After subduing the main villains, the rest became much simpler.
Third Master Qi had one arm severed by Jiang Xuesheng’s guqin strings, while the elder from the Kongtong Sect was impaled through his "third leg," rendering both utterly incapacitated. One lay wailing on the ground, the other knelt gasping for breath, their sweat-soaked hair plastered to their foreheads like drowned rats—no, worse than rats. Shu Fu immediately apologized in her heart: Sorry, dogs. That was an insult to you.
As for Ling Xiyue, the man was shrewd. Instead of assisting the Kongtong elder, he activated a teleportation talisman the moment Jiang Xuesheng unleashed his strings, vanishing in the blink of an eye—like a coward fleeing with his tail between his legs.
Pretty impressive, Shu Fu mused.
No wonder he was destined to be the obsessive male antagonist. His ability to read the situation and retreat gracefully already put him a cut above the dense male lead.
Too bad he was a yandere.
This time, he hadn’t met the gentle, healing female lead, Jiang Ruoshui, so there’d be no unrequited love, no burning obsession, no desperate schemes, no ruthless ploys. Shu Fu sincerely hoped he’d seize this chance to reform, seek therapy, and preserve what little dignity and intellect he had.
After all, in the original story, most characters were either stupid, out of character, or both. Brains and consistency were rare commodities.
Maybe Ling Xiyue could still salvage himself as a halfway decent villain, clawing his way out of the trash heap.
In short, she hoped he’d never fall in love again.
And if he had to, let him fall for the scheming female antagonist—let the villains sort themselves out, naturally decomposing and leaving the female lead’s world untainted.
But Shu Fu hadn’t anticipated this.
"Xiyue, Xiyue, are you alright?"
The teleportation talisman, crafted by the Kongtong elder himself, was top-tier, whisking Ling Xiyue to a mountain a thousand miles away in an instant.
There, his spirit companion—a pitch-black Pomeranian, fluffy and round like a bouncing lump of coal—was waiting.
"Xiyue, you scared me! Didn’t you say you’d only return after finishing business in Qingcheng? Did that old pervert give you trouble again? I’ll bite him for you!"
The Pomeranian, already sapient, spoke in a sweet, milky voice as it trotted toward him, its fluffy tail wagging like a blooming flower.
Yes, a Pomeranian. A fox-like little dog.
On Ling Xiyue’s coming-of-age ceremony, his eldest brother, Ling Fengqing, had personally delivered the dog as a "gift," insisting he take it as his spirit companion.
Everyone in Lingxiao City knew that the eldest young master’s spirit companion was a wolf—a majestic, snow-white beast from the northern peaks, as noble and imposing as the "First Young Master Ling" himself. Cold, ethereal, transcendent.
But to Ling Xiyue, his brother was just a prettier, more cunning version of Qi Xinlei. At best, he was subtler in his humiliation, using a dog to remind Ling Xiyue of his place.
A white wolf. A black dog. The contrast was stark, the hierarchy clear.
Ling Xiyue knew his position. Until he bared his fangs, he had to play the meek, unambitious younger brother, quietly biding his time.
If his brother told him to raise a dog, he’d raise a dog.
Luckily, the dog was adorable, and he found it far more tolerable than humans.
Over time, the dog became his only friend.
If Ling Xiyue had an ounce of sincerity, seven-tenths of it had probably gone to the dog before he ever met Jiang Ruoshui.
"Xuan, don’t worry."
Ling Xiyue ruffled the dog’s head, his eyes crinkling with a flawless, gentle smile. "See? I’m perfectly fine. That old lecher didn’t lay a finger on me—he can’t anymore. He’ll never trouble me or anyone else again. I’ve never felt so lighthearted in years. The only regret is that I wasn’t the one to do it."
"..."
The Pomeranian tilted its head, its shiny black eyes like two grapes, staring intently at him.
Ling Xiyue: "..."
Damn, it’s too cute.
Ling Xiyue was obsessed with power struggles, indifferent to romance, viewing beauties as mere skeletons—yet this dog was the exception.
Normally, he’d be thinking, Better to pet a dog than scheme. But this time, he hesitated before abruptly changing the subject.
"I went to Qingcheng to investigate the Qiongqi incident, planning to leak the details to my brother’s enemies and stir up trouble for him. But I didn’t expect..."
Recalling the scene at the Qi residence, Ling Xiyue pressed his fingers to his temple, smiling wryly. "I hadn’t even finished gathering intel before the victims stormed in, ruthless and efficient, crippling Third Master Qi and the Kongtong elder on the spot. If I hadn’t run fast enough, I’d have been next."
"That is impressive," the Pomeranian lolled its tongue. "Serves them right! That old pervert always looked down on you, playing favorites. He never considered that if the eldest young master hadn’t sabotaged you, letting you get stripped of your Fenghuang bloodline in the black market, you wouldn’t be 'inferior' to him. If you two ever clashed, he’d definitely side with—"
"Shh." Ling Xiyue covered the dog’s mouth. "What nonsense. Why would I contend with my brother? Though... if he were to trip and fall from grace, and Lingxiao City needed a new ruler, and the Fenghuang lineage required a successor... well, it’d only be natural for me to step in."
He wasn’t foolish enough to dirty his hands like Qi Xinlei.
But what he’d do to his brother after seizing power was another matter entirely.
"Right, right, exactly!" The Pomeranian wagged its tail eagerly. "By the way, Xiyue, what’s my brother’s enemy like? Didn’t you say 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'? Were you planning to ally with them against him?"
Ling Xiyue rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "Well... that’s the issue."
His original plan was to find the victims of the Qiongqi incident—especially the surviving members of the Tong family—and discreetly feed them information about the mastermind, fanning their flames of vengeance and letting them burn Ling Fengqing’s tail for him.
But he hadn’t expected the "survivor" to be a true force of nature, one who didn’t need his prodding. She’d already allied with the Jiuhua Sect—the only faction capable of rivaling Lingxiao City—and with two swift strikes, crushed her enemies’ skulls.
Recalling Shu Fu’s sharp tongue, her biting sarcasm, the way her eyes blazed with righteous fury as she verbally eviscerated her own fiancé—she lacked any trace of girlish naivety, nothing like a teenager at all.
His plans to manipulate her had fallen flat.
And more than that...
"That girl is righteous, principled, unyielding. She’d never tolerate someone like me."
A pang of regret flickered in his heart.
Ling Xiyue was no saint, but the world was full of contradictions—some of the worst people were inexplicably drawn to the best.
Ling Xiyue had a thing for good people.
Shu Fu wasn’t wrong—he did indeed have a soft spot for saintly figures like Jiang Ruoshui, whose gentle, compassionate nature made her seem pure and untainted, like a pristine sanctuary in his heart. And if he couldn’t have that sanctuary, he’d rather see it burned to ashes.
What Shu Fu didn’t know was that for him, the "gentle saint" archetype wasn’t a prerequisite for love. What truly mattered was that "sanctuary" quality.
A saintly maiden? Sure, he could go for that. But a fiery, righteous, hot-tempered spitfire with a heart of crystal clarity? He could go for that too.
Even though Shu Fu looked at him like he was an idiot, he couldn’t help but think she was absolutely dazzling when she cursed him out.
"‘The bright heavens bear witness to my deeds, the sun and moon stand as my backing.’ Such magnificent words—I could never say something like that in my lifetime."
Ling Xiyue settled onto a smooth slab of bluestone, one hand propping up his fair forehead, the other dangling idly as his fingers tapped rhythmically against the rock.
"Plenty of fish in the sea, as they say. Of course I understand that. But the sea is vast, and finding a flower that suits your taste? Now that’s no easy task."
His Pomeranian, puzzled by his odd behavior today, tilted its head and stared at him. "A-Yue, what’s wrong with you?"
Ling Xiyue was slight of build, with a youthful, boyish face that made him look like a teenager. Now, bathed in the hazy light of dawn, the scattered sunlight traced a golden outline around his delicate features, making him resemble some ethereal, otherworldly spirit.
