CH 5

Jian Xingzhi heard the sound outside. He closed his eyes and dipped down to the bathtub. At the same time, a disciple kicked over the door, cautiously inspecting the situation inside. “Shijie, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Qin Wanwan recovered. Her heartbeat gradually soothed down. She glanced down at the floating dirty hair in the bathtub and ground her teeth, “A bug scared me. It’s alright, go out. I am still bathing.”

The disciple retreated in response. The moment the disciple left, the person in the bathtub emerged.

His eyes were still closed. His face was washed a bit courtesy of the water in the bathtub, exhibiting a hint of his handsome face. 

“You wash first. I’ll wash after you. Tell me when you are done.”

He was not polite at all and he spoke overly fast. 

He went out with his eyes closed and braced himself on the bathtub. Then, he wobbled and tumbled to the ground.

“Why did you electrocute me again!?”

Jian Xingzhi jerked on the ground and roared in his heart, “You wish to die?!”

“I… I’m sorry…” 666 shook. “There is no Male Pet who is so agile… so the Main System judged that…”

Jian Xingzhi understood. He inhaled a deep breath and didn’t haggle over it. He rose to his feet and strode out behind the screen with his mind clouded.

Qin Wanwan saw him get up with the dirt in his body. She quickly reminded him in alarm, “Just sit on the ground. Don’t sit on the bed.”

Upon hearing that, Jian Xingzhi got an inkling that she was disgusted at him. He didn’t bother to fight with someone in Foundation Establishment, so he simply sat down against the screen, closing his eyes to rest.

“Master,” 666 probed cautiously, “Your heartbeat is detected to be slightly faster than normal. Do you need any help?”

“Shut up.” Jian Xingzhi leaned against the screen with his eyes closed, “You are too nosy!”

Jian Xingzhi acted naturally as he went out of the bathroom as if she were a man. Qin Wanwan was not sure whether she should be angry or relieved.

A while later, she relaxed and chose to stop thinking about it. Adapt to the circumstances and just let it go ah. She sat back in the bathtub and cast a spell, changing the water in the bathtub. The water became clean once again and she breathed a sigh of relief, resuming her bath. 

As she washed, she peeked in Jian Xingzhi’s direction over time. The lonely shadow of the young man was quite alluring. Even when he was resting, his figures were refined and his spine was as straight as bamboo.

Why did he come back?

How did he come back?

Qin Wanwan was a bit puzzled.

Then again, when she thought of his previous life, this action of his was not that surprising.

In his previous life, Qin Wan fell and became a Demon. She was persecuted by everyone in the world. Yet, this Jian Zhiyan never gave up on her. He was affectionate and could do anything for Qin Wan, but it’s a pity that…….

Qin Wanwan sighed. Jian Zhiyan must have never imagined that the person he loved was no longer here. 

She was not Qin Wan, the person he loved. She had no intention of taking advantage of his feelings, nor did she want to drag him with her. 

In her original plan, she planned to go down the mountain to find him, then she would find a place for him to settle down and leave. But now that she experienced first-hand Jian Zhiyan’s deep feelings for Qin Wan, she felt the need to settle this matter first before ending it for all. 

Qin Wanwan pondered over it as she washed herself clean. When she thought of a way, she stood up and put on her clothes. She stepped out of the screen and noticed ‘Jian Zhiyan’ had fallen asleep against the screen.

The dirt was plastered on him, making him appear like a mud-man. Regardless, he could sleep soundly.

Qin Wanwan furrowed her brows and called out, “Jian Zhiyan.”

The other party didn’t react, Qin Wanwan grabbed a peach blossom from the vase next to him and carefully poked him, “Jian Zhiyan!”

“Are you dressed?”

Jian Xingzhi had woken up a long time ago, but he deliberately didn’t open his eyes. Qin Wanwan was taken aback. She didn’t expect him to ask this. She answered in a daze, ““I’m dressed. ”

“Good.”

