After the Salted Fish Faked His Death, the Villain Went Mad

Ji Xian transmigrated into a book two hundred years too early. As a low-ranking outer-sect disciple of the cultivation world's greatest sect, he works harder than a dog and gets paid less than one.

"Three low-grade spirit stones a month means doing three-low-grade-spirit-stone work. Anything extra is a loss."

An expert at this, Ji Xian starts slacking off. The supervisor tosses him a task token: "There's a little demon cultivator locked up in the back mountain. Go keep an eye on him." Everyone else thinks the job is hopeless and unlucky, but Ji Xian's eyes light up. No need to get up at five in the morning, shovel manure, or scrub dust. All he has to do is check the back mountain once a day? How is that unlucky? It's a blessing!

He eagerly heads up the mountain, only to realize something is wrong.

The demon cultivator is just fourteen, thin as a skeleton, with chains of black iron piercing his shoulder blades and pinning him to a cold stone wall.

The meals delivered each day are laced with poison, supposedly to "temper his character." Inner-sect disciples often beat him black and blue under the pretext of "sparring."

The sect says, "Harmony is paramount. If he harbors no desire for revenge, we'll spare his life."

Ji Xian thinks, Seriously? He doesn't hate them? He'd have to have something wrong with his brain.

Then he thinks again: if this guy dies, won't Ji Xian have to go back to hauling water and shoveling manure all day?

Dead = new assignment = back to being a dog.

So he can keep slacking off, Ji Xian saves a steamed bun and tosses it into the cave, only for it to roll into a ditch.

He saves up spirit stones to buy medicine, but the moment he throws it in, a vulture snatches it away.

He stays up all night memorizing the chant for drawing in energy, then stumbles through it to the boy from outside the seal, only to fall asleep halfway through.

The boy is speechless. In the darkness, a pair of purple eyes quietly watch him.

Ji Xian says, "Um... just make sure you stay alive, okay?"

The boy does survive. He breaks through the seal and massacres everyone in the Demon-Suppressing Tower in the back mountain.

Only then does the System pop up in a panic: Host! That wasn't an ordinary demon cultivator. He's the big villain who'll compete with the male lead for the male lead's love interest!

Ji Xian: ...

The sect panics. They seize Ji Xian, who concealed the boy's desire for revenge, and bring in the original story's love interest, forcing Yu Shuo to choose between them.

System: Don't panic! You treated him so well, of course he'll pick you!

Yu Shuo raises a hand and points without hesitation at the love interest: "Save him."

Ji Xian: ...

System: ...

As the sword's light falls, Yu Shuo is still thinking that once this is over, he'll go find Ji Xian.

He once saw the silver mark at Ji Xian's waist: a marriage-contract seal connecting him to the supreme sword cultivator.

The immortal sect would never kill the sword sovereign's future partner.

Until blood splashes across his face.

Until he sees the sword sovereign coldly withdraw his blade and Ji Xian silently collapse.

The immortal sect has no idea who Ji Xian is.

Yu Shuo goes mad.

Beneath a blood moon, he slaughters every enemy and topples the nine great sects. In his form as the Holy Demon, two trails of blood tears run down his face.

When the sword sovereign learns the truth, he stumbles to the execution platform and breaks down too.

*

Two hundred years later, Ji Xian lies in a wicker chair in his little courtyard, sunbathing, eating spirit fruit, and flipping through a newly bought storybook.

The warm sunlight falls on him. He closes his eyes in contentment.

Now this is the life: no menial labor, no exploitation, just endless sunshine and endless slacking off.

Suddenly, the courtyard gate swings open.

A figure wreathed in bloodlust and demonic energy stands backlit in the doorway, like a demon crawling out of hell and into the human world.

The spirit fruit in Ji Xian's hand plops onto the ground.

Yu Shuo x Ji Xian

Both are each other's one and only

Theme: Slack off in moderation