Chapter 38

"By the way, Li Yixin, have you seen the latest update of Throne of the Aberrant Realm? My destined wife has appeared!"

"You used to say you weren't into 2D stuff at all! I've been trying so hard to recommend Zhao Mei, and you never budged! Wait, don't tell me you've finally been moved by Zhao Mei?"

"Oh come on, just go read the new chapter and you'll know!"

Li Yixin hung up the phone in confusion. This friend of hers was a real-life social butterfly who chased celebrities. She had only started reading Throne of the Aberrant Realm because of Li Yixin's persistent recommendations. Although hooked by the plot, her friend still showed no interest in pushing 2D characters or investing deep emotions in fictional ones.

Yet just now on the phone, her friend's voice had sounded as excited as when she fangirled over Zhao Mei. What on earth happened in the new chapter?

Li Yixin twirled her pen. She had completely lost any motivation to do homework now. She opened the manga app on her phone.

The previous update had brought a storm of controversy for Zhao Mei. Pei Xi fans and Zhao Mei fans were still entangled in endless arguments and passive-aggressive sniping. It pained Li Yixin to watch. She had been thinking of taking a break from this manga that she both loved and hated. As a senior in high school, she could not handle the emotional rollercoaster. But her friend's mysterious comment had reignited her curiosity.

The new chapter continued directly from the previous plot.

The aberrant realm that spawned black shadows was destroyed. Zhao Mei mysteriously appeared before the protagonist team and told Pei Xi she might have to leave for a while.

Li Yixin sighed. This chapter probably would not feature Zhao Mei much. Fortunately, there was plenty of Zhao Mei fan content now to console herself with.

On the screen, the Cloud Soarers without Zhao Mei seemed a bit downcast. Zhao Mei was too mysterious; even his residence while recuperating and other relationships were unknown. His teammates wanted to check on him but had no way to do so.

Until the next afternoon, when the detector lit up again. The Cloud Soarers immediately perked up. Pei Xi glanced at the location on the detector, and his expression changed.

"This is where I grew up."

The rest of the Cloud Soarers exchanged looks. Come to think of it, Pei Xi was quite mysterious like Zhao Mei. They had met at Cloud Academy, and Pei Xi always kept silent about his past.

"This distance is pretty far, and it's very close to the Royal Academy..."

Roy reminded gravely.

"No, I can't feel at ease letting Sykes and his team handle everything. They have no empathy."

"I'll go alone. This has nothing to do with the competition; it's just my personal matter."

The black-haired, blue-eyed teenager pressed his lips tightly together. His eyes were dark and dim. The author's skilled art perfectly captured a moment of lonely detachment. Originally, Li Yixin's favor toward Pei Xi had dropped due to irrational character bias, but seeing this panel, she could not help feeling affection again.

So far, the author had kept Pei Xi's past deeply hidden. All that was known was that he lost his parents in the "Blood Flower Incident" and became an orphan. Tested with the lowest E-grade talent, he could only attend a poor ability academy. Later, for unknown reasons, he transferred to the nearly bankrupt Cloud Soarers Academy. Through various competitions, he led Cloud Soarers Academy to shine brightly. The academy escaped bankruptcy and became a hot ability school in the lower district.

"What are you saying! We're the inseparable Cloud Soarers! Don't even think about going off alone!"

Lu Qi huffed and patted Pei Xi's shoulder.

The tall Kyle showed a wronged, downcast expression. "I-Is it because we're dragging you down too much..."

Roy scratched his blond hair in bewilderment, tone somewhat regretful. "Hey, I was just objectively analyzing the difficulty. Who said I didn't want to go?"

Seeing this, Li Yixin smiled in relief. The bonds in a shonen manga's protagonist group were still solid. No matter how readers argued outside, the Cloud Soarers were a warm family.

【My heart aches for Pei Xi with that expression】

【Pei Xi has such a noble face...】

【The protagonist group are all good kids!】

【Can I say it? Things have been much more harmonious in the group without that certain someone】

【This is the original Cloud Soarers!】

【How are people still turning corners to hate on Zhao Mei? Why bully my Zhao Mei like this?】

【Old Uncle is finally going to reveal Pei Xi's past. I'm ready for the big knife, woo】

Opening the comments, Li Yixin did not expect people still openly "only-four-ing" in the barrage.

She had learned this term from her friend who stanned girl groups. Solo stans often rejected one member, believing the group was perfect without them. She had not expected people to pull the same thing in Throne of the Aberrant Realm.

