Fate Trading System – Chapter 256
by Little PandaPlan A
Furnace 7
[Refresher: Qi Refining stage → Foundation Establishment stage → Golden Core stage → Nascent Soul stage → Divine Transformation stage → Void Refining stage → Body Integration stage → Great Accomplishment stage.]
Xiu Yan walked to Su Xin’s side and set up a sound-insulating array.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
Su Xin placed her hands crossed in front of her lower abdomen, her head slightly raised, looking very well-behaved.
“Can you stay a little further away from Miss Jing?”
Xiu Yan knew that what he said was presumptuous, but he really didn’t want to see this person hovering around in front of him anymore, hmph, he didn’t want to see her hovering around in front of the person in his heart.
“Young Master Xiu, what you’re saying is truly amusing. Why should I stay away from her? In what capacity are you speaking to me? Who are you to me? Or rather, who are you to Jing Yueru?”
Su Xin rolled her eyes. Hilarious.
“Don’t think I don’t know what kind of scheme you’re plotting. I advise you to get rid of that idea sooner rather than later.”
Xiu Yan gritted his teeth, all his composure crumbling.
“What idea? Let’s hear it?”
“I’ve told you more than once. I won’t like you. No one will take that marriage contract seriously; it was just a joke. Can you please stop pestering me with it?”
“I’m not pestering you. I really just came to buy something.”
Su Xin said innocently, she really just came to buy an egg.
“Then why did you come with Miss Jing?”
“Why can’t I come with her? What does it have to do with you if I come with her? Your question is very strange, just as strange as asking me to stay away from her.”
Beneath her veil, Su Xin’s lips curled slightly, forming an arc of ridicule.
“Don’t deliberately play dumb1 with me. You should understand what I mean.”
“You really are a strange person. If you don’t tell me clearly, how would I know what you mean? I’m not a roundworm in your stomach2.”
“Even if you use every trick in the book3 to prevent Miss Jing from being with me, I will not become Dao companions with you.”
Su Xin felt that her train of thought and this person’s were probably not on the same track; perhaps they were completely parallel, with no point of intersection whatsoever.
“Wait a moment, Young Master Xiu, I think you might have misunderstood something. I don’t like you anymore.”
Su Xin emphasized seriously. She could bear a blood feud4 for the original owner, could bear all misunderstandings for the original owner, but she absolutely would not bear emotional debts for her, whether it was her affection or her disgust.
“What could I misunderstand? Don’t I know what’s on your mind? Wait… what did you say? You don’t like me anymore?”
Xiu Yan was stunned.
This should be true, right? Did those words really come from Wei Shuangling’s mouth?
The look of relief on Xiu Yan’s face was so obvious that Su Xin couldn’t help but imagine how much of a psychological scar the original owner had inflicted on him.
“That’s right. I was young and ignorant back then, but I’ve long since figured things out. For those who cultivate the Dao, cultivation practice should be the priority. Nothing else is important; those are things to consider later. So, Young Master Xiu, you don’t need to worry about me pestering you endlessly anymore.”
Su Xin spoke calmly and coolly. Only then did Xiu Yan let go of his prejudice and properly look at her eyes. Those eyes were looking at him, devoid of the slightest trace of love or obsession, completely different from the eyes of the past.
This person might have truly let go. There would be no more entanglements between them.
The two of them were looking at each other without words
; Xiu Yan felt a bit awkward.
Su Xin, however, didn’t notice Xiu Yan’s awkwardness and continued to wait for Jing Yueru at the entrance.
“Are you and Miss Jing friends now?”
After a while, Xiu Yan opened his mouth to ask.
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you used to hate her because of me? You even wanted me to stay away from her. Why have you become friends with her now?”
“I admit your judgment is quite good. Jing Yueru is indeed a very good person, so I became friends with her.”
“It’s better if you don’t ask too much about matters between young ladies.”
Seeing that Xiu Yan wanted to ask more, Su Xin spoke slowly, cutting him off.
Xiu Yan fell silent and didn’t speak again.
He thought to himself, this young lady is truly strange. She was the one who said she adored him, and she was also the one who said she didn’t.
It was clearly what he wanted, but for some reason, upon achieving it, he couldn’t help but feel a trace of awkwardness in his heart.
