After Taking Away the Beautiful Supporting Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Rainwater dripped from the eaves in steady lines, filling the air with a cold, crisp scent.

Hearing the woman’s words, a dark shadow flickered in Qiang Wu’s eyes. Her grip on Xu Zhiwei’s throat tightened further.

“Sss—” The sharp pain at her neck made Xu Zhiwei frown. She whispered, “If you kill me now, they will still take you away while you have no power to fight back.”

Qiang Wu let out a cold sneer. “And so what? Xu Zhiwei, even if I die, I’ll make sure you die before me.”

Besides, she had her own secret means of survival.

In the rain, Yin Jiu lowered her bow and took a step forward, her gaze locked onto Qiang Wu in Xu Zhiwei’s arms. “Daoist, just hand over the mermaid now, and our transaction will be considered complete.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiwei shifted her hold, lifting Qiang Wu a bit higher as she took a step back.

This defensive movement didn’t escape Yin Jiu’s eyes. She tightened her grip on her longbow. “What is the meaning of this, Daoist?”

“I want to cancel the deal,” Xu Zhiwei said, turning to face her.

Yin Jiu narrowed her eyes. Glancing at the hand clamped around Xu Zhiwei’s neck, she knew that the threat of a weakened mermaid meant nothing to a cultivator. She chuckled. “An untamed mermaid is full of demonic nature and expert at bewitching hearts. Daoist, don’t let yourself be fooled by that face. You shouldn’t have dodged that arrow with her just now.”

The way she looked at Qiang Wu—like she was looking at a low-born plaything—made Xu Zhiwei feel uneasy.

“I said, the deal is off,” she repeated.

The smile vanished from Yin Jiu’s face. “Do you realize what you’re saying? This is cargo requested by the powerful and noble. You should know that to make an enemy of us is to make an enemy of the entire world.”

Xu Zhiwei knew this all too well. The masters behind these people were the Imperial Family, who were backed by the number one Immortal Sect. They were used to acting with total impunity.

To defy them was to defy the strongest powers and authorities of this world. No one ever came out of such a confrontation unscathed.

This was exactly why Xu Zhiwei had been so desperate to take Qiang Wu and leave before they arrived—at least to avoid a direct head-on collision.

“System, can I win this with ‘my’ current strength?”

The System cleared its throat: [It’s not that you can’t fight, but the Host might end up missing an arm or a leg. We don’t currently offer a body-repair service, though I can provide very caring psychological counseling afterward!]

Xu Zhiwei was about to snap back at the System when a cold laugh pulled her back to reality. She looked down to meet the lingering derision in Qiang Wu’s eyes.

Qiang Wu watched her coldly. “Xu Zhiwei, who exactly are you putting on this act for?”

It seems the supporting female lead has zero trust or affection for me right now.

“I will protect you,” Xu Zhiwei said, looking her squarely in the eye.

Qiang Wu’s lips twitched, but for a moment, she found herself speechless. What kind of game is this woman playing?

Meanwhile, Yin Jiu had run out of patience. She raised her arm, drawing her bow and aiming it at the two under the eaves. “Daoist, I advise you to think carefully. Is it truly worth becoming our enemy for a lowly mermaid?”

The rest of the men fell into combat stances.

Xu Zhiwei turned and walked back inside a few steps, settling Qiang Wu onto a pile of dry straw. Her tone was gentle: “Wait for me here.”

Before leaving, she even adjusted the mermaid’s robes, covering her pale, jade-like feet.

Qiang Wu’s eyes were full of wariness; she pressed her lips thin and said nothing. She had been fooled by Xu Zhiwei’s “gentle” facade before; she wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

Xu Zhiwei didn’t mind. After all, what “she” had done previously truly wasn’t worthy of trust.

She stood up and walked out from under the eaves. As she stepped into the rain, the heavy droplets didn’t touch her; instead, they followed her spiritual energy, transforming into sharp ice swords that hovered around her.

Xu Zhiwei chose one that felt comfortable in her hand, took a deep breath, and pointed the blade at the crowd.

Yin Jiu gave a contemptuous laugh. With a sharp “Kill!”, her arrow whistled through the air.