Even though Zhao Mei joined later, he was a fully accepted and loved member of the Cloud Soarers!

Li Yixin continued reading, fuming.

It took the Cloud Soarers considerable time to reach this aberrant realm. Surprisingly, they only encountered one team from the middle district inside. It seemed everyone feared the crown prince's strength and gave up this scoring opportunity.

"Wow, this middle-district big sis is so cool and beautiful!"

Li Yixin exclaimed at the short-haired girl on screen. The new sis had a great figure too. Her tight black long dress outlined graceful curves, revealing small patches of snow-white skin at the chest and waist.

She did not think anything was wrong. Such attire was even considered modest for 2D female characters; Li Yixin was used to it.

After entering the realm, Pei Xi gave up searching for the core to score points and instead led the Cloud Soarers to rescue ordinary people. Li Yixin sighed that this mindset was indeed worthy of the protagonist.

Scrolling down, Sykes's striking face appeared in the next panel.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, it has been a while."

"I would not have guessed you had an interest in shepherding."

The arrogant, dazzling boy nearly filled the entire panel. Li Yixin admired the crown prince's handsome face for a while before noticing a concerning figure in the corner of the manga: black hair, white dress. Even sketched roughly, she was very eye-catching.

It was Ye Zheng, the woman who once caused a storm on the forums. Later, Zhao Mei took over as the new controversial character. Still, readers occasionally dissed this character on the forums.

"Sir, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

The saintess in white stepped forward to ask a strangely shaped man. Immediately after, countless insects burst from the man's body, crawling all over her screen. Disgusted, Li Yixin quickly scrolled past.

In the scattering crowd, more people successively exploded with horrifying insects. Under the encirclement and suppression by the Cloud Soarers and Royal team, the insects were quickly eliminated.

Then the Divine Academy appeared. Bai Muqing cooperated with Ye Zheng to extract the parasitic eggs from human bodies, resolving the hidden danger.

Li Yixin noticed both were holy-type beauties. Standing together, they surprisingly looked quite pleasing.

Li Yixin had complicated feelings toward Ye Zheng. Previously, she shipped Pei Xi and Sykes, so she felt some dissatisfaction toward this suddenly appearing female character who seemed likely to develop romantically with Pei Xi.

But now her main push was Zhao Mei, and Zhao Mei was suspected to be siblings with Ye Zheng, so she no longer disliked Ye Zheng. She just treated her as an ordinary female character.

However, this ordinary female character once again stirred controversy in this chapter's plot.

"Your Highness, please allow me to stay."

The black-haired, black-eyed girl requested permission from the crown prince. She wanted to remain in the shelter to watch over it.

Even though Yu Tianming explained that staying was futile and it was better to destroy the realm quickly so the church could rescue the ordinary people, this church saintess still insisted on remaining.

The comments were filled with questioning voices.

【Speechless. Does staying make you look kind?】

【Big sis, no...】

【If Old Uncle can't write female characters, just don't. She's like an NPC.】

【There's a reason "kill the saintess first in the apocalypse" exists. In my opinion, just wipe out all the ordinary people inside. That way, no one else gets dragged down.】

【This is passive-aggressively morally kidnapping others, right? For her safety, others will definitely have to stay. I hope it's not my fave, please!】

【If someone has to die, let one person die. Don't drag others down!】

Li Yixin frowned as she read. Ye Zheng's behavior was indeed overly saintly. There was already a more proper solution, yet insisting on staying would only endanger herself and other contestants.

But the malice in the comments felt excessive. Ye Zheng had not even done anything yet, and they were already assuming she would cause terrible consequences.

Scrolling further, a clearly parasitized figure suddenly appeared behind Ye Zheng. In the close-up, Pei Xi's eyes sharpened as he noticed the monster.

"Fine, the author is pulling the cliché hero saves beauty again. Can male authors have some imagination when it comes to romance?"

Li Yixin could not help complaining. Assembly-line gentle pretty female character plus hero saves beauty and falls in love at first sight template: this was how cookie-cutter romance lines in male-oriented stories were born.

"Wait, wait, what?"

In the manga, Pei Xi acted as she expected: hands turning into blades, figure swift and cool. However, someone even cooler appeared!

The white-clothed saintess raised a black gun as if prepared. She turned sideways to face the ferocious insect-human directly. The muzzle pressed against its neck. Bang! Blood splattered everywhere!