After waiting for about half an hour or more, Jing Yueru finally came out from inside.
“How did it go?”
“I didn’t get it. I came out in a hurry this time and wasn’t prepared. Besides, I’m only at the Foundation Establishment stage of strength, so I don’t have many good things. Shifu gave me a lot, but they are mostly magical artifacts and talismans.”
“There will be other opportunities.”
“En, en, there were several people inside, but no one took out what he wanted, so no one managed to trade for it.”
The three of them wandered around the spirit market for a while longer and finally walked to the exit.
“Many thanks to Young Master Xiu for bringing me the news. We’ll part ways here for today. If there’s anything I can help with next time, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Miss Jing, you don’t need to be so polite. Besides, I didn’t help much this time, just told you a piece of news. I wasn’t able to help you obtain this item.”
The three people split into two groups and headed in different directions.
On the way back, flying on swords, Jing Yueru had her arm around Su Xin’s waist and asked, seemingly nonchalantly.
“Just now when I went in, after all that time, did you two say anything? He seemed to be in a much better mood.”
“I was frank with him and told him the truth: I prefer to focus on cultivation now. Pursuing the Great Dao is the most important thing; romantic entanglements5 are matters for later.”
The process of pursuing the Great Dao should be a process of gradual abandonment.
Some people walk the Path of Sentience6, some walk the Path of Emotionlessness7, and some walk the Path of Slaughter8.
There are many kinds of Great Daos in this world, all based on one’s original heart9, but no matter which Great Dao one pursues, romantic entanglements should not be the most important thing.
“It’s good to make it clear to him, lest he be so self-righteous.”
Jing Yueru nodded. It was good that it was made clear.
Xiu Yan should have felt a great weight lifted from his mind10, but for some reason, she felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her mind too.
They returned to Huanling Mountain. After bathing, Su Xin sat on her bed, playing with the black egg.
“Can you use your consciousness to probe inside and see if this little thing is still alive?”
“There’s no reaction. It might already be dead. Didn’t that merchant say before that it seems useless for you to keep it?”
“It will be useful.”
Su Xin tucked the egg into her quilt. What Lord Fourteen said would definitely not be wrong.
“Then you should keep it. If there’s anything else you want, just tell me.”
“En.”
After Jing Yueru left, Su Xin took out the pitch-black egg and studied it carefully again.
Lord Fourteen, what should I do next?
【Drip your own blood into it.】
Su Xin did as instructed. She couldn’t remember in which world she had exchanged for a dagger; she no longer remembered the memories from those worlds. They were a blur in her mind, directly forgotten by her.
Anyway, it was impossible to recall them. Blurry memories, might as well not try to recollect them.
The blood merged into the egg, but nothing happened. It didn’t start to glow or undergo any other strange transformation as Su Xin had expected. After the blood dripped in, there seemed to be no change at all.
Su Xin put her finger in her mouth for a moment, then picked up the ointment placed aside. This ointment was given to her by Jing Yueru for whenever ‘that kind of thing’ happened; she would apply it afterwards. It was very effective. Su Xin applied it to her wound, and that patch of skin immediately recovered as if new.
Lord Fourteen, and then?
【Put it in your quilt, or hold it in your palm all night long.】
You mean I have to incubate it?
【Yes.】
Lord Fourteen, if I didn’t know what kind of AI you are, I would think you were joking with me.
【This humble one never jokes with the Host. This is indeed the correct method of use as shown in the data.】
Alrighty then.
Truly baffling and nonsensical.
Su Xin slept for a night holding the egg. When she woke up the next day, the egg was still the same egg, still unchanged.
Lord Fourteen, it hasn’t changed ah.
【This is normal. This humble one has said it before; you need to wait until your abilities are restored before it can be used. After you can continue cultivating, you need to input spiritual energy into it, and only then will it change. This is also what the data says.】
Su Xin patted the egg, got up, and began to wash. What she didn’t notice was that after she left, the egg moved a tiny bit towards the edge of the bed. The distance was so minute that one might suspect it was moved by her actions and ignore it.
Jing Yueru went to her cave residence to meditate and cultivate. Su Xin continued to sit on her bed, looking at a jade slip.
