Chapter 1
Chapter 1
In front of the temple, sandstorms raged, a chilling atmosphere pervaded the air, and the treetops swayed in the wind.
A girl in pink slumped against a treetop, barely alive. Her oval face was obscured by blood and grime. She frowned slightly, her eyes tightly closed. A ghost opened its blood-red maw and lunged at her. The next second, she opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ghostly hand reaching for her. Before she could react, she rolled over to dodge the ghost, her body crushing onto withered branches and leaves. Her wounds were torn open, and she gasped in pain.
She looked down to check herself, but smelled the stench on her own body. Forced to look up, she heard the angry roars of the ghosts all around her. Her eyes were still filled with confusion: "Dreaming?" she asked, her throat tightening and becoming dry and hoarse.
I swallowed hard; my throat hurt terribly.
The ghost lunged at her again, and at that moment, a loud bang echoed in her mind—
[Importing host information—]
Name: Meng Yingying; Zodiac Sign: Aries; Age: 18
[Loading information—]
In the meantime, she rolled several times on the ground, her body torn and ripped apart. The smell of blood stimulated the ghost. Before Meng Yingying could even see the ghost's face clearly, she had already been grabbed several times. Suddenly, the ghost disappeared. A breeze blew past her ear, and she turned around sharply.
Sure enough, the ghost opened its mouth, and thick blood dripped onto her shoulder. She suddenly clenched her fist, and something appeared in her hand. Without thinking, Meng Yingying stabbed it. She was a little nervous, and the sword went astray, piercing a bit of the skin on the ghost's face.
The ghost roared and took a few steps back.
She stuck the sword hilt upside down and planted it in the ground to support her swaying body: "This dream is too real."
Meng Yingying's vision was blurry as she looked at the howling ghost and thought helplessly, "You wanted to kill me, but I didn't even scream."
In an instant, a circle of black energy surrounded the ghost. Meng Yingying immediately sensed something was wrong; was it about to self-destruct?
As the wailing and howling ended, a huge shockwave blasted her several meters away. She felt a sweet taste in her chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.
[Host's life is in danger. Activate managed access?]
Meng Yingying was in a daze, feeling as if her whole body was on fire. Upon hearing this, she didn't care about anything else and nodded. After waiting for a long time without any movement, she shouted in a hoarse voice, "Start!" It was a roar filled with resentment.
In an instant, the excruciating pain in Meng Yingying's body disappeared, and her body floated into the air. The sword floated to her side, and her body uncontrollably struck the ghost. She flipped her hands, her fingers quickly forming hand seals, and she chanted incantations. Several long swords split off and formed an array above the ghost.
She whispered, "Devour."
Her eyes were as indifferent as water. The ghost, suppressed by the formation, transformed into a wisp of black mist and quickly flew into her mouth and nose. Meng Yingying's expression changed, and she collapsed to the ground, as if all her strength had been drained. She lay limply on the ground, motionless.
[Management has ended.]
[The host's task will be issued tomorrow; you may rest tonight.]
Meng Yingying had her eyes closed, and when she opened them again, she asked, "Why aren't you awake yet?"
[Host, this is not a dream. This is the world of "Moon Rising Over the Tianshan Mountains." You have transmigrated into the book.]
Meng Yingying didn't even have the strength to be shocked. She raised her eyebrows and casually asked, "So who am I now?"
[Cannon fodder female supporting character, Meng Yuan.]
The person digging into Meng Yingying's mind was none other than Meng Yuan, who in the original book was always on the verge of dying and becoming a blood bag for ghosts? Meng Yingying was even more convinced that this was a dream; it was too bizarre.
Looks like I need to read fewer novels lately, I've been having these weird dreams.
Meng Yingying felt heavy-hearted. After a moment, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Before she fell asleep, the cold notification sounded again: [Wishing the host a pleasant transmigration experience.] The system's voice, tinged with amusement, drifted away in a murmur.
The moonlight casts a deep shadow, and the swaying shadows of the trees outline a man's tall and upright figure. The night wind lifts the hem of his snow-white robe, and as he approaches, the ribbons of the thin veil over his eyes flutter. The sword at his waist shines with a pure white light, untouched by a speck of dust.
Under the clear moonlight, he frowned slightly, bent down and carried the person lying on the ground on his back. He slowly descended the mountain under the moonlight. Just as he turned around, a crisp bell rang out. He turned his head slightly and quickly withdrew it.
