☆ Chapter 29 The System Is Unreliable
Shen Qingqiu said, "Do you remember the plant you created that only appears once every thousand years?"
"..." Shang Qinghua was speechless: "Your scope is too broad. I've set up at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, for this kind of thing, okay?"
You know that yourself!
Shen Qingqiu sighed and whispered five words in his ear.
Upon hearing this, Shang Qinghua was startled. After a moment, he gave Shen Qingqiu a meaningful look.
Shen Qingqiu: "...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing," Shang Qinghua said. "I just feel that you really are my loyal reader. I used up a setting and then threw it away, but you managed to dig it up from some obscure corner. I'm a little touched."
“…” Shen Qingqiu said, “You will come down the mountain with me tomorrow to search for the place where it was born.”
Shang Qinghua said, "Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit rushed?" He hesitated and said, "Actually, I... can't remember its exact location and description. The whole text is nearly 20 million words long, and it's only mentioned in one paragraph. Let me think about it slowly, and I'll tell you when I remember it."
Shen Qingqiu said earnestly, "Then wait until Luo Binghe returns and Mo Beijun is subdued by him. When one of them kills me and the other kills you, it won't be too late for you to think about it."
Shang Qinghua: "...Okay. I'll definitely remember tomorrow!"
Anyway, on Anding Peak, trivial matters such as assigning rooms and customizing school uniforms for new disciples don't necessarily have to be handled by the peak master.
Shang Qinghua went back and pondered all night, racking his brains and his mind was in turmoil. Finally, before dawn, he had a flash of inspiration and marked a place on the map.
Upon seeing the map, Shen Qingqiu slammed his hand on the table, grabbed him, and set off down the mountain. They ate and drank for a while, then played for a while; they rode swords for a while, then traveled by carriage. It should have been a very pleasant trip.
The only slightly unpleasant thing was that Shang Qinghua was sitting in the driver's seat, sighing deeply.
"Why am I the one who pays for all the food, drinks, and lodging? Why am I the one who drives the carriage?"
Shen Qingqiu said from inside the carriage, "Aren't you ashamed? The expenses are public funds, given by the sect leader. You're just taking the money out of your own pocket."
Thinking of Yue Qingyuan's earnest words of advice before his departure, Shang Qinghua felt extremely sad.
What does it mean to say, "Junior Brother Shang, I'm entrusting Qingqiu to you during your travels. He's poisoned, so I hope you'll take good care of him"?
Can you even address each other with such obvious closeness or distance? It's just that we were trained in different places when we were kids, so we weren't childhood friends!
Compared to the disciples who were carefully cultivated by the peak master from the very beginning, the outer disciples who climbed up by playing palace intrigue have no human rights.
Therefore, working in logistics really has no future.
As the author, Xiang Tiandajiju, who originally tried his best to portray Shang Qinghua as an extremely despicable person, finally understood the character's pain.
Shang Qinghua said, "You have hands and feet, why don't you... Holy crap, holy crap!"
Shen Qingqiu felt the carriage lurch forward suddenly, as if Shang Qinghua had abruptly reined in his horse. The curtain was lifted, and she asked alertly, "What's going on?"
The carriage was passing through a dense forest.
Ancient trees all around reach for the sky, their fallen leaves scattered everywhere, blocking out the sunlight and making it difficult to even see a sliver of light.
Seeing that nothing was amiss, Shen Qingqiu remained vigilant and said, "What were you yelling about just now?"
Shang Qinghua, still shaken, said, "I just saw a woman slither across the ground like a snake! The carriage almost ran her over because it wasn't stopping!"
That sounds a bit eerie. Shen Qingqiu said, "Then it's certainly worth screaming about."
The forest was quiet, and nothing unusual was observed for the time being. Shen Qingqiu dared not let his guard down. Instead of getting into the carriage, he sat with Shang Qinghua in the berth. With one hand, he formed a sword incantation and secretly observed the situation. With the other hand, he grabbed a handful of melon seeds from a snack bag and handed them to Shang Qinghua: "Sweetie, go in and have some."
