The Villain Recognizes the Female Lead as His Master [Transmigration] - Chapter 1

The warm touch at her fingertips slowly roused Chi Jinnian’s consciousness as her vision gradually focused.

She distinctly remembered falling asleep in her own pink princess bed, the soothing scent of lavender from her bedside still lingering in the air. But now, the uneven, rugged walls surrounding her were a far cry from her delicate bedroom.

This place was less of a room and more of a stone cave, its surface etched with deep, uneven grooves eroded by time. A pungent mix of mildew and rotting food wafted from those crevices, assaulting her senses.

And in her hand, she was gripping someone a woman dressed in a flowing white ancient-style gown, her face twisted in discomfort as Chi Jinnian held her chin, her mouth forced open by an intruding object.

She looked like she was in pain.

Chi Jinnian’s index finger was lodged in the woman’s mouth, her fingertip pressing against something hard.

The moment she processed the scene, Chi Jinnian yanked her hand back, but not before noticing that the hard sensation beneath her fingertip had vanished.

As she withdrew, the woman on the stone bed coughed violently before collapsing into unconsciousness.

Chi Jinnian’s first instinct was to run.

She was the one who’d been bitten, so why was this white-clad woman the one passing out?!

Whether this was some kind of scam or not, Chi Jinnian wanted nothing to do with this foul-smelling “cave.”

Suddenly, another odor, one so potent it could rival a month without bathing, mixed into the already noxious air. A sharp screech accompanied the creak of a wooden door swinging open.

Standing there was a slender, upright creature dressed like a “man.” Small round ears perched atop its head, beady black eyes darting around, a black-tipped nose, and a coat of brownish-yellow fur. Its mouth was tucked beneath its pointed snout.

Before Chi Jinnian could fully process the sight of this clothed, bipedal “animal,” it spoke first.

“Did you get it done?” it asked.

Not daring to answer carelessly, Chi Jinnian simply hummed in acknowledgment.

The creature instantly perked up, rushing to the stone bed to confirm that the unconscious woman was still breathing. Then, it turned back, raising a furry paw with an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

“You’re amazing! As expected of the Demon Realm’s young mistress!” Its fluffy brown tail wagged excitedly, mirroring the way a neighbor’s dog would react to seeing a bone.

With that, it shoved a bone-carved token into Chi Jinnian’s hand, patting her shoulder. “From today on, Chi Jinnian, you’re my best brother! With this token, you can go anywhere on my mountain no one will dare stop you!”

As it leaned closer, the overwhelming stench nearly knocked Chi Jinnian out. Clutching the rooster-shaped token, she subtly stepped back, ensuring the grimy paw left her shoulder before nodding slowly. “Sure, sure.”

Just stay away from me, and we’re good!

The creature remained oblivious to her discomfort, stepping forward again to sling its brown paw over her shoulder. “Then I’ll have my underlings prepare the wedding feast! After all, you’re the matchmaker between me and Yuan Shao, make sure to drink plenty tonight!”

Yuan Shao… Yuan Shao?!

Chi Jinnian’s mind buzzed with deafening realization, momentarily forgetting about the paw on her shoulder.

Putting the scene before her together, she suddenly remembered! This was the popular female-centric power fantasy novel The Path to Ascension that topped the leaderboard on a certain Jiang literature site!

The original story followed Yuan Shao, a top-tier immortal master from the Upper Cultivation Realm whose cultivation was destroyed by the antagonist. Through leveling up and battling monsters, she amassed countless rare treasures and the admiration of various male characters, eventually rising to become the number one figure in the cultivation world. With her overwhelming combat prowess, she annihilated the entire demon realm, crushed the antagonist, and ascended to godhood.

So this body, must belong to the villainous supporting female character, Chi Jinnan, the young mistress of the demon realm. As the foremost privileged second-generation demon, she abandoned her prosperous family legacy for the sake of a man who didn’t love her. She personally fed the female protagonist a Heart-Lost Pill, stripping her of her memories and all her powers.

And the figure before her was likely her “accomplice” in capturing the female protagonist, a weasel spirit named Huang Er.

This weasel had always been obsessed with the female protagonist’s beauty. Moreover, due to her unique constitution, her cultivation progressed much faster than ordinary people’s. Huang Er hoped to improve his own physique through dual cultivation with her.

Forget about the male lead, how could Yuan Shao, a revered immortal master of the Upper Cultivation Realm, ever spare a glance for a foul smelling demon like him? Thus, he and Chi Jinnan joined forces, each pursuing their own goals.

In the original novel, Yuan Shao considered her forced marriage to Huang Er the greatest stain on her life. So, before her ascension, the last thing she did was personally eliminate this “meritorious” matchmaker.

For Chi Jinnan, she left only eight words: “Soul and spirit annihilated, never to reincarnate.”

At this thought, Chi Jinnan couldn’t help but take two steps back, She now knew exactly what that sensation on her fingertips had been!

“What’s wrong with you, Lao Chi?” Huang Er waved his brown claws in front of Chi Jinnan’s face.

Chi Jinnan snapped out of her daze. Ugh, it’s all my fault for reading that novel before bed! If only I’d stuck to my early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine and hadn’t stayed up binge-reading, none of this would’ve happened!

