Chapter 12
Are People in Novels This Hardcore?
In any case, Ding Li absolutely did not want to be with Xiao Wenjing.
Setting aside his unpredictable and dangerous personality, with his level of cultivation, she’d just be a punching bag.
What if he used the opportunity to beat her up? At best, she’d lose a layer of skin. At worst, she’d die sooner.
Cherish life. Stay away from the villainous second male lead!
Chu Zilan paused, stopping in her tracks. Ding Li’s heart trembled as well.
After a moment of thought, Chu Zilan said:
“For now, follow Xiao Wenjing.”
No!
NO!!
Ding Li raised her hand in protest for the third time, screaming internally:
NOOO!! I don’t want to be with that morally bankrupt cannon-fodder second male lead!
I have trauma, okay?! Who can peacefully coexist with someone who’s going to torture them to death?! I’d be on guard every second—his breathing alone would scare me! How am I supposed to live like that?!
The only reason we’re not fighting is because I can’t beat him! I don’t want to be fellow disciples with him! I don’t want to fake smiles every day and end up dying miserably!
AHHH—
With tears in her eyes, Ding Li looked utterly pitiful.
“But Senior Sister… I only want to stay with you!”
Chu Zilan froze for a moment, then said,
“It’s fine. If anything happens, come to Lingxiao Peak to find me.”
Then she turned and left.
Truly—she waved her sleeve and left without a trace.
Ding Li stood there, teary-eyed.
The system creaked to life again like rusty machinery:
“Ding—Congratulations on entering the next stage. Begin your cultivation journey. Please maintain character settings and complete tasks.”
Heh. Congratulations my ass!
Su Xiangqing at least had some cultivation base. Ding Li had none.
Damn system—so far it hadn’t given her a single buff.
Having never cultivated before, she now had to start from scratch—beginning with basic energy training.
Cangyun Mountain was rich in spiritual energy, with many training grounds across its peaks. There were practice rooms, lecture halls, martial fields, and dining halls.
The back mountain was even more expansive, used for competitions and secluded cultivation.
Xiao Wenjing lived at Qiyuan Peak.
He didn’t stay at Lingxiao Peak with Chu Zilan and Lu Qianchuan—probably because he couldn’t bear watching the person he loved being affectionate with someone else.
Lingxiao Peak was lively. Qiyuan Peak, on the other hand, was desolate.
Nicely put, it was peaceful. Less nicely—it was a place where even birds didn’t bother to crap.
Chu Zilan clearly wanted her to quickly go to Xiao Wenjing—like passing off a troublesome student to another class.
Ding Li wanted to delay as long as possible.
But less than two days later, Lin Ziyuan showed up to help her move.
…
Before dawn, his relentless knocking dragged her out of bed.
Damn it…
Still half-asleep, Ding Li sat rubbing her eyes while Lin Ziyuan efficiently packed her belongings.
What a dedicated NPC…
Though reluctant, Ding Li reconsidered. Living at Qiyuan Peak didn’t necessarily mean constant interaction with Xiao Wenjing.
And as expected—
A month passed after she moved there, and she didn’t see him once.
Perfect.
Ding Li lived happily in peace, wishing he’d disappear forever.
If she could live her whole life without seeing him—even without luxury—that’d be perfect!
Besides, if he actually tried to teach her, he’d probably throw her off a cliff within two days.
So she avoided him.
Just like that, she enjoyed a peaceful month.
Then—Lin Ziyuan returned.
Watching his brisk steps, Ding Li was reminded of palace dramas—the chief eunuch arriving with an imperial decree…
Sure enough, he stopped, looked her up and down with a strange expression, and finally said:
“You’ve gained weight…”
…
Excuse me?! What exactly are you here for?!
You’re an NPC who gives tasks—not a fitness coach, okay?!
Ding Li stared at him silently.
Lin Ziyuan coughed.
“Ahem… well, that’s a good thing. Looks like you’ve been doing well. But Senior Sister asked me to inform you—from tomorrow onward, you’ll train with the new junior disciples at Qingluan Peak.”
