Wei Ruoyun retracted her gaze thoughtfully; that figure just now had felt far too familiar. However, since her Senior Sister was still in secluded meditation, it couldn't possibly be her. She dismissed the thought and focused on the matter at hand.
Half a month ago, the various sects had sensed that a treasure was about to emerge. As the day drew nearer, the sensation grew stronger. Every sect had dispatched disciples to investigate, and the First Sect had sent the female and male leads to lead a group of disciples. If fate allowed, they were to secure the treasure.
At this moment, everyone was gathered around the mountain peak, waiting for the treasure to appear. Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the earth. The leading disciples of each sect quickly ordered their members to form ranks and remain calm.
Once Que Tang steadied herself, she crept forward a little further. She saw the female and male leads in the distance discussing something. Seeing how well-matched they looked, Que Tang felt she could finally relax. No "more than friends, less than lovers" dynamic could withstand the natural pull of opposite attraction. Thus, she waited leisurely on the sidelines, ready to step in only if an emergency occurred.
"By the way, what's the male lead's name?" While waiting, she boredly asked the question she had neglected for nearly fifty years.
"Yun Kong Aotian. Meow~"
"...Aotian again? And that surname is so 'Mary Sue'—who names someone Yun Kong? The author must be a primary schooler; I’m actually kneeling in despair." Que Tang wore a look of utter exasperation.
As she and Little Shiitake were complaining, the anomaly appeared again. A beam of blue light erupted from the mountain peak, shooting straight into the sky, followed by green gas seeping from a crack in the center.
"Careful, it's poison!" someone in the crowd shouted. Everyone frantically covered their noses and mouths, swallowing detoxification pills.
However, the female lead leaped into mid-air and produced a gourd. With a flick of her fingers to form a hand seal, she sucked all the gas into the gourd and capped it.
"As expected of the number one genius of the cultivation world. Her luck and opportunities are truly extraordinary."
Hearing the envious and jealous tones of those around her, Que Tang felt the pride of a mother who had raised a successful daughter. Indeed, without a reborn female protagonist blocking her path, the supporting female lead was truly magnificent.
Once the toxic gas dissipated, the crowd gathered around the crack. The leading disciples of several sects stepped forward to deliberate. But before they could reach a conclusion, another change occurred.
Numerous figures in black suddenly lunged from the crack, beginning a massacre of the unprepared disciples.
"Oh no, it's demon cultivators! We've been lured into a trap!" the male lead exclaimed in shock.
The female lead’s expression remained unchanged, but the killing intent in her eyes was thick. she summoned her flying sword and charged forward. The male lead immediately followed suit.
Having noticed the black-clad men earlier, Que Tang had already quietly moved near her own sect's disciples. As soon as the slaughter began, she unsheathed her sword to help.
Though she had slept for fifty years, the "cheating" Que Tang was still sharp, knocking one person unconscious with a single strike. As for who would deliver the finishing blow, that was none of her business.
By the time the black-clad men were mostly dead and the righteous disciples were heavily injured, another figure emerged from the crack.
"It's one of the Three Slaughters of the Demon Cultivators, Sha Guang," the female lead said seriously, uttering a name that almost made Que Tang burst out laughing.
Then, everyone swarmed forward, attempting to use superior numbers to defeat this demon cultivator whose cultivation far exceeded theirs. Unfortunately, this was like throwing eggs against a stone. In an instant, most of the disciples were sent flying by his strikes. Only the female lead, the male lead, and the villain remained on the field.
Que Tang pulled out a bag of peanuts and watched the battle with great interest. It wasn't every day one got to watch a cultivation-world WWE wrestling match from such a close distance. Moreover, the sound and light effects were not inferior to modern surround-sound equipment at all.
Watching the male and female leads coordinate perfectly with their dual sword techniques against the demon cultivator gave her a sense of déjà vu, like watching the Little Dragon Maiden and Yang Guo fight the Golden Wheel Dharma King.
