Everyone in the private room looked awkward, and no one answered.
Xie’s father was already accustomed to scenes like this.
He casually pulled out the remaining three chairs. The legs scraped against the floor, producing an ear-piercing sound.
As though he hadn’t noticed at all, Xie’s father gestured for his wife and daughter to sit down.
“Third Brother, you’re here.”
The middle-aged man sitting beside Xie’s father gave an awkward smile.
The two men looked somewhat alike, and sitting to the man’s left was Xie Wennning.
The man speaking was Xie Jianfeng, the second brother in the family and Xie Wennning’s biological father.
But Xie’s father didn’t respond.
The atmosphere immediately became awkward again. It wasn’t until there was another knock on the door and the waitstaff came in carrying the dishes that the stagnant atmosphere finally eased.
“All right, today is my birthday banquet.”
The white-haired old man sitting in the seat of honor, leaning on his cane, finally spoke. He opened his eyes, which had been pretending to sleep, and slowly swept his gaze around the room.
His gaze was heavy, and his eyes narrowed from time to time, revealing a barely perceptible glint of sharpness through the narrow slits.
Today was Old Master Xie Zhendong’s birthday banquet.
He was dressed in a festive traditional Chinese tunic. His manner was gentle and unhurried, yet his words were like a stabilizing pillar, suppressing the conflict that was about to erupt with a single sentence.
A flattering smile appeared on Xie Jianfeng’s face.
“Dad, look at Third Brother. Today is your eightieth birthday, yet not only did he arrive late, he didn’t even bring a gift. Isn’t that a little too much?”
He sounded indignant as he spoke, turning his gaze toward Xie’s father with a disappointed look.
“Third Brother, you’re already so wealthy, yet you didn’t do anything at all for your own father’s birthday banquet. Look at us brothers—we’re not as capable as you, but at least we’ve fulfilled the proper etiquette. You…”
His unfinished words seemed deliberately intended to hurt.
He pointed toward the area beside the door where the gifts had been placed. Looking over, they could see that the area was already piled high with gift boxes, almost the size of a Christmas tree.
It was obvious that the only people who had arrived empty-handed were Xie Zhiyu’s family of three.
The relatives’ gazes toward the three of them changed.
But Xie Zhiyu wasn’t intimidated.
She calmly said, “Second Uncle, you can’t put it that way. Take Grandpa’s seventieth birthday banquet, for example. Wasn’t our family the one who handled everything? If I remember correctly, you came empty-handed that time too.”
“What? You were allowed to come empty-handed, but we’re not?”
She smiled as she asked the question, but the mockery in her eyes was unmistakable.
Xie’s father said nothing, silently giving his approval to her response.
Ten years ago, although his heart had been filled with disappointment toward his relatives, he had still helped them a great deal. Unexpectedly, when he fell on hard times, those very relatives he had once helped turned a blind eye to his requests for assistance.
Fortunately, he had been lucky enough to get through that difficult period. But by then, he had accumulated enough disappointment and gradually drifted away from his extended family.
Yet these relatives were like bloodsucking parasites that simply couldn’t be shaken off. Over the past ten years, they had repeatedly come to him for help. Even after being rejected, they shamelessly continued pestering him.
It was truly irritating.
Now that his own daughter was standing up for him, he remained silent, but inwardly he felt incredibly satisfied.
He was comfortable, but Xie Jianfeng was suffering.
His face alternated between pale and flushed. Finally unable to endure it any longer, he slammed his palm down on the table. His voice unconsciously rose as he angrily scolded, “Xiaoyu, I’m your elder! How can you speak to an elder like that? Didn’t your family teach you any manners?”
His sudden movement startled everyone present.
Those words were rather severe. Some people looked toward Xie Zhendong at the head of the table, only to discover that he had closed his eyes again at some point, pretending to sleep as though he hadn’t noticed this farce.
Clearly, he was siding with Xie Jianfeng.
Xie Wennning, sitting on the left, let her eyes flicker. The next second, she reached out and tugged at Xie Jianfeng’s sleeve.
“Dad, enough. If they didn’t bring a gift, then they didn’t bring one. We’re all family. Maybe my sister is in a bad mood, which is why she said something unpleasant. We can just be a little more understanding.”
Her tone was gentle. Xie Jianfeng, who had been furious, was persuaded by her, and his expression softened considerably. Half persuaded and half grumbling, he sat back down.
He snorted and didn’t look at Xie’s father and the others. Instead, he turned his head toward Xie Zhiyu.
Looking at his outstanding daughter, Xie Wennning, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
“Wennning, you’re the one who really puts my mind at ease. Unlike some people, who really have nothing but a mouth.”