A misty haze hung over the sky, and a drop of rain fell from the heavens, landing on her pale, bare feet.
...
Meng Yingying opened her eyes, her eyelids heavy. She rubbed them and, after seeing who was sitting in front of her bed, said helplessly, "Grandma, I told you I'm fine, why are you sitting in front of my bed again?" She thought to herself, it really was just a dream.
Grandma's tense expression relaxed, and she smiled so much that her eyes disappeared, saying, "You're awake, that's good, that's good."
She reached out her hand and called out sweetly, "Grandma—"
Bang—a loud noise
Meng Yingying suddenly opened her eyes, and a strange yet familiar face appeared before her. Upon seeing that she was awake, the face immediately reddened: "My—good—disciple."
A tear the size of a pearl fell onto the bedding, and Meng Yingying suddenly looked around.
The antique furnishings made her eyes roll back in shock. She propped her head up and closed her eyes.
“I told you not to compete with your senior brother. With his stubborn nature, why do you insist on getting his approval? I’ve said it before, you are not the same as your senior brother.”
"Look at what you've been up to these past few days, your life tablet has been broken countless times."
“I’m telling you, if you keep doing this, I’ll send you back.”
Meng Yingying looked up: "Please stop acting." She couldn't believe it; it must be a dream, and the kind of dream she hadn't woken up from yet.
A sharp rap landed on her forehead. The white-haired old man shook himself and looked at her, saying, "You have no manners. I'm just concerned about you."
Meng Yingying lowered her head again. She didn't complain about any book or scold the author. Why did she transmigrate into a book? She was an ordinary person. When she opened her eyes again, what awaited her was no longer that thing, but a transmigration into a book!
A smile suddenly appeared on her lips, and she obediently admitted her mistake, saying, "Master, I was wrong."
Ling Daozi nodded slightly and said, "That's more like it. But every time I criticize you, you admit your mistakes quickly, but you've never actually changed them."
"If I had known, I wouldn't have let your stone-like senior brother take you along, otherwise you would have ended up like this."
As he shook his head and sighed, Meng Yingying had a feeling that she had spent a long time with them, but she quickly denied it, thinking it must be something like the original owner's memories.
Ling Daozi patted himself off and instructed her, "I came to Liuzhou on important business, so don't bother me. Get some rest." After he finished speaking, he turned and walked out.
The moment he stepped out the door, a clatter sounded in her mind.
[Task being issued—]
[Basic Mission: Lift the curse on the cannon fodder female supporting character and maintain her health.]
[Intermediate level character: Change the final "bad" ending.]
[Ultimate Mission: Kill the final villain.]
[Special Mission.]
On a black and white crystal screen in her mind, it was clearly written that Meng Yingying had been forced to see these tasks before she could even accept them. She asked, "How did I die?"
[He died from a heart attack after staying up all night reading novels.]
"Uh—is this how I died?" She gave a slight smirk, somewhat speechless, but it was indeed possible, because her body was already very fragile. How painful it would be for her grandmother to wake up and find her cold corpse.
"Is the time in the world you're in your book different from the time outside?"
[Yes, host, one year in the book is equivalent to one hour outside the book.]
[You've transmigrated into the body of cannon fodder female supporting character Meng Yuan. We've loaded memory fragments for you. To maximize your immersion, we've deleted all your memories of the main storyline, retaining only your memories of Meng Yuan and some of your past missions.]
Meng Yingying propped her head up, her mind still a complete mess.
The system continued: "According to the latest plan of the Time Management Bureau, in order to guarantee the maximum human rights of every host, a special task is provided for the host to replace them."
"Replacement? You can change missions?" She thought to herself, "That's quite a lot of freedom." Then she asked, "What are special missions?"
[You cannot view this now. It will only appear after the event is triggered.]
[Should we replace it?]
Meng Yingying got up from the bed, stretched, and creaked all over. She looked at the figure pacing back and forth outside, walked towards the door, and said without hesitation, "No change." Who knows if this special mission is more difficult than the ultimate mission.
She raised her hand and opened the door, bringing with her a gentle breeze. The figure walking outside paused slightly, the hem of his snow-white clothes fluttered for a moment, then fell back down. He slowly turned around, and Meng Yingying was stunned for a second.
He wore a thin veil over his eyes, revealing only his sword-like eyebrows and straight lips. He maintained a dignified posture, but Meng Yingying could feel that his gaze was fixed on her without wavering, exuding an aura of purity and righteousness.
