Chapter 140-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
When Wen Jian saw the golden divine blood swimming slowly from the other end of the pool, tamely swimming into Ye Zheng's palm, his heart began to beat rapidly, and he finally realized what a huge mistake he had made.
He had been too impatient to get rid of Ye Zheng, so much so that he had given her a heavenly opportunity!
Wen Jian's face was somewhat twisted; he pinched the hand of a nearby priest and lowered his voice, "Turn it off quickly, turn off the projection!"
Percy, who silently witnessed this "miracle," looked at the flustered clergy and thought to himself that it was too late.
The scene of Ye Zheng cupping the golden divine blood had been deeply branded into the eyes of countless people. Not only did the Divine Sword choose her, but the divine blood also swam for her. Thus, she had become the indisputable Godsent. From now on, anything she did could be considered the will of God!
Compared to Ye Zheng's unshakable status in the future, what shocked Percy more was: could his blood really call out to the divine blood? What exactly was he? And how much did Ye Zheng know?
Witnessing with his own eyes how Ye Zheng used his blood to deceive the entire empire and complete a soul-shaking miracle, Percy couldn't even summon any anger in his heart. Looking at Ye Zheng walking out of the pool, he only felt a sense of powerlessness like a vast chasm separating them.
Ye Zheng was visibly pale and weak. Her lower body's white robe was wet and dripping with water beads, leaving a trail of water marks on the white jade-paved floor as she walked. Wen De, the knight, hurriedly draped a prepared coat over her and handed her a set of new clothes.
As the weak Ye Zheng passed by him draped in a black overcoat, her black eyes seemed to glance inadvertently, and Percy's eyes met hers for a fleeting moment.
He saw clearly that Ye Zheng was using her smiling eyes to tell him—"Thanks."
[Ahhhhh!]
[Ahhhhhhh!]
On the phone screen, rows of meaningless "Ah" characters occupied the chat box between the two.
Tang Mingxi and Li Yixin were studying in the library. Tang Mingxi turned on her phone when the time came, and Li Yixin couldn't help leaning over. Together, they finished reading the latest update of King of the Demonic Domain.
The plot this time made their emotions fluctuate wildly. Tang Mingxi regretted opening the update in the library immensely; seeing the end, she almost screamed out loud, but her extremely good manners allowed her to suppress her impulse.
In the new chapter, Percy and others were invited by the Emperor for a talk. The Emperor informed Ye Zheng that she was being sued for murder, and that her father would personally judge her.
As a Ye Zheng stan, Tang Mingxi's heart leaped into her throat as soon as she opened the manga. As the country's greatest power holder, the Emperor's attitude in his first appearance in the manga was extremely subtle, especially towards Ye Zheng.
The creator drew the Emperor's appearance with great care; this level of design meant he was definitely an important character. He carried an invisible sense of oppression as soon as he appeared. If he used his power and means to judge and convict Ye Zheng... Tang Mingxi was truly worried.
After all, Ye Zheng was not the protagonist of this manga; she had even stood on the opposite side of the protagonist many times. Although Ye Zheng was very popular now, it was possible for the creator to suddenly go crazy and send Ye Zheng offline!
However, the subsequent development of the manga made Tang Mingxi breathe a sigh of relief, but also feel a bit depressed.
Ye Zheng was half-imprisoned in the imperial palace. Her knight contacted Percy for cooperation, and the protagonist Percy agreed. At the same time, the manga scene cut to Crown Prince Sykes, who sent people to investigate the identity of the plaintiff suing Ye Zheng.
The male lead and the villainous male second lead of the manga were going to rescue Ye Zheng at the same time. Tang Mingxi felt relieved because she knew Ye Zheng should be fine, but the point of her depression was also this: the essential reason Ye Zheng would be fine was that the creator would not let their actions fail.
Ye Zheng's crisis this time was very likely just to facilitate the highlight moments of the male characters.
Percy's characterization in the West District Arc had subjected him to considerable controversy. Many people started supporting Ye Zheng out of rebellion against the plot, but Ye Zheng's greatest charm lay in her initiative and ability to act.
