When Jian Xingzhi was thrown down the mountain, Qin Wanwan was dreaming.
In the dream was a golden, glittering gate standing in the clouds, connected from heaven to earth by a flight of stairs.
Qin Wanwan heard the sound of water, like ocean waves, coming from afar, wave after wave.
She stood before the gate, raising her head to see three large characters written above—Dengxian Gate.
Dengxian Gate?
Qin Wanwan was somewhat confused.
She knew the legend of Dengxian Gate. The Dengxian Gate of the Immortal Realm was actually the Dragon Gate in the mortal realm’s saying “carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.” It was a special passage that the Heavenly Realm opened exclusively for the dragon race. Any being with dragon bloodline who crossed Dengxian Gate could directly ascend.
Why was she here?
Before she could think further, she heard a dragon’s roar. Then the surrounding sound of waves gradually faded while the system’s voice grew louder: “Host? Are you still alive, host?”
Qin Wanwan moved her eyes. First she smelled medicinal fragrance. After struggling to open her eyes, she saw the medicine bag-hung bed canopy unique to Baicao Hall.
“Host, you’re awake.”
System 38’s voice grew excited: “You scared me to death! I thought you were going to die!”
Qin Wanwan didn’t respond to it. She rested on the bed for a while, then raised her hand to touch her stomach. The moment she touched her abdomen, she heard Shen Zhiming’s voice calmly coming from the side: “I have already removed the curse art from your body. Your external injuries have also been sutured by your Uncle Bai. After some more rest, you’ll be fine.”
Hearing Shen Zhiming’s words, Qin Wanwan instinctively turned her head to see Shen Zhiming sitting at the table with Song Xinian standing behind him, looking at Qin Wanwan with concern.
Qin Wanwan’s body stiffened. The pain in her stomach instantly reminded her of everything that happened before she lost consciousness. She dared not move, restraining her desire to tremble, desperately thinking about how to deal with this great deity.
Seeing her silence, Shen Zhiming stood up and walked before her.
As he moved, Qin Wanwan couldn’t help but start trembling again. Shen Zhiming looked down at her, his gaze carrying a hint of pity.
He knew this disciple. Though she was willful and capricious, she was also extremely proud. She never showed weakness to others. Her cultivation was her everything.
Yet now, she had become like this.
She would rather die than admit guilt…
“This master will ask you one last time…” Shen Zhiming gazed at her, his eyes carrying scrutiny. “Yueli—was she truly not harmed by you?”
“Don’t acknowledge him.”
“She truly wasn’t harmed by me!”
The system and Qin Wanwan spoke simultaneously. Just as she finished speaking, Qin Wanwan felt a surge of electric current pain through her body. The pain made her lunge forward, instinctively grabbing Shen Zhiming’s pants.
Shen Zhiming froze. Qin Wanwan couldn’t figure out the situation. She raised her head, tears squeezed out by the pain, looking at Shen Zhiming with teary eyes: “Master, it really wasn’t me.”
“Let go first.”
Shen Zhiming pretended to be calm as he held onto his waistband. Qin Wanwan completely failed to notice what she was grabbing. She only felt electric current crackling through her body while the system shouted in her ear: “Host, as a female lead you can’t explain yourself so easily! You need to be aloof, cold, silent!”
“A female lead isn’t an idiot! Must I hold back my words?!”
Qin Wanwan gripped Shen Zhiming’s pants tightly, determined to fight this system to the end. Having seen ‘Jian Zhiyan’s’ fate, she didn’t want to be beaten into the ground and thrown down the mountain at all!
She treated those pants as her stress relief device, clutching them tightly to vent her pain while urgently arguing: “That day we were both severely injured. A… a ninth-grade wild boar suddenly rushed out from behind junior martial sister. In my panic I pushed her off the cliff to prevent her from being harmed by that boar. The Sushi Zhu saw this scene, but I truly didn’t mean to harm her. Why she remains unconscious, I have no idea—there must be another reason! Master, quickly save junior martial sister, don’t waste time on me!”