He didn’t specify who he meant, but everyone present knew he was referring to Xie Zhiyu.
“What a wonderful little self-directed performance.”
A sudden voice interrupted them.
Everyone turned toward the source.
Xie Zhiyu had her arms crossed over her chest, looking bored as she watched Xie Jianfeng and Xie Wennning sing the same tune together.
When she noticed everyone looking at her, she didn’t panic. Instead, she lazily yawned.
“You say I have no manners? So tell me, is it really a problem with my upbringing, or is there a problem with your daughter’s upbringing when she was detained by the police back in high school?”
The moment those words came out, Xie Jianfeng’s expression, which had only just softened, turned completely cold.
Xie Zhiyu continued as though she hadn’t noticed.
“Someone who was already bullying others back in high school, and you actually call her a good person?”
Her tone was full of disbelief.
“Are you blind, or are you simply blind to what’s in your heart?”
“Oh, I get it. It’s because she’s your daughter, so you’ll protect her unconditionally, right?”
“Perhaps you still don’t know this, but your most beloved daughter, when she was in college—”
Before she could finish, Xie Wennning suddenly interrupted.
“Enough!”
Her face was filled with panic. Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was paying attention, she shot Xie Zhiyu a vicious glare.
“Spreading rumors is against the law.”
She forced those words out through clenched teeth, then managed to pull a smile onto her face. Inside, however, she was cursing furiously.
Every time. Every single time, it’s like this.
She was absolutely consumed by jealousy.
In her memory, Xie Zhiyu had always been like this. Every time, she would stand high above her and crush what little self-esteem she had left.
She had targeted Xie Zhiyu more than once or twice.
It had started back in high school. Because she was jealous of Xie Zhiyu’s appearance and family background, she had unconsciously begun bullying her.
What had Xie Zhiyu done back then?
She hadn’t understood it, but she had silently endured it.
Xie Wennning’s malicious feelings had found an outlet, but the overwhelming disgust in her heart surged back even more fiercely the next time she saw Xie Zhiyu.
Only, by then, she no longer had an opportunity to vent it.
The always-silent Xie Zhiyu had suddenly fought back.
She had found evidence of Xie Wennning bullying others, gathered evidence of the bullying against herself as well, and submitted everything to the police.
Because Xie Wennning had gone a little too far when attacking one of them, she had been detained by the police.
Even now, whenever she bullied Xie Zhiyu, she would experience an inexplicable psychological shadow.
Because every time, Xie Zhiyu would gather evidence of the terrible things she had done recently and keep it in her hands.
As a result, whenever she faced Xie Zhiyu now, she felt an instinctive sense of unease.
She didn’t dare let Xie Zhiyu continue.
But Xie Jianfeng had no such reservations.
His eyes widened, nearly bulging out of their sockets.
“You—”
Before he could finish, Xie Zhendong, who had been pretending not to be involved, spoke again.
“Enough. We’re all family.”
He put heavy emphasis on the last three words. After saying that, he immediately steered the conversation back to the main topic.
“I called you all here today because I wanted the family to have a meal together, and also to tell you about some things that have happened within the family recently.”
“You all know that the world’s spiritual energy revived a week ago, and quite a few people have awakened spiritual roots. This old man is getting on in years, so whether I awaken one or not doesn’t matter. But now, someone in our family has awakened a spiritual root.”
Who awakened a spiritual root?
Everyone looked around at one another.
Then they saw Xie Zhendong slowly raise his hand and point toward Xie Wennning.
A smile appeared on the old man’s face.
“Wennning awakened a middle-grade Heaven-ranked water spiritual root a few days ago.”
“What?!”
Everyone exclaimed in shock.
“Middle-grade Heaven-ranked? I remember that the highest quality of spiritual root is upper-grade Heaven-ranked, right? Although Wennning’s isn’t upper-grade, a middle-grade Heaven-ranked spiritual root still makes her an extraordinary talent among ordinary people.”
“With this quality of spiritual root, the Second Branch of the Xie family is probably going to prosper.”
Envious gazes fell upon Xie Jianfeng and Xie Wennning. The other people who had remained quiet until now began striking up conversations with Xie Jianfeng.
Feeling proud, Xie Jianfeng’s face flushed with happiness, and he was all smiles.
Meanwhile, Xie Wennning was surrounded by several female elders, who asked her questions about awakening a spiritual root.
She regained her gentle expression and answered them gracefully.
“Mm, I awakened on the second day after spiritual energy revived. I think I just went to sleep, and then I awakened naturally.”
“My cultivation progress? Oh, actually, I think it’s just average. It’s not particularly fast.”
“Some people from reclusive sects did come looking for me and wanted to take me as their disciple, but I refused.”
