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Chapter Text

Shan Yuan despised reverse harem with all her heart. These stories were an insult to intelligence!

She thought that the harem genre itself was degrading, but the reverse was worse. The characters didn't have a minimum of self-love!

 Diabolik Lovers' heroine got everyone sucking her blood! And she didn't rebel!

 Shen Yuan could now understand the plot requirements, but what plot did need a character that lacked personality?

 And how did all the boys fall in love with a useless girl?

 Damn, you try to be selective! And don't all fall in love with the same person, damn it!

 She found plots ridiculous, at best. At worst, the plot was absent!

 There were plenty of reasons to hate the genre. Too bad that one of the girl's guilty pleasures was reading trash novels, where often there were love triangles or even harems.

 Was she a hypocrite? She probably was.

 But hey, Shen Yuan was chronically ill, she spent more time in the hospital than she did at her house, and she didn't even know if she was going to be thirty. She had every right to spend the time as she wanted!

 The new novel she had started reading was How to Become Empress and Live Happy with My Six Hundred Husbands. The title sucked, but the only alternative was a stallion novel, Proud Immortal Demon Way. She had thought about choosing the less painful alternative. Crap, she was so wrong. The premises were interesting, Luo Binghe was not like the usual reverse harem heroines, characterless and constantly in need of protection. She protected herself, having learned from an early age to rely only on her strength. She had become a thief so as not to starve, but she only took what she needed. And if she had anything left, she gave it to whoever needed it. What an honest and kind-hearted girl! For Shen Yuan, she was a breath of fresh air.

 Finally, a heroine who knew how to get respect and had an interesting backstory! And for every heroine, there must be an antagonist.

 And that enemy was Lady Windmaster, a capricious, stone-hearted goddess, whom the protagonist had had the misfortune to anger after stealing from a temple altar. her. Hey, the poor thing was hungry, and besides, you're a goddess, you don't need to eat. But Lady Shen was not reasonable, and she sentenced Luo Binghe to serve her for her eternity.

 All for a couple of fruits! Sister, you are exaggerated!

 And what was worse was that Lady Shen mistreated her, physically abused her, and went so far as to cut her hair only because the Emperor had told Binghe it was as black as a crow's wings. Strange compliment, but this infuriated her.

 Despite her abuse, Binghe grew up and became a beautiful gift, attracting the attention of gods, men, and the Emperor himself. Lady Shen couldn't stand it, and cursed her by turning her into a monster at a party and humiliating her in front of everyone!

What a bitch!

Binghe had no choice but to run away and hide in a cave. There she found the sword of the Demon King and discovered her true inheritance of her: she was a half-blood, daughter of the Demon King! The sword was hers! Luo Binghe took her and broke the curse, awakening her powers! Now no one could stop her, she could finally take revenge!

 And it is at this point that the story degenerates: other suitors enter the scene, all beautiful of course, all in love with her, equally obvious, and with them, the powerful heroine became the reverse harem heroine cliché.

 It didn't make sense! She was OP, with a sword that increased her powers out of all proportion! She didn't need to be saved! Too bad that the author was a macho idiot who thought that no man would fall in love with a woman stronger than him, and here Binghe became useless as soon as there was a possible romantic interest nearby! In the end, her husbands do all the work! Damn! Wasted potential, trash plots, zero characterizations, and useless sex scenes!

 “Stupid author! Stupid novel! ”

 She didn't know, but those were her last words.

Leaves crunched under her feet as she walked, followed by three maids. She was close to the temple, and she would finally stop hearing their chatter.

 “Madame Shen! The Heavenly Emperor is having a party tonight! " one of them said.

 “You should go! And you must be beautiful! ”

“ Yes! He must understand his mistake! ”

“ He must beg you to come back! ”

 Shen Yuan covered her face with a fan, to hide her grimace. She had to try hard not to curse them all. It was any nerd's dream to wake up in a world where magic existed and he could use it. It was like a very realistic D & D campaign.

 They were all idiots. Who was stupid enough to want to die and transmigrate? There was no certainty of becoming the protagonist or one of her companions! There was a risk of transmigrating into a secondary character! Or worse: transmigrating into the villain.

 How it happened to her!

 And it wasn't even a well-characterized villain! Shen Yuan had awakened as Lady Windmaster Shen Qingqiu, antagonist goddess of the novel xianxia How to Become Empress and Live Happy with My Six Hundred Husbands. She was destined to be tortured, stripped of her divine powers and youth, but not her immortality, and kept in a tiny cage, growing old to shrink without ever having the relief of death!

 “None of this will happen! I already have a plan! I will not meet the protagonist, I will not punish her and she wouldn't hate me! It's brilliant! ”

 Too bad things never went as she hoped.

 As soon as she arrived at the temple, a priest came to meet her with his head bowed.

“ My lady! It is an honor that you are here! You came at the right time! "

" The right time? "

" The right time to judge a thief! " he told her, and two other priests stepped forward, dragging a fourteen-year-old girl, dirty and so thin she could see her collarbones. Shen Yuan felt her blood run cold in her veins.

 Oh, crap. The protagonist.

She had to keep calm, the situation was under control.

She will forgive Binghe and make her go away, everything forgiven.

Luo Binghe must be grateful. After that, she shouldn't want to take revenge on Lady Shen!

But all her determination went away as soon as she looked at the little girl: Binghe was injured, malnourished, and she was struggling to breathe as if she had a beginning of bronchitis.

If she lets her go now, someone else could take advantage of Binghe.

For example, a slave trader. In the original novel there was a whole story arc in which the protagonist after finding the sword of the Demon King collapsed due to excess power and was found by a slave trader and sold to a brothel.

Shen Yuan couldn't allow it.

"Let her go."

"What?" the priest asked, confused.

"Don't you see how weak she is? She won't run away."

Reluctantly, the men listened to her, and let Binghe go.

Shen Yuan approached her, and the other closed in on herself, fearing the punishment she thought she would get.

Watching her, she felt the heart melt. How could anyone be deliberately cruel to such a white lotus?

Shen Yuan smiled at her, "What's your name?"

"Luo Binghe, my lady."

"Then Binghe honestly answer this question: are you hungry?"

The girl comically opened her mouth, amazed. Then, she hastened to reply, "Yes, my lady."

"Good. Come with me."

Chapter Text

“Emperor, Liu Qingge has again trespassed. The Yan'an temple has always belonged to me, but he answered the prayers of my faithful and killed the demon that was killing the children of the village. I cannot tolerate such behavior, young people must understand that… ”

 Yue Quingyuan nodded understandingly, but his mind was elsewhere, uninterested in Guan Yu's problems. Shen Jiu hadn't come to the party. He thought he would have a chance to talk to her, but she hadn't come.

 He thought she was too angry to come. Instead, he found that the goddess hadn't even returned to the Heavenly City, she was busy with other matters.

 He has been tempted to send someone to find her, but he was sure that Shen Jiu would not appreciate it. She would have rightly told him, “Are you too cowardly to look for me yourself? Is this how you want to solve your problems? Do you delegate the chores to others? "

 And it would have hurt, especially for the knowledge that it was true.

" Your Highness ... "

 The Emperor turned his head, his messenger was at the side of him. He whispered to him, “Lady Windmaster is back. There's a mortal girl with her. ”

“ What? ”

“ The guards told me it. Maybe she is a servant..”

 Part of him was happy that Shen Jiu was back. But he worried: he remembered how it was the last time Shen Jii had a mortal servant.

 “Go to the Lady Windmaster. I want to know all about this person who came with you. "

" It will be done. "

"Lady Windmaster, are you sure about it?" the handmaid asked her immediately after they had left Binghe in her new room.

The girl was ecstatic that she could finally have a bed to sleep in, and she almost burst into tears when Shen Qingqiu gave her permission to go wherever she wanted in the house.

Ah, the children were so complicated. It had been difficult to explain to her that she was not a servant, but award, but Shen Qingqiu could not blame her for her distrust: the reputation of the wind goddess preceded her.

 "It's the right choice."

 I have no idea what I'm doing, but I couldn't resist the aura of the heroine. With what courage would I have left her with those priests?

 Not that she could tell that to her handmaid. She opened her fan and covered the face, “Aren't we gods in the service of a greater good? Luo Binghe has nowhere to go, she is an orphan and she is a woman. The world is not kind to women. Did you see how the priests were treating her? She considered it unclean. ”

“ She stole from your altar. ”

“ She did it out of necessity, not greed. In that case, she would have stolen something of value, like the stones that decorated my statue. "

 The handmaid shook her hands," What will others say? ”

“ Let them talk, I don't care about their opinion, ”Shen Qingqiu replied, and it was probably the most IC thing she had said up to that point. She could take advantage of a little bit of the bitterness of the original Lady Shen, and use it for good!

 The circumstances weren't the best, but she would be able to adapt. She had on her side the knowledge of the novel and all the things not to do to avoid spending the rest of her life trapped in a box.

 A wind spirit flew towards them, “Lady Windmaster! There is a messenger from the Emperor who wants to see you! "

 A messenger from the Emperor? Why? What had she done that already requested a call from the Emperor?

 The handmaid sighed, "I'm going to warn the others not to disturb you, Lady Shen. “

“ Thank you. ”

 Her thanks seemed to surprise her. Of course, the original Lady Shen never had any regard for the servants, she treated them terribly. It is logical that then everyone vented on who was in an even weaker position than theirs. They had a lot of anger to vent, and so the cycle of abuse never ended.

 The handmaid lowered her head and murmured something, then she walked away. Shen Qingqiu let the spirit of the wind accompany her into the throne room.

 Waiting for her was a boy of about twenty, simple-looking, nothing noteworthy in him. She knew who he was: he was Ming Fan, the Emperor’s messenger and god of messengers, officials, and anyone who had anything to do with bureaucracy.

He wasn't the most interesting god, but he behaved arrogantly with everyone, and he was one of Lady Shen's main allies. He asked him to rape the girl and disfigure her, but before she did, the god of war stopped him and tore him to pieces. It was a gore scene, personally Shen Qingqiu would have preferred the god to castrate him, but his death isolated Lady Shen more.

 Without him, the goddess had to do her dirty work herself, and this brought her several problems, because she was unable to do anything on her own, and she always had to delegate. Here's what happens to not being self-sufficient, bitch.

 Shen Qingqiu greeted his visitor with a smile, "Divine Messenger, it's a pleasure to have you here."

 "Thank you, Lady Windmaster."

