“Master, are you sick?” The young child responsible for taking care of Jian Ci on Cold Mountain asked with concern.
“I’m fine,” Jian Ci replied with a stern face, shaking his head.
He was just having a rough time.
After transmigrating into the book, the system turned into a standby interface, which was already unlucky enough.
According to the original plot, after taking over the original owner, he would leave the mortal realm, first experiencing some adventures at sea, cultivating to overcome tribulations, forming his Golden Core, and then returning to the immortal realm to establish his authority in the demonic lair, secretly hindering Xie Xiaozhu1I don’t know if I messed up something while checking the raws, but Xiao Zhu is called Xie Xiaozhu, which makes more sense considering that Jian Ci’s mom in this instance is from the Xie family, I hope it’s not confusing. Although his current abilities were not enough to kill Xie Xiaozhu, it didn’t matter because these were all tasks for Ren Shuhan in the future. After all, Ren Shuhan had Heaven Spiritual Roots. Killing someone like Xie Xiaozhu would be as easy as crushing an ant.
It would be the glorious moment of slapping Xie Xiaozhu in the face. His disciple would be shocked by his unexpectedly powerful background, while the lackeys in the demonic lair would be shocked by his unexpectedly powerful disciple.
The highlight of transmigration lay here.
So, the first thing Jian Ci did after returning to the mortal realm was to find his disciple at the Jiang Family residence.
But from this moment on, everything went differently than planned.
First, Wen Xin unexpectedly provoked him.
Jian Ci dismissed her with disdain. According to the original plot, Ren Shuhan would immediately return, delaying his departure upon hearing that his master had arrived. He would wait for the Sword Trial Assembly to see if his master was real or fake. Since he was real, Ren Shuhan would postpone his plans to leave, waiting to see him dominate Wen Xin on the stage, and then Ren Shuhan would probably dominate her again offstage, letting her know how meaningless Jiang Qingyue was.
Could they compare to his master?
But Ren Shuhan didn’t come…
Jian Ci’s mentality was slightly shaken when he took the stage.
By the time he left the stage, his face was even more shaken, both literally and figuratively.
He never expected that Wen Xin, a supporting character’s supporting character, would be so strong and even disfigure him!
This incident made Jian Ci feel like he had lost all face. Although the spectators didn’t know the truth and thought Jian Ci was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, calling it a draw between the Cold Mountain and Jade Pavilion Mountains with each producing two strong contenders, with the Cold Mountain slightly inferior, was still gaining some fame. But in Jian Ci’s heart, it was a disgrace.
Moreover, he wanted to use medicine to treat the scar on the left side of his eye, but because the system was on standby, he couldn’t retrieve the item stored inside.
Moreover, at that time, when he couldn’t retrieve it, he endured it with pain. But in the blink of an eye, a year had passed…
His system still couldn’t be used!
Isn’t there a limit to bugs?
It hasn’t been fixed yet. How long has it been? Garbage system, zero user experience! Jian Ci felt terrible.
During this year, Ren Shuhan still hadn’t returned to Lantern City, and Jian Ci became increasingly gloomy as he waited. However, he only waited for an unexpected visitor: Jiang Zhixi.
…
In the immortal realm, there was suddenly a gem like Ren Shuhan who disappeared suddenly, and many people inquired about him.
Jiang Zhixi was a famous figure in the Five Cities and Twelve Towers, even owning half of the city, not relying on her looks, and even as a music cultivator, many of her methods were inferior to the Third Young Master.
For example, recognizing people by their footsteps and tracking them for thousands of miles.
Although Ren Shuhan had lived in Longmeng Pass until he was five years old, when Jiang Zhixi heard him speak, she noticed a subtle difference from standard Mandarin, with fewer childlike pronunciations, and knew he was from Lantern City, which made her feel close to him. She was from the same hometown.
Although Ren Shuhan wasn’t very interested in Jiang Zhixi and rejected her advances, Jiang Zhixi quickly came to a realization:
With such unique talent and temperament, Ren Shuhan must be proud. There were many beautiful women in the immortal realm, and there was no need for her, Jiang Zhixi, to try to impress him. Just hearing the Third Young Master tell him to “take care of Lady Yun” showed that he knew many beautiful women, and probably encountered many beautiful women who tried to woo him.
Furthermore, other immortal lords might take the initiative, but Jiang Zhixi wasn’t interested in competing with them!
To achieve success, she decided to take advantage of her advantage of being from the same hometown as Ren Shuhan and communicate more with him. While he was still young and his emotions hadn’t settled, she estimated that he hadn’t stabilized in terms of emotions yet, so she quickly used her unique charm to captivate him.
So, as soon as Ren Shuhan left, Jiang Zhixi secretly listened to his movements.
The Third Young Master and Ye Shuangfei dared not send people to track him, fearing to offend someone, so they could only inquire later. However, Jiang Zhixi kept a close watch on him because she only needed to listen. Even if she flew on her sword, she couldn’t avoid making noise, but top-notch music cultivators could achieve this.
