Chapter 1 001 (Major Revision) A simp who licks his boots will end up with nothing...

In the mortal realm, at Mount Langya.

The sun was high in the sky, and the heat was oppressive.

Lu Yuanyuan lay half-dead by a stream, drinking water.

Her black hair was disheveled, and her cheeks were flushed red from the sun. The lower half of her face was submerged in the stream, and she made a series of muffled swallowing sounds.

A clear electronic voice echoed in the sky: "Host's health has been detected to be below the safety threshold. To avoid a soul separation reaction, please replenish your health as soon as possible."

"Cough...vomit!"

Lu Yuanyuan coughed a few times, tears welling up in her eyes, and she raised her head. The stream water flowed down her wet chin and fair neck, quickly staining a deep pool on her crimson clothes.

She ignored the electronic voice, wiped her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, and tried to sit up, but suddenly felt dizzy and weak in the knees. She had no choice but to give up and roll over, sprawling on the ground like a fish out of air, panting with her lips open.

It's too sunny.

The sun made her dizzy, thirsty, and her head throbbed.

But headaches are inevitable.

Anyone else, like her—would eagerly follow their crush like a devoted follower, enduring countless hardships to finally become his Daoist partner. However, their joy wouldn't last long; they'd become his stepping stone to ascension, killed to prove their own Dao, and then discarded. To die in such a humiliating way, only to be inexplicably reborn, bound to a system, and learn that they were actually a transmigrated female supporting character with amnesia, living in a melodramatic novel in both their past and present lives—would probably find it unbearable.

It all started with a novel called "The Enchanting Fairy Tale".

"The Enchanting Fairy's Fate" is a highly acclaimed cultivation and stock-buying novel that blends classic elements such as a fierce battleground, a satisfying golden finger, NTR, a "true fragrance slaps in the face" story, and a wife-chasing-after-the-cremation scenario. The novel is also permeated with a touch of eroticism.

The female protagonist is a delicate, sweet, and innocent little fox demon. Not only is she incredibly lucky, encountering helpful people at every turn upon entering the cultivation world, but she also possesses an invincible charm that drives all the powerful figures crazy. In the book, every outstanding man with a name and some good looks inevitably joins her harem, becoming infatuated with her, vying for her affections in a fierce and cutthroat competition, engaging in a series of passionate and dramatic displays of affection.

Among the many male leads with different styles, there is a special one who is extremely popular and also very controversial—Duan Lansheng, a sword cultivator from Mount Shu.

Duan Lansheng is the child of a fox demon and a mortal. Despite being a half-demon whose life is as insignificant as an ant, he was born with a beautiful and ethereal appearance, with exquisite features and graceful bearing. He grew up in the strict Shu Mountain Sword Sect, where he was cold-hearted, averse to women, and always kept to himself, a veritable archway of strict asceticism and chastity.

Compared to the other potential male leads, Duan Lansheng's difficulty in winning over the female lead is undoubtedly hellish. Every chapter featuring him inevitably sparks a fierce online battle in the book review section.

This is because, before meeting the female lead, Duan Lansheng already had someone he loved—he had always regarded the senior sister of the Shushan Sword Sect as his white moonlight and secretly admired her.

Of course, no one else knew this secret except himself.

So why did Duan Lansheng's stock not only not hit the daily limit down, but instead continue to rise?

The answer is simple.

As the saying goes, what you can't have always seems more alluring.

These days, readers love stories with challenging plots, especially those involving intense love, sudden realizations, and heart-wrenching pursuit of the female lead. The easy-going, submissive male lead is no longer popular. What readers truly remember are the unattainable, high-achieving women who are the ones the female lead longs for but can't have.

The more indifferent Duan Lansheng is to the female lead at the beginning, the more it arouses the reader's desire to conquer him, making everyone anxious and wanting to tear off his cold and indifferent mask, to see him dragged down from his pedestal, sinking into intense passion and desire, and even going crazy and losing control due to jealousy.

This process of navigating the game is like a slow-cooked meal, both agonizing and exhilarating, which explains why everyone is so hooked and exclaims, "I'm a country bumpkin, but I love watching this!"

The original owner of Lu Yuanyuan's body was a female supporting character who was a disliked and simp by Duan Lansheng's side.

