Chapter 6: Breaking Off the Engagement and Revitalizing the Cultivation World (6% Progress)
Xiao Tingyuan: "..."
The God of Cookery was perfectly justified, showing no shame whatsoever for his rapid change of attitude: "That's a sacred talisman. He just picked it up casually. Only a madman would untie it."
“But you were the one who called for the untying of the bondage before…” Xiao Tingyuan reminded him slightly, since he was the one who had previously been advocating for the untying of the bondage.
The chef coughed to cover his embarrassment: "I was ill before, please show some care for disabled elderly people."
To save face, he added defiantly, "If you don't listen to the elders, you'll have nothing to do. Young people should have their own opinions and not blindly follow the words of their ancestors. Each generation has its own blessings."
Xiao Tingyuan's expression was indescribable.
After a long and drawn-out discussion, the three parties finally reached a consensus, and 1314 asked again whether to immediately open the newbie gift pack.
Urged on by the God of Cookery, Xiao Tingyuan was just about to activate the skill when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the Shen family's gate.
Remembering his main purpose for coming here today, he hurriedly walked out of the alley and happened to run into the eldest son of the Shen family, who was surrounded by a large entourage.
[Main Quest Issued: Annul the Engagement]
Task details: The meaning is literal. If you have limited understanding, feel free to ask 1314!
Task Rewards: 10 Experience Points, 10 Points
Suddenly, a task was issued at 1314.
Xiao Tingyuan didn't have time to ask about the details of the mission, so he called out loudly to the eldest young master of the Shen family.
"Shen Qirui, what exactly do you mean by leaving me standing outside the door?"
Shen Qirui, who had rushed out with his men to check on the situation due to the unusual celestial phenomenon, forgot about this incident. By the time he saw Xiao Tingyuan and tried to avoid him, it was too late.
He was slightly flustered, after all, he had recently been poisoned and only survived thanks to the top-grade antidote generously given to him by Xiao Tingyuan.
But then he thought again, if he hadn't led the way, Xiao Tingyuan wouldn't have encountered the demon beast, and therefore wouldn't have met the expert and received the antidote. Upon closer examination, it turned out that he had saved himself.
After forcibly arranging a logic, he no longer felt guilty, but instead felt a sense of irritation.
How can this good-for-nothing not even have self-awareness? His family has already chosen to quietly send out the annulment letter. The Xiao family only needs to sign and seal it. Everyone understands this tacitly and saves face for each other. Why does he still come to the door and make a scene?
He said impatiently, "What are you doing here? Has the Xiao family fallen so low that they have to beg for alms everywhere?"
Xiao Tingyuan stated directly: "I have come to discuss the annulment of the engagement and wish to see the head of the Shen family."
He wasn't surprised that the Shen family looked down on him because his meridians were destroyed, but the fact that the Shen family sent an arrogant servant to deliver the annulment letter as if it were an order was an insult to the Xiao family's reputation. His parents were furious and could not tolerate it any longer. He came here to seek justice.
"No, no, my father is too busy to deal with such petty people. I advise you to forget about the marriage agreement between our two families. It was just a joke made by an elder fifty years ago. Writing a letter of annulment is enough to save face for your family. If you ask me, this marriage agreement is utter nonsense." Shen Qirui arrogantly raised his chin, looking down on people as if he were looking down on them.
He was quite talented, but the Xiao family, with whom he was betrothed, produced a genius with a single spiritual root. He was constantly overshadowed by Xiao Tingyuan's brilliance and was always suppressed in everything he did. To make matters worse, his own father demanded that he cultivate good relations with Xiao Tingyuan. Over the years, he had followed Xiao Tingyuan around, fawning and groveling. Now that Xiao Tingyuan was down on his luck, he couldn't wait to kick him while he was down. So, since his father was unwilling to be the villain who broke off the engagement, he volunteered to do it himself.
Hearing his insults, Xiao Tingyuan's face darkened slightly: "Joke? Then how do you explain why you kept calling me brother-in-law when my meridians were intact? You used to be eager for the whole of Dongyu City to know about our marriage agreement, and a few days ago you even accepted the top-grade antidote pills I sent you without any qualms."