The battle dragged on, and even their combined swords began to falter. The demon cultivator gradually gained the upper hand.
Sha Guang suddenly lunged straight for the male lead's face, deliberately leaving his back exposed to the female lead. Just as she seized this opening to strike with her sword, a demonic assassin appeared behind her, intending to blast her into the sky with a palm strike. The male lead couldn't react in time and could only watch helplessly as Wei Ruoyun was about to meet a grim fate. Suddenly, the hidden attacker froze in place. A moment later, he spat out a mouthful of blood and plummeted to the ground.
Everyone on the field stopped. Sha Guang looked in disbelief at the assassin he had meticulously planted, now dead. He chose not to linger and fled the scene.
The female lead landed from high above, her red robes paired with the sharp aura that had yet to fade, leaving the surrounding disciples mesmerized. Wei Ruoyun, seemingly oblivious, knelt to search for something. Sure enough, she found a silver hairpin embedded in the assassin's vital point.
She picked it up to examine it, and in the next instant, her eyes widened. She immediately stood up and scanned the surroundings, intent on finding that person in the crowd.
Que Tang had already fled the moment she threw the silver hairpin. In the heat of the moment, she had simply grabbed the pin and hurled it. Only after throwing it did she realize it was a gift Wei Ruoyun had once given her.
She sprinted gracefully through the woods, and just as she was about to exit the forest, she suddenly froze, unable to move.
"Senior Sister." Wei Ruoyun appeared behind her. She looked at the figure in front of her with disbelief. "You've finished your seclusion?" She leaped in front of Que Tang. Seeing the face she had yearned for day and night, she reached out in joy and excitement, but then forcibly restrained herself. "Wait, Senior Sister, your cultivation... why has it stagnated?"
"Junior Sister... I..." Que Tang bit her lower lip, her expression pained. "My breakthrough failed, and the forced attempt caused a backlash. My cultivation regressed instead of progressing. It took these past few years of re-cultivation just to return to my original realm. That's why, after leaving seclusion, I only told Father that I was going down the mountain to travel and seek an opportunity. I didn't expect to run into you all here." Que Tang showed no joy, only a forced, bitter smile. "I heard that your cultivation is now the highest among our generation. Truly, congratulations." She vividly portrayed the dejection of a former prodigy who had suffered a great setback.
In reality, she had simply stagnated because she had slept for so long without practicing at all.
"Senior Sister..." Wei Ruoyun was overwhelmed with a mix of sorrow and joy. She released Que Tang’s restriction and, unable to control herself any longer, stepped forward to embrace her.
Que Tang’s eye twitched. *Wait, what kind of "guichu" development is this? Aren't the male and female leads' affection levels already very high? How did I accidentally trigger a romance flag? Am I going to NTR the male lead?*
"Junior Sister, there is no need for concern." Que Tang pushed her away and explained coldly. "I have already informed the Sect Leader; I will not easily reveal my identity as a cultivator. Thus, traveling across the Divine Land is perfectly safe. I only stepped in this time because I happened to encounter my fellow disciples. I have gained many insights recently; perhaps in a while, I will be able to advance. You should head back quickly, Junior Sister. I shall take my leave."
"Senior Sister, wait." Wei Ruoyun pulled her back. "If you don't mind, may I accompany you?" she asked cautiously.
"Junior Sister... you are now a pillar of the sect. How can you just abandon sect affairs like this?" Que Tang turned back with a faint smile. "The sect relies on you and the Eldest Senior Brother."
"Junior Sister, did you discover where the demon cultivator fled?" The Eldest Senior Brother had followed as soon as he saw Wei Ruoyun leave. He scanned the surroundings carefully but found nothing.
"He escaped," Wei Ruoyun responded coldly. "Senior Brother, please lead the disciples back to the sect first. I left a trail on that person. To avoid alerting the enemy, I will go alone."
"How can that be?"
"The sect cannot be without its leaders for a single day. I ask Senior Brother to prioritize the sect." With that, her figure blurred as she bypassed Yun Kong Aotian and headed in Que Tang's direction.
