Chapter 1: Daughter, Mama is Here

In the Sky Mist Sect, on the cloud-shrouded, verdant Lotus Mist Peak, within a Cave Abode dense with Spiritual Qi.

For the tenth time, Huo Zhi shoved the fluffy white large tail back under her skirt, adjusted her dress, tugged at the fluffy erect ears on her head, and hissed, her face flushed as if stained with rouge—from anger.

“Can’t these settings be a bit more user-friendly? How am I supposed to go out like this?” Huo Zhi said irritably.

In the empty Cave Abode, no one answered her, only a voice in her Sea of Consciousness spoke.

“Host, the original host is a Half-Demon. Cultivating the Dao of Ruthlessness can be used to conceal her bloodline identity. Any emotion among joy, anger, grief, fear, love, evil, or desire that exceeds the limit will trigger the Fox Demon bloodline. You are emotionally agitated right now and cannot control the Fox Demon bloodline, so your tail and ears will pop out. I can’t do anything about it either. Without a Talisman Robe that can shield Spiritual Sense, you can only use this Dao of Ruthlessness technique. In your current state, as soon as you leave the Protective Talisman Array of the Cave Abode, the several Elders of the Sky Mist Sect can identify you with a sweep of their Spiritual Sense. If people find out you possess the rare Heavenly Fox Physique, I fear the entire cultivation world will come to fight over you,” a gender-neutral child’s voice said inside Huo Zhi’s head.

“I…” Huo Zhi spouted profanities.

Huo Zhi had been diligently cultivating the technique just moments ago, but the results were minimal; her tail and ears had popped in and out repeatedly ten times.

Any one of the seven emotions could make her OOC(out of character) and cause her fox tail and ears to emerge. Ordinary Fox Demons are either fully fox or fully human; they never have a human body with a fox tail and fox ears. Yet her half-demon, fox-eared-girl image straight out of 2D anime was precisely the mark of the rare Lifebound Beast Rune Talisman in this world—the sign of the Heavenly Fox Physique, which could be used as a Cauldron / Furnace Vessel to boost a Cultivator’s cultivation. Moreover, her body’s fur, blood, and bones were all treasures. If those with high cultivation saw her, she would be doomed. She’d not only be forced into Dual Cultivation and drained completely, but also be skinned, bled, and deboned. It was too terrifying!

“Host, a friendly reminder: Linlang’s Happiness Value is currently -526 and is still continuously dropping. She has already been afflicted with a Love Poison Child Talisman. There is only one hour left before it takes effect. Once her Primordial Yin is taken, then…” the voice continued.

“Shut up!” Huo Zhi snapped, and the voice dared not make another sound.

Huo Zhi tried hard to calm herself and sink her mind into circulating that Dao of Ruthlessness technique, forcing the protruding tail and erect ears to retract.

To explain this more fully, half an incense stick’s time ago, Huo Zhi was still living in another world, a designer working overtime every day, nearly balding from the stress.

Recently, Huo Zhi had been drawing game design art for a novel called “The Supreme Arrogant One’s Talisman Journey in a Foreign World.” She had also been following this still-serialized novel to ensure her designs fit the original work.

This novel was a typical, not-quite-proper, male-oriented harem story from a certain major web novel platform. The world within the novel revered Talisman Masters above all. Restricted by the laws of heaven and earth, cultivating arts and spells was extremely difficult. The vast majority of Cultivators relied on Talismans to cast arts, inputting Spiritual Qi to activate the spells on the Talisman for combat, healing, etc.

The fur, blood, and bones of Demon Beasts were all excellent materials for making Talismans. Natural talismans like Lifebound Beast Rune Talismans could also be seized and used by Cultivators. The relationship between Human Cultivators and Demon Beasts was therefore antagonistic, with wars unceasing.

The novel’s male lead, relying on a Fortune Guiding Talisman he acquired, scoured this world for overlooked opportunities, rising through the ranks and expanding his harem along the way.

