Cannon Fodder

"But, Junior Sister..."

The man in blue hesitated, stumbling over his words.

Senior Sister was waiting for them. If they failed to bring the resources back on time, they would certainly be punished.

Thinking back on everything that had happened along the way, he finally understood the looks his fellow disciples had exchanged when Junior Sister said she wanted to travel with him.

He had thought Junior Sister liked him. He had been happy all night.

Now he only regretted it. Next time, Junior Sister could stay at the sect and amuse herself. This expedition felt a hundred times harder than any before it.

Junior Sister was gifted, but her health really was poor, so they could hardly be too harsh with her.

He had heard that Junior Sister opposed Senior Sister at every turn. He had assumed Senior Sister was the problem, that she could not tolerate Junior Sister's presence.

Now it seemed Senior Sister had treated her very well by letting her go so long without punishment. Even their master had been left speechless by Senior Sister's retorts.

"Go on, Third Senior Brother. I just want to take a look. Besides, we're strong, and we have a Nascent Soul Realm elder with us. We won't be in danger."

The Nascent Soul Realm elder: ...

The sect master's judgment was getting worse and worse. He was going to complain to the grand elder!

"Third Senior Brother, look."

As he hesitated, he saw the Spirit Slip another disciple held out. It contained a plea for help from Chi Yan, the lord of West River City.

West River City lay within the Flowing Cloud Sect's territory. When a request for aid came from there, they were obliged to respond.

Had something gone wrong to cause the beasts to run wild this time?

"In that case, let's go."

The moment he spoke, Junior Sister's eyes lit up. He forced the corners of his mouth upward, then turned away, pressed a hand to his forehead, and sighed.

If only such talent had gone to a diligent disciple in good health. On Junior Sister, it was truly a waste.

Liu Qingqing missed Third Senior Brother's gesture and the helplessness in his eyes. She saw only his smile before he turned away and felt secretly pleased.

So what if I don't cultivate? My senior brothers will still protect me and take my side.

So what if Fu Yao is the sect leader's senior disciple? My senior brothers and master still have eyes only for me.

I'm a transmigrator with a Heaven-grade Water Spiritual Root. By a stroke of luck, I joined one of the Three Upper Sects and became a direct disciple.

Isn't that exactly the setup for the junior sister everyone dotes on in a novel?

I don't need to do a thing.

Whenever she wanted something, resources were brought straight to her. She had tested it before and found that things worked exactly as she imagined. That was why she had kept pushing everyone's limits, step by step.

I don't know why Fu Yao has always disliked me, but she must be the vicious female supporting character.

Hmph. The vicious female supporting character is strong but has no brains. The heroine and the male supporting characters will put her in her place sooner or later. Still, Liu Qingqing did not know why events had not followed the script.

Then she figured it out. The male lead hasn't appeared yet. Once he does, the plot will begin. Senior Sister will lose her reputation, and my strength will advance by leaps and bounds until everyone can only gaze at my back.

She did feel a little sorry for Fu Yao. But this was not a real world, only a world of characters on a page.

So there's no reason to feel guilty. I'm just following the plot. She can only blame her bad luck.

At the thought, a foolish grin crept across her face.

Everyone who saw it pressed a hand to their forehead.

If they had known the sect master's final disciple would be such an empty-headed fool, all talent and nothing else, they should have stopped him.

Better to leave her at the sect as a mascot than let her come out and embarrass herself.

"Immortal masters, you're finally here!"

When Chi Yan saw the Spirit Boat approaching in the distance, his heart leaped. He hurried forward to greet it.

The emblem on the Spirit Boat belonged to the Flowing Cloud Sect. Its disciples were powerful. With them here, everything would surely be all right.

Xi Siyu stepped forward when he saw the man approach. "Are you the lord of West River City?"

Chi Yan nodded. "I am."

"Tell us what's happening."

Xi Siyu was pressed for time. He wanted to resolve the matter quickly and turn in the assignment.

He did not want Senior Sister to punish him by sending him to the Scripture Pavilion again. He could not learn the material or even understand what he read, but no one understood the melancholy in his eyes.

Chi Yan told them what had happened. They exchanged glances, each seeing the worry in the others' eyes.

They had a natural sensitivity to such abnormalities. Even from Chi Yan's brief account, they could tell something was wrong with these beasts.

This was no ordinary frenzy. Something was very likely influencing them.

"When will the second Beast Tide arrive?" Xi Siyu asked gravely.

"Immortal master, the cultivators at the first line of defense heard the beasts roaring last night. I'm afraid they'll arrive today."

Today?

Xi Siyu repeated the word to himself, then ordered the disciples to dock the Spirit Boat outside the city. With an elder aboard, no one would dare steal the resources inside.

Apart from Junior Sister, everyone on this expedition was an inner disciple. Even the weakest had reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

They were more than capable of dealing with these beasts.

But there were so many beasts that they would still need the local cultivators' help. Xi Siyu gave the order and sent his disciples out.

News of reinforcements immediately calmed everyone. When Jiang Lu heard they were disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect, she remembered the gossip she had heard that day. As luck would have it, Liu Qingqing arrived with several other disciples to join Jiang Lu's group.

Some cultivators in the group moved to flatter her, but with danger pressing in, they were stopped at once.

Displeasure flashed in Liu Qingqing's eyes. She was used to being fawned over, and having it cut short naturally irritated her.

Jiang Lu caught that flash of displeasure. Looking at Liu Qingqing's gentle, curious, innocent face, she could not help shivering.

People who acted one way to your face and another behind your back had always been the kind Jiang Lu hated most.

This junior sister is trouble. I'd better not provoke her. I'll just hang back and do the bare minimum. After all, a junior sister adored by everyone came with two things: good fortune for herself and misfortune for the cannon fodder around her. Clearly, Jiang Lu's group was the cannon fodder now.

Roars rang out, followed by a wave of oppressive force. Everyone immediately readied themselves for battle.

Jiang Lu quietly put Cangchen and Chi Li into her space. They were both adorable. If Liu Qingqing took a fancy to them, Jiang Lu was not confident she could keep them.

Besides, she had a faint feeling that Liu Qingqing must not discover they existed.

The instant Jiang Lu put them away, Liu Qingqing turned toward her. There was nothing there.

Only Jiang Lu stood there, a mere Qi Refinement, Fourth Level cultivator with nothing on her but an ordinary storage bag.

Liu Qingqing looked elsewhere. Jiang Lu was just an ordinary disciple, not worth her attention. Still, she felt as though she had missed something. Perhaps she was imagining it.

What troubled her most was her utterly unreliable sixth sense. Whenever it told her she was about to gain or lose something, it made a fool of her.

After a while, she stopped trusting it.