If there was one unscientific thing Shi Qingruo never believed would happen to her, it was time travel.
First, she had never committed any heinous crimes. Second, she had no chronic illnesses. Third, she hadn’t accumulated any monumental virtues. By all accounts, she didn’t fit the criteria for transmigration.
The only unusual thing was that, just before crossing over, she had been playing an ancient-style romance game.
This single-player, route-based game boasted a complex and realistic setting blending the martial world with imperial politics, along with a diverse cast of romanceable characters—a gimmick that successfully lured Shi Qingruo onto this "pirate ship."
Thinking back to the circumstances before her transmigration, she let out a silent sigh.
The face of the beauty in the mirror seemed to truly come alive only at this moment.
…
The game’s fictional dynasty merged elements of the Northern Song and Ming dynasties, with the capital set in Bianjing—yet the emperor bore the surname Zhu.
The current emperor was still young and relied on the support of powerful court officials and regional lords. Moreover, due to the astonishing destructive potential of martial arts, the closer one got to the imperial capital, the more intertwined the martial world and the imperial court became.
Take, for example, the Zhuge Divine Marquis—a peerless master appointed by the previous emperor to serve in the court, tasked with apprehending villains across the land.
Or Fang Great Hero, who refused to be bound by imperial authority but still sent his adopted son to the capital, where he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Divine Might, serving as the emperor’s protector.
Yet this delicate balance of power, plagued by internal strife, external threats, and the ambitions of various factions, teetered constantly on the brink of collapse.
The romanceable targets were scattered among these factions.
Unfortunately, under the banner of an "open-world" design, the game developers hadn’t disclosed full character details. Instead, they presented players with brief labels as hints.
After careful consideration, Shi Qingruo chose Su Mengzhen—the leader of the Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Tower, whose tags read "descendant of Su Shi," "accomplished in both civil and martial arts," and "wielder of the most exquisite blade in the world"—as her first route’s target.
For no other reason than to ease into the game’s difficulty on her first playthrough.
If this were an ordinary game, her choice would’ve been sound.
Shi Qingruo assumed that, despite being a martial arts faction, the Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Tower had a scholarly air to its name, so its leader, Su Mengzhen, couldn’t possibly be hard to get along with.
Plus, the faction was based on Tianquan Mountain in the capital, well within the imperial jurisdiction—surely safer than some remote wilderness.
But how could she have known that the "ancient martial arts" repeatedly mentioned in the game’s description wasn’t the usual wuxia setting?
Here, flight and earthwalking could manifest in even more bizarre ways.
As for the Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Tower, it was far from a gathering place for poets and scholars. Instead, it was a faction of noble-minded individuals who mingled with officials, aristocrats, and heroes.
Only when she stepped into the towering pagoda on Tianquan Mountain did this surreal world finally unveil a corner of its true nature before her eyes.
By the time she finished her first playthrough—where she ended up inheriting the Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Tower after Su Mengzhen’s death, unlocking the [Dragon’s Head] ending—Shi Qingruo couldn’t help but curse aloud.
What kind of damn romance game was this?!
A strategy sim masquerading as a dating game!
Furious at the developers’ bait-and-switch, Shi Qingruo first vented her outrage on the game’s feedback forum, then angrily started a second playthrough.
Having roughly figured out the true colors of Bianjing’s denizens, she resolved not to repeat the "widow-turned-successor" scenario. This time, she chose her second target—a man labeled "Lord of the Overseas Immortal Isle" and "White-Clothed Sword Immortal."
If the martial world was a place where one had no control over their fate, then surely staying far from it would let her live an ordinary life.
Little did she know, Ye Gucheng of White Cloud City on Feixian Island was nothing like the detached, otherworldly immortal she’d imagined. Instead, he was entangled with a rebellious prince plotting to usurp the throne, dragging her back into Bianjing in an entirely different way.
When her second playthrough ended, a new post appeared on the forum titled—
[Why does the love interest’s death count as a successful route?!]
Not only did it count as a success, but there was even post-game content!
This time, instead of political intrigue, it was all about managing a tiny island overseas.
Shi Qingruo chose to restart.
For her third playthrough, considering that the "Lord of the Overseas Immortal Isle" was still a faction leader with a sizable following—making his involvement in power struggles unsurprising—she scoured the game’s corners until she found another character.
His tags read, "Disciple of the World’s Greatest Chivalrous Hero" and "Raised in Seclusion Overseas."
This time, she couldn’t possibly be wrong!
As for why she hadn’t given up on the game after two botched playthroughs—well, she had to credit the character designs for being exactly her type.
Gongzi Yu, her third target, was no exception.
But… no one had told her that a child raised in such an environment would grow up to become the number one villain, successfully getting himself killed in the process?!
Staring at the "clear" status on her game log and the final CG of her inheriting the Azure Dragon Society, Shi Qingruo rage-quit.
Yet fate had a cruel sense of humor. Before she could return to the forum and rant about the game’s absurd plot, she transmigrated.
Into this very martial arts world.
Before crossing over, Shi Qingruo could confidently declare that the world was the problem, not her.
