When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 1

A girl kneels before Jiang Yan, her head lowered and face obscured by loose hair. Her fair, slender neck looks fragile, as if it could snap with a single touch.

Jiang Yan licks her lips, extending a wicked hand toward her. Before she can make contact with that porcelain neck, the system’s mechanical voice suddenly chimes in.

(Ding! Congratulations, Host, on activating the ‘Lickspittle System.’ Please now focus on receiving the plot.)

A large chunk of memories, not her own, floods her mind.

The original body, also named Jiang Yan, was the legitimate daughter of the General’s Residence. She lived a life of luxury since childhood, never having to lift a finger. The General’s Residence had only one child, so her parents doted on her, wanting to give her the world.

Just before her tenth birthday, her father, General Jiang Chengsha, brought home a girl two years older than her and renamed her Jiang Zhen, declaring her the eldest daughter of the General’s Residence. This made the original Jiang Yan deeply resentful.

Rumors about this “eldest daughter’s” identity ran wild, with the most common one being that she was Jiang Chengsha’s illegitimate child. Influenced by these whispers, the original Jiang Yan despised her new “sister.” She constantly mocked her and secretly spoke ill of her to Jiang Chengsha. His wife, Yuan Feng, also ignored Jiang Zhen, often scolding and hitting her. Jiang Zhen lived a life of torment for two years.

When the “illegitimate daughter” rumors intensified, Yuan Feng, to vent her frustration, sent Jiang Zhen, then 14, away from the capital to fend for herself while Jiang Chengsha was away on a campaign. To show their loyalty, the servants broke Jiang Zhen’s left leg before throwing her into a pile of beggars who had never seen a woman before.

Against all odds, Jiang Zhen survived. With the help of an old beggar, she joined the army. Three years later, she returned as the renowned General of the Cavalry, a title so prestigious that even Jiang Chengsha had to bow to her. She meticulously planned her revenge, spending six months bringing down the General’s Residence, imprisoning Jiang Yan, and torturing her daily until she went insane and took her own life.

After processing the plot, Jiang Yan pouts, muttering, “Serves you right.”

Is the “Child of the Plane” so easily killed?

How naive!

(Please, Host, change the original body’s fate and clear Jiang Zhen’s blackening value.)

(You can do it. I’m with you.)

(Ganbatte!)

For some reason, Jiang Yan could hear the system’s voice with a hint of schadenfreude.

She pulls her hand back from the girl’s neck and falls to her knees. Luckily, it’s only been six months since Jiang Zhen arrived at the General’s Residence. She still has time to make up for her past actions. Otherwise, once Jiang Zhen grew powerful, the first person she’d kill would be herself.

Jiang Zhen is shocked by Jiang Yan’s strange behavior. She slowly lifts her head, her eyes filled with indifference and confusion.

The indifference, mixed with a sliver of confusion, puts an immense amount of pressure on Jiang Yan. She forces a smile, places her hands on Jiang Zhen’s shoulders, and says, “Sister, the ground is too cold. Please get up.”

A new layer of indifference appears in Jiang Zhen’s eyes. She glances at Jiang Yan and says in a low voice, “What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?”

Her voice is clear and pleasant, a perfect match for her slightly heroic appearance.

Jiang Yan knows that after the original body’s countless evil deeds, her sudden change of heart will surely arouse suspicion. It will take time to change her image in Jiang Zhen’s mind. For now, she can only help her out of this predicament.

“Sister, I just had a sudden thought. It was so wrong of me to constantly make things difficult for you. I regret it deeply and feel so guilty. Can you give me a chance?”

Jiang Zhen says nothing, staring at Jiang Yan for a few seconds as if she’s an idiot. Then, she says coldly, “Go away. I don’t need your false kindness!”

Having failed, Jiang Yan decides to use her last resort.

She dives into Jiang Zhen’s arms, rubbing her head against her. In a muffled voice, she says, “If Sister doesn’t get up, I’ll kneel with you. Then when Father and Mother see us, they can punish us both.”

Jiang Zhen looks at the fluffy head in her arms, a cold glint in her eyes.

She has no idea what Jiang Yan is up to, but she assumes it’s another one of her schemes. Such things happen every day, so she’s used to it.

“If you don’t get up, I won’t be so polite!” Her voice is laced with anger, making Jiang Yan shudder and her neck feel cold.

She has no doubt that if she keeps making a scene, Jiang Zhen will slit her throat.

Game over.

That’s not the outcome she wants.

“I really know I was wrong. Does Sister want me to cut out my heart and show it to you?”

Jiang Yan, with her messy hair, lifts her head out of Jiang Zhen’s arms, her voice tearful and full of sorrow.

If being cute doesn’t work, she’ll have to resort to a self-harming ploy. If that fails, she’ll try anything to make Jiang Zhen feel something.

Jiang Zhen’s disgust only grows as she waits for Jiang Yan to continue her performance.

Jiang Yan backs down, clutching her chest and shrinking her neck.

She just said it on a whim, but why does Jiang Zhen look so eager for her to cut out her heart?

Is someone really that cruel?

Life is hard. A piggy sighs.

Since the first two methods failed, there’s no need to try the third.

Jiang Zhen isn’t someone who would feel pity for a damsel in distress. She’s a person who can kill on the battlefield, so she must have a cold and ruthless heart. If she just watches with a cold eye, it will only make things more awkward.

