I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script-Chapter 55

A Love for Labor

Everyone stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

From the massive palace hall not far away emerged a towering immortal clad in violet robes.

The crowd remained petrified, which puzzled Xu Shulou. "Aren’t you going to run?"

"We can’t outrun her," whispered a trembling little fairy beside her. "I’ve seen people try. Those who get caught face terrible consequences."

Xu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‍Shulou, ever curious, asked, "What could be worse than being ground into medicine?"

"..." The little fairy shuddered again, evidently finding her conversational skills lacking, and turned away in silence.

The violet-robed immortal soon approached, glancing down at the lifeless rabbit on the ground. "Who did this?"

Under her gaze, the crowd trembled in fear.

Ownership of one’s deeds was a principle Xu Shulou upheld. She sighed and stepped forward. "I killed it."

"Oh?" The immortal’s voice was icy, devoid of sorrow or anger, as she cast a fleeting glance at Xu Shulou. "If it was you, then you shall take its place."

"..."

"Come."

Bewildered, Xu Shulou followed her into the palace. Only when the immortal cradled her in her arms and began stroking her head did realization dawn. Xu Shulou spoke with difficulty, "I thought you meant for me to replace it in grinding herbs."

A voice, cold as winter’s breath, sounded above her. "If you’re replacing it, you’ll do both—grind herbs and serve as a pet."

"..." What kind of absurd twist was this?

Xu Shulou was on the verge of tears. She had no experience being a pet, whether for humans or immortals.

Her lack of aptitude didn’t go unnoticed. The violet-robed immortal eyed her with disdain. "You’re too small. Not as pleasant to pet as the rabbit."

Xu Shulou deadpanned, "You’ll have to make do."

After a moment’s thought, the immortal said, "Later, go to the Hundred Flowers Garden and ask for a blossom to eat. Tell them I sent you. They’ll oblige."

Xu Shulou blinked. "Eating a flower will make me grow?"

"Mm."

"Why would that happen? And how much bigger will I get?"

"You’re not as quiet as the rabbit," the immortal complained again.

Xu Shulou, now thoroughly disdained, sighed. "Then I’ll head to the Hundred Flowers Garden now and spare you my presence."

"Are you any good at your work?" the immortal suddenly asked.

"Probably not very."

"Then wait before going. Useless people who show up now might end up as fertilizer."

"Fertilizer?" Xu Shulou recoiled. "Are the little fairies sent to catch bugs actually being turned into fertilizer?"

"Of course not."

Xu Shulou exhaled in relief.

The immortal continued, "Only a small portion of them are needed."

"..." Rolling her eyes, Xu Shulou wriggled out of her grasp and leaped down.

"What are you doing?" the immortal asked.

"Saving lives."

"Why?"

"Because they’re living beings."

"Life isn’t particularly precious here."

"..." Xu Shulou looked up at her. "I know this is all an illusion, and I shouldn’t be angry. But you—all of you—what is wrong with you?"

"I’ll give you one last chance. Stay by my side as my pet, and I’ll spare your life," the immortal offered.

"Thanks, but no."

"..." The violet-robed immortal watched silently as Xu Shulou flew away, her expression unreadable.

Xu Shulou made her way to the Hundred Flowers Garden. As she soared above, the vibrant world of blossoms unfolded beneath her—a riot of colors, alive with fluttering butterflies and melodious birds, all bathed in an ethereal fragrance. It was a scene of breathtaking beauty, the very image of paradise.

In the distance, a tall and elegant celestial maiden plucked a flower, inhaled its scent with closed eyes, and smiled before placing it in her basket. The scene was picturesque, fitting perfectly with mortal fantasies of the immortal realm.

Lost in thought, Xu Shulou descended, withdrawing her spiritual energy as she touched the ground. The moment her feet met the earth, the sweet fragrance vanished, replaced by the metallic tang of blood.

The air reeked so strongly that not a trace of floral scent remained.

Looking up, she saw no flowers—only towering stems that loomed ominously from this angle.

The Hundred Flowers Garden, viewed from above and below, were two entirely different worlds.

For the towering immortals and the low-ranking fairies like her, it truly was a divide between realms.

It was the flesh and blood of the lesser fairies that nourished the immortals, allowing them to grow ever larger.

"..." Xu Shulou sighed softly. She just wanted to escape this painted illusion.

