In her sleep, Ye Ran vaguely felt a ticklish sensation on her face. She raised her hand to brush away the annoying itch and touched a soft clump of fur.
Her drowsiness vanished instantly. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the system’s enlarged face right in front of hers.
Seeing that she was awake, the system immediately withdrew its front paws and excitedly rubbed its head against her face.
“Wuwuwu! Host, you’re finally awake! I was so worried!”
“How long did I sleep?”
Ye Ran sat up, rubbing her throbbing head.
At this question, the system grew even more agitated. It stretched out its claws and clung tightly to Ye Ran’s arm.
“From the day before yesterday until now, Host! You slept for two whole days and nights! I almost thought the great villain had done something to you.”
That remark successfully jogged Ye Ran’s memory. She remembered that Lu Li had swapped her mint tea, forcing her to down an entire cup of wine in one gulp—but everything after that was a complete blank.
Recalling that she had added quite a bit of Confusion Herb to the wine, Ye Ran’s heart tightened. She quickly grabbed the system and asked:
“I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have while I was drunk, did I?”
What if she had exposed the love letters in front of Lu Li? She’d be finished.
Fortunately, the system shook its head under her anxious gaze. “Host really didn’t say anything you shouldn’t have.”
Ye Ran let out a long sigh of relief, finally relaxing. But then the system’s voice continued:
“However, Host did do something you shouldn’t have.”
“What thing?”
Ye Ran’s heart tightened again as she urgently pressed the system for answers.
But this time, she wasn’t as nervous as before. After all, she had woken up intact, which meant whatever she had done couldn’t have been too terrible.
“Host rewarded the great villain with two slaps. One on the butt, the other on the face.”
“!!!”
Ye Ran’s mind went completely blank.
She felt like the system was telling her a ghost story.
“Are you sure you’re not joking? If I really slapped the great villain, would I still be alive right now?”
Even as she said this, her hand hanging at her side couldn’t stop trembling slightly.
“Of course not,” the system immediately shook its head. “As for why Host is still alive… maybe it’s because the great villain was very satisfied with Host’s reward.”
After Lu Li left the day before yesterday, the system had been pondering the same question.
It knew full well just how ruthless the great villain was. So when it saw Ye Ran lying on the bed completely unharmed, its shock was no less than waking up one day to find itself neutered.
To offend the great villain so deeply and still survive—there was no precedent for it.
It had stayed by Ye Ran’s side for two days, racking its brain, and in the end, could only come up with one explanation:
To the great villain, Ye Ran’s slaps weren’t humiliation—they were a blessing.
Ye Ran clearly couldn’t accept this answer. She grabbed the system’s body and gave it a hard shake.
“System, I’m easily frightened. Don’t scare me like that.”
“Host, let go! Think about those love letters the great villain wrote you. Doesn’t it all make sense now?”
Ye Ran’s shaking abruptly stopped. Her face turned pale, and she wore an expression of utter despair.
She couldn’t argue with the system.
Because no matter which way she looked at it, this was the most likely explanation.
Otherwise, given the great villain’s nature, she should be crossing the Bridge of Helplessness by now.
“Host, let’s look on the bright side. You slapped the great villain and he didn’t kill you. That means his tolerance for you is pretty high. From now on, as long as we avoid the male lead, completing the mission should be a piece of cake, right?”
What the system said did make some sense.
When she had first absorbed the plot, Ye Ran had already identified a danger even more threatening than the male lead—Lu Li.
Lu Li was simply too fond of killing. In the book, he had even dispatched several important male supporting characters.
Sure, Ye Ran was the female lead, but who said the female lead couldn’t die?
With that realization, Ye Ran’s initial strategy had been to alter the plot while keeping Lu Li as her top priority to guard against.
But ever since she started receiving love letters from Lu Li, she had completely lost her footing.
Now that she realized Lu Li had a high tolerance for her, in a way, it was actually a good thing.
Still, Ye Ran felt something was off.
But before she could think it through, a paper crane flew in through the window and landed right in front of her.
This was a signal from her master.
Ye Ran suddenly remembered—she still hadn’t delivered the wine she’d brewed the other day to her master.
It seemed her master had run out of patience and was coming to urge her.
With that thought, Ye Ran quickly got up, grabbed the wine, and headed straight for Li Qiuyu’s quarters.
But just as she approached the main hall and before she could push open the door, she heard her master’s furious roar from inside:
“Unfilial disciple! This is nothing short of rebellion! Put your master’s wine down this instant!”
“Disciple is afraid he cannot obey.”
As a male voice fell, the hall door suddenly swung open.
The first to step out was Qi Heng, carrying a jar of wine in his arms—clearly just confiscated from Li Qiuyu.
Seeing this, Ye Ran suddenly felt a bit guilty. She instinctively hid the storage pouch at her waist and smiled at Qi Heng.
“What a coincidence, Senior Brother. You’re here at Master’s place too.”
“What brings Little Junior Sister here?”
There was a hint of suspicion in Qi Heng’s gaze, and Ye Ran’s confidence immediately wilted.
“I came to—”
“Dear disciple! You’ve finally arrived!”
Before Ye Ran could come up with an excuse, Li Qiuyu walked out of the hall, interrupting her words while giving her a quick wink.
Ye Ran sighed in relief and immediately understood her master’s meaning. She continued, addressing Qi Heng:
“Master summoned me.”
“Why would Master suddenly summon Little Junior Sister? Has she brewed some new wine recently?”
Qi Heng was far too alert when it came to catching Li Qiuyu drinking.
Both Li Qiuyu and Ye Ran froze, looking a bit guilty.
But Li Qiuyu, after all, was the master and still had some dignity left. She quickly composed herself and put on her authoritative face.
