Chapter 26 "Are you also controlled by the system?" "Xiao Liu..."

Chong Cang felt a dizzy sensation, and the sounds around him became less clear. Only Shi Liuying's calm face in front of him was exceptionally clear.

Why didn't he feel stung when he said such vicious things?

Everyone around her is kind to her with ulterior motives and with the intention of taking something from her. Why shouldn't she feel disappointed and sad?

Does she even realize that no one in this world truly loves her?

Jun Lintian pursed his lips, staring intently at Shi Liuying's expression.

Chi Yang's smile froze on her face. She glared at Chong Cang fiercely, then nervously looked at Shi Liuying.

How could he have said that!

Shen Hanzhou's eyes widened. Holy crap! How did the elder know he had a system? Does everyone have a system? But he genuinely wanted to be good to Liu Ying!

Yi Ruoyun and Xuan Yuan looked at Chong Cang with confusion, as if they had heard something beyond their comprehension.

The lively courtyard fell silent in an instant. The squirrel hid in the tree, the rabbit stood behind the stone trying to hide its chubby little body, and the cat nimbly jumped onto the thatched roof.

Even the lanterns that were twinkling in the corner seemed to have dimmed a bit.

An unprecedented silence enveloped the surroundings.

Everyone held their breath, watching Shi Liuying's reaction and waiting for her to speak.

Shi Liuying simply looked at Chong Cang with her clear and bright eyes.

Chong Cang's memories were twisted and torn, his mind filled with the evening when Shi Liuying climbed Tianji Peak for thirty days and broke through the bottleneck.

She looked at him with the same eyes and said, "Thank you, Elder Chongcang."

A simple "thank you" exposed almost all the dark and ugly aspects of his nature.

Chong Cang's hand trembled slightly within his sleeve, and he unconsciously looked away, unable to bear looking at her.

"Does that include you, Elder Chongcang?"

Shi Liuying asked in a gentle voice.

Chong Cang closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling.

Yes, he was one of those who deceived her and tried to use her to control the system. He was more despicable than anyone else; unable to win Shi Liuying's attention, he decided to drag everyone down with him in a desperate act.

"That system will cause irreversible damage to everyone. Does that include you?" Shi Liuying took a step closer to Chong Cang, her eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of worry.

Chong Cang suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Shi Liuying in disbelief.

The dizziness gradually subsided, his suspended heart settled into solid ground, and those self-destructive thoughts, even those of giving up on himself, drifted away from him without his realizing it.

Chong Cang finally found his hoarse voice. As if speaking for the first time, he spoke with a dry, hoarse throat: "What...do you mean?"

Shi Liuying smiled faintly: "If I can help you avoid some of the harm that even you can't avoid, that would be wonderful!"

No one knows how much she wants to protect the people she cares about.

No matter what method she uses, as long as she can protect everyone, it makes her feel very safe and happy.

Chong Cang felt an absurd sense that his worldview had been shattered.

How could anyone not care about concealment, deception, or sincerity?

But in this cultivation world, there are indeed people who are single-mindedly devoted to the Dao, want to become stronger, and want to protect their companions, no matter what method they use.

Protecting everyone is Shi Liuying's goal. Even before she had grown up, she had the ability to protect those stronger than her. This was such a wonderful thing that she was so happy that she rolled and jumped around in the courtyard all night practicing her swordsmanship!

“That’s not exploitation.” Shi Liuying’s eyes were clear and bright. “You taught me magic, protected me, and helped me break through my cultivation barriers. It’s only natural that you would ask me for something in return.”

Shi Liuying stepped forward: "You can tell me more directly that you need me."

Chong Cang's heart tingled, as if someone had taken a feather covered in glue and pieced together his shattered worldview, building it into a beautiful, bright image.

She told him bluntly that he could speak his mind, even if it wasn't honorable.

Chong Cang lowered his eyes, feeling a burning sensation on his neck.

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t speak, I will protect you silently,” Shi Liuying said.

Jun Lintian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Shi Liuying was not sad or upset.

She looked genuinely happy, as if two wings were sprouting from her back, like an angel about to take flight.

She probably felt that she should be a mature protector, so she tried hard to play the role of a steady and mature adult.

Seeing Shi Liuying's barely suppressed smile, Jun Lintian couldn't help but laugh along.

Chi Yang stood to one side, pulled up the wide sleeve of the Demon Lord's robe made of fine fabric, wiped her eyes, and blew her nose.

