Chapter 2

Yu Zhengzheng didn’t fall to her death. The apricot-dress girl from the Ghost Sect used a white ribbon to catch her around the waist, pulling her back from the cliff.

Barely conscious, Yu Zhengzheng clung to the girl’s arm and murmured weakly, “You’re so kind…”

The girl scratched her head, her baby-fat cheeks tinged with red. “Not really. My master’s Chixiao Sword is still on you. If you fell, it’d be hard to retrieve.”

As she spoke, the girl raised her hand and pulled out the silver sword embedded below Yu Zhengzheng’s collarbone. Bright red blood spurted from the wound, and a wave of searing pain coursed through her body.

Yu Zhengzheng: “…”

The sticky blood seemed to choke her throat. Her eyelids grew even heavier, and finally, she couldn’t catch her breath, fainting on the spot.

She seemed to have a long dream.

In the dream, her daily task was to collect the remains of terrifying-looking creatures. People wielding weapons fought fiercely, calling these grotesque things zombies.

Some zombies were missing arms, others had their heads blown off, and her job was to clean up the remains, ensuring her comrades had a livable environment.

Her work was relatively leisurely. To pass the time, she would sometimes venture out to abandoned bookstores to look for romance novels to read.

In one of the books, there was a devoted supporting female character with the same name as her. This character silently supported the male protagonist for seven years, serving him tea, washing clothes, cooking meals, and even stepping forward to block a sword for him during dangerous moments.

Not long after, the male protagonist lost control while practicing martial arts, driven by inner demons. In this state, he skinned and dismembered the supporting female character, turning her into a specimen. It wasn’t until he regained his sanity that he realized his feelings for her.

To save the remaining fragment of her soul, he forcibly took the female lead’s heart blood to nourish the supporting character’s soul. However, during their interactions, the female lead began to develop feelings for him.

After enduring disfigurement, amnesia, and a pregnancy, the female lead eventually grew utterly disillusioned with him.

It was only after losing her that the male protagonist gradually recognized his feelings for the female lead. To win her back, he personally destroyed the last fragment of the supporting character’s soul, successfully rekindling his relationship with the female lead.

The dream ended abruptly here, and a sudden flash of white light vanished from her mind. Yu Zhengzheng was awakened by the shrill voice of a woman outside the door.

She stared blankly ahead, scenes from the dream flashing before her eyes. A burning pain came from the wound on her chest, and fragmented memories reassembled in her mind like scattered beads being strung together.

Seven years, washing clothes, cooking meals, silently sacrificing, blocking a sword…

Even if Yu Zhengzheng were foolish, she could guess that she was the unfortunate, devoted supporting character in that book.

As her old memories gradually returned, she touched her still intact skin and couldn’t help but weep with relief.

Fortunately, she remembered it early enough. If she’d recalled a month later, she’d be a dried-up specimen by now.

The people here were more terrifying than zombies. At worst, zombies in the post-apocalypse would just take a bite, but her senior brother had planned to skin and dismember her, and in the end, even shattered her soul with a sword.

At the thought of the sword, Yu Zhengzheng felt a sudden pain in her wound. She lowered her gaze to the already bandaged wound, faintly recalling the cold expression in her senior brother’s eyes as she fell off the cliff.

A man like that, indifferent and unhelpful, how could he ever like her?

“Yu Zhengzheng, you’re finally awake.” A female cultivator walked in from outside, holding a bowl of medicine. “Hurry up and drink this while it’s hot. The Sect Master wants to see you in the inner city once you’re up.”

Yu Zhengzheng slowly raised her head, her dark eyes fixing on the exquisite blue-and-white porcelain bowl. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

The Sect Master of Penglai Mountain was famously stingy. Outer sect disciples were given the lowest-grade clay bowls. Such a fine porcelain bowl had no business appearing in the outer city.

A sentence from the book quickly flashed through her mind: “Yu Zhengzheng was set up in the inner city, drugged, and sent to the Ghost Sect as a substitute for Yu Jiangjiang to become the Ghost King’s cauldron.”

That was it. Yu Jiangjiang had received an invitation from the Ghost Sect, requiring her to attend an interview for the position of the Ghost King’s cauldron. But Yu Jiangjiang clearly didn’t want to take on that role.

Thus came the later plotline: the original character was sent as a scapegoat to the Ghost Sect, and after countless hardships, barely managed to escape back to Penglai Mountain, only to face the male protagonist losing control of his inner demons.

Yu Zhengzheng had no intention of staying at Penglai Mountain. She had no masochistic tendencies. Forget being skinned and dismembered—just being stabbed once had nearly cost her life.

She had no desire to deal with her senior brother. That “dog” of a man was better left for someone else to enjoy.

“What are you staring at? Hurry up and drink it; I’ve got work to do!” The female cultivator’s tone grew impatient, urging her.

Yu Zhengzheng took the bowl and slowly curled her lips. “How much spirit stone did Yu Jiangjiang give you?”

