I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script

"The matter is resolved," Bai Roushuang rested her head on her senior sister's shoulder, "yet somehow, I only feel a sense of melancholy."

"Because this isn’t a happily-ever-after ending. The tower master and his wife have long turned to bones," Xu Shulou gently stroked her hair. "But uncovering the truth is still a good thing. Let’s see how Gao Ming handles things from here."

"When I heard those elders ask him to become the next tower master, I really wanted to curse," Bai Roushuang bit her lip. "Even I could see they were just trying to salvage their reputation while dumping this mess onto him. His meridians are ruined—he’ll live at most a few more decades. By then, power will return to their hands. What a clever scheme."

"Indeed."

"Senior Sister, do you think he’ll accept?" Bai Roushuang grew restless. "No, I have to warn him."

Xu Shulou sighed softly. "I’ll go with you to find him."

They found Gao Ming in the study of the Black Tortoise Tower’s late master. The room had already been searched, revealing a hidden compartment—a cramped space barely large enough for an adult to lie down. Bai Roushuang averted her gaze, unable to bear the sight.

"It’s a shame we couldn’t toss Gao Zhang into a soul-refining banner for some torment," she glanced at Gao Ming. "Physician Gao, do you think he died too easily?"

Gao Ming lit three sticks of incense before the hidden compartment. "It was far too easy. Death always comes too lightly. But I wanted him dead immediately—before everyone’s eyes, right at the gates of Black Tortoise Tower. I hope my father’s spirit witnessed it."

Xu Shulou closed her eyes briefly. "What are your plans now, Fellow Daoist Gao?"

Gao Ming ran his fingers over a scroll in his hands. "I intend to accept the position of tower master."

Bai Roushuang protested urgently, "Physician Gao, don’t fall for their trap! They’re scheming against you!"

Gao Ming shook his head. "You’ve seen their true faces."

Xu Shulou nodded in agreement.

"These people may appear highly cultivated, but their eyes see only themselves," Gao Ming smiled bitterly. "When they swore oaths before the Black Tortoise, they spoke grandly of assisting the tower master to bring prosperity to Ruzhou’s people. But in truth? Once they became elders, they secluded themselves in closed-door cultivation, leaving all affairs to the likes of Gao Zhang and Shen Ji. Did they ever care for anyone else’s life?"

"..."

"I don’t know if they ever suspected something was amiss with the tower master, or if they simply turned a blind eye because Gao Zhang lined their pockets with spirit stones and resources," Gao Ming coughed into his hand. "All I know is that I can’t hold them accountable for it."

Xu Shulou nodded in understanding. As long as those elders insisted they’d been deceived, feigning remorse, Gao Ming couldn’t punish them.

Bai Roushuang mused, "So you plan to..."

"So I’ll become the tower master—yes," a cold glint flashed in Gao Ming’s eyes. "I know they mean to use me, but the outcome is far from decided."

Bai Roushuang watched as the gentle-hearted young man’s expression hardened with resolve and ambition.

Clearly, Gao Zhang’s death hadn’t quelled his hatred. With his enemy slain, he’d found a new purpose.

As they left the study, weighed down by the moment, Bai Roushuang spotted Yue Ling of the Harmony Sect standing at a distance, her gaze fixed worriedly on the study—yet she didn’t approach.

Xu Shulou paused mid-step. Sensing her hesitation, Gao Ming spoke first, "Lady Xu, I’ll forever be grateful for all you’ve done. But please, don’t ask me to let go of this hatred."

Xu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍Shulou turned back, words like "don’t let this vengeance consume you" on her lips, but she swallowed them. Gao Ming was no fool—he understood the principles well enough.

Instead, she shook her head. "May you achieve your ambitions swiftly and hold power firmly in your hands."

Years of marginalization hadn’t broken him; shattered meridians hadn’t rendered him truly helpless. With his unyielding will, Xu Shulou believed he could do it.

Truthfully, she was curious to see how far this once-kind, now-powerless young man could rise.

Gao Ming cupped his hands in salute. "In the future, should Lady Xu ever need aid, Black Tortoise Tower will answer without hesitation."

Bai Roushuang’s somber mood lasted only until they reached the tower gates, where raised voices greeted them.

Left Protector Shen Ji, clad only in undergarments, was berating a steward inside: "I woke up in that damned Gao Ming’s courtyard! Who knows how the little bastard pulled it off? He must’ve stolen from me and fled like a coward! That whore’s son probably took my spirit stones from the gambling den too! Mobilize the guards—hunt him down before he escapes!"

The steward looked stunned, struggling to explain, but Shen Ji’s tirade left no room for interruption.

