Chapter 2: The First Encounter in the Water Prison

Shu Wan immediately became flustered and hurriedly changed clothes. 

Fortunately, this Young Miss usually trained martial arts, so her clothing style was generally simple, and after a bit of thought, she could manage.

If the scene was taking place here, then she absolutely had to go.

Shu Wan clearly remembered this part, as it was a small plot point. 

Yi Chenlan had been punished by her father with a hundred lashes, but no treatment had been administered afterward. 

As a result, his legs never fully healed, and he developed a limp when walking in the future. 

For this, he received much malice and ridicule.

Thinking about this, Shu Wan felt a bit guilty. Yi Chenlan’s suffering was all something she had created for him.

“Senior Brother Ah Yang, um… wasn’t Senior Brother Ah Lan staying at Jingtong Pavilion? Why are you taking me up the mountain?” Shu Wan quickly finished her preparations and followed Jiang Yang for a while before she could no longer resist asking.

The Zhongshan Sect, where they were, was an important location in the novel. 

All the details had been created by Shu Wan, and for the more complex areas, she had even drawn sketches with labels. 

The Zhongshan Sect was built at the foot of Mount Pochen. Even though Shu Wan didn’t know where Jingtong Pavilion was, she could be certain it was definitely not on the mountain.

Jiang Yang made an “oh” sound and replied: “Ah Lan isn’t at Jingtong Pavilion. After Master punished him yesterday, he ordered for him to be brought to the water prison in the mountain.”

Shu Wan’s heart sank. 

She nervously rubbed her fingers and, feeling guilty, didn’t respond. When she wrote this part, she had focused on the male lead, Jiang Yang’s growth line, and when Yi Chenlan reappeared, she simply summarized it with the line: “The injury left lasting consequences, causing him to limp when he walked.”

Now that she thought about it, his legs had been severely injured, and after being left in the cold water prison for who knows how long, it was already a miracle that he was still alive.

“Little Junior Sister, I think Ah Lan hasn’t really done anything wrong. I don’t know why Master always punishes him so harshly.”

Seeing that Shu Wan hadn’t spoken, Jiang Yang sighed in frustration. “All the mistakes were made by his father. Even if he has to pay for them, it should be done slowly.”

Shu Wan looked at Jiang Yang in slight surprise. 

Wait a minute, wasn’t this the kind-hearted and just male lead she had written?

Why did he sound… a little too much like a green tea personality?

She followed Jiang Yang through the gates of the water prison and, feeling a bit displeased, muttered quietly: “At this point, Yi Chenlan hasn’t done anything wrong. He clearly didn’t do anything wrong at all. I’m the author. How could I not know…”

“Huh? Wan Wan, what did you say?” Jiang Yang didn’t hear clearly and turned around to ask.

Shu Wan ignored him. 

Her gaze and thoughts were entirely drawn to the man in the center of the water prison ahead of them.

In the shimmering light of the water, the man was shackled by iron chains, his hands suspended in the center. 

The bloodstains on his body stained his green robe, and from his waist down, he was submerged in the cold water, adding an extra touch of fragile beauty.

Shu Wan looked at the man’s refined and otherworldly appearance and suddenly remembered the chaotic dream from last night. 

The man who had looked at her with a gaze of relief in the end was identical to him.

But now, he looked much younger.

Shu Wan took a few steps forward. 

Was this the villainous second male lead she had written? 

He was too handsome, wasn’t he? 

Wait, now wasn’t the time to admire his looks. 

The atmosphere here was cold and eerie, and he looked gravely injured. She needed to get him out of here quickly.

Shu Wan bent down to touch the water, and the coldness made her gasp. 

She immediately turned to Jiang Yang and said: “Senior Brother Ah Yang, I’ll go get Senior Brother Ah Lan out. You wait here to help.”

Since she wasn’t familiar with Jiang Yang, Shu Wan felt awkward directly asking him to go into the water.

Jiang Yang looked surprised. “Huh? Wan Wan, you’re going to release Ah Lan??”

This time, Shu Wan was a bit stunned. 

Didn’t he say he was worried about Yi Chenlan and wanted to see him? Wasn’t the point to take him out? 

Are we just here to “come here and look at him?”

Shu Wan thought about the earlier parts of her book, when Yi Chenlan had greatly respected Jiang Yang, as Jiang Yang didn’t treat him with the same hostility as others. 

In fact, Jiang Yang occasionally showed him care. But most of Shu Wan’s writing focused on Jiang Yang’s development, with only a few mentions of his care for Yi Chenlan, mainly to highlight Jiang Yang’s kindness and casual nature.

Now that she thought about it, just the act of coming to “see” Yi Chenlan was enough to make him feel indebted. 

Later on, he even spared Jiang Yang’s life multiple times after being provoked. 

Shu Wan realized her villainous second male lead was so likable, and if given a chance to rewrite, she definitely wouldn’t have been so harsh on him.

Looking at her male lead now, Shu Wan was a little speechless. “Senior Brother Ah Lan is so badly injured. If we don’t treat him quickly, it could leave lasting consequences. Weren’t you just saying you were worried about him?”

“But… if Master finds out…”

“I’m not afraid if my father finds out. After all, I’m the one letting him out.” Shu Wan grabbed the hem of her clothes and jumped into the water. 

The shock of the cold water instantly made her legs feel numb and painful.

She could barely stand it for even a second and… Yi Chenlan had actually spent the entire night here…..

And in her book, Yi Chenlan would definitely not be locked up here for just one night.

Shu Wan felt uneasy in her heart. 

Since childhood, she had always been a well-behaved child and had never bullied anyone. 

Now, looking at the unconscious beauty in the water prison, her feelings of guilt surged once again.

She wasn’t as tall as Yi Chenlan, and the water had already risen to her chest by the time it reached his waist. 

Shu Wan struggled to move to Yi Chenlan’s side, trying to reach his shackles. She intended to pull out the dagger she always carried with her to cut them off.

However, because Shu Wan was so cold, the strength in her hand inadvertently increased. Before she could even draw her dagger, the iron shackles were accidentally crushed by her.

Shu Wan: “…”

When she first crossed over, she had been too focused on thinking about her own tragic fate of being sentenced to three thousand cuts that she had completely forgotten that she, too, was supposed to be an incredibly strong martial artist.

She had shown unparalleled talent in martial arts since she was young, easily defeating most of her senior brothers in the early stages and even matching some of the elders in skill. 

She was a genius girl who was even more famous than Jiang Yang. 

Unfortunately, later on, she became obsessed with her training and lost herself in the process. 

Her unrequited feelings for the male lead twisted her heart. 

After her father’s downfall, her reputation plummeted, and she became disillusioned, eventually transitioning from the Heroine to the Female Demon Lord.

When she wrote it, Shu Wan thought she had crafted a very logical narrative. 

She had only created obstacles for the male and female leads, focusing on the hardships of their love. 

Yi Chenlan, on the other hand, was the one who could stir up chaos in the Jianghu, providing a test for their growth in life. 

Each had their own role to play—very perfect, she thought.

But now, looking at what she had written… 

Well, at least her martial arts skills were useful. Shu Wan grabbed the other shackle on Yi Chenlan’s hand, applied a little force, and the heavy iron cuff shattered like a potato chip.

With his hands freed, Yi Chenlan’s arms immediately dropped helplessly, hitting the water’s surface and splashing both him and Shu Wan with water. 

Before she had time to wipe it off, Yi Chenlan’s body began to topple toward her.

Shu Wan instinctively reached out to support him.

His head fell onto her shoulder, his long, damp hair spreading over half of his face. 

Due to the prolonged exposure to the cold, his raven-like lashes were covered with a layer of frost, making him appear like a jade figure carved from ice and snow—noble, yet fragile.

Seeing her male villain character up close only made Shu Wan’s heart race even more. 

Yi Chenlan was so handsome, she couldn’t find the words to describe it. 

When she had seen Jiang Yang earlier, she had thought him to be handsome and dashing, truly the look of a male lead. 

But now, looking at Yi Chenlan, she couldn’t help but feel speechless.

Such a beautiful man leaning on her shoulder, even though he was submerged in cold water, Shu Wan still felt her face redden a little.

