The Male Lead Always Thinks My Script is Wrong - Chapter 18

Ji Shinian led Li Moyan out of the back garden, and this time, the path was entirely clear. They didn’t even see a shadow of those young masters along the way.

He wondered if they had gone to find his brother to ask for money.

Recalling his spur-of-the-moment remarks earlier, Ji Shinian couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. He turned his steps toward the West Garden, following the same path they had taken to get here.

This courtyard was open and orderly, with rows of autumn chrysanthemums blooming in succession. Withered petals lay scattered on the paths, filling the air with a bitter fragrance. Noblewomen walked in small groups among the flowers, while the men mostly gathered in clusters, exchanging pleasantries or deep in conversation.

The Autumn Appreciation Banquet had clearly been underway for a while. There were few people left at the tables, and the head seat remained empty. Only two or three people remained below the dais, where Ji Shuangyuan sat alone in a high seat, quietly listening to a cultivator speaking beside him.

Ji Shinian walked straight to Ji Shuangyuan’s side and sat down unceremoniously. “Brother, I’m back.”

“Mm.”

As Ji Shuangyuan answered, the cultivator on his other side tactfully stopped mid-sentence. He smiled and asked, “Is this the young lady of your esteemed house?”

A fish-shaped jade talisman hung from his waist. The fish had no scales or fins and glowed with a pure white light. Within that light, one could faintly see the intricate lines of an array.

The Blue Fish Talisman. Ji Shinian’s gaze swept over the man with feigned indifference, instantly recognizing the object’s origin. His heart stirred. In a small place like Chaofeng City, there are actually people from the Sword Alliance headquarters?

In the novel Slaying the Heavens, the Sword Alliance was the largest immortal cultivation organization, with countless branches. The one in Chaofeng City was merely a local office. All members of the Sword Alliance wore Blue Fish Talismans, and the color of the talisman represented the wearer’s connection to their sword. The bluer the fish, the weaker the connection, and vice versa.

The Sword Alliance was founded on the sword, and everyone within it revered the blade above all else. Status was determined by the clarity of the Blue Fish Talisman.

Judging by the color of this cultivator’s talisman, his status was second only to an Elder at the very least.

At a time like this, the appearance of someone from the Sword Alliance headquarters made their purpose crystal clear.

“Indeed,” Ji Shuangyuan said. He was clearly aware of the man’s identity, yet his expression remained calm. “My younger sister, Ji Shinian. Shinian, this is Elder Liu Ningce of the Sword Alliance.”

As he spoke, he stood up. “Come, say your farewells to Elder Liu.”

Ji Shinian felt the name sounded strangely familiar, but he didn’t have time to worry about his seat before it had even gotten warm. “Elder Liu, we’ll be going now.”

Liu Ningce seemed to have expected this. He followed them with a smile in his eyes. “What? Miss Ji has barely stayed a moment, and she’s already in such a hurry to leave?”

“Since it is for appreciating autumn, once appreciated, it is enough,” Ji Shuangyuan said, shaking his head. “Besides, I still have a debt to settle back at the manor. There is no need for Elder Liu to see us out.”

Such words were an overt rejection.

Sure enough, Liu Ningce stopped in his tracks, still wearing a full smile. “In that case, I had hoped to show some hospitality as a host, but please, take your time.”

Since Xiao Qingdu was absent, this Sword Alliance Elder had already assumed the air of a master. He stood at the moon gate, watching the siblings’ receding backs until they were nearly out of sight. Then, he added quite considerately:

“I shall pay a visit to your home in three days.”

Ji Shinian almost twisted his ankle. He felt as if the man’s predatory gaze was boring a hole through his back.

“The Sword Alliance is serious this time.”

Ji Shuangyuan led Ji Shinian straight to the carriage without looking back. As soon as the curtains closed, his face darkened, his voice laced with anger.

Now that a secret realm was about to open, the core members of the Ji family had already been invited away by the Sword Alliance. No matter how high his standing, Ji Shuangyuan was still a junior and was completely suppressed by an Elder’s seniority. Furthermore, their family currently only had Li Moyan, a Golden Core cultivator, to hold down the fort. In terms of strength, they were naturally no match for Liu Ningce, who was in the Dao-Seeking Stage.

Just as Ji Shuangyuan had pushed the Sword Alliance away, they sent someone of Elder rank. Though it wasn’t said explicitly, anyone with a brain could guess that the next time they came knocking, it would be to take the eldest young lady, Ji Shinian, to see Zhou Hongluan.

Ji Shuangyuan’s grim expression, aside from his potential sister complex, also stemmed from the Ji family’s reputation.

Imagine if Ji Shinian, who had just returned home, was immediately linked to the Heretic Path. As an ambitious family trying to break into the cultivation world, how could the Ji family not be affected?

After all, having a successor with a strange temper is one thing, but being labeled as a follower of the Heretic Path is an entirely different matter!

[Congratulations, Host! Side Quest Completed: Attend the Xiao family’s Autumn Banquet and increase the female lead’s screen time. Total Reward: 50 points. Current Points: 250.]

…? Who are you calling an idiot? (Note: 250 is Chinese slang for an idiot/buffoon).

Listening to the unavoidable point tally in his head, Ji Shinian could only play the role of a frustrated, powerless young lady in the heavy silence of the carriage.

He hadn’t even had time to investigate what the male lead had stolen from the Ji family. How did he end up becoming the center of this whole illusion event?

Ji Shinian felt speechless, but he had no choice but to painfully consult the System, Tiansuan, in his mind. I say, if I do something outside of my character persona, can I pay 50 points in advance so you don’t possess me?

Of course! The first time happened because the Host had negative points. Generally, OOC (Out of Character) behavior only results in point deductions. Punishment mechanisms only trigger when points are negative, usually under reasonable.