“Your master summoned her to discuss the upcoming trip to the Joyous Union Sect.”
She then turned to Ye Ran with a straight face. “Dear disciple, come with your master. I need to give you some further instructions.”
“Yes.”
Ye Ran quickly agreed and stepped around Qi Heng to stand beside Li Qiuyu.
“In that case, this disciple will take his leave.”
Qi Heng’s gaze swept over both of them. He didn’t press further. After bowing to Li Qiuyu, he left with the wine jar.
Li Qiuyu’s eyes lingered longingly on the jar. Only after Qi Heng had disappeared into the distance did she finally look away and lead Ye Ran inside.
“Dear disciple, is the wine ready? Hurry and show your master.”
The moment they stepped into the hall, Li Qiuyu quickly shut the door behind them. The disappointment on her face vanished, replaced by eager anticipation.
“I’ve brought it, Master. But this wine is very strong. You should drink only a little, or Senior Brother Qi might find out again.”
Ye Ran took the wine from her storage pouch and handed it to Li Qiuyu.
“Don’t worry, last time was just an accident.” Li Qiuyu took the jar as if it were a precious treasure.
A large, full jar—she was extremely satisfied. She uncorked it, took a sniff, and a look of pure bliss spread across her face.
“Yes! This is the flavor. I can always count on my dear disciple.”
Li Qiuyu ruffled Ye Ran’s hair, then eagerly fetched a cup to have a little taste.
“Master, enjoy it slowly. This disciple will take her leave now.”
Seeing that she was no longer needed, Ye Ran turned to go.
But just as she turned around, Li Qiuyu appeared in front of her in a flash, blocking her path.
“Dear disciple, don’t go yet. Your master hasn’t discussed the Joyous Union Sect matters with you.”
“Master, do you really want me to go?”
Ye Ran had initially thought her master was just using her as an excuse to brush off her senior brother. She never expected that her master would actually assign her this task.
“Of course. You have great talent in artifact repair, and you’re my favorite little disciple. Of course, I want you to go and gain some experience.”
Li Qiuyu set down her wine cup, stepped forward to put an arm around Ye Ran’s shoulder, and lowered her voice.
“You’re the one I trust most, dear disciple. While you’re at the Joyous Union Sect, remember to bring back some local specialties for me.”
“…”
Ye Ran had known her master’s motives weren’t simple.
“I understand, Master.”
Li Qiuyu patted Ye Ran’s shoulder in satisfaction and then briefed her on the arrangements for the trip to the Joyous Union Sect.
It turned out that after the male lead had returned the demonically corrupted disciple to the Joyous Union Sect, the sect had discovered that many demons—and some rather powerful ones at that—had infiltrated the territory under their jurisdiction.
The Joyous Union Sect couldn’t handle it on their own, so they had asked the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect for assistance.
Even though the Joyous Union Sect was notorious for seducing sword cultivators from the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect, the sect leader, after much deliberation and in the spirit of mutual aid, had agreed to their request.
However, the situation at the Joyous Union Sect was tricky and would take some time to resolve. So the sect leader had instructed Li Qiuyu to send some artifact repair disciples along so they could repair swords for the sword cultivators at a moment’s notice.
Li Qiuyu was sending artifact repair disciples who weren’t formally apprenticed to anyone. As their senior sister, Ye Ran was naturally put in charge of leading the team.
Truth be told, Ye Ran was quite pleased with this assignment.
It was the perfect opportunity to get away and hide from the great villain for a while.
That afternoon, Ye Ran boarded the flying vessel headed for the Joyous Union Sect. When a disciple led her to a private room on the second deck, she became even happier with the assignment.
These comfortable private rooms were normally reserved for higher-ranking disciples. As the team leader this time, she finally got to enjoy one.
[System, look at us—moving up in the world.]
No sooner had Ye Ran made this remark than the system transformed into its fat cat form, jumped into her arms, and eagerly rubbed against her arm.
[Host, I heard the tea and snacks in these rooms are really good. Can you spare a little for a cute little kitty?]
[I suppose I can share a bit with you.]
Ye Ran knew the system wouldn’t suck up to her for nothing. But she was in a good mood, so she agreed readily.
“Junior Sister? You’re on this trip too!”
A familiar voice sounded behind Ye Ran, instantly ruining her good mood.
She turned around and saw Meng Xuan standing right behind her.
“Ah, Senior Brother Meng.”
Ye Ran replied politely, her tone carrying a hint of distance. But Meng Xuan either didn’t notice or didn’t care—his gaze only grew more intense.
“What a coincidence, Junior Sister. It’ll still be a while before we reach the Joyous Union Sect. Why not come in and rest?”
With that, Meng Xuan stepped slightly aside, gesturing for Ye Ran to join him in the room next door.
That room was larger than the private room Ye Ran was heading to, with several disciples already sitting inside.
But even so, Ye Ran had no desire to share a space with the male lead. What if she triggered the plot and made him even more interested in her? She’d be done for.
“Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother, but I already have a place to rest.”
With that, Ye Ran took a few steps toward her private room.
Meng Xuan glanced at the closed door of the private room, and disappointment was written all over his face.
He opened his mouth as if to persuade Ye Ran further, but just then, a disciple came to summon him back to discuss something.
“I’ll be right next door, Junior Sister. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to find me.”
With those parting words, Meng Xuan followed the disciple back to his room.
Though running into Meng Xuan had been unexpected, Ye Ran quickly composed herself.
He was just the male lead. At this stage, he posed no real threat to her. Still better than running into the great villain, she thought.
With that in mind, Ye Ran lifted the corners of her mouth again and pushed open the door in a good mood.
But the moment the door swung open, she saw a figure in white sitting quietly inside.
As luck would have it, it was the very person she least wanted to see—Lu Li.
Leave a Reply