Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The monk was still sweating profusely, his back was soaked, and when he arrived he said to them, "You may stay in these two rooms for the time being."

After the group thanked the monk, he hurriedly left again. Meng Yingying looked at them and thought they really resembled modern-day corporate slaves, working themselves to the bone.

Xiao Zheyu had been supported by Zhou Xiuqi and Cong Rong the whole way. Now, with one foot on the ground, Cong Rong said, "I brought medicine, so you don't need to worry."

Zhou Xiuqi lowered his head and glanced at her ankle, while Xiao Zheyu said, "You don't need to worry about me. Go do whatever you need to do first."

Zhou Xiuqi glanced back; the bamboo forest rustled, its undercurrents concealing hidden dangers.

Meng Yingying looked at the sky; the weather was so unpredictable, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Just moments ago the sky was clear and blue, but now dark clouds have suddenly gathered and disappeared in an instant.

Meng Yingying said, "Judging from the sky, it's about to rain. Why don't we all go inside?"

Kong Fusheng nodded, then suddenly said, "Hey, A-Guai, why are you following us?"

Meng Yingying turned around and saw Shang Mang standing not far from them, the wind blowing past him: "I have nowhere to go, brothers, do you suggest having another person?"

Kong Fusheng strode over, raising his hand to pull him into his arms, but found that he was taller than him, so he turned around and put his arm around his waist instead.

“Of course, no problem. You’ve made the right choice in recognizing me as your older brother!” He said, leading Shang Mang away. “I am the number one disciple of Wushuang Temple.”

Shang Mang's face stiffened, and Meng Yingying inexplicably suppressed a laugh, as if it was the first time she had ever seen him with such an expression that looked like he had eaten shit.

Several tall men squeezed into the room. Kong Fusheng looked them over and said, "Could you two squat down for a bit?"

Shang Mang glanced at Zhou Xiuqi, who remained unmoved, then looked at Kong Fusheng and said with a smile, "Brother, you have a xiao (a type of vertical bamboo flute) at your waist, can you teach me how to play it?"

Zhou Xiuqi raised his hand and removed the thin veil, revealing Shang Mang's true face. He was dignified and upright, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, his gaze as deep as a pool.

Just like before.

Kong Fusheng drew his flute from his waist: "This flute is my magic weapon, and it was carved by my master himself. I cannot give it to you."

Shang Mang didn't care and put his legs up on the stool, saying, "Okay."

Inside another room.

Meng Yingying lay sprawled on the bed, grumbling, "There's a foul smell in this room." A dark shadow flashed past her eyes, and when she reached out to grab it, it vanished without a trace.

Xiao Zheyu twisted her ankle while applying medicine: "Just bear with it."

Meng Yingying pinched her nose: "I'm enduring it."

Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside, and Meng Yingying shrank her shoulders: "This weather really does strike without warning."

Thump thump thump—

Amidst the thunder outside, a short knock suddenly sounded at the door. Meng Yingying looked up and said to them, "Don't go, I'll go." She drew a talisman from her sleeve and held it between her fingertips.

I walked over and opened the door, only to be met with a face that seemed to be both crying and laughing.

The rain poured down in unison, dripping over the bamboo leaves.

"Female benefactor, it's time for your vegetarian meal." He smiled, but looked as if he were crying.

"Hmm." Meng Yingying was startled, sensing something amiss. Just as she was about to close the door, he stopped her: "Female benefactor, you look somewhat familiar."

Meng Yingying's lips were slightly stiff: "Really? I don't remember you."

He suddenly frowned and said, "Female benefactor, you were born with a malevolent destiny, carrying a burden of karmic debt."

Meng Yingying's eyes flickered slightly. She lowered her voice, walked out of the door and closed it, saying, "Little Master, since you can see this, you must have a way to solve it."

“I’ve had this since birth. My parents have taken me to see many doctors because of this illness, but they all said I’m fine.” She said excitedly, “You must help me.”

He felt a sense of relief; if he could actually crack the code, he would have completed the mission ahead of schedule; if not, the fish had already taken the bait.

