Su Ying thought she had returned to the modern world, but when she opened her eyes, all she saw was darkness.
[What's going on?] she asked in alarm. This wasn't modern society either.
[Ahem.] The system's voice suddenly rang out. [Well, the mission has been restarted.]
[What?] Su Ying exclaimed. [Didn't I already drink the poisoned wine this time?]
[That's true, but the female lead fed it to you,] the system said. [Host, this plot development wasn't well received. The main system said it undermined the female lead's characterization and failed to deepen the bond between the male and female leads, so you have to do it over.]
Su Ying suddenly remembered her first failed mission. The male and Female Lead hadn't followed the script, dragging their feet and suspecting her instead. In a fit of irritation, she had simply drunk the poisoned wine herself.
[Then right now, I'm...] She accepted reality. At least she had taken a Pain-Relief Pill beforehand, so it hadn't hurt.
The system said, [Host, you have now accidentally entered the cave where the villain, Feng Moyuan, is cultivating in seclusion. Your mission is: help the female lead meet the male supporting character.]
Hearing the mission, Su Ying could only resign herself to her fate and stand up.
She dusted off the clothes beneath her. At this point in the plot, several disciples of the cultivation sect had descended the mountain to rid the villagers of evil. Annoyed with Ling Xian, she had insisted on going off alone, raising hell at every turn, and accidentally stumbled into the cave where the villain was cultivating in seclusion.
When Ling Xian and the eldest senior brother, Ping Qingyun, came looking for her, Ling Xian met the great demon king.
As a result, the great demon king, Feng Moyuan, fell in love with Ling Xian at first sight. Later, he even rallied the people of the demon realm to attack the cultivation sect so he could claim Ling Xian for himself.
For now, all Su Ying had to do was stay put, wait for Ling Xian to arrive, and see the scene through.
She found a corner to squat in and surveyed the cave she had already seen four times.
[System, there's something I've always wondered. Doesn't the book say this great demon king is a clean freak? Why would he choose somewhere so dark and gloomy, with such lousy scenery, to cultivate?]
[Host, the Demon Lord cultivates by sleeping. Isn't sleeping the same wherever you do it?] the system replied.
Su Ying shook her head. [There's a whole science to sleeping. A comfortable environment improves sleep quality. Look how dark and damp it is here. After sleeping for over a thousand years, he'd make his entrance covered in grime. If the female lead could be dazzled by the great demon king's looks like that, it would be utterly ridiculous.]
[Look at our male lead, her master. He's different—spotless, an immortal descended from heaven, untouched by worldly dust. No wonder the Female Lead chose him in the end instead of the great demon king, the Male Supporting Character.]
[Host, although I think you have a point, your modern world also has a saying about rising from the mud unstained. So the Demon Lord's appearance hasn't changed at all.]
[That contradicts the setup,] Su Ying said.
[I think it fits perfectly. Sigh, I really want a vacation. Host, can you promise me this will be your last mission?]
Su Ying rolled her eyes. Even an intangible system like him could take a vacation, while she would have to return to the nine-to-five grind after completing her mission.
The book's plot might be brain-dead, but at least the surroundings were nice. Her character's everyday activities weren't like those of a modern wage slave either. It was actually quite comfortable.
But the moment the plot veered off course, everything started over.
Su Ying couldn't bear being tormented again and again. Thinking of the mission points temporarily put on ice, she figured they had to be worth tens of millions, right?
Maybe even over a hundred million.
She would be a billionaire when she returned. The thought excited her. [Don't worry. This will definitely be the last time.]
[Let's hope so.]
The human and the system were chatting away.
Neither noticed that, deep inside the cave, the great demon king, Feng Moyuan, had long since been woken by their noise.
Although he was face-blind, his eyesight was excellent. He watched the girl squatting beside the cave wall. Her mouth never opened, yet her voice kept pouring into his ears.
Moreover, he heard two voices. Putting everything together, Feng Moyuan reached a conclusion.
The world he lived in wasn't a real world. It was actually a book.
He understood books, since they had books here too.
Feng Moyuan also learned that a soul called a system was hidden inside this woman's body.
This woman was carrying out a mission.
The mission involved him and someone called the female lead.
Most importantly, he was a supporting character. He wasn't the male lead of this book at all.
A shadow flashed through Feng Moyuan's Violet Eyes. How could someone as outstanding as me be a Male Supporting Character?
He stood up and walked behind Su Ying.
Feng Moyuan's magical power was immense, and his footsteps were virtually soundless.
He stood there quietly, studying Su Ying's utterly unremarkable face, when he suddenly caught a peculiar fragrance.
On closer inspection, it smelled rather like lotus blossoms.
Su Ying hadn't noticed that Feng Moyuan, who was supposed to follow the plot, had already awakened.
She merely felt a little cold.
[System, did you notice that the temperature in this cave suddenly dropped quite a bit?] Su Ying asked.
[Host, I'm a system, not a person. I don't feel things like that,] the system said.
Su Ying sensed that something was wrong. When she turned around and saw a pair of legs, she froze in fright.
Her gaze slowly traveled upward.
Cultivators all had excellent eyesight, so Su Ying could see Feng Moyuan's appearance clearly.
An inscrutable darkness swirled in those Violet Eyes.
Su Ying went utterly still.
[Holy crap, why did the great demon king wake up early?] She didn't dare speak and could only scream inwardly.
She wasn't the only one stunned; the system was too. In the original plot, the female lead made some noise as she entered and woke Feng Moyuan. What was going on with the villain waking up ahead of time?
[What do we do now?] Although Su Ying had several missions' worth of experience, this had never happened in any of them.
[I don't know either...] The system was speechless. He thought she would have to restart the mission, but he hadn't received a notification from the main system. He had no authority to reset the world himself.
"Who are you?" Feng Moyuan hadn't spoken in over a thousand years, and his voice was hoarse. He stood there like a ghost.
Su Ying shuddered, unable to find her voice for a moment.
Feng Moyuan flexed his fingers with a series of cracks. He wouldn't easily forgive anyone who intruded upon his secluded cultivation grounds.
But he could hear this woman's thoughts. To learn more, he barely managed to suppress the urge to kill her.
"Well, I..." Su Ying's mind raced. Suddenly, inspiration struck. "My name is Ling Xian."
[Host, your name is clearly Su Ying!] the system said.
Su Ying was speechless. [We don't even know where the female lead is right now. This is all I can do.]
The system said, [Have you forgotten that the Demon Lord is face-blind? That he can only recognize the female lead?]
Su Ying said, [I forgot.]
Feng Moyuan narrowed his eyes. She even knew that he couldn't tell women's faces apart. This woman was clearly no ordinary person, though it seemed the soul inside her was even less ordinary.
"Ling Xian?" His interest was piqued, and he wanted to see how Su Ying would continue her performance.
Before you continue