Chapter 1

In the quiet, solemn courtroom, the gavel came down with a resounding bang, followed immediately by a chorus of boos from the spectators.

Yao Qingyue stood in the defendant’s dock, looking utterly bewildered. Suddenly realizing something, she jolted and instinctively threw both hands into the air in surrender. “Your Honor! I’ve been wronged! I’m innocent!”

At the judge’s bench, all that could be seen was an enormous cat head. A tiny paw scratched at three long whiskers before a dignified voice rang out. “So you’re saying you didn’t harbor resentment toward Ji Yueming for falling in love with someone else?”

Yao Qingyue nodded.

“And you never falsely accused Hua Xuwan of being a spy?”

Yao Qingyue nodded again.

“Most importantly, you maintain that you never trespassed into the forbidden Demon Subduing Valley? Meow?”

Yao Qingyue nodded so vigorously that her head practically became a blur.

“Lord Meow Meow can testify! I didn’t do any of those things!”

Yao Qingyue clenched both fists, her cheeks flushing with indignation at being falsely accused.

Although she had no idea why she was here, judging from her many years of experience reading novels, there was an eighty percent chance she had transmigrated into some cultivation novel.

And judging by this whole trial, she had most likely transmigrated in her own body, only to find herself in the role of a vicious female antagonist who had slandered the protagonist. She genuinely hadn’t done any of those things, so denying everything was clearly the right move.

“Oh?” Lord Meow Meow licked his pink paw pads, a meaningful expression crossing his face. “But that’s not what the witness says. Bring in the witness!”

The doors flew open, and a blurry-faced Passerby A suddenly leaped out.

Pointing an accusing finger at Yao Qingyue, Passerby A declared indignantly, “I saw everything! Don’t you dare lie!”

“That day, I was at Jingneiju, taking a stroll after dinner to help with digestion, when I suddenly saw her approaching with [unauthorized copy]a sword in her hand, looking absolutely murderous! That sword was this long…”

Passerby A gestured with his hands, his expression still shaken by the memory. “Such a long sword! She suddenly stormed over, barged right in, and without saying a word, raised her sword to slash at Hua Xuwan!”

What? There was actually an eyewitness?

Feeling guilty, Yao Qingyue put on a fierce front despite her lack of confidence. “Nonsense! I don’t even know this Hua Xuwan, much less have I ever gone looking for her. How can you prove that person was me?!”

“The evidence is your sword!”

Passerby A gave a confident sneer. “The sword hanging at your waist is your bonded sword. Everyone knows that a bonded sword can only be wielded by its owner!”

Yao Qingyue touched the precious sword that had somehow appeared at her waist. Cold sweat began to bead on her forehead, but she merely sneered. “Words alone prove nothing. You think you can convict me based on nothing more than your one-sided testimony?”

“Lord Tomato, I believe his testimony is unreliable!”

“What other evidence do you want?” Passerby A asked, surprisingly calm.

Yao Qingyue’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Unless you have a video…”

She was just about to explain what a video was when another equally blurry-faced Passerby B suddenly jumped out, shouting excitedly, “I have a video! I have a video! I recorded evidence of Yao Qingyue committing the crime!”

With that, a video appeared out of thin air before everyone’s astonished eyes.

In the footage, a female disciple dressed in the inner sect uniform of the Zhuyue Sect was walking with her back to the camera. She held an unsheathed sword in one hand and moved with hurried steps, its sharp blade gleaming in the sunlight.

The camera followed the woman, gradually drawing closer. The surrounding scenery changed from lush green mountains and wilderness to a cluster of buildings with white walls and black-tiled roofs.

The scene shifted, moving away from the woman’s back to focus on a particular door plaque at Jingneiju. Whose residence this was had become painfully obvious.

Before anyone could react, the camera swung a full 180 degrees, finally revealing the female disciple’s true face.

Yao Qingyue stared at that face, dumbfounded.

It was unmistakably her own face!

While she was still reeling from the shock, the footage mercilessly continued, faithfully recording evidence of her misdeeds against her wishes.

The woman in the video had her delicate brows drawn sharply together, her expression twisted with rage. She kicked open the gates of Jingneiju and swung her sword at a woman inside who was unable to stand or walk, all while spewing a relentless stream of vicious insults.

“Hua Xuwan, I’ll kill you!”

Passerby B held a remote control that had appeared from who knew where and declared with heartfelt indignation, “Junior Sister Hua is frail and helpless, and she treats everyone with kindness. We all like her very much.”

“But Yao Qingyue is narrow-minded. Because of Eldest Senior Sister, she deliberately targeted Junior Sister Hua. Everyone has seen it. This is just the first piece of evidence. Please, everyone, look at this!”

With a press of the remote, the screen went dark before lighting up again. On a broad mountaintop, “Yao Qingyue” stood at the edge of a cliff. She turned toward the two women behind her, tears and snot streaming down her face, looking utterly deranged.

“Eldest Senior Sister, are you choosing Hua Xuwan or me?” the woman screamed at the top of her lungs. Pointing down the cliff, she shrieked hysterically, “If you don’t choose me, I’ll jump off this cliff today!”

The woman being questioned frowned slightly and replied with undisguised irritation, “Junior Sister Yao, please don’t put me in such a difficult position.”

Upon hearing this, “Yao Qingyue” threw her head back and let out a long howl. She laughed three times, shouted “Fine!” three times, took several steps backward, and then leaped off the cliff without the slightest hesitation.

