When Shen Tanqi brought the children back to the Shen family, the system had just reconnected with Shen Tanqi.
“Host, you… you found Yu Ce?” The system stared in surprise as Shen Tanqi gently coaxed Goldfish and Taro Ball to sleep.
The time and space vortex suddenly glitched, only reconnecting with Shen Tanqi briefly, yet everything seemed to have ended.
At the table, Shen Tanqi used scissors to trim the branches from freshly picked peach blossoms, chuckling softly, “Yes, where did you go?” Since Yu Ce still had tomorrow’s sect trial in the western part of the city, Shen Tanqi agreed to let him stay at the inn, only bringing the children back to the Shen residence.
As soon as the two little ones saw him, they cried for half an hour. Even though Yu Ce hadn’t said anything, they seemed to know that Shen Tanqi had almost not returned. They cried so hard that they were breathless, their hearts aching.
Shen Tanqi reassured them that he would never leave again, finally managing to lull the two children to sleep.
The system climbed onto his knee, mumbling, “Host, your mission is complete. Of course, I have to go back and report to the main system. Your salary has been paid out, but unfortunately, you can’t spend it. I’ve split it and sent it to your family in installments, rest assured, it’s all legitimate sources.”
For instance, if Shen Tanwu suddenly decided to buy a lottery ticket on a whim and won a big prize, that would be Shen Tanqi’s salary. In short, the system would ensure they received this money aboveboard.
Upon hearing about the salary, Shen Tanqi’s eyes lit up. Carefully placing Goldfish and Taro Ball on the soft couch, he whispered, “How much did you pay out?”
“You’ve worked for five years, plus performance bonuses, a total of eight hundred thousand!” The system said somewhat smugly, “How’s that? Not bad, right?”
Eight hundred thousand… Shen Tanqi thought with some relief. If his elder brother and little sister got this money, their lives should be much more comfortable.
Pausing, Shen Tanqi then thought of a crucial issue, “The main system shouldn’t have noticed anything, right?”
Upon hearing this, the system’s voice began to falter a bit, “Uh, well…”
In reality, it wasn’t sure either. The main system was busy with work every day and rarely checked the progress of individual storylines in the small worlds unless a large, bright red error signal popped up on the panel indicating a collapse in the small world.
When it went to report and submit the task, the main system happened to encounter a small world collapse. It caught snippets here and there, saying that the time traveler sent in had unexpectedly killed the protagonist and seized the opportunity of the Heavenly Dao for himself.
After the main system detected the collapse of the small world, it didn’t even notify the system of that small world, directly pressing the button to repair the bug. Soon after, the large red warning signal on the main panel disappeared.
The bug in that world had been fixed.
The system shuddered at the thought, looking at the sound asleep Goldfish and Taro Ball. It couldn’t imagine what would happen if the main system pressed the button to repair the bug in their small world.
According to rumors from the neighboring system, it might send a great killer god to directly kill the bug or send a new time traveler to replace the character who caused the bug.
Regardless, the bug would ultimately be fixed, without exception.
And weren’t the three children born to Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce the bugs of this world?
The system dared not think further. It only hoped the plot would continue normally without attracting the main system’s attention. Such a thing must never happen.
Unaware of its thoughts, Shen Tanqi reached out and rubbed its furry head, smiling, “By the way, Yu Ce mentioned that Little Black, whom I left at the Bloodthirst Cliff edge, is still under the care of Rongyun Sect. Tomorrow is the demon-slaying trial. Can you go and bring it back home for me?”
Little Black was a spiritual artifact and, once bonded, couldn’t freely change its form anymore.
After all, if a sword had its own consciousness, it wouldn’t be easily controlled by its owner.
Hearing Shen Tanqi’s request, the system visibly relaxed, saying somewhat happily, “Okay, leave it to me!” It missed Dog Brother too. I wonder if Dog Brother has missed it during this time?
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the system seemed to remember something and turned back to instruct Shen Tanqi, “Host, are you also going to the sect’s grand competition tomorrow?”
Shen Tanqi lifted his head slowly at the mention, “What’s the matter?” He was listed among the competing disciples, missing one exam would be forgivable, but missing multiple might tarnish Rongyun Sect’s reputation.
Scratching its head, the system said, “It’s nothing, just remember to let Yu Ce win the top spot. Don’t alter the plotline, or it will still attract the main system’s attention.”
Shen Tanqi naturally understood this point. He nodded and promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to help Yu Ce win.”
He absolutely wouldn’t let the main system notice. Shen Tanqi lowered his head to look at the two obediently sleeping little ones and Sandan wrapped in the blanket, his gaze gentle and affectionate.
