Chapter 47: Soul And Sandalwood (11)

Tao Ying’s revengeful spirit looked like a black flame which had barely managed to congeal itself into a human-like form. This thing had no eyes but you could feel its spiteful gaze if you looked at areas where the eyes would have been.

At this moment, it only looked at Miaomiao silently before turning around and walking into the woods. The fallen leaves rustled softly. It walked slowly, turning back to look at her thrice for each step it took, making it quite obvious that it wanted her to follow it.

She would be a fool if she were to follow it.

What she had thought of, of course the original character had also thought of. In the book, this was the night that Ling Yu ¹ [1] Ling Yu is Ling Miaomiao had faced Tao Ying’s trap with a clear mind. She knew she would not be able to protect herself if she left the protagonists’ group.

But as the backstabbing expert of this work, how could she miss the opportunity to stir up trouble? She had thought for a bit, then decided to quietly wake Mu Yao and pointed her to the direction of where the shadow was heading.

Mu Yao was pure-hearted and simply wanted to catch the resentful spirit. Upon hearing these words, she naturally rushed to catch it.

However, things went wrong once she started the chase. The heroine stepped into the villain’s trap and encountered a calamity.

When Liu Fuyi regained consciousness, Mu Yao was nowhere to be found. Ling Yu and the Princess formed a love rival alliance, acting dumb and unwilling to disclose where Mu Yao had gone. Because of this, they had lost the prime time to rescue her.

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Ju vbl vkxl Nkw Wwuk yde Yw Fbldt fskdle bydep yde qswde Yw Zys yqvla xwnb ekqqknwzvu, pbl bye dlyazu zspv bla kddsnldnl yde bye pwqqlale kxxlypwayczl vaywxy csvb kd cseu yde xkde.

Gqvlaoyaep, Nkw Wwuk eke dsv pwprlnv vblx ewl vs bkp jkde dyvwal. Jwv yp qsa Yw Fbldt, obs oyp bl? Tl jdlo lmynvzu obs vbl nwzrakv oyp yde vbl bkeeld xsvkhlp sq vbl vos tkazp. Tl jlrv vbkp tawetl kd vbl cynj sq bkp xkde yde pzsozu ryke kv cynj vs bla yqvla vblka xyaakytl.

Nkdt Ykysxkys pbkhlale.

Mbkp oyp vbl byzqoyu xyaj sq vbl qkapv xkppksd. Fbl byed’v lhld bye y qlo eyup sq rlynl yde yzalyeu, ulv kv oyp vkxl qsa rzyukdt ekavu vaknjp—— ds, rzyukdt elye.

Fbl zsolale bla blye. Mbl xssdzktbv plvvzle sd bla qawpvayvle qynl, yde nypvle y zyula sq pkzhla shla bla lulcasop. “Fupvlx, oblal kp Yw Fbldt’p qyhsayckzkvu yv?”

“Fupvlx Lsvkqknyvksd: Ubyaynvla 【Yw Fbldt】 Ghlaytl qyhsayckzkvu kp 56%. Ode sq dsvkqknyvksd.”

Ghlaytl? Nkdt Ykysxkys oyp vyjld ycynj. Gp y xyvblxyvknp xyfsa, pbl oyp lmvalxlzu pldpkvkhl vs osaekdt. Wyhsayckzkvu oypd’v zkjl vlxrlayvwal, ralnkrkvyvksd, sa oytl lyadkdtp. Tso kd vbl osaze eke kv clnsxl yd yhlaytl?

“Fupvlx Lsvkqknyvksd: Ubyaynvla 【Yw Fbldt】 Wyhsayckzkvu kp lmrlakldnkdt lmvalxl qzwnvwyvksd. Mbl pupvlx rashkelp vseyu’p yhlaytl qsa vbl nbyzzldtla’p alqlaldnl.”

“…” Ling Miaomiao couldn’t comprehend.

