Failed to Transmigrate, I’m Back Again - Chapter 17

Standing nearby, Bai Jin nearly froze in panic, terrified that Tang Wuyun would blurt out the truth in the next second.

Tang Wuyun, her head bowed, suddenly felt a sharp kick from Bai Jin.

She lifted her foot to rub it, looking at Bai Jin with a puzzled expression.

Bai Jin narrowed her eyes, her gaze a clear warning: Don’t you dare say a word!

Tang Wuyun glanced down at her foot, then glared back, eyebrows raised: Why did you kick me?! I wasn’t going to say anything anyway!

Their silent exchange was far too obvious.

Pei Yinxi watched them thoughtfully.

Tang Wuyun lowered her foot, tilted her head, and leaned closer to Bai Jin, her hands on her hips, winking and gesturing wildly.

This time, Bai Jin couldn’t decipher the meaning. She reached out and shoved Tang Wuyun back by the shoulder.

“Get lost,” she said dismissively. “Go away.”

Tang Wuyun took a step back, glanced at Pei Yinxi, who was observing them intently, crossed her arms, and asked Bai Jin, “Do you know something?”

Bai Jin’s eyes darted nervously, glancing sideways at Pei Yinxi, who was equally curious. Finally, she simply looked up at the sky.

Pei Yinxi paused, then suddenly spoke up, “Should I just leave?”

Her performance was far too deliberate.

Tang Wuyun cleared her throat and muttered, “There’s no need for that.”

Pei Yinxi shrugged and turned to Bai Jin. “Jin Jin, what do you know? Can’t I hear about A’Miao?”

Even without their subsequent silent exchange, Pei Yinxi had already sensed Bai Jin and Tang Wuyun’s tension after she asked the question.

What did they know?

Pei Yinxi asked the question without waiting for Bai Jin’s answer, lowering her gaze in contemplation.

They seemed to think she shouldn’t hear about this, but their behavior only made it more suspicious, as if they were hinting at something.

Pei Yinxi’s mind raced, catching the guilt and complexity in their expressions. She struggled to suppress the knowing smile in her eyes, not wanting to panic them.

More than their team leader, Pei Yinxi knew they feared Shi Zhimiao. If A’Miao ever found out they had revealed her secrets, they would likely tremble in terror.

Pei Yinxi chuckled inwardly. Meanwhile, Bai Jin, who had been called out, nervously raised her hand to touch her neck, regretting her earlier exchange of glances with Tang Wuyun.

Tang Wuyun turned her back and gazed up at the moon.

“The moon is so round tonight, Sister Pei, Jin Jin. It’s been ages since I last saw it.”

Tang Wuyun’s attempt to change the subject remained awkward. Pei Yinxi smiled faintly, deciding not to press them further.

She didn’t let Tang Wuyun’s words fall flat.

“Hmm, you just haven’t been looking up at the moon enough lately.”

Pei Yinxi also tilted her head back to gaze at the night sky, where the moon hung silently.

“That’s not true, Sister Pei.”

She had looked up before, but she had never seen it.

Tang Wuyun tilted her head back, the faint mist in her eyes reflecting the moonlight. She blinked, the scattered light shifting in her gaze.

The sudden surge of emotion left Tang Wuyun momentarily stunned, until a hand rested on her shoulder.

Pei Yinxi broke the awkward silence, looping her arm around Tang Wuyun’s and guiding her forward. Her relaxed tone carried a hint of reassurance. “Come on, let’s go find A’Miao and see what she’s up to.”

Though Tang Wuyun hadn’t said a word, Pei Yinxi immediately sensed her distress. She was clearly upset, the sadness hitting her out of nowhere.

Pei Yinxi felt a headache coming on. She desperately wanted to know what had happened to Tang Wuyun, and seeing her like this made her heart ache too.

Among the four of them, Tang Wuyun and Lu Ya were the ones who worried her the most. One had severed ties with her family, while the other was orphaned. When they first met, both girls had been thin and fragile, and Pei Yinxi had taken it upon herself to care for them, fretting over their food and clothing.

Bai Jin and Shi Zhimiao hadn’t been much easier to handle back then. They were all young and headstrong, rebellious and constantly causing trouble. Ironically, Lu Ya, the most rambunctious of the group, was the most obedient to Pei Yinxi.

Even though Pei Yinxi was only twenty at the time, just two years older than Tang Wuyun and still a student herself, she felt like she had adopted four wayward daughters. Her sense of responsibility had driven her to worry herself sick over them.

Lu Ya and Tang Wuyun were the most reliant on Pei Yinxi. Before graduating, they had been complete “sister’s girls,” constantly calling her “Sister Pei, Sister Pei.”

