After I Failed to Reform the Female Lead of a Tragic Novel - Chapter 7

This was back when Gong Dongling had just returned from the Far North.

Ever since Xie Yu was brought back to Mount Buzhou by Xu Ruozhen, she gradually learned that she had a senior sister who had vanished without a trace. This sister looked like her but was far more outstanding—and received far, far more love.

Even though the accident had happened a long time ago, the entire sect was still shrouded in grief. One can imagine the fate of Xie Yu, who appeared at such a time.

Though she felt wronged, Xie Yu knew that with her meager talent, if it weren’t for this face that resembled Gong Dongling, she would still be wandering and begging due to the famine. Indeed, as a mortal, being able to step onto the immortal path was something for which she should be deeply grateful to both the Master and her Senior Sister.

She never envied or hated her Senior Sister; she only hoped that she could live with some of her own flair, rather than forever living in the shadow of a replacement.

When her Senior Sister returned, Xie Yu wanted to go see her, but those people blocked her. They mocked her wantonly, saying her presence would only upset Gong Dongling.

She thought about it and realized it was true, so she only watched the reunion of master and disciple from afar.

When the news reached Xie Yu’s ears that Gong Dongling was being tortured by Cold Qi, perhaps it was fate—in an instant, she remembered a formula for suppressing Cold Qi she had seen in an ancient book.

Her memory had always been excellent. It was an introductory guide to alchemy, and the formula sat inconspicuously among the examples of pills.

Xie Yu wasn’t sure if her Master knew of this formula, so she nervously clutched the book and went to find him.

On the way, she was intercepted by those people again. Seeing Xie Yu clutching the book like a treasure, they insisted on snatching it away.

Upon opening it, they found it was just a basic alchemy book. Disappointed, they mocked her further, saying that with her trashy Level 3 Qi Refinement cultivation and talent, her wanting to refine pills was like a toad lusting after swan meat.

Xie Yu silently picked up the ancient book thrown on the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and walked numbly toward her Master’s living quarters.

She didn’t expect to witness a scene of sweet whispers between the Master and Gong Dongling. The Master said: “Ling-er, it was Xie Yu who begged me to bring her onto the immortal path. I have never regarded her as my disciple. My true junior disciple has always been only you.”

Gong Dongling’s eyes were red and swollen, shimmering with tears: “Then why does Master still let her be your disciple now?”

“It’s just that so many people are watching now. Wait until…”

Xie Yu’s hand holding the ancient book trembled. Afraid to hear what came next, she turned to leave, but accidentally knocked over a glazed lamp on a nearby table.

With a crash, the lamp shattered into a floor full of shards.

The two inside were startled. Xu Ruozhen shouted in rage: “Who is out there?!”

When he walked out, he saw Xie Yu kneeling on the ground, head bowed, her trembling hands picking up the glass shards. Her hands were sliced bloody by the fragments, yet she seemed to feel no pain, silently focusing on the task.

Xu Ruozhen pulled her up and interrogated her: “What are you doing here?”

She clutched her book, curled into a ball, and couldn’t speak.

The book was snatched away. Xu Ruozhen frowned as he flipped through a few pages. Assuming Xie Yu wanted to learn alchemy, he scolded her coldly:

“Always reaching for what’s beyond you. Alchemy is not something a person with your spiritual roots can learn. You heard quite a bit just now, didn’t you? Mark my words: not just anyone can be my disciple. If you continue with this attitude, I will expel you from the sect one day.”

What followed was an unavoidable whipping.

Later, as Xie Yu knelt in the hall with her battered body, Gong Dongling stood up at some point. With a flower-like smile on her pale face, she walked over, casting a large shadow. She pinched Xie Yu’s chin and said: “Seeing you in this pathetic state… I haven’t been this happy in a long time. Don’t worry, I won’t let Master kick you out for now. After all, you haven’t yet tasted the same pain I have.”

Perhaps out of a sense of retaliation, Xie Yu had thrown that book into the furthest corner of the Library, darkly hoping it would never be found again.

And now, she had personally retrieved it and given it to Gong Dongling.

Maybe I’m just pathetic… Xie Yu thought, her mind a tangled mess.

Gong Dongling, recalling this plot point, felt a bit at a loss. Clearly, Xie Yu still hated her, so why did she give her this?

She was used to meeting hatred with gentleness, but when she truly felt the other person’s sincerity, she didn’t know how to respond. Furthermore, Gong Dongling was someone easily moved; when touched, her nose would prickle and her eyes would water quite dramatically.

“Thank you. If you have any difficulties in the future, just come to me. After all, while we might not be friends, we are people who share a secret.” Finally, Gong Dongling covered her nose and spoke with a slightly stiff sincerity.

Is she really that moved? Xie Yu glanced sideways at Gong Dongling’s “about to cry” expression and instinctively rubbed her own nose, silently adding the label “crybaby” to Gong Dongling in her mind.

After bringing the book home, Gong Dongling opened it and realized it was a teaching manual for beginner alchemy. Her interest was instantly piqued.