“It seems you’re doing quite well here, en?”
When Su Xin heard this voice, her body stiffened subconsciously, and she trembled reflexively.
This was a physical reaction left over from the original owner; it was fear.
This voice was very familiar to Su Xin; it had once been the original owner’s nightmare.
That man had come.
Su Xin kept her mouth tightly shut and said nothing, only moving her eyes to look at the man wearing a mask, his face obscured.
Black clothes enveloped his body, completely concealing him.
“What? You’ve been away from me for half a month, and you’ve forgotten even how to address me?”
This man hadn’t told the original owner his name, only letting the original owner call him ‘Master’.
How could Su Xin bring herself to say it? Her only master would forever be herself. As long as it didn’t break character, she wouldn’t call him that if she could avoid it.
“How did you find this place?”
“Although I don’t know how you managed to leave my restriction, I do know where you are. You still have unknown secrets on you. This is truly interesting.”
The man stood neither too far nor too close, surveying the surroundings, his gaze finally landing on Su Xin’s face, his voice tinged with amusement.
At the same time, Xuan Yi sensed that his restriction had been breached by someone without it being broken.
Xuan Yi would set up his own restrictions on each of his disciples’ mountain peaks. If one’s cultivation level was not higher than his, they would be blocked by the restriction, unless the other party consisted of several people or a group. But if so many people barged in together, his Lancang Sect would likely have fallen. Yet now, someone had actually entered Huanling Mountain without triggering his restrictions…
Xuan Yi immediately flew on his sword, heading towards Huanling Mountain.
“You’ve played outside for half a month, that should be enough. You can come back with me now.”
Shang extended his hand. It was a very beautiful hand, as if meticulously carved.
“I won’t go back with you.”
“You’ve probably forgotten the purpose for which I traded for you.”
“I haven’t forgotten. It’s precisely because I haven’t forgotten that I won’t go back with you.”
Su Xin remained vigilant on the bed, covered by the quilt, holding her egg in her hand.
“I’m afraid you have no way to refuse. Oh? Someone’s here.”
Upon receiving a sound transmission11 from her Shifu, Jing Yueru immediately stopped her cultivation practice and went with her Shifu to Su Xin’s bamboo house.
When Xuan Yi saw the bamboo house on the mountain peak, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. He knew that although his little disciple was a young lady, she was quite unrefined. To be able to build such a bamboo house, she must have put in a lot of effort and thought.
It seemed his little disciple really valued this friend of hers.
Jing Yueru saw the man shrouded in black and walked to stand in front of Su Xin’s bed, blocking him.
“Now that you have a friend, you don’t want your Master anymore? How sad.”
“Let me think, mid-month and end-of-month, how did you get through it? Without anyone else’s ‘flavor,’ was it this little Daoist friend who helped?”
Shang’s gaze fell on Jing Yueru, full of amusement.
As soon as Xuan Yi saw this strange and eccentric person casting his gaze upon his disciple, he became unhappy.
“This Daoist friend, I don’t know why you’ve trespassed into my Lancang Sect without any greeting or calling card12, nor are you a guest invited by my Lancang Sect. It seems inappropriate for you to be standing here, doesn’t it?”
Xuan Yi spoke, his voice gentle, but his expression was not very pleasant.
“I mean no disrespect. I’m merely thinking of taking back my own property. I hope the Sect Master can agree to my presumptuous request and let me take my little bird back.”
“There are no little birds here. If your flying creature has inadvertently strayed into my Lancang Sect, you are welcome to search for it in the Spirit Beast Garden. However, you must still present a calling card first. But my Lancang Sect has always been strictly managed; if an extra spirit beast of any kind appeared in the Spirit Beast Garden, it would definitely be reported upwards.”
Xuan Yi was feigning ignorance13, deliberately speaking in a confusing manner.
“Let’s not beat around the bush14. No need to run circles around me. She is my property, and I intend to take her away now. You won’t try to stop me, right?”
“Daoist friend, what do you mean by that? If she is your property, you may take her back. However, I believe you need evidence to prove that she is indeed your property.”
Xuan Yi was beating around the bush. Jing Yueru held Su Xin’s hand, her heart uneasy.