Shang Qinghua was alright for doing odd jobs, but not very useful for fighting monsters. Knowing his own limitations, he obediently took the melon seeds and started cracking them. He cracked one seed for every step the carriage took. And so, after a stick of incense had burned, they finally… discovered a very serious problem.
The two stared speechlessly at the familiar pile of sunflower seed shells on the ground.
Shang Qinghua said, "Yes, there's no doubt about it. The Dragon Bone Fragrant Melon Seeds produced by the Thousand Grass Peak of the Cangqiong Mountain Sect are reddish-brown in color and have golden-yellow inner shells. They must be the pile I just ate."
Shen Qingqiu: "Knowing that selling melon seeds is a side business of your Anding Peak is enough."
So, here's the question: Why did they turn back to where they originally were?
The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
The "ghost wall" scenario, an extremely clichéd and outdated classic trope, was now truly in their hands.
Shang Qinghua came up with a folk remedy: "How about we try splashing some boy's urine on the horse's eyes?"
Shen Qingqiu said, "...Horses have dignity too, okay? Why would you throw excrement in their eyes? Besides, this is the middle of nowhere, where am I supposed to find a boy's urine?"
Upon hearing this, he noticed that Shang Qinghua was looking at him sincerely.
Shen Qingqiu: "Why are you looking at me? As for myself... let's not talk about that for now. The original character of Shen Qingqiu, which you wrote yourself, is outwardly noble but inwardly licentious, burning with lust all day long, having affairs as a teenager and visiting prostitutes as a young man. Do you think I'm still a virgin?"
The character Shang Qinghua seems to be similar.
Shen Qingqiu frowned and pondered deeply, then suddenly slapped his thigh.
He turned and crawled into the carriage, when suddenly he heard Shang Qinghua howl like a ghost outside the carriage.
Shen Qingqiu grabbed what he was looking for, popped out, and shouted, "What is that?!"
Shang Qinghua was so scared that he didn't even use punctuation when he spoke: "When you went in, I felt something furry rubbing against my neck. I looked up and saw a clump of hair and a big white face behind it. I couldn't see it clearly, holy crap!"
Shen Qingqiu looked up, naturally unable to see anything. He thought to himself, whatever this thing is, it's quite cunning, knowing how to pick on the weak. It only dares to mess with Shang Qinghua, who seems a bit timid, and doesn't dare to tease him. He patted him on the shoulder again: "Even if it's something terrifying, you wrote it yourself, what are you afraid of!"
He unfolded the object in his hand, which turned out to be a map.
Shang Qinghua said, "Brother, I thought you were so capable that you could get your hands on this map of Bailu Forest. Look carefully, this is a map of the continent. The entire continent is on it. Even if Bailu Forest is marked, it's only the size of a dot. You won't be able to find your way with it."
Shen Qingqiu said, "Look for yourself, at this place."
He pointed to the bottom of the map.
The Cangqiong Mountain Sect is located in the east, the Tianyi Temple is situated in the center, and the Huanhua Palace is located in the south.
The dot in the White Dew Forest was placed precisely on the pale purple border of the Illusion Flower Palace.
Shang Qinghua suddenly realized: "The Illusion Flower Palace has included the White Dew Forest in its sphere of influence? So we're not trapped in a maze of ghosts, but rather in their protective palace formation?"
To prevent unauthorized individuals from causing trouble, each major sect has its own formation. For example, the Sky Ladder of the Azure Sky Mountain Sect is so difficult that an ordinary person who doesn't know the way would climb the 13,000 stone steps half to death and never reach the top, only to be escorted down by the sect's guardian disciples.
If you get stuck here and there's no one to guide you, you'll probably just keep going in circles.
