Eastern Wasteland.
Guling Mountain.
The Land of Exile.
The three of them had been flying for half an incense stick's time. Below, the black mists grew thicker and heavier, until there was no trace of green left in sight.
In the distance, a jagged peak pierced the heavens, its waist encircled by roiling black clouds.
The mountainside was sheer and lifeless, without a single blade of grass or any sign of habitation.
"We're here."
On the back of a red-beaked crane, two men in Daoist robes flanked a pale-robed woman. Without a shred of gentleness, they hauled her off and tossed her onto the uneven mountaintop.
The woman looked frail. She caught herself with one hand against the ground, her head tilting slightly, eyes shimmering like autumn water—soft, innocent, and pitiful.
"Damn it!" one of the men on the crane roared, his eyes wide with anger. He tilted his head back and shouted at the sky, "That Zhēnjūn deserves to die!"
His companion grabbed his sleeve, speaking coolly. "Enough."
"Why shouldn't I curse him?"
"If you keep going, I'll start cursing too. That Zhēnjūn isn't even a man! What kind of man is he? What kind?"
The woman, almost without realizing it, hummed a soft tune along with them.
Both men froze for a moment.
She seemed to realize her mistake, lowered her head slightly, and began to sob quietly.
Their hearts ached at once.
"Fairy Ranran, this is all the spirit stones I have on me. You once helped me, so please, take these seven hundred spirit stones!" One of the men jumped down from the crane, unfastened a gray pouch from his belt, and pushed it into her hands.
Yao Ranran lifted her head immediately. Her eyes were dry—there wasn't a single trace of tears.
She clutched the pouch tightly, her voice weak with polite refusal. "I couldn't possibly… Even though this place is harsh beyond belief, with no life, no spiritual energy, and barely enough to survive, I can't take all of your spirit stones."
"It's… fine." The man glanced at her hands, which had already pulled the pouch protectively into her arms, and silently felt even more pity.
"How can you cultivate here, Fairy Ranran? I left in a hurry and only brought three hundred spirit stones, but please take them. If one day you can leave Guling Mountain, there's a village ten li away. You could use these stones to have them take you to a cultivation city—perhaps you might walk the path again."
Both men handed her a share of spirit stones.
Yao Ranran quietly bundled the two shares together in her pouch. "Thank you, Senior Brothers. May I know your names? If I leave Guling Mountain, I will be sure to seek you out and repay your kindness."
The men exchanged smiles and each left his name.
"My name is Hu Zhongcheng."
"I'm Wu Changde."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Hu, Senior Brother Wu, for the spirit stones. I will remember this, and one day, I will return to Wuxiang Sect to repay my debt."
At the mention of Wuxiang Sect, Hu Zhongcheng and Wu Changde's expressions shifted slightly.
"It's getting late. We should return to report," Hu Zhongcheng said, giving Wu Changde a look.
"Yes, Fairy Ranran. We should go."
Yao Ranran nodded. "Safe travels, Senior Brothers."
The two jumped onto the red-beaked crane. Hu Zhongcheng guided it into the air, the crane's cry echoing as they disappeared into the clouds.
"Once you enter Guling Mountain, there's no coming back out. The first fairy of Wuxiang Sect, reduced to this…" Wu Changde sighed.
Hu Zhongcheng patted his shoulder. "You did well, giving her something to hold onto. Better that than letting her waste away in despair inside that ruined temple."
These words never reached Yao Ranran's ears.
She simply watched the crane vanish into the distance, then rose briskly to her feet, dusted off her robes, and muttered, "Not a bad start to my transmigration—far from the heroine, free to cultivate on my own. Perfect."
She was one of those trend-following transmigrators.
On a stormy night, she had been binge-playing a cultivation game adapted from the novel Xianqiao Cultivation Notes. A bolt of lightning struck, her body convulsed, and the next thing she knew, she had crossed into the body of a supporting white-lotus villainess—same name, same face.
At this moment, the original Yao Ranran had just been exposed by the male lead, Shen Yuefu, for impersonating the heroine since childhood. As the foremost Zhēnjūn of Central State, Shen Yuefu had been furious. With a single palm strike, he shattered her nearly-formed golden core, leaving her a cripple.
The original Yao Ranran's will had broken. That was when she took over.
Well, technically, she hadn't done anything. She'd just woken up confused in this new body, taking the punishment meant for the white-lotus girl.