She didn’t know what to do and could only pin her hopes on her Shifu.
Shang moved his fingers. Su Xin felt a searing heat in her palm, and a black pentagram array15 appeared out of thin air there.
Xuan Yi glanced at his little disciple and gently shook his head.
This matter was likely unresolvable now. If this person hadn’t produced evidence, Xuan Yi could have said he trespassed first and expelled him, a reason no one could fault. But since the person had already shown evidence, he couldn’t make a move. If he attacked first, it would be provoking trouble.
His status did not allow him to do such things. Considering the bigger picture, it was even more impossible for him to do so.
Jing Yueru’s eyes dimmed instantly. She tightened her grip on Su Xin’s hand, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by a look from Su Xin.
“Take good care of Dandan16.”
Su Xin straightened her robes and placed the pitch-black egg from her hand into Jing Yueru’s.
“I’ll go back with you.”
Su Xin was not someone who couldn’t understand the situation; on the contrary, she saw it all too clearly.
Others helping you is a favor17, not an obligation18. It’s already very good that they could help you. You can’t just cling to others and cause them trouble, can you?
Su Xin tied up her hair and walked to the man’s side.
Jing Yueru stood as if petrified by a spell, a lump in her throat19, unable to utter a single word.
She could only watch Su Xin walk away from her step by step, still wearing her clothes, her eyes still bright, that courage still present.
She couldn’t protect her.
This reality made her heart feel as if it were being twisted by a knife.
“I’m leaving.”
Su Xin nodded at Jing Yueru. Her hand was grabbed by the man, who tore a talisman, and the two of them disappeared from the spot.
Jing Yueru stood there quietly, silently gazing in the direction they had disappeared, not saying a word. What was frozen on her face was not sadness, but a kind of bewilderment.
Gone.
Clearly, at the very beginning, she had vowed that she would protect her.
Not only had she failed to fulfill her promise, failed to do what she had pledged, but she had also watched helplessly as Su Xin left.
Su Xin didn’t want to cause her trouble, she knew.
Never before had Jing Yueru been so acutely aware of her own weakness as at this moment.
Look at you ya, you can’t even protect the people you care about.
What Dao are you still cultivating?
Genius?
Xuan Yi frowned. He had already noticed that something was wrong with his disciple’s condition; she seemed to have fallen into some kind of demonic obsession20.
Remember everything before you! You are the last one alive! Avenge them! You must overturn all of this!
Go ah! Go! Keep running forward! Don’t look back!
Jing Yueru squatted on the ground, tightly clutching the thing in her hand.
Who was screaming hysterically? What on earth were they saying!
“Ru’er! Ru’er!”
As soon as Xuan Yi’s spiritual sense entered Jing Yueru’s body, it was immediately crushed.
Very bad.
Xuan Yi formed a spiritual incantation seal21, trying to make her fall unconscious, but found it ineffective.
In those gray eyes, an eerie red began to surface.
It was too late.
Xuan Yi set up a restriction. Now, he could only wait and see what happens.
When he first met Jing Yueru, she looked like a little girl.
A long time ago, when he was not yet the Sect Master of the Lancang Sect, he roamed the world and once received a favor from the Hidden Clan.
Many years ago, he received a letter from the Hidden Clan.
The Hidden Clan people said that in thirty years, they would face a great calamity, and only one bloodline would survive. They hoped he could go and bring that child back to raise, ensuring they wouldn’t perish there.
He would naturally agree to the request of his life-saving benefactor.
He didn’t ask why they knew that in thirty years they would definitely face a great calamity, their entire clan wiped out, with only one bloodline remaining.
The cause and effect of this world, all intertwined, are hard to explain clearly.
He went to the place where he had first met the Hidden Clan people. There was a little girl of about eight or nine years old, as exquisitely beautiful as if carved from pink jade22, her eyes gray, carrying a cold and indifferent color.
He detected that there were multiple restrictions within her body, unsure who had placed them. The purpose should have been to protect her, so that her power wouldn’t erupt and destroy her body before she fully matured.
At that time, she only said one sentence.
“My name is Jing Yueru.”
On the way back with her, the next day, the eight or nine-year-old girl surprisingly transformed into the appearance of a two or three-year-old, as if she had forgotten all past events23, her eyes filled only with ignorance and innocence.
