Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 295: This Female Supporting Character Who Should Have Been Killed Off Long Ago

Chapter 295: Chapter 295: This Female Supporting Character Who Should Have Been Killed Off Long Ago

Half of the door in front of them was still intact. Zhou Cangyan looked at it and reached out to push it open.

But as his hand was about to touch it, the door fell away with a CLANG, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Song Lianhe reacted without thinking, hiding behind him and burying her face in his back. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The man stood his ground, lowering his head slightly as the corners of his mouth curved into a small smile.

Song Lianhe slowly peeked out from behind him, her eyes narrowed. "This place is too dangerous."

"I’ll go down. You stay here."

"No!"

In a panic, she grabbed his sash, her eyes urgent.

Thinking she was afraid of being alone, he turned to face her, his cold, dispassionate eyes reflecting only her image.

"I don’t know what the situation is down there. You’ll be safe here. I’ll go down and check."

"Then... alright, then."

She glanced at the hole blasted into the floor below. If she went down, Zhou Cangyan would have to split his attention to look after her.

She didn’t want to be a burden, so she nodded in agreement.

"Ah! Take this!"

She pulled a small porcelain bottle from her robes. "The air is foul in here. Who knows if it’s poisonous? Take this!"

Zhou Cangyan took it, glanced at it once, and tucked the bottle into his own robes.

"Stay here and don’t move."

With that, he grabbed a drapery hanging from the doorframe and jumped straight down.

"Be careful!"

Zhou Cangyan began clearing the debris at his feet and, just as expected, found many musical instruments buried underneath.

He saw a giant drum, over ten feet wide.

Song Lianhe recognized it. It was the large drum the Dancing Girls performed on.

Zhou Cangyan examined it closely, then suddenly braced his hands on its underside and, with a slight exertion of force, flipped it over...

THUD.

The drum crashed to the side.

Where the great drum had once stood, a pit was revealed, pitch-black and bottomless to the eye.

’It seems a hole has been blasted open here, winding downwards. The faint shape of a pillar base is visible. There must be a whole other world underground!’

’Maybe the secret chamber we’re looking for is down there!’

But before Song Lianhe could feel happy, a serious problem occurred to her.

’But after being hit by that gunpowder blast, it could collapse at any moment!’

’The original novel didn’t describe this place in much detail, so it should have been safe. But the contradiction is, if the plot had followed its original course, neither she nor Zhou Cangyan should be here at all! And Huaxu Square would never have been blown to bits like this!’

’The flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause a tornado. Who knows if this hurricane will end up sweeping them away too?’

Zhou Cangyan lowered his head to examine the opening, then picked up a small stone and tossed it in.

RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE—

He tilted his head, listening carefully. Judging by the sound of the rolling stone, the hidden passage wasn’t very long.

Zhou Cangyan was raised in military camps; what kind of dangerous place hadn’t he seen? He didn’t think much of this underground passage.

He peeked in, then said, "If I’m not out in the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, go find Xuan Mei and the Shadow Guards."

He entered before Song Lianhe even had a chance to say anything to stop him.

Although she was a little worried, she tried to reassure herself. ’With his skills, he’ll be fine.’

’Ever since I discovered that I can’t physically harm the male and female leads, I’ve been thinking that this world must have its own rules. With the plot having come this far, Zhou Cangyan, as the main villain, shouldn’t run into any trouble. Otherwise, the story can’t continue.’

’But if I follow that logic, then what about me, the supporting female character who should have been written out of the story long ago...?’

Just then, the sound of a rolling stone suddenly came from behind her.

RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE—

A small stone rolled to her feet.

Song Lianhe’s expression tightened, and she immediately scanned her surroundings with caution.

’This couldn’t possibly be the one Zhou Cangyan just threw down, could it?’

’Then who could it be?’

’Is someone else here?’

’Logically, Cao Jin should have cleared the area. After all, it wouldn’t be good for too many people to see Zhou Cangyan.’

Song Lianhe grew nervous and asked in a low voice, "Who’s there?"

No one was behind her.

Song Lianhe stared at the stone. The surroundings were terrifyingly silent.

She reached for her waist, where the dagger Zhou Cangyan had given her was tucked.

She drew the dagger and held it in her trembling hand.

’This atmosphere is truly terrifying. And with Zhou Cangyan down there, it would be so easy to target him. Just seal the entrance, and he’d be trapped with no one to hear his cries.’

’I was too careless! I should have brought the Shadow Guards and Sister Mei in with us.’

WHOOSH—

A light suddenly flared up opposite her.

Someone had struck a flint.

Song Lianhe held her breath, staring intently at the figure across from her.

"Princess Qing, you shouldn’t have come."

Hearing this voice, Song Lianhe was startled. "Zhen Niang?"

"It really wasn’t easy to avoid those imperial guards and Hidden Guards~" Zhen Niang lit a torch in her hand, slowly revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Song Xilan’s.

In fact, Zhen Niang looked most like Song Xilan when she wore no makeup.

She stepped forward lightly, a dazed smile on her face.

"Why did you have to come looking? Why did you have to get mixed up in the murky business of the Li Guan Sect?"

Song Lianhe sensed a vague danger. As Zhen Niang approached, she continuously backed away.

"Prince Qing is skilled with gunpowder, isn’t he? It’s just that he wasn’t thorough enough. He didn’t level this place. Why don’t I help him finish the job?"

"You want to..."

"Hehe, yes."

She was going to blow this place up.

Then, she glanced at the pitch-black pit again.

To destroy it, along with the secret chamber inside.

Song Lianhe was truly panicked now. Zhou Cangyan was still underground, and this place was already on the verge of collapse; it couldn’t take any more! The moment Zhen Niang lit the gunpowder, he would never get out.

Song Lianhe immediately forced herself to calm down. "Zhen Niang, you’re a smart woman. The fact that I was able to find this place proves that I know the secret hidden in that chamber! If I don’t make it out, people will inevitably come to investigate. How long can you keep this hidden? Why don’t you come with us? I promise no one will give you any trouble."

Zhen Niang laughed. "Don’t waste your breath. I will not betray the Prince."

Song Lianhe didn’t give up and continued trying to persuade her. "Is he really worth your undying loyalty? Are you content with being a counterfeit your whole life?"

But Zhen Niang just looked at her and smiled faintly.

This smile held a hint of sincerity.

"Princess Qing, you’re the first person who has so bluntly told me to be myself. I was too cowardly before. I clearly love him more than my own life, yet I never dared to dream... But now I understand. I might not necessarily lose."

She raised her torch, her gaze growing cold as she looked at Song Lianhe. She spoke slowly, "Don’t blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being a busybody."

As she finished speaking, she dropped the torch.

"No!" Song Lianhe lunged forward to grab it.

BOOM—

Huaxu Square exploded again.

Rubble from the ceiling rained down crazily, and the ground beneath her feet shook violently.

Song Lianhe pressed herself tightly against the wall to keep from falling. When she looked up again, Zhen Niang was long gone.

"Damn it!"

She struggled to look back. Broken wooden beams and large blocks of bluestone were all pouring into the pit on the second floor!

Song Lianhe felt all the blood in her body rush to her head, which felt like it exploded with a BUZZ.

’Zhou Cangyan is still in there!’

’Zhou Cangyan!’

Without a second thought, she turned and leaped down after him...