To put it dramatically, Pei Yinxi had watched Tang Wuyun gradually blossom into a cheerful and confident young woman. Seeing her suddenly change like this filled Pei Yinxi with worry.

What troubled Pei Yinxi most was Tang Wuyun’s stubbornness. She feared Tang Wuyun might be tormenting herself internally.

Bai Jin cleared her throat, steering the conversation back on track. “Ahem, Sister Pei, what are we going to do with Miaomiao?”

Pei Yinxi replied tersely, “Play.”

Bai Jin blinked, feeling a strange unease, but dared not dwell on it.

Throughout the journey, Tang Wuyun remained uncharacteristically quiet, abandoning her usual antics and silently listening to their conversation.

Meanwhile, Shi Shuwu, having completed a special mission, brushed past them on a parallel path separated by a small stream.

Shi Shuwu glanced at the tracking device she had obtained—essentially a tablet displaying the coordinates of the three nearest “∞” envoys.

The coordinates appeared for only a minute. When she checked, she noticed two of them were clustered together, and neither had moved during that brief window.

Shi Shuwu circled the location on her map and was currently rushing to get there.

She had obtained this clue after completing a two-person mission. Not wanting to share it with her partner, she made a deal with Ji Mingyin: Ji would help her complete the mission, and Shi Shuwu would keep all the rewards.

Ji Mingyin had no idea what the reward was. Shi Shuwu had only obtained this special mission that afternoon after acquiring a mission key. Shi Shuwu also planned to use the mission as an opportunity to test whether Ji Mingyin was an envoy, since Ji Mingyin had been the closest person to her at the time and would be easy to identify.

“Hey! Shi Shuwu! Hello!”

Startled by the sudden shout, Shi Shuwu looked up blankly, scanning her surroundings until she spotted Tan Hao waving at her.

“Tan Hao? What are you doing here?” Shi Shuwu asked warily, refusing to approach him. As he jogged closer, she even took a few defensive steps back.

She held up her hand in a blocking gesture. “Stop right there. Yes, just stand there. Don’t come any closer.”

Tan Hao shrugged. “Okay, okay, I won’t come any closer.”

He scratched his head, unable to resist adding, “Actually, distance doesn’t matter much. I just got a clue: envoys have specific conditions they need to fulfill before they can assimilate humans.”

Shi Shuwu nodded, neither confirming nor denying her belief.

She remained cautious. “But you still need to stay right there.”

Tan Hao nodded, craning his neck to ask curiously, “What’s that you’re holding?”

This was the first time all afternoon he’d seen anyone with an electronic device.

Instead of answering, Shi Shuwu countered, “Where did you come from just now? Did you see anyone else around here?”

Tan Hao pointed in the direction Shi Shuwu was heading. “Over there. There’s an Eight Immortals Bridge. Tang Wuyun went to find Pei Yinxi and Bai Jin earlier; they should all be there.”

“It’s quite lively over there. If you go a little further, you’ll even see Lu Yangming. He somehow got a fishing rod and is fishing.”

Shi Shuwu: “……”

There really were quite a few people.

And Tang Wuyun was among them?

Shi Shuwu sighed inwardly. Tang Wuyun’s ghostly appearance outside the window earlier had been too suspicious. Could she really be involved in something?

After a distracted greeting to Tan Hao, Shi Shuwu left, determined to investigate the coordinates on the map herself.

She mentally circled Pei Yinxi and Bai Jin, noting that they seemed to have been together the whole time.

As for Tang Wuyun…

I hope she isn’t.

If only I’d kept pestering Tang Wuyun, Shi Shuwu thought, sighing deeply. When she gets mischievous, she’s really hard to handle.

“She’s leaving already?” Tang Wuyun murmured regretfully from behind the tree across the stream, where the three of them were hiding.

Her sharp ears had picked up someone calling Shi Shuwu’s name while she was still nearby, prompting her to turn back.

Pei Yinxi glanced down at Tang Wuyun, who was clinging to the tree, her eyes practically burning with anticipation. “Should we go check it out?” she suggested.

They hadn’t clearly heard Shi Shuwu’s conversation with Tan Hao, but the tablet she was carrying looked impressive. As she walked, her eyes remained fixed on the screen, and her path was leading straight toward their hiding spot.

Pei Yinxi and Bai Jin exchanged uneasy glances, sensing something was off.

Tang Wuyun straightened up, muttering dryly, “Why would we go? I don’t want to be with her.”

Pei Yinxi stared at her, speechless.

But we do, they thought.

She and Bai Jin exchanged another look.

Bai Jin, never one for excuses, simply grabbed Tang Wuyun by the arm and started walking. “Alright, alright,” she said, “we know you like her. Don’t be shy. Come on, let’s go see what’s up. Besides, I’m curious about that tablet she’s carrying.”

Tang Wuyun: “……”

Who’s being shy here?