Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3

The morning was silent and desolate, with the pale moonlight still lingering faintly in the sky, awaiting the rising sun.

At this hour, the streets of Xu Family Town were deserted, save for the paper lanterns in front of the doorways turning slowly in the light breeze.

As the clouds dispersed, the morning light suddenly broke through the horizon, gradually drenching the heavens. Only then did the sound of loosening door bolts begin to echo from the tightly shut houses in town.

The waiter at the Xiangyun Inn opened the doors early in the morning with bleary eyes, preparing to welcome guests for business.

Outside, the cries of street vendors could already be heard. The waiter massaged his shoulder, loosening the soreness from lifting heavy objects the previous night, and gave a wide yawn before turning around.

When he saw the woman slowly descending from the second floor, his yawning jaw froze instantly.

His chin trembled nervously. He raised both hands and rubbed his eyes vigorously, looking again at the woman in red. He repeated this several times until a look of pure terror finally surfaced on his face.

Wanqi Yue, who had intentionally changed into a red dress, approached slowly. The waiter actually retreated several steps, his hand gripping the door behind him, refusing to let go.

“You… you you you… are you a person or a ghost…” Even his voice was shaking.

Wanqi Yue stepped forward a few more paces. The faint morning light reflected off her skin, making it appear exceptionally bright and pale. Her face was full of smiles, looking like an innocent and romantic young girl. Her voice was crisp and pleasant: “Why don’t you take a guess?”

This scene caused the waiter’s legs to go soft. He collapsed backward, trembling: “Help… a ghost… there’s a ghost!!!”

The commotion drew the attention of passersby. Several people gathered around, wanting to see what was happening. Upon getting closer, they found it quite strange that this waiter was screaming “ghost” at a beautiful young lady in broad daylight.

“What’s going on? What’s all this shouting about so early in the morning?!” The shopkeeper hurried over from the back courtyard, only to freeze when he saw Wanqi Yue. He was clearly more composed than the waiter; though a few flashes of panic crossed his eyes, he did not lose his composure.

“Shopkeeper, what is wrong with your waiter? Why is he suddenly so afraid of me for no reason?” Wanqi Yue put on a puzzled expression, looking truly troubled.

She was beautiful, with raven hair and snowy skin. Her almond eyes were as sparkling as spring water, making it easy for others to feel a sense of goodwill toward her.

This caused the confused onlookers to begin whispering about the waiter.

“A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding.” The shopkeeper gave the crowd a couple of dry laughs, then turned to Wanqi Yue with a stiff face to explain: “This lad has been having nightmares these past few days and hasn’t quite recovered his soul yet. He has offended you, Miss, and I am truly sorry.”

Seeing the shopkeeper, the waiter acted as if he had found a lifeline, clutching the man’s arm tightly, his teeth chattering uncontrollably: “Shop…Shopkeeper, did she… did she come back for us”

“Stop talking nonsense!” The shopkeeper suddenly barked with furrowed brows, successfully scaring the waiter into silence.

After giving the onlookers a brief explanation, the shopkeeper dragged the waiter toward the back courtyard. As he passed Wanqi Yue, he stole a hurried glance at her. Though he was terrified, he still managed a stiff, forced smile.

“What are you standing there for? Get over here and help!” The shopkeeper shouted at another waiter nearby who was holding a broom, looking bewildered.

As the shopkeeper passed the stairs inside the inn, he suddenly looked up. He saw a blue skirt—a woman standing quietly at the top of the stairs, her gaze indifferent. He didn’t know how long she had been standing there watching.

The shopkeeper was startled again; he didn’t remember such a person being among the group. However, he couldn’t spare much thought for it now; his priority was to get this coward away from here.

The commotion was not small, and it naturally disturbed the Qingyang Mountain disciples upstairs.

They groggily opened their doors and stepped out.

“What happened? Why did I sleep so deeply? Did you not call me yesterday?”

“I don’t feel quite right either, as if I haven’t slept enough.”

