The young man carried the snake demon’s head, his gait steady and unhurried.
His face was excessively beautiful.
With delicate features, a high-bridged nose, and cool, thin lips, his hair pulled up into a high ponytail, the black strands swayed slightly with the mountain breeze. Amidst the shifting light and shadow, he appeared even more captivating.
But that wasn’t the point! The point was that the demon supposed to kill her had been killed by Mu Heng!
What was she supposed to do about her mission now!?
Just then, the system screen popped up.
【Regrettably, the character mission has failed. The host has missed the opportunity to return to the original world at this time.】
Lin Lumi’s mind went blank, and she slumped to the ground.
Did this mean all the years she had waited were for nothing!?
“Is there any other way to go back!!?”
【If the host still wishes to return, she must continue to drive the plot forward.】
【1. Assist the male lead in protecting the common people.】
【2. Facilitate the male lead and the female lead becoming cultivation partners.】
On the other side, Mu Heng dropped the snake demon’s head, his eyes holding a hint of mockery.
He laughed, his voice clear: “Lin Lumi, it’s one thing to run out to pray in the middle of the night, but how did you not notice a demon approaching? It’s lucky I arrived in time.”
He swung his sword leisurely, the corners of his lips hooking up. “How do you intend to thank me?”
“Thank you?”
After taking a few deep breaths, Lin Lumi stood up. Almost without warning, she drew her sword and swung at Mu Heng.
“You ruined my plans, and you want me to thank you!? I’ll thank your ancestor!”
Her sword stance was driven entirely by rage—fast, chaotic, and devoid of any technique.
Mu Heng clearly hadn’t expected her sudden attack. Caught off guard, he hurriedly drew his sword, blocking the strike at an angle. Sparks flew.
“You maniac! I saved you; shouldn’t you be thanking me!?”
“And aren’t you here to pray for a good marriage? Isn’t it me—your desirable husband-to-be? What plans of yours did I ruin?”
Lin Lumi froze, her movements stopping.
“Mu Heng, what desirable husband? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
Mu Heng was forced back two steps. Once he stood his ground, he immediately pulled a letter from his sleeve.
He paused for a moment, then read triumphantly: “Spring catkins fly and fill the courtyard; my heart yearns for you, but you remain unaware.”
With that, he chuckled, his voice low and carrying a playful, seductive quality: “Why, Miss Lin, have you forgotten the love letter you wrote to me so quickly?”
Lin Lumi stiffened.
Oh, god…
“……”
She closed her eyes in despair.
Confrontations, arguments, mutual torment… countless scenes rushed back like a tidal wave, eventually coalescing into the scorching lines of text that formed the love letter written by her own hand.
A sense of shame boiled over like scalding water.
If she had known the snake demon would die, she would have been better off ending her own life; at least she would have kept some dignity.
Mu Heng raised a hand, leisurely brushing a few stray hairs from his forehead: “Unbelievable. You’ve fought with me for ten years, yet you’ve long held such deep feelings for me. Since that’s the case, wouldn’t it be too heartless of me to refuse?”
He cleared his throat, his tone carrying a touch of nervousness: “Fine, I will reluctantly agree to your feelings.”
The air was silent for a few moments.
“Huh?” Lin Lumi frowned and opened her eyes upon hearing this: “What are you talking about? What do you mean ‘reluctantly agree’? Do you have some kind of misunderstanding?”
Mu Heng pinched the love letter, shaking it gently in front of her with a playful look in his eyes: “Then, how about you explain this love letter?”
Lin Lumi clutched her forehead and sighed: “I wrote this letter just to disgust you, to make you restless day and night, to keep you awake all night… Did you actually take it seriously?”
Seeing Lin Lumi explaining so earnestly, the smile on Mu Heng’s face suddenly vanished.
That seemed like the most logical explanation. After all, the moment he received the letter, he had searched frantically for Lin Lumi, solely to confirm if she had actually written it.
After a long while, Mu Heng spoke: “So, the letter was a lie?”
