scent…”

—

“One room, please.”

“No, two rooms,” Ye Lingxi told the innkeeper.

The innkeeper looked confused. “So… how many rooms are you booking?”

Lan Mushu opened her mouth to speak, but Ye Lingxi interrupted, “Two!” She slapped the counter. “She’s paying.”

Lan Mushu: “…”

Ye Lingxi made a ‘please’ gesture toward her.

Once they were in the rooms, Lan Mushu questioned her, “Why did you book two rooms? Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to just share one?”

“You think I’m wasting money?” Ye Lingxi definitely wasn’t going to tell the truth—what if the female demon came out at night and saw her?

Lan Mushu said, “Not exactly, but I do feel like you’re hiding something.”

Ye Lingxi’s heart jumped. “Why would you think that?”

Lan Mushu, as she decocted some medicine, said, “I don’t know, just a feeling—like you’re keeping something from us.”

Ye Lingxi broke into a cold sweat and pressed her lips together. “I am hiding something…”

“I knew it. What is it?”

Ye Lingxi: “…”

Wow, you really love gossip, huh.

“It’s just that… when I sleep, I snore.” She leaned over and whispered into Lan Mushu’s ear, one word at a time.

Lan Mushu stared, dumbfounded. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. I don’t usually joke around.” Ye Lingxi held up four fingers.

Lan Mushu tilted her head. “What are you doing now?”

“I’m swearing—on these fingers.”

Lan Mushu: “…”

“Alright, drink the medicine already,” Lan Mushu poured the decoction into a bowl, shook the pot, and pushed the bowl toward her. “Drink it and get some rest. Tomorrow we still have to find that person.”

She stood up.

Ye Lingxi stood up too. “You sleep well.”

“You too.” Lan Mushu went back to her own room.

Ye Lingxi finally let out a breath of relief. She blew on the hot medicine and took a sip—instantly scalding her mouth.

“Hot! So hot!”

She blew on it a few more times and then downed it in one go. “Ugh, bitter!” Her tongue was practically weeping. She stuck it out and didn’t want to pull it back in.

“Why are all herbal medicines this bitter?” She chugged several mouthfuls of water, rinsed her mouth, and spat it out the window.

“That’s better.” She picked up the water jug and looked at the sky outside. “No matter how many times I look at it, the sky here is just so beautiful. If only the sky in my world looked like this too…”

She took off the hairpin and crown holding her hair up.

Her fluffy hair tumbled down. She scratched her scalp. “A bit sore.” She patted her golden robes and stripped down layer by layer until only her underclothes were left. She took off her shoes and crawled into the blankets.

No one to fight me for the blanket… So comfy.

I wonder how the demon lady’s doing now… She summoned her broken sword.

“When you come out later, you can have the pastries and herbs I saved for you.”

I hope your fever goes down soon. Otherwise, who knows how long I’ll have to keep looking after you… Not that you’ll die though… Right?

Well, you did say you’re a phoenix. And you belong to fire—you probably can’t die that easily.

Late into the night.

Inside the sword tassel, Ji Fuyu slowly opened her eyes.

She realized she was inside the tassel—when did she get in here?

With a swish, she emerged and saw Ye Lingxi fast asleep.

Ji Fuyu approached her and reached out her hand to touch her, but before she could, something shot toward them. Ji Fuyu grabbed the broken sword and deflected the incoming hidden needles with a crackling sound. Somehow, Ye Lingxi remained asleep.

Then, something began to envelop Ji Fuyu, pulling her into a different space.

Looking around, she shouted, “You dare not show yourself before your king?!”

She gripped the broken sword tightly, scanning her surroundings.

A voice echoed, “So it really is you! I can’t believe you actually came out!”

Ji Fuyu instantly recognized the voice. “Jing!”

“It’s been thousands of years and you still remember me!” Jing appeared in his true form, dressed in black with colored feathers woven into his clothes. Unique markings decorated his face, and feathers adorned his eyes as well.

Ji Fuyu said, “How could I forget you? You were my childhood playmate.”

Jing nodded in satisfaction and sniffed at her. “You smell different… Have you been deflowered?”

Ji Fuyu’s face remained stoic.

Jing grinned wickedly and stroked his chin. “After all these years, you finally gave in to lust, huh?”

Ji Fuyu: “…”

“Now’s not the time for that. Why are you here?” she asked coldly.

Jing replied, “I was staying at Flame Mountain, minding my own business, when I caught a familiar scent. I followed it here and found that sleeping woman—and the one in the other room too.” He glanced at Ye Lingxi.

They were in a transparent space—visible to them but invisible to the outside world.

“So, what’s your relationship with her?” Jing leaned close to look at Ye Lingxi. “She smells like you.”

Ji Fuyu: “…”

She didn’t know how to explain. “It’s a long story.”

“Fair enough. I suppose it’s personal, so I won’t pry. But how was your seal broken?”

Ji Fuyu instinctively looked at Ye Lingxi, unsure if her seal’s weakening had anything to do with her. “I don’t know. I just felt my spiritual power seal weakening all of a sudden.”

“Oh? Then that means Mingyue Shangshen has completely vanished?”

Jing asked, “I went to Longtou Mountain once—saw the statue of Shangshen Mingyue had been destroyed. Was that your doing?”

Ji Fuyu stayed silent.

“Knew it. Why even bother asking me?” Jing chuckled. “The cultivation world reveres Mingyue Shangshen. No way would they destroy her statue themselves. After that, I checked the place you were sealed—Longzui, or Snake Pit. Found only shattered stones, broken chains… and your five-fingered handprint.”

Ji Fuyu: “…”

“So what?”

“Nothing really. I was just curious where you’d go after escaping. The Dragon Abyss Sword at Mingyue’s statue is gone too. Then I heard you were killed by their sect leader… That just didn’t add up.”

Ji Fuyu: “…”

Seeing her expression change, Jing smiled. “Alright, even if it’s true, how could you die so easily? You’re a phoenix! The king of our demon clan!”