Ji Cang relaxed slightly and looked at her: "There is a way to break it, but I can't be sure right now. Tomorrow at midnight in the Buddhist hall, I will ask the Buddha."

"I'll tell you later."

Meng Yingying said urgently, "Master, I don't have much time left. Please, you must think of a way to break this."

Ji Cang gave a bitter smile: "I'll do my best."

He walked away slowly, and Meng Yingying went into the house. Xiao Zheyu held a cup of tea and blew on it. Meng Yingying stepped forward to stop him and said, "Don't touch anything here yet."

Xiao Zheyu put down his cup: "This place isn't clean."

Meng Yingying took out a talisman and placed it on the table. The talisman instantly emitted blue-green flames.

"The fact that it's not clean means we came to the right place."

Xiao Zheyu: "Do you think he will come?"

Meng Yingying put the unburnt talisman into the cup and said, "It's okay if you don't come. You will pay the price."

The rain dripped outside the window for a short while, then gradually stopped.

Ji Cang hurried back to his room, poured himself a glass of water, but his hands trembled uncontrollably. His lips curled up involuntarily, and the water spilled from the glass. A pair of black-armored hands gripped his wrists, and Ji Cang said tremblingly, "A Yue, I saw her."

"I finally saw her."

The female ghost's hand was icy cold; it touched his skin and quickly withdrew, leaving his bloodied mouth rubbing and bumping against him.

"Ah Yue, soon, very soon, you will be able to eat the most delicious meal." He touched her spine, and the female ghost rubbed against his shoulder.

He made a strange tearing sound, and tenderness welled up in Ji Cang's eyes.

...

Meng Yingying lay down on the bed. Since transmigrating into the book, she rarely had trouble sleeping. She was always very tired, but today she couldn't fall asleep for no reason. She wanted to turn over, but she was afraid of disturbing the two people sleeping next to her.

She stared at the sky for a long time, when suddenly her wrist burned with pain. She raised her hand and saw a red mole on her pulse point, emitting a faint glow like a heartbeat. She rubbed it vigorously with her fingertips, but found that she couldn't wipe it off no matter how hard she tried; the mole gradually faded away.

"What is this?" she murmured to herself. "Could it be Meng Yuan's birthmark? No one's birthmark is this small." Then she immediately contradicted herself.

I just felt that the warm current transmitted from that place spread throughout my body and finally reached my brain.

"It feels quite comfortable," Meng Yingying thought as the system in her mind suddenly chimed.

Meng Yingying was startled.

[Basic Mission: Maintain the cannon fodder female supporting character's health at 100%]

[Intermediate Quest: Change to the final "happy" ending progress: 20%]

[Ultimate Mission: Kill the Villain Progress: 0%]

[Special Mission: Conquering the Villainous Male Supporting Character - Progress: 100%]

The sound came when she was half asleep and half awake—

After she fell asleep, the shadow beside the bed flickered and disappeared.

The bamboo grove swayed, its varying shades creating a lush, dynamic movement that seemed to carve a sharp line.

Meng Yingying went to bed late but woke up early. She opened the window and looked outside. Xiao Zheyu was practicing calligraphy behind her, with handsome features.

Seeing her so engrossed in practicing calligraphy, Meng Yingying couldn't help but ask, "Sister Xiao, how can you calm down and practice calligraphy?"

Xiao Zheyu stopped writing and said, "Practice calligraphy to cultivate your mind."

Meng Yingying could understand, but she couldn't sit still and do things. She had spent too much time lying in a hospital bed in reality, so she didn't like to do things while still.

"Meng Yuan".

Meng Yingying looked over, and her vision blurred; she was instantly lost in thought.

Shang Mang leaned down and looked at her. His dark eyes were hazy, with upturned corners, and his lips were bright red. She was a beautiful woman.

"I've remembered your name."

"Are you happy?" he asked.

His voice was smiling, and he always seemed to be smiling, but you couldn't tell he was happy.

“Remembering people’s names is just basic politeness,” Meng Yingying said, continuing to lean against the window.

