Then she plunged straight into the miasma hovering above the forest.
With a “thud,” she fell from midair.
Ding Li lay on the ground for a long moment before she could get up, grimacing in pain.
A faint voice sounded nearby: “Junior Sister Ding, your cultivation has improved, and so has your courage.”
Lin Ziyuan quickly ran over from the side. “Are you okay?”
Ding Li dusted herself off and glared at Xiao Wenjing’s distant figure with a grudge.
Damn it, that was on purpose!
Lin Ziyuan asked again, “You’re not hurt, right?”
Ding Li pressed her lips together and ground her teeth. “I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”
The miasma here was thick. If inhaled into the body, it easily caused hallucinations. Ding Li had been caught off guard and had inhaled it directly into her lungs, which left her a little dizzy.
She expelled the miasma from her body using her cultivation and then took a small vial from her bag, removing its stopper.
A white, wispy smoke rose slowly from the bottle, and in a short moment, the miasma around her dissipated.
Lin Ziyuan, standing close by, was pleasantly surprised. “You even prepared something this useful!”
When cultivation was insufficient, one had to make up for it in other ways. Su Xiangqing’s foundation allowed little improvement in cultivation, so Ding Li naturally studied life-saving tricks.
Ding Li picked up another small vial and tossed it to a male disciple standing behind Xiao Wenjing, named Qin Zhixing.
Qin Zhixing had probably not expected her to hand him the bottle. He accepted it gratefully, thanking her repeatedly.
The two female disciples behind him did not look pleased. Their glances at Ding Li were strange.
Of course, Ding Li knew this. These were just basic setups the original author added for cannon-fodder female characters: female rivalry.
Including Su Xiangqing herself.
That was why Ding Li did not even look at the two and simply gave the bottle to Qin Zhixing.
In the original author’s story, the female lead had a massive aura and a high-cold saintly personality, while all other female characters possessed a slight competitive instinct.
The men, on the other hand, were mostly normal.
Forcing female characters to act less intelligent she truly didn’t understand what kind of nonsense the author was trying to write.
The two female disciples acted like mindless NPCs, following Xiao Wenjing, their eyes practically full of pink hearts.
Ding Li snorted coldly. Heh, stupid male second lead, satisfied your vanity now, feeling like the center of the world with supreme glory.
Heh, stupid, stupid, stupid.
Lin Ziyuan glanced at her and asked, “Why are you laughing?”
Ding Li realized she had chuckled, quickly suppressing it and clearing her throat. “Did I laugh? I don’t think so.”
The group continued along the Misty Forest.
There were ten teams in total. At first, the voices of the other teams could be heard, but as they moved forward, the voices faded, leaving only the rustling of wind through the trees.
However, the deeper they went, the stranger the forest seemed.
They had been walking for about the time of two incense sticks, yet the forest seemed boundless. No matter where they walked, the miasma’s coverage did not lessen.
After another circuit, Qin Zhixing asked, “Senior Brother, did we walk back to the same place?”
Of course, Ding Li thought.
This was a scene that never appeared in the original story. She knew instantly it was the system at work.
Where the system was involved, there was always a task. Without completing it, one could not leave the miasma.
The key now was, what was the task?
Xiao Wenjing thought for a moment and glanced sideways at Ding Li.
He probably recalled their previous encounter with the Soul-Devouring Demon Vine in the forest. With the forest and dense fog, it was hard not to make a connection.
To Ding Li, it was simple to explain.
The system was trash, with limited thinking. It did not know how to innovate, so it reused the same scene repeatedly.
But in Xiao Wenjing’s eyes, it was different.
Ding Li saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
He was likely wondering about the Soul-Devouring Demon Vine they eliminated that night. Could it have resurrected, or was something suspicious going on?
The two junior female disciples behind, hearing Qin Zhixing, looked scared and huddled closer to Xiao Wenjing, exclaiming together, “Senior Brother, I’m so scared!”
???
You belong to Su Xiangqing, don’t you?
Ding Li felt a headache coming from these mindless characters and tugged Lin Ziyuan along. “Let’s go first.”
Lin Ziyuan, still dazed and confused, was pulled along by her.
Qin Zhixing shouted from behind, “Senior Sister!”
He did not want Ding Li to leave; if she died, he would have no idea where to retrieve her body.
Xiao Wenjing, watching Ding Li’s retreating figure, showed a trace of thoughtfulness.
After they walked some distance, Ding Li finally released Lin Ziyuan’s arm.
Lin Ziyuan immediately said, “What are you doing? This place looks dangerous. Shouldn’t we just follow Senior Brother Xiao?”
What nonsense. Before I complete the task, the system won’t kill me. I have a quarter of a golden pointer already. Following me is better than following that stupid male second lead.
You don’t know how to enjoy blessings, you don’t know whose legs to hold onto, you’re also an idiot.
Ding Li understood that as the only transmigrator in this world, the system would not easily kill her. She had survived being struck by lightning and turned into a mummy. Dying now would not be easy. Even if she were beyond saving, the system would provide a hint before attempting to kill her.
Once she realized this was a system plot, she relaxed.
Ding Li was delighted. She had found the rules of this book world. Tsk, same patterns as any job she’d worked.
She was too impatient to explain to him. “You follow me. Don’t go looking for your Senior Brother Xiao. Do you think he has time for you? Left one junior sister, right one junior sister, which sister are you?”
Just as she finished speaking, a cold voice sounded from behind: “Is that so?”
Damn it!
Relentless spirit, I swear!