Chapter 107 You, lied, to me
As the hat was lifted, the shadow faded, revealing a bright, pretty, and remarkably familiar young woman's face.
Fu Xinguang was taken aback and blurted out, "Miss Xiaoruo?!"
Lu Yuanyuan stared in astonishment at the girl who had appeared out of nowhere.
After the completion of the Yong Kingdom triangle instance in the mortal realm, Xiao Ru disappeared and was absent from the entire instance [Snow Plum Blossom], in which she had a role.
How could she suddenly appear here at this time?
For no apparent reason, a vague unease, a sense of losing control over the future, welled up in Lu Yuanyuan's heart. She instinctively glanced at the person opposite her to see their reaction and discovered that Duan Lansheng was staring at Xiao Ruo. But unlike Fu Xinguang's surprised and delighted expression, his dark blue pupils contracted sharply, as if seeing Xiao Ruo come to life was an unbelievable event.
Because Xiao Ruo had been captured and taken back to Mount Shu and lived there for a period of time, even Xu Yuanzi and Yin Xiaozhu, who were not familiar with her, remembered her.
As soon as Xiao Ruo ran into the pavilion, she looked around and stamped her foot anxiously: "Don't punish Duan Lansheng! He's innocent! You've all wronged him!"
Yin Xiaozhu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Qi Chang was stunned: "What do you mean by this?"
Xiao Ru wiped the thin layer of sweat from her cheeks with the back of her hand, clearly feeling the various gazes directed at her. She forced herself to remain composed, straightened her back, looked directly at Xu Yuanzi, and said loudly, "Master, what I'm about to say may sound absurd, and I know I'm a fox demon, so you won't believe my one-sided story. However, I have something that can serve as evidence; once you see it for yourselves, you'll understand everything."
After speaking, Xiao Ru clenched her fists, but couldn't help glancing at Duan Lansheng.
That day, she almost died by the Luo River.
It was such a close call. If the system had delayed withdrawing her consciousness by even a second, she would have lost her life.
When she first arrived in this world, Duan Lansheng was the character she was most interested in pursuing. However, after spending so much time and effort, not only did she not gain anything, but Duan Lansheng even tried to kill her!
In order to survive, she had no choice but to use the [Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell Capsule] to have the system transfer her consciousness into a backup body.
This item was her most prized possession, the only one of its kind. No matter how dangerous the situation, she had never used it before. Of course, using such an unconventional item would easily attract the attention of the original book spirit, the native system of this world, which could be detrimental to her.
Duan Lansheng caused her to use up her only life-saving treasure and also made her lose a lot of points.
In the mortal realm's grand triangle instance, she chose the "Path to Kingship" strategy, helping Yue Qi eliminate Consort Xie. She successfully stopped the palace maid NPC who went to the river for help, thinking the reward was a sure thing, but unexpectedly, the NPC hadn't drowned and was rescued by Duan Lansheng!
The "Path to Kingship" route failed.
Yue Qi became the deposed crown prince, and his trusted advisors were also purged by the emperor and secretly executed.
When Duan Lansheng grabbed her by the neck, she was unaware that Yue Qi had already been captured by the emperor's men. By a twist of fate, she turned around and escaped the encirclement. Of course, even without Duan Lansheng's attempt to kill her, she would have certainly tried to escape after being captured by the Yong Kingdom's soldiers.
Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. Yue Qi has lost his power, and thus his value as a strategist. She'd be foolish to stay and share his hardships.
Because Yueqi's strategy route was invalidated, she couldn't get the final reward points, and all her efforts were in vain. The door to home, which was already so close, slammed shut.
All of this was because Duan Lansheng didn't follow the script and ruined her plans!
To make matters worse, her system told her that the original book spirit seemed to have noticed her presence and was secretly investigating her.
She hated Duan Lansheng to death.
After surviving in the spare body for a while, the [Snow Plum] instance arrived.
According to the original text, she has a role in this instance. However, she is terrified that Duan Lansheng will kill her again. Fortunately, because she used the Golden Cicada Escape Capsule in front of Duan Lansheng, her system did not force her to participate in this instance.
But after some thought, she still set off for Aipozi Village.
After escaping death, she calmed down and reviewed the reasons for her failure, tracing back to Duan Lansheng's unactivated affection bar. The more she reviewed it, the more she felt something was wrong.