She opened her arms and hugged Shi Liuying, who was half a head shorter than her, tightly: "Oh my god, baby, you are such a good baby!"

The bells on Chi Yang's body jingled, and the courtyard became lively again.

The rabbit poked its head out with a double chin, the cat sat arrogantly on the edge of the roof looking down at everyone, and several squirrels hopped and jumped, landing on Shi Liuying's shoulders and head.

Are you also being hurt by that bad thing?

Chi Yang nodded, then shook her head: "Just a little bit short."

She held up her little finger, gesturing to indicate that it was about one meter long.

"If it weren't for me, the Demon Lord would really have imprisoned you, wouldn't he?"

Chi Yang glanced at Xuan Yuan and saw that he only looked confused and puzzled, as if he were in a standby state, so she felt relieved.

“Yes, and he really will destroy the entire sect,” Chi Yang said seriously.

"It really was you who saved the Myriad Manifestations Sect."

Shi Liuying felt a little scared, but seeing everyone safe and healthy surrounding her, the corners of her mouth curved up again.

Now all those strange things can be explained.

Why did the raging demonic flames suddenly turn into exam papers? Why would the demon lord who clamored about destroying the sect intend to enter this place to seriously cultivate immortality?

And why does my senior brother keep falling in front of me...?

"Senior Brother, without me, how would the system harm you?" Shi Liuying looked at him with concern.

Jun Lintian smiled reassuringly at her and patted her head: "You just don't sleep very soundly, so you'll have to visit a few more secret realms."

Shi Liuying's worries did not diminish because of his words.

No wonder my senior brother is always injured and so tired that he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. How can you simply say that he doesn't sleep well?

Something's not right.

Shi Liuying picked up Jun Lintian's hand and put it back on her head: "The first time I met you, you fell asleep as soon as we got close. Why aren't you asleep this time, even though you've touched me?"

She picked up Jun Lintian's hand, put it down, picked it up again, put it down again, and finally, somewhat bewildered, asked, "Am I... am I... malfunctioning?"

She looked at Chong Cang and Yi Ruoyun, who had been following him.

While at Tianji Peak, she also exhibited many strange behaviors, which were likely influenced by the system on Elder Chongcang's body.

Seeing the unsurprised look in Chong Cang's eyes, Shi Liuying said confidently, "My abilities have failed you too, haven't they?"

Chong Cang pursed his lips and finally nodded.

Shi Liuying remained calm when provoked by Yun Zhishui, when confronting the Black Shadow Beast, and when mocked by Chong Cang.

I panicked when I found out that it was malfunctioning.

She couldn't fathom her own abilities, and even she herself didn't know how to use them.

The feeling of things getting out of control is terrible. Is she just going to watch the people around her get hurt by the evil system?

Chen Hanzhou poked his head out: "Liu Ying, don't panic, your power is still protecting me!"

Feeling much better, Shi Liuying asked, "Were you also hurt a lot?"

Shen Hanzhou nodded sadly: "I am cannon fodder. The meaning of my life is to be sucked dry by a group of arrogant protagonists and their reserves."

"My spiritual roots are useless against them. My money, the rare and precious treasures I've bought or acquired, will all be taken away by them!"

Shi Liuying imitated her senior brother, somewhat awkwardly placing her hand on Shen Hanzhou's tearful dog head and patting it lightly twice.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Shen Hanzhou nodded frantically: "It's getting better, it's getting better. Yun Zhishui has been punished. I no longer have to be forced to contact him and be drained of my life. I've been with Shi Liuying for half a day, and no one I dislike has come to borrow money from me."

“Yun Zhishui was one of the people who borrowed money from me in the very beginning!” Shen Hanzhou said bitterly.

Chi Yang glanced at Xuan Yuan: "My system is also being interfered with. He's been behaving himself, and I haven't received any strange task notifications."

"So now, out of the four of us, two people's systems have been interfered with, and two people's systems have not been interfered with," Chong Cang concluded.

The group looked at each other, puzzled as to what had gone wrong.

"Go find Rong Yan," Jun Lintian said.

Chi Yang hesitated for a moment: "I can't go with you for now. It's getting dark. I need to take Xuan Yuan to register. According to the plot after the interference, he really is preparing for the Immortal Examination. I have to take him to register."

"Are you alright on your own?" Shi Liuying asked with some concern.