The bond of master and disciple was thus formed.
Xuan Yi hadn’t expected that Su Xin’s impact on Jing Yueru would be so great as to seemingly make her recover some memories.
It was as if someone was singing by her ear, a very ethereal and gentle song.
But after a short while, that singing turned into wails and roars.
Lots of blood, spreading black mist.
“‘You are our only hope. You must persevere.'”
Who was speaking?
Jing Yueru closed her eyes, her head feeling like it was about to split.
Xuan Yi remained vigilant, worried that something bad might happen, but then he discovered that Jing Yueru had suddenly fainted.
He sighed, placed his disciple on the bamboo bed, set up a restriction, and left a small paper crane24.
She had sealed herself off because she couldn’t protect the clan members she wanted to protect, and now she awakened again because she was unable to protect the young lady she cared for.
A black egg, unnoticed by anyone, quietly twisted its body slightly, then returned to its original appearance.
When Su Xin was taken away, she was very calm inside.
Neither cowardly nor timid. At worst, suicide.
Things wouldn’t get that bad yet.
Fourteen’s function was that as long as it saw a person, unless they were an unsearchable character, it could find out their past.
【This humble one has considered the current situation to be quite urgent and has already filtered the memories. The information you, Host, will receive below is all usable by you.】
Good!
“How should I put this? Your luck is really quite good.”
Shang couldn’t help but marvel at the good luck this person possessed. Not to mention how she got out of his restriction, or how she found that teleportation array, let alone how she activated it; just the fact that she could find someone to suppress the fire poison was enough.
Su Xin returned to the original room. She naturally walked to the bedside and sat down. After digesting the information, she already had a plan in mind.
Lord Fourteen, how much life value does it cost to exchange for that pill formula25?
【One-twelfth.】
Exchange!
Shang didn’t mind the woman in front of him falling silent. In fact, their interactions were pitifully few. Their relationship was merely that of a pet and master; it was just that this pet was a bit disobedient.
“You are a merchant. You will make a deal with me, right?”
Su Xin spoke, her white clothes a stark contrast26 to the black room.
“Of course. Anyone can be a business partner for me. However, what bargaining chips do you think you have to trade with me? Or rather, what do you have that interests me?”
“What about something that can bring the ‘crashed’27 back from the dead28?”
“‘Crashed’ is a term on this continent, referring to those who failed to withstand their lightning tribulation29 and fell into a death-like coma.”
This is a very special phenomenon, and very few cultivators become ‘crashed ones’.
“What do you know?”
Although Su Xin couldn’t see the change in this person’s expression, she could hear the change in his tone of voice.
“I don’t know much, but I know what needs to be known, including your past events, and also the person you love. Do you think you can save the person you want to save just by ascending30? Impossible. Because then, the rules will forcibly take you to another plane31, and you will be cut off from everything here. Of course, with your current strength, you’re still far from ascending, aren’t you?”
Shang’s power is at the Void Refining stage, making him one of the top experts32 on this continent. However, the power he displays is not at the Void Refining stage, only at the mid-Divine Transformation stage. Even so, it’s formidable enough. But to ascend, there are still the Body Integration stage and the Great Accomplishment stage—a very long way to go.
“You are not Wei Shuangling.”
“Of course.”
Su Xin smiled, calm and composed.
Footnotes
- 裝瘋賣傻 | zhuāngfēngmàishǎ | Lit. “pretend to be crazy and act foolish” | Fig. to feign ignorance; to play dumb.
- 肚子裏的蛔蟲 | dùzi lǐ de huíchóng | Lit. “roundworm in your stomach” | Fig. someone who knows another person’s thoughts perfectly; a mind-reader.
- 渾身解數 | húnshēn xièshù | Lit. “all of one’s abilities and skills”.
- 血海深仇 | xuèhǎishēnchóu | Lit. “a feud as deep as a sea of blood” | Fig. a deep-seated hatred stemming from bloodshed; a blood feud.
- 儿女情长 | érnǚ qíngcháng | Lit. “children’s affections are long.” Refers to romantic love, affairs of the heart, often seen as a distraction from more serious pursuits.
