Reborn with a New Slacker Identity
[Congratulations on your successful reincarnation, host]
Zhu Lianqing had only just awakened inside the heavenly silkworm cocoon when she heard the system say this. The anger that had yet to fully fade after her failed attempt to return home by faking her death two years ago flared right back up.
"Got it, got it. I'm already awake. Do I need you to tell me I've successfully reincarnated? 191, from now on, aside from necessary work-related contact, show up less and spare me the pointless chatter, okay? Okay."
191: ...
191 was Zhu Lianqing's mission support system. Although she now found it a nuisance, it knew it was in the wrong for botching things and did not dare argue.
Because of its work error, the portal back to her original world had malfunctioned, leaving Zhu Lianqing temporarily unable to return after completing her mission in this world, the "Yandere Disciple Rescue Plan."
The circumstances of Zhu Lianqing's failed death escape two years ago were extremely complicated.
Back then, Zhu Lianqing had designed an exquisitely beautiful scene for her death-in full view of numerous cultivators, she had fallen tragically to the ground like a butterfly with broken wings, her blue robes stained with blood.
But as Zhu Lianqing waited for death to trigger her transport, all she received was 191's "My sincerest apologies, host. The portal failed to activate for unknown reasons."
Zhu Lianqing had been so furious she nearly sprang back to life in front of everyone.
Unfortunately, her body was thoroughly dead. All Zhu Lianqing could do was berate 191 in the void as a soul, showering it in a torrent of abuse.
But there was nothing for it. She had died without escaping, and she had no way to go home. Zhu Lianqing's soul needed somewhere to go.
So 191 had sent her to the Heavenly Silkworm Cave and reconstructed a physical body for her.
Now, two years had passed, and Zhu Lianqing's new body had taken shape.
As for when she could return, 191's answer two years ago had been that repairing the portal would take at least five years.
But angry as Zhu Lianqing was, she had already come to terms with it when she agreed to have her body reconstructed two years ago.
Wasn't it just a few more years in this world? I'll treat it as a trip to another world. Time is the last thing I'm short of.
In the past, she had been revered as "number one in the way of the sword" throughout the cultivation world. Greater prestige brought greater responsibilities, and on top of that, she had a disciple. She had to constantly worry about her young disciple's physical and mental well-being to keep him from blackening and turning demonic.
Zhu Lianqing's daily life had been quite exhausting back then.
Now, with a new body, a new identity, and a new frame of mind, it would be rather nice to seize these three years to enjoy the comforts she had never enjoyed and see the sights she had never seen.
At least, that was how Zhu Lianqing consoled herself.
As she considered where to go to enjoy herself, Zhu Lianqing punched the heavenly silkworm cocoon open.
The instant the cocoon split, Zhu Lianqing stood up and shivered as the Heavenly Silkworm Cave's cold wind swept over her.
Utterly despondent, Zhu Lianqing pressed a hand to her temple.
Damn you, 191! You could at least have given me something to wear!
Fortunately, no one ever visited the Heavenly Silkworm Cave. Zhu Lianqing stepped out of the cocoon stark naked and walked over to a puddle inside the cave.
She turned her body this way and that, studying her reflection in the water.
Zhu Lianqing's current body was about the same height as her previous one, but it was scrawny and slightly darker-skinned, like a withered twig too frail to withstand the wind, liable to snap in two at a single gust.
But this was precisely the sort of body Zhu Lianqing wanted to conceal her strength of 999 damage in a single strike.
After all, she could not let herself be recognized.
Zhu Lianqing crouched down and examined her current face.
Monolids, upturned eyes-a face like countless others, the sort one would forget the moment one saw it in a crowd.
Compared to Zhu Lianqing's original body, this face was thoroughly unremarkable. It could just barely be called spirited, but beauty had nothing to do with it.
Still, Zhu Lianqing was very satisfied. This was exactly the effect she wanted.
Two years ago, before her soul flew into the heavenly silkworm cocoon, she had repeatedly instructed 191 that her new body had to be dramatically different from her original one.
She had no desire to be recognized at the drop of a hat and dragged into some trouble she could not escape, leaving her unable to go home.
Zhu Lianqing gathered the readily available silk threads in the Heavenly Silkworm Cave and used her spiritual power to weave herself a set of clothes.
Back at the sect, Zhu Lianqing had loved wearing shades of green and blue. Now, she wanted everything to be different from before.
So she wove herself a smoky-gray, long-sleeved outer robe, with a simple, elegant white robe underneath, and did not forget to weave a veiled hat in a matching shade to cover her head.
Reflected in the water, Zhu Lianqing looked like an ink-wash painting.
Zhu Lianqing named her new alternate identity Wang Xianren.
The cultivation world had lost an "Immortal Master Zhu," foremost in swordsmanship, but from this day on, it had gained a background character surnamed Wang.
Zhu Lianqing lowered the brim of her hat and walked out of the Heavenly Silkworm Cave.
The Heavenly Silkworm Cave lay halfway up a verdant mountain, with the bustling Flowing Light City at its foot.
Mountains filled her vision. Zhu Lianqing paused for a moment and looked toward her former sect, the Luoyu Sword Sect.
There were thirteen renowned immortal sects in the cultivation world today. In terms of strength alone, her own Luoyu Sword Sect ranked among the top three.
The Luoyu Sword Sect was divided into three branches: the Inner Sect, the Outer Sect, and the Sword Sect.