Chi Yang took Xuan Yuan's hand and revealed the Demon-Locking Chain on his wrist: "This thing is a divine artifact, a treasure left over from the ancient war between immortals and demons. It can lock up not only a demon lord, but even a demon lord's ancestor without any problem."

"Don't worry, without ten thousand years of cultivation, he can't cause any trouble. Right now, he's just a minor Qi Refining cultivator. I can stop his bad behavior."

"Then let's first figure out what's going on with my body's interference ability malfunctioning." Shi Liuying took the initiative to pick up the communication jade slip and touched it with Chi Yang's.

Like reminding a child, Shi Liuying looked up at Chi Yang, who was half a head taller than her, and said earnestly, "Be sure to come to me if you encounter any trouble."

"Okay, you guys go quickly. Tell me when you find the cause, and we'll share information and fight the system together!"

Shi Liuying nodded vigorously.

Chi Yang pulled the Demon Lord, who was a size larger than her, away. Jun Lintian's sword was summoned and enlarged, its sword aura hovering half a calf above the ground.

"Come here." Shi Liuying of the Junlin Tianchao reached out her hand.

Without any hesitation, Shi Liuying reached out and used the momentum to jump onto the sword.

The moment their hands touched, Jun Lintian suddenly felt a long-lost, heavy drowsiness wash over him.

During the three days that Shi Liuying was in seclusion, the injuries he sustained in the secret realm began to ache, and his eyelids became as heavy as those of a cat or Tom the cat in the movie, so heavy that even chopsticks couldn't lift them up.

His eyes closed involuntarily, his knees buckled, and he lost his balance and swayed to one side.

Shi Liuying reacted quickly, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer. When she realized she couldn't support her senior brother with just her hands, she decisively hugged Jun Lintian's waist.

An indescribable fragrance, unique to her senior brother, wafted over, and her lips lightly brushed against Jun Lintian's earlobe.

Shi Liuying pursed her lips, looking somewhat lost.

Lost in thought, I wondered, this shouldn't be considered disrespectful to my senior brother, right? And...

My senior brother's waist is so slim.

Forget about the light touches on her lips and earlobe; when she looked at Jun Lintian again, Shi Liuying's eyes held a hint of tenderness.

My senior brother really hasn't rested enough; he's too frail.

This time, Shi Liuying didn't ask Chong Cang for help, and Chong Cang arrived quickly.

He took Jun Lintian from him: "Alright, put it on the ground."

Although it was just an inquiry, he had already started doing it.

Shi Liuying exclaimed "Ah!"

It was getting dark, and if we let our frail senior brother lie on the dew-covered grass, wouldn't he fall seriously ill?

"Put him on the bed, put him on the bed." Shi Liuying grabbed Jun Lintian's arm and ran quickly towards her thatched hut, with Chong Cang having no choice but to follow.

Shi Liuying dragged Jun Lintian to her bed, then covered him with a blanket and patted his head, saying, "Get some sleep."

Chong Cang looked displeasedly at Jun Lintian, who was lying on the bed sleeping peacefully, with his narrow, fox-like eyes.

They've got all the good things in the world.

Shi Liuying exclaimed "Ah!" again: "My method didn't work on my senior brother just now, but it's working again now!"

Chong Cang's displeased eyes deepened with thought: "It happened after Chi Yang left..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was struck as if by lightning and collapsed at the foot of the bed.

Shi Liuying was shocked: "Elder, what's wrong with you!"

The system inside Chong Cang's body was issuing alarms frantically.

[Alert! Alert!]

[The system has detected that the host's will to complete the mission is decreasing, and the host is even beginning to resist the plot arranged by the system. Please reflect on your mistakes and accept the punishment!]

[Please complete the system-specified storyline—The next moment, you couldn't help but move closer to the female lead, your icy lips pressing fiercely against hers!]

[Host, please take action within ten seconds, or you will be struck by lightning from a Tribulation Stage expert!]

【ten……】

【Nine……】

【eight……】

【seven……】

Chong Cang was so shocked by the electric shock that his consciousness became blurred. In his daze, he felt like a male prostitute forced to sell himself, dragged by the system to serve customers.

【six……】

【five……】

Maybe I should just die like this.

Anyway, he had long been tired of this boring and tasteless life that he couldn't resist.

Chong Cang's eyes were unfocused, and feelings of self-loathing surged back.