In the book, the original owner of this body was a mortal on the verge of death whom a cultivator from Mount Shu rescued by chance while on a mission. After recovering from her injuries in Mount Shu, a pill cultivator, seeing that she had nowhere to go, took pity on her and took her in as his disciple.

Having survived a near-death experience and even managed to latch onto the powerful Shu Mountain sect, this was an incredible stroke of luck—one that even burning incense wouldn't grant. A normal person would cherish such a hard-won opportunity. However, the original owner's mind wasn't on cultivation at all; it was consumed by thoughts of love and romance. Soon after joining the sect, she took a liking to Duan Lansheng.

Because she coveted Duan Lansheng's good looks, the original owner used every means to pursue (harass) him, including but not limited to: shamelessly "bumping into" him on the road he always took every day, trying to squeeze herself into sect missions involving him, showing concern for Duan Lansheng, bringing him food and drink, and taking his punishments in his place...

No matter how many times she was turned away, the original owner of this body was like a piece of chewing gum that she couldn't shake off. If there were a ranking of Duan Lansheng's simps, she alone would occupy the top ten spots, leaving all the other competitors far behind.

In a demon-hunting instance in the middle of the story, she even tried to force herself on Duan Lansheng while he was suffering from snake venom and unable to take care of himself.

However, it's obvious to anyone with a brain that these one-dimensional, simp-like female supporting characters are only fit to be stepping stones in the romance between the male and female leads, or clowns to highlight the female lead's kind and beautiful qualities. They have no chance of ever getting the male lead.

As expected, the original owner not only failed to make the deed into a fait accompli, but also burned through the pot. Overnight, her despicable actions spread throughout Mount Shu. Due to her moral failings, she was ultimately expelled from the sect and could only leave the cultivation world in disgrace, enduring the contempt and whispers of her former fellow disciples.

...

Lu Yuanyuan looked up at the sky, recalling the plot of the book.

Because there were so many men for the female protagonist to choose from, this melodramatic novel had been serialized for over a million words and showed no signs of ending. She never imagined that she would be transported into this book the moment she finished reading the serialized portion.

Even more tragically, she had lost her memory when she transmigrated.

After that, one ridiculous thing after another happened.

Even though she wasn't bound to a system and didn't remember the book "The Enchanting Fairy's Fate," for some reason, her life unfolded almost exactly like the story in the book. The only significant divergence occurred during the scene where she was forced into marriage.

The original owner failed, but she succeeded.

Yes, in her past life, she not only slept with Duan Lansheng, but also, by a twist of fate, became his Daoist partner.

Perhaps as a consequence of the story's collapse, her ending was far more wretched than the original owner's.

While she was alive, she tried her best to be good to the people she liked. But when people talked about her, they always used words like "giving away money," "shameless," "toad," and "forced love is never sweet."

When she died, there was no one to collect her body and give her a proper burial.

A sudden, sharp pain shot through the depths of her long-numbed nerves. Lu Yuanyuan curled up on her side, hugging her arm, her cheeks wet with tears. She clenched her teeth tightly, not letting out a single sob; her front teeth dug into her lips, leaving several crescent-shaped marks.

Let her cry. She won't do this again after today.

Because someone else should be crying.

Just then, the system's voice peeked out again, like a persistent ghost: "Host, it seems you have gained some understanding of the current situation."

"I am the spirit of the book 'Enchanting Fairy Tale,' and also the system of this world." The system said calmly, "To the original inhabitants of the book, transmigrators are alien species. If left to their own devices, they could potentially cause a devastating blow to the ecological balance of the original text. Therefore, each transmigrator will be forcibly bound to a system to restrain their outrageous behavior and maintain the normal operation of the story."

Lu Yuanyuan: "..." Does this mean putting shackles on the person who transmigrates into the book?

System: "Correct answer."

Lu Yuanyuan: "Then why wasn't I bound to you in my past life?"

System: "This is because of some bugs. So, in the first playthrough, which is your previous life, I did not detect your existence. But rest assured, the bugs in the second playthrough have been completely eliminated."

Lu Yuanyuan murmured softly, "I thought I was dead and that was it, but there's actually a second playthrough?"

