In the Fengtian Era, the peace treaty between the Demon Clan and Human race had been in effect for 374 years, during the early summer.
The Rongyun Sect.
A white crane extended its radiant wings across the vast expanse of floating clouds, soaring gracefully. Its shadow cast over a pond adorned with emerald lotus leaves. Suddenly, a melodious flute sound wafted from the distance. The crane, as if responding to an unspoken command, gently flapped its snow-white wings, momentarily hanging in the air, then swiftly descended. Its crimson talons lightly touched the water’s surface, creating a soft ‘plop’ and causing ripples to ripple outward.
In an instant, a group of fish scattered, fleeing from the expanding ripples, while the morning dew on the lotus leaves trembled and dripped.
Looking up once more, the white crane held a shimmering, translucent green bead in its beak as it emerged from the water.
A chorus of cheers and shouts erupted from countless men and women on the shore. The white crane, seemingly revitalized, spread its wings proudly and soared, its resonant cries echoing through the land.
“That’s the seventh one,” a man in white robes on the edge of the lotus pond excitedly clapped and praised, “Junior Brother, it seems you’re about to surpass the record set by your Senior Brother Yu in his prime.”
Upon hearing this, the young man by his side, with lowered lashes, smiled faintly, as if remembering something. He spoke softly, “How could that be? Senior Brother Yu collected forty-nine green beads back then, a record no one has broken to this day.”
Senior Brother Yu, the legendary figure who has achieved such amazing feats… It’s said that he is going out on a journey to seek enlightenment this year. Meeting him might be a distant dream.
Xiao Qingyu extended his hand, allowing the white crane to return and lightly land on his finger. He then retrieved the green bead from its beak and gently tossed it into the pink glazed ceramic plate beside him.
“Only half a stick of incense has burned, and you’ve already found seven beads. You’re truly following in Senior Brother Yu’s footsteps,” Fang Wenxun patted his shoulder and sighed lightly. “However, I think Senior Brother Shen is on his way. It might be wise to hide a few.”
In the pink-glazed porcelain plate, the green beads shone brightly before being momentarily eclipsed by the clouds drifting in from above.
Xiao Qingyu’s hand froze in place, and the gentle nudge from the white crane’s beak on his finger brought him back to reality.
After a moment, he quickly lowered his gaze and nodded, “Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother.”
Xiao Qingyu was about to reach for the bead when a flash of red passed by. He instinctively tightened his long sleeves, but only heard the faint sound of several green beads clinking.
When he looked again, only half of the beads remained in the porcelain plate.
“Senior Brother Fang, since we’re fellow disciples, why hide things?” A voice, arrogant and wilful, dressed in red, swept past Xiao Qingyu, nearly causing him to step back, almost falling into the lotus pond. Fortunately, Fang Wenxun reached out and pulled him back, saving him from a mishap.
His breath stagnated, feeling as if he had been drenched and chilled from head to toe.
Xiao Qingyu suppressed his trembling voice and softly said, “Greetings, Second Senior Brother.”
Second Senior Brother, Shen Tanqi, a member of the prestigious Shen family, one of the four major human clans.
Dressed in fiery red attire, exuding a demeanor that was both lofty and proud, displaying an exceptional brightness and nobility. It was a bitter irony that someone from such a privileged family would grow into such an extravagant and stunning figure.
However, despite the beauty, associating with this senior brother always led to unfortunate ends.
Rumors had it that he was jealous by nature and enjoyed suppressing his fellow disciples. Moreover, Shen Tanqi’s uncle was one of the elders of the Rongyun Sect, which meant that any disciples associated with Shen Tanqi will inevitably suffer disasters at his hands, without exception.
Xiao Qingyu had only been at the sect for three days and had been anxiously avoiding Shen Tanqi, but he couldn’t escape the annual Lotus Festival of the sect. In this festival, many disciples competed, and as a newcomer, Xiao Qingyu was afraid that offending Shen Tanqi would lead to a difficult life for many years to come.
If only he had known, he wouldn’t have been so greedy.
Xiao Qingyu’s figure wavered, trembling and unsteady. He was about to kneel down when Shen Tanqi, in front of him, reached out and stopped him.
