Chapter 1: Simp Background Character

Chapter 1: Simp Background Character

She didn't understand.

Why was it that the same air—the same 78% nitrogen and 22% oxygen—could be used by the people here to fly through the sky and travel through the earth?

On the third day after her transmigration, Shuo Li reached a profound realization after much deliberation: She was going to starve to death.

After another failed attempt at cultivation, Shuo Li nimbly dashed out of her dilapidated shack to forage for food. As she walked, her eyes swept over a spiritual plant by the roadside. It was wreathed in spiritual qi and resembled a giant radish.

The young woman warily scanned her surroundings.

Good, no one's here.

She bent down and grabbed the plant's base.

One, two.

The stem didn't budge. The roots seemed welded into the ground.

"..." Shuo Li silently let go and brushed the dirt from her palms.

Fine, I can't pull it out.

It seems the Number One Sect Under Heaven takes its greening efforts very seriously. They won't even let me eat the grass.

Shuo Li continued her quest for survival.

Following the path she had just explored yesterday, she dragged her heavy steps toward the Outer Sect's Hall of Affairs.

As she approached the entrance, she happened to pass a puddle of water.

The young woman paused mid-stride. Using the blurry reflection in the water, she straightened the lapels of her washed-out white robes and wiped her face.

Yep, handsome and bright.

A little poor and shabby, perhaps.

But that's no matter.

Since she was a transmigrator, she must have some kind of "Child of Destiny" cheat, right?

—Surely they wouldn't just let her starve to death?

Shuo Li took a deep breath, straightened her back, flashed a wicked grin, and pushed open the creaking wooden door of the Hall of Affairs.

Less than ten minutes later, she was kicked out.

"No spirit stones to trade at the Hall of Affairs? Why don't you go beg at the foot of the mountain? Even the Outer Sect has rules!"

Martial Uncle's booming voice chased Shuo Li out, practically slamming into her heels.

She gnashed her teeth at the tightly shut door. "I'm only asking for a ten-stone credit! Ten spirit stones! When I rise to power and become the Number One in the World, I'll give you half of the entire Qingyun Sect!"

Silence reigned inside the hall for a moment, followed by a sneer thick with mockery: "Hah! Why don't you just tell me you'll seal the entire Cultivation World over to me after you unify the Three Realms?"

Shuo Li spun around instantly, extending her hand through the gap in the door with righteous conviction, as if negotiating a monumental deal. "Of course I will! If you want it, I'll even gift-wrap the Demon Realm for you!"

"Now, ten spirit stones. Deal?"

"..."

Dead silence.

Then came Martial Uncle's roar of unbearable fury:

"GET OUT!!"

It seems today's credit-seeking journey is off to a rough start.

After carefully considering her options, Shuo Li devoured the last of her assets—half a flatbread—and spent the day wandering the nearly unfamiliar sect to familiarize herself with the map.

Along the way, she transformed into a human vacuum cleaner, her eyes scanning the ground with fiery intensity for any spirit stones someone might have dropped.

But from the first light of dawn until the sun dipped west, she found nothing but a few fallen leaves and some small, toe-stabbing pebbles.

The soles of her feet were rubbed raw, and hunger gnawed at her like a parasite.

Shuo Li slumped against a wall, her consciousness drifting.

I never wanted to become a sect street-loiterer, but I'm just too damn unlucky.

In her past life, she had died from a nutrient solution poisoning. When she opened her eyes, Shuo Li found herself transmigrated into a book she had been reading while slacking off at work.

Her new identity was a background character with the same name—a female-disguised-as-a-man simp and waste who had clawed her way up from the mortal realm.

According to the plot, "Shuo Li" would fall in love with one of the female protagonist's harem members and eventually die a violent death on the battlefield.

Incidentally, her role was to gasp in shock from the sidelines during the Grand Competition or to stare at the female protagonist with horror during secret realm explorations.

What a bright future.

The next day.

Shuo Li set off from her dilapidated shack, determined to harass the Hall of Affairs as usual and attempt her "credit-based cultivation" strategy.

She strode down the steps, her gaze habitually sweeping the ground—

Huh?

In the corner of the steps, a faint yet impossible-to-ignore glint lay quietly in the dust.

A spirit stone—low-grade!

Shuo Li's heart leaped, and blood rushed to her head.

She froze, instinctively glancing left and right.

No one.

Suppressing the urge to pounce on it immediately, Shuo Li stuffed her hands in her pockets and whistled nonchalantly, walking straight past the spirit stone without a glance.

One step, two steps, three steps...

A few seconds later.

A black shadow, as if fast-forwarded, suddenly shot backward. With lightning speed, a hand snatched the stone.

The movement was seamless.

"Um... Junior Sister?"

Shuo Li stiffened completely and snapped her head up.

What met her eyes was a face so clean and delicate it awakened a protective instinct in anyone who saw it.

A pale pink dress, watery almond eyes—she was looking at Shuo Li with a trace of concern.

This was none other than the walking trouble-magnet of this old-school novel, the Child of Destiny, and the future center of a chaotic love web—the female lead, Luo Ying.

Shuo Li's internal alarms instantly blared at maximum volume.

Almost by reflex, she shoved the spirit stone deep into her pocket and squeezed out what she thought was her most harmless smile. "Hello, Junior Sister. Is there something I can help you with?"

Luo Ying seemed startled by her overly swift movements. "No... well, Senior Brother... do you perhaps need a spirit stone?"

"Need a spirit stone?"

Shuo Li's tone was light, feigning innocence and surprise. "Why do you ask, Junior Sister? I was simply admiring the morning light when I happened to see a glowing stone on the ground. I just thought it looked interesting."

As she spoke, she looked up at the sky with a serious expression, as if she were truly pondering some cosmic mystery.

Luo Ying stared, stunned by Shuo Li's blatant lying. She blinked repeatedly, seemingly trying to decipher this bizarre train of thought.

She seemed socially awkward, and as she forced herself to muster some courage, her voice grew even softer.

"B-but, when I saw you pick it up just now, Senior Brother... you looked... really happy?"

Shuo Li continued to spout nonsense, her face showing no sign of embarrassment.

"Perhaps it is because I am naturally optimistic, finding joy in all things. Even a small stone can make me marvel at the wonders of creation and the beauty of life."

Her tone was so sincere, she sounded like a truly cheerful youth who loved life.

Before Luo Ying could even finish processing this "profound insight," Shuo Li slipped away and bolted.

She had no intention of getting involved with the novel's female protagonist. Otherwise, how could she ever slack off?

She had no desire to be dragged into the melodramatic love stories between the girl and the Sword Venerable, the Sect Leader, her fellow disciples, or the Demon Lord.

But for the rest of the day, Shuo Li wandered the sect without any luck of finding another spirit stone.

Well, I guess I'll just have to try the credit-based cultivation method again to make a living.