Chapter 252: Disciple
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Mother, why has a Jinx Star come to our home?”
“Stay away from him…”
“Don’t go near! He’s covered in misfortune, whoever touches him is doomed…” Lu Chao Chao cupped her hands around her mouth like a little trumpet and whispered dramatically.
Madam Xu looked embarrassed, attempting to cover Lu Chao Chao’s babbling mouth.
Meanwhile, Li Zi Xi sat at the table, calmly sipping his tea.
“Princess Sunshine, I can hear you.”
Lu Chao Chao planted her hands on her hips, puffing out her chubby little belly. “I’m saying it for you to hear! You heard it, and you’re still not leaving?”
Oh my heavens, she had never seen someone so unlucky before.
Madam Xu quickly covered her daughter’s mouth. This little rascal!
“Young Master Li, my apologies. This little one speaks without thinking… she’s just talking nonsense.” She shot a glare at the child.
Li Zi Xi raised an eyebrow. “Madam Xu, don’t worry. I’ve made it this far all thanks to my thick skin. Besides, Chao Chao isn’t wrong…”
“His Majesty says my luck is terrible and could affect the fate of the nation.”
“I told His Majesty that with Princess Sunshine here, along with a wise and heroic Emperor, surely I would be safe. The Emperor hesitated at first, but then he awarded me the Third-Rank Scholar title.”
Lu Yan Shu covered his face in disbelief.
The level of Li Zi Xi’s bootlicking was truly beyond him.
Li Zi Xi turned to Lu Chao Chao. “Isn’t that right, Princess Sunshine?”
Lu Chao Chao coughed lightly, her cheeks turning red.
“Princess Sunshine is benevolent and kind-hearted, with a heart vast enough to hold a ship. She surely wouldn’t despise me for my poor fortune.”
“Oh, by the way, my hometown has a unique delicacy that Princess Sunshine has likely never seen before. I’ll personally make some and bring them over for you to try…”
Li Zi Xi stepped forward and hugged Lu Chao Chao. “Princess Sunshine, you must eat well. You’re too light, too skinny…”
Lu Chao Chao beamed with delight.
[Wow, he called me kind!]
[He’s going to make food for me!]
[He even called me light and thin… Even though he’s unlucky, at least he speaks the truth. So honest…]
Lu Yan Shu choked on his drink.
By the heavens, that was some thick skin.
Unparalleled, truly.
Could he even say such things with a clear conscience?
“Don’t worry, I don’t dislike you. It’s not your fault you’re unlucky…” Lu Chao Chao nodded earnestly.
Li Zi Xi smiled, gently patting Chao Chao’s head.
“It’s been a long day. Stay the night at the manor and rest. The servants have prepared dinner. Let’s eat first…” Madam Xu led everyone to the dining hall.
“Let me carry Chao Chao.” Deng Zhi stepped forward.
Li Zi Xi shook his head. “Chao Chao isn’t heavy. I’ll carry her.”
Lu Yan Shu shot him a surprised look. Li Zi Xi was used to the fickleness of human nature and usually kept his distance from others.
But with Chao Chao, he was particularly warm.
Perhaps sensing the curiosity in Lu Yan Shu’s gaze, Li Zi Xi said, “I feel a natural fondness for Chao Chao. She just fits my eye.”
Dinner stretched late into the night.
Lu Yan Shu drank a few cups of wine, his eyes reddening.
“Mother, from now on, I will be your pillar. No one will ever drive you from your home again…”
“Mother, I toast to you. You’ve suffered for too long.” He raised his cup.
Madam Xu’s voice choked, her hands trembling as she held her cup.
“I understand, my son. I’m not afraid. I have you all…”
“People say I was deceived, that I should be resentful. But with you here, my life is not bitter…”
At the table, everyone’s faces were flushed with drink, their eyes drowsy with intoxication.