"Nothing," he murmured softly, as if speaking to himself. "I was just thinking—what kind of trash is Qi Yuxuan, to even deserve her curses? She’d be better off cursing me a few more times. At least I wouldn’t talk back and piss her off."
"In Lingxiao City, I’ve seen nothing but scheming and groveling. No one has ever scolded me with such righteous fury. And now, after just a short while without hearing it… I actually kind of miss her."
Pomeranian: "Are you okay?"
Shu Fu: "Achoo!"
Liu Ruyi: "Little junior sister, what’s wrong? Did you catch a chill?"
Shu Fu: "Dunno. Feels more like I’ve been haunted."
Ghostly maiden Tian Xin: "You called?"
Shu Fu: "Nope, definitely not. And could you not suddenly drape yourself over my shoulder? It’s creepy."
What Shu Fu didn’t realize was that, just moments ago, an unexpected convergence of worldlines had occurred. Even though the plot had veered wildly off course from the original story, "Jiang Ruoshui" had still managed to capture Ling Xiyue’s attention.
The only difference was that this time, Ling Xiyue’s obsession had taken a slightly… different direction.
Shu Fu brushed off the sneeze and focused on bonding with Tian Xin. They enthusiastically exchanged cat appreciation tips, passionately denounced the scum who "wouldn’t even spare cats," and even compared the art of swearing across their respective worlds, coming away with a wealth of new material.
Shu Fu: "Someone like Third Master Qi? We’d call him a ‘simp.’ And in the end, simps get nothing."
Tian Xin slapped her thigh: "Ugh, that’s an insult to dogs! Using dog-related insults for people is one thing, but for them? That’s just insulting to actual dogs!"
Shu Fu nodded solemnly: "You’re right. I’ve disrespected dogs again."
Meanwhile, Jiang Xuesheng and Liu Ruyi were engaged in polite conversation with Qi Feng and the other family heads, their manners refined and their words measured—so much so that, at a glance, they almost seemed like normal people.
Third Master Qi and his daughter had already been taken away to await punishment. Qi Yuxuan had pleaded desperately to no avail, only succeeding in angering his hot-tempered father, who silenced him with a spell before dragging him off to reflect on his mistakes. As for the elder from Kongtong, a known lackey of Lingxiao City, the Qi family couldn’t deal with him directly. So Jiang Xuesheng simply bagged him like a sack of potatoes, declaring that he’d take this "dog’s leg" back to "discuss matters with the sect leader."
Judging by his serene expression, one might think he was carrying a ham to discuss whether to fry it or stew it.
After the usual round of polite, mutual flattery, Qi Feng voiced his concerns: "I’ve heard that the four great sects—Lingxiao, Jiuhua, Tianyan, and Xuanyu—have always gone their separate ways without interfering in each other’s affairs. Master Tanhua’s righteous intervention is deeply appreciated, but I fear Jiuhua Sect may face repercussions..."
Jiang Xuesheng replied calmly, "Don’t worry. There won’t be any repercussions."
"Exactly," Liu Ruyi added with a radiant smile. "Qingcheng is already in the southern territories. This time, Lingxiao City overstepped and ended up shooting themselves in the foot. Our sect leader is a master of diplomacy—he’ll smooth things over. At worst, he’ll just lose a few more hairs over it."
Shu Fu: "..."
But what did the sect leader ever do to deserve this?
From her vague memories of the original story, the "sect leader" of Jiuhua Sect had barely any presence—just a hardworking, perpetually overworked man teetering on the edge of baldness.
Aside from his severe hair loss, the sect leader was kind-hearted, competent, and skilled in both cultivation and leadership.
But Jiuhua Sect was simply too vast. With no way to be everywhere at once, the sect leader delegated most internal affairs to the peak masters. That was why Jiang Ruoshui had suffered in silence at Tianji Peak—the sect leader had no idea, and thus couldn’t intervene.
As Shu Fu would say: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. You gotta cry if you want help!
Of course, this time, she had no intention of crying.
She’d make Qi Yuxuan and Jiang Baozhu cry instead—preferably until the heavens darkened, the rivers ran backward, their tears flooded Tianji Peak, and their wails brought down Xianyun Terrace.
