Chapter 2

Liu Li dreamed. She dreamed that the three thousand comments she’d posted earlier were being cursed back at, one by one, by that dog of an author. In the end, the author smugly declared: ‘She’s dead, what are you gonna do about it?’

Liu Li woke up, absolutely furious.

After waking and comparing the dream to reality, her urge to curse subsided.

The feeling of dreaming and being awake was worlds apart. She could no longer fool herself into thinking it was all a dream.

Without a doubt, she had transmigrated into that harem novel that started with breaking off an engagement. She had become the male lead Long Jingxing’s main empress in his harem, the number one female lead, Xue Liuli—the male lead’s dearest Junior Sister.

Liu Li—she should be called Xue Liuli now.

Since she’d arrived here after falling asleep, and falling asleep again hadn’t sent her back, Liuli guessed she probably wouldn’t be transmigrating back.

But what was she here to do?

Sitting blankly on the bed, Liuli recalled the dream she’d just had. A look of sudden understanding dawned on her face, and she couldn’t help but forcefully smack the bed frame:

Wasn’t this telling her to come and change the fate of that cannon fodder white moonlight, Feng Xiwu?!

Feng Xiwu was her absolute favorite character in the entire book. For this white moonlight who had so little screen time, Liuli had endured millions of words of that formulaic level-up story.

If that isn’t love, then what is?!

Clenching her fists, Liuli resolved with firm determination to change the plot where Feng Xiwu was implicated and killed!

Even though she’d only viewed it as a pastime, actually coming here to be a badass cultivator… actually sounded pretty great?!

Sitting on the bed, the more Liuli thought about it, the more she felt this deal wasn’t a loss.

Her modern self had no car, no house, no parents. If she just vanished, it would only make her good friends sad for a while. But if she became an immortal, maybe she could even go back and visit them.

Moreover, the female lead, Xue Liuli, was a triple-threat of high looks, high status, and high talent. As long as she stayed far away from the male lead, the vast world ahead would be theirs—hers and her white moonlight’s—to soar through freely, right?

Liuli quickly convinced herself to accept reality. And as she thought about how her favorite character was alive right now, waiting somewhere nearby for her to save her, an itch of impatience grew in her heart.

The book used over a dozen idioms to describe Feng Xiwu’s temperament and appearance. Liuli had forgotten most of them, only remembering the four words: ‘bright as the moon.’

She wondered, meeting such a person in real life, just what kind of peerless elegance it would be.

Liuli threw off the covers. The moment her feet touched the floor, the door to her boudoir was pushed open.

It was the original body’s dear Senior Brother, Long Jingxing.

Long Jingxing was carrying a bowl of medicine, earnestly urging Liuli to drink it, completely unaware that the little junior sister who usually shared a tacit understanding with him had a different soul in her shell now. She was long gone from being his virtuous, generous, jealousy-free main wife.

Seeing Long Jingxing arrive, as he drew closer, Liuli got a clear look and found herself staring blankly.

Seeing her dazed look, Long Jingxing couldn’t help but smile. Holding the bowl and a porcelain spoon, he made to feed her the medicine personally. But this very gesture startled Liuli, jolting her right out of her own thoughts.

Liuli didn’t even notice Long Jingxing’s intimacy. She smoothly took the bowl and spoon and piled them on the headboard. “Thanks, thanks a lot. My head isn’t dizzy anymore. Long Jingx… Senior Brother Long, let me ask you, how long until the Sect Grand Tournament?”

“A little over three months. Junior Sister need not worry. With your cultivation level, you’ll surely shine brilliantly.”

Hearing this, Liuli couldn’t help but laugh. “So, there’s still three months.”

But immediately, the two brows that had just smoothed out furrowed again. “Ugh, then how much longer until she comes out of seclusion…”

Long Jingxing asked, “She? Who’s she?”

“Perfected One Feng Xiwu of Parasol Tree Mountain.”

“Junior Sister, you’ve been unconscious these past few days, so you don’t know. Perfected One Feng successfully broke through and came out of seclusion just yesterday!”

Liuli: “Huh???”

