Kill That Transmigrator Woman - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Companionship (3)

“Stop right there! If you want to pass, hand over your toll money¹! Dare to say no, and we’ll rip your heads off!”

A rough, booming voice rang out, and a gang of burly men dressed in coarse cloth and animal pelts suddenly leapt out from the waist-high grass. The ambush startled Cui Wanwan’s horse, causing it to rear. She grabbed the reins with one hand and pulled hard to steady it. Her skirt flared in the wind, her long black hair fanning out in the air, while her other hand swept through the air in a sharp, fierce arc.

The next second, a silver coin shot straight into one of the bandit’s right eye. The man instantly let out a miserable shriek, dropping to the ground, clutching his eye and howling in pain.

Cui Wanwan’s crisp voice rang out loud and clear:
“Sure, you can have toll money—one silver coin per eye. The only question is, how many eyes do you all have to trade?”

The woman in red sat tall on her steed, a sword strapped to her back. Her black hair was tied high into a ponytail with a jade hairpin—clean, poised, and dashing, carrying the proud spirit of a heroine.

“What a pretty little thing!” another bandit shouted. “Too bad you hurt our brother’s eye. If you don’t please us properly, you won’t even get to die with your body whole! Hahahaha…”

Seeing this gang of bandits so arrogant, Ling Xun drew his sword in fury.
“Robbing people in broad daylight—you really have no regard for the law of the land!”

The blade gleamed sharply, and with a flash of silver light, his inner force turned into a thread of power. Wherever it passed, the bandits were sent flying, tumbling to the ground in chaos.

As the Heir who had dreamed of roaming Jianghu and becoming a great hero since he was young, Ling Xun had always pursued martial excellence. Though he liked to play around and seemed like a typical spoiled noble son, when he got serious, he was nothing short of diligent and driven.

These mountain bandits, who relied solely on brute strength, were no match for him at all.

In just a brief exchange, those bandits had either fled or fallen—within moments, not a single one was left.

“Wanwan, how was that? Were you awestruck by your Heir’s charm?” Ling Xun leaned close like a child eager for praise. His cheeks were flushed with excitement, and he was slightly out of breath, his exhaled breaths brushing against the girl’s neck.

Cui Wanwan curled her lips into a smile and reached out to cup the boy’s face, even giving his cheeks a firm pinch. Her smile was mischievous,
“Our Heir-gege is the best, alright?”

The boy jerked away from her hands abruptly, his expression shifting. He avoided her gaze and muttered in embarrassment, “If you’re going to praise me, do it sincerely… why use a tone like you’re coaxing a little kid…”

“And why… why are you calling me ‘gege’ all of a sudden…” Ling Xun’s face turned redder and redder, the tips of his ears almost dripping crimson, and his voice grew as soft as a mosquito’s whisper.

“What are you blushing for?” Cui Wanwan asked with a teasing smile.

The boy kept his head down and didn’t notice that her smile was just a shallow surface—beneath it lay the still waters of a deep, unfathomable pool.

“You and I grew up as childhood sweethearts—can’t I call you ‘gege’?” Cui Wanwan looked at him, her voice light and lively.
She shrugged. “Alright then, I won’t call you that anymore.”

“Hey! Don’t!” the boy lifted his head in a rush, flustered. “Wanwan can call me whatever she wants. You, in my…”

He wanted to say that, in his heart, Cui Wanwan of the Cui family was his most cherished confidante. Whatever she wanted, he would give. Whatever she wanted to do, he would support and accompany her.

But for some reason, words that had once come easily in the past—now, faced with Wanwan—left him both anxious and shy, and he couldn’t get them out.

In the effort, he almost bit his own tongue. At this age, boys were still innocent and unrestrained—especially someone like Ling Xun, born with a golden spoon in his mouth, a wealthy young heir who had been too well protected since childhood. He didn’t understand scheming or calculation, nor did he know how to hide what he felt.

Whatever was in his heart could be seen clearly on his face.

Cui Wanwan stared at his face—his flushed cheeks, his hesitation, his struggling to speak—and she naturally understood what he was thinking in that moment.

Once upon a time, she had been just like the Ling Xun standing before her now.

Seeing purity and clarity in front of her, she had believed the whole world must be that way.

Cui Wanwan’s hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly. She truly wished love could start over.

But unfortunately, in this world, love and trust could never start over.

It was precisely because the Ling Xun before her now was exactly the same as the Ling Xun of her past life in the beginning, that she felt such utter despair and defeat.

Because she knew clearly: soon, this bond that had been built since childhood would completely vanish with the arrival of Wei Qingyu.

On the road to find a place to stay, Ling Xun rode his horse beside Cui Wanwan, occasionally stealing glances at her.

Truth be told, he liked watching her smile.

He didn’t understand what romantic feelings were—but he knew that when she smiled, he felt at ease; when she was happy, he felt joy in his heart too.

They didn’t find a place to stay, but instead encountered another group of people.

Judging by their clothing, they looked like officials.

The other side was numerous and aggressive, not bothering with explanations and immediately attempting to seize them.

The secret guards assigned to protect the Heir were hidden in the shadows and had just begun to move when they saw their young master give a subtle wave of his hand.

Ling Xun wasn’t a fool. He had always known that the elders at home would never feel at ease letting the two of them wander the Jianghu alone. Their following along in secret was, in fact, a form of protection—so he simply pretended not to know.

