Building favor has always been a task that combines both a sense of accomplishment and pain. If this were some kind of strategy game, it might be manageable, but the problem is that Xia Lianqiao couldn't just give gifts to these people right now.
Fully aware of her current awkward position within the main group, after sitting down beside Li Langhuan, Xia Lianqiao didn’t dare provoke Bai Ji'an either. Instead, she focused all her energy on trying to increase her favor with her dear "daughter" Langhuan.
But what should she say? Xia Lianqiao racked her brains. Heaven knows she was just a shut-in fangirl. If you asked her to play an otome game, she could effortlessly romance multiple characters without repeating the same lines. She was witty and sharp in games, but in real life, the difficulty level was a bit too high.
The flying boat was incredibly fast, and since Chen County wasn’t far from the sea, it took only the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before the boat began its descent over Chen County.
Before Xia Lianqiao could even figure out how to build favor, they had already arrived.
Xia Lianqiao: "..." She had underestimated just how advanced transportation was in this era.
Shaking her head vigorously to dispel these chaotic thoughts, she took little Chen Ying’s hand and prepared to disembark.
As the owner of the flying boat, Ling Chongxiao naturally stepped off first, followed by Bai Ji'an. When it was Li Langhuan's turn, the boat shook slightly due to a disturbance in the clouds.
Then, Xia Lianqiao saw both Bai Ji'an and Ling Chongxiao turn around almost simultaneously to help her.
Ling Chongxiao’s voice was cool and detached: "Are you alright, Fellow Daoist Li?"
Bai Ji'an also said: "Be careful, Langhuan."
Bai Ji'an had already reached out, but Ling Chongxiao didn’t withdraw his hand either.
Caught between these two male gods, Li Langhuan didn’t seem to overthink it and thanked them both politely.
As the two men locked eyes, the air became tense.
Until this somewhat explosive scene was broken by a strange, cheeky laugh: "Heh heh heh."
The scene was just too heartwarming.
Xia Lianqiao couldn’t help but smile, her eyes narrowing into crescents, wriggling like a cat, crawling in happiness, her face breaking into a knowing, indulgent smile. Ah, the sweet taste of a love triangle!
It was even better when the girl in question was clueless! She could eat this up! Feast on it! If there was one perk of being transported to this world, it was that the romantic drama was endless.
Ling Chongxiao: "..."
Bai Ji'an: "...??" What the hell was that noise?
Both men, with their heightened senses, turned their heads at the same time and immediately spotted Xia Lianqiao, her eyes squinted into a line as she grinned ear to ear.
Caught in the act of reveling in the romantic tension, Xia Lianqiao hadn’t expected the two main actors of this drama to actually deign to look her way.
Li Langhuan, confused and surprised, asked: "Fellow Daoist Xia? What are you laughing at?"
Her heart skipped a beat, and before she could wipe the knowing smile off her face, she took a step back, waving her hands frantically. "Nothing, nothing! Don’t mind me, carry on, carry on."
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but let out another string of mysterious, fangirl giggles: "Heh heh heh heh heh."
Her behavior was erratic and inappropriate. Ling Chongxiao frowned slightly, turning his face away with disdain, unwilling to engage further with someone like her.
Bai Ji'an raised an eyebrow but didn’t let her off so easily: "...?"
Remembering her rock-bottom favorability, Xia Lianqiao coughed, trying her best to suppress her excited, twisted expression, and said with a straight face: "Ahem, ahem, carry on, don’t mind me."
Xia Lianqiao felt she had a pretty good grasp of her role.
As a bystander, a cannon-fodder female side character, she had no grand dreams of overturning her fate. She wasn’t cut out to be a Mary Sue. Instead, she decided to cling tightly to her "daughter’s" coattails, content to sit on the sidelines, cheer, and enjoy the delicious drama of a love triangle. This was the safest and happiest path for her.
How could anything be more blissful than this? Was this the paradise of a fangirl?
-
As the leading noble family of Chen County for many years, the grandeur and splendor of Chen Manor were almost unimaginable.
The flying boat came to a stop in front of the manor gates, transforming into a streak of light that flew into Ling Chongxiao’s sleeve.
Seeing the strange phenomenon in the sky, the servants at the gate knew that Li Langhuan and her companions had returned, and they rushed out in a flurry.
At the front was a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar—this was the current head of the Chen family, Chen Mengfu. Behind him was a beautiful woman with disheveled hair and a disheveled appearance.
Xia Lianqiao felt a tug on her hand as little Chen Ying, whom she was still holding, immediately cried out "Mother!" and rushed to the beautiful woman, the two of them embracing and sobbing.
...This must be Chen Ying’s mother, Chen Mengfu’s concubine? As for the woman’s name, Xia Lianqiao couldn’t quite recall.
After traveling north and south with Bai Ji'an for years, even the usually reserved Li Langhuan had become adept at handling such situations. Pleasantries and formalities were exchanged without issue.