Her embroidered shoes trod upon crimson soil. She tried not to dwell on what had dyed it that color as she searched for the fairies sent to catch insects.

Regrettably, she hadn’t asked for names earlier. Shouting "Elegant Little Fairy" now might not yield a response.

Just as she fretted, the very fairy in question let out a shriek, giving her a clue.

Xu Shulou flew toward the sound and arrived at the garden’s center, where a colossal flower stood. Beneath it, several small pits had been dug, revealing grotesque roots. A celestial maiden with a flower hoe was in the midst of tossing the Elegant Little Fairy into one of the holes, preparing to bury her.

"Let her go!"

The maiden glanced at her indifferently. "Release her? Will you take her place as fertilizer?"

Xu Shulou voiced her confusion. "You use them as fertilizer, then consume the flowers to grow larger? Why not just eat people directly?"

The maiden gave her a strange look. "Do mortals eat insects raw?"

"..."

"That would be barbaric," the maiden said, shaking her head. "Besides, I prefer a vegetarian diet."

"..." The logic was impeccable, leaving Xu Shulou momentarily speechless.

As they spoke, the maiden began shoveling soil into the pit, raising her hoe to pack it down.

If that hoe struck, could anyone beneath survive? Instinctively, Xu Shulou drew her sword. Against the massive tool, her blade seemed laughably small—yet to her surprise, the strike managed to deflect the hoe, sending it crashing harmlessly into the ground.

The maiden frowned, hefting the hoe with both hands and swinging it down at Xu Shulou with force.

Never before had Xu Shulou faced such an overwhelming opponent. She focused entirely on evasion, darting and weaving beneath the hoe’s arcs, careful not to land where others might be harmed.

After dodging several strikes, she found herself mid-air with no room to maneuver. The next blow seemed unavoidable. So, gathering all her strength, Xu Shulou lunged straight at the maiden.

The maiden, unwilling to strike herself, released one hand from the hoe to grab her.

Xu Shulou used the maiden’s fingers as a springboard, propelling herself upward until she was eye-to-eye with her opponent. With a surge of spiritual energy, she drove her sword toward the maiden’s forehead.

The little fairies below watched in stunned silence. Never before had they witnessed a low-ranking fairy dare to challenge an immortal like this.

Xu Shulou felt her sword plunge effortlessly into the Flower-Hoeing Goddess’s forehead, leaving behind a tiny bloody hole. The goddess’s massive body collapsed, shaking the ground as it fell. Sensing the scent of blood, the exposed roots of the giant flower greedily extended a tendril, coiling around her corpse.

Xu Shulou herself was startled by how easily she had succeeded. "That simple?" she murmured in disbelief.

She landed lightly on the ground, where the Elegant Little Fairy was staring at her, face pale. "You killed her… How dare you kill her?"

This question again? Xu Shulou paused, a realization dawning. She looked down at her hands and answered, "I merely followed my instincts…"

Before entering the painting, the steward’s words—"there is no true dead end"—flashed through her mind.

She suddenly raised her head and scanned the crowd around her. "Did any of you ever try fighting back and killing them?"

"Of course not," someone replied. "The moment we entered the immortal realm and saw these towering figures, our courage shattered. After witnessing our companions flee and die horribly, who could muster the will to resist? We just prayed every day that we wouldn’t be next."

Xu Shulou frowned. "But there are so many of you. If you united, you could at least try."

"Actually, there is a way to avoid being killed here," a white-robed little fairy interjected. He stood surrounded by a dozen others, clearly their leader. "As long as you follow every rule, stay inconspicuous, and don’t cause trouble, you won’t be killed. See? At the banquet, only those who danced poorly were executed."

Xu Shulou turned to the Elegant Little Fairy. "Then what about you?"

"I don’t know… I suppose I didn’t do enough work today. But we—" She glanced at the other little fairies rescued from the soil, her face ashen. "We were delayed by something."

"...Wait!" One of the rescued fairies suddenly glared at the white-robed fairy. "This morning, you said the people of Echoing Melody Palace summoned us for something. But when we arrived, the gates were shut. A-Xiu, being naive, thought you’d made a mistake. But you deliberately sent us on a pointless errand, didn’t you? Because you knew those who did the least work would be chosen for pounding herbs or becoming fertilizer!"