Unfortunately, she could only listen to Ren Shuhan until he disappeared.
At first, Jiang Zhixi thought that Ren Shuhan had been captured by Xie Xiaozhu. When she heard that Xie Xiaozhu had searched for him all day, she thought the demonic lair was playing tricks again, and even considered going to rescue him.
But after the Sword Trial Assembly ended and the various sects left with their people, Ye Shuangfei revealed to her somewhat smugly, “I had a drink with Shuhan last night. We’ll have another chance to get together in the future.”
Jiang Zhixi deeply suspected that Ye Shuangfei was bragging.
But later she inquired again and found that it was also possible.
That “Lady Yun” turned out to be the sect master of the He Huan Sect, a small sect. As soon as she heard that, Jiang Zhixi knew she wasn’t dealing with upright people!
The island where the He Huan Sect was located was called Wuxiang Orchid Boat. It was more like a large ship than an island, named after its mysterious and untraceable nature. If Ren Shuhan had a connection with Yun Xiangrong, it was very likely that he had hidden in the He Huan Sect.
But from the looks of it, Ren Shuhan didn’t seem like the type who was obsessed with women, did he?
Jiang Zhixi pondered this but couldn’t just sit around waiting, so she decided to try her luck back in the mortal realm.
She had lived in seclusion in the depths of the Jade Pavilion Mountain since she was young, naturally having a good temperament. She had never regarded her background as lowly, like those immortal lords and ladies who looked down on themselves. Before leaving the mortal realm, she even passed on many of her insights to an old Taoist, planning to do a little more for the mortal realm this time around—
And also spread the good name of her beauty and kindness, so that in the future, when Ren Shuhan mentioned his hometown, he would definitely look at her in a new light~
Then she saw her own statue with long flowing beards and wrinkles all over her face.
Jiang Zhixi: “Damn.”
The mortal realm wasn’t worth it.
She suddenly understood the expression Ren Shuhan had when he first saw her.
…He was trying to hold back laughter, right? Definitely trying to hold back laughter!
Jiang Zhixi could only secretly go to the Jiang Family residence first, have a friendly conversation with the people from the Jiang Family and Jade Pavilion Mountain, and secretly remove the statue, then spread the story of the immortal’s enlightenment again. When the people nearby had accepted it, she would make a grand entrance and recruit disciples.
When Jian Ci heard about this, he finally couldn’t wait any longer.
In the original work, Jiang Zhixi had made such a move, and Ren Shuhan had indeed taken the bait and even had a good impression of her, becoming friends with her. Although it had nothing to do with love, this segment also counted as tormenting the protagonist, providing conditions for the later fiery crematorium.
But could Jian Ci endure it?
He didn’t want to suffer grievances, just the protagonist would suffer, and suffer in the fiery crematorium.
So Jian Ci directly sent a challenge to the Jade Pavilion Mountain, wanting to compare with them.
When this statement came out, the elders of the Cold Mountain were shocked and quickly advised him:
“Why bother? The Jiang Family has nurtured you as a disciple for so many years. The last Sword Trial Assembly was just a common friction. There’s no need for this.”
“Wen Xin’s strength should not be underestimated. Now there’s also Jiang Zhixi, a Golden Core cultivator who has returned. Why do you want to confront them head-on? Isn’t that stupid?”
“Let’s be clear, this time it’s your own business. The Cold Mountain Sect can’t bear such a big burden for you.”
But Jian Ci persisted stubbornly: “The likes of Jiang Zhixi are not worth mentioning.”
After a year of cultivation, Jian Ci was no longer the same as before.
Although the system was on standby, he still knew the plot. By experiencing a few more adventures and cultivating, his leveling speed was like riding a rocket, and within a year, he reached the late Golden Core stage. Would he fear Jiang Zhixi?
Although these adventures belonged to Ren Shuhan in the original work, who was to blame for Ren Shuhan not showing up? Jian Ci was already angry.
He wanted to personally deal with Jiang Zhixi, the love rival, and then when Ren Shuhan came back, there would be no need for formalities, just the fiery crematorium!
…
On the other hand, Jiang Zhixi had just arrived in the mortal realm, living well in the Jiang Family residence, and had no plans to stay long. But she suddenly received a challenge letter, which left her bewildered.
Who is this Jian Ci?
What does it have to do with me!
Ah Lu, who often secretly met with Jiang Zhixi, spoke to her about Ren Shuhan’s little things, such as preferences, and gained some benefits from her. Of course, he didn’t let Jiang Qingyue know or speak ill of Jiang Qingyue. He didn’t want to offend both sides. Wen Xin had also paid attention to his little actions and felt that they were harmless, so she didn’t bother him.
After Ah Lu heard about this challenge letter, fearing that things would not escalate, he encouraged Jiang Zhixi, “This person claims to be the master of our Young Master Ren, but the Young Master said he doesn’t look like it. Moreover, he is just a defeated person by Sister Wen Xin. He’s so weak, I don’t think he’s a master. Later, Young Master Ren also said not to pay attention to him, but he actually came to our residence to provoke us. He’s really arrogant. If Sister Wen Xin hadn’t been suppressing him for the past two years, I’m afraid the Jiang Family and Jade Pavilion Mountain would have been bullied by the Cold Mountain long ago.”