Overjoyed to learn that his daughter was safe, Chen Mengfu was further delighted to hear from Ling Chongxiao and the others that the evil serpent, though not dead, had been severely injured, losing one of its limbs. He immediately insisted on hosting a banquet to celebrate the heroes’ victory.
As the only one present who had essentially done nothing, Xia Lianqiao felt that the title of "immortal" probably didn’t include her.
But clearly, her dear "daughter" Li Langhuan didn’t see it that way. In fact, she even turned around to search for Xia Lianqiao, who was trying to blend into the crowd.
Then, in the next moment, Xia Lianqiao was pulled out of the crowd by Li Langhuan, who introduced her to Chen Mengfu and the beautiful woman as the one who had saved Chen Ying.
Little Chen Ying, still holding her mother’s hand, puffed out her chest and declared in her childish voice that it was this big sister who had saved her.
Chen Mengfu and the beautiful woman: "Young hero, please accept our deepest gratitude!!"
Caught in the admiring gazes of Chen Mengfu and the beautiful woman, as well as Bai Ji'an’s amused smirk, Xia Lianqiao: ...
Instead of feeling proud, she felt her body stiffen, her toes curling in embarrassment.
"Young hero" Xia Lianqiao: Help, help! As a shut-in, I feel like I’m about to die!!
She had no idea how many times the tearful beautiful woman had clasped her hands and praised her in front of everyone before finally letting her go.
Just as Xia Lianqiao breathed a sigh of relief and followed the group into the manor, a sharp-faced maid suddenly appeared in front of her.
And it seemed like she was headed straight for her...?
Before Xia Lianqiao could recall who this maid was, the sharp-faced maid let out a long sigh of relief and said: "Miss, are you alright? Lichun was scared to death."
It was only then that Xia Lianqiao vaguely remembered that her character, Xia Lianqiao, had brought a maid along with the main group in the early stages. Both master and servant had done some shady things, and later, it seemed like Xia Lianqiao had used the maid as a shield during a fight, leading to her quick demise.
*The Path of the Dao* was a male-oriented novel, and as everyone knew, male-oriented novels usually spanned over a million words. The original work was simply too long, and while Xia Lianqiao had a decent memory, she only remembered the main plot points and major arcs. Characters like Lichun, who appeared for only three chapters, were impossible for her to recall.
Maids like this were essentially tutorial NPCs for players in the early stages of transmigration. True to her reputation as a seasoned gamer, Xia Lianqiao began subtly probing Lichun for information about her current situation.
For example, what level of cultivation did this body possess?
Though the original novel hadn’t specified, as soon as she transmigrated, Xia Lianqiao realized that she must have some level of cultivation. Her senses were sharp, and her strength was far beyond that of an ordinary martial artist.
This was crucial for her survival, so it was her top priority.
Lichun, the maid, was more than willing to share what she knew.
In the world of *The Path of the Dao*, cultivators’ levels were roughly divided into the Initiation Realm, Comprehension Realm, Practice Realm, Proof Realm, and Unity Realm.
As for Xia Lianqiao’s exact level, Lichun, being a mortal, wasn’t entirely sure. Xia Lianqiao had never told her, but based on her own observations, Xia Lianqiao guessed that she was still in the Initiation Realm, equivalent to the Qi Refining stage—the most basic level. At this stage, the changes were limited to enhanced senses and physical strength.
Only after advancing to the Comprehension Realm could a cultivator control qi and wield flying swords in battle.
And here lay the problem.
In this world, if you wanted to survive, combat prowess was absolutely essential.
Xia Lianqiao: The problem is, she, a transmigrated outsider from the northwest, has no idea how to cultivate! She's going to die! Is there a beginner's guide or something?!
What the heck is this mystical spiritual energy? And what exactly is the process of drawing in spiritual energy? Figuring these things out is her top priority right now.
Thanks to this, Xia Lianqiao was still in a gloomy mood during dinner.
Distracted, but she managed to wolf down two bowls of rice.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. Who could resist the temptation of a seafood feast? In any case, no one paid much attention to her, the little nobody.
It was already late at night.
Because Ling Chongxiao had set up a formation, the group wasn’t worried about the evil serpent escaping. After dinner, they each returned to their rooms to meditate and rest, planning to discuss further the next morning.
Xia Lianqiao had already made up her mind during dinner. She decided to visit Li Langhuan later.
Li Langhuan was beautiful and kind-hearted, so she would probably be willing to guide her on cultivation matters.
With her mind set, Xia Lianqiao headed to Li Langhuan’s residence.
Li Langhuan was staying at the Deer Cry Pavilion, which wasn’t far from Xia Lianqiao’s Lotus Breeze Courtyard. Perhaps because they were cultivators, Chen Manor had provided them with the best accommodations.
Along the way, Xia Lianqiao couldn’t help but admire the elegance and luxury of Chen Manor, befitting a century-old aristocratic family.
