The Red Panda Only Wants to Cheat People Out of Money and Stay Alive

Jinyue is a little red panda with no great ambitions, at least until she finds out she's a character in a book.

She's in a novel, and her owner, Immortal Venerable Rong Jin, is the heroine's master. She dotes on her only disciple. When the heroine says Jinyue's demon core is a potent tonic, Rong Jin can dig it right out of her without the slightest hesitation and give it to her disciple to eat.

Jinyue is stunned. She can't believe that this woman, who is so aloof and distant yet now gently brushes her fur, is the heartless person from the novel.

Jinyue... finds her motivation to cultivate.

-

Unfortunately, Jinyue has neglected her cultivation for far too long. Even if she starts again now, there's no way she'll become far stronger than the heroine before she arrives.

Jinyue turns her attention to the pile of treasures in Rong Jin's spatial realm.

Soon, everyone knows that Immortal Venerable Rong Jin has an incredibly clingy spirit pet. The adorable little thing makes everyone itch to have one of their own.

Jinyue tries every trick in the book, from acting cute and pleading to throwing herself on the ground and refusing to move. She manages to get plenty of resources out of Rong Jin, and her cultivation shoots up. All she can think is that if the day from the novel really comes, she'll have to fight Rong Jin.

But when she hears the heroine say that her demon core is a potent tonic, Jinyue is still afraid to face Rong Jin's cold-heartedness. She bundles up her things and sneaks away.

When Rong Jin discovers that her clingy spirit pet is gone, she also realizes that every valuable thing she owned has been swindled away by a certain little red panda.

Rong Jin: ...

-

When they meet again, Jinyue has become the bandit queen of her mountain, teaching her disciples and their disciples how to use their own advantages to scam people out of resources. Rong Jin is so angry she laughs.

She walks up, grabs Jinyue by her big fluffy tail, and lifts her into the air.

"Little swindler, wasn't cheating me enough? Now you want to recruit more people?"

Jinyue bares her teeth, her fur standing on end.

"Hey! I'll fight you to the death!"

2025.1.21

Theme: I'll write the rest later