In the original plot, Long Aoxiang had already brought several supporting women into his harem and caused the deaths of many nameless cultivators. Among them was a female cultivator whom he grabbed and used as a shield against a sword during the Four Great Sects’ new disciple competition.
It was the first time Xie Tian exposed Long Aoxiang’s true nature to her readers. She still remembered how that chapter had brought countless silent readers out of hiding. A casual glance through the comments showed a screen filled with question marks. Even those who had long since begun reading the supposed female-led romance as a harem story about an invincible hero were stunned by her outrageous turn.
Readers cursed Xie Tian for almost a week before their anger gradually subsided. Later, when Long Aoxiang destroyed all of Clearcloud Sect and erased the cultivation sect that most closely embodied the righteous path, her numb readers were not surprised at all. They expertly typed strings of question marks, cursed her a few more times, and kept reading to see what other garbage she could come up with.
Xie Tian did not disappoint them. She truly wrote something even more disgusting.
Writing an extra before finishing the main story was bad enough. Worse, its central character was cannon fodder who had never even possessed a name.
In the extra, the cannon-fodder cultivator finally received a name: Mu Yunran. In a fit of “great kindness,” Xie Tian wrote out Mu Yunran’s life story. Readers learned that she was a pitiful orphan who had grown up as a beggar. By good fortune, the heroine found her while traveling, brought her back to Clearcloud Sect, and made her an outer disciple. Her talent was poor, and even after years of bitter cultivation she failed to reach Foundation Establishment. Yet she had a wonderful character. She treated others sincerely and always repaid kindness.
After Lu Qingran was betrayed, her personality changed and her fellow disciples distanced themselves from her. Mu Yunran alone remained as she had always been, warming Lu Qingran with her sincerity and kindness.
Lu Qingran was moved. Once Mu Yunran came of age, she confessed her feelings, and the two secretly became cultivation partners. Not long afterward, disaster struck during the Four Sects Competition, and Mu Yunran was sacrificed as cannon fodder.
From then on, Lu Qingran severed herself from love and regarded Long Aoxiang as a mortal enemy. After Clearcloud Sect was destroyed, she hunted him to the ends of the earth.
The heroine and male lead thus became sworn enemies. The readers who finished the extra felt as if a bucket of melodrama had been poured over their heads. They were speechless. Then they looked again at the “happy ending” label in the story description. Their long-numb hearts jolted awake, and their blood began to boil.
Even readers who had not intended to curse Xie Tian reached for their keyboards when they saw the sentence in her author’s note: “I dedicate this extra to my dear friend Mu Yunran, who tragically passed away.” Even the mild-tempered ones chased Xie Tian through the comments and cursed her for a month.
Xie Tian suddenly grew thin-skinned and decided to stop updating for a month.
* * *
By the time Mu Yunran learned about this from the system, a month had passed since the badge-granting ceremony. She had successfully hidden her cultivation. She was not the most conspicuous among the new disciples, but neither would anyone dismiss her as useless.
The original character had been both inconspicuous and low-ranking, which was why Long Aoxiang casually grabbed her to block a sword. If Mu Yunran became a sweet, innocent junior sister who possessed middling cultivation but was well liked and held some status within the sect, Long Aoxiang would not dare use her as a shield so easily.
After almost a month around him, Mu Yunran understood Long Aoxiang far better. He was jealous and vindictive, narrow-minded and merciless toward anyone who offended him. He was also arrogant, conceited, and fond of flattery. He had no respect for his elders and lusted after women.
In short, Mu Yunran could not find a single good quality in him. She decided the best way to deal with such a person was to praise him into ruin. Long Aoxiang enjoyed hearing pleasant words, so she would compliment him often and, ideally, lower his guard toward her.
The system chattered endlessly in Mu Yunran’s ear, making it impossible for her to concentrate on her medicinal cooking.
“What are we going to do, Host? Xie Tian stopped updating! She’s throwing a tantrum! What if she never writes another chapter?”
Mu Yunran was speechless as well. She had read the extra and its author’s note. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected her nameless cannon-fodder character to become Lu Qingran’s first cultivation partner overnight.
She packed the freshly steamed cakes into a food box. This was a medicinal recipe she had developed several days ago to help with the absorption of spiritual energy, and she planned to let several senior sisters and brothers from Sword Intent Hall and Sword Energy Hall taste them.
Mu Yunran had kept busy throughout the month. After each group cultivation lesson, she brought out the medicinal food she had made and offered it to the senior disciples sitting beside her.
At first, few were willing to eat something made by a new disciple. They feared it might harm their bodies and hinder their cultivation. Then Lu Qingran happened to pass by, picked up a piece, tasted it, and remarked, “It does have some effect.” Only then did everyone snatch the food from the plate.
Later, thanks to something Mu Yunran let slip “by accident,” everyone in the class learned that she was Martial Uncle Chiguzi’s disciple.
To outer disciples with low cultivation, her medicinal meals were treasures. After eating them, they truly cultivated a little faster.
Mu Yunran became popular among the outer disciples. Long Aoxiang had initially been quite wary of her. Once he realized that she had no desire to compete with him and cultivated far more slowly than he did, he relaxed. Better still, this popular disciple liked flattering him and followed his lead in everything, fully satisfying his vanity.
Mu Yunran arrived at the agreed meeting place and, as usual, placed the finest-looking medicinal food in front of Long Aoxiang.
Seeing this “obedient and sensible” girl wait on him so attentively, Long Aoxiang thought Mu Yunran was a fool. At the same time, a daring idea occurred to him.
*Could she be in love with me? I suppose I’m simply too charming!*