 " I guess you're not here for a courtesy visit. ”

“ No, that's right. I am here on behalf of Emperor Yue. Word has reached the Emperor that you have a new servant. She is a mortal girl. ”

 Shen Qingqiu tried hard not to make a face. It was obvious that Emperor Yue already knew about Luo Binghe, but wasn't it a little too early for him to take an interest in Binghe?

 He hadn't met her yet.

 In the novel, he met her for the first time at a party that the mortal had intruded on, like Cinderella, and had lost her mind for her.

 Lady Shen had ruined everything by revealing to him that Luo Binghe was a simple human girl and divine laws forbade the gods to have relations with mortals. And even the Emperor had to submit to those laws. His dream of love was momentarily put aside, at least until Binghe returned with her army of husbands. After her return, the Emperor was more than happy to give her the throne and become one of the many members of the heroine's harem.

 Absurd! Who in their right mind would agree to surrender? Binghe had besieged the Heavenly City! She was an enemy!

 Emperor, try to think with your head and not with other parts of your body!

 Besides, it was never explained what happened to her other wives. At least two were mentioned, but Shen Qingqiu was convinced that there were many others.

 Simple deduction of a foregone conclusion. Not to mention that there were many rumors in the celestial city that Shen Qingqiu was among the Emperor's favorites and the one who had the best chance of becoming a wife, if not an empress. that relations between the Emperor and Lady Shen had cooled down well before the arrival of Luo Binghe, due to the goddess's highness.

 Lack of interest? Not at all.

 Most likely she wanted the reassurance of becoming Empress and ousting all the other women of the Emperor.

 Unfortunately for her, her plans were unintentionally twisted by Luo Binghe.

 “She is not a servant. She's my ward. ”

“ It's a very strange choice. ”

“ It's not. The girl has potential, and I don't want it to go to waste. "

" She's just a woman. "

 She arched an eyebrow," Me too, yet you never addressed me in this tone. "

He blanched, “Lady Windmaster, you are a goddess. You deserve respect. Your ward… well… ”

“ Luo Binghe deserves your respect and mine. I will teach her cultivation and maybe someday she will ascend. "

" What if she doesn't? "

 “Then the mortal world will have a new protector. “

“ But… ”

 Ming Fan broke off. He was probably going to say another sexist bullshit. If he had the guts to tell it in the face, Shen Qingqiu was ready to hit him with her fan in the head. Repeatedly.

 Instead, he chose to say, “I hope your ward lives up to your expectations.”

 “She will.”

 She's going to be the new demon queen, of course. it will make me proud. I just have to teach her to have more taste in men and not to ask for anyone's help. It shouldn't be difficult, I'm a 21st-century girl and I have the power of god and souls on my side.

 Ming Fan bowed, “I'll tell the Emperor. Ah, what do you think of his gift? ”

 Gift? What gift was she talking about? Ahhhh!

 “That's enough. "

" Will you keep it? "

" I'll think about it. "

" The Emperor will be happy to know. "

 Shen Qingqiu felt that she had missed something important, a sort of back story that the shitty author never revealed. She told herself not to worry, and that she didn't concern her. She had to worry about the future. A future where she would have a happy ending.

The residence was huge, and Luo Binghe was lost. Lady Shen had told her that she could go wherever she wanted, but she walked almost on tiptoe, afraid of making noise and disturbing. It was a foolish fear, but just being there made her feel anxious.

 She still found it hard to believe her luck: a goddess had seen something good in her and wanted to teach her cultivation.

 She had known a few cultivators, and no one had ever looked at her. They tried to look as pure as jade and graceful as immortal, but now that she had seen a true god, she could tell their efforts were in vain.

 No cultivator can ever be like Lady Shen.

 Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone was coming towards her, and they bumped into each other.

 "Damn, I'm sorry," said a young girl dressed in green, her brown hair long and messy.

“ Are you hurt? ”

“ No, I'm fine. ”

“ I was in a hurry and… oh, I don't even know your name. ”

“ Luo Binghe. ”

“ I am Ning Yingying, goddess of the clouds. Are you Lady Shen's new ward? ”

“ Um… yes… ”

“ You're so lucky! Lady Shen hasn't had a ward in… well… in a long time! ”

“ Really? ”

“ Yeah, and I hope you don't run away like she did. Lady Shen was very upset, and she said it wasn't worth it. I don't know if she was referring to the years of training or the fact that her ward had chosen a demon…”

 As she spoke she raised her hand and Binghe saw that he was holding a ruby the size of a baby's head.

 "What is that?" Binghe asked curiously.

 "It's a gift from the Emperor and the reason I was in a hurry. I should have put it in the treasure room yesterday but I forgot it. - the young goddess replied, examining the great ruby with disinterest. Luo Binghe knew more than a few mortals who would have cut off her hand to have it - I should be used to it by now. Every week he sends some jewels to Lady Shen, which she always refuses. "

" Why? "

" The Emperor has offended her and wants to ask her forgiveness. "

" What did he do? ”

 Ning Yingying hesitated,“ I don't know exactly, but there are rumors… they say he tried to impose himself on her after Lady Shen turned him down. But it's just gossip, the emperor would never do such a thing, that's right and good, and he loves Lady Windmaster very much. ”

 It meant nothing to her: she knew there were righteous-looking men, but who were privately monsters of depravity. She remembered her mother's former master, a man whom the whole village praised and called right, but who did not hesitate to beat the servants on a whim and who looked at her with longing.

On her deathbed, her mother had begged to escape. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving her alone with that monster.

And  Binghe had listened to her, she had fled when her corpse was still warm, without the possibility of burying her, otherwise she would have risked being trapped with that monster.

She didn't think it was just gossip, and she felt her blood boil at the thought of a man trying to hurt the kindest person Binghe has ever known.

 She didn't care that he was the Emperor, if he tries again to do something to Lady Shen, she'll tear off his hands.

Chapter Text

Liu Mingyan hissed in pain. She had been foolish and let her guard down, allowing the naga to strike her beside her.

 The naga poison was deadly even to the gods, and if she doesn't prepare an antidote immediately, she will die. She gritted her teeth.

 She had to hold out a little longer, her older brother's temple was near. One last effort and she will be safe. But her head was spinning, her images were blurry. She heard a low hiss like a blade passed over a mirror, an unbearable noise, which made her lose focus.

 “The poison is blocking the meridians. Soon I will no longer be able to use my spiritual energy, ”the goddess thought worriedly.

 She only needed another five minutes. She had to resist. Liu-ge will know what to do. Or she'll call that friend of hers the god of medicine.

 She had to resist, she wasn't the goddess of battle in name only.

 But the poison was more subtle than she imagined; suddenly she was no longer able to fly and she fell.

  She didn't even have time to see where she was ending. She lost knowledge of her shortly before her impact, her hands stained with purple, and hoped to have luck and not end up with Lady Windmaster.

 At least that could have been avoided, didn’t it?

The conversation with the divine messenger had left her with many questions, some of which she had already had as a fan: what kind of relationship did the Emperor and Lady Shen have? Why had he already been interested in Binghe? Or was it just curiosity?

 Now that she thought about it, wasn't there some kind of party while she was away? Her maids had talked about it on the return trip, complaining that they would not be able to go there.

 She didn't consider it a problem. The Emperor, as in any self-respecting reverse harem, held dances, parties, ceremonies almost every week.

 Not that there was much else to do in the Heavenly City, there were no cinemas, gyms, or the internet. Somehow the time had to be spent.

 And of course, what was the best place to meet a husband candidate? Binghe will meet three members of her harem like this.

 Thinking of Luo Binghe, where was she? She hoped her maids weren't treating her badly.

 To her relief, Shen Qingqiu found Luo Binghe in the courtyard, along with another goddess. Ning Yingying. Crap.

 Oh, the goddess knew that character: Binghe's second enemy in the Heavenly City, jealous as a snake, envious and mean.

 In appearance friendly, Ning Yingyimg hid a cowardly and spineless nature. She knew how much the protagonist had a good heart and she used it in her favor: every time she got into trouble, which she attracted like a magnet, she put Binghe in the way too.

 She knew how much Lady Shen hated the mortal girl and therefore she didn't care that the other goddess might discover the truth.

 Indeed, she was sure that Lady Shen was glad that she had a reason to punish the beast she had taken with her.

 She was jealous of Binghe because the girl was beautiful and had made her betrothed Yang Yixuan fall in love with her: the God was notoriously indifferent to women, but had fell in love with a mortal.

 To her, it was a disgrace unbearable. She was not angry with her cheating boyfriend, but with Luo Binghe, relatively innocent in all that mess.

 Ah, karma will eventually make her pay for everything with interest, even though Shen Qingqiu found her death at the hands of her ex-betrothed unnecessarily dramatic.

She felt sorry for the cloud goddess, but the character's motives were quickly put aside for a steamy sex scene between Yang Yixuan and Luo Binghe in front of Ning Yingying's dead body!

 Author, wtf! You've seen too much Game of Thrones.

 Disgusting scene.

 But seeing the cloud goddess in the company of Binghe, the shadow of the future far away from her, made Shen Qingqiu think that that future could be avoided.

 This Ning Yingying wants a friend, she has always been isolated from other deities because she is too young. They met before the mess with Yang Yixuan.

 She came up with an idea.

 "While I'm at it, I could improve other points of the plot. Who says women must always be rivals? Female solidarity is better than slaughtering oneself for an idiot who cannot decide on his feelings. Ning Yingying must have more respect for herself. It is not worth degrading for a man. Luckily she is already part of my entourage, so I can keep an eye on her and stop her from doing bullshit. Oh, I'm so smart! "

But her joy was short-lived: she rolled his eyes and saw something fall towards the two girls.

 Crap.

 Her body reacted instinctively, she ran to Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying and dragged them away, just in time when something hit the ground and raised a fuss.

 "Lady Shen!"

 “Lady Windmaster! Are you okay? ”

“ I'm okay, Ning Yingying. You two instead? Are you hurt? ”

 The girls shook their heads in unison, to her relief. Luo Binghe asked, "But what was it?"

 "I don't know. "

" Lady Windmaster, could it be a demon attack? "

" It's improbable. "

 Also because there are about a thousand chapters before the demons arrive, they now have no interest in invading the Heavenly City, she thought as the smoke cleared.

 When the smoke disappeared completely, the goddess saw a large hole in the center of the courtyard. But that wasn't what worried her, but who was in the center of the hole: Liu Mingyan, goddess of battle and poetry, sister of the war god Liu Qingge, and a character destined to die at her hands.

 Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

 “Lady Shen, that's…”

 “Call Lord Mu. Now! - she ordered Ning Yingying, trying to keep calm - Lady Liu needs a doctor. She was poisoned by a naga. ”

 Ning Yingying realized the gravity of the situation and flew away as she and Binghe approached the goddess's limp body.

 "How do you know she was poisoned?" Luo Binghe asked curiously.

 Well, the original Shen Qingqiu sent her to a naga nest, making her believe that there was a precious lost artifact of the Liu family. That bitch hated her so much that she wanted her death.

 It was amazing that the goddess had managed to fly away and get to the Celestial City. But Lady Liu must have already wasted a lot of spiritual energy, and now she didn't have much left to counter the poison.

 She had to do something: if Liu Mingyan dies, her brother will swear revenge, and she didn't want to have the fucking god of war as an enemy. Especially because Liu Qingge will be Luo Binghe's most influential husband, and he will decide Lady Shen's final fate.

 She swallowed, trying to ward off her discomfort, “Do you see her stains on her arms? It's a symptom of naga poisoning.  ”

“ Oh… Lady Shen knows a lot. ”

“ I've had a lot of time to learn, ”she replied absently as she checked the status of the spots on the body of Liu Mingyan.

 What Shen Qingqiu meant was I spent weeks reading this useless novel, I know all about poisons, cursed weapons, monsters, and demons.

 What Luo Binghe understood instead was I am very old, child. I have seen things that you cannot even imagine, and my wisdom goes beyond the limits of human knowledge.

 The little girl felt deep admiration, but also a more unpleasant unknown sensation, similar to inadequacy.

 Shen Qingqiu meanwhile was unaware of the girl's humor and had to repress a bad word so as not to set her a bad example.

Lady Liu no longer had spiritual energy that could counteract the naga's poison. This meant that the poison was acting undisturbed and that the goddess had only half an hour left before she suffered irreversible effects.

 Ning Yingying won't arrive in time with Mu Qingfang, no matter how fast she gets. Shen Qingqiu had to do something, otherwise Lady Liu will die in excruciating suffering.

 Lady Liu needed spiritual energy, and she will give it to her to suppress some of the poison.

 She placed the other goddess's head on her womb and began to flow spiritual energy into her body. Around her were white and green sparks, quite annoying and that went before her eyes. Despite her annoyance, she continued.

  She must have looked rather ridiculous at the moment.

 But Luo Binghe saw her surrounded by small globes of light that swirled around her gracefully, as if they were dancing to the notes of an unknown music.

 Lady Shen's white skin shone, delicate as porcelain. Luo Binghe felt his throat dry, unable to say anything.

 Was she allowed to admire such beauty? Wasn't that disrespectful?

 Shyly, she lowered heres, her heart beating hard like a drum.

It was cold. She felt pain everywhere, as if someone were stabbing her with sharp pins. The pain was excruciating and she hardly breathed Mingyan.

 Would she die like this, from the poison of a lowly demon? Ah, her brother will be so disappointed in her.

 She just wanted to bring home their father's sword. Mother would have been happy, for the first time in centuries. Ah, she had been a fool and now she paid the consequences.

 Suddenly, the pain stopped, and the goddess felt a pleasant warmth pervade, a soft and welcoming spiritual energy that embraced her.

It feels so good.

When the cloud goddess came crying to him for help, Mu Qingfang immediately thought the worst.

He couldn’t be blamed.

It was no mystery that Lady Shen used very violent methods to punish her servants, and it was plausible that the force she usually used on immortals was too much for a human girl to handle.

 Although he lived almost in isolation, the rumors had also come from him, and he knew of the mortal who came with Lady Shen.

The poor woman had her destiny sealed. But when he arrived at Lady Shen's residence, he did not find what he expected: Lady Windmaster was carrying out a transfer of spiritual energy to an unconscious Lady Liu, while next to her was the mortal, in better condition than he expected.

 Looking at her closely, she looked familiar.

 The sense of familiarity became clearer to him when the girl looked up at him and the god saw her eyes. Oh. He now he understood.

The girl called Lady Shen's attention, “My lady, the doctor is here. "

" How long has she been doing this? "Mu Qingfang asked her.

"Since Ning Yjngying left."

 “Lady Windmaster, now you must stop. You are using too much spiritual energy. You are not a doctor. "

“If I stop, the naga's poison will kill her,” the goddess said softly, so as not to distract her attention from what she was doing.

Ah, if he didn't see it with his eyes, he wouldn't believe it.

Lady Shen hated Lady Liu with a fierce hatred, equally reciprocated. Yet she was helping her, and she had also welcomed that woman's daughter.

 He wasn't sure if there was an ulterior motive in her actions, with her it was never easy to tell.

 Ah, what a difficult woman to understand.

 "You said Naga poison?"

 "Yes."

"The antidote is quite complicated to prepare."

 “Ning Yingying will help you find everything you need. How long does it take you to prepare it "

" An hour. "

 "Mhm. Go then. I'll take care of her. "

 “Lady Windmaster, you can't do this for that long. Your body won't let you. "

He risked incurring the goddess's wrath with that phrase: she had never liked it to be talked about her special condition.

But she didn't get angry, but in a reasonable tone, she said, “It'll take longer if you keep staying here. "

" At least let someone replace you. "

 "If I need it, I'll do it."

 She was stubborn. Ah, arguing was useless. He had to prepare the antidote right away. If Lady Shen is ill, the doctor will have to deal with the Emperor and he did not have the energy.

Chapter Text

Mu Qingfang was taking too long to prepare the antidote, and Shen Qingqiu felt that he was running out of energy. It was to be expected, in the novel the weakness of the Lady Windmaster was often highlighted. She didn't expect to feel so exhausted for so little.

 I mean, she was, in theory, a goddess. You should have almost unlimited spiritual energy. It was further proof that the original character was all smoke and no roast.

 But hey, the author had made all the female characters weak, even her heroine. The fights between women were just insults and hair-pulling.

 Nothing compared to the epicness of men trying to show off for their queen, Luo Binghe.

“ After this, I want to improve my abilities, "the goddess thought, as she heard excited footsteps approaching.

 It was Mu Qingfang," I'm sorry it took so long, Lady Shen. "

" Don't apologize to me. Give the antidote to Lady Liu. "

" First stop the flow of spiritual energy. You can't go on. ”

 How did he know? Or was he just making a supposition? Ah, it didn't matter. She could finally take a break.

 But she didn't stop the flow of energy all at once, she wasn't that stupid. She did it gradually, so as not to cause too strong an imbalance in Liu Mingyan's body.

 Mu Qingfang wasted no time in making the goddess of battle drink the antidote to poison. To do this, he had to just lift the veil to her mouth. Shen Qingqiu would have been very curious to see the face of that mysterious character, but she felt dizzy and she passed out in Luo Binghe's arms. Lost opportunity.

 "Lady Shen!" the girl exclaimed in terror.

 She smiled to cheer her up, “I'm just a little tired, don't worry. “

“ But… ”

“ I have to visit you too - Lord Mu said bluntly, picking up Liu Mingyan - You and Lady Liu must come with me. You are not equipped here for medical needs. "

" There is no need. "

 It made sense to take Lady Liu to Mu Qingfang, he was a doctor, and he had to monitor the effects of the antidote and how much the poison had compromised the body of the goddess. But Shen Qingqiu could safely stay there to rest. The prospect of going to bed was tempting. She needed to lie down and sleep for a few centuries.

 "Lady Shen, remember your condition," the doctor told her, emphasizing the word condition.

 The goddess frowned. What was she talking about now? She didn't think the original goods had a disease or anything like that. But could the gods get sick? She didn't believe it.

 Besides, that body was much healthier than the body she had in her past life. So it couldn't be a disease.

 "I can take care of myself."

 "Lady Shen, your nose ... you're bleeding," Luo Binghe told her, and she brought a hand to face.

 When she pulled it back, it was stained with scarlet red. This she had not foreseen.

 Mu Qingfang was worried, “It's not good at all. I have to take you to my temple right away. There I have the medicine for you. ”

 Shen Qingqiu was forced to. There was something there about Lady Windmaster's character that she didn't know and that she could harm her. Perhaps it was an opportunity to deepen and understand.

 "I'll come - eventually granted - I'll call one of my maids and ..."

 "I'll come!" Luo Binghe cut her off, squeezing her to emphasize the request. Then she noticed what she was doing and loosened her grip, slightly embarrassed.

 “Are you sure?  ”

“ I'm sure, my lady. ”

 Mu Qingfang was nervous,“ Maybe it's not a good idea for others to see your… ”

“ Ward. She is my ward, "Shen Qingqiu felt compelled to specify before the god got the wrong idea.

 This surprised the doctor, “Really? But she  is… ”

“ Luo Binghe is mortal. I know. But as I already told Ming Fan, she has a good foundation to become a cultivator. I'd be crazy to make her waste her talent. ”

 The blush on Binghe's cheeks intensified. Poor white lotus, she wasn't used to people complimenting her. Hearing a goddess say those things about her must have come as a shock.

 She saw shock also on Mu Qingfang's face, but he just said, “I guess you consider this a second chance, don't you?”

 Second chance? Dude, could you be less cryptic?

 But she couldn't ask questions without sounding suspicious, so she got Luo Binghe to help her up. Her legs felt weak, as if they were made of jelly.

 If she had been the original Lady Windmaster, she would have been carried on Binghe's shoulders without any care for the girl's health.

 But she had more dignity, so he leaned on her shoulder, " Thanks for your help. We can go. ”

 And if she nearly tripped over sometimes, it wasn't anyone's business.

Binghe's heart was beating at an insane speed. The wind goddess was so close! The woman smelled good, a smell that the mortal girl could not identify, but which she liked.

 Luo Binghe was touching a goddess! And she wasn't rejected. The doctor gave her strange looks that annoyed her, as if he didn't think she was worthy.

 And maybe he was right about her, but as long as Lady Shen allowed her to stay here, to hell with the opinions of others.

 Lady Shen was a strong woman. Although she could not stand up, she continued to walk with dignity and elegance, leaning on her just enough not to fall.

 It was exceptional. But a part of Binghe, a little petty part,  whispered to her, She doesn't trust you, otherwise she'd get carried away by you. You're too weak to do that.

 “But I'm going to get strong, Lady Shen said it. Maybe one day I'll be useful enough and no one will look down on me anymore. "

 It was a comforting thought. It gave her a purpose: until then, she just wanted to survive and not starve. Now she wanted to have… well, she wasn't quite sure what she wanted yet, but she was elaborating. She was a smart girl, she will surely understand.

 Anyway, it wasn't just Lord Mu looking at her oddly: several spirits and gods they met along the way looked at her in surprise and whispered to each other.

