Fate Trading System – Chapter 289
by Little PandaPlan A
Divine Vestige 15
Su Xin stroked Slayer’s hair and kissed her forehead as a reward, then caressed her face.
“Do you like me?”
“I do.”
Slayer’s gaze was fervent and lingering, as if it could scorch a person.
Su Xin’s fingers slid across Slayer’s face, from her forehead down to the corner of her lips, and then she forcefully pushed a finger inside.
Slayer held the finger in her mouth, her expression innocent, a light shimmering in her sky-blue eyes.
“No biting.”
Slayer nodded, wanting to promise she absolutely wouldn’t, but she couldn’t speak because of Su Xin’s actions.
“Slayer, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Slayer grinned foolishly. Although she didn’t know what Su Xin was thanking her for, since she was being thanked, she would accept it. It would be a waste not to. Never pass up a freebie—this was the consistent creed of a thief.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the living room, the atmosphere was quite serious.
Mi Luo didn’t know much about what went on between Su Xin and Slayer, so she only said a few words before falling silent.
She didn’t know how Su Xin and Slayer met or what they had experienced together. She only knew that the feelings between them likely surpassed friendship. She had seen many couples, and theirs was the type that was very obvious and transparent, but she didn’t point it out.
After all, they weren’t familiar with each other. And even if they were, one shouldn’t speak carelessly about such matters. A major event like coming out1 was best left to the individuals themselves.
Mi Luo had always been the type to see through things but not expose them2.
Sha Ying thought for a moment and decided to share what he knew. After all, the person before him was the boss’s older brother, and the boss hadn’t instructed them not to say anything before she left. Furthermore, she had left them here, which showed her trust in her brother.
Lang Ning got a general idea of the situation. These two also didn’t know where the girl named Slayer had come from; she had just suddenly appeared and extended a helping hand to his sister.
Lang Ning decided to go check on Su Xin. Even if Su Xin had told him to wait here, he was still worried.
“Um… little big brother, you should be careful for the next two days.”
“Hm?”
Lang Ning looked at Mi Luo.
“Little big brother, you might have a disaster of bloodletting3 within two days. Even if you don’t bleed, you might fall or something. In short, you’ll have bad luck. Trust me, I can tell fortunes4.”
Mi ‘Divine Swindler’ Crow-Mouth ‘Reliable’ Luo issued a reminder to this rather handsome little big brother.
With an indescribable expression, Lang Ning left. Feudal superstition5 had long been abandoned by the times. If you went out on the street and shouted that you could tell fortunes, you would definitely be ridiculed.
A low sound drifted from the room, too faint to be heard clearly, but Lang Ning’s current body had excellent stats, including his hearing.
Listening at the door, he knew in an instant what was happening.
Lang Ning was in disbelief. He hesitantly took a small step closer, then retreated two steps.
【Host, Lang Ning is outside the door.】
Su Xin’s hand, which was resting on Slayer’s arm, paused.
Slayer had clearly noticed as well, and she glanced toward the door.
“Xuanxuan, are you in there?”
Lang Ning asked tentatively.
“Yes, I’m here, Brother. What’s wrong?”
Su Xin made a hushing gesture at Slayer and watched the silhouette outside the door.
Seeing that Su Xin’s attention was no longer on her, Slayer started playing with Su Xin’s ruby.
That was definitely the most captivating gem she had ever seen—although, apart from Su Xin’s, she had only ever seen her own.
“It’s nothing.”
Lang Ning had no intention of pushing the door open, his expression a bit dazed.
It must be… fake, right?
How could Xuanxuan possibly…
It wasn’t that Lang Ning was prejudiced against her orientation; he just felt the situation was a bit sudden.
He was so lost in thought that he failed to notice his footing and missed a step.
A sharp pain shot through his ankle, and his body felt like it had been shattered by the fall.
For some reason, Mi Luo’s deadpan loli face suddenly appeared in Lang Ning’s mind.
Even if it’s not a disaster of bloodletting, you’ll have bad luck.
Thinking of Lang Ning outside, Su Xin fooled around with Slayer for a little while longer before pushing her up.
“Stop playing. Go take a bath.”
“Okay.”
Slayer got up reluctantly, hugging Su Xin’s waist and rubbing against her.
Su Xin and Slayer pushed the door open and walked out. When they reached the end of the hallway, they found Lang Ning sitting there, looking somewhat disheveled.
“Brother, what’s wrong?”
“I took a fall. I’m fine.”
Lang Ning forced himself to remain calm. He had just endured the pain and managed to walk here, planning to rest for a bit before heading back. He also wanted to see if the person in the room was indeed Slayer.
He glanced at Slayer, his face full of complicated emotions.
“You still say you’re fine? It’s such a bad fall.”
Lang Ning was a fire-type magician and couldn’t heal himself. It also didn’t look like he carried any potions with him.
Su Xin used a Light Magic spell to heal Lang Ning’s injury. Lang Ning stood up, taller than Su Xin. His sharp eyes spotted a red mark on Su Xin’s shoulder, and his expression grew even more complex.
“Xuanxuan, come with me.”
Slayer prepared to follow, but Lang Ning stopped her.
“Miss, I need to speak with my sister. I hope you won’t follow us.”
Lang Ning wore a polite smile. Slayer froze and looked at Su Xin.
