In a Fantasy World as Cannon Fodder, I Got Entangled with the Heroine - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Chen Xiaoxiao Is Actually Chen Xiaoyan?

Translation by: Weebsread👹

All around them, scenes of chaos unfolded: two identical Hu Muruis clashed in vicious battle, while other early-arriving Beast Taming Sect disciples found themselves locked in combat… with perfect copies of themselves.

Each disciple faced a flawless doppelganger, matching their every move.

Even though Jiang Qian knew this scenario from the original story, witnessing it unfold with his own eyes still left him reeling with disbelief.

His gaze cut through the dense thicket of colossal ancient trees, finally locking onto one unremarkable sapling nearby.

So this is the source behind all these bizarre marvels—everything stems from that little sapling!

Even as this realization struck him, Jiang Qian and his three companions stepped cautiously out from within one of the massive trees.

“Is… that really me?” Chen Xiaoxiao stared, wide-eyed, at her own double strolling straight toward her.

Bai Piaoxue wasted no time. Drawing her long saber in a single, fluid movement, she focused intently on her approaching replica. Without hesitation, she slashed out.

Clang!

Both Bai Piaoxues moved in perfect harmony, their blades arcing in identical fashion. The clash of steel rang out, sparks exploding from the collision.

…

Her strength—exactly the same as mine!

The shock ran deep through Bai Piaoxue. Jiang Zixuan was equally stunned.

“Phoenix Fist!”

“Phoenix Fist!”

Two voices overlapped, then both Jiang Zixuans unleashed their fists at once. When their strikes collided, the force sent both staggering backward.

Jiang Zixuan shook out her right hand, eyes wide with disbelief. “She can use my techniques too! And the power—it’s almost exactly the same as mine!”

Meanwhile, Chen Xiaoxiao was faring even worse, utterly entangled in a desperate struggle against her identical opponent.

But Jiang Qian’s expression remained utterly calm.

He watched as his doppelganger lifted a hand with easy familiarity, summoning facsimiles of the Thunderflame Skywing Eagle and Northwind Ice Wolf.

Jiang Qian called out, “Senior Sister Bai, can you hold these copies off for a moment?”

“No problem!” Bai Piaoxue broke away from her mirror match, conjuring a ring of thick ice walls to trap the fake Jiang Qian.

“I’ll help too!” Jiang Zixuan shouted, leaping to her side.

A moment later—

A wild barrage of fiery fists rained down, pummeling Jiang Qian and his allies without restraint.

No mercy, not even holding back a little.

Jiang Qian quirked his mouth, muttering, “Just how much does this Jiang Zixuan hate me?”

“She’s really out for blood!”

Still, this created the break he needed—at least the doppelganger couldn’t keep him cornered.

“Mist-Seeking Cloudstep!”

Murmuring the spell, Jiang Qian vanished, reappearing in an instant before the sapling.

Sensing imminent danger, the sapling seemed to struggle in place, trying to flee.

“Not so fast!” Jiang Qian whipped out the Flood Dragon Bone Sword and struck. The blade fell, slicing the sapling cleanly in two.

A piercing, unnatural shriek rang out—“Jiiiii!”—and the sapling withered into rot almost instantly, leaving only a brittle twig behind.

Throughout the woods, ancient trees began to decay at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming the entire forest into a bleak wasteland of twisted, dead trunks.

As the trees died, the doppelgangers winked out one by one, fading with the last leaves.

Jiang Qian stooped, picked up the twig, and tossed it nonchalantly into his storage ring.

“It’s done at last. Damn, I’m spent—I almost got taken out by myself!”

“Fighting your own mirror image… it’s bone-deep exhausting. Every move, every technique gets copied; even your next thought is mirrored. Never want to go through that again!”

…

Around him, everyone collapsed where they stood, thoroughly worn out.

Jiang Zixuan shook embers from her fist, her gaze sharpening as she fixed it on Jiang Qian.

