Chapter Text
Chapter One
A Prayer Answered with a Curse
Help .
She didn’t dare use any more exertion, not even to scream. All she could muster was her mind, her thoughts to plead with any and all listening deities.
Help me, God. Any god. Universe? If I don’t address the right one, I’m sorry!
The street loomed below, a fall of at least five stories, probably more. She couldn’t entirely remember how many flights she’d raced up.
I swear if you keep me alive, I’ll be a better person.
One broken street light flickered in the distance. Not close enough to illuminate the small, struggling figure hanging off the tower.
Not that there was anyone here anymore. Everyone had left, and she wished it was because they hated her, but really it was because they forgot, and that hurt more.
“Of course, no one cares about the bitch, anyways.” She echoed her peers from earlier. But in her panic, she actually spoke aloud.
And no one responded.
She was all alone. Jasmine Jones’ mind whirled with names, each one more panicked than the last. Jesus? Allah? Krishna?
Zues? Hera, I won’t sleep with your husband!
Xie Lian??? Jun Wu?!
Whomever the fuck is up there, I swear I’m sorry! I’ll do anything! I’ll learn who you are! Just don’t let me die!
No one else could help her, unless praying actually worked, and Jasmine had always been a skeptic, and by skeptic we mean someone who so strongly yearned for magic or spirituality or any sort of reassurance that everything was not as it seemed, she didn’t dare believe it.
And yet. For a moment, she felt her arms strengthen, as if a holy spirit had possessed her body. She was able to pull herself halfway up, to grab for the railing. Raw hope bloomed in her heart, alongside a wonder if her prayer had actually worked.
Which god was she supposed to serve again?
Jasmine pushed those thoughts from her mind for the moment, squinting at the railing that wasn’t completely rusted into nothingness, slowly, slowly reaching for it.
And then, horror of horrors, a spider with a violet underbelly crawled across the rusted metal.
It was instinct. She jerked.
Her fingers slipped.
No – I can’t die from a spider – this has got to be a joke –
She teetered for only a second – felt the hinge snap off the railing she had been clinging to – yet still, for a second she had hope, for a second she wasn’t surrendered to death – and then she plummeted towards the earth below.
Jasmine screamed, louder and louder, because like hell was she submitting to death with dignity.
A shuddering crack, like lightning but hotter, stronger, angrier, surged up from her feet to the top of her head as she struck the ground.
Her brain felt like it exploded into light, completely dissociating from whoever and wherever she was.
Her last thought as Jasmine Jones was that the first thing she would do, if death was not the end, was spit in the face of whatever god had abandoned her.
She felt entirely numb, as if she no longer had a body. As if she was space and time herself.
The first voice to pierce the darkness was mechanical enough that she initially assumed she had, against all probability, survived and been transported to a futuristic hospital. [Activation Code: “Xie Lian.” System triggered].
[How may I address you?].
Jasmine’s eyes flew open. She’d have to take in the sight of her broken body at some point, right?
She was floating through virtual space. The voice came from, well, everywhere.
I didn’t picture God sounding like Google Translate , she thought bitterly.
[We welcome your entrance into the system. This system is based on the developing concept of redeeming unlikeable characters. We hope to provide you with the best experience possible. It is our sincere hope that during the course of your experience, you can achieve what you desired. To transform an evil stereotype into a multi-dimensional character in accordance to your wishes. We pray for your happiness].
Though she was surrounded by nothing but a voice, Jasmine felt herself beginning to spin and spin and spin. Her years of cheerleading had rendered her invulnerable to most motion-sickness, but this was about to be the exception.
And then she stumbled, and felt herself plunging downwards again.
Great, was this all a hallucination on her way to death? No, hadn’t she struck the bottom already? She remembered the pain, as momentary as it had been.
And then someone grabbed her wrist. She jerked so hard she felt her spine crack.
Spittle flew from her mouth, onto the cheek of a young man who dangled even below her.
“How dare you strike my woman?!” A young man in red robes emblazoned with fire and sun motifs held the dangling man, who looked quite pitiable. His complexion was ashen, his face thin and his cheeks bruised.
She looked up, because this was Mo Dao Zu Shi , that Chinese anime – and novel, and manga, and audio drama, and live-action – she’d been binging in secret.
