After the Demon Lord was Reborn, She Switched to a Master-Disciple Romance Script - Chapter 1

Silence enveloped the desolate wilderness. Occasionally, a few birds fluttered past, only to vanish instantly into the dark clouds that obscured the sun on the horizon.

The clouds pressed lower and lower, as if about to crush the world.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a rustling sound grew louder, approaching from the distance.

Icy droplets of water splashed onto Zhu Jiyun’s face.

At first, they came one by one but soon transformed into a dense, beaded chain of water, pressing down on her face, hair, and scarred skin.

Zhu Jiyun slowly became aware of an unfamiliar, bone-chilling cold.

The cold seemed to seep into her marrow, permeating the blood flowing through her limbs and every bone in her body.

Her stiff fingers twitched. Her scattered, hazy soul seemed to finally return to its place. After struggling for what felt like an eternity, she finally felt the gradually warming flow of blood. Zhu Jiyun’s eyes snapped open.

The rain had stopped.

No, the rain hadn’t stopped.

“Sister, you’re awake!”

Zhu Jiyun struggled to lift her eyelids, her pitch-black eyes rolling toward the source of the voice.

It was an unfamiliar young woman, her frame unnaturally thin, as if only skin stretched over bone. Her gaunt face was stretched into a radiant smile of surprise.

Zhu Jiyun finally noticed that the girl was kneeling beside her, her gray-brown skirt lifted high with both hands, forming a makeshift canopy over her head.

All she could see was gray-brown—the girl was shielding her from the rain.

Zhu Jiyun’s eyes darted around, and after a moment of silent bewilderment, she stared at the girl’s slender face, surprised to find a mortal here.

Zhu Jiyun still remembered what she had been experiencing before her death:

The Immortal-Demon War.

And she had been the Demon being attacked by the Immortal Sect.

“Ah! Sister!” The girl’s sudden, loud cry startled the Granny, who had been napping under a nearby tree.

Zhu Jiyun tilted her head, letting the girl frantically wipe the blood from the corner of her lips. The crimson stain, stark against the girl’s paper-white face, was particularly frightening.

She weakly curled the corner of her lips into a reassuring smile, trying to calm the girl who was clearly terrified by her sudden coughing up of blood. “I’m fine.”

“Xiaoyan, what’s happening?” An elderly voice called out, accompanied by slow, shuffling footsteps.

The girl named Xiaoyan quickly turned, looking up at the Granny who had approached. Her voice was urgent. “Granny, this sister coughed up so much blood! What should we do? Is she… is she going to die?”

A chaotic surge of spiritual energy suddenly churned within Zhu Jiyun’s chest, coursing through her gradually reviving blood and colliding violently throughout her body. The pain made every limb and bone tremble. Zhu Jiyun closed her eyes, attempting to regulate her breathing.

Granny Zeng lowered her head to examine the person the girl was holding.

What she saw startled her.

The stranger looked like she had little chance of survival.

Granny Zeng’s aged but sharp gaze focused on the woman’s numerous wounds, her brow furrowing. These were clearly inflicted by sharp weapons. Having lived most of her life and once managed the inner quarters for Miss Wan Niang, she had punished errant servants before, but whether she wielded the rod herself or ordered supervisors to do so, she had never witnessed such a blood-soaked scene.

Leaving aside the countless gruesome wounds covering her body, the stranger’s arms were crisscrossed with savage sword and knife scars, some so deep they nearly exposed the bone.

Any ordinary person with such injuries, given the sheer volume of blood loss, would surely have died.

Yet this stranger not only endured, but her face, aside from being as pale as snow, showed no trace of pain. Only the occasional suppressed trembling of her hands convinced Granny Zeng that the woman wasn’t immune to suffering.

What kind of vengeful enemies could have driven her to such a brutal fate?

Granny Zeng looked into Ji Nianyan’s hopeful eyes and said gently, “Xiaoyan, our most urgent task now is to reach Liulan Mountain for the Spirit Initiation and Apprenticeship.”

Even if this stranger could survive, Granny Zeng couldn’t guarantee that bringing her along wouldn’t invite the wrath of her enemies upon herself and Miss. She hadn’t yet fulfilled Miss Wan Niang’s dying wish and couldn’t risk endangering her charge.

Under the Holy Emperor’s rule, the Daye Dynasty wasn’t exactly a utopia of peace and prosperity, but at least Granny Zeng and Miss could travel the official roads without constant fear for their lives.

Still, caution was necessary.

Miss had been raised in seclusion, sheltered from the world’s harsh realities. While her naivety was harmless, Granny Zeng couldn’t simply let her make all the decisions without guidance.

Understanding the meaning in Granny Zeng’s eyes, Xiaoyan suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

She lowered her head, gazing at the pale, frail figure in her arms—a person who seemed on the verge of losing all signs of life. She bit her lip uneasily, a struggle flickering in her eyes. Finally, she obeyed Granny Zeng’s unspoken command, gently set the person down, and hurried away with her head bowed.

Granny Zeng sighed in relief, not daring to mention rest again for fear of rekindling her Miss’s fleeting compassion. She briskly followed after her.

Zhu Jiyun slowly opened her eyes.