How did he know the key was that little sapling? And back in the last trial, how did he find the formation core and the hidden treasure so quickly?

How many secrets is he hiding, really?

The Beast Taming Sect disciples hurried over, bowing gratefully. “Daoist Jiang, if not for you, I fear none of us would’ve made it out alive.”

Jiang Qian smiled faintly. “It was nothing.”

“If you ever need us, just say the word! We’ll answer your call without hesitation!” the leading youth declared, thumping his chest with a booming laugh.

Jiang Qian simply nodded, unconcerned.

Hu Murui stepped forward too, her gratitude obvious. “Jiang Qian, thank you—for saving me once again.”

Jiang Qian just turned and headed for their final destination, waving a hand as if to say no thanks were needed.

Bai Piaoxue, Jiang Zixuan, and Chen Xiaoxiao immediately followed.

The Beast Taming Sect disciples rested briefly, then moved to follow the same path.

Soon, everyone gathered in a chamber veined with dazzling crystal light.

At the heart of the chamber, a solitary crystal hovered in the air, enveloped by swirling mist.

“That’s definitely a treasure. It’s mine!” someone shouted, eyes blazing with greed.

“Yours? Keep dreaming! If anything, it belongs to me!” another snapped.

“Don’t kid yourself—first come, first served!” a third interjected.

…

The crowd surged forward in a wild rush, each unleashing their deadliest tricks.

But Jiang Qian only shook his head. What’s the point? That thing will end up with a woman called Chen Xiaoyan anyway.

He sat casually on the ground, wholly undisturbed.

Puzzled, Chen Xiaoxiao crouched beside him. “Senior Brother, aren’t you going to try for it?”

“That looks pretty valuable.”

“It is,” Jiang Qian replied, “but I’m not interested.”

It really was a rare treasure—if you could master it, you could rule this entire ruin.

But only if you had enough power to pay the price.

The moment you grabbed that crystal, you became the target of possession.

So, who’d be dumb enough to covet it?

Chen Xiaoxiao absorbed that explanation, nodded thoughtfully, then stood up.

Meanwhile, as several people rushed within ten meters of the crystal, they erupted in sprays of blood and vanished into thin air.

Gulp—

The rest of the group recoiled in horror, faces drained of color.

“No one’s getting close after that!”

“What the hell? Get too near and you dissolve into blood vapor? Forget that—I like staying alive!”

“Seriously, that’s way too creepy…”

…

In seconds, nobody dared venture another step.

Suddenly—

A woman’s phantom shot out from within the crystal, her gaze distant as she swept her eyes across the crowd.

Finally, her gaze settled on Chen Xiaoxiao.

Before anyone could react, the apparition floated straight to Chen Xiaoxiao and stopped.

“It’s you!” The haunting voice echoed through the chamber.

Jiang Qian’s heart seized. He leaped to his feet, mind racing with alarm.

No, that’s not right! Chen Xiaoxiao isn’t Chen Xiaoyan—so why has the spirit chosen her?

Unless—

He spun to Bai Piaoxue, urgency sharp in his voice. “Senior Sister Bai, was Chen Xiaoxiao’s real name… Chen Xiaoyan?”

Bai Piaoxue nodded matter-of-factly. “That’s right.”

“Huh? Didn’t you know?” She stared at him, genuinely surprised, as if she’d always assumed Jiang Qian was in the know.

Know your ass! If I’d known Chen Xiaoxiao was actually Chen Xiaoyan, things wouldn’t have gotten this far!

Damn it—all because the original novel never mentioned anything about Chen Xiaoxiao!

Now the spirit was set on possessing Chen Xiaoxiao, and he had mere seconds to save her.

Jiang Qian’s mind spun wildly, scrambling for any plan to break the spirit’s grip.

But right as he was about to act—

A powerful force swept through the chamber. Scores of people were caught up and, before they could even scream, were hurled out of the ruins.