The crowd erupted, instantly splitting into two factions, hurling accusations at each other.

Xu Shulou sighed. No wonder they never tried to fight back—first, their fear convinced them these towering immortals were invincible, and second, some had already figured out how to survive by sacrificing others.

"Enough," she said firmly, planting her sword on the ground to silence them. "What’s next on the schedule?"

The Elegant Little Fairy whispered, "Unless there’s a sudden order from above, we’re supposed to weave cloth next."

Good heavens. Not only were they indentured laborers, but it was an endless, cyclical grind.

"Since no one’s come to kill me yet, let’s go," Xu Shulou said, sword still in hand as she surveyed the group. "To the looms."

The white-robed fairy gave her a complicated look. "You’re still going to work?"

"Yes," Xu Shulou replied solemnly. "I love labor!"

The Elegant Little Fairy lingered behind, pulling her aside. "Aren’t you taking the giant flower? If you eat it, you’ll grow larger. Here, the bigger you are, the more respect you command. You’d never have to toil again."

"No," Xu Shulou said, slicing through the flower’s roots with her sword. "Like I said, I love labor."

"..."

As they wove, countless eyes flickered toward her—some in awe, others simply wondering, Why hasn’t anyone come to execute her yet?

Xu Shulou diligently finished two bolts of cloth, but when inspected, the immortal overseeing them still wasn’t satisfied. She raised a weaving shuttle to stab Xu Shulou’s hand. "You’ve failed two days in a row. I’m not as brutal as the others—I’ll only take your hands."

Xu Shulou dodged, leaping up to hover at eye level with her. "Well, I am as brutal as the others. If you take my hands, I’ll take your life."

"..."

Everyone finally understood—this woman didn’t love labor. She was waiting for someone to provoke her so she could strike back.

After killing another immortal and watching the body crash onto the looms, shattering several spinning wheels, Xu Shulou sheathed her sword. "If I kill all of them, do we still have to pound herbs and tend flowers?"

No one answered.

Xu Shulou turned to the crowd. "I don’t care about your disputes. But I’m carving a path out of here. Who’s coming with me?"

"..." Silence.

The scene froze. A familiar voice echoed from the void. "What are you doing?"

"You can see exactly what I’m doing."

"I see it. I just don’t understand," the voice sighed. "Those people are mere illusions. Why did you risk yourself to save them in the first place? Here, your survival is all that matters."

"You’re right. But if I retreat now, I’ll remember this cowardice for the rest of my life. How could my Dao heart remain unshaken?" Xu Shulou countered. "I don’t cultivate a path of self-preservation."

The voice grumbled, "Fine, stop wreaking havoc in my immortal realm. You’ve passed this trial."

"Passed? Why?" Xu Shulou pondered. "Why did these ‘immortals’ fall so easily to my sword?"

"This trial tests your courage," the voice reluctantly explained. "Not just you—anyone who dares to fight back would realize these so-called ‘immortals’ are hollow. I gave them towering forms to intimidate. Worked better than expected."

"..."

"Go."

"Wait—"

"What now?"

"You said, ‘stop wreaking havoc in my immortal realm.’ Does that mean this realm, unlike the earlier painting layers, isn’t just for me?"

"So what if it isn’t?"

Xu Shulou cut to the chase. "Are there other painters here?"

"..."

When no answer came, she grew more certain. "I remember their faces. I haven’t seen them among the little fairies. Are they still alive?"

The voice laughed darkly. "Who told you the other painters are still little fairies?"

"..." Remembering the Hundred Flowers Garden, Xu Shulou shuddered. After a pause, she asked, "This trial isn’t just about courage, is it? If I had eaten those flowers nourished by flesh and blood… what would’ve happened?"

"That would mean you accepted this realm’s rules. Take a guess," the voice snapped. "Enough questions. You’ve passed. Leave."

But Xu Shulou pressed on. "Tell me if there are other painters here."

"And what if there are?" the voice sneered. "Would you really give up your chance to leave for them?"

"Are you saying I can pass this opportunity to someone else and then take the test again myself?" Xu Shulou raised an eyebrow. "In that case, would I be repeating the same trials as before, or would you design new dreamscapes for me? Haven’t you run out of ideas yet? Can I choose the setting myself?"

"Wait…" The voice immediately backtracked. "That’s not what I meant. You misheard."