“What else?”
“And you don’t like me even a little bit?”
“Why, is Second Young Master Mu disappointed because he actually liked me?”
In that instant, the night fell silent.
The moonlight draped down coldly, illuminating Mu Heng’s profile clearly.
He was stunned.
That overly beautiful face seemed to have been pierced by her words. A crimson flush crawled up from the side of his neck, quickly spreading to his earlobes.
He was usually arrogant, but at this moment, he was rarely blushing.
How to describe it? It was like someone who had been humiliated but was too poor with words to retort, ending up red-faced instead.
Lin Lumi realized with a start: it seemed this letter had indeed worked, even disgusting him to the point of being so angry he was flustered.
“Lin—Lu—Mi,” Mu Heng enunciated, smiling through gritted teeth, “You toyed with me!?”
Lin Lumi raised an eyebrow: “Of course. It’s not the first time you’ve been toyed with by me, so why is it strange?”
Mu Heng fell silent, then curled his lips, staring at her intensely: “Lin Lumi, you will regret writing this letter.”
With that, Mu Heng left without looking back.
Lin Lumi didn’t take Mu Heng’s words to heart at all. After all, she had already encountered the unluckiest thing possible; she didn’t think anything could be worse than the present.
She sat on the ground, dazed for a long while. Just as she was feeling despondent, the system interface suddenly changed.
【Given the increased difficulty of the mission, the system will add a bonus of 100 million to the reward upon completion.】
Lin Lumi’s eyes lit up immediately upon seeing this.
100 million! How many people could never earn 100 million in their entire lives?
That was so many more zeros than five million!
Besides, even if she did nothing, as long as she returned the fortuitous encounter of the snake demon to the male lead today, he would eventually defeat the Demon King and find mutual affection with the female lead!
Was this a blessing in disguise!?
Thinking of this, Lin Lumi braced herself once more.
She rushed over to pick up the snake demon’s head, then cut it open to retrieve a golden, gleaming ring from inside.
This monster had been an ordinary snake that evolved into a great demon after accidentally swallowing the Hunyuan Ring.
This Hunyuan Ring was one of the male lead’s “golden fingers” (cheat items). If the male lead was to kill the Demon King, this ring was indispensable.
Next, she simply needed to follow the Emperor’s decree, participate in the Dongling Ling Shu disciple entrance examination, and she would be able to enter the Juling Sect. She would naturally become the junior sister of the male lead, Wei Lingfeng, driving the plot and completing the mission.
Thankfully, everything wasn’t all bad.
After organizing her thoughts, Lin Lumi headed back to the Marquis’s estate.
Tonight, the mansion entrance was exceptionally bright. The reflection of flames and hanging lanterns cast a ghastly glow on the vermilion doors.
Just as she stepped into the alley, she saw the Marquis of Anding and Wang Yue’e standing side-by-side, followed by a line of servants, standing aggressively before the door as if waiting specifically to block her.
Seeing their aggressive stance, Lin Lumi was puzzled: “Father and Mother usually don’t care about me at all, so why the grand reception tonight?”
Upon seeing her, the Marquis of Anding pointed at Lin Lumi and cursed: “You wretch! You still have the nerve to ask! You are an unmarried woman! Not only do you not stay home properly in the middle of the night and run off without a word, but you even wrote a farewell letter to Chuntao?! Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were looking for death! Do you have any respect for me as your father at all!?”
The torchlight flickered, illuminating half of Lin Lumi’s delicate, beautiful face.
She lifted her eyes, her tone unhurried: “And have you ever had any respect for me as your daughter? Usually, you treat me as if I don’t exist, but today you pretend to be a loving father and mother. What’s the matter, did you suddenly have a change of heart tonight?”
“You!” The Marquis of Anding raised his hand to slap Lin Lumi, but Wang Yue’e at his side steadied his hand. “Enough, Marquis. Mi’er still has to meet the Emperor tomorrow. Don’t leave a scar on her face.”