On the first day of her transmigration, Xia Lianqiao had her first direct encounter with Ling Chongxiao, and it happened while he was under the influence of an aphrodisiac. However, unlike the romantic sparks that often fly in novels, there was nothing of the sort between them.
When Xia Lianqiao first realized she had transmigrated into the body of a character destined to be beheaded by Ling Chongxiao's flying sword, she had been somewhat afraid of him. But now, she didn't feel particularly frightened. Otherwise, she wouldn't have deliberately brought up her favorite fictional couple just to see his reaction earlier.
After all, Ling Chongxiao wasn’t a bloodthirsty maniac. As long as she was careful with her words and actions and didn’t follow the path of the original host, who had brought about her own demise, they could coexist peacefully.
Returning to her room, Xia Lianqiao let out a long sigh of relief.
Although the first day had been chaotic and overwhelming, and the main characters hadn’t been particularly friendly toward her, she wasn’t too upset or self-pitying. By nature, she was optimistic and didn’t hold grudges.
The original "Xia Lianqiao" had a history of misdeeds, so it was no wonder Bai Ji'an was wary of her. Xia Lianqiao knew that changing their perceptions of her would be a long and arduous battle.
But that was fine. The more challenging it was, the more rewarding it would be. Once she became closer to Li Langhuan and Bai Ji'an, wouldn’t she be able to happily ship her favorite couples and enjoy endless sweetness?
Still, it was her first day in this new world, and she needed to figure out her current situation.
After resting in bed for a while, Xia Lianqiao sat up cross-legged.
If there was anything more exciting than shipping couples, it was cultivation.
She didn’t believe there was a single person in the world who didn’t dream of soaring through the skies on a flying sword. Xia Lianqiao was no exception. All her knowledge about cultivation came from web novels, and she was worried about accidentally going astray in her practice. Thinking of this, she reached for the emerald-green pouch tied to her waist.
Earlier in the day, she had suspected it might be a storage pouch. Fortunately, there were no restrictions on it, and when she turned it upside down, its contents spilled out onto the bed like rain.
She ignored the cosmetics, dresses, and hairpins for now.
As for the pills, she wasn’t sure what they were for, so she set them aside.
There were also a few Taoist books. Xia Lianqiao tried flipping through them, but she was completely lost. The texts were filled with obscure metaphors and cryptic language. She had hoped to follow the instructions and get a feel for cultivation, but terms like "golden flower," "spiritual turtle," and "yellow matron" left her utterly confused.
"..."
Setting the books aside, Xia Lianqiao turned her attention to a small sword lying on the bed, its blade shimmering faintly with a cold light. After examining it for a while, she confirmed it was a messenger flying sword.
The world of *Asking the Dao* was reminiscent of old-school cultivation settings. There were no high-tech jade tokens for communication; instead, flying swords were used to deliver messages. The original host had only reached the Initiation Realm and couldn’t wield a flying sword in combat, so this small sword was solely for communication purposes.
Since she couldn’t understand the Taoist books on her own, Xia Lianqiao decided to seek external help.
She asked Lichun for writing materials and began composing a letter to Li Langhuan.
Her "daughter" was both beautiful and kind-hearted, and Xia Lianqiao was sure she would guide her in cultivation. This was also a great opportunity to build a closer relationship.
Ever since transmigrating, Xia Lianqiao had vaguely sensed an unusual "energy" within her body—likely the spiritual energy that cultivators spoke of.
After folding the letter, she pinned it to the flying sword and tried channeling a strand of her spiritual energy into the blade.
In the next moment, the sword's light flared brightly, and with a whooshing sound, it shot forward like a dragon or snake, its blade gleaming with starlight. Xia Lianqiao felt a cold sensation at her forehead as the sword flew past, slicing off a strand of her hair.
Xia Lianqiao: "Holy crap!"
Watching the sword vanish into the distance, Xia Lianqiao had nothing else to do but continue puzzling over the Taoist books. She figured she probably retained some muscle memory from the original host, but she was too afraid of messing up to attempt cultivation on her own.