The Inner Sect oversaw the sect's affairs, handling everything from matters as major as its rise and fall to those as minor as recruitment and sect rules.
The Outer Sect was responsible for training disciples of good character to enter the mortal world, vanquish demons, and bring peace.
The Sword Sect, meanwhile, was where the sect's martial strength lay. Its disciples not only guarded the sect, but also charged to the front whenever great demons wreaked havoc upon the world.
Zhu Lianqing had belonged to the Sword Sect. From the time she joined until her "death," she had taken only one disciple, Xie Lingchuan.
Though Zhu Lianqing had only taken Xie Lingchuan as her disciple to complete the "Yandere Disciple Rescue Plan" mission.
As a transmigrating mission-taker, she would be sent by the system into secondary worlds constructed from things such as books, paintings, and games to complete missions.
Put simply, her missions involved transmigrating to a point before the villain blackened, healing the psychological scars of the villain's childhood to achieve a happy ending, and eliminating the secondary world's resentment value.
Otherwise, if the secondary world's resentment value went off the charts, the villain in the book might develop an independent consciousness, escape the secondary world, and run off to slaughter people in the primary world, dooming everyone together.
Zhu Lianqing's disciple had been abused and subjected to PUA by his original master, who coveted his spiritual root and tricked him into being sacrificed to a sword. In the end, on the brink of death, he had awakened his demonic bones, slaughtered his way through the cultivation world, and then slit his own throat atop the ruins of his razed sect.
It was a tragedy that tormented both body and soul, through and through.
Now, however, under her patient guidance, her young disciple had thankfully grown into someone with red roots and upright shoots. He had not been tricked into becoming a sword sacrifice at sixteen, nor had he turned demonic. Instead, he had become a rising star of the sword in the cultivation world.
Zhu Lianqing's gaze passed through the drifting clouds and settled in the distance.
She wondered how her young disciple had fared after her death.
At the sect, she and her young disciple had lived together on Evergreen Peak. So after Zhu Lianqing died, Xie Lingchuan was left all alone on the mountain, solitary and forlorn.
By age, Xie Lingchuan had still been a minor two years ago, so he could not inherit her mantle and become the peak lord.
In theory, someone else would have taken over Evergreen Peak, along with her disciple.
Her young disciple was already cold by nature and disliked talking to others. If he were left alone on the peak as well, he might forget how to speak altogether given enough time.
Thinking of this, Zhu Lianqing could not help sighing. Her young disciple was good in every way-eager to learn, hardworking, respectful of his master and the Dao-but he was simply too withdrawn.
What fun was there in spending every day so withdrawn as a boy of fourteen or fifteen?
Once, to help her young disciple change his disposition and become more cheerful, she had even made a special point of taking him to a social gathering with another immortal sect.
The gathering had been full of talented young people. To avoid disturbing her young disciple while he made friends, she had pulled aside a random cultivator and made awkward conversation for an entire afternoon, giving him plenty of time and space.
Judging by the outcome, though, she had pushed too hard that time.
After they returned to the sect, her young disciple had spoken harshly to her for the first time.
Before then, Xie Lingchuan had always been thoroughly respectful toward her, thanking her with "Many thanks, Master" over the tiniest things. That was why Zhu Lianqing remembered that act of rebellion for a long time.
That night, Xie Lingchuan, who should have been practicing, had excused himself by saying he felt unwell. Worried that his recent studies had overtaxed his body, Zhu Lianqing asked where he felt unwell, but Xie Lingchuan could not say.
Zhu Lianqing's repeated, worried questions had earned her an accusing question from Xie Lingchuan as he lifted his face.
"Why do you think everyone in the world must enjoy socializing and be eloquent, Master? Must your disciple imitate you in everything? Or do you find my disposition tiresome?"
In the night, the boy's eyes had shown a rare trace of the stubbornness befitting his age.
Zhu Lianqing had stared blankly for a long moment before realizing that Xie Lingchuan was talking about her taking him to the gathering to make friends that day.
So it was not his body that felt unwell, but his heart.
Zhu Lianqing had failed to hold back a laugh.
The consequence of laughing was that Xie Lingchuan's expression had grown even uglier.
Frightened, Zhu Lianqing had apologized over and over.
"I'm sorry. I only thought you might feel bored with just the two of us on the peak. It was my fault. I forced you to do something you didn't want to do. It won't happen again."
After that, Zhu Lianqing had stopped concerning herself with Xie Lingchuan's disposition.
If the child did not like talking, so be it.
As long as his values were sound.
Now, though, Zhu Lianqing worried that Xie Lingchuan might struggle to get along with his fellow disciples after being placed under someone else's tutelage.
At that thought, Zhu Lianqing shook her head vigorously.
No, Xie Lingchuan was nineteen now. He was already an adult.
If I were still at the Luoyu Sword Sect, Xie Lingchuan would already have completed his apprenticeship and ventured into the world. It was long past time for me to stop worrying about him.
Besides, I'm no longer his master.
I'm just a background character in the cultivation world.
Zhu Lianqing cast aside the past and prepared to descend the mountain.
On this venture into the world, she absolutely could not use her sword techniques in front of others, or she would risk giving herself away.
Fortunately, she no longer needed to charge to the front to slay demons. Using the cultivation world's common self-defense techniques and the like would be more or less enough to protect her person and property.
Having cast off her identity as the immortal master "foremost in swordsmanship," Zhu Lianqing felt incomparably light and free. Her smoky-gray figure darted through the woods like a bird at liberty.