Chapter 8: Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep

One focused intently on memorizing the path while the other collapsed into utter despair—neither noticed that deep within the dungeon, another pair of eyes was watching them.

The girl of peerless beauty turned back resolutely, her expression—which should have been fragile and helpless—filled with unprecedented determination as she sprinted back into the darkness without a moment’s hesitation.

At first, her footsteps were somewhat chaotic, but they quickly grew firm and steady.

As her sleeves fluttered, it looked as though a drift of snow were striding into a raging fire.

“I say…”

Yu Yinglian spoke in utter disbelief, “She—she really turned around and came back?”

Despite having the character for “snow” in her name, she was as naively stubborn as a blaze of fire, vowing not to stop until she burned a hole straight through this darkness.

Before Yu Jiaxue turned back, Yu Yinglian had never envisioned such a scenario.

Although he previously found Yu Jiaxue’s temperament amusing, it had been nothing more than an amusing personality to him.

Yu Yinglian had heard of “Yu Xue” before, mainly because the Yu family had once sought a marriage alliance with the Yu family.

(T/N: Yu Jiaxue (Yú) and Yu Yinglian (Yù) actually have different surnames. Although both are written as ‘Yu’ in English, they are distinct family names in Chinese.)

He had heard people praise the beauty of the Yu family’s legitimate daughter, mock her root talent, laugh at her for being a “wooden Yu beauty,” and maliciously speculate about her misfortunes…

Yet Yu Yinglian had never imagined that Yu Xue would be a person like this.

Through the avatar he had created, Shen Xuezhu similarly gazed at her figure.

A moment later, deep beneath the abyss, countless heavy chains trembled slightly.

His eyelashes fluttered gently, like a spring breeze brushing across a stream.

Seconds later, a faint smile touched his pale, jade-like face.

Shen Xuezhu’s true body was in an extremely miserable state; the thickest chain pierced directly through his shoulder blade, seeping a heavy, crimson red.

Yet the aura surrounding him had not changed in the slightest—still wrapped in immortal qi, extraordinarily gentle, possessing a sacred purity that bordered on the divine.

Eyes like autumn waters, bones carved of jade—a singular elegance unmatched through the ages.

An ethereal, hazy voice suddenly echoed.

“Junior Brother, you were right.”

Yu Yinglian could not make heads or tails of it.

“What does Senior Brother mean by this?”

“Destiny is not unalterable.”

Just like the scene playing out right before their eyes.

A heavenly fate of the Nine Heavens, pulling at the karma of all things—the sole anomaly in this realm, holding the variables of heaven and earth.

—

On the other side.

The system had lost count of how many times it had plunged into utter breakdown.

[Host—no, Dad, Father, little ancestor!]

Yu Jiaxue asked in confusion: “Why are you crashing out like this?”

She thought the system would have gotten used to her style by now.

The system said numbly: [Take a look for yourself, your venerable self.]

Dammit, not only was one of the world’s darkest secrets blown wide open, but Yu Jiaxue had actually gotten involved in the plot!

This was clearly supposed to be the male lead Ye Jingtian’s highlight moment!

In the original book, after Ye Jingtian tracked down the female lead, she attempted to flee again. A demon beast that had escaped from the dungeon happened to take pity on her and stepped in to help. When Ye Jingtian found out, he—driven mad by his obsessive love—could not tolerate it.

He personally went down into the dungeon, dragged out every single demon beast, and slaughtered them right before her eyes.

Yu Jiaxue: “?”

Yu Jiaxue: “And how did the female lead react?”

[She was terrified, deeply remorseful, profoundly moved, and then she forgave the male lead.]

The system added: [Of course, in the end, the male and female leads built tombstones for those demon beasts.]

Yu Jiaxue: ?

To hell with that.

So the grand narrative boils down to “She runs, he chases, and a bunch of demon beasts can’t escape even with wings”?!

What sin did those demon beasts commit to be sacrificed as collateral damage for this dog couple’s romance game just because they offered a helping hand?!

These two leads seriously need to eat some sour plums to clear their heads!

[I’m being completely serious, Host. If you cause too big of a scene this time, both you and I are done for!]

