When the White Moonlight Holds the Script - Chapter 2

As the voice faded, the surroundings gradually brightened.

Zhu Zhihan found herself by a small stream, surrounded by bamboo groves and trees. A gentle breeze carried the scent of wild grass, easing her mood almost imperceptibly.

More importantly, the chronic illness that had accompanied her since birth, the one she could feel with every breath seemed to have vanished at this moment.

[This is the standby point,] the voice explained.

Zhu Zhihan was still somewhat dazed. “Wait a moment, what did you say? No, what are you?”

She remembered she should have died.

Those who self-destruct would scatter their souls to the winds, with no chance of reincarnation.

Miss System patiently began explaining from the basics, and Zhu Zhihan finally understood her current situation.

She calmed down. “You’re saying I’m a supporting character in a storybook, and in the original plot, I was supposed to die for the female lead, becoming Su Siyue’s white moonlight?”

Miss System confirmed it.

[The female lead doesn’t know what happened behind the scenes. She believes you willingly offered your bone marrow for her and is deeply moved. Every year, she visits your grave to offer incense.]

Zhu Zhihan: “…”

Suddenly, it felt like a bad omen.

Amidst the annoyance, she sighed. No wonder everyone liked Su Siyue, she was the world’s favored child of fortune.

She shook her head. “But I didn’t let Su Siyue get the medicinal catalyst. That seems different from the plot?”

[Yes, the plot changed due to your awakening. The character in the storybook neither had the choice nor the ability to destroy herself along with her enemy after all, that was just a character, not a real person.]

“What happened to Su Siyue afterward.”

Zhu Zhihan felt conflicted. From her perspective, she didn’t wish Su Siyue well, but she wasn’t malicious enough to want an unrelated person to die.

[She was saved for other reasons. After all, she’s the protagonist.]

The system’s tone shifted. [However, due to your intervention, she failed to awaken the ‘Eclipse Body’ from the original story.]

[The ‘Eclipse Body’ is an exceptional constitution that allows cultivation to progress hundreds or thousands of times faster, with constant enlightenment. Losing this constitution is a significant loss for the female lead.]

Zhu Zhihan seemed to detect a hint of amusement in Miss System’s voice. [Your resistance was meaningful.]

‘Resistance’?

As if Su Siyue were the villain.

Before Zhu Zhihan could ponder this odd phrasing, the system continued, [And then there are your dear friends and family.]

[After your death, they regretted it. Unlike in the storybook, they truly regarded you as their white moonlight and for your sake.]

Zhu Zhihan’s expression cooled.

“Enough,” she interrupted, her voice slightly cold. “What exactly do you want from me?”

The system knew when to stop. [Ahem, it’s like this. Our company greatly admires awakened characters like you and has specially prepared a rebirth package for you. How about it? Interested in embarking on a new journey?]

[A journey to correct past mistakes, avoid the influence of the female lead, reclaim what was lost, and embrace a new life.]

These words were far more comforting than the earlier ones.

Zhu Zhihan lowered her gaze.

The stream reflected her appearance snow-white hair cascading loosely, crimson lips, and skin paler than most but without the withered look of someone whose life force had been drained.

If she could start over, she would never again die from foolish trust or become that weak and pitiable version of herself.

The System Lady observed her: 【Don’t you like it?】

She shook her head. “No one would dislike it.”

The System Lady seemed to sense her hesitation and said with a smile: 【For our organization, this is a mutually beneficial partnership. Although I can’t explain the specific reasons to you now, you can rest assured you possess the value we’re willing to stake our chips on, and we certainly won’t harm you.】

Zhu Zhihan, whether she believed it or not, let her gaze drift idly over the stream.

【So, what is your answer?】

A moment of silence passed.

Zhu Zhihan slowly smiled. “Why not?”

A person who had already hit rock bottom would fear nothing because things couldn’t get any worse.

Whether this entity called the System genuinely wanted to help her, was toying with her, or had other motives, she was willing to give it a try.

【You won’t regret this decision.】 the System Lady said.

【Next, we will transport you to the first critical decision point in your life. Please take note of the following:】

【1. The enemy of your enemy can be your friend.】

【2. You may use your knowledge from your past life and the known plotlines to expand your opportunities.】

【3. Once you complete the beginner’s task, the “golden finger” will be deposited into your account. Remember to check for it then.】

【4. Due to our intervention, this period of time and space will become unstable. In other words, anything could happen. Please be prepared.】

【The journey begins.】

As soon as the System’s voice faded, Zhu Zhihan’s vision plunged into darkness once more.