When most characters were pushed forward by predicaments, Ye Zheng proactively carved out a bloody path for herself. Whether she was righteous or villainous, her extremely strong character traits were fascinating enough.
But this time, the creator placed Ye Zheng in a predicament that reduced her subjective initiative. Ye Zheng had no time to prepare anything before being put under house arrest and judged; her space for action was severely suppressed.
What could Ye Zheng do? Unite with Percy, Sykes, and perhaps her father? Tang Mingxi didn't think that absolute independence was the only way to be a qualified strong female character, but the upcoming direction was obviously going to attribute the highlights to the male characters.
This handling method was too shrewd, as if saying: so what if Ye Zheng is powerful, wise, and has numerous battle achievements? In the end, doesn't she still have to rely on men to save her?
The following plot jumped immediately to the judgment day. The creator gave Percy, Wen Jian, Sykes, and even Ye Zheng's judge father shots and psychological descriptions, but Ye Zheng, the object of the judgment, was the only one without any frontal description.
Just when readers thought Ye Zheng's judgment would end after Sykes arrived, just when this ensemble scene, nominally about judging Ye Zheng but actually about men playing the hero saving the beauty, was about to draw the curtains, Ye Zheng lifted the curtain and applied for the Divine Adjudication for herself!
The Divine Adjudication that no one in the empire had ever passed; only by being recognized by the gods was there a possibility of survival. Tang Mingxi took it for granted that Ye Zheng, as the empire's most perfect Saintess, would definitely pass the gods' test.
However, Ye Zheng's actions once again exceeded everyone's expectations.
Tang Mingxi saw another side of Ye Zheng in this chapter. Her justice did not stem from the identity of the Saintess and faith in the gods. On the contrary, this girl simply used everyone's faith in the gods as a means, just as she said herself:
[For my goal, I will not spare any means, noble ones, dark ones, overt plots, conspiracies...]
Ye Zheng took Percy's blood. When she stood in the dyed-red pool holding up the divine blood, her slightly curved black eyes seemed to be smiling, and also seemed to be mocking...
Tang Mingxi immediately took screenshots frantically. She had already thought about how to edit the new god-tier scene. She would turn on her computer immediately after finishing next week's language exam.
It was her first time seeing a character like Ye Zheng. She embodied extreme contradictions: black and white, love and hate, everything was displayed vividly on her. Inside the manga, she tugged at the hearts of countless people in the empire; outside the manga, Ye Zheng also stirred the hearts of all readers.
When Tang Mingxi opened the forum, she was mentally prepared. This plot would definitely attract criticism from many people because Ye Zheng displayed an aspect that was not moral.
She used the protagonist, disrespected the gods, and deceived the entire empire. But so what? Tang Mingxi thought, this is Ye Zheng's boldness. Goodbye to those who don't understand!
Forum.
[I can't cope anymore, what to do if my fave really became a blood bag?] [hot]
[I really can't bring myself to like Ye Zheng; she is like a gender-swapped man. Does anyone understand this point?] [hot]
Tang Mingxi saw the first hot post and decoded the OP's fave character at a glance. She was just about to go in and mock them when her eyes caught the second post. She couldn't smile anymore. Who was so vicious to actually call her daughter a man?
[#1: I really can't bring myself to like Ye Zheng; she is like a gender-swapped man. Does anyone understand this point?]
[#2: In the West District plot, people have been hyping her up as liberating women, but does liberating women mean becoming as violent and murderous as men? The plot this time is even more speechless. Percy came to save her, yet she took Percy's blood instead and seized the recognition that should have belonged to Percy. Disrespecting the gods, deceiving the trust of ordinary people, it really makes me hallucinate some unscrupulous 3D men...]
[#3: Don't say I don't love women. I like Lucy, Bai Muqing, Wu Shu very much, and even think Sierra is quite cute. I just don't like Ye Zheng.]
[#4: The OP dares to gossip about a majestic Strong Female Lead. So bold, don't you want your life?]
