Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 39

“What do you mean he’s not coming back?” Lin Chu still couldn’t believe something had really happened to Yan Mingge.

Wei Rou lost her temper and shouted, “Alive or dead, we need to see him! What are you guys standing around for?”

This time, it was Tang Jiu who spoke up. He was born and raised at the border and knew the terrain well. 

“Brother Yan went into the Soul Severing Stone Forest while chasing Hu Yanlie!”

“Soul Severing Stone Forest? What the heck is that?” Wei Rou was so angry she felt like punching someone.

But Lin Chu’s heart skipped a beat. The Soul Severing Stone Forest had been mentioned in the original story. The female lead had a sickness from birth and needed a rare medicine to survive. The male lead found out that the medicine could be found near the western region, in a place called the Soul Severing Stone Forest. He had gone there alone and nearly lost his life just to bring that medicine back.

Tang Jiu looked full of sorrow as he said, “That forest is cursed. No one who goes in has ever come back alive. Even animals avoid it. Not even pigeons or hawks can fly over it. They say the forest is full of the unburied bones of soldiers who died in an ancient war. The heavy resentment has turned the place into a ghost nest. If a living person enters, the angry spirits will cling to them. Brother Yan didn’t know it was that forest. He saw Hu Yanlie go in and followed him. We were too far behind and couldn’t stop him…”

Wei Rou smacked Tang Jiu hard on the back of the head. 

“So none of you even went in to look for my junior brother, and now you’re just telling me he’s not coming back?!”

She was so mad she didn’t hold back. Tang Jiu was slapped to the ground.

Yuan San quickly stepped in, “Second Miss!”

Wei Rou slammed the table in frustration. The solid wooden table broke into pieces under her palm. She stormed outside. 

“Get my horse! I’m going to that damn forest myself to find my junior brother!”

“Second Miss, you can’t! You can’t risk your life too!” Yuan San said with a heavy tone. “I only came back to let you and Madam know what happened. I’ll pack up and head to the forest soon.”

Wei Rou snapped, “You think I can just sit still?! I can fight just as well as you. Don’t worry, I can take care of myself!”

Then Lin Chu suddenly said, “Senior sister, Brother Yuan, take me with you.”

Wei Rou frowned right away. 

“Sister-in-law, I know you care about that brat, but don’t mess around. Just stay at the inn and wait for news.”

Lin Chu said, “I can ride on my own and won’t slow you down. Besides, I have a way to find my husband!”

Wei Rou thought she was just saying that because she didn’t want to be left behind. “Sister-in-law, this is serious. Just listen to me this time!”

Lin Chu sighed, “Even if you leave me behind, I’ll still find a way to go on my own.”

Wei Rou wasn’t the emotional type. She could tell Lin Chu meant what she said and wasn’t just being stubborn. She nodded. “Alright, let’s go then!”

Lin Chu said, “Let’s prepare first. We need to bring water and food!”

What Tang Jiu said earlier about even pigeons and hawks not flying over the forest made Lin Chu think of a documentary she once watched. Some birds rely on the Earth’s magnetic field to find their way. If the magnetic field in an area is too strong, birds can get lost. The book also mentioned that most people who died in the forest couldn’t find their way out and ended up starving or dying of thirst.

Yuan San actually had the same idea. He was always careful and steady. After hearing about the dangers of the Soul Severing Stone Forest, he decided to go back and fully prepare before searching for Yan Mingge. That would give them a better chance of success. 

He said, “Madam is right. We need to prepare well.”

Shi Liu had also grown up near the border, but he rarely left Qiang City, so he didn’t know as much as Tang Jiu. After hearing what they said, he quickly added, “I’m going too!”

“Third Brother, I’ll go too!”

“Count me in!”

“I’m going too!”

“You go, Liu stays,” said Tang Jiu suddenly, looking pretty down. He clearly feared the forest a lot, but the fact that he still made this choice showed courage. He looked up, his eyes still red, but his gaze had firmed. 

“I know this area well. Once inside the forest, I can still help guide the way.” Yuan San patted his shoulder. He didn’t say anything, but the gesture said it all.

He quickly picked a few men, including Tang Jiu, and told them to go prepare enough water and dry food.

Shi Liu wasn’t chosen and got anxious. “Third Brother, you’re not letting me go again!”

Although he was slightly older than Tang Jiu, he wasn’t as mature. Most of the brothers saw him as half a kid. Yuan San thought for a moment and said, 

“You can go, but only to wait outside the forest. If you can’t handle that, then stay inside the city!”

Shi Liu’s eyes were still red and swollen from crying. He bit his lip and said, 

“Alright, I’ll stay outside to back you up!”

The group quickly split up to gather supplies. Lin Chu had each person carry a small bag of plant ash. It was light and easy to tie to their saddles.

Although they didn’t know why, they all took it.

Then, Wei Rou seemed to remember something and pulled Lin Chu aside into a quiet spot. She grabbed Lin Chu’s wrist.

Lin Chu realized Wei Rou was taking her pulse.

After a moment, Wei Rou looked shocked and stared at her. “You and my junior brother… haven’t actually shared a room?”

Lin Chu was a bit embarrassed. Can people in ancient times really tell that just from taking a pulse?

She didn’t know how to respond.

Wei Rou’s expression turned serious. 