Shen Qingqiu knocked on the door: "System? Are you there?"
After a pause and no reply, he typed again: "Didn't you say you were providing 24/7 online service? If you don't respond, I'll give you a bad review!"
System: [Hello, the system has entered hibernation mode and is currently in intelligent agent mode. Please use self-service for assistance.]
Shen Qingqiu: "...What, in hibernation?"
He suddenly remembered that the system hadn't calculated his "B-level" value or any of the new, bizarre indices for the past few days.
Intelligent Agent: [The system's main power source, "Luo Binghe," has been disconnected and is undergoing background maintenance and updates. The system will be activated upon reconnection. We wish you a pleasant experience during self-service. Thank you.]
This is already so frustrating, will the update make me even more frustrated? -- Wait, the point is, was Luo Binghe still the main energy source?!
Shen Qingqiu pressed for more information, only to find that the agent kept repeating the same two sentences.
What kind of "intelligent agent" is this? It's just like QQ's auto-reply! How dare you add the word "intelligent" to it!
Shen Qingqiu patted Shang Qinghua: "Tap your system, see if it's still connected?"
Shang Qinghua blinked, and after a moment said, "It says it's under maintenance."
It turns out Luo Binghe wasn't just the main energy source for one system! His disconnection caused the entire system to crash! That's an outrageous cheat!
This isn't actually that serious; it just means you can't use B-grade items while leveling up in the Ice River's Hell difficulty. Thinking about it, it's actually quite good. If you can't use them, you can't reduce them either, which is basically like having no restrictions!
As Shen Qingqiu was comforting himself, he suddenly noticed a rustling sound coming from the bushes beside him.
Shen Qingqiu snapped his fingers and shouted, "Come out!" The elegant sword at his waist was drawn smoothly. Following the sword incantation in Shen Qingqiu's hand, it flew and slashed, but the thing was as slippery as an eel, hiding in the bushes, and he could not hit it no matter how many times he stabbed it.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light appeared before Shen Qingqiu's eyes. The thing let out a sharp screech and suddenly leaped back several feet. The bushes had already been cut down into pieces, and there was no way to hide anything. The thing had long since run away and was nowhere to be seen.
He didn't unleash his ultimate attack just now? It seems he only reflected sunlight for a fleeting moment.
Shang Qinghua leaned closer: "Is it afraid of light?"
Shen Qingqiu: "Holy crap, it really is a female ghost!"
Just as the two were about to discuss something, they suddenly heard a very faint footstep. The person's movement was excellent; if Shen Qingqiu hadn't possessed considerable cultivation, he would have almost missed it. A young man in white robes emerged from the thicket of trees.
The young man, who had already drawn his sword and was full of vigilance, was surprised when he saw who it was and quickly sheathed his sword and bowed.
"I noticed unusual fluctuations around the barrier and came here. I was unaware that Master Shen and Master Shang were here. I have failed to greet you properly."
Shen Qingqiu thought he was quite handsome, but he looked a bit unfamiliar, so he politely asked, "Young hero, who are you?"
The boy slipped.
Shang Qinghua whispered in his ear, "...You're being too disrespectful to him. This is Gongyi Xiao."
Gongyi Xiao was a little annoyed. Although he had been knocked off the top of the list by Luo Binghe, he was still second place, which was a remarkable achievement. In addition, he was the most popular candidate to win the championship and often accompanied the old palace master to visit the high-ranking members of various factions. It was really unexpected that Shen Qingqiu did not recognize him.
Shen Qingqiu praised, "Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young."
Gongyi Xiao said, "I dare not accept such praise. Why were you not informed of the arrival of the two peak masters in the territory of Huanhua Palace? I am truly uneasy about neglecting you, senior."
They really think Bailu Forest is their own territory.
Shen Qingqiu said, "I have no intention of visiting the Illusion Flower Palace. I just need to handle an incident in the White Dew Forest."