She felt as though she had passed through something like a watery membrane, first an absolute silence, then a cacophony of noises flooded her ears.

“Where is this? Wasn’t I just in the trial?”

“Fool, that means you passed the trial! Congratulations! I came from the grand selection too. Let’s get to know each other my name is…”

“What do we do now? Why is there no one else here? Where are the immortal elders?”

“I heard from the stationed officials that a great master will descend soon to select us for various sects. Haha, we’re about to soar to greatness!”

“Really?”

“……”

Zhu Zhihan opened her eyes.

Various scenes rushed into her view. She stood on a vast plaza shrouded in immortal mist, with distant areas obscured by thick fog.

This was, the place where she had once sought apprenticeship.

The System had truly sent her back.

Now, she was only fourteen years old, having just passed the grand selection held by the Immortal Alliance. She had not yet become a disciple of Master Danqi, nor had she encountered those who would change her life.

This must be what the System had referred to as the first critical decision point.

Accompanied by a resonant hum reminiscent of a primordial weapon, the thick fog dispersed, revealing elevated platforms all around.

On these platforms sat numerous immortals, some dressed opulently, others plainly or eccentrically. The one thing they had in common was an overwhelming aura of pressure that made it impossible to look directly at them.

These were the great masters who had come to select disciples.

The aspiring cultivators present, driven by curiosity, lifted their heads but immediately lowered them again, sweating profusely, as if pricked by the sheer force of the pressure.

Zhu Zhihan was different from all of them. Her eyes swept across the platforms twice, lingering for a moment on a familiar face, before she calmly lowered her gaze.

The system’s hint in bringing her here was quite clear: the cause of her tragedy was becoming a fellow disciple of the female protagonist, so the best course of action was to stay away from the Medicine Sect.

This aligned perfectly with her own intentions. She had no desire to face the person responsible for her death day and night, nor did she possess the patience for feigned politeness.

Thus, two questions now lay before her:

If she didn’t join the Medicine Sect, where should she go?

Once she chose a new path, how could she convince the other party to accept her?

The first question was relatively easier to solve.

While at the “standby point,” the system had reminded her that the enemy of her enemy was her friend.

If her enemy was Su Siyue, the female protagonist whose mere proximity passively brought misfortune upon her, then the enemy of her enemy would be the antagonists the female protagonist would face in the future.

She would be better off aligning herself with the villains.

While scanning the platform earlier, she had taken special note of a particularly striking woman with black hair, dark eyes, and a unique flame-shaped forehead decoration. According to the system, this woman would eventually succumb to demonic cultivation, betray the Immortal Alliance, and become the ultimate antagonist of the main storyline, a perfect fit for her requirements.

The second question, however, was more challenging.

This great antagonist was a cold, domineering, and solitary figure who had never taken on a single disciple.

What could possibly move her?

“Number B-13!” The sharp voice of the immortal attendant snapped her out of her thoughts.

B-13 was the number she had been assigned during the selection process.

The token hanging at her waist lit up, connecting her to a figure on the platform.

Zhu Zhihan lifted her gaze.

A woman dressed in a dark purple ruqun and draped in black gauze was looking at her gently.

The woman had captivating phoenix eyes, but her neatly styled hair and deep red lip color tempered that allure, lending her an air of grace and gentleness.

Danqi Zhenren her master in her previous life.

She clenched her fingers tightly.

“Would you like to become my disciple and join my Medicine Sect?” the woman asked, her lips parting.

Her voice, as soft as a spring breeze, seemed capable of soothing all anxiety and hesitation.

This face, this expression Zhu Zhihan would never forget them.

In her past life, this woman had asked her the same question and brought her back to Dan Peak.

Later, wearing that very same expression, she had personally cut open her dantian.

Zhu Zhihan had thought she could face it calmly, but upon hearing those words again, she couldn’t help but feel a chill and hatred rising from the depths of her heart.

Since the age of six, she had rarely received her parents’ care and affection. In her previous life, Danqi Zhenren had been both a master and a mother to her.

Danqi Zhenren was her elder, the guiding light on her path forward.

Her greatest dream had been to become a cultivator like her master, one who healed the world.

Unfortunately, it had all been her own wishful thinking.

Zhu Zhihan released her clenched fingers.

Under Danqi Zhenren’s expectant gaze, she brought her hands together in front of her and bowed deeply.

Her voice was cold and clear: “I’m sorry, I do not wish to become your disciple.”

In this life, I no longer wish to be your disciple.

Something so painful experiencing it once is enough.

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