After My Faked Death Failed, My Ex-Wife Came Chasing After Me - Chapter 1

Is it too late to kneel down and call the female lead “Mom” right now…?

Inside the martial arts arena, the scorching sun blazed.

Lin Zheng was bound and kneeling on the ground by two Immortal-Binding Locks. Her snow-white disciple robes were already tattered and blood-stained from the wind of the whip. Her face was as pale as paper, yet her spine remained ramrod straight, like a sword that refused to be broken.

The surrounding disciples jeered—

“Isn’t the Eldest Senior Sister usually the toughest? Who knew she’d see a day like this!”

“Who told her to steal the Junior Sister’s Rejuvenation Pill? She deserves it!”

“Junior Sister, don’t go easy on her. This fox demon is most cunning; if you don’t interrogate her harshly, I’m afraid she won’t spit out the truth!”

Lu Ting’an looked down to see her own hand clutching a dark gold whip bristling with glowing barbs. Blood dripped like pearls, meandering through the intricate carvings of the stone floor. Her fingertips felt an involuntary numbness.

Only half an hour ago, she had been slacking off in a postgraduate entrance exam study room reading a novel. In the blink of an eye, she had transmigrated into this xianxia world filled with corpses and dancing demons.

Even more ridiculous was that she had become the most death-seeking, villainous Junior Sister in the entire book!

In the original story, this Junior Sister was the only daughter of the Sect Leader of the world’s number one cultivation sect. Spoiled since childhood, she was arrogant and overbearing, particularly fond of bullying disciples from humble backgrounds. And the Eldest Senior Sister before her, Lin Zheng—who was currently being whipped until her flesh was torn—was the very “Heaven-Chosen Female Lead” who would later blacken, massacre the sect, and grind Lu Ting’an’s entire family into ashes!

How could a person be this unlucky?!

Before Lu Ting’an could cover her face and wail at the heavens, a sharp “ding” sounded in her mind, and a mechanical voice fell coldly:

[The plot of the novel “The Demon Bone Ascends to Immortality” has been bound. The host must follow the original work to complete the main storyline of “Humiliating the Female Lead and Forcing Her to Blacken.” If the Female Lead’s Blackening Value does not reach 100%, the host will be obliterated immediately.]

[Current Blackening Value: 30%]

Lu Ting’an’s throat tightened; she clutched her face in grief, momentarily unable to breathe.

According to the book’s setting, the Heaven-Chosen Female Lead, Lin Zheng, was born of a Qingqiu fox and a mortal. She was born with nine tails faintly visible and possessed extraordinary talent. Unfortunately, her mother had misjudged a man; her husband had schemed to steal her demon core to extend the life of his mistress. He then sealed the dying Mother Lin into the Demon-Locking Tower, a seal that could only be broken if Lin Zheng proved her path and ascended to immortality.

Lin Zheng lost her parents at a young age and struggled until she was ten. Hearing that the world’s top cultivation sect was coming to Qingqiu to select disciples, the desperate Lin Zheng fought bitterly for days, eventually surpassing all the youths in her tribe to successfully join the Baiyun Luying Sect.

Due to her special identity, Lin Zheng’s path to seeking the Dao at the sect was naturally arduous. But physical suffering was one thing; what Lin Zheng found most unbearable were the endless slanders and humiliations from her fellow disciples. The worst among them was her Junior Sister, Lu Ting’an.

Speaking of this Junior Sister who shared her name, Lu Ting’an hated her with a passion while reading. This girl was not only born wicked but was also incredibly stupid. While reading, Lu Ting’an suspected the author created her not to stimulate the female lead, but to spite the readers. She not only verbally and physically abused Lin Zheng but also placed countless obstacles in Lin Zheng’s path of demon-slaying—humiliating herself in every failed attempt to frame her. To vent her spite, she eventually plotted to destroy Lin Zheng’s meridians and pushed her off a cliff to destroy the evidence.

Of course, thanks to her “Female Lead Halo” and massive plot armor, Lin Zheng didn’t die. Instead, she accidentally entered an ancient Demon King’s forbidden land, learned divine techniques to reconstruct her meridians, and obtained a divine artifact. She broke through three realms in succession and ascended to immortality. The first person she dealt with afterward was this villainous Junior Sister.

The methods used to torture her were a major “satisfaction point” of the book. At the time, Lu Ting’an had clapped her hands in delight, so much so that she still remembered the details—gouging eyes, pulling out the tongue, skinning and deboning, extracting the soul to light a lamp, and sealing the remains in a jar of corpse oil.

Good and evil are rewarded in the end. Satisfying!

But now, Lu Ting’an couldn’t laugh at all.

After a long pause, she asked internally with difficulty: “If I follow the plot and humiliate the female lead, can you give me some reward at the end? Like, let me exit the world a second before she’s about to kill me for revenge…”

The system heartlessly extinguished her last fantasy: [Friendly Reminder: The host must experience the final ending to ensure plot integrity.]

Thinking of the horrific death she was destined for, Lu Ting’an’s heart suddenly constricted. Her hand shook, and the whip fell to the ground with a “clatter.”

The jeering disciples nearby were stunned: “Junior Sister?”

Lin Zheng also looked up, struggling to wipe the flecks of crimson from the corner of her mouth. In her bloodshot eyes, a terrifying hatred burned bright.

Lu Ting’an: “…Is it too late to kowtow and call her Mom right now?”

The system added a cold blow: [OOC (Out of Character) is prohibited. Host, please pick up the whip immediately and complete the “Publicly Whip the Female Lead” plot node, or 5 Life Points will be deducted.]

Lu Ting’an was confused: “What are Life Points?”