Jian Xingzhi opened his eyes and reflexively wanted to jump up, but he was reminded of 666’s presence and paused. He hesitated and recalled some female Immortal he had seen before. He leaned sideways on the ground with his legs closed. He placed one hand on the ground and raised his hips first, then his waist, and lastly his torso. He moved into the bathroom one step at a time. To the outsider’s eyes, he moved like a twisted plant.

Jian Xingzhi was suffering from it, but he could clearly see “Persona +2, Total Score -998” was displayed on the screen in front of him. 

“Heh,” Jian Xingzhi tossed his clothes overbearingly behind the screen, “Easy.”

“Persona -2, Total Score -1000.” soon displayed on the screen.

Jian Xingzhi, “……”

Qin Wanwan watched ‘Jian Zhiyan’ stand up step by step like the female ghost in Ju-On[1]. He moved like a zombie and entered the bathroom. Then, she saw his silhouette rudely toss his clothes from the screen.

She was stunned by this series of actions. She blinked twice and lamented, “What kind of taste did Qin Wan have?”

This appearance. This personality. This was what you call a Male Pet?

Has the threshold for Male Pets become so low?

Still, the survival of the fittest belongs to the survival of the fittest and in the end, he was a loyal Male Pet. She was about to break his heart, the least she could do was give him some nice treatment. 

Thus, she cleaned the house and looked through the clothes Jian Zhiyan had worn before. She specifically ordered someone to prepare a bath towel for her, and threw it behind the screen. She informed him, “The white one is for wiping the water. Also, your clean clothes are next to it.”

Jian Xingzhi heard her words and glanced sideways at the bath towel next to him. He also saw the blinking prompts on the screen.

[With respect]: Thank you, Master.

He gave a sneer. He shouted casually to Qin Wanwan outside, “Thanks.”

Qin Wawnwan couldn’t sense the abnormality. After all, she had no idea how ‘Jian Zhiyan’ was before.

She sat in a chair and waited for ‘Jian Zhiyan’. She kept thinking about how to discuss this matter with him. From behind the screen, she heard the sound of water. She thought and thought. It would be awkward to say it face-to-face. She might as well say it now.

She didn’t have the courage to talk about it directly and chatted in a roundabout way, talking about some trivial matters first, “I saw Jun-shaozhu hurt you badly that day, I thought that you…”

“You think I’m dead?” Jian Xingzhi was a little proud of himself. He glanced outside, “Surprised?”

“No, no.” For some reason, Qin Wanwan’s heart skipped a beat when she heard him. She changed her question to appear concerned about him, “How is your injury? Does it still hurt?”

“No,” Jian Xingzhi rubbed the dirt out of his skin and replied lightly, “It’s all minor injuries.”

Then, the electric current zizi’ed and ran through his body. Jian Xingzhi pinched the bath towel and pushed down the impulse to hurl it at someone, preferably to a certain System. His eyes slowly moved to skim at the trembling 666 in his shihai.

Qin Wanwan tilted her head in bewilderment, “You were beaten to that point and were fine in just two days?”

Jian Xingzhi paused his movement. He looked straight and saw no prompt was given to him. Probably he could answer as he liked?

He thought about it for a second. He hesitated and eventually replied, “I have a healthy body……?”

No electric currents. Seemed like his answer was not problematic. 

Qin Wanwan was still doubtful of it, but considering that this mortal in his previous life could bounce back to block the sword for Qin Wan with his last breath, she could assume he probably had some special abilities. 

Qin Wanwan accepted his answer with reluctance and asked again, “I heard that you were thrown down the mountain. You are a mortal and have no cultivation base. How did you go up the mountain?”

“I……” Jian Xingzhi turned his head and glimpsed out of the window. He now realized that a mortal digging a tunnel through Wen Xin Sect in one day was quite a pompous feast. Still, he bit the bullet and performed as if it was nothing, “I dug a tunnel,”

“Tun…Tunnel? Qin Wanwan gawked. “You dug a tunnel from the foot of the mountain to here?!”

Jian Xingzhi didn’t dare to say more and replied stiffly, “Mn. Right. Tunnel.”

Qin Wanwan blurted, “How did you do it?”

Jian Xingzhi was put in a difficult situation, “It’s…” 

He wiped his body, sensing a pang of guilt crept in. “It’s because this body is good.”