Li Zi Xi clutched his dog, bawling. “It’s been so hard, so hard…”
“Just making it to the capital alive… was the hardest part…” The Imperial Examination was easy, surviving the journey was not.
Lu Chao Chao was falling asleep. Seeing the disorder in the hall, Deng Zhi carried her back to her room.
“Take care of Young Master Lu and Madam Xu.”
“The guest room is ready. Take Young Master Li there later.”
With that, Deng Zhi carried Lu Chao Chao away.
Lying against Deng Zhi’s shoulder, Lu Chao Chao mumbled sleepily, “Sister Deng Zhi, don’t cry, don’t feel bad for him…”
“His luck is bad, but he’s tough…”
Deng Zhi glanced at the hall, lowering her voice. “This servant… this servant isn’t crying out of pity for him.”
She discreetly lifted her sleeve, revealing her pale skin pinched red.
“I was pinching myself. If I didn’t cry, I would have laughed.”
“He’s an honored guest. It wouldn’t do to laugh out loud…” Deng Zhi would never cry over some random person.
Lu Chao Chao giggled.
“Hehe, Sister Deng Zhi is amazing…”
“Rest early. Tomorrow, we have a banquet at the manor. There will be much to do…” Seeing Chao Chao washed and tucked in, Deng Zhi instructed Yu Shu and the others before leaving.
That night, after drinking warm lamb soup, Lu Chao Chao felt toasty all over.
The night was silent, all in slumber.
Yu Shu and Yu Qin slept on the small couch outside the canopy.
Feeling too warm, Lu Chao Chao kicked off her blanket, exposing her round belly.
She dreamed again of her past life.
“Huh…?”
Her body felt light as a feather. Looking down, she saw herself transparent, like a drifting soul.
“Where is this? Is anyone here?”
Two-year-old Lu Chao Chao called out loudly into the mist.
No response.
“This place looks familiar…” She looked around, feeling an eerie sense of recognition.
Faint voices echoed in the distance. Lu Chao Chao followed them.
With just a few steps, she realized she was floating, effortlessly soaring forward.
“This is my Without Folly Mountain!” Lu Chao Chao’s eyes lit up.
It was Without Folly Mountain!
“Why? Why is this happening?”
“After spending a thousand years and sacrificing everything to gather her soul, why… is it only a shell?” A man, ethereal like an immortal, stood with silver hair streaked in white, his face filled with despair.
Lu Chao Chao tilted her head. He looked so familiar.
“Senior Brother, where did we go wrong?” A green-clad youth, eyes red, looked at the white-haired man.
Lu Chao Chao froze in shock.
“Zong Bai! It’s Zong Bai!!” She flew forward, only to pass right through him.
She stared at her hands in disbelief.
“Zong Bai, I’m Master! Zong Bai…” She cried, her little voice trembling.
Then she turned to the green-clad youth. “Sheng He! You’re Sheng He, aren’t you? You always loved wearing green!”
Sheng He, the God of Fortune.
She panicked. These were her disciples!
At the center of the jade bed lay a girl.
Lu Chao Chao froze.
It was her.
The girl’s face was rosy, her long black hair cascading over the jade bed, as if she were in deep slumber.
But upon closer look—no breath, no heartbeat.
“She sacrificed herself to save the world. Her soul returned to the mountains and rivers. She cannot be revived.” Chong Yue spoke coldly.
“Even if she were forcibly awakened, she would have no heart, no sight, no hearing, no taste—nothing at all. What would awaken… would only be a puppet! That would not be her!”
“Destroying this world, would it bring Master back?” Xuan Yu, clad in black, stared at Chong Yue.
Xuan Yu, the God of Darkness.
“No. Master sacrificed herself to save the world. If you destroy it, she will never rest in peace!” Zong Bai rejected firmly.
I don’t know, I was reading a novel that also had an unlucky scholar, seems like there’s a ton of ways for bad luck to make exams harder.
For example, having a seat that’s too close to the outhouses used by all the test takers ?