The letter from Wen Shunian was for Lou Shuangzui, who had just broken through to the Golden Core stage, to undertake his first external mission after his coming-of-age ceremony.
—Due to moral and ethical considerations, the Immortal Sect generally doesn’t assign dangerous tasks to children. Disciples under the age of twenty usually don’t need to leave the mountain and are mostly assigned tasks like sweeping, planting, or bathing spiritual beasts. However, once they turn twenty, they can take on missions outside the mountain, which are much more rewarding than the tasks within.
The task Wen Shunian specifically assigned to Lou Shuangzui was meant to help him understand the situation of the Immortal Sect and aid him in cultivating his own influence. So, even though it was his first mission, it wasn’t going to be easy.
After resting for another week and thoroughly researching various information about the Demon Clan, he went to the reserve house to collect the supplies for this mission, as instructed in the letter, and descended the mountain for the first time.
First, he found Bai Yutang, and then followed the guidance of the formation towards the designated small world.
This time, he was to face the Demon Clan, but not any major demons, just some minor demon creatures. Recently, the Monster Clan and the Demon Clan had a conflict for unknown reasons, thinning the barriers between realms, allowing some mindless demon creatures to enter the human world.
Their intelligence wasn’t high, but their destructive power was more than enough for mortals, disrupting the natural balance of the human world. The human dynasties and some mortals learning cultivation were helpless, so they had to establish altars to seek help from the Immortal Realm.
Additionally, there was another task: to bring back the little princess Lin Ran from the dynasty to the Immortal Mountain. If all went well, she would become the second disciple of Lu Mi Que, the Peak Master of the Artifact Refining Peak, and the junior sister of Yan Zhige. She was also, in Lou Shuangzui’s impression, the villainous female supporting character from another cultivation romance novel.
However, it had been a while since he read that book, and Lou Shuangzui only vaguely remembered that the protagonist seemed to have the surname Gu. But Lin Ran, the female supporting character, left a strong impression because, despite being forced to complete system tasks, she never fully became a puppet of the system. She would withdraw when necessary, so her ending wasn’t too bad.
If possible, Lu Mi Que would have preferred to find the disciple himself, but he couldn’t. Not only were the Demon Clan and Monster Clan fighting, but the Immortal Realm also had a small-scale war with the Ghost Clan. Although not large in scale, it was just a prelude, and in the coming years, a storm was brewing.
Lu Mi Que was busy preparing various weapons for the sect and working with Pang Wuqin, the Peak Master of the Talisman Array Peak, to strengthen the sect’s formations. He couldn’t spare the time, and his first disciple, Yan Zhige, was also too busy to be distracted, wishing he could split himself in two.
Thus, this task appeared in the list of external missions for disciples at the Ping Shui Courtyard and was eventually reviewed and assigned by the Sect Leader, specifically handed to Lou Shuangzui.
Lou Shuangzui needed to understand the Immortal, Demon, Monster, and Ghost Clans, and this mission would introduce him to them. He also needed connections with the various peaks, and this was a great opportunity to further strengthen his ties with the Artifact Refining Peak.
It was summer in the human world, but the heat was unbearable, like the time when ten golden crows appeared in the sky simultaneously, or when the female demon appeared, bringing a thousand miles of scorched earth and suffering to the people.
Demon creatures entered the human world, causing frequent disasters and wars.
Lin Ran was the neglected sixth princess. She wasn’t neglected because she was lacking in any way; she was as lovely as jade, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her personality was much better than the most favored seventh princess.
But the emperor simply didn’t like her. The princesses and princes in the palace, even the eunuchs and maids, would bully her. Not because of anything she did, but because her mother, who died in childbirth, wasn’t the emperor’s “true love” and didn’t have a powerful family to support her.
Not being the true love, when chaos erupted and demon beasts rampaged, the emperor fled with Imperial Concubine Lan Zhen and the seventh princess, leaving her behind. Without a powerful family, when the rebels took hostages, they didn’t bother choosing her, and they didn’t believe she was the one who stopped the maids and eunuchs from fighting back.
Later, when the National Teacher of the Star Picking Pavilion finally settled down after escaping, he immediately performed a ritual to the Immortal Realm, summoning immortals for assistance. After gradually clearing all the demon beasts, Lin Ran was one of the few who survived until her useless father returned.
Although, these people not only forgot about her, the only time they remembered was because an immortal specifically named her to become a disciple of the Immortal Mountain.
Of course, this remembrance didn’t mean they thought of giving her clothes or jewelry, not even an extra bowl of rice. Such a great opportunity, Imperial Concubine Lan Zhen was naturally unwilling to give to others. To let her daughter impersonate Lin Ran, she had her locked in the cold palace.
“When I used to read these kinds of plots, I thought they were stupid. Now it seems art imitates life,” Lin Ran muttered as she escaped with the system’s help, all the while complaining, “That’s an immortal, right? He can’t really be fooled, can he? If he were that easily deceived, then this immortal would be pretty useless, wouldn’t he?”
She still remembered the day when a ferocious beast as tall as a building broke into the palace and was viciously torn apart by a dark green long whip. At that time, she thought she was doomed, but the sound of the whip was like a startling swan, and the next moment, the dark clouds parted to reveal the light.
Even though she had glimpsed the general idea from the novel, being in the midst of it felt different. Coming from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, a single ray of light was enough to warm her heart. So, after thinking it over, the girl carefully chose her words.
“The immortal’s strength isn’t weak. If he gets fooled, it must be because his brain isn’t working well.”
Yes, Lin Ran was actually a transmigrator, a 21st-century university student who accidentally died from overwork while preparing for exams, only to find herself transmigrated into a cultivation novel, with a system accompanying her. The system told her she had to win over an inner disciple of the Chen Yue Sect. The requirements weren’t strict; she could win over any one of them, and she could switch targets. The opportunity to ascend the Immortal Mountain was in the next couple of days.
