Category: After I Abandoned the Protagonist [Quick Transmigration]

Chapter 212: So I’m the Protagonist After All (8)

Sui Yihuan didn’t understand why this lotus spirit always acted so frivolously whenever she got close. And every time she wanted to point it out, she always missed the best opportunity.

It was the same this time.

Before she could react, the woman whose nose was almost touching hers had already retreated, once again allowing the cold, damp air of the cave to spread between them.

Following the other person’s gaze, she saw Su Mingxiu staring at the exit of the cave, lost in thought.

“Is there something at the end of the cave?”

Trying to suppress the emotions that had been stirred up, Sui Yihuan still remembered that they had accidentally fallen into this place from the Hundred Flower Sect’s territory, so she asked Su Mingxiu very seriously.

“It’s the back mountain.”

Su Mingxiu briefly explained the location of the Hundred Flower Sect’s back mountain. Every word revealed the rule that outsiders were not allowed to enter this sacred place of the Hundred Flower Sect.

But the look in her eyes as she gazed in that direction didn’t seem to reflect that. Every second, her expression was full of eagerness to test the boundaries of the rules.

Since arriving early at the Hundred Flower Sect to participate in this Cultivation Conference, Sui Yihuan hadn’t attended a single class. However, she had learned many secrets of this huge sect from the sidelines, and… everything seemed strange, leaving her puzzled.

“If you want to explore the secrets of the back mountain, remember to bring the male lead,” the Heavenly Dao instructed.

However, when Su Mingxiu extended her divine sense to see if Xiao Xingwei had safely entered the cave, she found him and Xuan Chan almost entangled together. And judging by the situation, it seemed that Xuan Chan was not in the right state of mind, so she took the initiative to cling to him.

Caught off guard and about to see the prelude to an action movie, Su Mingxiu: “…”

If she were just reading a story, perhaps she could understand the atmosphere of the male and female leads having a passionate moment at a critical juncture. Unfortunately, she was now a supporting character, and there were pressing matters at hand. Su Mingxiu’s expression was as heavy as water, and she really wanted to throw these two people, who were about to perform an R-rated scene in the cave without any regard for others, out to feed the formation.

Guessing that Xuan Chan had probably been bitten by a poisonous snake in the cave, Su Mingxiu reluctantly separated a wisp of her divine sense to identify the surrounding poisonous snakes. Then she picked out the type that could spread an infatuating poison, pinched it out of thin air, and threw it at the entangled two.

“What was that!”

Xuan Chan’s exclamation had almost become a habit for Xiao Xingwei to hear. He habitually flicked his sword, discovering the brightly colored, red snake with spots all over its body.

He immediately thought of something, hooked it with his sword, and brought it to Xuan Chan’s eyes, “Was this the snake that bit you earlier?”

“I-I don’t know… I didn’t see clearly. This cave is too dark.”

Besides, even if she had seen it clearly, Xuan Chan wouldn’t admit it. After all, she was from the Joyful Union Sect. The best cultivation techniques in the sect always involved dual cultivation. Being able to have intercourse with Xiao Xingwei, the new generation leader of the Sword Sect disciples, would only benefit her cultivation, not harm it.

But Xiao Xingwei also knew this. He had just reached Foundation Establishment, and his realm was not considered high. It would not be good for him to lose his Yang essence so easily.

So he decisively cut out the snake’s gall and stuffed it into her mouth, saying “Excuse me,” but actually pinching Xuan Chan’s chin, making sure she swallowed the gall completely.

Earlier, he had been in a hurry, and Xuan Chan’s symptoms had come on suddenly, so he had been flustered for a moment. Now, reminded by this poisonous snake, Xiao Xingwei didn’t mind taking the gallbladders of all the surrounding poisonous snakes for her.

Seeing that Su Mingxiu was just standing there with her arms crossed, and because she had uprooted the remaining parts of the Serene Realm Grass and put them in her interspatial bag, the cave was dark again. Without a luminous pearl to illuminate it, it was pitch black all around. Sui Yihuan had been vigilant at first, but now that she found there was no danger, she had to speak up again, “Daoist friend Su… why are we still stopping here?”

“Waiting for someone.”

Hearing the echo of her voice in the cave, Su Mingxiu turned her head and realized that she had forgotten to provide light for Sui Yihuan because she had been paying attention to the movements of her divine sense.

So she gathered a ball of spiritual power in her palm, like lightning in the dark night sky, even emitting a slight sizzling electric light.

“You have thunder spiritual power?” Sui Yihuan thought of the two people earlier and immediately knew who Su Mingxiu was waiting for, so she simply changed the subject.

“Yes.”

After a short answer, Su Mingxiu looked sideways and found that the little girl’s expression was a little strange. She had to add, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…”

Sui Yihuan shook her head. She just remembered that the books recorded that these mountain grass and tree spirits mostly had wood spiritual power because of the strong vitality they contained…

But Su Mingxiu, a lotus spirit, actually had thunder spiritual power. The nine continents were indeed vast, and there were all kinds of special cases.

With her reaction, Su Mingxiu suddenly remembered the words “flower spirit” that Sui Yihuan had blurted out when they were falling on the cliff earlier. At that time, she didn’t have time to ask, but now she could properly—

“Daoist friend Su! You’re all right. I was worried that you might have encountered danger outside. Do you know where this place is?”

Xiao Xingwei’s voice came from afar.

He had obviously seen Su Mingxiu’s spiritual power.

The good opportunity to inquire was interrupted. The gentleness on Su Mingxiu’s face receded, returning to that indifferent, too-lazy-to-bother look. She listlessly dropped the words “I don’t know,” turned around, and wanted to continue walking.

Seeing her seamlessly switch expressions, Sui Yihuan felt a strange feeling in her heart. For no reason, she felt that… Su Mingxiu only showed those bad sides in front of her.

Unique, most touching to a woman’s heart.

The four of them, each with their own thoughts, walked towards the other end of the cave. Xuan Chan, having previously attempted to kill, and discovering that Su Mingxiu was still alive and well, finally remembered that this was the other party’s sect. She didn’t dare to act rashly again, just clinging to Xiao Xingwei, saying that her feet hurt for a while, and feeling that the surroundings were very dangerous and she was afraid for another, as if she were a weak mortal woman who had come to this place. She forced Xiao Xingwei to carry her on his back.

It wasn’t until they stepped out of the cave and saw the moonlight in the sky.

In front of them grew a strange sea of Lycoris radiata. Red, yellow, and white swayed over half the mountain. Compared with the pure and bright moon in the sky, it made people feel an indescribable terror.

Su Mingxiu’s drawn-out tone added to the atmosphere in the silent mountains, “I remember now. This is the back mountain of our sect, where the fallen predecessors rest. It is a forbidden area of the Hundred Flower Sect.”

Sui Yihuan glanced at her and didn’t expose the fact that she already knew about the exit of the cave. She quietly listened to her explain the situation to the other two.

“By the way, if a disciple of the sect enters this place without permission, it is considered a crime of disturbing the ancestors, and they will be punished with two hundred lashes—”

Su Mingxiu glanced at Xuan Chan, who was hiding behind Xiao Xingwei, and added unhurriedly, “During the period of the conference, the participating disciples are treated the same as the inner disciples.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Xingwei immediately said, “Daoist friend Su, don’t worry. We didn’t mean to intrude tonight. As long as we can safely leave this place, I won’t mention it to anyone.”

Sui Yihuan blinked and echoed, “Me neither.”

Neither of them were the type to honestly accept punishment. Even though cultivators had spiritual power to protect their bodies, they didn’t want to suffer two hundred lashes for nothing.

Everyone’s eyes fell on Xuan Chan. She bit her lip angrily, “What? Do you think I’m going to be the one to tell on you? What good would it do me to tell?”

Su Mingxiu’s eyes narrowed, looking at her meaningfully, as if she wanted to refute something. But before she could speak, Sui Yihuan next to her interjected, “Who knows? There are many people in the world who like to do things that harm others without benefiting themselves. Unless you make a heart demon oath not to reveal a single bit about tonight under any circumstances, I don’t believe you.”

“Why should I care if you believe me? Who are you?”

Xuan Chan glared at her. Before she could say anything more arrogant, she suddenly felt her feet go numb, and her whole body fell uncontrollably to the side, eating a mouthful of dirt and grass.

But thinking of the rumors about corpse flowers growing on dead bones, she felt disgusted. She spat out the dirt, feeling wronged and starting to cry, wanting Xiao Xingwei to stand up for her, cursing Su Mingxiu for ambushing her.

Xiao Xingwei had had enough of her noise, and besides, all the trouble tonight was caused by her. So he looked at the sky and the ground, but not at her.

Sui Yihuan stood beside Su Mingxiu, seeing everything clearly, and showed an expression of disdain, “You obviously just lost your footing… I think since Daoist friend Xuan is so strict about the rules, she will definitely ask the Hundred Flower Sect for punishment when she goes out. Presumably, her righteousness will move the Heavenly Dao. She won’t need Daoist friend Su to lead the way, and she can go out safely on her own.”

After a series of insults and sarcasm, Xuan Chan had no one to support her. In the end, she could only tearfully swear an oath before seeing Su Mingxiu, who had been standing still, take a step forward.

She almost gritted her teeth in hatred.

It was said to be the burial ground of the predecessors, but it was actually countless graves, with a very heavy Yin energy. Just walking among them with only the four of them, who hadn’t even reached the Golden Core stage, was enough to make one’s heart tremble, especially since this place was so quiet that it was extreme. Later on, even Xuan Chan didn’t dare to pester Xiao Xingwei anymore, just clinging to him as much as possible, following him step by step.

Su Mingxiu held Sui Yihuan’s hand, saying that it was to avoid any formations and not wanting them to get separated. Feeling the warmth of her palm, Sui Yihuan had no reason to break free, so she could only look in the direction of the other two. Who knew that she would be pulled even closer by the other person, “Daoist friend Xiao is a talented disciple of the Sword Sect. He won’t lose track of us.”

So the only ones holding hands were the two of them.

Until the green-clothed female cultivator suddenly stopped—

In front of her was a deep pit, with the soil dug out and piled beside it, and the strange Lycoris radiata growing wildly, falling to the side.

Xuan Chan took a look and started to tremble, “This… this is…”

A corpse coming back to life?

Or had someone come to dig up the grave?

Seeing that Su Mingxiu was about to go forward, this time Sui Yihuan, who had been obediently following her lead, pulled her back, “Be careful! Your sect is strict with rules. It’s unlikely that this place would be so disrespectful to the predecessors. There must be unknown dangers in this forbidden area. Don’t always put yourself at risk.”

Actually, she had wanted to say this earlier. Su Mingxiu shouldn’t always be so good-tempered and let others bully her. That person from the Joyful Union Sect had tried to harm her so many times, and she never thought of fighting back!

And…

Why did she always face danger head-on, as if no matter how difficult the road ahead, she was destined to face it alone?

Even though… she was right here. No matter how weak her strength, she wouldn’t be a burden to this little flower spirit.

“It’s not dangerous—”

Su Mingxiu looked at her with a softened expression. Under the moonlight, her eyes seemed to contain flowing silver, and even the small mole at the corner of her eye seemed to shimmer. The shadows on the contours of her face were extremely striking. “The grave is empty, and there are no traces of formations. At least there is no danger below.”

After a pause, she asked with a smile in her tone, “Besides, if there is real danger, Daoist friend Sui will definitely protect me, right?”

“Of course.” Sui Yihuan replied without hesitation.

After all, whether it was to repay her kindness or to uphold the righteous principle of helping the weak, she wouldn’t just stand by and watch Su Mingxiu fall into danger.

But after she said this, Sui Yihuan saw the green-clothed female cultivator smile even more beautifully. Even though they were in this strange sea of flowers, it was as if seeds of spring flowers had been scattered. Wherever she smiled, it was like the four seasons.

—The red-clothed female cultivator, who had been righteous and confident earlier, suddenly blushed under her smiling gaze. Her eyes darted around, not knowing where to look, but she didn’t even realize this herself.

Xiao Xingwei and Xuan Chan, who were standing nearby waiting for Su Mingxiu to investigate the truth of the empty grave: “…”

So strange.

They were clearly standing on the road, but they felt like they had been kicked by a dog that came out of nowhere.

Chapter 211: So I’m the Protagonist After All (7)

The earring, condensed from the essence of the spring flowers in the garden, floated in front of Sui Yihuan. She stared at the two connected snowflakes, one large and one small, and was momentarily blinded by the moonlight refracted by the snowflake petals—

Then she saw a sea of fire surrounding the place, completely different from the warm spring scenery she was currently in. All the flowers she saw were reduced to ashes.

And this lotus spirit stood in the center of the sea of flowers, her sleeves torn, blood on the corners of her lips. But she didn’t make a move to save a single flower, just quietly watching everything burn, her eyes empty, not knowing what she was thinking.

Oh no.

It’s an illusion again!

Sui Yihuan’s right fingertips curled tightly, her nails digging into her palm, but before she could even feel the pain, she was already back in the garden under the gentle moonlight.

She calmed herself, her eyes full of vigilance as she looked in Su Mingxiu’s direction, unconsciously pursing her lips.

“Daoist friend… don’t you like this gift?”

Su Mingxiu didn’t know why she suddenly put on such a defensive posture. Uncharacteristically, a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes.

“We are neither friends nor family, and I have done nothing to deserve it. Why are you giving me this?”

Hearing her ask this, Su Mingxiu thought of the Hundred Flower Sect, which would soon be ravaged by the demon army. Her gaze softened a lot, sweeping over the surrounding flowers. She said lightly, “I just thought that before they disappear, I should try to preserve this beauty as much as possible.”

Although she didn’t know why Sui Yihuan didn’t like this gift, Su Mingxiu didn’t want to force her to accept it. After saying this, she quickly reached out, as if to destroy the snowflake earring floating in the air. “Forget it… I was being presumptuous.”

Even though she was still concerned about the strange illusionary scene earlier, at this moment, seeing the snowflake about to shatter in Su Mingxiu’s spiritual power, Sui Yihuan suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, an indescribable pain. In this strange feeling, she instinctively stopped her, “Don’t!”

Her palm reached out and firmly grasped the snowflake earring before Su Mingxiu’s spiritual power could reach it.

Fortunately, Su Mingxiu hadn’t used much force and was able to disperse the condensed spiritual power in time, so she didn’t injure Sui Yihuan’s hand in her rash protective action.

As if understanding her confusion, Sui Yihuan herself couldn’t explain why she had to keep this earring.

She even remembered that from the first time she stepped into this little garden, she felt a rare sense of peace…

And an indescribable sadness. Even though it was her first time here, it was as if this tranquility and peace were as fragile and easily shattered as a dream.

—As if she had once tried everything to preserve it.

“You… How can you be so overbearing when giving gifts?” Suspecting that she might be suffering from the aftereffects of an illusion, Sui Yihuan held the angular snowflake, looking at Su Mingxiu unhappily.

Since their reunion, Su Mingxiu, under the close watch of the Heavenly Dao, had been particularly restrained, almost not daring to reveal her true nature. Hearing the word “overbearing,” she raised an eyebrow.

She felt that… she couldn’t quite figure out Sui Yihuan’s thoughts at this moment.

But seeing that she had changed her mind and refused to hand over the earring, Su Mingxiu could only let her be. She even acknowledged her accusation, only calculating the time and casually asking, “Are you hungry? Do you want a midnight snack?”

Sui Yihuan: “?”

She couldn’t keep up with this flower spirit’s train of thought. She looked up at the moon above her in a daze. Then she thought of the dishes she had seen in the dining hall in the evening, and her face turned the color of vegetables. She shook her head vigorously.

Su Mingxiu seemed to be able to read her mind, smilingly adding, “It’s not from the dining hall. The taste is about the same as the food box I gave you earlier. Even so, you don’t want to try it?”

The person shaking her head suddenly seemed to be hit by a immobilization spell.

She wavered between restraint and honesty.

Just as she was about to make a decision, she saw the owner of the small garden walking out of the flower bushes. Sui Yihuan quickly took two steps to follow her. Just as they walked out of the spiritual garden, they saw two figures walking towards them on the fragrant path.

The person in front was wearing a black outfit with the Sword Sect emblem on the collar and cuffs. As for the one behind…

Even without a sect emblem, just from the exaggerated bells on her wrists and ankles, and the fragrance that was completely different from the natural floral scent around them, it was obvious that this was a disciple of the Joyful Union Sect.

Coincidentally.

Su Mingxiu, who was walking in front, also wanted to turn around when she saw these two people. Unfortunately, the swordsman had good eyesight and called out to her before she could turn, “Daoist friend Su.”

When Xiao Xingwei spoke, the expression of the Joyful Union Sect disciple beside him was particularly ugly. But they were on someone else’s territory, so she finally called out her name in a low voice, “Su Mingxiu.”

But her eyes were full of “you better not interfere.”

…Su Mingxiu?

Hearing this name, Sui Yihuan felt that it suited the Hundred Flower Sect more and more. Her gaze was fixed on the grass at her feet, her mind wandering as she wondered which two characters made up the pronunciation of Mingxiu.

But the protagonist, who was being watched by all three of them, seemed not to see Xiao Xingwei’s gaze, nor did she care about the person from the Joyful Union Sect. She just walked up to the two of them very coldly, “Excuse me.”

Xiao Xingwei didn’t move. The Joyful Union Sect disciple’s expression became even uglier. In the end, it was the Sword Sect’s leader who broke the strange atmosphere, “Daoist friend Su, the conference hasn’t started yet, and we are new here. We don’t know the rules of the Hundred Flower Sect. We have forgotten how to get back to our lodging. We hope Daoist friend can help us.”

“I’m busy.”

Su Mingxiu didn’t believe his words.

First, when these disciples were brought in, the Hundred Flower Sect had explained the rules and designated the areas they could and could not go to.

Even if someone really couldn’t remember, the temporary tokens they were issued could also serve as guides.

Second, she was very annoyed by this protagonist chosen by the Heavenly Dao and didn’t want to get involved with him.

Unfortunately, fate was not up to her.

The thing that hadn’t come out when she was interacting with Sui Yihuan earlier, now that it saw Xiao Xingwei, it couldn’t wait to come out and annoy her again: “Don’t forget the task I gave you, and don’t forget what you promised me. You better not refuse Xiao Xingwei’s request.”

“So this is the hospitality of the Hundred Flower Sect. No wonder it’s the most declining of the Four Sects. In my opinion, if you don’t want to hold this conference, you should give up the opportunity early. Forcing yourself to take on something you can’t handle, your greed is too ugly.”

The woman from the Joyful Union Sect moved a little closer to Xiao Xingwei, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness, but her sarcasm was very sharp.

Even Sui Yihuan, who didn’t want to get involved, frowned.

Suddenly—

A willow branch from a nearby tree, which was thick enough to cover the path and had lush, drooping branches, whipped towards the Joyful Union Sect disciple without warning. The blow directly shattered the protective treasure worn on her body. The woman only had time to close her eyes and scream, thinking that the branch was going to land on her face.

