“Don’t come any closer! We are the same position!”
On the day of the plot point prompted by the System, Cen Moyu used the excuse that he had not used his annual leave in a century. After receiving approval from Master Lao Wang, he returned to his quarters to prepare.
“I am flying quite well now,” Cen Moyu said as he took a deep breath. “This time, I will definitely succeed.”
The System replied: [You had better succeed.]
Having spent so much time together, Cen Moyu knew the System was harsh in speech but kind at heart. He smiled and promised, “I can do it. I have been learning to fly for many days. Even Mai Li said I have made great progress.”
The System had been present throughout his practice and witnessed countless disastrous crashes. It corrected him: [His exact words were that you can manage to fly. As long as you do not encounter a massive rainstorm, you will be fine.]
Mai Li was convinced that Cen Moyu had fallen for Lu Jijun. He told Cen Moyu that if he wanted to watch his Senior Brother bathe, he had to go to a different mountain spring.
“Anyway, as long as I do not fly to the Bathing Peak he mentioned, it will be fine.”
Cen Moyu burned his notes and asked the System curiously, “After they sleep together, they will fall in love, right? Does that mean I get to leave this place?”
System: [Are you in a hurry again?]
Its tone was not very friendly, but Cen Moyu did not take it to heart. “Are you going to miss me? Why do you not tell me if you are a human or a demon? For example, why did you become a System? Were you originally a human too?”
Transmigrating into a Fairy Pitta had added a touch of demonic allure to Cen Moyu’s original appearance, but his aura remained naturally pure. It was difficult for anyone to dislike him. During his years as a closed-door disciple, countless people had tried to win his favor.
The System did not know why it had become a System and could only ask in return: [Is returning to your original world not your wish?]
It had always acted according to this goal. Ever since it gained consciousness, it seemed to carry these realizations inherently. For instance, it knew Cen Moyu was not a human of this world and that he wanted to go back. To achieve that, the protagonist attacker and protagonist receiver of this world had to fall in love. The plot points were etched into its memory, precise down to the year, month, and hour. Otherwise, it would never have indulged Cen Moyu in being a closed-door disciple for nearly a hundred years.
“Well, I suppose it is my wish.”
Outside, the sky grew dark early. Rain had begun falling an hour ago.
The demon slaying team assembled this time came from the lineages of various elders and included many elites. Mai Li and his lover were among them. Upon departure, Mai Li used a feather to contact Cen Moyu, telling him how to track their location.
“It is thundering and raining. It is not great for flying.” Cen Moyu changed out of the unchanging robe of a closed-door disciple and put on the mundane robes Mai Li had brought back for him from the foot of the mountain.
Although Mai Li was an easygoing sparrow, he had a penchant for shiny things. His casual clothes were practically encrusted with jewels and were quite expensive. Cen Moyu stripped off the jingling accessories and walked toward the location mentioned in the plot.
The System said that Wenren Qi would fail his ascension. He would be struck by lightning until his cultivation was destroyed, making him unable to recover in the short term. Meanwhile, the protagonist attacker, Lu Jijun, would be ambushed outside the mountain. Enduring the heat of an aphrodisiac, he would return to his cave dwelling and find his dying Master on the way. Then, they would fall in love.
“But I calculated the distance between the two places,” the closed-door disciple said with sudden rigor. “Is there a bug in the original book?”
System: [How so?]
Cen Moyu stood in the dark night clad in a black robe. He pointed toward the spot shimmering under the torrential rain. “Those two places are very far apart. If you were burning with lust, would you really take a detour to carry someone back with you?”
System: [I am not burning with lust.]
Cen Moyu sighed with a voice tinged with regret. “Neither am I.”
The System seemed to harbor a grudge regarding his romantic history and asked: [Did you not use to be in a relationship?]
Cen Moyu replied, “I almost forgot about that. Anyway, I never slept with him.”
Mentioning this, the Fairy Pitta puffed up with indignation. “Instead of doing that kind of thing, I just wanted him to hug me and kiss me.”
The System said coolly: [I see. You like long foreplay.]
In the darkness, the blush on the face of Cen Moyu was not visible. He coughed and said, “I do not like it.”
Suddenly, lightning flashed across the sky. The birds in the forest sensed danger and fled in a hurry. Not far away, heavenly thunder fell like a homing missile, chasing and striking a specific spot.
Cen Moyu was stunned. “No wonder I was charred to a crisp when I first arrived.”
The System ignored him.