She dragged Yi Chenlan toward the side, and Jiang Yang reached out to grab him, pulling him up. He looked at the unconscious Yi Chenlan, then glanced at Shu Wan, who looked like a drowned rat. “Little Junior Sister… what should we do about Ah Lan now?”

Shu Wan pushed herself up from the edge of the pool and wrung out the water from her skirt. “You carry Senior Brother Ah Lan on your back and head back to Jingtong Pavilion. I’ll go find Uncle-Master Zhou to take a look at him.”

Uncle-Master Zhou was an important figure in Zhongshan Sect, known as Zhou Yuan. While his martial arts were mediocre, he was a master of both medicine and poison.

Jiang Yang raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “How is Uncle-Master Zhou going to treat Ah Lan?”

Why wouldn’t he? Zhou Yuan was a character she created herself! 

He was a medical fanatic, and in his eyes, there was no distinction between bloodlines or good and evil, only patients and their ailments. 

He had no particular feelings of love or hate toward Yi Chenlan. 

Later, when Yi Chenlan returned, having turned dark, Zhou Yuan was one of the few survivors in Zhongshan Sect.

Moreover, if Yi Chenlan’s legs weren’t properly treated, he could end up with a permanent disability. Finding Zhou Yuan to check on him was the safest option.

“He will come. I’ll go find him now. Senior Brother Ah Yang, be careful when carrying him, don’t press on his injuries.”

Shu Wan helped Jiang Yang get Yi Chenlan onto his back, and after leaving the water prison, she took a moment to orient herself. 

——

After all, she had the map in her mind, so finding people wasn’t difficult.

As expected, Zhou Yuan agreed without hesitation. 

When they arrived, Yi Chenlan was quietly lying on the bed, still unconscious.

Zhou Yuan checked Yi Chenlan’s pulse, his hands moving like an emotionless machine. “THis heart pulse is in turmoil, internal organs gravely wounded, evil cold has entered his body, and the meridians are blocked. If he isn’t properly treated, the consequences could be grave.”

Zhou Yuan stood up to examine Yi Chenlan’s legs. 

The wounds from the flogging were clearly visible, and after being soaked in water for so long, the flesh and skin had started to peel and curl. Zhou Yuan immediately furrowed his brow. “Was this done by Senior Brother Shu? The injuries have reached the bones. How long has he been in the water prison? If it had been any longer, he would have been left with a disability.”

Shu Wan stood by, watching Zhou Yuan work with precision and speed, feeling grateful that she had written such a skilled doctor into the story. He was so useful.

With each needle Zhou Yuan inserted, Yi Chenlan’s pale face slowly regained some color. 

Shu Wan couldn’t help but feel that from this moment on, her storyline had deviated from its original path. 

Through her efforts, the villain in her story would no longer be left with permanent injuries.

So, if she worked hard, surely her own fate wouldn’t be as tragic as she had originally written for herself.

As the author, all the characters were like her own children, and from this point on, she would treat everyone fairly. 

She wouldn’t love the male lead to the point of obsession like the Shu Wan in the book, nor would she torment and mistreat this tragic yet powerful villain.

From now on, she would distribute the world’s resources fairly and justly to everyone, unlike the story where everything had been given to Jiang Yang.

Everyone would grow and be happy, and she would wish for peace and longevity for herself. 

That was all she needed.

Shu Wan was happily contemplating these thoughts when Zhou Yuan called out to her: “Wan Wan, I’ll have a disciple bring over the medicine soon. Let him rest properly; he should be fine.”

“Also, you two need to be careful!” Zhou Yuan continued as he packed up his medical kit. “Yi Chenlan has a special status. Senior Brother Shu probably wouldn’t want to see you two getting too close.”

After Jiang Yang left to accompany Zhou Yuan, Shu Wan glanced at Yi Chenlan, resting her chin in her hand as she reflected on Zhou Yuan’s words. 

He was right. She needed to think about how to protect her villain from her hypocrite father’s influence.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the bed. 

Shu Wan looked up to see Yi Chenlan’s brow furrowed slightly, his long eyelashes fluttering. Slowly, his eyes opened.