Lin Ran crouched as she made her way to the front of the Taihe Hall. She was aware that her journey was going too smoothly. The emperor abandoned the city and fled with the demon concubine, and people weren’t so servile as to have no complaints.
No one wanted to see Imperial Concubine Lan Zhen succeed in her goal. Rather than letting the spoiled seventh princess ascend, it was better to let the sixth princess, who had organized several palace defenses in times of crisis, go. This was the thought of everyone, from ministers to maids and eunuchs, which allowed her journey to be unimpeded.
Lin Ran smoothly arrived under the window of the Taihe Hall. She was only eleven years old and had been neglected, so she was malnourished and a bit short. Fortunately, she had good physical training, which allowed her to climb up to the window. When she looked inside, she couldn’t help but be stunned—
Among the special ones, clearly not mortals, there was only one. A young man with black curly hair tied up with a golden crown, wearing a uniquely styled robe with a dark green base and golden patterns, with sleeves that suggested both civility and martial prowess. His every gesture carried the unique intimidation of someone in power.
Her father was also a person in power, but he always gave off the vibe of a violent domestic abuser. He had an intimidating presence, but it was the kind that made people feel like they were facing a madman or a pervert. But the person seated here was different. He looked more like an emperor than the emperor himself, with elegance and danger in every move.
As if sensing someone watching, the owner of the robe paused with the wine cup in his hand, and the next second, his eyes landed precisely on the window where Lin Ran was.
For a moment, the girl’s mind went blank. Those golden eyes were too dangerous, like the gaze of a hunting snake, a blood-stained flower growing among thorns.
However, the oppressive feeling didn’t last long because the owner of those eyes suddenly softened his expression. He curled his lips at Lin Ran and silently mouthed something. Lin Ran understood the lip movement; he said, “Junior Sister Lin.”
Woc!!! Has Father finally gone mad? What was he thinking, trying to deceive someone like this?!
This was clearly not someone who could be easily fooled!
Lin Ran, with a blank expression, shrank back from the window and sat on the ground, hugging her sleeves.
Good news: No matter what schemes they play, Lin Yue shouldn’t be able to replace her position and qualifications.
Bad news…
Lin Ran couldn’t help but poke the system, “Are you sure the person inside is the senior brother sent by the Immortal Realm to pick me up? Shouldn’t it be a Demon Lord or Monster Emperor impersonating him?”
System: “…”
System: “No mistake, that’s your senior brother.”
“Wow…” Lin Ran couldn’t help but let out a couple of meaningless exclamations. She took a deep breath and decided to climb up to the window once more.
As the cups were exchanged and the atmosphere reached the right moment, the emperor, who looked particularly listless despite his young age, finally took the opportunity to speak. It was at this moment that Lin Ran heard footsteps. She climbed down from the window and hid behind a stone pillar.
“I heard that the immortal has come to take our dynasty’s sixth princess to the Immortal Mountain, so I’ve already had someone bring the sixth princess here.”
As he spoke, a little princess dressed in luxurious attire walked in from the front of the hall. However, it wasn’t the sixth princess; it was the seventh princess. But the emperor didn’t mind, thinking that the immortal wouldn’t recognize the human world’s princesses anyway.
As soon as the last word was spoken, the hall fell silent. The ministers exchanged glances but remained silent. The seventh princess, however, looked at the green-clad immortal with amazement, her eyes filled with joy.
When her father’s last word fell, Lin Yue cleverly bowed to pay her respects, “Ran’er greets…”
Her salute was interrupted, and her words were cut off. Lou Shuangzui waved his hand, stopping her from saluting, and turned to look at the emperor on the high seat. “May I ask, Your Majesty, is this really the sixth princess, Lin Ran? But I’ve heard that the sixth princess has always been frail, even shorter than her younger sister, only three feet six inches tall, while this little princess before me seems to be about three feet nine inches.”
The hall fell silent for a moment. The imperial concubine, fearing the truth would be exposed, stepped forward with a smile and said to Lou Shuangzui, “That was before the chaos. Over the past year, Princess Ran has grown quite a bit.”
“Is that so?” Lou Shuangzui looked at the imperial concubine, making her feel guilty and flustered, forcing her to take a step back. The immortal played with the wine cup, smiling faintly, “Do you know that the Immortal Realm is not like the palace? Those with talent thrive, while those without talent die without a trace. I’m looking for Lin Ran because the Heavenly Dao pointed out Lin Ran. My junior sister, at the very least, will have a single spiritual root talent.”
The young man’s gaze shifted down to Lin Yue, the golden light flowing, both comforting and pressuring, “Princess, you’ve lived a life of luxury. Why go to the Immortal Realm to become a nobody?”
Lin Yue bit her lip, looking helplessly at her mother on the throne, her hands unconsciously twisting her sleeves. But seeing no one speaking, she mustered the courage to step forward.
“I’ve always been better than my sixth sister, excelling in both literature and martial arts. Even the people in the palace prefer me over my sixth sister. Why can she go, but I can’t?”
She was so confident that Lin Ran, outside the hall, almost laughed. Lin Yue was favored, so she had the best teachers in literature and martial arts, but she still slacked off every day. Lin Ran, who could only learn from the Grand Tutor, could still score better than her.
The reason she didn’t dare to show it was because the last two times she scored higher than Lin Yue, the imperial concubine had someone punish her with confinement and cut her food rations. It seemed others were the same; it wasn’t that everyone was inferior to Lin Yue, but that if they surpassed her, they would be targeted by the imperial concubine, so they didn’t want to show it.
Author’s Note: