Chapter 9 – Found

Two days later.

The time for the descent to the mortal world for training had arrived. All the immortals gathered around the Celestial Fate Disk.

Some of the young immortals were anxious and uneasy, some filled with yearning and dreams, while others were silent, deep in thought…

“System, please bless me and Yun Yi to end up in the same place!” Qu Wanwan prayed in her heart.

Because according to the plot, it was in the mortal realm that Yun Yi got injured by a demon clan member, triggering her passive skill and causing the demon bloodline to reawaken. Her true identity was exposed to the demon clan, who then decided to eliminate her, the former Demon Lord’s daughter, to avoid future trouble.

If Qu Wanwan were there, she could at least come up with a plan to nip the danger in the bud.

【Of course! This system may not be all-seeing and all-powerful, but opening a backdoor is still within my capabilities! Host, no need to worry!】

Wow, a little smug too? What’s that about?

One by one, the young immortals jumped into the Celestial Fate Disk. Yun Yi followed and, right before she jumped, gave Qu Wanwan a meaningful glance.

Without a word, Qu Wanwan jumped after her!

In the tenth year of the Tianqi reign, the new emperor of Ji Kingdom ascended the throne. Wishing for peace across the land and an end to wars, he changed the reign title to Jiba — “End of Spears.”

In the second year of Jiba, thunder and lightning struck the capital city, dark clouds blanketed the skies!

Lady Lin, heavily pregnant, was startled by the thunder and went into labor. Just as she was about to give birth, a sign from the heavens appeared—golden light spilled from the skies, and she safely delivered a baby girl.

As most people in Ji Kingdom were deeply superstitious, they believed this celestial phenomenon foretold the baby girl would one day become empress and bring peace and prosperity to the nation.

And so, the Lin family named the girl Wenyu.

At the same time, in the Duke of the State’s Mansion, the Madam of the Xiao family also gave birth to a son named Jing.

Year sixteen of Jiba.

“I truly surrender to fate! Even my gender got switched. How am I supposed to view women or men now? Am I not just a damn shemale?” Qu Wanwan wandered aimlessly through the streets, complaining to the system.

【Reincarnation is random! The closest host to Yun Yi’s soul happened to be in the Xiao family! Just put up with it, okay? A few decades in the human world pass in the blink of an eye anyway.】 The system sounded a little guilty.

“Candied hawthorn!” “Steamed buns, fresh from the steamer!” “Buy a hairpin for the lady, young master…”

Vendors shouted from every direction, but Qu Wanwan felt nothing but frustration. Knowing Yun Yi had reincarnated into the legitimate daughter of the Lin family, she felt utterly dejected. Lin Wenyu was destined to become the empress! And she herself was currently a minor military officer. How could she get close enough to protect her?

Plus, in ancient times, gender segregation was strict. If a man and woman were always seen together, it would surely cause rumors. Damn it, being a guy now was such a pain! The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got—and she gave the system another round of scolding.

At the Lin residence—

“Miss, Miss Zhang has sent a visiting card, inviting you to fly kites outside the city.”

Lin Wenyu glanced at the card, had her maid do a simple prep, took two strong servants, and headed out.

“Excuse me, make way!” A servant pushed Xiao Jing to the side.

“How rude!” Qu Wanwan grumbled.

【That’s Lin Wenyu. Your chance has come!】 The system, detecting Yun Yi’s reincarnated soul, said excitedly.

Qu Wanwan’s inner monologue: “Well, what a coincidence! But if I just follow her like this, won’t people think I’m a stalker?”

【Then follow her quietly. Look for an ‘accidental encounter’ to get to know her.】

Qu Wanwan nodded.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, they reached the Wangyue Pavilion outside the city. Miss Zhang was already there.

After a few polite exchanges, the two girls began flying kites. The kites soared higher and higher, like birds trying to break free of their cages, soaring freely with the wind.

“Oh no, the string broke! What should we do?” Miss Zhang frowned.

“I’ll go check.” Lin Wenyu replied calmly.

She walked a bit toward where the kite had flown. The terrain turned into a small hill, and Lin Wenyu accidentally slipped and rolled down!

---

“Miss! Miss!” The servants shouted anxiously.

“I’m fine!” came Lin Wenyu’s voice from below. Hearing her, the servants breathed a sigh of relief and slowly made their way down to find her.

Trying to find a path back up, Lin Wenyu suddenly heard voices from afar:

“Make sure you leave no traces. Once we eliminate Mu Yichen, no one will stand in my way!” a masked man said coldly.