“Ah!”

But only a gentle breeze passed by, and nothing happened.

The sudden attack of the willow tree seemed to be just a punishment for her disrespect to the Hundred Flower Sect. Or perhaps it was because Xiao Xingwei, who was beside her, summoned his Tai’e Sword, looking around vigilantly while raising his hand to protect her, “Daoist friend Xuan.”

When he said her surname, Su Mingxiu finally remembered the name of this Joyful Union Sect disciple. Xuan Chan was the leader of the Joyful Union Sect’s disciples in this generation, and also one of Xiao Xingwei’s admirers.

A male protagonist with exceptional cultivation talent, a female supporting character full of malice towards other women, and this melodramatic plot full of suffering and torment. Thinking that she was once a part of this brainless story, Su Mingxiu felt a surge of disgust towards the Heavenly Dao.

She didn’t say a word from beginning to end. At this moment, she just turned sideways and reached out to Sui Yihuan, “Let’s go.”

At this moment.

Xuan Chan, who was being protected by Xiao Xingwei, thought of her fear of almost being disfigured by the willow tree. Seeing that Su Mingxiu still didn’t take her seriously, she was overcome with anger and malice. She turned the bells on her wrist, releasing a Nascent Soul spiritual power that her master had placed in it towards Su Mingxiu!

“Be careful!”

“Xuan Chan!”

Seeing this attack, Sui Yihuan could only widen her eyes, instinctively grasping the hand that Su Mingxiu had just extended to her.

Xiao Xingwei, who reacted a little faster than her, could see the trajectory of this Nascent Soul spiritual power, but he was completely unable to do anything about it. He could only shout at Xuan Chan, who had suddenly launched a killing move.

You’re courting death.

Facing the killing intent of this spiritual power phantom, Su Mingxiu was about to respond when she heard a rumbling sound. Her eyes, which had gathered killing intent, paused. She remembered that the movement of the Hundred Flower Sect’s protective formation was nearby. Now that the protective formation was already abnormal, if it was hit by this Nascent Soul spiritual power, it would probably…

“Stop!” Before the spiritual power could hit Su Mingxiu, the Heavenly Dao shouted in terror, “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be the female protagonist anymore! I grant you freedom, but don’t get in my way. Since Xiao Xingwei has been chosen by me as the protagonist, he also needs a female lead to match him. This Xuan Chan is the new female lead I have chosen for him!”

【If you don’t want Sui Yihuan to be chosen by me, let her go this time!】

The thunder spiritual power gathered in her sleeve dissipated. Su Mingxiu let her body fall into the crack that had opened in the path, just missing the spiritual power that was about to hit her.

The dark, bottomless chasm swallowed everyone on the path.

Su Mingxiu, who fell first, looked at the panicked Sui Yihuan above and finally couldn’t resist. She gathered her spiritual power into a rope, wrapped it around the other person’s waist, and pulled her into her arms to protect her.

At the same time, she saw the red light flashing from Xiao Xingwei’s Tai’e Sword. He should be busy catching Xuan Chan.

During the endless fall, Su Mingxiu released her spiritual power to probe the surrounding environment. She didn’t forget to communicate with the Heavenly Dao, “Saving her life wasn’t part of our previous agreement. If you want to protect her, you have to offer something in exchange.”

【…】

Although it knew she was blackmailing it, the Heavenly Dao also knew that if it wanted its chosen Child of Heaven to continue to exist, it had to rely on Su Mingxiu’s power. So it quickly said, “The center of the protective formation is right below, the array eye that Ye Qingbai altered. Your previous actions must have made her realize something was wrong, and Xuan Chan’s Nascent Soul attack made Ye Qingbai target you. She now wants to pull the intruders to the bottom of the array as nutrients.”

【You must not let my male and female leads fall into this! There is a cave five hundred meters diagonally below, leading to the back mountain of the Hundred Flower Sect where the ancestors are sleeping.】

Almost as soon as the Heavenly Dao’s voice fell, Su Mingxiu had already turned around in mid-air with the person in her arms. Before her spiritual power could even spread out, the silver fan in the person’s hand pierced into the cliff, and at the same time, she wrapped her arm around her waist.

“You flower spirit…”

Sui Yihuan didn’t know why she had suddenly fallen towards Su Mingxiu’s direction. But this didn’t stop her from frowning and lecturing the other person, “At such a dangerous time, it’s one thing for you not to run yourself, but we are neither friends nor family. Why did you let yourself cushion my fall?”

Su Mingxiu: “?”

She was stunned for a moment.

She hadn’t decided whether to ask Sui Yihuan what “flower spirit” meant first, or to explain that she wasn’t trying to cushion her fall earlier.

But seeing that the silver fan that the other person had inserted into the cliff was bending precariously because it was bearing the weight of two people, she said quickly, “I think I saw a cave. Why don’t I jump over and check it out first, and then you can come over?”

Huh?

Thinking that she had just escaped death under the attack of the Joyful Union Sect disciple, and now she was almost smashed to pieces, how could Sui Yihuan agree to let her explore the way? But before she could refuse, the other person easily pried her fingers open and let her body free fall.

“Hey!”

Sui Yihuan’s voice came from below, full of anxiety. Su Mingxiu naturally heard it, but as soon as she landed in the cave, she found that it was full of poisonous snakes, like a snake den. Fortunately, she had thunder spiritual power, which she released to stun them all. Because she didn’t know if Sui Yihuan was afraid of snakes or not.

So when she let the other person jump down, she caught her but didn’t let go, planning to carry her forward.

Struggling for a moment and finding that she was as if locked by vines, unable to jump down, the red-clothed cultivator’s face instantly turned as red as her clothes in the darkness. She clung to Su Mingxiu’s shoulder, trying to get down, “You… let go!”

This frivolous flower spirit!

She knew that these spirits were all libertines! She had actually been deceived by Su Mingxiu’s cold appearance earlier!

“Are you sure, Daoist friend Sui? There are bones everywhere in this cave. They are probably the remains of the predecessors of my Hundred Flower Sect who once cultivated here. Daoist friend is unfamiliar with this place, can you release your divine sense? Otherwise, you might inadvertently offend the predecessors.”

Taking advantage of the fact that the child was polite, Su Mingxiu missed the scent on her body and held the fragrant jade in her arms, speaking nonsense with a straight face.

The person in her arms really fell silent, and she didn’t even dare to struggle too hard, for fear that she would step on the skull of some predecessor as soon as she landed, and be accused of disrespect by the Hundred Flower Sect.

But she had never been so close to anyone other than her mother in her life, let alone being held in this “princess carry” style. Smelling the fragrance of the mortal flowers on the other person’s body, she could feel the temperature on her neck rising.

“Daoist friend Su… are you always so intimate with people?”

Realizing that her current thoughts were inexplicably dangerous, and fortunately it was pitch black in this cave, Sui Yihuan thought that the other person wouldn’t release her divine sense, just to be familiar with the terrain, so she began to randomly change the subject.

Su Mingxiu carried her towards the depths of the cave. The aura she released scared the bats roosting in the cave into hanging on the rock wall, not daring to move. She lowered her gaze and saw Sui Yihuan’s tomato-colored face and the skin on her collarbone. The smile in her eyes deepened.

But getting benefits also had its drawbacks.

The rare, pure object of her affection… was right at her lips, but she couldn’t eat it.

She could only rely on her memory to move forward, while casually replying, “Not really.”

Oh.

Sui Yihuan understood. Then she felt that she must have been overthinking. Perhaps Su Mingxiu wasn’t being frivolous. Both times she was abrupt, it was just to save her—she really shouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation.

【Excuse me,】 the Heavenly Dao said woodenly in Su Mingxiu’s ear, “May I ask when my great former female protagonist will remember that the current male and female leads are still outside in a perilous cave?”

At that time, Su Mingxiu was passing through this long cave towards the back mountain of the Hundred Flower Sect. Thinking of a certain opportunity she had obtained when she accidentally fell into it, she casually made a hand seal and threw it out, replying casually, “Don’t worry, they won’t die.”

Xiao Xingwei, who was flying unsteadily in the air for the first time while carrying someone, felt that the spiritual power consumed by his flying sword was faster than ever before because of the strange attraction from the ground.

Fortunately, just as he was about to be unable to support Xuan Chan, she keenly discovered a mountain cave entrance with a Hundred Flower Sect entry sign. The flying sword wobbled and fell.

Xuan Chan, who was still in shock, had just landed and hadn’t had time to complain about this damn place of the Hundred Flower Sect when she screamed again, “Ah!”

“Brother Xiao, my ankle hurts so much… I think I was bitten by something.” Xuan Chan fell to the ground, touched something, and screamed again. The man, who had originally wanted to go outside to see if he could save Su Mingxiu, was stunned. When the sword light illuminated the area, they both turned pale at the sight of the poisonous snakes on the ground.

Fifteen minutes later.

After clearing the poisonous snakes, Xiao Xingwei cautiously looked towards the depths of the cave with his sword, wanting to take Xuan Chan away from this place. But the person who had been resting nearby was now blushing, breathing heavily, looking at him with watery eyes, and saying in pain, “Brother Xiao, I’m so hot, I feel like I’m going to be burned to death…”

While the two of them were in danger from the snake venom, Su Mingxiu carried Sui Yihuan to the exit of the cave and smelled a refreshing, cool fragrance.

Sui Yihuan only felt refreshed, as if all the dangers she had experienced tonight had been smoothed out. She felt as if she were soaked in a jade liquid full of spiritual energy. Fatigue, unhappiness, all negative emotions disappeared, and her state of mind was exceptionally peaceful.

“It’s the Serene Realm Grass.”

After the pleasant voice entered her ears, Sui Yihuan found that the other person had finally put her down. Then, the green-clothed female cultivator walked to a corner where a crystalline light was emanating, squatted down, and observed the green herb with jade-like leaves.

This grass only bore fruit once every thousand years. Before fruiting, it would instinctively sense danger, releasing an illusion to trap those who coveted it, both humans and beasts, forever. The fragrance emitted by the leaves could create illusions.

But the fruit it bore was the best antidote. Once eaten, one would be immune to all illusions from then on, free from these false troubles, and their state of mind would be clear and bright.

In the previous life, this was what Su Mingxiu found when she was hiding in the back mountain of the sect, just as the sect was about to be destroyed.

It was because of this Serene Realm Fruit that she was able to maintain her true heart no matter what danger she was in, go through all the hardships, and never fall into the demonic path.

When Sui Yihuan heard this, she only felt that it sounded familiar. Because she had lived at sea all her life, she was very familiar with things from the sea.

But she was not very familiar with the treasures of heaven and earth on land. So she couldn’t remember what it was for a long time. She only vigilantly tugged at Su Mingxiu’s sleeve, “Usually there are natural spirit beasts guarding treasures. We should be careful.”

Su Mingxiu didn’t say that the spirit beast guarding this herb had long since fallen into an unending dream. In this dim light, she just smiled and asked her, “Do you know what the characteristics of this grass’s fruit are?”

“I don’t know.”

Before she could say the next sentence, the Heavenly Dao warned in time, “Since you are no longer the protagonist! You cannot take the protagonist’s opportunity! You must leave this fruit for Xiao Xingwei.”

Hearing it say this, Su Mingxiu’s eyebrows twitched again.

—Why should she give her things to others?

“The protagonist can’t be too greedy. Besides, Xiao Xingwei already has the best opportunity that others can’t even ask for. Why should he take all the luck in the world?” She replied meaningfully.

Heavenly Dao: “What best opportunity?”

【Me, a person as powerful as me, will be his support and cheat. From now on, in these nine continents and four seas, who can harm him even a little bit?】

Su Mingxiu’s sarcasm choked the Heavenly Dao. At the same time, she quickly reached out and plucked the Serene Realm Fruit. The green, transparent, water-drop-like fruit looked delicious. She said to Sui Yihuan, her voice not too loud or too soft, as if talking to herself, “I heard it’s very sweet. I’ll try it.”

Thinking that this lotus spirit was always verbally and even physically bullied by others and didn’t dare to fight back, Sui Yihuan was very suspicious of her judgment, especially when she heard her unreliable description of this treasure. She subconsciously wanted to tell her to be more cautious, “Wait!”

No matter what, she should check the sect’s records first. She had heard that many treasures and poisonous things looked very tempting. What if this was poisonous!

She hurried over, her lips slightly parted, approaching Su Mingxiu to tell her to be careful. Who knew that the person who was about to put the fruit in her mouth suddenly turned her wrist and stuffed the green fruit into her lips.

Caught off guard, the person who had just finished speaking didn’t have time to react. She wanted to spit out the fruit, but found that this spiritual object melted into a cool, sweet liquid as soon as it entered her mouth, like a cold summer drink, melting in her mouth, directly sinking into her throat, and falling into her stomach.

Then, she felt a cool and refreshing sensation throughout her body, but her dantian was warm. And her realm, which had been fixed at the Great Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment, loosened a little.

It was a spiritual object.

From her spiritual platform to her meridians, every inch of her reaction was the most direct way of telling her what good thing she had just eaten.

The green-clothed female cultivator was still squatting beside the grass, a smile on her lips, making the small mole at the corner of her eye seem to shimmer. “How is it? This midnight snack tastes good, doesn’t it?”

Sui Yihuan: “…”

She stared wide-eyed, not understanding why Su Mingxiu could so casually stuff such an opportunity into her mouth and ask her how it tasted in such a joking tone.

This! Was this a midnight snack!

“You… you’re simply being unreasonable.”

Hearing her say this, the cultivator squatting on the ground stood up. Because the cave was narrow, barely enough for two people to pass through, at this moment, as Su Mingxiu approached, Sui Yihuan wanted to retreat, but her lower back was already pressed against the cold wall.

The “lotus spirit” approaching her seemed unaware of this. Her nose almost touched her lip bead, and the warm, moist breath from her speech fell on her neck. After sniffing lightly, Su Mingxiu asked with certainty, “Isn’t it sweet?”

“Or, are you trying to trick me into trying it too?”

Chapter 210: So I’m the Protagonist After All (6)

Sui Yihuan, even after leaving with the food box, realized that she had never asked the lotus spirit’s name, even though they had met so many times.

Back at her temporary residence in the Hundred Flower Sect, the Lotus House, she saw several of her servants craning their necks and sniffing in her direction, looking very eager. “Miss, where did you get that food? It smells so good!”

She sat down by the scenic lotus pond and saw their expressions. She originally intended to share the food she had obtained.

But after smelling the extremely tempting aroma and seeing that there were only three to five buns and a bowl of white fungus soup inside, she immediately changed her mind. “Didn’t you eat at the dining hall before noon?”

Hearing her mention the “dining hall,” the faces of those who had gathered around changed, twisting in various ways. Only the leader sighed, “The food in the dining hall is indeed very nourishing, but it’s things like stir-fried spirit grass with fire peppers, bitter leaf and spirit fruit juice… In the mortal world, isn’t that just randomly juiced vegetables and stir-fried green vegetables with chili? Who would want to eat that?”

Fortunately, besides planting flowers, the disciples of the Hundred Flower Sect were also skilled at growing vegetables and fruits. They all relied on eating spirit fruits to fill their stomachs. If that wasn’t enough, they could also eat inedia pills.

In short, they would never torture themselves.

Hearing them say this, Sui Yihuan, who was already holding a bun and about to take a bite, hesitated for a moment. But because she was really too hungry, she bit into it with a do-or-die attitude. The juice that burst on her tongue almost scalded her. Then she couldn’t care less about the pain, because the delicious soup had touched every inch of her tongue.

It was so fragrant.

Sui Yihuan quickly ate three buns before stopping, pretending not to see the expressions of her servants who were about to drool. Instead, she asked, “Have you contacted Father?”

Compared to the One Sword and Four Sects, the Qiangshan Sect was more like a family-based sect, similar in nature to the Thirteen Schools. They were all people who made a living at sea. Cultivation and stronger physiques were only for the family to survive better.

Sui Yihuan’s biological father happened to be the leader of the Qiangshan Sect in this generation. Because he felt that the nine continents were vast and rich in resources, and Sui Yihuan was a girl, he couldn’t bear to see her follow in his footsteps and make a living at sea, spending her whole life on a boat.

So, when he learned about the Cultivation Conference, an opportunity to see the major sects, he found a way to send her here.

But not long after she left, she learned that her father had suffered a minor injury while at sea and needed to go into seclusion. If this opportunity to learn hadn’t been so hard to come by, and the children of the other elders in the sect either didn’t meet the standards or had already formed their cores, leaving her as the only option, she would have asked to turn back long ago.

“Not yet,” seeing Sui Yihuan’s worried expression, the servant comforted her, “Miss, don’t worry. With that elder protecting the Sect Leader, he will definitely succeed when he comes out of seclusion.”

“Hmm…”

After thinking about her father, Sui Yihuan thought about the long and boring books in the Winter Depository. For a moment, even her appetite was spoiled, and she listlessly drank the white fungus soup in one gulp, handing the remaining buns to them. “Pay more attention to this matter. Also, this Hundred Flower Sect is probably not peaceful. When you have time, cultivate more and don’t run around outside.”

“Don’t worry, Miss. We understand and won’t cause you any trouble.”

Sui Yihuan gradually became more familiar with the roads and finally adapted to the Hundred Flower Sect, a place full of spring scenery, dazzling and fragrant. She went straight to the Winter Depository.

Who knew that just as she was about to fall asleep while reading, she suddenly heard a soft voice nearby.

The voice was as delicate as an oriole’s, “But wouldn’t that mean the people from the Joyful Union Sect will be riding on our heads?”

“Since Huaxuan wants to take on those tasks, she naturally won’t disgrace our sect. Why should I steal her thunder?”

The voice of the person who answered was much more familiar to Sui Yihuan, carrying a lazy smile. Even from such a distance, it made Sui Yihuan unable to help but touch her ear.

“But I can’t stand it… That was clearly a task the Sect Leader gave you. Everyone knows that the people from the Joyful Union Sect are at odds with us. If we could suppress them this time, the fellow disciples would definitely be happy. Senior Sister, how can you do all the hard work in the beginning and give her the final glory?”

…Senior Sister?

Sui Yihuan, who had been somewhat sleepy, instantly became much more alert. She had thought that this woman was just an ordinary flower spirit, but it turned out that she had a high status in the sect.

But that’s not right.

The flashy woman earlier seemed to have said that this person was not favored by her master, which was why others dared to provoke her so recklessly and without restraint… Could it be because of her identity as a flower spirit?

Although the Hundred Flower Sect was tolerant of spirits, it was still an orthodox cultivation sect. Even if it could tolerate the existence of spirits, it probably still held the mentality of “not one of us.”

The person sleeping in the corner made a bunch of wild guesses. Not sure what she was thinking, the corners of her mouth curled into a mocking smile.

After a while, a disturbed Su Mingxiu came out. She casually stuffed the flamboyant clothes that Yan Miaomiao had forced on her back into her hands and stroked her little junior sister’s head.

“Be good. If you’re too idle, go water the herbs in your garden.”

