Competing with the Male Lead for the Female Lead (Transmigration) - Chapter 26
Two stiff hands, dry and large like the claws of a fierce bird, climbed onto her shoulders, digging deeply into her flesh and bones. Wen Wuning, who was in a meditative state, suddenly awoke and opened her eyes.
Turning her head, she saw a ghostly face, white-skinned with slender eyebrows and red lips.
“Thank you, guest, for bringing servant out.” It was that familiar, hollow tone again.
Wen Wuning’s tense body relaxed, and she asked coldly, “What exactly are you?”
To be able to follow her and enter her dreams, it was either a ghost or a monster.
The woman withdrew her dry, twig-like hands and knelt obediently beside Wen Wuning. Her stiff, tall frame leaned against Wen Wuning’s shoulder like a small bird seeking refuge. The top of her head touched Wen Wuning’s neck, and her cold, slippery black hair slid into her collar, causing Wen Wuning to frown slightly.
“Servant will attend to you from now on.”
A familiar strange fragrance entered her nostrils. Wen Wuning turned her head slightly, and her tone turned cold as she heard the woman’s non-answer.
“I don’t need your service. Don’t come looking for me again.”
The stiff body on her shoulder trembled slightly, making Wen Wuning’s shoulder ache. The familiar sobbing sound entered her ears again, very clear, but Wen Wuning turned a deaf ear and didn’t look sideways.
A coolness touched the back of her hand. Wen Wuning lowered her eyes and saw a drop of bright red bl00d. Wiping away the red spot, she turned her head and found that her shoulder was already stained red, bl00d tears flowing from the woman’s eyes. Wen Wuning frowned, feeling helpless.
“What exactly do you want to do?”
Not waiting for an answer, Wen Wuning suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Sheng Baihe and Lan Feier squatting in front of her on either side, staring at her with confusion.
And the woman was gone again.
“Senior Sister, were you dreaming?” Lan Feier asked uncertainly. After all, dreaming was quite rare for cultivators like them.
“Gotten tangled with a spirit.” Wen Wuning’s tone was casual, not taking the strange woman seriously, but the other two’s expressions changed, thinking of a bad possibility.
Sheng Baihe couldn’t help but ask for confirmation, “Did it follow us from the mansion we stayed at before?”
“Mm.” Seeing their serious expressions, Wen Wuning said nonchalantly, “She’s just following me, hasn’t done anything else. No need to worry for now.”
The two were silent, knowing that things weren’t that simple.
Inviting a deity was easy, but sending one away was hard. This thing wouldn’t be easy to get rid of.
This thing fed on human essence. In the original book, it latched onto Sheng Baihe, and it took him a lot of trouble to get rid of this hot potato.
The description of this thing in the book was truly appalling. Besides a face that resembled a woman, its body was tall, withered, and stiff. Just seeing the description made it clear how indescribable its appearance was.
The transmigrated Sheng Baihe didn’t even fancy Lin Niaoniao, so how could he be interested in this strange encounter?
Precisely guessing that Sheng Baihe would definitely avoid this strange encounter like the plague, Lan Feier thought that as long as Sheng Baihe was careful, they could pass this hurdle safely.
She hadn’t expected this strange thing to be so indiscriminate and latch onto Wen Wuning.
Could it be that this time, this strange thing wasn’t the same one from the original book? Was it a man?
Sheng Baihe, also thinking of this possibility, couldn’t remain calm and immediately confirmed, “Is it a woman?”
Only after receiving Wen Wuning’s affirmative answer did Sheng Baihe feel relieved.
Lan Feier glanced at him, guessed his inner thoughts, and couldn’t help but think that this fellow villager’s thinking was still too narrow. In this day and age, almost anything men could do, women could also do, including cuckolding him.
But this strange thing latched onto men for their essence. What could it gain by following Wen Wuning, a woman?
Moreover, seeing Wen Wuning’s rosy complexion and radiant appearance, without any signs of being drained by a ghost or monster…
Lan Feier didn’t understand.
Sheng Baihe and Lan Feier both looked thoughtful. Wen Wuning ignored them, got up, and walked outside. “Let’s set off.”
In the original book, the strange thing didn’t give Sheng Baihe and Wen Wuning any chance to leave the mansion. But this time, although it had latched onto Wen Wuning, it didn’t trap them in the mansion but instead followed Wen Wuning out.
Unable to figure out its intentions, they could only continue their journey for the time being.
The village chief had people ride over three reptiles.
Their mouths were muzzled, and there were simple grass mats on their backs. The people riding them held the reins, controlling these cold-blooded fierce beasts as naturally as they rode horses, making Lan Feier couldn’t help but admire them.
Wen Wuning had seen this kind of insect in the book and knew its fierce and untamable nature. But even more untamable and fierce strange beasts in the world could be tamed by humans, so she didn’t find it strange, only marveling at the toughness and ferocity of these ordinary people.
Sheng Baihe and Lan Feier, who had grown up watching animal documentaries, had a deep-rooted fear of crocodiles. Although they had changed their shells and were no longer ordinary mortals, not to the point of being afraid of crocodiles, they still had a resistance to these animals.