In her past life, despite her illness, she always hoped to live like a normal person. Knowing that her congenital heart disease was incurable and she wouldn’t live past twenty, she began to try many new things.

It was the same in this cultivation world. There would be a day she’d return; until then, she wanted to experience more things. Perhaps she could even use them after she went back.

She remembered those “power fantasy” stories where the protagonist returns from a cultivation world having mastered alchemy and becomes fabulously wealthy.

Forget the real world—even in this cultivation world, only a tiny fraction of people mastered alchemy. It required a pure Fire Spiritual Root and talent. Just as a sword cultivator needed to establish a mental link with their sword, an alchemist needed to link with their furnace. This was the key to “talent.”

Because cultivators had a massive demand for pills, alchemists not only made a fortune but also enjoyed high social status and respect.

Alchemists also had grades based on their limits. The higher the grade, the easier it was to refine high-level pills with better quality. However, an alchemist’s limit was dynamic; as their technique and insight improved, their grade would rise.

Gong Dongling’s spiritual root was a single Fire Root. Logically, she had the qualification to be an alchemist, but the original book never mentioned the original owner having any connection to alchemy. she wasn’t sure if she had the “talent.”

More importantly, because of the Cold Qi in her body, she couldn’t even drive her spiritual power to cultivate. How could she refine pills?

She flipped to the page with the Cold Qi formula, and her heart sank further. It was listed as a High-Tier Level 7 Pill.

This meant that the “Moisturizing Pill” Gong Dongling needed to take long-term could only be refined by a Level 7 or higher alchemist. To put it in perspective, a Level 7 pill at an auction was more expensive than all the treasures in her room combined!

Sword cultivators were all penniless; where would they get the money to support her “medicine jar” lifestyle?

“System, you there? Let’s make a deal. I’ve already let Xie Yu have the Xuanji Grass; you owe me some compensation. I don’t ask for any other cheats, just let me refine pills normally. I’ll handle the rest.”

Gong Dongling knocked on the System righteously. Why did everyone else get cheats from the start while she started as a “medicine jar” who couldn’t even cultivate?

[…You’re the first one to actively ask me for a cheat. Considering the difficulty of the host’s mission, it’s not impossible. But don’t make it a habit. This System only serves to issue warnings when the heroine’s blackening level increases; everything else must be solved by the host.]

She didn’t expect the System to be so straightforward. She immediately pressed her palms together, her eyes sparkling: “Can you make sure I don’t lose it when I go back to the real world? I want to get rich selling ‘Beauty and Youth’ pills!”

[? Get lost!]

Gong Dongling spent half the day rummaging through her room and finally found a decorative alchemy furnace. She wasn’t sure if it would work; its bronze shell was mottled, the body was round, and there was an opening at the base for fire. She opened the ancient tutorial, eager to try.

With the experience of linking to the Xuanling Sword, Gong Dongling found the process familiar this time.

Using a modern analogy, this link was very much like the process of connecting to Bluetooth. You search for control, and once connected, you can transmit commands.

However, unlike last time, the “red line” in her sea of consciousness was like a dead object—completely still. Gong Dongling easily grasped it and merged it into her palm.

Perhaps this was the legendary “lack of spirituality.” It had no consciousness of its own and would only mechanically execute the master’s orders.

Gong Dongling actually preferred this. After all, the Xuanling Sword was far too “wild.” She had to be on guard in case the sword, harboring a long-held grudge, decided to get up and kill her in her sleep.

As if hearing her thoughts, Xuanling buzzed and vibrated on the wall for a moment.

“I wasn’t insulting you! What are you noisy about? It’s not a big deal.”

With the System’s support, Gong Dongling didn’t even need to circulate qi. She just raised her hand and felt warmth in her palm. Following the instructions in the book, she recited a spell, and whoosh—a ball of spiritual fire burst from her palm, nearly singeing her eyebrows.

However, this fire was merely a spiritual entity, not true fire; it could only be used for alchemy.

She carefully placed the fire into the stand beneath the furnace. After focusing on adjusting it for a moment, she found the fire could indeed grow larger or smaller.

The formula for the first chapter of the introductory alchemy trial was the “Spiritual Herb Pill” that cultivators often used as food. The ingredients were simple—the common “Celestial Spirit Grass” found everywhere. Every alchemist could make it, and they could even be mass-produced in large furnaces.

Gong Dongling grabbed a handful of grass from her front door. While casting a Cleansing Spell and reading the book, she paused.

The book didn’t say how long to refine it. It only said to melt it into the shape of a pill when the “heat is sufficient” and the “timing is ripe.”

“Heat is sufficient? Timing is ripe?” How am I supposed to know when the timing is ripe?

On second thought, there were no precise clocks here, so it was indeed hard to judge time. Alchemists needed extensive training to judge the timing based on feeling and habit—how troublesome and backward.

Gong Dongling suddenly had a bold idea, and her eyes began to curve with a touch of mischief.