Chapter 66 of the story is stuck.
Lu Wensheng hesitated for a moment, thinking that he might as well take a look, so he beckoned to Xiao Yuan with his finger, signaling it to climb up.
The cracks were healed, and Xiao Yuan's shell became shiny and lustrous, like a flawless piece of top-grade yellow jade.
Meeting Xiao Yuan's round eyes, she said, "You don't need to show me anything else, just send me the ending. I just want to know what Shen Hegui's ending is."
[Host, please wait a moment.]
A long list of VIPs was scrolled to the bottom and presented to the viewer through a dark blue virtual screen.
Xiao Yuan shrank back guiltily: [I don't have permission to view this; the host needs to click it themselves!]
After saying that, it pawed forward, indicating that it wanted to go to bed.
Lu Wensheng placed Xiao Yuan on the bed, slightly surprised: "New feature? You can actually project your screen from mid-air?"
Xiao Yuan chuckled awkwardly: [This can only be activated when the favorability rating is 100%, and it can only be used this once.]
With a light tap of her fingertip, the screen flashed, and an unexpected blankness filled her pupils. Lu Wensheng was stunned. She frowned and said, "Xiao Yuan, did you have a new glitch this time? Not a single word?"
She then tried clicking on other chapters, but they were all blank.
Xiao Yuan desperately crawled towards the blanket, trying to hide herself.
She turned her head to glance at Xiao Yuan's short, thick tail, and was about to grab it when a dark cursor quietly appeared. Then, text appeared quickly, line after line.
In the first month of the fifteenth year of Chengping, the crown prince forced the emperor to abdicate and usurp the throne. At the beginning of the following month, the army marched directly towards the government offices of various departments in Yanjing, and massacres broke out everywhere, with blood staining the streets. The crown prince was seriously injured and suspended court for half a month, and the people of Yanjing were filled with fear.
In February of the same year, taxes were increased on merchants and commoners, and tax officials pressed them like tigers.
A stampede occurred in Yanjing, causing heavy casualties. Luo Wenqing, the second son of the Luo family, a prominent clan in the north, perished in the stampede. Unable to obtain an explanation, the Luo family spread rumors, claiming that "the crown prince is immoral, and heaven has sent down this calamity," thus inciting public resentment. Among the common people, the saying "the crown prince is immoral and unfit to inherit the throne" began to circulate quietly.
In the late spring of the same year, a major cheating scandal broke out in the imperial examinations. Exam questions could be bought for a fortune, and all clues pointed to the crown prince. Scholars gathered in front of the examination hall, smashing their inkstones and burning their books, shouting: "Years of hard study are no match for ten thousand taels of gold and silver! The crown prince is wicked and incompetent; the country is doomed!"
...
The cursor paused, blinked, and slowly brought out a few words: "The golden palace hides poison, the human world is a cage, a thousand sails break the waves, the blue sea becomes a tomb."
The words dissipated like wisps of smoke, then transformed into a tiny grain of gold that entered Lu Wensheng's forehead, bringing back a flood of memories.
"In this desolate wilderness, what a strange temple! The statue has no face, and there's even a yellow turtle sleeping at its feet. In this cold weather, I'll still save your life."
...
"Change it! Change it my ass! So what if we're the clients! I'm not the one making the lion's share. Time to go home, we'll talk about it tomorrow! You little rascal, let's go buy shrimp after get off work!"
"What the hell? It's the end like this! Isn't Shen Hegui the male lead? He barely appeared, and then he's gone without even getting a bite to eat? I've waited so long, what I wanted most was to see this aloof beauty come down from her pedestal! I'm not satisfied! I'm going to go beg for food!"
The sound of heavy keyboards clattering echoed in the 20-square-meter rented room.
The sister who raises turtles: It's over just like that? Author, doesn't your conscience hurt? Our male lead died without even getting a bite of meat... So, how about writing a side story?
Author's reply: This is a crazy story I wrote to vent my frustrations. All the plot is for the sake of sex, and sex is the main character. Shen Hegui is not the main character. If you are not satisfied, you can write your own version!
She remembered everything. She stayed up late reading novels at night and forced herself to go to work during the day. Later, she couldn't stand it and reread the novels several times, intending to feed Shen Hegui meat herself. But she accidentally overdid it.