This mission seems to be harder than I thought.

Jiang Yan kneels beside Jiang Zhen, her hands resting at her sides, looking a little obedient.

Jiang Zhen gives her a sideways glance, a sarcastic smirk on her lips and an air of hostility in her eyes.

After an hour of kneeling, Jiang Yan can’t take it anymore.

Jiang Zhen has a prayer mat under her knees, but Jiang Yan has nothing. The cold, hard stone floor sends a chill straight to her bones.

Thankfully, it’s almost noon, so Yuan Feng should be returning from the banquet soon.

Jiang Yan keeps encouraging herself. When she hears sounds from the courtyard, tears almost fall from her eyes.

This is the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.

Mother, save me!

Yuan Feng takes a step into the ancestral hall and cries out in surprise. She can’t believe the girl with disheveled hair and a pale face is her daughter.

“Yan’er, why are you kneeling on the ground?” She rushes to embrace the wobbly Jiang Yan and glares at Jiang Zhen. “Did you force Yan’er to kneel with you?”

Jiang Zhen ignores the mother-daughter act. She has seen this kind of thing many times before. The only difference today is that Jiang Yan has a little more “sincerity,” willing to kneel for a couple of hours with her.

Jiang Yan quickly says, “Mother, it’s not Sister’s fault. I wanted to kneel with her. The vase yesterday wasn’t broken by Sister; I accidentally knocked it over. I was afraid you and Father would punish me, so I blamed her. Sister is innocent. Please don’t punish her anymore.”

Yuan Feng’s eyes widen in disbelief. She looks at Jiang Yan, stunned.

“Yan’er, do you know what you’re saying?”

What’s wrong with my foolish daughter today? She’s saying this in front of so many servants.

She knows that Jiang Zhen is innocent. Making a big fuss over nothing has been happening for the past six months, and her daughter has never betrayed her. Why the sudden change?

Yuan Feng suspects Jiang Zhen used some kind of threat against Jiang Yan. Just as she’s about to scold Jiang Zhen, Jiang Yan grabs her arm.

“Mother, it’s all my fault. If you want to punish someone, punish me.” Her mind feels dizzy, and her eyelids are heavy, but Jiang Yan hasn’t forgotten her mission.

She tries to stand, but a wave of dizziness makes her fall back into Yuan Feng’s arms. Yuan Feng panics, holding her up and snapping at the servants at the door, “What are you standing there for? Go and get a doctor!”

Jiang Yan turns her head to look at Jiang Zhen, and their eyes meet. She gives a weak smile and whispers to her, “Sister, please get up. The ground is cold.”

Jiang Zhen’s expression is complex. The hands at her sides clench slightly, but she remains kneeling, with no intention of getting up.

Seeing her daughter protect Jiang Zhen so much, Yuan Feng, despite her anger, has no choice but to let it go.

“Get up and go to your room. Don’t just wander around.”

Jiang Yan finally feels relieved and falls into a deep sleep.

Jiang Zhen has been kneeling all morning, and her legs are completely numb. She sits to relieve the pain before slowly standing up.

Xia He, a maid, hurries over to support her. “Miss, how are you feeling? Should we also get a doctor for you?”

Jiang Zhen waves her hand. Supported by Xia He, she walks out of the ancestral hall. She’s not as fragile as Jiang Yan, who almost died from kneeling.

Xia He glances in the direction Jiang Yan left, lowering her voice. “Miss, the Second Miss is acting very strange today. You should be careful.”

Jiang Zhen nods without a word. She knows this better than anyone. The only thing she can’t understand is why Jiang Yan suddenly changed.

She’s living under someone else’s roof, and any servant with a little status can bully her. What could Jiang Yan possibly want from her by suddenly showing her kindness?

After Jiang Yan is carried to her bed by Yuan Feng, a doctor arrives. After taking her pulse, he says to Yuan Feng, “The Second Miss is already weak. The cold has entered her body, so she needs to be taken care of carefully. She must not be exposed to the cold again.”

Yuan Feng nods repeatedly, instructing a maid to close all the windows. She sits by the bed, holding Jiang Yan’s hand tightly.

She only has this one daughter. She cherishes her so much, she’s afraid to even hold her too tightly. She can’t believe her daughter had to suffer this for a girl of unknown origin. That girl is just despicable!

Even with her eyes closed, Jiang Yan can feel Yuan Feng’s resentment. She squeezes her hand and says softly, “Mother, Sister is actually very pitiful. Let’s be nicer to her from now on.”

“What are you saying, child? Are you delirious?”

Just yesterday, she was complaining about Jiang Zhen replacing her in her father’s heart and wanted to teach her a lesson. Now she’s saying the girl is pitiful. Has my child been possessed?

Jiang Yan is too uncomfortable to even open her eyes, but she can’t help but try to persuade her mother.

If she doesn’t get her mother to change her prejudice against Jiang Zhen soon, the General’s Residence will surely be destroyed.

Her mother will be the first to suffer.

Even though many of her mother’s actions are unacceptable, she was genuinely good to the original body. So good, in fact, that words can’t describe it.

It’s not too late to change things. Strike while the iron is hot.

Before Jiang Zhen becomes powerful, she must compensate her well and treat her with all the kindness in the world. Only then can she change the fate of the General’s Residence.

Most importantly, she doesn’t want to be locked in a dark room and tortured!