Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 14

Yan Mingge paused briefly before tossing the money bag to Lin Chu.

Lin Chu caught the bag of money with both hands, feeling its heavy weight. She found it a bit odd—did Yan Mingge trust her enough to just leave this money with her?

But when she remembered that he still needed her help to escape, she felt relieved.

Wait… something’s not right!

Lin Chu’s expression darkened instantly when she saw Yan Mingge striding over, carrying a black iron bow.

Where was the weak, bedridden look he had earlier?

“Bring me the bundle of wild goose feather arrows behind the door,” Yan Mingge ordered in a deep voice, clearly speaking to Lin Chu.

Any thought of him being unable to walk vanished from her mind. She shoved the money bag into her arms and ran to grab the bundle of arrows from behind the door. Through the crack, she saw a courtyard filled with soldiers, bows drawn and ready to fire.

Lin Chu hurried back and handed the arrows to Yan Mingge, her face full of worry. 

“Husband, there are too many soldiers out there—at least twenty or thirty of them…”

She knew Yan Mingge was highly skilled in martial arts, but even he couldn’t fight so many people at once, let alone survive a storm of arrows. They’d be riddled with holes!

Yan Mingge’s face remained cold and stern as he said nothing.

Lin Chu shifted her gaze to Jiang Wanxue.

From her initial heart-wrenching cries to her current dazed state, Jiang Wanxue looked like a soulless shell, completely lost.

Frowning, Lin Chu knelt down and asked, “Do you want to live?”

Jiang Wanxue turned her head to look at Lin Chu, letting out a strange laugh. 

“Live? The Han family doesn’t want me, and my husband is dead. How can I live? Like a beggar, begging for scraps?”

Lin Chu’s frown deepened. She grabbed the blood-stained knife from Yan Mingge’s hand and placed it against Jiang Wanxue’s neck. “So, do you want to die?”

Yan Mingge raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Lin Chu’s actions.

Jiang Wanxue had clearly witnessed Yan Mingge slitting Han Zichen’s throat with this very knife. Now, with it pressed against her own neck, she shook like a leaf in the wind.

“W-what do you want me to do?” Jiang Wanxue stammered, her face pale with fear.

“We killed Han Zichen. You and your son are innocent. If we take you two hostage, those soldiers outside won’t dare to harm Han Zichen’s son,” Lin Chu explained.

Jiang Wanxue’s eyes shifted as she realized the truth. To outsiders, she was still Han Zichen’s woman, and with a son by her side, no one would dare act recklessly.

Yan Mingge quietly watched the little woman persuading Jiang Wanxue. Something flickered in his dark eyes, but he said nothing.

The footsteps in the courtyard grew louder, and a silent murderous aura radiated from Yan Mingge. With steady fingers, he gripped the black iron bow, drew a wild goose feather arrow, nocked it, and pulled the string to full draw—

“Whoosh!”

The arrow shot through the door, piercing a heavily armored general straight through. It kept flying, its momentum unbroken, until it embedded itself in the courtyard gate with a loud “clang.” Half the arrow disappeared into the wood, and spiderweb-like cracks spread from the impact point.

The entire courtyard fell into dead silence.

The general collapsed to his knees, his head hanging unnaturally, blood dripping from his mouth—clearly dead.

At the same time, the wooden frame of the courtyard gate crashed down with a thunderous sound, like a bolt of lightning waking everyone from their stupor.

The soldiers holding bows trembled so much they couldn’t even draw their strings. Those gripping spears and swords were visibly terrified, instinctively taking two steps back.

Lin Chu, who had been negotiating with Jiang Wanxue, stood there speechless: “…”

She had always known the villain was incredibly skilled in martial arts, but… she hadn’t expected his strength to reach such heights.

Looking at the shattered wooden door reduced to splinters, then at the courtyard gate that was now just a pile of wood—this scene could rival a demolition site!

Seeing that Yan Mingge had already subdued all the soldiers, Lin Chu tapped Jiang Wanxue lightly with the back of her blade, signaling her to follow Yan Mingge.

