Chapter 3: Turning the Tables?

This commotion—someone who didn’t know any better might think they’d stumbled into a scene straight out of some old school doujin.

Such a clichéd plot; Lin Yue felt like he was reading a web novel from over a decade ago.

Except, this time, the protagonist wasn’t him.

Lin Yue was a bit irritated; he’d just finished setting up his hiding spot, and now things were already going south before he could even leave—how unlucky.

Still, he had to go check it out, at least to see how things would unfold.

But as for stepping in… better not.

In this body, he couldn’t use magic, nor did he have any battle aura.

If he rushed in, he’d probably just end up dead.

Though his physical fitness was decent, he was no different from a regular person in good shape.

Staying low in the tall grass, Lin Yue slowly moved under cover of the trees, approaching the scene.

He saw two men in gray surrounding a curled-up figure; one of them was tugging at the figure’s white hood.

It was her?

Recalling the girl who’d been chased by those knights two days ago, Lin Yue felt a wave of unease.

So much trouble in such a short time—could she be a key character?

While Lin Yue was pondering, something else seemed to happen at the center of the woods.

“Stop struggling! No one comes out here. Come quietly with us to the black market—or do you want us to enjoy you a little first…?”

The man tugging the hood grinned, yellow teeth stained with filth, reaching out to grab the girl’s wrist.

The girl shrank back desperately, terror shining in her emerald eyes, but she bit her lip and refused to make a sound, only her shoulders trembling.

While Lin Yue hesitated, the man grew impatient, raising his hand to tear at the girl’s clothes.

Just as his hand was about to touch her, Lin Yue saw the girl clutching a jade pendant tightly behind her back—his heart leapt into his throat.

No, this isn’t right!

“Stop!”

The words burst from Lin Yue’s mouth.

The two men snapped their heads around, murderous intent flashing in their eyes.

“Who the hell are you? Think you can meddle in Grandpa’s business?”

The leader, shouldering a coil of hemp rope, came closer.

Noticing Lin Yue’s outfit, his eyes lit up.

“Looks like some rich kid, huh? Wanna play the hero? Better know your place first!”

Lin Yue glanced at the girl, then shouted in a strained voice: “I’m with the Hawk Family. If you don’t want to be chased out of here, you’d better think twice.”

Idiots, hurry up and run! If you don’t, it’ll be too late!

At that moment, Lin Yue was so tense he could explode.

Of all people to mess with, you had to pick this harbinger of disaster—do you have a death wish?

That jade pendant—Lin Yue had seen it before, and remembered it very clearly.

Lord of Beasts, magical rampages, high-level monsters breaking loose… Horrific scenes flashed through Lin Yue’s mind.

It could be said, the first major crisis in the entire game was caused by this very Airella alone.

As expected, the men exchanged glances; their arrogance faded a little, though one still protested:

“A Hawk Family member, all by himself? You’re probably a fake.”

When the original Lin Yue was up to no good, he’d usually bring a gang of rich troublemakers with him, so the men weren’t convinced.

“If you’re not blind, look a little closer.”

Lin Yue snorted, striking a pose befitting a noble lord.

The men squinted, only then realizing—this kid had black hair and brown eyes.

Apart from the Hawk Family, nobody else in the world looked like that.

“Damn, he really is from the Hawk Family…”

The leader’s expression turned ugly.

Though the Hawk Family had been sidelined, in this borderland, not even the Empire could rein them in.

“Big Bro, what do we do?” the lanky one whispered.

The man glared at Lin Yue, then at the terrified girl on the ground, clearly unwilling to give up the prize within reach.

He hesitated, then growled viciously: “Young Master Hawk, we found this girl first. If you want to butt in, shouldn’t you at least give us an explanation?”

Scavengers, the lot of you.

Lin Yue cursed in his heart, but kept his face calm: “An explanation? I like this girl. I’m taking her with me. If you know what’s good for you, get lost.”

As he spoke, he quietly took a step back, glancing at Airella’s jade pendant.

He remembered all too well—if Airella got too worked up or actively channeled it, that pendant would attract every magic beast in the area.

The Hawk Border was infamous for its monster infestations.

If something went wrong, he might not even leave a corpse behind.

“Big Bro, let’s just leave it. The Hawk Family is trouble.”

The short, stocky man tugged the leader’s arm, clearly frightened.

The leader gritted his teeth, finally letting go of the girl and spitting viciously: “Count yourself lucky! Let’s go!”

With that, the two men shot Lin Yue and the girl a resentful glare, then stomped off, cursing under their breath.

Lin Yue let out a sigh of relief; his back was soaked with cold sweat.

He’d thought he was done for.

He quickly stepped in front of the girl, crouched down, and gave her a once-over.

Yep—green eyes, brown hair.

It was her.

Lin Yue confirmed it again, then sighed.

The girl looked up, her emerald eyes still wary, watching Lin Yue with suspicion.

She didn’t speak—only clutched the jade pendant at her chest, her body still trembling.

“Ahem, you’re safe now. You can go.”

Lin Yue spread his hands to show he meant no harm.

“You’re… with the Hawk Family?” the girl finally spoke, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

Strictly speaking, not anymore…

But he’d already boasted.

He couldn’t backtrack now and arouse her suspicion—especially with her personality…

In the original story, Airella treated people kindly and avoided conflict.

But when it came time for decisive action, she never hesitated.

And don’t be fooled by her pure, gentle appearance—“Beast Witch” was a well-earned title.

“Yes, but—”

Before he finished, the girl’s expression suddenly changed.

