When the White Moonlight Holds the Script - Chapter 1

Zhu Zhihan felt bitterly cold and wracked with pain.

Dark iron restraints bound her to a bed carved from icy jade. Her entire dantian had been sliced open, and golden, marrow-like fluid was being drawn out drop by drop by an array, dripping into a jade bowl beside her.

This was her “root bone” the foundation of her cultivation and her very life.

Someone seemed to be standing beside her.

Zhu Zhihan’s eyelashes fluttered as she forced open her heavy eyelids.

Two youths, a boy and a girl who looked almost identical, gazed down at her.

The boy on the left wore a sour expression. “If we’d known you would run, Luo Xing and I should have kept a closer watch on you. We wouldn’t have wasted so much time! Siyue almost.”

The girl on the right cut him off with a warning tone, calling his name: “Luo Xing.”

The boy fell silent, fuming.

Watching the two of them perform this little act, Zhu Zhihan let out a soft, bitter laugh.

Luo Xing and Heng Yun, the Twin Stars of the Medicine Sect, the junior disciples she had once cherished most.

They were prodigies, alchemists of unparalleled talent who appeared only once in centuries. She had once been genuinely happy for them, but now, she could only laugh at her own foolishness.

She had been blind.

How had she ended up in this state?

She thought back. It all began three days ago.

That day, her master had summoned her to the council hall. Unsuspecting, she had hurried over, only to be ambushed and knocked unconscious.

When she awoke, her revered, seemingly flawless master was holding a blade, slicing open her flesh.

After a moment of silence, she asked why.

Her master replied gently, “Siyue was afflicted with a rare poison in the secret realm. The antidote requires a special catalyst, the ‘root bone’ of a Xuan Yin physique.”

“Zhihan, you are the only Xuan Yin physique in the world.”

Su Siyuewas her master’s newest disciple, her junior sister.

This girl seemed to possess some strange charm. From the moment she arrived at the Medicine Sect, everyone adored her fervently. Who would have thought even her master would?

Zhu Zhihan said calmly, “You knew I despised her and would never willingly save her, so you had me captured and brought here.”

Her master, a stunningly beautiful woman gently stroked her cheek, brushing aside the snow-white hair damp with cold sweat. “Be good, and it will hurt less, alright? I remember how much you fear pain.”

Zhu Zhihan closed her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly.

After that, she pretended to be broken and resigned, no longer resisting.

Her act successfully lowered her master’s guard. Seizing an opportunity, she replaced herself with a puppet and escaped.

Disciples patrolled everywhere, and the sect gates were heavily guarded. Clutching her crudely bandaged, still-bleeding wound, drenched in cold sweat, she curled up and hid in a corner.

Uncertain how many of her fellow disciples were aiding her master, she weighed her options and finally decided to send a message to her two closest friends outside the sect, the young master of the Heavenly Mirror Sect and the saintess of the Harmony Sect. They were comrades she had met during secret realm explorations and adventures, friends she would trust with her life.

If anyone could help her, it was them.

Zhu Zhihan was gambling, betting on whether they could reach her before her master found her.

But she lost the bet, in a way she had never imagined when the two arrived, they attacked her directly.

As an alchemist, she was no match in combat, especially while injured. She was quickly subdued and could only watch as the young master sent a message to her master.

Perhaps her expression was one of utter shock, because the young master hesitated. For the first time, the usually proud and spirited girl averted her gaze and said, “Siyue needs you. Don’t blame me.”

The Saintess was more forthright. Though her captivating face showed a trace of reluctance, it was overshadowed by resolve. She said softly, “Zhi Han, do you remember what I told you before? I’ve always been searching for something. Now I’ve found it.”

So they had known Su Siyue all along. So they were aware of their master’s plan.

The matter was already settled. After a long pause, Zhu Zhihan shook her head with a bitter smile. “We’ve known each other for over a decade. How long have you known her? A few months? A few weeks? I just want to ask whether it’s our master or you two, why have you all chosen her?”

The Saintess pondered for a moment before replying, “Siyue is different from you. Though she may be reckless, she treats everyone with kindness, holding nothing back. She’s a foolishly good-hearted person.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s all.”

Zhu Zhihan said, “I see.”

The Soul-Snatching Bell rang three times, and she lost consciousness. When she awoke again, it was to the present.

She had been captured once more, with Luoxing and Hengyun standing guard her beloved junior disciples, who had willingly become accomplices.

