Tianxing Sect.
Once every five years, the sect held a grand recruitment ceremony.
The plaza was packed with a dense crowd of new disciples.
Standing among them, Yun Jin wore an indifferent expression.
Thousands of years? Tens of thousands?
Even after all that time, she could still recall this day with startling clarity.
"Xiao Jin." A worried voice rang out.
Yun Jin glanced sideways, the corners of her lips lifted into a faint smile.
Ye Danxia.
It's been a while.
"Xiao Jin," Ye Danxia said anxiously, "during the first test, the spiritual root assessment, I turned out to have a Celestial Spirit Root, but you have the lowest-tier Five Element Root. At this rate, you definitely won't pass the sect entrance exam."
"Oh?" Yun Jin responded casually. "Then what do you suggest?"
Ye Danxia's eyes flickered as she laughed softly, "You saw it too, my talent should be pretty good. After my results came out, if not for the formalities being incomplete, the sect leader would have accepted me as a disciple on the spot."
"Your talent may be poor, but that's okay. After all, we're good friends! I just asked around. Formal disciples are allowed to bring a male servant or a maid. When the time comes, I'll say you're the maid I brought. That way, you can stay by my side."
As Ye Danxia spoke, a trace of smugness flashed uncontrollably across her eyes.
Yun Jin.
Eldest daughter and young lady of the prestigious Yun family.
And her?
Just an orphan taken in by the Yun family.
For years, she lived walking on eggshells under their roof, never knowing what the next day would bring!
Perhaps even the heavens couldn't bear to watch anymore, because what followed was a stunning reversal of fate!
The Yun family suddenly met with disaster, wiped out overnight! Only Yun Jin and Ye Danxia managed to escape. They coincidentally encountered the Tianxing Sect opening its gates to new disciples, and decided to try their luck.
Who could've thought!
They both passed the spiritual root assessment. But Yun Jin had the lowest-tier Five Element Root.
And hers?
A Celestial Spirit Root that hadn't appeared in a hundred years!
At this moment, Ye Danxia felt refreshed.
So what if Yun Jin had once been the daughter of the Yun family?
Mortal wealth meant nothing in the face of immortality.
Besides, the Yun family was already gone! Other than a so-called heirloom ring on her finger, Yun Jin had nothing left.
From this day forward, she and Yun Jin would lead completely different lives.
Still...
Ye Danxia considered herself to be kind at heart. As gratitude to the Yun family's past kindness, she'd be willing to take Yun Jin in as a maid.
Yun Jin quietly stared at Ye Danxia, then suddenly smiled.
"What are you smiling at?" Ye Danxia frowned, unable to hold back. "Xiao Jin, this isn't the time to throw a tantrum like a pampered young miss! The cultivation world doesn't care about your mortal identity. I only made that offer because I knew you'd be thrown out after failing the test. If you're not interested, just pretend I never said anything."
Yun Jin's smile only deepened.
In her past life, Ye Danxia had said the exact same words.
But the old Yun Jin was timid and helpless. She actually believed her lies and chose to become her maid, just to stay.
And the result?
Ye Danxia was accepted as a disciple under the sect master. The sect master and several senior brothers all doted on her and couldn't bear to let her suffer the slightest grievance.
Since Ye Danxia couldn't be wronged, the one to suffer became Yun Jin.
If Ye Danxia got hurt accidentally, her maid was scolded for failing to protect her.
If Ye Danxia was in a bad mood, her maid would be interrogated by everyone until they concluded it to be her fault for making Ye Danxia angry.
Every time, Ye Danxia would also stand by and pretend to defend her: "This has nothing to do with Yun Jin."
Because of that, her bootlicking admirers tormented Yun Jin even more behind closed doors.
Still, she endured it all.
She remembered Ye Danxia's promise to help her cultivate. So after carefully taking care of Ye Danxia for a year, Yun Jin finally, for the first time, asked for some pills to assist in her cultivation.
At the time, Ye Danxia had agreed.