“Can you give me the highest value?”

“System Notification: 94%”

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

“What about the… the lowest value?”

“System Notification: 0.”

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest again. She felt dizzy, with stars in her eyes, as if she had just gotten off from riding a roller coaster. What could this mean? He loved her down to his bones in one moment and hated her to death in the next? Was the black lotus going crazy?

She turned her head and looked around. The princess had her arms around Liu Fuyi with her head drooping down towards her chest, evidently having dozed off. Not much farther away was Mu Yao who was sleeping peacefully. The only sound which could be heard in the silence of the night was the crackling of the fire. There was no sign of Mu Sheng’s figure.

Looking the other way, she was barely able to make out a trail of footprints leading into the woods.

What was he doing, going off on his own in the middle of the night?

Forget it, forget it. It was better to focus on the matter at hand.

She stood up, slowly approached Mu Yao, and squatted down in front of her.

The girl’s sleeping posture was very dignified. Whether it be on a luxurious bed in the palace or the leaf-covered forest floor, she maintained a straight form. Her hands were folded on her abdomen, making her appear as graceful as Sleeping Beauty.

Ling Miaomiao felt inferior at that moment.

The moonlight was a natural filter. Mu Yao’s eyelashes were very long, her facial features fair, and her lips had a sexy curve to them… Ling Miaomiao admired the beauty of her sleeping face, inwardly thinking how she really was worthy of the female lead setting…

Suddenly, Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes. A pair of shining black eyes looked back at her, her tear-shaped birthmark sitting alone at the corner of her eye.

“Ah!” Caught off guard, Ling Miaomiao fell back from the sudden fright.

A jackdaw flew up and on the side, Princess Duanyang woke up looking at them in confusion.

The wariness in Mu Yao’s eyes only dissipated after she realized who the person in front of her was. She sighed, sat up, and politely asked, “Miss Ling?”

Princess Duanyang hugged Liu Fuyi like a human-sized teddy bear in the clasp of her arms and watched them vigilantly in secret.

Miaomiao smiled awkwardly, “Sister Mu, you can call me Miaomiao.”

Mu Yao glanced at her.

In the past, Ling Miaomiao would constantly stick to Liu Fuyi. Even if she told herself this girl was doing it without any other intentions, she was still reluctant to draw their relationship closer. But now that there was an even more overbearing and spoiled Princess Duanyang, the delicate official’s daughter in front of her suddenly seemed to appear more agreeable in her eyes.

As a result, she agreed and asked, “Miaomiao, what’s the matter?”

Faced with her enquiring gaze, Miaomiao understood that this was the system’s way of speeding up the story’s progression and dealing with her one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back illness.

Pulling the arrow back without looking, Ling Miaomiao took a deep breath and with a face pale from having been scared by Mu Yao, she pointed into the woods. She spoke with a clear voice, saying, “Just now… I saw that black cloud passing by yonder.

A cold look appeared on Mu Yao’s face, “Was it the black cloud that stabbed Fuyi?”

The only reason that evil thing had the chance to attack Liu Fuyi was because they had just come out of the old temple and were exhausted. Although Mu Yao was a female, she was the head of the Mu family and a well-known demon catcher. She had her own pride and temperament\. Having dared to harm the one she loved, of course she had to get justice for them.

Seeing Miaomiao nod, she ended her questioning and immediately stood up. “I’ll go check it out for a bit.”

Ah! Sister Mu!” Feeling her sleeve being tugged, Mu Yao looked into Ling Miaomiao’s panicked eyes. “The shadow kept turning its head towards us as it walked. It must be luring us into a trap!”

“…” Mu Yao looked at her strangely.

Miaomiao’s heart was pounding while waiting for the system to either remind or warn her.

—— That’s great. There was nothing.

Having relayed this piece of information to Mu Yao, she had completed her task. As long as she persuaded Mu Yao to not take unnecessary risks, changing the story’s ending, she’d be able to avoid the calamity which was being tortured to death.