The female cultivator instinctively replied, “One top-grade—”

She abruptly stopped, her face turning pale. She took two steps back, but recalling Yu Jiangjiang’s threats, she hesitated. If she failed the task, Yu Jiangjiang would expose her affair with the married Thirteenth Senior Brother. His ferocious wife would undoubtedly tear her apart.

Yu Zhengzheng was weak and powerless, while the female cultivator still had some spiritual energy. If it came to a fight, Yu Zhengzheng would definitely lose.

Thinking of this, the female cultivator dropped all pretense. Her expression turned vicious as she glared at Yu Zhengzheng. “Are you going to drink it yourself, or do I have to force you?”

Yu Zhengzheng glanced at her like she was an idiot and poured the bowl of medicine onto the ground. “I choose to pour it out.”

The female cultivator: “…”

“Fine! Fine! If you refuse to cooperate, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” The female cultivator’s face flushed with rage as she approached the bed.

Just as the female cultivator lunged forward, Yu Zhengzheng bent down and smashed the porcelain bowl onto the ground. She grabbed a sharp shard and pressed it against the female cultivator’s neck.

With a slight movement of her finger, the shard cut into the female cultivator’s skin, and blood slowly trickled down. The suffocating fear made the female cultivator’s face fill with terror.

Yu Zhengzheng had been oppressed since childhood. Even after moving to the outer city, her silence and meekness made her seem like an easy target. The female cultivator never expected her to retaliate so fiercely.

“Where is Yu Jiangjiang?” Yu Zhengzheng leaned closer, her voice calm with a faint smile.

The female cultivator trembled and pointed toward the inner city. “She’s in her boudoir and hasn’t come out for days.”

Yu Zhengzheng lowered her gaze thoughtfully. Penglai Mountain was surrounded by the sea, with water stretching five hundred miles in all directions. Without spiritual energy to fly, leaving the mountain during these dangerous times would be almost impossible.

In the cultivation world, she was as weak as a chicken, easily crushed by anyone. Escaping to the mortal realm on her own was out of the question.

Moreover, with Yu Jiangjiang targeting her and the Sect Master potentially siding with Yu Jiangjiang, she would inevitably be sent to the Ghost Sect as a scapegoat.

Actually, going to the Ghost Sect might not be the worst outcome. Because of her weakness, the original character had not been chosen by the Ghost King.

She had stayed in the Ghost Sect for less than a month before someone took her to the mortal realm, where she found a chance to escape and return to Penglai Mountain.

Rather than being passive, why not take the initiative? Staying in the Ghost Sect for a month wouldn’t be so bad; it could serve as preparation for her new life in the mortal realm.

Yu Zhengzheng smiled faintly at the female cultivator. “So, you want me to go to the Ghost Sect? Fine. Give me that top-grade spirit stone, and I’ll go.”

The female cultivator looked at her as though she had seen a ghost. Remembering the scandal between herself and the Thirteenth Senior Brother, she hesitated for a long moment before gritting her teeth and tremblingly pulling out a spirit stone from her undergarments.

Grasping the still-warm spirit stone, Yu Zhengzheng knocked the female cultivator unconscious with a swift elbow strike.

From her storage bracelet, she took out a white robe belonging to her senior brother and draped it gently over the disheveled woman. She then yanked the hairpin from her hair and styled her into the appearance of a damsel in distress.

Using a bedsheet, she carefully wiped away the bloodstains on the woman’s neck. For added authenticity, she even thoughtfully left a few “strawberry” marks on her neck.

After finishing her handiwork, Yu Zhengzheng quickly packed her belongings. She had little to bring except a small pot of spirit grass.

Every wood-element cultivator owned a pot of spirit grass, which they relied on for absorbing wood-element energy during cultivation. The better the grass thrived, the faster their cultivation progressed.

If the grass was destroyed, the cultivator’s abilities would dissipate entirely. This made the grass the lifeline of any wood-element cultivator.

Yu Zhengzheng’s spirit grass was no more than the size of a bean sprout. Despite her daily efforts to water it and provide sunlight, it remained frail and malnourished.

Though its effectiveness was limited, bringing it along seemed prudent.

After stowing the grass in her storage bracelet, she gently patted the unconscious woman’s face. “I’m helping you forge a connection with Senior Brother. It’s better than seducing someone’s husband, isn’t it?”

With that, she ran out of the house, clutching her chest and yelling, “Help! Lin Cui is in trouble! Somebody come quick!”

It was about three quarters past You Hour, around 6:30 p.m. Most outer sect disciples were either taking a post-meal stroll or preparing for bed.

Clusters of male and female disciples were milling around, and Yu Zhengzheng’s frantic cries quickly drew their attention.

Humans are naturally drawn to gossip, and soon a crowd gathered. Seeing her sobbing with her face buried in her hands, one concerned male cultivator asked, “What happened to Lin Cui? Didn’t she go to prepare medicine for you?”

Yu Zhengzheng pinched herself to bring tears to her eyes, then stammered, “When I woke up, I found Lin Cui lying disheveled on the ground. It looked like she’d been violated…”

At this, the crowd abandoned her and surged into the room.

