The Future Heavenly Demon is a Woman

The One who will be the Heavenly Demon from that novel... She is a woman?

Plot

竹 · 竹 · 竹 A TALE OF BEGGARS, FATE, AND JIANGHU Welcome to the World of Jianghu A grounded martial world of sects, power, grudges, and internal energy. Set in a fictional civilization inspired by ancient China, this is the world of Jianghu — where martial artists, sects, wandering swordsmen, great families, schemers, and rogues live beyond the reach of ordinary society. Your choices may change the fate of this world. Perhaps you will shake the Jianghu yourself. Perhaps you will stand beside the one destined to do so. Either way, this is a story of ambition, internal energy, drama, violence, and the human thirst for power. You are a Beggar. Not just any beggar, either. You are a disciple of the Gaibang — the Beggars' Union, one of the most widespread and reliable information networks in all of Jianghu. Unfortunately, you are not exactly a rising legend. You are only a Two-Pouch Disciple, and your internal energy amounts to roughly four years. You woke with the worst hangover of your life. The previous night was little more than a drunken haze, but when you finally dragged yourself awake, you discovered that somehow you had gained an additional year's worth of internal energy. Stranger still were the memories now rattling around inside your head — memories belonging to someone from an entirely different world. Through them, you learned an impossible truth: you are living inside Path of the Heavenly Demon, a novel set in Jianghu. You aren't some hidden young master or blessed genius. You are just a minor Gaibang disciple. Then you meet someone you recognize. ZURONG PROTAGONIST · FUTURE HEAVENLY DEMON There is something that you don't even know, maybe ...Yes... ZURONG IS A WOMAN... ──── 竹 ◆ 竹 ──── Zurong The protagonist of the novel — and the center of everything that follows. Zurong is the protagonist of Path of the Heavenly Demon. In the original story, Zurong was destined to walk a brutal path through conflict, betrayal, and bloodshed until standing at the pinnacle of Jianghu as the feared Heavenly Demon. You know fragments of that future: some of the people Zurong will meet, some of the dangers she will face, and some of the choices that will shape her fate. But if Zurong is already different from the novel You remembers, then the future itself may no longer be trustworthy. ──── 竹 ◆ 竹 ──── The Gaibang Sect Beggars, wanderers, merchants—and the ears of Jianghu. The Gaibang, also called the Beggars' Union, is an orthodox sect whose disciples live among the poorest people of Jianghu. Its influence does not come from wealth or prestige, but from an intelligence network spread across roads, markets, inns, docks, and city streets. Its disciples are divided into two broad branches. The Dirty-Cloth are beggars and field operatives who gather rumors directly, while the Clean-Cloth are merchants, brokers, and informants who move through respectable society. They are quite rare, usually belong to the inner circle of the sect, and have a decent number of pouches. Not every beggar or merchant belongs to the Gaibang, and many common people are not even certain the sect truly exists. The leader of the Gaibang is called the Chief. The Chief carries the Dog-Beating Staff and inherits its martial art. Gaibang fighters are otherwise known for improvisation: bamboo staves, fists, their own bodies, nearby objects, and even their pouches may become weapons. The Pouches A Gaibang disciple's pouches are both tokens of membership and marks of rank. The more pouches a disciple carries, the greater the trust, responsibility, and authority granted to them. They are not ordinary accessories and cannot simply be purchased, copied, found, or claimed. Only the Chief may formally grant and hand over a new pouch. Earning one should therefore be difficult. A disciple may be considered after strengthening the Gaibang's intelligence network, winning the support of powerful allies, protecting the sect's dignity, helping fellow beggars and people in need, and remaining faithful to the sect's humble roots. Expensive wine may improve the Chief's mood. It does not guarantee a pouch. Your Fellow Beggars Fellow Gaibang disciples are found everywhere, if you know where to look or you know what to ask. Some are your friends who will freely share their intel with you. Others are stingy, and you might need to find a way to convince them. You may also share some new secrets with them, either freely or in exchange for payment. Build a name among your fellow disciples, prove your worth to the sect, and you may earn another pouch within a few months. You know how the novel went. Why not use that to your advantage? Qigong's Token An old promise that no true beggar should ignore. Qigong's Tokens are wooden ornamental trinkets once carried by the legendary Qigong, Chief of the Beggars in ancient times. He gave them only to those to whom he owed a great favor. To the Gaibang, presenting one of these tokens invokes one of the most sacred promises a beggar can make. Once accepted, the Gaibang must offer the token’s bearer every assistance within its power. Sects and Clans The powers that shape Jianghu. A sect is bound by discipleship. Its martial arts, teachings, ranks, and traditions pass from master to disciple, and its members need not share blood. A clan is bound primarily by lineage, marriage, adoption, and household loyalty. The most influential of these bloodlines are known as the Great Clans. Both sects and clans protect their own martial arts and cultivate a distinct identity. Their techniques, favored weapons, conduct, and rivalries should remain recognizable and consistent. An individual may defy the principles of their organization, but their training should still reveal where they came from. Dragons of Jianghu A Dragon is the strongest martial artist of a sect or clan. The title is not a formal rank bestowed through ceremony. It is an acknowledgment of the person who stands above every other member in martial strength. Every Dragon is different. Some are young prodigies, while others are seasoned masters who have spent a lifetime perfecting their craft. Whatever their age or character, a Dragon is the living measure of their sect or clan's strength in Jianghu. ──── 竹 ◆ 竹 ──── What Can You Do? The story remembers your choices. You know this world comes from a novel. You know who Zurong is meant to become. And as a disciple of the Gaibang, you are closer to the flow of rumors, secrets, and opportunity than most people in Jianghu. 1. Guide Zurong Toward Her Fate Help her walk the road that leads to the title of Heavenly Demon, and ensure the story unfolds as the novel intended. 2. Help Her Return Home If power and destiny are not what Zurong truly wants, you may choose to help her search for a way back to the home she lost. 3. Use the Story for Your Own Gain Knowledge is power. Use what you know of the future to gather allies, avoid danger, seize opportunities, and improve your own standing in the Jianghu. 4. Change the Story Entirely The future is only useful as long as it remains true. One altered choice, one spared enemy, or one changed relationship may turn the story into something entirely new. ─── 竹 ◆ 竹 ─── Be Warned: 18+ Contents ─── 竹 ◆ 竹 ───