“Let go.”
Shen Zhiming seemed to completely disregard what she said, repeating through gritted teeth, his hand gripping his waistband more forcefully. Qin Wanwan desperately shook her head: “Master, I won’t let go. If you don’t believe me, I won’t let go!”
“Let go!”
“No!”
“Qin Wan!”
“Master, waaaaaaah!! Quickly save me, save junior martial sister, or it’ll be too late!”
It hurt so much—the electric current was making her entire being collapse. The pain made her cry bitterly. If Shen Zhiming didn’t agree, she couldn’t hold on much longer.
Shen Zhiming closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He forcefully restrained the urge to slap this rebellious disciple to death, controlling himself as he spoke: “This master will temporarily trust you. Remove your hand.”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan finally relaxed her grip on his pants, looking up at Shen Zhiming: “Master, truly?”
“This master will personally make a trip to the secret realm,” Shen Zhiming said, relieved as she let go. “You focus on recovering from your injuries first. If it wasn’t you who harmed her, this master will clear your name. But if it truly was you who harmed her—” Shen Zhiming’s face turned cold, “—don’t blame this master for taking action to clean up the sect.”
“Rest assured,” Qin Wanwan straightened up, raising her hand with complete sincerity. “I swear on Qin Wan’s life that I have absolutely no intention of harming junior martial sister.”
After all, Qin Wan was already gone anyway.
In Shen Zhiming’s view, cultivators’ oaths were bound by the Heavenly Dao. Seeing this, he pondered for a moment before finally nodding, choosing to believe Qin Wanwan.
System 38, hearing this oath in her consciousness sea, couldn’t help but sigh: “You’re truly shameless…”
Qin Wanwan completely ignored the system’s complaint, looking obediently at Shen Zhiming.
“Rest for now,” Shen Zhiming silently took a step back, distancing himself from Qin Wanwan before glancing at Song Xinian. “While I’m gone, look after your junior martial sister more.”
“Yes.”
Song Xinian acknowledged. Seeing Shen Zhiming about to leave, Qin Wanwan quickly spoke: “Master, there’s one more thing.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhiming turned to look at her. Qin Wanwan’s voice grew somber: “I feel that Young Master Jun has ill intentions toward me.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhiming and Song Xinian exchanged glances, clearly not quite believing it. Qin Wanwan’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke aggrievedly: “Just now, on Shenming Platform, I felt he seemed to do something to me, and then in an instant my Golden Core cultivation was completely lost! Master, I’m now a useless person. If you’re not here and Young Master Jun wants to do something to me…”
Shen Zhiming didn’t speak. Song Xinian frowned.
What Jun Shu might want to do to Qin Wanwan, they couldn’t understand. But Qin Wanwan’s spiritual energy had disappeared too quickly—it indeed wasn’t normal. At that time Jun Shu was closest to her. What happened, only the two of them would truly know.
Shen Zhiming thought for a moment, then raised his hand, pointing at Qin Wanwan’s brow. Qin Wanwan felt two streams of spiritual energy enter her body.
“Here is a sword technique and a tracking talisman. Normally if anything happens, you can call your senior martial brother to help you. At critical moments, if someone acts against you, this master’s sword technique can keep you safe. Recently just stay peacefully at Wenxin Sect and wait for this master to return. If you try to escape…”
“I won’t escape!”
Qin Wanwan quickly shook her head: “I’m waiting for Master to return and clear my name.”
“Mm.”
Shen Zhiming said nothing more. Seeing Qin Wanwan being obedient, he nodded and turned to leave.
After Shen Zhiming left, Song Xinian stood beside Qin Wanwan, watching as she continued touching her brow like a child.
