Chapter 109-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
[False Hidden Protagonist: Sykes, True Hidden Protagonist: Ye Zheng!]
Tang Mingxi let out a hiss upon seeing this title. This guy was even better at stirring up drama than her, putting her baby Zheng and the popular character Sykes in the same title to drag one down to praise the other—not afraid of getting clapped back?
She thought about it and figured, so what if it drags Sykes? So what if they clap back? That side was pretty punchable anyway, and her Ye Zheng stans were always the honest type—no dragging, just objective analysis.
[#1: False Hidden Protagonist: Sykes, True Hidden Protagonist: Ye Zheng!]
[#2: Objective analysis, not dragging anyone. "Hidden protagonist" is a neutral term, no praise or贬 for the two characters. Accept that and keep reading.]
[#3: In the latest chapter, everyone's focus was on Percy and Sykes' fragmented memories—the info dump was huge, almost confirming that both Percy and Sykes are experiments of the Curia. But the chapter's opening was super intriguing—why was only Ye Zheng behind Sykes while he was giving that speech?]
[#4: Lurking here. I occasionally ship a bit of SyMing; the monarch-minister ship was rock-solid in the early arcs, but lately, why hasn't Yu Tianming been with Sykes?]
[#5: Sykes not bringing Yu Tianming this time is weird too. If Yu Tianming had been locked in the black chamber with Percy and Sykes, with Yu's support abilities, Sykes probably could've busted out right away.]
[#6: It's just the creator giving Ye Zheng more screentime, right? Since Yu Tianming's popularity can't match Ye Zheng's, it's pure commercial maneuvering regardless of the plot.]
[#7: OP, I think it's simple: Sykes no longer trusts Yu Tianming. He trusts Ye Zheng more—or rather, he needs Ye Zheng more, and Sykes' psyche is completely under Ye Zheng's control. That's why she has that so-at-ease smile (attached: zoomed-in Ye Zheng expression pic).]
Opposition voices piled up quickly below.
[#8: Ye Zheng's roughed up Sykes plenty; Sykes just needs her healing ability to repair his memories. How could he possibly trust her? Sykes isn't a masochist.]
[#9: Yeah... With Sykes' personality, he's likely to kill Ye Zheng the moment he's done using her ability. Sykes wouldn't allow anyone to control him or ride roughshod over him, so those shipping SyZheng just make me laugh...]
[#10: Nailed it. In *this manga*, the destined big bad for the protagonist is none other than Sykes. SyZheng shippers, watch out for Sykes dismantling your ship with his own hands hahahaha.]
Tang Mingxi rolled her eyes at these comments. Loaning out that Sykes could kill Ye Zheng? Sure, ability-wise Sykes might edge out her girl a tad, but the IQ gap was a freaking chasm!
The OP seemed more even-tempered than her, replying to the doubters with reason and evidence.
[#13: At first, no one guessed that the one who would ultimately wield the God of Hope's divine sword would be Ye Zheng, and there are still tons of mysteries behind her drawing the sword—enough to show just how deep and terrifying this woman is. Has everyone already forgotten the shock of Ye Zheng's identity reveal after just a few weeks?]
[#14: As for the mysteries of Ye Zheng drawing the sword, I'll give one example—where did Yin Kong go?]
[#15: ! How'd we Yin Kong stans get dragged into this? That guy's always popping up out of nowhere; maybe he'll swing back in the West District arc.]
[#16: Speaking of which, Yin Kong vanished after Ye Zheng drew the sword, but what does that have to do with Ye Zheng? Bai Muqing hasn't shown up in the manga since either.]
[#17: Was just planning to lurk as a casual fan for the fun, and now I'm called out?]
[#18: Haven't you Yin Kong stans noticed? In the one-on-one duel phase before entering the temple, even Bai Muqing and Sierra got close-up shots, but Yin Kong and Zhao Mei didn't. So who was Yin Kong dueling back then...?]
[#19: Holy crap, now that OP says it, we all assumed Zhao Mei got stuck in the earlier phase because she offered herself up willingly, but working backwards from later events, Ye Zheng absolutely entered the one-on-one duel trial to get the sword!]
[#20: Wait, you guys aren't saying Yin Kong, he—he got taken out by Ye Zheng...? ]
[#21: No way, everyone came out of the one-on-one duel phase fine, and Yin Kong's still a high-popularity character. How dare the creator kill him off?]
The OP continued replying.
[#22: When thinking about Ye Zheng's behavioral logic, best not to frame it as "what would the creator design," but "what would Ye Zheng do"—after all, even the creator said he can't control the Ye Zheng character.]
[#23: As everyone said, Ye Zheng's ability isn't dominant in front of characters like Percy, Sykes, or Bai Muqing. Her biggest trait is she's extremely skilled at lying low, then striking with one fatal blow. In that process, she has to hide herself to the max, so Yin Kong's precognition ability was her biggest obstacle!]
[#24: Whether Yin Kong's really dead or not, the later plot might give a proper reveal. I'm not guaranteeing it, but Ye Zheng's suspicious points go beyond that.]
[#25: Oh god, this is giving me bad vibes now, but I'm still betting Yin Kong's alive. How could a mysterious fun-seeker character die so anticlimactically?]
[#26: OP, keep going—curiosity fully hooked!]
...
[#35: Alright, continuing then. All this is just my speculation; don't blame me if it's off-base.]
[#36: Please recall the famous scene where Ye Zheng first won over fans head-on: the Saintess raising her gun, holding the line at the shelter during the suspected insect crisis. The badass moment won a ton of fans, but it sparked no small controversy at the time—plenty accused her of being a bleeding heart.]
[#37: Is Ye Zheng a bleeding heart? Recall Zhao Mei's first appearance: she fell into crisis saving a cat and got rescued by Percy. The barrage was all "pretty waifu" and "cute femboy," but honestly, if she'd appeared as Ye Zheng, she'd absolutely get flamed as a bleeding heart.]
Doubting voices surged again below.
[#38: It was just to build her persona so the protagonist group would trust her, right? I always said that cat-saving bit felt forced and brainless, but with the barrage full of waifu and cutie talk, I didn't dare speak up.]
[#39: Ah, as a former Zhao Mei stan, I got randomly kicked— what does this have to do with gender? That arc was just cute as hell. But thinking it was all Ye Zheng acting it out makes me wanna hurl...]
[#40: Stanning Zhao Mei is my biggest internet black mark; got backstabbed hard.]
The OP puzzledly posted a question.
[#41: Zhao Mei's "dark" side showed up when she choked Yu Tianming in the Blood Flower Demonic Domain, and Zhao Mei stans accepted it pretty well back then—even her popularity spiked. In my view, turning into Ye Zheng doesn't OOC her at all?]
[#42: Right, that choking Yu Tianming scene in the Blood Flower arc is super interesting too. To stop Yu Tianming from using civilians, she showed violence and ruthlessness—that side absolutely couldn't be Ye Zheng faking it, 'cause it clashes totally with the image she built in the protagonist group.]
[#43: Getting here, Ye Zheng's behavioral logic is crystal clear: she's someone who'll use any means for justice, whether gentle healing, sly disguise, or violent threats.]
[#44: No, where's the justice in Ye Zheng seizing the sword? Looks like OP's just a Zheng stan secretly whitewashing her.]
[#45: True road passer, always wondered why you guys flaming Ye Zheng for taking the sword assume it's Percy's? Just 'cause Percy had a dream?]
[#46: Upstairs sounds sus like a Spring Bamboo, so how'd Ye Zheng even know about the divine sword? 'Cause Percy trusted her enough to spill the dream, duh—like introducing your crush to your bestie, only for your bestie to snag 'em instead.]
[#47: That metaphor upstairs cracked me up. In reality, nobody cares about your crush.]
The OP kept replying to the doubters.
[#48: Asking where the justice is in Ye Zheng taking the sword? Simple: she needs status and power on her path to justice. Why would she pass up the divine sword she schemed to get? It's the same logic as Percy beating rivals, claiming the dragon bone, rising to the top, and achieving his goal of keeping the lower district safe.]
[#49: Look closely, both their goals are super just, but their methods are worlds apart—one takes the orthodox hot-blooded shonen protagonist route, the other a near-villainous dangerous path. That's why I say Ye Zheng's the hidden protagonist.]
[#50: Compared to Sykes, she's the real foil to Percy.]
