Chapter 169: The Cannon Fodder Who Can’t Survive Three Chapters (12)
The lingering coldness of the kiss made Bei Xing’s lips numb. Now, hearing Su Mingxiu’s question, she didn’t know how to answer.
If she said “no,” it would be a rejection. If she said “yes,” it would seem like she enjoyed what Su Mingxiu had just done.
But her initial playful bite had escalated into something else, and she couldn’t tell if Su Mingxiu’s kiss had been… intentional, or simply to give her a “taste.”
And she had been too focused on the coldness to notice any fragrance.
Besides, who wanted to taste incense ash?
Ugh.
Bei Xing’s expression changed, then she slowly nodded, as if forced—even though she had been the one to initiate the kiss.
Su Mingxiu chuckled, leaning closer, and as Bei Xing blurted out “Again?”, she touched Bei Xing’s forehead with her own, intending to check her temperature.
Then, remembering that she was a ghost, she pulled away, a playful smile on her lips, as Bei Xing’s face flushed crimson. She placed Bei Xing on the bed and walked towards the offerings.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to cut the cake for me?” she asked.
Bei Xing, who had momentarily thought Su Mingxiu was going to kiss her again, rubbed her face, trying to forget the awkward moment, willing herself to have amnesia.
She got out of bed, picked up the plastic knife, and, looking at the beautiful cake, reluctantly cut a small slice.
Then, she placed the remaining incense sticks around the cake, offering the larger portion to Su Mingxiu.
Few people would choose a chrysanthemum-themed cake, but for this special occasion, it seemed… fitting.
“Why a cake?” Su Mingxiu asked, holding a slice of cake, somehow having acquired it without Bei Xing noticing.
Bei Xing, sitting on a cushion before the offering table, nibbled on her fork, thinking about the novel’s plot. In the original story, the original owner had died on the night of Su Mingxiu’s seventh day. Now, having resolved the Pixiu curse, and with Su Mingxiu here, as long as she survived past midnight—
She would be safe.
“Because today is a good day, a day for celebration,” she replied sincerely.
Su Mingxiu had never heard of a ghost’s seventh day being a “good day.” But seeing that Bei Xing didn’t elaborate, she continued eating the cake.
Then, she heard Bei Xing say: “Thank you.”
“For what?” she asked, her beautiful face, framed by her elegant red dress, as captivating as a painting.
Bei Xing, forgetting the taste of the cake, stared at her, mesmerized. After Su Mingxiu finished her cake, she leaned closer, her red lips curving into a smile. “You solved all these problems yourself, with your own abilities, no need to thank me.”
For a moment, Bei Xing almost thought Su Mingxiu was also a transmigrator, having read the original novel.
But she quickly realized Su Mingxiu was referring to the Pixiu. She smiled brightly. Indeed, she had survived until now thanks to her quick thinking and her acting skills.
…Just a matter of time before this lie is exposed.
She didn’t dwell on it, changing the subject. “By the way, Chu Chu mentioned a metaphysics conference, do you think I should go?”
It sounded like a plot point from the novel. Since Chu Yinxi had said there might be someone there who could help them, Bei Xing was considering it.
But the real opportunities were probably reserved for Chu Yinxi, the protagonist.
“Up to you, if you’re going, do your research first,” Su Mingxiu said.
Bei Xing nodded. “Okay.” She planned to ask Chu Yinxi for more details about the conference before deciding whether to attend.
Seeing that Su Mingxiu had finished eating, and the incense had burned out, she called for a servant to clear the table.
She opened the window, then sat back down at her desk, resting her chin on her hand, looking at Su Mingxiu. “Master, what are we learning today?”
Su Mingxiu had assumed she would give Bei Xing a break, since she was still recovering, but since Bei Xing had asked…
She had noticed that Zhou Yun had recovered quickly, unlike Bei Xing, whose fever kept returning.
It wasn’t just the Pixiu’s curse, but also Su Mingxiu’s ghostly aura that had affected Bei Xing’s health and luck.
When she had been with Gui Mian, her disciple, cultivation had been a path to change one’s destiny.
And with the little emperor, their fates had been intertwined with the empire’s.
So she hadn’t been able to alter their destinies. But in this degenerate age, where cultivation was difficult, a mortal like Bei Xing was easily influenced, and her luck was already… average.
Perhaps… she could change Bei Xing’s fate.
She looked at Bei Xing’s face, their connection still weak, allowing her to see the general trajectory of Bei Xing’s life.
Bei Xing, having drawn the Five Thunders Talisman, had shown potential in talismans, further progress dependent on finding more advanced techniques and materials, a matter of chance, not effort.
After a moment of thought, she said: “I’ll teach you how to change your fate.”
Bei Xing: “Huh?”
She thought she had misheard.
Su Mingxiu made it sound so simple, like teaching her how to cook.
But…
Change my fate? Change my fate?! That’s defying the heavens! I’ll be struck by lightning!
And based on her recent foray into metaphysics, Bei Xing knew that fate manipulation was a complex art, with five elements: Mountain, Medicine, Destiny, Physiognomy, and Divination. Her talisman skills fell under the Mountain element, the other four supporting it—
But perhaps because of her talisman practice, she didn’t find the Mountain element that mysterious.
It was the other four that seemed daunting. Divination required memorizing the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching, just the basics, followed by countless practice, the same with Physiognomy, Destiny, and Medicine.
