My Master Is Still Turning the Black Lotus White Today

*Gentle father figure (?) × dramatic black-hearted beauty

①

After finishing a cultivation novel about a universally adored protagonist, Zhu Shen transmigrated into a book.

He became the master of the second male lead, a seductive Demon Lord who obsessively fawned over the protagonist... and was a cannon-fodder villain destined to die.

“Helping him avoid the fawning-over-the-protagonist plot and complete his career arc? Easy.” Hearing the System’s mission, Zhu Shen pushed up a pair of imaginary glasses and pulled out A Complete Guide to Cultivation. His disciple had a romance-addled brain? He hadn’t even figured out cultivation yet, so what was he doing thinking about romance? They’d go through cultivation manuals and practical training, all of it.

As Zhu Shen urged his disciple to study and casually broke up couples, he began to realize something was off about the boy.

The disciple was supposed to be an upbeat, innocent little flower in the early chapters, but in reality he was rebellious to the core. And even after Zhu Shen endured his rebellious phase, he still had to put up with all kinds of strange behavior.

One day, the disciple sidled up to him again. “Master, I have something to tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“The senior brother in the neighboring hall has a partner.”

The senior brother in the neighboring hall... wasn’t that the universally adored protagonist of the original story?

“...”

Hey, if you have something to say, say it, and keep your hands to yourself!

.

②

Xie Linfeng was born a demon seed, and his bloodline made his life miserable. Just as he finally claimed the title of Demon Lord and cut down all those who had once bullied and humiliated him, he was reborn.

He had returned to the time when he was weak, had nothing, and could be bullied by anyone. His scumbag master was still eyeing him covetously, taking him in once again. Xie Linfeng cursed the heavens, only to discover that his master had changed somehow.

Xie Linfeng, later: Maybe the heavens haven’t been all that bad to me after all.

Excerpt:

Zhu Shen’s mission was to make his disciple focus on his career.

He was the whetstone meant to strengthen his disciple’s resolve, the stepping stone that would help him become the supreme ruler of the Demon Realm after falling to darkness, and a crucial part of advancing his career arc.

According to the script, he had to be a wicked master of the worst kind. When the demons invaded, he would push Xie Linfeng out to take the hit, awakening his demonic bloodline. Then his disciple, having fallen to darkness, would dig out Zhu Shen’s golden core, greatly increase his cultivation, and rise to become a legendary Demon Lord!

You finish your career arc, I get a proper death scene, the mission is complete, and I head straight back home. Everybody wins. Joy all around.

When the plot really reached that point, demonic markings appeared on Xie Linfeng’s face, and his voice trembled.

He could barely keep hold of the sword in his hand. “Master, don’t make me hate myself for the rest of my life.”

The System’s alarm blared. Zhu Shen gripped Xie Linfeng’s hand with all his strength. In a flash, the sword sliced through the air, and his golden core left his body.

He passed all his power to Xie Linfeng, then raised a hand one last time to wipe away the other man’s tears:

“...Then hate me instead.”

_

Note:

Happy ending! Happy ending!! It’s a happy ending!!!

Please go easy on this amateur writer.

What’s this? A black lotus? Let’s bleach it white... Ah, failed.