System: "In my experience, this is because you drastically altered the story in your first playthrough. As a result, the world in the book has activated a self-correction program, reverting everything back to its original state and starting over."

As the sun rises higher, drifting clouds sweep across the azure sky.

After talking to the system for a while, Lu Yuanyuan's emotions gradually calmed down. She took a deep breath, supported herself with her hands, and gritted her teeth to sit up.

The grass on the bank gave off a faint, earthy smell, which tickled her palm.

Looking around, one sees a lush and tranquil forest. Pine and cypress trees stand tall and verdant, their gnarled branches reaching for the sky, their blossoming canopies like celestial canopies. Sunlight filters through the dense foliage, casting dappled golden light across the secluded path.

Lu Yuanyuan looked down and glanced at her outfit.

The robe she wore was not the sect uniform of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, but a crimson hunting robe. It had soft leather armor on the chest, an emerald belt around the waist, and the hem was embroidered with a black bird with outstretched wings in silver thread. The pattern was intricate, exquisite, and lifelike. Just by touching the fabric, one could tell that it was of the highest quality.

Unfortunately, the clothes are now so dirty they're unrecognizable, covered in grass ash and mud. The cuffs are also torn in several places by sharp objects, as if the person had been rolling around on the ground not long ago.

What kind of outfit is this?

Lu Yuanyuan frowned, and as she moved her leg, a sudden, burning pain shot through her groin, like lightning lashing at her nerves.

Lu Yuanyuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled up her clothes and spread her legs. A rather gruesome scene came into view—the insides of her two thighs were raw and bleeding, as if they had been violently rubbed by something rough. Scattered dark red bloodstains were also visible on her snow-white silk trousers. (To the reviewer: These are leg abrasions caused by the horse losing control while riding. A detailed explanation is provided in the latter half of this chapter. This is not writing any offensive or borderline content.)

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

What's going on?

After hesitating for a moment, she decided to roll up her trouser leg and take a look.

Unexpectedly, the moment her fingertips touched the cool, smooth silk, countless unfamiliar fragments of text suddenly burst forth from the depths of her consciousness.

System: "Ding! Congratulations, host, for triggering a hidden plot. [Original owner's memory information package] is loading..."

Lu Yuanyuan's expression changed slightly as she saved her head.

The sheer volume of information, like a tsunami, overwhelmed her, causing her heart to pound wildly and cold sweat to instantly soak her ears.

—In the setting of "The Enchanting Fairy Tale", this world is divided into the cultivation world and the mortal world according to the concentration of cultivation.

The cultivation world, as the name suggests, is the realm of Golden Core cultivators. Here, the spiritual energy is pure and clear, life is vibrant, and rare and exotic beasts and rare treasures abound. Countless immortal sects and large and small cultivation families, with their long-standing roots, rise and fall here generation after generation.

In comparison, the mortal realm is much more down-to-earth. Its social development resembles that of an ancient feudal dynasty. The world is fragmented, rulers hold sway over their armies, and wars rage between nations. Ordinary people primarily make a living through farming, hunting, and commerce. From the wealthiest nobles to the poorest, everyone is physically ordinary, with a lifespan limited to a hundred years—essentially immune to spiritual energy, commonly known as "Muggles"—completely incomparable to a Golden Core cultivator who can fight a demon beast for three hundred rounds even with knives stuck in his body.

In her previous life, when Lu Yuanyuan transmigrated into the book, the original owner had already been taken back to Mount Shu. Unfortunately, not only did she lose her memory as soon as she landed, but she also didn't inherit the original owner's complete memories. For example, she didn't know what she did before joining Mount Shu, where she was from, or whether she had any relatives in the mortal world... She knew none of these things.

But at that time, because the landing was too smooth and there was no system interference, Lu Yuanyuan never doubted that she had actually transmigrated halfway to take over this body. She was quite optimistic, thinking that she had almost lost her life when she was carried up Mount Shu, so it was normal to have some memory lapses as a sequela.

However, just now, the words that flooded into Lu Yuanyuan's mind told her that this time, she had transmigrated into the original owner's body three months earlier than in her previous life.

At this time, the original owner had not yet gone to Mount Shu; he was just an ordinary person living in the mortal world with no spiritual power.

