Shen Tanqi quickly set down Little Black, eagerly pulling the system into his arms. Excitement lit up his face as he rubbed the system all over, going at it until the system’s mouth ended up crooked, confirming that it had indeed materialized.
Little Black on the floor circled Shen Tanqi three times, sniffing the system’s scent carefully. With a cold sneer, he remarked, “Just a thing that can’t even harness spiritual power. At best, it’s just a talkative chick. Can’t believe you fancy this!”
Hearing this, the system’s little chickpea eyes focused on Little Black. It scanned him from top to bottom, and it was visibly shocked. “Host, this is Chi Ye, one of the eight blood demons from the book. Where did you get it?”
Shen Tanqi scratched his head, looking at Little Black. “Huh? I just picked it up. Is there any rule against picking up a dog?”
“Well… I guess there isn’t.”
Upon hearing that the system actually recognized its identity, Little Black’s expression immediately turned proud. It puffed out its chest, humming a couple of times. “You’re lucky, chick, to know someone as mighty as me. I am Chi Ye, one of the eight blood demons. Back then, a single swipe of my claw could knock out ten Nascent Soul stage cultivators. If not for being sealed…”
“Hey! Surname Shen! Are you ignoring me again, woof!”
Shen Tanqi had long been enthusiastically fiddling with the system. Sometimes he rubbed his head, sometimes he touched his paws. This system was the real deal, having saved his life. Without it, he would lose his insurance, a monthly salary of twelve thousand, and all the perks. Naturally, he cherished it dearly.
The system let him tinker around, glanced around, and said, “Last time, an uncontrollable factor damaged the system, so it had to be sent back for repairs. Now it’s all fixed, and it even got an upgrade. It can now transform into a physical model of a chick. In case the host faces catastrophic injuries, it can assist the host in escaping.”
Golden finger, golden finger! Shen Tanqi was excited at the mere mention of a golden finger, eagerly asking, “How can you help me escape? Show me?”
The system gave a mischievous smile, suddenly opening its mouth. The small chick mouth, not even the size of a thumb, astonishingly expanded to three Zhang1‘Zhang’ is a Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to 3.33 meters or 10 Chinese feet. in height, and it gulped Shen Tanqi down in one go.
Little Black stared at the scene in shock, anxiously barking around the system, “Let him out, woof, let him out!”
After a moment, Shen Tanqi, who was spat out, wiped the saliva off his face and looked indifferent. “That skill is pretty good. Just don’t use it again in the future.”
The system followed him, rubbing against him, and said eagerly, “Our model is so realistic, even the saliva is genuine~”
Shen Tanqi helplessly placed the system on Little Black’s head, having him carry the system like a hump. He said, “Can’t you guys study something serious for once…”
Other systems are providing hosts with portable spaces or at least some cultivation techniques. How did his end up researching whether saliva feels realistic or not?
“Hey, don’t put this stupid chick on this lord’s head. Got it?”
“This system has a high IQ, not stupid at all.”
“Get down, you smelly mascot!”
It was truly chaotic.
Shen Tanqi ignored the bickering between Little Black and the system, rubbed his forehead, and as he raised his eyes, he collided with a pair of watery eyes.
“Se…, Senior Brother, you’re back!”
The dawn was faint, and spring snow drifted gently. Xiao Qingyu, dressed in a light green jacket, carrying a water bucket in his hand, looked at him in surprise. He only stopped his gaze when he confirmed that the person in front of him was indeed Shen Tanqi. Then, he hastily threw the water bucket aside and staggered towards him, hugging Shen Tanqi tightly.
In an instant, Shen Tanqi felt the air around him become much fresher. He was momentarily stunned, and the soft sobbing of Xiao Qingyu reached his ears.
“You’re really okay. That’s great, that’s great.”
Clear water sprinkled onto the snowy ground, sunlight passed through, casting sparkling broken light.
