After Mistaking the Dragon-Proud Protagonist, I Faked My Death Three Times

[Updated daily. If something comes up, I'll post a notice asking for leave.]

Blurb:

After Jiang Qingxu died, he transmigrated into a power-fantasy cultivation novel. The System told him to save the destined hero and keep him from being tempted by the demonic path and led astray.

He made an OK sign. "Leave it to me."

The System heard this, nodded with satisfaction, and rode off on a crane.

*

After transmigrating, Jiang Qingxu searched high and low, and, through careful observation, managed to find the young destined hero.

At the time, the other boy was a mortal with a nasty disposition, a pitiful little thing covered in wounds and barely clothed. Jiang Qingxu did everything he could to guide him, taking meticulous care of him and tending to him day and night. Once the boy was old enough to venture out on his own, Jiang Qingxu calculated that the timing was just right.

That night, Jiang Qingxu left behind a "suicide note," faked his death, and fell into a deep sleep that lasted a thousand years.

A thousand years later, he crawled out of a coffin in the frozen wastelands, eager to see how his mission had gone!

At the top of the Immortal Realm's most-wanted list was a portrait.

"The Immortal Venerable offers a generous reward: capture this person alive and receive ten thousand gold coins."

"Bring in this person's head and be rewarded with an immeasurable cultivation manual."

"Reduce this person to dust, and the Immortal Venerable will personally grant you ascension to immortality."

Jiang Qingxu: "..."

Looking at the portrait of someone who looked exactly like him, Jiang Qingxu felt his heart sink halfway to his feet.

Later, Jiang Qingxu changed his appearance, made his way to the Immortal Lord's side, hid his secret identity, and dutifully worked on winning him over. After losing more than he gained, he finally poured every ounce of effort into setting that destined hero back on the right path.

The System came back.

Jiang Qingxu, covered in kiss marks, planted his hands on his hips and proudly launched into a long list of complaints and self-congratulations: "I've never seen a destined hero want to destroy the world before. If I hadn't worked so hard to set him straight, this world would've been..."

The System closed its eyes and died in peace. "Could it be that you set the biggest villain in the whole novel, a scheming powerhouse with peerless strength, straight? Is he even the protagonist? You absolute idiot!"

Jiang Qingxu: "..."

Jiang Qingxu faked his death and ran away again.

*

This time, Jiang Qingxu learned from his mistakes and confirmed the real destined hero's identity. He secretly started flirting with him, tried one trick after another, and finally got as far as a fake marriage with the real hero.

At the wedding feast, the sky was dark and red silk fluttered in the wind.

But the groom was missing, and the guests had fled. The destined hero's master, dressed in wedding clothes, descended the jade steps one by one. Spirit chains stretched in from every direction and locked around Jiang Qingxu's ankles. A cold, hard sword lifted his chin.

The villainous master's voice was icy and chilling, yet carried a laugh that sent shivers down the spine. One eye had already been stained blood-red by demonic energy, but his tone was unexpectedly gentle.

"Why won't you look up? Don't you recognize me?"

"Should I tell your partner that you once climbed into his master's bed?"

"Dear brother, I can keep it from him for you. Would you like that?"

Jiang Qingxu was sweating profusely. "..."

Can we talk this out? Put down the sword at my throat first!

What a coincidence: the destined hero is the villain's former apprentice.

*

When Pei Che was young, he met Jiang Qingxu. The pain and hardships he endured over the next thousand years were all because of him.

He had once sworn to kill him for revenge and make sure he never reincarnated.

Jiang Qingxu was back.

Jiang Qingxu bared half a shoulder and looked at him, the corners of his eyes faintly red.

Pei Che: "..."

I'll kill him later.

After all, Jiang Qingxu had promised him this time that he would never leave again.

This is a story about a shou who becomes a father the first time around, a wife the second time, and a son's (apprentice's) spouse the third time...

Gentle, beloved-by-all, affectionate, married-life shou x gloomy, ghost-like, unhinged, affection-starved gong

P.S.

1. One-on-one romance, both physically and emotionally faithful.

2. Flawed characters and plenty of melodrama.

Theme: Love is the possibility of taking part in the world.