Only after Su Xin gave a slight nod did she turn back.
“Xuanxuan, have you thought it through? But this is just a game. Is that person a player too?”
“No, Brother. You don’t need to worry about the two of us. Slayer isn’t a player. I suspect she is a program, or something else, that was brought in from the outside world to terminate that BUG.”
“Brother, you said before that there’s only one way to restore everything, and that is to deal with that BUG. She and I can do it.”
“Xuanxuan, that’s too dangerous.”
“But this isn’t something you can decide on your own. I am requesting a processor from the outside world. I will give it to you, and then I hope you can modify it, Brother, to build a communication device for us. I might need your help when I travel to other places. As for those messy Hunters, don’t you worry, Brother. You can lock them up.”
“By modifying NPCs? I’m already on it.”
“Mhm. If I encounter other players on the road, I will tell them to come find you.”
“I can go too. No one knows all these places better than I do.”
Lang Ning didn’t want Su Xin to take the risk. This was his responsibility, not his sister’s!
“But you are needed here, Brother.”
Su Xin spent over four hours in that room talking with Lang Ning.
From analyzing the situation to discussing the beginning and the end of the matter.
Su Xin understood the burden of emotional attachments, and she also understood Lang Ning’s anxiety about Lang Xuanxuan going on an adventure.
From Lang Xuanxuan’s perspective, Su Xin voiced her innermost thoughts. Since we’re family, we should work hard and cheer each other on. I don’t want to live selfishly under my brother’s wing, watching him suffer, so even if I have to sacrifice my own soul, I will save my brother.
Lang Ning would never tell Lang Xuanxuan that he planned to plead guilty and commit suicide, asking only for her safety, just as Lang Xuanxuan would never tell Lang Ning what price she had paid.
Su Xin knew everything, so she laid it all bare.
She didn’t want the emotional concerns for this body to become an obstacle to her actions. What she needed now was support, not hindrance.
“Then that girl…”
“Brother, you don’t need to worry about my love life. Our goal is to destroy that big BOSS. Brother, work hard. For my safety, you have to work even harder, okay?”
“Brother, don’t blame yourself. I’m proud of you. You created such an amazing thing, even if the final result was a bit disastrous.”
“I know your mistakes, but I still love you.”
These were Lang Xuanxuan’s true feelings.
Lang Xuanxuan knew how much the masses would blame Lang Ning.
She knew her brother had become a ‘sinner,’ but the deaths of those people had nothing to do with her brother.
All the chaos was just human nature.
Su Xin left the room, leaving Lang Ning there to contemplate.
The sky had already darkened; evening had quietly slipped by.
The moon was round and bright overhead. Su Xin followed the same path back.
There were many flowers in the courtyard, emitting a sweet fragrance.
Su Xin saw Slayer standing there. She was still in the same spot she had been four hours ago, gazing up at the sky.
When Slayer heard Su Xin’s footsteps, she immediately looked over in pleasant surprise.
“Why are you waiting for me here? The sky is already completely dark.”
“I was worried you wouldn’t be able to find me when you walked back. It’s okay, I’ll just wait for you here.”
Slayer took Su Xin’s hand, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
Su Xin felt that Slayer’s smiles always had a touch of foolishness to them, yet they made the corners of one’s mouth lift unconsciously, and one’s mood would become wonderful.
“What did you and your brother talk about for so long?”
“We talked about a lot of things.”
“I feel like your brother doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
“He doesn’t. Do you care?”
Slayer nodded a bit awkwardly and said she did.
“Because you care about your brother. If you didn’t care about him, then I wouldn’t care either.”
Slayer wrapped Su Xin’s hand in her own, pulling her forward.
“You like me that much?”
Su Xin teased mischievously.
“I do.”
Slayer nodded vigorously.
“Slayer, do you know what I like about you?”
“Because I’m amazing!”
The little thief was incredibly proud of her abilities.
“I like the way you like me, without any reservations.”
There is no one in the world who doesn’t like to be cherished.
Su Xin preferred simple and direct ways. She unabashedly admitted that she liked being held up high. If she was willing to accept it, she would also return an equal measure of respect and affection.
“Then I’ll just like you a little more. Does that mean you’ll like me a little more too?”
Su Xin’s reply was so soft she herself could barely hear it.
She said, “Mhm, yes.”
But Slayer heard it and revealed a smile of deep contentment.
Footnotes
- 出柜 | chūguì | Lit. “to come out of the cabinet,” this is the modern Chinese term for “coming out of the closet,” referring to the act of revealing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
- 看破不说破 | kànpò bù shuōpò | A common Chinese saying which means to understand a situation or someone’s true intentions but choosing not to point it out or expose them, often out of tact or politeness.
- 血光之灾 | xuè guāng zhī zāi | Lit. “disaster of blood light.” A term used in Chinese fortune-telling to predict a disaster that will cause injury or bloodshed.
- 算命 | suànmìng | The Chinese practice of fortune-telling. Methods can range from physiognomy (face reading) and palmistry to complex astrological calculations based on a person’s birth date and time.
- 封建迷信 | fēngjiàn míxìn | Lit. “feudal superstition.” A term often used in modern China to dismiss practices like fortune-telling, folk religion, and other traditional beliefs as backward and unscientific.
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