Chapter 201: Fortune Plundering in Progress…
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“Why?”
For a moment, countless thoughts raced through Yu Zhao’s mind. She could easily give dozens of different responses, all equally valid, but none of them mattered. There was no need to clarify anything for Su Ming. Besides, the fact that he was still questioning her about Yuan Ming showed he hadn’t grasped the real issue. He was just unwilling to accept it.
He couldn’t stand that the once-submissive person who revolved around him no longer cared, no longer put him first in everything.
Even though he believed he was not at fault, he had still come to apologize. How hypocritical.
“Because I hate you. I hate everyone on Lone Moon Peak. Just looking at you disgusts me. Does that answer satisfy you?”
Yu Zhao’s voice was slow and deliberate, each word cutting like a sharp knife, shattering Su Ming’s illusions.
Staggering back two steps, Su Ming looked at her, his eyes red and filled with disbelief, shaking his head repeatedly. Hate him? Yu Zhao said she hated him? No, that couldn’t be true. They had been so close before. She had even hand-sewn a small pouch for him. Yes, the pouch! He still had it!
Inside that pouch was a note written by Yu Zhao herself, a note promising to grant him one wish. Desperate, Su Ming clung to this last thread of hope and frantically searched his storage space.
Twice he searched, but it was nowhere to be found. Panic set in as his hands fumbled over his robes. His movements became increasingly erratic.
How could it be gone?
How could it possibly be gone?
At first, Yu Zhao didn’t understand what Su Ming was doing. It wasn’t until she noticed him repeatedly flipping his belt that she realized he was looking for the bird-patterned pouch she had once given him. When Su Ming first received the pouch, he wore it proudly, showing it off to everyone he met. He would vehemently defend it when someone called it ugly. But at some point, he too decided the stitching wasn’t exquisite enough and deemed it unworthy, eventually storing it away.
What he had forgotten was that Yu Zhao had taken the pouch back years ago.
Yu Zhao stood silently, watching him. She saw his searching grow slower, his hands beginning to tremble.
“Remember now?” she asked mockingly.
Su Ming looked up, his shattered gaze meeting hers. His lips moved, but no words came out. Even as Yu Zhao turned and walked away, he stood frozen, his heart colder than the biting night wind.
Yu Zhao truly didn’t want him anymore.
On the other side.
Yu Zhao strolled forward leisurely. After walking a short distance, she spotted a group of people sitting on the ground, chatting and laughing. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she approached them step by step.
Always move forward; never look back.
The next day was the awards ceremony for the Cultivation World Grand Competition.
As the champion of the individual competition, Yu Zhao stepped onto the stage to receive her prize: a defensive artifact crafted by a master artisan of Aspiration Pavilion—the Heart-Protecting Mirror. The name of the artifact surprised her; in her previous life, the prize given to Wu Shao Zhen wasn’t the Heart-Protecting Mirror. But when she saw Sect Master Bai Lian, who handed her the prize with a look of admiration, it all made sense. Yu Zhao accepted the prize gratefully under his approving gaze.
Due to Yao Ji’s self-destruction, Si Tu Xuan advanced to second place in the individual competition, while the body-refining cultivator who lost to Yu Zhao came in third. Both stepped onto the stage amidst envious stares to receive their respective rewards.
Next came the awards for the team competition. Two out of the top three teams belonged to the Five Elements Dao Sect, bringing immense joy to its members. The only exception was Master Qing Yan, whose face remained as stoic as ever.
Sect Master Ji Yuan kept his eyes fixed on the high platform where awards were being distributed, while his peripheral vision constantly monitored Master Qing Yan beside him. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, were ready to retrieve medicine at a moment’s notice.
Unexpectedly, the entire ceremony concluded without Master Qing Yan making any unusual moves, as though his earlier words had been nothing more than casual remarks. While Sect Master Ji Yuan couldn’t fathom his intentions, he dared not relax his vigilance. Master Qing Yan’s condition fluctuated frequently, and Ji Yuan knew he had to stay alert.
Fang Cheng Lang and his companions also found the situation odd, but since Master Qing Yan said nothing, they refrained from reminding him. Their subdued expressions puzzled Quan Ye, who couldn’t discern the cause.
With the grand event of the cultivation world coming to an end, the hundred individuals destined for Floating Island prepared for departure, while the visiting cultivators and sects began organizing their return journeys.
At this time, Li Jing Rang received a peculiar letter. The message contained no superfluous words, only a single poem—its diction elegant and brimming with affection. Overjoyed, Li Jing Rang was certain this masterpiece could only have been penned by his kindred spirit, Junior Sister Ye, as no one else could write with such grace.
The timing of the poem hinted at something more profound. Buoyed by hope, Li Jing Rang followed the clues embedded within the verses on a dark, windy night. His search led him to a secluded forest, where he finally saw the one he had yearned for day and night.
“Junior Sister Ye!” he called out eagerly.
Ye Cong Xin greeted him with a radiant smile. “Senior Brother Li, I…”
“You don’t need to say anything more.” Li Jing Rang closed the distance between them with a few quick strides, his voice filled with tender emotion. “I understand your feelings; my heart is as yours.”
Ye Cong Xin’s lips twitched ever so slightly, but she maintained her bright smile, motivated by the opportunity to seize Fortune Value within reach. “Senior Brother Li,” she began earnestly, “before meeting you, I had heard of your poetic talents and admired you greatly. However, you and Senior Sister Liu seemed like a match made in heaven. I didn’t want to ruin such a perfect union for my own selfish desires. Fortunately, fate had other plans…”
Her candid words deeply moved Li Jing Rang, who had always preferred a woman of intellect and grace like Junior Sister Ye over someone brash like Liu Zheng. Reflecting on it, he felt the annulment of his engagement wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least it paved the way for him and Junior Sister Ye to be together.
“Junior Sister Ye, I’ve long harbored feelings for you as well. Once we return to the academy, I’ll inform the headmaster of my intentions and ask him to arrange a marriage proposal to the Five Elements Dao Sect.”
Ye Cong Xin’s eyes shimmered, and she seemed on the verge of tears. “Senior Brother Li, do you truly have feelings for me? You’re not deceiving me, are you?”
“Of course not! I swear on my Dao Heart!” Li Jing Rang raised his hand, ready to make an oath, but Ye Cong Xin gently covered his mouth.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
Her fragrance enveloped him, and Li Jing Rang involuntarily took a deep breath, his expression filled with bliss.
Ding! Li Jing Rang’s current favorability: 90 points.
Ding! Favorability threshold reached. Fortune Plundering Channel activated. Li Jing Rang’s current Fortune Value: 2500 points.
Hearing the mechanical voice echo in her mind, Ye Cong Xin’s eyelid twitched violently. She angrily questioned the system, “System, didn’t you say earlier that Li Jing Rang’s Fortune Value was 4000 points? Why has it dropped so drastically—nearly by half?”
Ding! Host, Fortune Value is not static. After being publicly humiliated through annulment, Li Jing Rang’s reputation took a severe hit. Upon returning to his sect, he was mocked by his peers and fell into a slump, causing his Fortune Value to decline.
Ye Cong Xin was speechless. She had expected to extract more from Li Jing Rang, but his downfall left little to work with. No longer seeing the point in investing further effort, she made a swift decision.
“System, plunder Li Jing Rang’s Fortune Value as quickly as possible and convert it entirely into spiritual energy for my cultivation.”
Ding! Understood, host. Initiating Fortune Plundering…