In a Fantasy World as Cannon Fodder, I Got Entangled with the Heroine - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Nether Bloom Sect

Translation by: Weebsread👹

Jiang Qian’s gaze fell upon a pair not far ahead—a man and a woman, both draped in midnight-black robes. The sleeves of their garments were embroidered with a single, blood-red flower: the eerie, otherworldly Nether Bloom.

There was no mistaking that insignia—it belonged to the infamous Nether Bloom Sect, a notorious clan among the demonfolk.

As luck would have it, this was the very sect where Wu Feiyu now resided.

So that’s why Guxi Village sounded so familiar, Jiang Qian mused. It was there that Jiang Zixuan had saved Wu Feiyu’s life.

From that moment on, Wu Feiyu had become Jiang Zixuan’s most loyal follower—her devoted right hand, never far from her side.

Jiang Qian shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. He bought two sticks of Tanghulu and strolled back to rejoin the girls.

“These are for you!” he said, handing the sweet treats to Chen Xiaoxiao and Bai Piaoxue.

“Thank you, Senior Brother!” Chen Xiaoxiao beamed as she accepted the candied fruit, biting in with delight.

She cupped her cheek with her free hand, pure bliss spreading across her face. “This is so good! I’ve never tasted anything this sweet before.”

“If you like it, I’ll get you more next time,” Jiang Qian replied, giving her a gentle smile.

...

...

Chen Xiaoxiao nodded eagerly.

A flicker of jealousy passed through Bai Piaoxue’s eyes. She suddenly latched onto Jiang Qian’s arm, puffing out her cheeks. “I want some too!”

“I know, I know,” Jiang Qian said with an amused chuckle.

“Hee hee hee!” Bai Piaoxue’s laughter rang out, clear and bright. In an instant, her earlier sulkiness vanished without a trace.

A step behind, Chen Xiaoxiao glanced up at Jiang Zixuan and whispered, “I heard around the sect that Senior Sister Bai was supposed to like Senior Brother Duan, right?”

“So why does she act so sweet and girlish with Senior Brother Jiang, but turns into an ice queen with everyone else?”

Jiang Zixuan tilted her head, thoughtful. “To be honest, I’m not too sure either. Up until a month ago, Bai Piaoxue definitely had a thing for Senior Brother Duan.”

“But something must have changed, because now she clearly likes Jiang Qian a lot,” continued Jiang Zixuan.

“Still—when we get back to the sect, don’t gossip. If news gets out, your Senior Brother could find himself in a world of trouble.”

Chen Xiaoxiao nodded obediently, her face grave with promise.

Soon, the four of them arrived at an inn.

Jiang Qian stepped forward and said to the innkeeper, “We’ll take your four best rooms.”

The innkeeper’s face lit up with a wide grin. “Excellent timing, Young Master! You’re in luck—there are exactly four premium suites left. I’ll have my attendant show you up right away.”

As he turned to summon help, a group of strangers strode into the inn. Without sparing the others a glance, their leader barked, “Innkeeper! Give us your three finest rooms.”

The innkeeper’s smile faltered. “Ah, apologies gentlemen, but you’re a touch too late. This Young Master just reserved our last four premium rooms.”

The newcomers immediately turned toward Jiang Qian’s group. One of them marched over, brandishing a token engraved with a beast emblem.

“We’re from the Beast Taming Sect,” he proclaimed, arrogance dripping from every word. “If you know what’s good for you, give us those rooms.”

Bai Piaoxue stepped forward, her tone icy. “Beast Taming Sect? So what? Even if your Senior Sister were here, she wouldn’t dare speak to us like that—let alone you.”

“You’ve got a lot of—” The man started, but another from his group quickly grabbed his sleeve and hissed something in his ear.

The first man’s face soured, but he forced down his anger. “Consider yourselves lucky. Let’s go.” With that, the trio scurried out of the inn.

The innkeeper let out a long sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was a clash between powerful sects right under his roof—it would have spelled disaster for his business.

“Hurry and escort our honored guests to the Sky Pavilion suites!” he ordered, anxious to avert any further trouble.

“This way, please!” the attendant said, leading them up to the third floor.

At last, they reached a row of four adjoining rooms.

“I’ll take this one,” Jiang Qian said, stepping into the room at the far right.

Without hesitation, Bai Piaoxue darted into the room beside his.

Jiang Zixuan and Chen Xiaoxiao exchanged a look before slipping into the other two rooms.

Inside, Jiang Qian flopped onto the bed and pulled up his system interface. Lately, his daily Check-ins had only yielded a string of bizarre junk: a yo-yo, a toothpick, a self-destructing sword, and even a chipped high-grade Profound-grade weapon...

He hadn’t signed in yet today. Hopefully, he wouldn’t end up with more useless clutter.

He quickly confirmed the Check-in.

【Check-in successful!】

【Congratulations, Host! You have received: Earth-tier High-Grade Weapon – White Dragon Sword: Severely Damaged!】

Severely damaged? How bad could it be?

The next moment, a shard of metal no bigger than a fingernail materialized in his palm.

Jiang Qian stared at the tiny fragment, the corner of his mouth twitching. “You’ve got to be kidding me. ‘Severely Damaged’—it’s literally just a scrap!”

His first impulse was to toss it straight out the window.

But then again, this was a piece of an Earth-tier high-grade weapon. It had to be worth something.

With a resigned sigh, he slipped the fragment into his storage ring.

Suddenly, the system’s voice chimed in his mind:

【Congratulations, Host! You’ve completed a full month of Check-ins. You are awarded a Grand Gift Pack.】

【Would you like to open it?】

Finally, after collecting junk for so long, he was about to strike gold.

“Open it!” Jiang Qian said eagerly.

【Grand Gift Pack opened successfully. You have received the following five rewards:】

【Congratulations, Host! You have learned the high-grade Profound-grade movement technique: Mist-Seeking Cloudstep.】

【Congratulations, Host! You have obtained a high-grade Profound-grade weapon: Flood Dragon Bone Sword.】

【Congratulations, Host! You have learned the low-grade Earth-tier technique: Thousand Seals, Ten Thousand Miles Art.】

【Congratulations, Host! You have obtained high-grade Profound-grade armor: Black Iron Chainmail.】

【Congratulations, Host! You have received: Formation Disruptor!】

The Thousand Seals, Ten Thousand Miles Art… That technique wasn’t quite right for him, but it would suit Bai Piaoxue perfectly. He’d be sure to hand it over to her when the time was right.

But this Formation Disruptor… now that was interesting.

Jiang Qian turned the small black box over in his hand, muttering, “This thing looks like it belongs in a science fiction novel, not a xianxia world.”

He shrugged, unconcerned. “Well, as long as it works, I’m not complaining.”

He tossed the device into his storage ring.

Knock, knock, knock—

Someone rapped on his door.

“Jiang Qian, it’s me! Open up!”

“Senior Sister Bai? Coming!”

Jiang Qian hurried to the door and opened it—just as Bai Piaoxue burst in the moment the latch turned.

She wasted no time slamming the door shut behind her.

“Bai… Senior Sister Bai… what are you—what are you doing?” Jiang Qian stammered, instinctively stepping back.

“N-no, wait—don’t! This is my first time, Senior Sister, so please… be gentle…”