Compared to the incantations for talismans, the knowledge required for the other four, especially Traditional Chinese Medicine with its acupuncture points…
Bei Xing’s vision darkened.
She wanted to bite her tongue off, why had she asked Su Mingxiu what they were learning today?
This transmigration wasn’t just a change of major, it was like adding a second major, a double degree, with eight years of clinical practice!
She slumped in her chair, then slid to the floor dramatically, feigning weakness, touching her forehead. “Oh dear… I must have a high fever… I’m delirious… what did I just say? Master, please don’t take my ramblings seriously…”
Su Mingxiu, amused by her performance, walked over and knelt down beside her, her voice playful. “Can’t study today?”
“I… I can’t, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, Master,” Bei Xing said, as if about to struggle to her feet, then collapse again.
Su Mingxiu looked at her for a moment, then stood up and wrote something on a piece of paper.
She knelt down and handed it to Bei Xing. “Have your servants buy these at the pharmacy tomorrow, some might be rare, these are important for your health.”
Bei Xing, looking at the unfamiliar names of medicinal herbs, mumbled: “I can just take some cold medicine, no need for traditional remedies, right?”
“It’s not for your fever,” Su Mingxiu replied.
“Then what is it for?”
Bei Xing, relieved that Su Mingxiu wasn’t about to force-feed her knowledge, looked up at her.
Su Mingxiu helped her back into the chair, then replied casually: “To… nourish you.”
Nourish me for what?
Bei Xing was confused, thinking Su Mingxiu was concerned about her weak constitution. But it was for her health, so she agreed. “Okay.”
If she had known what these “nourishing” remedies would be used for—
She would have refused.
Too bad.
***
That night, Bei Xing didn’t ask Su Mingxiu to stay, remembering the ghost’s coldness.
The next day, during PE class, Bei Xing and Chu Yinxi were sitting under a tree, avoiding the sun. Su Jin, always following Chu Yinxi, was also there, leaning against a horizontal bar, like a lazy snake basking in the sun.
The black bracelet was gone.
Bei Xing didn’t ask about it, she was asking Chu Yinxi about the metaphysics conference. It was more of a competition, with rare prizes and an internal auction, a valuable opportunity for both families and individuals.
As Bei Xing was taking notes, she noticed Su Jin scratching her head repeatedly, the sound almost… unsettling.
She instinctively stepped away, even checking the wind direction.
Su Jin opened her eyes, a red glint. “What’s with that look?”
“Disgust,” Bei Xing replied bluntly. “Need some anti-dandruff shampoo?”
Su Jin: “?” She raised her hand as if to hit Bei Xing, then paused and lowered it, her voice annoyed. “I don’t have dandruff, understand?”
True, snakes don’t have hair.
Bei Xing, not backing down, added: “Shedding scales is also disgusting.”
Su Jin: “??” Ignoring Su Mingxiu’s warning, she lunged at Bei Xing, grabbing her clothes.
But Bei Xing was prepared and dodged, the fabric ripping.
She instinctively stepped forward, then, without hesitation, threw Su Jin over her shoulder.
Su Jin, however, didn’t fall, clinging to Bei Xing’s back, her hand now gripping Bei Xing’s neck, her eyes flashing red in the sunlight. “You say that again—”
But Bei Xing, her hand finding something hard on Su Jin’s head, grabbed it. “What if I do?” she retorted.
Chu Yinxi’s eyes widened.
She saw what was growing on Su Jin’s head—
Horns.
… Su Jin is a demon?
Chu Yinxi froze, then quickly realized she couldn’t let others see this. The midday sun was strong, but the trees offered some cover. A grey mist arose, enveloping them.
Su Jin’s face flushed, but Bei Xing, with her back to Su Jin, didn’t see it, only feeling the grip on her neck loosen slightly. She hesitated, wondering if it was a trick.
Then, Su Mingxiu appeared from the mist. “Xingxing, let go,” she said.
Bei Xing, relieved, released Su Jin and ran to Su Mingxiu, pulling her into the shade. “Go back, the sun is too strong, I didn’t bring an umbrella.”
But Su Mingxiu, her arm around Bei Xing, looked past her at Su Jin, who now had horns, probably having absorbed the dragon scales from the Pixiu, on the verge of transforming into a jiao (a type of dragon).
“Stay away from her, I warned you.”
Su Jin hadn’t been targeting Bei Xing, but the feeling of Bei Xing’s hand on her newly formed horns was still fresh in her mind, more painful than Su Mingxiu’s ghostly torment.
She would never forget it.
Hearing Su Mingxiu’s voice, she scoffed, a malicious smile. “Seems like you’re not just deaf, but also blind—who started it?”
Bei Xing wiped her hand on her skirt,
Realizing she had done something… significant.
Su Jin, also annoyed by Bei Xing’s touch, turned to Su Mingxiu, her voice laced with malice. “She was the first to touch my horns.”
A dragon’s horns were sensitive, sacred, only to be touched by its mate, or… its killer.
The restraints Su Mingxiu had placed on Su Jin were weakening as Su Jin grew stronger.
And Su Jin wouldn’t give them another chance to attack her.
She deliberately presented Su Mingxiu with a dilemma—
Choose between giving Bei Xing to her, or making Bei Xing her eternal enemy.
Su Mingxiu’s expression darkened, rarely had she been threatened like this.
Su Jin, as if it wasn’t enough, added, her voice a taunt: “Keep a close eye on her, don’t give me an opportunity.”
She deliberately left the meaning of “opportunity” vague.
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