She had come to the Winter Depository to look for information related to the protective formation, and to see if she could find any ancient scrolls related to the Demon Abyss, Heavenly Demons, and so on. But her little junior sister kept nagging her to uphold the Hundred Flower Sect’s reputation.

…The sect was about to be wiped out, what was the point of showing off?

“Senior Sister!” But the carefree little girl didn’t know this. The biggest conflict in her mind was the disagreement with the Joyful Union Sect.

If her Senior Sister’s face could suppress those disciples of the Joyful Union Sect, who relied on their beauty to seduce cultivators everywhere and looked down on those who were less attractive than them, she would be so happy that she could eat three more bowls of rice.

Su Mingxiu waved Yan Miaomiao and her clothes out of the Winter Depository. Then she took the white jade slips and scrolls she had just found and sat down opposite Sui Yihuan.

She didn’t know when she had started noticing her presence.

Sui Yihuan had been forced to listen to some things about the Hundred Flower Sect and the Joyful Union Sect. Now her eyes were round like a cat’s, and she seemed to want to explain something to Su Mingxiu. But the other person sat down, closed her eyes, placed the white jade slip on her forehead, and immersed herself in the sea of books.

She couldn’t even get a word out.

The Winter Depository was surrounded by greenery. At this moment, the soft light fell from the dome, casting a halo over the two of them. The mole at the corner of the eye of the woman in green seemed to shimmer in this light.

Sui Yihuan couldn’t help but stare at the person opposite her again.

Perhaps she stared for too long, because she became a little dazed. A scene suddenly appeared in front of her… In the scene, the woman lowered her eyes, looking at her sternly, holding a sandalwood ruler in her hand.

“Daoist friend Sui.”

The sudden voice shattered the blurry scene. Sui Yihuan raised her eyes and saw that the person opposite her had already put down the jade slip, raising her willow-leaf-like eyebrows, looking at her with a faint smile.

She instantly withdrew her gaze and looked down at the scroll in front of her. Her back broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that she had been unconsciously caught in some kind of illusion. But she couldn’t find any trace of it. Besides…

Fighting was prohibited in the Winter Depository, and there were protective restrictions everywhere. So she could only lower her voice, using her still-hoarse voice from just waking up, and asked Su Mingxiu:

“Have we, met somewhere before?”

Su Mingxiu didn’t expect her to stare at her for so long just to say this. For a moment, she found it a little funny.

Strictly speaking, in the previous timeline, she and Sui Yihuan should have met in the first class of the conference.

To be precise, Sui Yihuan was late and had to be punished. And she, as the enforcer, held the ruler and repeated the rules of the Hundred Flower Sect’s conference to her.

But now…

Su Mingxiu propped her chin on one hand, a faint smile on her lips. “Daoist friend Sui, this line hasn’t been used to strike up a conversation in the nine continents for many years.”

Being stared at by those eyes that seemed to see through everything, yet were unfathomable, Sui Yihuan understood the meaning. Her face suddenly flushed red, “I, I wasn’t trying to strike up a conversation…”

But she couldn’t say anything more. She could only bury her head and stare at the book, as if this could dispel the embarrassment on her face.

Jade slips had not been used for recording in the nine continents for many years, and the consciousness of cultivators who were just starting on the path was not strong. It was not easy to enter a jade slip to learn. Therefore, many basic books in the nine continents were still kept in the form of scrolls.

Su Mingxiu seemed to be imitating her. After she avoided her gaze, she openly looked at her. The intensity of her gaze made Sui Yihuan feel uneasy. Just as she was about to angrily tell this lotus spirit not to be so rude, she suddenly heard the other person say in a gentle voice, “This chapter is about how to prevent weeds from growing in the spiritual soil. Since I entered the Winter Depository, I haven’t seen Daoist friend turn the page. Have you encountered any difficulties?”

Sui Yihuan: “…”

Any embarrassment or anger she felt was now gone.

Only the shattered self-esteem of a poor student remained.

She instantly turned the page and said coldly, “No!”

Su Mingxiu looked at her meaningfully. After a moment, she shook her head, withdrew her gaze, picked up another jade slip, and placed it on her forehead, roaming freely in the sea of knowledge.

This time, she did find something related to the protective formation. However, the formation was too complicated. Even though Su Mingxiu was not unfamiliar with this path, it took a lot of her energy to remember the movements of the formation. When she came out of this jade slip, she found that the person opposite her had fallen asleep on the book at some point.

Staring at the person’s sleeping face, Su Mingxiu couldn’t help but smile again.

—The book was upside down, and she was still pretending.

But thinking about the child’s reaction earlier, she was afraid that if she told her the truth, she would run away in anger.

Su Mingxiu originally wanted to take off her outer robe and put it on Sui Yihuan, but thinking about the sensitivity of cultivators, she finally just raised her hand and waved the scroll in front of her silently to the top of the other person’s head, where it hovered, blocking the starlight-like light falling from above.

When Sui Yihuan woke up, she realized that something was wrong.

She secretly opened her eyes, wanting to see the reaction of the person opposite her, but saw that she was still in the same posture, with the jade slip on her forehead.

So she breathed a sigh of relief, got up, and slipped away, using her hunger as an excuse to go to the dining hall.

It was mealtime. Sui Yihuan thought about the buns and white fungus soup she had eaten at noon, and felt that the so-called dark cuisine was just the result of her subordinates’ bad luck. As long as she was careful enough, she could definitely find something good to eat!

Fifteen minutes later.

She looked at the sparsely populated dining hall, carefully examined the dinner menu, saw the dishes with strange colors being served, and stood in front of the table, speechless for a moment.

A disciple from the outer sect who was helping in the dining hall rarely advised, “During the conference, disciples can only eat in the dining hall and are prohibited from going down the mountain. Since it hasn’t started yet, you should go down the mountain to the Hundred Flavors Restaurant and try something good. You don’t have to rush to suffer.”

He seemed to be advising her not to rush to reincarnate.

Sui Yihuan was silent for a moment, and then, in a tone of serious inquiry, discussed with the other party, “Daoist friend, when I came at 3 PM, I tasted the spirit beast meat buns from the dining hall. They were indeed delicious. I don’t have any other requests, as long as I can have that dish—”

“3 PM? The dining hall stops serving lunch before noon. What meat buns did Daoist friend eat? It must have been other disciples using the dining hall to have a snack.”

“Uh…” This time, Sui Yihuan was completely silent.

Because she really didn’t have the courage to taste these strange medicinal meals, she finally left the dining hall with an empty stomach. Thinking of her embarrassing behavior in the Winter Depository, Sui Yihuan went to the spiritual garden instead.

She decided to first identify the plants that she had knocked down earlier and figure out how to save them, then return to the Winter Depository to look for solutions.

Because she had the talisman Su Mingxiu had given her, she wouldn’t be treated as an unknown intruder this time. Sui Yihuan relied on her memory to find the places she had affected last time. She found that apart from the carnivorous plant that had chased after her and scared some timid plants into wilting, the other plants that had looked miserable earlier were now back in the soil.

Sui Yihuan squatted on the ground and looked for a long time, just as she bumped into a disciple who had come to look after his own spiritual garden. Both of them were startled.

After a while.

“So it was you who scared my thousand-year-old spirit ginseng and broke three of its roots? Do you know how much each of its roots is worth— Okay, thank you for your patronage. Just be more careful next time.”

Holding a small bag of high-grade spirit stones, the Hundred Flower Sect disciple smiled so widely that his teeth were showing. His attitude towards Sui Yihuan was much more friendly.

Especially after learning that she could enter and exit this place because of Su Mingxiu, he was even more willing to answer her many questions.

“Oh, you’re talking about the Jiangyou grass in the Third Senior Sister’s garden… It’s fine. This grass is precious and timid. When something happens, it will create an illusion of its own death, but it actually hides underground and comes out when it’s safe.”

“Although the spiritual plants growing here have not yet developed intelligence, they already have the instinct to protect their lives. They will either break their tails to survive or fight back. They will not be easily harmed.

For example, there is a carnivorous plant in the Second Senior Sister’s garden. It is even more ferocious. Once it discovers an intruder, it will chase them out of its territory, regardless of their identity.”

…So the owner of the carnivorous plant that chased her was someone she had met.

With the help of this disciple, Sui Yihuan spent a little over half an hour using her spiritual power to restore the wilted plants to their original appearance, and then left compensation for the owners of the other gardens. She found that this task was a little easier than she had imagined.

Now only the small garden where mortal flowers grew remained.

The disciple following her saw the floating sign outside light up. He had wanted to tell her more about the flowers in Su Mingxiu’s garden, but when he saw this sign light up, he stopped in front of it. “Huh? Since Senior Sister is here, there’s no need for me to show off. Even though she has thunder spiritual power, which is incompatible with wood spiritual power, when it comes to taking care of these mortal flowers, no one in the sect can surpass her.”

Su Mingxiu discovered that there was a spiritual vein corresponding to the protective formation beneath her little garden.

She wanted to see if she could repair this protective formation, which was actually useless, so that the Hundred Flower Sect wouldn’t be completely defenseless when the demons invaded later.

But the rules of the formation’s operation were very strange. It wasn’t stagnant, but rather it was operating in reverse. It didn’t provide protection or defense, but… when she tried to stop it, it actually had an attacking property?

She knelt beside the rose bushes, and the moment her fingertip was cut, she withdrew her hand. Her movement was so fast that only after a moment did a drop of blood appear on her fingertip.

Even so, her rash action just now probably alerted the person behind her.

Su Mingxiu lowered her finger, thought for a moment, and then laughed to herself. So what if she alerted them? Was there anyone in the nine continents that she needed to fear now?

“You…”

Sui Yihuan, who had entered the garden at some point, saw her by the fallen rose bushes. She thought that this person couldn’t wait for her to tidy up this rose bush. But… how weak was this little flower spirit to be cut by a mortal flower?

No wonder that arrogant Second Senior Sister looked down on her.

Seeing the sharp thorns on the stems of the roses, Sui Yihuan walked over quickly, handed her handkerchief to Su Mingxiu, and said, “Let me do it. Since I promised to restore this spiritual garden to its original state, I will never go back on my word.”

Hmm?

Su Mingxiu turned her head and saw Sui Yihuan’s sincere expression, as well as the handkerchief she was holding out. She was silent for a moment, realizing that she seemed to have misunderstood something.

But if someone was willing to help, why not?

So she took the rose-colored handkerchief, pressed it to her wound, and watched Sui Yihuan’s movements. She saw that she quite skillfully cut off the completely broken stems, and then took out a stone engraved with a wood spirit pattern, activating the spiritual power within, causing the remaining plants to grow. She watched with great interest.

“Who taught you this?”

“A fellow disciple of yours that I met outside earlier.”

Su Mingxiu got her answer and nodded thoughtfully. But Sui Yihuan, who was facing away from her and looking at the growing roses, didn’t know. She suddenly asked, “Others who have spiritual soil plant either valuable medicinal herbs or rare spiritual plants from the outside world. Why do you only plant mortal flowers?”

“Are they not beautiful?”

Sui Yihuan turned her head and looked at Su Mingxiu with a puzzled expression for a moment, then replied, “They are beautiful…”

Then there was no more sound.

In the quiet garden, only the faint wind blew from the river. Just as Sui Yihuan thought she wouldn’t get an answer to her momentary curiosity, she suddenly heard the person nearby slowly say, “Mortal flowers have their own value. The person who planted them wanted to tell herself that she didn’t have to grow into a precious spiritual plant. She could be an ordinary rose, a sleeping lotus, or a sunflower. If she wanted, she could just be a nameless little flower, and that would be fine too.”

In the past, Su Mingxiu didn’t understand why she couldn’t get her master’s favor. She once doubted her value in the sect. It was only after she went down the mountain and saw the mortal world that she gradually saw things more clearly.

So she brought the spring scenery of the mortal world here, constantly reminding herself not to fall into vain obsessions, and to focus on her own value.

Later, this garden full of spring scenery also repaid her.

Suddenly, from the rose bushes in front of Sui Yihuan, a cluster of deep red flower essence flew into the air. From all directions, monthly roses, sleeping lotuses, daisies…

Countless flowers that she could name and couldn’t name all condensed into various essences, which finally turned into a pure hexagonal snowflake in the air. As the moonlight fell, it refracted different lights.

The hexagonal snowflake split into two, one large and one small, connected together, forming the shape of an earring, and flew to Sui Yihuan.

“This rose bush was the first thing I planted in the garden. Later, a unique rose grew—”

The person casting the spell smiled, with a usual lazy tone, as if joking, “Now you have also planted seeds here. To prevent Daoist friend from waiting too long for a reward, I will first give you a garden of spring scenery. From now on, no matter where you are in the nine continents, as long as you want to see spring scenery, you can take it yourself.”

The flower essence condensed in this earring would allow Sui Yihuan to see the most beautiful spring scenery, even in the cold winter of the north.

Chapter 209: So I’m the Protagonist After All (5)

…What?

Sui Yihuan was stunned for a moment. Her upward-curving eyes widened in surprise, resembling the startled pupils of a cat, or ripe apricots on an autumn branch, making one want to reach out and trace the outline of these beautiful eyes.

For instance, at this moment, after confirming that she wasn’t hallucinating, Sui Yihuan recalled the first time she saw this person, casually picking up a hairpin from a nearby stall and giving it to another young girl. Then she remembered what she had learned about the Hundred Flower Sect.

Because there were many sentient plants and flowers in this region, the sect had specifically taught her about some of the characteristics of plants and flowers, including their tendency to “like good-looking people, wantonly seek pleasure, and be frivolous.”

Thinking of this, Sui Yihuan pursed her lips. Her already beautiful, rose-colored lips became even more pronounced because of this action, making her lip bead more obvious.

But what was more attractive were her suddenly cold eyes. The previously ambiguous curve now turned sharp, instantly transforming into a piercing gaze.

—Su Mingxiu loved this aura of hers, pure one second and enchanting the next. It was like an extremely luxurious embroidery, where different words could be written on it, transforming it from a beautiful landscape to a scene of stern slaughter.

“What do you mean by that, Daoist friend?”

After all, she was in the prime of her youth and couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand in her eyes. Sensing the change in the aura around her, the sleeping lotus supporting Su Mingxiu trembled, and its petals inadvertently leaned towards her again. Su Mingxiu gently pinched the light purple petals and unhurriedly pushed them aside.

Then, she leaped down from the lotus stamen, as light as a gust of wind. When she stepped on the flowing river, it only created a thin ripple, like a dragonfly touching the water.

“I was joking.”

Su Mingxiu stared at the person not far away, her gaze falling on the weak, pitifully fallen roses at her feet. She downplayed the situation before the other person could get angry:

“There’s no need for compensation… Just replant as many as you knocked down.”

While the Heavenly Dao was on tenterhooks, wondering whether to issue a heavier threat, Su Mingxiu walked up to Sui Yihuan. Although they were about the same height, Sui Yihuan inexplicably felt that she was enveloped in the other person’s aura.

She had felt this way several times before when she was in the Qiangshan Sect—

When facing elders who were stronger than her.

But, how could a flower spirit…? It must be an illusion.

Now, her lips moved slightly, thinking that this lotus spirit was about to say something. But the other person walked past her, leaving behind a very light, almost bewitching fragrance of lotus.

When she reached the edge of the barrier, Su Mingxiu suddenly remembered something. She casually drew a talisman in the air and gently pushed it towards the girl who was still standing among the roses, not knowing what to do:

“This is an identity talisman for entering and exiting the spiritual garden. The books for identifying these spiritual plants are in the Winter Depository. Don’t be too reckless when you start. If you kill more than you trample, and my fellow disciples come to me asking about it, I won’t be able to help you.”

“But the flowers in my garden are all mortal flowers, so you don’t have to be too careful.”

While Sui Yihuan was still a little dazed, Su Mingxiu, having been awakened by her, calculated that the people from the Sword Sect would arrive soon. She simply let her avatar return from a secluded place and walked around the sect as herself.

“Senior Sister,” Just as she walked out of the spiritual garden, she ran into Yan Miaomiao. The young girl, who in recent years had been wearing a sky-blue gradient robe, from white to blue, looked like a blue hydrangea rushing towards Su Mingxiu, her face full of excitement. “I heard that the Sword Sect’s ark will arrive in a quarter of an hour. I want to see!”

As the most transcendent and powerful sect in the nine continents, and because the sword cultivators were more arrogant and stubborn, resulting in their strength surpassing others by a large margin, the disciples of the Sword Sect were also the most curious among the other sects.

Yan Miaomiao had never left the sect since she was a child. The grand event of the Cultivation Conference was enough to occupy all her thoughts. Now she was pestering Su Mingxiu to take her to see the world.

“There’s nothing new about the Sword Sect’s ark…”

Su Mingxiu let her hold her arm as they walked towards the sect gate, lazily speaking. Disciples who had never participated in any grand events might always be yearning for such pomp and circumstance. As someone who had seen a lot of the world, she only felt indifferent when she thought of the Sword Sect.

“That’s the number one sect in the nine continents!” Yan Miaomiao gestured with her hands in disbelief. She had seen the Hundred Flower Sect’s ark, which was no less than a small, bird-and-flower-filled secret realm flying in the sky. The people of the Joyful Union Sect liked all kinds of musical instruments, as elegant as they could be. She had heard that when they traveled, they would create auspicious signs of cranes and clouds from afar…

Let alone the Sword Sect.

“You’ll know when you see it,” Su Mingxiu said simply.

Even though the Cultivation Conference was about to be held, the Hundred Flower Sect’s protective formation was not fully opened. This was the arrogance of a major sect.

The participating disciples and the sects’ flying boats could only stay outside the protective formation. Then they had to hand over their conference name tags and be led into the sect by the Hundred Flower disciples.

Soon, a huge object emerged from the clouds in the sky, slowly approaching. Standing outside the formation, Su Mingxiu didn’t even look up at the sky. Instead, she was lost in thought, wondering if Sui Yihuan had found her way to the vegetable garden.

It would have been better if she had given her a ride earlier.

Unfortunately, with the damn Heavenly Dao watching, and she hadn’t found some key information yet… She could only suppress herself for now.

Compared to her absent-mindedness, Yan Miaomiao was straining her neck to look. When she saw the full appearance of the dark shadow in the clouds, she couldn’t help but be a little speechless.

This flying boat was spectacular… but the edges were slightly green with moss, and it looked like it had been patched up in some places, somewhat dilapidated…

She opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word.

Her face was full of: Just this?

When Su Mingxiu came back to her senses, she saw her little junior sister’s expression and her eyes curved. The next moment, her divine sense captured several approaching spiritual powers. Her gaze suddenly turned, and she saw several spiritual swords beside the dark flying boat in the sky, like guiding birds, neatly and sharply diving down—

Like a rainbow piercing the sun.

The sound of sword energy cutting through the sky was still in her ears, but a gentle voice sounded politely in front of her, “I am Xiao Xingwei, the leader of the 1351st generation of disciples of the Sword Sect, along with thirteen junior brothers. We are here to participate in this Cultivation Conference.”

Yan Miaomiao’s expression was completely stunned.