“…”
Before long, both of them were surrounded by people.
No one touched the food on the table. Xie Zhiyu simply watched the lively scene while quietly eating.
Through her eyes, the system was also enjoying the gossip.
It was very puzzled.
“It’s only a middle-grade Heaven-ranked water spiritual root. Is it really that popular?”
“If they knew that your Chaos spiritual root is the highest-grade spiritual root, wouldn’t they kneel at your feet and lick your shoes?”
The system’s tiny mouth uttered something absolutely astonishing.
Xie Zhiyu couldn’t help laughing.
“I like what you’re saying.”
She didn’t argue.
The system, however, felt indignant on her behalf.
“Host, why didn’t you tell them that you also have a spiritual root? And are they all blind? Didn’t they notice how much you and your mother have changed?”
Its tiny head was filled with huge confusion.
“This is normal.” Xie Zhiyu explained nonchalantly, “I haven’t seen these relatives for several years.”
The person she had seen most often was Xie Wennning. However, after starting work, she had acquired a certain aura of resentment from being a corporate slave. Xie Wennning found her intimidating, so she didn’t dare directly target her.
Xie Zhiyu had regretted that for a long time.
Now, even though she had already stepped onto the path of cultivation and her appearance had changed considerably, these relatives who hadn’t seen her in years probably just thought she had become prettier. They didn’t react at all.
If she had to guess, Xie Zhiyu suspected that Xie Wennning had noticed something, but she deliberately chose not to say anything, simply so that all the attention would remain on herself.
Xie Zhiyu didn’t care.
She hadn’t come here to show off.
She secretly communicated with the system.
“System, help me check how much of Xie Wennning’s current fortune is related to mine.”
“Let me see.”
The system immediately became serious.
Following Xie Zhiyu’s instructions, it investigated. A few minutes later, its shocked voice rang out.
“Host, Xie Wennning is completely surrounded by your fortune. Even the spiritual root she’s so proud of seems to have been born because of your fortune.”
Its tone was extremely solemn.
In its vision, Xie Wennning, who originally had black energy surrounding her entire body, was now enveloped in golden light. But the dazzling golden light did not originate from Xie Wennning herself. Instead, there was an extremely faint golden thread connecting her to its host.
Even her spiritual root had been nurtured within that golden light.
Although it had already suspected that Xie Wennning had stolen its host’s fortune, the system had never imagined that she had stolen so much.
How could an ordinary person possibly take someone else’s things and make them her own?
There had to be something suspicious going on.
Xie Zhiyu also sensed that something was wrong.
Suppressing the doubts in her heart, she revealed the ultimate purpose of her visit this time.
“System, do you think there’s any way for me to reclaim my fortune today?”
The system didn’t answer. It immediately went to try.
A few seconds later, it said dejectedly, “I tried. It seems impossible. There should be something on her that can stabilize and lock in the fortune she took from you.”
“If only I had more power.”
Maybe then it really could have taken some of it back.
Sensing its self-blame, Xie Zhiyu hurriedly comforted it.
“It’s fine. I was only asking. And just because we can’t do it now doesn’t mean we won’t be able to in the future.”
She narrowed her eyes. With her chopsticks, she gently poked the fish meat in her bowl, hitting the center perfectly.
“After all, she’s been using what belongs to me for long enough.”
System: …
It nervously stared at the fish meat that had been poked apart in her bowl. For some reason, it suddenly felt as though it had foreseen Xie Wennning’s future.
Amitabha.
It silently recited the Buddhist prayer several times.
At the banquet, Xie Wennning and Xie Jianfeng had basked in the limelight. It wasn’t until Xie Zhendong coughed several times that the private room gradually quieted down.
The meal then passed through a relatively peaceful period.
Until the very end of the banquet, when Xie Zhendong raised his head and looked toward Xie’s father.
“Third Brother, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
Xie Zhendong said, “You saw it yourself today. Wennning has awakened an extremely powerful water spiritual root and has officially embarked on the path of cultivation. However, this path isn’t easy. I’m afraid it will require quite a lot of money. Coincidentally, Wennning recently caught the attention of Vico Pharmaceuticals, and they agreed to sell her the potion needed to officially embark on the path of cultivation. The price may be a little high, though. Since you’re her uncle, surely you should contribute something, right?”
His voice was slow and measured, like an oppressive weight bearing down on them.
Xie’s father let out a cold laugh.
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Wennning is your niece. What do you think it has to do with you?”
Xie Jianfeng cut into their conversation.
Xie’s father immediately retorted, “Then she’s also your daughter. How come I haven’t seen you supporting her much?”
“I don’t have any money.”
Those three short words were said by Xie Jianfeng with complete confidence.
