Ling Xiao is a Tasker in the God-Lord Space, a novice with the innate trait of Beauty and a mission to become the favored consort of Emperor Li Yue of Great Jin, requiring a favorability score above 50. Rather than entering the palace as a traditional concubine, she selects the identity of Ling Xiao, the sixth illegitimate daughter of a fifth-rank official, who appears at age eight. Understanding that the Emperor would not pursue a child, she plans to exploit the long time limit of the mission, intending to grow into the role over years.
Upon arriving in Great Jin, Ling Xiao subdues her System, 18888, physically restraining it and forcing it into submission. She uses her starter skills, "Silken Tresses Like a Waterfall" and "Light as a Swallow," not for beauty but as weapons. At the palace banquet celebrating the Emperor's military victory, she walks to the center of the hall and confronts Li Yue, claiming to be the daughter of Great Jin's founder, Taizu, who died shortly after birth. When ministers object to her blasphemy, she unleashes her hair, which grows into a living net that ensnares the hall, feeding on the flesh of those who scream and resist. The Emperor, displaying remarkable composure, kneels before her, addressing her as "Aunt" and acknowledging his junior status, which calms the creature.
Ling Xiao reveals knowledge of the Underworld Dynasty and the Wheel of Reincarnation, confirming to the court that death is not the end and that the imperial family will retain its hierarchy in the afterlife. This revelation terrifies and delights the nobility, who see an opportunity to secure their posthumous status. The Emperor, recognizing her power and the political advantage of having a Ghost-God relative, confers upon her the title of Grand Princess of Qin, with ceremonial rank above his own, and grants her residence in Fengyang Palace.
The noble families, fearing the loss of their underworld status and seeking to control or expose the Grand Princess, conspire to test her. At a subsequent banquet, the Head of the Xie Family accuses her of being a fraud and challenges her to prove her identity. Ling Xiao accepts, grabbing his hand and extracting ten years of his lifespan through visible threads of light, rapidly aging him into a withered corpse. She then uses the extracted life force to create a "Longevity Pill," which she feeds to the Emperor. The pill restores his youthful appearance, extending his vitality and solidifying his political position against the aging aristocracy.
When the nobles demand similar pills, Ling Xiao pretends to agree, suggesting she could refine more using human material. The Prince of Chu eagerly offers commoners as ingredients, but the Emperor intervenes, revealing that the offer was a test. Ling Xiao laughs, exposing the nobles' greed and moral corruption. She clarifies that she follows the righteous path and would not risk her cultivation for mere mortals, leaving the nobles humiliated and the Emperor strengthened.
Following these events, Ling Xiao consolidates her power. The Emperor, grateful for her support, eliminates the Ling family members who had mistreated her, severing her ties to her biological family. She continues to navigate the palace, using her ghostly abilities and the System's resources to maintain her position as the Emperor's spectral aunt, while secretly planning to manipulate the court and the Emperor himself to ensure her mission's success and her own dominance in the God-Lord Space.
