The Heroine’s Cannon-Fodder First Wife Chapter 5

The system ended its invisibility and appeared before Mu Yunran. It floated above her head, its green light blinking as if deep in thought.

“I don’t know how to answer that question either. Xie Tian never wrote that part of the setting, and nothing about it appeared in the published story.”

The body’s original owner had been cannon fodder. Xie Tian cared only about making the male lead awful enough to disgust her readers. She had never bothered to develop most of her characters. Even major figures like the heroine and male lead received only a few lines in her notes.

Mu Yunran’s fist tightened. If she returned to the modern world, she would make Xie Tian pay for this.

She could not understand why the heroine treated her so well, and the system had no answer. So Mu Yunran stopped thinking about it. She climbed out of bed, extinguished the oil lamp, and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, the system woke her. She dressed, washed, ate breakfast, and followed Aunt Tian to the village teacher.

Life in Tian Family Village passed without incident. Several months later, at New Year, Mu Yunran finally saw Lu Qingran again.

Lu Qingran was busy. As Lingyunzi’s first disciple, she not only cultivated every day but also helped her master with sect affairs. She could find no time to visit Mu Yunran. Only the New Year holiday granted by her master allowed her to come down the mountain.

“Yunran, Big Sister has come to see you.”

Mu Yunran was helping steady a chair. At the sound of that voice, she spun around. The delight in her eyes when she saw Lu Qingran could not be hidden. So much time had passed that Mu Yunran had begun to think she would never come.

Lu Qingran greeted Uncle Tian, who was hanging lanterns, and entered with his permission. Half the gifts she carried were for the couple, and the other half were for Mu Yunran.

Children grew quickly. After several months, the girl must have grown taller.

Lu Qingran drew a new padded jacket and trousers from her bundle and beckoned to Mu Yunran.

“Come try these on and see whether they fit.”

Lu Qingran still wore the same thin white robes. Once cultivators reached a certain level, neither bitter cold nor summer heat troubled them, and they could dress lightly in every season.

Mu Yunran approached and naturally gathered the winter clothes into one arm. With her free hand, she caught Lu Qingran’s and pulled her forward.

“Big Sister, I’ll show you my room. I can change once we’re inside.”

Despite months apart, calling her Big Sister did not feel unfamiliar.

Lu Qingran studied the child, who had grown considerably taller, and finally relaxed. It was not only Mu Yunran’s appearance that had changed. The girl seemed more confident and open.

Good. This was how a child her age should be.

Mu Yunran changed into the new clothes and turned several circles before Lu Qingran.

They fit perfectly and looked lovely on her. Lu Qingran, who believed she had little skill in choosing clothes, breathed a sigh of relief.

“You have wonderful taste, Big Sister. They’re beautiful. I like them very much.”

Mu Yunran sat on the bed, took a handful of candy from the cabinet beside it, and pressed the sweets into Lu Qingran’s palm.

“Aunt Tian bought these for me. They’re delicious. You can have all of them.”

Mu Yunran owned nothing finer to offer and did not want to accept gifts without giving something in return. Candy was also a suitable present from a child. It suited her role perfectly.

Lu Qingran selected only two pieces and ate one where Mu Yunran could see. Sweetness spread over her tongue, bringing a small feeling of contentment.

“One taste is enough for Big Sister. Keep the rest and enjoy them slowly.”

She had long outgrown her love of candy. Even if she had not, she would never compete with a younger child for sweets.

Mu Yunran did not insist. She chose a few of the better-tasting candies and slipped them into Lu Qingran’s hand, then put away the ordinary ones.

This time, Lu Qingran accepted them. After securing the sweets, she continued showing Mu Yunran the gifts she had brought.

They talked in Mu Yunran’s room for nearly an hour. Close to noon, Aunt Tian knocked and invited Lu Qingran to eat with them.

After lunch, the two said farewell at the gate in front of the house. Lu Qingran promised to return in summer because Mu Yunran had told her that her birthday fell in that season.

After New Year, Mu Yunran resumed her lessons with the village teacher. She continued studying the original plot while looking forward to Lu Qingran’s return.

Winter passed, followed by spring. Summer came and went. By the time another New Year arrived, Lu Qingran had still not visited.

Mu Yunran asked the system whether it could discover the reason. As usual, it knew nothing. The original story held no record of events before its opening. No one could find out what the heroine had experienced during that time.

On her thirteenth reading of the original novel, Mu Yunran noticed something she had previously overlooked.

The Lu Qingran she knew was different from the woman described in the novel. In truth, they seemed like two entirely different people.

*Did the plot change her? Why is Lu Qingran in the original story so cold?*

The question kept Mu Yunran awake until late into the night.

In her dreams, she returned to the Clearcloud Sect wearing the pink uniform of a Sword Intent Hall disciple.

She became Lingyunzi’s disciple. By his arrangement, she and Lu Qingran lived together.

Lu Qingran was as gentle as Mu Yunran remembered. With open affection, she called, “Junior Sister.”

…

Three years passed.

At thirteen, Mu Yunran packed her belongings and traveled with Uncle Tian to the foot of Crimsoncloud Mountain.

More than a month earlier, Clearcloud cultivators had visited the surrounding regions and distributed recruitment tokens to children and youths of the proper age.

Anyone fifteen or younger could attempt the entrance trial and seek a place in the sect.

The cultivation world cared little about family rank. Every sect welcomed promising young people with spiritual roots to try.

Each recruitment token was made of pure white material and shaped like a small plaque. Under a cultivator’s guidance, spiritual energy could be channeled into it, causing the token to record the applicant’s basic information.

Mu Yunran said goodbye to Uncle Tian. She promised that if she became a Clearcloud disciple, she would visit him and Aunt Tian whenever she had time.

The length of the trial depended entirely on how many applicants came that year. Uncle Tian still had farmwork awaiting him and could not remain until Mu Yunran finished.

She waved him off, took her recruitment token, and joined the end of the line.

The cultivators worked efficiently, and the long queue steadily shrank.

The trial’s first stage was simple. A cultivator helped each applicant record their information in the token. Those with spiritual roots advanced. Those without could only return home disappointed.

After almost an hour in line, Mu Yunran’s turn drew near.

…

Lingyunzi was not responsible for recruiting disciples. He learned that the little girl from three years ago had arrived only when one of his disciples reminded him. His brief chance to rest ended as he hurried down the mountain.

Before leaving the Crimsoncloud Immortal Realm, he made a special trip to Lu Qingran’s courtyard. He asked whether his first disciple wished to see the girl named Mu Yunran.

Lu Qingran’s hand paused as she wiped her sword. Her gaze lowered.

“No.”