He said, “You, lift your head.”
Xiao Qingyu’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, but he had no choice but to obey. He was just a poor, orphaned child from a remote village, and if not for his natural talent, he might have been abandoned in some remote wilderness.
He slowly raised his head, looking up at Shen Tanqi with a pleading look.
But in the next moment, Shen Tanqi’s movements froze, and he seemed to stutter, “Your, um, your appearance is strangely good-looking.”
Finished.
Xiao Qingyu felt despair. He heard that those praised for their looks by Senior Brother Shen would be kicked out of the sect within three days on some excuse, and without fail, their faces would swell up like pig heads when they left.
But what he didn’t expect was…
“Get up,” Shen Tanqi gestured with a casual wave, and added, “Don’t kneel for no reason.”
For a moment, both Xiao Qingyu and the nearby Fang Wenshen were dumbfounded.
Was it an auditory hallucination?
Would Senior Brother Shen say such words?
Seeing their seemingly clueless faces, Shen Tanqi chuckled slightly. “What’s wrong? Am I not allowed to be considerate?”
“Of course, of course,” Fang Wenshen hastily interjected, bowing and speaking, “This is Junior Brother Xiao, Xiao Qingyu, who just came up the mountain a few days ago, doesn’t quite understand the rules.”
Even Senior Brother Fang, who held a senior position, seemed to be slightly afraid of Shen Tanqi, as he gave a gesture of respect when addressing his junior brother.
Observing this, Xiao Qingyu followed suit, bowing. “I heard Senior Brother was recently recovering from a serious illness. I didn’t dare disturb. My apologies for any offense. Is Senior Brother feeling better now?”
“It’s nothing, just a minor illness, just fried my brain a bit.”
“Huh?”
Shen Tanqi picked up a green bead from his palm, raised it towards the sky, examining its color in the light. Though it was a bit greener, its appearance was a bit gloomy, not very attractive. He looked slightly puzzled. “So, why did you guys hide this thing?”
After scanning, there wasn’t anything useful. This bead didn’t seem particularly valuable.
Upon hearing this, Fang Wenxun and Xiao Qingyu glanced at each other, both looking somewhat skeptical.
Every year during the Lotus Festival, Shen Tanqi, a person who always aimed to stand out, somehow forgot the details of the event.
Could it be that the recent serious illness fried his brain for real?
Xiao Qingyu lowered his head, murmuring, “Senior Brother, we didn’t mean to hide it, it was just a joke between me and Senior Brother Fang.”
“This is a game during the Lotus Festival. The White Crane and Green Bead competition. Within half an incense stick’s time, whoever has the most beads delivered by a crane wins and can obtain a superior spiritual medicine, Snow Jade Lotus.”
Hearing the explanation, Shen Tanqi laughed and tossed the green bead back into Xiao Qingyu’s porcelain plate. “Ah, the Lotus Festival.” He paused, then suddenly seemed to understand, a full smile on his face. “Thank you, Senior Brother Fang, Junior Brother Xiao. I’m going to have a cup of green tea to beat the heat. You guys carry on; friendship is second, bravery comes first.”
As he walked away with his hands behind his back, Xiao Qingyu and Fang Wenshen looked at each other.
“Senior Brother, he…”
“This illness…”
Shen Tanqi’s illness turned out to be quite a blessing, a perfectly good and wonderful illness.
Both of them silently thought in their hearts.
Meanwhile, in the Lotus Pavilion, as soon as he stepped inside, Shen Tanqi saw the people who were previously laughing and playing in the pavilion turn pale, finding excuses to quickly leave the cool pavilion.
Shen Tanqi was puzzled for a while, then he took out a folding fan from inside his robe, fanned himself a few times, and inexplicably said to the empty air, “Am I really that scary?”
Suddenly, in the empty space, a golden little chick suddenly appeared, flapping its wings.
The little chick struggled to fly in mid-air and blurted out, “Oh my, have you no idea how scary your original body is? Every day, you bully everyone around. Anyone who sees you will definitely get a fright.”
Shen Tanqi fell silent for a moment, took a sip of tea, and said, “Switch the system to standard Mandarin mode.”
