To live, or to be destroyed—that was the question.
And right now, Cui Taohua was staring that question in the face with the utmost seriousness. Because she had transmigrated. Worse yet, she’d landed in a wuxia novel as a cannon-fodder side villainess.
The old man selling steamed buns had watched this pretty little girl stand in front of his stall for a full hour. He couldn’t help asking,
“Little miss, what are you doing?”
Cui Taohua clasped her hands behind her back, expression deep and solemn.
“I’m contemplating life.”
“…Huh?”
The old man was dumbfounded. But when he thought about it, he’d lived to such an old age without ever pondering such lofty things. He’d only ever bustled about to keep food on the table. This young girl, at her age, already having such enlightenment—he really did admire her.
“I wonder, miss, what conclusions have you come to?”
Cui Taohua slowly raised her head to look at him.
“You really want to know?”
The old man nodded. He was honestly curious what profound truth she’d grasped.
“I do.”
Cui Taohua lowered her head, mulled it over, then put on a helpless expression.
“Since you’ve asked with such sincerity, I’ll be generous and tell you…”
Seeing her mysterious expression, the bun seller unconsciously leaned closer, curiosity burning in his chest.
At that, Cui Taohua suddenly lowered her voice like a conspirator.
“If you want to know more, give me two buns…”
“Get lost, you stinking beggar!”
Four Directions Pavilion was the biggest, most luxurious tavern in Yan City. Anyone who had ever passed through Yan City would know its name.
Yan City just so happened to sit at the crossroads of the southern kingdom. Anyone traveling north–south had to come through here. Merchant caravans, travelers, wandering swordsmen—there were so many every day they could hardly be counted. Put plainly, it was a place where dragons and snakes mingled, all sorts of people mixed together.
Most people of the Jianghu who came to Yan City did so for the sake of Four Directions Pavilion. Partly because its fine wines were rich and mellow, lingering on the tongue long after a single taste.
And partly because the man behind Four Directions Pavilion was the Jianghu’s own Know-It-All, Baixiaosheng.
In truth, Four Directions Pavilion’s main business was selling wine; the side business was selling information.
There was no news you couldn’t buy—only a price you couldn’t afford.
That was Baixiaosheng’s favorite saying.
Precisely because of this, Four Directions Pavilion’s business flourished, customers coming in waves.
Today, the tavern was as packed as ever. The shopkeeper was behind the counter, fingers flying over his abacus. The waiters were rushing about, sweating through their clothes.
“Shopkeeper, I want to—”
“Here for wine, honored guest?” The shopkeeper didn’t even look up, still working the abacus.
“No.”
“Then you’re here to apply for a position?”
“Also no.”
Only then did the shopkeeper stop and raise his head.
The newcomer wore simple scholar’s robes. “His” figure was far too petite; the loose robe hung on “him” awkwardly. On top of that, “he” was deliberately using a folding fan to sneakily hide “his” face, making for a very comical sight.
“Then I wonder, honored guest, you wish to…?”
The shopkeeper deliberately trailed off.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was watching, the newcomer quickly unfastened the money pouch at “his” waist and shoved it at the shopkeeper.
“I want to know how to join the Night God Sect.”
The shopkeeper’s face didn’t change, but inwardly he was a bit surprised.
The Night God Sect’s Right Guardian was said to possess a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, making fish sink and birds fall from the sky. Countless men dreamed of joining just to get close to Yi Zefang.
But the little, delicate guest in front of him was obviously a girl. Why did she also want to join the Night God Sect?
Questioning a client’s motives was a grave taboo for an information broker. No matter how curious he was, the shopkeeper would never ask.
He tucked the silver away, resumed his casual abacus-clicking, and said under his breath,
“Go to Ruyi Hall in the north of the city.”
The visitor darted a guilty look around. After confirming no one was paying attention, “he” tossed out a quick “thank you” and immediately left.
After leaving Four Directions Pavilion, Cui Taohua, who didn’t look like a man no matter how she dressed as a scholar, had to stop several people to finally find this Ruyi Hall.
Ruyi Hall was a medical clinic passed down three generations, with a modest reputation in Yan City. The head doctor was kind and warmhearted, always helping the poor with free consultations and medicine, so business was quite decent.
The moment Cui Taohua arrived, she saw a long line snaking out from the clinic. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the granary was opening to distribute free rice.
She stared curiously for a bit, then walked into Ruyi Hall. Strangely, the inside was empty. Only an old man in coarse clothes sat by the door fanning himself with a tattered palm fan to catch the breeze.
His skin was dark, his build tall and thin like a bamboo pole—a man who clearly worked the fields all year round. He definitely didn’t look like a doctor from Ruyi Hall.
“Grandpa, may I ask, why is there no one inside the shop?”
The old man looked her up and down.
“Girl, are you here to see the doctor?”
Even dressed in scholar’s clothes, she’d been seen through as a woman in a single glance. Cui Taohua couldn’t help feeling a little deflated.
“I’m not here to see the doctor. The shopkeeper from Four Directions Pavilion told me to come here to find someone.”
“Find someone?”
Fan in one hand, the old man pointed with the other toward the long line outside.
“Go line up over there.”
Cui Taohua followed the direction he was pointing and had the persistent feeling something wasn’t right.