The person beside her had already left, but she felt no disappointment. The girl’s sincere, worried expression flashed through her mind. Her raven-black lashes trembled twice as she etched that face into her memory.

Her head throbbed violently, waves of scattered spiritual energy relentlessly battering her meridians. She could barely maintain consciousness amidst the agony, struggling to assess her current predicament.

Her right hand unexpectedly brushed against something hard. Zhu Jiyun snapped out of her thoughts and glanced down to find a black water jug. Its worn appearance and traces of frequent use suggested it was someone’s daily companion.

She paused, recalling the girl from earlier.

Just then, a familiar voice called out.

“Sister! Sister!”

Ji Nianyan hurried back, overjoyed to find the unfamiliar young woman, who had been lying motionless on the ground as if on the verge of death, now sitting up, propped on her upper body.

Zhu Jiyun pointed to the water flask, her voice dry and rough. “You forgot your things.”

She assumed the girl named “Xiao Yan” had returned to retrieve what she’d left behind.

Ji Nianyan carefully avoided the wound on Zhu Jiyun’s arm as she helped her up. Pressing her lips together, the girl, though small and frail, exuded an uncharacteristic resilience that couldn’t be concealed. “No, Sister,” she said. “I came back specifically to find you.”

Zhu Jiyun paused, momentarily taken aback. In the next instant, her gaze met Granny Zeng’s complex, knowing eyes.

The rain had stopped without either of them noticing.

“Sister, you should rest now. I’ll be leaving.”

After personally watching Zhu Jiyun drink the medicine prescribed by the doctor, Ji Nianyan finished bandaging the last wound. She looked up at Zhu Jiyun’s face, which had visibly regained some color, and felt a slight relief. She shyly finished her sentence before rising to leave.

As Ji Nianyan’s footsteps faded softly into the distance, Zhu Jiyun waited until she heard the door close gently before opening her eyes. Not a trace of drowsiness remained in her gaze.

She stared at the empty room and said coldly, “What are you? Come out.”

The system’s voice echoed, “Hello, Host! I’m System 008, your most loyal partner for the foreseeable future!”

Zhu Jiyun paused slightly. “System?”

She looked as if she had never heard the term before.

The system’s nonexistent chest swelled with pride as it recited its memorized lines with fervent enthusiasm:

[“Greetings, Host! I am the Female Supporting Character’s Counterattack Strategy System 008. You’ve likely already realized you’ve transmigrated into a novel. Here, I will accompany you, guiding you to conquer the story’s most desirable men, complete the achievement of transforming from a villainous supporting character into a beloved darling, win the hearts of handsome men, defy fate, and ascend to the pinnacle of life!”]

Zhu Jiyun’s expression remained calm. “So it’s a system.”

The system, assuming she was still basking in joy, quickly chimed in, “Yes, yes! It’s the ‘Villainous Female Supporting Character’s Reversal into a Beloved Darling’ System!”

Zhu Jiyun narrowed her eyes. “Did you orchestrate my rebirth?”

The system paused imperceptibly before replying smoothly, “Yes, Host.”

Zhu Jiyun forcibly suppressed the surging spiritual energy within her. She could feel the power she had accumulated over centuries dissipating. She had already plummeted from the Nascent Soul Stage to a realm weaker than even the Foundation Establishment Stage. Apart from being temporarily immune to death, she was gradually becoming more like an ordinary mortal, devoid of spiritual power.

A mortal.

The thought made her falter for a moment.

It was precisely this momentary distraction that caused Zhu Jiyun to miss the system’s subtle, fleeting anomaly.

Swallowing the metallic tang of blood, Zhu Jiyun maintained a calm demeanor. “Why did you bind yourself to me? I don’t believe I needed to be reborn.”

Could this be standard equipment for all transmigrators?

Recalling the myriad events of the two centuries before her rebirth, Zhu Jiyun let out a dismissive snort.

The system instinctively sensed danger and pretended not to hear her quiet remark. “Host, it’s like this: I was actually bound to you the moment you transmigrated into the novel. Since the objective wasn’t completed, your rebirth was inevitable.”

Fearing Zhu Jiyun might exploit loopholes for personal gain, the system quickly added, “Of course, rebirth isn’t without limitations. Each person only gets this invaluable opportunity once, and you’ve already used yours. So, to cherish life and change your fate, you still need to strive diligently and achieve your goal of happiness.”

Zhu Jiyun: “……”

Contrary to the system’s expectations, she wasn’t concerned about the number of rebirths. Her focus was on another crucial keyword.

“You said you’ve been bound to me since the moment I transmigrated into this book?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Zhu Jiyun suddenly laughed, her smile radiant and dazzling. Her pale complexion couldn’t conceal the innate beauty and allure that radiated from her very being.

In that moment, even the simple, unadorned inn seemed to glow with brilliance.

The system, momentarily captivated by her charm, couldn’t help but appreciate her beauty, despite lacking a soul. But the next instant, Zhu Jiyun’s merciless question struck like a thunderbolt.

“So, you idiot, you were two hundred years late?”

Two full centuries.

Not two days, not two months, not even two years.

But two hundred years—enough time for a person to mature from naive youth to worldly wisdom, to experience the full cycle of life and death.

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