I Snatched the Male Lead’s "Cool Novel" Script - Chapter 2

“Goddess?” Yin Beiqing’s expression softened slightly, yet a mocking chuckle escaped her nose. “Your dear lover said the same thing.”

Although the male protagonist couldn’t recite the original text of the ancient prophecies, he had learned basic information about Yin Beiqing from the system and knew she had been searching for a “Goddess” capable of curing all ailments.

Thus, after being captured, he had used the same excuse to disguise his identity and buy himself time to escape.

The reason his lie was believed so easily, aside from his protagonist aura, was related to the world-building of this land.

In the Kingdom of Jin, a general with outstanding military achievements could be granted the high title of Female General, and a learned scholar could be honored as a Lady. Since the legendary “Goddess” was all-powerful, even if “she” possessed a male body, he could naturally be bestowed with the prestigious “Female” prefix.

“Valley Master, you misunderstand. He is no lover of mine.” Yan Yu lowered her head, no longer looking directly at her, masking the sharp glint in her eyes with a submissive appearance. “The reason I accidentally entered your valley was to seek revenge on that man. He caused the ruin of my family and stole my animal pet. I was so consumed by rage that I pursued him here. I didn’t expect that to save his own life, he would go so far as to steal my identity. If the Valley Master doesn’t believe me, you can let me confront him face-to-face.”

If this speech were accompanied by a few sobs and paired with Yan Yu’s naturally pitiable face, it would surely evoke a great deal of sympathy.

But she took an unconventional approach; her tone was flat and she looked very calm. Paradoxically, it was this composure that gave Yin Beiqing the patience to ask one more question.

“My subordinates reported hearing you shout at the entrance: ‘Yin Beiqing, I shall take your devilish head today!’ What was that about, then?”

“…” On second thought, it seemed the original body did have such a line.

But what could she do? she could only lie through her teeth.

Yan Yu smiled, narrowing her eyes to hide her emotions. “I have absolutely no memory of saying such a thing. My admiration for the Valley Master is as clear as the sun and moon. They must have misheard.”

Shring—! A dozen or so swords were drawn from their scabbards once more, but this time Yan Yu wasn’t quite as panicked.

She was betting that Yin Beiqing wouldn’t pass up any clue in her search for the Goddess. Otherwise, someone as intolerant as her wouldn’t have spared the life of the male protagonist after he tried to steal the Animal Spirit Pearl.

“Admiration.” Yin Beiqing savored the word playfully, her finger tapping the armrest. “Many people admire me, but not many of them are still alive.”

Correction: none of them were still alive.

“The things you just said could be found out with a bit of effort. You must prove your value first if you want me to keep…” Yin Beiqing looked Yan Yu up and down, grudgingly picking out her only redeeming quality. “…this pretty face of yours.”

Yan Yu didn’t speak. She simply pressed her hands together, her thumbs hooked as her four fingers fluttered, making the gesture of a butterfly.

While the surrounding people were still in a fog, Yin Beiqing’s expression suddenly turned as dark as storm clouds. A crushing murderous intent pressed down on the crown of Yan Yu’s head. Before Yan Yu could even take another breath, Yin Beiqing had flashed in front of her. The cold, sharp tip of her bone fan pressed against Yan Yu’s throat, the point already piercing slightly into the skin.

Another drop of cold sweat slid down from her forehead. Yan Yu fully believed that if Yin Beiqing applied just a fraction more strength, her head would be separated from her body in the next second.

But at such a critical juncture, she managed to remain calm and even felt a bit relieved.

Yin Beiqing’s massive reaction showed that she understood the meaning of the gesture. The fact that she was so angry yet hadn’t killed her immediately proved even more that this move was the right one.

All newborns underwent a test with an induction pearl to identify promising candidates who might become Animal Art Masters.

For ordinary commoners, the induction sphere would only show a wisp of white mist. Above that were green, yellow, red, and purple. Black was extremely rare but represented the highest grade, symbolizing that the newborn possessed abundant Spirit Power and extraordinary talent. With proper cultivation, they could likely become Grade A or even Special Grade Animal Art Masters.

Regardless of the grade, the induction sphere would only show a single cluster of mist. But for Yin Beiqing, there were two clusters—both deep, ink-black. They were so entangled it was hard to tell them apart, yet they couldn’t escape the eyes of an experienced examiner.