She clenched the pendant tight; a strange gleam flashed in her emerald eyes.

An invisible pressure swept through the woods.

No!

Lin Yue cursed inwardly, but it was too late to stop her.

Two black tendrils of energy shot out from behind the girl, lashing toward the two men who had barely made it away.

The men didn’t even have time to react before they were seized and dragged back, slammed to the ground.

“Ah! A ghost!”

Terrified, the men shrieked, struggling, but the energy only tightened.

Airella slowly stood, her gaze icy as she looked down at them.

Her voice was utterly cold: “Speak. Who sent you?”

The men’s faces turned ashen; confronted by Airella’s terrifying display, they glanced in panic at Lin Yue.

The lanky one stammered, “M-Mercy, milady! We were sent by Lin Yue Hawk! He told us to put on a show and lure you out!”

What?

Lin Yue was dumbfounded by what he heard.

Damn, even a false counterattack?

He hadn’t expected these bastards to shift the blame so smoothly.

The name Lin Yue Hawk was known to all, and here in the Hawk Territory, it seemed even more suspicious.

“Uh… yeah… it’s him!” the short, fat one chimed in.

“He said he’s Lin Yue Hawk, and told us to help with the hero-saving-the-beauty act, so the young lady would let her guard down! We were just following orders for money!”

“I—”

What the hell?

Could their imagination jump any further?

Lin Yue was so wrongly accused he was speechless, wishing he could go over and smack the two idiots.

He’d never imagined these scoundrels would turn on him to save their skins.

Airella slowly turned her gaze on Lin Yue, her eyes cold, though there was still some doubt—after all, he’d stepped in to help her.

“You’re Lin Yue Hawk?”

“N-no…”

Just as Lin Yue instinctively tried to deny it, Airella pulled out a parchment-like slip from the pouch at her waist.

She studied it, then looked at Lin Yue’s face, sneered, and suddenly bound him.

Not good…

The magical force coiled around Lin Yue like a python, threatening to crush his organs if it tightened any further.

“In such a hurry to deny any connection to them? Seems they weren’t lying, Mr. Lin Yue.”

Airella’s beautiful face was filled with contempt, as though she saw right through his lies.

So, there was a likeness recorded on that parchment?

What kind of thing is that?

Lin Yue wanted to cry, but couldn’t argue; enduring the discomfort, he managed,
“I’m Lin Yue, but I don’t know them, and I definitely didn’t put them up to this. Can’t you see they’re framing me?”

“Didn’t you just deny being Lin Yue?”

As soon as Lin Yue admitted it, Airella sneered; the last trace of doubt in her eyes disappeared, replaced by coldness.

She didn’t trust Lin Yue’s explanation, instead turning to the terrified men on the ground.

She tightened the energy tendrils.

“Ah! Mercy!” the lanky one screamed.

Airella’s voice was like ice: “I’ll ask again: Who sent you? One lie, and I’ll break your bones one by one.”

The two thugs, so arrogant before, had never seen anything like this—they were scared out of their wits.

The lanky man bawled, “It’s true! We really were sent by Lin Yue Hawk! He paid us to ambush you, pretend to kidnap you, and then he’d show up as the hero to win your trust!”

The short, fat one echoed, “That’s right! He said you’d be easy to trick, and that the Hawk Family needs someone who can control monsters like you. Once you trust him, they’ll bring you back and force you to work for them!”

Airella’s gaze grew ever colder.

She turned slowly to Lin Yue, enunciating each word: “You heard them.”

“I didn’t! They’re making it up!”

Lin Yue jumped in desperation.

“I just got kicked out of the family—how could I still be doing things for them?”

He had no choice but to reveal that he’d been cast out, hoping it might give him a chance.

“Kicked out?”

Airella raised her eyebrows, as if hearing something amusing.

“A young master cast out of his family, yet dressed so well and not looking the least bit down-and-out—you don’t think that’s odd?”

“And the confidence and composure in your voice when you said you were from the Hawk Family—not at all like a disgraced exile.”

She paused, continuing her reasoning: “And this forest—remote and dangerous—isn’t a place an ordinary traveler would wander into. Did you know I’d be here and come to meet me on purpose?”

“I…”

Lin Yue was left speechless.

He couldn’t exactly say he was a transmigrator who knew all her secrets, and only appeared after seeing her about to use the white jade pendant—wouldn’t that be suicidal?

“You have no explanation, do you?”

Airella’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“Because what they said is true. You approached me to use me. Lin Yue Hawk, just as the rumors say—devious and cunning.”

She stepped forward, her presence growing even more dangerous.

The two black energy tendrils behind her writhed, ready to strike.

“Speak! Why did you approach me?”

Airella thought for a moment, then continued, “Is it for my pendant, or does the Hawk Family want to use me to control monsters? Or is it simply that you…”

Just imagining herself being abused by people with ill intent, Airella tightened the tendrils even more.

Looking at her cold gaze and the threatening tendrils, Lin Yue’s heart leapt into his throat.

“I told you, I don’t know them. I just saw that you—”

“Shut up!” Airella shouted.

Lin Yue instantly clamped his mouth shut.

He knew—any further argument would just sound like another lie.

He opened his mouth, wanting to protest again, but realized he couldn’t explain anything.

If he’d known, he never would have gotten involved.

Major plot characters—how could they be captured so easily?

This was bad.

She really might kill him. What now?

Just as Lin Yue was sinking into despair, the distant sound of urgent hoofbeats and clashing metal rang out, drawing ever closer.