CSMCDB - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
"Young Master!" The servant was nearly scared to death and scrambled toward him, while another had already run off to find a healer.
Seeing that things were going south, Wen Yuncheng dropped another RX-78 Pursuer and turned to flee, leaving Wen Ziyu to swallow his rage as he hastily dodged.
[Nicely done, Host~] 1947 was very satisfied. [You've got the flair of a future Long Aotian. If only you didn't run away so pathetically.]
"...I almost died." Wen Yuncheng stopped to catch her breath, touching her abdomen. Her back was also in agony. That Wen Ziyu was truly a piece of work. Back when her talent was outstanding, she had never even insulted him. She had no idea why he had come to hate her so much.
But this was fine too. At least she wouldn't feel any guilt when she fought back for the sake of her mission. Wen Yuncheng ran back to her dilapidated little courtyard, nimbly climbed onto the roof, and sat down to seriously study the skills she had learned.
The RX-78 Pursuer dealt decent damage and had a short cooldown. As for the Topspin Kick, its damage was unknown, but after watching the system's demonstration video, Wen Yuncheng thought the skill looked quite cool.
For moves designated as skills, Wen Yuncheng didn't need to practice them painstakingly herself; she could execute them just by using the skill. She didn't have to worry about whether her body's flexibility met the requirements of the move.
After reviewing her skills, Wen Yuncheng turned her attention to the locked blueprints. This thing also cost one point…
"This mechanic of attacking people who hate me, is it limited? Can it only be triggered once?"
[It refreshes daily.] 1947 said considerately. [Rest well today. Go settle the score with Wen Ziyu tomorrow and test the damage of the Topspin Kick while you're at it.]
"Alright." Wen Yuncheng agreed, but the thought of Wen Ziyu made her worry again. "If I beat him up every day, even if he's too proud to tattle to Second Uncle or the elders, they'll still notice the injuries on him."
That would be hard to explain…
[The next skill unlock requires you to reach level 10, which is the Star Practitioner rank on your continent. Learning skills for just one point right now is a novice benefit. It would be better for the Host to make some preparations for the future.]
"...Fine." She had to prepare for the future, which meant she needed to do these daily missions often. But she didn't have to target Wen Ziyu alone.
The family had a dedicated dueling ground for the disciples to spar. She could go there to fight later.
With that thought, Wen Yuncheng's worries eased. She let out a sigh of relief, quickly washed up, and prepared to head to the kitchen to sort out her meal for the day.
However, the next day, before Wen Yuncheng could even implement her plan, it was shattered. Trouble had arrived.
Big trouble.
Her fiancée, in name, had come.
The daughter of the Flowing Cloud Sect's Master, Lin Jinyu, was only fifteen years old and already a second-layer Star Practitioner. Young and exceptionally talented. Moreover, she had her father behind her. As the Sect Master, her father was already a second-layer Star Spirit at nearly forty, and becoming a Star King was just a matter of time.
Yes, one of the stars in the sky probably belonged to her dad.
Look at others—a second-layer Star Practitioner, which translated to the system's levels would be somewhere between 14 and 16. And herself? Level 2.
Upon learning that Lin Jinyu of the Flowing Cloud Sect had arrived with their sect's Great Elder and Right Protector, Wen Yuncheng's heart was filled with refusal, panic, and fear! She was 100% a girl. If they saw through her disguise—she had already been mocked by Wen Ziyu and a few of her cousins for her "girly" voice.
[Here it comes, here it comes! The most classic plot point is here!] 1947 was exceptionally excited, shouting and cheering in Wen Yuncheng's mind: [Host, it's time for you to act all cool, slap them in the face, and say, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the young for being poor!"——]
"Huh?" Wen Yuncheng froze, then reacted. "Break the engagement? Is it about breaking the engagement?"
