Time travel, but with the wrong script

“Wait, spare me!”

Mù Qīngyǔ shot upright in bed, eyes wide, a scream tearing from her throat.

A cold sweat drenched her.

The familiar hotel room surrounded her, not the hellish scene from her dream.

“What was that?”

“Just a dream.”

Her dark hair clung to her face, damp with sweat.

She sighed deeply, her golden eyes glancing at the pre-dawn sky outside before she collapsed back onto the bed.

She had just dreamt of being challenged by her fiancé, only to be brutally pinned to the ground and humiliated.

Even worse, this dream was destined to become reality three years from now.

Originally an ordinary adult male, he had transmigrated into this world after a stroke of immense luck, becoming the current Mù Qīngyǔ.

Good news: She was now a wealthy young lady, the kind who could live a life of leisure without a single worry.

Bad news: She had transmigrated into a novel, playing the role of the ‘fiancée who breaks off the engagement.’

As an avid web novel reader in her past life, even without fully integrating the original owner’s memories, she could deduce her own ‘fate.’

A classic tale: the protagonist’s engagement is broken, followed by a three-year agreement, after which the protagonist challenges her to reclaim their honor—all in one seamless, humiliating sweep.

But it didn’t end there.

Two years later, Mù Qīngyǔ’s deranged father, having sided against the protagonist, would sacrifice her in a live offering, making her a mere tool against the main character.

In her past life, she could watch such plots unfold with amusement.

Now that it was happening to her, she found absolutely nothing to laugh about.

“This script is all wrong!”

“I transmigrated, so why am I the one breaking off the engagement?”

Logically, transmigrators were supposed to gain cheat abilities and enjoy their new lives.

However, the current situation was anything but friendly for Mù Qīngyǔ.

On one side was the protagonist, a peerless genius.

On the other, a father so twisted he disregarded familial bonds.

Her time was limited to five years.

She was merely a novice transmigrator, and in this world where transcendent powers were commonplace, she couldn’t even skillfully wield her original body’s strength.

“Did I transmigrate just to live in constant fear for five years, then die a tragic death?”

“Am I just supposed to wait for it?”

Absolutely not!

Her body might have become female, but her soul remained that of the defiant man she once was.

Besides, she had no intention of fully embracing womanhood; getting married or rolling around in bed with a man was certainly not part of her life plan.

If she hadn’t found a solution, she wouldn’t have secretly snuck out of her home and traveled to Wufeng City, the very place where the protagonist resided.

Startled awake by the nightmare, Mù Qīngyǔ had no desire to fall back asleep.

Instead, she decided to familiarize herself with her new identity—a crucial part of her plan.

“The disguise is still holding.”

“It’s even more convenient than I thought.”

Even with the disguise, her beauty wasn’t obscured much.

The childishness had been erased from her face, making her appear slightly older.

Her dark hair flowed freely, her eyes were golden, and her height had increased slightly—the perfect elegant older sister type she envisioned.

Now, she was no longer the Mù family’s young miss, but a long-haired, black-clad fortune teller embarking on a journey.

Stepping out with the morning light, Mù Qīngyǔ set up a table and two chairs on the quiet street, then sat down to await her first customer.

It wasn’t long before a figure approached her stall.

“Can you tell fortunes?”

“Of course.”

She hadn’t expected her first ‘prey’ to arrive so quickly.

Observing the young man, barely eighteen or nineteen, Mù Qīngyǔ inwardly smirked, though her expression remained impassive.

Today marked Xǔ Tiānlí’s first day reporting to the Heaven’s Will Bureau.

After his father’s death, three legacies remained: the agency, savings, and this job.

Despite a recent string of misfortunes, Xǔ Tiānlí had risen early, washed up, and headed out.

He loved Wufeng City’s streets in the early morning, when few people were out, and fewer still would stare at him with strange eyes.

Standing by the roadside, he took a deep breath.

No matter how many unlucky things happened, life had to go on.

Even after his father’s death, this agency was his economic lifeline.

As for his spiritual pillar…

“Hmm?”

He noticed a woman setting up a stall by the road so early in the morning, but it wasn’t a breakfast stand.

She wore a thick robe, but her face wasn’t concealed.

From her appearance, she seemed to be a beautiful older sister, perhaps four or five years his senior.

Her long, dark hair cascaded naturally down her back, and she possessed a pair of peculiar golden eyes.

She sat behind a square table, her long, black-stockinged legs crossed and swaying gently.

A fortune teller?

After receiving her confirmation, Xǔ Tiānlí fell into a brief contemplation.

He had never seen a fortune teller on this street before.

Could she be from out of town?

Thinking it was still early, Xǔ Tiānlí sat down, curious to see what tricks she might employ.