Dual Animal Spirits were a symbol of deformity, and also a sign of a man’s impurity. It was believed such a deformed fetus could only be formed if a man committed infidelity during the period of “conception.”

In this world, both sexes could procreate, but this method of continuing the next generation was not the physical pregnancy of conventional understanding.

The process of gestation involved merging the Spirit Power of both parties to form a new Animal Spirit Pearl. From the moment of formation to hatching, the Animal Spirit Pearl required a constant supply of the host’s essence, energy, and spirit as nourishment. Whoever chose to be the carrier for this new Animal Spirit Pearl was the one who “gave birth” and was “pregnant.”

However, because this was a female-oriented society, it was a common phenomenon for males to act as carriers. But if a family required a particularly strong pureblood lineage for inheritance, they would still choose to focus on cultivating a new Animal Spirit Pearl carried by a female.

Some noble Animal Art Masters who had practiced pureblood inheritance for generations called these Animal Spirit Pearls carried by men “Dud Stones”—meaning inferior products that could never achieve success in the field of Animal Arts.

Yin Beiqing’s mother had died young, so even if the family was unwilling, they ultimately had no choice but to use her father as the carrier. Who could have known such a thing would happen?

As soon as the test results came out, a guard unit stormed into the Yin household and dragged Yin Beiqing’s father away. Male impurity was a capital offense, especially since Yin Beiqing’s mother was an honored Female General who had died for the country.

Under brutal torture, Yin Beiqing’s father refused to admit to any infidelity, but that was taken as evidence of him protecting a lover. The next day, his mutilated corpse was hung on the city wall as a warning to others.

After her father’s death, Yin Beiqing’s life became even harder. She was seen as a product of unchastity and impurity, loathed and shunned by everyone as if she were filthy trash.

And that was only the beginning. When she grew older, a prophecy spread from somewhere saying that a thousand-year scourge would descend upon the continent. Thousands would die because of her, the country would fall, and the people would suffer. The characteristic of this “scourge” was Dual Animal Spirits.

Soon, countless people arrived, shouting slogans of doing heaven’s will to take Yin Beiqing’s life.

She narrowly escaped death time and again. Through frequent combat, her Spirit Power grew increasingly dense and her personality gradually became twisted in such an environment.

She hated those who harmed and insulted her, but in the deepest part of her heart, she tragically agreed with their words, feeling that she herself was unclean.

Because of this deep-seated low self-esteem, Yin Beiqing had never exposed her other Animal Spirit.

Everyone knew she had two Animal Spirits, but not a single person knew what the other one looked like, except for herself.

The giant python, Gui Lian, that Yan Yu had seen earlier was Yin Beiqing’s first Animal Spirit. Her second Animal Spirit was a blood-red butterfly with golden patterns on its wings named Ji Wu. A gentle flap of its wings possessed the power to uproot towering trees. It was powerful, but it also consumed a massive amount of Spirit Power. Unless absolutely necessary, Yin Beiqing would not use it. But if she did, she would leave no one alive in order to keep the secret.

Yet the gesture Yan Yu just made clearly indicated she knew something.

Seeing Yin Beiqing hesitating, Yan Yu spoke again. “You’ve been looking for Lin Hegui, haven’t you? If you are willing to spare my life, I will take you to find her immediately. I have a certain connection with her; she might do me a favor.”

Perhaps besides her incredible memory, Yan Yu’s second skill was lying through her teeth without batting an eye.

How could she, someone who had just transmigrated, possibly have any connection with Lin Hegui? At most, she knew of her temperament and preferences from the book. She only said this because she had to save her own life.

The attributes of Yin Beiqing’s two Animal Spirits clashed. Everyone said she wouldn’t survive to adulthood before her Spirit Power was carved up by the two spirits, causing her to explode and die. Yet she had endured. However, the current Yin Beiqing had only tamed Gui Lian; Ji Wu was constantly rebelling violently within her body and draining her Spirit Power, which led to Yin Beiqing’s current weakened state.

Therefore, she could only settle for the next best thing: spitting out one of the Animal Spirit Pearls and sealing it within a precious artifact. She would only take it out and swallow it back for incubation every seven days during her molting period, repeating the cycle.