“She said your foundation is weak—you must build it properly and not slack off.”
Ding Li replied,
“Oh.”
Lin Ziyuan continued,
“You’ll report to the training hall at mao hour (around 5–7 a.m.) every day. No problem, right?”
“Mao hour…”
“Say that time again?”
Ding Li nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Do you know how hard it is for a working office slave to wake up early every day?
Even for work, she only got up a little after six… Mao hour…
“Aren’t people in your novels all this diligent?”
Thinking of that, Ding Li asked, “Then when you first came to Cangyun Mountain, did you also cultivate at Mao hour?”
Lin Ziyuan replied, “Of course. The spiritual energy at that time is the purest and clearest, making it the most suitable for cultivation. How could one be lazy and slack off?”
…
Ding Li suddenly remembered something she had read online—weren’t ancient emperors holding court around this time too? Damn it, but she was a modern-day worker!
Did the author even consider how incompatible this schedule is with modern life?!
After struggling for a long time, Ding Li still got up at Mao hour the next day.
Mainly because she was the weakest in her sect, and it would be too embarrassing otherwise. Besides, Ding Li thought about it—no matter where you are, having the ability to protect yourself is important.
Rather than loafing around on the mountain waiting to die, she might as well improve her combat ability. Who knows, it might give her a chance to survive. At the very least, if she were captured, she could still struggle a bit…
And Ding Li realized something—
In novels, many daily details are either not mentioned at all or glossed over. The focus is only on key turning points. What looks like a long chapter actually contains very little usable information for her current situation.
For example, Xiao Wenjing, an important figure at the moment.
In the original story, Xiao Wenjing is mainly highlighted in specific plotlines—either advancing the story alongside the male and female leads or completing individual missions.
That’s also why Ding Li kept calling him a cannon-fodder second male lead.
But as someone actually living here, Ding Li encountered many daily details, people, and events.
Since Chu Zilan told her to follow Xiao Wenjing, it couldn’t be that he would only show up at the very end just to kill her—that would be a huge plot hole.
So Ding Li had to actively explore and not slack off.
There was an upside to this—
It gave her a lot of room to maneuver.
In other words, aside from working for the system “boss,” she still had plenty of time and opportunities she could control. For Ding Li, the ill-fated green-tea second female lead, this was very good news.
After reporting to the academy early for several days in a row, Ding Li got to know quite a few senior and junior disciples.
These cultivators, whether male or female, were all quite good-looking.
Ding Li was quite satisfied with this. The author might sum it up in one sentence, but being there in person, she truly benefited from it.
Just thinking about these handsome boys and beautiful girls every day gave her the motivation to wake up early. Being late? Impossible!
There was only one downside.
Although Ding Li joined late, she was under the sect leader, giving her a higher seniority. The people practicing with her were all new disciples who usually called her “Senior Sister.”
But one day, a child seemed to have made a mistake and called her “Martial Uncle,” completely stunning Ding Li.
The child looked as cute as a carved jade doll, but that one title instantly lowered his attractiveness in Ding Li’s eyes. She was so depressed she even ate one less bowl of rice at lunch.
Chu Zilan had been busy cultivating. Despite her young age, she was already at the early Golden Core stage, showing how diligent she was. Naturally, she had no time to manage Ding Li and usually sent Lin Ziyuan to relay messages.
Most of the time, he brought books, asked about Ding Li’s progress in qi cultivation, or taught her practice formulas, urging her to cultivate diligently and never slack off.
So every time Ding Li saw Lin Ziyuan, she got a headache…
And Lin Ziyuan, being a die-hard fan of Chu Zilan, always made sure to deliver everything properly and confirm that Ding Li understood.
…
Whenever Ding Li tried to brush him off, Lin Ziyuan would start nagging endlessly, to the point that she wanted to run whenever she saw him.
Yet some kids in the academy thought he was amazing and liked him a lot, pulling him to stay longer.
As a result, Ding Li didn’t even dare doze off during lectures, afraid Lin Ziyuan would report her to Chu Zilan. It was truly exhausting.
Author’s Note:
