Chapter 55-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Tang Mingxi had just finished participating in a poll on the official account of King of the Demonic Domain when her friend, Li Yixin, sent her a message telling her the manga had updated again.
She got angry just thinking about that poll's groupings. It was clearly designed to let Percy's group and Sykes's group win. If the company didn't want to release merchandise for female characters, they could've just said so instead of pulling this kind of underhanded stunt to disgust people.
Although she had used over a dozen of her celebrity-chasing accounts to vote, the effect was minimal. A gap of several thousand votes was hard to close.
Tang Mingxi puffed up her cheeks. Just you wait. Fortunes change, and sooner or later, her girl would become a top-tier character!
She opened the new chapter of the manga. After the Demonic Domain collapsed, the Cloud-Soaring Squad returned to their quarters to rest. The black-haired, blue-eyed young man stayed in his room, thinking about the day's events.
Percy was thinking about Ye Zheng, and also about the Pope he had met that day. The Saintess was stronger and more resilient than he had imagined, making his desire to protect her seem presumptuous.
The legendary Pope seemed gentle and approachable, showing great concern for contestants from the lower district like them. These two figures from the Sei Curia were different from what he had imagined.
When the 'Blood Flower' Incident erupted ten years ago, it was a priest who had organized civilians to go in and die. Percy didn't know who this priest was, but ever since, he couldn't help but feel a repulsion towards clergy.
The girl's brave and resolute figure once again appeared on the screen, taking up almost an entire page and squeezing Percy's inner monologue to the side.
He thought, a girl like this is a true Saintess.
[Ahhh, no thinking! Mommy forbids you from getting into a puppy love!]
[The Pope is quite gentle with the kids, gives off a kind of male mom friend vibe?]
[So funny, the Ye Zheng in Percy's memories even has a super soft-light filter on.]
[Are all Ye Zheng fans elementary school students? Fantasizing all day that their fave is some super Mary Sue loved by all?]
[Creator, this can't be my Percy, right? Our great male protagonist isn't a tool to prop up female characters!]
[Percy stans, stop with the angsty love for Ye Zheng. Your little Percy might just be the biggest Ye Zheng stan, ya know~]
Tang Mingxi rolled her eyes at the bullet comments. It was clearly the guy who was unilaterally fawning over her, so why were the comments arguing over her girl again?
She quickly scrolled down. She wasn't interested in Percy's plotline; it didn't matter if the story felt disconnected. That's just how toxic solo stans were.
Initially, she had only started reading it for Li Yixin, not wanting to let down her friend's enthusiastic recommendation. So she had been perfunctorily reading along, occasionally chatting with Li Yixin about the plot to keep her happy.
Now, Tang Mingxi had Ye Zheng as a motivation to continue, but she had little interest in anything else. And right now, she particularly despised the manga's creator, and by extension, the characters the creator favored.
She had only heard about idol agencies suppressing their most popular members or making things difficult for their favored idols, but she never expected the ACG world to have such a speechless creator.
In the manga, the competition seemed to have been suddenly suspended because some contestants went missing. Percy went out to observe some Demonic Domain. Tang Mingxi suspected there might be no scenes with Ye Zheng in this chapter, as the Royal Team members had all returned to the upper district after the competition was paused.
She browsed quickly. As Percy was walking, he suddenly bumped into a person in black. She glanced at it and continued scrolling down, then abruptly scrolled back up.
The high-ponytail girl's umbrella had been knocked over by Percy. She bent down to pick it up and stood holding it. Under Percy's somewhat shocked gaze, a familiar yet strangely expressive face was revealed beneath the black umbrella.
The girl was dressed in a neat and sharp black shirt, a trench coat, and black leather boots that hugged her calves, making her figure appear exceptionally slender and elegant. In the gloomy rain, she was like a silent blade sealed in a dusty scabbard.
Her snow-white face was expressionless. Perhaps because of the umbrella, there was no highlight in her dark eyes, making her look a bit cold.
"Why does she look a little familiar?"
Tang Mingxi scratched her head, staring at the suddenly appearing girl in disbelief.
In the manga, Percy wore the same surprised expression as her. "I'm sorry... Ye- Saintess?"
It really was Zhengzheng! My girl has a new skin! And it's a new look with super reversal charm!
On the screen, the black-clad Saintess curled her lips, the coldness melting away. Her large, dark eyes stared directly ahead as she spoke, "Can you keep a secret for me?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Baby, my lips are sealed!"
Tang Mingxi responded excitedly from outside the screen. In this panel, Ye Zheng was facing the screen directly, as if talking to the person outside of it, so much so that she completely forgot the line was meant for Percy.
She had always felt the creator drew Ye Zheng's eyes too large, which sometimes looked strange—a kind of dated otaku aesthetic. But today, Tang Mingxi saw a different flavor.
The background color palette of this chapter was mostly black, white, and gray. The gloomy, rainy day dimmed and blurred Ye Zheng's consistent gentle temperament, instead highlighting a sharp coldness.
Those large eyes, smiling as always, gave off an illusory and unreal feeling when stared at for too long. They were like damp, dark moss, and like how one might fantasize about such a pair of eyes watching them in the dead of night. It inexplicably sent a shiver down Tang Mingxi's spine.
[OMG, does anyone else think Ye Zheng looks like a female ghost in this panel (not in a bad way)]
[The real female ghost #1 has appeared...]
[I thought a new cool big sister character was introduced. This is Ye Zheng?]
[Baby, you're a big-eyed cute ghost!]
[I increasingly feel that Ye Zheng's character design isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. She has a contradictory aura.]
Finally seeing her fave appear, and with a new look unlocked, Tang Mingxi immediately perked up and watched the plot carefully.
"Neither the Sei Curia nor my family knows I'm out. But, I can't help but worry about that..."
"It's alright, I just came from there. You should head back soon too, it's dangerous here."
In the manga, Ye Zheng gently advised Percy to go back early. Percy declined her good intentions; he had to see that Demonic Domain for himself. However, when he said goodbye to Ye Zheng, the boy was clearly disappointed, his earlier sullen, heavy-hearted mood gone.
And outside the manga, many readers felt the same sense of loss as Percy. This encounter seemed plain and unremarkable, with no exciting plot to speak of, yet it inexplicably left one's heart itching for more.
Next, Percy found a spot to secretly observe the Demonic Domain, which was extremely similar to the 'Blood Flower' Incident. The manga began to depict Percy's flashback. He remembered how simple and happy his life with his parents was before the 'Blood Flower' Incident, and how he had watched helplessly as his parents were devoured by the blood-colored Demonic Domain.
Tang Mingxi wasn't interested in Percy's past, but she still watched this part seriously. She remembered it was mentioned before that Ye Zheng was also a victim of the incident. Would there be a day when she could see Zhengzheng's flashback?
To be able to remain tolerant and kind after experiencing such a cruel event—what a good little girl she was, a born Saintess through and through!
After reminiscing about the past, Percy intended to leave, but unexpectedly saw a golden figure leap out from that blood-colored Demonic Domain. Tang Mingxi looked closely and saw it was a blond girl, carrying a black bag. Her style was quite cute and unique.
In a close-up shot, Percy's expression changed. He wanted to get a better look, but the figure had already vanished.
Tang Mingxi felt that the blonde girl was likely an important character. These mysterious, seemingly a-bit-yandere types usually had very high combat power.
Percy couldn't find the blonde girl. He had a gut feeling that some extremely important truth was waiting for him in that Demonic Domain, but for now, he could only go back.
A few days later, Percy decided to take the Cloud-Soaring Squad to brave that Demonic Domain. It wasn't just for points; he was a bit concerned about what exactly had happened in there.
His teammate, Zhao Mei, who had been missing for a while, actively sent a message that he was returning to fight alongside the Cloud-Soaring Squad. At the same time, Percy heard even more shocking news—Sykes was also heading to the blood-colored Demonic Domain. The body of a missing student had appeared in his room!
It was said to be so horrifying that even the Saintess, who was with Sykes at the time, fell ill for a day or two after returning home.
Right up until his departure, Percy was inexplicably questioned by Sei Curia clergy. It seemed two Sei Curia members had been murdered in the lower district. Percy was completely clueless about this. The two clergy members didn't press him for long, so he put the matter aside.
Tang Mingxi finished reading the chapter and was generally satisfied. Her fave's appearance was a pleasant surprise. If the creator could maintain this level, she was willing to castrate him and him alone in the future, and spare his father.
After reading the update, she habitually clicked into the forum and, unsurprisingly, saw a hot post about her fave again. That's how it was for a top-tier female character.
Currently, the two hottest posts were one titled [How did Ye Zheng end up looking like this? I totally can't vibe with it!] and another, [Does anyone get it? Today's update actually has a ton of info...].
She almost rolled up her sleeves to jump into the first post, but quickly realized it was an ally, joining the Zhengzheng mom-fans in praising their baby girl and collecting HD restored pictures of Ye Zheng.
What Tang Mingxi didn't expect was that the second post also had a lot of Ye Zheng-related content, and everyone was in a heated argument over it.
[#1: Does anyone get it? Today's update actually has a ton of info...]
[#2: That blonde girl should be a new character, right? Being able to freely enter and exit a Demonic Domain is too OP!]
[#3: The things that appeared in Sykes's room must be from the black bag she was holding. Looks like she's the mastermind behind this blood-colored Demonic Domain. A new villain?]
[#4: Sykes is the villain, right? She's playing a prank in Sykes's room. I think she's quite a righteous little girl.]
[#5: Ye Zheng fan above, hide your affiliation before you start subtly dissing other characters. Sykes and Percy just have a normal rival relationship. He just has a bit of a bad temper. That blonde girl doing such disgusting things is the real villain, isn't she?]
[#6: Just Sykes's hunting ground alone has harmed who knows how many people. He clearly wanted to kill Percy for real several times. Is that just flirting in the eyes of you Sykes stans?]
[#7: Crown Prince Sykes is just for fun. For true royalty, you have to look at the young miss, the creator's OC, Ye Zheng~]
[#8: Won't anyone feel sorry for our Sykes? He's constantly ostracized as a villain outside the manga, and now in the manga he gets bullied by some random character.]
[#9: Sykes? Bullied? What a niche combination of words.]
...
[#29: Everyone stop fighting! The original poster clearly wanted to discuss the plot!]
[#30: Ye Zheng fans are labeling others as villains, but I think Ye Zheng might be the biggest villain herself. Percy smelled blood when he ran into her, and she was dressed so suspiciously. Who knows what bad things she was doing!]
[#31: Just a reader, not a fan of any character. Honestly, what the person above said makes a lot of sense. Did Ye Zheng really just go to look at the Demonic Domain and do nothing else? The end of the new chapter said some clergy were murdered on that day. I'm really a bit suspicious of her... Besides Percy, only Ye Zheng and that blonde girl appeared that day.]
[#32: Whoa, that's actually possible! So Ye Zheng is likely not a good person at all. I always thought she looked fake, not like a good person.]
[#33: Ridiculous. You're reading the faces of 2D characters now?]
Tang Mingxi had just finished reading the Ye Zheng appreciation post and curiously clicked into this plot discussion post, only to find that this was the main battlefield for Ye Zheng fans!
Although she thought it would be cute if Zhengzheng turned out to be a 'white on the outside, black on the inside' villain, and she might even love her more for it, it was clear that many people in the post were using this as an excuse to stomp on Ye Zheng.
Tang Mingxi immediately joined the battle.
[#169: Percy can go secretly look at the Demonic Domain because of his tragic past, but Ye Zheng can't? She must have ulterior motives? She has no reason to kill clergy from the lower district. It's more likely those two ran into the blonde girl and were silenced.]
[#170: I support the post above. That speculation is more reasonable. I think the scene where Percy bumps into Ye Zheng is purely Old Uncle wanting to indulge in writing a romance plotline again. The new character probably did the stuff in Sykes's room and killed those two people.]
[#171: Don't Zhengzheng's mom-fans want to fight for everything? Fighting for the protagonist spot, fighting for royal status. Why aren't you fighting for the villain spot for your baby girl?]
[#172: I really think there's something wicked about Ye Zheng. I randomly dreamed about her choking me last night. So scary.]
[#173: I envy #172. Can Ye Zheng come choke me tonight?]
...
[#376: I remember the manga mentioned Ye Zheng was also present when Sykes found the body in his room, right? Maybe she's the one who put it there. Why else would she appear so coincidentally?]