"What's wrong with shouting whatever you want?" Shen Qirui's lips curled into a mocking smile.
He knew that Xiao Tingyuan's strength had fallen to the level of an ordinary person and he was no longer his opponent. Moreover, if the Xiao family wanted to continue to have a place in Dongyu City, they dared not completely offend the Shen family. Xiao Tingyuan had always cherished his family and dared not bring trouble to the family.
"People admire the strong. It's my own fault for misjudging someone when I was young, but it doesn't represent the Shen family. That antidote pill was offered to you by you when you were down on your luck and desperately looking for a backer. I'm not going to refuse it. In short, the Shen family isn't a place where just anyone can attach themselves to. Forget about it."
Seeing his shameless attitude and malicious misinterpretation of the marriage agreement between the two families, Xiao Tingyuan understood that the Shen family was determined to break off relations.
"If you wish to annul the engagement, then please invite the city lord. Our two families will declare this to heaven and earth in the presence of all the families of Dongyu City to settle our karmic debts," Xiao Tingyuan said coldly.
"Why make such a fuss? Just write the annulment letter, return the tokens of the engagement, and the matter will be settled. We'll go our separate ways." Shen Qirui said dismissively. "Don't be delusional and think that making a big fuss will leave room for maneuver. In the cultivation world, strength is paramount. Our Shen family has the protection of the Holy Qi Palace, and we will definitely be marrying into families of equal standing in the future. Making things ugly will only harm your Xiao family. You are already a low-ranking family. If others find out that you have offended the Shen family, I'm afraid your clan members won't even get any resources in the future."
Xiao Tingyuan remained unmoved, neither pleased nor angry: "Shen Qirui, do your words represent the Shen family's wishes?"
“Otherwise what? I am the heir of the Shen family.” Shen Qirui glanced at the Shen residence behind him. “Our Shen family has a late-stage Nascent Soul ancestor overseeing things. The ancestor has all eyes and ears and can see everything. The fact that he did not object means that he approves of the decision. Stop bothering me. I’m in a hurry to find out the reason for the strange phenomenon.”
Xiao Tingyuan laughed in anger, and said "good" three times in a row: "Your Shen family is going too far!"
A surge of shrewdness welled up within him, and he was about to utter some bold and impassioned words when suddenly, the emotionless, mechanical voice of 1314 rang in his ears:
[Triggering the Hidden Quest: The Power of Language]
Task: Host, please loudly proclaim the following words: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young man's potential! Today you look down on me, but one day I will show you who is truly in the sky and who is on the ground!"
Task Rewards: 50 Experience Points, 50 Points
Failure penalty: Deduct 100 experience points and 100 points.
Xiao Tingyuan choked, his rising anger stuck in his chest.
The task posted by 1314 was clearly what he subconsciously wanted to say, but why did he feel strange after it was posted? He felt inexplicably ashamed.
Following this, 1314 kindly reminded:
[You can choose to refuse to perform the task, but you will be penalized with a deduction of points if the task fails. When your points reach -100, the system will remove you from the account. It is recommended not to refuse the hidden task, as refusing three times will result in immediate removal from the account.]
Xiao Tingyuan felt as if he had been doused with cold water; his surging emotions vanished in an instant.
Having witnessed the power of the system, he was unwilling to risk his life to challenge the rules. So, with a blank face, he dryly read out the words on the transparent panel in front of him: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential. Today you look down on me, but one day I will make you see for yourself who is in heaven and who is on earth."
Shen Qirui didn't notice the strangeness in his tone. He just looked him up and down and sneered, "There are plenty of people in the cultivation world who are bullied and wronged every day. If you can rise again just by relying on your willpower after being suppressed, there are many people who are worse off than you. Do you think you can change your fate every thirty years? You'd be better off moving from the east side of the city to the west side and avoiding me from now on. Remember to return the betrothal token later, or don't blame me for not showing any mercy."
Leaving behind his sarcastic remarks, he left with his attendants, muttering, "What bad luck to have delayed my search for the strange phenomenon."