The female supporting character, Tantai Linlang, is a little Cinnabar Bird Demon, who had a happy family. When Linlang first appeared, she was adorable and cute, melting Huo Zhi’s heart completely. Huo Zhi had already become her mom-fan. Yet, unexpectedly, Linlang was betrayed by her own race and captured by Human Cultivators. Not only was Linlang separated from her family, but she was also tormented to the point of severe injury and damage to her Origin Source. At her weakest moment, she was afflicted with a Love Poison Talisman, forced into a heat cycle. After her Primordial Yin was taken by the male lead, she became unconditionally devoted to him, willingly crippling her own cultivation to dig out the Inherited Spirit Talisman within her body and give it to the male lead. In the end, to save the male lead, she took a blow for him meant for the Devil Race’s Holy Maiden—and died!

Huo Zhi wanted to see Linlang have a good ending, but the author actually killed her off!

Not only that, the male lead even took that Devil Race Holy Maiden into his harem!

Right then and there, Huo Zhi threw her phone, refused to read any further, and didn’t even want to draw the design art anymore. She railed against Linlang’s tragic fate, cursing the author a few times. Then, her vision went black, and she heard a voice.

“Hello, I am World Correction System 006, affiliated with the Sweet Story Management Bureau. I heard your complaints and was deeply drawn to your sense of justice and extremely upright moral compass. I have specially chosen you as my 666th Host. As long as you raise the Happiness Value of the female supporting character you are concerned about, Linlang, to 9999, you will return to your original world. No time will have passed, and you will also be rewarded with nine hundred ninety-nine billion, nine hundred ninety-nine million, becoming the richest person in the world. May I ask, do you accept the mission and bind with the system?”

A childlike voice that sounded very innocent spoke of unreliable promises in a serious tone, giving the currently fuming Huo Zhi an outlet for her frustration. Huo Zhi agreed without a second thought.

Who knew that the moment she said “accept,” she actually transmigrated into the book!

Huo Zhi had originally just wanted Linlang to be happy and fulfilled. Now that she could enter the story, and the mission even offered such a huge monetary reward if successful, it was far more worthwhile than working herself bald for a boss.

Thus, Huo Zhi, brimming with motivation, set out to reverse the course of events.

Huo Zhi had transmigrated into the body of one of the male lead’s future harem members—the Half-Demon Shizun who cultivated the Dao of Ruthlessness. Her relationship with Linlang wasn’t very good; more precisely, they were love rivals.

Huo Zhi didn’t care about any of that. Having transmigrated, she naturally wouldn’t have anything to do with that philandering male lead.

Her current identity’s cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Stage, and she possessed her own independent Cave Abode.

That sounded pretty good, but her situation was actually quite dire.

The original host’s Master in the Sky Mist Sect, Qin Ceyi, knew about her Heavenly Fox Physique. He had always been gaslighting her, waiting for the right moment to use her as a Cauldron / Furnace Vessel to break through to the Core Formation Stage.

These facts were already enough to make Huo Zhi uneasy, let alone the mission to save her daughter Linlang.

The point in time Huo Zhi arrived at was critically important, and the situation was extremely dire. Linlang was currently tormented, severely injured, and had already been implanted with a Love Poison Child Talisman. If Huo Zhi had arrived just a moment later, Linlang would have been found by the male lead—who had absorbed the Love Poison Mother Talisman—and had her Primordial Yin taken. The Love Poison Talisman would then fully activate. At that point, Linlang would unconditionally love the male lead, obey only him, and her tragedy would repeat itself.

Huo Zhi had just transmigrated and had no cultivation experience. Her mood was already fluctuating wildly. Even after trying to control it for a while, she couldn’t reach the state of being devoid of emotions, desires, or sorrows.

Now, with a countdown clock ticking above her head, Huo Zhi was so anxious cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Her tail continuously swayed under her skirt, and her ears twitched incessantly.

Moments later, with a poof, the clothes and accessories on Huo Zhi’s body scattered to the ground, and her whole person seemed to vanish.

Soon, a small lump moved under the clothes, and a white, fluffy ball of fur poked its way out.

“Host, you are…” System 006 was taken aback.

“The fox-eared-girl state is too easy to expose if my emotions get out of control. I remembered this body can also transform into a pure Fox Demon form. In this body, any ordinary emotion is fine as long as I’m not in the Dao of Ruthlessness state. The Fox Demon bloodline hasn’t been cultivated and is somewhat weak, but the aura has also changed accordingly; I look just like an ordinary Fox Demon. There shouldn’t be any trouble now, right?” Huo Zhi said, examining her new appearance.

