Even through her eyelids, a flash of silver light suddenly pierced the darkness and stung Qu Qi’s eyes.
Enduring the discomfort, she slowly forced them open. With just one look, a cold sweat broke out across her skin.
Directly in her line of sight was an ancient silver sword. Its bronze hilt was engraved with intricate patterns and gripped by a large, sturdy hand. However, the most terrifying part of the scene was the tip of the blade, shimmering with a snowy frost, hovering a mere few centimeters above the tip of her nose.
Gulp.
Qu Qi swallowed hard, staring so intently at the blade that she unintentionally became cross-eyed. Her instinct was to scramble back, but she found that although nothing was physically behind her, an invisible force pinned her limbs to the spot and made movement impossible.
“Crap, what kind of realistic nightmare is this?” It was so vivid she could actually feel the biting chill and the murderous intent radiating from the sword’s tip.
A shout, heavy with suppressed rage, burst into her ears: “Qu Qi! Framing a fellow disciple is already a grave sin! Now, not only do you show no remorse, you’re still trying to evade your punishment!”
Qu Qi was utterly dazed. “Hurting a fellow disciple? What does that mean?”
“Did I accidentally overwork a colleague to death while pulling overtime yesterday?”
She carefully reviewed her actions from the previous day. “That shouldn’t be right. With my pooping on the clock and procrastinate whenever possible efficiency, even an eighty year old grandpa would shake his head at my lack of hustle. Even if the boss caught me slacking, he wouldn’t try to skewer me with a sword, right? Truly, capitalists are evil!”
Looking around, she saw a crowd of people dressed in ancient robes surrounding her, their faces etched with indignation. Qu Qi had never seen such a formation. The last time she was attacked by this many people was when she pulled three legendary cards in a single ten pull, and a group of unlucky gamers wanted her to drop dead.
“Do modern nightmares not come with a previously on recap anymore? Just straight to the climax?”
As she spaced out, the cold sword moved a fraction closer. The man wielding it glared with tiger like eyes and said coldly, “Let’s see what else you have to say for yourself!”
Qu Qi’s brain short circuited. “Holy crap, big brother, you’re serious?”
In those few seconds, her life flashed before her eyes. Every mistake from her birth to the present played out like a tragic slideshow. From breaking her front teeth in a fall at age three to her social death in front of her boss at twenty five, every moment was too painful to recall.
“Wait! Why am I reflecting on my life? I don’t even know these people! I haven’t provoked any of you!”
Finally, Qu Qi stared at the ferocious face in front of her and lowered her head with an air of tragic resolve: “Hero, spare my life! There must be a misunderstanding.”
Unexpectedly, her words instantly ignited the surrounding fury.
“Don’t listen to her! This isn’t the first time she’s bullied her fellow disciples. We cannot let her go this time!”
“Qu Qi is a compulsive liar! That’s exactly how she tricked me out of my spirit pills last time!”
Amidst the chaos, a timid voice spoke up from nearby: “Senior Brother Gao, I believe Senior Sister Qu isn’t such a malicious person. Perhaps there’s another reason for all this!”
Touched that someone was actually speaking for her, Qu Qi looked over. A clean cut young man stepped out from the crowd. His fists were clenched and his shoulders trembled. He looked terrified, yet determined.
As their eyes met, Qu Qi nodded frantically at him in gratitude. The man froze, looking back at her with a very strange expression.
The tall man known as Senior Brother Gao, the one pointing the sword at her, said coldly: “Ji Ling, you two are from the same peak. Of course you’d cover for each other. Our Junior Sister fell off a cliff under mysterious circumstances, and only Qu Qi was there. She is definitely involved, and I will see this through to the end!”
Ji Ling was clearly an honest sort and unpracticed in debate. His pale face flushed red: “But.”
“Junior Brother Ji, give it a rest. You’re defending her, but she might not even be grateful.”
“Exactly! Watch out, or she’ll turn around and bite you, claiming you were the killer. Besides, who on Wangxu Peak doesn’t know she’s been jealous of Junior Sister for a long time? She’s practiced for three years and is still inferior to the Junior Sister who joined months ago. Junior Sister is about to reach the Foundation Building stage, while she’s still stuck at the third level of Qi Refining.”
“Junior Sister Qu has always been overbearing and arrogant. Naturally, she looks down on us ordinary folk.”
The malicious comments surged toward her like a wave, exposing every bit of her dark history. Qu Qi felt her scalp tingle. The murderous intent from Senior Brother Gao intensified as if he were ready to chop her into pieces.
However, after listening to the back and forth, she finally understood the situation. Taking advantage of the distraction, Qu Qi secretly moved her finger and gave her thigh a hard pinch.
The sharp pain that followed made her hiss through her teeth. She had to accept reality. “Holy crap, I really have transmigrated into a book!”
She had transmigrated as the vicious female supporting lead in a Mary Sue All Men Love Me novel, the lowliest of cannon fodder.
As a humble 9 to 6 office worker, Qu Qi usually spent her free time reading novels to kill time, specifically those sweet and silly stories that required no brainpower. Last night, she had opened a popular Sect Darling story with a cliché plot.
The heroine was, of course, the ultra popular Junior Sister: Su Fuwan. Su Fuwan had it all: beauty, a great personality, and extraordinary luck. Not only did she possess a special constitution that made cultivation as easy as drinking water, but she also constantly stumbled into legendary treasures. She was the White Moonlight of the world.
