Chapter 20 020 I'll never jinx it again!

Lu Yuanyuan was stunned.

The female lead of "The Enchanting Fairy Tale" is a little fox demon named Xiao Ruo. According to the original plot, her first meeting with Duan Lansheng should have taken place several years later at the Immortal Cultivation Conference.

However, in her previous life, perhaps because her existence as a transmigrator interfered with the plot, the female lead never appeared by Duan Lansheng's side. She also couldn't be sure if such a person even existed in the world.

Unexpectedly, in the second playthrough, the other party suddenly appeared.

And this is so early in the morning!

Lu Yuanyuan murmured, "System, is there some mistake? How can there be a hidden plot here?"

System: "No mistake. This hidden plot serves two purposes: firstly, it adds a sense of destiny to Duan Lansheng and the female lead's first meeting; secondly, it doesn't conflict with the main storyline. It's reasonable."

At the same time, a text was pushed into Lu Yuanyuan's brain.

【Bang!

A large hole appeared in the roof, and rainwater mixed with rubble poured down, the loud noise attracting the attention of those patrolling the corridor.

What's that noise?

"It's coming from over there. You guys, go check it out!"

Disordered footsteps approached the door, which was then pushed open with a bang. A strong incense wafted out, and several burly thugs looked closely and saw two figures on the bed, one lying down and the other sitting.

The bed curtains blocked out the rain and falling tiles. All they could see was the sitting girl supporting herself on the chest of the lying man, twisting her waist. She didn't even notice when they opened the door.

The others understood without saying a word and said, "Not here! Search the next room!"

It's obvious at a glance that this is a very cliché plot, the kind that appears in nine out of ten romance novels: a damsel in distress rescues a hero while also flirting with the icy girl.

The plot goes like this: Today is the female protagonist's first day in Fengdu. Unexpectedly, she runs into a shady inn that secretly drugged her drink. Fortunately, the female protagonist is quick-witted. After taking a bite, she realized something was wrong with the food and immediately moved from the next room to rest before leaving.

No sooner had they sat down than a strange teenager smashed through the roof and fell from the sky.

The inexperienced female protagonist couldn't sense the cultivator's aura on Duan Lansheng and thought he was an ordinary person she couldn't rely on. Since her magic skills were not proficient, she worried that if she attracted everyone and surrounded the place, she wouldn't be able to leave. So she gritted her teeth, climbed on top of him, and pretended to be a couple having sex.

In any plot point that readers enjoy, the author will invariably provide the aloof male protagonist with a hundred reasons why he can't resist and must simply endure (or enjoy) it. This is no exception—Duan Lansheng just learned that before dawn, the buyer and seller of the immortal flesh had a transaction twenty miles south of Fengdu's outskirts. That was the best opportunity to capture the instigator. If they acted now, it would inevitably expose his cultivator identity, alerting the enemy, and the transaction at dawn would most likely be canceled. Once the other party became alert, catching them would be difficult.

Therefore, despite his extreme discomfort, he could only suppress his urge to resist and endure the sensual torment from the strange girl.

Lu Yuanyuan: "Was this plot triggered in my past life?"

System: "No, not at all. In the first playthrough, Duan Lansheng completed the mission alone. By the time he found Guan Min, Guan Min had already been strangled to death, so he couldn't pass on the hidden plot clue that 'a girl in room number one is about to be murdered.' As the chosen one, the female lead always manages to escape danger. She hid here for a while and successfully escaped from this shady inn."

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

In other words, this (already distorted) hidden plot was something she managed to uncover by piggybacking on this basic mission, one link leading to another.

System: "I'm glad you understand the cause and effect, host. While the hidden plot isn't mandatory, once triggered, it's equivalent to the main storyline. Human relationships are one thing, but rewards and punishments must be clear. Now, let's begin the punishment—"

A reward adds 30 health points, a punishment deducts 300 health points. Any system with humanity… no, with any sense of order, wouldn't come up with such ridiculous numbers!

More importantly, her health points are only 100 even when fully restored. To deduct 300 points at once is practically sending her to her death.

Now that she's dead, what does all her journey amount to?

Is there any way to remedy this?

Countless thoughts raced through my mind, but in reality, only a second or two had passed.

Lu Yuanyuan grabbed her hair, cold sweat pouring down her face. In a flash, she actually discovered a loophole in the original text and exclaimed urgently, "Wait! Don't deduct it yet! I have a way!"

This scene does indeed take place between the little fox spirit and Duan Lansheng. However, the original text consistently refers to the person on Duan Lansheng's lap as a "young girl," and it's described from the perspective of someone outside the door. If she simply replicated the little fox spirit's movements, and the gauze curtain covered her, wouldn't the same effect be achieved?

Who would know that she was a stand-in actress, including the readers outside the door?

Not knowing if it would work, there was no time to think about it too much. Let's try it as a last resort. Lu Yuanyuan gently pushed the motionless red fox to the inside of the bed and climbed onto Duan Lansheng with a death-defying spirit.

She wasn't fully seated; her buttocks were suspended in the air, about half a fist's distance from Duan Lansheng's thigh.

The young man had long, slender legs covered in firm, well-proportioned muscles that radiated heat. Duan Lansheng looked astonished when he saw her climb on top of him and sit on him, and was about to speak.

Lu Yuanyuan quickly covered his mouth to stop him from speaking, her breath quick and shallow: "Shh! Don't alert him!"

Her hand pressed against his lips and nose. The princess, who had been pampered in the mortal world for many years, still had soft, calloused hands even after being in the cultivation world for some time.

At the same time, the room door was kicked open. Several figures appeared outside.

Duan Lansheng turned his gaze and saw those people, immediately understanding the situation. In the dim light of the bed curtains, his fair face flushed red, his jaw tightened, as if he were suppressing disgust, and he stiffly turned his head away.

Lu Yuanyuan sensed the gazes from outside and knew it was time to start acting, so she supported herself on Duan Lansheng's shoulders and began to pretend. To reduce physical contact with Duan Lansheng, she deliberately knelt a little higher to avoid touching his legs.

Little did she know that the higher she knelt, the easier it was for the person beneath her to see her posture. And the charm and familiarity conveyed by a novice and an experienced person in bed when performing such a movement are completely different.

Duan Lansheng's jaw was taut, his expression cold and aloof, his eyes bloodshot. Even though he turned his head away, he could still see what she was doing to him through the shadow on the wall.

Her waist, as supple and flexible as a water snake, resembled a wild horse galloping freely.

Duan Lansheng grew up in the Shu Mountains, where he was taught by clan rules and regulations, and was instilled with a sense of propriety and shame. However, these were all acquired later in life. He still had half-demon blood flowing in his veins. In his childhood, before he could take human form, he was a fox spirit who was barely clothed.

Yokai, in their original form, are covered in fur and scales and are not inherently ashamed of being naked. Their concept of clothing is learned from humans. Perhaps due to their nature, compared to humans who are attracted to clothing, accessories, and other external objects, yokai are more drawn to the pure human body. A graceful and vibrant body possesses an alluring attraction that captivates them.

When Duan Lansheng realized that his fingers were unconsciously tracing patterns on the mattress as she twisted, he suddenly tightened his grip and closed his eyes tightly.

Lu Yuanyuan had no idea that he was actually watching the shadows on the wall. She forced herself to act for a while, and then, through the gauze curtain, the shadows outside the door finally disappeared. The door closed.

The system did not issue any further death alerts. It seems she successfully fooled everyone with this part of the story.

Having escaped unscathed, Lu Yuanyuan felt a wave of relief wash over her. Duan Lansheng suddenly sprang up, as if he could no longer bear it. She immediately rolled off Duan Lansheng's waist, and turning her head, she realized that the little fox on the bed was gone.

Where did the female lead go?

System: "The female lead realized something was wrong and ran away just now."

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

Hopefully, the female lead didn't see Duan Lansheng's face just now, otherwise, her impression of him will definitely be terrible in the future.

Oh, that's not right. Since Duan Lansheng will fall in love with the female lead in the future, wouldn't it be better if the female lead had a worse impression of him?

Thinking this, Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.

That smile happened to fall into Duan Lansheng's eyes, and he couldn't help but frown.

Lu Yuanyuan noticed that he was looking at her, so she immediately straightened her lips to avoid him noticing anything amiss.

Duan Lansheng's brows furrowed even more tightly.

After what just happened, his current feelings are a mix of embarrassment, anger, surprise, disgust, and panic... but none of these quite capture it.

And this person was actually secretly laughing.

Are you that happy?

She said she wanted to be friends with him. But how could a friend secretly be happy about something so strange that shouldn't happen between friends?

Duan Lansheng's face was taut, and his knuckles were curled.

.

Before the people at the brothel noticed anything amiss, the two escorted Guan Min and the man who had been captured earlier to an inn in Fengdu. The Guan family, who had come to Fengdu to find their young master, were staying at this inn.

Coincidentally, the Shushan disciples who went to investigate other brothels have gradually returned.

Duan Lansheng and Lu Yuanyuan were the last to return. No one had high expectations of them, but to everyone's surprise, they brought back the hostages.

Seeing their son return unharmed, Master Guan and Madam Guan wept with joy, embracing their young master tenderly. They then repeatedly thanked Duan Lansheng and Lu Yuanyuan, calling them "benefactors" and "immortal masters" at every turn.

Upon seeing this scene, the Shu Mountain disciple leading the group, as well as the people who had been isolating Duan Lansheng and Lu Yuanyuan these past few days, all looked rather displeased.

Since the crucial middleman had not yet been captured, the group declined the Guan family's thank-you banquet and headed together to the outskirts of Fengdu.

This area is very close to the border between the mortal realm and the cultivation realm. It is dark and desolate, with only ghostly lights and fox cries.

The Southern Territory lacks any powerful sects or cultivation families, and many demons and evil spirits roam the outskirts. One might even encounter demons attempting to cross the border into the mortal realm. If you do, nine out of ten will die – the demons certainly wouldn't mind taking a snack along the way. Therefore, after dark, the people generally don't leave the towns and cities where people live.

No wonder there wasn't a single person to be seen nearby.

The mastermind behind the "Immortal Meat" dungeon, choosing this place and time for the transaction, is definitely someone who values ​​money over life.

Lu Yuanyuan thought to herself.

Having arrived here, the progress of the "Immortal Flesh" quest has reached 90%, so it seems we can return home smoothly soon. As expected of a beginner quest, the enemies are humans, much easier to deal with than the myriad strange monsters.

Lu Yuanyuan laughed and said, "I think setting the probability of encountering danger in this mission at 10% is too high. It's obvious that there is no threat at all."

System: "...Don't jump to conclusions until the mission is over."

The group followed the mountain path, found the markers, and arrived at their destination. Suddenly, the person at the front exclaimed in surprise.

The forest floor was littered with severed limbs and signs of a fierce battle. Judging from the remaining heads, the dead were the sorcerer they were supposed to capture. They wondered what had gotten there before them and left the place in this state.

"What happened? Are they all dead?"

"Who killed him?"

"We still don't know what did it, everyone be careful!"

Suddenly, one of the disciples pointed to the darkness in the distance and exclaimed, "Look! What's that?!"

Everyone looked up warily, only to see a white light rapidly illuminate the depths of the silent forest. It grew larger and larger, rampaging through the woods without any discernible pattern. Wherever it passed, trees across the mountains seemed to lose their weight, snapping and snapping in swathes, rising from the ground!

Someone yelled, "Something's wrong! Everyone get away from it!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the ball of white light shot towards them.

Under the crushing force of the white light, Lu Yuanyuan was swept into the vortex and lost consciousness.

...

...

When Lu Yuanyuan woke up, her joints ached terribly, and her body was cold and stiff.

Opening her eyes, she saw a gray sky filled with leaden clouds, and the snowflakes drifting in the air made her squint.

Before losing consciousness, the last memories flooded back to my mind.

System: "Master, you have encountered a lustful ghost. You have been drawn into Duan Lansheng's sea of ​​consciousness."

The Lustful Demon is an evil spirit driven by lust, possessing a seductive and lewd nature, adept at bewitching the mind. That ball of white light was the wounded, dying soul of the Lustful Demon. Desperate for a host, it wandered the wilderness and encountered the buyer and seller of "Immortal Flesh." However, their bodies could not withstand its parasitism, and they both died.

At this critical moment, the disciples of Mount Shu arrived.

That's right, this thing is the final test for the [Immortal Flesh], and also the source of that 10% danger probability.

"That's why I said, don't jump to conclusions until the very end. The BOSS's attributes don't limit the types of danger." The system said, "The master of the Sea of ​​Consciousness is Duan Lansheng. The way the Lustful Demon devours its host and seizes control is by trapping the host in its Sea of ​​Consciousness, weakening the host's primordial spirit, and causing it to gradually perish. As long as the master of the Sea of ​​Consciousness resolves his inner conflict, the illusion will dissipate. Of course, as a reward for clearing the level, you will also receive something from it."

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

She finally understood how terrifying the butterfly effect could be, and vowed never to jinx her next time!

The most urgent task is to find the master of the sea of ​​consciousness.

Lu Yuanyuan patted the snowflakes off her body and stood up from the ground.

She struggled to move forward through the vast snow that was up to her calves, and after an unknown amount of time, she finally saw a black dot in front of her.

It was a person lying on the ground.

Lu Yuanyuan, panting heavily, quickened her pace, but stopped in astonishment as she got closer.

There was indeed a person lying on the ground. And on top of him was a monster emitting black smoke.

The thing had a human body, but it was extremely twisted and emaciated. Judging from its size, if it had an age, it should be a child. As soon as it turned its head, Lu Yuanyuan was immediately shocked, because she had never seen anything so ugly.

Its face looked as if it had been scorched by fire; it was bald, and calling it a monster would be an understatement. But beneath that terrifying face were a pair of clear, beautiful eyes, faintly shimmering with a golden-green hue.

Lu Yuanyuan looked at it warily.

What is this?

Fortunately, the monster seemed even weaker than she, a complete mortal. Upon seeing her, it was so frightened that it retreated and fled into the distant mountains, skimming along the snow.

As soon as it left, Lu Yuanyuan rushed to Duan Lansheng's side, squatted down, and lifted the clothes covering him. She was stunned by what she saw.

Because it is a boy.

A small face, light-colored eyebrows. Long, upturned eyes that take up a large proportion of the face.

It was a tiny version of Duan Lansheng.

Lu Yuanyuan blinked, feeling only astonishment.

The Duan Lansheng in my sea of ​​consciousness is actually the same as he was when he was a child?