Shang Mang's hand, slender yet strong, rested on the windowsill. He said, "I usually only remember the name of the next person I'm going to kill."

"Therefore, I am different from others."

He was perfectly normal one second, but the next second he started talking about killing.

"Do you know what 'extraordinary' really means?" Meng Yingying asked, her mind racing as she stared at him. Shang Mang knew what she was about to say, and opened his eyes slightly, asking, "What kind of thing?"

"Among millions of people, I can only recognize you. That's what makes you extraordinary."

Shang Mang tilted his head and chuckled.

Meng Yingying thought to herself, "He must be having a great time."

Shang Mang spoke up: "A low-level deception."

[Ding Dang - Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Progress: 150%]

Seeing his expressionless face and the progress bar in her mind increasing, Meng Yingying couldn't help but laugh: "I can tell at a glance whether it's a sweet melon or a bitter melon."

"You must be a dull melon. The outside isn't fully ripe, but once you open it up, you'll find that the inside is all red."

"You're sick," he cursed, laughing at something else.

[Ding Dang - Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Progress: 155%]

Meng Yingying finally couldn't help but laugh and looked at him: "Silly boy!" She laughed loudly, but Shang Mang still smiled and tapped the windowsill twice: "Don't laugh."

Meng Yingying composed herself, a faint smile playing on her lips. Perhaps this was the simplest of the three tasks. Yet, it turned out to be the most unusual. The system should have assigned this task to the beginner level, she thought to herself.

Just as she was about to speak, she met a pair of eyes filled with thin, hateful light, and she was startled.

Just as she was about to delve deeper into his gaze, he turned his head away, his lips grinding together. His eyes, filled with hatred, vanished in an instant. Meng Yingying couldn't help but wonder where that hateful look came from, and he simply looked away.

Meng Yingying opened her mouth: "You..." Shang Mang left without looking back. Meng Yingying lowered her head. Could it be that her words had touched a nerve? But what she said was just normal sweet talk, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Shang Mang turned a corner, a dull pain in his chest making it hard to breathe. He tilted his head back, his head hitting the wall. His eyes were red, threatening to overwhelm him, but he tried his best to suppress it. He gritted his teeth and walked forward, brushing past someone without paying any attention.

The person he bumped into glanced back at his back before turning the corner.

Before Meng Yingying could recover from her shock, she saw Zhou Xiuqi walking around the corner. She composed herself and looked at him, saying, "Sister Xiao is still here..." She turned around and saw that the room was empty.

Meng Yingying jumped off the stool in surprise: "Just now... just now it was clearly here... clearly..." Zhou Xiuqi frowned, turned and ran towards the corner.

Meng Yingying was still confused about the situation; the change had come too quickly. Zhou Xiuqi grabbed her hand and said, "Calm down."

She looked up: "I..."

Zhou Xiuqi pressed her down into a chair: "Stay here, you're not allowed to go anywhere." He gripped his sword and hurriedly headed outside, leaving Meng Yingying in a daze inside the room.

Thick smoke billowed from the shadows. Meng Yingying rolled her eyes and fainted. Footsteps entered the room, moving slowly and quietly.

...

A strong wind rises, and the night is not peaceful.

Bamboo forest - thicket thicket

The bamboo leaves rustled and rolled, making a crisp, unusually loud sound, and there was no light around.

bass--

A sliver of light appeared, and Meng Yingying's eyelids fluttered. The faint light illuminated his face, his eyes were kind, and he smiled as he looked at her: "Female benefactor, if you are awake, why not open your eyes?"

The gentle tone felt like a suffocating rope.

Meng Yingying's hands were sweating: "How did I get here?" Since she had already started pretending, it wouldn't matter if she pretended a little longer.

Ji Cang looked somewhat helpless and said, "Female benefactor, I have thought of a solution for you for a long time. If you play tricks on me, Buddha will bring down disaster."

Meng Yingying smiled and nodded, resting her chin on her hand: "I'm a good person, Buddha wouldn't treat me like this." She smiled, and Ji Cang opened his mouth, only to see a talisman fly in front of him, instantly illuminating his vision, forcing him to close his eyes.