Tonight, many in the Qingheng Sect could not sleep. The commotion was terrifying and many spiritual beasts kept by disciples had fled.
The elders who knew the signs had realized half a month ago that Wenren Qi was about to face a tribulation again. Ordinary thunder clouds would be absorbed by his cultivation, allowing him to move freely, but the final accumulated lightning would not let him off easily.
Wenren Qi was nearly a thousand years old. Five hundred years ago, he had begun enduring lightning to ascend. If he were an ordinary cultivator, being struck once every century would have likely disintegrated his soul. The Sect Leader was still living well, which showed his immense potential for ascension.
Several elders stood on the Lotus Platform of the main hall, specifically designed to watch the Sect Leader get struck by lightning. Elder Jue Ya exclaimed amidst the thunder, “It is even more fierce this time. The Coiling Dragon Pillars are going to shatter again.”
The financial immortal of the Qingheng Sect noted, “Charge it to the account of the Sect Leader.”
The elder responsible for teaching introductory disciples could not help but worry. “Senior Jue Ya, did you ever advise the Sect Leader? His divination has always said he has not passed his love trial and cannot ascend.”
At the mention of this, Jue Ya snorted. “He has been stubborn since he was a child. He looks down on love and romance the most. No matter how stunning the man or woman, he sees them as nothing but worldly clutter.”
“Years ago, the leader of another sect wanted to betroth his youngest son to him. The Sect Leader actually said that young master was inferior to a fish eye, which offended the entire sect. It has taken hundreds of years for the relationship to finally thaw.”
“It is better if the Sect Leader does not speak. No one who provokes him ends up well. The fact that Elder Jue Ya only had his alcohol banned for a hundred years is considered lucky.”
Mentioning this made the beard of Jue Ya flutter in anger. “That kid wanted to punish me for five hundred years! How could I possibly live that long?”
Wenren Qi had a smooth path of cultivation. While his peers were either combative or dying for love, he disliked the mundane world. He spent his days in the mountain gates watching flowers, grass, insects, and fish to pass the time. The mere mention of a Daoist companion or marriage was like being forced to swallow heavenly thunder.
The old Sect Leader had been fuming so often that he eventually died, but not before cursing his son. He decreed that if Wenren Qi remained unmarried and childless, he would have to serve as Sect Leader and govern all factions for life. He was practically pointing at Wenren Qi and saying he would never be free.
Even at the deathbed of his father, Wenren Qi showed no change in attitude. Jue Ya was present at the time and was startled into a coughing fit when Wenren Qi said, “Father, you may go without peace.” No one would have thought he would follow it up with, “I will certainly never marry or have children. I accept being Sect Leader until I die.”
As soon as the old Sect Leader breathed his last, Wenren Qi proved as good as his word. He insisted that Lu Jijun, the thirteen-year-old son of a friend, take the position. Fortunately, Jue Ya used the excuse that the Demon Lord of Wangyuan was capturing innocent people for evil arts to send Wenren Qi away.
By the time Wenren Qi returned, the succession ceremony had already been held even though he had not attended. Even the mortal Emperor had sent gifts. The matter was settled and ended with the century-long ban on alcohol for Elder Jue Ya.
The new disciples did not know the past of the Sect Leader. In the mortal world, the Qingheng Sect was a legendary great sect. People did not realize that the immortal on the mountain, whose ascension was supposedly imminent, was actually glad he had no partner or surprise children while being struck by lightning. Compared to his peers, he was pure and free of distractions. Being struck by lightning every hundred years was simply his due.
“Look, the last time his Dantian was shattered. This time, his soul might be damaged. His cultivation will sink to the bottom again and who knows how long it will take to return to his peak.”
It was not the first or second time Wenren Qi had failed his ascension. The elders were no longer worried about his life. In the early years, other sects would send spies to watch, hoping to invade if Wenren Qi was killed by the lightning. Instead, the lightning never killed the genius. It only made his cultivation more stable and the protective arrays of the sect more advanced. Spies would be turned into meat paste before even crossing the mountain gate.
Everyone was just watching the show and planning to send Wenren Qi back to secluded meditation once the lightning stopped. It was only because Wenren Qi disliked being approached that Jue Ya did not send anyone to protect him. He let Wenren Qi face it head-on instead. They had enough experience to know that after the storm, they just needed to send a flying carriage to take him back to his bedchamber. It was all within the Qingheng Sect, so nothing could go wrong.