The strange phenomenon that had just covered the entire sky above Dongyu City did not seem to have anything to do with Xiao Tingyuan, a mere cripple.
Xiao Tingyuan was no longer angry. He asked, "1314, what is the hidden quest?"
How could he guess what he wanted to say? The reward he offered was several times that of the "annulment of the engagement" task, even enough for him to buy a Saint-grade spirit talisman, albeit at a discount.
[Congratulations, host, for triggering a hidden quest. Hidden quests are randomly generated based on your personal characteristics, and the rewards for each trigger increase with your level. It's practically tailor-made for you, with no downsides, low investment, low risk, and high returns. It's generally very difficult to trigger, so you're extremely lucky!]
Xiao Tingyuan had just smiled when he heard that he was lucky, but he quickly noticed something and his expression suddenly became serious: "You just said that I would die when my points are reduced to -100. How many points do I have now?"
[Including loan interest, your points are -100.]
Xiao Tingyuan's breath hitched, and his vision went black.
Of course, there is a fundamental difference between loan points and points deducted for failing a task. Loan points represent a form of advance consumption; you just need to repay on time.
Xiao Tingyuan's mood fluctuated wildly because of its panting way of speaking.
It took him a long time to finally utter a few words through gritted teeth: "Next time, say it all in one breath."
Okay, dear.
1314 Switch back to background operation.
[Task settlement in progress]
Main quest completed
Task Rewards: 10 Experience Points, 10 Points
Hidden quest completed
Task Rewards: 50 Experience Points, 50 Points
[Congratulations on leveling up! You've reached Lv2! You've surpassed 95% of other players completing the same task. Keep up the good work!]
"The fact that they were on the same mission means there are many others like Ting Yuan?" The Chef God caught the key words and asked.
Each cohort consists of one hundred participants, or rather, one hundred graduates from the System Academy each year. One participant is bound to one system. There are rankings among participants, and competition between systems. At the end of each quarter, the top three participants and their respective systems receive rewards. The first-place reward is extremely generous. Good luck!
"Your respective hosts have different qualifications, so how can you compete fairly?" Xiao Tingyuan asked, thinking about his own situation.
[Of course it depends on the host's level and points. Everyone starts on the same footing. Superior aptitude does have an advantage, and tasks are completed faster, but a lower cultivation level makes it easier to trigger more low-level tasks. The algorithm is fair.]
Xiao Tingyuan remembered seeing the word "Mission" on the control panel. He opened it and found it.
"The side quest 'Pseudo-complete' for the Qi Refining Beginner level is now complete. What does 'pseudo-complete' mean?"
This means that the person had reached the Qi Refining stage, but because the system could not detect the Qi Refining stage spiritual energy fluctuations due to the drop in realm, it was judged as "fake".
"My meridians are severed..."
Don't worry, now that we're bound to you, 1314 will do everything we can to help you cultivate and earn points.
Xiao Tingyuan nodded slightly.
Knowing that the system had ulterior motives actually reassured him.
He had no doubt about the system's capabilities; it even knew about his decline in cultivation level.
Indeed, when it first appeared, it said, "Today you ignore me, but tomorrow you won't be able to reach me," as if it understood his situation.
He was somewhat excited to be chosen by such a wonderful opportunity, and at the same time felt a deep sense of awe for the all-knowing system.
The god who created the system may indeed be a deity.
"1314".
[Hey darling, did you call me to unlock the newbie gift pack?]
"No, I just remembered I have something important to do. We'll find a safe, secluded place to start it after we're done. I called you because I wanted to ask if you could use a different way of addressing me, honey... it sounds too weird," Xiao Tingyuan said hesitantly.
No, dear.
He didn't press the matter further, but asked curiously, "Does your system always address people like this?"
No, dear.
"and you?"
【I like】
"All right."
A note from the author:
----------------------
The systems each have distinct personalities: 444 is short-tempered, 1314 is a customer service specialist, and more adorable ones will be unlocked later. Their goal is to wield their little whips and urge their hosts to get things done!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com