Shen Tanqi patted his shoulder, still somewhat unaccustomed to Xiao Qingyu’s closeness, and comforted him in a soft voice, “Of course, I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry.”
Upon hearing Shen Tanqi’s words, Xiao Qingyu lifted his head, wiped away the teardrops at the corner of his eyes, and whispered, “I heard that you were calculated by the demon clan and fell from the Bloodthirst Cliff to save me. Now that I’m fully recovered, how about you?”
Shen Tanqi was momentarily stunned, thinking of the cliffside spiritual herb he couldn’t pick up, the one Bai Long plucked for Xiao Qingyu, the same Bai Long who saved him.
For some reason, an inexplicable sense of discomfort settled in his heart.
“As long as you’re fully recovered, I’m fine.”
Apart from laying an egg at the bottom of the cliff, there’s really nothing to worry about.
Upon receiving his answer, Xiao Qingyu finally relaxed. He looked around, his gaze landing on Little Black and the system atop its head. “What’s this?”
Shen Tanqi was still a bit dazed and responded subconsciously, “Oh, it’s my pet.”
Xiao Qingyu didn’t notice anything unusual from Little Black and the system. He nodded and walked beside Shen Tanqi.
The two walked side by side in the snowy field, stepping on the squeaky, powdery snow, heading towards the disciples’ dormitory where they used to live.
“It’s the perfect time for the Senior Brother to return. The year is ending, and the sect is making preparations. I heard about your family…” Xiao Qingyu was more talkative than before, perhaps having fully integrated into the sect during this time. However, when mentioning the Shen family, he couldn’t help but shiver.
Shen Tanqi looked at him and could see the vulnerability in his eyes. He whispered, “It’s okay, go on.”
Xiao Qingyu then spoke with reassurance, “I heard that your family will send someone to bring you New Year’s greetings this year. They also asked if you’ll return to Shuoxia City for the New Year.”
Originally, without Shen Tanqi around, nobody dared to answer this question. Fortunately, he was back now.
Upon hearing about the Shen family, Shen Tanqi thought of the string of Bronze coins. He had no intention of getting involved in the mess of the Shen family before going home. After all, the male lead would eventually deal with the toxic Shen family, and the farther he stayed away, the better.
So, Shen Tanqi, with little concern, casually replied, “Hmm, just handle it when the time comes.”
This response sounded quite like the young master of the Shen family. Xiao Qingyu, feeling a bit nervous again, casually found another topic, “Senior Brother, during your absence, the sect’s quadrennial grand competition, the drawing for the matches was held recently.”
Shen Tanqi didn’t understand much about it and was about to offer some perfunctory words when something suddenly tugged at his trouser leg.
He looked down and was surprised to find it was the system.
In his mind, the voice of the system immediately followed, “Host, host, this is a key plot point. Quickly, ask carefully!”
Key plot point. Shen Tanqi even felt a bit dazed upon hearing this phrase. It had been so long since he actively engaged with the plot. Back when he first arrived, he did think about how to navigate the plot properly.
He cleared his throat and asked, “So, what’s the result?”
Seeing Shen Tanqi showing interest in the sect’s grand competition, Xiao Qingyu’s tension eased slightly, and he smiled, saying, “The result is that our Rongyun Sect has obtained the qualification to host the next sect-wide competition!”
Oh, he knew.
Because in the next sect-wide competition, the male lead would return to showcase his skills, stab him, the supporting role, with a sword, and then ascend to the pinnacle of life.
Seeing that Shen Tanqi didn’t seem particularly excited, Xiao Qingyu looked at him somewhat cautiously and said, “Senior Brother, are you not happy? The disciples of the sect have been ecstatic these days, saying that this is the supreme glory, and Senior Brother Yu will definitely come back at that time…”
When Shen Tanqi heard the three words ‘Senior Brother Yu,’ he briefly raised his eyelids. He saw Xiao Qingyu face turn deathly pale in fear, forcefully patting his own lips, saying, “My bad, I shouldn’t have mentioned Senior Brother Yu. I forgot…”
He had forgotten that the relationship between Shen Tanqi and Senior Brother Yu was not good, not good at all.