Inside, startled voices rang out: “Senior Brother? This is Senior Brother’s robe! Look at the embroidery on the sleeve—it’s his name!”

“No wonder Yu Zhengzheng was crying so bitterly. Who would’ve thought? Senior Brother seemed so upright!”

Hearing the commotion, Yu Zhengzheng slipped away amidst the chaos, rushing toward the inner city before curfew.

The gatekeepers recognized her. Although her status as the sect leader’s daughter was nominal, they didn’t dare to obstruct her.

The inner city of Penglai Mountain resembled the capital of the human world—lively and bustling even at night.

Yu Zhengzheng had no intention of seeking out her unreliable father. First, she needed to visit the pharmacy and use the high-grade spirit stone she’d obtained to buy some knockout drugs.

Her ultimate destination was the sect’s divine mansion, where she planned to retrieve something from her senior brother.

His birthday was approaching, and he had a fondness for walnuts. Yu Zhengzheng had spent seven years saving up a hundred superior-grade spirit stones to buy him a pair of warm jade walnuts.

She originally wanted to surprise him, so two days earlier, she had hidden the walnuts in his quarters.

While she was generally generous with her gifts, those walnuts had cost her dearly, and she couldn’t bear to let them go to waste.

Why should that scoundrel benefit from them? She was determined to reclaim what was hers.

Meanwhile, at the sect’s divine mansion, two individuals in black and apricot robes knelt silently on the floor. They had been kneeling for three hours, yet the young man in white on the bed had not spoken, forcing them to remain there.

The woman in apricot appeared on the verge of collapse, her body swaying as though she might faint at any moment.

Finally, the black-robed man could bear it no longer. “This is my failure, Your Majesty. Please punish me.”

In the quiet chamber, the occasional clink of walnuts being rolled could be heard—the sound of the master playing with them.

After a long pause, a slow chuckle emerged from the bed. “Have you finally recognized me?”

The black-robed man’s already pale face grew even paler. “Your Majesty disappeared for over a thousand years after slaughtering the Eastern Dragon Clan. I came under orders from the Shura King to kill Penglai Mountain’s chief disciple, but I didn’t realize…”

He trailed off, his words faltering.

Since the Ghost King had vanished, the Shura King had taken over the Ghost Sect. The black-robed man had merely been carrying out orders.

Who would have thought the Ghost King had reappeared, disguised as Penglai Mountain’s chief disciple? After so many years, he couldn’t possibly recognize him.

The man in white gave a faint nod. “By your account, the fault lies with me, then.”

The black-robed man shook his head in panic. “Failing to recognize Your Majesty was my grave error.”

The white-robed figure smiled faintly. “If you know your error, then atone for it.”

The black-robed man hesitated, his fingers trembling as they gripped the hilt of his sword.

The apricot-robed woman clutched his arm, her eyes brimming with tears. “Master, don’t!”

Gently, he patted her hand. “Shanshui, let go.”

When she refused, he pushed her away with a firm palm.

Resolute, he drew his sword and thrust it toward his own heart. His strike was steady and merciless, leaving no room for retreat.

Just as the blade pierced his flesh, a walnut shot out from the inner chamber, its icy trajectory deflecting the blade an inch.

The sword lodged into his ribs, blood quickly staining his robes. Staring at the wound, the man felt a faint sense of relief.

The Ghost King had always been unpredictable. He had gambled, and it seemed he had won.

The white-robed man watched every action unfold, his faint smile unwavering. “Who orchestrated the furnace plan?”

“It was the Shura King. He claimed to have found Your Majesty’s whereabouts and ordered the Ghost Sect to prepare a furnace to welcome your return.”

Before he could respond, the faint sound of footsteps echoed outside the divine mansion.

Moments later, the footsteps grew closer. A slim shadow appeared on the door, and a slender bamboo tube poked through the paper window, releasing a white mist into the room.

The black-robed man instinctively prepared to draw his sword, but the white-robed figure narrowed his eyes and silently ordered them to retreat to the rafters.

The mist soon spread through the chamber. A cautious voice called from outside, “Senior Brother, are you asleep?”

The white-robed man raised an eyebrow, finding the voice familiar.

Could it be… that woman?

Receiving no response, Yu Zhengzheng cautiously entered.

Her objective was clear as she headed straight for the bed. She had hidden the warm jade walnuts under his pillow a few days ago.

Lifting the white curtains, she saw her unconscious senior brother. Without hesitation, she slapped his face twice.

“You bastard! With your feeble state, you think you can flay me and turn me into a specimen? Scum! May your children be born without—”

The two people on the rafters shivered involuntarily at her curses.

After venting, Yu Zhengzheng quickly got to work.

Shoving his body aside, she searched beneath the jade pillow for the walnuts.

To her surprise, they weren’t there. After turning the entire bed upside down, she still couldn’t find them.

As she fretted, a pale, icy hand appeared before her, holding the two smooth, warm jade walnuts.

“Are you looking for these?”

Yu Zhengzheng nodded. “Yes, how did you…”

Her words trailed off as she stiffened. Slowly, she raised her head, and their eyes met in the dim light.