Yin Yin had dashed out of Zhuwang and onto the main street like a whirlwind, only to realize something.

Where the hell was that damned Yundai Valley?!

Seeing there were only a few pedestrians on the street, Yin Yin grabbed a random uncle and asked for directions. Once she got them, she immediately charged toward Yundai Valley at full throttle again.

By the time she reached her destination, she was completely out of breath.

If she’d had this kind of perseverance back when she had to run the 800-meter test in school, her PE teacher probably would’ve been moved to tears.

Leaning forward with both hands braced against her knees, Yin Yin gasped, panting heavily. “Du…… Qianqian……”

Her eyes darted around, but she didn’t see a single soul.

Had she come too late?

No! Please no!

Yin Yin forced herself upright and had just taken a step toward the edge of the cliff when a wild burst of laughter rang out behind her.

“Hahahaha!”

Yin Yin: “……”

Anyone who made an entrance like that was definitely destined to be cannon fodder.

A man dressed in simple black robes landed in front of her. His face bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Bu Wei.

“You’re Bu Xing?” Yin Yin instinctively stepped back.

“That’s right, it’s me!” Bu Xing slapped his chest proudly and approached her with a grin. “As expected, you’re one fine-looking little chick.”

Yin Yin inwardly gagged, but still mustered the courage to ask, “Where’s Du Qianqian? What did you do to her?”

“Heh…… You still have time to worry about others?” Bu Xing chuckled lewdly. “Soon enough, this young master will make you feel so good you won’t even remember who you are.”

Yin Yin: “……”

She…… she really wanted to rip this guy into shreds!

“What are you doing?!” She shouted when she saw Bu Xing suddenly start stripping. Every hair on her body stood on end.

“A lone man and a lone woman. Dry wood and blazing fire. What else would we do?” He winked at her, thinking himself seductive. Yin Yin just felt like vomiting.

She bolted toward the cliff edge. Bu Xing lunged after her, shouting, “What are you trying to do?”

“Don’t come any closer!” Yin Yin kept backing up toward the cliff. “If you take one more step, I’ll jump!”

Bu Xing froze, then let out a dismissive snort. “I’ve seen plenty of ‘righteous maidens.’ If you really dare to jump, go ahead. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is a ten-thousand-foot drop. If you go down, there won’t even be a corpse left to find.”

Better no corpse than being violated by you! Worst case, I transmigrate again! Who’s afraid of who?!

Dear Transmigration Deity, that is how the setting goes, right? It has to be like that, right?

As Yin Yin edged closer, several pebbles tumbled down the cliffside with a rustle. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the bottomless chasm. Her heart trembled.

Mom…… I’m not afraid of death, but I’m afraid of heights…… QAQ

Bu Xing took a step forward. Yin Yin took one step back. He advanced again. She retreated again.

Finally, Bu Xing lost all patience. He spat on the ground and reached out to drag Yin Yin toward him, only to have a small stone shoot in from the left and strike his right arm. Bu Xing cried out in pain, clutching the hit spot. Squinting, he looked in the direction the stone had come from, but only caught a glimpse of white flashing past.

Then a heavy palm slammed into his chest.

He staggered back several steps before barely managing to steady himself, only to spit out a mouthful of blood.

“Ling Long!” Yin Yin shouted in delight and rushed forward to hug him. But just as she got close, Ling Long turned around, his face dark as the bottom of a pot, eyes cold as ice.

Yin Yin froze in midair, her arms stuck in an awkward pose. She stared at him with dread.

“We’ll settle this when we get back.” Ling Long said flatly. His words were like glacial water pouring down her spine.

Yin Yin: “……”

Had she known this would happen, she should’ve just jumped off the cliff earlier.

She shakily withdrew her hands, internally mocking herself, Yin Yin, you asked for this!

Ling Long turned back toward Bu Xing, who had already retreated beneath a distant tree.

Bu Xing looked at Ling Long, rage pouring off him, and realized he didn’t stand a chance. But…… why fight fair? He kept his head low and curled his lips into a smirk. Did that little brat Du Qianqian think he didn’t know what she was up to?

He hadn’t read many books, but he wasn’t a fool either. He had seen the murderous intent in Du Qianqian’s eyes. After years in the underworld, how could he not notice?

He didn’t know why she wanted to kill him, but if someone wanted to take a life, they had to be prepared to lose theirs. That was the rule of the Jianghu.

Du Qianqian had tried to use him to get rid of Yin Yin, but had filled Yundai Valley with hidden guards, planning to also get rid of him afterward. Unfortunately, her cultivation was too shallow. Though there were still men hidden around Yundai Valley, they now all belonged to him and Bu Wei.

He had planned to use them against Du Qianqian, but now, they’d come in handy sooner than expected.

Bu Xing suddenly bolted, vanishing into the woods behind him.