She had expected Li Langhuan's reply to take some time, but after idly flipping through the books for about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, she received a flying sword message from Li Langhuan.
Opening the letter, Xia Lianqiao saw rows of elegant, neatly written characters. The handwriting was sharp and graceful, and the content provided detailed answers to her questions. At the end, Li Langhuan even invited her to ask for further guidance if needed.
Xia Lianqiao: "As expected of my beautiful and kind-hearted Langhuan daughter! How could this world keep turning without her? It’s barely holding on!"
Since Li Langhuan was so enthusiastic, Xia Lianqiao didn’t want to let her down. As soon as she finished reading the letter, she combined its guidance with the residual cultivation memories in her body and began practicing.
The next morning, Xia Lianqiao reappeared before the group, full of energy.
No wonder cultivators could practice for months or even years without rest. Although she hadn’t slept all night, she felt clear-headed, refreshed, and in high spirits, greeting everyone with a bright smile.
The others had gathered in the main hall early that morning to discuss important matters. When Xia Lianqiao entered the room, she immediately recognized the familiar figures.
The girl with a determined expression, bright eyes, and a practical outfit was undoubtedly her "daughter," Li Langhuan.
Xia Lianqiao quickly approached to thank her for the letter from the previous day.
Li Langhuan: "It was nothing. I only gave brief explanations in the letter due to its limitations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me later."
Was that considered brief?
In the morning light, Li Langhuan's features were strikingly beautiful. Her skin was as fair as jade, and like Ling Chongxiao, she had an ethereal, sculpted beauty. Her flawless complexion glowed softly in the sunlight, though she seemed unaware of her own allure.
Captivated by her beauty, Xia Lianqiao felt her soul nearly leave her body. She hurriedly replied, "Of course, as long as you don’t find me bothersome."
Li Langhuan: "It’s good that you’re eager to cultivate. How could it be a bother?"
After a brief exchange, Xia Lianqiao could tell Li Langhuan’s attention was elsewhere, so she didn’t linger. Curious, she picked up a teacup and sat down in the main hall to listen to Bai Ji'an and Chen Mengfu, the head of the Chen family, discuss their plans.
The topic of their conversation was Ling Chongxiao's speculation from the previous day—that the evil flood dragon had a deeper grudge against the Chen family.
Not far away, Ling Chongxiao stood quietly in his snow-white robes. Despite being the one to propose the theory, he remained silent.
After the embarrassing incident from the day before, Xia Lianqiao still felt a bit awkward around Ling Chongxiao.
The young man, however, showed no sign of discomfort. To him, it was a trivial matter. While others might dwell on such an ambiguous situation, Ling Chongxiao was indifferent by nature, focused solely on the path of cultivation and uninterested in romantic entanglements.
With a clear conscience, he hadn’t given it a second thought.
Since the person who had been under the influence of the aphrodisiac didn’t care, Xia Lianqiao decided to suppress her own unease.
Aside from practicing cultivation the previous night, Xia Lianqiao had also taken the time to jot down what she remembered of the original plot. Of course, she burned the notes afterward.
She had some recollection of this part of the story. The evil flood dragon indeed had a significant connection to the Chen family.
Chen Mengfu, the family head, sighed and admitted, "I never intended to hide this from you, esteemed cultivators. It’s just that this matter involves an old scandal in our family’s history, and I wasn’t sure how to bring it up."
Bai Ji'an reassured him gently, "We don’t blame you, Family Head. But since this is related to the demon-slaying mission, we hope you can be forthright with us."
"Of course," Chen Mengfu replied. "That’s why I’ve called everyone here today. If you don’t mind, would you accompany me to the Chen family ancestral shrine?"
Xia Lianqiao’s attention was immediately drawn to the mention of the Chen family ancestral shrine.
Fragmented memories of the original plot resurfaced.
If she wasn’t mistaken, this was a story about killing one’s wife to prove one’s dedication to the Dao.
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