Half an hour later...
After wrapping up the remaining formalities and soothing the crowd with gentle reassurances, Liu Ruyi confidently declared that Lingxiao City wouldn’t dare cause trouble again—and if they did, they’d only have Jiuhua Sect to answer to.
Jiuhua Sect was a powerhouse. If Lingxiao City wanted to pick a fight, they’d get what was coming to them. Worst-case scenario, they’d just unleash the sect leader.
Shu Fu couldn’t help but sympathize—the sect leader really had it rough.
As she’d predicted, Jiang Xuesheng and his disciple were living legends. The moment their identities were revealed, they became walking advertisements for Jiuhua Sect. The family heads swarmed them, showering them with praise, and even after lengthy exchanges, they still seemed reluctant to part ways—as if they wanted to add them on WeChat, follow them on Weibo, and chat for another decade or so.
Among them, Master Bai was the most enthusiastic, grinning like a starstruck fan who’d just stumbled upon a "masterclass workshop."
Master Bai rubbed his hands eagerly. "So, Master Tanhua, about my son..."
Jiang Xuesheng glanced at Bai Tian and remarked indifferently, "Average talent, decent comprehension. With the right guidance, he may not stand out, but revitalizing the Bai family wouldn’t be beyond him."
Hearing this, even Madam Bai was moved. "Does Tian’er truly have such potential? Might you...?"
"In three months, Jiuhua Sect will hold an entrance trial at Xianyun Terrace to recruit new disciples," Jiang Xuesheng said, his tone still neutral—neither overly warm nor dismissive. "If your son is interested, he’s welcome to try."
The Bai couple beamed with joy, while Bai Tian himself was so overcome he could barely speak. He bowed repeatedly to Jiang Xuesheng, blurting out, "Thank you, Shishu!" before hastily correcting himself to, "Thank you, Immortal Master!"—his usual arrogance nowhere to be seen.
When he spotted Shu Fu, his excitement bubbled over again, and he waved enthusiastically. "Fellow cultivator! Fellow cultivator! I’ll be joining Jiuhua Sect soon—wait for me!"
Bai Tian was already a youthful boy with an air of childish innocence, but with this exuberant, hopping-around demeanor, he looked nothing like a peacock—more like a chirpy little chick.
Shu Fu couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, but beside her, Qi Feng suddenly stiffened, a shadow of worry darkening his brow.
"Miss Jiang, are you truly planning to go to the Jiuhua Sect? Have you discussed this with Master Jiang?" he asked anxiously. "And as for your engagement with Yuxuan… since it’s been called off, shouldn’t you at least inform the Jiang family?"
Shu Fu chuckled lightly. "Of course I’ll go. As for my engagement with your son, Sect Leader Qi, there’s no need to worry. Even if neither of us says a word, the Jiang family will come knocking to break it off themselves."
"Why? Has my son done something to offend Master Jiang?"
Just as Qi Feng was puzzling over this, a loud announcement echoed from outside the door: "Sect Leader! Master Jiang and Madam Jiang have arrived with Second Miss Jiang! They say—they say—"
Speak of the devil. Qi Feng grew even more bewildered. "What do they say? Have they come to fetch Miss Jiang?"
"N-no," the disciple stammered, his face pale and his neck shrinking as if bracing for a blow. Yet he couldn’t resist stealing a glance at Shu Fu. "Madam Jiang says… that Eldest Miss Jiang has eloped with someone, bringing disgrace to their family, and is no longer fit to marry Young Master Qi. So… so she wishes to annul the engagement and propose a new one—between Second Miss Jiang and the young master."
Qi Feng: "What?!"
Having just endured the tragedy of his own family’s downfall and the bitter duty of meting out justice, Qi Feng’s heart was weighed down with sorrow and weariness. Now, abruptly dragged back into the petty scheming of household drama by the Jiang family, he found himself utterly disoriented, his mind reduced to a single thought:
What in the world is this Jiang family talking about?!
Shu Fu: "Well, well. What did I tell you? They just can’t go a single day without asking for a beating."
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