Yun Kong Aotian hesitated for a moment but ultimately did as Wei Ruoyun said and led the disciples back.
Que Tang, who was in the middle of a sprinting escape, heard a certain notification. She didn't watch her step, tripped on a branch, and went flying, face-planting into the dirt. Ignoring her disheveled state, she asked the never-reliable system guide in disbelief, "A 'guichu' value? I'm sorry, my Chinese isn't very good. Can you explain that in English?"
"So noisy! Stop pretending; it means exactly what you think it means. The female lead just opened the door to a new world on her own. So, Host, please be careful. Meow~" Little Shiitake replied irritably before ignoring Que Tang entirely.
"Senior Sister?!" Speak of the devil. Wei Ruoyun caught up again. Seeing her Senior Sister fallen on the ground, she immediately stepped forward and scooped her up in a princess carry. "Senior Sister, what's wrong?"
"I... I haven't used my internal energy in a long time and lost my strength." Que Tang leaned weakly in her arms.
Wei Ruoyun remembered that during the fight with the demon cultivator, if her Senior Sister hadn't protected her in secret, she likely wouldn't be standing here unharmed. Her beautiful face was filled with worry. "Senior Sister..."
Que Tang couldn't help but blush. Being princess-carried for the first time in her life by a woman brought a faint sense of sorrow alongside the embarrassment. "Junior Sister, please just take me to the town and leave me with a local family. That will be enough."
"No, Senior Sister. This time, no matter what you say, I will not leave you." Wei Ruoyun held her firmly. "Only when I see you by my side can I feel at peace."
"But what about Eldest Senior Brother? Aren't you two... about to become companions... how can you abandon him now?" *If the female lead doesn't go back, how am I supposed to finish the mission? And isn't the female lead's dialogue style wrong? This is a romance novel, not a GL novel!*
"...Senior Sister, do you like Senior Brother?" Wei Ruoyun recalled that when she first joined the sect, her Senior Sister was always mentioning the Eldest Senior Brother, even entrusting her to him before going into seclusion. Her Senior Sister seemed to trust him deeply.
At that possibility, an uncontrollable darkness surged within her heart. She wanted to lock the person in her arms tightly by her side, so she could go nowhere.
Que Tang felt like she was too tired to love.
"You're overthinking it, Junior Sister. My feelings for Senior Brother are merely those of fellow disciples, just like my feelings for you. I simply do not wish for my own path to interfere with your karma."
"Those are nothing but rumors; I never said I would become Dao companions with Senior Brother." Wei Ruoyun suddenly leaped onto her flying sword, startling Que Tang into grabbing her arm. Greatly enjoying her Senior Sister's reliance on her, she looked down and smiled. "Don't be afraid, Senior Sister. Hold me tight. I will take you back to the sect first to ensure your body is well, and then I will explore the secret realms of the four directions with you to seek an opportunity for your breakthrough."
Que Tang was given no chance to protest and was taken directly back to the sect.
The young lady Que Tang's "Fantastic Journey" lasted for one month. The end.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 云空傲天 | Yun Kong Aotian | The male lead's name; "Aotian" is a stereotypical "overpowered protagonist" name. |
| 沙光 | Sha Guang | A demon cultivator, one of the "Three Slaughters." |
| 魔修三屠 | Three Slaughters of the Demon Cultivators | A group of powerful and villainous demon cultivators. |
| 鬼畜值 | Guichu Value | A meter tracking "twisted," "sadistic," or "perverted" tendencies (often used in ACG subculture). |
| 道侣 | Dao Companion | A cultivation partner, similar to a spouse in the cultivation world. |
| 公主抱 | Princess carry | Carrying someone in one's arms, typically associated with romance. |
| 神洲 | Divine Land | A poetic or traditional name for the land/world in cultivation settings. |
| 友达以上、恋人未满 | More than friends, less than lovers | A common phrase describing a romantic limbo or "situationship." |