Truthfully, Jasmine was familiar enough with culture to know it wasn’t an anime, but a donghua, nor a manga, but a manhua. But she feigned ignorance over Chinese culture to avoid any more jokes about her status as an international adoptee in a very, very white part of the United States. As her parents had the ignorance to name her Jasmine, she already stood out as the stereotype she didn’t want to be. Her fellow cheerleaders and football players would never stop nicknaming her “Mulan” if they knew she was into what they dismissed as “Asian” culture.
Jasmine gulped at the sight of an imposing man holding her wrist – evidently Wen ZhuLiu. With one hand he hauled her up, back onto his sword, and held her while the young man taunted their victim.
While Wen Chao taunted the untamed hero, Wei WuXian.
While no character looked precisely as they had been drawn, they remained instantly recognizable. Wen ZhuLiu, Wen Chao, and Wei WuXian all seemed like combinations of their two-dimensional and live action characters, as if they had been combined to form a ‘real’ person.
She looked to the red mark on her chest, which didn’t look like hers at all. For starters, while Jasmine loved low-cut tops, she often got away with school dress codes by having a small figure.
And, judging from the forming bruise, Jasmine realized that even without his core, Wei WuXian had hit her hard enough to kill.
[System activation successful! Binding your role: Mistress to Second Master Wen, of Wen Sect, originally from Yingchuan, Wang Lingjiao. Weapon: branding iron. Starting B Points: 100].
This isn’t the Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System ! she thought in panic. She had to be dying, or in a coma. This wasn’t real, because for starters, Jasmine was not lucky enough for transmigration to exist, and for second, she was not unlucky enough to be placed as the most odious character from the entire story.
Sure, she could be a bit of a bitch, and a bitter nerd had even called her a bully once, but she wasn’t that far gone.
Is this a joke?!
“Look at the dark air.” Wen Chao wore a grotesque grin. “Tsk tsk tsk, such strong resentful energy.”
[This is not a joke. You are now bound to the account ‘Wang LingJiao.’ Do you prefer JiaoJiao or LingJiao?]
Jasmine ! She’d always hated her name, but now that some half-assed hallucinated system wanted to take it, Jasmine was gonna cling to her name with every ounce of stubbornness she had.
[Name not found. Please try again].
Fuck you!
[Ten points awarded for being in-character].
Jasmine almost screamed, but the System would likely consider that in-character, too.
Wen Chao prattled on, indulging his sadism. “Even Wen Sect couldn’t help this place. We could only prevent people from going in. And you know what, this is still daytime. At night, now, anything can exist here. When a living person enters, neither their body and soul return for all eternity.”
He was speaking Mandarin. Jasmine had had just enough classes in high school to recognize the language. She had struggled with different tonations, and, coupled with her teasing classmates, had quickly dropped the course to sign up for Spanish like almost everyone else.
So how could she understand now? Was this also part of the System? Was she suddenly fluent? Were dreams ever so detailed they knew a foreign language?
[As the plot progressives, there will be many point-giving missions opened. Please ensure that the points never drop below zero. Otherwise, the system will automatically deport you back to your original world].
There is no way this is real! She was hallucinating some combination of The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System and Mo Dao Zu Shi!
Wen Chao ripped at Wei WuXian’s hair and cackled with glee. “And you! You won’t be able to get out for all eternity either!”
Wait! As disoriented as she felt, Jasmine realized that this was it. The moment Wei WuXian was hurled into the Yiling Burial Mounds. Even if this was a dream or a hallucination, she might as well try to save him!
Grab his hand ! She tried to lunge forward, only to have the voice in her head grow excruciatingly loud.
[Warning: Option “Saving Wei WuXian” is currently unavailable. It is a violation of character. OOC cannot be unfrozen at present].
Are you fucking kidding me ?! Then why am I here? I’ve already burned Lotus Pier, killed Madame Yu and Jiang FengMian, tortured Jiang Cheng and branded Wei WuXian! If I do this, I’m damned! Jasmine – now JiaoJiao – shrieked, just desperate enough to play along with this fake system.
But despite her desires, the system kept her frozen in Wen ZhuLiu’s firm grip.
And Wei Wuxian was already falling, falling down to the YiLing Burial Mound.
Her stomach churned.
You brought me back at the point where all hope is gone !
In despair – because JiaoJiao was already past the point of redemption, obviously, and everything was hopeless – she did the only thing the System would allow a weak, spiteful women to do: she pretended to faint.