The little chick replied, “Yes, master. What are your instructions?”
“I finished reading this book last night after staying up. I have a small question.” Shen Tanqi gazed at the lush green bushes outside the pavilion, the unfamiliar sea of greenery leaving him feeling somewhat lost.
It had been 28 hours since he arrived here, and he regretted not buying shower gel. If only he had known from the start that stepping on a bar of soap in the shower would lead to slipping and passing through a book, he would have bought shower gel.
A little chick flew in front of him, cheerfully flexing its claws and said with a smile, “Please, tell me what you need.”
Shen Tanqi asked, “You mentioned that once I complete the plot and finish the storyline, I can return home. But it seems you didn’t mention any rules or restrictions.”
“No rules, no restrictions. Our system focuses on being user-friendly,” the little chick proudly said. “There have been too many people entering stories these years. If our system doesn’t have this advantage, how can it stand out? Don’t worry; as soon as you complete the task, you’ll be sent home. You will receive a monthly salary of 13,000, which includes five insurances, two housing funds, and all holiday benefits.”
“Pfft—”
Shen Tanqi couldn’t hold back and sprayed a mouthful of tea, “Is that so?”
It paid way better than his original job at the library!
Goodness, he even considered joining here for a regular position…
Shen Tanqi raised an eyebrow, “Why did you choose me?”
The little chick replied, “Because you look good.”
Shen Tanqi nodded, “That’s a valid point.”
The plot of this book was quite straightforward, mainly about the male lead’s journey of self-improvement in the cultivation world. And Shen Tanqi, unfortunately, transmigrated as a cannon fodder character on the male lead’s path.
The original personality was arrogant and domineering, always striving to be the best. However, the male lead always had the protagonist’s halo, and it was impossible for anyone to surpass him.
Thus, the original continually taunted and obstructed the male lead, causing obstacles, but the male lead always effortlessly resolved the issues in the original book.
Ultimately, the original became so frustrated with himself that he became a lunatic, insisting on dueling with the male lead. The two ‘fought,’ resulting in the original being single-handedly defeated and thrown off Bloodthirst Cliff.
Therefore, as long as the task of falling off Bloodthirst Cliff was completed without being interrupted, Shen Tanqi’s mission would be considered entirely accomplished.
“No rules, no restrictions. Doesn’t that mean…” Shen Tanqi raised his teacup and his lips curved slightly, “As long as I don’t provoke the male lead, I can live my own peaceful life?”
If he doesn’t create any conflicts with the male lead, how could he possibly end up like the original character? Shen Tanqi only needs to maintain good relationships with people he used to bully in the past; that should make life simpler and more relaxed.
The little chick momentarily paused, then replied, “It seems… possible?”
Satisfied with the answer, Shen Tanqi was in a great mood, setting aside his teacup as he walked towards the pavilion’s exit. “Respected 13,000 monthly salary, beloved benefits, lovely holiday perks, here I come!”
However, he had forgotten one important thing—the Lotus Pond Pavilion was built above a lotus pond.
Shen Tanqi stepped into the air, and with a splash, he fell into the water. Suddenly, the fish scattered, water splashed, and his crimson robe puffed out like a blooming blood-colored lotus, startling the white crane in the sky.
“Senior Brother Shen! Senior Brother Shen has fallen into the pond!”
The lotus leaves acted like little parasols above his head, and koi fish swam by his face. Bubbles emerged in front of his eyes, obscuring his vision, and the voice of the system became indistinct, sometimes distant, sometimes close, making it difficult to understand.
The shore became noisy and bustling, appearing chaotic. Just when Shen Tanqi was speechless and wondering why he was always so unlucky, a fair and slender hand suddenly broke through the water’s surface, firmly grasping his wrist.
Strong and steady, exuding a gentle warmth.
For a moment, Shen Tanqi was in a daze.
As he was being pulled out of the water, the daylight began to brighten, and clouds drifted lazily in the sky.
The person who pulled him out of the water wore a light blue veil hat that partially concealed his face. However, a gentle breeze swept by, revealing a hint of a snow-white neck under the gauzy black veil. The person’s lips parted slightly, speaking softly.
“Shen Tanqi.”
“Breathe.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