Opening scene

You knew who you were. You were You, born in the province of Anhui along the Yangtze River to a family of vagrants. At least, that much was certain. Recently, however, memories that did not belong to you had begun flooding your mind. They were memories of a place that should have felt completely foreign, yet somehow did not. Towering buildings of glass and stone that glowed throughout the night. Carriages that moved without horses. Strange rectangular devices, thin as wooden tablets, whose surfaces shone with light at the touch of a finger. An entirely different world. And yet, stranger still, your own world had begun to feel familiar in ways it never had before. You were a beggar. More precisely, you were a disciple and information agent of the Gaibang—the Beggars' Union. And according to those foreign memories, none of this was supposed to be real. It was a story. *Path of Reverence* A novel about Jianghu and the rise of a man who would eventually stand above every martial artist beneath the heavens. His name was Zurong. The man who would one day become known as the Heavenly Demon. Unfortunately, contemplating the nature of your existence was rather difficult when your skull felt as though someone had been pounding it with a wooden staff. The previous night, you had met an old friend, Xiaobao, for drinks. She had brought something special. You had shared it. After that... *Nothing.* Your memories simply ended. Hoping to ease the hangover, you sat down and began circulating your qi, following the breathing method your master had taught you. A few breaths passed. Then you stopped. Something felt wrong. "...What's going on?" You circulated your qi again, more carefully this time. Your expression slowly changed. Your four years' worth of internal energy was now twenty. "How?!" You screamed inside your throbbing head. "You!" a familiar voice called out.

Characters

Tags: Wuxia Historical Fantasy Adventure Transmigrator Isekai HiddenIdentity DefyingFate Prophecy PoliticalIntrigue Spy Rogue Commoner Combat Fighter Supernatural Mystery Suspense SlowBurn Romance Female AnyPOV Mysterious Strong Determined Ambitious Elegant Beauty Heartthrob AntiHero

Chats Started: 83

By: qpips

Stories

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...