“Wen ZhuLiu, we must head back to Wen Pier,” oozed Wen Chao’s greasy voice.
“Yes.” Wen ZhuLiu seemed about as talkative as Lan WangJi, though JiaoJiao would have infinitely preferred the latter’s company.
“How hard did he hit her? That bastard,” cursed Wen Chao.
JiaoJiao tried not to shiver at his fingers examining her chest. Stay unconscious, stay unconscious.
“He didn’t use spiritual energy. She will recover,” said Wen ZhuLiu.
At that, JiaoJiao bit her tongue. Aren’t you supposed to be smart? Also, I literally died, but okay.
“Give her to me,” snapped Wen Chao, and to her disgust, she found herself cradled in the arms of that obnoxious prick.
“You’ll be okay, JiaoJiao,” he cooed, and she briefly considered throwing him off his sword. Except Wen ZhuLiu would surely A) catch him and B) kill her.
Sword travel felt like flying on a skateboard, and JiaoJiao couldn’t help but resent that her eyes had to be closed through most of it. If she was gonna die by stuffing a chair leg down her throat and through her internal organs, she might as well enjoy flying first.
Fuck Wen Chao for being Wen Chao. Ruining everything.
Gradually, whether from her exhausting frustration, or her prevailing belief that she must be dreaming in a coma anyways, JiaoJiao fell asleep.
The soft scent of a candle drifted into her nostrils, gradually intensifying until she stirred awake.
Opening her eyes, JiaoJiao saw a small, dainty room of light wood. Crickets hummed in the evening outside, in symphony with a gentle lapping sound, like waves upon a lakeshore. One candle burned at the side of her bed, which bore two silk pillows and a canopy of pink gauze.
All very...fantastical.
Not a hospital.
All very...vivid for a dream.
Cursing, she sat up and took in her surroundings. The window was surrounded by a lotus motif carved into the wood.
System, this isn’t funny anymore. Can I go home?
[B points: 110 points. You cannot be deported to your world unless you reach 0 points].
Am I in Lotus Pier?
[It is called Wen Pier now].
WTF. No it isn’t. What, are you on the Wens’ side ? she shot back.
[I am on the side of the story. The present name is officially Wen Pier].
She scoffed and staggered out of bed, only to trip on her robes.
Hmm. JiaoJiao’s height had never been released, had it? She was quite a bit taller than Jasmine’s four-foot-eleven.
Pursing her lips, JiaoJiao noticed a small bronze mirror lying on a tiny table not far from the candle. Curious, she picked it up to examine her reflection.
Well, she had a prettier face than the donghua JiaoJiao, thankfully. A dark, perfectly round mole rested on the upper corner of her lip, just like the novel had said. Her face was heart-shaped, like the JiaoJiao of The Untamed . Honestly, Jasmine felt she was rather beautiful, which was a change from lamenting her oblong face with a tendency for breakouts.
Fortunately, her hair lack those two devil horns the donghua had given JiaoJiao, though Jasmine couldn’t help but feel slightly bitter that she’s lost the bangs and reddish lightening she had just used most of her allowance to buy.
She returned the mirror to its place and looked down at herself. Definitely taller.
JiaoJiao wore the revealing red robes of the live-action character, though her chest more resembled the character from the donghua. If she weren’t in such a predicament, Jasmine would have been thrilled to have a figure other than ‘tiny and athletic’ at last.
Of course, then maybe she would have had to deal with disgusting boys far sooner –
Jasmine clapped her hands against her ears, as if that could stop her thoughts. At least his famous nose was probably broken.
System, can you erase my memories?
[Welcome back, JiaoJiao. I can erase your memories, but this will also erase your knowledge and recognition of this story and change your settings from ‘difficult’ to ‘super difficult.’ This cannot be undone. Are you sure you would like to continue?]
What? No, abort, abort. Who put my difficulty on difficult? Put it on easy! She commanded the system.
[The default setting for JiaoJiao is ‘difficult.’ This cannot be lowered] .
You’re useless , she growled. I’m not smart enough to do anything difficult.
Jasmine only ever achieved average-to-decent grades in her high school. As soon as she turned eighteen, she had gotten her hair cut instead of registering to vote. She had applied to the same community college as her so-called friends, and planned to spend the next year finding out whatever she wanted to do with her life, and perhaps fighting some more with her parents over her lack of ambition.
