I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script

With Xu Shulou present, the Void Abyss Secret Realm felt less like a perilous land and more like a paradise.

The group traversed a sea of flowers—winter plum blossoms mingled with spring peaches, summer silk trees, and autumn osmanthus—all blooming in dazzling splendor, a sight rarely seen in the outside world.

Bai Roushuang took a deep breath and patted her storage ring, now brimming with treasures, feeling an unexpected reluctance to leave.

This expedition had been far too leisurely and enjoyable—filled with feasting, treasure hunting, and merriment—so much so that as departure loomed, she found herself reluctant to go.

She would miss the serene lakes and mountains, the exotic beasts, the sumptuous delicacies, the riot of blossoms... but certainly not the people behind her! She glanced back and saw a long line of figures, so many she couldn’t even see the end.

During their time in the secret realm, her senior sister Xu Shulou had picked up every stray they encountered, accepting anyone who asked to join their party without hesitation. Now, trailing behind them was a motley crew—men and women, humans and demons, dressed in every manner of garb, their cultivation levels wildly uneven.

When this large group was expelled from the secret realm, they made quite the spectacle, drawing the attention of everyone in the square.

Song Ping, who had been waiting at the entrance, spotted the Dustless Island contingent immediately.

Bai Roushuang and the others hurried over in surprise. "Second Senior Brother? What brings you here?"

Song Ping smiled at her. "Congratulations on your progress, Junior Sister."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Where’s Senior Sister?"

Bai Roushuang then realized Xu Shulou had vanished into the crowd. She didn’t know where her senior sister had gone, but she could guess. She jumped up, peering over the throng toward the barbecue stall Xu Shulou had once raved about—and sure enough, there was a familiar figure. "Look, she’s over there buying skewers."

"..."

Song Ping had come bearing two pieces of news. First, the woman involved in crafting the Soul-Summoning Banner, whom Xu Shulou had brought back to Dustless Island, had died in the Punishment Hall.

Bai ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍Roushuang and the others didn’t see anything amiss, but Xu Shulou and Song Ping exchanged a glance, both sensing suspicion in the other’s expression. Those imprisoned in the Punishment Hall had no means to take their own lives—had Dustless Island been infiltrated?

The second piece of news was that traces of demons had been spotted near Frostless City, and their sect had ordered them to investigate.

Xu Shulou, of course, accepted without hesitation. In her dreams, this event had played out as well—though in the story, its primary purpose had been to deepen the bond between Bai Roushuang and Lu Beichen. The demon threat had been glossed over, with only a vague mention of their eventual defeat.

The plot had revolved around Bai Roushuang getting into danger, Lu Beichen rescuing her, Bai Roushuang getting into danger again, Lu Beichen rescuing her again... until finally, under the moonlight, they shared a kiss and pledged their love.

Xu Shulou’s role in this segment had been little more than a troublemaker—making Bai Roushuang jealous, annoying Lu Beichen, provoking Xiao Ya, and bickering with their biased sect elders...

In short, the characters in the story hadn’t seemed particularly concerned with actually dealing with the demon threat.

The Void Abyss Secret Realm had now fully closed, its next opening uncertain. The square gradually emptied as the crowd dispersed.

Xu Shulou’s group bid farewell to the companions they’d met in the secret realm. Bai Roushuang enthusiastically waved off the fox demon, only to turn around and find Xu Shulou preparing to do the same to her.

"Senior Sister," Bai Roushuang whined, wiping nonexistent tears, "I don’t want to go back to Dustless Island. I want to stay with you."

Xu Shulou sighed in amusement. "Fine, come along. But don’t blame me if you run into danger."

Bai Roushuang cheered, throwing her arms around Xu Shulou in excitement—only to be pushed away with a hand to her forehead.

Frostless City lay in the southern region, where spring lingered year-round. Surrounded by rolling green mountains and winding rivers, the scenery was breathtaking.

But the city’s residents were far less serene. When Xu Shulou’s group arrived, nearly a hundred people had gathered, torches in hand, ready to set fire to the lush Verdant Mountain outside the city.

Song Ping quickly intercepted them, piecing together the story from their overlapping shouts.

For over a month, young and middle-aged men had been found gutted and discarded at the city gates. At first, the townsfolk had assumed it was the work of wild beasts and reported it to the authorities. But as the deaths piled up, panic set in. They blamed the "demonesses" of Verdant Mountain and hired a so-called "immortal master" to exorcise the evil. The master performed a ritual, declared the demons subdued, and took their silver—only for another corpse to be discovered three days later.

Now, furious and terrified, the people had lost faith in "masters" of any kind. They resolved to take matters into their own hands, gathering to burn the mountain under cover of night.

Song Ping tried to reason with them, but as an upright and principled man, he was ill-suited for a crowd that had no interest in listening. Despite his promise to find the true culprit, the people, still stung by the previous deception, brandished their torches and tried to drive him away.

Xu Shulou stepped forward. "Everyone, please hear me out."

Suspicious eyes raked over her. "Are you one of those demonesses from Verdant Mountain?"

"I’ve been sent by my sect to investigate the demon attacks," Xu Shulou clasped her hands respectfully. "Please remain calm. Burning the mountain is unwise."

The crowd erupted. "If you’re not with those demonesses, why stop us?"

"You must be the ones draining their life force! Give them back!"

Torches were thrust toward Xu Shulou, Bai Roushuang, and another junior sister, as if testing whether the flames would reveal their "true forms."

Meanwhile, atop the city walls, a group of ten watched the commotion below—members of the Lingxiao Sect. Lu Beichen, also dispatched by his sect, had brought only a select few elites, leaving behind the hundred followers from the secret realm.

"Senior Brother’s foresight is impeccable," one disciple fawned. "Let Dustless Island deal with the rabble. We can gather all the information from here."

Xiao Ya frowned but stayed silent, her gaze fixed on the scene below.

Xu Shulou had already brandished her folding fan. With the first flick, she extinguished all the torches; with the second, she immobilized everyone present.

Then, clearing her throat politely, she addressed the crowd: "Please remain calm."

The terrified townsfolk, unable to move a muscle, could only stare at her in horror.

"Now, we need to examine the corpses. If anyone objects, please shake your head," Xu Shulou scanned the motionless crowd and nodded in satisfaction. "Good, no one is shaking their head. Thank you for your cooperation."

"..."

"I suppose you're all cursing me in your hearts for using demonic arts," Xu Shulou mused before leaving, then turned back to deliver a warning. "So I wouldn’t recommend setting fire to the mountain. The enchantresses up there all know this kind of sorcery."

"Pfft." Someone seemed unable to suppress a laugh. Strangely, even this single sound carried an unmistakable softness and allure, stirring the imagination.

Following the laughter, several women emerged from the shadows. Each wore her hair in a high chignon, their short tops revealing slender, pale waists. Barefoot, their ankles were adorned with delicate golden threads, and they carried lanterns intricately patterned with intertwined mandarin ducks and vines. Gliding forward, they bowed gracefully before Xu Shulou. "Young lady, our Sect Leader invites you for an audience."

"How did your Sect Leader know I would come?"

"The Sect Leader only knew a cultivator would arrive eventually, so she instructed us to wait here," the maiden replied, her enchanting eyes flickering briefly toward the city gate tower. "She also told us to invite interesting guests to the mountain—and to ignore the dull ones."