Chapter 2: The Female-Dominant Version of Wu Dalang

“Changning, what are you doing?”

“Meditating!” Liu Changning pressed the speakerphone button.

With hands clasped and legs crossed, she sat by the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, a full moon hung high in the sky, its silvery moonlight shining bright.

A bout of coughing came from the phone, “You… still haven’t given up on becoming an immortal? I told you long ago that all those posts about cultivating immortality on the forums are nonsense, but you actually believe them.”

The long-haired woman remained unmoved. With eyes closed, her cherry lips parted slightly, “The spiritual energy on Earth is indeed depleted, making cultivation impossible. But absorbing the essence of the sun and moon every day at dawn and dusk can nourish the body and cultivate vitality. Don’t you think I’m becoming more and more beautiful? This is the reason!”

“Holy crap! Isn’t your beauty because I taught you how to do peach blossom makeup recently?”

“…”

“Hey, hey, hey! Why aren’t you talking?” The person on the other end of the phone clearly couldn’t stand the silence.

Chattering endlessly, “By the way, did you read that book ‘The Imperial Uncle’ I sent you yesterday? There’s a supporting character in it with the same name as you… The female-dominant version of Wu Dalang… Hahaha, awesome!”

Liu Changning’s eyes suddenly opened, her patience wearing thin, “Wei San, if you send me this kind of stallion novel again, be careful, I might destroy your flower and screenshot it to send to your sugar daddy!”

A wail came from the other end of the phone, “No! How is it a stallion novel? My goodness. You’re too busy cultivating immortality and have become an emotionless old cadre. You can’t deny others’ truth, goodness, and beauty. The female-dominant version of Wu Dalang also has true love for the male lead! It’s pure love, don’t you understand?”

“It’s getting late. I need to meditate. Goodbye!”

The moonlight was gentle, and the stars were densely packed.

Liu Changning habitually began to regulate her breathing, but without spiritual energy, all the regulation was useless. The only thing to be grateful for was that absorbing the faint essence of the sun and moon could strengthen the body and maintain her beautiful appearance.

After meditating for two hours, she obediently went to bed. After all, since failing the heavenly tribulation and transmigrating to the modern world, without the protection of spiritual energy, she was just an ordinary person who needed rest.

The moonlight was so beautiful that it was penetrating!

――

Fifth Year of Yifeng, Summer

Huashi Town, Xiqiao Village

At ten o’clock noon, there was no wind, and it was scorching hot.

The uncultivated yellow soil in the crop fields seemed to be about to catch fire. The peasant women who had not yet returned home stopped their work and rested under the big banyan tree at the edge of the field.

Looking around, only one person was standing in the entire crop field. A familiar woman raised her voice and shouted, “Changning, take a break. The sun is fierce. Don’t get heatstroke!”

However, unexpectedly, as soon as this shout was made, the slender woman not far away suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The villagers knew each other well. Seeing the pitiful woman from the Liu family faint, they all ran out from under the shade and jointly carried the unconscious woman to the old banyan tree.

“Is Changning okay?”

“Is she still breathing?”

“According to Doctor Lv, heatstroke is a temporary lack of air circulation. Pressing the person’s philtrum can wake them up!”

“I say this child is too unfortunate. Growing up like this, being enslaved by those uncles from the Liu family is one thing. Now that she has finally established her own household and married a husband in the county, thinking she could live a good life, who would have thought she would marry such a wastrel husband…”

“To be honest, if it were me, I would have long kicked out that fickle husband who has affairs everywhere.”

“Poor thing, the hardworking Changning. Look at her, she has been worn down to such a state!”

…

Amidst the noisy chatter, the women were talking one after another, not noticing that the woman lying flat on the ground had her eyelashes fluttering and suddenly opened her eyes.

The tea-colored eyes were full of brilliance, but it quickly dissipated and disappeared without a trace.

She propped herself up with her thin arms and sat up. The sound of her getting up interrupted the sighs of the surrounding women.

The villagers were kind-hearted. Seeing the pitiful and unlucky Changning wake up, smiles appeared on their dark faces, all breathing a sigh of relief.

Cui Dafu’s land was adjacent to Changning’s family’s three-mu plot, and the two had the best relationship.