Precisely because she had seen too many flamboyant things from the Joyful Union Sect, she had no resistance to this sharp, undisguised display of power. When she met Xiao Xingwei’s gaze, she didn’t even react.

It was Su Mingxiu’s voice that brought her attention back, “Hundred Flower Sect, Su Mingxiu.”

After they had only spoken a few words, the flying swords landed and hovered behind Xiao Xingwei. The spiritual power of the flying swords was red and blue, looking like a rainbow in the sky.

The black flying boat slowly landed, letting off the younger disciples who had not yet mastered sword techniques. Then it shrank to the size of a walnut and was put away in the sleeve of a middle-aged man in a black robe.

Su Mingxiu’s gaze went over Xiao Xingwei’s shoulder and respectfully bowed to the middle-aged man, whose clothes were not even standard:

“Greetings, Elder Xuanling.”

The person she bowed to had already taken out his wine from his pocket, preparing to leave after dropping off these young ones. He didn’t expect to be recognized by a junior he had never seen before. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to put away the wine jug or hide it again.

The middle-aged man with a beard, looking a bit unkempt but still exuding a wild aura, nodded blankly. After a while, he seemed to regain his original nature and casually replied, “I didn’t expect the juniors of the Hundred Flower Sect to be so discerning.”

But he didn’t say much more. He waved to Xiao Xingwei, who had turned around and was preparing to stay with him, “Someone from the sect will come to pick you up when the time comes. I won’t stay here any longer. I’m allergic to pollen.”

Xiao Xingwei was stunned, and only saw a stream of light shoot towards the bottom of the mountain.

He could only turn around and try to explain to Su Mingxiu that Elder Xuanling of his sect had always been unruly. But the female cultivator, who had been particularly cold since they met, was now instructing the disciple beside her:

“You will lead the Daoist friends from the Sword Sect into the sect, guide them, and answer their questions.”

Actually, before coming to the Hundred Flower Sect, Xiao Xingwei had met Su Mingxiu once. In a remote village in the Southern Continent, he happened to encounter a spirit using evil techniques. While chasing it, he met Su Mingxiu and several disciples of the Hundred Flower Sect.

“Daoist friend Su, it’s been a long time—”

Xiao Xingwei subconsciously stood in front of Su Mingxiu and showed his signature smile. The Sword Sect was full of sword fanatics who didn’t care about human relationships and only recognized strength. Fortunately, he was not bad in strength, had an excellent appearance, and a gentle personality. There was no one in the sect who didn’t like him, and even outside, he was often treated favorably because of his appearance.

But this Su Mingxiu of the Hundred Flower Sect… was only polite when they first met, and now she was even more indifferent, which puzzled Xiao Xingwei.

Had he offended her somewhere?

As for Yan Miaomiao, she tugged at Su Mingxiu’s sleeve and whispered, “Senior Sister, I want to go too…”

Su Mingxiu originally wanted to say that other disciples could handle this kind of thing. But seeing Yan Miaomiao’s curious gaze constantly glancing at the people from the Sword Sect, she rubbed her head, “As you wish.”

After a pause, she said, “But remember to come back early. After noon, I’ll be waiting for you in the dining hall.”

Yan Miaomiao: “Huh?!”

Because the food in the Hundred Flower Sect’s dining hall was notoriously bad, disciples were used to cooking their own meals on their own peaks, or sneaking into the dining hall to use it after the outer disciples had finished their work.

Therefore, when disciples made appointments to meet in the dining hall outside of meal times, it meant they were going to have a feast.

But…

It was unexpected for this invitation to come from Su Mingxiu.

After all, Yan Miaomiao had never seen Su Mingxiu in the dining hall, let alone seen her cook. For a moment, she was both excited and a little nervous. Her fluctuating emotions completely overshadowed her previous curiosity about the Sword Sect.

“Little Martial Uncle.”

After Yan Miaomiao arranged for them to settle in a beautiful small building on the mountain, and the young girl had skipped away, a disciple of the Sword Sect spoke up, somewhat displeased, “The people of the Hundred Flower Sect are too arrogant, especially that Su Mingxiu…”

Xiao Xingwei’s good temper was well-known throughout the Sword Sect. Moreover, he was the rare closed-door disciple of an old ancestor of the Sword Sect who had come out of seclusion. In terms of seniority, he could be considered a martial brother to the elders. In addition, he was talented and intelligent, and in just one year since joining the Sword Sect, he was already at the Great Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment—

The most talented person in the nine continents took a full five years to go from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation.

But Xiao Xingwei was born with a Daoist constitution and was about to break this record. It was already giving the Hundred Flower Sect a lot of face for him to participate in their Cultivation Conference, yet he was repeatedly ignored by an unknown female cultivator.

Even if she was good-looking, the disciples of the Sword Sect were often chased by those of the Joyful Union Sect. Even if this one was particularly beautiful, they still felt it was just a difference between eighty and one hundred points. They felt indignant for Xiao Xingwei first.

Xiao Xingwei thought of Su Mingxiu’s face, and of those frivolous tabloids and interesting rankings in the nine continents, which ranked Su Mingxiu’s face as the number one beauty in the nine continents. The corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl up.

“It’s fine. Daoist friend Su has a cold personality, she has always been like this.”

Thinking of this, he felt the sword in his sea of consciousness spin around, exuding an arrogant aura, and his smile deepened.

In his sea of consciousness was the number one sword in the nine continents, the Tai’e Sword.

The number one sword should belong to him, and so should the number one beauty.

Everything that happened in this courtyard was unknown to Su Mingxiu. At this moment, she was in the dining hall, closing her eyes. She found that the location of the talisman she had sent out earlier was in the Winter Depository…

She was really a stickler for rules, it seemed she was really studying how to replant those trampled spiritual plants and flowers.

Thinking of this, her speed in kneading the dough became even more decisive. Because she hadn’t handled many ingredients from the cultivation world, the food Su Mingxiu made at first was very simple, just buns.

The wheat used for kneading was a specially cultivated variety of the Hundred Flower Sect. The flour it produced also carried spiritual energy, making one reluctant to waste it. After it had fermented, she sprinkled a thin layer on the table, rolled out the bun wrappers, chopped three kinds of spiritual beast meat, and added spiritual plants that were more tender than mortal vegetables. She only needed to sprinkle a little salt, but the fragrance emitted from the steamer was even more fragrant than the big meat buns from those bun shops.

In the clay pot, she simmered a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup. The white fungus, grown on the trunk of a thousand-year-old rotten tree, was already translucent. After being boiled by the spiritual fire of the dining hall, it almost melted into the water, becoming delicate and smooth, setting off the plump lotus seeds.

She only needed to sprinkle some brightly colored goji berries at the end, and at the moment she scooped it out, she placed it on an ice-patterned array. The cold air instantly froze along the porcelain bowl, turning the emitted heat into a leisurely coolness, transforming it into the most refreshing drink under the sunlight.

When Yan Miaomiao arrived, she almost stuck her nose into the pot.

“It smells so good! So fragrant!” She was so moved that she wanted to throw herself into Su Mingxiu’s arms and rub against her to express her gratitude. “Wuwuwu, Senior Sister, how can you be so good? Are these all for me?”

“Of course not.”

Hearing her almost crying voice, Su Mingxiu gently stroked her head, but the answer she gave was so ruthless.

Yan Miaomiao: ?

The tears hanging at the corners of her eyes and mouth paused for a moment. Then she was stunned for a while, before raising her hand to wipe them away, “That’s right, Senior Sister, you made so much, you must be hungry too. After all, the food in the dining hall is usually not something humans eat… When it’s ready, you eat first. I promise I’ll only eat a little.”

That wasn’t for herself either.

Su Mingxiu just smiled but didn’t explain. Instead, she stared at the talisman she had given out earlier, smelling the increasingly fragrant and tempting aroma from the two pots, slowly waiting.

However, the fragrance didn’t attract the person she wanted to attract, but instead attracted some stray dogs.

“I thought the dining hall had changed its ways today, and that elder was willing to make some normal food… But it turns out it’s our unsmiling Senior Sister cooking. What kind of miracle is this?”

It wasn’t mealtime, and the tables and chairs outside the dining hall were empty. But at the entrance stood a person dressed extremely flamboyantly. On closer inspection, every seam of his collar was inlaid with gold. When he stepped inside, he was even brighter than the sunlight falling at the entrance.

Su Mingxiu heard the voice but couldn’t remember who it was. She didn’t look in that direction. Instead, Yan Miaomiao, who was beside her, changed her expression, “Second… Second Senior Sister, why are you back?”

“Tch, our sect is hosting the Cultivation Conference, of course I have to come back. Otherwise, who would these matters be entrusted to? After all, some people have the title of Senior Sister, but they are actually disliked by their master and can only do chores every day.”

Hearing her say this, Yan Miaomiao immediately took a step towards Su Mingxiu. Her expression changed again and again, and finally she mustered up the courage to say crisply, “Senior Sister Huaxuan, you can’t talk to Senior Sister like that.”

The woman named Huaxuan narrowed her eyes. The next moment, a green plant emerged from the ground beside her feet. It grew from a sprout at an extremely fast speed, quickly growing vines and leaves. Then it produced whip-like branches, heading straight for the dining hall—

“Yan Miaomiao, and who allowed you to lecture me?”

Before the long branches could grab Yan Miaomiao, they were cut off in mid-air. Before Yan Miaomiao could react, Su Mingxiu grabbed her wrist and whispered in her ear, “Don’t listen to dogs barking.”

The woman’s eyes were curved, as if she were coaxing a child at home.

She didn’t take what had just happened to heart at all.

Yan Miaomiao stared at her blankly.

But Huaxuan, whose vines had been cut, was stunned for a moment, then became furious, and scolded her, “Su Mingxiu!”

The fire under the pot had long been extinguished, and only the steamer was still shaking uneasily. The woman who had been waiting by the side suddenly stood up straight, glanced outside the dining hall, and then hooked her finger, causing the lid of the steamer to rise. Cleaned lotus leaves flew over, and the white, plump buns in the steamer lined up and sat on the lotus leaves. After the leaves were wrapped around them, they obediently flew into the exquisite food box.

Even the white fungus and lotus seed soup in the nearby clay pot scooped itself out a bowl and sat on the ice-patterned array.

Just as all this was done, another figure walked into the dining hall, still dressed in fiery red. Her voice was dry because she was unfamiliar with the place:

“Excuse me… is there still any food at this time?”

After finally getting out of that area full of spiritual plants, which also triggered strange plant attacks, Sui Yihuan had a hard time asking for directions to the vegetable garden. When she handed in her task, she found that it was not yet the dining hall’s mealtime. She was too embarrassed to keep waiting, so she could only ask for directions to the Winter Depository first.

Who knew that the books on planting in the Hundred Flower Sect were too obscure and boring for her. She accidentally fell asleep, and when she woke up, she was still starving. On the way to the dining hall, Sui Yihuan noticed that there were few disciples around and realized that she had missed the mealtime. She originally wanted to leave, but she smelled a very fragrant aroma, so she came over with a last glimmer of hope.

But as soon as she took a step in, she saw a person surrounded by attacking vines, with thorns growing on them, rushing towards a figure behind the dining hall:

“Go to hell!”

At that time, Su Mingxiu was carrying the food box and was about to walk out. Seeing the sharp green thorns rushing towards her, she paused, thinking:

It doesn’t seem appropriate to use sword energy again.

After all, the people from the Sword Sect were here. If she accidentally bumped into them, it might seem like she was trying to steal another sect’s techniques. Her original spiritual power seemed to be of the thunder attribute. It would be better to release her spiritual power to form a thunder shield…

She looked blank.

Even when the attack was so close that she could see the black shadow in her pupils, she seemed completely defenseless. When Sui Yihuan saw this, she subconsciously threw out what she was holding—

The silver arc seemed to bring the coolness of the night here.

Yan Miaomiao only felt a stream of light cut through her vision, and then the vines that were approaching her Senior Sister, so fast that she didn’t even have time to warn her, fell to the ground.

Su Mingxiu tilted her head.

Huaxuan’s face was already twisted with anger. She glared at the person beside her, only to find that it was a completely unfamiliar face, “Who are you? How dare you interfere in our sect’s internal affairs?”

“Qiangshan Sect, Sui Yihuan.”

After the silver fan engraved with the shimmering lake returned to her palm, Sui Yihuan roughly knew this person’s strength. Her attention was all on the food box in Su Mingxiu’s hand.

The fragrance was coming from inside.

She had forgotten that in addition to saying that these little demons were frivolous, the books also mentioned that they were very good at cooking and handling household chores, as was often written in novels.

The fragrance she smelled told her that this lotus demon’s cooking was very delicious.

“What obscure small sect? I’ve never heard of it.”

But Sui Yihuan reluctantly withdrew her attention, thinking of what Huaxuan had just warned her about. She pursed her lips, and although she was displeased, she still said, “I have no intention of interfering in your sect’s affairs. I just can’t stand seeing someone bullying the weak.”

After a pause, she added, “I came here just to ask if there is any food left.”

Huaxuan was inexplicably silent for a moment.

She was a little unsure who this guy was referring to as “weak”…

Yan Miaomiao also stood quietly beside Su Mingxiu. The “Senior Sister” she was about to call out was suppressed by an extremely stagnant atmosphere. She looked left and right, and found that as long as they didn’t fight, it was fine. Besides… there was still half of the delicious food left in the pot.

Only Su Mingxiu easily followed her train of thought. She smiled at her, the tear mole at the corner of her eye having a kind of indescribable abruptness in the somewhat dim light of the room.

As she smiled, it kept swaying in Sui Yihuan’s eyes: “Thank you, Daoist friend. If you don’t mind, please enjoy this meal.”

She handed the food box over.

Sui Yihuan wanted to take it, and her fingertips unconsciously touched the back of Su Mingxiu’s hand—

The smooth, creamy touch captured her. She suddenly curled her fingers, moved to the side, and then almost snatched the food box away.

Even though she hadn’t eaten it yet, she couldn’t help but swallow.

She also swallowed the faint, lingering fragrance of flowers in the air.

This flower demon…

Sui Yihuan thought, was indeed a troublemaker.

Chapter 208: So I’m the Protagonist After All (4)

Yan Miaomiao was naturally startled by the commotion outside. But after taking a look, she felt that the red-clothed young lady wouldn’t lose, so she buried her head in her food again, not forgetting to scoop a spoonful for Su Mingxiu—

The future Venerable Zhaolin, who would be renowned throughout the nine continents, lowered her eyes and saw that it was just an ordinary spoonful of stuffed tofu.

It was just that the filling in the middle was changed to a type of spirit beast meat. And there was a faint smell of wine in the rich sauce.

Just a simple tofu dish, from the presentation to the seasoning, took a lot of thought. Su Mingxiu picked it up and took a bite, saying to the little junior sister opposite her, “It tastes good.”

Despite saying this, Su Mingxiu got up from the table, causing the round-cheeked little girl to look up at her in confusion, asking with her eyes where she was going.

The Heavenly Dao, on the other hand, warned her in a preemptive manner, “You promised me you wouldn’t actively approach her!”

Su Mingxiu didn’t respond to either of them. She found a waiter and asked about the situation outside, confirming that the rogue cultivator was just bluffing. Then she asked where the back kitchen was, and finally asked, “How many spirit stones do I need to pay to be an apprentice here?”

The waiter looked at her immortal-like face and stammered, “Huh?”

Su Mingxiu, who had been patiently waiting for an answer, had to ask again, “Then are the recipes for sale?”

If it weren’t for the Hundred Flower Sect emblem on her clothes, and the fact that the Hundred Flavors Restaurant’s business was largely supported by the Hundred Flower Sect, Su Mingxiu would have been politely escorted out for asking these two questions.

In the end, the manager came to talk to her. After learning that she just wanted to make a family meal, had no intention of opening a competing restaurant nearby, and didn’t intend to take the recipes back to the sect, they agreed on a very reasonable price for the recipes.

By the time she returned to her seat, Yan Miaomiao had already eaten her fill, her stomach round. She was reluctant to go back but was still pouring tea into her stomach. Su Mingxiu saw that she had indeed eaten a lot and couldn’t help but advise, “Weren’t you full? Why are you still drinking?”

“I’m full of the main course, but I can still drink more tea. If there were a fresh fruit platter or some dried fruit and candied fruit, I could also try harder,” Yan Miaomiao said.

Su Mingxiu understood—

This was probably the legendary foodie’s stomach, divided into many parts, with main courses, snacks, and drinks each occupying a part. Being full in one part doesn’t affect the intake of others.

But she did have other things she wanted to verify. So after Yan Miaomiao finished eating, she coaxed the child back to the mountain gate early with a takeaway box of pastries, promising to bring her out again next time.

That night.

Su Mingxiu concealed her presence and headed towards the back mountain of the Hundred Flower Sect. This was the place where the successive generations of the Hundred Flower Sect’s ancestors had returned to their souls.

Even if some had successfully ascended, they symbolically left behind some items as a cenotaph. In the previous life, the demon race had invaded the Hundred Flower Sect on a large scale, specifically for something in this back mountain.

But Su Mingxiu couldn’t quite remember what it was, just that she wanted to take precautions and also probe the depths of her current master, Ye Qingbai.

She was originally born into an ordinary family in the mortal world, but her family was poor and planned to sell her to a wealthy family as a child bride.

However, she was coincidentally met by the traveling Hundred Flower Sect Leader, who took pity on her and bought her back as a disciple.

Now that she thought about it…

It should have been not long after that when Ye Qingbai’s core was replaced by someone else.

Who could have thought that the Heavenly Demon, which had caused panic throughout the nine continents and was rarely seen in ten thousand years, had actually already infiltrated the Hundred Flower Sect. That power could not be completely hidden within a cultivator’s body, which was why Ye Qingbai had such an abrupt blood-red mark on her forehead.

“Who is it?”

Su Mingxiu had just approached the back mountain formation when she heard Ye Qingbai’s voice. At first, Su Mingxiu thought it was her own lack of cultivation that had led to her being discovered.

But thinking about it, she felt it was wrong. Cultivation was about the state of mind, and she had a natural Daoist constitution. Her path in cultivation should be smooth.

Now that she could raise her cultivation to the level of her previous life in an instant, even if the Heavenly Demon in Ye Qingbai’s body had a higher realm, it shouldn’t be able to detect her at this time.

Until two thin leaves came towards Su Mingxiu with the wind, but they were nowhere near her hiding place. Su Mingxiu’s hair was swept up by the wind, and she smelled a strong medicinal fragrance—

She belatedly remembered.

Ye Qingbai had a particularly sensitive sense of smell, and because she was immersed in the Dao of medicine all year round, perhaps because she usually stayed in that little garden, or because she had gone down the mountain to the mortal world today, her scent was carried over by the wind, arousing suspicion.

Seeing that her plan to explore the back mountain at night had failed, she could only stop there. The Heavenly Dao, which was watching her at all times, leisurely said at this moment, “The Heavenly Demon has appeared, and the nine continents are in trouble. If you want to stop her, you can bring Xiao Xingwei here tomorrow.”