Before long, at the demon-slaying trial in Shuoxia City.
Shen Tanqi stood on the platform with Little Black. The head of the Shen family had specially put aside all matters to come and watch Shen Tanqi’s competition.
The disciples of Rongyun Sect formed a team and stood in line on the platform.
“Shen Tanqi, the second disciple of the inner sect of Rongyun Sect, and Yu Ce, the third disciple of Rongyun Sect, enter the demon-slaying trial platform with your protective talismans. The trial will end after the burning of an incense stick’s worth of time.”
The demon-slaying trial platform was similar to a small illusionary realm where illusions of demon races would manifest according to the disciples’ abilities. Elders on the platform would score the disciples based on their performance during the trial.
At the words, Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce glanced at each other. “Do well once inside,” Shen Tanqi said.
Yu Ce nodded, “Senior Brother, you too. If you encounter a crisis, ignite the protective talisman promptly and leave the trial platform.”
Taking the charm from the elder’s hand, Shen Tanqi held it tightly. In his heart, he planned that as soon as he entered the trial platform, he would immediately ignite the talisman paper. After all, his performance didn’t matter; as long as Yu Ce could win the top spot, the plot would proceed normally.
In the empty space above the trial platform, as Shen Tanqi entered, a massive leaderboard floated into view. One had to carefully scan down to find Shen Tanqi’s name, now ranked well beyond the top hundred due to his absence from the last illusionary trial.
Yu Ce had achieved a Grade B in his illusionary trial, placing him tens of spots ahead of Shen Tanqi.
Shen Tanqi didn’t bother looking for his own ranking, but even if he had, it wouldn’t have affected him emotionally.
Upon entering the demon-slaying trial platform, a thick black demonic mist immediately emerged in front of him, from which lazily stepped out a figure that resembled Xie Chi, appearing nonchalant and relaxed.
Shen Tanqi’s pupils constricted. For a moment, he felt like he wasn’t on the trial platform but back in the Shen family’s water dungeon.
“Xie Chi, how dare you?” At this moment, the elders of the Seventeen Sects were all present. How dare Xie Chi appear here?
The figure simply smiled faintly without responding.
Pausing for a moment, Shen Tanqi lifted his eyes and saw a line of red bars above ‘Xie Chi’s’ head.
He widened his eyes, incredulously murmuring, “Huh?”
Could that be… a health bar?
He understood. The person in front of him wasn’t the real ‘Xie Chi’ at all; it was a demonic illusion created by the trial, just happening to resemble ‘Xie Chi’. That’s why there was a health bar above ‘Xie Chi’s’ head.
The sword in his hand twitched restlessly. Seeing that face with a smug smile, Shen Tanqi really felt like giving him a good beating.
Besides, who wouldn’t want to fight a monster with a health bar over its head?!
Anyway, Yu Ce was sure to win the competition. He could take out his frustration on this ‘Xie Chi’ inside without any consequences.
His thoughts briefly turned to Yu Ce, but suddenly, the fake ‘Xie Chi’ across from him moved. Terrifying demonic energy surged towards Shen Tanqi, who instinctively raised his sword to meet it.
The silent trial platform echoed with the powerful clang of metal. Shen Tanqi’s swordsmanship was not as solid as Yu Ce’s, but he was quick-witted and learned fast. Having played many similar cultivation games in his previous life, he surprisingly held his own against ‘Xie Chi.’
The trial platform must have matched him with opponents of similar strength. The fake Xie Chi in front of him appeared to be at the early stage of Nascent Soul cultivation. If it had been the real Nascent Soul stage Xie Chi, Shen Tanqi might not have stood a chance.
As their blades clashed, Shen Tanqi became increasingly focused. In a blur, he saw that annoying smirk on Xie Chi’s face and even thought he was fighting the real Xie Chi.
Xie Chi chuckled lightly again, and his demonic energy struck Shen Tanqi’s chest. Shen Tanqi instinctively dodged, then kicked at Xie Chi’s lower body, forcing him back a step.
“Whether you’re real or fake, this move still works best.” Shen Tanqi sneered coldly, not giving Xie Chi a chance to react. With a swift and decisive thrust, he stabbed his sword into Xie Chi’s heart — just as he had wanted to do when Xie Chi threatened to harm Sandan.
As Shen Tanqi’s decisive blow fell, the arena fell silent, followed by an eruption of intense applause..
Shen Tanqi blinked in surprise, turning to see the elders in the stands smiling. One of them announced, “Shen Tanqi, the second disciple of Rongyun Sect, is the first to complete the demon-slaying trial!”