Hengyun took out a porcelain vial and brought it to her lips, his tone indifferent. “Eldest Senior Sister, the extraction of your spiritual bone is almost complete. Drink this. It will make your passing easier.”

Zhu Zhihan closed her eyes. “You’re just afraid of any further complications, aren’t you? Hengyun, were you always this hypocritical?”

Hengyun did not deny it. Seeing her close her eyes, he assumed she had accepted her fate and moved the vial closer.

But then came the clatter of chains.

Caught off guard, Hengyun was shoved aside, and the vial slipped from his hand, shattering on the ground.

“You!”

Luoxing, who had been watching coldly, sneered. “I told you not to show mercy. A venomous woman like her doesn’t deserve any sympathy!”

As she spoke, she formed a hand seal, and four spiritual energy spikes materialized in the air.

With a downward gesture, the spikes shot forth, piercing through Zhu Zhihan’s palms and ankles, splattering blood everywhere. Only when the spikes embedded deep into the icy jade bed did they come to a halt.

“See? That’s how it’s done,” Luoxing said.

Hengyun offered no rebuttal.

A moment later, he retrieved another small vial from his storage pouch. This time, he dislocated Zhu Zhihan’s jaw and forced the contents down her throat.

Zhu Zhihan let out only a muffled groan at first, then fell silent.

Her snow-white hair was disheveled, her body drenched in sweat. Blood from her wounds spread silently across the pale jade surface.

After a while, Zhu Zhihan’s shoulders trembled as she let out a hoarse, low chuckle.

“Ha, haha.”

Her laughter grew louder and more unrestrained.

Born frail and ill, she had always been forced to suppress her emotions. Never before had she laughed so freely.

Luoxing frowned in confusion. “Have you gone mad?”

But Hengyun’s expression shifted abruptly. “Something’s wrong!”

Yet his realization came too late.

“Cough, cough!”

Zhu Zhihan laughed until she coughed, but what came out was blood.

Vivid crimson spilled from her lips.

Everyone knew that the frail eldest disciple of the Medicine Sect possessed an exceptionally beautiful face, delicate brows like distant mountains, skin as pale as cold jade. Even those who despised her could not deny her beauty.

Now, with that striking red staining her lips like rouge, she took on a heartbreaking, tragic allure.

Zhu Zhihan spoke slowly, word by word. “Did you really think you had me completely under your control? How laughable.”

Through her observations these past few days, she had deduced one thing: to extract the spiritual bone, it had to be done while the victim was alive and preferably conscious.

Zhu Zhihan was also an alchemist and understood that if the medicinal catalyst was even slightly insufficient, the entire concoction would be ruined. Therefore, if she died, the medicine could never be completed.

To prevent such a situation, the formation had restrictions in place to forbid self-destruction, but they had underestimated Zhu Zhihan.

She was the only Xuan Yin Body in the world, and she knew far more than they realized.

“How did you do this!? You cannot die now!”

Heng Yun desperately tried to sustain Zhu Zhihan’s life, pouring precious Heaven-grade spiritual herbs into her mouth without restraint. But Zhu Zhihan’s body was like a sieve riddled with holes her life force continuously dissipated, unable to be retained. The replenishment couldn’t keep up with the loss.

Heng Yun soon realized this, her hand holding the porcelain vial frozen mid-air.

Luo Xing’s eyes turned red: “Do you despise Siyue that much? She’s your junior sister! Just a little more, just a little more.”

Zhu Zhihan blinked.

Dark spots floated before her eyes. She curled her lips in relief and said calmly, “Yes, I despise her. I despise her deeply.”

Ever since Su Siyue joined the sect, breaking the thousand-petaled golden lotus she had painstakingly cultivated and eating the koi she had fed for so long in the spiritual pond behind the mountain, she had loathed her.

But what was wrong with hating someone?

She had never done anything to wrong Su Siyue, she had merely avoided her and never smiled at her.

Why did they take it for granted that her life should be exchanged for Su Siyue’s?

Just because Su Siyue was ‘kind’?

Yes, she was stingy. Her warmth and affection were limited, and she couldn’t be like Su Siyue, who was ‘unreservedly’ good to strangers. But she had never wronged them!

She rarely trusted others, but she had never doubted or guarded against them.

Yet they had completely dismissed her. They had exploited her trust.

Her master, who had treated her so well, her adorable junior brothers and sisters, her friends she could rely on, all of it was a lie.

Her entire life felt like a joke.

The cold jade bed was so chilly. She had always been afraid of the cold.

But fortunately, it would all be over soon.

