Bafang Market.
Sifang Inn, third floor.
The dark green curtains swayed softly in the breeze. Behind them sat two women, their faces half-veiled, beauty faintly visible.
"Fellow villager, when old friends meet, the tears just flow!" The woman in white flushed red, her eyes squeezing out tears as she lunged toward the one opposite her.
Yao Ranran shifted away in an instant. Spotting the swollen marks on the woman's arm beneath the sheer fabric, she exclaimed, "Old friend, if you can't cry, you don't need to pinch yourself so hard just to force out a tear!"
This so-called Holy Maiden really was ruthless—
She had bruised her arm so badly just to squeeze out a single drop of tear…
"Ah! I forgot the sleeves of this dress are transparent!" The white-clad woman quickly pulled back her hand, crossed her arms over her chest, and retreated to her seat.
A moment later, she grinned. "Nice to meet you, old friend. My name is Bai Qingwu!"
"Hello… I'm Yao Ranran…"
"Hello, hello… you're so beautiful!"
Yao Ranran caught the way her gaze started drifting downward, and immediately withdrew the hand she had been about to extend for a handshake.
"You're not… a man, are you?" Yao Ranran was utterly bewildered.
Something was very wrong with this Holy Maiden!
Not because she was a transmigrator, but because her mannerisms were far too wild, utterly at odds with her elegant appearance.
Bai Qingwu froze for a moment, then touched her chest and sighed. "You found me out… in my previous life, I really was a man."
"Then your name?"
"My real name was Bai Qingwu—same sound, different characters. That's why I ended up crossing over into her… Ah, if only I had chosen a different name back then!"
Bai Qingwu scratched at her head in frustration.
Yao Ranran's eyes widened. "You're Qingwu Qingwu, the author of Xianqiao's Cultivation Handbook?"
"That's right, I am Qingwu Qingwu!" Bai Qingwu lifted one leg onto the stool with practiced ease, striking a rakish pose and even throwing her a wink.
Yao Ranran forced herself to accept this shocking revelation. "Since you're the author, you must already know your own ending, right?"
She remembered clearly—before she transmigrated, the Holy Maiden Bai Qingwu had still been alive. Other than being melancholic, she hadn't faced any great disaster.
Bai Qingwu beamed. "Of course. Not only do I know my own ending, I also know things the male and female leads haven't discovered yet!"
"Oh…"
"Mm… don't you want to know what it is?"
"No."
"…"
Bai Qingwu shook her head, wagging a finger at her. "You don't have a choice. This is about the secrets of the entire cultivation world!"
"Sounds impressive."
"Of course. After our storyline ends, the female lead Pei Xianqiao will finally find clues about those mysterious people!"
"So only after your storyline ends can Pei Xianqiao discover who killed her clan?"
"Exactly! Which is why, before that moment, you and I must join forces. We need to prepare and give our all to survive!" Bai Qingwu's eyes gleamed with determination.
On a face that should have been ethereal, the expression came off strikingly vulgar.
Yao Ranran deliberately looked away, unwilling to watch her crude gestures. She asked calmly, "Do you know how long it will take before my storyline ends?"
Bai Qingwu raised her hand and counted. "About fifty years."
"And yours?"
"Hmm… more than a hundred years."
"So for all that time, your female lead is busy falling in love instead of looking for clues about the mysterious killers?"
Bai Qingwu paused, then laughed. "That's right! My heroine is a girl torn between love and revenge! She's confused, she's suffering, she craves warmth!"
Yao Ranran added dryly, "And your male lead—was he warm?"
"No!" Bai Qingwu instantly denied it. "He's cold, ruthless, and his eyes see only cultivation!"
"Then why make him fall in love at all? Isn't that just tormenting the female lead?" Yao Ranran doubted Pei Xianqiao could ever find warmth from such a man.
Most of the time, it was just the heroine's delusion and self-comfort.
In truth, Shen Yuefu really was cold and unfeeling.
Bai Qingwu sighed. "You're right. He's impossible to deal with. Even if a woman stripped naked and climbed into his bed, he wouldn't react at all!"
"Why would you say that… don't tell me—you actually tried?" Yao Ranran caught a faint whiff of scandal.
Bai Qingwu scratched her chest, wrinkling her nose. "I didn't even manage to get undressed before he threw me out…"
Yao Ranran's pupils dilated. "When was this?"
"During that time I went to Wuxiang Sect to force the marriage! I sneaked into his room at midnight, poured out a bunch of heart-wrenching lines, and just as I was about to take off my clothes, he threw me out!
The next day, he publicly rejected the marriage. I had no choice but to return to Beiming."
Bai Qingwu rubbed her nose, complaining, "That man really has no sense of romance. Luckily, he's at least decent enough not to spread rumors. If he had exposed what I did, my Holy Maiden reputation would've been ruined!"
Watching her unrefined manner, Yao Ranran couldn't help asking, "With you acting like this, didn't anyone in Beiming Holy Palace notice their Holy Maiden had changed?"
Bai Qingwu picked at her nose, thought for a moment, then said, "They won't notice! I act perfectly in front of them, exactly like the former Holy Maiden. The only difference is, what used to be a secret crush is now an open one. Otherwise, I'm the same as before!"
Yao Ranran frowned. With all those crude little habits, could Beiming Holy Palace really be blind?How could this possibly be the same Holy Maiden?
Bai Qingwu arched her brows. "Fairy Ranran, you don't want to die, do you? I can help you!"
"How exactly would you help me?"
"Heh heh, if you help me steal Shen Yuefu, I can change their fate. That way, I can also help you break free from your destined death!" Bai Qingwu's eyes shone, practically glowing with eagerness.
Yao Ranran disliked the intensity of his gaze. She turned to the window. "I already plan to leave far away. As long as I stay away from the male and female leads, I won't be dragged into their disaster."
Bai Qingwu snorted lightly. "Beautiful as you are, you're too naive. Their influence is something you can't escape. Besides…"
"Besides what?" Yao Ranran felt he was deliberately hiding something crucial.
Bai Qingwu chuckled. "Nothing. It's just… with a face as lovely as yours, I'd hate to see you die."
"I won't die." Yao Ranran's eyes were firm.
Bai Qingwu gave a careless laugh. "Yes, yes, I'll help you. You definitely won't die."
"Even without you, I won't die."
"Okay, okay, I get it. But I'll still help you. After all, we're from the same hometown. In this whole world, you're the only one who understands my words!"
As she spoke, Bai Qingwu nearly shed real tears.
Who could understand the loneliness of being all alone?
Beiming Holy Palace was far too cold.
Why had he written such a cursed place in the first place? And even arranged for a Holy Maiden with the same name as his to live there?
This place wasn't fit for humans. It was against human nature itself!
Seeing his stubborn persistence, Yao Ranran thought it over and decided to accept.
After all, he wasn't asking her to do anything for now. If the help was free, why refuse?