Xu Zhiwei leaned back to dodge the arrow, then surged forward with her fierce ice blades. Rain blurred her eyes, making the night seem even darker.

The skirmish went from manageable to exhausting. Xu Zhiwei panted as she parried an attack, all while having to keep a distracted eye on Yin Jiu, who was firing “cold arrows” from the sidelines.

Not far away, Yin Jiu drew her bow again. But in the next second, the direction of her aim shifted slightly. Without a moment’s hesitation, she released the string.

The arrow tore through the rain, heading toward the wall with thunderous force.

It was aimed exactly where Qiang Wu was!

Xu Zhiwei erupted with a burst of powerful spiritual energy, blasting away the men she was fighting. She spun around and sliced the arrow in two with her sword.

A sudden chill struck her back. She staggered forward two steps. Turning to the man who had wounded her, she lunged forward, snatched his sword, and snapped his arm.

The sound of sickening cracks and pained screams were buried under the roar of thunder.

Pale lightning reflected off Xu Zhiwei’s white face. She knelt on one knee, her eyes now blood-red, the crimson dot between her brows looking increasingly bewitching.

She truly looked like a “demonic” Daoist now.

“Why bother?” Yin Jiu sauntered forward, looking down at her. “If you move aside now, I might still leave you with your life.”

Xu Zhiwei gave a mocking laugh. Suddenly, she reached out as if grasping the air, and a crimson longsword materialized in her hand.

This was her Bound Life Spiritual Sword.

Inside the temple.

Qiang Wu had recovered a bit of strength. Although she couldn’t see the outside clearly, she could hear the intensity of the battle. She propped herself up and sat against the wall, her hair falling to shroud her face.

Why had the person who had cruelly crippled her power and imprisoned her suddenly changed her attitude and started playing the “hero”?

She didn’t believe for a second there wasn’t some scheme behind it. Once she recovered, she would slaughter everyone who had hurt or betrayed her.

Including Xu Zhiwei.

The clash of blades outside remained fierce. Qiang Wu had regained enough energy to slowly stand up, clutching her wounded shoulder. She surveyed the ruined temple. There were no other exits, but to the left of the main door was a crumbling earthen wall.

With Xu Zhiwei busy stalling the group, this was her best chance to escape.

However, as soon as Qiang Wu stepped out, the archer woman’s arrow immediately locked onto her. The arrows seemed to be toying with her—each one allowed her to barely dodge, yet prevented her from making any real progress.

After several rounds, Qiang Wu’s fury was ignited.

Just as she was about to risk everything in a final struggle, Xu Zhiwei suddenly swept out a wave of spiritual energy. She spun around, ran to Qiang Wu, and grabbed her hand. “Go!”

With one strike of her sword, Xu Zhiwei shattered the crumbling earthen wall and pulled Qiang Wu through the breach.

The rain grew heavier, obscuring most of their vision. They sprinted through the muddy puddles—or rather, Qiang Wu was being dragged along entirely by Xu Zhiwei, who gave her no chance to refuse.

[Host! Host! To the left! Now turn right! Further ahead, almost there!]

Xu Zhiwei followed the escape route provided by the System while the pursuers remained hot on their heels. However, when she saw the end of the route, she was nearly moved to angry laughter.

The path ended at a bottomless cliff.

The pursuers arrived in a swarm, cutting off their only retreat. In her head, the System was screaming that there was an underground river at the bottom and jumping was the “optimal solution” for escape.

Xu Zhiwei suddenly reached out, caught Qiang Wu’s slender waist, and took a step back. Small pebbles rolled silently into the abyss, disappearing without a sound.

A mermaid’s sense of smell is keen, especially for blood. The scent of blood on Xu Zhiwei was overpowering.

Qiang Wu frowned and tried to push her away, but she was pulled firmly into Xu Zhiwei’s embrace, her face pressed against the woman’s soft chest.

In that moment of daze, Xu Zhiwei—without a word—carried her and leaped off the unfathomable cliff.

During the rapid descent, Qiang Wu’s pupils shrank. A surge of pure rage rose from her heart.

This woman actually has the audacity to make me die with her!