Ling Long’s heart immediately sank. He’d sensed the ambushes when he first arrived, but hadn’t had time to worry about them. He had to save Yin Yin first.

As Bu Xing disappeared, a barrage of arrows suddenly rained down from above, dense and deadly, weaving into a massive net.

These arrows had been prepared by Du Qianqian. Bu Xing had merely taken advantage of them.

“Yinyin, get behind me!” Ling Long’s thunderous shout startled her. Without hesitation, she scrambled behind him.

But just as his roar rang out, another voice echoed, “Don’t release the arrows!”

The voice came from behind a large boulder. Yin Yin turned and saw Du Qianqian leap out from behind the rock, dashing over as well. “Who told you to release the arrows without my command?!”

And in that moment, everything suddenly became clear to Yin Yin.

She had fallen for Du Qianqian’s trap, only for Du Qianqian to be outwitted in turn by Bu Xing. And Ling Long was caught in the middle.

Watching Ling Long desperately trying to block the rain of arrows, Yin Yin frowned. He might have deep internal strength, but this couldn’t go on forever.

She turned to Du Qianqian and demanded, “How many arrows did you prepare?!”

Caught off guard, Du Qianqian stammered, “I-I don’t know. I just told them, the more the better.”

Heh. Yin Yin let out a bitter laugh. She was really going to die thanks to the female protagonist. It’s all her fault for being too impatient. She hadn’t even noticed such a simple trap.

What Yin Yin didn’t know was that Du Qianqian had left something out— every one of those arrows was laced with poison.

Ling Long was starting to feel strained. If it were just him, he could manage. But now, he had to protect both Yin Yin and Du Qianqian. He frowned at the relentless rain of arrows.

Another arrow whizzed past him. Though it didn’t hit directly, it grazed his right arm and left a shallow wound.

Poison.

Ling Long’s brows furrowed deeply.

Yin Yin cried out behind him, “Ling Long, you’re hurt!”

Du Qianqian clutched her chest, heart skipping a beat.

“I’m fine.” Ling Long replied coldly, still focused on shielding them.

The arrows were thinning. It seemed they were running low. Du Qianqian glanced at Yin Yin, who was staring at Ling Long’s wound in panic, and bit her lip hard.

Yin Yin stood just one step away from the cliff edge.

Without thinking— maybe hatred had long since seeped into her bones— Du Qianqian reached out and, with all her strength, shoved Yin Yin.

Still preoccupied with Ling Long’s injury, Yin Yin didn’t even notice the threat beside her. She only felt a sudden force push her violently, and then she stumbled straight off the cliff.

“Yinyin!!!” From the corner of his eye, Ling Long caught sight of her falling figure. He immediately dove after her.

But he was still one step too late.

He didn’t even touch the hem of her robe. He could only watch as she vanished before his eyes.

I must catch her!

That was the only thought in Ling Long’s mind. He completely forgot that Yin Yin had fallen off a cliff, and that his leap was no different from jumping after her.

Du Qianqian could only stand and watch as both Ling Long and Yin Yin disappeared from sight.

The rain of arrows stopped, right on cue. Only Du Qianqian remained standing at the edge.

She slowly sank down beside the cliff, then burst out laughing.

She had taken her revenge. At long last, she had avenged herself. And yet…… she had lost. Completely and utterly.

Her laughter, more sorrowful than weeping, echoed across the cliff and made Yin Yin’s head ring.

Was she dreaming again? Maybe she didn’t fall. Maybe she’s just dreaming about falling again.

There was a figure atop the cliff, always backlit, a face she could never quite make out— until now.

It was Li Li.

Why? Why is Li Li there? His expression wasn’t just sad, it was heartbroken.

When did he start caring about her this deeply?

Oh…… Yin Yin suddenly remembered what 9527 meant. That had been Li Li’s servant number back in Yin Manor.

She and other readers had once joked about how dumb it was to give servants numbers. Who knew there was such meaning behind it?

But what was so special about Li Li? What did he know?

Countless questions swirled in her head. Her body felt light as a feather. Her consciousness drifted farther and farther away.

Was she about to return to her original world?

Her chest ached a little.

She hasn’t even gotten to be lovey-dovey with Ling Long yet. And now she had to leave? When he realized she was gone, would he be sad?

No, Yin Yin wouldn’t be the one missing. The one disappearing would be Lin Xin’er.

No one would even realize Lin Xin’er had been there, because no one ever knew she had come.

Maybe she should’ve told Ling Long earlier that she wasn’t really Yin Yin, that her real name was Lin Xin’er, and that she was from the twenty-first century.

But even if she had, would he have believed her? And honestly, she didn’t want him to know. He didn’t want him to realize he was just a character in a novel.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she suddenly felt herself pulled tightly into someone’s arms.

Warm breath brushed against her ear, and Ling Long’s voice came out of nowhere.

“Finally…… caught you.”