As the two of them stood in front of the crocodiles, not knowing where to step, Wen Wuning took the lead with a leap, gracefully landing on the back of one of the reptiles.
Looking back at the two, Wen Wuning sat cross-legged, tightened the reins to control the beast’s thrashing long snout, and with a shout like riding a horse, rode it out of the village.
Don’t underestimate these things because of their short legs. They crawled steadily and were not slow.
It was just that Wen Wuning, this ethereal and cold beauty, sitting on the back of an ugly and hard reptile, had a truly strange aesthetic.
Sheng Baihe and Lan Feier successively chose their mounts, overcame their psychological barriers, and rode them to catch up with Wen Wuning.
Leaving the village, the three traveled for another two days.
Besides the fact that other plants could finally be seen gradually besides aquatic plants, the puddles on the ground became fewer. Although crocodiles were equally agile on land, they didn’t like the increasingly dry areas and always wanted to go back.
The three had just fed each of them a water duck, filling their bellies. How could they let them go back?
They specially found a deep pit, drove them in, and secured them. The three then found a nearby tree and made a fire under it to rest.
After making the fire, Lan Feier focused on preparing her own dinner. She had specially saved a duck for herself earlier.
On the other side of the fire, Wen Wuning and Sheng Baihe were discussing the route in low voices.
As long as Sheng Baihe didn’t reveal his true nature, his appearance was still very deceptive, with an extraordinary temperament and refined conversation, truly a match made in heaven with Wen Wuning.
Lan Feier suddenly felt very bored.
These two were the official pairing, a couple ordained by the author.
Although the transmigrated Sheng Baihe was a dangerous figure, that was for others. He was impeccable towards Wen Wuning.
She could imagine that if Wen Wuning could go along with him, he would definitely spoil the female lead rotten. They would be a couple that even the gods would envy.
What was she joining in for?
Using vine leaves and mud, she wrapped the duck layer by layer and buried it in the fire. Lan Feier patted her clothes and stood up, saying to the two opposite her, “Senior Sister, Senior Brother, I’ll go find some fruit nearby.”
The two looked up at her.
Sheng Baihe couldn’t wait for her to get lost, preferably die outside and never come back, so he didn’t say anything.
Wen Wuning glanced at the map and admonished, “Don’t go too far.”
Lan Feier nodded. After she left, Wen Wuning was still worried. She quickly finalized the next route with Sheng Baihe in a few words and chased after Lan Feier in the direction she had left.
Sheng Baihe stared at her back, his gaze gloomy. It was rare for the two of them to have a chance to be alone, and it had gone to waste again.
In the forest, Lan Feier, who also had a gloomy face, heard movement behind her. Turning back, she was a little surprised. “Senior Sister, why are you here?”
Wen Wuning caught up with her and walked side by side. “It’s nothing, just taking a walk with you.”
Neither of them were particularly talkative people. Saying they were taking a walk meant they were really just walking.
Lan Feier walked and stopped, looking for fruit. Wen Wuning followed beside her, not helping, just watching, watching her busy herself.
Later, Lan Feier remembered the ginseng doll’s abilities and summoned the ginseng doll, which hadn’t appeared for a long time, asking it to find fruit while she only needed to follow along with Wen Wuning.
Although neither of them spoke, the atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant. Lan Feier gnawed on the fruit leisurely, and the gloom that had been lingering in her heart had long since flown away.
Finding that Lan Feier kept stealing glances at her, Wen Wuning couldn’t ignore it and couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you keep looking at me?”
“Looking at you makes the fruit taste especially good.” Lan Feier shook the fruit in her hand and smiled narrowly.
Wen Wuning was slightly stunned, then said in a low voice with an unnatural expression, “Glittering talk.”
Having been reprimanded, the smile between Lan Feier’s eyebrows and eyes only increased.
As for what she was thinking when she stole glances at Wen Wuning just now? Lan Feier took a bite of the fruit.
She was thinking about such a capable woman, not talkative, loyal, with a sense of propriety, knowing when to advance and when to retreat, and also fair-skinned, beautiful, and with an outstanding temperament.
She couldn’t let that Sheng Baihe get her cheaply.
Even if he was lucky enough to put on the protagonist’s shell, so what? He was no better than her.
It wasn’t that she looked down on this fellow villager. It was precisely because they were fellow villager that she understood him. After all, they came from the same place, received the same education and environmental influences. She and Sheng Baihe actually had many similarities.
Among them, the biggest difference between them and Wen Wuning, this native, was that they didn’t have the chivalrous spirit that the female lead possessed. Wen Wuning was clear about right and wrong, benevolent and upright, and compassionate towards the weak.
But she and Sheng Baihe didn’t have this noble sentiment. They were narrow-minded, thoroughgoing egoists, cold and selfish.
Having been influenced by such things since childhood, Wen Wuning’s nature was completely different from theirs.
She deserved better, deserved to be treated well.
At least not by that bastard Sheng Baihe.