At that moment, Huo Zhi stood on her hind legs, her body covered in fur, making her legs appear extremely short. Her front paws drooped down, giving her the look of a chubby, short little white fluffball about the size of a cat—like an arctic fox cub. Her entire body was snow-white without a single stray hair. Her nose was pink, and her eyes were ice-blue, round and glossy, looking adorably silly.

Her overall volume was several times smaller compared to her previous human form.

The world of immortal cultivation was truly inconceivable.

Huo Zhi marveled inwardly.

Huo Zhi’s memories hadn’t fully merged with the original host’s, so recalling this trick now was a stroke of luck.

“Well, that could work. But you have to be careful. Someone might mistake you for a Fox Demon that escaped and capture you to harvest your blood and bones for Talisman Materials,” 006 said.

“I can’t worry about that now. With the Fox Demon aura changed and the cultivation so weak, I shouldn’t attract the notice of any big shots—it’s better than the Heavenly Fox Physique. I’ll go out and scout first. There’s no time. If I’m even a little later, it’ll be terrible if my daughter is taken advantage of by the male lead,” Huo Zhi replied to System 006. Her fox body couldn’t speak, but she could use Sound Transmission.

Huo Zhi grabbed her Storage Bag and tied it to her body. She stretched out her short legs and ran forward, only to immediately face-plant with a splat.

“…Uh, Host, it’s a bit easier to walk on all fours in a fox body,” 006 pointed out.

Huo Zhi’s face was now covered in fur so her expression was unreadable, but all the fur on her body was standing on end.

“Can’t I just use a Teleportation Talisman?” Huo Zhi recalled the various Talismans of this world.

She racked her brain trying to remember. Aside from some everyday life talismans for cleaning, dusting, etc., the original host actually didn’t have a single advanced Talisman!

Huo Zhi remembered now. The original host’s Master, fearing that using talismans would make her harder to subdue, didn’t allow her to use any talismans for escape or combat, let alone prepare any for her. He euphemistically told her to focus on cultivation and not become dependent on Talismans.

Just great. She herself couldn’t use any Arts or Spells and had to rely solely on her own two feet.

“Host, red alert! Linlang’s Happiness Value has plummeted to -8677! Once it drops to -9999, both you and I will be erased!” Just as Huo Zhi was about to set off, she choked on air upon hearing 006’s words.

“Cough, cough! What the hell?! Why didn’t you say so earlier? Erased?! That means I could die?!” Huo Zhi fumed.

“This… Host, let’s not talk about that now. Hurry and find Linlang! Don’t let her reach -9999!” 006 stammered, changing the subject. Its previously mechanical voice now carried a hint of urgency.

“Over -8000? Can a person even withstand that? She isn’t being violated, is she…?” The fur Huo Zhi had just smoothed down stood on end again. If 006 had a physical body, she would have beaten it up for sure.

That dishonest System 006 had no idea what else it was hiding. She’d have to interrogate it properly later.

But for now, she couldn’t worry about that. Something had happened to Linlang. Just moments ago it was only -500-something, and now it was over -8000. The drop was too severe!

“I only monitor the data; I don’t know the specific reason. The Love Poison Talisman hasn’t taken effect yet. Host, if you move faster, you can make it in time,” 006 said.

Huo Zhi didn’t waste any more words. She hurriedly set off on all fours, but coordinating all four limbs at once was difficult for her. She crawled a few steps, moving her limbs in a stiff, synchronized shuffle with tiny, very slow steps. Anxious and pressed for time, Huo Zhi temporarily gave up on practice, pulled her legs together, and hopped forward like a rabbit.

The Fox Demon body had excellent jumping power, covering several meters in a single bound. With the energy of a hundred-meter sprinter, Huo Zhi quickly leaped away, using concealed bushes for cover. Following her memories, she headed toward Beast Slave Peak, where Demon Beasts were kept in captivity.

“Daughter, hold on! Mama is coming!” Huo Zhi shouted inwardly as she bounded along.