Transmigrated Into A Book And Became A Heartthrob Male Protagonist

Lin Qing stood in the middle of a bustling market, staring blankly at a passing cultivator who was currently flying on a giant, shimmering leek. The vegetable sword glowed with spiritual energy, leaving a trail of green sparks in the sky.

“System,” Lin Qing whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and disbelief. “Come out. We need to talk.”

[Ding! Your loyal Peak Path to Immortality System is online! How can I help you, Host?]

“You told me this was a serious cultivation novel,” Lin Qing hissed, gesturing to a nearby stall where a merchant was selling Instant Level Up buns that looked suspiciously like steamed rocks. “You said I would be the legendary male lead, a peerless genius who commands the heavens and has everyone bowing at his feet.”

[That is correct! According to the script, you are the Sect Leader’s youngest disciple, gifted with the Rare Spirit Root of, uh, Fluffy Clouds.]

“Fluffy Clouds?” Lin Qing’s eye twitched. “I tried to meditate this morning, and instead of absorbing spiritual qi, I accidentally summoned a rain cloud that only follows me. It is currently drizzling on my left shoulder. Look at this! My sleeve is soaked!”

[Host, please remain calm. This is just a minor deviation. Once you meet the secondary lead and begin the dual cultivation plotline, your powers will naturally]

“I am done!” Lin Qing threw his hands up, splashing the rainwater from his sleeve onto a passerby. “Whoever wants to be the male lead can have the role. I am retiring. I am going to open a tea shop. I am going to become a professional sleeper. Just get me out of this contract!”

[System Notification: Darling, once sold, no replacement. Your soul has already been bound to the Indestructible Plot protocol. If you quit, you will be recycled into spirit grass fertilizer for the sect’s back garden.]

Lin Qing stiffened. “Recycled?”

[Yes. You would make a very nutritious patch of clover.]

Before Lin Qing could curse the system’s entire digital lineage, the crowd suddenly parted. The air temperature dropped by ten degrees, and a silence fell over the marketplace.

A man dressed in robes as black as ink walked toward him. He was breathtakingly handsome, with a face that seemed carved from cold jade and eyes that held the depth of a frozen lake. This was the Sect’s First Senior Brother, the man Lin Qing was supposed to compete with for the title of the strongest.

The man stopped directly in front of Lin Qing. His cold gaze fell upon the small, pathetic rain cloud hovering over Lin Qing’s shoulder. Lin Qing braced himself for a lecture on laziness or a challenge to a duel. Instead, the man reached out a slender, pale hand and placed it on Lin Qing’s wet shoulder. A gentle warmth instantly radiated from his palm, drying the fabric in seconds.

“Senior Brother?” Lin Qing stammered, his face heating up.

“The cloud suits you,” the man said, his voice deep and surprisingly soft. “It is cute.”

He then reached into his sleeve, pulled out a small, exquisite umbrella, and handed it to Lin Qing before walking away without another word. Lin Qing stared at the umbrella in his hands, then at the retreating back of the most powerful man in the sect.

“System,” Lin Qing said, his annoyance suddenly replaced by a strange fluttering in his chest. “Maybe I can stay for a few more chapters.”

[Ding! Compatibility research with the secondary lead has increased by 5%. Host, do you still want that refund?]

“Shut up.”