Passerby B said contemptuously, “Yao Qingyue tried to threaten Eldest Senior Sister with her own death, but she never expected that Eldest Senior Sister wouldn’t fall for it at all. And directly beneath the Cliff of Reflection lies our Zhuyue Sect’s forbidden ground, Demon Subduing Valley.”

At the judge’s bench, Lord Cat sat with his paws tucked beneath his chest, looking deep in thought. A moment later, he slammed down his gavel and shouted, “Yao Qingyue, what else do you have to say for yourself?!”

Yao Qingyue’s face went blank as she doubled over in utter defeat. She had known she’d transmigrated into a cultivation world, but she’d never imagined it would be an ancient cultivation world that combined Eastern and Western elements with cyberpunk technology.

Who could have imagined that the original owner had been caught red-handed committing her misdeeds, and that someone had even recorded everything so clearly that there was absolutely no room for denial?

Yao Qingyue’s shoulders slumped, her head drooped, and she closed her eyes as a single tear of anguish rolled down her cheek.

Yao Qingyue opened her eyes and remained sitting cross-legged on the ground in silence.

Everything she had just experienced was a heart demon tribulation, born from a combination of actual events and her own thoughts and imaginings.

At regular intervals, disciples of the Zhuyue Sect were required to enter a specially constructed formation to undergo a heart demon tribulation.

Failing to overcome it would give rise to demonic qi, leading to eternal damnation. But successfully overcoming it would bring endless benefits and smooth the path of future cultivation.

Without a doubt, the tribulation she had just undergone belonged to the original owner of this body.

The original owner had been born the eldest young lady of a prestigious cultivation family. With her illustrious background, she had once been someone whom the other disciples of the Zhuyue Sect respectfully addressed as Senior Sister.

Yet because of a romantic entanglement, she had brought herself to the point of losing all her cultivation and having her reputation utterly ruined.

Whispers filled the air around her, accompanied by looks of pity and contempt.

Yao Qingyue stood up, pushed through the crowd, and walked away without looking back.

Yao Qingyue strolled along with her hands clasped behind her back, her steps light and carefree. Contrary to what everyone imagined, she wasn’t the least bit depressed. Aside from the occasional harassment from certain people, she was extremely satisfied with her current life.

There were no endless proposals to write, no scheming coworkers, no demanding and unreasonable clients, and certainly no idiotic bosses who constantly caused trouble.

Most importantly, she only had to work two hours a day and could spend the rest of the day relaxing. She worked four days and rested three, with free meals, free accommodation, and even retirement taken care of.

Seriously, where on earth could she find such a perfect job in the modern world? What could she possibly have to complain about?

Just as she was nearing home, a woman’s startled cry suddenly rang out from the dense forest ahead.

Yao Qingyue looked up and saw a young woman dressed in white sitting sideways on the ground not far away.

The young woman wore a fox-fur cloak and was dressed entirely in snow-white. The only splash of color came from her long, lustrous black hair, as smooth and glossy as silk.

Her attire was plain and understated, with only a simple, antique-style jade hairpin tucked into her bun. Its clear, greenish-blue hue made her already stunning features appear even more striking. She unauthorized copy clearly had the kind of alluring face one might associate with a fox spirit, yet her eyes were misty and hazy, carrying three parts aloofness and seven parts delicate vulnerability.

She clutched her collar tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her pale face betrayed unmistakable panic. “What are you trying to do?”

One of the men spoke gently. “Junior Sister Hua, there’s no need to panic. We just want to have a little chat with you.”

The other male disciple gazed at the young woman’s lovely face, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk. “Junior Sister, why bother putting on such an act? Weren’t you the one who invited the two of us here for a rendezvous? Now that we’ve come, you’re going to pretend you didn’t?”

The young woman in white looked astonished, her eyes shimmering with tears. “You’re lying! When did I ever say anything like that?!”

“What does it matter if you don’t want to? There are only the three of us here right now. Who’s going to stand up for you?”

Just as he finished speaking, a soft crack sounded.

Everyone turned toward the noise and saw Yao Qingyue standing there with one foot on a dry branch, looking at them awkwardly.

Tears clung to the young woman’s lashes as she gazed unblinkingly at Yao Qingyue. Her pearly white teeth bit down hard on her red lower lip, her face filled with hope and pleading. bailiantales.comEven someone with a heart of stone would have been moved by the sight.

The expressions of the two male disciples immediately changed. But when they recognized Yao Qingyue’s face, they merely let out derisive snorts.

Who in the Zhuyue Sect didn’t know that Yao Qingyue had become a cripple for Ji Yueming’s sake? She couldn’t carry anything heavy, and the moment she used her spiritual power, she would be one step closer to death.

She had neither family ties nor any personal connection to Hua Yurong. Why would she take such a risk?

Yao Qingyue quickly glanced at the young woman’s face and immediately made up her mind.

White clothes, crippled legs, and the surname Hua.

Wasn’t this Hua Xuwan, the original owner’s romantic rival?

The moment she figured that out, Yao Qingyue abruptly changed the direction of her next step, turned around, and ran without the slightest hesitation.

Trouble was brewing everywhere. Better safe than sorry.

The two male disciples, who had been preparing to threaten her: “…”

Hua Yurong, who had been waiting for Yao Qingyue to rescue her so she could use the opportunity to establish a connection with her: “…”

The young woman in white—Hua Yurong—lowered her eyelashes and pressed her lips together slightly. A sickly flush appeared on her pale cheeks, and the delicate hand she had braced against the rough, sandy ground tightened ever so slightly.

She had calculated every possible outcome, yet she had never imagined that Yao Qingyue would truly turn out to be the kind of scumbag who would abandon someone in mortal danger.

She would have to find another way to get close to her.