She still needed to accumulate points in the cultivation world. She could avoid Duan Lansheng once, but not forever. In order to ensure her future missions went smoothly, she decided to take the initiative and follow Duan Lansheng to see if she could find out anything.
Of course, with her demonic powers, it was impossible for Duan Lansheng to approach her without being detected. So, she reluctantly used her already limited points to exchange for an item called [Invisibility Spray] in the system shop.
As the name suggests, spraying this spray three times will make you invisible for half an hour. Even those with high cultivation levels, like Xu Yuanzi, will not be able to detect her presence.
However, this item only makes her invisible to others, not actually turns her into air. If she stands too close and someone touches her, the invisibility effect will disappear instantly, making it rather useless, so she has never redeemed it.
Unexpectedly, this seemingly useless prop came in very handy in the end.
Because they dawdled for a while before setting off, by the time they arrived at Aipozi Village, the [Snow Plum Blossom] instance had already ended. Duan Lansheng and two other NPCs named Fu Xinguang and Lu Yuanyuan spent the night in Dingchan.
That very night, she hid outside the window, her eyes wide, and witnessed the NPC named Lu Yuanyuan nestled in Duan Lansheng's arms, kissing his lips.
She tried her best but couldn't get Duan Lansheng to show any affection. She thought he was a clueless blockhead, but she never expected him to have such vivid expressions, like a jade statue without desire being stained with rouge.
Upon closer reflection, Yue Hong, whose favorability rating was problematic, seemed to be an old acquaintance of Lu Yuanyuan from the mortal realm.
The root of all the strangeness most likely lies with this NPC named Lu Yuanyuan.
However, that night, she was so shocked that she forgot to keep evidence in case of emergency.
But that's alright. Knowing where the problem lies makes things much easier. Shushan will later send disciples to the Lingbao Secret Realm to search for the missing Master Xugu. Remember in the original novel, Lu Yuanyuan committed a crime in this very instance and was expelled from Shushan.
If you continue to follow Lu Yuanyuan, you will definitely gain something.
The next day, the people from Mount Shu arrived at Dingchan. Xiao Ru temporarily stopped observing and kept her distance. With so many people, it would be too easy for her to be recognized if she went over. She didn't want Duan Lansheng to discover her presence so soon. After everyone from Mount Shu entered the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm, Xiao Ru estimated the time and slipped inside as well.
Tracking someone's movements in the vast Lingbao Secret Realm is no easy task. But she knew that Lu Yuanyuan and Duan Lansheng would eventually go to the waterfall where the giant python was said to roam, so, having made thorough preparations, she waited there.
However, no matter how much she planned, Xiao Ruo never expected things to turn out this way—the person who was stigmatized and driven off Mount Shu became Duan Lansheng.
The reason she is now standing up to expose all of this is not because she feels sorry for Duan Lansheng being wronged.
From a personal grudge perspective, she had suffered so much at Duan Lansheng's hands and wanted him to experience defeat as well. She especially wanted to see what kind of expression Duan Lansheng, who ignored her, would have when he found out that his feelings had been toyed with.
On the other hand, it was also because the spirit of the book in the original work discovered that she was a time traveler.
Logically, her soul as an outsider should be erased immediately, the system she brought with her should be kicked out, and the character [Xiao Ruo] should be reset to factory settings.
She hasn't accumulated enough points to go home yet. If they're wiped out now, there's only one word for her: death.
To her surprise, the Book Spirit did not immediately kill her, but instead made a deal with her.
According to Xiao Ruo's observation, Lu Yuanyuan was very familiar with the original plot. She guessed that if the other party was either a reborn NPC who had awakened self-awareness, or a transmigrator like herself, then she could use such a method that seemed to foresee the future to change her own fate, leaving even the book spirit helpless.
Duan Lansheng is a crucial force in the later stages of the story, fighting against the Ghost Emperor. If he is expelled from the Shu Mountain sect, it's uncertain how the story will unfold. This is a situation the original author's spirit would not want to see.
This is very likely why the Book Spirit sought her out. Unable to control the natives to help her, the Book Spirit could only use transmigrators like herself as tools to correct the rewritten plot.
