Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 35

Lin Chu gritted her teeth and kept pushing the fallen horse that was pinning down Jing He’s leg. “Stop talking nonsense! If we go, we go together!”

“Madam!” Jing He was so anxious she was about to cry.

The two burly men weren’t just for show. With everyone working together, they finally managed to push the horse away. But at that moment, the barbarian warriors’ horses were almost upon them.

Lin Chu glanced at the icy path ahead and shouted to one of the men, 

“Take Jing He and fall back!”

A person’s speed could never match a horse’s. Seeing them retreat in panic, the barbarians on horseback roared in excitement, thinking their prey was struggling in vain.

But just as they lashed their whips and galloped onto the icy stretch, their horses slipped instantly. Several barbarians were thrown off, tumbling to the ground. Seeing this, the ones behind frantically pulled at their reins to stop.

This time, the two burly men didn’t need Lin Chu’s reminder. They raised their broadswords and struck down without hesitation. Bl00d splattered as the fallen barbarians were swiftly killed.

This sight enraged the remaining barbarians. They let out furious howls, leaped off their horses, and charged at Lin Chu’s group with their weapons.

Lin Chu helped Jing He lean against a pine tree covered in snow. The two men stood in front of them, their expressions grim as they faced the approaching enemies.

The barbarians roared and launched their attack. They had the advantage in numbers, and the two men had to protect Lin Chu and Jing He, making it difficult for them to hold their ground. Before long, both were wounded.

Jing He was frantic. She knew things might not be looking good for yellow faced Han and the others either. But their mission, given by Yan Mingge, was to protect Lin Chu. She couldn’t let anything happen to her.

Jing He brought her fingers to her lips and blew several sharp whistles.

A whistle echoed in response from afar. Before she could feel relieved, she saw a barbarian raising his broadsword to strike Lin Chu from behind. Her pupils shrank in horror.

“Madam, watch out!” Her voice trembled with fear.

Lin Chu turned her head at the warning and saw the barbarian baring his teeth in a fierce snarl, bl00d trickling from his mouth.

His sword never came down—because an arrow had pierced straight through his chest.

The barbarian collapsed, and in the distance, the thunder of galloping hooves filled the air. Lin Chu looked up and saw a man charging toward them on horseback, his black cloak billowing in the wind like a dark storm cloud.

It was Yan Mingge.

He had left Yuan San and the others far behind, closing the distance at terrifying speed.

Seeing reinforcements arrive, the barbarians panicked and rushed toward the pine tree, trying to seize Lin Chu as a hostage.

One of the burly men had already collapsed from his injuries. The other was barely holding on. As the barbarians closed in, Jing He, unable to feel her injured leg, steadied herself against the tree. She raised her sword, ready to shield Lin Chu.

Lin Chu’s heart tightened at the sight of Jing He’s determination. Then she looked at the approaching barbarians, their vicious faces burning with bloodlust. A fire surged in her chest. She picked up a fallen sword from the ground and shouted, 

“Come at me if you dare! Let’s see if I don’t cut you down!”

The desperate barbarians weren’t intimidated. They raised their weapons and lunged forward.

On horseback, Yan Mingge’s sharp eyes narrowed. He pulled out five arrows at once, placed them on his bowstring, drew back, and released.

A single smooth motion.

Lin Chu blinked in shock as all the attacking barbarians suddenly dropped to the ground.

Before she could react, Yan Mingge was already closing in, his black horse thundering forward.

Then, just as his warhorse reached the icy stretch—

“Stop!” Lin Chu suddenly screamed.

Yan Mingge instinctively thought there was an ambush. His gaze turned ice-cold as he scanned the area. But in the next instant, his horse stumbled forward. He reacted swiftly, leaping off in time.

The landing was flawless—except for one problem.

The ground was slippery. The ice had been trampled during the fight, making it even worse. The moment he landed, his foot slid forward, and—

He fell flat on his face.

For a second, the whole world went silent.

Jing He and the remaining burly man quietly lowered their heads, pretending they hadn’t seen anything.

Yuan San and the others, who had just caught up, stood awkwardly in place. They wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. Their expressions twisted as they tried to hold it in.

Fortunately, Yan Mingge had fallen far from the bl00d-soaked battlefield, so at least he didn’t end up covered in gore.

Lin Chu glanced around and saw that no one dared to help him up. Swallowing nervously, she forced a smile and stepped forward with a fawning expression.

“Husband, are you hurt? Here, let me help you up…”

This was definitely one of the most humiliating moments in Yan Mingge’s life. His face was darker than a storm cloud, his icy stare making Lin Chu’s heart tremble.

He stared at her for a long moment before, as if resigning himself to fate, he grabbed her outstretched hand and stood up.

The moment he was steady, before Lin Chu could react, she was suddenly pulled into his arms.

Then, smack—he kissed her.

It happened so fast that Lin Chu thought she imagined it. She touched her lips, where a faint chill lingered, and stared at Yan Mingge in a daze.

“You like running off, huh? Just wait until we get back—I’ll deal with you then.” His voice was fierce, but the tips of his ears were red, as if he was trying to hide something behind that gruff tone.

Lin Chu didn’t notice the emotions he was trying to hide and thought he was simply blaming her for not staying at home. She quickly explained, “The City Lord was afraid you wouldn’t be able to hold Jintong Pass and might betray them. So, he captured the families of the soldiers sent on this expedition as hostages. I was worried something might happen, so I sneaked out!”

Seeing Yellow faced Han and a group of soldiers approaching, Lin Chu pointed at the sacks on the horses’ backs and said, 

“Look! I even made a lot of salt!”

At first, Yan Mingge’s expression darkened upon hearing her explanation, but the second half of her words successfully diverted his attention.