System: [The host’s original Life Points are 100. If they reach zero, the host will also die in the real world.]

[Countdown starting: 10, 9, 8—]

The mechanical voice, like a death warrant, caused a layer of cold sweat to break out on Lu Ting’an’s back. She could only bend down with stiff movements and pick up the whip under everyone’s watchful eyes.

As if knowing her impending fate, Lin Zheng’s jaw tightened, her eyelashes trembled, and her fingertips dug into the cracks of the stone floor.

The next instant—

Crack!

The tail of the whip broke through the air, but it grazed Lin Zheng’s ear and struck heavily against the beast-patterned stone pillar behind her, sending stone chips flying.

Lu Ting’an braced her youthful, doll-like face, hands on her hips, trying her best to mimic the fierce tone of the Junior Sister in the book: “A mere demon creature! Whipping her further would only dirty my hands!”

This transition was incredibly abrupt, leaving the disciples dumbstruck. But they had always followed Lu Ting’an’s lead; keeping this little ancestor happy was more important than anything. They hurriedly chimed in: “Junior Sister is right! Lin Zheng is lowly by nature, engaging in such thievery and even making our Junior Sister angry—she truly deserves death!”

As they spoke, several of them spat toward Lin Zheng to show their loyalty.

Lu Ting’an crossed her arms, her teeth grinding together, while she maintained a triumphant sneer as she glanced sideways at Lin Zheng. For a moment, she thought she saw Lin Zheng tremble slightly, but the girl immediately returned to kneeling upright, as steady as a mountain amidst a storm.

She originally thought that bullying her to this extent was enough—anything further would be asking for death. Thinking of her final ending, Lu Ting’an felt a wave of lingering fear. Just as she was wondering how to find an excuse to leave, the system’s cold mechanical voice rang out again.

[Warning! The Female Lead’s Blackening Value has not increased. The “Publicly Whip the Female Lead” plot node has failed. Electroshock punishment in preparation…]

Lu Ting’an felt her vision go dark, cursing at the system: “Even this isn’t enough? Was the person who developed you a sadist?!”

The system did not respond, only continuing its countdown.

Resigned to her fate, Lu Ting’an sighed. After a few seconds of brainstorming, she suddenly raised her foot and kicked Lin Zheng’s shoulder with apparent ruthlessness.

Fortunately, this Junior Sister usually didn’t care much for cultivation. Without that dark gold whip, her kick only caused Lin Zheng to lose her balance and fall backward onto the ground.

Looking at Lin Zheng’s disheveled state, Lu Ting’an turned around, her voice haughty: “I’ll spare your miserable life today. If you do it again, I’ll whip your face into shreds!”

The surrounding disciples burst into laughter, crowding around Lu Ting’an as she swaggered away.

Once they were completely clear of the martial arts arena, Lu Ting’an waved her hand to dismiss the group of “lackeys.” After confirming no one was around, she suddenly exhaled a long breath, sitting on the ground as if all her strength had left her.

The system prompt sounded timely:

[Congratulations to the host for completing the first plot point! Female Lead’s Blackening Value +3. Current Blackening Value: 33%]

[Original Plot Progress: 5%]

Lu Ting’an felt a surge of joy; she had finally muddled through the first hurdle.

But no one saw that her hand, hidden in her sleeve, was shaking violently, nearly unable to hold the dark gold whip stained with Lin Zheng’s blood.

She remembered that in the original book, she was personally nailed to the Soul-Eating Pillar by the female lead, suffering for forty-nine days before her soul was finally extinguished. Her teeth began to chatter.

“System,” Lu Ting’an leaned wearily against a pillar, rubbing her temples and asking helplessly: “If… I mistreat the female lead on the surface, but secretly give her tons of resources, can I go for a ‘boiling a frog in lukewarm water’ style of blackening? At least let me die a bit more quickly at the end?”

The system was silent for two seconds: [Theoretically feasible, as long as you do not go OOC.]

Lu Ting’an suddenly felt the world brighten.

But in the next second, the system added a timely blow: [However, if the female lead sees through it, it will trigger a ‘Character Collapse’ critical hit, and the Blackening Value will double immediately.]

Lu Ting’an: “…”

She now felt that the person who invented this system was not only a sadist but also had anti-social tendencies—and the system itself was mentally ill!

But things being as they were, the most important thing was to change her ending as much as possible. Lu Ting’an plotted silently: although she had to follow the system’s plot, she could “work slowly and inefficiently”—essentially giving a slap followed by a sweet treat. Even if the female lead wanted to kill her later, she might show mercy because of these small favors and let her die less painfully.

If she was lucky, perhaps the female lead would become broad-minded after ascending to immortality and spare her life.

As Lu Ting’an indulged in her beautiful fantasies, her stomach gave an uncooperative “growl.” She looked around at the towering halls with white walls, green tiles, and upturned eaves, and suddenly realized a problem.

She was lost. Where was the dining hall?

She couldn’t be blamed; when reading the novel, she was immersed in the “revenge against scum,” “slapping faces,” and “angsty romance” tropes. No one pays attention to the environmental descriptions!

She called the system for help; the system happily played dead.

A sudden thought popped into Lu Ting’an’s head: She was hungry, but Lin Zheng was hungry too! Lin Zheng was still tied up with the Immortal-Binding Locks. If she just left like this, who would untie her? Was she just supposed to stay there under the hot sun?

Sensing something was wrong, the system immediately came back to life: [OOC Warning! ‘Lu Ting’an’ would not kindly help Lin Zheng!]

Lu Ting’an snapped back: “Don’t worry! I’m not going to help her. I’m going back to find more trouble for her, alright?”

And so, Lu Ting’an swaggered back.