He had originally thought those people were just a band of common mountain bandits—he hadn’t expected they were local thugs entrenched in the area.

And this local thug actually had officials protecting him.

If they revealed their identities from the start, the other side would have denied it to the death.
Seeing that they were young and seemingly powerless, they would have no fear of twisting the truth—turning black into white. Without any proof, they’d only end up at a disadvantage.

This was something Ling Xun had learned along the journey with Cui Wanwan.

His little childhood companion was truly clever. Just wandering leisurely with her, stopping and going, he’d already come to understand so many regional customs and the ways of the world.

Sure enough, soon after, the local governor took one look at their soft silk garments and the exquisitely carved jade at their waists, and the greed in his heart stirred—he wanted to take it all for himself.

Cui Wanwan let them take all the valuables on her, including that high-quality sword.

When the governor grinned from ear to ear, just about to leave, Cui Wanwan suddenly spoke up and called after him from behind.

“Aren’t you curious, seeing the clothes we wear—don’t you wonder who we are?”

The governor stroked his chin and turned around, eyes narrowed with a leering smile as he looked her up and down.
“You’ve got a pretty face. Who you used to be doesn’t matter. From today on, you’ll be this prefect’s kept woman. I’ll raise you for a few years…”

The girl before him was still young, but it was already clear she would grow into a breathtaking beauty.

Best to raise her properly first—he surely wouldn’t regret it in the future.

Cui Wanwan lowered her head and leaned a little closer to Ling Xun’s side, her palm-sized face filled with fear. This instantly stirred up a fierce sense of protectiveness in the boy.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll protect you.” Ling Xun had rarely seen her look so scared. His heart ached. He reached out and gently took her hand.

Cui Wanwan’s long lashes lowered, her eyes unreadable.

Afraid?

It seemed she was acting quite convincingly—so much so that he believed it.

That line—Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you—was something Ling Xun had said to her many times in her past life too.

But later, when she needed him most, he grew tired of her, abandoned her, and treated her like something worthless.

So Cui Wanwan lifted her head, a glint of coldness deep in her eyes. She didn’t believe him.

Without hope, there would be no disappointment in the future.

“Mm!” The girl smiled like a brilliant star, and gently squeezed his palm in return, earnestly lying,
“I believe you.”

“Young lord, save me!”

Suddenly, a figure sprang up from who knows where, clutching the bars of the next cell, crying and pleading.

Hearing that voice, Cui Wanwan’s body suddenly stiffened.

Even if she turned to ashes in this lifetime, she would never forget the owner of that voice.

It was Wei Qingyu.

Her expression froze slightly, the smile vanishing completely. She turned her head—on the ground of the neighboring cell lay a figure whose face couldn’t be clearly seen.

Judging by the build, it appeared to be a girl around Cui Wanwan’s age.

In her past life, Wei Qingyu had been seen by the kind and gentle mother Cui while being humiliated on the street. Out of compassion, she took her in as a personal maid at the Cui residence.

This woman from another world had truly remarkable methods—in less than half a month, she managed to win over the Cui couple and was adopted as their foster daughter.

From then on, Cui Wanwan suddenly had an “older sister.”

This sister was a hundred times more talented in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Incredibly bright, she could compose poetry within seven steps, and write dozens of timeless verses of completely different themes within half an hour—shocking all the scholars and literary talents in the capital, even catching the attention of His Majesty himself.

Cui Wanwan’s brows furrowed slightly. This lifetime, Wei Qingyu had appeared earlier than in the last.

Ling Xun didn’t respond to the sudden appearance of Wei Qingyu—not even a glance was spared for her.

“System, what do I do? The second male lead doesn’t seem interested in me,” Wei Qingyu muttered.

[No worries, dear host. You haven’t spent any skill points to activate your attributes yet. Of course this body wouldn’t attract the second male lead,] the system replied.

Only then did Wei Qingyu let out a breath of relief. This was her third day after transmigrating. The system had said the newbie gift pack would only be activated after signing in for seven days.

No rush.
After all, this was just the first meeting with the second male lead. Her female lead storyline was only just beginning.

But that vicious female supporting character—so annoying.
Why was she so pretty? Such an eyesore!

Cui Wanwan looked away, forcing herself to calm her breathing.

What had she just heard?

She had actually been able to hear the conversation between Wei Qingyu and that so-called “system”?

This had never happened in her past life.

“We’re from the capital. Our family will quickly realize we’ve gone missing. You’re just a local governor—aren’t you afraid?” Ling Xun stood protectively in front of Cui Wanwan, shielding her tightly behind him.

“So what?” the governor’s bootlicking lackey sneered, raising his chin proudly. “The backer behind us is none other than the current Heir!”

“Got it.” The boy’s face lit up, his smile gradually becoming brighter.

He and Wanwan had been traveling incognito, and by chance had discovered that “he,” in some parts of the countryside, had an extremely bad reputation.

At first, he hadn’t understood why. He was merely a fourteen-year-old boy who had never left the capital.
Why would the common folk hate him?
Fear him?

He hadn’t expected that someone was using his name to throw their weight around and bully the people.

The boy curled his lips and smiled. “Then do you know who I am?”

—
Toll money¹ – Mai Lu Qian; Money extorted by bandits in exchange for safe passage; illegal toll
Gege – more closer and sweeter form of Ge. Means elder brother.