【I was originally wondering why you entrusted the task of saving the world to me. Now I have a clue… You want to transfer all my luck to Xiao Xingwei?】

Su Mingxiu stood in front of the formation, in this dark night with its eerie winds, slowly passing the time with the Heavenly Dao.

“As the protagonist, you should respect fate and complete your predetermined mission. Since you are so resistant to the fate I arranged for you, then give up your identity. You should be happy that you no longer have to be forced by me.”

Perhaps because it was at its wit’s end, the Heavenly Dao didn’t hide as much from Su Mingxiu now.

Su Mingxiu just smiled faintly, “Indeed.”

She didn’t want to be the Heavenly Dao’s puppet, but… that was different from giving her own things to others to pave their way. Su Mingxiu didn’t think that giving Xiao Xingwei her luck would be a good thing for her.

But these thoughts were just a flash in her mind. On the surface, she yawned lightly, preparing to go to her dwelling. Halfway there, she remembered that her residence was on Ye Qingbai’s peak—

She made a sharp turn and changed direction to her little garden, which gathered all the spring of the mortal world. She cast a spell to enlarge a sleeping lotus, lightly tapped her toes, and lay down in the soft stamen of the lotus, smelling the intoxicating fragrance as she took a nap.

The petals of the sleeping lotus gently closed, its head lowered, watching the silvery moonlight flowing like water in the river.

Su Mingxiu slept straight through to the day of the Cultivation Conference. Sects from all over the nine continents were making their way to the Hundred Flower Sect, each using their own methods. Because the registration process would take two or three days and was a waste of time, and she also needed to deal with the elders and leaders of the various sects, she simply created an avatar to handle these trivial matters.

It wasn’t until the warning from the little garden’s barrier awakened her sleeping true body.

Not bothering to perceive her avatar’s experiences, Su Mingxiu pushed aside the lotus petals blocking her eyes, cast a spell to dispel the pollen that had fallen on her, and casually opened the barrier. Her voice carried straight out, “Who dares to trespass in the spiritual garden without a token?”

As a result, a person being chased by a carnivorous plant rushed in through the opening in the barrier, looking somewhat disheveled. She quickly stepped over countless flowers, and the originally beautiful rose bushes were knocked down and flattened by her movements. Only when she realized that the flower was no longer chasing her did she stop, still in shock.

Until she met the gaze of the person in the huge purple sleeping lotus in the river, with her right leg bent and one hand propping up her chin. Sui Yihuan was startled, “You… are you a disciple of the Hundred Flower Sect?”

The word “disciple” was really euphemistic.

No wonder she looked like a disciple of the Joyful Union Sect last time. It turned out… she was actually a flower spirit.

What cultivator would be so pretentious as to sleep in a pile of flowers? Sui Yihuan felt that her guess was eighty to ninety percent correct.

Su Mingxiu saw the mess she had made of the disciples’ spiritual gardens outside the barrier. If it were the original her, she would only find it troublesome. But knowing that there were many entanglements and past events between her and this person, Su Mingxiu smiled with interest.

“You are not allowed to approach her!” The Heavenly Dao, sensing the danger in her thoughts, frantically warned.

“Is this me approaching her? This is clearly her attracting my attention.” Su Mingxiu’s tone was very innocent, gesturing for the Heavenly Dao to look at the things she had damaged. “Do you think it’s more dangerous for me to demand compensation from her now, or for me to pretend that none of this happened, go to the sect to receive punishment, and let everyone know that our relationship is so close that we can take punishment for each other?”

Heavenly Dao: “…”

It didn’t want to choose either.

It could only angrily scold Su Mingxiu, “Why aren’t you at the gate welcoming the new disciples! Do you want to arbitrarily change the plot so that you can secretly collude with her?”

Su Mingxiu: ?

She was too lazy to argue with the system that this was because she didn’t want to work for Ye Qingbai. She only belatedly remembered that in the previous life, she had indeed heard that a new disciple had caused trouble when they first arrived at the sect and was punished to help in the kitchen for three months, making the already unappetizing food even worse. In those few months, the number of disciples from various sects who sneaked down the mountain to eat was more than the Hundred Flower Sect had seen in the past ten years.

So the culprit was her.

Which elder brought the “spy” into the kitchen?

Thinking of this person’s culinary skills that she couldn’t seem to learn no matter how many worlds she went through, Su Mingxiu was both nostalgic and glared at the woman’s feet, where the thorny roses had already fallen, “You trampled my flowers.”

“I’m sorry…”

Sui Yihuan said hesitantly not even daring to show her weapon, knowing that she had caused trouble on someone else’s territory. “I am a disciple of the Qiangshan Sect, here to participate in the Cultivation Conference. I received a pre-arrival task from your sect, saying that I should prepare ingredients for the kitchen. But the guiding token went out halfway, and I saw that there were all vegetables here, so I trespassed…”

She explained for a long time, and finally lowered her head, “How can I compensate you?”

Compared to yesterday on the street, when she was about to teach the fake medicine seller a lesson, she didn’t have that proud look now. She was more like a bird that had fallen into the water, limp and bedraggled.

“You trampled my roses.”

Su Mingxiu still had no intention of getting out of the sleeping lotus. She just smiled, in this spring garden full of blooming flowers, listening to Sui Yihuan’s proposed solutions of helping to replant and compensating with spirit stones. She chose neither, “Then you will be my rose.”

Sui Yihuan heard her say this.

Chapter 207: So I’m the Protagonist After All (3)

“Senior Sister!”

At noon, at the gate of the Hundred Flower Sect, a bright figure in goose-yellow waved at Su Mingxiu from afar, like a vibrant forsythia joyfully welcoming the spring breeze.

Yan Miaomiao had been identifying the spiritual herbs around the mountain gate, wondering how many she would recognize by the time Su Mingxiu appeared.

But in the blink of an eye, she instantly forgot what she had recognized and how far she had counted.

Because the Senior Sister of the Hundred Flower Sect had such charisma. Even though Yan Miaomiao had seen several spiritual herbs in the Hundred Flower Sect gain sentience and cultivate into human form, she couldn’t resist the stunning feeling every time she saw Su Mingxiu.

In terms of beauty, even the most beautiful peony spirit couldn’t compare to the radiance of Su Mingxiu’s features. But those spirits lacked the upright and righteous aura of a true cultivator that Su Mingxiu possessed.

Moreover, compared to the flamboyant attire of the other disciples and her unruly, wildly growing mortal garden, Su Mingxiu herself didn’t have much habit of dressing up, only wearing a thin shirt the color of willow green as she walked through the world.

Therefore, the spirits were not as elegant as her, and the other cultivators were not as beautiful. The Senior Sister of the Hundred Flower Sect was like a snow lotus tempered on an ice mountain, more radiant than any flower spirit, but because of her coldness, she was like a lake on the verge of melting, giving people a sense of icy beauty.

Even the wind that blew past her seemed to become colder.

Yan Miaomiao thought of the list of female immortals in the Nine Continents’ Records over the past century, where Su Mingxiu had suppressed the pretentious disciples of the Joyful Union Sect, and her mood brightened even more. “I heard from Master that the Sect Leader has entrusted you with the responsibility of organizing this Cultivation Conference. I was worried that you wouldn’t have time to fulfill our appointment.”

Moreover, her master had also told her not to be too playful these days, to be more sensible, and to help Su Mingxiu.

Thinking of this, Yan Miaomiao rubbed her nose a little embarrassedly. She wanted to generously suggest that they not go down the mountain today, but looking at the bustling human world below, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“It’s fine. The Cultivation Conference has been held for thousands of years, and the procedures are fixed. If we deliberately try to do something different, it might make the other sects think that the Hundred Flower Sect is trying to show off.”

Su Mingxiu explained casually, so that the child wouldn’t be too nervous to enjoy herself when they went down the mountain.

Yan Miaomiao was indeed relieved of her psychological burden. The two of them headed straight for the sect gate. Because Yan Miaomiao was too young, not yet of the age of a mortal woman’s coming-of-age ceremony, and because Elder Xuehan only had this one disciple, whom she treasured very much, she was usually not allowed to go out freely, lest she encounter danger she couldn’t handle.

—Even though at the foot of the Hundred Flower Sect’s mountain gate, it was unlikely that any demons or monsters would come looking for death.

Su Mingxiu casually took off her waist token and waved it into the air. A gap suddenly appeared in the long corridor formed by wisteria flowers nearby. The disciples guarding on both sides saluted them one by one, took the token, and handed it back to Su Mingxiu.

Major sects all had their own protective formations, mostly left by the founding ancestors or improved by later generations to become more powerful and secure. The Hundred Flower Sect was no exception. This protective formation was currently in a defensive state, preventing mortals from accidentally entering and having no offensive capabilities. To change it, the Sect Leader and elders had to work together.

As Su Mingxiu walked out, she didn’t forget to thrust an invisible sword energy into the formation from the corner. The next second, she saw no reaction from the formation. Even the disciples guarding the formation didn’t detect any alarm. Her eyes darkened.

So…

In the previous life, when the Hundred Flower Sect was freely invaded by the demon race, the formation had already been ineffective from this point on.

“Your meddling nature is still the same as before,” the Heavenly Dao suddenly said in her mind as Su Mingxiu continued to walk down the mountain with Yan Miaomiao, her expression unchanged.

Her footsteps momentarily paused.

As if knowing that Su Mingxiu wouldn’t say anything good, before she could retort, the Heavenly Dao spoke up in time, 【If you don’t want the Hundred Flower Sect to suffer this calamity for nothing, and you want to change the fate of these innocent people, it’s not difficult. I’ll give you your first task now: Tomorrow, when Xiao Xingwei of the Sword Sect arrives with his disciples, find a way to make him notice the anomaly in the Hundred Flower Sect’s formation (0/1)】

Xiao Xingwei?

It had been a long time since she had heard this name. When the Heavenly Dao mentioned the Sword Sect, Su Mingxiu barely managed to find an impression of this person from the corner of her memory.

Oh, the new generation genius of the Sword Sect, and one of the few people in the previous life who believed that she had not colluded with demons to destroy her own sect, nor had she killed her own master.

He had even, because Su Mingxiu was able to pass the Sword Sect’s trial path, pleaded with the sect to protect her.

—If he hadn’t once entered an ancient secret realm with Su Mingxiu and accidentally been poisoned by a strange evil, wanting Su Mingxiu to dual cultivate with him to detoxify, Su Mingxiu might have felt more warmth towards this name when recalling those favors.

As if reading her cold emotions, the Heavenly Dao said with some annoyance, “Xiao Xingwei is a hero of this world, born with a Daoist constitution, destined for a smooth cultivation journey. He would be a male protagonist and a child of destiny anywhere. He is not unworthy of you. If you hadn’t insisted on rejecting his pursuit, he wouldn’t have ended up in that state!”

…What state was that again?

Su Mingxiu had a hard time recalling things when she hadn’t seen the person. She could only remember a scene of blood mist and someone seriously injured. She simply threw this rotten person and his mess to the back of her mind.

She only sneered in her sea of consciousness, “Born with a Daoist constitution? So amazing?”

As if she didn’t have one too.

Provoked by her contempt and disdain, the Heavenly Dao felt the faint sensation of internal injuries, reminiscent of being angered to the point of vomiting blood in those small worlds. Thinking that this person, who should have been holding hands with the male protagonist to overcome various hardships and eventually stand at the peak of the world together, possessing so many unique and wonderful qualities bestowed by it, yet lacking the self-awareness of a female protagonist, repeatedly showing compassion to the sworn enemy who should not be loved, the Heavenly Dao felt that urge to vomit again.

As for Su Mingxiu, it was unclear whether she had accepted the Heavenly Dao’s task, as she looked nonchalant. While her little junior sister was enumerating the new dishes and pastries at the Hundred Flavors Restaurant in the city, she casually picked up a rustic hairpin from a roadside stall and gestured with it in her hair.

“Miaomiao, this suits you very well.”

The hairpin Su Mingxiu held was made by some unknown rogue cultivator and had a small illusion spell attached to it. The hairpin would change into different flowers depending on the temperature of the four seasons: peach blossoms in spring, jasmine in summer, osmanthus in autumn, and plum blossoms in winter. When worn on the head, it would also scatter a small shower of flower petals.

It might be too flamboyant for an older girl, but it was a nice design to amuse a child.

Yan Miaomiao happily accepted it, not minding at all that this accessory, which was technically a magical artifact due to the illusion spell, had no offensive power. After examining it carefully, for some reason, she suddenly put it away in her interspatial bag.

Su Mingxiu: “?”

The stall owner, who had been waiting for payment: “?”

Both were stunned. Su Mingxiu, under the gaze of the stall owner who looked ready to call the city guards, belatedly took out some spirit stones, but didn’t forget to ask her little junior sister, “Miaomiao, do you like this hairpin?”

“I like it!” Yan Miaomiao nodded without hesitation.

“Then why aren’t you wearing it?” This thing cost less than a hundred low-grade spirit stones, which was extremely cheap.

Moreover, compared to Yan Miaomiao’s defensive and offensive robes and accessories, it was not worth mentioning at all. Su Mingxiu had no idea where her reaction, as if fearing theft, came from.

When asked, Yan Miaomiao was also stunned for a moment. After reacting, her gaze couldn’t help but look around, but she saw nothing. In the end, she could only furrow her little brows in confusion.

“Strange…”

“I always feel like the things Senior Sister gives me are going to be stolen, and it seems like I’ve lost many things before. That’s why I was so cautious just now. But I just counted the things in my interspatial bag, and nothing is missing.”

Originally, Su Mingxiu had just asked casually, curious about her actions. But with her explanation, her expression suddenly became a little strange.

—She suddenly remembered that in the first life, that jealous Yu Yinglan really liked to steal the things she gave to others.

Immediately, her mind moved, and her divine sense quietly spread out, wanting to find that figure that haunted her dreams nearby.

On another street.

Seeing the red-clad figure suddenly change direction, several servants who had been following her asked in confusion, “Miss, why did we change streets? Didn’t you say you wanted to find some good things earlier? The street with the rogue cultivators was the one we just left.”

Sui Yihuan casually closed her silver fan, the Lake Light Fan. Thinking of the person she had been inadvertently attracted to earlier and the act of giving the hairpin, her expression darkened. “I saw someone from the Joyful Union Sect again.”

She said, “Bad luck, let’s change direction.”

The servants remembered that their young miss had once gone to a small secret realm with her fellow disciples and encountered disciples from the Joyful Union Sect. They were harassed all the way and almost lost their lives due to the other party’s schemes. So they all agreed, “Then we should indeed change direction.”

But the Cultivation Conference should start three days later. Are the people from the Eastern Joyful Union Sect here so early?

However… it is said that the Joyful Union Sect has always had a feud with the Hundred Flower Sect. Perhaps this is a new scheme by the Joyful Union Sect?

…Joyful Union Sect?

A street away, Su Mingxiu thought about the conversation she had heard and couldn’t help but change her expression. She looked up and down at her clothes, wondering how she resembled those flamboyant peacocks.

Then, she belatedly remembered that in this continent of nine, because of the power of the Joyful Union Sect, both male and female styles were particularly prevalent. Connecting this to the hairpin she had just given to her little junior sister—

Oh dear.

The Heavenly Dao suddenly laughed loudly in her mind.

In the previous life, Su Mingxiu had also organized this Cultivation Conference. But because she wasn’t late to the Spring Hall, she didn’t have this noon appointment with her little junior sister. Her encounter with that person… was in the first class of the conference.

This time, with the intention of compensating her little junior sister, she didn’t expect to accidentally give the other person such an impression.

Su Mingxiu chuckled for a moment, still at the hairpin stall. Yan Miaomiao, being broad-minded, had already put that strange thought behind her and was pulling Su Mingxiu towards the Hundred Flavors Restaurant.

“Senior Sister, hurry, the Hundred Flavors Restaurant only has two hundred servings of their daily specials. If we’re any later, we might not get any.”

Su Mingxiu subconsciously advised her, “The sect’s daily meals aren’t bad either…”

The words slipped out.

She realized she had spoken wrongly.

The meals that weren’t bad were from the Sword Sect, not the Hundred Flower Sect. As expected, Yan Miaomiao’s expression changed when she heard her words. She looked at her with a “Are you serious?” expression and then said to her in shock, “With Elder Yanling’s focus on medicinal properties over taste, the same person in charge of both the dining hall and the herb garden, the disciples don’t even go to the herb garden when they are injured or sick outside. Senior Sister, you actually think the meals are not bad?”

Then her expression suddenly changed, “Wait, I suddenly remember that the disciples always say there’s a mysterious person who never misses a meal, three times a day, and never complains about the taste of the food. Senior Sister, that person wouldn’t be you, right?”

Su Mingxiu: “…”

“It’s not me.” She denied this terrible guess with a straight face.

Then Su Mingxiu remembered why her cooking skills had improved by leaps and bounds in the previous worlds. It turned out to be instinctive experiences imprinted on her soul.

Hundred Flavors Restaurant.

Because the two of them didn’t come often, and the private rooms were all full at this time, Su Mingxiu and her little junior sister could only get a partitioned seat in the main hall.

Even so, because of the Hundred Flower Sect emblems on their clothes, their seat was still in the quietest and best part of the hall.

Su Mingxiu let her little junior sister order, not caring what to eat. Her gaze was instead fixed on the outside of the Hundred Flavors Restaurant.

Not long after, a stall was suddenly overturned. The stall owner’s wail was accompanied by an unrestrained voice, “You dare to sell fake medicine at the gate of the Hundred Flower Sect? You rogue cultivator, you’ve got some nerve!”

At the same time, the sunlight shining on the entrance was split by a flying silver light. The silver light spun in an arc and flew back into the distance.

Su Mingxiu propped her chin on one hand. When she narrowed her eyes slightly, the mole at the corner of her eye became even more prominent. She openly looked at the scenery outside the building, while the diners in the building were so stunned by her appearance that they stopped eating.

When she saw the red-clothed figure, as proud as the sun and as fierce as fire, landing with the silver fan, standing right in front of the Hundred Flavors Restaurant, Su Mingxiu couldn’t help but sigh in her heart:

What a spirited, proud, and righteous heroine.

—How did she get forced to become a demon by the damn Heavenly Dao?

She withdrew her astonished gaze, casually thinking of a red phoenix falling from the sky, folding its wings, stopping on a gold-inlaid ebony branch, with a gold chain on its claws, only able to show its beautiful wings to its master, raising its chin with haughty reserve.

As if recalling some texture, Su Mingxiu’s fingertips rubbed together, and she subconsciously reached for her neck, but touched nothing.

Oh dear.

I want to raise one.

She casually picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of the cooling chrysanthemum tea to suppress the inexplicable evil fire rising in her heart.

Probably because she had been abstinent for too long in the last world.

Su Mingxiu thought casually, not noticing that when she restrained herself from withdrawing her divine sense and gaze, Sui Yihuan, after hearing the stall owner fearlessly say that he had a backer, telling her to weigh her own strength, her gaze followed the other person’s towards the building.