“Grandpa, I’m not here to get free medicine, and I’m not here for a free consultation. I’m here to find someone.”
Afraid his hearing was bad, she even raised her voice on purpose.
“I know.”
The old man dug at his ear.
“What are you shouting for? You think I’m deaf?”
He pointed with the broken palm fan at the long queue again.
“Everyone in that line over there was sent by the Four Directions Pavilion shopkeeper to find someone. The line on my side is the one for free treatment. If you’re here to find someone, hurry up and get in line.”
Cui Taohua: “…”
What the actual hell. Were the Night God Sect’s benefits really that good?
Damn, this was more exaggerated than recruitment day at a top state-owned company!
Resigned to her fate, she trudged toward the tail end of the never-ending line, only to discover, to her surprise, that everyone in the queue was male. Judging from their clothes, most were Jianghu types, and a few even looked somewhat famous.
How strange. The Night God Sect was a notorious demonic sect in the Jianghu. Normal Jianghu folk should have been avoiding it like the plague. Why were they all breaking their heads to join?
Cui Taohua stood for nearly an hour. The long line still hadn’t moved an inch, but she was half dead from exhaustion. She couldn’t care how dirty the ground was anymore and plopped straight down.
Just then, an extraordinarily luxurious carriage rolled slowly toward them. The driver was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen. Judging from her clothes, she seemed to be a maid. Cui Taohua couldn’t help wondering who could be sitting inside the carriage.
The moment the carriage appeared, all the men in the line suddenly became absurdly excited, as if they’d been injected with chicken blood. They whistled and dashed toward the carriage, instantly surrounding it so tightly not a single drop of water could have escaped.
Curiosity killed the cat. Cui Taohua had just started to push herself up to get a look when the burly man beside her shoved her back down.
Tragically, that shove twisted her ankle.
Cui Taohua sucked in a breath through her teeth from the pain. She tried to stand but couldn’t; all she could do was slowly drag herself toward the wall so she wouldn’t be accidentally trampled.
Honestly, this body she’d transmigrated into was as fragile as tofu. If she were the Night God Sect’s leader, she also wouldn’t recruit such a wobbly little block of soft tofu. Better to save yourself the funeral costs.
Her plan to cling to the female lead’s thigh was starting to feel extremely unrealistic…
Lost in random thoughts to distract herself from the pain, Cui Taohua failed to notice that the noise from the crowd had suddenly grown louder. The throbbing in her ankle was making cold sweat run down her back.
Given her current status as an injured person, maybe she could cut in line?
A pair of delicately embroidered shoes suddenly appeared in front of her without warning. A faint floral fragrance drifted into her nose, sending her mind even more hazy.
“…Are you all right?”
The voice was like that light fragrance—not strong, but lingering long in the mind.
Looking at how I’m lying here like a dead dog, do you think I’m all right?!
If her ankle didn’t hurt so badly that even talking was an effort, Cui Taohua really wanted to scream that at her.
Wanting it was one thing; this soft block of tofu could only think it in her head. If she hadn’t guessed wrong, the person standing before her should be the novel’s heroine, Guan Fusha.
Guan Fusha had studied medicine for years, could kill with poison without anyone realizing, and had martial arts so absurdly strong it broke the heavens. Killing a person for her was easier than yawning.
A soft tofu like her might have the nerve, but absolutely didn’t have the guts.
Cui Taohua stretched her hand out into the air and feebly pawed twice, then, putting on as much drama as she could, slowly squeezed out two words:
“Help… me…”
After that, she stopped fighting the pain, rolled her eyes back, and pretended to faint, hoping to use this chance to grab onto the heroine’s thick, golden thigh.
A smile curved at the corners of Guan Fusha’s lips.
The surrounding men all sucked in a sharp breath, feeling like their hearts were about to jump out of their chests.
“Miss Guan, I’m here to apply to join the sect!”
“Miss Guan, I want to marry you! I’ll pay whatever bride price you want!”
“Miss Guan…”
“Miss Guan…”
Before any of them could rush up to her, the maid who had been driving the carriage lightly leaped down. She drew a supple leather whip from her waist and snapped it across each man in turn, one lash per head.
“Get lost, all of you! Toads dreaming of eating swan meat. Don’t you ever weigh your own worth?”
Far from backing off, the men who’d been whipped only glared at the maid even more fiercely, clearly thinking, If we all gang up on her, no way we lose to a single maid.
The maid wasn’t the type to back down either. She immediately took a fighting stance, ready to brawl.
“Xiaoyuan.”
Guan Fusha’s voice suddenly rang out, stopping her.
“Carry that fainted girl onto the carriage. Leave things here to me.”
“Yes.”
The maid answered respectfully, then hoisted Cui Taohua up with one hand and, just as ordered, tossed her into the carriage.
Yes. Tossed.
Cui Taohua, who had only been feigning unconsciousness, had originally planned to sneak a peek at the glorious scene of “Guan Fusha vs. Three Hundred Burly Men.”
She never expected to be thrown like a sack and slam the back of her head into the wooden floor with a loud thud.
This time, she really did pass out.
…What the hell. She hadn’t even gotten into the Night God Sect yet and she was already lining up to meet the King of Hell?