Sigh…
Yao Ranran rubbed her aching chest. The imprint from Shen Yuefu's palm was still faintly visible.
"So this is the ruined temple in Guling Mountain. Guess this is my new home."
A pure smile tugged at her lips.
On the right side of her waist hung a bulging cloth pouch. Something inside was wriggling.
She patted it, then shook an object from her sleeve into her hand. From her arms, she pulled out a mask and fixed it over her face before striding into the broken temple.
"Chhh—"
She lifted the oval-shaped device and sprayed toward the inside of the temple. Billowing clouds of greenish-blue mist poured out.
She quickly blocked the doorway with her body.
The mist filled the temple in moments.
"Let me out! Let me out!"
The pouch on her waist thrashed harder, now speaking in a human voice.
"Don't… don't come out—" she urged.
The pouch tore open, and a tiny green spirit burst free.
His childish face was set in grim resolve. "I, Banyan Tree Spirit, will never be enslaved—!!
Ugh—" He didn't finish. In the next second, he collapsed to the floor, face turning blue as if poisoned. His small body twitched, gagging every few breaths. "Ugh… what… did you do to me?!
I… Banyan Tree Spirit… in all my life… have never… smelled… such foul stench—!!
Ugh—"
The banyan tree spirit was defeated.
Yao Ranran whispered to herself, "It must be really bad. I can tell from his face alone."
"Human, never try to stand against the farts of a thousand skunks!"
Squeak, squeak, squeak—
From the rafters above, bats began dropping to the floor one after another.
After a short wait, she picked up the tiny banyan spirit, opened the temple doors, and let the greenish mist drift away. By the time the sky turned pitch black, she dared to remove her gas mask.
"Ahh… fresh air at last—ugh—no, not quite yet!"
Her face turned green as she rushed to the cliff's edge to gulp in cleaner air.
Fortunately, the mist had thinned to near transparency. The poison was weak now, barely noticeable. She walked back to the banyan spirit. His complexion was returning to normal. She gently patted his cheek.
"Still out cold. The poisoning's too deep. Looks like he won't recover until tomorrow."
She had picked him up on the road earlier.
Back then, she had been… clueless.
The original owner hadn't left her with much, and her mind had been a blank slate.
===
"white lotus" (白莲花) and "green tea bitch" (绿茶婊) are modern Chinese slang for manipulative women, but their styles and tactics are different.
1. 白莲花 (bái lián huā) – "White Lotus"
Literal meaning: White lotus flower, a symbol of purity in Chinese culture.
Slang meaning: A woman who pretends to be pure, kind, and innocent, but is actually manipulative or hypocritical.
Tactics: Acts morally upright and harmless in public; Plays the victim to gain sympathy; Uses "I'm too kind to fight back" as a shield.
Image: The saintly, gentle, "I would never harm anyone" persona — while quietly stirring trouble behind the scenes.
Example vibe: Someone who says, "I'm sorry you misunderstood me… I was only trying to help" after deliberately getting you in trouble.
2. 绿茶婊 (lǜ chá biǎo) – "Green Tea Bitch"
Literal meaning: "Green tea" + "bitch" (婊). Green tea is seen as healthy, refreshing, and natural — the slang refers to a woman who looks innocent and pure on the surface but is seductive and cunning.
Slang meaning: A woman who uses an image of sweetness and naivety to flirt, seduce, and manipulate, especially to attract men or turn them against other women.
Tactics: Flirts subtly while acting like she's "just being friendly"; Pretends not to understand her own effect on men; Plays weak or dependent to provoke male protectiveness.
Image: Sweet, shy, and approachable on the outside, but highly strategic in using beauty, charm, and "helplessness" to get what she wants.
Example vibe: Someone who says, "Oh, Senior Brother, could you help me carry this? I'm too weak" — right in front of someone boyfriend.
Core Difference:
White Lotus: The "pure, moral victim" act. Manipulates through moral high ground and sympathy.
Green Tea Bitch: The "sweet, harmless flirt" act. Manipulates through sexual or romantic appeal while keeping an innocent façade.
Or maybe like this:
The image of white lotus are "Holy and pure" while Green Tea are "Sweet and cute"
Manipulation for white lotus focus on "Passive, victim-playing" while Green Tea more leaning into "Active, flirtatious scheming"
As for the scheming openness, the white lotus Hides malice completely, and they also Acts naive, while Green Tea Lets malice peek through or can be say, and they are more calculating in their schemes, they also doesn't hide their cunning or calculating as much.