From cannon fodder villain to superpowered queen

The guards stopped what they were doing and looked at the cave entrance with a puzzled expression.

Bi Yao took a deep breath and shouted, "I know you're acting under orders, and I know you wouldn't dare disobey the Jiang family head! But I, Bi Yao, am not someone to be trifled with! I advise you to leave now, otherwise..." She paused deliberately, her tone carrying a hint of threat, "...the dagger in my hand is no joke!"

After a moment of silence outside the cave, a slightly aged voice rang out: "Miss Yao Yao, please stop struggling. The patriarch said that as long as you obediently come back with us, he will not make things difficult for you."

Bi Yao sneered, "Go back? Go back and get locked up again? Dream on!" She turned to look at Jiang Ruiyuan, her eyes resolute, "Ruiyuan, let's break out!"

"Alright!" Jiang Ruiyuan was also going all out, gripping his sword tightly, ready to fight to the death.

"Three, two, one, charge!" Bi Yao shouted and was the first to rush out of the cave.

However, there was no one outside the cave.

"Where is he?" Bi Yao asked, completely bewildered.

Jiang Ruiyuan cautiously peeked out, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then came out.

"Looks like they're afraid of the dagger in your hand!" he joked.

Bi Yao couldn't help but laugh, but then frowned: "Something's not right. How could they give up so easily? There must be a trap!"

The two searched the area around the cave carefully, but found nothing.

Left with no other choice, they continued deeper into the woods.

After wandering around in the woods for a long time, they realized they were lost.

All around were towering trees that blocked out the sun, making it impossible to distinguish east from west.

“This is bad,” Jiang Ruiyuan sighed, “we’re lost.”

Bi Yao was also a little flustered, but she tried to remain calm: "Don't worry, there's always a way." She looked up at the surrounding trees, and suddenly her eyes lit up, "Ruiyuan, look!"

Jiang Ruiyuan followed her gaze and saw a layer of green moss growing on the trunk of a large tree.

“This moss…” Jiang Ruiyuan seemed to have thought of something, examined it carefully, and a look of joy appeared on his face. “Yaoyao, we’re saved!”

Following the guidance of the moss, they determined a general direction and continued on their way.

After walking for a long time, both of them felt tired and hungry.

“Ruiyuan…” Bi Yao’s voice was weak.

Jiang Ruiyuan stopped and looked at Bi Yao, whose face was pale, his heart filled with worry: "Yao Yao, what's wrong?"

Bi Yao shook her head and forced herself to say, "I...I'm fine..." Before she could finish speaking, her body swayed and she looked like she was about to fall.

"Yao Yao!" Jiang Ruiyuan quickly helped her up...

He felt that Bi Yao's body was frighteningly hot.

"I'm so hungry..." Bi Yao murmured weakly.

Jiang Ruiyuan supported the weak Bi Yao, feeling a pang of discomfort in his heart, as if being scratched by a cat.

"Yaoyao, hang in there! I'm going to find something to eat!" He dashed out like an arrow, scanning the surrounding bushes.

His stomach rumbled in protest, but all he could think about was Bi Yao's pale face.

"Can this thing be eaten? Won't it make you ascend to heaven on the spot after eating it?" Jiang Ruiyuan stared at a bright red fruit and muttered to himself.

When I was a child, I learned some ways to identify wild fruits from the old hunters in the village, but I've forgotten most of it now.

"Well, let's try anything!" He picked the fruit and carefully licked it.

Hmm, it's sweet and sour, seems pretty good?

He observed for a while and, not noticing anything unusual, began to eat with peace of mind.

When he found a few wild fruits that looked relatively safe and returned to Bi Yao's side, Bi Yao had already fallen asleep leaning against a tree.

"Yaoyao, wake up, I've found something to eat!" He gently nudged Bi Yao.

Bi Yao groggily opened her eyes and saw Jiang Ruiyuan holding various wild fruits in his hands. Her eyes lit up: "You found something to eat? That's great!" She took the wild fruits and began to wolf them down.

As Jiang Ruiyuan watched Bi Yao eat with relish, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, only to find that Bi Yao suddenly stopped and stared at him with a smile.

"Your mouth... pfft... looks like a little kitten."

Jiang Ruiyuan subconsciously touched the corner of his mouth, only then realizing that when he tasted the wild fruit earlier, some juice had gotten on his lips.

He scratched his head sheepishly, "Hehe, I was just worried you'd get poisoned, so I had to test the poison first."

Bi Yao smiled and shook her head, continuing to eat the wild fruit in her hand.

The two sat quietly, enjoying this moment of peace.

Suddenly, Jiang Ruiyuan pricked up his ears...

"Did you hear anything?"

"Shh—" Bi Yao also held her breath and listened carefully.

Sure enough, a faint "whooshing" sound reached their ears.

"The sound of water?" Bi Yao's eyes lit up. "There must be a water source nearby!" The two perked up and followed the sound of water.

Before long, a clear stream appeared before them.

"666, we finally found water!" Jiang Ruiyuan was so excited he almost jumped up.

After walking along the stream for a while, a dilapidated wooden bridge came into view.

"A bridge? Does that mean we can get out once we cross the bridge?" Bi Yao guessed.

"Never mind, let's get across first!" Jiang Ruiyuan couldn't wait to step onto the wooden bridge.

Bi Yao followed closely behind.

However, just as they reached the middle of the bridge, the wooden bridge suddenly broke with a "crack"!

"Holy crap!" Jiang Ruiyuan reacted quickly, grabbing Bi Yao and leaping to the other side.

"That scared me to death!" Bi Yao patted her chest, still shaken.

Although they escaped unharmed, both realized that the woods were far more dangerous than they had imagined.

"It seems this forest is trying to trap us here!" Jiang Ruiyuan said with a wry smile, brushing the dust off his clothes.

Bi Yao nodded, a determined glint in her eyes: "We'll see. It's not certain who will be starved to death!"

The two continued walking along the riverbank, an eerie stillness filling the air.

Suddenly, Jiang Ruiyuan stopped and turned around sharply, his gaze fixed on the woods behind him...

He grabbed Bi Yao and whispered, "It seems... something is following us." Bi Yao also sensed something was amiss. She gripped the dagger in her hand and cautiously looked around.

A cold wind blew by, rustling the leaves as if something was lurking among them, watching them intently...

Jiang Ruiyuan swallowed hard and said slowly, "Yaoyao, look over there..." He pointed forward, his voice trembling slightly.

Bi Yao followed his finger and her pupils suddenly contracted...