 She was a mortal, ok. So? Some of them had been cultivators who then ascended. Had they forgotten what it meant to be human? What gave them the right to look at her from top to bottom?

 Finally, they arrived at the Mu Qingfang temple. Two young men came towards them, and Lord Mu ordered, “Take Lady Liu to a room to rest. I want you to stay here to monitor the poison damage to her body. Lady Shen, come with me. ”

“ Okay, ”the wind goddess said in a whisper, her eyes narrowed. It wasn't normal for her to be so pale. Ah, Lady Shen had tried too hard! How bad he was! Binghe should have made the journey less tiring! Damn!

 As the boys took Lady Liu from Lord Mu's arms, the god turned to Lady Shen, “Can you still walk?”

 “I can do it. “

“ Mhm… don't lie. I have to figure out if… well, you know… ”

“ I'm able to continue, ”Lady Shen insisted.

 Mu Qingfang just sighed, “I understand. Then we better go, Lady Shen. We need to regulate our spiritual energy. “

 One of the boys said to him,“ Sir, you should send a message to the Emperor to warn him. He better know from you than from gossip. ”

 Lord Mu looked a lot more tired,“ You're right, I don't want the whole court here. Again. As soon as I have Lady Shen settled, I will send Shennong to him. “

 The Emperor was very concerned with Lady Shen's health. If he did it with her wishes as well, it would be better.

 But Luo Binghe kept those thoughts to himself. She was certainly not able to speak freely of the Emperor without fear of consequences. At the moment.

Liu Qingge knew that something had happened when he set foot in the Heavenly City and everyone looked at him as if he were a demon about to attack.

 He had to admit that blood-soiled didn't look good, but he didn't give a damn about hurting their senses.

 Most of the gods were lazy bastards who didn't deserve a place in the Heavenly City, bureaucrats who delegated tasks to others.

 They did not even answer the prayers of their faithful! At least he did his duty, and more, helping those in need.

 Receiving extra offerings and having new temples in his name was an adequate reward for his efforts, but Liu Qingge would continue to cast out demons as well. if humans hadn't.

 As he walked, you overheard two men muttering, “Did you see his face? He's furious! ”

“ Someone must have already told him what happened to his sister. ”

 The god stiffened and whirled towards them,“ What are you talking about? ”

 Faced with his anger, the gods trembled with fear. Judging by the dark blue robes and red hems, they must have been two bureaucrats in the service of the Emperor.

 This increased his antipathy towards them.

 The God yelled, “So? I don't have all day. ”

 Finally one of them spoke,“ Lady Liu was badly injured. Lord Mu was taking her to her temple. "

" It seems Lady Shen is responsible for her. She was hurt too. ”

“ We didn't see him, but we heard from a colleague of ours who was there and… ”

 It was useless chatter. All Liu Qingge realized was that Lady Shen had crossed the line.

 Even though she was a woman, she will make her want to dominate the way she wanted. Just because she was the Emperor's whore she couldn't always get away with it.

The medicine tasted awful. Shen Qingqiu had had to try very hard not to make a face like she was a child when her mother tried to give her cough syrup.

 She was an adult and she had to act like one. But she sucks the medicines of ancient China! Couldn't she have something sweet nearby to cover the flavor a little?

 After taking it, she felt warm all over her body, as if something about her was setting her on fire.

 Mu Qingfang asked her to lie down, "You won't be able to walk for a while. What you did was very dangerous for your body. "

" Why? " Luo Binghe asked.

 The mortal had been in a corner of the room the whole time of the visit, silent and alert as a hawk. Binghe was a good girl, she is already so devoted.

 Shen Qingqiu had given her a chance to live a decent life and learn cultivation. Others would kill to be in Binghe's place.

 Lord Mu hesitated, “This is confidential medical information.”

 “She could know. She is my ward. ”

 Also, I want to know this background too. Is there anything of value in this shitty storyline?

 Mu Qingfang hesitated, not knowing what to tell her. Was it that terrible? Eventually, he seemed to opt for a succinct explanation, “Lady Shen has a curse that impairs her body and her flow of spiritual energy. She uses too much of it, she becomes mortal. If I don't intervene right away, it would be impossible for her to return to her divine status or practice cultivation. “

 Horror painted on Binghe's face,“ Is there a way to break the curse? ”

“ It should be used the blood of the person who cursed her. ”

“ Where is this person? ”

“ She is dead now. “

“ Oh… and isn't there another way to help Lady Shen? ”

“ Indeed, there would be. A descendent… ”

 Lord Mu was interrupted by the screams of a man,“ Where is she? I want to see that damn woman! ”

 A man still bloodied, dressed in light armor, burst into the room.

 He was looking at Shen Qingqiu as if she were scum: now, in another universe, he wouldn't be wrong, but she was a completely different person now!

 It didn't take a genius to figure out who the man was, "Welcome, Lord Liu."

Chapter Text

After a quick explanation of what happened, Liu Qingge was silent. He never looked at her, and it was understandable: in the novel between Lady Shen and the god of war, there was no good blood.

 "I saved your sister, at least you could say thank you," Shen Qingqiu thought annoyed, as she tried to suppress a yawn.

 It wouldn't have been very ladylike to yawn in front of them, even if she had one.  But it was boring lying in bed. She had had enough of hospital stays in her past life. Another position is better. She tried to sit up, and as she did so part of her robe fell off, exposing her neck and part of her chest.

 Lord Mu was the first to notice, “Lady Shen, what are you doing? You have to lie down! ”

 Lady Shen didn't obey, and she got even more upright with her back and, in doing so, her fabric dropped another couple of millimeters.

 Faced with that sight, Liu Qingge turned completely red with embarrassment. He quickly looked away as he coughed, choking on his saliva.

 But Shen Qingqiu misunderstood embarrassment with hatred.

 She pouted and thought, “I saved your sister, at least look me in the eye. "

 Liu Qingge said," How is my sister now? "

" I haven't checked her yet, but thanks to Lady Shen she should be out of harm's way. She will be able to tell you more later. "

" Mhm. "

 He had listened carefully, but from time to time his eye drifted towards the white skin of the Lady Windmaster. The god of war didn't know why, but suddenly his throat felt dry and his hands sweaty.

 How shameless! She always went out of her way to embarrass him. But even when she did, she never lost her composure.

  Now she looked too tired to care.

 “She's tired. She used a lot of spiritual energy for your sister, that's why she's like this now, ”a voice in his head reminded him, and it was annoyingly similar to his mother's.

 He tried to tell himself that it shouldn't matter and that if Lady Shen was a goddess worthy of the name, the spiritual energy used to save Liu Mingyan wouldn't have had that effect on her. 

 But he remembered that Lady Shen might just ignore the danger and let Liu Mingyan die, and no one would ever know what had happened. The thought of such a thing made him sick.

 He could have lost his sister, and he must have been grateful to that woman for saving her.

 Lou Qingge had many mixed feelings about it, and the indecency of Lady Shen's clothing didn't help him think.

 Meanwhile, Luo Binghe, on the sidelines, stared at him.

 Lady Shen noticed this.

 “Oh, Lord Liu has already made a good impression,” the goddess thought with a smile. She was sorry that the circumstances of their meeting were those and not the more romantic ones in the imperial palace.

  She was sure that Lord Liu had made a great first impression: he was tall, handsome, had a strong character, and a good disposition, even if he didn't seem like it at the time.

A good husband, if only he would stop risking dying in every chapter he appears in.

 But Luo Binghe did not feel any sympathy for Lord Liu, she was disliked him with all her heart. Lady Shen had gone to great lengths to save his sister and she never received a "thank you" in return. Ungrateful!

 Besides, she didn't like the way the god's gaze fell on her mentor's body, as if it were a dog in front of a piece of meat he desperately wanted to taste.

 She knew that kind of looks, she had lived near a brothel for a while and saw how the customers stared at her as if she was available for their desires.

 She was gone right away, but those looks had remained etched in her mind. A goddess-like Lady Shen deserved more respect. And if that scum tries to do something to her, no matter he was a god, Luo Binghe will castrate him personally.

  Didn't he have a minimum of respect? Instinctively, the girl took a blanket from a bed and placed it on Lady Shen's shoulders.

 It seemed to surprise her, but she immediately smiled at her, "Luo Binghe is so dear to me."

 At those words, Binghe blushed more.

 Shen Qingqiu found her adorable, a little lotus flower in need of praise.

 Liu Qingge, however, was frowning at her, "Who are you?"

 "She, my lord, is your future wife."

  She was tempted to say it, but it was not the case to do spoilers. So Shen Qingqiu just said, “This is Luo Binghe. She's my new ward. "

" A mortal girl? " the god said with his lips curled in an expression of disgust.

 Before she could give him the same answer she gave Ming Fan, Luo Binghe said, “Yes, I'm mortal. Are you having trouble with that? ”

 Liu Qingge straightened the back as his face took on a stern expression," Watch your talk girl, you are in the presence of a god. "

 Luo Binghe was not frightened and retorted, "I thought a god should be honorable enough to know where to look."

 Lady Shen just shook her head as she made a mental note to speak to the girl. She needed to review her methods of flirting with someone, she was far too passive-aggressive, and with certain men, it didn't work.

 Liu Qingge understood all too well what the young woman meant. Hia face returns to a bright pepper color before hissing in anger, "Cheeky."

 "I'm only telling the truth."

 "Lady Shen, you should discipline her better. She has to learn where her place is. A woman should be seen and not heard. ”

 Oh, that was the worst thing to say.

 Shen Qingqiu narrowed her gaze,“ Oh? Can you remind me what your sister is goddess of? "

" She is the goddess of battle. Why? "

" And she has soldiers who honor her, don't they? "

" Yes, it's true. "

" And she is also very popular with literati. "

" This is recent, but it's true. "

" And how could she do all these things if she didn't talk?  "

Liu Qingge turned red, “It's different. Mingyan is a goddess. ”

“ But she is still a woman. Why shouldn't respect mortal women? And if you respect a goddess as such, why not respect and honor a mortal woman? How many goddesses do you know were mortal cultivators?”

“ My mother was a cultivator before she ascended, “Liu Qingge was forced to admit.

 Lady Shen continued, “And if she was still a mortal, would you ever say such a thing to your mother? Be honest, Lord Liu. ”

 The god opened his mouth to answer, but he closed it immediately. Regrettably, he didn't know how to answer. It happened too often when he was dealing with Lady Windmaster.