This earlier timing naturally triggered a butterfly effect. The original owner's true identity, which had been hidden in the mists of her past life, was finally revealed to her.

Lu Yuanyuan held her forehead, her ears ringing, as if she were in Flower Fruit Mountain, with a hundred monkeys swinging around her on vines and yelling. It took her a long time to process the system's cramming of information.

Unexpectedly, the original owner of this body before joining Mount Shu was quite a figure, being the little princess of the Yan Kingdom in the mortal realm.

Three years ago, the State of Yan was defeated by the State of Yong in a major battle. In order to quell the war, Yan had no choice but to offer treasures, weapons, troops, and provisions, and send a princess to Yong for a marriage alliance.

The original owner, who was twelve years old at the time and the least favored among all the princesses, was the unlucky one who was chosen.

According to the agreement, the original owner's husband was the Crown Prince of Yong. However, unfortunately, shortly after the original owner arrived in Yong, the Empress of Yong passed away due to a sudden illness. The Crown Prince had to observe three years of mourning for his mother, and the marriage between the original owner and him had to be postponed for three years.

While waiting to get married, the original owner was arranged to stay temporarily in the palace.

Although she was a princess of a defeated nation, the Emperor of Yong did not treat her maliciously. She not only had her own palace and servants, but she could also move around the palace, attend palace banquets, and read and play with the princes and princesses of Yong.

But what appears to be one thing is actually quite another.

Yong Kingdom is located in the wild and magnificent northern border. Its customs and culture are the complete opposite of those of the gentle and refined Yan Kingdom. Its subjects are all martial and warlike. The noble sons from privileged backgrounds are all fierce and powerful, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and have a savage blood of survival of the fittest flowing in their veins. They despise weak things, whether they are people or animals.

One can only imagine what kind of treatment a princess from a defeated country, with no one to rely on, would receive if thrown into this group of people.

Today, the Yong Kingdom is holding a hunting competition at Langya Mountain, and all the noble sons of the royal city are in attendance. As the future Crown Princess, the original owner of this body naturally had to attend such an occasion.

But bad luck struck. On the way to the hunting grounds, a raging bear attacked the original owner's group. In the chaos, her mount was startled and carried her away at breakneck speed. The surrounding guards were too late to stop it.

The horse galloped out of control, branches and blades of grass scraping against her face like knives. Terrified, she could only grip the mane and clench her legs tightly to avoid being thrown off, resulting in chafing injuries to her thighs. She didn't know how far the horse galloped before it gradually slowed down. Exhausted, she lost her grip, tumbled to the ground, and passed out.

Who would have thought that after this fainting spell and waking up, the soul inside her body would have been replaced?

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

Judging by the time, she had been separated from the guards for almost half a day. This godforsaken place was deserted, surrounded by trees on all sides, and she had no idea where it was in the Langya Mountains. If she couldn't get out by nightfall, it would be dangerous.

She currently has absolutely no cultivation level to protect herself.

Lu Yuanyuan let out a breath and tried to stand up, looking for a way out. However, as soon as she exerted herself, stars appeared in her vision, and she quickly fell back to the ground, too weak to move for a long time.

Lu Yuanyuan: "...?"

What happened?

The original owner of this body had always been in good health and was not sickly. She hadn't broken any bones even after falling off a horse today, so why couldn't she even stand up now?

System: "Normal phenomenon. Host, please check your health points."

Lu Yuanyuan took a slight breath, and a panel appeared in her mind.

[Health Points] 5/100 (Half buried in the ground)

[Combat Strength] 5/100 (No threat whatsoever)

[Spiritual Power] Not unlocked (Mortal Body)

[Character Completion Rate] 1%

Lu Yuanyuan's attention was instantly drawn to the first line of four large characters: "half buried in the ground".

That's right... When she was drinking water by the stream just now, she seemed to have heard the system's warning to quickly replenish her health.

But how do we replenish this stuff? By eating?

Just then, the sound of birds flapping their wings suddenly came from the distant woods. Lu Yuanyuan was startled and looked up to see a flock of large gray birds taking off from the woods and rushing towards the sky, seemingly startled by some commotion in the forest.

After a while, the grass on the opposite bank of the stream suddenly rustled a few times, as if it had been parted by a long halberd.