Long Jingxing admired from afar. “Perfected One Feng is truly amazing. She is our Heavenly Martial Sect’s youngest Nascent Soul expert, isn’t she?”

Liuli frantically scratched her head. “This isn’t scientific!”

Long Jingxing was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

From Long Jingxing’s age, relationship, state, and identity relative to her own, Liuli deduced that the currently spirited, gentle, and refined Long Jingxing must be the pre-plot Long Jingxing. And the Sect Grand Tournament she asked about was where the entire plot began.

At the tournament, Long Jingxing would be poisoned, his Spiritual Root damaged, his cultivation dispersed. Simultaneously, he’d be framed for betraying the sect… in short, it would be miserable times ten. After that, his master would abandon him, his fiancée would break the engagement, his fellow disciples would look down on him… Long Jingxing’s personality would drastically change, turning ruthless and cold.

Right, the female lead, Xue Liuli, was the one who always stood by him.

Although Liuli couldn’t remember most of the plot clearly and had even skipped many chapters, she remembered the parts concerning Feng Xiwu perfectly.

Although Feng Xiwu appeared relatively early, Liuli remembered that she only broke through and emerged after Long Jingxing fell into dire straits. At that time, Feng Xiwu knew nothing of the previous events. By chance, she met Long Jingxing at the back mountain. Not only did she not look down on this broken-rooted, fallen disciple, but she guided him and encouraged him. Even later, when the male lead sought a method to rebuild his Spiritual Root, it was Feng Xiwu who provided the intel.

Even later, the male lead rebuilt his root, leveled up through tribulations, and returned gloriously, continuously face-slapping and face-slapping again within the sect. He then became Feng Xiwu’s disciple once more. The female lead, Xue Liuli, got jealous and insisted on also becoming Feng Xiwu’s disciple. Just like that, the perfect-in-every-way-except-for-choice-in-disciples Feng Xiwu took on two students. One who was in love with her, the other who was jealous of her.

Even later, the male lead’s other lover, a demon woman from the Devil Sect, attacked the sect, kidnapping Xue Liuli and Long Jingxing. Feng Xiwu, trying to save her two disciples, was ambushed and killed.

Liuli pounded the bed. “That dog!!!”

Long Jingxing: “Huh???”

“Not you.” Liuli couldn’t figure out why Feng Xiwu emerged from seclusion so much earlier. Had she remembered wrong?

Or could it be that in the real world, things were inherently changing, so it wouldn’t follow exactly what was written in the novel.

“Senior Brother Long.” Liuli’s gaze was intense.

“Junior Sister, please speak.” Long Jingxing felt a bit embarrassed under her stare.

“Could you…”

Long Jingxing: “Yes, yes, yes.”

“Call Junior Sister Liang Tiantian here for me.”

Long Jingxing nodded. “Alright. Actually, whatever you need, Junior Sister, telling me is the same.”

“Then can you do a girl’s hair?”

Long Jingxing coughed lightly. “When we were young, I often helped Junior Sister comb her hair…”

“Please, I’m begging Senior Brother to call Junior Sister Liang for me!” Liuli decisively cut him off.

Long Jingxing hung his head dejectedly. “Fine.”

A short while later, Liang Tiantian arrived. Liuli felt much more at ease after she shooed Long Jingxing away. Long Jingxing was only seventeen or eighteen. In the eyes of Liuli, who had already lived over twenty years, he was still a kid. Being taken care of like a little girlfriend by a kid, and spoken to in such a tender, affectionate tone, almost made her break out in goosebumps.

Liang Tiantian, this kid, was much easier to fool.

Even though she also had the air of a caretaker.

Liuli suddenly remembered something and asked, “Xue… I mean, where’s my dad?”

Xue Liuli’s father was the Heavenly Martial Sect Leader. Her mother was unknown. Xue Liuli was the legendary Cultivation Second Generation.

Liang Tiantian sat beside the table, resting her chin on her hand, watching Liuli. She said softly, “The Sect Leader always comes at the worst times. Earlier, when Senior Sister fainted, he came to see you, then he had matters to attend to and left again.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Not much, just that you’re fine, Senior Sister. Rest and you’ll recover.”

