Chapter 1: The Transmigrated Weaver

“Cult Leader! I missed you to death!”

“This place is truly strange. Everyone dresses even more indecently than I do, but why is it that you, Cult Leader...”

Li Sui grabbed the restless hands of the woman in red before her, her voice trembling slightly as she looked at her: “Zhinang?”

Damn it, how did she end up in the 21st century!

Zhinang was breathtakingly beautiful, a textbook definition of enchantment; every movement she made exuded a soul-stirring charm.

At this moment, her thin red gauze skirt accentuated a waist so slender it could be held in one hand. Once she confirmed the person before her was the Cult Leader, her boneless, delicate frame leaned into Li Sui’s embrace: “Cult Leader, it really is you. Now I can rest easy. I opened my eyes and found myself here surrounded by strangers; I was terrified.”

A crowd of onlookers stood around, staring at her and the Cult Leader in stunned silence. Zhinang’s expression shifted instantly, her tone turning fierce: “What are you looking at? Believe it or not, I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

Her tone was so violent it didn't sound like a joke.

After speaking, she subconsciously glanced at Li Sui. Seeing that Li Sui hadn't snapped out of it, she feigned innocence and leaned back against Li Sui’s shoulder, her voice turning as soft as flowing water: “Cult Leader, you’ve lost weight...”

Her hand boldly slid toward Li Sui’s chest: “Even this has gotten thinner—”

*Slap!*

This time, Li Sui caught both of Zhinang’s hands.

Her expression was solemn. “Zhinang, how did you get here?”

Zhinang blinked. “This is just how I arrived! I thought I would never see the Cult Leader again. I heard something went wrong while you were executing the plan, and I was prepared to follow you to the grave...”

As Zhinang spoke, tears welled in her eyes, making her look incredibly pitiable.

The surrounding crowd gasped, completely forgetting Zhinang’s earlier threat to gouge out eyes.

A beauty of such classical elegance made the surroundings feel eight degrees brighter just by standing there!

Seeing the expressions of the people around them, Li Sui’s own expression grew even more complicated.

What a disaster!

She had thought that after transmigrating to the ancient world and serving as the Cult Leader of a Demonic Sect for a few years—diligently leading a group of bloodthirsty cult members toward prosperity and helping them escape poverty—retiring to become a chef would be the ultimate tragedy of her life.

Last night, when she transmigrated back, she hadn't even had time to cry with joy before she ran into Zhinang while going out to buy breakfast this morning.

Li Sui was only twenty-three, in the prime of her youth.

Yet, her entire future was visible at a single glance.

Zhinang, the Right Protector of the Demonic Sect, possessed a face capable of toppling nations and performed deeds just as destructive.

Rumor had it that she had single-handedly brought down an entire dynasty just by whispering in the Emperor's ear.

Of course, those were all rumors from before she joined the Demonic Sect.

Everyone in the Demonic Sect had legendary, over-the-top stories; as for whether they were true, Li Sui had no way of verifying them, right?

However, Li Sui believed the probability of them bragging was high. After all, if you wanted to gain status in the Demonic Sect, the best way was to make yourself sound as dangerous as possible.

Unfortunately, they had encountered a "legitimate" Cult Leader who had transmigrated from the future.

But that didn't mean these cult members were good people.

Although they hadn't done much actual arson or murder during the years Li Sui managed them, they certainly lacked moral integrity. Shouting about destroying the world, overthrowing dynasties, or "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me"... those were just daily routines.

Zhinang was an expert at fanning the flames, and she also loved competing for favor—literally.

She often used just a few words in front of the Cult Leader to pit others against each other.

When Li Sui had first transmigrated and was inexperienced, she had listened to Zhinang’s slanders and misunderstood many of the "loyal" members of the sect.

—It was absolutely not because she had fallen into Zhinang’s beauty trap and lost her basic intelligence.

Zhinang, dressed in a red ancient-style gown, was far too striking in both style and beauty. In this setting, she was like an 800-watt lightbulb. The gaze of the familiar neighbors and passersby toward Li Sui was already filled with suspicion. Feeling her scalp tingle, Li Sui quickly pulled Zhinang away.

“Let’s go!”

Without even thinking, she knew that after this incident, her already tenuous reputation in the residential complex would become even more precarious.

She had intended to buy breakfast, but Li Sui could only take Zhinang home first. She poured a glass of warm water and placed it on the table: “Just you?!”

Zhinang, who had been incredibly shocked since they entered the elevator but had forced herself to stay calm through sheer willpower, could finally no longer hold back.

“Cult Leader, where exactly is this?”

“Why is everything so strange! Why does water come out when you press this thing, and what is this object...”

Zhinang looked around everywhere; every piece of furniture in this house was an existence that defied common sense to her.

She had essentially turned into a walking "Why?" machine.

Li Sui rubbed her face. Unable to explain thousands of years of technological evolution, she could only give her the essential information: “This is the future, about a thousand years after your era.”

The dynasty she had transmigrated to was in a period of chaos, and she hadn't heard any familiar names.

Based on customs, she estimated the gap was roughly a millennium...

Zhinang froze.

A thousand years... later?

However, since Zhinang was a member of the Demonic Sect, her psychological resilience was tougher than an average person's. She calmed down quickly and looked at Li Sui, the only person who could answer her questions: “Cult Leader, how did you get here? And how did I get here?”

Li Sui was also exhausted. “I don't know either! Also, now that we're here, stop calling me Cult Leader. It’s bad luck.”

It was easy to get picked up for "ideological education."

If people found out she was a Demonic Sect leader, how could she ever show her face in the neighborhood again?

Seeing Li Sui's reaction, Zhinang suddenly smiled charmingly: “So, the Cult Leader was actually from a thousand years in the future?”

Li Sui knew Zhinang was clever, but she hadn't expected her to deduce the answer from just two sentences. After a pause, she didn't deny it: “Yes.”

“No wonder.”

Zhinang seemed to have finally found the answer to her long-standing question: “I always felt the Cult Leader was completely different from us. So that was it.”

Li Sui’s expression was complicated: “Zhinang, the situation back then was very complex. I can't explain how I ended up in your era.”

Zhinang nodded. “I naturally knew the Cult Leader could not explain such a mysterious matter, just as I cannot explain how I came here. Since I am a stranger in this land, from now on, I can only look up to the Cult Leader to continue looking after me...”

Before she could finish, the door was suddenly pushed open. A middle-aged woman wearing a fashionable dress and styled wavy hair pushed her way in, carrying a grocery basket.

She happened to see Zhinang leaning into Li Sui’s embrace.

Li Sui: “...”

Li Sui’s mother, a woman named Li Ping, instantly grew distressed.

“I had guessed the reason why you haven't dated anyone even at twenty-three. I thought you were just following the trend of being a 'marriage-abstainer,' but I didn't realize you were *this* trendy.”

Li Sui pushed Zhinang down to sit and held up her hands in a helpless gesture of explanation.

“No, Mom, let me explain...”

Li Ping walked in with her grocery basket and let out a heavy sigh.

“But it’s fine. Ever since your upstairs neighbor decided to marry his rice cooker, you aren't the main topic of gossip in the neighborhood just yet.”

“...”