In the manga, Ye Zheng occupied an entire full-page splash. The moment she pulled the trigger, she tilted her head slightly. The bursting blood inevitably stained her elegant nose bridge, soft cheeks, and even her thick, drooping lashes. Her pure white clothes were dotted with blood flowers. The monster fell backward with half its neck severed. For a moment, it was hard to tell who the cruel hunter was.

She seemed to detest the blood. Her expression turned shockingly cold for an instant.

Soon, Ye Zheng's face returned to calm. She turned around with the usual gentle, formulaic smile, as if she were still the assembly-line* gentle heroine Li Yixin had just complained about.

[T/N- Chinese internet slang term 流水线 (liúshuǐxiàn), which literally means "production line" in a factory. It used sarcastically to criticize a character trope that feels mass-produced, formulaic, and lacking originality, exactly like products rolling off a factory assembly line]

"I must stay." She stroked the gun in her hand and emphasized again.

This time, the expressions of the characters in the manga and the readers outside were astonishingly synchronized. Even the usually indifferent Sykes wore the same wide-eyed shock as the high school girl in front of the screen, unable to recover for a long time.

The monster was not hard to deal with; other characters could easily handle it too. But, but the impact of that scene was just too strong!

Li Yixin could not quite describe her feelings. She felt that in that moment, Ye Zheng possessed a cruel, unfathomable divinity completely at odds with her expected character setup.

She could not help screenshotting the panel of Ye Zheng blowing away the monster. This was her first time saving a screenshot for a female character.

Li Yixin finally understood who her friend was pushing. If she had heard it before reading this chapter, she would have thought her friend's taste was questionable. But after reading it, she completely understood!

Opening the forum, Ye Zheng's name once again dominated the screen after a long absence.

Last time, it was collective resistance to the female protagonist's existence. But this time, Li Yixin believed many people, like her real-life friend, had fallen hard!

The hottest post right now: 【Anyone discussing Ye Zheng in the new chapter? After reading, I really hate...】. The ominous title made Li Yixin click in curiously.

【1L: Anyone discussing Ye Zheng in the new chapter? After reading, I really hate...】

【2L: ...I really hate that old Uncle can't draw more of her! Please, let me see more of big sis Zhengzheng. I'll do anything!】

Li Yixin gasped. She had thought everyone still hated Ye Zheng.

【3L: Holy crap, I originally got into her just for the art. Before this chapter, I didn't dare tell anyone I was one of the niche Ye Zheng fans.】

【4L: Hello, I am a Ye Zheng pusher (adjusts bowtie) (stands up) (proud)】

【5L: Blood-stained saintess, dancing right on my XP!】

【6L: Not a Ye Zheng fan, but already set the close-up as wallpaper. One look and I feel like I could conquer the world. So damn cool!】

...

As expected, Ye Zheng's action at the end of the chapter shocked many readers. The contrast instantly gained her a lot of fans. However, the forum still had plenty of skeptical voices.

【65L: So Ye Zheng is whitewashed just like that?】

【66L: LOL upstairs. What has my girl even done to need "whitewashing"?】

【67L: Sure, that gunshot panel was drawn super cool by Old Uncle, but Ye Zheng herself is still a brainless saintess who drags everyone down. And now she's forcing Bai Muqing to stay behind too. As a Muqing stan, I'm fuming. This is bad luck.】

【68L: 67L, maybe change your username first? You're stanning Sykes that hard when he's not even that impressive? Stop hiding under female characters' skirts like a mama's boy.】

【69L: The logic of Ye Zheng antis is hilarious. When there's a dumb plot moment, they only blame my girl. When there's a badass highlight, they only praise the male author? Don't be so misogynistic.】

【70L: Passerby here. Objectively, Ye Zheng's actions really aren't rational. And to prop her up, the author suddenly gives her gun skills out of nowhere. Way too forced. I can't like characters who get random power-ups.】

【71L: The male protagonist Pei Xi gets dual abilities, but our female lead knowing how to use a gun is suddenly "OP"? Don't say Ye Zheng isn't the female lead. Just a month ago, you guys were all "boycott the female lead" nonstop.】

【72L: Seconding the above. Our Ye Zheng took all that hate for being the female lead. What's wrong with getting some actual female lead treatment now?】

【73L: My fave's only crime was getting in the way of CP shippers and delusional self-insert girls' fantasies. Now you don't have to worry anymore. My girl clearly isn't interested in your precious son~】

Li Yixin stared dumbfounded. Plenty of people still genuinely hated Ye Zheng, but the fighting power of Ye Zheng fans was way beyond her expectations.

