The Female Lead Decides to Act Wickedly

Chapter 708: Chapter 287 This Time It’s Swindler Again (3)

He Tiantian received the ”Immortal Elixir Map,” which was not a skill to be imbued but a secret manual that required learning and practical operation.

Clicking ”learn,” He Tiantian’s Divine Soul entered a Virtual Learning Space created by this secret manual.

An old man with white hair and beard, exhibiting the aura of a sage, stood surrounded by shelves filled with various bottles and jars, with an Alchemy Furnace placed right in front of him.

He Tiantian respectfully kneeled in front of him, watching as the old man explained each elixir recipe, then guided her hands-on in refining them.

The entire ”Immortal Elixir Map” consisted of ninety-nine recipes, some of which sounded extremely sophisticated by their names alone.

Fasting Pill, Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, Nourishing Yuan Pill, Clear Spirit Pill—these were all basic elixirs.

Others could extend life, heal all kinds of diseases, expel evil spirits, and preserve one’s vital essence, among other effects.

The effects were numerous, and the quality was divided into basic level, middle level, and high level.

It took He Tiantian over thirty years to master all the elixir recipes proficiently and to be able to refine high-level fine elixirs.

”Thank you, Master!”

Even though the figure in front of her was just a character formed by the virtualization of the secret manual, after having learned from him for over thirty years, spending every day together, and appreciating the old man’s patience and detailed guidance, He Tiantian could not help but thank him.

The phantom of the Immortal Master smiled at He Tiantian, then slowly dissipated.

He Tiantian’s Divine Soul was also sent back to the library space.

”Alright, Tiantian, the item has been redeemed. Can we start the mission world now?”

Student Xiao D was still curious—all three character scripts had potential, but Jia She had the most operability.

Mrs. Wang was not bad either; with proper handling, she could redeem herself and even change the plot.

As for Jia Jing, tsk tsk, without even a proper appearance, just a minor character mentioned by others, why had Tiantian specifically chosen him?

Even if she wanted to play a swindler, honestly, Ma Daopo next door had more parts than Jia Jing.

”Okay, let’s start.”

He Tiantian had noticed Student Xiao D’s confusion but chose not to explain further.

The role of Jia Jing, and what it would eventually entail, couldn’t be explained in a word or two; she preferred to let Student Xiao D find out on their own.

Compared to Student Xiao D’s aversion, He Tiantian actually quite liked it.

It wasn’t that He Tiantian liked the character setting of Jia Jing because he certainly wasn’t a positive character.

Cao Dada also wrote in the original work ”The End of Good Affairs”: ”All degeneration and ruin came from Jing; the chief culprits of family collapse were from Ningguo Mansion.”

That is, the calamities of the Jia family originated from Ningguo Mansion.

And the decline of Ningguo Mansion began with Jia Jing.

Jia Zhen was absurd, and Jia Jing, as his father, should have been even more ridiculous.

Some fanfic even mentioned that Jia Jing was obsessed with cultivation and was involved in Dual Cultivation.

Xichun was an innocent girl born from the persecution by Jia Jing because of her awkward status, so she was not close to her legitimate elder brother, Jia Zhen.

She was raised in Duke Rong’s Mansion all her life, instead of living in her own home.

Of course, some disputed this speculation.

Because Jia Jing wasn’t considered a Taoist; he didn’t formally renounce secular life but only cultivated at Xuanzhen Temple.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, Jia Jing would also come back to conduct the ancestral worship ceremony, and only after the Lantern Festival would he return to the Taoist Temple.

That is to say, each year Jia Jing would stay in Ningguo Mansion for about half a month.

During this period, siring a child with one of his concubines or bonded maids wouldn’t be considered absurd.

One thing for sure, Jia Zhen and Xichun were not born of the same mother.

It wasn’t likely for Jia Jing to engage in Dual Cultivation, but he indeed passed the imperial examinations to become a Scholar, yet he gave up his noble title and the position of family head to his son and went to the Taoist Temple to cultivate, allowing Jia Zhen to commit all sorts of misdeeds—this was his greatest fault.

Regarding why Jia Jing was obsessed with cultivation, there were numerous fanfics speculating about it.

For instance, like Jia She, Jia Jing was also a follower of the Abdicated Crown Prince.

The Abdicated Crown Prince ruined things, Jia She degraded himself to live a dissolute life, while Jia Jing retreated into the Mystical Sect to avoid disaster.

Another speculation was that Jia Jing initially attempted to change the Jia family’s standing by opening imperial examinations, shifting them from martial nobles to dignified civil servants.

Unfortunately, this path was not easy, and after facing setbacks, Jia Jing recoiled and withdrew to the Taoist Temple, unwilling to shoulder the responsibilities of a family head or a father.

In the former case, Jia Jing could easily be redeemed like Jia She.

If it’s the latter, Jia Jing might also be considered a pitiful person—he did try, just not persistently enough.

However, these are all settings from other fanfics.