The spirit of the original book told her that as long as she maintained this part of the original plot, she could make amends and gain the right not to be erased, which meant that her soul would be registered in this world.
Only one system can exist in the same world. Once the deed is done, the system she brought will be stripped of its privileges and downgraded to a second-level subsidiary system. However, the Book Spirit promised her that it would not forcibly unbind her and her system. In other words, she can retain the contract to "accumulate points to go home" and continue her grand plan to return home, provided that she does not violate the plot and accepts the Book Spirit's jurisdiction.
What else is there for her to hesitate about?
All of these thoughts flashed through my cerebral cortex in an instant.
An aged voice pulled Xiao Ru back from her reverie: "What evidence do you want to show us?"
Xiao Ru steadied herself and took out a palm-sized crystal ball from her bosom. The ball was a semi-transparent, mysterious purple.
Qi Chang and Fu Xinguang had never seen such a magical treasure in the cultivation world before. They looked at each other in bewilderment, and Xu Yuanzi frowned and asked, "What is this?"
"This item is called the [Memory Ball]. It can accurately store the light, shadow, and sound of an event and play them back in their entirety."
Xiao Ruo placed the crystal ball in the center of the floor, took a step back, formed a hand seal with two fingers, and silently recited an incantation. Suddenly, the crystal ball emitted a dazzling beam of light, shining upwards and then spreading outwards.
In the light, a phantom shadow appeared. Then, a ferocious-looking python suddenly rushed out of the water! Everyone's expression changed, and Qi Chang instinctively gripped his sword sheath. But soon, they realized it was merely a realistic illusion that had made them feel as if they were actually there.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, only to discover that the python's tail was coiled around a young girl, dragging her deep into the dark, murky pool. The girl was none other than Lu Yuanyuan!
Duan Lansheng clenched his fist instantly, and everyone else understood as well. This was the deep pool where the incident in the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm had occurred. They held their breath and stared intently at the illusion.
The giant python swam treacherously in the dark water, a scene that made everyone hold their breath, but it wasn't much different from what they had imagined. Until this scene appeared—Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes, enduring the suffocating feeling of being strangled, struggling to swim, reaching out to a crevice in the rocks, picking a bone-corroding flower swaying in the water, and calmly pressing it against her storage ring.
The storage ring glowed dimly and swallowed the Bone-Eating Flower.
Upon seeing this, Duan Lansheng was stunned, as if he could hardly believe it. His eyelashes trembled, and his face turned as white as paper.
The illusion continued. Lu Yuanyuan's black hair danced in the dim water. With both hands, she resolutely uprooted the remaining Corrosive Flowers and crushed them into pieces. Then, she cut her palm with a sharp object, and the blood quickly dissolved in the water. Small red snakes swarmed out, baring their fangs, and charged at her…
With a crisp "crack," the crystal ball, unable to withstand the pressure, shattered, and the illusion vanished instantly.
Although I didn't see the whole thing, the most crucial parts have already been shown.
The pavilion was deathly silent; not a single person spoke. But Lu Yuanyuan sensed that Yin Xiaozhu, who was closest to her, was breathing unsteadily, and the hand around her shoulder was tightening, almost as if he wanted to crush her bones!
Fu Xinguang was the first to regain his voice. He spoke incoherently and tremblingly, "What...what exactly happened? Yuanyuan, did you pluck all the flowers? Why did you do that? Were you poisoned and not thinking straight...? No, you were the one who fell into the water first. You plucked all the flowers, so Duan Lansheng wasn't lying when he said he couldn't pick any...Is the flower in his clothes the one in your storage ring?"
Although his words were somewhat incoherent, he had essentially addressed everyone's concerns.
Xu Yuanzi's gaze turned stern and disappointed. He stood up and asked, "Yuanyuan, what's going on?"
At the eye of the storm, under the scrutiny of countless sharp, questioning eyes, Lu Yuanyuan remained silent from beginning to end.
She gently closed her eyes, and as if mocking herself, chuckled very softly.
Actually, the moment Xiao Ruo took out that prop, she had a very bad feeling. That feeling urged her to run away quickly. But her feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, and she couldn't move an inch.
Man proposes, God disposes. She was about to win, but she overlooked a variable—Xiao Ruo.
