Reborn As A Villainous Cannon Fodder

With a blood-red afterimage howling past, Jinyue, who was crouching by the bushes, could barely keep her eyes open against the fierce wind.

Find exclusive stories on empire

When Jinyue managed to open her eyes again, she was startled to find that a certain figure beside her had vanished.

"What the--!"

"Where did my boyfriend go?!"

The foxgirl widened her eyes and hastily raised her tail from within the bushes.

But before she could finish speaking, another figure darted past in the distance--

"Damn Demoness! Put Lady Ruoning down!"

Xumo chased and cursed simultaneously, running at full speed like the wind, following the blood-red afterimage's escape route. He transformed into a gust that swept past Jinyue's face. Once again, Jinyue's hair was thrown into disarray by the violent wind.

This time, however, Jinyue realized the gravity of the situation. She quickly clenched her fists, and the three demon tails behind her erupted into intense flames.

"You damned old witch!"

"Put Yino down!"

Behind the rapidly moving blood-red afterimage were two figures bound by vines, fluttering chaotically in the wind. Gradually, Yino's gaze met with Ruoning's, who was similarly bound beside him.

Their eyes locked, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

[What the hell, getting captured in the middle of a fight?]

Yino furrowed his brows, feeling rather frustrated.

He noticed Ruoning's pleading look and instantly understood. He manifested his arm guard, attempting to cut through the blood-colored vines with his Life Scales.

But his subtle movement seemed to catch the attention of the blood-red afterimage ahead.

Before Yino could react, the vines binding him suddenly whipped violently.

"Holy--!"

Before Yino could finish his curse, he was flung like a yo-yo through the air.

BOOM!!!

A massive impact sound resonated from Yino's back as, following Liuli's rapid flight, his body forcefully crashed through an ancient tree mid-air.

Yino straightened his back in pain, drawing in a sharp breath, and immediately became more compliant, no longer daring to resist.

Beside him, Ruoning pursed her lips, looking at Yino awkwardly.

Well, now we truly are a couple sharing hardships.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Demoness! Stand your ground!"

At some point, a black afterimage gradually caught up from behind.

Xumo moved incredibly fast, with several white-gold thin swords streaming out beside him, striking toward the blood-red afterimage at the front.

How persistent!

While flying, Liuli clicked her tongue coldly.

She was forced to stop, throwing Yino and Ruoning behind her while suddenly dropping to one knee, violently pressing her bandage-wrapped hands to the ground--

"Take my sword!"

Xumo leaped high, wielding his sword as he descended from above.

But just as he was three steps away from the red-robed Holy Maiden, a giant man-eating flower with a trunk as thick as a tree suddenly burst from the ground before him.

The man-eating flower opened its bloody maw and swallowed the boy whole in one bite.

Simultaneously, the man-eating flower let out a satisfied burp, and a strange pink toxic mist dispersed around it.

"Hold your breath!"

Yino widened his eyes and called out without warning.

Beside him, Ruoning nodded frantically, quickly holding her breath and closing her eyes.

A long silence followed.

Seeing that Xumo had gone quiet, Liuli stood up again, reaching back to grab her two hostages, and continued sprinting toward the Azure Forest. Only after leaving the poisoned area did Yino and Ruoning finally gasp for air.

At some point, Yino curiously turned his head to look at Ruoning beside him.

But soon, Ruoning also realized something, innocently shaking her head, indicating she truly didn't know who that man just eaten by the man-eating flower was.

Is that so?

Yino narrowed his cold eyes, still looking suspicious.

Immediately, Ruoning 's face turned pale as she desperately shook her head to deny any connection.

And just as Yino was interrogating Ruoning with his meaningful gaze, a crimson figure burst out again from behind the toxic mist in the distance--

"Damn Witch!"

"Put my husband down!"

From the high treetops, the foxgirl in her red short dress moved swift as wind, three tails of intense flame trailing behind her, her bewitching figure moving like flowing water as she leaped between the treetops. However, when the foxgirl spoke these words, it was Ruoning who looked at Yino beside her with surprised eyes.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Yino felt rather surprised. He looked at the fully transformed Pleasure Demon chasing after them, then at Ruoning beside him, who was gritting her teeth with a somewhat incredulous expression. Finally, Yino swallowed and remained speechless.

Whether it was the red fox or the white fox, any fox willing to save him was a good fox!

BOOM!!!

Liuli used her previous technique, casually pressing the trees beside her to summon several blood-colored vines from different directions to intercept the fox demon girl behind them.

But unlike the reckless Xumo, although Jinyue's cultivation wasn't particularly high, being a fox demon made her small and agile. She easily evaded several blood-colored vines with ghostly movements.

And just as Yino and Ruoning were watching in amazement, the foxgirl's bewitching eyes reflected blood-colored runes--

"Liuli, you can't escape!"

At some point, Jinyue smiled triumphantly.

As her words fell, the surrounding environment suddenly changed, and the blood-colored afterimage that should have been running ahead gradually came to a stop.

Liuli turned around, warily surveying her surroundings.