Seeing this, Tang Mingxi recalled all the moments she'd been drawn to Ye Zheng. She'd never quite known how to pin down the character before, but reading this sister's analysis today, it suddenly clicked why Ye Zheng hooked her so hard.
She was vivid and complex, not some see-through paper doll—every little edge and corner could unearth new charms. The swirling controversies around her only added flesh and blood; this endless potential was even more thrilling than stanning a real-life girl group idol.
The OP's bold speculations quickly drew a swarm of replies, the floors piling up fast.
...
[#178: The more I think, the more I feel Ye Zheng really is this manga's intelligence ceiling. Remember after the Blood Flower incident, when Sierra hijacked the Saintess on the plaza to expose the Pope's scandals? The news of Ye Zheng's "disappearance" came from Zhao Mei and Bai Muqing telling everyone—which means Ye Zheng wasn't hijacked at all; it was her putting on a show!]
[#179: Holy beans, Ye Zheng's got more layers the deeper you dig. I remember Ye Zheng was a victim's family member in the Blood Flower incident too, so she self-directed a Saintess execution play to take down the Pope? Sierra's under her thumb too?]
[#180: Wait, this means Bai Muqing and Ye Zheng's connection runs deep, but in the manga, they seem totally unacquainted—didn't Yin Kong say they can't stand each other?]
[#181: Anyone remember Bai Muqing's ability? Nothing escapes her eyes in her Divine Domain—which means she's been covering for Ye Zheng the whole time...]
[#182: Finally, someone notices the ship I stan! I knew that look in her eyes wasn't innocent!]
[#183: So Ye Zheng's secretly linking up with other female characters on the down-low—what's this, Queen of All Women? (a queen who draws in every female character)]
[#184: Ye Zheng's so shady; is she running some evil organization in the shadows?]
[#185: You have your Illuminati, I have my Saintess Society...]
[#186: Organization, rest assured—joined the Saintess Society today. Zheng Gate!]
[#187: I knew this "objective" vibe that secretly hypes Ye Zheng had that familiar white lotus tang? One look at the ID, isn't this the road passer sis from last time who posted "Ye Zheng reclaimed her own flesh and blood"?]
[#188: Sneaky scheming Zheng road passer, you lured me in again, but I admit your analysis makes sense. Ye Zheng always gave me this just-yet-evil contradictory vibe—still prefer a pure protag like Percy.]
[#189: First time seeing fans who love shoving their main into the villain spot for clout. No matter how badass your big heroine Zheng gets, the ultimate winner's destined to be Percy—our big male lead's gonna trample everyone underfoot; your girl's just a stepping stone~]
[#190: #189's mouth is foul. We Zheng stans never demanded big heroine status—it's you guys slapping that label on to shade Ye Zheng. If you can't stand a girl outshining your boy in might and wits, just say it straight.]
[#191: Even if Zheng stans did want big heroine treatment, so what? Femdom's full of big male leads; what's wrong with a big female lead in danmei? Bunch of petty small-minded dudes—proves guys just aren't as magnanimous as gals~]
The excellent fellow stans quickly reined in the chaos; Tang Mingxi was thrilled. Her Zheng stans' average combat power was just that fierce.
She glanced at the OP's ID—same IP as hers—and her heart itched. Really wanted to friend this stellar fellow stan.
While the forums exploded into CP and plot wars, a total free-for-all among the factions, Ye Zheng had no time to browse the juicy threads.
Zhou Yun's thick mist enveloped her in one wrap, and in the blink of an eye, the scene around her shifted completely—the urgent footsteps of Percy chasing from behind vanished too.
"Where is this?"
Ye Zheng asked dubiously; the slightly worn, empty hall echoed with no reply.
She scanned her surroundings. This was a church: semi-transparent stained windows, a not-too-ornate dome, and a half-worn statue—
The statue wasn't the distinctly masculine God of Hope one from the upper district's grand cathedral, but a more slender, gentle-tempered ancient god statue, just like the one she'd seen in the labyrinth hiding the divine sword.
Ye Zheng approached, tilting her head for a closer look, when a stern voice laced with a tremor of fear shattered the silence.
"Who are you? Why are you here!"
Ye Zheng turned her head; an elderly nun was staring at her in shock and suspicion.
"...Hello, I got lost and ended up here by accident. Could you tell me what place this is?"
Ye Zheng offered a friendly smile, asking politely.
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