Yun Jin thought her efforts were finally going to be repaid.
But the next day, she was kidnapped by Ye Danxia's obsessive admirer.
That man said she didn't know her place. That she had the audacity to make such an unreasonable demand of Ye Danxia. That Ye Danxia was so anxious trying to get her some pills, she nearly cried. Saying that giving her a place to stay was already an immense favor. She should've known better than to ask for more!
But what she asked for was clearly just the most basic Qi Refining pills!
For Ye Danxia, this should have been nothing at all.
Yet with just a single tear and a pitiful expression from Ye Danxia. Suddenly, she was the one making things difficult instead!
Yun Jin tried to explain, but the obsessive suitor didn't give her a chance. He released Soul-Eating Ants and let them gnaw on her for the whole night.
By the time Ye Danxia found her, she was barely breathing.
Ye Danxia held her and wept crocodile tears for a while, and then a whole group of people came to comfort her.
As for Yun Jin, no one paid her any attention at all.
Fortunately, her life was tough and somehow she survived.
After that, she realized Ye Danxia would never help her cultivate. So she asked to leave.
For this, Ye Danxia act wronged again. She asked why Yun Jin wanted to leave, saying she had already treated her so well, how could she do this to her?
Before Yun Jin could even say a word, Ye Danxia's entourage swarmed in, marking her with labels: ungrateful, greedy, shameless. Every insult became synonymous with her name.
In the end, the sect leader himself issued a confinement order against her.
Even then, Yun Jin hadn't given up. All she wanted was to find a way to escape.
But then.
Ye Danxia's official boyfriend turned out to be the Demon Lord from the Demon Realm. He secretly came to Tianxing Sect to find her, but was discovered, attracting enemies.
That night.
The Demon Clan attacked Tianxing Sect.
The entire sect suffered heavy casualties. The demons who stormed the sect were enemies of the Demon Lord. Knowing that he had a lover within the sect, they came to kill her and cause him unbearable grief.
For some unknown reason, the demons mistook her for Ye Danxia and gave her no chance to explain before she was brutally torn apart.
After death, her soul watched as Ye Danxia and the Demon Lord loved and hated one another, wreaking havoc wherever they went. Those around them were left dead or wounded, but the two of them continued their torrid love story.
Even Ye Danxia's many admirers met terrible ends.
Only Ye Danxia ascended to the upper realm with the Demon Lord in the end.
What an utterly ridiculous story!
Even as a ghost, Yun Jin still couldn't understand. What had she done to deserve such a fate?
Later, she was bound to a quick transmigration system. It was then she finally understood that her world was nothing more than a novel. Ye Danxia and the Demon Lord were the destined male and female leads. As for her, she wasn't even a proper supporting character, just an early cannon fodder.
As protagonists, they were destined to rule the world. As for her, she was meant to be the stepping stone beneath the heroine's feet.
But why?
Why?
She couldn't accept it!
She refused to accept it!
After that, Yun Jin accepted the system's offer without hesitation, traveling through countless worlds, helping countless clients fulfill their regrets. After completing a hundred missions, she was granted freedom and one cheat skill of her choice to take back into her original world.
This time, she is determined not to follow the script.
"Xiao Jin! What is wrong with you?" Ye Danxia clearly annoyed. "I'm only saying this for your own good. I know becoming a maid may feel humiliating, but at least you'll have a chance to cultivate, right? With our friendship, I'll definitely help you in the future. Isn't that better than living a mortal life and dying after a hundred years? And didn't you say you wanted to investigate the Yun family's downfall and get revenge? Only cultivation will give you that power."
Yun Jin looked at Ye Danxia like she was watching a clown perform. She smiled lightly.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'd still like to try on my own."
Ye Danxia grew angry. "With garbage aptitude like a Five Element Root, what's there to try? Yun Jin, if you keep being this stubborn, I really won't care about you anymore!"
Yun Jin nodded. "Alright, then don't care about me."
Ye Danxia: "???"