Liuli let out a sigh of relief.

Her transmigration might be considered taking over a corpse. In the Cultivation World, she didn’t know if this counted as Possession. Possession was a grave sin. But her Sect Leader dad was at the Nascent Soul stage. Since he didn’t say anything, he probably couldn’t tell she wasn’t the original product.

“Oh, right, Senior Sister, what exactly did you call me here for?” Liang Tiantian asked curiously.

“Senior Brother Long said Senior Sister wanted me to come help her comb her hair, but when I arrived, Senior Sister Liuli had already tied it up.”

Unlike the Senior Sister Liuli of before, who loved to style her hair into all sorts of maidenly buns, today she had simply tied it into a high ponytail, a few strands of wispy fringe falling before her forehead. Against her captivating face, she actually looked quite dashing.

Liuli said, “I was embarrassed to keep troubling you, so I did it myself. Junior Sister, I heard Perfected One Feng came out of seclusion yesterday. As you know, my mind hasn’t been very clear since my injury. I don’t recognize people and don’t remember paths. Could you possibly…”

Liuli poked her two index fingers together, grinning. “Could you take me to pay respects to Perfected One Feng?”

Liang Tiantian twiddled her fingers and murmured embarrassedly, “But Senior Sister, I’ve never met the Perfected One either.”

Liuli sighed and slapped her own forehead. “Look at my brain.”

The book described Feng Xiwu as living alone on Parasol Tree Mountain, with only three to five sweeping disciples on the mountain. She rarely interacted with others on normal days. Even the once-prominent male lead only met Feng Xiwu by chance later on. A regular little disciple like her, of course, wouldn’t know her.

“Then you must know where Parasol Tree Mountain is, right?”

“I know that.”

Liang Tiantian pulled Liuli out of her small courtyard and pointed at a distant mountain peak on the left. “Look, it’s right there.”

Liuli: “…………”

A mountain might seem close, but it’s miles away on foot. That was way too far!

Liuli sincerely sought advice. “How do you suggest I get there?”

Liang Tiantian said, “Senior Sister’s True Qi hasn’t recovered yet. Why not ask Senior Brother Long to carry you there on his sword?”

“No!” Liuli said resolutely.

Liang Tiantian was confused. “Why not?”

“Just not. I want to go myself. I don’t want him to know.”

Anyone could see Feng Xiwu, just not the male lead!

Hmm… and the Xue Liuli from before the transmigration couldn’t either! And that demon woman from the Devil Sect also couldn’t!

“Then Senior Sister can take a mount from the foot of the mountain to get there.”

So here’s how it was: the Heavenly Martial Sect raised many mounts for disciples who couldn’t fly on swords yet. But because many mountain peaks had no-fly rules, every rental station was set up at the foot of the mountain.

How big was the Heavenly Martial Sect? Just walking from her place to the rental station at the foot of the mountain with Liang Tiantian took Liuli nearly half an hour.

The Spirit Stones to rent a White Crane were even paid by Liang Tiantian. It was then Liuli learned that the thing on her left pinky finger was a Storage Ring.

But she didn’t know how to use it yet, so she had to owe her Junior Sister the money.

Deeply moved, Liuli planted a big smack on Liang Tiantian’s forehead. “Your great kindness, I will definitely repay.”

Liang Tiantian’s little face flushed slightly. She murmured, “Senior Sister, be careful. Just don’t fall and hurt yourself.”

The White Crane let out a long cry and spread its wings, soaring upward. Soon, it reached high altitude. Looking down, the rental station was just a tiny dark dot. The wind howled, hitting her head-on. Buffeted left and right by the gale, Liuli clung tightly to the White Crane’s neck, roaring, “Sloooow doooown—”

The White Crane cried out again, diving in a slanted rush. The wind speed was so high it numbed Liuli’s hands.

Finally, it urgently and hastily landed at the rental station at the foot of Parasol Tree Mountain.

