Transmigrating to Woo the Villainous Young Lady - Chapter 40

The others froze instantly. In all their years as bandits, they had never witnessed such a horrifying sight, and a chill ran through them.

Shen Li seized the opportunity to flee another dozen meters, but the bandit leader was no fool. With his extensive experience in capturing people, he reacted almost immediately.

Chase her! Don’t let that little maid escape!

Though wary of Shen Li’s strange magic, the bandits, driven by hunger, cared little for such concerns. Even if she were a monster, they would capture her, skin her alive, and tear her limb from limb.

The bandits were tall and powerfully built, their strides covering twice the distance of Shen Li’s.

Seeing the bandits closing in, Shen Li had no choice but to recklessly charge through the most treacherous terrain.

The steep mountain slopes, while making pursuit difficult, also hindered her escape. Her long skirt was repeatedly torn by branches and thorns, its hem stained with mud.

The complex terrain forced the bandits to split up. Just as Shen Li thought she was about to escape, her foot slipped, sending her tumbling down the mountainside.

Boss, should we keep chasing? one of the bandits hesitated, peering down into the seemingly bottomless ravine below, its moss-covered walls glistening with dampness. A single misstep here would mean certain death.

At this height, even a tiger would be crushed if it fell, another bandit remarked.

The bandits abandoned the chase.

Let’s go. We’ll just say One-Knife completed the mission.

The leader turned back, finally remembering to check on the comrade he had accidentally felled with his own rebounding blade.

Ah! Aaaah!

Shen Li slid down the slippery mountain stream, completely panicked and only able to scream.

Host, please calm down. You still have your shield; you won’t die.

The System reminded her helplessly.

Easy for you to say! Try rolling down here yourself and see how it feels! Shen Li retorted.

The System fell silent. It would have loved to roll down, but lacking a physical body, how could it?

Though the shield could withstand fatal injuries, tumbling down the cliff inevitably meant a series of rough impacts.

Shen Li’s shield depleted to zero.

Currently, Shen Li faced one good thing and one bad thing.

The good thing was that she had escaped the kidnappers.

The bad thing was that her left leg was broken. She didn’t know if the bone was fractured, but in this situation, crying out to heaven or earth would be futile. It was truly miserable.

But at least she had escaped.

Shen Li comforted herself with this thought. If she hadn’t escaped, the kidnappers would have tested their knives on her, one cut at a time.

If she stubbornly tried to test her luck a dozen or twenty times, she’d be done for.

Now, she could only wait for Fu Guiyi to rescue her.

Though she desperately wanted to use the healing pills from the system shop, Shen Li couldn’t bring herself to waste them. First, she’d fallen off a cliff and emerged unscathed—Fu Guiyi would surely find that suspicious.

Besides, if she healed her leg injury now, how would she farmCapture value?

Since she was already injured, she might as well exploit it.

Shen Li wasn’t a ruthless person; she just tended to rely on her cunning.

So, despite the pain, she only bought a one-point painkiller from the system shop.

She leaned against the rock, closing her eyes to rest.

Knowing Fu Guiyi as she did, she was certain the other woman would return to camp soon. When she found Shen Li missing, she’d come looking for her.

Young Mistress, this servant has entrusted her life to you.

Shen Li’s fingers traced the two life-saving pills in her hand, still reluctant to swallow them.

Using them solely to heal her leg injury would be such a waste.

Meanwhile, Fu Guiyi turned back to camp.

Slaying the Wolf King had left her feeling refreshed, her steps lighter than usual.

Finally, she wouldn’t have to endure those nightly howls.

But as soon as she reached the camp, she saw the Black Armor Army soldiers left behind, their faces etched with unease.

What’s wrong? Fu Guiyi asked, still holding her bow and arrows.

One of the soldiers lowered his head and stammered, Young… Young Mistress, Miss Shen has gone missing!

What? Fu Guiyi’s anger simmered. She had only been gone a short while, and already someone had vanished. Are you all useless?!

Her sharp rebuke sent shivers through the Black Armor Army soldiers, none daring to speak.

Miss Shen had merely stepped out briefly and disappeared. By the time they noticed and tried to pursue her, she was long gone.

Only a few hoofprints remained, and Black Armor Army soldiers were already pursuing her on fast horses.

Young Mistress, you can’t let a mere servant delay your important business, Xu Wenqing stepped forward amidst the tense silence. If we delay any longer, Madam’s condition might worsen, and she may not see the young master again.

Her words were far from what Fu Guiyi wanted to hear—instead, she was urging her to set out immediately.

Wenqing… don’t let me discover you had anything to do with this.

Fu Guiyi gripped her bow and arrow tightly, her stubbornness mirroring that of her childhood self. She refused to rest until she could consistently hit the bullseye with every shot.

As a woman, her physical strength was naturally weaker than that of men. To become a general, Fu Guiyi had paid a price unimaginable to most.

Young Mistress, why would I waste my anger on a mere servant? Xu Wenqing lowered her head, avoiding a direct answer. Yet both women knew perfectly well that they had recently had a fierce argument in the study over Shen Li, the servant girl.

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing, mirroring the tension of their previous confrontation in the study.

Fu Guiyi swung herself onto her massive black horse.

Where did she go missing?

Lead me to her!

The midnight forest was eerily silent. Torchlight sliced through the darkness, illuminating only a small stretch of the path ahead.

Young Mistress, please don’t search. You won’t find her! Xu Wenqing rode alongside, still trying to dissuade her, but Fu Guiyi seemed deaf to her words.

Finally, she spotted traces of bl00d and a torn piece of skirt snagged on a thorny branch. Discovering these in the pitch-black night required exceptional vision.

Fu Guiyi dismounted and followed the trail step by step. Soon, the group came to the edge of a bottomless ravine.

The torchlight was barely enough to illuminate the ravine, making it seem like the gaping maw of a monstrous beast.

Fu Guiyi crouched down, her fingertips brushing the soft earth. Scrape marks marred the ground, evidence that someone had tumbled down the ravine in a fall.

A sudden chill ran through her heart.

Her fingers clenched tightly together.

Is fate truly so cruel?

She had finally found someone she cared for and loved, only to have them snatched away after a mere few months together.

This was unbearable for Fu Guiyi.

Lower the ropes. I’m going down to check, she ordered the Black Armor Army soldiers with a stern tone. Since they didn’t have enough rope, they had to untie the reins from the horses as well.

Young Mistress… you can’t! Xu Wenqing protested anxiously as he watched the soldiers secure the ropes to a thick tree trunk.

Wenqing, don’t try to stop me, Fu Guiyi said firmly. And don’t call her just a servant girl. In my heart, Shen Li is my wife.

These few words tore Xu Wenqing’s heart into countless pieces. He collapsed to his knees, defeated.

Miss… is all this worth it? he asked weakly. You’re raising such a commotion for a mere servant girl, risking your own safety…

In the past, Fu Guiyi had held such people in utter contempt, viewing them as indecisive and lacking the necessary ruthlessness.