“Am…am I seeing things?”

“Am I not awake yet? That person’s back looks just like Eldest Senior Sister.”

The rustling sounds of discussion constantly reached the ears of Su Mi nearby. She did not turn around, but simply watched Wanqi Yue as she climbed the stairs.

The Wanqi Yue who walked up now had retracted her previous smile. She frowned with dissatisfaction until she saw Su Mi at the top. Her expression softened, and she called out with a smile: “Eldest Senior Sister.”

She then huffed: “That man is truly easily frightened. I hadn’t even said anything yet.”

“It’s enough,” Su Mi said.

Under Wanqi Yue’s guidance last night, they had successfully arrived at the inn where they were staying. They found that the rest of the disciples were all in a deep sleep in their respective rooms, though unlike Wanqi Yue, their spiritual power had not been affected.

Su Mi had inspected the teapots and cups in the rooms but found nothing unusual until they reached Wanqi Yue’s room, where Wanqi Yue herself discovered a discrepancy.

She remembered that the teacup in her room had a tiny chip something she had noticed while drinking tea. But the cup currently on the table was smooth and intact.

The two guessed that someone must have swapped the tea, even matching the remaining amount of liquid exactly to avoid suspicion.

Su Mi thought that since these people wanted to act “without a trace,” they might as well play a game of “ghosts and shadows” themselves.

Thus, the scene of Wanqi Yue appearing openly in the morning was staged.

“Eldest Senior Sister, will this work?” Wanqi Yue asked Su Mi.

“We will know soon enough.” Su Mi didn’t know exactly who had sent Wanqi Yue to that boat last night. In the data provided by the system, the Baizhi Town inn incident was only briefly mentioned. Having the female lead reveal herself was meant to make the people behind the scenes panic. Once they lost their composure, they would naturally reveal flaws, and Su Mi wouldn’t have to passively search for the answers to the mystery.

On the other side, the disciples who heard the title Wanqi Yue used finally snapped out of it and swarmed forward.

The Second Senior Sister, Fang Yun, gave a respectful salute to Su Mi: “Eldest Senior Sister, why are you here?”

Wanqi Yue watched as her Eldest Senior Sister was instantly surrounded. Her head drooped slightly. She knew that Eldest Senior Sister never belonged to her alone, she was merely someone who had spent a bit more time with her when they were younger.

“I came because I finished my secluded meditation early,” Su Mi’s explanation was concise. “Go back to your rooms first.” As she spoke the latter half, her gaze fell on Wanqi Yue, who had been keeping her head down.

Noticing her gaze, Wanqi Yue’s eyes curled into a slight smile.

All the disciples followed Su Mi into Wanqi Yue’s room. She briefly recounted the events of the previous night, and for a moment, everyone’s faces looked a bit grim.

A total of seven disciples had descended the mountain this time, all of whom were the elite of the younger generation of Qingyang Mountain. They never expected to be brought down by a cup of tea in a mortal inn.

“No wonder the food felt so salty yesterday. When we asked the shopkeeper for water, he said it wasn’t boiled yet, so we could only return to our rooms to drink the tea to quench our thirst. That’s how we were tricked.”

“I heard senior sisters who had been down the mountain say to be vigilant at all times, but I didn’t take it to heart. I didn’t expect…”

Everyone began to reflect on their own negligence.

“This was my failure as the leader. If Eldest Senior Sister hadn’t arrived in time, Junior Sister Wanqi might have already met with disaster. I will certainly accept punishment upon our return.” Fang Yun reviewed herself with a stern face, though she still had doubts. “But how could ordinary knockout drops work on us? It even managed to seal Junior Sister Wanqi’s spiritual power?”

As cultivators, they were no longer ordinary mortals. Common poisons shouldn’t necessarily work on them, let alone simple knockout drops.

Moreover, although Junior Sister Wanqi was the youngest, her spiritual power and cultivation were above several of them. How could she have been drugged and kidnapped by ordinary people without any awareness?