The Outer Sect disciple at the rental station saw the Senior Sister on the crane and was startled. His voice, rough like a broken gong, shouted, “Senior Sister! Are you alright?!”

Half-dead, Liuli opened her eyes, wanting to speak, but was scared back by the sight of a man with a full, wiry beard. She forced out two words with difficulty: “…I’m fine.”

Right, in the Cultivation World, seniority wasn’t based on age, but on cultivation level. Whoever had the higher cultivation was the sister, brother, or elder.

Liuli slid off the White Crane. The crane immediately struggled, flinging itself into the bearded man’s arms, stretching out its neck for the handler to see.

Following its movement, Liuli saw that the crane’s elegant, long neck was tousled into a mess. As the wind blew, fine down feathers drifted away on the breeze.

Ashamed, Liuli started climbing the mountain, not daring to look at the handler’s expression.

But unexpectedly, the man called out to her: “Senior Sister!”

“Huh?” Liuli halted, afraid he wanted compensation.

“This mountain doesn’t prohibit flying.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

But while flying wasn’t forbidden, the problem was she didn’t know how to fly!

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Liuli looked up at the peak—towering straight into the clouds.

She estimated it was at least a thousand meters high.

Liuli: “I’d better fly then.”

Put in some effort, I can do this.

How do you cultivate immortality anyway… she had no idea.

But in novels, they generally described a hot stream in the meridians, flowing and flowing, spreading to the whole body, then—whoosh!

Liuli looked at Parasol Tree Mountain, her expression resolute, and began to focus intently.

As she focused, she felt as if there really was a warm, flowing stream of energy beginning to move inside her body…

The Outer Sect disciple at the Parasol Tree Mountain rental station had the most leisurely and boring job. Normally, no one came to this mountain. Having finally met someone, and the Sect Leader’s pretty daughter at that, although he didn’t know what was up with her now, the bearded man couldn’t help but call out with concern, “Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”

Liuli: “I’m attempting something.”

Bearded Man: “Attempting what?”

“Willpower control—fly!”

The moment the last syllable fell, it was as if springs were installed under Liuli’s feet. She shot straight into the sky like a cannonball!

The bearded man looked up at the sky, full of admiration. “Worthy of being this generation’s number one talent. That jump was really high!”

Liuli’s current status: forcefully keeping her eyes open, desperately flying onward.

She had no idea how she’d started flying, but it was clear her body was soaring upward, and she could even somewhat control her direction to make a turn. Her strength, however, was fading rapidly.

First time flying, not quite adept yet, but for flying like this, Liuli gave herself a 59 out of 100. When she finally found the waterfall and pool described in the book—like the Milky Way cascading down—Liuli added one more point.

Finally found you, the legendary spot where Feng Xiwu often came to view the moon—Bright Moon Pond!

The moment she saw the solitary figure in white, standing tall on the Moon-Viewing Rock in the center of Bright Moon Pond, Liuli couldn’t help but add to her score… 99 points!

Coming here for the first time and successfully meeting Feng Xiwu. Liuli felt content, then extreme joy turned to sorrow, disaster striking from above—Crap! Out of gas!

Her gushing True Qi had finally reached the point of exhaustion. Liuli… couldn’t fly anymore.

Not only could she not fly, but in a moment of panic, she didn’t even have the strength left to control her own descent.

Liuli: “AAAAHHHHH—!!!”

Her body plummeted under the dual boost of gravity and inertia. Pale-faced, Liuli squeezed her eyes shut.

Junior Sister Liang, oh Junior Sister Liang, you really are a jinx.

I don’t want to go back home this way!

Though it hadn’t been long, the fall, prolonged and agonizing due to extreme tension, ended with a gentle splash.

Something soft and cool caught her, like a big piece of jelly.

Trembling, Liuli opened her eyes and met Feng Xiwu’s gaze head-on.

Liuli was smitten by the celestial beauty. For a moment, her soul was completely blasted away by the flawlessly beautiful yet distant and cool face filling her entire field of vision.

A long while later, Liuli’s leg kicked, and it was as if she were forced back by this sheer beauty, retreating a bit. “…Hsss!”

One! Hundred! Points!