Transmigrated Into A Novel As A Scumbag Princess’ Consort - Chapter 31

31:

Ye Xuejin spoke calmly, “After those masked men realize something’s wrong, they’ll catch up quickly. Lord Yu, you might want to hear me out.”

Yu Lu’s brows furrowed slightly. “Tell me about it.”

At this point, he had no choice but to listen. Zeng Laosan was already dead, and there was no bringing him back.

They had to figure out how to get through the immediate crisis.

The night was cold, and a chilly wind swirled fallen leaves into a dance, occasionally brushing against people’s bodies.

A leaf grazed Yun Chi’s cheek, slowly pulling her back to reality. Her gaze, however, remained fixed on the tall, upright figure.

Ye Xuejin stood just a few steps away, her back to them.

Her voice was cool and clear, her steady tone carrying an unyielding strength, clear and methodical, as if every step of her plan was calculated with precision.

Her words stirred something in those who listened.

For no apparent reason, Yun Chi’s thoughts drifted to that afternoon before her transmigration, when her cousin had sighed dramatically to the heavens like an old scholar, “What a pity…”

Curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, “What’s a pity?”

That’s when her cousin unleashed a torrent of complaints, mentioning Ye Xuejin’s name—the Princess who lost her life at the very beginning of the story. Though she appeared briefly in the early chapters, she lingered in the female lead’s memories time and again.

When her cousin got excited, she even recited a few of the protagonist’s monologues:

“What a pity I was too late; Her Highness passed too soon.”

“Her Highness’ grace and poise were unmatched, but I never learned even a fraction of it.”

“Her Highness was truly a peerless beauty, unforgettable to all who saw her, but I’ll never see her again.”

“If only Her Highness were still here, with her extraordinary talents, she could surely resolve Dashao’s crisis.”

Her Highness… What a pity…

Suddenly, Yun Chi understood why the novel’s protagonist kept lamenting and why her cousin echoed that regret after reading the story.

Having transmigrated and seen Ye Xuejin through the eyes of someone in this world, Yun Chi, in just seven or eight days, had already felt that same sense of regret more than once.

Without thinking, she glanced around and noticed everyone’s eyes were fixed on Ye Xuejin, listening intently to her words.

“…Lastly, we need to conceal Zeng Laosan’s identity to avoid unnecessary trouble. What do you think, Lord Yu?”

“For now, we’ll follow your plan,” Yu Lu agreed, then looked at the group. “Who’ll change clothes?”

“Sir, I’m not afraid.”

Mu Dasan(Mu Da) stepped forward eagerly, his honest face resolute.

Yu Lu nodded, instructing Xiao Gao to wrap Zeng Laosan’s head and bring it along. They waited as Mu Dasan and Zeng Laosan swapped clothes.

“I’ll lead the way,” Yu Lu said. “The guards will stay in the middle to assist the weak. Shiniang, take Zeng Laosan’s knife and guard the rear. We are moving out now.”

This time, the group didn’t head up the mountain but descended instead.

At dawn, as the sky began to lighten, they reached a fork in the road they’d passed during the day.

Yu Lu glanced back, perhaps at someone specific, before making a different choice from before, taking the right path.

Both roads led south, one southeast, the other southwest.

Yu Lu carried a map and could generally determine the correct direction at each location.

He’d chosen southeast earlier because it led over a few mountains in a near-straight line to the southern border.

The southern border, though at the southernmost edge of Dashao, was slightly to the east.

Now, switching to the southwest would take them further west.

Ye Xuejin’s reasoning made sense: the masked men sent by Zhenshan County’s yamen would soon catch up if they followed the trail.

Even if they didn’t catch up immediately, the masked men knew the group was heading south. After tracking them this far, it wouldn’t be hard to guess their direction.

Worse, the masked men were likely more familiar with the mountain paths and could take shortcuts to ambush them.

To avoid them, Yu Lu had no better ideas for now and could only adopt Ye Xuejin’s suggestion. In their group, only he and Shiniang had decent combat skills. The guards knew only rudimentary moves, and the prisoners were even less capable of defending themselves.

The masked men, bold enough to send twenty skilled fighters to kill all the men in the group, were clearly well-trained. If they clashed, Yu Lu’s group had no chance of winning.

As the sky brightened and noon approached, no one had caught up.

Yu Lu let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed Ye Xuejin was right, they didn’t need to worry about the masked men for now.

The group relaxed, especially the men. Though they didn’t know how much longer they’d walk or if they’d escape the mountains, at least they no longer feared immediate slaughter.

Yu Lu glanced ahead and raised a hand to signal a rest.

As the group halted, Xiao Gao jogged forward. “Sir, what do we do with this head?”

To avoid bl00d dripping, he’d been carrying it wrapped in his own bundle, feeling thoroughly disgusted.

Yu Lu sighed softly. “It’s not safe to leave it here.”

The ground was all stone, no way to bury it.

Xiao Gao grumbled, “If we disfigure the face and leave it, maybe the mountain beasts will eat it soon enough.”

Yu Lu shook his head. “Not good enough. Carry it a bit longer.”