Recalling this moment, she grabbed Xiao Yuan by the tail and questioned, "Was it your doing that I transmigrated into this book? I thought I picked up a turtle, but it turned out to be high technology?"
Xiao Yuan flailed its claws a few times, but seeing it couldn't break free, it could only say guiltily, "I was just fulfilling my host's dying wish; after all, you raised me for so many years."
Lu Wensheng looked Xiao Yuan up and down, tapping his fingertip on its carapace: "So what are you? Don't lie. Being able to send the soul and consciousness of a living person into a book is something that ordinary things can't do."
Xiao Yuan stretched his neck and looked back: "I really am a turtle, but not an ordinary turtle. Do you remember the statue I found in the temple that day?"
Lu Wensheng nodded, the memory he had just recalled was crystal clear: "Of course I remember, a faceless wooden statue, broken and old."
Xiao Yuan: [That was the deity my family had served for generations. He governs reincarnation and countless timelines. I saw that you were still obsessed with the world in the book before you died, so I went to him for help. A flower is a world, a leaf is a sentient being. Flowers and leaves are countless small worlds born from the main timeline, and these countless small worlds can evolve into different branches. With a stroke of the pen, a book is created, and behind every name is a flesh and blood body that feels pain and laughter.]
God? Parallel universes, or one book, one world?
Lu Wensheng's eyes flickered slightly as he recalled the four paragraphs from earlier.
This year marks the fifteenth year of peace and prosperity.
The original book did not describe Shen Hegui's experiences in detail. Instead, it focused on his appearance and temperament, portraying him as the man with the best temperament and the most beautiful appearance in the entire book.
The ending didn't explicitly state how he died, only leaving the line "his tomb is in the vast sea."
Slaughtering officials, raising taxes, trampling, corruption... so she kept changing Shen Hegui's life trajectory.
She wanted to write fanfiction so that Shen Hegui could have sex with her, but she didn't want to turn herself into sex and be fed to him!
Thinking this through, Lu Wensheng shuddered involuntarily and gripped Xiao Yuan tightly: "I want to go back, to leave this world. Or to start over, to make Shen Hegui gay."
Xiao Yuan: [The God Lord has left this world. The me who accompanied the host into the book is merely a wisp of independent consciousness residing within the transmigration system. I cannot leave or restart. Moreover, the host in the main timeline is already dead, and the ending cannot be changed.]
Lu Wensheng's heart skipped a few beats: "If your god is here, can I leave?"
Xiao Yuan said uncertainly, "[Perhaps it can help the host change worlds. The host should keep the amulet in the bedside drawer with them at all times; it contains a little bit of the divine power and can ward off evil spirits, avert disasters, and dispel misfortune.]"
Lu Wensheng raised an eyebrow and opened the drawer. A uniquely patterned amulet caught his eye, instantly stirring up his memories.
The peace charms they obtained from the small temple in Dongshan! Could the abbot have made the three of them worship the spirit tablet of Xiaoyuan?
Xiao Yuan had no reason to lie to her, so what were the gods doing in the book world? Helping her travel through the book?
Lu Wensheng lowered his eyes: "I obtained this peace charm from the small temple in Dongshan. In the temple, I saw a portrait of a person, dressed in gold and with black hair, standing on the edge of a cliff with boundless water below. Is the person in the painting the deity your family worships? Did he come to the world of the book to help me travel through the book?"
Xiao Yuan: [Yes, but the host isn't that shameless. The original author only cares about the killings and not the burials; the host isn't the only one dissatisfied with the ending. Coincidentally, the God's lover also read the original work and, like the host, is indignant and can't forget it. To reverse life and death on the main timeline, the souls of the resurrected must transcend reincarnation.]
At this point, Xiao Yuan felt the process was too complicated to explain clearly, so it summarized: "In short, it was just too heartbreaking. After death, a fragment of her soul fell into the book, forcing the god to search for the soul fragment of his beloved."
Lu Wensheng stroked his chin: "So your lord not only has a girlfriend, but his lover also reads erotic novels and is furious?"
Xiao Yuan was speechless, then corrected him: "They died of old age!"
Three knocks sounded on the door.
Lu Wensheng's heart tightened, and he unconsciously held his breath.
Song Zhiyun: "Sheng Sheng, have you changed your clothes yet?"
