Xu Linxiu pulled Song Wanci along as they quickly left the Disciplinary Hall. Only when they reached a place out of sight from the elders did he finally let out a slight breath of relief.
Song Wanci said nothing, simply watching Xu Linxiu silently.
Xu Linxiu suddenly realized something and quickly let go of her hand, then explained, “Sorry, I took your hand without asking.”
Song Wanci remained silent, just looking at him.
Xu Linxiu stared at her fair and delicate face. Her light purple hair curled slightly, falling beside her ears. Her peach blossom eyes were lowered, emotions churning in their depths.
He was momentarily dazed and confused. She had no expression… so why did he feel like he saw one?
“Uh… you’re probably wondering what we should do now after we left like that, right?” he asked cautiously.
Though Song Wanci didn’t reply, Xu Linxiu could tell he had guessed correctly.
“It’s fine. I already said what needed to be said over there, and everything that needed to be done is arranged. My father will take care of the rest.”
“Qin Feng will be punished by tomorrow. Oh, right…” Xu Linxiu turned toward her, leaning against a nearby wall.
“What exactly happened between you and Qin Feng? I mean, I have a few guesses.”
“I figure he tried to strike up a conversation that day, but you seem like the type who doesn’t speak much.” Xu Linxiu began pacing back and forth, developing his theory.
“Because you ignored him, it hurt his pride. Then he got angry, and that led to what I saw last night, right?”
He looked at her again. She lowered her head, still silent.
After a brief silence, Song Wanci finally nodded.
“Hahaha! Rare to see you react even a little.” Xu Linxiu crossed his arms behind his head, leaning casually against the wall and teasing her.
Song Wanci looked up at him in disbelief.
Xu Linxiu pointed at himself and smiled, “What? You’re thinking my focus is a little weird, aren’t you?”
She nodded again.
“Well…” Xu Linxiu was about to say more when a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
“Disciple,” said the newcomer—it was Yun Yan, one of the elders of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.
Song Wanci lowered her gaze and said softly, almost inaudibly, “Master.”
Yun Yan nodded, her hands behind her back, and said, “Go back to your cave residence. I’ll come find you later.”
Without another word, Song Wanci turned and walked away.
Once she was gone, Yun Yan looked toward Xu Linxiu, who seemed to be trying to sneak off as well.
“Stop.” With a slight raise of her finger, a wave of pressure pinned him firmly in place.
“Hehe, Elder Yun, did you need something from me?” Xu Linxiu scratched his head awkwardly.
“Why so nervous?” Yun Yan said expressionlessly. Then she added, “Wanci is a bit withdrawn—almost never speaks with others.”
“Did you know her before?” she asked curiously.
“No, I’d never seen her before witnessing what happened last night,” Xu Linxiu answered honestly. He wouldn’t dare lie in front of her.
The name Madwoman Yun wasn’t just for show—she’d earned it with her fists.
Still, he hadn’t expected Song Wanci to be autistic. No wonder she ignored Qin Feng no matter how crazy he got last night.
Yun Yan nodded and withdrew the pressure.
“You…” she began, but Xu Linxiu cut her off, “Then I’ll take my leave! Goodbye, Elder Yun!”
With that, he flew off on his sword like he was escaping for his life, vanishing in an instant.
Yun Yan watched his fading figure in silence, her face expressionless. She stroked her sword, Cloud Surge, as if ready to unsheathe it…
Forget it… after all, this Xu family brat was the first person to actually communicate with Song Wanci.
He even held her hand… For once, Yun Yan’s usually cold and unreadable face showed a smile that was hard to distinguish—was it comfort or something else?
But… how did that kid know what Song Wanci was thinking? She didn’t say a word.
She didn’t dwell on it. In a flash, she too vanished, preparing to have a proper conversation with her disciple.
…
…
Xu Linxiu soared through the skies on his sword, returning leisurely to his own cave residence.
He brewed himself a pot of fine tea, made from leaves nourished by spiritual energy. Even at the 6th stage Spirit Condensation Realm, drinking it would benefit his cultivation.
He lay back in a lounge chair, swaying comfortably, holding a copy of the sect newspaper from the day before.
[Ding! The child of destiny’s reputation in the sect has declined! You’ve gained 30 fate points.]
Xu Linxiu froze, then smacked his forehead. No wonder he’d felt like he forgot something—he had awakened a system!
He opened his personal panel for a look.
[Personal Panel]
[Name: Xu Linxiu]
[Cultivation Level: 6th stage Spirit Condensation Realm]
[Fortune: -198 (Villains are rejected by the Heavenly Dao)]
[Constitution: Innate Sword Body]
[Fate Points: 30]
“Pfft…”
The sip of tea he’d just taken sprayed out of his mouth as his expression twitched. He stared at the floating panel in disbelief.
“What? Wait a minute… is my fortune being calculated wrong? Why did I lose 30 more points?”
[No, Host. It seems the Heavenly Dao of this world has identified you as the cause of the child of destiny’s reputation decline.]
[Therefore, the penalty was placed on you, the villain. However much fate the child of destiny loses, you’ll lose an equal amount of fortune.]
Xu Linxiu gripped his teacup, laughing bitterly.
[Host… is your brain functioning correctly?]
Xu Linxiu: ?
What the hell? What’s with that tone like you’re comforting someone with brain damage?
He didn’t argue further with the system. Instead, something came to mind and he asked, “What do those 30 fate points on my panel do?”
[Whenever the child of destiny’s fate points decrease, you receive an equivalent amount.]
[Fate points can be exchanged in the system shop for treasures, spiritual pills, and more from across all realms. They can also be used for lottery draws.]
Xu Linxiu stroked his chin. Today, Qin Feng’s fate points must have dropped because his reputation took a hit.
It was likely that the Disciplinary Hall had already published the event to warn other disciples not to follow in Qin Feng’s footsteps.
“So besides reputation damage, is there any other way to lower Qin Feng’s fate points, system?”
[You can seize his opportunities, causing his fortune to drop. Or cause his romantic partners and close friends to turn against him—both will decrease his fate points!]