Chapter 1: The Genius Summoner’s Beloved

"Yu Xuan, is this what you summoned?"
The arrogant voice carried a hint of mockery.
Lu Ningshi suddenly opened her eyes and found herself standing at the center of a glowing red formation.
Several people surrounded her, and one of them crossed his arms over his chest, chin raised in disdain as he looked at her.
"A woman-shaped beast is the most useless of all," he said.
"Let me give you some advice: if you want to boost your strength, you’d better kill her and get a stronger one," he added.
Lu Ningshi: "..."
Kill whom?
Her?
So bloody and intense, right from the start?
[Host, do you accept the plot?]
A cold mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
Lu Ningshi glanced at the arrogant man and answered, "Accept."
[Transmitting plot...]
A wave of dizziness swept over her; her fragile body shuddered uncontrollably as her head throbbed with pain.
The man scoffed and said, "So stupid—standing there motionless, trembling at the sight of a person. Is your true form some cowardly stump spirit that dares not show itself?"
Just you wait!
Lu Ningshi gritted her teeth and endured, glaring fiercely at the man.
The original host was named Poison Vine, a mandrake spirit who had long cultivated a human form. As a flower, her abilities were weak, but her mind was vicious.
By chance, she was summoned by the genius conjurer Yu Xuan, becoming his sixth contracted beast.
Poison Vine had grown used to freedom, and being forcibly summoned made her resentful. She refused to fight for Yu Xuan and rejected the idea of recognizing a human as her master, so she pretended to be utterly useless.
Many thus doubted Yu Xuan's reputation as a genius, mocking and belittling him.
Poison Vine did not acknowledge Yu Xuan, but outsiders’ ridicule was also an insult to her.
This stirred anger and dissatisfaction in her heart.
So she feigned pity and told Yu Xuan she disliked sleeping in the alternate space awaiting his summons, wishing to move freely in the real world.
Conjurers were generally kind to their beasts, and Yu Xuan was no exception.
He decided Poison Vine was merely a pretty ornament, harmless enough to let roam, so he agreed.
After gaining permission, Poison Vine behaved for two days before her sinister intentions awakened.
She quietly approached those who looked down on her, releasing toxins that plunged them into illusions, causing them to turn on each other and die.
This world was divided between ordinary people and conjurers.
Conjurers were the elite, possessing countless resources—true darlings of fate.

Most conjurers looked down on ordinary people and had no defenses against a weakling like Poison Vine.
Their carelessness led to many deaths at her hands.
The president of the Security Association investigated and eventually focused suspicion on Poison Vine.
They ordered Yu Xuan to surrender Poison Vine, to execute her publicly as a warning.
Yu Xuan was cold-hearted, showing no sympathy.
Upon learning of her crimes, he handed her over without hesitation.
Poison Vine was locked in a specially-made cage, unable to escape.
Still unwilling to give up, she released a fragrant haze to lure the guards into opening the cage.
She escaped and killed the keeper in the process.
Now, she had enraged everyone. Yu Xuan, protecting his reputation, mercilessly destroyed her.
Poison Vine died in pieces, and the mandrake tribe became targets for conjurers everywhere.
Even at death’s door, Poison Vine felt no remorse.
She only thought her fate was unbearably humiliating.
If she was to be vicious, she should have unleashed her power from the start, turning the world upside down.
Even if it meant dying sooner, it would have been worth it.
In the gilded hall, strange glances and whispered gossip filled the air; Lu Ningshi felt and heard it all.
She stood at the center of the formation, calm, showing not a hint of discomfort at being the focus.
This was the beginning of the summoning—the day the original host feigned weakness.
Then... let’s begin.
"Yu Xuan, how long are you going to wait? Why haven’t you acted yet?"
The man continued to provoke, "Could it be you’re smitten by this seductive beast and want her to warm your bed? Hahaha—"
A fist landed squarely on his nose.
His laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by a shrill scream.
Yu Xuan’s lowered eyes flicked upward, cold and emotionless, a trace of bewilderment passing through his gaze.
"You can't get wisdom from the mouth of a dog. Since you’re so canine, let me tear you up myself and save everyone from your noise," Lu Ningshi said with a chilling smile.
She was a contract worker with the Bureau of Time and Space—it was nothing for her to beat someone up.
Fulfilling the original host’s dying wish was easy; she herself had no patience for those she disliked, and acted even more decisively.
"You, a useless woman, dare hit me?"
The man clutched his bleeding nose, screaming in disbelief.
"Still calling me useless? I’m beating you precisely because of that!"
Lu Ningshi appeared before him in a flash, raised her hand, and as he prepared to resist, kicked him three meters away.

A feint, a successful ambush.
Lu Ningshi planted her foot on his chest, tossing back her fiery red curls that hung over her eyes. Her alluring lips parted, "That felt good!"
She crouched down slowly, her brows and eyes wild and unrestrained. "Little trash, you’re nothing but a stinking stone in a latrine—all mouth, no action."
"You’re asking for death! Blazing Fiery—"
Before the word "Wolf" could leave his lips, Lu Ningshi slapped him across the face; the crisp sound stunned everyone present.
This woman—so fierce!
Everyone around was left with only that thought.
The man’s eyes bulged, his mouth agape as he stared at her in disbelief.
He twisted his lips and cried out in despair, "Yu Xuan! Yu Xuan, your beast is acting without your command, aren’t you going to rein her in?"
"A thick-skinned piece of trash, still calling for help?"
Lu Ningshi raised her right hand again, full of vigor.
Mid-air, a broad palm gripped her wrist, halting her advance.
Lu Ningshi tugged, but could not break free.
She turned angrily, gritting her teeth as she demanded, "Let go of me!"
Yu Xuan glanced impassively at the people in the hall, coaxing quietly, "There are too many people—keep fighting and you’ll lose the moral high ground."
"Mind your own business!"
Lu Ningshi’s face was cold; she refused to relent.
Yu Xuan sighed, feigning a threat, "Then I’ll have to send you back."
Lu Ningshi suddenly remembered the pitch-black, handless alternate space from the original host’s memories, and pursed her lips.
She disliked that dark, sightless place, which would limit her abilities.
"Consider yourself lucky."
Lu Ningshi allowed Yu Xuan’s strength to help her up, stumbling ‘accidentally’ in the process and stepping right onto the man’s stomach.
"Ah—"
"Oh~"
Lu Ningshi covered her lips in surprise, apologizing with guilt, "I’m terribly sorry. As you said, I’m delicate and frail—a little unstable on my feet."
Once again, the crowd stared in shock.
A hint of amusement flickered in Yu Xuan’s eyes. Sensing the others’ astonished glances, his brows furrowed tightly.