Chapter 1: An Opportunity Delivered—A Trap Not Set Is a Trap Wasted

“Lingxi! Can’t you see little junior sister’s boots are completely soaked? Why are you just standing there, lost in thought? Carry her up the stone steps!”
An angry voice exploded beside Lingxi’s ear, startling her so much she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Without thinking, she blurted out, “Her boots are wet, why doesn’t she just change them? I’m not her father—I’m not responsible for every little thing, not even for her bathroom breaks!”
“Lingxi! You’re being insolent!”
The cold voice rang out, echoing through the clouds, the formidable pressure bearing down on Lingxi.
Lingxi gritted her teeth and held on, but finally, with a loud thud, she dropped to her knees.
Sharp stones pressed into her kneecaps, blood seeping through her clothes. The pale green robe was dotted here and there with reddish-brown stains, the scent of blood mingling quietly within the rain.
The pain was excruciating.
Such a tyrant deserved a visit from the police.
Her fingers brushed the chill of unfamiliar fabric, and Lingxi suddenly lowered her head.
The clothes she wore weren’t hers—the pale green collar was embroidered with five bamboo leaves.
Lingxi looked up to see three men and one woman standing before her, all dressed in pale green robes as well, but theirs shone with a finer luster. Their collars were embroidered with seven silver bamboo leaves, clearly more distinguished.
The young man at the front glared at her fiercely, a cold aura radiating from him as if Lingxi were some notorious criminal.
“Lingxi, do you realize your mistake?” Chu Xinghe looked down at Lingxi at his feet, his voice like winter ice, freezing to the bone.
Lingxi cursed silently, a herd of wild horses roaring through her mind.
Honestly, this was outrageous.
She’d graduated and spent a fortune job hunting, yet failed time and again. One night, she fell asleep and dreamed of walking past an orchard—and when she opened her eyes, she was here.
Trendy as ever, she’d transmigrated into a novel!
Now she had become the tool who, out of gratitude for her master’s lifesaving grace, diligently served him and his personal disciples—a silent, wooden, inner disciple skilled only in selfless labor.
When Senior Brother needed a third-tier ice spirit plant for cultivation, she risked her life to gather it.
When Second Senior Brother injured someone, she went to apologize.
When Third Senior Brother owed debts to women, she devised ways to compensate them.
…
Whatever they asked, she would do, as long as she was able.
For the youngest junior sister, she was especially attentive, even warming water to the perfect temperature for her to drink.
In the end, just because little junior sister wanted to find a solution to the Blood Funnel, the senior brothers made her into a human Blood Funnel. When junior sister’s method failed, she bled out and died.

