Chapter 14: A Thunderous Roar in the Sky—The Malevolent Villainess Makes a Dazzling Entrance

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“No, what’s wrong with you, Xie Lin?!”
“You were doing so well with the sword duel—why did you suddenly go easy on Shen Jiwen?!”
“It’s bad enough that you went easy on him, but you wasted a precious prop of mine! Boohoo!”
Jiang Lingyi tried hard to cover her mouth, sobbing quietly.
Heavens, why must they conspire against me!
[Host... do you want to make any changes?]
“I want to retract it! Give me back my prop!”
[Once a prop is used, it cannot be retracted, because you’ve already seen the next part of the story.]
Jiang Lingyi: ...Damn it!
She originally planned to revise according to the main storyline, but Xie Lin just undid the broken plot himself. So what was the point of her changing it?
Clenching her teeth, grinding her molars until sparks seemed to fly, Jiang Lingyi wished she could drag the system out and beat it to death.
“No changes then! Change my foot!”
[Uh, where exactly should the hammer go? Should it become Shen Jiwen’s weapon or Xie Lin’s?]
Jiang Lingyi laughed bitterly in anger.
Whose weapon should it be? Mine! To hammer that unreliable, lousy system to death!
“I said no changes... wait!” Suddenly, she thought of a devious idea. “Can I change anything at all?”
[Yes, host, all the scenes you see in front of you are modifiable.]
Jiang Lingyi stared at those words for a moment, her morality drifting further and further away.
As long as I have no morals, no one can guilt-trip me!
“Change it to this: Xie Lin, seeing that Shen Jiwen couldn’t match him, thought to himself, ‘Jiang Lingyi likes me so much, yet I’ve been cold and indifferent to her. How despicable of me! I’m willing to be defeated under her pomegranate skirt, to have her break my Spirit Sword, then trample on my chest and fiercely scold me a few times—only then can I make it up to her!’”
System: Huh?
[Host, is it really necessary to play this shamefully?]
Jiang Lingyi’s cheeks flushed red, but she gritted her teeth and muttered, “Just change it already. Why so many questions?”

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Anyway, the key point of this scene is that Xie Lin gets injured, and he discovers that one of the disciples he fought has suspicious moves.
Who actually injured him is not important.
After Jiang Lingyi’s confirmation, the system replaced the original storyline word by word. A flash of light appeared, and the text was completely changed, firmly embedded in the original page.
Thus...
In the martial arena, Xie Lin and Shen Jiwen were locked in a fierce struggle. Shen Jiwen failed to parry Xie Lin’s sword for several moves in a row; his tiger’s mouth went numb from the shock, and his wrist ached. Yet he saw a flicker of surprise suddenly cross Xie Lin’s usually cold and sinister face, causing his sword to nearly veer off course.
How could this be?
Why would he suddenly think of Jiang Lingyi?!
And...
Be willing to lose beneath her pomegranate skirt, to be humiliated by her just to appease her?
Even the strange thought in his mind uncontrollably wove a corresponding scene in his head—
Jiang Lingyi smirked coldly, her proud and arrogant gaze looking down from above. Casually, she tossed aside the broken Ming Yi Sword and provocatively stamped on his chest a few times.
Her red lips glistened in the sunlight like gold, smiling as always with exaggerated grace. But as she slowly spoke, a sharp ringing suddenly echoed in Xie Lin’s ears.
His heart pounded wildly; the burning sensation spread from his ears to his face. His hand faltered, almost allowing Shen Jiwen to snatch the Ming Yi Sword away!
Seeing Xie Lin’s unusual state, Shen Jiwen didn’t take advantage of him. Instead, wiping sweat from his face, he asked with concern, “Young Master Xie, are you alright?”
Xie Lin’s heartbeat thundered in his chest; that inexplicable, extraordinary thought lingered stubbornly in his mind. He was now filled with...
Desire, hope, yearning to be trampled beneath Jiang Lingyi’s feet!
Had he been bewitched?!
Xie Lin suddenly looked up at the viewing platform; Jiang Lingyi’s head was bowed, seemingly asleep.
But unexpectedly, the moment he saw her face, his thoughts grew even wilder, almost screaming and howling, eager to rush up to the platform and willingly prostrate himself at her feet!
Xie Lin couldn’t control the surging emotions, his breathing chaotically uneven, his face burning hotter, as if he might ignite under the blazing sun.
Shen Jiwen sheathed his sword and couldn’t help but ask, “Your face is very red and your breathing uneven. Is your internal Spirit Qi still normal? What cultivation method are you practicing? Do you need me to help you regulate your breath?”
Xie Lin closed his eyes, gripping the Ming Yi Sword tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand. He gritted his teeth and said hoarsely, “It’s nothing. Let’s continue.”
Jiang Lingyi didn’t dare open her eyes at all.

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She was afraid Xie Lin would notice that her inner monologue had been altered and glare at her fiercely.
Her clumsy acting couldn’t really hide the fact that she was the one who messed things up.
Anyway, this was all just Xie Lin’s thoughts. Would he dare say such things out loud and confront her face to face?
He definitely wouldn’t.
Xie Lin was innocent and shy; he wouldn’t have the courage to admit his masochistic thoughts.
Until the match ended, Xie Lin didn’t even glance sideways at the viewing platform. As Jiang Lingyi expected, Xie Lin defeated Shen Jiwen.
Jiang Yuanshan was very pleased, repeatedly lamenting that if Xie Xuan’s spirit were watching from heaven, he would be delighted to see his son’s exceptional talent in swordsmanship. Yet, sighing, he said that due to Jiang Lingyi’s selfishness, he couldn’t take Xie Lin as a disciple and could only keep him at Danyang Peak under the guise of education.
There was a fifteen-minute break after the preliminary round. Xie Lin had just entered the sect and already defeated Shen Jiwen, earning many fans who came to ask for swordsmanship advice.
Noticing Jiang Lingyi’s gaze on him, Xie Lin glanced over cautiously, then turned around abruptly as if shocked by an electric shock!
Damn it, that maddening thought had surged back into his mind!
It was like it wouldn’t leave him alone until he completed this task!
Jiang Lingyi pursed her lips, looking at his back with sympathy, silently chanting Buddhist prayers for merit.
Those who advanced from the first round drew lots again. It was still one-on-one matches, just like in the original story. Xie Lin drew her unlucky junior apprentice brother.
Although junior brother Yun Ce was gifted, he was lazy and afraid of hardship, practicing swordsmanship inconsistently—three days on, two days off—less than half as diligent as others.
But he was clever. Every time he got beaten badly in the monthly exam due to laziness, after being confined by Jiang Yuanshan in the back mountains for over half a month to train in isolation, he would come back strong in the next exam. After doing well, he would start slacking off again, then get beaten badly in the following exam. This cycle repeated endlessly.
This time, he happened to be in a lazy month.
Xie Lin easily defeated him and successfully drew Pei Zheng in the advanced round’s lot.
Jiang Lingyi clenched her fist and exhaled deeply.
She was waiting for Pei Zheng to exhaust Xie Lin in battle, so that she, the villainous female supporting character, could make her grand entrance!