[Yes, yes, yes! It's breaking the engagement! Time for the face-slapping and showing off! You have to viciously throw the letter of divorce in her face… Oh, right, you have to write the letter on your clothes after biting your finger. Host, quickly change into a white shirt, it'll be more obvious that way.]
Wen Yuncheng breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as it's about breaking the engagement, that's good. Yes, yes, let's hurry up and break it. It's for the best." She washed her face, composed herself, and then slowly made her way to the reception hall.
[???]
The moment Wen Yuncheng entered the hall, many eyes turned to her. Unflustered and extremely calm, she found an empty seat and sat down. She looked at the Flowing Cloud Sect's Great Elder, who was chatting happily with the clan leader, then at the gentle-looking young woman and the beautiful porcelain doll by her side, guessing they were the Right Protector and Lin Jinyu.
The Right Protector looked kind and approachable, but the young doll, Lin Jinyu, wore a cold expression despite her youth.
Wen Yuncheng couldn't help but study Lin Jinyu for a few more moments. Honestly, although Lin Jinyu was expressionless, she was blessed with good looks! Appreciating her beauty, Wen Yuncheng took another look, only to see the Right Protector's eyes sweep over to her before saying something to the ice doll. The ice doll then looked over, frowned, and shot her a glare—Damn! So cute! I want to squish her!
The ice doll suddenly stood up and said in a crisp voice, "Uncle Wen, I have come today regarding the matter of our marriage contract." She took out a jade pendant from her robes, the very token of their engagement.
"Jinyu is devoted to cultivation and does not wish to involve herself in matters of love. Moreover, I am a complete stranger to your esteemed clan's Young Master Wen, and we have no emotional foundation. Though this may be abrupt… we have come today to discuss dissolving the engagement."
The moment Lin Jinyu spoke, the clan leader's expression turned ugly. The three elders also looked displeased. Wasn't this a slap in the Wen family's face? But because the Flowing Cloud Sect was a major power, they suppressed their extreme anger and dissatisfaction. The clan leader turned his gaze to the Flowing Cloud Sect's Great Elder, who smiled apologetically and took out a box of pills. "This is a bottle of sixth-grade Star Liquid. When diluted, it can be used for more than half a year."
"Great Elder, what is the meaning of this?!" the clan leader's tone was stiff with displeasure.
"A small token of our apology. And, a bottle of fifth-grade Body Tempering Pills, containing several dozen pills."
"Ten sixth-grade Rejuvenation Pills."
"Ten packs of sixth-grade Energy Replenishing Powder."
"A Star Stone Card, with thirty thousand Star Stones inside."
"These are a small compensation for our apology to Young Master Wen Yuncheng." The Great Elder listed a series of items, placing the pills and the Star Stone Card directly on the table. He smiled and said, "Our Jinyu is a bit thoughtless, and this matter was handled rashly. But in two months, she will be heading to the Imperial Capital to enroll in Star Academy, and she will be entering the S-Class. At that time, the marriage contract with Young Master Wen Yuncheng will be rather inconvenient to fulfill."
"Our Sect Master was also deeply conflicted. Hearing that Young Master Wen has encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation, he prepared these tokens of compensation and wishes the Young Master smooth cultivation. If our two families are fated, we can naturally form a marriage alliance in the future."
It was a nice way of putting it, but how could a broken engagement ever be rekindled? The words, both spoken and unspoken, implied that Wen Yuncheng was a waste who would never amount to anything in her cultivation. The clan leader's face was ashen. No matter what, once word of this got out, how could their Wen family maintain their standing in Holy Star City? This was a massive loss of face…
"Of course, the Sect Master also knows this is somewhat unfair to the Wen family. Our Flowing Cloud Sect is willing to select ten outstanding disciples from the Wen family for careful nurturing. What do you think?" The Great Elder smiled. Seeing the clan leader's expression soften instantly, he knew the matter was more or less settled.
