Chapter 1 Life and Death on the Line: Selling Sweetness

The Celestial Mystery Sect’s Red Cloud Immortal Lord has taken in a new disciple!

Known for his icy demeanor and unfathomable cultivation, Red Cloud Immortal Lord was someone countless aspirants dreamed of becoming a disciple under—yet none had succeeded. After three years of wandering, he returned with the youngest daughter of the Ling family, registering her as his Closed-Door Disciple!

Rumors said this Ling girl was accepted solely because she bore an uncanny resemblance to the Immortal Lord’s treasured disciple—the renowned Little Medicine Immortal, Shu Tiantian.

Yet, dozens of miles away from the lively disciple acceptance ceremony, deep in the dense forest, Shu Tiantian was being forced to retreat step by step by a group of Heretical Cultivators, her legs trembling uncontrollably.

Thirty-odd Heretical Cultivators had slaughtered all the Outer Sect Disciples escorting her. The once-friendly “senior brother” who had guided her into the woods now wore a greedy, lecherous expression as he eyed her.

Gulping hard, Shu Tiantian felt certain her fate was sealed.

Being transmigrated into an early-era tragic romance novel about a substitute white moonlight wasn’t terrifying—what was terrifying was that this white moonlight died right at the beginning.

Eighteen years ago, Shu Tiantian had been reborn into the world of *The Revered Master Sees Me as a Substitute*, an early-era angst novel.

Yet, despite having consciousness, senses, and hearing, she had been trapped like a wisp of a ghost inside her own body, unable to act or speak. She could only watch as “Shu Tiantian” grew up into a kind-hearted, naive white moonlight.

She knew her Revered Master would return from his three-year journey and take in a disciple who resembled her—the female lead, Ling Ruoshui. She knew that over those three years, Ling Ruoshui would replace her position. And she knew that on the day the female lead returned to the sect, Red Cloud Immortal Lord, to avoid misunderstandings, would deliberately send Shu Tiantian on a mission to another sect.

But who could have guessed that Shu Tiantian would be captured and killed by Heretical Cultivators on the road not far from the sect?

From then on, Junior Sister Shu Tiantian became an indelible scar between the female lead, the Revered Master, and the other disciples. The Revered Master would blame himself for life, and the entire sect would drown in guilt, turning what should have been a joyous disciple acceptance into a bloody thorn in the female lead’s heart.

Knowing the plot but unable to change anything, Shu Tiantian had wished for an early death to escape this torment.

But just an hour before her demise in this life, as she was resigning herself to fate, an invisible force suddenly seized control—and the next thing she knew, she had regained command of her body.

Only to be chased for miles by a pack of Heretical Cultivators wielding great blades.

Shu Tiantian wanted to curse the heavens, but with her medicine box in hand, she had already been backed against a cliff wall—nowhere left to retreat.

As the Heretical Cultivators formed a crescent-shaped encirclement, leering and ready to pounce, Shu Tiantian took a deep breath and suddenly raised the seemingly useless token in her hand, shouting,

“This token was given to me by Red Cloud Immortal Lord! If I crush it, his divine sense will sweep over here, and none of you will escape!”

The lead Heretical Cultivator’s grin faltered, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at the token.

The name Red Cloud Immortal Lord carried enough weight to make them hesitate. After a tense moment, the leader suddenly chuckled.

“Relax, we won’t kill you. We just want to invite the Little Medicine Immortal to treat our Patriarch’s injuries. Serve him well, and you’ll live a life of pleasure. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Shu Tiantian remained unmoved, instead tightening her grip on the token. “Step back,” she commanded.

The heretic cultivators’ expressions instantly darkened as they tentatively retreated two steps. But the little medical cultivator suddenly hurled the token in the opposite direction. As the heretics scrambled to catch it, she darted through the gap like a rabbit—

Yet before she could escape more than a few steps, the rabbit-like figure suddenly froze mid-air.

An icy chill surged through Shu Tiantian’s heart, sending her crashing heavily to the ground.

Her eyes widened with indignant refusal to accept death before she finally lost consciousness.

When she awoke again, Shu Tiantian found herself lying inside a large red wooden chest.

A faint chill permeated her entire body, making her shiver uncontrollably. She could vaguely hear the voices of the heretic cultivators outside:

“Tell me, besides her exceptional beauty, what other wondrous qualities does this little medical cultivator possess that would make our Ancestor Yuan take such enormous risks?”