In Jiang’s residence, Jiang Zhixi had already figured out the people there.
“The Young Master” referred to Jiang Qingyue, who reportedly had the best relationship with Ren Shuhan. However, being just an ordinary mortal man, Jiang Zhixi didn’t pay much attention to him.
Handsome but low-quality version of myself.
But this Wen Xin, actually considered half a disciple of Ren Shuhan, was talented and attractive. Now, it seemed that she had helped the Jiang family suppress Jian Ci, which was commendable.
When Jiang Zhixi heard Duan San’s question, “Are you Jian Ci’s disciple?” and Ren Shuhan’s reply, “Used to be,” combined with what Ah Lu said, Jiang Zhixi figured that he must have severed ties with Jian Ci.
Further inquiries revealed that Jian Ci’s mother’s surname was Xie, and Xie Xiaozhu was enemies with Ren Shuhan, so Jian Ci was already an enemy!
No, she couldn’t give all the credit to Wen Xin.
Moreover, Jiang’s residence and Jade Pavilion Mountain were her territory after all. Even the mortal emperor had to give her some face. If she hadn’t returned, that would be fine, but since she had returned, she couldn’t let Jian Ci run wild here, relying on other women’s support. Wasn’t that embarrassing for her, the mistress of Jiang’s residence?
But since she knew that Jian Ci was backed by the demonic lair, she didn’t dare to underestimate him. So Jiang Zhixi scheduled the time for the challenge one year later.
This year had its own plan.
Jiang Zhixi would continue to work hard to gather information about Jian Ci while also practicing and preparing for the battle. According to the information revealed by Ah Lu, Ren Shuhan would return after a year. By then, Jiang Zhixi could display her heroic appearance.
If she hadn’t defeated him, perhaps Ren Shuhan would even play the hero to save her, and everyone would feel comfortable.
Ren Shuhan was a very nostalgic person. When the time came, he would definitely be grateful to her.
But she didn’t expect that before a year had passed, there would be trouble in the immortal realm.
Through Xie Xiaozhu’s tireless provocation, the Wanzi Qianhong Cave and Guangsha were finally going to fight.
Duan San sent people to write to various major sects for help. Jiang Zhixi had to put aside her affairs and rush to the immortal realm to support.
Not necessarily really helping, but she had to watch the excitement… Just watching, Jiang Zhixi unexpectedly saw Ren Shuhan!
Ren Shuhan was really here to help.
As Jiang Zhixi had expected, he had been staying on the Wuxiang Orchid Boat for the past two years.
It was quite a coincidence. Yun Xiangrong had not landed for many years. When she sent him to Guangsha, he happened to catch the Sword Trial Assembly. So she wasn’t in a hurry to leave, just waiting to see the results. Bringing in two new scattered cultivators was also good. But in the end, she heard that the most powerful person was the one she had just sent.
“A priceless gem is hard to find!” Yun Xiangrong regretted it and quickly contacted Ren Shuhan, expressing goodwill. “If I had another chance, I wouldn’t let you go even if I were a ghost!”
Ren Shuhan: “…If you say that, I’m afraid to go back.”
Yun Xiangrong was overjoyed. “You’re still coming back? Aiya! Where are you talking from? Our Wuxiang Orchid Boat is a place where you can’t find us even if you want to!”
Ren Shuhan: “…”
This line seemed to have appeared before, but it wasn’t said like this…
Lady Yun’s words were really unreliable.
Although she had no integrity, she wasn’t a bad person. What was more important was that the He Huan Sect had good conditions, paid attention to privacy, and could enjoy it. He could take Qingyue to soak in hot springs, eat delicious food, and wear nice clothes. So Ren Shuhan returned to this place he had just left, a place where “you can’t find us even if you want to.”
It wasn’t until nearly two years later that Yun Xiangrong received a letter from Duan San.
In fact, when Duan San wrote to ask for reinforcements, he didn’t hold out much hope.
He knew very well what kind of people the heads of these major sects were. He was just calling them to fill the scene. If there were many people, the demonic lair might be more careful. After writing to various major orthodox sects, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Did you write to Lady Yun?”
The female attendant next to Duan San replied coldly, “No. It’s a waste of ink.”
“Write one.” Duan San was afraid that his subordinates would not act decisively, so he repeated, “Go write.”
He didn’t expect that this hesitation, this repetition, would save the sinking Guangsha.
Ren Shuhan had a good environment in the He Huan Sect, but he was psychologically uncomfortable because he couldn’t make a move on the beautiful man beside him every day. He was very uncomfortable and could only pour all his enthusiasm into his cultivation.
Now, after seeing the letter, he finally found an outlet to vent.
Jian Ci and Jiang Zhixi = both delulu thinking they have a chance with Shuhan lol