And once again, she saw that overly bright face.

She retracted her gaze as if she had been electrocuted, feeling inexplicably more flustered. The killing intent in her silver fan grew stronger, “Oh, where is your backer?”

Chapter 206: So I’m the Protagonist After All (2)

The Heavenly Dao never expected her to be so rebellious, to add fuel to the fire of this already precarious world order.

Perhaps because this world-ending war was not part of the predetermined trajectory, the Heavenly Dao’s rules had already developed a loophole. So, faced with Su Mingxiu’s heaven-shattering sword strike—

It actually, as she wished, tore open a terrifying vortex.

“Su Mingxiu!”

“Compared to your previous pretentious attitude, this flustered look suits you better.”

The person rebuked by the Heavenly Dao recalled her natal sword. The sword light, which had previously been capable of cleaving through anything, became gentle and docile around Su Mingxiu, circling her affectionately. Even if its master wanted it to be the enemy of the whole world, it would gladly point its blade.

Seeing the irreparable tear in the sky caused by her sword, Su Mingxiu’s eyes showed a hint of contemplation, but more so, mockery.

It had reached a point where it couldn’t even mend such a small mistake. It seemed that the Heavenly Dao was not far from collapse. Su Mingxiu once again confirmed her judgment of it… She really couldn’t believe a single punctuation mark of what this damn thing said.

“Have you thought it over?” The sword light surrounding her became sharper. If any other cultivator trapped in this frozen time were to regain consciousness, they wouldn’t dare to approach this sword light, and even a glance might tear their vision.

But she seemed completely unaware of the earth-shattering threat she posed, still maintaining that leisurely tone, “Are you ready to resurrect my person?”

The Heavenly Dao had never been threatened like this since its birth. If it could take human form at this moment, it would probably cough up blood. It never imagined that Su Mingxiu would act so recklessly in those other worlds. After all, those were just its subordinate three thousand worlds, and restoring order was a simple matter.

But here, the person who had been reborn was just as stubborn, wanting to fight against the fate it had given her. Why was this happening?

After a moment of thought, the Heavenly Dao decided it was because Su Mingxiu, having regained her soul, did not possess her past life’s memories.

So it cast down a beam of light, returning a portion of her memories to Su Mingxiu, memories of her sect and the first half of her life with her fellow disciples.

Deliberately allowing enough time for Su Mingxiu to digest the memories, the Heavenly Dao then asked again, with a hint of restraint, “What now? Even so, do you still insist on letting this world shatter in this senseless war?”

Su Mingxiu’s answer was a number that puzzled it:

“Three.”

Heavenly Dao: ?

“One.”

As this last number fell, the sword light surrounding Su Mingxiu, with the force of a thunderbolt, once again pierced a hole in the already riddled and potentially collapsing sky.

She raised her hand and yawned, making it unclear whether she had received the memories or not. She calmly “negotiated” with the Heavenly Dao, “How many more hits do you think you can take?”

“Are you crazy?! If this world collapses, you won’t survive either, let alone your precious beloved being resurrected!”

It seemed her sword light was quite powerful, judging by the Heavenly Dao’s forceful, fluctuating, and emotional response.

But this immortal-like female cultivator seemed tired, lazily using her sword to carve out a large piece of ice from the hole created by the previous lightning strike on the frozen lake.

She even meticulously, like a sculptor, directed her natal sword to carve out a standard ice throne for herself. Then she slumped into it bonelessly, propping her chin on one hand, her eyes half-closed. Only the bright mole at the corner of her eye was visible, making the scene even more startling.

“I’ll give you ten more seconds to think about it.”

But now the Heavenly Dao didn’t believe she would really give it that much time. Judging by her unreasonable countdown earlier, this woman…

Or rather, the protagonist chosen by it to carry the fate of this world, was a complete lunatic.

A lunatic who wouldn’t stop until she achieved her goal.

Su Mingxiu wasn’t afraid of death, but it was. It wasn’t that the Heavenly Dao didn’t want her to change her mind, but in the process of restoring her soul earlier, the Heavenly Dao had already tried all sorts of methods to brainwash Su Mingxiu completely, to mold her into the shape it desired.

But whether it was tampering with her memories or hiding important figures from her, she still grew into the person furthest from what it wanted.

The Heavenly Dao was frustrated and threw down a few more bolts of lightning, this time avoiding Su Mingxiu’s location.

It looked… more like impotent rage.

Seeing that Su Mingxiu’s countdown was getting closer, the Heavenly Dao had no choice. In the end, it could only put on a brave face and say to her with difficulty, “This matter, I can agree to it.”

“But you must also agree to a few conditions.”

If it were anyone else, being able to negotiate with the Heavenly Dao and this so-called fate in this way, and obtaining such benefits, they would already be ecstatic. But for Su Mingxiu, she just lazily opened one eye, “Tell me first.”

She would decide whether to agree based on the conditions.

Heavenly Dao: “…”

It was furious.

But now all its plans had to be based on Su Mingxiu’s cooperation, even the reversal of time. If Su Mingxiu refused to cooperate, it still couldn’t maintain the order it desired.

And the Heavenly Dao’s conditions were very simple.

It could turn back time, returning the entire world to a thousand years earlier, to the time when Su Mingxiu first met that person. But it had only one condition—

It would compile the core trajectory of the entire world into a book and transmit it to Su Mingxiu. In this book, Su Mingxiu was an important supporting character who needed to help the protagonist complete all the tasks. And she also needed to stay away from the person who would eventually become the Demon Lord.

According to the Heavenly Dao, this Demon Lord carried the bloodline of the demon race and was destined from birth to bring war and chaos to the entire world, ultimately leading to its destruction.

But as long as Su Mingxiu was willing to cooperate with it, it could give them both a way out. As long as they helped the protagonist of the story complete all the plot points, in the end, it would also give them a path to be together.

This seemed to be all the concessions the Heavenly Dao could make in its desperate situation.

But Su Mingxiu closed her eyes, read the story, and connected it to her various confrontations with the Heavenly Dao after her rebirth. She let out a soft laugh.

“Alright.”

Originally, the Heavenly Dao should have been satisfied with her straightforward agreement. But coupled with her previous ambiguous laugh, the Heavenly Dao felt a little uneasy. It cautiously negotiated with her, “You must make a heart demon oath to never disobey the tasks I give you and to never actively approach this future Demon Lord.”

Su Mingxiu let out another chuckle, as if mocking its current timidness. She made the oath as it wished. As long as this Heavenly Dao existed, this oath would still be binding on her.

Reversing time, a forbidden technique that required cultivators to pay a huge price, also consumed a lot of the Heavenly Dao’s energy.

Su Mingxiu saw everything in this world dim as if it had lost the sun’s illumination. When the boundless darkness enveloped her, she saw faint white lights appearing around her.

She suddenly remembered that she had been to this place before—

After completing the task in Yu Yinglan’s world, she was placed in this very place, listening to the system tell her that the surrounding lights were the three thousand small worlds, and they would not actively accept her.

At that time, Su Mingxiu had no idea that she was so close to the final truth.

Even though she still hadn’t recovered her past memories of that person, thinking about returning to the moment they first met, Su Mingxiu was already filled with anticipation.

What would she be like, the one who would grow into the future Demon Lord…

Before she could even imagine it, the light suddenly broke through. The frozen lake that she could carve a throne from was gone, replaced by a captivating scene of birdsong and fragrant flowers. The pollen count in the air was so high that a sudden inhale could trigger a sneeze.

Startled birds and butterflies took flight. Su Mingxiu looked around and realized that the entire valley was occupied by flowers of all seasons, blooming together.

The morning light was soft, and the unopened blossoms were still covered in the cold dew of the night. The light was hazy with mist, and even the flowers in front of her seemed sleepy and dazed.

“Senior Sister!”

While Su Mingxiu was still in a daze, she suddenly heard a clear, sweet voice calling to her from beside her, “Are you looking at your little garden again?”

She turned her head and saw the person who matched the impression given by her voice. She was dressed in a goose-yellow robe, her hair styled in cute twin buns adorned with small apricot blossom-shaped magical artifacts. Her hair was fine and soft, complementing her delicate features, naturally inspiring affection in others.

Upon seeing the person’s face, Su Mingxiu’s mind naturally recalled her name, Yan Miaomiao.

She was the youngest junior sister in the sect and the apple of the Hundred Flower Sect Leader’s eye. Unfortunately, the sect would later face a catastrophe.

This little junior sister died in the chaos, her soul dissipated. Su Mingxiu was fortunate enough to find her reincarnation in the mortal world but ultimately failed to protect her.

This was part of the memories the Heavenly Dao had given her earlier, about the Hundred Flower Sect. Although Su Mingxiu had spent some time in this sect in her youth, because the Hundred Flower Sect was weak, she later chose the path of a sword cultivator. So, in her exceptionally long cultivation life, this was only an insignificant part.

But she always remembered this little junior sister.

Failing to save her had made Su Mingxiu feel guilty for a long time… Apart from these past regrets, this cute little junior sister was also the one she had taught in Yu Yinglan’s world, Ying Ke’er.

Presumably, this was also a manipulation by the Heavenly Dao. If she had been able to discard some unnecessary actions in the first world and stayed further away from Yu Yinglan, perhaps the Heavenly Dao would have been able to reshape her emotions and memories more thoroughly.

Thinking of this, Su Mingxiu’s anger towards this damn thing grew even stronger. But she didn’t show it on her face, only giving Yan Miaomiao a gentle smile, “Junior Sister.”

As for the garden the other person mentioned—

She looked back at the flamboyant display of flowers in front of her, belatedly remembering those details.

The disciples of the Hundred Flower Sect had spiritual power that leaned towards the wood element. They were naturally favored by spiritual plants and flowers and possessed a corresponding affinity.

Therefore, each person had their own piece of spiritual soil from the moment they entered the sect, where they could plant their favorite herbs and spiritual plants.

Only Su Mingxiu, because her spiritual power was of the lightning attribute, had no natural affinity with these flowers and plants.

Therefore, her spiritual soil was filled with ordinary flower seeds that she had brought back from her travels in the mortal world.

At most, because of the constant temperature barrier she had set up here, these flowers, which should bloom in different seasons, were in eternal bloom. Compared to the precious herbs, poisonous plants, and more ornamental spiritual flowers of her fellow disciples, her wildly growing mortal flowers were truly insignificant.

But she preferred them, often coming to her little garden to daydream after cultivating, which is how she frequently encountered her little junior sister, whose garden was right next to hers.

Yan Miaomiao took off a colorful woven band from her wrist. The small ornament that had been tied to her wrist transformed into a spiritual hoe that fit perfectly in her hand. This spiritual hoe was forged from special minerals and shimmered with a silver light, complementing her perfectly.

She was about to walk towards her own garden when she remembered something and turned back to Su Mingxiu, “By the way, Senior Sister, the weeds in your garden haven’t been removed for a long time. They might affect the growth of these flowers. If you don’t mind, I can help you with your garden later.”

Su Mingxiu released her spiritual power into the ground below and expanded her perception, allowing the wandering spiritual power to remove the roots of these weeds from the soil. The weeds, which had been wantonly absorbing vitality from the spiritual soil with their roots, suddenly wilted a little.

But the person who did all this stood there with an exceptionally relaxed expression, replying, “Such trivial matters need not trouble Junior Sister.”

“Oh…”

Yan Miaomiao didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She didn’t insist after being rejected. She stared at the fragrance in her garden for a while, then suddenly tapped her head, “Look at my memory, I almost forgot. My master and the other elders are all in the Sect Leader’s Spring Hall. They said to remind you after your cultivation to go there for a meeting.”

“What is the meeting about?”

Su Mingxiu had been surrounded by the overwhelming fragrance of the flowers here and had forgotten to calculate the time. She couldn’t remember what daily agendas the Hundred Flower Sect had.

“Senior Sister, don’t you remember?” Yan Miaomiao looked at her with wide eyes. “The 1361st ‘Cultivation Conference’ is being held at our Hundred Flower Sect this time. Inner disciples from all the major and minor sects in the nine continents who are above the Foundation Establishment stage and below the Golden Core stage will be coming here to cultivate.”

Su Mingxiu: “…”

She had indeed forgotten.

This “Cultivation Conference” was an alliance organization created by the major sects of this world to exchange ideas and maintain relationships. The most prominent sects in the nine continents were “One Sword, Four Sects, Thirteen Schools.” The Sword Sect was located in the center of the nine continents, occupying one continent alone. The Hundred Flower Sect was one of the Four Sects, located in the warmest part of the southern continent. The remaining three sects were the Western Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, the Northern Beast Taming Sect, and the Eastern Joyful Union Sect.

The Thirteen Schools were a collective voice for the smaller sects on the overseas immortal islands.

Apart from these One Sword, Four Sects, and Thirteen Schools, there were many smaller sects scattered throughout the nine continents, perhaps numbering over a thousand.

The smaller sects naturally wanted to participate in this Cultivation Conference to see the foundations of the major sects in the nine continents. However, firstly, these unnamed sects might find it difficult to receive an invitation to the Cultivation Conference. Secondly, the Hundred Flower Sect, as the weakest and declining among the Four Sects, could only rely on its old reputation and had little appeal.

Therefore, how to set up the curriculum for this Cultivation Conference and how to properly arrange the disciples from the various sects were the biggest headaches for the Sect Leader and elders of the Hundred Flower Sect.

Su Mingxiu sorted out the related stories and smiled at Yan Miaomiao, “I remember, I was just testing you. You did well on your homework.”

“Then will Senior Sister give me a reward?”

Hearing that it was a test, Yan Miaomiao thought about her answer and looked at Su Mingxiu with bright, expectant eyes.

She was clearly waiting for something.

“Wait for me at the sect entrance at noon. I’ll secretly take you down the mountain.”

“I knew Senior Sister was the best to me! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone! I’ll enjoy this good thing all by myself!”

Spring Hall was located in the eastern part of the Hundred Flower Sect. The east belonged to the wood element, and wood-type spiritual power was abundant there. The Sect Leader Ye Qingbai’s Grass and Wood Peak was also nearby. Su Mingxiu was the last closed-door disciple accepted by the Sect Leader, arriving earlier than the disciples of the same generation of elders, which is why she was the Senior Sister.

However…

Su Mingxiu thought about the reason for the destruction of the Hundred Flower Sect, which was related to her master, and felt a sense of sorrow and regret that things were no longer the same.

But these thoughts only flashed through her mind for a moment. She entered the vibrant Spring Hall and respectfully saluted the elders in front of her, “Disciple greets Master, greets all the elders.”

“Mingxiu, you are always punctual. Why are you so unruly today?” The first to speak was her master, Ye Qingbai.

“Presumably, she was diligent in her practice and lost track of time.” The one who came to her defense was Yan Miaomiao’s master, Elder Xuehan.

Because Su Mingxiu had always been gentle, knowledgeable, courteous, and handled matters with fairness and clarity.

So, she had good relationships within the Hundred Flower Sect, and now the elders were all speaking up for her.

Ye Qingbai’s originally stern face softened a little because of their words, “Whose disciple is she really? You all speak up for her, making me seem harsh.”

The other elders laughed along, easing some of the previous tension in the discussion.

Although Su Mingxiu had the elders to defend her, she still maintained her saluting posture until her master dismissed her.

Only then did she walk to the side and stand at the bottom. A martial uncle next to her asked, “You came at just the right time. There have been some rumors in the nine continents recently, saying that a Heavenly Demon is about to be born, which may cause chaos in the world. The elders of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect calculated based on this and said that this demonic creature will appear in the south! Mingxiu, you are close to the disciples of the sect. Have you noticed anything unusual in the sect these days?”

Before Su Mingxiu could answer, another voice interjected from the opposite side, with a hint of disdain, “A Heavenly Demon is a rare occurrence, once in ten thousand years. Recently, even demonic creatures have decreased at the foot of the sect’s mountain. It is a time of peace and prosperity. Why scare ourselves?”

“In my opinion, the so-called Heavenly Demon theory is probably just scaremongering by certain sects to disrupt our ‘Cultivation Conference’.”

“The Joyful Union Sect has always been in conflict with us regarding disciples, and we look down on each other’s cultivation methods. Sect Leader, if we are to investigate this matter, I think starting with the Joyful Union Sect will definitely yield answers. Those who cultivate evil techniques are the most devious and like to use underhanded methods.”

Speaking of the Joyful Union Sect, the elders of the Hundred Flower Sect had a lot of old scores to settle. The feud between the two sects could be traced back to the ancient times when the sects were founded. Legend has it that the founder of the Hundred Flower Sect, the founder of the Joyful Union Sect, and the founder of the Sword Sect were involved in a love triangle that is still talked about in teahouses and storytellers throughout the land, even after ten thousand years.

This even involved the dispute over the geographical location of the Hundred Flower Sect and the Joyful Union Sect.

Su Mingxiu listened attentively, reminiscing about the peaceful days in the cultivation world, listening to these elders talk about the conflicts and disputes with the Joyful Union Sect. On the other hand, she restrained herself from looking in Ye Qingbai’s direction.

【Please remember your identity and do not interfere with the normal progression of the plot.】

The Heavenly Dao seemed to have developed a fondness for residing in other people’s sea of consciousness. After reversing time and making her swear a heart demon oath, it now appeared again to give her instructions.

Su Mingxiu’s mood instantly soured.

Many of her memories could only be recalled by returning to the original timeline and being triggered by the environment.

But the story the Heavenly Dao had given her, and its constant presence now, made her extremely unhappy.

“I didn’t intend to interfere, but seeing you shamelessly residing here again, I really want to do something to get your attention,” she sarcastically replied in her mind.

Heavenly Dao: 【?】

It defended itself, “I am not residing in your mind. It’s just that only you can hear my voice. I hope you understand that I am always watching you—you don’t need to do anything to attract my attention.”

【Understood, you may leave.】

Su Mingxiu casually dismissed it and heard the elders, after listing all the wrongdoings of the Joyful Union Sect, under Ye Qingbai’s guidance, return the topic to the Cultivation Conference. During this, one of the elders read out the list of sects that had applied to participate in the conference. After a long list, someone raised a question.

“This… Qiangshan Sect, what kind of sect is it?”

“It is said to be from the overseas immortal islands.”

“Then why didn’t they submit their application to the Thirteen Schools? Don’t all matters concerning the overseas islands fall under the jurisdiction of the Thirteen Schools?”

The elders in the hall couldn’t answer, clearly not knowing how this sect had bypassed the Thirteen Schools to submit their application.

In their view, perhaps this small sect had some conflict with the Thirteen Schools, or they were ignorant of the rules. In any case, it was not appropriate to approve this application.

Su Mingxiu stood there with her eyes lowered, but she heard Ye Qingbai speak again, “Guests are guests. The purpose of our Cultivation Conference is to have friendly exchanges with fellow cultivators. Since it is for mutual learning, why should we judge based on origin?”

Her fingertips, resting at her side, twitched slightly.