Shu Tiantian knew exactly why—before her plane crash in her previous life, she had finished reading this classic tragic novel.

In this life, the reason she had become a target for heretic cultivators was her legendary Heavenly Yin Body.

The Heavenly Yin Constitution was ideal for dual cultivation, hence heretic cultivators often abducted women with this trait to use as Cauldrons. But hers was an exceptionally rare variation.

While ordinary Cauldrons could enhance cultivation through dual cultivation, Shu Tiantian was different—heavenly lightning strikes? Soul damage? Shattered meridians? None of it mattered. A single night with her could cure all ailments, making her essentially a walking panacea.

Such existence was considered a once-in-a-millennium occurrence in the cultivation world, much like the legendary Tang Monk’s flesh.

Thus, only after confirming Shu Tiantian’s unique constitution did these heretics dare take the tremendous risk of committing crimes right under Red Cloud Immortal Lord’s nose.

However, the rarity of the Heavenly Yin Constitution came with a catch—those who possessed it could only survive by absorbing scorching yang energy.

Her Revered Master Red Cloud possessed a wisp of Crimson Flame Heavenly Fire, which was why he could take Shu Tiantian as his disciple. But today, while sending her off to welcome new disciples, Red Cloud had been careless—he hadn’t even left her with a single spark of the crimson flame.

This oversight would later become Red Cloud’s greatest regret, a source of endless remorse whenever he recalled the incident…

Shu Tiantian shivered in agony, her entire body feeling like a fish frozen solid for ten days. Each exhale seemed to expel her very soul along with her breath.

The chest she lay in resembled those used for mortal weddings, complete with a small bronze mirror inside. Squinting in the faint dawn light, Shu Tiantian forced her eyes open to glance at the reflection—and instantly froze in shock.

Her departed soul came rushing back.

After a long moment, she couldn’t resist touching her own delicate face, suddenly feeling the will to live surging back through her veins—help her up, she could still fight!

During her years as a trapped spirit within this body, Shu Tiantian had never seen her own appearance. Strangely, whenever she tried to look at her face in this life, all she saw was a blank whiteness—she suspected this was due to some kind of restriction.

Though she’d guessed from others’ reactions that she must be extraordinarily beautiful, this was the first time she’d seen it with her own eyes—

Her slightly upturned peach blossom eyes, bright and clear, sparkled with life, though now damp with cold sweat, giving her a delicate, willow-like fragility. She attempted a smile, her crescent eyes curving sweetly, revealing two little canine teeth and a tiny mole on the tip of her nose—utterly charming.  

Truly worthy of being the Celestial Mystery Sect’s prized flower, the white moonlight even the female lead couldn’t hope to match.  

Shu Tiantian was overjoyed, especially since her features in this life closely resembled her previous one—like a maxed-out beauty stat sheet. Just for that… she felt she could keep on surviving!  

Yet the terrifying chill began creeping through her limbs again, freezing her lips until they trembled.  

Shu Tiantian had no idea where these heretical cultivators were taking her. The original novel only briefly mentioned her death. She only knew that the Heretical Cultivator Old Ancestor who captured her was called Yuan Jingzhi, one of the female lead’s future suitors—a supporting male character.  

Besides, by the time Ling Ruoshui officially completed her apprenticeship, her Revered Master would likely discover her disappearance far too late.  

Shu Tiantian endured until, exhausted, she drifted into a hazy sleep.  

When she woke again, she found herself tightly bound on a phoenix-and-dragon wedding bed.  

This was a somewhat dilapidated goddess temple. Faded red curtains hung limply, and the worn wooden windows and pillars made the bright red wedding bed beneath her seem glaringly out of place.  

In the darkness, a slimy gaze seemed to linger on her, laced with a mocking disdain.  

“The Celestial Mystery Sect’s number one beauty… is nothing special after all. Just a Qi Refining Stage waste… not even worth a single finger of hers.”  

The last part was whispered too softly to hear.  

The heretical cultivators all bowed in unison. Following their gaze, Shu Tiantian saw a young man in red robes—someone who didn’t fit the title “Old Ancestor” at all—grinning at her with bared teeth.  

This must be Yuan Jingzhi, the highly popular supporting male character from the novel. A Nascent Soul Stage heretical cultivator, infamous for his atrocities, yet hopelessly smitten with Ling Ruoshui, the delicate white flower—even taking heavenly lightning for her.  