 The goddess smiled at his silence, considering it a sign of her victory. She took Luo Binghe's hand, “The same respect you have for your mother, you should have it for her too. Someday, Binghe will ascend. ”

“ How do you know? ”

“ I know for sure. ”

“ You thought so about that woman too, but she ran away with a demon. Who tells you this girl won't do the same? ”

 Lord Mu intervened, ”Lord Liu, you should go away now. You've upset my patient enough already. "

" Did I upset her? Did you hear how she talked to me? " Liu Qingge blurted out, but pointed not to Lady Shen, but Luo Binghe.

 Mhm, he was more upset than she expected. Ah, male pride. This will make their relationship more complicated than expected. Well, she didn't care. Shen Qingqiu had always had a soft spot for the enemies to lovers trope.

 "At your age, do you think it's appropriate to argue with a little girl?" the god of medicine scolded him, bothering Binghe more.

 “That one will only give us trouble, I'll tell you. She doesn't know ... "

 He stopped, aware that the sentence he would say would lead him to another verbal punishment from Lady Shen. So he corrected himself just in time, “She doesn't know how to live here. She also looks too much like ... "

" You said enough - the other god interrupted him, casting a strange look at Shen Qingqiu - Now it's better if you go. Your sister will want to see you. ”

“ But…”

“ Go away. Now. ”

 The doctor did not allow for replies, and even a stubborn god-like Qingge eventually had to surrender. He was about to leave when he stopped in the doorway. Face lowered to hide his face, he said, "I ... for Mingyan ... you saved her."

 "Um ... You're welcome ..."

 "I'm not thanking you. It's a fact. You saved her. Don't think that that changes things between us, ”he broke out, even though in his heart he knew it was a lie.

The Liu family was indebted to Lady Shen and had to find a way to repay. He didn't like being in anyone's debt.

 “I didn't expect that to happen, Lord Liu. But consider this as a gesture of goodwill on my part to make things less rocky between us. ”

 This surprised him. Still not looking at her, he asked, “Why?”

 “We gods should be allies, not enemies. How could we protect human beings if we are busy waging war with each other? ”

 It made a lot of sense to say. Were it not that he did not perceive the presence of a possession, Liu Qingge would think that this weak goddess had managed to make herself possessed by a spirit.

 Instead, it was clear that these were her words, even though he could hardly believe it.

 He snorted, "We'll see."

 And he walked away. He hadn't expected his day to end like this. At least he can be with his sister for a while.

Ming Fan was talking about how Lady Windmaster had no malevolent intentnttions towards the mortal she had brought with her, and who indeed considered her an asset for the future.

 The Emperor listened distractedly, a hand resting on his cheek. It was strange that Shen Jiu was helping a mortal, especially considering how it had gone last time.

 But then Ming Fan had hinted at the past of the ward, a street rat with no family, and at that moment he understood.

 Despite her hardening, Lady Shen’s heart still felt pity for all like her. Abandoned and unwanted children.

 The immortal couldn't escape from the past, the memories persist in her mind; although she had been good at hiding her origins, she always felt judged by the looks of the other gods.

 She expected to be insulted like her when she was young.

 If it had been like that too, he would never have allowed it. He had sworn an oath to her, even though Lady Shen did not believe him.

 And she had every reason to do so.

 Ming Fan was almost done speaking when a guard announced the presence of a messenger aside from Lord Mu.

 The Emperor permitted him to let him in, and the guard obeyed.

 The messenger entered and bowed before the Emperor to show him respect for him, and the emperor ordered him to stand up, "Why are you here?"

 "This humble god is here on account by Lord Mu. Lord Mu wants you to know that Lady Shen has been sick due to excessive transfer of spiritual energy, but that she is now in her care. The Emperor need not worry and must allow Lord Mu to do his work. "

 It was clear to him what he was implying in the message Don't come here to disturb like last time. Not only you would come but the whole imperial court as well.

 Although he wholeheartedly wanted to go to Shen Jiu, he couldn't, not when his role chained him to etiquette.

 Who said the Emperor was the most powerful of all he had no idea how things worked in the Heavenly Palace.

 He forced a smile, “Thanks for your work. You can go back and tell Lord Mu that I know my place. ”

 The god bowed and took his leave.

 Yue Qingyuan didn't even have time to order Ming Fan to enter the treasure room to find a gift to give to Lady Shen, when a chubby official came in, arms full of scrolls.

 He did not know her name - maybe Shang Qingdao or something like that - but also for someone of higher rank to enter without consent to them before the Emperor it was an act punishable by a hundred lashes.

 Ming Fan glared at her, “You didn't announce yourself. I should get you frustrated for that. "

" I ... this humble servant didn't want to be disrespectful ... but it's urgent, the situation in the North is getting worse and ... "

" Did you say North? " the Emperor asked.

 "Yes, Your Highness."

 "Where exactly?"

“ Baoding.”

It was a city of Lady Shen's jurisdiction. There the main temple was hers, the inhabitants prayed to her for protection.

 “Are there problems with storms? Has bad weather damaged the crops? ”

“ No, Your Highness. A demon is digging the graves of the dead and stealing their hair. “

 Ming Fan snorted,“ Is that all? ”

“ The problem is that the dead aren't enough for him anymore. Now he is attacking the villagers to steal his scalp. He is obsessed as a serial accumulator, these are his trophies. And the more he collects, the more powerful he becomes. The survivors have locked themselves up in the temple and are praying for the intervention of the Lady Windmaster. ”

 He couldn't let it go. But he couldn't even send Lady Shen into such a dangerous situation, not when she was sick.

 It was a situation to be entrusted to someone else.

 He said, “Ming Fan, go to Lord Liu. He should be back by now. Give him the task of releasing Baoding from this burden. ”

“ It will be done. ”

 The official looked unhappy, but she too wasn't stupid enough to say something against her order.

 He dismissed her, “Go. You did a good job. If more prayers come, from any city under Lady Windmaster's protection, don't hesitate to tell me. ”

 She bowed to thank him, aware of the punishment she had avoided. Who knows what Shen Jiu would say if she knew…

 No, it didn't matter. Liu Qingge will solve everything and she will not know about her intervention. He didn't want to give her any more reasons to make her mad at him.

Chapter Text

Ming Fan, the Emperor's messenger, was standing in the corridor. Seeing him, Liu Qingge frowned, “What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your lord? ”

 It probably wasn't polite to turn to a god just like that, but the god of war didn't have time for labels, even if, deep down, he had a lot of prejudices that not even he knew he had.

 Ming Fan frowned slightly, and stiffened his shoulders to give himself a firm tone as soon as the other was close to him, ”I am here at the request of the Emperor. He has a mission for you. You have to… ”

“ I won't, ”he said, not even giving him a chance to continue.

 Ming Fan was surprised," It's an order from the Emperor. “

" Does it matter? My sister is hurt, I don't have time for whatever the Emperor wants me to do. "

 For anyone else, it would be unwise to answer that way. At the very least, the punishment would be to fall among mortals until the Emperor deemed the culprit worthy of a new ascension.

But Qingge could allow himself certain imprudence both for personal prestige and because he had the loyalty of most of the divine army on his side.

 Emperor Yue knew he could not lose him, knowing the risks he would face. And Qingge, usually oblivious to the subtleties of politics, knew how to use this fact when he needed it.

 Fortunately for Yue Qingyuan, Liu Qingge was not ambitious, and he was not interested to take the throne.

 If he was, it would have been so easy for him to lay him down.

 Ming Fan said, "I'm sorry about your sister, but there is a demon ..."

 "I don't want to know."

 "The Baoding need help. "

" Did you say Baoding? Isn't it under Lady Shen's protection? "

" Yes, it is. Given Lady Shen's current condition, she can't go there and. .. "

" I'll go. "

 The sudden change of mind of the god amazed the messenger," Really? "

" Did I stutter? Tell me about the mission. "

 Ming Fan did so right away, detailing the problem with a hair-stealing demon – Qingge had no idea that such a thing existed - and that from desecrating graves to murder.

 Liu Qingge listened absently. For him it was important only the place, the enemy to be eliminated and how to do it, the rest were useless details.

 "A favor for a favor," he thought to himself.

 Lady Shen had saved the life of Liu Mingyang, and for the Liu clan, it was inconceivable not to repay a debt of blood.

 He didn't know her intentions, but it didn't matter; he had to reciprocate if he didn't want to feel forever in her debt.

"This is very strange."

 Mu Qingfang knew enough of the Lady Windmaster to know how fiery her temper was.

 Many of her maids had come to him crying, with the goddess's punishment marks on their bodies.

 Lady Shen never forgot a wrong, real or alleged it was. She was vindictive and even her followers feared her.

 And the same woman who had whipped the skin of a servant for accidentally pouring tea on her had welcomed the daughter of someone who had humiliated her running away with a demon.

 He had no doubts about who Luo Binghe's mother was, just look her in the face to understand.

 But he was surprised by the care with which Lady Shen treated her, and how she was so ready to defend her.

 He had expected that if fate ever put her former ward's daughter or son in the way of the goddess, Lady Windmaster would express her anger on the bastard. She hadn't, and it was weird.

 It wasn't just that that was out of character: Lady Shen, despite her curse, hadn't hesitated for a moment to give some of her spiritual energy to a goddess who she hated with all her heart. Also, her demeanor was much calmer, serene, almost condescending.

 It didn't look like her.

 Lord Mu knew that before traveling to one of his shrines, Lady Shen had had a very high fever.

 Given her condition, it was not unlikely that there had been damage. But damage so profound that it affects someone's personality so much?

 He doubted It. Lady Shen hadn't checked herself after the fever, as if she wanted to hide something.

 Now she was in her temple, Lord Mu could take the opportunity to test her and determine what had caused the change.

 While he was thinking about this, he ran into Liu Qingge and The Emperor's Messenger, deep in conversation.

 "I'm leaving tomorrow, don't worry. "

 Ming Fan nodded in response and left, meeting Mu Qingfang. He bowed slightly, "Greetings, Lord Mu. I apologize for the inconvenience and the shortness of my visit."

 "If you are here for Lady Shen, I can take you to her."

 " No, thank you. I prefer not to disturb her. Considering her condition ... "

" Shouldn't you be with her? " Liu Qingge said, interrupting the other god.

 Mu Qingfang said, "Her ward is with her. She is in good hands. Now I was going to Lady Liu. I suppose you will not join me."

 "No, I can't. I have to leave."

 "Why?"

 "A mission for the Emperor."

 "You have to do it?"