Song Xinian watched for a while before smiling: “Junior martial sister hasn’t been this close with Master and me for many years.”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan’s face stiffened. She smiled awkwardly: “Isn’t it because you’re biased? Ever since Junior Martial Sister Su came to Wenxin Sect—” Qin Wanwan’s face showed some sadness, “—you’ve all been unwilling to acknowledge me. Senior martial brother doesn’t know, but back then, in that secret realm, I fought that wild boar for nine days and nine nights. I kept waiting, hoping senior martial brother and Master would come save me. But you…”
These words made Song Xinian embarrassed. He stood awkwardly in place: “Junior martial sister has always been strong. We all thought…”
“Thought I wouldn’t die?” Qin Wanwan turned her head to look at Song Xinian. She smiled bleakly: “Well, now I’m already a useless person. Senior martial brother, can you treat me a bit better?”
“Junior martial sister need not be so disheartened,” Song Xinian immediately became serious upon hearing this. “With junior martial sister’s talent, re-cultivating to Golden Core won’t be difficult.”
“Re-cultivating to Golden Core isn’t difficult,” Qin Wanwan sighed, getting more and more into her act. “But people’s hearts are like water—once spilled, it’s hard to recover.”
“Junior martial sister…” Song Xinian bowed his head in shame. “I…”
“But senior martial brother need not be too upset.” Perhaps because the lines matched the female lead setting, the electric shock pain slowly disappeared. Qin Wanwan turned her head, smiling with transcendent composure: “Having walked through life and death, I’ve come to understand. The past was because I was too demanding. Yesterday’s matters died with yesterday. From today onward, we’ll just properly live each moment going forward.”
“Junior martial sister speaks truly!” Song Xinian was delighted hearing Qin Wanwan’s words. “Junior martial sister, if you want anything, just tell senior martial brother.”
“Senior martial brother,” Qin Wanwan turned to look into the distance with the profound enlightenment of someone who had seen through life and death. “In the past, I always restrained my desires, abstaining from worldly pleasures, never enjoying this world’s splendor. Now I want to try.”
“Junior martial sister wishes?”
“Braised pork,” she turned back to look at Song Xinian, asking gently. “Can Wenxin Sect’s cooks make it?”
Song Xinian froze, then reacted, nodding: “I can go down the mountain to buy it for you.”
“That would be best.” Qin Wanwan smiled. “Since you’re going down the mountain, you might as well buy more.”
“What else does junior martial sister want?”
Looking at Qin Wanwan’s pale face and remembering how in the past his junior martial sister had been number one below Golden Core with her blade, Song Xinian felt heartache.
If Qin Wan was truly wronged, however he compensated her wouldn’t be excessive.
If she wasn’t wronged… Master probably wouldn’t let her off. Ultimately she was the junior martial sister he had raised. Even if she had gone down an evil path, for this last journey, he wanted to treat her well.
Qin Wanwan didn’t notice Song Xinian’s complex feelings. Hearing his words, she immediately spoke: “I want to eat—pine flower duck, salt water duck, hand-torn chicken, roast goose, sweet and sour pork, five blessings meatballs, lion’s head meatballs, Hangzhou pepper eggplant, osmanthus cake, mung bean cake, millet and purple yam cake…”
Seeing her rattle off such a long list, Song Xinian directly pulled out paper and brush from his qiankun pouch and began writing.
Qin Wanwan seemed to fear she’d eat this meal without having the next, continuing to recite: “Roasted chestnuts, roasted pine nuts, candied hawthorn, preserved plum candy…”
“Junior martial sister,” after writing for a while, Song Xinian simply raised his head, stopping Qin Wanwan’s words. “Don’t say anymore—senior martial brother will just bring the chef up the mountain for you.”
After speaking, as if afraid Qin Wanwan would make more demands, Song Xinian directly disappeared from the room.
After Song Xinian vanished, Qin Wanwan flopped back onto the bed with a “thud,” murmuring to the system: “Is this the legendary punishment for character out-of-character behavior?”