Grabbing Lin Chu’s hand, he strode over.

Lin Chu, mindful that this was ancient times and that so many people were watching, felt a bit uncomfortable holding hands like this. She tried to pull away, but it only made Yan Mingge tighten his grip. Realizing that holding hands wouldn’t kill her, she decided to just let him be.

“Master!” yellow-faced Han, Song Tuo, dismounted and saluted Yan Mingge.

Yan Mingge glanced at the soldiers who had followed Yuan San over and ordered, “Yuan San, take your men and check the surroundings again. Make sure none of the barbarians escaped.”

Yuan San exchanged a look with Yan Mingge and immediately understood his meaning. He quickly gathered the soldiers from Yao City and Jintong Pass and led them on patrol.

These weren’t his own men, so Yan Mingge wasn’t at ease.

Once Yuan San and the others were far away, Yan Mingge finally asked Song Tuo, 

“These sacks are all filled with salt?”

Hearing about the salt, even Song Tuo’s usually stone-cold face showed a hint of a smile. 

“Yes, Master! It’s all salt that Madam made! Look, it’s just as good as refined salt!”

Song Tuo opened one of the sacks, revealing bright white salt. Yan Mingge’s eyes flashed with surprise and delight. He looked at Lin Chu with a hint of indulgence, a tone even he wasn’t aware of as he said, 

“I never knew my wife had a talent for making salt.”

Being praised so unexpectedly by the great villain, Lin Chu felt a little embarrassed. But she quickly remembered her concerns and said, 

“This technically counts as illegal salt production. But since the border has run out of salt, I had no choice. You have to help me cover this up!”

In ancient times, both making and selling illegal salt were crimes punishable by death. She didn’t want to get executed just like that!

Yan Mingge raised an eyebrow in surprise and couldn’t help but ruffle Lin Chu’s hair. 

“Didn’t expect you to be this clever.”

Lin Chu felt that his gesture was no different from how she usually petted Little Gray. Realizing this, she quickly swatted his hand away and then her eyes lit up. 

“Husband, let’s make a deal!”

Yan Mingge’s brows furrowed slightly. He didn’t like the word ‘deal,’ but for once, he was in a good mood and said, 

“Go on.”

“Give me more people, and I’ll make lots of salt for you!”

“That’s it?” Yan Mingge found this far from an actual deal.

Lin Chu hesitated before adding, “Half of the salt goes to me.”

Yan Mingge was a little surprised. After a brief moment of thought, he understood her intention. “You want to sell salt?”

Lin Chu nodded.

Yan Mingge stared at her without speaking.

Feeling a bit guilty, Lin Chu mumbled, “I’m so poor… no property, no shops, no money…”

Yan Mingge: “…”

After a pause, he finally said, “The salt trade isn’t that easy.”

Lin Chu continued staring at him with pitiful eyes.

Yan Mingge: “…I’ll find a way to get you a salt license.”

Lin Chu’s face immediately brightened.

After the barbarian ambush, Lin Chu was still shaken. Since her salt-making experiment had been a success, she figured that in the future, instead of coming all the way to Lianqing Mountain, she could just bring salt rocks back to process!

Once summer arrived and they drove the barbarians out of the area, she could bring people over to develop salt fields. Sun-dried salt would have a much higher yield than boiled salt!

While Yuan San and his men were still patrolling, Lin Chu asked Yan Mingge’s soldiers to collect some salt rocks from the salt lake.

On the way back to Jintong Pass, Lin Chu was worried about Jing He’s injuries and had someone make a stretcher to carry her.

She had intended to walk alongside Jing He so they could chat and pass the time. But before she could do so, a certain bandit-like man grabbed her by the collar and threw her onto his big black horse, forcing her to ride with him!

Lin Chu wanted to act tough and insist on walking with Jing He. But then she heard that even riding fast would take half a day to reach Jintong Pass. Any bit of toughness she had instantly disappeared.

“What about Little Gray?!” Lin Chu didn’t forget her dog son.

Yan Mingge’s icy face remained unchanged. “He’s on the stretcher with Jing He.”

Hearing that Little Gray hadn’t been left behind, Lin Chu finally relaxed.

Then Yan Mingge suddenly asked, “Where’s that little brat Han?”

“I left him with Madam Qin and wrote her a letter. If I don’t make it back, I asked her to send the child to the Sixth Prince,” Lin Chu replied.

“You wrote a letter?” Yan Mingge’s voice carried a slight upward lilt.

Lin Chu thought he was questioning her decision and was about to defend herself when she suddenly remembered—her writing was in simplified Chinese, which no one here could read!

Her face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

How was she supposed to explain to these ancient people that even though she couldn’t write traditional characters, she was actually well-educated?!

After traveling for a while, they took a short break. Lin Chu wanted to check on Jing He, but Yan Mingge stopped her. Since Jing He was being carried, she was moving slower and wouldn’t reach them for a few more hours.

Guilt welled up in Lin Chu’s heart. Jing He had been injured because of her, and with nightfall approaching, the cold wind would be harsh. Who knew how much longer she’d have to endure it on the road?

Yan Mingge noticed her guilt but said nothing.

As the sky darkened, he wrapped his cloak around her to keep her warm. The moment the heavy fabric draped over her, Lin Chu was enveloped in his scent, making her feel slightly dazed.

After about another half hour of travel, they finally reached Jintong Pass. Lin Chu had been riding for so long that her legs felt weak, and Yan Mingge had to carry her off the horse.

It was only then that she noticed a carriage at the rear of the group. Jing He and Little Gray got out, with Little Gray excitedly waddling toward her on his short legs.

Lin Chu’s face instantly darkened as she turned to glare at Yan Mingge.