[#5: Child, before saying you like Bai Muqing, type her name correctly first...]
[#6: It's annoying to watch Zheng-moms hype the Strong Female Lead. This plot of relying on fraud to muddle through the divine judgment has completely collapsed the Saintess persona. Neither Saint nor female.]
[#7: Don't get it. Percy and Sykes clearly came to save her, so why did she still apply for some Divine Adjudication?]
[#8: The current trend is that indiscriminately stepping on men makes one a Strong Female Lead. Poor Percy saves people only to be treated as a blood bag. Does anyone care that the divine blood actually recognized Percy?]
[#9: Ahhhh seeing everyone in the manga marveling at Ye Zheng's miracle, I'm really going to shatter. The divine blood clearly recognized Percy!]
[#10: A Strong Female Lead is independent and powerful, possessing both a woman's soft embrace and a man's thunderous means. A character like Ye Zheng is completely stigmatizing the term Strong Female Lead. Whose Strong Female Lead's highlight moment relies on stealing and robbing men's things?]
[#11: To be honest, Ye Zheng's "Strong Female Lead" label was initially used by Zheng-haters to mock Ye Zheng and Zheng stans, right? How did it become Zheng stans blowing their own trumpet?]
[#12: Passing by and clicked. When Ye Zheng first appeared, you guys used "Strong Female Lead" to step on Ye Zheng as a pendant heroine. Later, you used this term to sarcastically mock the side character moms for not knowing the height of the sky and the depth of the earth. When Percy had few scenes, you also used this term to implicitly accuse Ye Zheng of stealing scenes. Do you really think the internet has no memory?]
[#13: It's over. Zheng-moms and Little Steams are attacking!]
...
Tang Mingxi was extremely speechless. Didn't she understand these people? They paid lip service to hating female characters who acted like gender-swapped men, but in reality, their homepages were full of real male characters.
Fortunately, the strength of their Zheng stans was already next level. Whether in terms of capability or logical IQ, they could crush these Zheng-haters!
[#57: I advise you Big Male Lead stans not to use the term "Strong Female Lead" to play the victim and step on Ye Zheng anymore. Who still remembers that in the early days of the manga, Ye Zheng and Zhao Mei were both scolded for sucking the male lead's blood? Guess what happened later?]
[#58: What happened? In the latest chapter, Percy was directly physically blood-sucked! (Attached manga screenshot of Ye Zheng holding down Percy to take blood)]
[#59: I'm laughing to death. Please, Big Male Lead stans, use "Strong Female Lead" to scold Ye Zheng more, okay? Acceptance: my daughter will really become the manga's Strong Female Lead one day!]
[#60: I accept, I accept!]
[#61: Some Boy-moms really have worrying logic. Women must have a soft embrace, and thunderous means just naturally belong to men? With consciousness lagging like this, you still come to define female characters?]
[#62: Some people spend all their usual time deconstructing how three-dimensional and profound male characters are. The moment they see a three-dimensional and profound female character, they immediately shout "This can't be a woman, how can a woman be like this" (foaming at the mouth) (slowly falling down)]
[#63: My family's Zheng is just like this, so what? Anyway, she won't change a bit. You can roll away smoothly.]
[#64: Sometimes I really don't understand Boy-moms. No one will specifically scold you if you generously admit that you just spoil your male baby. You just have to pose as a woman-lover to hide your love for men...]
[#65: Because loving men is like secretly eating shit; you have to strike a pose to provide cover for yourself.]
...
[#273: Shocked by the Ye Zheng stans in the thread. Percy helped her this time, yet she turned around and drew Percy's blood, stealing the glory that should have belonged to Percy to deify herself. Are the moral standards of you Zheng stans as low as your bias?]
[#274: Yes, my moral standards are not high. So what?]
[#275: So what? (Ye Zheng's "So what" famous scene meme)]
[#276: Think about it carefully. Although as a manga reader you find her moral imperfection very annoying, the people in the manga all consider her flawless and revere her. Thinking about it this way, is it even more uncomfortable?]