Zhu Zhihan closed her eyes, her breathing gradually fading.

Just before she completely lost consciousness, she seemed to hear the sound of something shattering as it hit the ground. Someone was calling her name stubborn and desperate, like the mournful cry of an abandoned young beast. It was the voices of her junior brother and sister.

It must have been an illusion, she thought.

With that, she sank into a deep, dark abyss.

She seemed to be dreaming, dreaming of events from a long, long time ago.

She was born into a wealthy mortal family, frail and sickly from birth. When she was six, a wandering Taoist passed by her home and left a prophecy, she was destined to die young, not living past her coming-of-age ceremony.

After that, she was moved to another courtyard, confined to her room all day drinking medicine, rarely seeing her father and mother again.

Once, she missed them so much that she cried and insisted on seeing them. Her wet nurse secretly wiped away tears but put on a stern face, lightly tapping a bamboo stick on her palm, saying, “Young miss, you mustn’t cry. Great sorrow and great joy are both bad for your health. Your father and mother will worry if they see you like this.”

She nodded, struggling to hold back her tears.

The following year, red silk ribbons were hung throughout the estate, and everyone was jubilant. The maid attending to her whispered that the mistress had given birth to a young daughter and had given every servant a few pieces of silver.

A year older now, she understood what this meant. She remained silent for a long time, neither crying nor smiling.

Year after year passed, and she grew from a child into a young woman, living in a secluded courtyard. Occasionally, she could hear laughter from beyond the high walls.

As her coming-of-age ceremony approached, one day she suddenly realized she could no longer go on like this.

She didn’t want to die, she wanted to live.

If she had to die, at the very least, she didn’t want it to be within these tall, silent walls.

So she did the boldest thing she had ever done in her life she took the silver coins she had saved over the years and secretly ran away.

She was fortunate. Not long after her escape, she encountered the Immortal Alliance’s once-every-thirty-years grand selection.

As long as she passed the selection, she could embark on the path to the heavens. She realized this was an incredibly precious opportunity to change her fate, and she had to seize it.

In the end, she succeeded.

She became one of the few dozen lucky ones who remained and was chosen by Elder Danqi Zhenren of the Medicine Sect to become her disciple.

In her eyes, immortals were lofty and unapproachable, but Danqi Zhenren was different.

Danqi Zhenren was gentle and interesting, like an approachable older sister. When she first entered the sect, Danqi Zhenren teased her, “You’re the first disciple I’ve taken. From now on, you’ll be the senior sister of Dan Peak. Do you have the confidence to carry Dan Peak on your shoulders and support your master in her old age?”

She took it seriously and patted her chest firmly. “Don’t worry, Master!”

Later, when she truly began cultivating, she realized that her master didn’t need her support at all! Not to mention the boundless wealth her master had accumulated through her exceptional alchemy skills, even in terms of lifespan, her master might not even age by the time she herself died.

Under her master’s guidance, she successfully achieved Qi Refinement, stepping onto the path of cultivation and extending her own lifespan by several years.

She began to delve into the study of alchemical formulas.

In her sixth year after joining the sect, her master brought back two children from the foot of the mountain.

At that time, the mortal world was engulfed in war. These two children were abandoned orphans, only five or six years old, and they were twins. Her master gave them names: the boy was called Luoxing, and the girl was called Hengyun.

Her master was very busy during that period and soon left the mountain again. Zhu Zhihan set aside her own tasks and took care of the children every day.

The two children were afraid of the dark and of people, yet they put on a brave front, like two little kittens baring their claws.

Remembering her own childhood, her heart softened even more. She lit candles to accompany them as they slept, made them little rabbits out of foxtail grass, and gradually helped them adapt to life in the Medicine Sect.

From then on, the two children clung to her. They especially loved crowding around her in the winter, saying she had a cold constitution and needed their warmth.

At that time, Zhu Zhihan truly believed that Dan Peak was like a belated compensation from the heavens, it was her home.

Her master was her elder, and Luoxing and Hengyun were her younger siblings.

Later, a girl named Su Siyue came to Dan Peak.

And then, the dream ended.

Zhu Zhihan abruptly opened her eyes.

Everything around her was pitch black, her consciousness floating within it.

A voice echoed.

[Character awakening in progress.]

[Awakening progress: 70%, 87%, 95%.]

[Awakening progress has reached 100%.]

[Ding! System binding in progress.]

[Hello, the White Moonlight Self-Rescue System is at your service. How may I assist you?]

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