After I Failed to Reform the Female Lead of a Tragic Novel - Chapter 1

“Did you hear? When Daoist Master Daofa came out of the solitary confinement room that day, there were blood spatters on the hem of his white robes! No one has ever seen the Master that enraged!”

In front of the stone gates of the confinement room, several guarding disciples took advantage of a quiet afternoon to huddle together and discuss the major event that had rocked the sect’s Grand Competition.

“Tell me about it! Everyone knows Master Daofa raised Senior Sister Gong himself; that bond is naturally deeper than an ordinary master and disciple. She’s his treasure. Who would’ve thought Xie Yu would actually dare to publicly poison her own Senior Sister during the competition!”

One disciple’s voice was thick with disdain: “Xie Yu is nothing more than a replacement. Does she really think she’s someone important?”

At those words, the expressions of the others became a bit subtle.

It was an open secret throughout the sect: Xie Yu was Gong Dongling’s “stand-in.”

Years ago, Master Daofa’s second disciple, Gong Dongling, went missing while training in the Far North. Half a year later, the Master returned to Mount Buzhou with Xie Yu—who looked seventy percent like Gong Dongling—and took her in as his third disciple.

But just one month ago, Gong Dongling actually returned, bringing back the divine artifact Ice Marrow from the Far North along with a body riddled with injuries and illness.

The moment she saw Xie Yu, Gong Dongling understood everything. Dragging her frail body, she had tried to leave the mountain, and though she was eventually persuaded to stay, the bitter taste of being replaced remained like a thorn in her throat.

Filled with guilt toward Gong Dongling, the sect members found Xie Yu to be an even bigger eyesore.

“This isn’t the first time Xie Yu has acted out. This past month, Senior Sister Gong has suffered so much, both openly and in the shadows. I saw with my own eyes a portrait of Senior Sister that Xie Yu had shredded. Never mind the Master—even I want to go into that confinement room and give Xie Yu a harsh lesson…”

Before he could finish, he noticed the atmosphere around him had turned strange. The disciples who were just chiming in had gone silent, their expressions suddenly tense.

He looked up and met a soft, elegant, and clean face.

“Se… Senior Sister Gong.” The disciple lowered his head in shame, his voice croaking.

Gong Dongling’s expression wasn’t as delicate as usual; instead, it held a hint of sternness. She raised her gaze, scanning the disciples before speaking clearly: “You are currently on duty, yet you neglect your posts to spread malicious gossip about others. Is this the conduct of a gentleman?”

“…This disciple humbly accepts Senior Sister’s teaching.” The group snapped out of their daze and hurriedly apologized.

In their memory, Senior Sister had never disciplined them before.

“Junior Sister Xie Yu never harmed me. I hope you all stop spreading these groundless rumors today. If I hear them again, it won’t be as simple as a few words of reprimand,” Gong Dongling said with a smile, but the warmth didn’t reach her eyes—they were ice-cold.

Without waiting for the stunned disciples to respond, she walked toward the confinement room. She pinched a hand seal to cast an unlocking spell upon the stone door.

“Senior Sister, the Master ordered that no one is allowed in to see Xie Yu…”

With a light chuckle, Gong Dongling pushed the stone door open. “I’m not going in to ‘see’ her; I’m going to give her justice. I will have my own explanation for Master.”

The disciples were speechless, watching the hem of her plain white robes disappear into the doorway.

[You need to find Xie Yu quickly. She was brutally beaten with Master Daofa’s Spirit-Devouring Whip. If she isn’t treated soon, the damage to her meridians and spiritual roots will become permanent.] The System’s voice sounded slightly anxious.

Both the System and Gong Dongling knew that in the original plot, Xie Yu nearly died from this incident and was left with lifelong physical ailments even after being saved.

“It’s fine. I brought a Heart-Protecting Pill; it can sustain her for twelve hours.” Gong Dongling’s gentle voice was like a spring breeze, exceptionally soothing.

[Where did you get that?] The Heart-Protecting Pill was a life-saving medicine worth a thousand gold pieces. Even the System was surprised.

“With the original owner’s frail body, it’s not strange for her to have all sorts of heavenly treasures in her possession.”

That’s right—Gong Dongling had transmigrated. She was now the sickly “White Moonlight” female supporting character in a tragic “stand-in” novel, and she was bound to a “Heroine Reformation System.”

In the original story, the female lead, Xie Yu, would “blacken” because the plot was too cruel. Gong Dongling’s mission was to reform her and prevent her from falling into the demonic path.

Once the mission was complete, she could escape the heart disease that had plagued her in her past life and return to the real world with a healthy body.

However, Gong Dongling hadn’t expected that even after transmigrating, she couldn’t escape being a “medicine jar.” This sickly body wasn’t much better—she was weak and thin, even more frail than when she had been hospitalized and intubated in her previous life.

The original owner had just barely survived the Far North, and her meridians were corroded by frigid qi. Even after being nurtured with countless treasures, she hadn’t recovered.

The crystal-clear Heart-Protecting Pill she had just taken out was one of the few good items she had managed to scavenge from that pile of treasures.

At this point, even the System couldn’t help but admire Gong Dongling’s adaptability. She had only been in this cultivation world for a day or two, yet she could already identify pills and use the original owner’s spells and incantations.

As she walked deeper, the light from the entrance faded, and the back of the confinement room became pitch black.

Gong Dongling tried to cast a Fireball spell for light, only to find that her spiritual power seemed suppressed by something in the room.