[#277: No, Ye Zheng has long been branded a villain by you guys. How righteous do you expect a villain to be?]
[#278: These people aren't demanding the villain be righteous; they just love picking on female characters' morals. If it were Sykes using Percy's blood to gain glory, the forum would definitely be "shipped so hard" and "fated rivals with intertwined blood and destiny."]
[#279: Male characters killing their wives, mothers, fathers, and friends have a bunch of people kissing up to them. Comparatively speaking, Ye Zheng is still too kind.]
[#280: "Stealing Percy's glory." May I ask if your fave has the guts and boldness to apply for the Divine Adjudication?]
[#281: It's his honor to be a blood bag for Ye Zheng. Heaven knows when I saw Zhengzheng standing pale in the pool letting blood, how much I wanted to donate blood to Zhengzheng...]
[#282: I almost cried. First judged by her biological father and questioned by everyone for an act of justice, then betting her life to win the divine judgment. I really feel heartache for this stubborn little girl...]
[#283: Not a Zheng stan, but reading this chapter, I really admire Ye Zheng. This determination and boldness to gamble her life is truly too charming!]
[#284: This chapter makes me want to ship All-Zheng. I didn't expect Sykes to come save Ye Zheng too. This pair is het-hate, who understands? (Screenshot of Ye Zheng and Sykes in the same frame)]
[#285: Just ship this pair if you want, ship it silently. Be careful of being gang-beaten by PerSy sisters and Little Steams.]
[#286: PerZheng actually has quite high popularity. PerZheng sisters are like cockroaches; when you see one, there are actually many behind the scenes,,]
Scrolling to the floors below, Tang Mingxi's suspended heart still died. Even though Ye Zheng's actions had avoided falling into the trap of having her highlight moments stolen by male characters to the greatest extent, there were still readers outside the manga who ignored the character's life or death and shipped CPs.
Do you ship Ye Zheng just because she likes men? Tang Mingxi really wanted to switch apps immediately and click into the [Steam Empire] bot to wash her eyes.
The plot designed by the creator where Sykes also came to help Ye Zheng was very vicious. What intelligence couldn't be given to the court before the session opened? Sykes just had to appear at the critical moment with his own aura and special effect background. The creator even specially changed him into a set of new clothes for posturing.
As a toxic solo stan, Tang Mingxi couldn't accept anyone force-shipping her daughter at all. She immediately started her Photoshop enterprise, turning the carefully saved Sykes breakdown images into a nine-grid collage, and incidentally liquefied them a little so they looked even uglier.
Male characters were just like male idols in reality. Compared to women, they were more prone to ugly pictures and breakdown images. Even though the drawing skills of the creator of King of the Demonic Domain were quite good, male characters couldn't escape the fate of occasionally looking like a mango, a hoe, a horse-face, or a deep-affection rabbit.
[#303: Are you searching for that Sykes who is nominally the strongest but was pressed onto the ground and beaten by Ye Zheng? Or are you searching for the villain Crown Prince who is a depression in both intelligence and morals? Alright, this is Sykes. Not as much of a tool/blood bag as Percy, not as tragically short-lived as Kiran, just the most useless one among thousands of male characters~ (Attached ugly pictures, beating pictures nine-grid poster)]
[#304: I submit. Zheng-moms are always the ones who spoil PerSy sisters the most. Every time, they are quick to beat up both Percy and Sykes hahaha.]
[#305: Ye Zheng stans are really a bit maniacal. Percy and Sykes helped Ye Zheng once, yet they still get scolded by Zheng stans. Who would still dare to help Ye Zheng?]
[#306: Making it sound like you guys loved Ye Zheng before. When Ye Zheng treated Percy and Sykes, I didn't see you guys being grateful to Ye Zheng either.]
[#307: Mom, I let the manga stack up for a while, and where has this brought me? How come the forum has changed its surname to Zheng?]
[#308: Endless arguments, suspicion and disguise, Ye Zheng Supremacy. Welcome to City Z—referring to the forum that has already been occupied by Zheng stans.]
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