“Yes, sir!” responded a chorus of black-clad men.

Qu Wanwan, who had been secretly following to protect Lin Wenyu, also heard this. She thought, I remember this part from the story. Mu Yichen is the current Crown Prince, Lin Wenyu’s future husband, and the first to lay claim to that dish—uh, that beautiful man. The one trying to kill Mu Yichen must be his brother, Mu Yibo! System, can you check if Mu Yibo has any demonic energy? That guy seems awfully shady. The novel only said the demons found out about Lin Wenyu’s identity, but didn’t say who. Guess I’ve gotta figure it out myself.

【Scanning… No demonic energy detected!】

“What?! That can’t be!”

Xiao Jing chewed on his thumbnail, frustrated. Back to square one again!

Once the men had left, Lin Wenyu dared to come out. Finding a path back, she returned to Miss Zhang, apologized, and decided to head home early.

Should I go warn the Crown Prince? If I’m right, the one trying to kill him is the Third Prince, Mu Yibo. But Father never lets me get involved in faction politics. No matter who becomes Crown Prince, I’m still the Crown Princess. Besides, Mu Yibo is my aunt’s son. Maybe I should just tell Father and let him handle it…

On the way back, Lin Wenyu was torn.

“It’s her!” a black-clad man whispered. The masked leader nodded and ordered, “Leave no one alive!”

Apparently, when Lin Wenyu left earlier, the black-clad men had spotted her. To ensure their secret didn’t leak, Mu Yibo decided to kill her just to be safe!

Several black-clad men with long swords appeared in succession. The servants were too few and no match! In no time, the maid and servants were all dead. The men ripped open the carriage curtain—only to find it empty!

“She ran away!” “After her!”…

Meanwhile, on the other side—

“Who are you? How did you know someone wanted to kill me?” Lin Wenyu asked. For some reason, this person felt incredibly familiar to her, like someone she had known in a past life.

“That’s not important. I am Xiao Jing. I just happened to be passing by, saw injustice, and stepped in.” Qu Wanwan replied, serious-faced.

Xiao Jing’s expression made it hard to tell whether the story was true or not. Just happened to pass by and conveniently saved a girl who overheard a deadly secret?

Lin Wenyu was half-convinced. “Prime Minister’s residence, Lin Wenyu. So you’re the son of the Duke of the State, Xiao Jing. Truly gallant!”

“Let me escort you home. You’ve been discovered—they will definitely come after your… life.” Qu Wanwan nearly slipped and said “dog life,” but quickly corrected herself.

“Thank you, young master.” Lin Wenyu replied calmly.

On the way, the two chatted about music, chess, books, poetry, and calligraphy. They found they got along well, feeling like old friends reunited.

After escorting Lin Wenyu home, Xiao Jing returned and tracked down Mu Yibo.

【This must be the guy! Earlier there was no demonic energy detected, but now I’m picking up a faint demonic aura!】

Knew it—this guy’s no good, Qu Wanwan thought.

【It shouldn’t be possible. My scans don’t lie unless something changed in between.】

Doesn’t matter. The person’s been found. As long as I keep an eye on him, I can make sure Yun Yi completes her tribulation safely. Mission complete. Hehe~ Qu Wanwan felt quite pleased.

At that moment, Mu Yibo’s face was unreadable. He said to his followers in a chilling tone, “Now that the plan has been exposed, any ideas on how to salvage the situation?”

Everyone looked at each other, speechless.

His deputy clasped his fists and answered, “Your Highness, you needn’t worry. Today’s ambush will surely serve as a warning. Besides, regardless of who becomes Crown Prince, her status as Crown Princess won’t change. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk her life over something with no solid proof.”

“Wise words!” Mu Yibo nodded.

“For now, the priority is to kill Mu Yichen as soon as possible. Once you sit firmly on the throne, and she sees your power, she’ll know which tree to cling to,” the deputy continued.

“Let’s move!” Mu Yibo ordered.

The next day, Noble Consort Lin summoned Lin Wenyu to the palace. Given that the Crown Prince assassination plot wouldn’t be shared openly, Lin Wenyu agreed to the summons.

As expected, Noble Consort Lin only wanted to get closer to Lin Wenyu. After all, she was her sister’s daughter.

But of course, it wasn’t just about bonding. Noble Consort Lin also had ambitions. If her son became Crown Prince, that would give her the upper hand in future mother-in-law politics too.