She had missed her chance to awaken her spiritual power because she tried to save Gu Jiuyuan, her master—and in the end, he allowed the heroine to use her life to advance her medical skills.
…
A pack of ingrates.
Before the heroine Lin Rou could plead for her, Lingxi scooped water onto her own face, her body trembling dramatically as she wailed:
“Senior Brother! It’s not that I don’t want to carry little junior sister, but after fighting the demon beast, I shielded her from its attack and suffered serious injuries—I can barely stand!”
Skinny and frail, she knelt trembling on the stone slab, her withered body on the verge of collapse. Her eyes, round and stubborn, floated with defiance. Her pale fingers pressed to the ground, struggling to rise, but failing.
Lin Rou stepped in front of Chu Xinghe, bowing her head in guilt. “It’s my fault. I didn’t know senior sister was so badly hurt, since she seemed fine all the way here.”
Her long lashes fluttered. Grapelike eyes shone with tears, as if she were the injured one.
Chu Xinghe’s softened gaze darkened, his hand, about to withdraw, pressed down harder, the pressure on Lingxi intensifying. Though she bit her lip, blood still seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Plop—
A bead of blood dropped into the water.
Lingxi nearly fainted. Without the heroine’s pity, she almost found her cute.
Now, she only wanted to hack the heroine to bits.
The gray stone steps stretched from the foot of the mountain upward, at a steep angle of about sixty degrees, half shrouded in mist—grand and mysterious, their end lost from sight.
She remembered the original’s habit: after every expedition, out of concern for little junior sister, she would carry her up all three thousand stone steps back to the sect.
The original owner was just an ordinary girl without awakened spiritual power, relying on some magic tools and her own strength to keep up with the personal disciples—a feat in itself.
The difference between an ordinary person and those at the Foundation Establishment stage was vast.
Lingxi’s bones creaked, pain flooding every nerve as if she were ground beneath a stone roller. Her brain ached, as though soaked in brine.
Her fair cheeks flushed purple, rain streaming from her black hair into her robe. A cold gleam flashed in Lingxi’s eyes, but in a blink, she was pitiful and weak again.
“Senior Brother… I truly can’t walk anymore—just because I’m still an ordinary person with no awakened power.”
Her voice brimmed with remorse. Her white teeth bit into her lip, the rain swelling her lips pale. Even a water ghost would look less wretched than her. Her labored breaths drowned out the sound of rain.
Chu Xinghe’s cold gaze swept Lingxi, his brows furrowed, his eyes scattering light as if recalling something. The force of his hand eased, and Lingxi’s trembling fingers steadied.
On missions or in secret realms, Lingxi always charged ahead, making him forget she was merely a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl.
A girl who could not use spiritual power.
He pursed his lips, looking at the hand kneeling beside him, covering the boot.
His palm moved slowly, white smoke rising as he gently released spiritual energy to dry Lin Rou’s boots.

Jun Muzhi raised his head after a moment, sensing the gaze above him. His thick brows twisted together, blurting out,
“No, I’m a man. Carrying little junior sister would look improper. If someone saw, who knows what rumors they’d spread about her.”
Chu Xinghe’s hand holding the umbrella trembled, the scant pity in his eyes fading further.
Lin Rou covered her lips with a handkerchief and coughed gently, water glittering in her eyes, the corners tinged pink, pretending strength.
“It’s nothing, cough cough… It’s always senior sister carrying me, which has only made my body weaker.”
Hearing Lin Rou’s thoughtfulness, Chu Xinghe’s last bit of pity vanished. The other two senior brothers’ eyes burned with anger and disdain as they looked at Lingxi.
Jun Muzhi slapped Lingxi’s shoulder, his eyes full of contempt, his tone laced with threat:
“Lingxi, you’re getting more and more dramatic. Before, you carried little junior sister even when injured. You could do it then, why not now?!”
“Hurry up! Little junior sister is frail—if she catches a chill, Master will be heartbroken and might even send you down the mountain.”
Lingxi instinctively hugged herself and sidestepped, but unable to dodge under the pressure, her shoulder went numb, her wound splitting open again.
Shen Zimo, who had been holding an umbrella for Lin Rou, clicked his tongue and coaxed Lingxi gently:
“Junior sister, just carry little junior sister. Even if you can’t cultivate, you’re still her senior.
Besides, with how much Master cares for little junior sister, maybe seeing your sincerity, he’ll help you find a way to awaken your power.”
He knew Lingxi was often accused by fellow disciples of using connections, and she truly wanted to be a proper cultivator, never giving Master cause to gossip.
Lingxi’s eyelid twitched; she nearly broke character.
Playing both the villain and the hero—if only they’d go onstage, such talent would never go unnoticed.
Trying to manipulate her?! If anyone’s doing the manipulating, it should be her.
Lingxi struggled to stand, wiping her face, a pure smile appearing, her cute little canine tooth shining, as if she truly believed in their promises.
Shen Zimo and Chu Xinghe exchanged glances, Shen’s right brow raised high, smugness spilling from his eyes.
Lingxi—if you mention anything related to Master, she’ll even sacrifice herself to get things done.
Lingxi’s eyes were naturally sharp, her senses keen; every little expression was caught by her.
The real show was just about to begin.
If the prey delivered itself, she’d gladly accept.