Achieving a Happy Ending with the Best Friend I Saved [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Helian Yun saw his plan nearing its climax and a faint smile began to curl at the corners of his mouth. But a second later, the smile froze on his face.

He could no longer control his contracted beast.

Furthermore, a searing pain spread from his internal organs to his four limbs and every bone in his body. Originally, his injuries were meant to look tragic while remaining superficial, but now it was different. It felt as though he was being hit by a massive backlash, and the agony began to drag down his movements.

How could this be happening?

Reality gave him no time to think. The beast’s jagged teeth were about to pierce his flesh at a speed more than twice as fast as before. Helian Yun rolled across the ground, barely dodging the strike, only to have his entire body slammed by the beast’s forelimb. He let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Sang Ruo stood not far away like an outsider, watching Helian Yun being toyed with like a mouse by his own beast.

“You see, I am not manipulating it,” she remarked leisurely. “Its hatred for its master has simply reached this level.” Her tone was relaxed, clearly enjoying the chaos.

System 007 looked at the Host’s attribute panel and felt a chill. The Host’s morality score was 78. That might seem high at first glance, but the maximum value was 1,000.

[Ho… Host,] it hesitated for a moment before deciding on a subtle reminder. [The other citizens of Ganmu City are still here. Letting the beast run wild might be a bit dangerous, right?]

Sang Ruo found the question strange. “If it shows signs of endangering them, I will naturally stop it.”

Fine. The Host had everything under control. 007 breathed a sigh of relief. Those 78 morality points were doing some modest work after all. The Host was not acting out of a disregard for life, but rather out of a supreme confidence in her own power and ability to control the field.

After ten minutes of the show, Helian Yun had exhausted all his hidden cards.

In Ganmu City, due to the presence of an unknown deity, the power of all visiting cultivators was suppressed to the Foundation Establishment stage. Combined with his unhealed injuries and Sang Ruo’s interference, even a man with a protagonist halo was being played until he was at death’s door.

007’s heart leaped into its throat again as it shrieked, [Host! The Male Lead cannot die! The world rules will detect us and kick us out!]

“I know.”

Sang Ruo closed her eyes to sense the emotions of those around her. This was the innate talent of a demon: panic, despair, and fraying sanity. She waited a few more heartbeats until these emotions reached a breaking point. Only then did she finally stroll over, delivering several punches to the side of the giant beast.

Thud, thud, thud. Every strike hit home. 007 even saw the areas where the beast was hit cave inward, showing just how terrifying the Host’s strength and technique were.

The beast let out a mournful wail as its massive body was sent flying. Sang Ruo used the momentum of her final punch to execute a graceful backflip, landing as lightly as a fallen leaf.

Seeing a savior, the Male Lead abandoned all pride and began crawling toward the distance. Sang Ruo spared him only a brief glance.

At that exact moment, the Siwu looked over. Her white mask was devoid of joy or sorrow, making her look like a deity standing upon a high altar. Sang Ruo’s fingertips curled slightly. She met the Siwu’s gaze and reached out a hand toward her. “Give me the sword.”

The Siwu paused for a moment before throwing the narrow sword toward Sang Ruo.

Sang Ruo caught it steadily. The beast had recovered by then. Sensing her threat, it ignored the cowering Helian Yun and charged straight at her. Behind Sang Ruo were the kneeling citizens of Ganmu City. If she dodged, casualties were inevitable.

However, Sang Ruo showed no sign of urgency. She pressed her forefinger and middle finger together, sliding them along the cool blade. This sword was beautifully crafted but not even sharpened; it was intended only as a ritual implement.

Clang!

Blood erupted.

The beast came to a dead stop just before hitting the citizens. Its massive body split into several chunks and crashed to the ground. It was like a rain of blood, staining the blue stone tiles. The citizens remained respectfully prostrate in prayer, and at that moment, the Siwu concluded her ritual dance.

Sang Ruo and the Siwu looked at each other in silence. Their black and white masks concealed all emotion.

Helian Yun’s mind was linked to his beast. Now that the beast was dead, he coughed up more blood and lay there, unable to move. Inside his mind was a stone tablet that analyzed everything he saw—a vast knowledge base that allowed him to see the essence of all things.

When he looked at the woman in black, the tablet carved several striking characters with a trembling stroke: [Unknown entity. Extremely dangerous. Inscrutable. Stay away. Stay away.]