- 有情道 | yǒuqíng dào | Lit. “sentient path/way.” A cultivation path that incorporates or utilizes emotions and attachments.
- 无情道 | wúqíng dào | Lit. “emotionless path/way.” A cultivation path that involves severing emotions and attachments to achieve enlightenment or power.
- 杀道 | shādào | Lit. “killing path/way.” A cultivation path that focuses on combat, killing, and often draws power from such acts.
- 本心 | běnxīn | Lit. “original heart/mind.” Refers to one’s true nature, innate conscience, or fundamental aspiration in cultivation.
- 放下一块大石头 | fàngxià yīkuài dà shítou | Lit. “to put down a large stone” | Fig. to feel a great sense of relief, as if a heavy burden has been removed.
- 传音 | chuányīn | Sound transmission; a magical or skill-based method of sending one’s voice or a message directly to someone else over a distance, often used by cultivators.
- 拜帖 | bàitiě | Calling card; a formal card presented when making a visit, especially in historical contexts.
- 揣着明白装糊涂 | chuāizhe míngbai zhuāng hútu | Lit. “carrying understanding while pretending to be muddled” | Fig. to feign ignorance; to pretend not to know something one clearly knows.
- 明人不说暗话 | míngrén bù shuō ànhuà | Lit. “open people don’t speak in riddles/dark words” | Fig. let’s speak frankly; let’s not beat around the bush.
- 五芒星阵 | wǔmángxīng zhèn | Pentagram array/formation. Wumangxing (五芒星) means pentagram/five-pointed star. Zhen (阵) means array/formation.
- 蛋蛋 | Dàndàn | Lit. “Egg-egg.” An affectionate nickname for the egg.
- 情分 | qíngfen | Favor; kindness; affection based on friendship or relationship, implying something done out of goodwill rather than obligation.
- 本分 | běnfèn | One’s duty; one’s part; what is expected of someone within their role or capacity.
- 如鲠在喉 | rúgěngzàihóu | Lit. “like a fishbone stuck in the throat” | Fig. to have a lump in one’s throat; to feel very uncomfortable as if one has something stuck in the throat, often due to unspoken words or strong emotion.
- 魔障 | mózhàng | Lit. “demonic obstacle/barrier.” Refers to a state of being possessed, obsessed, or deluded by inner demons or external evil influences, hindering spiritual progress or sanity.
- 灵诀 | língjué | Spiritual incantation seal/hand seal; specific hand gestures or incantations used to channel spiritual energy or cast techniques.
- 粉雕玉砌 | fěndiāoyùqì | Lit. “pink-carved jade-built” | Fig. (of a child) fair-skinned and exquisitely beautiful, like a delicate doll.
- 前尘往事 | qiánchénwǎngshì | Lit. “past dust and bygone affairs” | Fig. events of the past; bygone days; memories of former times.
- 纸鹤 | zhǐhè | Paper crane. Often associated with wishes, hope, or carrying messages in East Asian cultures.
- 丹方 | dānfāng | Pill formula/recipe; a prescription or recipe for making medicinal pills, especially alchemical or spiritual pills in cultivation contexts.
- 格格不入 | gégébùrù | Lit. “square peg in a round hole” (figurative meaning from structure) | Fig. incompatible; out of place; a misfit.
- 坠毁 | zhuìhuǐ | Lit. “to fall and be destroyed” (like a plane crash). In this context, a specific term for cultivators who fail their tribulation and fall into a death-like coma.
- 起死回生 | qǐsǐhuíshēng | Lit. “to rise from the dead and return to life” | Fig. to bring back from death’s door; to revive.
- 雷劫 | léijié | Lightning tribulation; a trial by heavenly lightning that cultivators often face when advancing to a higher realm or achieving a breakthrough. Failure can lead to death or severe injury.
- 飞升 | fēishēng | To ascend; in cultivation contexts, this refers to a cultivator reaching a high enough level to transcend the mortal world and ascend to a higher realm (e.g., immortal realm, divine realm).
- 位面 | wèimiàn | Plane/dimension; a separate world or dimension of existence, often used in fantasy and xianxia.
- 数一数二 | shǔyīshǔ’èr | Lit. “to count as one or two” | Fig. one of the best; second to none; top-notch.
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