“What?”
Shen Tanqi turned to look and saw Yu Ce on a nearby trial platform, apparently just finishing his trial, applauding for him.
This kid definitely held back!
Otherwise, with Yu Ce’s strength, how could he possibly finish slower than him?
Shen Tanqi looked up and saw that on the disciple’s points board, his ranking had jumped forward by twenty or thirty places, now standing alongside Yu Ce.
This wouldn’t do. If he snatched Yu Ce’s spot, wouldn’t it ruin the storyline?
After stepping down from the platform, Shen Tanqi gritted his teeth and grabbed Yu Ce’s sleeve, pulling him close. “Why were you so slow just now? Were you intentionally letting me win?”
Yu Ce shook his head innocently, saying, “Ah Qi, it’s because of your outstanding strength. How could I possibly let you win? I was only half a minute slower than you just now. Otherwise, I would have been the first in the demon-slaying trial.”
Shen Tanqi hesitated, feeling that Yu Ce’s explanation seemed reasonable. Yu Ce had indeed been just a bit slower than him. It was his own fault for not timing it right when he stabbed ‘Xie Chi.’
Oh well, it was just one demon-slaying trial. There were still three trials ahead. He was currently ranked around seventy or eighty, so as long as he intentionally lost the upcoming trials, it would be fine.
Moreover, the system didn’t warn him about any plot issues, indicating that the main system hadn’t noticed this minor plot change.
With this in mind, Shen Tanqi glanced at Yu Ce, tapped his shoulder, and said, “Prepare well for the next trial. Strive to take first place in each one.”
Yu Ce smiled and replied, “Of course, I won’t disappoint you, Ah Qi.”
With Yu Ce’s assurance, Shen Tanqi felt a bit more at ease. “You should focus on practicing well these next few days. For tomorrow’s alchemy trial, don’t make any mistakes. Don’t go back to the Shen residence today either. Spend more time consulting with the elders of Dan Feng Peak about alchemy techniques and filling in any gaps.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ce hesitated for a moment, then nodded quietly under Shen Tanqi’s unwavering gaze. “Um, I understand.”
His Ah Qi was so diligent; he deserved to win more than anyone else. Yu Ce just wanted to go home and take care of the two children.
Sighing softly, Yu Ce didn’t have much time to exchange affectionate words with Shen Tanqi. He was half-pushed, half-pulled away by Shen Tanqi, not even getting a farewell kiss. As he left, his eyes showed a hint of disappointment.
After sending Yu Ce off, Shen Tanqi suddenly felt a small yellow bundle darting towards his legs. It was none other than his eldest son, Goldfish.
“Daddy, you’re number one today! How amazing!” Goldfish, dressed in a flowing golden brocade with floral patterns, looked like a fairy from a painting. He held a string of candied haws in his hand and nuzzled against Shen Tanqi’s leg with his soft, chubby cheeks. “Dandan woke up late this morning and didn’t see you. I thought you had left again.”
The child looked at him with a hint of grievance, clutching Shen Tanqi’s clothes tightly, afraid of losing sight of him again.
Although Daddy had only been gone for seven days, Dandan had missed him every single day.
Shen Tanqi’s heart softened. The cries of the little one from last night still echoed in his mind. Unable to resist, he scooped the child up from the ground and said, “Daddy won’t leave again. Tonight, we’ll go home and have a delicious meal. Daddy will cook for you himself, okay?”
“Okay!” Goldfish cheered, taking Daddy and Taro Ball’s hands eagerly, ready to hurry home. “I want to eat a big goose, a little rabbit, and three little pigs!”
Taro Ball emphasized, “Big brother, you eat too much. You’ve almost become unable to walk lately. Be careful not to turn into a fat ball in the future. I might have to kick you to get you moving!”
“Wuwu, I don’t want to turn into a fat ball…”
Hearing this, Shen Tanqi held the little one’s hand, thinking of the whale that stood at 1.9 meters tall.
It seemed like their little ones ate a lot, but everything grew upwards.
Damn it, so jealous.
Under the slanting sun, the harmonious and gentle silhouette of a family of three.
If you ignore the icy figure behind them, it would be an extremely warm picture.
“Host alert, host alert, main system command received. Two five-star bugs detected ahead. Immediate maintenance required. Immediate maintenance required!”
The man cut off the intense electronic noise expressionlessly, his gaze landing on Shen Tanqi, who was holding a child, and he coldly uttered,
“Shen Tanqi.”
“Long time no see.”
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)