Gongyi Xiao was taken aback and instinctively wanted to ask what it was, but he managed to hold back his question.
Shen Qingqiu preemptively stated that he was in Bailu Forest on business, but without explaining his purpose, clearly indicating his unwillingness to discuss further. Unless Gongyi Xiao was stubborn, even if he was curious, he would consider his junior status and dare not ask questions. After all, he was the old palace master's prized disciple for many years; he wouldn't be so insensitive. For a junior to question a senior was simply inappropriate.
If it were someone else, they would surely wonder what the Cangqiong Mountain Sect's intentions were in suddenly having two peak masters arrive, lurking suspiciously on the edge of their territory. Or perhaps they would think, "What grows in my yard is naturally my property. What grows along my fence is also my property." The logic is that simple.
Shen Qingqiu intended to dismiss him with a few words, but Gongyi Xiao hesitated for a moment and said, "Although I do not know what the two seniors are going to do, I humbly request to go and help them."
With a smile on his face and his lips barely moving, Shen Qingqiu muttered to his teammates, "Why don't we take him along? He's a fighter after all."
Even Shang Qinghua, who couldn't fight, muttered, "What if he doesn't let us take the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Orchid?"
Shen Qingqiu was utterly shameless: "Are you stupid? You'll just take it and leave. He can't possibly steal it from you. He can go back and tell his teacher later. By then, we'll have already packed up and left. Why would we wait for them to come and catch us?"
Shang Qinghua: "What should we do if the two factions turn against each other?"
"It's such a trivial matter that it's worth making enemies. Besides, the Sun and Moon Dew Flower is for self-preservation. Between your life and diplomatic relations, which would you choose?"
Shang Qinghua said without hesitation, "Take him with you!"
Shen Qingqiu looked up and decisively said to Gongyi Xiao, "Let's go!"
So the hard labor of driving the car was handed over to the younger generation.
As he manipulated the reins, he asked curiously, "Senior Shen, there is something I don't understand."
Shen Qingqiu said, "Please speak."
Gongyi Xiao said, "With your cultivation level, senior, you could break into our sect's formation in no time and do so without anyone noticing. Why would you cause such a large fluctuation in spiritual energy?"
Ahem. The logic is simple: it's like you can memorize a formula perfectly, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can solve the problem.
Shen Qingqiu said, half-truthfully, "That fluctuation was not generated when breaking the formation, but when dealing with a strange demon."
Gongyi Xiao was stunned for a moment: "Strange demonic creature?"
Shen Qingqiu said, "It's actually hard to tell whether it's a demon or not, but its appearance is strange and doesn't resemble a normal living creature from the human world."
Gongyi Xiao said, "There are people living within a ten-mile radius of Bailu Forest, and I have never heard of them being disturbed by demons. There are no tigers or wild beasts there either."
Shen Qingqiu pondered, "What exactly is that thing? It has disheveled hair, incredibly soft bones, and a swollen face like a starving corpse."
Gongyi Xiao said sincerely, "Whatever it is, it would be best if it didn't appear again. If it does appear, there's no need to trouble the two seniors to take action; just leave it to me."
The respect in his words was genuine. Although he didn't know much about this Senior Xiu Yajian, having only met him once or twice from afar, he had seen Shen Qingqiu's personal disciple surpass him to take the top spot at the last Immortal Alliance Conference, and he himself had also helped many disciples of the Illusion Flower Palace. That was the truth, so he respected him greatly.
Seeing that he was well-mannered and had the utmost humility, and that his appearance was similar to Luo Binghe's—the kind of gentle, affectionate, and handsome man with a smiling face—it was hard for Shen Qingqiu not to feel a sense of goodwill towards him.
Of course, he was completely oblivious to this emotion, which can be described in one word: love me, love my dog.
All he lamented was: Luo Binghe, alas, Luo Binghe. These days, all his running around is because he's afraid of Luo Binghe!
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