“Place your hand on this crystal ball,” Mù Qīngyǔ’s voice was cold, as if the arrival of a customer brought her no joy.

Xǔ Tiānlí complied, placing his palm over the surface of the crystal ball.

The sphere emitted a soft, monotonous glow for a moment before settling back into stillness.

“Mm, I understand everything now,” Mù Qīngyǔ nodded slightly.

“What do you wish to ask?”

“My past,” Xǔ Tiānlí immediately replied.

“With all due respect, sir, your past is likely not an easy one,” Mù Qīngyǔ stated the harshest truth in the calmest tone.

Xǔ Tiānlí chuckled, a bitter, angry sound.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Who doesn’t know such a thing?”

He once had a complete family and even a childhood engagement.

But fate was cruel: he lost his mother at a young age, and his father, who had tirelessly raised him, had tragically passed away just a week ago.

Most significantly, barely after his father’s death, his never-before-met fiancée sent people to break off their engagement.

The matter caused a huge stir, known to everyone in the city.

He had once fantasized about becoming a famous person, but never imagined it would be in such a way.

He would rather not have it.

‘Trying to deceive me with something so easily discovered?’

‘Are scammers’ IQs really this low these days?’ Xǔ Tiānlí scoffed inwardly.

However, Mù Qīngyǔ was merely speaking truthfully based on her observations: a bitter expression so early in the morning hardly suggested a life of contentment.

“My second question is about the future.”

“That’s simple,” Mù Qīngyǔ nodded, then hovered her hands above the crystal ball.

The crystal ball radiated a spectrum of colorful light, illuminating both their faces.

“A rainbow of auspicious light—a sign that all things will go well.”

“Really?” Xǔ Tiānlí raised an eyebrow.

“What if I said the thing I want to do most is seek revenge?”

“Is that also an auspicious sign?”

“Hmm?”

Mù Qīngyǔ paused internally, thinking, ‘This kid doesn’t have good karma with others, to have made such personal enemies.’

To prevent her inner thoughts from being revealed, her words suddenly became earnest and profound.

“Whatever you wish to do, as long as you possess the resolve, it has already succeeded from the very beginning.”

“Heh,” Xǔ Tiānlí glanced away.

More pleasant nonsense.

If you truly knew what I intended, could you still be so confident?

A flood of unpleasant memories surfaced, causing his shoulders to tremble.

“I have one more question.”

Xǔ Tiānlí looked up, meeting her gaze again.

“Can you divine the reclusive master in the mountains behind Wufeng City?”

The answers to his previous questions could be found simply by lingering in Wufeng City for a while.

What he asked now was a truly challenging question.

“Of course,” Mù Qīngyǔ remained composed.

“Does he truly exist?”

“He exists,” Mù Qīngyǔ answered almost instantly.

“He has always been there; it’s just that your fate hasn’t aligned, so you haven’t seen him.”

“You said everything would go well for me.”

“Doesn’t that mean my fate has already aligned?”

“That’s not necessarily true.”

“I see a dark pallor on your forehead, indicating a recent calamity involving bloodshed.”

“What kind of calamity involving bloodshed?”

“Perhaps an otherworldly demon or something similar.”

“Young man, do you know the meaning of the phrase ‘extreme sorrow turns to joy’?”

“Only by overcoming misfortune can one turn bad luck into good, isn’t that right?”

This fraud was already spouting nonsense.

Xǔ Tiānlí touched the area around his eyes, thinking, ‘I haven’t slept much lately, so how can it not be dark?’

‘Otherworldly demons,’ he scoffed.

He had grown up in Wufeng City; there hadn’t been an otherworldly demon here in nearly ten years.

She was just talking rubbish.

“I understand, thank you,” Xǔ Tiānlí said, standing up.

“Wait, you haven’t paid yet,” Mù Qīngyǔ extended a fair hand.

“It costs money?”

“Sir, I never said it was free.”

‘It’s one thing to come here and mock me, but now you want to swindle money too?’ Xǔ Tiānlí’s expression turned serious, his hands tucked into his pockets.

“Madam, aren’t you afraid of the Heaven’s Will Bureau patrols?”

Through their interaction, he could confirm she was a Spirit Wielder.

Those who wield spiritual power are Spirit Wielders.

It was precisely because he couldn’t become a Spirit Wielder that his once-bright future was ruined, making him the laughingstock of the entire city.

The Heaven’s Will Bureau was to Spirit Wielders what a police station was to ordinary people.

However, Mù Qīngyǔ didn’t seem particularly concerned.

“Don’t worry, it’s still early.”

“They haven’t started work yet.”

“What a coincidence, then.”

Xǔ Tiānlí suddenly smiled, pulling a badge from his pocket.

“I am with the Heaven’s Will Bureau.”

“Please come with me.”