Being the Female Lead's Cannon Fodder

Chu Yu looked at her in confusion. "Senior Sister?"

Su Ying wiped away her nonexistent drool and added, "Nothing, nothing. I'll take you on a dungeon run."

"All right, Senior Sister." Chu Yu obediently stood on Su Ying's Sword Flight as she took him to gather at the sect gates.

Every disciple mentoring a new recruit had to accompany them, so they made quite a procession, more than twenty people strong.

Su Ying raised an eyebrow when she saw Ling Xian approaching.

A fellow disciple stepped forward and asked, "Junior Sister Ling Xian, aren't you not mentoring any junior brothers?"

"I spoke to Master. I wanted to train with everyone and improve my cultivation techniques," Ling Xian said softly and delicately, looking toward Chu Yu again.

Her gaze brimmed with affection.

Su Ying glanced at Ping Qingyun beside Ling Xian. There was no need to ask; this Male Supporting Character was here to protect Ling Xian.

Ping Qingyun shot Su Ying a warning glare, then turned to the senior brother in charge. "Senior Brother, is everyone here?"

The senior brother in charge did a quick head count and nodded. "Everyone is here. Form groups of four. You may choose your own teammates."

They quickly formed groups.

Quite a few people even wanted to team up with Ling Xian and Ping Qingyun.

Su Ying stood forlornly with Chu Yu, looking awkward.

[Host, you're really not very popular!]

The system chose that moment to twist the knife.

Su Ying pretended not to hear.

The original owner's character was an obsessive woman devoted to Xiao Muchen. Other than chasing after him, all she did was cultivate.

Of course her social skills were terrible-

Ling Xian looked toward Chu Yu and quietly consulted Ping Qingyun. "Eldest Senior Brother, it looks like no one wants to team up with Senior Sister and him. Why don't we go over?"

Ping Qingyun eyed Chu Yu warily, already considering him a romantic rival. "Junior Sister, those two are too weak. I'm afraid they won't be able to protect you."

Ling Xian pleaded sorrowfully, "Eldest Senior Brother..."

Ping Qingyun could never withstand that look. He could only agree. "Fine, but keep your distance from them. I can only protect you."

Ling Xian's sorrow turned into a smile. "Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother."

Then she looked at Su Ying. "Senior Sister Su Ying, shall we form a group?"

Su Ying wanted to refuse, but the system suddenly spoke.

[Host, I have a feeling a mission will come up shortly.]

[What mission?]

[I'm not sure. You need to team up with the female lead.]

the system said.

Su Ying glanced at the handsome Young Hunk beside her and sighed. [I know full well she's after Chu Yu. I haven't even had a taste yet, and he's already going to belong to someone else.]

With that, she nodded in agreement. "Sure, no problem."

Her tone was as cool as ever. Hearing it, Ping Qingyun snorted. "Why are you putting on that aloof act?"

"Senior Brother, don't talk about Senior Sister like that," Ling Xian said quietly. Tugging his sleeve, she walked over to Su Ying and Chu Yu and flashed a brilliant smile. "Junior Brother, be careful out there. I'll protect you."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Chu Yu's smile never reached his eyes.

This woman wasn't pretty, and her Spiritual Root was low-grade too. Why did she keep sidling up to him?

Chu Yu felt a headache coming on.

Once the groups were formed, they stepped onto the teleportation platform one group at a time to depart.

The senior brother in charge said, "Today's mission is for each group to hunt down one high-tier spirit beast."

With that, he activated the formation, and everyone vanished from the teleportation platform.

Su Ying closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had been transported to Myriad Beasts Peak in the Unbounded Forest.

Gusts of forest wind rose with sinister ferocity. As they swept across her cheeks, they seemed like countless wild beasts roaring past.

"Junior Brother!" Su Ying realized Chu Yu wasn't beside her. The teleportation formation occasionally malfunctioned, sending members of the same group to different locations. Fortunately, those locations were never too far apart, and people could generally find their companions without trouble.

But her shout brought no one.

[Ding! Host, a mission has arrived.]

the system said.

Su Ying planted her hands on her hips and looked around for her three companions. "What mission?"

[Take a calamity in the female lead's place. For every calamity you take for her, you'll earn ten points.]

the system said.

"What the hell? Take a calamity for Ling Xian? And for a measly ten points? I'm not doing it!" The way the original author had written Ling Xian, she was weak and useless. She was bound to get hurt participating in this trip to the Unbounded Forest.

And given the original plot's usual bullshit, it would definitely be a very serious injury...

[Host, you cannot refuse.]

"Side Quest?"

[That's right. You're so clever, Host. In the original plot, Ling Xian didn't participate in the Unbounded Forest trial. It's because you changed the plot that...]

The system stopped halfway through.

[What! A! Scam!] Su Ying had never imagined that indulging her lust for a pretty face would put her life on the line.

She could only resign herself to her fate.

"Help!" Ling Xian's voice rang out.

Su Ying followed the sound upward. Tilting her head, she spotted Ling Xian in the towering tree before her, though she had no idea when Ling Xian had been teleported there.

Apparently, people with weaker spiritual power took much longer to teleport. Right now, Ling Xian was perched on a branch, teetering on the verge of falling.

"Junior Sister, don't move!" Su Ying jolted in fright. "I'll use Sword Flight to rescue you!"

"Senior Sister, I'm so scared! Aah!" Before Su Ying could rise on her sword, Ling Xian's foot slipped, and she plummeted straight down.

"Damn it all!" Su Ying gritted her teeth and was about to dodge, but somehow her own foot slipped too. She fell to the ground and, as luck would have it, became Ling Xian's cushion...

Thud!

"Ugh..."

Su Ying felt as though her back was about to snap...

"Aaaaaah!" Ling Xian landed squarely on top of her.

Su Ying felt as though her eardrums were about to be pierced. With difficulty, she said, "Junior Sister, get up first."

Ling Xian hadn't felt the pain she expected. After a startled pause, she realized someone was cushioning her from below.

She hurriedly scrambled up. "Senior Sister, are you all right?"

Su Ying struggled to get up, expecting it to hurt. When she felt no pain at all, she remembered the Pain-Relief Pill she had taken that morning.

She rubbed her lower back out of habit. "I'm fine."

Ling Xian, however, was moved to tears. "Senior Sister, thank goodness you risked yourself to save me. Otherwise, I would've fallen to my death."

"Ha. Ha..." Su Ying wanted to curse someone's mother. She complained to the system, [How did I trip?]

[Host, just accept it. This is your fate.]

[To be the female lead's cannon fodder, huh? If I hadn't taken that Pain-Relief Pill this morning, I'd probably be dead by now.] Su Ying was speechless. How could a plot be such a damn scam?

[Heaven has its own designs for everything. Host, you must trust that our main system won't kill you off on a whim.]

Su Ying didn't want to engage with it. Although she felt no pain, she was definitely injured. But precisely because it didn't hurt, she had no idea how badly she was injured.

Standing in another tree, Chu Yu heard Su Ying's conversation with the system. Having also witnessed Ling Xian landing on her, he couldn't help laughing.

This woman was far too unlucky!

"Junior Sister! Junior Sister, where are you?" Ping Qingyun's voice came from the distance.

"It's Eldest Senior Brother." Ling Xian brightened. Before she could even wipe away her tears, she shouted, "Eldest Senior Brother, I'm here!"

Ping Qingyun followed her voice and found Ling Xian. Seeing the tears still lingering in her eyes, he drew his sword and pointed it at Su Ying.