She had suspected that Xiao Ruo was a transmigrator or had read the script beforehand, but she never expected that Xiao Ruo would appear in this situation where she shouldn't be, and even bring out such a prop.
She tried everything she could to change her fate.
The world then mobilized all its resources to pull her back to the role of the clown.
Despite all their scheming, they ultimately failed.
Even if she suffers a crushing defeat, she will never return to the path of her past life, never!
Just then, everyone suddenly felt the ground beneath their feet tremble, and from the thick fog rising from the bottom of the cliff, some strange shadows and roars appeared.
Qi Chang turned his gaze in that direction, his tone becoming serious and urgent: "Master, let's talk about these things later. This place is too close to the Spirit Treasure Realm; there must be some unusual activity from demons here!"
"Everyone be on alert! Watch out for an attack!"
In the instant that Yin Xiaozhu's attention was not entirely on her, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly broke free from his grasp. Immediately afterward, she rushed towards the cliff and leaped off.
The fierce winds high in the sky were cold and chilling, seemingly capable of cutting through the skin and making it impossible to hear anything. Lu Yuanyuan hugged her arms tightly and plummeted at high speed through the miasma and fog, skillfully chanting the incantation to transform her body.
She originally planned to drive Duan Lansheng away first, and then expose Yin Xiaozhu's secret. But things have already progressed to this point, and if she is taken back to Shu Mountain, she will most likely be punished and expelled from the sect.
She didn't believe that Duan Lansheng, after discovering her malice, would still propose to the sect to marry her, just like in her previous life.
As for Yin Xiaozhu, he already knew she harbored ulterior motives and was deliberately using him. Given his personality, he would be even more vigilant from now on, and there was a high probability that he wouldn't let her live to reach Mount Shu, killing her halfway to silence her.
She had to escape. She had to escape first, ensure her safety, and then think about what would happen next.
The monster's howl, almost like a beast's roar, still lingered around her. Amidst the howling wind, she heard someone calling her name in terror. Two shadows were rushing towards her through the mist. But she was falling too fast, and the mist was an obstacle; the two sword lights couldn't catch up with her.
She cannot be taken back to Mount Shu; she must take advantage of this opportunity to transform her body and escape to the mortal realm. It would be best if the demons could hinder the pursuit of the people of Mount Shu, making them all believe she died at the bottom of the cliff.
Her body began to heat up due to the incantation, and her soul experienced a dizzying, detached sensation.
But the next second, Lu Yuanyuan felt a heat in her abdomen, as if something had nailed her soul and forcibly pulled her back into her body. Lu Yuanyuan's face froze, unable to believe what had happened.
The attempt to switch to the puppet's body failed?
Why?
She clearly felt she was about to succeed... Why?!
No, now is not the time to think about this. She can't be smashed to pieces here! Lu Yuanyuan's head was buzzing. She gritted her teeth and summoned her immortal sword. Just then, she felt the two sword lights getting closer and closer to her. Their speeds were evenly matched, but one of the shadows suddenly changed in the air. Then, she felt herself being wrapped around the waist by a snake tail covered in scales.
The monster swarmed her like a leech drawn to blood, coiling around her to slow her fall while she fought against it in the thick fog. She tried to sever the snake's tail, but there wasn't enough time. After a jolt, the river's waves submerged her head.
Splash—
Even with the buffer, she still briefly lost consciousness the moment she fell into the water.
When she awoke, she was no longer in the water, but in a dark cave. Lu Yuanyuan felt a tightness in her chest and coughed softly a few times. Her clothes were soaking wet, making her look like a fledgling bird shivering after falling into the water. As she slowly came to her senses, she suddenly felt a tightness around her neck.
A hand suddenly pressed down on her neck, pinning her against the mountain wall.
Yin Xiaozhu looked even more disheveled than her, with bloodstains on his legs, perhaps from a fight with a demon. She had never seen such a hideous and sinister expression on his face before; his eyes had turned into snake pupils.
He gripped her neck, looking down at her, his voice as cold as ice, as he said, word by word, "You... lied... to... me?"
Lu Yuanyuan tilted her head back to breathe, trying to pry his hands open. His wrists didn't budge, and his fingers weren't actually pressing down, but the position was too oppressive, and she gradually found it difficult to breathe. She clenched her teeth, and her eyes began to burn.
Her plan failed at the last minute.