Although she couldn't find Jinyue's figure after falling into the illusion, she still experienced enough to pull the two hostages close to her legs.

Suddenly, Liuli sensed a surge of killing intent.

Whoosh--!

She dodged sideways, the blood-colored blade barely grazing her cheek.

In the same motion, Liuli grabbed the foxgirl behind her, twisting her waist to execute a brutal shoulder throw.

But as the foxgirl hit the ground, her form dissolved into peach blossoms before Liuli's eyes.

"Damn it, both foxes are equally annoying..."

The endless illusions gradually wore away at Liuli's patience.

She raised her hand to summon more vines, attacking the multiple afterimages around her indiscriminately.

But just as Liuli was at her most vigilant, a certain crimson foxgirl had stealthily crept under her skirt--

"Hehe"

She lowered herself, adopting a hunting posture on the grass.

In an instant, she launched into a sprint, her little fangs precisely catching the collar of the figure bound beside Liuli's leg.

Simultaneously, the three demon tails behind the her transformed into three sharp swords, violently severing the blood-colored vines binding that figure.

With prey in mouth, the little fox ran without looking back.

"Old witch, think you can match me?"

Jinyue laughed coldly. Before Liuli, still caught in the illusion, could react, her form once again became a bewitching shadow, swiftly escaping with the hostage.

….

Deep in the forest, silence reigned.

Liuli stood frozen in place. As the surrounding illusions finally dissipated, she gradually lowered her gaze to meet the eyes of a thoroughly confused human boy sitting beside her leg.

"?"

"?"

Their eyes met, and the atmosphere became inexplicably awkward.

Yino's lips twitched. Though internally he was cursing that stupid fox, outwardly he maintained his composure and gave Liuli a slight smile.

"Heh~"

At this moment, even the perpetually world-weary, irritable Full Moon Sect's Holy Maiden found herself inexplicably amused.

She had already cursed Jinyue's ancestors to the eighteenth generation.

But unexpectedly, after breaking free from the illusion, Liuli discovered that the hostage who'd been snatched away wasn't Yino!

"Young Master~"

"Indeed, this must be fate?"

Liuli smiled coldly and bewitchingly, turning to look at the trembling human boy sitting beside her leg.

Yino had no response. He simply leaned against the bandage-wrapped legs beneath the girl's skirt, giving up resistance and closing his eyes to rest.

The atmosphere grew still.

After a long silence, Liuli shook her leg, waking the human boy leaning against it:

"Young Master, I won't need to drag you along anymore, right?"

"No need, I'm always very well-behaved..."

Yino opened his eyes, instinctively glancing up along the jade legs behind him toward the skirt.

Unfortunately, the bandages were wrapped too tightly, revealing only two beautiful curves beneath the skirt.

He stood up obediently, following behind Liuli.

Liuli walked in front, holding a vine in her hand, with the other end wrapped around Yino's neck.

Yino strongly suspected Liuli was doing this on purpose.

Considering Yino's restricted movement, she had indeed kindly untied the vines around his body, but deliberately left one vine around his neck, like a dog leash as she walked him through the forest.

"Where are you taking me anyway?"

Yino asked impatiently.

Ahead, the girl in the blood-white evening gown turned to look at him, her exquisite face seeming even more sickly and fragile than before.

"Hmm..."

Liuli hesitated, a bloody taste rising in her throat, her sickly beautiful face showing discomfort.

She lightly bit her crimson lips, walking alone to the roadside, leaning against a tree trunk as she violently coughed up a pool of blood.

Afterward, Liuli gasped for breath, took a moment to recover, took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, before reappearing before Yino's gaze with her elegant and gentle demeanor.

"I thought you were immortal."

Yino spoke suddenly, but she didn't respond, only pressing one hand against her chest, her breathing became weaker than before.

Liuli remained silent, continuing to lead the way.

At some point, Yino noticed that the white bandages wrapped around her body seemed to be gradually loosening, even falling off--

Rustle.

White bandages fell to the ground, revealing the milk-white, almost sickly jade-like skin that had been wrapped for years beneath.

At the same time, the red-dressed girl walking ahead suddenly stopped:

"Yino."

She called out softly, turning to look at him, her weak voice like that of a sickly princess, her gentle features giving an impression of fragile beauty.

After a moment of silence, Liuli smiled faintly:

"Would you like to know the true nature of the Azure Forest?"

…

Azure Forest, mid-exploration.

The red fox wound through the forest, circling around the area back and forth for quite a while. Only when she was certain Liuli wasn't pursuing them did she finally collapse panting against a tree.

"Oh Yino, Yino, you'll have to spend the rest of your life gratefully repaying me for saving you from danger today--!"

Jinyue spoke proudly while wiping her sweat.

But at that moment, she suddenly found herself meeting the vacant beautiful eyes of a certain girl beside her.

Suddenly, Jinyue seemed to recall a certain hallucinogenic pink mist.

She sat up straight, rubbing her eyes.

But no matter how Jinyue looked, the other person was still an extraordinarily beautiful girl in a riding dress--

"What the--!!!"

"How the hell did I end up rescuing you, you little shrew?!"

"?--?"