“Don’t worry.” Mu Yao wasn’t very good at comforting people and somewhat stiffly gave her a soothing smile. “You can just wait here, I have a way.”

After saying this, she anxiously pulled her sleeve back and took off. It had been some time since the resentful spirit had passed by and it would be better to take care of it quickly while it still hadn’t gone far.

Ling Miaomiao was even more anxious than her. She scrambled over, practically throwing herself at her and clinging tightly to Mu Yao’s leg. Almost mournfully, she said, “Don’t Sister Mu! Can… can you think about it a little more?”

Princess Duanyang’s eyebrow jumped in surprise. She took a good look at Miaomiao’s face.

Mu Yao looked down at the girl in front of her. Fear was all over her face and she kept shaking her head desperately. “Sister Mu, don’t go, don’t go…” In the next second, she looked close to crying. “I, I, I’m really scared..” Seeming to think this wasn’t enough, she pointed at Princess Duanyang, surprising her so much, she shrank away from that finger. “Her Highness is also scared. Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

If Mu Yao still refused to listen to her, she should at least give the honorable Princess some face.

Princess Duanyang only hugged Liu Fuyi guardedly and disdainfully looked at Ling Miaomiao who was blinking non stop at her. She raised her chin and replied back in a bad mood. “If you’re scared because you’re spineless, don’t pull me into the same category as you. This princess is not in the least bit afraid.

She looked at Mu Yao from the corner of her eye but only became more upset after seeing her cold and beautiful face under the moon’s rays.

She was hoping for Mu Yao to leave earlier so that she and Liu Fuyi could spend time together alone. She spoke mockingly, “If Taoist Mu wants to go, then please go quickly. What are you doing saying things you don’t mean?”

She left quickly, only leaving behind one line. “Miaomiao, don’t be scared, just wait here for me to return.”

Ling Miaomiao remained frozen in that position of kneeling on the ground and clinging to her legs, unable to move no matter how she tried. She could only watch as Mu Yao’s white-clothed figure walked into the dense woods. Her heart seemed to freeze in her chest, all the while, wishing with all her heart, if only she could throw a sack over Princess Duanyang’s head and give her a beating.

Fate was just this cruel. Before being able to beat them, you’d need to rely on them first.

“Your Highness… Your Highness…” Miaomiao called out eagerly to the princess as she could only move her eyes.

Duanyang became annoyed by her calls and asked impatiently, “What do you want?”

Miaomiao was so anxious she wanted to stomp her foot. “Help me rip the talisman off my back, please!”

Princess Duanyang couldn’t help but smile when she saw the depressed look on her face and the miserable state she was in. But, she made no move to help Miaomiao. Instead, she simply closed her eyes to rest.

“Princess! Princess Duanyang! Li Songmin!” Upon seeing no response, Ling Miaomiao gritted her teeth. She could only gentle her tone and beg, “I’ve been kneeling and my knees hurt a lot. Your Highness, won’t you help me…”

Humph, so spineless. Duanyang rolled her eyes. “This princess refuses to help you, you can kneel there and enjoy the moon.”

“…” Miaomiao was silent.

Princess Duanyang thought she had accepted her fate and wouldn’t continue yelling. But, in the next second she heard a bright voice which was loud enough to scare the birds off. “Hurry and wake up Brother Liu! There’s been a murder! There’s a fire! Brother Liu!

Along with the caws of the birds, there was rustling in the forest. The cacophony of noises was enough to enter the ears of those in the arms of slumber.

In her arms, Liu Fuyi began shifting around a little and wrinkled his brows. Panicked, she gently laid him down and ran over a few steps to cover Ling Miaomiao’s mouth.

“Brother Liu! Brother… Mmph…!”

“Stop yelling!” Duanyang was truly worried this time. She securely blocked Miaomiao’s mouth, her brows furrowed in anger.