But after transmigrating…
As she trudged through muddy rainwater, witnessing flashes of blades and swords, watching children mutilated by traffickers being kicked off carriages like expired goods—while the cold glint of steel in the rain ignored them entirely—Shi Qingruo understood.
She had to treat this once-virtual world as real.
No matter how unscientific it was, this was now a world she had to face head-on.
And for a woman like her—powerless and beautiful—even hiding in some remote backwater wouldn’t guarantee safety.
If disaster struck one day, her previous inaction would only ensure a crueler death.
After all…
Even the lord of Feixian Island could get embroiled in a treasonous plot, and the noble disciple raised on an isolated isle could turn out to be the leader of an underground syndicate.
Rather than being passively dragged into trouble, she might as well take the initiative and carve out a path to survival.
To be fair, whatever unknown force had brought her here wasn’t completely heartless—it hadn’t left her empty-handed to face this dangerous world alone.
She could still access the game interface from her three completed playthroughs.
Though most of it was grayed out, three lines of text remained at the bottom:
[Existing titles can be reactivated by recruiting subordinates from corresponding factions, unlocking related martial arts skills.]
[Starter Pack activated: Temporarily increase a romance target’s favorability or replace their "white moonlight" status for six months (does not count toward route achievements).]
[Remaining features await exploration. Wishing you a pleasant life.]
A pleasant life? Impossible.
Shi Qingruo's existing titles—accumulated over three previous cycles—were the leader of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower, the lord of White Cloud City, and the master of the Green Dragon Society. Yet now, she could neither shoulder burdens nor wield weapons. Even becoming a minor leader within these factions was beyond her, let alone rallying their members as her subordinates.
As for that one-time item that temporarily boosted affection, its effects lasted only six months. It neither mentioned the side effects after expiration nor provided any real means of ensuring safety... In the end, it still wasn’t enough to secure her livelihood.
It was merely affection and the status of a "white moonlight."
Unless a man had lost his sanity, why would he risk his life for a mere white moonlight?
At most, one could say these two additional cheats were far better than having nothing at all.
Drawing on the knowledge from her three prior cycles, Shi Qingruo pondered carefully before finally deciding whom to use this item on.
This person was—
The most suitable choice.
More suitable than Su Mengzhen, Ye Gucheng, or Gongzi Yu, all of whom were still alive today.
...
Not long after Zhu Xiaoyao left, the rain-drenched pavilion welcomed an uninvited guest.
Without moving from her seat, Shi Qingruo caught sight of the figure in the mirror.
Her gaze trembled involuntarily.
Only when a sharp pain pierced her palm did she suddenly realize she was still clutching a golden hairpin she had just removed. The ornament had pressed into her flesh from her sudden grip.
Yet this reaction was not out of shock at the intruder’s arrival.
She could see—his steps were far from steady. To be precise, when Shi Qingruo had encountered him months ago, he had been confined to an iron chair like a prisoner, having not walked freely for so long that his movements still carried a trace of clumsiness.
The rumors were true: the Seventh Holy Master of the Mystic Heaven Alliance had gone mad.
It was no surprise, then, that when Shi Qingruo walked through the alliance’s territory, the bustling members bore emblems of various factions—Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower, Six and a Half Halls, Divine Marquis Manor, Green Dragon Society... Few truly belonged to the Mystic Heaven Alliance.
A dazzling spectacle indeed.
Yet when he turned his face toward someone, no one would dare question the legitimacy of his title as the world’s number one.
His was a face so hollow it bordered on pallid.
In that single glance, no one would envy the frozen youthfulness of his features—only feel...
Terror.
A terror that weighed on the heart like a slab of lead.
Shi Qingruo bit her tongue silently, using the pain to wrench herself free from the suffocating blankness of "better off dead," before calmly addressing the Seventh Holy Master of the Mystic Heaven Alliance. "Seventh Brother, what brings you here?"
Guan Qi’s expression seemed forever lost in deep contemplation.
He was no longer young, though his face retained a boyishness. His brows and temples were dusted with a thin frost, mingling with the rain and mist outside, blurring into an indistinct haze.
Only at the sound of her voice did he snap out of his thoughts, offering an awkward, clumsy smile. "I was afraid you’d disappear again."
"In the past... I was too absorbed in martial training. You left, and I searched for you for so long."
Shi Qingruo set the hairpin down on the dressing table and took the hand Guan Qi extended toward her.
Around his wrist, a rust-brown chain remained tightly fastened, starkly contrasting with his current attire.
Yet Shi Qingruo acted as if she didn’t notice, smiling warmly. "But I’m right here in front of you now, aren’t I?"
The deathly gray chill in Guan Qi’s eyes faded slightly.
But only for an instant.
Because the next moment, his "wife"—now returned to him—lifted her head with a sigh. "Yet the world is harsh, and the future is uncertain. Seventh Brother, tell me—if someone tries to ruin our wedding, what should we do?"
What... should we do?
In an instant, a terrifying killing intent flooded the room.
Guan Qi spoke word by word: "Then we kill every last one who stands in our way!"