 "Yes, I have to. It's a matter of honor. My sister will understand. "

 Ah, the Lius and their twisted sense of honor. He sighed," At least rest for a few hours. You just got back from another mission. "

 "Mhm. I'm not weak."

 Translated, it will be enough if Lord Liu washed himself before he left. When he was mortal it was easier to come to terms with his patients.

 Before the God of war leave the temple, Lord Mu will have to give him some extra medicine and force him to take them with him. Extra work on the way.

 He ran a hand across his face.

 Um, weird. God seemed to have forgotten something. Ah well, it probably didn't have to matter.

"Lady Windmaster, you who bless us with gentle winds and clear weather ..."

 "Protect our city."

 "Lady Windmaster ..."

 "Protect us."

 Prayers they had been going on for days. Everyone who remained had gathered there praying to the goddess, rationing the food they had managed to take with them.

 Too little.

 At best, it should last for a week, two at the most. And after ... Mei Li didn't want to think about it.

 She hugged her little brother to her chest and joined in the prayers. Briefly, she wondered if Lady Windmaster also listened to the prayers of those who never came to her temple.

 Mei Li heard that she doesn't have much regard for anyone who doesn't show her respect. But if she saves her and her brothers, Mei Li will become her loyal lover more devoted than her.

 Lady Shen just had to allow her to survive.

 At that moment, a loud noise interrupted the prayers. Everyone gathered around the altar, trembling. The noises became louder, and Mei Li felt her eyes tingle.

  It was over, the demon had decided to launch the last attack. They will all die and ...

 The door swung open, and a man in armor entered. He looked around, sword in hand.

 “I'm Liu Qingge, and I'm here on behalf of Lady Shen. So, where is the demon to be eliminated? "

As night fell, the streets of Baoding were dark and quiet.

 Liu Qingge ordered the citizens not to leave the temple for any reason, putting out a talisman to keep the demon out.

 It was a necessary precaution to not make them targets.

A fight, to be fair, had to be only between two contenders.

 "Come on, bastard. Come out, I'm waiting for you," the god of war thought, walking through the main square. He saw a large statue of Lady Shen in the center, decorated with flower necklaces.

 "It doesn't look like her - he thought absently - She's more beautiful."

 He blushed immediately and told himself he was an idiot. Lady Shen was not beautiful. She was an ice-cold bitch, more lethal than a knife in the throat. He was there for a debt to be paid, not for anything else.

 When that situation ends, things between them would be the same, so thinking about these things was no use.

 But the thought always came back to her, and he was ashamed that it was enough to have seen her once in a vulnerable condition to forget the nature of that woman.

 Absorbed as he hardly noticed the shadow that slipped behind him.

 With a quick gesture he turned around, the sword already half drawn out of its sheath.

 There was no one there. But all his senses were on alert, his body ready for combat.

 "Show yourself, you bastard," he murmured, taking a step forward.

 He felt watched, as if the enemy were close, hidden where he couldn't see it.

 Heaven, Liu Qingge hated opponents who didn't dare to go straight into battle.

 They were cowards without honor.

 He heard a noise and was about to take another step forward when he felt something squeeze his throat.

 Qinggr raised his fingers to his jugular in alarm but felt no strings, just something like a thread, so light and thin as to be almost impalpable but at the same incredibly tough.

 He could feel his breath failing.

 He looked up for the man in charge and finally saw her.

 She was a young woman, with short black hair and a small but trained physique. She wore light but comfortable clothing and wore a short sword at her side. But what drew him were the eyes: red as burning flames and with a twinkle of cruel amusement.

 She smiled, "Mhm, interesting. The famous god of war has fallen into my trap."

 " Bitch ... "

 The thread around his throat tightened tighter, and the demon leaped in front of him.

" Tsk. Don't you know it's bad manners to insult a lady? are you all so rude? "

" You ... aren't ... a lady ... demon. "

" Details- she shrugged, and then walked over to him and she took some locks of his hair- Mhm ... they are healthy, at least."

“Fuck...you."

"Sorry, you're not my type. Your hair is a mess. I never want it for my collection."

 Collection? What was she talking about?

 Liu Qingge didn't have time for these things: he felt his lungs burn and his vision became more and more blurred as his thoughts merged.

 With a titanic effort, he managed to gather enough concentration to be able to manipulate the sword. With a snap, he cut the threads, relieving the tension, and then jumped into his hand and with a quick gesture grabbed it and pointed it against the demon's chest.

 "Game over. You have finished spreading terror in this city."

 "Mhm ... to be honest, we haven't even started."

 "Shut up!"

 "Uh. Are you telling your partner too?"

 "Partner?"

 "But I'm talking about Lady Shen, of course! - the demon exclaimed, looking at him as if he were stupid - Why are you here if not to protect her territory? You have interests in common, don't you? The joys of marriage. "

 She leaned forward, heedless of the sword pointed at her chest," I'll tell you a secret; I came here for her. I heard she has beautiful hair! Soft and delicate as silk! "

 "You're creepy," he muttered, not daring to take his eyes off the demon to prevent a trick like the wire trick.

 This one seemed to take the other's comment very personally. The face changed to a grimace of offense as she puffed out her cheeks in a parody of an angry child, "You're just a brat who doesn't understand the value of my collection. The hair of a goddess ... Do you have any idea how much the value would increase? "

“ No, I've never had any interest in anyone's hair. “

“ You talk like that just because you can touch them anytime you want! You are not worthy! You're filthy! ”

“ I'm not her spouse! ”

“ So why are you here? ”

“ It's complicated. ”

 She smiled mischievously,“ Oh, tragic lovers. Is the Emperor jealous? Does he not permit you because he only wants Lady Shen for himself? How selfish! But what can you expect from a man? ”

“ Moderate your words. You're talking about the Emperor. "

" So loyal, despite everything. It's the kind of story humans would love. A tragedy! Ah, but I wonder ... who does she care most about? To you or the Emperor? "

 The demon moved closer to him, the tip of the sword pierced her flesh. There was no blood, but a dark tangle of hair.

 “I came here to get her attention. But I suppose if I kidnap you, it should be easier to get her out. ”

 Liu Qingge growled. He will teach her a lesson. How dare she think she was on the same level with him? He'll put her back in her place and put an end to that madness.

“I will kill you.”

“ Not today.”

Chapter Text

The Emperor carefully read the letter that had been brought to him.  The expression was concentrated, the atmosphere heavy.  It was inconceivable for a demon to write to a deity.  It was sheer folly for a demonic being to write to the Emperor himself.

 Ming Fan stood in front of him, his shoulders taut.

 He was awaiting new orders.

 Suddenly, the Emperor closed the letter with a sharp gesture.

 "This must never get to Lady Shen ..."

 "Your Highness, Lord Liu will not survive long without ..."

 "She won't have to know. Do you understand?"

 The messenger lowered his head in agreement.  He had no choice but to obey orders.

 Meanwhile, hidden from view, Shang Qinghua bit her lip, "Oh no, it's not good at all ... it's not good at all."

Shen Qingqiu had been at Lord Mu's temple for a week.  It wasn't necessary, she was fine.

 Too bad no one listened to her.  When she told that to the god of medicine, he just stared skeptically, not saying a word.

 Dude, don't look at me like that, I'm really fine!

 Sure, she felt weak, but it was nothing compared to when she had to be in the hospital during her first life.

 God, how much she hated it, the feeling of helplessness, of stillness.

 In comparison, that was a no-brainer.

 Too bad she can't say it out loud without revealing the replacement between her and the original.

 She wasn't anxious to know how the Emperor would take it.

 Anyway, at least Luo Binghe kept her company.

 She hadn't left the bedside even for a moment, a sure and familiar presence.

 She was so cute!  How did the original hate her?

Binghe was a girl who gave her soul for others, a delicate lotus flower surrounded by inconclusive and spineless males.

 A heroine with so much wasted potential!  Her poor heart could not tolerate such a fate.

 She will educate her to independence, and she will teach her to be more selective in her choices of the harem.  As captivating as it was, Binghe couldn't get everyone who only had a pretty face into the harem.

 Some male leads were junk.

 A bit like the emperor.

 Here, she did not have a good opinion of that character, she had the impression that there were too many things pending between him and the original Lady Windmaster.

 To harm herself in her early life, she had shipped Lady Shen with the Emperor.  It was an example of couples with a chemistry that only you see, you know it’s wrong to ship them, but you do it anyway because there are too many elements that don’t add up.

 The canon disappoints you, but what's new?  She had the same frustration with Destiel - whose Spanish dub she will forever prefer, thank you very much - and many more.

 "Lady Shen, is there something troubling you?"  Luo Binghe asked her as she brought a tray of food.

 "Mhm ... oh no, I'm fine. I was just thinking ..."

 "What were you thinking about?"

 "To the injustice of fangirl life."

 Not that she could tell Binghe, but she was tempted.  But Lady Shen said, "I am concerned about Lady Liu's condition. I hope she has recovered."

 If she died, the god of war could blame her for her death, and Shen Qingqiu had no intention of having any more sins on her.  Especially when she had tried all out to save the goddess!

"You should be heartened. I'm fine."

 Their heads turned in unison: at the entrance to the room, supported by one of the spirits in the service of Lord Mu, was Liu Mingyang, pale and worn, but alive.

 Thank goodness for that.

 Seeing her Lady Shen tried to get up, but quickly Lady Liu told her, "Lady Shen, don't get tired. You just spent a lot of spiritual energy to save me. I am deeply grateful to you, but the impact the energy has had on your body is high. You must not tire yourself. "

 "I'm fine," replied the other goddess.

 Lady Liu pursed her lips, and an awkward silence call between the two.

 Shen Qingqiu wanted to say something, but she in front of her had a divinity with so many good reasons to hate the original good, she felt like she was in front of a lion pit.  She had to avoid being ttoOoc, she had to be convincing and befriend her.  Perhaps not that, but at least not make her a sworn enemy ready to take her head.

 Eventually, it was Lady Liu who came out of the impasse, "Despite your condition, you saved me. You knew the risks. Why did you do it?"

 "You would be dead."

 "Wouldn't that have been better for you?"  she asked provocatively.

 "A dead goddess in my courtyard? Not even the Emperor would have removed suspicions of murder from me," was her reply.

 It was half the truth.  Lady Liu didn't have to die next to her, she didn't want the hatred of a male lead.

 She had a  destruction flag on her head that she had to escape at all costs.  And saving Lady Liu had been the first step in doing so.

 "I think you underestimate the Emperor's desire to protect you," Lady Liu said.

 Oh no, that's not the case.  It was such things that started shipping intensive sections.