“I was worried you might be acting on impulse and might not even realize you’re pregnant while running around with us. But turns out that brat really has self-control. Sister-in-law, you know how dangerous this trip is. I’m not even sure if I’ll make it back alive. He’s lucky to have married you, but since you’re still untouched… there’s no need for you to risk your life for him.”

Lin Chu was surprised by her words, and also touched. She still insisted, 

“No matter what happens to him, I need to see it with my own eyes before I can feel at peace.”

Wei Rou’s eyes turned red. She smiled and said, “That brat’s had bad luck his whole life. Looks like the heavens are finally being kind to him. Let’s just hope he lives long enough to come back and keep loving you.”

Lin Chu was a little embarrassed from the praise. They chatted a bit more before parting.

Lin Chu went to the army doctor’s place and “borrowed” a bunch of medicine and bandages. Then she returned to the inn to bring along Little Gray.

Wei Rou, Yuan San, and the others were already ready. A dozen horses waited outside Jin Tong Pass, stamping their hooves. Seeing Lin Chu’s horse loaded with bags, and a dog sitting in a basket on her back, Wei Rou paused. 

“Sister-in-law… maybe leave the dog behind?”

But Yuan San suddenly understood her intention. 

“Madam, are you planning to use the dog to track Brother Yan?”

Lin Chu nodded. Although Little Gray wasn’t as good as a trained police dog, it had spent a long time with Yan Mingge and was very familiar with his scent. Asking it to find a stranger might be difficult, but tracking down Yan Mingge—half its master—shouldn’t be a problem. She even brought one of Yan Mingge’s frequently worn clothes to help.

When the commander of Jintong Pass heard that Yan Mingge had gone into the Soul Severing Stone Forest chasing after Hu Yanlie, he became very worried and came to the city gates himself to see them off. 

“Everyone, you must bring Young General Yan back safely. I’ll be waiting for your return to hold the victory feast!”

His words carried weight—it showed just how important Yan Mingge was to him.

Yuan San expressed his thanks, and the group rode off into the night.

There was no snow outside Jintong Pass, but it was bitterly cold and dry. The nighttime wind slapped against their faces like knives. Lin Chu wrapped her entire face in a scarf she had prepared earlier, leaving only her eyes exposed, but her skin still stung from the cold.

She handed another scarf to Wei Rou, who thanked her and covered her face as well.

The group rode for more than two hours before finally reaching the legendary Soul Severing Stone Forest.

From a distance, the hill of stone didn’t seem tall, but the way the rocks were piled up looked like crooked, leaning tombstones. Under the night sky, it gave off an eerie, unsettling feeling.

Maybe it was because of the scary stories Tang Jiu had shared earlier, but now, facing this forest that looked like a monster opening its mouth in the dark, everyone felt chills. It seemed like ghosts might crawl out from the rocks at any moment.

The area was deathly silent—no insects chirping, no birds calling. Just a stillness like standing water.

Tang Jiu looked at the sky and said, “It’s midwinter, so sunrise is late. It’s only around 10 p.m. now. We’ll have to wait until around 3 a.m. for daylight.”

“Let’s go in with torches,” Lin Chu said. “Bring two spare horses and load them with all the ash we brought.”

Even though Shi Liu cared a lot about Yan Mingge, he was clearly spooked by the sight before them. He stammered, 

“S-Sister-in-law, is the ash for scaring away ghosts?” He’d heard from elders as a child that plant ash could drive away evil spirits.

Lin Chu paused. Her real reason for bringing the ash was simply to scatter it along the way so they wouldn’t get lost on the way out. But thinking of how people in ancient times feared ghosts and spirits, she nodded seriously. 

“We’ll scatter the ash as we go, so evil spirits won’t dare come near.”

That explanation seemed to calm everyone down. The strong men preparing to go into the forest looked at the seven or eight sacks of ash and relaxed a bit.

Yuan San glanced at Lin Chu but didn’t expose her little lie.

The group lit torches and entered the stone forest. One of the men carried the large bag of medicine and bandages on his back, while Lin Chu held Little Gray in her arms.

As they got closer to the rocky hill, Little Gray began to whimper uneasily and even tried to jump out of Lin Chu’s arms to run away. It was sensing danger with its instincts.

Lin Chu gently patted its fur to calm it, while the rest of the group tightened their grip on their weapons.

The man in charge of scattering ash started doing it the moment they stepped into the forest—no need for Lin Chu to remind him.

Tang Jiu, who had grown up hearing scary stories about this forest, looked especially uneasy in the dark. Lin Chu noticed and tried to distract him. 

“Brother Tang, before my husband went to the battlefield, had his wounds healed?”

Tang Jiu, not wanting her to worry, answered honestly, 

“Sister-in-law, Yan Bro wasn’t hurt last time at all. Hu Yanlie’s arrow hit his chest, but his armor blocked it. He only pretended to be hurt to trick Hu Yanlie into lowering his guard.”

Lin Chu: “…Oh.”

Then Tang Jiu realized what he’d said basically exposed Yan Mingge’s secret. Thinking back to how smug Yan Mingge looked each day while drinking herbal soup, Tang Jiu suddenly felt like—if Yan Mingge really made it back safely—he was probably in for a rough time…

“Ah—!” one of the men suddenly let out a scream.