I Transmigrated into an Abandoned Male-Focused Novel, but the Male Lead Is Dead

Tian Linling suffered cardiac arrest while working overtime. When she woke up, she had transmigrated into a long-abandoned, chuunibyou-style male-oriented novel, becoming the wicked young lady of Lingxiao Sect, a renowned cultivation sect.

The original author had been cursed out by readers and stopped updating because the original story's logic made no sense, its mysteries were never resolved, and its male lead was far too spineless, among many other problems.

The System said that if she didn't finish the story and give readers a satisfying experience, she would be struck by five thunderbolts from Heaven.

Heaven help her, she'd never read a male-oriented novel in her life!

From what little she knew of the genre, wasn't she supposed to make the male lead rise from the bottom, slap his enemies in the face, build a huge harem, and eventually ascend on the spot?

Right, then. Let's do it.

After a great deal of effort, she finally found the male lead, Yu Di, in some remote corner at the foot of the mountain and brought him back to the sect.

Oh, and along the way she also picked up a poor little ghost who was nearly starving to death.

Next, all she had to do was create opportunities for the male lead to rise above his station, slap faces, and ascend!

Tian Linling figured that since he was the male lead, he was probably just short on chances to show what he could do. Give him an opportunity and surely he would astound everyone, leaving readers thoroughly satisfied!

So she pulled strings and made an exception, letting the newly arrived male lead compete in the sect tournament.

Tian Linling: Go! The champion's yours!

But then... the male lead was beaten so badly he couldn't get out of bed for a month, while the little ghost she'd picked up stole the show.

Tian Linling reflected on the painful lesson and decided the male lead must be short on lucky breaks. If he got one, he would surely obtain heavenly treasures and advance three whole levels.

So she got him a jade token and made an exception, letting the male lead, who had only just recovered from his injuries, enter a secret realm to seek his fortune.

Tian Linling: Go! A white-bearded old grandpa is waiting for you!

But then... the male lead was swallowed whole by a scarlet flame serpent. Luckily, the little ghost she'd picked up reacted fast enough to cut him out of the snake's round belly.

Tian Linling scratched her head. Weren't other people's male leads supposed to be invincible, able to fight opponents levels above them?

What do you call a male-oriented novel whose male lead is as weak as a chicken? Asking for a friend. This is urgent.

She figured she must be going about it the wrong way.

So she took the male lead down the mountain to slay demons, thinking that perhaps he would awaken his potential on the brink of death and ascend on the spot.

Tian Linling: Go!

But then... the male lead croaked.

Tian Linling: What happens if the male lead croaks?

System: You will be struck by five thunderbolts from Heaven.

Tian Linling felt the sky come crashing down. Goodbye, Mom. I'm setting sail tonight...

A round little object suddenly appeared in front of her.

Oh, it was her favorite winter jujube.

The little ghost she'd picked up: What's wrong?

Tian Linling: (gazing sadly at the sky at a 45-degree angle) Yu Di is gone, and I'm going to be gone too. My storage bag is under my pillow. It's yours, so remember to take it.

The little ghost she'd picked up: Actually... my name in the mortal world used to be Yu Di, too.

Tian Linling: ?

Currently serializing: Are All Female Martial Lords Like This?

[Slippery as an eel · shameless · strong enough to lift a cauldron · tiny bean]

[Gradually led astray · aloof beauty · obsessive-compulsive · scheming, devoted dog]

As the legitimate daughter of the Duke Rui's family, Lin Xiaxin had the best of everything, from her family background to her talents, and had more suitors in the capital than fish swimming upstream.

Behind closed doors, however, she was a wooden, cauldron-lifting, slippery, shameless girl.

Because she had been frail as a child, her father and brothers sent her to the mountains to learn martial arts.

But not long after she came down from the mountains, having completed her training, her father and brothers died under mysterious circumstances. After putting her trust in the wrong man, she ended up abandoned in the wilderness, her corpse exposed to the elements.

The good news: she came back to life, five years in the past.

The bad news: from the start, things went poorly, and she owed someone a huge favor.

Recently, her hateful, heartless fiancé had cruelly killed her.

As her soul drifted without a place to rest,

Bai Xingchi, a young general whose family had been disgraced as the descendants of a condemned official and had likewise been wiped out, was now reduced to dust. He spent his last ounce of silver to gather her bones and give her a grand send-off.

Although the portrait in her flimsy coffin had been molded from mud by the impoverished young general.

Lin Xiaxin: Fair enough.

Since she'd come back, she couldn't just sit around doing nothing.

All she could do was follow in Mulan's footsteps and give it her all.

After all, the Bai family army had not yet been destroyed, the Duke of the State Protector had not yet been framed, and Bai Xingchi was still the young general who had made his name in a single battle and guarded Youzhou, keeping invaders from daring to cross the border for years.