Chapter 61 The Prodigal Brother (Part 1): The Merchant's Son's Path to Becoming a King of a Different Surname...
After Song Ce ascended to the Great Ascension Realm, he did not immediately enter a new world. Instead, he landed in a misty, chaotic land.
"702, what's going on here?" Song Ce mentally summoned the 702 system and asked.
702: "Sorry, host, the system has not detected any abnormalities."
"Look at this fog, this scene, don't you think it's unusual?" Song Ce asked in surprise.
702: "...Not abnormal."
"Alright then." Song Ce sighed softly upon hearing this, and sat cross-legged in a very Zen-like manner: "If you say it's not abnormal, then it's not abnormal! It's rare to relax, let's directly start calculating the mission rewards from the last world!"
702: Ding! Mission settlement initiated. Mission details are as follows: Protect your junior brother as he pleases, living a carefree and joyful life. Mission completion rate: 100%. Soul Energy gained: 1000. Title triggered: Compassionate Heart, reward: 200 Soul Energy. Due to mission requirements, remaining in the world until the end of life will not deduct Soul Energy. Using items in the mission world will deduct 30% of the gained Soul Energy, and there are no random reward drops. Total Soul Energy gained from this mission: 840. Current total Soul Energy: 1840.
After the broadcast was completed, 702 said quietly, "Host, compared to before, you only gained 40 more soul energy points in the last world."
Song Ce smiled nonchalantly: "It's alright, we can make it in the next world."
Just as 702 was about to say something more, suddenly, a dazzling golden light flashed in front of him, followed by a soft, clear male voice in Song Ce's ear.
"Task taker, thank you. The person I have wronged the most in this life is my master's child, who died at such a young age by my hand, never having lived a single day of peace. I saw it all. You took good care of him in my place, giving him the best of everything, so that he has endless spirit stones, inexhaustible magical treasures, countless robes to wear, and countless cultivation techniques to choose from... Everyone envies his life. Even if there are petty people who are jealous of him, with you backing him up, no one dares to cause trouble, no matter how jealous or hateful they are. I have nothing to offer but this five lifetimes' merit condensation pearl, which I present to you today as a token of my gratitude."
702: "Host, quickly grab the Merit Condensation Pearl, quick!"
This was the first time Song Ce had heard such a hurried tone from 702. Almost instinctively, he grabbed the golden orb floating in front of him, and then the orb disappeared into his body.
"This is?"
702: "This is a Merit Bead formed from the golden light of merit. This bead not only nourishes the host's soul, but also makes the Heavenly Dao of different worlds subconsciously favor you. It is entirely beneficial. Such a situation is extremely rare. The system has only encountered it three times since it gained consciousness. Congratulations, host!"
Song Ce grunted and asked, "Is this merit bead equivalent to the soul energy that was deducted?"
702 was uncharacteristically taken aback: "Of course."
"That's good, I..." Before Song Ce could finish speaking, a familiar dizziness suddenly came over him. Clearly, he had entered a new world.
Song Ce slightly opened his eyes and saw a little girl with her hair in a bun and wearing a pink dress, sobbing softly beside his bed. It seemed that this time, it was still an ancient world.
"Waaaaah, brother, wake up..."
"Brother, Yu'er will be good and will never go to the river again."
Song Ce didn't move. He simply used the lying position to begin receiving the original owner's memories.
The original owner was twelve years old and was born into a merchant family, which has been passed down for eight generations.
When the original owner was born, the family still had some property. Not only did they own more than ten shops inherited from their ancestors in the county town, but they also had more than a hundred acres of farmland. If the family had lived a down-to-earth life, they could have covered all their expenses just by collecting rent. Unfortunately, the original owner's father was a womanizer. Relying on the family's considerable wealth, he often went to brothels to patronize courtesans and actresses. Before long, the family brought home several beautiful women.
At first, the original owner's mother argued with the original owner's father, trying to get rid of these concubines and mistresses. But as time went on, she became disheartened and simply gave up on disciplining Master Song, focusing instead on raising her son properly in the mansion.
The original owner's father still had some conscience at this time. Seeing his wife so heartbroken, he tried to restrain his temper and stayed at home quietly for more than half a year. It was during this period that the original owner's mother became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter after ten months of pregnancy.
Seeing that he now had both a son and a daughter, the original owner's father was very proud. But this pride led his former cronies to take him to a gambling den.
It is said that the most dangerous thing in life is when you are complacent. The original owner's father gradually went from watching the excitement once every half month to gambling every three to five days. Later, he couldn't resist the flattery and praise of his cronies and became a gambler every day, often spending the whole day in the gambling den.
Soon, after winning a few rounds, the original owner's father felt like he was a gambling saint and became increasingly reckless. In just five or six years, all the shops in the original owner's family that collected rent were squandered by his father.
The truth will eventually come out. At first, the original owner's father borrowed money to gamble without telling his family, but the gambling debts kept piling up until he had to sell the family's house and most of the land to barely cover the hole.