Exhaling the breath that had been catching in his chest, Lu Wensheng called out, "Immediately, the three of you go and wait for me at the door."
Song Zhiyun: "Okay."
Lu Wensheng tucked Xiao Yuan and the amulet into his bosom, then opened the door and walked outside.
He then asked, "So, the VIP chapters aren't available, and those memories I just recalled were all your doing?"
Xiao Yuan stammered, "Since you're dissatisfied with the ending and want to rewrite it, I've created a side story for you. Before the male lead's fate is rewritten, the page will be blank, so you can't see it. As for the memory loss, that was probably an accident."
Lu Wensheng readily accepted: "Alright, since that's the case, you could have told me the truth when I saved Shen Hegui at the beginning of last month. Why didn't you tell me then?"
Xiao Yuan stammered, "[The world in the book involves male and female leads and supporting characters. Important roles are clearly defined, but something went wrong somewhere; the male lead is no longer the original one.]"
Lu Wensheng paused slightly: "What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly?"
Xiao Yuan said timidly, "[Originally, the male lead's mother was an ordinary woman from Yanjing. Now, not only has she been replaced, but she's also been distorted into a monster. Even the mother has been changed, so... it's not the same person anymore. Same name, same surname, but different person. I'm worried the host will get angry and stew me, so I dare not say anything. I'll just stall for time.]"
Lu Wensheng said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly: "...You really are my good system."
Xiao Yuan poked half her head out, her eyes shining: [Really? The host thinks I'm a good system?]
Lu Wensheng: "..." I can't tell the difference between good and bad at all!
As Lu Wensheng walked quickly to the door, he paused for a moment when he saw the four wriggling burlap sacks on the wheelbarrow.
"Mom, what's in here? We need to travel light; we can't carry something this big and moving."
Song Zhiyun patted Lu Fugui's head twice and said guiltily, "I'll explain on the way."
Yingniang quickly chimed in, "Yes, we'll explain on the way."
Looking at the new moon in the sky, Lu Wensheng felt a sense of emptiness for no reason, and his right eyelid started twitching wildly.
In the original book, the name Shen Hegui corresponds to a gentlemanly character as bright as the moon. Since Xiao Yuan said that the role in the "radish pit" has been changed, then the current Shen Hegui is a new character.
The fact that he was willing to swallow his pride and woo her three times shows that he has excellent patience and is not in a hurry.
The strange and unusual things stored in the secret chamber of Zhaowu Hall indicate that he has a great deal of dark side. He is not delicate, but he must have a serious illness and a strong desire for revenge.
Therefore, she should not harbor any illusions that Shen Hegui could come to his senses and let her go. Before leaving Yanjing, she cannot let her guard down at all and must find out what is in the sack!
Lu Wensheng raised his hands and simultaneously pulled open the strips of cloth on the two large burlap sacks.
The movement was too fast; Song Zhiyun had no time to stop it, and her expression changed drastically: "Hey—!"
Lu Fugui screamed wildly.
Yingniang hurriedly covered the dog's mouth.
Even though years had passed and her face was weathered, she would still recognize Lu Yunzhi's face even if it were burned to ashes.
Lu Yun struggled in vain: "Waaaaah—waaaaah—"
Looking up at the crescent moon in the night sky, Lu Wensheng suddenly closed his eyes and smiled. There was no sound, only the slight trembling of his shoulders and back.
Lu Yunzhi is here, she can't leave. Why now of all times? Why!
Gritting her teeth a few times, Lu Wensheng ripped the gag out of Lu Yunzhi's mouth and asked softly, suppressing her emotions, "Why are you back?"
She turned to Yingniang and instructed, "Untie the two smaller ones."
Seeing Lu Wensheng's unsurprised expression, Song Zhiyun asked worriedly, "Shengsheng, when did you find out?"
"Where was Mother in the middle of last month?"
"A few days earlier than you."
Lu Yunzhi laboriously moved his stiff and sore jaw, and the first thing he uttered was a barrage of insults and questions.
-----------------------
Author's Note: To clarify, Xiao Yuan is a descendant of a mythical beast from another male protagonist's family. He's a wisp of consciousness that accompanied Lu Wensheng through the book's transmigration. He's very young, grows slowly, and is still a child. He's having such a comfortable time eating, drinking, and sleeping with Lu Wensheng that he doesn't want to go home. [Chin resting on hand]
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