Chapter 136
Chapter 136: A Midnight Scoop, Sudden and Strange
Everyone was curious about Yun Chu Chu’s storyline, yet Yun Wan Ning’s heart voice listening only touched on it briefly before drifting into random, unrelated thoughts:
[Ah, today when I released my spiritual power, I saw so many interesting things.]
[The dog in the backyard is quite capable—while tied up, it still managed to catch a huge rat.]
[In the front alley, a group of children bullied a smaller boy, kicking and punching him all afternoon.]
[When I saw it, I used my spiritual power to teach those brats a lesson.]
[The bullied boy has a fate both ominous and precious, a rare mix of inauspicious yet noble. When he grows up, he’ll be something extraordinary.]
[And then, in the southern alley lives a poor scholar—he looks serious enough, but spent the whole afternoon writing erotic stories.]
[The main character is also a poor scholar, yet countless women throw themselves at him, his harem stretching without end.]
[Among them are an official’s daughter, the girl next door, a wandering swordswoman, a cold-hearted constable, a pure-hearted healer, a beautiful courtesan, a rich young lady, and even a gentle teacher’s wife—every type of woman imaginable.]
[If this character were in the modern world, he’d be a classic womanizer and collector of hearts.]
[These women constantly fight over whose bed he’ll grace that night.] [And also, three streets east there’s an alley called Bluestone Alley. At Number Nineteen lives an old bachelor.]
[I saw him sneak into his neighbor’s house to steal her underclothes, and just last night he was peeping on her bath…]
[Shameless and disgusting, utterly without conscience.]
Everyone: “…”
In the dead of night, these revelations dropped suddenly and without warning. Forced to swallow a barrage of gossip, they could only laugh and sigh. What was this? Just what did this little dumpling spend her days watching? Stifling their curiosity about Yun Chu Chu’s plot, they decided to bide their time. They knew her well enough: once she saw Yun Chu Chu again, she’d be unable to stop thinking about the story. For now, patience was the only choice.
After dinner, the physician arrived as usual to check Yun Wan Yao’s condition. After days of rest, she no longer needed to stay in bed all day, a piece of news that delighted her to no end.
That night, after drinking her milk, Yun Wan Ning lay in bed digesting. Bored, she closed her eyes and sank her mind inward, slowly opening the record of Su Qian Xue’s conversations with the system: [Almost forgot—after failing her mission, Su Qian Xue should have a new one now.] [Let’s see what it is.] [Could it still be about Mo Yuan Hao?]
Soon, a string of dialogue surfaced in her mind.
System: [System alert: mission failed. Punishment will be administered. Please prepare yourself.]
There was no record of Su Qian Xue being struck by lightning this time, but the counter for failed missions had updated.
System: [Alert: failure count is now three. At ten failures, punishment will be doubled. Complete your missions diligently.]
System: [Mission refreshed. Target: Lu Huai Jin. Objective: within fifteen days, win Lu Huai Jin’s favor and successfully drive a wedge between him and the princess.]
[Excellent, finally a target unrelated to Mo Yuan Hao. It wasn’t easy to get here—it was almost worth the lightning strike this time.]
Even through the text, her joy was palpable, unshaken despite the punishment.
[Lu Huai Jin isn’t the male lead, not even a top-ranking supporting role. He’ll be much easier to win over.] [This time, I will succeed.] [System, what about the item pack?]
System: [Item pack delivered. Please check your inventory.]
System: [Congratulations, you have received: one vial of scented fragrance, one Beauty Pill, one Invincible Strength Talisman.]
Su Qian Xue hadn’t mentioned what these items did, so Yun Wan Ning could only guess from their names:
[They say anything from the system is top quality, so this fragrance must be more than just a pleasant scent—it might charm people or even become addictive.]
[The Beauty Pill likely makes the user more alluring.]
[The Strength Talisman might grant her overwhelming power.]
[I just don’t know if they’re temporary or permanent—if permanent, then even Father and the others might not be able to deal with her, unless Second Brother’s system gives him some items too.]
“???”
Madam Yun had just returned from her bath when she caught these last thoughts, and suspicion stirred. Had she missed something important? Yesterday, the little dumpling had mentioned Su Qian Xue failing her mission—could those earlier thoughts have been about a new one? She regretted not waiting for her husband before bathing; if she truly missed such news, what now?
Heavy with thought, she sat at her vanity, toweling her hair. On the bed, Yun Wan Ning twitched her nose at the light floral scent clinging to her mother, her mind returning to the present: [It’s Mother’s fragrance. Smells so nice. I’m bored again—better keep cultivating my spiritual power. Maybe once I reach the third level or higher, I can finally catch the system.]
With that last thought, she closed her eyes and began to cultivate.
…
In the Pei clan’s estate, Pei Yu woke to the news that the Grand Commandant’s manor had sent word: he was to marry Su Qian Xue, and his parents had already agreed. His head nearly steamed from fury as he searched for a way to refuse. Absolutely not! He loved Yao’er—if he couldn’t marry her, he would still never wed Su Qian Xue. What was she? Brainless, spoiled, and arrogant, with nothing to recommend her but her face and figure. In all of Haojing, only Princess Hua Yang had a worse reputation.
He had fought alongside Duke Ning in countless campaigns, earning great merit and a boundless future. How could he take such a woman as his wife?
While Pei Yu fumed, Su Qian Xue was hardly idle. Dressed as a maid, she slipped out of her manor. Using the system to locate Lu Huai Jin, she set out, ready to stage a chance encounter…