A soldier peered out and suddenly met Lu Yuanyuan's gaze, who was sitting on the opposite bank. He paused, then his eyes widened, and he shouted excitedly, "Report! Your Highness the Third Prince! Found her—the princess is here!"

With that roar, the sounds of clashing weapons in golden armor rapidly approached the stream. In an instant, a dozen or so elite soldiers in silver armor emerged from the woods and surrounded the clearing by the stream.

A teenager walked briskly from the back of the crowd.

This was a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, with narrow eyes, red lips, and a striking, imposing presence. He wore a hunting robe covered by silver armor, and his upright posture and frame were a full size larger than other boys his age. Standing among a group of burly young soldiers, he was in no way inferior.

He was tall with long legs and took long strides, so the two palace servants in brocade robes following behind him almost couldn't keep up.

Upon reaching the shore, the young man saw Lu Yuanyuan sitting perfectly intact on the opposite bank. He stopped, placed his right hand on his waist, and lightly tapped his waist armor with his fingernails. He chuckled with amusement, "She's quite lucky, actually escaping being carried off by a tiger."

Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips and looked at him silently.

This young man was named Yue Hong, the third prince of Yong Kingdom. His mother was Consort Xie, the most favored concubine in the harem, and his maternal grandfather held the high-ranking position of Minister. He himself was outstanding from a young age and deeply loved by his father, the emperor. Although not the legitimate son, he was no less prominent than the crown prince and even showed signs of becoming a formidable rival.

Meanwhile, he was also one of the potential male leads for "The Enchanting Fairy Tale." Although he appeared relatively late in the story, only officially meeting the female lead in a demon-slaying instance in the mortal realm during the middle of the story, he was still quite popular. The brotherly scenes between him, the prince, and the female lead, including sharing meals and sleeping together, were full of climaxes and were very popular among readers.

However, what is honey to one is poison to another. To the original owner, this fellow was not someone easy to get along with.

If the original owner of this body were sitting here, she would probably rather encounter a tiger than this jinx.

This is because, over the past three years, eight or nine out of ten instances of bullying suffered by the original owner were related to Yue Hong.

A man of his status never needs a reason, much less take action, to dislike someone. Especially since the sons of the city's noble families all follow his lead, they naturally discern his likes and dislikes and cater to his preferences. Those he dislikes naturally become the target of their ire.

The sun hung high in the sky, its rays blinding.

Meanwhile, after Yue Hong finished speaking, he realized that Lu Yuanyuan not only didn't show her usual shocked expression, but was also lost in thought, completely ignoring him.

Yue Hong narrowed his eyes, and the next second, he stepped directly into the stream and walked towards her. His black boots, inlaid with iron, splashed water, and the fish in the water scattered in fright.

Why aren't you saying anything? Did you fall and become mute?

In the blink of an eye, he had already walked up to Lu Yuanyuan. He bent down, and the heat of the young man, like the sun, shone directly on her.

Yue Hong had large hands with prominent knuckles and calluses, clearly indicating years of experience with weapons. He easily grabbed her forearm, seemingly intending to lift her off the ground.

Lu Yuanyuan had been in poor condition since the beginning. She hadn't recovered from the shock of falling back to the ground. She raised her hand to block, but suddenly froze.

Because, at the very moment Yue Hong touched her, she clearly "saw" a golden light that quickly followed his hand and entered her body.

As the golden light entered her body, in an instant, she felt like a wandering ghost that had possessed someone else's body but was about to leave and drift away. She absorbed the yang energy, and her whole body felt warm and comfortable like never before. So comfortable that she squinted her eyes, her expression dazed, and her waist went limp uncontrollably.

Yue Hong stopped pulling her.

This person used to be like a mouse before a cat when he saw him, but now, contrary to his usual behavior, he clung to him. Yue Hong's eyebrows twitched, and he instinctively wanted to throw this boneless thing away, but the person in his arms suddenly moved again.

Lu Yuanyuan's black hair fell over her shoulders, her eyelashes drooped and trembled slightly. She reached down and grabbed his still free left hand, wrapped his arm around her back, and put him in a hugging position before letting out a long sigh of relief.

Yue Hong: "...?"