The heavenly lightning struck the man who was resisting his fate. In the pouring rain, Cen Moyu listened to the countdown of the System and flew toward his destination in a wobbly line. He had not expected the System to have a navigation function. He spoke angrily while gulping down several mouthfuls of wind. “Why did you not say so earlier! It made me have to identify the way every day!”
The navigation before his eyes flickered and the voice of the System was intermittent, as if it were running out of power. [I was training you.]
“System! What is wrong with you?”
The System had no physical body and resided in the consciousness of Cen Moyu. He had been able to sense its presence for years. As the thunder roared like falling rain, the System seemed weakened by it and its voice was breaking.
System: [I am going to sleep for a bit. You know the way, right?]
Cen Moyu became even more nervous. “Do not die! I will finish this.”
The rain tonight was the heaviest Cen Moyu had seen since becoming a closed-door disciple. He nearly flew into the cave dwellings of other mountains. On the way, he encountered a flock of crows fleeing the lightning.
Cen Moyu did not have to carry anyone yet, but his bird body was tiny. A fleeing eagle owl chased him in the dark and scared him so much that he almost fell into the valley.
When he finally reached the location of the protagonist receiver, the surrounding area was barren. The pavilions and buildings were all destroyed. In a giant crater, a man lay covered in mud and looked as if he were at the door of death.
Although Cen Moyu had not experienced a direct lightning strike, he had arrived in this world in a just-struck state and knew how much it hurt. The man seemed to be in great pain. He struggled to rise only to collapse again.
Cen Moyu dived down. His enlarged bird claws grabbed the dying man and he flew toward the cave dwelling of Lu Jijun through the driving rain. He asked in his mind: Are you there? Where is the protagonist attacker now? Has he gone back?
The System still did not respond.
The world was in chaos. Birds and beasts within the Qingheng Sect wailed. The spiritual pets of countless disciples could not bear the agony and had fled to parts unknown.
The lights in the rain flickered. Cen Moyu could not see clearly and mistook a python hole in the back mountain for the dwelling. Upon entering, he was so startled by the tongue of a snake that he fell to the ground. Wenren Qi, who was unconscious on his back, nearly rolled off.
“I am sorry, I am sorry! I did not mean it!” Cen Moyu was almost in tears.
He was terrified of cold-blooded animals and preferred fluffy kittens. But having turned into a bird, he could not get near cats anymore or he would be eaten. The little bird turned back into a human and dragged Wenren Qi for two steps while sobbing. Remembering he still had to fly, he shifted back.
Is there something wrong with the rain today? Why do I feel so hot? Does this person have a fever? Why do I want to tread on something? No, I am not a bird. Why do birds tread on things again?
Cen Moyu flew in a daze. Even someone as unconscious as a pig would have been partially woken up by such a bumpy ride.
Wenren Qi fell into that strange dream again. He dreamed he had gone to a foreign place. His younger sister, Wenren Jing’an, who had died at the hands of a fox demon, had her hair cut very short and was tapping away at a box. In this new place, she seemed to enjoy those obscene songs his father had denounced as irrational.
This heavenly lightning was extraordinary. In addition to the loss of cultivation, he even felt a subtle, scorching heat in his soul. It could not be that the old man Jue Ya had disguised his matchmaking as lightning and mixed some terrible drug into the rain. Why did that old man insist on him facing this tribulation? Why not just hand the Sect Leader position to Lu Jijun?
So noisy. The sound of crying mixed with rain and thunder was even more distressing.
Was not every centennial lightning tribulation carefully planned? The array of the sect had long been activated. Even if there were demon spies from Wangyuan, it was impossible for them to take him away in this chaos.
Then, what was this crying thing carrying him away? Was this thing also sent by Jue Ya? Why did this scene feel so familiar?
Wenren Qi was a tall man. No matter how much the lightning had left him at the door of death, he was still a heavy, adult cultivator. Even though Cen Moyu had practiced and his fear of heights had lessened, carrying a person made his flight stumbling and erratic.
He did not dare breathe, fearing he would find the wrong dwelling again. He had to hide his tracks in the night rain, terrified that a patrolling disciple would find him running off with the Sect Leader.
The residence of Lu Jijun was halfway up the mountain. There was a path if one walked, but to fly there, one had to pass through thickets. Fearing the injured Wenren Qi would get worse and having failed to keep him balanced on his back, Cen Moyu tucked the man into his soft bird chest feathers to prevent him from falling to his death.
After all, he was not born a bird and no one had taught him how to preen. Right now, the disheveled chest feathers of the little bird were the only place not soaked. The drowsy Wenren Qi sank into this softness and subconsciously nuzzled it.
