The female supporting character in a sad novel doesn’t want to die [Transmigration]

Yu Zhengzheng is the illegitimate daughter of the Sect Leader of Mount Penglai, raised in the outer sect with a wood spiritual root that has become nearly useless since the Ghost King slaughtered the Eastern Dragon Clan a millennium ago. Her life is defined by suffering at the hands of her stepmother, Lady Lu, and her favored half-sister, Yu Jiangjiang. For seven years, Yu Zhengzheng has silently served her senior brother, Rong Shang, performing menial tasks like cooking and laundry, only to be treated with indifference and contempt. The narrative begins when the Ghost Sect announces a recruitment drive for spiritual furnaces for the Ghost King, offering immense wealth to those selected. Yu Jiangjiang, who possesses the pure yang constitution required for the role, manipulates Yu Zhengzheng into taking her place, hoping to escape the fate while securing a valuable artifact for herself.

The conflict escalates when Ghost Sect enforcers arrive at Mount Penglai to execute Rong Shang, revealing his connection to the Ghost King. During the confrontation, Yu Zhengzheng attempts to save Rong Shang but is stabbed and pushed toward a cliff. In a pivotal moment, Rong Shang refuses to help her, prioritizing the cleanliness of his white robes over her life. As she falls, Yu Zhengzheng experiences a sudden influx of memories, realizing she has transmigrated into the body of a supporting character in a tragic romance novel. She remembers that in the original story, Rong Shang would eventually lose control of his inner demons, skin her alive, and use her heart blood to save the female lead. Armed with this foreknowledge, she resolves to abandon her devotion and escape her doomed fate.

After surviving the fall, Yu Zhengzheng wakes up and confronts the servant who drugged her, forcing her to hand over spirit stones and staging a false assault scandal to cover her escape. She attempts to retrieve a gift she had saved for Rong Shang but discovers he had been feeding her cooking to his dog and using her laundry as bedding for it. Realizing the depth of his disregard, she cuts ties with him and confronts her father, the Sect Leader. She negotiates a deal to go to the Ghost Sect in Yu Jiangjiang’s place in exchange for a large sum of spirit stones, but the Ghost Sect unexpectedly selects her directly due to her unique constitution and the Ghost King’s interest.

Yu Zhengzheng travels to the Ghost Sect on Mount Guixu, accompanied by Yu Jiangjiang and other disciples. During the journey across the Dead Sea, she demonstrates her resilience and sharp wit, resisting illusions that prey on emotional attachments. Upon arrival, she encounters the Shura King, the current ruler of the Ghost Sect in the Ghost King’s absence, who attempts to coerce her. Instead of fearing him, she cleverly manipulates the situation to extract a promise of payment from the bankrupt Shura King. She also meets Xiao Yuqing, a handsome cultivator from the prestigious Yuling Sect who offers her protection, further complicating her dynamics with Yu Jiangjiang.

The story reaches a critical turning point during the selection process for the Ghost King’s furnace. The Ghost King, who is revealed to be Rong Shang in disguise, tests the candidates with lethal consequences for false declarations. When it is Yu Zhengzheng’s turn, she avoids the trap set by the Ghost King by declaring her willingness to serve him in a humiliating manner, thereby sidestepping the death sentence reserved for those who offer their lives. The Ghost King, amused and intrigued by her unconventional response and her lack of fear, spares her and summons her to his palace, the Luan Palace. This unexpected attention marks her shift from a victim to a central figure in the Ghost Sect’s power struggles, setting the stage for her to navigate the dangerous politics of the cultivation world on her own terms.