Given the chance to speak, Tiansuan immediately began a long-winded introduction to the OOC system mechanics. However, halfway through, it clearly sensed something.

The pixelated face on the pink screen began to tremble. H-Host, what are you planning to do?

Solving the trouble, obviously, Ji Shinian said with a pang of regret for his points. You guys made me participate in the plot, which caused this mess, and now I have to spend points to fix it. Isn’t that perfectly logical?

……

Two days later, at night, in the east of Chaofeng City.

The moonlight tonight was particularly hazy, spilling over the eaves of the Hidden Sword Pavilion like a thin veil draped over the majestic building.

This was Sword Alliance territory.

The guard on the top floor had been on duty for three days and nights. The Blue Fish Talisman on his belt was dull and lightless, yet he stared straight ahead with wide, alert eyes. Out of the three guards on this floor, he was the most energetic.

“Yawn” an older guard nearby noticed. “You haven’t even reached the Inedia stage yet, kid. Are you obsessed?”

The young guard shook his head, his gaze resolute. “Didn’t Elder Liu come for an inspection today? We must guard this place well!”

“Heh, I wondered why he wouldn’t switch shifts,” the middle guard, whose talisman was slightly brighter, leaned in. “You’re overthinking it. When has anyone ever broken into the Hidden Sword Pavilion? Not to mention there’s an Elder downstairs. Even if someone got in, it wouldn’t be our problem.”

The young guard lowered his head. “Is that so…”

Suddenly, his eyes widened. He pointed to the corner of the eaves. “Did you see that? Just now, there was a purple shadow!”

“Where?”

The other two were drawn in by his excitement. They looked where he pointed, but saw only the hazy night. The statues on the eaves cast jagged, uneven shadows across the tiles.

“Where’s this person you saw? I think you’ve truly gone stir-crazy from lack of sleep…”

“I clearly saw”

“Alright, alright. If someone really was there, they aren’t someone the likes of us could handle. Just get some sleep.”

Hearing the three voices fade, Ji Shinian was somewhat surprised. I didn’t expect that after all these years, the Sword Alliance people have become a bit more open-minded.

He was still dressed in his daytime clothes, though he had removed the veiled hat. He sat quite recklessly on a corner of the eaves, as if no one else was around.

Tiansuan, who had become exceptionally talkative after reporting to the main system and getting the point deduction waived, was numb to Ji Shinian’s casual revelations. This is the Host’s second time here?

In a way, Ji Shinian was in a good mood and was rare enough to share bits of the past with the “humanized” Tiansuan. He narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in memory. It was over ten years ago, though it wasn’t the Hidden Sword Pavilion in Chaofeng City.

As he spoke, Ji Shinian hooked his foot around a bronze beast statue and flipped himself up. His feet tapped the tiles lightly, precisely hitting the guards’ blind spots as he performed a hawk-like flip into a corner staircase leading down. He tapped Tiansuan in his mind:

You didn’t even exist back then.

Below was another floor. Ji Shinian jumped onto a railing and dropped into the shadow of a screen. Directly opposite him, a guard was leaning against a night-luminescent pearl, snoring softly.

Doesn’t the Host lack spiritual power? Back in the illusion, Tiansuan watched the guards being bypassed perfectly, and this time… how are you doing it?

It had followed Ji Shinian all the way from the Ji residence to this place and hadn’t detected a single ripple of spiritual power!

Spiritual power is nurtured by heaven and earth. My master said this body was created by taking from the connection between heaven and earth, so there’s no need for conversion or cultivation, Ji Shinian replied while repeating the process to drop to the next floor. This body exists between heaven and earth, moving freely. It doesn’t lack spiritual power.

Host, just who is your master?

Someone you’re not worthy of knowing.

The further down he went, the more cultivators there were and the stricter the security became. Yet Ji Shinian moved like a fish in water. A living puppet doesn’t breathe and moves with total freedom, as if he belonged there naturally. All the way down, not a single person noticed him.

One person and one system navigated down through the Hidden Sword Pavilion. Seeing they were about to reach the twelfth floor, Tiansuan finally snapped out of its shock. Host, are you looking for Zhou Hongluan?

Ji Shinian dodged a cultivator walking toward him and spared a moment to reply. Why else would I be here?

I mean, I can use the pollution levels to detect that she’s in.

No need, Ji Shinian interrupted, jumping to the next level. We’re here.

Fortunately, the Sword Alliance had remained consistently conventional for over a decade. Ten floors above ground, three levels of dungeon below. The most heinous criminals were kept on the bottom floor of the Hidden Sword Pavilion, using the building’s arrays to suppress their evil.

This final floor was deathly silent. There was no sound of dripping water like in ordinary cells, nor was there any light. Pure blackness enveloped everything. A long-lost yet familiar, thick scent of incense hit his nose and throat, nearly making his wooden body cough up blood.

Ji Shinian landed inside. He didn’t dare breathe, but he slowed his pace. The sound of his arrival echoed in the cell, triggering a soft bout of coughing.

“Cough… It’s you, isn’t it, Miss Ji?”

A raspy, weak voice sounded in the darkness, like broken gravel scraping against the floor, accompanied by a cough that sounded like a tearing vocal cord. If it weren’t for the absolute silence, Ji Shinian would have barely heard her.

This woman, who once hysterically couldn’t stand anyone, now sounded identical to the “corpse thralls” she once persecuted, though she sounded even worse than they ever had.

Zhou Hongluan said, “I just, cough… knew you’d come… Since you’re here now… it cough, cough, ugh—cough, proves I was right, cough, cough.”

Ji Shinian stopped in front of her.

Zhou Hongluan’s coughing was lung-splitting, but her current wretched state muffled the sound within her body. Yet her eyes were still terrifyingly bright.

“You are her.”