Seeing this, all the concubines and mistresses packed up their valuables and fled. In the end, the once large family was reduced to just the original owner's family of four. Left with no other choice, the family returned to their ancestral home in the countryside.
At this time, the original owner was only thirteen years old, and his sister was only eight years old. The two siblings were raised fairly well by their mother. However, due to the long-term absence of their father, the original owner became extremely eager for his father's love.
Later, the original owner's father in the countryside underwent a drastic change in temperament, and every day he would go out and buy cheap liquor to drink at home. Gradually, he not only drank it himself, but also often brought the original owner to drink with him.
The relationship between a father and son is always different from that between a mother and son. Perhaps it was the joy that his father, who had not paid much attention to him, was finally starting to take him seriously, or perhaps it was the filial piety he had felt for his father since childhood. How could the original owner of this body refuse his father? So he would get drunk with his father every day.
Every time her father got drunk, he would pull the original owner of this body aside and reminisce about the family's glorious past, how carefree they were. The more he talked, the angrier he became, angry at others for setting him up, angry at his own incompetence, and angry that his sister was born at the wrong time. At these moments, the original owner's father would fly into a rage, grab whatever was nearby, rush into the house, and beat and kick his mother and sister who were embracing each other.
At first, the original owner of this body cried and knelt on the ground to stop his father, but as time went by, his personality gradually changed, and he became more and more eccentric. He was no longer as patient with his mother and sister as before.
When her father was beating her mother and sister, the original owner of this body, in an attempt to please her father, began to imitate him by scolding her sister: "If it weren't for giving birth to you, this good-for-nothing, who has brought trouble to Father, how could Father have lost? How could the family's assets have been squandered? How could our whole family have fallen to this state?"
The original owner's father felt completely relieved upon hearing this: "That's right! Our family's current situation is all thanks to your sister, that money-losing brat!"
Seeing the chaotic state of her home and her son's drastic change in temperament, the mother, who had been exhausted from managing the household for many years, was filled with extreme pain and hatred. Overwhelmed by anger, her health quickly deteriorated.
Less than a year later, the original owner's mother passed away.
With his mother gone, the original owner's father became even more reckless. Before, his mother had been there to protect him, and his sister hadn't suffered any real harm. But now that his mother was gone, his sister lost her last protector and suffered the consequences.
Although she was only eight or nine years old, she was already skilled at housework, washing clothes, cooking, and sewing. If she did anything wrong, her father would immediately beat and scold her: "You can't even do such a small thing right, what use are you!"
The original owner's younger sister grew up in such an environment until she was twelve years old. Although she was thin and small, like a little monkey, her little face was quite pretty.
Seeing that the original owner of this body was of marriageable age, but the family had no money, what could be done? Looking at his daughter who was becoming more and more beautiful, the original owner's father gradually had an idea.
During those days, the original owner's father was extremely polite to his sister. Even when his sister did something wrong, he still had a smile on his face and did not scold or beat her as usual.
The original owner was initially puzzled, but after some time, her father brought home a middle-aged woman dressed in a flamboyant manner.
It turns out that this old woman was actually a famous matchmaker in the surrounding villages. While others did matchmaking to bring about good things, she did it entirely for money!
As long as the family that asked her to act as matchmaker was willing to pay, she could praise anything, no matter how dirty or smelly, as if it were a flower. Last year, Dan'er from next door was introduced by her and married into the Liu family, a wealthy but blind man in the neighboring village. However, Dan'er died within two or three months.
The original owner's sister immediately knelt on the ground and cried to the father and son. The original owner still had some pity for his sister, so he pulled her up and told his father to let it go.
But the original owner's father didn't care about all that. He scolded the original owner, grabbed his sister's thin arm, and proudly gestured to the matchmaker, saying that his daughter was as beautiful as a fairy, and that Master Liu had to pay at least twenty taels of betrothal money!
The matchmaker was quite satisfied with the younger sister's appearance and agreed after a moment's thought. It turned out that she had come to the original owner's home to arrange a marriage between the younger sister and the blind, wealthy Mr. Liu, after receiving money from him. She wanted the younger sister to become Mr. Liu's fourth wife.
Seeing his younger sister crying with tears streaming down her face, the original owner couldn't bear it. How was this any different from selling his sister? The original owner immediately went into the house, knelt down, and begged for mercy, saying that his sister's marriage would surely take her life, and begged his father not to marry her off to that blind Master Liu.
The original owner's father looked at his always obedient son and patiently persuaded him, saying that if he got this dowry money, he could get married, or the two of them could go to the gambling den and maybe win back their losses!
The original owner was persuaded by her father in this way. No matter how much her poor sister begged for mercy, the original owner could only advise her to live a good life with Master Liu. Maybe if she married him, Master Liu would change his ways?
And so, the original owner's younger sister was eventually tied up and "married" to the blind Master Liu's family, while the original owner followed her father to the gambling den in the county. In just three to five days, she lost all of the twenty taels of betrothal money.
