Lu Qingtang dies saving a child in the real world and transmigrates into the body of a character from the Xuanhuan novel Zhu Yao. She arrives mid-wedding, bound in a bridal sedan by a mountain demon. A system informs her that she must follow the plot to create obstacles for the male and female leads without causing them a bad ending, with the reward being her resurrection. The original Lu Qingtang was the second female lead who fell into darkness due to unrequited love for the male lead, Jiang Yijie. However, the plot has already shifted; the male and female leads do not arrive as scripted. Instead, Lu Qingtang is rescued by a Skin-changing demon and a divine beast summoned by her system. The actual male and female leads, Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao, arrive later, accompanied by Jiang Xunbai, a character who was originally a minor cannon fodder but now holds significant screen time.
Lu Qingtang realizes she must stick with the protagonist group to complete her missions. She fabricates a story about a token from her fiancé to justify accompanying them. Jiang Xunbai, who is also bound by a system tasked with romancing her, watches her with suspicion and interest. His favorability toward her starts in negative territory due to her erratic behavior and deviation from the original script. Lu Qingtang, unaware of his system, plays the role of a frightened mortal while internally calculating her next moves. She proposes using herself as bait to lure out the Skin-changing demon, a plan Jiang Xunbai supports, much to the concern of Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao.
During the operation in Wangshui Zhen, Jiang Xunbai disguises himself as a woman to protect Lu Qingtang. Their interactions gradually shift the dynamic between them. He provides her with talisman papers and shares moments of care, such as buying her food and fanning her while she sleeps on a boat. Lu Qingtang’s favorability score rises from negative to positive as she treats him with kindness and gratitude. Jiang Xunbai, initially confused by her behavior, begins to develop genuine feelings, though he remains wary of her knowledge about demons and her apparent connection to his rival, Bai Wujin.
The Skin-changing demon is defeated, and Lu Qingtang proves her worth to the group. Despite this, her mission progress remains incomplete, indicating that staying with the group is not enough. The group travels to Gusu City due to a demon incident there. Lu Qingtang sends her maid back home to avoid dragging her into danger. On the journey, Jiang Xunbai confronts Lu Qingtang about her true intentions, correctly deducing she is running from an arranged marriage. Lu Qingtang, deciding to align with the original plot to satisfy her system, claims she still loves Jiang Yijie. This declaration causes Jiang Xunbai visible distress, though he hides it. The story ends with the group continuing their journey, the romantic tension between Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai deepening, and the mystery of why the plot has changed unresolved.