The Siwu completed the remaining steps of the sacrifice. Sang Ruo did not kneel but stood quietly, listening to the noisy internal monologues of the crowd. The main tone was joy, but there were lingering worries.

Is such an event during the ritual an omen of misfortune? Will a great disaster befall our Ganmu City? Lord Siwu…

The Siwu walked toward the remains of the beast. Sang Ruo had already returned the sword to her. Holding the weapon, the Siwu lightly tapped the beast’s head. “This turn of events is actually a blessing for our Ganmu City.”

“Since the passing of the previous Siwu, our city has faced no challenges. The weather has been fair and the harvests plentiful, which has led our defenses to grow lax. But peace does not last forever. If we continue like this, we will surely face a great catastrophe.”

The young woman’s voice was ethereal and clear. It was calm and steady, soothing the restless hearts of the people. The breeze caught the hem of her pure white robe. Amidst the surrounding scarlet, she was the only touch of purity, like a white camellia blooming quietly in a pool of blood.

Sang Ruo stood among the crowd, watching her, momentarily lost in thought.

“The monster and these two warriors are gifts from the gods. I shall offer this head to the deity and hold a celebratory banquet tonight. We shall invite these two warriors to celebrate this once in a century stroke of luck.”

The Siwu looked at Sang Ruo. “I ask that our warrior please does not refuse.”

Sang Ruo nodded slightly.

[She is very smart,] 007 remarked.

Suddenly, a faint cry for help was heard. Now that the ceremony was ending and the music had stopped, the sound finally reached the crowd’s ears.

“Someone… help me…”

Helian Yun lay on the ground, his eyes glazed.

The Siwu reacted quickly. “Quickly, help this warrior to receive treatment!”

One could not blame them for the oversight; too much had happened, and everyone had been preoccupied with their ritual duties. Shortly after, thanks to Sang Ruo’s reminder, the people also found the unconscious fisherwoman and assumed she had been fainted from the sight of the monster.

[Ding! Mission complete.]

[Calculating rewards. Evaluation: Completion exceeded. Basic reward: 200 points + 100 bonus points. Total: 300 energy points. Account balance: negative 1,200 points.]

[Reminder: Due to the butterfly effect, the future plot is about to deviate significantly from the original world line. Please be prepared, Host.]

The evening banquet was lively. The customs in Ganmu City differed from those in the cultivation world. After a simple meal, guests were free to socialize.

Helian Yun had taken the city’s specialized healing medicine both internally and externally. He could barely sit up to attend, but getting up to socialize was out of the question. He could only watch as that woman, who had appeared out of nowhere, was surrounded by a crowd eager to talk to her.

She even had the audacity to look frostily indifferent and impatient!

Helian Yun had planned to use this opportunity to become the new rising star of Ganmu City and befriend influential figures. Now, all his fruits had been plucked by someone else. Although some people spoke to him, it was not at all how he had envisioned it.

They praised his “unyielding spirit”? That was just a polite way of saying he was incompetent but hard to kill. Helian Yun finished dealing with another person who came to offer comfort. Seeing the pity in their eyes, he almost coughed up blood again.

This was a calculated scheme.

People’s attention always gravitates toward the most dazzling figure. Now, compared to that woman, Helian Yun felt like one was the hero of the hour while the other was merely a recipient of a consolation prize.

He had encountered similar situations before, but he was always the hero. By slightly delaying his rescue efforts, he could ensure he became the most radiant person on the scene. Now that the roles were reversed, he realized the taste was truly bitter.

Even more unsettling was his premonition that this was only the beginning.

Sang Ruo cast a glance at Helian Yun and retracted her gaze with satisfaction. Based on the information from the system and her conversations at the banquet, she had a general understanding of the city’s power structure. She had befriended several influential figures. Though she did not know how the future plot would unfold, it was never wrong to prepare for a rainy day.

Even so, she had no real desire to deal with these filthy humans and their heavy, greedy desires.

After the banquet, Sang Ruo was intercepted on her way back to her new residence by an unexpected person. It was the Divine Attendant, Lan Nineteen, wearing the orchid mask with the number “nineteen” in the corner, whom Sang Ruo had met when she first arrived in this world.

“Lord Siwu requests that you stay behind for a moment,” she said.

Sang Ruo felt a flicker of interest. “Stay behind for what?”

Lan Nineteen’s eyes flashed with wariness. Clearly, Sang Ruo’s earlier act of enchanting the crowd had made the attendant cautious. “Lord Siwu has words to speak with you.”