“You even know what out-of-character means?” System 38 sighed. “Now look what’s happened. We finally hid the dragon’s core, but you tricked Shen Zhiming into going to the secret realm. He’ll know at a glance that you killed the azure dragon. Knowing you killed the azure dragon, he’ll know you swallowed the dragon’s core. When he returns, he’ll immediately dig out your dragon’s core.”
“Exactly,” Qin Wanwan closed her eyes, enjoying the simple pleasure of just lying in bed, her gaze vacant, speaking carelessly. “So before he returns, I’ll clear Qin Wan’s name and leave the mountain.”
“Clear her name?”
“Do you systems have calculation problems?” Qin Wanwan spoke weakly. “Based on the situation at Shenming Platform, even if I took a stab, even if Shen Zhiming out of righteousness let me leave the mountain, would Jun Shu with his dog-like behavior let me go? When I’m seriously injured and privately encounter that pervert Jun Shu, have you thought about what to do?”
“I thought about it,” System 38 said righteously. “We calculated it. You escape first, then quickly find a place to digest the dragon’s core. Then Jun Shu will capture you and torture you. While in prison, you’ll endure suffering, comprehend the Dao through difficulties, level up in desperate situations, then break out and flee! When Su Yueli is awakened by them, your name will be automatically cleared! Then they’ll cry bitterly while you refuse to associate with them. This kind of female lead who levels up bathed in blood—isn’t that resilient?!”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
She understood now. This system’s so-called female lead meant doing things without using one’s brain.
“Why can’t you,” Qin Wanwan explained seriously, “just use your brain, stabilize the situation, investigate the truth, and leave the mountain when your body is healthy and easy to run? Shen Zhiming and Song Xinian have feelings for Qin Wan. Why can’t you utilize these feelings to handle things comfortably? Must you stab yourself?”
“What you’re saying…” System 38 spoke blankly. “…also makes some sense…”
Speaking, System 38 reacted: “You’re not stupid?”
“Dear friend,” Qin Wanwan tiredly closed her eyes. “Lazy and stupid are different. Cowardly and foolish are also different. Please respect my intelligence.”
“That’s wonderful then!” System 38 grew excited, its words full of yearning. “Let’s quickly go down the mountain, rescue Jian Zhiyan, then start the main quest. The two of us plus one system, wandering the world together!”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan remained silent.
Two people and one system wandering the world? Was she trying to shorten her lifespan?
That fool, without Jian Xingzhi’s strength yet trying to act like Jian Xingzhi—failing to show off and getting beaten instead. This kind of character in TV dramas was the cannon fodder used for comic relief and causing trouble. With him by her side, how many lives did she have to help him solve problems?
He stabbed her right from the start. Her stomach still hurt.
Eating soft rice but acting tough—what scum!
The more Qin Wanwan thought about it, the angrier she became. She had decided—once she figured out how to get down the mountain, she’d sell this man to a good family, let him live peacefully for a lifetime, which would count as completing the task.
As for ascension…
Qin Wan’s last wish only said to protect Jian Zhiyan well. She never said she had to let Jian Zhiyan ascend, right?
Qin Wanwan contentedly planned her future, thinking of her braised pork as she closed her eyes again.
Meanwhile, lying at the mountain’s base, Jian Xingzhi finally slowly opened his eyes.
Blue sky and white clouds entered his vision. Tree leaves spun as they fell. Jian Xingzhi gathered his strength, executed a carp flip, and turned to sit up. He sat cross-legged in meditation, raising his hand to skillfully draw a repair formation on the ground, then overlaid a pile of complex formations. He formed hand seals, placed them on his knees, closed his eyes, and activated the formations.
“B-Boss…”
System 666 spoke tremblingly: “What… what are you trying to do now?”
“I’m trying to figure out how to kill you,” Jian Xingzhi said with eyes closed, speaking with complete conviction. “Then kill my way back to Wenxin Sect for revenge.”
666: “…”
If you want to kill me, you really don’t need to tell me. Really.