Cen Moyu almost crashed into the bushes and was a bit unhappy about the nuzzling. But thinking the man was about to do this and that with his fated person, he endured it.
The System seemed to have completely vanished after Cen Moyu took Wenren Qi. Cen Moyu called out many times with no response. He had no choice but to bring Wenren Qi into the backyard of the cave dwelling of Lu Jijun.
According to the plot, Lu Jijun should have returned by now. But after Cen Moyu dragged Wenren Qi onto the bed and waited for a long time, the only sound in the dark bedroom was the ragged breathing of Wenren Qi, as if he were dying.
“System?” Cen Moyu called out several times. “Can I leave now?”
There was no answer.
On the bed, Wenren Qi heard the voice and cracked his eyes open. He saw a strange silhouette from behind. What was that soft sensation earlier? He had clearly been snatched away by some demon.
Is this person a demon? A spy from Wangyuan? How did he bypass the barrier?
The thoughts of Wenren Qi were fragmented. The violent spiritual power from his failed ascension was wandering through his meridians and surging toward the cracks in his soul.
No, I have not just lost one soul. The remaining souls were also damaged by the lightning. If I do not suppress this, I will definitely succumb to Qi deviation!
In the tug of war, an unknown voice urged him: Keep him. This time, he will not leave.
He… who is he?
Cen Moyu was anxious. He was afraid Lu Jijun would suddenly return and afraid the System would never appear again. What would he do then?
The outer robe of the youth was soaking wet. In the gloom, his damp hair clung to his pale cheeks. He paced anxiously in the unfamiliar room and occasionally glanced at the man on the bed.
The rain continued outside. Strangely, the moon emerged as the clouds scattered. It was as bright as a disc and illuminated the handsome features of the man. He was even better looking than the students in the modeling department at the school of Cen Moyu.
Is this the protagonist receiver described in the original synopsis as number one in both cultivation and appearance?
Cen Moyu had been too frantic to look earlier. Now, taking advantage of the sleep of the man, he stared directly at him.
Suddenly, the sparrow feather hidden on the person of Cen Moyu floated before his eyes. The voice of Mai Li came through tremulously: “Cen Moyu, just give up! Stop practicing your clumsy fluttering. Lu Jijun is actually in our team!”
What!
Was the protagonist attacker not supposed to return to his cave dwelling burning with lust? What should he do? If the attacker who was supposed to be entwined like phoenixes with the receiver was gone, would his efforts not be in vain?
The System remained silent. Cen Moyu was so anxious he felt himself growing even hotter. He could not help but tug at his collar.
It was almost the middle of the night. Cen Moyu had a shift change at the Chen hour. If he were late, he would definitely be scolded.
The plan had failed and Cen Moyu could not wait for the reply of the System anymore. He had to run! If the System was gone and his cheat power failed, and the Sect Leader discovered he was a demon, it would be all over!
The cultivation of the grandmaster on the bed flickered. Past and present intertwined with illusory images of things that had never happened. The clarity of Wenren Qi could not overcome the chaos of his Qi deviation. An inexplicable fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose stripped him of his reason.
Sensing that the only living thing around him was about to leave, he suddenly sat up and accurately grabbed the fleeing Cen Moyu.
Cen Moyu was startled. The approaching face had blood red eyes and lacked any of the cold detachment described in the original book.
It is over. I have been found out. I am going to be turned into meat paste just like those villains who attacked the sect!
Cen Moyu retreated while pleading for mercy: “I am sorry, I am sorry! Sect Leader, please spare me! I was just passing by! I…”
The cultivator in the throes of Qi deviation could not hear a thing. With a stretch of his hand, he easily tossed Cen Moyu onto the bed and leaned in. His breath was terrifyingly hot.
Cen Moyu felt himself becoming hot in response and strangely wanting to do something not good.
Wait!
The plot said the protagonist receiver would suffer Qi deviation while the protagonist attacker would be burning with lust, and they would hit it off.
What is going on! The Qi deviation is right, but why am I the one burning with lust!
“System! Save me! The mission is going to fail!”
There was no answer. It was as if the System had never existed.
Cen Moyu felt weak all over. He realized with despair that his attempts to push the man away felt more like an invitation and his voice sounded even worse.
“You! Do not come over here! You have a boyfriend! I have had one before too! We cannot… mmm…”
Treading. I really want to tread.
But that is not right. If I am treading, then I should be the…
“We are the same position! I… It hurts! Do not bite me! Ah! My clothes!”