I’m not ambitious enough to be JiaoJiao . She held up her finger as if the System were a real person she was currently arguing against. You should really recast me as someone, anyone else. How about MianMian?
[Luo QingYang has not been killed].
Oh, right. Well, Jasmine had always liked MianMian’s character and wanted her to be happy with her nameless husband and daughter, so she wasn’t about to wish misfortune upon her.
[Luo QingYang is a multidemensional character, unlike Wang LingJiao].
Excuse you, system ?! JiaoJiao balled her hands into fists. JiaoJiao is a poor girl who is barely literate, who exploits her own affair to benefit her family . She’s ambitious AF and a romantic at heart – remember she wanted to be the One for Wen Chao, and that one interesting remark after Wen Chao refuses to punish Wen ZhuLiu? She assures him she cares for him and implies she has no one else to care for! Just because she’s easy to dismiss as a sadistic slut doesn’t mean that’s all she is.
[Congratulations, JiaoJiao. You have unlocked Level Two of understanding your character].
“What does that mean?” she wondered aloud, while twisting her lips into a sneer.
[Fifty points are awarded for the nuanced understanding of a character you hate] .
“I am the character right now. How can I hate her?” she snapped. “Shouldn’t you freeze me again for being OOC?”
Oh. Unless JiaoJiao also hated herself?
Hmm. An interesting development. Then why was JiaoJiao so sadistic and pompous?
Well, why was Jasmine similar in the real world? Not that the funny comments she made to impress her friends should be considered the same as massacring a sect, demanding Wei WuXian’s hand and trying to brand MianMian’s face. But if it was all an act for Jasmine, couldn’t it be the same for Wang Lingjiao?
She shivered as the door opened, bringing welcome relief to her tumultuous guilt.
“Maiden Wang.” A maid shuffled forward on her knees.
[Name: unknown. Occupation: maidservant newly hired].
JiaoJiao waited warily, watching the maidservant shuffle forward. Heavens, that must be murder on her joints. Could any of QiShan Wen’s servants walk without cultivation?
“Second Master Wen has requested that we let him know whenever you awakened.”
“Where is he?” JiaoJiao did her best to sound bored. As if the servant was beneath her, as if JiaoJiao wasn’t one herself three months ago.
“In the main hall. I will inform him,” began the servant.
“No, no, I’ll go to him.” JiaoJiao had no desire to be alone in a bedroom with Wen Chao. Who knew what kind of fucked-up kinks he would be into?
“As you please, Maiden Wang.”
JiaoJiao brushed past the servant, but she couldn't help but stop. And ask, perhaps just to spite the system, “Uh, what is your name?”
The maidservant’s eyes widened slightly. It wasn’t hard to assume that no one in Wen Sect had shown her any interest since she began working for them. “Fang Li, Maiden Wang.”
“Thank you,” said JiaoJiao with a nod. “Fang Li.”
This Mandarin just made sense now, as if she’d spent her entire life speaking it. Thank you, System. I guess.
[We are pleased to provide you with our assistance, JiaoJiao].
JiaoJiao ground her teeth, but tried to give the maid one smile before turning to sweep down the hall.
Unlike the language, she did not automatically understand the layout of Lotus Pier. However, she didn’t need the system or a memory to find the loathsome Second Master of Wen. His whiny voice was loud enough to guide her all on its own.
A servant opened the door to reveal Wen Chao holding a cup that reeked of ethanol, yelling belligerently at a blank-faced Wen ZhuLiu.
JiaoJiao’s stomach turned at the smell. Fuck these memories of the real world. If this was a dream, why did she remember that this wasn’t the real world?
Just pretend this is your life now. It would all be over soon, she promised herself.
Three months. She had three months to either achieve such a level of goodness that Wei WuXian would spare her life when she hadn’t been able to spare his, or – more likely – drive Wen Chao to abandon her before Wei WuXian reemerged from the Burial Mounds.
[Driving Wen Chao to leave you would not result in JiaoJiao’s salvation. Under such actions, JiaoJiao would not achieve the goal].
I hate you.
[Plus ten points for being in-character. Total points: now 160].
Motherfu–!
“JiaoJiao, my beloved! You’re awake!” Wen Chao turned to stagger towards her.
She forced a smile onto her face. Right now, she fucking hated her life, but regardless of whether this was real or a dream, she was still grateful she had a life to fucking hate.