“You’re already so wealthy. What would it hurt you to help your own niece? For you, the cost of one potion might not even be as much as the price of that luxury apartment you bought in Lanyuan.”
He didn’t even blush or hesitate when he said it.
Xie’s father, however, curled his lips disdainfully.
“Do I look like some kind of sucker?”
What a joke. Who was Xie Wennning? She was the person who had bullied his daughter in the past. How could he possibly help her cultivate?
He might have plenty of money, but he wasn’t stupid.
Xie’s father’s attitude caused the smiles on both Xie Jianfeng and Xie Wennning’s faces to stiffen. They almost couldn’t maintain their expressions.
Just then, Xie Zhendong spoke again.
“I don’t need the gift you didn’t bring me this year. As long as you buy that potion for Wennning.”
“Third Brother, although we’ve had plenty of disagreements in the past, I’m still your father.”
“Now that spiritual energy has revived throughout the world, and Wennning is the only person in our family who has awakened a spiritual root, I may not understand cultivation, but I understand the principle that if you fall behind by even one step, you’ll remain behind forever. In this chaotic era, I need the Xie family to become even stronger than before.”
“You’re also a member of the Xie family. I believe you understand my painstaking intentions.”
His words were laden with meaning. He thought this earnest admonishment would make Xie’s father reconsider.
Instead, it was answered by the crisp sound of something breaking.
“Crack—”
The teacup filled with tea fell to the floor. Water spilled everywhere, and the cup shattered into countless pieces.
“Sorry, my hand slipped.”
The culprit, Xie’s father, remained completely calm. Even after deliberately smashing the teacup onto the floor in front of everyone, his expression barely changed.
Everyone knew that smashing things at a birthday banquet was a serious breach of etiquette and a major taboo.
Ignoring Xie Zhendong, whose expression had turned completely dark, Xie’s father simply stood up.
“Don’t try to use family ties to pressure me. It won’t work. Over the years, I’ve given you more than enough money to repay whatever debt I owed you for raising me.”
“And most importantly, you only raised me for one year.”
“Did you really think that gives you the right to do whatever you want? Ridiculous.”
“Don’t invite our family to banquets like this again. We have nothing to do with you anymore.”
After leaving those words behind, Xie’s father walked out of the private room. Wang Yuerong and Xie Zhiyu immediately followed him.
The three of them walked silently back to the car.
But the moment Xie’s father got into the driver’s seat, his gloomy expression instantly transformed into a bright smile.
He eagerly asked, “Well? How was my performance just now? Wasn’t I incredibly cool?”
Wang Yuerong and Xie Zhiyu exchanged a glance, and the worry that had been on their faces disappeared.
Xie Zhiyu gave him a thumbs-up and praised him, “As expected of my dad. You really know how to run your mouth.”
“Of course! I learned it from my precious daughter,” Xie’s father said proudly, puffing out his chest.
The family chatted and laughed as they drove home.
Sitting in the back seat, Xie Zhiyu was also in a particularly good mood.
Because just moments ago, a virtual window had suddenly appeared before her eyes, visible only to her.
[For destroying a plot point, Fortune Value +1.]
It was only a few simple words, but Xie Zhiyu’s first reaction upon seeing them was confusion.
“System, what’s going on?” she asked, looking bewildered.
The system didn’t respond immediately. It wasn’t until several seconds later that it spoke excitedly.
“Host, it seems you accidentally destroyed one of the female protagonist’s minor plot points. So some of the fortune that the female protagonist previously stole from you has returned.”
According to the original plot, Xie Wennning, the female protagonist of the novel, had made a huge impression at the birthday banquet. Later, she would even form a connection with one of her male leads, who would help her obtain the potion and officially embark on the path of cultivation.
But in the original novel, Xie Zhiyu had already been killed by a flowerpot that fell from a neighbor’s home by this point. Because of their grief, Xie’s father and Wang Yuerong hadn’t attended the birthday banquet.
Xie Wennning’s path had been smooth from beginning to end, creating a stark contrast between the two families.
But now?
The system revealed, “I took a look. Xie Wennning is so furious that she’s practically having a complete breakdown. Not only did she suffer a huge blow today, but one of her male leads has already left the hotel. The two of them won’t even meet.”
“Host, well done!”
The system had originally thought that this trip would end with nothing gained. It hadn’t expected an unexpected bonus at the very end, and it was practically ecstatic.
See? This is the host it chose.
Even without doing anything, merely saying a few words was enough to make the novel’s female protagonist lose her composure, while fortune effortlessly fell into their hands.
For the first time in its system life, it experienced the joy of being carried by someone else.
The way it looked at Xie Zhiyu instantly became filled with awe and delight.