Ling Miaomiao struggled frantically, getting a few words out. “Then mm… Your Highness… help me… mmph remove the talisman…”

Duanyang’s lips lifted and her black eyes shined while reflecting the moonlight. “Hmph, what reason is there for this princess to agree?”

Miaomiao struggled even more. The two of them struggled for a while and in the midst of this, a small dagger fell from Duanyang’s bosom with a clang. Under the moonlight, it shone with a cold light.

The handle of the dagger was studded with jewels and shined radiantly. Liu Fuyi had shoved it into her hands while rescuing her from the old temple and told her to use it to protect herself.

Once she caught sight of the dagger, tenderness and courage welled up and filled her heart. She immediately picked it up and held it in her hands with the blade raised, intentionally threatening her. “Be quiet or this princess will stab you at once.”

Ling Miaomiao quit struggling and looked at the tip of the dagger uncomprehendingly. She then raised her head back up and gave her a silent look. Her eyes reflected the bright moonlight.

Seeing that her intimidation had worked, the corners of her lips curled with satisfaction. Then, a shadow flickered across her vision, but before she had time to react, she was knocked onto the ground.

“Hoo…” In the midst of this tussle, there was a muffled cry of pain.

A hot substance covered her hands, it was only after a while that Duanyang was able to recover from her daze. Terrified, she stuttered, “The knife…the knife hasn’t been sheathed…”

Cold sweat appeared on Ling Miaomiao’s forehead. In her heart, she thought, this was true dedication. The average person wouldn’t be able to stand it.

The blood quickly stained her skirt as warm blood flowed out, her shackles suddenly loosening. With a dagger embedded in her right leg, she struggled to stand up, supporting herself with a hand on the ground.

Princess Duanyang sat stock-still, staring at her like she was a monster. “What, what… what are you doing?

Miaomiao smiled sweetly and with satisfaction at her, making her hairs stand on end. Under her frightened gaze, Miaomiao turned around and walked into the jungle.

*

Just now, the desperate and weakest book transmigrator of all time, who was facing a matter of life or death, could only open her mouth to ask, “System, help, how do we deal with this talisman?”

“System Notification: There is only one chance each month to use the help magic. Is the transmigrator sure they want to use it?”

She gritted her teeth and cursed at the Zhou Bapi ² [2] Zhou Bapi is a character who is a greedy landlord who has the workers work longer for him by making the roosters crow earlier than usual. He was created by Gao Yubao who based this character from his childhood under the Japanese regime in China. In essence, this reference is just Ling Miaomiao calling the system greedy. I don’t have a site to direct you too but feel free to google it if you want to learn more. Image provided in the footnotes at the end. in her mind. “…Use it.”

“System Notification: 【Freezing Talisman】, a simple paper talisman which can freeze people for two hours. However, if the user sheds blood, the 【Freezing Talisman】will lose effect immediately.”

“…Fine!”

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[1] Ling Yu is Ling Miaomiao

[2] Zhou Bapi is a character who is a greedy landlord who has the workers work longer for him by making the roosters crow earlier than usual. He was created by Gao Yubao who based this character from his childhood under the Japanese regime in China. In essence, this reference is just Ling Miaomiao calling the system greedy. I don’t have a site to direct you too but feel free to google it if you want to learn more. Here’s an image that brings back memories for me~

Translator’s Note:

So… I really enjoyed reading and translating this chapter. Perhaps because I got to squeeze the creative juices in my brain? Hmm. It was super exciting to translate, since it finally seems like we’re getting somewhere with their relationship. Mu Sheng is FINALLY getting in line with the romance tag of this novel! Yay! ヘ(◕。◕ヘ) Not that I’m just dying in this corner waiting for more squeal worthy romantic moments or anything. And also dying from translating this in general.ⓧ_ⓧ Ok, I shall go back and die slave find my missing brain cells eat. (>’o’)> ♥ <(‘o’<)