[The kind of done for where the entire world explodes on the spot! I’m not joking!]

Yu Jiaxue nodded, speaking calmly: “Then let’s all explode together.”

System: […The data didn’t mention you had an antisocial personality.]

“Of course I don’t,” Yu Jiaxue’s tone remained serene. “But as you know, if I don’t do certain things, my life will be just as meaningless as if it had already exploded.”

The system fell silent once more.

By this time, Yu Jiaxue had arrived at the innermost door.

She had a hypothesis.

Since she could use that ‘iron wire’ to pick her own cell door just now, couldn’t she pick someone else’s too?

[It’s impossible, Host. Just give up. You’re nothing more than an utterly ordinary person.]

The system’s tone oozed deep exhaustion: [Seriously, if you leave right now, there’s still time.]

Yu Jiaxue did not make a sound.

She was concentrating on picking the lock.

The wire condensed from spiritual energy was nearly transparent, glinting with a peculiar luster under the faint light.

Watching Yu Jiaxue’s movements, the system grew both anxious and angry.

How could the host possibly succeed? What happened earlier was merely a coincidence, but these dungeon cells were—

With a light clack, the first layer of the cell door swung open effortlessly.

System: ???

System: !!!

The system stared at Yu Jiaxue in sheer shock: [How on earth did you do that?!]

“Lock-picking skill, plus that little detail you reminded me about.”

Yu Jiaxue raised her chin slightly, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “I’m the female lead. Isn’t it only right for the female lead to have a tiny bit of luck?”

As she spoke, Yu Jiaxue did not forget to make a “quiet” gesture to the pitiful little fox inside the cell before moving on to open the second door.

The little fox was quite clever; it actually crouched quietly on the spot, gazing at her with wet, misty eyes.

Holding the silver wire, fine beads of sweat gathered on Yu Jiaxue’s forehead.

She could distinctly feel the drain on her internal spiritual energy.

Yu Jiaxue knew that her actions were risky, and she knew she probably shouldn’t be so reckless.

After all, in this terrible world, everything was merely a plot point in a book titled After I Died, They Went Crazy. These settings existed solely to push forward the angst-romance narrative, and these innocent, dying demon beasts were nothing more than plot devices for the main leads’ romance.

As the “female lead Yu Xue,” who held every advantage of timing, place, and people, all she had to do was submit, endure, remain gentle, hide under the male lead’s protection, and love him with all her heart—

But why?

Why should she love him? Why couldn’t she have her own thoughts? Why did she have to blindly endure and yield just to show off how generous and open-minded she was?

Why did these demon beasts have to die?

From transmigrating right into the middle of a conflict, to being locked away in the Discipline Hall, beneath her seemingly unhinged exterior, a flame had been burning inside Yu Jiaxue all along.

And now, after witnessing the miserable state of these demon beasts, that flame had erupted into a full blaze!

Living in this world, there are things one must do, and things one must never do.

If she hadn’t seen it, she might have been able to deceive herself and look the other way.

Unfortunately for them, Yu Jiaxue had seen it.

And having seen all of this, no one with a shred of humanity left could choose to turn a blind eye.

She could still move, so she was damn well going to do something.

Besides, back in the modern world, Yu Jiaxue hated traffickers the most!

[So, you humans really are strange creatures,] the system said. [But sometimes, I actually quite like you.]

When humans turned insidious, they wouldn’t hesitate to exploit their own kin for selfish desires.

Yet at the same time, they were the most tolerant and tender race—tender enough to feel genuine empathy for entirely different species.

Dark and ruthless, yet brilliant and radiant.

[Host, I’ve received a new mission to assist another host. As for this world, I’ll only return to check on it when major fluctuations occur.]

Even the system didn’t realize that it had used the word “assist.”

[One final hint: look toward your back right. Your ally is over there.]

Almost the exact second the system’s synthesized voice faded, Yu Jiaxue instinctively turned her head.

At the exact same moment, the person behind her spoke out.

He seemed to have guessed something, yet was unwilling to believe it.

“Are you here to save them too?”

Too?

Yu Jiaxue raised an eyebrow, holding back her response for the moment.

