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Chapter 2: Meeting the Heroine
🕑 Added 2025-01-21 12:37:39 +0000 UTCAt Wanjian Sect, the Judgment Division.
The fourth underground level.
The water prison was cold and damp, holding the most dangerous criminals.
In the deep silence, the sound of a blood droplet hitting the ground was unusually clear.
In the innermost cell, a prisoner who had been there for two months was locked up.
The prisoner was an inner disciple, very young, but her crime was severe—one of the most intolerable offenses in the Wanjian Sect: harming fellow disciples.
Today, the Sword Elder had come again to interrogate her.
The Sword Elder entered the cell, looking at the woman shackled to the rack, her expression a little dazed.
He had lost count of how many times he had interrogated suspects. She was tight-lipped, and he hadn't been able to extract any useful information in the past few days.
In his eyes, the woman had her head lowered, blood oozing from a wound on her forehead, running down to her neck, her shoulders in the shadow of the rack—thin and frail.
Based on the Sword Elder's years of experience in handling cases, he believed there was an injustice in this matter.
But even though the Judgment Division had tried every form of coercion, the woman remained silent.
No matter what method was used, she neither defended herself nor confessed, seemingly intent on death.
But before the disciple from the Wantangju awoke, the Sword Elder decided to interrogate the woman once more.
He asked, "If there is an injustice, why do you not speak?"
The Sword Elder did not expect the woman to move her cracked lips without speaking but only gave a faint smile.
He frowned. This disciple truly lacked understanding.
It seemed that nothing would come from this.
The Sword Elder sighed and was about to leave when a soft voice came from behind him.
"Elder, what good would it do even if I answered?"
This was the first time the woman had spoken to him.
Her voice was cold and clear, it should have been very pleasant to hear.
But now, it was hoarse and broken, like a completely ruined ocarina, only faintly producing disjointed sounds from her lips.
The Sword Elder heard her words and intended to continue questioning, but unexpectedly, the woman slowly raised her head under his gaze.
Her neck was long and pale, like the slender stem of a begonia flower.
He followed the curve of her chin and gazed into her eyes.
Her eyes were beautiful, but at the center of her pupils, a drop of blood-red flashed.
The Sword Elder felt as if he had looked into the abyss known as the Ghost Tomb in Yue City, and a chill ran down his spine.
The woman lowered her eyelashes, hiding the strange look in her eyes.
Then, with a smile, she softly said, "Isn't it so, Elder Shen?"
…
At the peak of Feilai Mountain, in the Wantangju.
This place was surrounded by mist, with green bamboo and red plum trees planted.
At this moment, Ji Rong sat on a cushion, listlessly gazing at the bamboo outside the window, while Liu Ningxue took her pulse, remaining silent.
Liu Ningxue sat across from Ji Rong, her palms sweating with nervousness.
Before entering the inner sect, she had only met Ji Rong once when she accidentally wandered into the forbidden area in the back mountains, trapped by the formation set by Elder Gong Yu.
Because she specialized in alchemy and swordsmanship, she didn't know that the formation was one of the seventy-two deadly formations, the "Bagua Earth Sha Formation." If Ji Rong had not helped her, she might have already walked into the gates of death.
So, when Liu Ningxue heard that Ji Rong had been poisoned by an unknown substance, she feared for her safety.
Luckily, the sect leader had returned from his travels, clearing the strange poison and saving Ji Rong's life.
Now, Ji Rong looked pale, with an oppressive aura surrounding her. Liu Ningxue could only put down her needle and weakly say, "Sister Ji, don't worry. Although the poison is fierce, Master Mei has already cleared most of the toxins. You just need to rest and recover."
But Ji Rong wasn't listening to her words, as she was still thinking about what Assistant Jun had said earlier that morning.
…
[Please go to the Judgment Division today to complete the Gu Baiyi-related plot, or you will miss an important clue.]
Ji Rong sneered. What if I don't?
The cultivation map is so vast. Where would you have me find the Judgment Division?
[No need to worry, players can study the "Lan Cang Jue" in the bookshelf to learn swordsmanship, and the Qinghe Sword will automatically guide you.]
Ji Rong was a little surprised. The flying sword could even automatically navigate? Is it really that considerate?
[Of course, dear~ "Sword God" produced, must be a masterpiece.]
Her mood lightened a little.
Actually, watching beautiful women practice swordsmanship wasn't bad, so Ji Rong temporarily stopped thinking about her fate of being pierced by the female lead's sword.