But regrets were useless now. The most urgent matter was retrieving the Heart-Lost Pill she had just “delivered” before it was too late!

“Ahem, The wedding’s tonight, shouldn’t you go bathe and burn some incense? That stench of yours, might scare Immortal Master Yuan!” Chi Jinnan made up an excuse to shoo Huang Er away.

Huang Er looked enlightened. “Lao Chi, you’re so reliable! Always thinking ahead! Don’t worry, I’ll go right now!”

The moment Huang Er stepped out, Chi Jinnan rushed to the stone bed. She pulled the unconscious figure upright and began pounding her back Please, let the pill not have dissolved yet! Maybe there’s still time to pull back from the brink!

In her panic, Chi Jinnan’s strikes grew heavier. But no matter how hard she hit, the white-robed woman on the stone bed remained completely unresponsive.

Even as the thuds echoed through the room, Yuan Shao’s eyes stayed shut, her body limp. Not a single reaction.

Frowning, Chi Jinnan steeled herself. Her slender index finger ventured into the other’s mouth once more.

If the backdoor’s not working, maybe the front will.

As a child, doctors would always press down on her tongue with a wooden stick, making her gag uncontrollably.

She applied the same method only this time, without the stick.

Guided by this principle, Chi Jinnan pressed down gently with her left hand while continuing to thump Yuan Shao’s back with her right.

With a pincer attack like this, that pill has to come out!

“Cough, cough, cough”

Seeing the person in her arms react, Chi Jinnan quickly withdrew her hand.

She stared intently at the other’s red lips, hoping something would emerge from them, but instead, the woman abruptly seized Chi Jinnan’s wrist.

“Cough, cough… Where… where is this… Who are you?”

“!” Not good! It seemed she was still a step too late.

This was the first time in Chi Jinnan’s life she had ever wished for a product to be of poor quality and lamented that it wasn’t counterfeit or defective!

It was too late to retrieve the pill now. There was only one option left, the best of thirty-six stratagems: running away!

Seeing the other woman wasn’t fully conscious yet, Chi Jinnan feigned concern: “Let go first, I… I’ll get you some water!”

Hearing this, Yuan Shao’s grip loosened slightly, as if in agreement.

The moment Chi Jinnan stood up, Yuan Shao began coughing again, accompanied by dry heaves likely from the force Chi Jinnan had used earlier.

Originally planning to flee, Chi Jinnan found her feet rooted to the spot by the relentless coughing. Fine. Out of humanitarian duty, she might as well honor her promise and fetch some water. Surely that wouldn’t take too long!

As she handed the cup to Yuan Shao, the moment the woman took a sip, Chi Chi Jinnan seized the opportunity and bolted for the door!

“Flee if you can’t win” had always been Chi Jinnan’s life motto. In good conscience, she hadn’t been the one to administer the pill, and she’d even tried to fix things. Chi Jinnan reassured herself. Once the cup was handed over, this matter was settled! The original Chi Jinnan from the novel was the villain here, she bore no responsibility for the consequences.

But just as her fingers brushed the wooden door, a sudden force from behind flipped her around.

With a thud, she was pinned against the door, her arms locked above her head, completely immobilized.

A cool, refreshing aura, laced with the faint scent of tea, pressed down on her. Chi Jinnan looked up, this was her first proper glimpse of Yuan Shao’s face.

Truly, the protagonist lived up to her reputation. That face was stunning, far surpassing the artificial beauty of surgically enhanced celebrities, no sharp, exaggerated jawline or towering nose bridge. Instead, she had delicate, oval features, porcelain skin, naturally rosy lips, and sparkling peach-blossom eyes framed by long, feathery lashes.

Only her gaze was far from friendly.

“You still haven’t answered my questions.” Yuan Shao’s voice was crisp, devoid of the saccharine sweetness typical of melodramatic female leads. Instead, it carried a clear, resonant tone. Standing half a head taller, her imposing presence bore down on Chi Jinnan.

“Where is this? Who are you? And why does my back hurt so much?”

Chi Chi Jinnan faltered, unsure which question to address first. As she hesitated, the grip on her tightened.

“Speak!”

“Shizun!” Chi Chi Jinnan blurted out.

“Shizun?” At the word, Yuan Shao’s grip slackened, and Chi Chi Jinnan immediately dropped to her knees with a thud.

She knew the rules. Shizun, the most perilous profession in the cultivation world, bar none!

Under Yuan Shao’s gaze, she slowly began to speak, recounting the tale in a measured tone: “That weasel Huang Er has long coveted you, Master, and has always sought to possess you. Today, somehow, he managed to ensnare you with some underhanded trick. I chased after you and finally managed to track you down to Huang Er’s mountain lair, where I found you.”

Though Yuan Shao had lost her memories, the aura of a formidable female lead remained, clear-headed and logical at all times. Her peach-blossom eyes, usually warm, now resembled the icy depths of a winter lake, cold and unfathomable. She asked coolly, “Then why were you running?”

Everyone has their weaknesses, and Chi Jinnian knew that if she could uncover Yuan Shao’s, she could ensure her own safety and longevity. But the question was, what could possibly be the weakness of such a powerful female lead?