The next second, she heard the person at the head of the hall say in an unquestionable tone, “You will be responsible for all matters concerning this conference, Mingxiu. Do not disgrace the name of our Hundred Flower Sect.”

Su Mingxiu swallowed lightly, stepped out from the furthest point, and bowed towards her, “Disciple obeys.”

However, at the moment she raised her head, she couldn’t help but look at the person at the head—

Ye Qingbai, as the Sect Leader of the Hundred Flower Sect, perhaps because of the gentle nature of wood-type spiritual power, had a non-threatening appearance. Her eyebrows were curved, and the corners of her eyes were slightly downturned. None of her features were sharp, and coupled with her oval face, she naturally gave off a sense of approachability.

Only the red dot in the center of her forehead added a touch of elegance and charm to her appearance, which became even more pronounced when she had a cold expression.

It was this person who had led Su Mingxiu to the point of killing her master, betraying her sect, and becoming an outcast of the righteous path.

It was also she who made the person Su Mingxiu cared about the most…

Fall into the demonic abyss, causing them to drift further apart in this lifetime.

Chapter 205: So I’m the Protagonist After All (1)

The illusion shattered, and the fabricated reality dissipated completely.

At the moment her soul was restored, Su Mingxiu finally returned to the world she originally belonged to. She opened her eyes to a sky filled with fire, falling like meteors, cruelly tearing through the azure expanse, leaving behind a chaotic tapestry of black and red. It resembled a canvas slashed by a madman, the paint smeared haphazardly into a disturbing, grotesque scene.

But those fiery stars were frozen in mid-air. The sky mirrored the earth below, which was covered in a blanket of white, like a giant snow-covered mirror. The pine needles were frozen into tiny icicles, and the surface of an unnamed lake was smooth and flat, faithfully reflecting the impending doom of this small world, as indifferent as it had been to any conflict for thousands of years.

The sky was a scene of destructive chaos, while the icy earth was pristine, even spotless. It was as if two worlds with vastly different styles had been forcibly stitched together.

Su Mingxiu, dressed in a robe of ice-blue, slowly descended from the sky, like a snow fairy gracefully landing.

She saw that the figures standing on the frozen lake, resembling frozen bubbles, were actually countless cultivators. They were all looking up at the apocalyptic scene in the sky, their faces a mixture of solemnity, terror, and resolute determination…

So she followed their gaze, looking up at the scene of divine punishment. Time was clearly frozen, but she knew this world was completely different from the game world she had been in before.

But there were some similarities.

For example… both were controlled by the system.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be called a system anymore, Su Mingxiu thought. Her face, illuminated by the fractured sunlight in the freezing cold, was as white as snow. The single mole beneath her deep black eyes was the finishing touch on this masterpiece, causing anyone who looked at her to hold their breath, except for the being she was now addressing: “So it was you…”

Her clear voice was measured, like the melting water of this ancient frozen lake, her lips and teeth filled with an unending chill. “Heavenly Dao.”

No wonder it could reverse time and give her the opportunity to repair her soul.

No wonder it had such an unparalleled desire to control the fate of others. Because the Heavenly Dao had long since determined the life, death, and reincarnation of all things, and would not tolerate any challenge to this order.

And no wonder it could send her to so many different worlds for repeated trials. Because for the Heavenly Dao, whether it was setting up illusions to test her or throwing her consciousness into one of its three thousand subordinate worlds, it was all too easy.

All the mysteries surrounding the system that had puzzled Su Mingxiu were answered when she returned to this original world and saw the truth.

The Heavenly Dao, which had never responded to anything, responded to Su Mingxiu when she revealed its identity, using the same indifferent tone it always used as the system, “Congratulations on your rebirth, Venerable Zhaolin.”

Her soul was restored, but her past memories were not. However, at this moment, time was paused for everything, and the only person who could respond to the Heavenly Dao was Su Mingxiu. But there was no joy of rebirth on her face, only a cold question, “You control the laws of heaven and earth. Heaven is impartial, treating all things as straw dogs. What have I done to deserve this rebirth?”

Su Mingxiu did not believe she possessed the charm to reverse the flow of rivers and mountains or to move heaven and earth. Even cultivators knew that all they could do was cultivate diligently to extend their lifespan.

As for the techniques of resurrection and immortality, they were never used by the righteous path. Even “resurrection” was so difficult in the cultivation world, so how could Su Mingxiu be reborn after her soul had shattered?

What price had she paid?

Or rather, what price had someone else paid for her?

“You should have the answer in your heart.” The Heavenly Dao still used the mechanical voice of the system that Su Mingxiu was most familiar with, as if it didn’t find it strange at all. It only asked her, “In these eight small worlds, who is the one you are most deeply connected to?”

Even though she had already guessed the answer, Su Mingxiu, in the first moment of learning the truth, tried to find that familiar face among the countless frozen figures around her, but to no avail.

No matter how carefully she looked when she returned here, she did not see the person who should have been celebrating this joy with her and who should have been answering her questions.

“Where is she?”

Su Mingxiu couldn’t recall her past memories, and her voice was somewhat hoarse when she asked this question.

“All things in the world are born and die, but the Dao is eternal. Since you are reborn, someone must die in your place, their soul dissipating. Who do you think it is?”

The person standing alone on the frozen lake finally fell silent.

Because Su Mingxiu was unwilling to accept such a heavy price. She hadn’t even remembered the true name of the protagonist she had met so many times and inevitably fallen in love with, yet she discovered that the other person was going to disappear from this world forever. How could this be?

If breaking those fleeting, beautiful dreams time and again was only to wake up and live forever in this reality more terrifying than any nightmare, then she would rather remain lost in the dream.

So she showed a slightly mocking expression. “When did the Heavenly Dao learn to pity mortals? She wants me to live, so you let me live. How many people in this world are filled with regret and pain, having lost their loved ones? Are you going to make this deal with each of them?”

“There is a reason I agreed to your rebirth. Currently, this world is suffering from the war waged by the demon race. Your rebirth can save countless lives. The Demon Lord has fallen, and with your current cultivation level, you can turn the tide and bring peace back to this world.”

After returning to its true form as the Heavenly Dao, Su Mingxiu discovered that this damn system had lost even the last bit of its human-like emotions. It had become so indifferent, neither holding a grudge against her for her transgressions in those worlds nor settling any old scores.

But just because it didn’t care didn’t mean Su Mingxiu would forget their past conflicts.

“What if I don’t save them?”

“Then you will be buried with this world.” The Heavenly Dao was even more indifferent than her, completely unmoved by her threat.

Su Mingxiu responded very simply, “Fine.”

She didn’t move a single bit of spiritual energy. She simply sat down cross-legged on the eternally frozen lake, not even looking at the falling stars about to crash down from the sky. She propped up her chin with one hand, looking with interest at the fish frozen in the transparent ice of the lake and the strings of bubbles frozen as they rose from the bottom, creating a surprisingly beautiful scene from above.

The Heavenly Dao did not doubt the truth of her words for a second. In the previous small worlds, Su Mingxiu had always carried out her threats against it.

Now, when she said she wouldn’t care, she really meant it.

It was just that it couldn’t help but feel angry, not understanding why she had become so willful in the face of the lives of countless people in this world.

The two of them were thus at an impasse.

Until the sky became even more bizarre, with rolling thunder that seemed to threaten, “Will you bear the wrongful deaths of countless beings in this world as your karma? Now that your soul is restored, if you create more karma, you will be thrown into the six paths of reincarnation, to be reborn as the lowest of beasts for countless lifetimes, suffering the harshest punishments. Even so, you still won’t save them?”

“If they are meant to die, even if I wanted to save them, you wouldn’t allow it. You threaten me like this because they are not meant to die, right?”

Su Mingxiu looked up at the sky. Although she was the one looking up, there was not a hint of subservience in her expression. “By the same logic, if I was meant to die, not to mention one Demon Lord, even if all the demons in the Demon Abyss committed suicide, you wouldn’t let me be reborn.”

“The fact that I agreed to her condition means I wasn’t meant to die. In that case, why should she sacrifice herself for me in vain? Since you’ve already resurrected one person, what’s one more? Why don’t you resurrect her as well, and I’ll save this world for you, how about that?”

Heavenly Dao: ?

Perhaps it had never encountered someone who bargained with it as if they were in a marketplace. For a moment, it was speechless, and even the rolling thunder in the sky paused for a moment.

“What do you take the laws of heaven and earth for? The demon race committed heinous crimes tens of thousands of years ago, and now they have started a war to destroy the world. The instigator should die. If you insist on resurrecting her out of a moment’s willfulness, you will only add more sin to this world.”

“If the laws of heaven and earth are so inflexible, then what about my resurrection?” Su Mingxiu looked directly at the rolling thunder in the chaotic sky, her expression firm. “If this war shouldn’t have happened, if these people shouldn’t have died, why didn’t you intervene sooner? Now you want someone else to die for me, is this your law? Then you are truly negligent and immoral.”

Hearing her words—

A bolt of lightning thicker than a person rolled towards her from the sky, striking the previously untouched frozen lake, instantly shattering the ice and creating a terrifying vortex in front of Su Mingxiu.

The Heavenly Dao was furious at her indifference. “If not for the two of you forcibly changing fate, why would this world be plunged into misery? This world is the evil consequence of your actions. I showed you mercy by giving you a chance to redeem yourself, and you accuse me instead?”

Mercy?

Su Mingxiu discovered that this damn system, even with its elevated status, could never change its true nature. It seemed to always believe that only the arrangements it made were the best. But how many traps were hidden within these so-called best arrangements?

Initially, it wanted Su Mingxiu to toy with the female lead’s emotions, claiming it was to temper her. Later, when it discovered that they always fell in love, it still created obstacles and tried to prevent them. No matter whether Su Mingxiu ultimately completed the task or not, it was never satisfied. But it was precisely their love that allowed Su Mingxiu to find her soul fragments time and again.

Su Mingxiu couldn’t even imagine whether she would have had this chance at rebirth if her love had not been firm enough, if the female lead’s love for her had not been able to withstand the system’s repeated temptations and tests.

But all their efforts were described by the Heavenly Dao as its mercy.

How ridiculous.

“If this so-called fate means being your puppet from birth, then I’d rather not live.”

Cultivation was about defying the heavens, about forging one’s own path. There was no such thing as a predetermined fate.

But she wouldn’t just sit here and wait for death. After all, someone else had given her this chance at life. Su Mingxiu thought for a moment and discovered that she could actually summon her own natal sword. The bright sword, upon seeing the light of day, emitted a brilliant light that illuminated the nine continents. And with this sword, Su Mingxiu—

Pointed it at the sky.

The Heavenly Dao had governed the world for many years and should have been without emotion or desire. But it had developed this desire to control everything, which was intolerable.

The sword light, carrying boundless coldness, seemed capable of splitting heaven and earth, spanning the nine continents, aiming to break through the sky.

And in this sharp, unstoppable momentum, Su Mingxiu narrowed her eyes, her voice capable of shattering gold and stone, “But… you have stood above the heavens for tens of thousands of years, too arrogant.”

And too much of an eyesore.

Making one want to slash it a few times.

Chapter 204: The Ones Who Can’t Be Shaken Off (End)

“Crack—”

The formation that Su Mingxiu had set up made an even more unbearable sound of cracking. She watched as Rong Rong’s body became even more light-like after she had said those words.

And the specks of light that had been restricted and had been hovering around the formation were all gathering toward the black hole above.

She was about to leave this world.

Even though she had made all the preparations and knew that this would be a permanent separation, Su Mingxiu couldn’t think of a way to make her willingly stay in such a short amount of time. She could only use her eyes, which seemed to be able to hold the vast world but were now filled with only pitch black, to keep staring at Rong Rong’s appearance.

It was as if, as long as she looked hard enough, she would be able to identify the outline of the other person’s soul from under the cover of her body and then remember it forever in her heart.

“Don’t…”

“Don’t cry.” Rong Rong tried her best to open her eyes wide. Because the place where Su Mingxiu was standing happened to be in the midst of the frozen and flying fountain mist, the light reflected from her eyes and flashed by, looking too much like the curve of a teardrop falling from the corner of her eye.

So she tried her best to struggle out of her broken, chaotic, and almost collapsing consciousness and almost instinctively reached out her hand toward Su Mingxiu.

Su Mingxiu hesitated for a moment—

It was because of this moment of hesitation that, when she stretched out her hand and tried to grab Rong Rong’s hand, her movements had only just touched the other person’s fingertips when she only touched the golden light that was flowing away.

It was like sand flowing through her fingers.

She grabbed at nothing, and then she saw that the transportation process, which had originally been very slow, had suddenly sped up because of her actions. The person, whose edges had only been blurry and faint, had instantly decomposed by half, like a sand castle being pushed down on a beach!

The sound of glass breaking rang out in her ears.

Su Mingxiu even forgot to blink. It was only when the broken inscriptions and runes of the formation floated into her eyes that she blankly thought that it was because her mind had wavered for a moment that it had broken.

She could have held on for longer.

[Goodbye.]

The system was now too lazy to hide in Rong Rong’s body. Its voice came to Su Mingxiu from all directions in this world. It hadn’t even bothered to mock Su Mingxiu’s failure. Instead, it announced arrogantly and coldly:

[You have failed. This is your destined fate.]

At the same time.

The gears of time, which had been stopped in the game world, started to turn again. The mist that had flown into the air fell down on her like a downpour.

And the music that had been requested started to play a hoarse song: “But it was only you who accompanied me in the beginning/Only you could understand that my dreams were never big/

We weren’t together, but we were at least like a couple/

I was at my worst, when I was in pain, when I was crazy, when I was hurt, and I cried the most in front of you/I know that you can’t take me back to that place…”

A pain that she had never felt before spread from Su Mingxiu’s internal organs. She couldn’t help but arch her back and cough up a mouthful of blood.

Broken and grating sounds came from inside her body. Su Mingxiu clearly felt that her soul, which had originally been repaired and pieced together, had started to fall apart again the moment Rong Rong had left this world.

Even her fake body couldn’t be maintained.

And the bodyguards who had gathered around her and were reaching out to her, preparing to separate her and Rong Rong, had also returned to their original actions when the water droplets had fallen. Even though in their eyes, Rong Rong had disappeared in an instant.

The only remaining light was what Su Mingxiu could see.

She was always stubbornly looking at Rong Rong. When the bodyguards’ power landed on her, she glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and used her remaining power to set up a defense without even blinking. But it quickly shattered, and along with the fine mist, it was sprinkled in front of her.

Only a faint light remained in the location where Rong Rong had been.

It wasn’t even as bright as the fake stars in the sky.

“A destined… fate?”

Su Mingxiu slowly repeated the words that the system had said. When she heard the song, she found that many images had appeared in her mind.

Those were things that she had clearly remembered in the first world… things that she had almost forgotten after one traversal after another.

So she finally remembered why she had fallen in love with Yu Yinglan—

And she also remembered that she had many mysteries that hadn’t been answered yet.

For example, why were the protagonists of so many worlds so similar to her old friend? And this old friend clearly hadn’t left a deep impression on her long cultivation journey.

And also why, in the second world, Gui Mian, who was both her disciple and the protagonist of that world, had been able to stay with her in that world for tens of thousands of years, enjoying an endless life that was as long as the heavens and earth, and existed with all things, yet she had only wanted a promise for a hundred years.

…

So, what was her destined fate?

Was it destined to meet this person countless times, to fall in love with the other person, and then to be destined to lose her?

Su Mingxiu heard the bodyguards around her stop their actions after finding that Rong Rong had disappeared. They were a bit at a loss. They were just vaguely surrounding her. Then, they pressed their earpieces and reported the situation to their respective bosses.

The aftereffects of the shattered soul that was corroding her internal organs weren’t as strong as Su Mingxiu had imagined. She didn’t know if it was because she had lost her ability to sense it, or if it was because she had become numb.

The last flame that was left of Rong Rong was reflected in Su Mingxiu’s pupils. From afar, it looked like it was jumping in her eyes, as if that flame had remained in her eyes.

Not far away.

Tang Yiyi and Po Er, who had heard the report, both felt that something was strange.

“What do you mean by she disappeared?”

“I don’t remember my baby learning this kind of magic.”

They were relying on the fact that Su Mingxiu didn’t have any attacking power and was just putting on a show, like her appearance.

So they brazenly walked toward her, wanting to see what this “disappearance” was all about.

The men in black who had surrounded Su Mingxiu moved away, leaving enough space for the two of them to pass through. Tang Yiyi saw Su Mingxiu kneeling on one knee, using the force of the ground to support her swaying body. She couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, “So she’s a weakling?”

She had thought that she was someone who was very powerful to have dared to compete with her for someone.

Po Er frowned. She really didn’t see any traces of Rong Rong. She didn’t know how this living person could disappear like that.

So she ordered her people, who were now feeling frustrated, “Forget it. You guys should take this person away first.”

The person who was surrounded by them suddenly spoke at this moment, “So… my original memories were already changed by you, right?”

If it wasn’t because her original memories had been changed, then how could Su Mingxiu have so many interactions with this person, and even have the other person fall in love with her time and time again?

This person must be very important to her.

And this “system,” out of some kind of purpose, had hidden this and made her think that the mission worlds since her soul had coalesced had all been coincidences.

This system wasn’t something that had appeared in her life after her soul had been shattered. It had existed with her since the beginning.

Then, what was the system’s true face?

It had so much power that it could set rules, not allowing others to resist. It even wanted to control the trajectories of cultivators’ lives arbitrarily with the so-called fate—

“What is she saying?”

Tang Yiyi frowned.

She felt that this woman was exuding a very crazy aura, but when she looked closely, she found that the person in front of her was still coughing up blood with that weak appearance. It was only that the beautiful face had a breathtaking beauty to it.

“That’s not important.”

Po Er replied.

At the same time.

Wei Shang had also finally walked out of the forest, and she found that the dogs, who had originally been very quiet and had been walking with her to the plaza, had suddenly become restless when they had walked near this area. Even the whites of their eyes had started to show streaks of blood.

The dogs’ manic barking attracted everyone’s attention: “Woof, woof, woof, woof!”

“Hmm?”

Wei Shang almost lost her grip on the leashes. She tilted her head in confusion—What was going on?

The only characteristic that her dogs had other than loyalty was that they were vindictive. When she had been hunting with these dogs before, one of them had been attacked and dragged away by a leopard. Because it had been at night, she hadn’t been able to catch the hunter.

But a week later, all of the dogs had suddenly led her ten kilometers into the wilderness, barking madly at a tree. It was only then that Wei Shang had found the careless culprit.

Even though that battle had made her lose a few of her beloved dogs, after the remaining dogs had feasted on the leopard’s corpse, they had returned to their usual calm demeanor.

This was quite interesting.

In other words, there was something in this plaza that her dogs hated?

Wei Shang remembered that she hadn’t seen this kind of situation for a long time. After all, her dogs usually moved in groups and had a lot of destructive power. Ordinary people would avoid them when they saw them… Wait, the most recent time had seemed to be at that octagonal cage.

However.