Ten disciples to be carefully nurtured—what did that mean? It meant the Flowing Cloud Sect's resources would be open to them. This was far better than the resources a small-town family could provide. The Flowing Cloud Sect also had superior cultivation techniques and greater opportunities. And the family's disciples were the hope for the family's prosperity.
The clan leader stroked his chin, seemingly considering it, though his mind was already made up. The Flowing Cloud Sect didn't want this marriage. So what if they forcefully refused? The one who had saved the Sect Master was Wen Yuncheng's grandfather, who was already dead. And Wen Yuncheng's parents? Just a pair of freeloading scoundrels. Tearing ties with the Flowing Cloud Sect would make it difficult to continue the engagement anyway. Besides, Wen Yuncheng had long since become a waste, with not a shred of value to speak of.
In a corner they weren't paying attention to, Wen Yuncheng watched the drama with a bored expression.
[Host? What are you spacing out for? It's your time to shine! Quickly!]
Wen Yuncheng thought: 1947, I'm not a guy. If I don't break the engagement, what happens later? Make her live like a widow? That's impossible. But you want me to slap her face and annul the marriage? How would she get married in the future? …And she's the daughter of the Flowing Cloud Sect's Master. If I insult her, wouldn't the Sect Master tear me to shreds? No one in the Wen family would be willing to protect someone like me, who currently shows no great value.
[Ding! Mission triggered: Engagement Annulment Face-slap!]
[Mission Requirement: Say the classic line: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the young for being poor!"]
[Mission Reward: 20 EXP, 5 Points]
[Host, don't chicken out! Go! Slap 'em! Charge!]
Wen Yuncheng looked at the 20 EXP and 5 points, feeling a bit of a headache. But then she looked at the mission requirement…? It didn't seem impossible?
"Since your esteemed sect wishes to annul the marriage with me, shouldn't you be discussing the compensation with me?" Wen Yuncheng suddenly stood up, strode to the center of the hall, and declared in a deep voice, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the young for being poor!"
Instantly, the EXP and points were credited to her account.
"Oh?" The Great Elder's expression soured slightly.
"I don't need any compensation in the form of materials or pills. Just convert all of it into Star Stones." Wen Yuncheng had originally wanted to say that the ten disciple slots for the Wen family could also be converted into Star Stones, but she would probably be beaten to death if she said that out loud.
The Great Elder: ?
The Clan Leader: ?
"...Of course, you can." This request was rather… The Great Elder suddenly thought of Wen Yuncheng's useless constitution. Right, cultivation was useless for someone with a body like this. In that case, it was more practical to exchange everything for Star Stones.
[Kid, your script is different from mine, huh?] 1947 was dumbfounded.
Wen Yuncheng ignored the system. The Great Elder pondered for a moment, then took out another Star Stone Card from his robes, touched it to the one on the table, and handed it to Wen Yuncheng. "Since you request it, here are one hundred thousand Star Stones." Wen Yuncheng was surprisingly straightforward… To them, problems that could be solved with Star Stones were not problems at all.
"Many thanks. Since there is nothing else, I will take my leave." Wen Yuncheng accepted the Star Stone Card and handed over the jade pendant that symbolized the marriage alliance. Having received her compensation, she knew the clan leader would still need to discuss the matter of the ten disciple slots with the Great Elder. She was insignificant in the clan, so there was nothing left for her here.
After stowing the card, she glanced at the clan leader's slightly unpleasant expression and checked his affection level for her: Loathing.
Alright, her sudden appearance and demand to convert all the materials and pills into Star Stones had certainly displeased the clan leader. After all, as a waste, she could have "generously" given the cultivation materials she couldn't use to the clan's disciples. Now that the Star Stone Card was in her hands, the clan leader didn't have the gall to ask for it back.
In any case, this matter was now concluded.
Author's Notes
Lin Jinyu: I feel like there's something wrong with my role in the plot...?
1947: As everyone knows, the romance in a Long Aotian script is a slow burn.
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