He’s not lying. This body…… was indeed good.

Qin Wanwan was quite baffled by his words. Jian Xingzhi also thought his wording was a bit bizarre. Instead of being passive, he asked back, “What are you planning to do next?”

“Ah?”

“Do you plan to stay in the mountains for the rest of your life? ”

“That’s impossible.” Qin Wanwan replied in a beat. Jian Xingzhi nodded with satisfaction, glad that this woman was not stupid beyond saving. 

“That’s good. Then, my effort to save you did not go down the drain.” Jian Xingzhi rose to his feet. Qin Wanwan heard this, and finally remembered her initial purpose of starting this chat.

She weighed and considered it, “Zhiyan, I have something to tell you.”

“Say.”

“I am not who I used to be. In the future, I may live a very different life from my current one.”

“That’s great.” Jian Xingzhi wiped himself dry and began to dress.

The former Qin Wan was truly vexing, he could suffocate to death just by imagining the former her. 

“I may go far away and embark on a new journey. I will encounter many dangers and difficulties.”

“That’s obvious.”

Jian Xingzhi worked out how to wear these fancy clothes and began to put them on his body.

He had some respect for this girl. She understood the road of cultivation was tough and unsafe, but she was not afraid of the difficulties and hardships. Her way of thinking could be regarded as a talent. 

“I hope you can live your life like any ordinary person. Right now, I am a prisoner, I am under my Shifu’s tracking spell and can’t go anywhere…”

To get to the point, Qin Wanwan was particularly timid. She lowered her head and kneaded the hem of her clothes on her knees. She kept encouraging herself. She rarely did or spoke hurtful things, but, for the sake of their happiness, she must make it clear. 

“Since you can come in, you can naturally go out. I will hand you over your deed of sale and give you some gold and jewelry. Soon, you should go out using your tunnel…”

As she spoke, she noticed the person behind the screen was walking out. She buried her head and clutched her hem, she had no courage to look at him. 

She listened to his steps approaching her, the sentence, “From now on, let’s just go a separate way. We will have nothing to do with each other anymore.” was not out from lips yet when the man pinched her chin and guided her to look up.

“What did you just say?”

The young man’s exquisite facial features were delivered to her eyes. He wore a light purple long-sleeved silk robe, it was embroidered with white orchids on its sleeve and had a white lining. Combined with his fair complexion, he displayed an elegant beauty that was especially pleasing to the eyes.

His disposition was clean. His eyes were bright. His facial features appeared handsome and heroic, without half femininity.

At one glance, he was like the pine tree on the mountain spring rustled by the wind.

He gently pinched her chin with one hand and set the other hand beside her head. His eyebrows wrinkled slightly as if he were dissatisfied.

“Shen Zhiming, that old turtle[2], has the nerve to cast a tracking spell on you?”

Qin Wanwan was rendered mute.

Perhaps, it was because of the visible difference between the previous him and the current him, but when she saw his eyes staring straight at her, she was dazzled.

Jian Xingzhi was used to the look of someone being in a trance when they were around him, so he didn’t notice her abnormality. He sized Qin Wanwan up and down. He let go of his hand holding Qin Wanwan’s chin only after he figured out what the Sword Intent and tracking spell on her body were. He stepped aside and took the teapot, pouring himself tea. His figure exuded confidence, “Don’t worry, I一”

Before he finished his words, another electric current zizi’ed and rushed by his body. Jian Xingzhi’s smile twisted. Qin Wanwan tilted her head at him. He clenched the teapot on his hand and read the System’s prompt from the corner of his eyes. His lips twitched and he gritted his teeth, “I believe, you definitely can find a way!”

The author has something to say:

Interviewer: “Excuse me, may I ask, is your Master shy?”

666: “No, he is not. He merely has a heart problem, a polycardia[3].”

Footnotes

A Japanese Horror Movie.↵

乌龟 – wū guī; lit. Turle/Tortoise. Can also mean “cuckold”.↵

Rapid beating of the heart, conventionally applied to rates over 100 beats per minute.↵