She had initially been a bit worried that visiting so late might disturb Li Langhuan’s rest. But when she knocked on the door and saw the young Ling Chongxiao and Bai Ji'an inside, along with a few cups of steaming tea on the table, Xia Lianqiao suddenly realized that she was the one being left out…
Xia Lianqiao: "..."
Li Langhuan was also surprised to see her. The girl’s eyes widened slightly. "Huh? Xia Lianqiao? What brings you here?"
"Uh," Xia Lianqiao hesitated, "just taking a walk after dinner?"
"Li Langhuan, are you all discussing something important?" Xia Lianqiao glanced at Ling Chongxiao and Bai Ji'an in the room and tactfully offered, "Should I step out for a bit?"
It wasn’t their fault for not inviting her to discuss important matters. After all, her combat ability was negligible, and she was essentially a freeloader in this protagonist group.
"It’s nothing major," Li Langhuan stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in. "We’re just discussing how to deal with the evil serpent. If you’re interested, why not join us?"
Since she was trying to improve her standing with the group, Xia Lianqiao naturally agreed without hesitation.
The girl’s eyes curved into a smile as she led her inside. "By the way, thank you for sending Lichun with the medicine earlier. I really appreciate it."
Wait.
Xia Lianqiao was momentarily confused. Medicine? What medicine? When did she ask Lichun to deliver medicine?
Her confusion must have been evident on her face because Li Langhuan looked slightly surprised. "Here, this is what Lichun just brought over. It’s on the table. I haven’t had the chance to take it yet."
Following Li Langhuan’s gaze, Xia Lianqiao’s eyes landed on a porcelain bowl on the table. The medicine inside was a clear brownish color, still steaming hot.
It certainly looked like a legitimate healing potion, but something felt off to Xia Lianqiao.
She hadn’t instructed Lichun to deliver any medicine. If it wasn’t Lichun acting on her own, could it have been the original owner of this body before she transmigrated?
But would the original owner have been so kind?
Li Langhuan didn’t seem to think much of it. After thanking her with a smile, she picked up the bowl and playfully winked at Xia Lianqiao, as if to show her trust by drinking it in front of her.
"..."
Xia Lianqiao froze, a bad feeling creeping over her. "W-wait!"
Just as she spoke, a cool voice chimed in at the same time.
"Li Langhuan, hold on." Ling Chongxiao, who had been sitting upright at the table, suddenly spoke up to stop her.
Their eyes met, and Xia Lianqiao found herself staring straight into Ling Chongxiao’s icy, indifferent gaze.
It hit her like a thunderbolt. A chilling realization dawned on her.
Under the boy’s cold stare, Xia Lianqiao suddenly remembered a minor but crucial detail from the original novel that she had completely forgotten about.
Xia Lianqiao: ! This medicine is poisoned!
As mentioned earlier, Xia Lianqiao was a villainess obsessed with Bai Ji'an and deeply jealous of Li Langhuan.
She had once tried to poison Li Langhuan and even attempted to drug Bai Ji'an with an aphrodisiac.
Before her father, Xia Yuanqing, passed away, the Xia family had been a prominent medical and poison-making clan in the martial world. Through family connections, Xia Lianqiao had somehow obtained a particularly insidious poison.
This poison was cunning. At first glance, it looked no different from ordinary medicine, even displaying some of the characteristics of a high-quality restorative tonic.
However, once ingested, the toxin would quietly lie dormant in the meridians. After some time, it would begin to wreak havoc, disrupting the cultivator’s energy flow, tainting their spiritual energy, and potentially ruining their foundation or even cutting off their path to immortality.
After obtaining the poison, Xia Lianqiao had instructed her trusted maid, Lichun, to find an opportunity to administer it to Li Langhuan. Now, with Li Langhuan injured from battling the demon, it was the perfect time.
One had to admire the dedication of a truly professional villainess.
And the dedication of a truly professional henchwoman like Lichun.
Xia Lianqiao: "..."
If only she hadn’t transmigrated into this villainess’s body.
Both she and Ling Chongxiao had spoken up simultaneously, and even Ling Chongxiao couldn’t help but glance at her curiously.
As for Bai Ji'an, he had been skeptical from the moment Lichun delivered the medicine.
Now, with Xia Lianqiao shouting to stop, a glint of amusement flashed in Bai Ji'an’s peach-blossom eyes. "Hmm? Why are you two stopping her?"
At his words, Xia Lianqiao’s heart sank.
Why stop her? She couldn’t just blurt out that the medicine was poisoned.
First, she pushed Li Langhuan off a cliff, and now she was trying to poison her.
Had she destroyed the Milky Way in her past life? Trapped under the gazes of Ling Chongxiao and Bai Ji'an, Xia Lianqiao despaired. Why did she have to face such an ultimate, hellish level of difficulty the moment she transmigrated?
Bookmark inserted.