【Four……】

Shi Liuying rushed to Chong Cang's side, her hand hesitant and uncertain as she reached out to touch him, but her eyes were unusually firm: "I will save you!"

As she made the promise, her mind raced.

【three……】

The system interference against Senior Brother took effect after Chi Yang left. In other words, if just one more person leaves, Elder Chong Cang might be saved.

"Go out first!" Shi Liuying said to Shen Hanzhou quickly.

【two……】

Shen Hanzhou's brain, about the size of a walnut, was clearly not quick enough to process the information.

Shi Liuying's spiritual energy surged, and she pushed Shen Hanzhou away with a force that was both strong and gentle.

"Bang--"

The wooden door slammed shut instantly.

Shen Hanzhou sat down in the yard with a small, chubby rabbit on his head and a bewildered look in his eyes.

Why did Elder Chongcang suddenly start groaning? Why did the silver hair on the elder's head suddenly become dry and frizzy? Why did Shi Liuying suddenly become so sharp and aggressive?

[One... Host inaction detected, accumulating lightning... lightning... for you]

"Great! We're out of danger!"

Shen Hanzhou felt even more dazed, as if she were a family member waiting outside the delivery room.

Chong Cang's painful voice disappeared, and Shi Liuying's joyful voice followed.

They're out of danger and the mother and child are safe, right?

Chongcang is indeed safe.

He regained consciousness, and the system's error messages within his body were exceptionally clear.

[System error! Regenerating your storyline!]

Your eyelashes trembled, your heart pounded, and in the next instant, you couldn't help but lean closer to the female lead, your icy lips pressing fiercely against "it"!

The eyelash tremor was real. Not only his eyelashes trembled, but his face was also trembling slightly, and his heart was beating. If someone had X-ray vision, they could even see tiny electric snakes on his beating heart.

[Detecting the female lead for you!]

[￥%……*() can be manipulated to make the female protagonist disappear?]

[Retesting in progress...]

[Controllable object found!]

[It's in the corner, gazing at you intently and affectionately; your heart beats for it, and you slowly approach!]

The system's voice grew increasingly exhilarating, while Chong Cang became more and more distraught.

Can anyone tell him why Jun Lintian's sword has become the "female lead"?

Having just been electrocuted, his willpower to fight against the system was too weak, and his limp hands were also controlled by the system.

He picked up the sword beside the king's bed with both hands and slowly brought his head closer.

Chong Cang's fox-like eyes were almost wide open.

He doesn't want the stinking sword that reigns supreme!

After confirming that Chong Cang was no longer in danger, Shi Liuying didn't have time to see him anymore, because Yi Ruoyun, who had regained consciousness, kept apologizing to her, saying that she had not done anything to harm her recently, and that she didn't know why she was there, and that she was also very confused.

Shi Liuying had no choice but to pat the head of this tearful pier.

But the tearful man seemed to be looking at her bed, his eyes wide open, as if he had seen something terrifying.

Did you see her senior brother on her bed? She and her senior brother don't have that kind of relationship.

Last time, when I went to Tianji Peak for several days to consult Elder Chongcang, Yi Ruoyun misunderstood me. Could it be that this time...?

Shi Liuying followed Yi Ruoyun's gaze and looked over, waving her hands as if to explain something.

But what I saw was shocking.

She stopped gesturing, her words of explanation stuck in her throat, and she was completely frozen in place.

Also frozen in time was Shen Hanzhou, who was preparing to open the door after confirming that "mother and child are safe".

On the small wooden bed, the sect's chief disciple, Jun Lintian, slept peacefully like Sleeping Beauty.

The gloomy Chong Cang slumped to the foot of the bed, holding Jun Lintian's sword in his hands. His fox-like eyes were full of deep affection, and he kissed him with excitement and trembling.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

Yi Ruoyun was startled and screamed as she ran away. The door of the wooden house swayed a few times, half open and half closed.

Just like the relationship between a person lying down and a person sitting up on a bed, the relationship between the two influential figures in the Myriad Manifestations Sect is truly unpredictable and mysterious.

Chong Cang closed his eyes in despair.

The lightning strike during his tribulation period disappeared, but he felt no joy at all.

I feel like I've lost all hope in life.

Shi Liuying accepted it well. Her senior brother was so capable; it was only natural that he deserved admiration.

But she noticed Chong Cang's embarrassment and kindly changed the subject: "Will that bad thing called the system still hurt you?"