Undeterred, she took a Night Pearl from her storage ring, and the entire cave was instantly illuminated.

In that flash of light, Gong Dongling saw Xie Yu collapsed in a pool of dried blood.

The girl was curled into a small ball, her body covered in whip marks. Beneath the shreds of her clothes was a shocking crimson; her flesh was a mangled mess. Some wounds had already dried, sticking to the fabric in a gruesome sight.

An unnatural feverish flush rose on the girl’s paper-pale face, and her long eyelashes fluttered weakly.

Gong Dongling frowned and walked over quickly. She carefully turned Xie Yu’s face over, pried open her lips, and placed the pill in her mouth.

The Heart-Protecting Pill didn’t need to be swallowed; it only needed to be held in the mouth, where it would slowly dissolve over time. Once twelve hours passed and the pill vanished, its effects would end.

After ensuring the pill wouldn’t fall out, Gong Dongling began checking Xie Yu’s injuries. The whip marks were everywhere, and some wounds had begun to fester and infect due to the filth on the floor.

She had a fever—a classic symptom of infection. Gong Dongling tested Xie Yu’s forehead with the back of her hand; it was terrifyingly hot.

“I need to take her to treat the infected wounds first,” Gong Dongling told the System. Carefully avoiding the injuries, she slowly propped Xie Yu up, letting the girl lean against her as she headed for the exit.

As they reached the entrance, a silhouette became visible.

Gong Dongling stopped. She possessed most of the original owner’s memories, so she naturally recognized the person: their Master, Daoist Master Daofa, Xu Ruozhen.

Xu Ruozhen stood there in his black-and-white Daoist robes, backlit so his expression was unreadable.

The two remained silent for a moment as the atmosphere froze. Finally, Gong Dongling spoke first: “Master.”

She knew she couldn’t delay Xie Yu’s treatment.

“Any disciple undergoing reflection in solitary confinement is not permitted to leave even a step until their time is up. Even if they die inside, they must reflect on their mistakes until death. Does Ling-er remember this law?”

The voice sounded like it was laced with shards of ice; hearing it made one’s skin crawl.

“This disciple remembers. However, Junior Sister was confined on the charge of poisoning a fellow disciple. Since that charge is invalid, why can she not be taken out?” Gong Dongling held Xie Yu’s thin shoulders and looked Xu Ruozhen straight in the eye.

“Why do you say that?”

Xu Ruozhen’s voice didn’t change, but Gong Dongling could clearly feel the pressure being released by this Spirit Severing stage master. It felt like a massive mountain crushing her soul. She gritted her teeth, barely able to breathe.

Getting this impatient over a little defiance? For a grand Daoist Master, he’s nothing special…

Thinking this, Gong Dongling’s sickly body finally gave out, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Ling-er!” Seeing her spit blood, Xu Ruozhen immediately withdrew his pressure, his expression shifting into something obscure.

Gong Dongling wiped the blood from her lips with her sleeve and continued walking forward, supporting Xie Yu. As she brushed past Xu Ruozhen, she left behind a casual remark:

“I know she didn’t poison me because I was the one who used that poison on myself.”

Xu Ruozhen stood behind them for a long time without moving, his thoughts unknown.

It wasn’t until the next day that Xie Yu woke up.

The bed is wrong… That was the first thought that entered Xie Yu’s mind. The bed was too warm and soft, nothing like the bare stone slab she used for cultivation. It felt as though she had never slept on such a soft bed in her entire life.

What proper cultivator uses this kind of thing? Xie Yu thought dizzily, yet she still craved that momentary warmth.

“Since you’re awake, get up and take your medicine first.” A gentle female voice rang out.

Gong Dongling had entered at some point and placed a bowl of medicine on the mahogany cabinet by the bed.

“Gong… Gong Dongling?” The moment she heard the voice, Xie Yu flinched, snapping fully awake from the shock. Ignoring the bandaged wounds on her body, she struggled to sit up, her dark eyes staring warily at Gong Dongling as she retreated further back into the bed.

Seeing Xie Yu’s violent movements, Gong Dongling knew what would happen. Sure enough, after a moment, red blood began to seep through the white gauze on Xie Yu’s exposed wrist.

“Are you that afraid of me? I’m the one who bandaged all those wounds for you. If you tear them open like that, I’ll have to apply medicine and wrap them all over again.” Gong Dongling didn’t move forward to provoke her. She sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, smiling as she watched the terrified girl.

Still just a kid… quite cute.

Hearing this, Xie Yu’s expression changed again. She finally looked down at her attire. Her whip wounds had been meticulously bandaged, and even the white silk clothes she was currently wearing were clearly Gong Dongling’s.

Xie Yu bit her lip, unable to say a word for a long time.

Every sign pointed to the fact that it was Gong Dongling—the woman who had previously made her life miserable and framed her at every turn—who had saved her.

“Why?” Xie Yu’s voice was exceptionally low and hoarse.

Gong Dongling tilted her head, feigning ignorance: “Why what?”

This sentence seemed to ignite Xie Yu’s anger. She snapped her head up, her eyes burning like sparks: “Why did you frame me to be whipped by the Master, only to turn around and play the saint by acting merciful and saving me?!”

Gong Dongling stood up slowly and walked to Xie Yu’s side. She leaned down, looking directly into her eyes, and said seriously, word for word:

“A-Yu, I am your Senior Sister. From now on, I will protect you. No one will ever bully you again.”