 The drama was that she was not the original Lady Shen.  Emperor’s feelings didn't concern her.

 She finally muttered, "The Emperor cannot control people's minds. Even seemingly limitless power has limits."

 Lady Liu told her, "I understand if you did it to protect your reputation, but you should have stopped."

 "I did. We're both here, aren't we?"

 "After passing a considerable risk."

 "I had to do it."

 Binghe watched the exchange without intervening, her expression frowning.  Was she thinking what kind of mistress she had?  Ehi, she was lucky to have met Lady Shen after the transmigration.

 She dared not think if she had arrived when the bullying had already begun.

 Lady Liu said, "You have an iron will."

 "I know what to do when the time comes."

 "There is an abyss between knowing and acting."

 "I am aware of ..."

 The door opened again, interrupting the goddess.

 Lord Mu stared at them.

 "Lady Liu I told you not to get uup e then turned to Shen Qingqiu-Lady Shen I hope you ate something."

 With a look full of disappointment, he noticed the food still intact on her plate.

 Lord Mu was about to say something when Lady Liu hastened to explain, "She didn't eat because of me."

 "You ate?"

 "Yes. "

 "No," the spirit said instead.  Lady Liu's expression remained impassive, no trace of embarrassment.  Maybe she was embarrassed, it was just hard to tell with the mask she was wearing.

 Lord Mu sighed, "How are you going to heal if you don't do what I say?"

 "I wasn't hungry."

 "Are you nauseous?"

 "No, I didn't want to eat"

 "Lady Liu, you cannot take medicine without first eating."

 "I know it."

 "Try to eat a little now."

 "Here?"  Shen Qingqiu asked.

 "I was thinking of getting her back to her room, but if you don't mind her company ..."

 "No, she doesn't bother me," was her reply.

 "Then I'll have an armchair brought to you to spread out."

 Lord Mu began to give some orders to spirits.  Immediately they hurried to execute.

 Inside, Shen Qingqiu let out a sigh of relief.  She had done better than expected.

She had just returned when an assistant left her a pile of documents to check, without speaking to her.  Shang Qinghua stared at it with wide eyes, a sense of dread building in her.

 First of all, rude.  She was his boss, in theory.

 A little respect would be welcome!

 And then ... why was there so much work to do ?!  She had only finished a few hours and there were already other documents to fill out?  Was it her punishment for going to spy on the Emperor?

 She was allowed to do it!  She had to make sure the story followed the plot!  She hadn't been sleepless for days writing hundreds of words to see the characters do as they pleased!

 But Luo Binghe had arrived early, Lady Shen had saved Lady Liu - not that she had to kill her, but she had to fail, and that failure had to cost her reputation!  -and now the Emperor wanted to kill a god to protect his first love!

 Why were they all so problematic?

 She had to do something, she couldn't let a harem member die before his most important scenes!

 But how to do it?  She certainly couldn't get out without the guards blocking her and questioning her.  The movements of the heavenly officials were limited, their life was to be devoted only to work.

 All the more reason to make her believe that transmigrating into the body of a character like this was a kind of karmic punishment.

 She had never even visited the world she had created!  So unfair!

 She shook her head.  She had to focus.  The message was to reach Lady Liu.  Someone had to save the god of war.  And who was more suitable than his sister?

 A sister who hasn't been seen for a week, but now she should have recovered.

 Perhaps.

 Urgh, she had no other ideas.  She had to hope for a stroke of luck, for a change.

 She took a piece of paper and wrote.  She had to make it look like it was written by the hair demon.

 Child's play, she had created her.  When she finished, she folded the paper.

 The problem was to deliver it.  She closed the pand into a fist.  When she opened it again, there was a little bird.

 She gave it the message that the animal took in its beak.

 "Give it to Lady Liu. Only to Lady Liu. Please."

 She went to the window and opened it.  The little bird flew away with some difficulty, slow, the fate of the harem all about it.

There are strange ways in which fate acts.  IAn attentive guard might notice a bird with a message in its beak and kills it for fear that it is a threat.

 It could happen that Ming Fan or someone else from the court will notice.

 It was not a discreet way to carry a letter.  But strangely, no one noticed it: the guard was distracted for a moment, Ming Fan was stopped by a young goddess who wanted to deliver a message to her lover, all the members of the court were in the audience with the Emperor.

 So it was that the little bird flew as far as it felt the energy of Liu Mingyang, but it had little strength to support its mission.

 It flapped its wings with all the energy it had in the body, but it was created by someone lacking in spiritual power.

 It flew a little longer, trying hard.  It was not enough, it lost altitude and fell into the void.

 The chance to save Liu Qingge could have been lost forever.  But fate got in the way again, and the bird with the precious message fell on the head of a spirit who worked for the god of medicine, busy with his errands.  He did not notice that he had a small guest in his hair, which fell into the bag when he turned around.

 The spirit returned to Lord Mu, unaware of the precious cargo he had with him.

 But this was providential: arrived at the temple and put aside the bag, while speaking with another spirit the bird recovered and flew away, attracted by the spiritual emergency of Lady Liu.

 Time was running out, but it was close to its goal.  It arrived in front of aanajar door, and there it felt the strong energy of Lady Liu.

 It took one last effort: it quickly crept into the room as Lord Mu exited, and fell into Lady Liu's lap.

 Mission accomplished!

 The bird disappeared, leaving only the letter.

 When Lady Liu, accustomed to receiving messages from her brother in that way,  opened it, she read

What a disappointment, Emperor!  You sent a brute instead of the graceful Lady Windmaster.  I am very disappointed.

 But not as sorry as Liu Qingge, my welcome guest, who is feeding my hair with his spiritual energy.

 Gentle, don't you think?

 Unfortunately I,t wasn't him I wanted.  His hair isn't as beautiful as Lady Shen's.  I have heard stories about her, about the goddess of unparalleled beauty that obscures the sun, and about her hair as shiny as silk.  I want them.  The hair of a goddess is what I need the most r my collection.

 So I propose an exchange: the life of the god of war for Lady Shen's hair.

 I don't think I'm asking for much.  I'm sure you will make the right choice.  But you'll have to hurry, I don't think the poor god will last long.

 Needless to say: Liu Mingyang did not take it well.

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu had no idea how scary an angry Lady Liu could be.

But seeing her almost destroy the room made it clear to her why she was known as the bloodthirsty goddess of battle.

"Lady Liu ... Lady Liu, please calm down ..."

The goddess looked at her with red eyes, her face twisted with anger.

She seemed to want to incinerate her on the spot as if she were responsible for all the evil in the world.

Hey,  okay, she was the scum villainess, but she still hadn't done something to deserve so much hate!

Luo Binghe stepped between the two, straightening her back to look more menacing.

The effect was that of a puppy facing a lion, trying to look threatening.

Very nice, but useless.

But the power of a protagonist should never be underestimated: upon seeing her, perhaps also struck by her cuteness, Lady Liu relaxed her shoulders, her expression calmer.

But she still looked like someone ready to throw things around the room.

"What was written in the letter?" she asked.

It all started from there, it had to be something big.

Lady Liu handed it to her.

Reading it chilled her blood. Oh. They were at that part of the plot. What a pain.

"Yuya, the hair demon ..."

Lady Liu looked at her suspiciously, "Do you know her?"

“Um… it is very well known, she often gives problems to mortals. Knowing her modus operandi, it was normal to think of her, ”the goddess replied.

In fact, she had read everything in the novel: there was a demon tormenting a city in the north, Baoding, small and insignificant, but which honored Lady Windmaster.

The scum villainess was supposed to take care of freeing the city from danger.

But no, she didn't care and said to the Emperor, "If they don't know how to defend themselves from such a low level demon, they deserve to die."

However, a pray for help was still a pray, and she couldn't ignore it.

But she had the idea of sending Luo Binghe in her place, calling it a special training, hoping that she would not return.

The protagonist had to endure a month in Yuya's loving care, which she hoped to use her as  bait to attract her true target.

For a month,  Luo Binghe hoped that her mistress would come and rescue her.

They were both disappointed. But as in any self-respecting reverse harem novel, when the heroin needed it most, here is one of the male leads appearing to save her.

And specifically, here is Yang Yixuan appearing to save her.

The vision of a lonely, wounded and frightened beautiful girl must have moved something in him, which heroically saved her and tore the demon to pieces.

Seriously, what did all these male protagonists have who began to fall in love when they saw heroin in danger and / or hurt? Are you all secretly sadistic?

The point is that after this mishap, Luo Binghe's faith in Lady Shen cracked, beginning to see her distorted nature.

It was a fundamental point of the plot, to give rise to hatred towards the goddess of the wind: a seed that would grow slowly, and then blossom in all its poisonous beauty after the goddess's last wrong.

"But I can't do it," thought Shen Qingqiu.

To hell  the plot. She won't send a girl to a demon, nor will she make her endure a month of torture.

She will deal with it, like a reasonable adult, with a basic understanding of that world and with a knowledge of the demon's weak points.

It was her that Yuya wanted, after all.

“How dare that demon hold my brother hostage. I'll make her pay and ... "

"It is not needed."

"Why not?" she roared in anger.

If she was still Shen Yuan, she would have hidden under the covers.

But it was Shen Qingqiu now, and without batting an eye she said, "Because I'll go and save him."

Silence. She remained calm, as if there wasn't something wrong. But she thought, "Holy shit, I fucked up so bad."

Lady Liu was the one who broke the silence, “Are you crazy? Has your curse also reached the brain? "

"Don't talk to Lady Shen like that!" Luo Binghe was indignant.

The look Lady Liu gave was strange, but unlike her brother, she didn't scold the mortal girl.

Here is another proof of how women had more common sense than men!

Shen Qingqiu said, “I'm not crazy. This is the most logical thing to do. The demon wants me. I'll go. "

"In your condition you can't even harm a fly."

“I don't have to fight. Yuya is a strong demon. You shouldn't use brute force against her. You have to be smart. "

In the novel, Yang Yixuan outsmarted her, using her weapon against her. How hard could it be to do the same? She just had to replicate what she had read in the novel.

“Lord Mu will not let you go. "

“I also thought about this. Binghe - she turned to the mortal - Please, go to call Ning YingYing. Then hurry up and don't let Lord Mu or one of his assistants see you. "

Luo Binghe seemed torn between asking questions or obeying.

However, she decided to trust Lady Shen and quietly left the room.

Lady Liu looked at her, "What do you want to do?"

"Ning YingYing is the goddess of the clouds."

"So?"

"She is also a shepeshitfter."

Lady Liu didn't understand. Then the realization crossed her face, "It might not work."