Not far away stood a figure resembling a young boy. He held something in his arms, watching her with a trace of vigilance.

Under the dim light, Yu Jiaxue caught a clear view of the boy’s features.

Exquisitely gorgeous, as radiant as peach blossoms.

Those two phrases popped into Yu Jiaxue’s mind at a rather inappropriate moment.

Though young, one could already tell he would undoubtedly grow up to be an unmatched, romantic figure in the cultivation world.

Just as Yu Jiaxue was contemplating how to break the ice, the creature in the boy’s arms squirmed, and with a sudden swish, it leaped straight into her arms.

The warm, seemingly bone-soft body snuggled right into her chest. Its fur was soft and snow-white, free of a single speck of stray color, and its wet, glistening eyes blinked up at her before letting out a soft meow.

“Meow.”

Yu Jiaxue could easily ram into anyone without a second thought, but she could never bring herself to be harsh toward animals.

After exchanging a single glance with the kitten, Yu Jiaxue’s heart melted instantly. She carefully held it up.

“Fellow Daoist, your cat.”

For some reason, upon hearing her words, the handsome boy’s body stiffened. He locked eyes with the cat in her arms, and the cat let out another soft meow.

“Meow.”

The boy’s lips twitched. He hurriedly jerked his gaze away, declaring with absolute finality.

“No! It’s your cat!”

His tone was impossibly firm, leaving no room for refusal.

What kind of joke was this?! He’d compete with anyone, but he’d never dare steal someone away from First Senior Brother!

Yu Jiaxue: “?”

The tone of the scene had abruptly shifted from a hot-blooded shonen manga straight into a ridiculous commercial.

It was always stray cats on the street trying to scam a owner—how was a domesticated cat pulling a scam now?

You people in the cultivation world are seriously bizarre!

“Alright, enough talk.” Yu Jiaxue turned back toward the cell.

“As you can see, my spiritual energy is running low. Opening a single door is already pushing it. What do you plan to do now?”

“I…” I can transfer spiritual energy to you.

The boy opened his mouth, seeming as though he wanted to say something.

Under Yu Jiaxue’s expectant gaze, the boy fell silent for a moment.

His eyes slowly drifted downward.

He looked at the cat in her arms.

—

Before this, Yu Jiaxue knew that many people referred to snuggling cats and dogs as “recharging.”

However, she had never imagined that she would literally use a cat to recharge—or rather, “recharge spiritual energy.”

Pick a lock, snuggle the cat to replenish spiritual energy, and then pick another lock.

“The very last door—done!”

Yu Jiaxue declared complete success, tenderly stroking the cat’s head.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

Yu Yinglian watched her smooth, seamless movements throughout the entire process in sheer shock.

A sense of deep respect welled up in his heart, replacing any previous disdain as he stammered out.

“Daoist Yu, you are truly impressive.”

Whether it was drawing an iron wire, her frighteningly proficient lock-picking skills, or her smooth cat-snuggling routine… she was incredible.

Incredible in every sense of the word.

Assuming he was praising her supreme artistic talent, Yu Jiaxue raised her head proudly.

“Of course!”

“There is nothing simpler in this world than drawing!”

Yu Yinglian: “…”

She’s impressive, alright.

Just a bit asking to be beaten up.

Yu Jiaxue wasn’t familiar with the demon beasts inside the cells.

Coupled with the fact that they had just been harmed by humans, she didn’t step inside. Instead, she stood to the side holding the cat, leaving the rest entirely to the boy.

She took another hit of cat energy, using a dry twig she had randomly picked off the ground to sketch and trace in the air, muttering to herself.

“Why is it crooked again?”

Dammit, what’s going on?

She clearly just wanted to draw a mirror at first!

Yu Jiaxue buried her face in the kitten and took a deep, comforting sniff.

Why was this thing getting bigger and more jagged the more she drew…

To the point where it seemed like she couldn’t smooth it back into a circle anymore?

Impossible!

How could drawing be this hard?!

Yu Jiaxue pondered for a few seconds, then curled the right corner of her mouth upward, letting out a wild, arrogant laugh.

If one mountain wouldn’t rise, she’d simply carve out another one of her own!