Dressing as a Man in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and Becoming Everyone's Favorite

Liu Rufeng transmigrates into the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio as a scholar heading to the capital for the imperial exams.

A scholar who disguises herself as a man, and whom both demons and ghosts want to take a bite out of!

As everyone knows, scholars are the most popular creatures in the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio...

But Liu Rufeng thinks she's a fake scholar disguised as a woman, so there shouldn't be much of a problem, right?

~

One glance from across a bridge, and the daughter of a powerful eunuch falls head over heels, vowing to marry no one but him;

She picks up her brush to correct a mistake, and an exquisitely elegant young woman steps right out of a book, grateful to Liu Rufeng for saving her life;

She takes pity on a dying little fox and saves it, only to become an honored guest of the fox clan...

Liu Rufeng is at her wits' end. So many people want to repay her, but she only has one...

Wait, she isn't even a real man!

"Ladies, it isn't that I refuse, but I am in fact a woman disguised as a man. I'm afraid I'll only hold you back."

The female demons scoff: "So what? We demons don't discriminate based on gender!"

The male demons rejoice: "Benefactor, we're perfect for each other!"

A certain Taoist priest wonders: "I'm not gay, am I?"

*

The Traveler of Yellow Millet has cultivated for lifetimes, vanquishing demons and exorcising evil, all so he can overcome his romantic tribulation, become an immortal, and ascend to heaven.

He has spent a long time honing himself in the mortal world. Whether faced with a beauty whose plain clothes cannot hide her loveliness or one adorned in jewels with the radiance of a fairy, no one has ever stirred his heart.

He has experienced both splendor and sorrow, yet a mere mortal has caught his eye and become his closest friend.

The Traveler of Yellow Millet once pointed his sword at Liu Rufeng's fox and ghost friends. He has also pointed it at Liu Rufeng herself: "Do you think that if you lost the blood and bones in your body, these demons and ghosts would still care for you?"

Later, the Traveler of Yellow Millet made countless hand seals, but still could not figure it out.

He clearly didn't covet the blood and bones in her body, so why couldn't he leave Liu Rufeng?

Notes:

1. OOC warning. The story mostly follows Pu Songling's original, but some parts have been changed. Also, Ning Caichen is portrayed negatively, so please don't read if that bothers you.

2. The heroine has a magical artifact that can conceal her gender from the demons and ghosts of the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio world.

3. The Taoist priest absolutely is not gay. He's really, really, really straight. Our heroine and the priest are a proper romance couple!

4. This is a stress-relief project, not contracted, updates whenever inspiration strikes.

Theme: No matter how much splendor surrounds me, I will remain true to myself