After losing all his money, the original owner's father took him to his "son-in-law's" house. At this time, Master Liu was still infatuated with his sister and casually gave the two of them five taels of silver to get rid of them.
The father and son happily took the silver and left, without thinking of visiting their newly married daughter and sister.
My younger sister had only been in the household for three months. Apart from her pretty face being completely unharmed, her body underneath her clothes was covered with deep and shallow scars left by the blind Master Liu. Even though my younger sister had been beaten and scolded by her father since she was a child, she finally couldn't bear such humiliating pain.
A month later, Master Liu, accompanied by his servants, stormed into the former owner's house, saying that their well-mannered daughter had succumbed to loneliness and run away with some random man under the cover of night.
The original owner and her father cried out that they were wronged, and together with Master Liu, they carefully searched for her sister's whereabouts.
The poor younger sister didn't even dare to pack her belongings, fearing she would give herself away. She wore only inconspicuous clothes and fled the mansion under the cover of night. She dared not go home, so she ran up the mountain, thinking that if she crossed several mountains, neither her father, brothers, nor her husband's family would be able to find her.
But she was, after all, a woman, and after crossing only two mountains, she was exhausted and eventually collapsed in front of an ancient tree.
At this time, the original owner, her father, and Master Liu split up to search for her sister. Her father, being old and frail, accidentally broke his leg and had to go home to recuperate, leaving the original owner alone to search on the mountain.
When the original owner finally found his sister after crossing the mountain, his sister slowly woke up.
She was terrified when she saw her brother, kneeling on the ground and begging him to spare her life; she simply couldn't bear to live in Master Liu's house any longer. The original owner of this body, however, refused. His sister was already married; if she became a runaway wife, what girl would want to marry him in the future?
Therefore, the original owner ignored her sister's crying pleas and kept telling her that since she had already married, she could only rely on Master Liu, listen to him, and live a good life with him. No matter whether Master Liu treated her well or badly, she had to obey and serve him. This was the proper way for a woman to behave.
Upon hearing this, the younger sister felt a chill run down her spine. She finally gave up hope and followed the original owner back to Master Liu's house.
Master Liu was initially still infatuated with his young wife, but after she ran away, he felt he had completely lost face. He casually gave the original owner a few taels of silver, then closed the courtyard and vented all his anger on his sister. In just three or five days, the Liu family sent someone to deliver a message saying that the sister had fallen seriously ill and passed away that night.
The original owner didn't believe it. His sister had been perfectly fine just a few days ago. How could she have suddenly fallen ill and died? The original owner couldn't even attend to his father. He rushed to Master Liu's mansion and saw his sister, who was already lifeless and in a miserable state.
His younger sister was covered in fresh wounds, and even her face was bruised. He only needed one glance to know the extent of the beating and injury she had suffered. How could that Master Liu be so heartless and insane as to beat his sister to death?
Seeing the original owner's angry expression, Master Liu was embarrassed and dared not say anything. He quickly had his servant bring over fifty taels of silver, saying that he had wronged his sister and this was a "gift of apology" to the original owner's family.
This time, the original owner did not accept the fifty taels "apology gift," which was a huge sum for him. He roared and threw a punch at Master Liu.
But he was all alone; how could he possibly defeat the entire Liu family of servants? Having never been beaten before, he was brutally beaten. The original owner stared intently at his sister's corpse, clenching his teeth, repeating only one sentence over and over: "I'm not human, I'm not human, I'm not human..."
And so, the original owner of this body was beaten up and thrown out of the Liu residence.
For the first time, ignoring the curious stares of those around him, the original owner of this body muttered, "I am not human, I am not human..." and made his way to the ancient tree where he had found his sister.
The physical pain was bearable, but the throbbing in his chest was a constant reminder that his sister was gone.
Looking at the traces left by his sister, the original owner laughed and said, "I'm not human!" With a thud, the original owner crashed into a tree and died, just like that.
The one making the wish this time was the original body. He offered everything, including his soul, in exchange for the mission taker fulfilling his wish—he didn't want his mother to die a heartbreaking and agonizing death, but rather to be happy every day and proud of him; he didn't want his sister to marry the wrong person and be beaten to death, but rather to live a joyful life that everyone envied; as for his father, let him be, he... no longer wanted to care about him.
After receiving the original owner's memories, Song Ce also understood the current situation. The current point in time was when the original owner's father secretly started borrowing money to go to the gambling den. The reason why the original owner fainted was to save his younger sister who accidentally fell into the river while catching fish.
The usually well-behaved younger sister ran to the riverbank, wanting to catch fish and make fish soup to nourish her mother, who had been sick for more than half a month.
Song Ce sighed softly. This was truly a complex wish-granter. Was he good? His goodness wasn't entirely pure, but was he bad? He wasn't thoroughly bad either. This person was like a bowl of undercooked white rice—edible, but a little hard to swallow…
Thinking of this, Song Ce adjusted his breathing and slowly opened his eyes.
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Author's Note: Ta-da! There will be a super long chapter with 10,000 words tomorrow! Thank you all for your support! [cheering emoji]
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