Xu Shoulo and Bai Roushuang exchanged glances and burst into laughter. Left Protector Shen Ji had merely taken a nap, yet the world outside had shifted beneath him. The youth he meant to punish had already ascended as the next tower master.

For him, reality had become a waking nightmare.

They didn’t stay to witness his downfall. There was no need.

Strolling leisurely down the street, Xu Shulou stopped at the Drunken Life Pavilion’s entrance. "Is Miss Ping'er here?"

A plump rabbit leaped from the second floor into her arms. Xu Shulou smoothed its fur. "The winds have changed at Black Tortoise Tower. You needn’t fear the Fifth Young Master or Left Protector Shen Ji anymore—they’ll have no leisure to trouble the Drunken Life Pavilion."

A glamorous female demonic cultivator nearby studied her with dawning recognition. "Are you the Xu Shulou who intervened in this affair?"

"I am."

The demoness regarded her with surprise. "I’ve long heard your name, but I never imagined you’d be... like this."

Xu Shulou thought of her lazy afternoons petting rabbits in the pavilion’s backyard and shrugged. "Disappointed?"

"Not at all," the demoness chuckled. "It’s just that tales of Xu Shulou always speak of peerless talent, rapid advancement—I assumed you’d be the type wholly devoted to cultivation, detached from worldly matters. Yet here you are, delightfully unburdened."

Xu Shulou adopted an air of profound mystery, attempting an immortal-master aura. "Every person’s path to the Dao differs."

And it was true. Mortals came in countless varieties; so too did cultivators. Some were rigidly disciplined, others wild and unrestrained. Some secluded themselves in bitter training, others sought shortcuts. Some wandered like cranes among clouds, others thirsted for fame and fortune. Some toiled diligently, others followed their hearts... Yet in the end, all would face the heavenly tribulation as equals.

The demoness smiled. "Thank you for bringing us this news. Ping'er’s been too anxious to eat, fearing she’d brought disaster upon us. Now she can rest easy. By the way, do you know who’ll lead Black Tortoise Tower next? Will they be... kinder?"

"It was just a small favor," Xu Shulou said with a slight curve of her lips. "As for the new leader of the Black Tortoise Tower, you’ll hear the news soon enough."

The delicate butterfly Xu Shulou had seen before fluttered over joyfully, seemingly about to transform back into human form to express its delight, but the glamorous female demon cultivator stopped it with a swift motion.

"Miss," the glamorous demon cultivator leaned against the doorframe and called out to Xu Shulou again, smiling. "We demon cultivators are actually quite sensitive. You carry kindness in your heart and no desire in your eyes. I believe those... the ones you’ve touched won’t misunderstand."

Xu Shulou smiled in return. "I’m glad to hear that."

After bidding farewell to the group from the Black Tortoise Tower, Ping'er nuzzled her cheek affectionately before leaping out of her arms. The little one crouched by the tower’s entrance, watching Xu Shulou until she was far out of sight.

The common folk bustled along the streets, going about their daily lives. Occasionally, small clusters gathered, murmuring in amazement about the decades-long replacement of the Black Tortoise Tower’s leader—yet unaware of what this change truly meant for them.

Xu Shulou bought two bowls of tofu pudding from a street vendor, choosing sweet red bean paste as the topping and handing one to her junior sister.

She still wore the same black robe from the confrontation at the Black Tortoise Tower—a simple, unadorned design—but paired it with a pale red folding fan. The contrast of black and red, known as "xuanxun," lent her an air of understated elegance.

Xu Shulou, of course, paid little mind to such impressions. She and Bai Roushuang found a random set of steps to sit on, scooping up the sweet bean paste with small spoons.

Bai Roushuang gazed around intently. "I want to remember how this place looks now. When we return in a few years, we’ll see whether Gao Ming has been a good leader or not."

"I believe he’ll treat the people well," Xu Shulou said softly. "He may develop edges and ambitions, but he won’t become a rotten person."

Bai Roushuang nibbled her spoon thoughtfully before suddenly exclaiming, "I should’ve known better than to clean his room—he won’t even be going back there!"

Xu Shulou chuckled and finished her tofu pudding in earnest.

"Who’d have thought we’d come here just to break a love curse and end up tangled in all this?" Bai Roushuang stretched lazily. "Now that everything’s settled, are we leaving Ruzhou City?"

Xu Shulou nodded. "I’ll send a letter to Sect Leader Luo of the Harmony Sect to explain the situation here, and then we’ll depart."

Bai Roushuang’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her. "By the way, Senior Sister, what happened to that magnificent phoenix carriage you had when we first met?"

"The carriage is still around, but the phoenix ran off," Xu Shulou replied with perfect understanding. "If you’d like to ride it, I can hire a pair of oxen to pull it for you?"

"..."