She failed to transfer into the puppet.
She ended up in Yin Xiaozhu's hands.
He will definitely kill her.
In an instant, the grievances, resentment, unwillingness, and anger that had been suppressed in my heart for two lifetimes... burst violently like a balloon that was being inflated to its limit.
Why is fate so unfair? All she wanted was for the person who hurt her the most to pay the price; all she wanted was to live with dignity from now on. Why won't she be given a way out? Why force her to follow the script, to fall into traps, yet forbid her from seeking revenge?
She's not the female lead, nor is she a talented cultivator. She's cannon fodder whom anyone can trample on, a devoted simp who is despised by her beloved, and a potent tonic that is ruthlessly used despite giving her heart.
She was born into this world with a role that was inferior to others. Her fate was to stay in this pathetic position as a clown for the rest of her life. All her efforts were destined to be in vain. If she tried to climb up, she would be ruthlessly kicked back. She would accomplish nothing.
Why treat her like this? Is it always the case that you have to pick on the weak?
Suddenly, Lu Yuanyuan roared and sprang up, grabbing a rock and striking Yin Xiaozhu's forehead with all her might: "Go to hell!"
The attack came too suddenly, and the two were too close. Yin Xiaozhu could have used his spiritual power to pry her hand away, but instinctively, he only frowned and turned his head to the side. The stone struck his forehead, and a trickle of bright red blood flowed down his temple, momentarily blurring his vision. Because of this movement, his hand loosened its grip.
The next second, a figure suddenly pounced on him, like a cornered beast, uncontrollably tearing at the person in front of it. She sat on him viciously, mercilessly slamming her fist into his face, the force of the punch carrying boundless rage: "I lied to you! So what if I lied to you?!"
"Yin! Xiao! Zhu! What kind of good person do you think you are?!"
Lu Yuanyuan threw another punch, hitting him on the corner of his mouth and turning his face to the side. Her face was contorted, and her chest ached terribly. She hadn't used any spiritual power; it was just an ordinary person's most instinctive attack.
She never imagined she would dare to say such things or do such things; her eyes seemed to be blinded by a layer of blood.
Having suppressed her feelings and suffered for two lifetimes, just when she thought she was about to achieve her goals, she suddenly fell from heaven to hell. Looking back, there was no way out, only a dead end. At this moment, she had no more patience to pretend.
But what does it matter?
She's a madwoman, a madwoman who has lost everything and is about to meet the King of Hell.
What can't a madman do!
Yin Xiaozhu seemed stunned by her sudden outburst. She groaned a few times after being hit, and forgot to resist her venting.
The fists were so fast and so heavy, pounding into the flesh again and again.
"You really think I don't know?! You were plotting against me the first time you saw me! Don't think you're the only smart one and the whole world is stupid! The antidote, the servants, it's all a lie! You approached me, you were nice to me, just to kill me! Don't think I don't know, you killed me twice! I trusted you so much, yet you wanted my life!"
"You're right, I lied to you! I learned that from people like you who like to play with people's feelings! Please, stop pretending to be wronged! People like you who are full of lies don't deserve anyone's sincerity! You want me to be sincere with you? My sincerity is only for those who are sincere with me. Do you even deserve it?!"
Lu Yuanyuan's current appearance is completely different from that of the girl who walked in carrying a small orange lamp back then.
Her eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging in her neck, hair disheveled, clothes rumpled. She cursed and furiously pounded her fists on him, her knuckles bleeding unnoticed. She was like a peaceful herbivore pushed to the butcher's knife, desperately venting her anger with a death wish. Even in death, she wanted to tear a piece of his bloody flesh and take it with her to the underworld.
In the darkness, Yin Xiaozhu's breathing grew heavier and heavier. Suddenly, he caught her swung fist, rendering her unable to move. Looking down, he saw that her beautiful face was covered in bruises, her mouth split and swollen. He had probably never looked so disheveled since birth.
No, there were times when he was beaten so badly that his skin was torn and bleeding.
He was a little monster back then.
Lu Yuanyuan's chest heaved, her body drenched in sweat, her arms trembling from the exertion, her fists swollen, the cuts stinging. But she didn't care anymore. Panting, she grinned, raised her chin, and defiantly said from above, "What? You're finally going to kill me? Come on!"
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