Chong Cang shook his head: "Not for now."

Shi Liuying felt a little relieved and said happily, "Now we can be sure that my interference function can work on two people's systems at the same time."

Chong Cang nodded: "Whoever gets close to you first will be affected first. The interference function will only work on the other person after the person who got close to you disappears from your sight."

Although the interference function cannot provide full coverage, I have figured out some basic ways to use it through trial and error.

Very good!

Shi Liuying was full of confidence.

The more you explore, the better you'll understand the power within your body.

"Should we still go find Senior Sister Rong Yan now?"

Chong Cang shook his head: "Now that we've figured out why one of our systems is unaffected by your interference, there's no need to bother her anymore."

"When the sect's protective formation was broken, she was closer to the formation's core, which is why she fainted."

"No missions will be assigned to her while she is unconscious or asleep, so you can rest assured."

Shi Liuying wasn't entirely reassured: "What kind of harm will Senior Sister Rong Yan's system actually cause her?"

Chong Cang paused for a moment: "Let many men...force her."

A raging fire was burning on the top of Shi Liuying's head.

What? !

So the man who initially sent her to deliver paper cranes to her senior sister wasn't simply in love with her; he had ulterior motives.

That's why my senior sister had that painful and uncomfortable expression on her face at that time, and that's why she still let the sticky gaze look at her despite her disgust.

What would have happened if she hadn't gone to the grove with her senior sister because she wanted to cultivate together...?

Shi Liuying was filled with remorse and indignation: "I really... was so bad!"

She almost became that disgusting man's accomplice, nearly sending her frail senior sister into the jaws of wolves and tigers.

She shouldn't have helped bad people deliver paper cranes just so she could cultivate herself.

Shi Liuying lowered her head in shame, her eyes brimming with tears.

Chong Cang saw Shi Liuying's tears, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "You don't have to... do this, it's not..."

It's not your fault.

Chong Cang couldn't utter such gentle and pleasant words.

“She also has a way to deal with it. More than a hundred years ago, she entered the path of ghost cultivation. Ghost cultivators are naturally less sensitive to pain. Although she is often punished by the system for failing to complete tasks, she does not suffer too much pain.”

Shi Liuying wiped her eyes and said in a muffled voice, "But just because Senior Sister didn't suffer that much doesn't mean those punishments were unimportant to her."

"Senior sister did nothing wrong, why should she be punished?"

Shi Liuying secretly resolved to wipe out this nasty guy called the system.

"I have to go check it out..."

Before he could finish speaking, the communication jade slip lit up.

On the other end, Chi Yang's name lit up.

Shi Liuying swiftly picked up the jade slip, and the instant her spiritual energy connected, a cacophony of noise from the other end assaulted her ears—heavy breathing, the clatter of objects shattering, mixed with Chi Yang's tearful plea: "...Let go! Please..."

The scene was dizzying, clearly indicating that the jade slip was hastily put away or dropped. It could only be judged from the fragmented images that Chi Yang was being roughly carried on someone's shoulder.

Her futile struggles only resulted in a tighter restraint.

"Bang--"

A dull thud sounded, as if the door had been kicked shut and locked, cutting off all outside noise.

Footsteps echoed in the enclosed space, each step striking the heart.

The surroundings were completely silent, except for Chi Yang's painful gasps.

The images on the jade slip underwent another dramatic transformation.

Chi Yang seems to have been abandoned.

Then, a rough hemp rope appeared in the scene. Amidst the jingling of bells, Shi Liuying saw Chi Yang's fair and slender ankles being grabbed without any pity and tightly wrapped with the hemp rope, binding them firmly to the foot of the carved bed.

The Demon Lord Xuan Yuan's tall, black voice slowly approached, completely enveloping the trembling Chi Yang. The demonic markings on his neck were faintly visible, a smile playing on his lips as he toyed with another rope in his hand.

Then he bent down and aimed directly at Chi Yang's wrist, which she was desperately trying to pull back.

"No...no! Go away!" Chi Yang's cries were distorted by extreme fear, becoming sharp and piercing.

"Clatter—"

The jade slip seemed to be swept away by the Demon Lord's sleeve, and the scene instantly plunged into darkness.

Only Chi Yang's desperate cries remained, piercing through the darkness and gripping Shi Liuying's heart tightly.

"Little firefly—help me!!"

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Author's Note: There's a subscription giveaway!

One more chapter! [pats head]