“For that, you will have to stay here, to make the plan go well. I know it's hard to ask, but we will have to work together. "

"Collaborate? Me and you?"

"It will be necessary to give me time to save your brother."

Lady Liu stared at her suspiciously for a long time, making her feel uncomfortable.

She understood that it was a total upheaval from the original Lady Shen, and if there was a System it would scream OOC dozens of times, but here she was just trying to correct the plot and not come to a bad end!

She didn't want to end up in a cage for eternity!

"Why are you doing this?"

"Mhm ..."

“You hate the Liu family. You've been doing this for decades. And now do you want to help us? Why?"

Well, I can't tell you I'm a 21st century girl stuck in a trash novel, can I?

Shen Qingqiu cleared her throat, "Hatred has tired me, Lady Liu. It has been wearing me out for too long, making me feel nothing but bitterness. I want to remedy my mistakes, and try ... "

"Try to be worthy of your divine status."

That wasn't what she meant, but it was fine, let's make her believe it! 

"Yes, it's what I want."

"Don't you think it's late?"

"I'll never know if I don't give it a try."

So shut up and help me, I'm doing it for you too, she thought, clasping the hands on her lap.

She felt too much under observation, and didn't like it.

"So that's why you brought her here?"

"Pardon?"

Lady Liu looked at her for a long time (couldn't she do anything else?) And after a while she said, "I understand."

Sister, lucky you. I'm not understanding!

"I will help you carry out your plan. But…"

"But?"

"But if anything happens to my brother, I'll hold you responsible."

Yeah, no doubt about that.

She didn't want to have those sibilings as enemies even in a million years!

So better hurry to save Liu Qingge and not involve the protagonist!

Listening to Lady Shen talk about her plan, Liu Mingyan could see the change.

She no longer had the arrogant tone that distinguished her, whe didn't try to show herself superior.

There was a calmness in her tone that made her figure stand out, giving her a certain aura that she could not define.

She wished she had a pen and paper with her to find a way to describe what she had in front of her, but she didn't trust to find the right words.

Whatever happened to Lady Shen, she was different.

A welcome change, if only because she won't have to look over her shoulder every time, fearing a bad shot from the goddess.

When did it happen? 

Lady Shen's human ward seemed very fond of the goddess. She wouldn't hesitate to protect her, even from Liu Mingyang. 

And her face was very familiar.

Oh. Maybe that was the reason. Despite the rumors, Lady Shen did indeed have a heart under the armor she had built for herself.

"I want to write something ..."

She waited until it was night to sneak out of Lord Mu's temple.

She had given clear instructions to both Lady Liu and Ning Yingying, who seemed very nervous about having to replace her mistress.

"But I'm not that good! What if I don't succeed?"

"Lady Liu will help you. I'm sure you will."

Also, in the novel she had pretended to be Luo Binghe a lot of times to be with her boyfriend without him sending her away.

Girl, a little self-love!

But now she had other things to think about.

The sooner she saves Liu Qingge, the better off it is!

She was outside the temple when Luo Binghe ran towards her, "Lady Shen! Wait!"

She turned and the mortal said to her, "Let me come with you!"

"No, you can't."

"But..."

"You haven't started your training yet, going would be suicide."

Luo Binghe clenched her fists, "But you're going alone. Aren't you afraid? The demon wants you!"

"She is a presumptuous demon, and I am a goddess."

"That demon has captured Lord Liu."

"Lord Liu relied on brute force. The secret to winning is here," she said, pointing to her temple.

"The brain is the most powerful weapon we have. Don't forget that."

Luo Binghe pouted, "You're taking risks for that man. And he doesn't even respect you!"

"I don't expect thanks. It's the right thing to do."

"But he hates you!"

"I deserved it a little. I haven't always behaved correctly with him."

"And now you want to fix it?"

"Sort of. But I can't bear the thought of someone in the hands of a demon, especially if I can do something to help."

I'm doing it for you too, girl! I am avoiding you a trauma and I prevent you from hating me!

Being hated by the protagonist was out of the question, it would have been a one-way ticket to the bad ending!

Luo Binghe had her lips set in a soft line, "It's dangerous."

"I know, but I have a plan. I won't go to the wolf's lair without weapons."

A stolen plan, but still a plan. Luo Binghe asked, "How are you going? It's in the north. And you risk someone seeing you and blocking you."

"I am the goddess of the wind."

"Mhm..so?"

"So, nothing can stop the wind."

And after this, she transformed under her astonished gaze, becoming wind and flying away. It was among the Lady Windmaster's abilities, to be able to transform into her element  in order to be able to move with ease when she wanted.

If she had had her powers  in the finale, no doubt she would have used it to escape.

Better not think about it. Destination: Baoding.

Too bad she had forgotten a fundamental detail ....

Luo Binghe was staring up at the sky, where Lady Shen had just disappeared. She felt her heart beating fast in the chest, she felt an emotion that she could not yet give a name to.

But oh, what a great feeling.

She didn't understand the goddess' motives, nor why she wanted to save someone who, for Binghe, did not deserve help.

Lord Liu was an idiot and he deserved a lesson. But the goddess was better than her, it was evident.

She was about to go back inside when she noticed that there was something on the ground.

Seeing more carefully, she realized it was Lady Shen's robes. But if they were there, it meant ...

She blushed. Oh no. No, no, no! Lady Shen could not go to him in those conditions! Luo Binghe had to do something! She wouldn't let a damn man see Lady Shen like that!

Liu Qingge was almost on the edge. He tried to free himself from the ropes made of hair that bound him, but it was useless.

The cave was damp, and the dampness that got into his bones.

He was starting to feel cold.

That damned hair was absorbing his spiritual energy faster, preventing him from practicing starvation.

He didn't know how long he could last, but he won't give that damned demon the satisfaction of seeing him pray for his life.

If he is to die, he will do it with his honor intact.

"Deceived as a child ... I deserve it for being so stupid ..." he muttered to himself irritably.

He should have fought better.

He closed his eyes, the only sound he heard was his breathing. If only he could take his sword ...

"Lord Liu ... Lord Liu, wake up!"

That voice ... it wasn't possible. Lady Shen ?!

Liu Qingge suddenly opened his eyes, and nearly had a heart attack. Before him was Lady Shen ... naked!

Her long black hair covered her breasts and pubis, but he could see her white skin  and ... and her legs and ...and...

He blushed and had a nosebleed. He wasn't going to be killed by a demon. He would have died because of Lady Shen!

Chapter Text

Luo Binghe waited all night for her mistress to return.  And when the gentle wind caressed her head, she knew for certain that her goddess had returned.

 Unfortunately, Lady Shen wasn't alone.

 Lady Shen glided gracefully in front of her pupil, holding Lord Liu and preventing him from falling.

 She was naked and Binghe blushed, trying to keep her thoughts pure.  It was easy to think of other things when that miserable Lord Liu opened his mouth.

 Shen Qingqiu had made it.  The hair demon was a tough opponent, but she wondered why she was so easily distracted during the fight.

 (Shen Qingqiu had forgotten that she was in a world with different standards of modesty and that her current body was to be considered the top. Not even the demon could resist a true divine epiphany.)

 Liu Qingge walked away from her as soon as they arrived in front of Lord Mu's temple.  He was as red as a pepper.  Shen Qingqiu immediately understood why: his future wife was there.

 He didn't want to seem like a man who was too free with other women.

 ( Shen Qingqiu was an idiot that had forgotten that she was now a beautiful woman, naked, next to a war god who had practiced abstinence for hundreds of years)

 Promptly, Luo Binghe put her top robe over her shoulders.  What a dear girl! Liu Qingge persisted in not looking at her.  Was she that ugly?

 (No, she wasn't.)

 “I'm going to report to the emperor.  I won't tell him about your intervention, ”the god said, his cheeks still red.  He turned without saying anything else, looked with hatred by what should have become his wife, but now she would rather have her head cut off than be touched by him.

 (I am a man of honor, Liu Qingge was repeating himself ever since they came out of the cave.

I am honorable and I will take my responsibility. It was better for him too that the Emperor knew nothing.)

 When he was away, Luo Binghe blurted out, “That man doesn't have a modicum of decency!  He didn't even thank you!  "

 “I don't need his gratitude.  "

 I am the villainess, obviously no one thanks me.  And considering that from now on I will only have a supporting character role, nobody will care about me, especially with the female lead is here.

 "But…"

 Shen Qingqiu interrupted her protege, “Binghe, men don't want to be at a disadvantage.  They hate feeling inferior.  This is why they want a woman next to them who makes them believe she needs them.  "

 "It's not fair."

 "No, it isn't.  "

 "Is the Emperor like this too?"

 Ahhh, don't talk about the Emperor like that!  He is still one of your future husbands!

 "He is ... something else ..."

 The girl's expression hardened to that reticence, and she told her, "Not all men are like that.  Some appreciate a woman's strength. "

 "So I have to get strong ..." Binghe muttered.

 Shen Qingqiu wanted to cry with joy.  

Yes!  Heroine, you have finally regained some IQ! You don't have to let the members of the harem save you all the time!  You can be a strong and independent woman!

 She was doing her job well.

 Indeed, Luo Binghe, future heroine, empress of gods and demons, wife of over three hundred husbands, had learned a lot

 The goddess, however, did not imagine how well her protégé had learned ...

During the weeks with Lady Shen, Luo Binghe had learned three things.

 First, men were pigs.  No offense to animals.

 They only looked at women if they were pretty, obedient, and in need of help.  They needed to feel strong, or their frail masculinity would suffer.

 No noble cultivator or god had cared about her when she was a street rat, too small and dirty to attract their attention, let alone their pity.

 Only Lady Shen had stepped in to help her, without wanting anything from her.

 Second, men like the Emperor were to be kept at bay.

 She'd only heard rumors, but Emperor Yue seemed like the worst kind of scum there was.  He had allowed infamous gossip to spread about the woman he said he loved (ha!), he was wicked, and he tried to impose himself on Lady Shen.

 She didn't know if it was true or not, but the reticence with her mistress spoke of the god was a clear sign!  She was afraid of him!

 And she couldn't face him because that scum man was the Emperor!

 Third, Luo Binghe had to grow stronger, gain more power, so much power to bring men like Emperor Yue to their knees and protect Shen Qingqiu.

 The only one who deserved to rule over all the gods was Lady Shen, and one day Binghe will give her everything.

 After, they will get married!

 Shen Qingiqu felt a shiver run down her spine.  She had spent too much time naked, maybe she had caught a cold or something.

 Sometimes ignorance was a blessing.