When Sang Ruo pressed for more, the girl refused to elaborate.

“Is it just me?” Sang Ruo asked.

“And Helian Yun. Lord Siwu asked me to summon him as well.”

When mentioning Helian Yun, Lan Nineteen’s attitude was noticeably softer. Sang Ruo was not surprised. The Male Lead possessed that kind of charm, infatuating the women he encountered and maintaining a naturally high favorability rating.

“You have not called for him yet? I will go with you.”

Lan Nineteen looked at Sang Ruo with suspicion but ultimately did not refuse. Regardless, she had to lead the way and bring both individuals before Lord Siwu.

After the banquet, Helian Yun had been taken back to Orchid Fragrance Pavilion by other attendants to treat his injuries. Sang Ruo followed Lan Nineteen there. She noticed that the attendants at Orchid Fragrance Pavilion also wore orchid masks, though the numbers differed. Earlier, she had seen masks with other patterns.

She asked Lan Nineteen about the differences. Despite her prejudice against Sang Ruo, Lan Nineteen was an honest person and answered her questions directly.

It turned out the Divine Court was divided into four departments. Plum handled punishment and law. Orchid was responsible for internal affairs, which included medical care. Bamboo managed military force, and Chrysanthemum handled finances. Lord Siwu was the leader of these four departments, governing everyone.

Because of this division of labor, the Divine Court had remained standing for many years. Lan Nineteen was a close attendant to Lord Siwu and belonged to the Orchid Department, though her specific duties differed from the general staff.

When they arrived, the Male Lead was busy flirting with the young physician applying his medicine. Lan Nineteen dismissed everyone else in the room, claiming she had private matters to discuss with Helian Yun. The young physician scrambled out immediately.

Sang Ruo grew thoughtful and whispered to the system, “Is it really necessary to send everyone away just to say ‘Lord Siwu is looking for him’?”

The system agreed. [There is something fishy going on.]

Lan Nineteen explained her purpose to Helian Yun. His eyes lit up with joy, and he was about to agree. Suddenly, Sang Ruo flicked a wisp of black energy, causing the window frame to rattle loudly.

“What was that noise?” Lan Nineteen cried. She rushed over and leaned out the window to check.

Sang Ruo looked down at Helian Yun. System 007 had a bad feeling. [You aren’t going to…]

Sang Ruo kicked Helian Yun.

Recalling the punches she threw at the giant beast, one could imagine the sheer force behind that kick. 007 covered its eyes, unable to watch.

“Mgh!” Helian Yun, mindful of his image in front of the young girl, suppressed his cry of pain. His face distorted with agony as he glared fiercely at Sang Ruo.

Being stared at like that did not frighten Sang Ruo. Instead, her thin lips curled into a slight arc as she casually placed a Silence Curse on him.

Lan Nineteen turned back quickly. “What happened? What happened!”

Sang Ruo knitted her brows, putting on an expression of deep concern. “He was so excited just now that his movements were too broad. His wound has burst open.”

Lan Nineteen looked and saw that it was true. The fabric over his chest on his snow-white inner garment was soaked through with bright red blood.

“What should we do?”

Sang Ruo offered a suggestion. “Call the physician back first.”

Lan Nineteen hesitated. “But Lord Siwu said…”

Sang Ruo reasoned with her. “He is injured like this. Can he even discuss matters? Is the person more important, or the business?”

Lan Nineteen was swayed by her logic. “True. At most, they can talk next time.” She turned to call for the physician.

Helian Yun watched as the two of them decided his fate between themselves. He struggled to sit up, letting out angry, muffled grunts. Sang Ruo leaned down and slowly pushed him back down. Her black hair flowed over her shoulders, and her eyes were dark and deep.

“Look at you,” she said with feigned affection. “Why must you act so tough? You are so heavily injured, you should rest first.”

Lan Nineteen chimed in, “Yes, she’s right.”

Helian Yun was stunned. He glared at Lan Nineteen with fury. This stupid woman! Traitor!

The two women turned to leave. Lan Nineteen did not forget to considerately ask the physician to come back and tend to his wounds. Helian Yun clenched his fists and collapsed back onto the bed in exhaustion. He could hear the two of them talking as they walked away.

Sang Ruo asked, “What was that sound at the window just now? Is everything alright?”

“It must have been the wind.”

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