Jiang Wanxue seemed utterly stunned by Yan Mingge’s arrow. She got up from the ground and started walking outside, but Lin Chu quickly gave her another tap with the flat of her blade. Jiang Wanxue froze in place, her body stiff.

Lin Chu internally groaned, Girl, don’t you care about your child?

She wanted to hold the knife in one hand to control Jiang Wanxue while using the other hand to grab Han Junye, who was standing motionless by Han Zichen’s corpse. But the knife was too heavy. As Lin Chu held it with one hand, her grip slipped, and the blade nearly grazed Jiang Wanxue’s face.

Jiang Wanxue burst into tears, crying, “Don’t kill me!”

Yan Mingge noticed the awkward situation and, expressionless, took the knife from Lin Chu’s hand, pressing it against Jiang Wanxue’s neck. Lin Chu immediately ran over and scooped up the dazed Han Junye.

As they moved toward the exit, the soldiers stepped back.

Lin Chu feigned fierceness and shouted, “The concubine and son of Lord Han are in our hands, and Lord Han is dead! If you want to risk any harm coming to the grandson of the Duke of Han, go ahead and try!”

The person Yan Mingge had killed with his arrow was Han Zichen’s trusted aide.

Han Zichen wouldn’t let just anyone know about his dirty secrets, like planning to kill his concubine and son. Only his closest confidants would be aware. The rest were a ragtag group of soldiers, and seeing Yan Mingge holding Jiang Wanxue and her child hostage made them too afraid to act.

Yan Mingge cast a sidelong glance at Lin Chu, and a faint smile curled on his lips. Somehow, he found her pretending to be threatening rather amusing.

“Prepare a carriage,” he ordered, his gaze falling on the nearest soldier.

The soldier, intimidated by Yan Mingge’s piercing gaze, nearly buckled to his knees. Though reluctant, he stammered orders to his men, 

“P-pre… prepare a carriage!”

The carriage was readied quickly. Yan Mingge, still holding Jiang Wanxue hostage, moved toward the gate.

The soldiers, though armed, kept their distance, not daring to come within ten paces of them—Yan Mingge’s earlier arrow had been far too intimidating.

Lin Chu followed closely behind, carrying Han Junye. She noticed that the child was eerily quiet. Glancing down, she saw his usually bright eyes had gone hollow.

Seeing his father killed before his eyes must have left a deep trauma.

Recalling how Han Junye harbored a deep hatred for Yan Mingge in the original story, Lin Chu grew uneasy. But some things were beyond her control.

As they were about to leave the courtyard, Lin Chu noticed a fluffy chick near the fallen gate and picked it up on a whim.

Yan Mingge inspected the carriage to ensure no tampering had occurred before saying to Lin Chu, “Get in.”

Was it her imagination, or did Yan Mingge’s face look a little pale?

Now wasn’t the time for questions. Lin Chu climbed into the carriage with little Han Junye, and Yan Mingge followed, dragging Jiang Wanxue along.

The pursuing soldiers shouted, “The carriage is ready—release the hostages!”

These soldiers were likely men Han Zichen had brought from the capital.

Yan Mingge cast a cold glance at them, exuding a pressure that seemed to suffocate them. “Wait here for half an hour before heading to the North Gate. If you dare to come a moment sooner, I promise all you’ll find are two corpses!”

“Why should I believe you?!” one soldier barked, clearly not easy to deal with.

Yan Mingge sneered. “Do you have another choice?”

With that, he flicked the reins and the carriage sped away.

The soldier left behind gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Sir… are we really going to wait here for half an hour?” a timid subordinate asked.

The soldier kicked him angrily. “Idiot!” He picked a few men and ordered, “You go block the North Gate! The rest, follow me to give chase!”

Inside the carriage.

Jiang Wanxue huddled in a corner, clearly still shaken.

Yan Mingge drove the carriage at full speed, and more than once, Lin Chu felt she might be thrown out of it. She knew they were being pursued and didn’t dare ask Yan Mingge to slow down. Instead, she gripped the window frame tightly with one hand and held little Han Junye protectively with the other.

Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently. Lin Chu hit the back of her head against the carriage wall, and her hand slipped. Little Han Junye fell forward, hitting his forehead hard against the floor. Yet, he didn’t cry.

Lin Chu’s unease deepened. She quickly scooped him up, rubbed his forehead, and asked gently, 

“Does it hurt? Auntie will rub it better for you.”

Han Junye remained unresponsive.

Lin Chu turned to Jiang Wanxue. “The child seems to be in shock. You should comfort him.”

Jiang Wanxue let out a crazed laugh, then said bitterly, “What use is he? He never fought for his father’s favor! Otherwise, his father wouldn’t have discarded him so easily! Now his father’s dead, and he’s turned stupid. He’s just here to make my life miserable, afraid I might enjoy even a sliver of wealth at the Duke’s estate!”

“Shut up!” Lin Chu snapped. She wasn’t someone to be easily angered, but having read about this child’s tragic life in the novel, and having spent the past few days with him, she couldn’t remain indifferent.

In her past life, she had been an orphan too. Jiang Wanxue’s words ignited a deep-seated fury in her heart.

Looking down at little Han Junye, her heart filled with even more pity.

“Chirp…”

“Chirp, chirp…”

The little chick Lin Chu had brought onto the carriage huddled in a corner, a fluffy, pitiful, and helpless little ball.

The soft chirping finally elicited a reaction from Han Junye, who turned his gaze toward the sound.

Seeing this, Lin Chu placed the fluffy little creature in Han Junye’s hands.

Looking at the fragile, tiny life form, a flicker of light returned to Han Junye’s previously lifeless eyes. “Auntie, how can a chick survive without its mother hen?”

Lin Chu froze, startled by his use of the word “auntie.”

This child had never liked her before.

However, she quickly regained her composure. Stroking his head gently, she replied softly, 

“It’s hard for a chick to survive without its mother, but it’s not impossible.”

Han Junye slowly stroked the chick’s soft feathers. After a while, he said with determination, 

“I’ll take good care of it.”

Even though he was just a child, his gaze at that moment carried a depth that was difficult to fathom.

The carriage soon stopped. Lin Chu thought they had arrived at the northern city gate, but when she peeked out, they were in a marketplace.

She was about to ask Yan Mingge why they had stopped there when he jumped off the carriage and casually grabbed a burly man by the collar, dragging him onto the carriage.

The burly man was larger than Yan Mingge, yet he broke out in a cold sweat from fear, stammering in confusion, 

“W-what are you doing?”

Yan Mingge didn’t answer but instead looked at Lin Chu. 

“Money.”

Lin Chu understood and handed a string of coins to the man.

Yan Mingge’s voice was icy. “Take the lady in this carriage to the western city gate.”

The burly man sighed in relief—so it wasn’t a robbery, just someone hiring a driver.

Yan Mingge extended his hand toward Lin Chu. She hesitated for only a moment before placing her hand in his. As she stepped down, she glanced back into the carriage, locking eyes with Jiang Wanxue. Meeting her gaze, Lin Chu said, 

“That child you carried for ten months isn’t a tool for trading wealth and status. Treat him well.”

With that, she jumped off the carriage.

Yan Mingge took her hand and led her away. Feeling the warmth of his palm, Lin Chu lowered her gaze to their intertwined hands. Was this their first time holding hands?

A strange feeling stirred in her heart.

Lost in thought, Lin Chu didn’t notice when Yan Mingge suddenly led her into a narrow alley. Outside, the clamor of pursuing soldiers grew louder.

Just as she was about to ask him what to do, the once-mighty man leaned against the wall, revealing a rare vulnerability.

His eyes were tightly shut, his face as pale as paper, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Lin Chu touched his chest and withdrew her hand, her palm wet with blood.

Panic surged within her. She tried to pull open his shirt but was stopped by his hand. Still, the glimpse of his inner garment revealed that it was completely soaked in red…