After all, lying flat is life.
Thinking this, Ji Rong's expression cleared up, and she nodded and smiled at Liu Ningxue, saying, "Thank you, Junior Sister Liu."
Ji Rong had only smiled casually, but she noticed that Liu Ningxue was staring at her strangely.
Her eyes even showed a hint of surprise.
Did the original owner look that scary when she smiled?
She was a little confused.
As Ji Rong thought this, she saw Liu Ningxue's face turn slightly red, and she hurriedly said, "Ahem, then Sister Ji, please rest well... I will take my leave."
Although Ji Rong didn't understand, she still pretended to be reserved and nodded as Liu Ningxue left.
In reality, she was deep in thought. Did the original owner really have such a strong aura? Why did NPCs run away when they saw her?
The electronic voice suddenly rang out.
[Beep! Warning, the system has detected that you may be acting out of character. Since this is your first offense, no punishment will be applied. However, if it happens again, there will be severe consequences.]
Ji Rong was shocked. Smiling was considered breaking character?
[Please refer to the in-game description: Ji Rong, disciple of the venerable Pei Hui, wearing a white silk robe like snow, naturally proud, often hidden in the Late Tang Residence, rarely speaking.]
Ji Rong: "..."
If you want to act like a stoic, go ahead. I've never been so speechless in my life.
[Game development is not easy, please remain calm.]
Ji Rong had had enough of Assistant Jun's incessant chatter, so she stood up and walked to the bookshelf. Her gaze fell on the "Lan Cang Jue" on the shelf.
She pulled out the small booklet, which was about fifty pages thick, and casually flipped it open. The next second, she was speechless.
The first page was blank.
The second page was still blank.
She didn't believe it and flipped through over twenty pages.
Still all blank.
Ji Rong held the booklet expressionlessly.
… This book must be a counterfeit.
She kept searching for the sword techniques and finally found the flying sword technique on the last page:
"No skills required, hold a spiritual sword and release spiritual power to target the location.
Do not ask how to cultivate spiritual power, I don't know."
— Yue Qianqiu
She was silent for a long time.
The entire book had only two sentences. Why did this person write so many pages?
[According to the Wanjian Sect's publication regulations, books must not have fewer than fifty pages. And according to the background of the "Sword God" game, Yue Qianqiu was the previous Sword Saint and the founder of Wanjian Sect.]
Oh? It's the Sword Saint's book.
Then it's fine, famous sayings are always more refined when short.
But speaking of cultivating spiritual power, Ji Rong had read many cultivation methods in the original owner's bookshelf, so she had some grasp of controlling spiritual power.
Thinking of this, she pushed open the door and went outside to find an open space to release her spiritual power. Her sea of consciousness was rich with spiritual energy, and soon she found the location of the Judgment Division.
Ji Rong mounted her sword, formed a hand seal, and chanted a spell. The silver sword floated in the air, waiting for her command.
She shouted, "Qinghe, move!"
The Qinghe Sword moved at her command, soaring into the sky.
Ji Rong's expression remained indifferent as she flew through the bamboo forest.
As the Qinghe Sword shot into the sky, her expression did not change, but her legs were slightly trembling.
Damn, what kind of trash system is this?
It's really high, really fast, and so "humanized."
Wherever the Qinghe Sword went, from the sea of clouds above to the cliffs below.
Ji Rong had anticipated everything but never expected she would... get motion sickness from flying.
She didn't have the energy to appreciate the scenery along the way, only feeling tortured by the sensation of flying.
Luckily, the pain was short-lived. Soon, the Qinghe Sword stopped steadily at the entrance of the Judgment Division.
Ji Rong slowly stepped off the sword, desperately trying to hold back the urge to vomit.
She looked up and saw a plaque hanging at the entrance of the Judgment Division, which read, "Clear and Bright."
The Judgment Division stood tall in the center of Wanjian Sect, clearly symbolizing justice, just as the plaque indicated.
But unfortunately, this time the Judgment Division had failed, destined for "miscarriage of justice."
According to the game plot, the original owner was so vicious that she had poisoned herself to frame the protagonist.
Moreover, the original owner had rarely left her secluded residence, and she had only met the protagonist the day before, so the protagonist had no defense and was thrown into prison.
Now, with their identities swapped, Ji Rong was no longer the helpless protagonist but the villain causing trouble.