Immortals, dragon maidens, demon lords, they were all crazy for her. In the novel, fans joked that every handsome character wanted to pin her against a wall and say, “Give me one kiss, and I’ll give you my life!”
And the cannon fodder with the same name as Qu Qi? She was the perfect foil to the heroine. She was arrogant, dull witted, and plagued by bad luck. Having failed to make progress in three years, she constantly provoked the heroine.
The current situation, Su Fuwan falling off the cliff, was the original Qu Qi’s doing. The original host couldn’t handle the fact that Su Fuwan had stolen the spotlight and outclassed her in every way. In a fit of jealousy, she had lured Su Fuwan out and pushed her off a cliff, later lying that they were attacked by demons.
She naively thought that with Su Fuwan dead, her secret was safe. But how could a heroine die from a fall? The next day, Su Fuwan appeared at the gates of Wangxu Peak, bloodied and semiconscious.
The lie was exposed, and Qu Qi was dragged to the Disciplinary Hall.
“Enough. Everyone, be quiet.”
An aged voice from the high platform interrupted Qu Qi’s thoughts. The sound carried a heavy weight of internal power. The crowd fell silent and looked toward the old man.
Qu Qi followed their gaze. On the platform stood a bright mirror reflecting the figures below. Above it hung a plaque that read “Upright and Aboveboard” in bold gold lettering. Below the plaque sat an old man with a white beard, wearing blue robes and holding a fly whisk, looking every bit the immortal.
This was Elder Jing Shu, the hall’s moderator. In the original book, he doted on Su Fuwan just like everyone else. His questioning of Qu Qi was a mere formality. He had already judged her guilty.
Senior Brother Gao, Gao Wuheng, the story’s main male lead, sheathed his sword and spoke firmly: “This concerns the sect’s reputation. We cannot trust Qu Qi’s word alone. Please, Elder, seek justice for our Junior Sister!”
He looked toward the side of the platform, his gaze softening. Gao Wuheng was the head disciple and Su Fuwan’s most loyal protector. In his wake, the crowd erupted: “Seek justice for Junior Sister!”
The chant echoed like a tidal wave. Ji Ling’s weak protests were instantly drowned out.
Qu Qi was stunned. “The coordination! Even my primary school oath taking wasn’t this synchronized.”
In the midst of the chaos, a clear female voice cut through the noise: “Thank you, brothers and sisters, for speaking up for me.”
The room went silent. Someone asked softly, as if afraid to startle her: “Junior Sister, how are your injuries? Are you still in pain?”
The woman in the center of the crowd shook her head. Her pale face made her look fragile and heart wrenching. Her eyes drifted to Qu Qi, her brow furrowing slightly.
Qu Qi thought: “Damn, as expected of the heroine Su Fuwan. Even her injuries look ethereal.”
Look at her treatment: a pear wood chair with velvet cushions, being held like a precious porcelain doll. Then look at Qu Qi: tied up with coarse hemp rope like a piece of roast pork waiting to be sliced.
Su Fuwan coughed into a silk handkerchief and said softly: “I appreciate everyone’s kindness, but I want to hear what Senior Sister Qu has to say first. Perhaps she had some hidden hardship.”
The crowd sighed. “Junior Sister, you are too kind. You shouldn’t give a wicked person like her any chance to make excuses.”
Everyone’s eyes landed on Qu Qi like a thousand invisible blades. Qu Qi trembled. “Help, what am I supposed to say?”
She remembered that in the original plot, the host’s refusal to confess led to her becoming a social pariah, eventually fleeing to the demons only to be eaten by the Big Bad Villain, Sheng Xizhu.
Literally eaten. A very cannon fodder death.
Qu Qi did not want to be a villain’s snack. As a salted fish who just wanted to survive, the first step was to stay away from trouble makers.
Suddenly, Qu Qi’s gaze became sharp. She straightened her back, her expression becoming solemn and profound, as if she were about to deliver a world shattering speech.
The crowd blinked in surprise. Qu Qi was known as a useless beauty, terrible at everything except having a stunning face. Her features were vibrant and alluring, like a fox spirit from a folk tale.
Seeing her delicate wrists chafed by the rope and her long lashes trembling, some disciples felt a sudden, involuntary pang of pity. They held their breath, waiting for her defense.
The next second, Qu Qi took a deep breath and slammed her knees onto the floor.
“It’s all my fault! I was jealous of Junior Sister Su, so I pushed her off the cliff!”
Her voice was powerful and full of indignation, as if she were condemning someone else: “Quickly, lock me up! You cannot let a piece of scum like me continue to plague the world!”
The hall went dead silent.
“She, she just confessed? Just like that? No excuses?”
Even Gao Wuheng was speechless. After a long pause, he stammered, “You, what kind of trick are you playing now?”
Qu Qi flashed a wide, bright smile: “Senior Brother Gao, you’re right! I’m the one who harmed her, so please, whatever you do, don’t let me go!”
Gao Wuheng stared at her sparkling eyes, utterly shocked. “How can someone look so excited to be punished? Has this woman lost her mind?”
Ji Ling’s eyes rolled back, looking like he was about to faint: “What kind of teammate is this!”