But the female lead’s heavenly lightning was no ordinary strike. Yuan Jingzhi’s soul was severely damaged, and upon learning of Shu Tiantian’s special constitution, he promptly set his sights on her.  

Though Yuan Jingzhi’s face was undeniably handsome, the moment Shu Tiantian saw it, she recalled the novel’s description of her gruesome death and instinctively clenched her fists.  

Yuan Jingzhi’s greedy eyes roamed over her, and perhaps because Shu Tiantian bore some resemblance to Shu Ruoshui, his smile took on a different edge.  

“Miss Shu, do you know where this is? This is the goddess temple closest to the entrance of the Void Abyss.”  

“Have you ever heard a certain legend?”  

His voice was always soft and low, as if trying to scare a child, so much so that Shu Tiantian didn’t even catch the words “Void Abyss.”  

“They say that every year at this time, fresh sacrifices are brought to this goddess temple. If the sacrifices scream too loudly while being tormented at midnight… they’ll awaken something inside the Void Abyss…”  

“For the sake of your pretty face, I’ll make it quick. So no matter how much it hurts later… don’t make a single sound—”  

*Thud!*  

The large vat beside Shu Tiantian toppled over as she kicked it.  

Yuan Jingzhi and the heretical cultivators behind him: “……”

The heretical cultivators suddenly erupted into raucous laughter, their coarse and terrifying guffaws echoing above the Niangniang Temple.

Shu Tiantian retracted her kicked-out leg, feeling her foot cramp slightly. Just moments ago, memories about the “Abyss of Emptiness” had flashed through her mind, prompting her to act almost instinctively.

But then, movement sounded outside—the coarse laughter abruptly cut off.

Nothing was more unsettling than sudden silence.

Shu Tiantian held her breath.

Yes, she had just remembered—if it was the Abyss of Emptiness… then the legend might be true.

Yuan Jingzhi had originally sent his subordinates to investigate, but when they failed to return, he frowned and shot Shu Tiantian a glance before stepping out himself.

While the heretical cultivators went to check the disturbance, the ropes binding Shu Tiantian finally loosened from her efforts. Seeing them turn back—she darted under the bed like a nimble fish.

She knew she couldn’t escape, so hiding was her only option.

Yet misfortune never comes alone. The familiar, bone-chilling cold of her Heavenly Yin Body began creeping in again. Gritting her teeth against the shivering, she peered through the gaps in the bed curtains.

And what she saw froze her in place.

Outside, the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival had vanished behind dark clouds, leaving only the faint glow of lanterns.

The heretical cultivators had rushed out to investigate but found nothing. Just as they turned back, cursing—

A gale-force wind howled.

The sound of snapping branches followed, and a black figure emerged behind the group.

Barefoot, he left trails of crimson flames wherever he stepped.

Though he stood alone, the heretical cultivators staggered back as if crushed by an invisible force.

Yuan Jingzhi’s eyes widened in horror, his lips moving soundlessly.

In the deathly silence, only a ghostly, rasping voice could be heard—an indistinct, hissing murmur that slithered like an icy serpent over one’s heart, freezing the blood with indescribable dread.

After the hissing ceased, the temple plunged into utter stillness.

Then, the heretical cultivators moved—

One raised a blade and plunged it into a comrade’s chest. Then three, four, five… The wet, squelching sounds sent chills down the spine.

Shu Tiantian instinctively shrank back, clutching her medicine box.

It was a feast of mutual slaughter—the same heretical cultivators who had swaggered before her now turned on each other with bloodlust.

But even more horrifying was the eerie rhythm that resumed after the hissing stopped—a strange, lilting tune, as if someone were tapping a beat and humming along to the carnage, as though singing a macabre melody.

With each step, another person was engulfed in raging flames.

Then… the breathtakingly beautiful bare feet stepped into the temple, pausing right before Shu Tiantian.

A primal terror prickled her skin.

She trembled so violently that the entire bed curtain quivered.

Those pale, slender hands rested on the bed curtains, and sure enough, the trembling stopped.

In the deathly silence, a shaking hand slowly emerged from beneath the bed.

“C-c-c-cure lightning strikes, s-s-soul damage, m-m-meridian fractures… a-a-all at 30% off!”