If no beasts came and the Zhenshan County yamen found it, there would be trouble.

A body in prisoner’s clothes without a head could have many explanations, but a disfigured head could only mean one thing: someone was hiding the deceased’s identity.

For now, Zeng Laosan’s death had to be kept secret.

With that thought, Yu Lu glanced back, his expression complex.

Ye Xuejin seemed to sense it, meeting his gaze briefly before lowering her eyes discreetly.

Nearby, Old Censor Zhou, who’d been watching Ye Xuejin closely, noticed the fleeting exchange.

His heart sank, and he tugged at his beard.

There was no turning back now, even if they hadn’t drawn the bow themselves—the arrow had already been shot.

“Father,” Zhou Qiyue whispered hoarsely, sidling up to Old Censor Zhou. She glanced casually at Ye Xuejin before asking, “Did you find out about the Literary Star Lord last time?”

Did the immortals still favor their Zhou family? She was starving.

And she wasn’t the only one. Everyone here was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.

At her words, Old Madam Zhou and little Ying’er looked up.

Old Madam Zhou’s eyes were on her husband, had he clarified that matter? Did the immortals still favor their Zhou family?

Little Ying’er, however, looked at Ye Xuejin. The fairy auntie had given her sweet water and immortal-blessed pastries before.

Hearing this, Old Censor Zhou’s faint regret suddenly deepened.

The Princess could communicate with immortals…

“Father, say something,” Zhou Qiyue urged, swallowing hard, her thirst growing unbearable.

Old Censor Zhou glanced around discreetly, then subtly nodded toward Ye Xuejin and whispered, “She said she can commune with immortals.”

Old Madam Zhou froze, staring in awe. Her Highness can communicate with immortals!

Zhou Qiyue was similarly stunned, but her eyes held a spark of excitement. So, Her Highness had pleaded with the immortals to favor the Zhou family!

Her Highness truly treated her differently, hiding things from her brother but not from her.

Just then, Yun Chi glanced over and saw Zhou Qiyue staring at Ye Xuejin with shining eyes, and even Old Madam Zhou was doing the same.

Huh?

She tilted her head toward Ye Xuejin and whispered, “The Zhou family seems to be staring at you.”

Ye Xuejin glanced briefly at the Zhou’s before looking away.

“It’s fine.”

“Your mouth’s bleeding!” Yun Chi gasped softly.

Ye Xuejin wiped her mouth and pursed her lips. “It’s nothing, just too dry.”

Yun Chi frowned. Since the rain stopped two days ago, they hadn’t had a chance to slip away during the day, and at night, they’d been too focused on fleeing to eat or drink.

If this continued, hunger aside, their throats would be burning.

Yun Chi quietly surveyed the surroundings, sighing inwardly. The mountain path was narrow and long, with nothing but bare stones as far as the eye could see—no trees, no cover.

There was still no way to slip away unnoticed.

At that moment, Shiniang stood up and called to Yu Lu, “I’ll go keep watch at the rear for a bit. You all go ahead.”

“Shiniang, can I come with you?” Shi Song stood up too. Since killing Zeng Laosan last night, she felt a surge of energy urging her to do more.

In Shiniang’s eyes, she was the bravest, and she wanted to follow her and learn more skills.

Yu Lu waved a hand.

“Come with me,” Shiniang nodded, leading Shisong to the rear.

Yun Chi watched Shi Song’s slight figure, her heart stirring.

This girl was bold, she wanted to befriend her.

And she might’ve figured out a way to drink water openly.

As Shi Song followed Shiniang eagerly, she suddenly felt a weight in her arms and stopped in her tracks.

Shiniang glanced over. “What’s wrong?”

Shi Song reached into her clothes, bewildered, and pulled out a transparent bottle. Seeing what was inside, she was so shocked she could barely speak.

“Water… Shiniang, water… it’s water!”

Shiniang grabbed it, shook it a few times, then sliced off the cap with her knife. After sniffing it, she asked urgently, “Where did it come from?”

Shi Song shook her head frantically. “I don’t know! I was walking, and suddenly there was something in my arms. I reached in and pulled this out.”

Shiniang stared at her midsection, reaching out to pat it. It was empty—just a flat, ordinary stomach, nothing magical.

“What’s going on?”

They hadn’t gone far, and at first, no one paid attention when they stopped. But when they heard Shi Song’s exclamation and saw Shiniang holding something transparent, people craned their necks to look.

They’d heard it, water!

Yu Lu heard it too and immediately stood up to ask.

Shiniang, too focused to investigate the bottle’s origin, ran back, carefully holding the bottle to avoid spilling a single drop.

“Sir, it’s water.”

Yu Lu reacted just as Shiniang had, taking it to confirm before asking, “Where did it come from?”

Shiniang pulled Shi Song forward. “Shi Song said she was walking, and it suddenly appeared in her arms.”

All eyes turned to Shi Song’s midsection.

Shi Song, flustered, raised her hand to touch her stomach, then froze, staring blankly at what she was holding.

Ah!!! A ghost!!! Shi Song screamed internally.

Everyone stared at her hand, eyes wide.

What were they seeing?!