...

【505L: Everyone stop fighting, because your Zheng is here!】

【506L: Hate is hate. Ye Zheng stans, don't be so overbearing. What's wrong with hating a female character with no real depth?】

【507L: Ye Zheng stans are terrifying. Cursing real girls over a paper 2D girl and accusing others of misogyny? Only your precious girl counts as female?】

【508L: Everything upstairs is right, but the cutest in the world compared to Ye Zheng: sorry, Baidu* can't find any results. The most saintly aura compared to Ye Zheng: sorry, page failed to load. The best-tempered mom compared to Ye Zheng: no data available.】

[T/N- Chinese Google. Not app but the whole IP. like search engine, maps, forum. Google is banned in china, well almost every big corporations from west is blocked]

Li Yixin narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 508L's username "Ye Zheng Manga Girlfriend Reserve #1" plus that familiar IP... no matter how she looked at it, this was super like her celebrity-chasing real-life friend! Already jumping into the fray this fast?

Her friend was pretty well-known in stan circles for making high-quality fan edits and clips. She had gone viral on Douyin* several times. Li Yixin had no idea what it would look like when she started stanning a 2D female character.

[T/N - Tiktok(2017) is world's Douyin(2016), well yep Tiktok too is banned(never made available rather than banned) in China, before someone ask "Isn't tiktok is by some chinese company?" yes it is I don't run the government. Although both of these apps own by same parent company Bytedance. Douyin ≠ TikTok (separate apps, separate data systems etc)]

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"If you stay too, the Divine Academy is probably wasting a trip this time."

Ye Zheng supported Bai Muqing as she asked with a smile.

"...What does that have to do with me?"

Bai Muqing's voice sounded genuinely puzzled.

"I have no interest in this competition."

Bai Muqing paused. "When it comes to the virtue of light, I won't lose to you in that."

"Also, don't support me. I can walk by myself."

Born blind, she relied entirely on her ability to sense her surroundings. Now inside the shelter, the deeper they went, the more obviously suppressed her ability became. Her perception grew fuzzy, but it was not to the point of needing assistance.

"Ah, it's just that my eyes are uncomfortable from the sun outside earlier. I had to lean on you."

"...Whatever."

Lu Qi was on the lowest level of the shelter, chatting and cheering up a group of anxious children. Hearing sounds, she looked up the stairs and saw two pure white figures descending side by side.

On the shelter's bottom level, people huddled closely together. The slightest movement made everyone tense. The crown prince's earlier arrival had excited them briefly, but once those powerful teenagers left, unease and terrifying imaginings about the unknown gripped their hearts again.

Until they looked up once more and saw two figures descending like true divine beings.

"Everyone, please maintain some distance from each other."

"I am Ye Zheng. From now on, my friends and I will take responsibility for this shelter until everyone is completely out of danger."

Some could not help standing up, gazing at that flawless face. As if sensing it, she looked down from above and gave a soothing smile.

If the crown prince was a distant, unattainable prophetic legend, even when he had stood above them moments ago, he felt out of reach.

Then Ye Zheng was the kindest saintess of the lower district. That face, as unrealistically beautiful as Sykes's, lived vividly in many hearts. She not only healed low-level ability users but ordinary people too. Any aberrant realm the church saintess entered always had the lowest casualties!

She was no legend. She was their certain salvation!

Overwhelming cheers thundered through the entire shelter. Bai Muqing, standing beside Ye Zheng, blankly turned her white pupils. Even though she could no longer sense these people's souls right now, the blazing, devout emotions were so vivid.

As a saintess, Ye Zheng performed the role far better than she had imagined.

『Wow, the energy here is as hype as the forums after the update.』

Amid the cheers, the system came back online.

"It's updated already?"

『Not only has the manga updated, your popularity has gotten a huge update too!』

The system's voice was full of excitement.

"Then the manga spoilers have updated as well."

Ye Zheng maintained her gentle, reassuring smile. Supporting Bai Muqing, she slowly descended the stairs. Her eyes revealed calm contemplation.

In the original plot, a massive catastrophe would erupt in this shelter. If she wagered the popularity points she had now, could she reverse it all?

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Authors Note

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Ye Zheng stans are starting to form a proper group. From now on, the forums can have full-scale wars!