To use a metaphor, Yin Beiqing’s body was currently like a container about to be burst by its contents. As the Animal Spirits’ power grew, her pain intensified. Having tried various methods with little effect, she was reaching her breaking point. Only then did Yin Beiqing set her sights on the legendary divine physician, Lin Hegui.

Medicine was also known as Governance Arts in this world. There were very few in the Kingdom of Jin skilled in Governance Arts, and Lin Hegui was the best among them. But she was eccentric and spent her years wandering; money, interest, or power could hardly entice her to intervene in worldly affairs.

If there was anything that could make her act once, perhaps only a personal favor would work. But it was heard she always traveled alone—when did she ever have an intersection with this sickly girl?

Yin Beiqing peered at Yan Yu. She looked full of confidence, her words resonant and powerful. Perhaps it was this calm and certain demeanor that gave everything she said a high level of credibility.

Even Yin Beiqing, who had seen countless people, was half-stepping into the trap.

Recently, the Imperial Moth within her had become increasingly unruly. Even with the seven-day cycle, her body was struggling to bear it. But if she left the Animal Spirit outside her body for too long, it would wither and die without a host.

Exploding or losing an Animal Spirit—neither was an outcome Yin Beiqing wanted. After weighing her options, it seemed believing Yan Yu was the only path left.

“How do I know this isn’t just a stalling tactic? Once we leave this valley, there will be a crowd of your rescuers waiting for me.”

“I am but an orphaned girl whose family was executed, isolated and without help. What power could I possibly have to call for rescuers? Besides, could any movement in this Langdie Valley ever escape your eyes?” Yan Yu raised her head, her eyes clear and transparent. “Please believe me, Valley Master. I truly want to help you.”

It was true that Yan Yu wanted to survive, but she also genuinely felt sorry for the female lead.

If she had found Lin Hegui to heal her body from the start, hadn’t been tricked by the male lead, and hadn’t had her Animal Spirit Pearl stolen by him, she certainly wouldn’t have faced those miserable events or turned villainous. As someone who knew the truth, Yan Yu couldn’t stand by and watch Yin Beiqing go down the wrong path.

Yin Beiqing didn’t speak. She was thinking, but she wasn’t pondering the credibility of Yan Yu’s words. Instead, she was conflicted by the sense of dissonance coming from her.

No matter how hard Yan Yu tried to disguise it, not even a shred of so-called “admiration” could be seen on her. Even when she spoke of her dead family, she didn’t have the breakdown or sorrow an ordinary person should have. If one had to say what kind of emotion that was…

Sympathy? Pity?

Even when she said, “Please believe me, Valley Master. I truly want to help you,” she looked at her with that same gaze.

Yin Beiqing lowered her head and clenched her fist, looking at the scar on her palm that went nearly to the bone. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly. This time, even the maidservants couldn’t tell what she meant, unsure whether they should draw their swords.

Instead, she expressionlessly withdrew her bone fan. Seeing this, the maidservants slowly retracted their longswords. But before the swords could even click into their scabbards, a man-high stone sculpture standing against the wall to the left suddenly exploded. The massive sound echoed through the valley, and the air was instantly clouded with dust and stone fragments.

Yan Yu began to cough wretchedly, crouching as low as possible to inhale less of the dust.

But in the next second, her chin was pinched by a cold hand and forced upward. She had no choice but to meet those deep silver eyes hidden behind the mask.

Yin Beiqing could completely pinch Yan Yu’s chin with a single hand. Metal guards as long as two knuckles scraped against the tender skin of her cheek, pressing in hard.

The other woman clearly didn’t seem to be using much force, yet her cheek burned with pain. Yan Yu frowned, biting her lower lip to suppress a cry of pain.

Yin Beiqing appreciated Yan Yu’s stubborn expression with satisfaction. In this state, she looked much more pleasing to the eye than when she wore that fake, sycophantic smile.

“If I see you stretching your face to give me another one of those hypocritical smiles, I’ll make sure you never smile again.” She withdrew her hand and patted Yan Yu’s cheek with her palm. In a light tone, she said, “But… since you’ve talked so big, it would be a pity not to let you try.”

A sickly girl who couldn’t lift a finger actually had the leisure to pity others. In Yin Beiqing’s eyes, this was funnier than hearing that pigs could climb trees.