Shen Tanqi reached out, gripping his wrist as he was hitting himself. He furrowed his brow and said, “Qingyu, you don’t have to be like this. We’re not just senior and junior brothers but also friends.”
This ‘friend’ was something Shen Tanqi finally said without a guilty conscience.
Xiao Qingyu stared at him blankly, suddenly recalling a long time ago when Fang Wenxun had said that Shen Tanqi seemed to have become better because he might like him.
Does Senior Brother really like him?
After a while, when Shen Tanqi released his wrist, Xiao Qingyu finally regained his voice and whispered, “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
“It’s nothing. You’re still so reserved.” Shen Tanqi smiled. The two of them had walked to the door of the dormitory during their conversation.
Outside the hall, an alchemy furnace burned, emitting a continuous wisp of blue smoke. Stepping into the hall, the scent of sandalwood filled their noses.
In the main hall, a few unfamiliar junior disciples sat scattered. As they approached the side hall, they ran into Fang Wenxun, who was preparing to leave.
As soon as Fang Wenxun saw Shen Tanqi, his legs went weak. He remembered the day when he was carelessly knocked unconscious by a demon who assumed his identity. It led to Shen Tanqi falling from the Bloodthirst Cliff, and since then, Fang Wenxun had been uneasy, feeling certain that Shen Tanqi would come back to deal with him.
“Junior Brother, I, I…” Fang Wenxun couldn’t even complete a sentence.
Seeing this face, Shen Tanqi still felt a lingering fear. The two of them tacitly took a step back simultaneously, creating a safe distance. Shen Tanqi then said, “Senior Brother, don’t be afraid. I know it was just a misunderstanding that time.”
Fang Wenxun’s eyes were almost teary, wanting to step forward to explain something. However, this frightened Shen Tanqi, making him step back a few paces and almost knocking over a porcelain bottle behind him.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Let’s sit down and talk.” Shen Tanqi’s forehead was sweating, and he quickly pulled Xiao Qingyu to sit by the side table in the side hall.
“Junior Brother, it’s fortunate that you’ve returned. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to escape blame.” Fang Wenxun carefully recounted the events of that day, afraid of earning Shen Tanqi’s resentment.
Shen Tanqi had no choice but to pour out his heart and reassure them. It was only then that they finally believed Shen Tanqi wouldn’t blame them.
After a while, when everyone had poured out their grievances, and the tea was empty, the system couldn’t help but grab onto Shen Tanqi’s trouser leg, urging in a low voice, “Host, quickly ask about the key plot point!”
Knowing the enemy is key to winning a hundred battles. He had to quickly clarify the details of the plot.
Shen Tanqi immediately caught on, pouring a cup of tea for both Fang Wenxun and Xiao Qingyu. His voice was kind and gentle, “By the way, just now Qingyu mentioned the sect-wide competition and Senior Brother Yu coming back. Could the Senior Brother please provide more details?”
Fang Wenxun was momentarily stunned, his face stiffening as he looked at Xiao Qingyu, who was attempting to play innocent. He knew he had slipped up, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “How can you call him Senior Brother? Junior Brother Yu joined the sect later than you.”
“Ah?” Shen Tanqi had been following their lead, absentmindedly using that term. He had completely forgotten that the male lead was his junior.
He quickly corrected himself, “Maybe my mind hasn’t fully recovered from the poison. I misspoke for a moment. Don’t worry about it.” After a pause, he continued cautiously, “So, can you tell me more about my Junior Brother, Junior Brother Yu?”
This time, Fang Wenxun and Xiao Qingyu were even more shocked, both speaking in disbelief, “You…, you’re admitting that Yu Ce is your junior brother?”
Shen Tanqi:?
Why is there so much drama?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