Meng Yingying quickly regained her senses. Fragments of memories about Meng Yuan had already been imported into her mind. When she saw him, her heart stirred for a moment, but she quickly calmed down: "Senior brother?"
Zhou Xiuqi nodded and said to her, "You were unconscious for two days and two nights. Is your wound healed?"
Meng Yingying extracted crucial information: She had been unconscious for two days and two nights.
Meng Yingying assessed herself and replied, "Much better, Senior Brother." For some reason, she felt very nervous in his presence. Was Meng Yuan afraid of her senior brother?
“I told you long ago that cultivating the Tao is about strengthening your resolve, and nothing else matters. You’ve always wanted my approval.”
"But what can I acknowledge about you?" Zhou Xiuqi spoke slowly, tossing a sword to his side. Meng Yingying caught it. The sword was made of wood, but it was very heavy and had no scabbard, just lying naked in the air.
Its name echoed in Meng Yingying's mind—Calamity.
Meng Yingying gripped the hilt of the sword. This sword belonged to Meng Yuan and had been with her since childhood.
“The calamity has acknowledged you, and that is enough,” Zhou Xiuqi said, then added, “Come with me.”
Wearing only a thin undergarment, Meng Yingying asked, her expression unclear, "Where are we going?"
Zhou Xiuqi turned to the side, frowning, as if frustrated by not wanting to explain but having to: "Go do what you want to do."
"So you won't sneak out again."
Meng Yingying looked down at the sword in her hand. Calamity was not a traditional sword. It was originally a sealed, broken sword containing the resentment of many people. A casual swing of it would release a heavy aura of resentment. However, Meng Yuan accidentally drew the sword when she was young and was able to merge with it and even use the resentment within it.
At that time, Ling Daozi said, "Only a person with a firm will and pure and virtuous character can use this sword. My dear disciple, from today onwards, calamity will be your sword. You must carry it to kill ghosts and eliminate evil spirits."
"This is to atone for your sins." Ling Daozi stroked her head, and the little girl gripped the wooden sword tightly.
She narrowed her eyes slightly. The images vanished, all related to the curse placed upon her by someone.
...
In Liuzhou city, the streets are bustling with people, the cries of vendors fill the air, and the melodious sound of a flute drifts through the streets.
"Who's playing the flute? It's wonderful!" people walking along the road discussed. The man beside him pointed to a willow tree and replied, "Well, that's Li Zhaodi, the tofu beauty from Liuzhou, of course."
"She is not only beautiful, but also plays the flute very well. Many people come just to hear her play a song on the flute."
The person asking the question exclaimed in amazement, looking at the willow tree with its slender waist and a strand of braid draped over its rough cloth clothes, its beauty still undeniable.
“She’s so beautiful, I want to go up and get to know her.” He had just taken a step when the man stopped him and said, “Don’t go, Miss Zhao Di already has a sweetheart in her heart.”
Just then, Li Zhaodi looked in their direction, her eyes lit up, and she called out, "Zhou Runsheng!" But she saw two other people behind him, both with distinguished figures. With her smile undiminished, she asked, "And who are these two?"
Zhou Runsheng scratched his head and said, "Zhaodi, you should know him. He is the famous Taoist priest of Qingyou Temple, Zhou Xiuqi, who punishes evil. He is also known as Young Master Zhou."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhaodi immediately remembered and quickly wiped her hands, saying, "So you are an important person. Why didn't you inform me before bringing such a person?"
Zhou Runsheng smiled, went up and touched her shoulder, saying, "Brother Zhou is here in Liuzhou to eliminate evil, so it's not appropriate to be too ostentatious."
Completely ignored, Meng Yingying introduced herself: "I am also a Taoist from Lin'an. My name is Meng Yuan."
Li Zhaodi turned her gaze to her and said in surprise, "Miss Meng, you look very young, are you also involved in fighting evil?"
Meng Yingying said in a profound and unfathomable way, "The more we Taoists cultivate, the younger we become. Although I look young, I am actually quite old."
Li Zhaodi was surprised. Zhou Xiuqi raised his hand and flicked her forehead, saying to Li Zhaodi, "Don't pay any attention to her."
"Nonsense." He was quite helpless and had a headache.
Zhou Runsheng waved his hand, took out his money pouch and said, "Zhaodi, give me three bowls of tofu pudding."
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