[#377: Some of you are too idiotic for me to even bother flaming. My girl is part of the Royal Team. If you're going to accuse her of foul play, at least find some credible evidence. You're all just hating for the sake of hating.]
[#378: Seriously, if Ye Zheng did the killing and planted the body, she's hiding it way too deep. That kind of villain feels much scarier than Sykes.]
[#379: Marking this spot. I have a feeling some people in this thread have figured out the truth.]
Tang Mingxi scrolled through the increasingly intense discussion, wishing Ye Zheng really were the big villain so she could annihilate some people's favorite characters.
[#429: If Ye Zheng killed those two, wouldn't Percy be taking the fall for her? Terrifying when you think about it. How vicious...]
Seeing a new passive-aggressive comment about Ye Zheng, Tang Mingxi sneered and went full-on aggressive.
[#430: You're all right. Tell your baby boys to clamp their eggs, shrink their balls, and stand at attention in two lines. The biggest villain of King of the Demonic Domain, Ye Zheng, is about to descend! (Image attached)]
[#431: Damn, #430 is a queen!]
[#432: Sis, sis, I worship you! Ye Zheng, I will follow you!]
[#433: Politely saving the image~]
Tang Mingxi had photoshopped a picture of Ye Zheng from a few chapters ago, blood-stained and holding a gun, into a meme with the caption "Gonna kill you all!" The Ye Zheng stans who had been lurking in the thread all popped up, their posts drowning out the arguments. The thread was quickly derailed into a personal appreciation thread for Ye Zheng, with everyone sharing their own Ye Zheng memes.
For example, a picture of Ye Zheng smiling in a church had the words "'Zheng-men' forever (a pun on 'Amen')" photoshopped on top. There was also a cat wearing a bow tie with a water chain around its neck, holding two chibi Ye Zhengs, with the caption "Who are you calling Ye Zheng's dog"...
Tang Mingxi was very pleased. She quickly made another meme with the new picture of Ye Zheng. The girl in the black coat and with the black umbrella stared coldly at the person outside the screen, with the caption "I'll be watching you..." After she shared it in the post, it was immediately and happily saved by her fellow stans.
[#520: Today's new look turned me from a mom-fan into a yumejo... Falling in love with Ye Zheng is just too easy.]
[#521: If you dare bully me again, my master Ye Zheng won't mind destroying all of civilization for my sake!]
And so, this argument thread was inexplicably terminated, derailed into a personal meme thread for Ye Zheng.
In the manga world, Ye Zheng watched the direction of this thread. Some people, relying on wild guesses, had actually stumbled upon parts of the truth, which made her frown.
She began to think about how she could improve her actions to be more covert.
She didn't expect the subsequent turn of events, which left her not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Ye Zheng never knew before that her micro-expressions, magnified by the manga, could sometimes carry such subtle, profound meanings.
She could tell that the readers who liked her were constantly trying to clear her name, but after this whole operation, she seemed even more like a villain...
Actually, Ye Zheng had always considered herself quite righteous, especially when compared to the Pope and Sykes. In front of them, she felt she was exceptionally kind.
"These... 'memes' everyone is making? They're very interesting pictures."
Ye Zheng didn't know what memes were. The communication in this world only allowed for sending text to each other, but by combining the specific images and text, Ye Zheng roughly understood their function.
"They say 'saving the image,' how do they take these pictures?"
Ye Zheng's finger moved around on the screen, trying to "save the image."
The system couldn't bear to watch anymore and guided her.
[Long-press the image. Yes, then click save. But this phone of yours might not... Hey, it actually saved successfully?]
Ye Zheng looked at the photo album that popped up on her phone and nodded in satisfaction.
She mimicked the people on the forum and left a comment in the thread: [Thank you, very interesting pictures. Politely saving them.]
Ye Zheng looked again and noticed that her name was a string of meaningless random characters. She felt that was a bit impolite, so she changed her ID to "Ye Zheng".
[Ye Zheng
#699: Thank you, very interesting pictures. Politely saving them.]
Soon, someone replied to her post.
[#700: Oh my god, sis, how did you get that name? I'm so jealous!]
#700 was very curious. The forum's naming system prohibited using character names as IDs. How could someone show up with the name Ye Zheng?
It must be a system bug. This sis is really lucky!
Author's Note:
A very polite little girl.
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