After she had woken up, she remembered that she had already had that audacious person secretly executed, even though the shrinking appearance that the other person had shown was completely opposite of the arrogant appearance that she had had in the cage. It was to the point that it made people suspect that she had a second personality.

“This is too interesting… Let’s go take a look.”

Of course, Wei Shang had also seen the group of bodyguards in their matching black suits and those two people who looked like they had unusual identities. But so what? In this city, there wasn’t anyone that she couldn’t provoke.

“Little Si?”

The person who had forced her roommate, who had been in a bad mood recently, to come out with her, wanting to walk around with her and see if she could feel better, saw that Rong Si’s gaze was fixed on the other side of where the fireworks had been set off. She couldn’t help but call out to her in confusion.

Rong Si had heard the sounds of the dogs barking. Actually, with her current physical condition, what she feared the most was encountering large dogs whose owners had bad morals.

For her, who had difficulty walking, she could be in mortal danger if she was chased by these kinds of animals.

She heard her heart skip a beat.

It was as if she was about to lose something very important.

But that direction… shouldn’t have anyone who was important to her. After all, the people around her didn’t like to come to the plaza for a walk at night. Even her sister was…

Never mind.

Thinking about Rong Rong, who had been obsessed with taking her to see a psychiatrist recently, Rong Si attributed the sudden imbalance in her heartbeat to the fear she had felt when she had heard the dogs barking. So she turned her head and gave her roommate a gentle smile, “It’s nothing.”

The plaza at night was very lively. There were also many parents who had come to the musical fountain with their children.

But after this group of bodyguards in black suits had rushed out, those parents showed expressions of fear. They didn’t dare to go up and ask what was going on. They also didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business, afraid of bringing any disasters to their families.

So they picked up their children, who were crying, and left this place.

“Mommy… I still want to play.”

“Play what? Let’s go home. You haven’t finished your homework. If your teacher checks it tomorrow, she’s going to call me again. Go home and do your homework.”

“But, but you promised me that you would take me out tonight… Wuwuwuwu!”

“Grandma, what are those people doing?”

“Good boy, don’t ask. Grandma will take you to the entrance to buy candied hawthorns, okay?”

…

The same thing was happening to many parents and their children.

The people who had gathered around the musical fountain quickly scattered like birds and beasts. Even the ones who were hesitating and wanted to watch a show also quickly scattered when Wei Shang and her dogs had appeared.

Only the music that was paired with the fountain didn’t have any sense and continued to play the next song with its subpar audio quality:

“You are a ray of light that fell into my world—”

“You ran toward me, and all things grew…”

In this multi-person NTR storyline, this song seemed so out of place. And the bodyguards clearly didn’t have any interest in this kind of cliche. They were just focused on reaching out toward Su Mingxiu, who was destined not to get an answer from the system, wanting to pull her away from this place.

The change happened in an instant.

The light that had been staring at Su Mingxiu, which had been on the verge of dissipating into the air, was like an unquenchable flame, and it had still not gone out.

And the moment that those people tried to pull Su Mingxiu away, this light, as if a burning accelerant had been injected into it, suddenly flared even brighter.

And the one who was the most incredulous about this was the system: “That’s impossible!”

“What’s that sound?”

Tang Yiyi raised her head and looked around. She didn’t see anything other than the endless starry sky. Po Er, who had been feeling annoyed working with her, was even more displeased after encountering one mistake after another. She even started to suspect, “From the disappearance of that person earlier to the commotion now, did you do it?”

“I’m not that bored.”

Just as Tang Yiyi’s voice faded, Wei Shang’s voice joined in, “It’s so lively here. Could I ask you a few questions about what’s going on?”

Yu Wu, who had been standing to the side and had been watching everything that was happening, didn’t know why.

She hadn’t participated in their actions from the beginning, but she also hadn’t left. The stubborn top star hadn’t realized that she still had a sliver of hope in her heart.

It was like a bankrupt person who had found a lottery shop on the side of the road when she had nowhere to turn. She was filled with a thought that she didn’t even believe in herself and walked in, wanting to scratch out a miracle.

Hearing Wei Shang’s voice, Tang Yiyi and Po Er, whose alliance was already on the verge of collapsing, felt that things were even more unfavorable at this moment. They turned their heads toward her at the same time, “It’s not convenient.”

“It’s not for you to know.” The two of them said at the same time.

But the more they said that, the more restless Wei Shang’s dogs became. They were almost about to break free of her control. And what was making them so agitated wasn’t the person who was wearing a suit and who was exuding an aura of being expensive, and it wasn’t the woman who was being excessive by bringing a decorative parasol out at night.

It was… Su Mingxiu, who they had surrounded.

The first moment that she had seen this person, Wei Shang hadn’t been shocked by the profile that was half-covered by her hair. But she had sensed a familiar aura from this person.

This kind of aura was on the cleaner that she had encountered at the movie city downstairs when she had been with Rong Rong and was also on the person that she had captured and thrown into the octagonal cage later.

But Wei Shang really couldn’t connect these people, who had such different appearances, together. She could only classify this aura as: dangerous.

These were all dangerous people.

But where did the dogs’ anger come from?

Wei Shang found it interesting. Even though Tang Yiyi and Po Er had both shown an unwelcoming attitude, she ignored it and instead loosened her grip on the leashes. In the next second, she saw that the dogs were running wildly toward the place where the bodyguards were.

The chaos didn’t affect Su Mingxiu’s focus. When she heard the system’s incredulous voice, she knew that something had broken free of the other party’s control.

And looking at the increasingly bright golden light that was gathering around the light spot, Su Mingxiu vaguely realized—

The pain hadn’t continued in her body, not because she had gotten used to it or anything else. It was because…

She hadn’t completely failed.

At the final moment, it was Rong Rong’s will that had changed everything.

The light became even brighter. Rong Rong, who had originally been sucked into the black hole and was about to be transported to another world, was slowly returning to this game under Su Mingxiu’s fervent gaze.

The system finally couldn’t hold back. It said to her in Rong Rong’s mind, “You don’t have any emotional foundation with Su Mingxiu. She’s just a bit special in this world. Do you know what she’ll become like in the future?”

[Once you choose to stay, you’ll never be able to leave this world again. And those girlfriends that you broke up with using all sorts of methods will come looking for trouble for you. Do you think that the two of you will be able to live a peaceful life? ]

[You’ve just been temporarily deceived by her. Leaving this place is the best choice for you. Do you understand?]

Rong Rong had just managed to sort through her memories. It was very strange. Even if those scenes and emotions were very intense, they only made her feel like they were unfamiliar…

It was as if she had been forcibly instilled with something, and she was just an observer, destined to not be able to empathize with it even a little bit.

“You’re getting desperate.”

Her voice was very soft.

And it was precisely this sense of desperation that the system had revealed that gave her a clue. Because this wasn’t what a game system should be saying to a player.

It had arranged all of this, and it was only at the end that it had revealed its purpose. Although Rong Rong felt that it was strange, right now, she had something more important to do than that—

The light re-formed her body.

When the light had dispersed, her appearance reappeared in Su Mingxiu’s eyes. The light that had been surrounding her disappeared. So she was also able to reappear in the world of Tang Yiyi and the other girlfriends.

Seeing the scene that was like a person being reborn, Tang Yiyi raised her eyebrows slightly. Her intuition told her that something had changed during the time when Rong Rong had disappeared and reappeared. And this change was extremely unfavorable for her.

“Baby, you regret it, and you want to come back to my side, right?” At this crucial moment, Po Er seemed to have inherited some traits from Yu Wu. She put down the parasol in her hand and handed it to the bodyguard next to her. Then she reached out her hand to her.

But Rong Rong didn’t even look at her. She didn’t even notice the dangerous aura that Wei Shang was giving off as she held her dogs’ leashes, looking left and right as she was judging the current situation.

Her eyes were only on Su Mingxiu.

When she saw the faint red spot on the ground and the way the other person was, Rong Rong quickly ran toward her, and even was a bit out of breath when she reached her side, “You… what’s wrong?”

Were you injured? Was it because of these bodyguards?

Her soul, which had originally been about to shatter, had gradually solidified again. And it had even become more stable because of Rong Rong’s actions of running toward her. Su Mingxiu vaguely sensed that the last piece, the most important piece of her soul, was also responding to her call, and was about to be completely healed.

She rarely raised her head, looking at this woman who had come to her side and had finally decided to stay. She suddenly drifted off, thinking…

This broken song that the musical fountain was playing wasn’t completely useless.

Rong Rong was the ray of light that had fallen into her world. When she had run toward her, even the time that had paused on her had started to flow. So her soul had been repaired, her love was overflowing, and everything in her inner world had revived and started to grow.

“Why did you come back?”

Su Mingxiu didn’t answer her question. Instead, she asked one in return.

The person who was standing in the middle of the colorful musical fountain felt that her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes were covered in mist.

And these mist droplets that had been stained by light had landed on Su Mingxiu’s face. She rarely looked at the other person from this angle, looking down at her.

But even like this, when she made eye contact with this person, Rong Rong still felt that she was the one who had been captivated.

She felt like she would be forever captivated by this woman’s aura.

Rong Rong reached out her hand and pulled her up from the ground. She first apologized to her, “I’m sorry. I had a bit of a shock earlier, so I forgot what I wanted to say to you.”

She quickly revealed a smile, “But now, I remember—”

“I wanted to tell you that I really like you. Can I stay here with you?”

The person who had been pulled up by her, who could surpass all the scenery in this world with just her appearance, smiled when she heard this. Nothing could stop her love for the other person anymore. So in the next second, Su Mingxiu leaned in and kissed those lips that she had been coveting for so long:

“My pleasure.”

The musical fountain was suddenly stimulated and sprayed up high. The water columns shot straight up to the sky, and the stars that were twinkling in the sky started to tremble at this moment. Then, all of the stars in the sky turned into shooting stars and crashed down.

The moment that they kissed, this so-called game world began to crumble inch by inch. And the girlfriends, who had been shocked that Rong Rong had cheated on them right in front of their eyes, no longer had any time to feel shocked. They were even one step away from gaining independent consciousness.

Unfortunately.

The world’s mechanisms had completely collapsed.

In the midst of the earth-shattering commotion, Rong Rong was thinking that she hadn’t expected that this pixelated person… would be so soft when she kissed.

Chapter 203: The Ones Who Can’t Be Shaken Off (22)

After hearing Rong Rong’s words, Yu Wu lowered her eyes, hiding her broken expression. The beautiful top star, who had always wrapped herself up tightly, afraid of being recognized by fans on the street, was now using her disguise as a shield to protect her fragile form. If it was lifted even slightly, she would wither and shatter in the air, piece by piece.

Yu Wu stood there without moving, not paying attention to what Tang Yiyi and Po Er were doing. She only stayed in place, watching those men in black, who were pretending to be in a standoff, actually charge toward Rong Rong and the exceptionally beautiful person next to her, who would definitely be a strong competitor if she entered the entertainment industry.

Before she was surrounded by that group of men in black and fell into a dark abyss, and before her vision was blocked, Rong Rong was still asking her, “So, top star Yu, can you please not come looking for me again?”

Yu Wu was silent, not knowing if she was silently mourning her dead love.

“Then I’ll take that as a yes. Thank you very much for your cooperation.”

The moment Rong Rong’s cheerful voice rang out, the men in black who had swarmed toward the two of them had barely touched the hem of her clothes when they were pushed back by an invisible force. And Rong Rong, who was surrounded by this force, heard that exceptionally loud voice in her mind:

[Congratulations, player, on your successful breakup! Would you like to choose to leave this game? Please think carefully about this question. If the player chooses to stay, you will never be able to leave this game again. You will never be able to return to the real world, and even death will only turn you into data that will dissipate.]

[You have ten seconds to think. If you haven’t made a choice after ten seconds, and you haven’t decided to stay, the system will automatically send you back to your original world.]

A white light burst out—

Rong Rong was surrounded by it. She looked up and saw the endless darkness of this fake sky. The stars were moving. The sky was a thousand times more natural and beautiful than the sky that was covered by smog and pollution in the real world. It was magnificent and majestic.

[Ten.]

The system’s urging voice rang out in her ears. At this moment, Rong Rong suddenly felt that time around her had stopped. Even the sound of the wind in her ears had disappeared.

The surprise and anger on the faces of the bodyguards had been frozen, including Po Er, who was holding an umbrella at night, and Tang Yiyi, who seemed calm. Her gaze was directed into the distance, and she discovered that she could even see Wei Shang, who was leading her dogs, preparing to come out from the forest.

If it had been just a little bit later, a group of dogs would have probably joined the battle tonight.

[Nine.]

Rong Rong retracted her gaze and looked at Su Mingxiu, who was right next to her. She had thought that Su Mingxiu would also be frozen in place like these people. But she didn’t expect that the other person’s stillness was because she was too lazy to move. At this moment, it was as if she had also heard the voice in her ear. She even very slightly raised her chin at her.

Even the trajectory of the stars had been frozen. The sky suddenly seemed as if it had been broken by Gonggong hitting Mount Buzhou. A black hole vortex that could swallow everything suddenly appeared. The vortex first swallowed two or three stars around it, and then it slowly expanded. After tearing open a large enough hole, it stopped right above Rong Rong’s head.

“It seems like you’ve already finished everything that you needed to do. You can go to the place that you want to go to now.” Su Mingxiu said to her with a smile.

[Eight.]

Rong Rong felt that the black hole above her head was probably something that was invisible to the naked eye, or perhaps it was a bug that the game system had accidentally set up.

So it had a terrifying pull on her. Although her body was still standing firmly on the ground, her internal organs had been dislocated by the black hole that had enveloped them.

She didn’t know what kind of look she was giving the other person. She only said in a murmur, “I won’t be able to treat you to a beer again.”

[Seven.]

“It’s okay.”

The woman, who was still full of charm even when there wasn’t any wind and whose hair was still curled in a seductive way, looked at her with a smile. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye was faintly illuminated by the mist from the fountain that was suspended in mid-air, “I’m very happy that I was able to meet you and help you with this.”

[Six.]

But I’m not happy.

Rong Rong even subconsciously wanted to grab Su Mingxiu’s clothes. She had just taken a deep breath when she heard the system’s annoying mechanical voice take away another second, and just as the word [Five] came out, tears started to well up in her eyes.

Why, why did separating from Su Mingxiu make her feel so painful and afraid? It was as if, if she didn’t grab the other woman’s sleeve at this moment, the other person would turn into a breeze. Even if she could often brush against her face from then on, she would never be able to touch the other person again.

And this fact not only made her internal organs churn into a mess, but other pain also surged from her limbs. She finally couldn’t hold back and, as the system mercilessly reduced the seconds again, she endured the trembling of her teeth and asked the woman in front of her, “Have we… have we met before?”

Otherwise, why had you been helping me ever since we had first met, and even helped me so resolutely until now? And why does your gaze always make me feel confused, and contain too much… making me feel that it’s overflowing with indulgence and love?

[Three.]

After the system had said this number, for some unknown reason, while Rong Rong was still feeling sad because of Su Mingxiu, many memories suddenly popped into her mind.

Those memories were all of her family in the real world. And ever since she had entered this game, those thoughts and feelings seemed to have been unilaterally cut off by the system, and it was only now that they were being returned to her. She was submerged by the surging memories and emotions. She stood there blankly, with only tears constantly streaming from her eyes.

The system had just finished reciting the second to last number in a very brazen manner.

Until the bell of judgment rang out:

[One.]

[Player Rong Rong has successfully cleared the ‘Breakup’ ending, and has obtained the title ‘The Most Affectionate of the Heartless.’ Thank you for your cooperation with the game. This game has now ended. The player is being transported back to your original world—]

Then Rong Rong’s body, which had been covered by the light, also started to emit light.

It was as if she was about to dissipate, to be broken down into data, and then swallowed by the black hole above her that had no end in sight.

And Su Mingxiu, who had been watching with her arms crossed, had originally had no intention of stopping her, but after seeing the person who was emitting white light open and close her lips several times unconsciously, she suddenly raised her eyebrows.

In the next second!

The white light that had already been decomposed and was dissipating was like it had been stopped by something. They all shook in mid-air.

And under Rong Rong’s feet, a formation that had been engraved with unidentifiable words and symbols, but clearly shouldn’t be in this game world, had appeared out of nowhere.

[Su Mingxiu!]

The system’s voice enveloped the entire world. It was finally not just confined to Rong Rong’s body. It seemed to be terrified by Su Mingxiu’s soul power, which had completely awakened, but it also felt annoyed. Because this woman shouldn’t have had this power.

Or rather, she shouldn’t have had it so quickly.

“What, do you miss what it felt like to be imprisoned?” Su Mingxiu slightly raised her eyelids, but she didn’t look at the sky. She only said slowly, “If you could use your power to trap me in my consciousness back then, then breaking the mere illusion that you set up now, even if it’s disguised as some kind of high-tech game, can’t hide the fact that the origin of your power is the same as mine—the power that you’re using is probably from the same source as me, right?”

“If that’s the case, then why is it so surprising that I was able to break through your shackles?”

The system was silent for a moment and then stopped speaking.

It seemed to have realized that it didn’t need to overreact like this. Because Su Mingxiu would ultimately be unable to watch the protagonist leave in front of her, so she would also do the same thing.

As expected.

Where in this world was there so much selfless love? There were only the base lies of predators.

But Su Mingxiu didn’t pay attention to it. Instead, she looked at the person who was already half-light and whose appearance was exceptionally beautiful, and asked with a smile, “What did you want to say just now?”

Rong Rong, who had barely pulled herself out of the emotions that the system had instilled in her, had lost the pain and confusion that had been in her eyes before. She hadn’t even reacted to the fact that she hadn’t left this game world yet. When she was reminded by Su Mingxiu, her first reaction was to blank out.

…She had been suddenly hit by decades of overly intense memories, which easily canceled out the time and hesitation that she had spent in this game.

She opened her lips, only realizing that she had been wanting to say something all along. But when she had realized this, the task that her body had given her lips and teeth had suddenly failed. Rong Rong couldn’t say a single word.

Even if Su Mingxiu could keep her for a moment, she wouldn’t be able to keep her forever. The system was, after all, the one who had created this world. Even if her main soul could infiltrate a bit, it was already the limit.

And the rules that the system had written were set in stone—

If Rong Rong didn’t want to stay herself, then she wouldn’t be able to force her to stay. But realizing that this might be the last time that the two of them would meet, and that it would probably be a permanent separation, Su Mingxiu still didn’t show the panic that the system wanted to see.

She only very patiently asked again, “Did you want to say something just now?”

Besides asking if they had met before, then what was it?

Su Mingxiu had a hunch that it was a very important sentence.

But she didn’t urge her or force her. She only felt that the edges of the formation that had been trapping Rong Rong were gradually breaking because of the game world’s rules. The light was fading, like glass that had been cracked in the sky, breaking inch by inch.

“I forgot.”

And the woman, who was already half-light and whose data was about to be transported out of this world, only showed a painful and empty expression as she mumbled these words.

She hadn’t even realized how much she was struggling.

But.

She had really forgotten what she had wanted to ask Su Mingxiu just now.