Fang Yun’s words voiced the doubts in everyone’s hearts.

“Fifth Senior Sister helped me neutralize the poison last night. She should know,” Wanqi Yue spoke up.

The crowd then turned to the Fifth Senior Sister, Qiao Wuyu, who was yawning incessantly.

Qiao Wuyu had been forcibly awakened last night. While she was still dazed, she was pressed by the Eldest Senior Sister to examine Junior Sister Wanqi’s spiritual veins and detoxify her. Even with Eldest Senior Sister’s assistance in clearing the channels, it had taken a great deal of time and effort.

Once the toxins were cleared, she hadn’t had time to say anything before falling back into a deep sleep, only to be awakened just now by her fellow disciples.

Qiao Wuyu covered her mouth with a long yawn: “The tea last night was likely mixed with Tengxiu Grass. This grass has a heavy wicked nature. After being dried and ground into powder, it is colorless and odorless. A small dose used on cultivators will cause drowsiness, but the dose used on Junior Sister Wanqi was heavier, which led to her state.”

Wanqi Yue frowned: “This makes it even stranger. Since arriving here, we haven’t revealed our identities as cultivators at all. Why would they use such a thing on us? Furthermore, how would they even have something like Tengxiu Grass?”

“Is there a demonic cultivator in this town?”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s expressions became solemn. If a demonic cultivator was involved, the matter would become much more difficult.

At this moment, Su Mi, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly spoke: “Since arriving here, have you encountered anyone unusual?”

Everyone thought back carefully and shook their heads.

Wanqi Yue also tilted her head, trying hard to remember: “It seems… no.”

Su Mi looked at the female lead. In the original plot provided by the system, the female lead actually had a brief encounter with the male lead before this, but she hadn’t remembered him at all. It wasn’t until the subsequent “hero saving the beauty” scene that she recalled him, which is why the system hadn’t listed that first meeting as a major plot point.

It seemed Wanqi Yue truly had no memory of that person.

Su Mi recalled the plot and the movements in the forest last night. In the story, the male lead Yue Qianzhou took advantage of the inn’s drugging incident to “go with the flow,” adding the specific anti-cultivator herb himself to orchestrate this encounter with the female lead. However, she couldn’t just blurt that out now.

But Yue Qianzhou would surely continue to find ways to approach the female lead. There would be plenty of opportunities to “catch” him.

“Eldest Senior Sister, what should we do next?” someone asked.

“Should we go back to the lake to investigate?”

With Su Mi here, everyone’s eyes and expectations naturally fell on her, overlooking Fang Yun, the original leader.

Standing to the side, Fang Yun’s gaze dimmed for a moment, but she quickly regained her usual clarity.

Su Mi’s fair fingertips lightly brushed the smooth rim of the cup as she said: “I placed tracking talismans on those two earlier. There is no need to worry too much.”

No matter where they went, she would know.

Afterward, Su Mi told them to return to their rooms to rest and recover, so they could handle whatever might happen next.

Su Mi herself waited for the talismans on those two to signal movement.

Once the others had left the room, Wanqi Yue sat bored, watching the sky outside, hesitating over something.

On the other side, the Coal Ball hopped down from Su Mi’s shoulder and whispered to the sitting Su Mi:

[Warm tip from Coal Ball: Master, based on the experience of previous employees, you can try to understand and get closer to the female lead more often. It makes completing the mission easier.]

Su Mi thought this made sense. She picked up the teacup on the table and casually asked Wanqi Yue: “What are you thinking about?”

Wanqi Yue was startled by her voice, as if she hadn’t expected Su Mi to speak to her. She blurted out instinctively: “I was thinking… Eldest Senior Sister, are you going to sleep me tonight?”

These words were like a stone dropped into a deep pool, stirring up a thousand waves.

Su Mi’s half-closed eyes snapped open, looking directly into Wanqi Yue’s eyes with a flash of shock.

“What?”