Fate Trading System – Chapter 101

Plan A

Rise in Another World 13

Separately

Little One seemed not to have realized it had transformed into human form yet. It habitually let out a meow, tilting its head, just like its usual meng-selling (cute) pose.

Su Xin’s inner self was screaming, her blood bar (internet slang for one’s emotional or physical limit) had already gone negative.

However, after a moment, Little One seemed to have come to its senses. Its expression returned to its cold and noble look, just like its usual lazy, expressionless appearance.

With this, she became Nan Cheng.

Su Xin had originally thought Little One’s human form would be a small, soft loli, but she discovered that didn’t seem to be the case. Nevertheless, it was still cute!

The young girl’s eyes were round, her blue heterochromia like a piece of finest blue sapphire, pure and flawless. The red flame on her brow seemed as if it might come alive and dance at any moment, a beauty so striking it made one’s heart tremble.

Her face had already shed that baby fat, and now when expressionless, she appeared somewhat haughty.

“How did you suddenly turn into a human?”

Su Xin, out of habit, went to stroke the fur, but when her hand touched smooth skin instead of fluffy, soft fur, she calmly and composedly moved her hand towards Nan Cheng’s head.

“Don’t know.”

Nan Cheng shook her head, drawing closer to Su Xin, her hands hooking around Su Xin’s neck.

Su Xin took this as her acting coquettishly, embracing her smooth back, comforting her back and forth.

“Can you control yourself?”

“Maybe?”

Nan Cheng looked dazed and confused.

“Why did you suddenly go berserk and scratch that person’s face earlier?”

This was a question Su Xin was particularly concerned about.

“Hmm… I don’t know. I just felt like my head suddenly hurt a lot, and that person’s face turned into a very strange appearance, making me want to attack instinctively. Afterwards, I felt like my head was about to explode from pain, so I just kept running and running.”

Although Nan Cheng wasn’t completely ignorant of everything, she wasn’t far from it.

Su Xin first took out one of her own clothes from her storage ring and had Nan Cheng put it on. Nan Cheng’s movements weren’t clumsy; in fact, she very skillfully put on the clothes.

Nan Cheng smiled at Su Xin, looking adorably silly.

One day had already passed from the three-day time limit. Whether Nan Cheng transformed back into a cat or not, Su Xin would never hand her over.

It was out of the question.

“I’ve recovered some things.”

Nan Cheng was still nestled in Su Xin’s arms, just like usual.

“Oh?”

“My lost memories.”

Nan Cheng was a nine-lives cat, a rare and precious mythical beast that had not yet reached maturity. However, she had suffered betrayal and framing, and somehow ended up in the Lu Yin Secret Realm.

“That’s good.”

The air suddenly grew quiet. Su Xin held Nan Cheng, thinking of nothing.

“Are you leaving now, going back to your own place?”

“Mm-hmm.”

There were some things Nan Cheng was eager to know.

“Then go ahead and leave.”

Su Xin’s attitude was gentle. She lowered her eyes, and Nan Cheng couldn’t clearly see her expression.

What could be done? There was simply no way to keep her.

Nan Cheng had an unusual aura about her. When Su Xin saw it, she knew Nan Cheng wasn’t just an ordinary mythical beast. A nine-lives cat, just hearing it sounded high-end, impressive, and classy.

“You’re not asking me to stay?”

Nan Cheng raised her head, her blue eyes misted with tears, looking a bit pitiful.

The time she had spent by Su Xin’s side was not worth mentioning compared to her long life in the past.

Nan Cheng was six hundred years old, a top genius in her clan. Compared to Su Xin, who was only in her twenties or thirties, Nan Cheng seemed very old.

However, the ten years she had spent with Su Xin were equivalent to all her past times. It was as if every minute and every second had its unique significance. Nan Cheng remembered all the trials they had gone through together, and the radiant look on the young woman’s face when she smiled at her.

That smile was special, as if it could sear into one’s heart.

Nan Cheng needed to leave because there were still many things she hadn’t figured out waiting for her to understand. But she also didn’t want to leave Su Xin.

She liked the way Su Xin held her, the way she happily buried her face in her body, full of life and vigor.

Nan Cheng had originally thought Su Xin would try to keep her, or at least show great reluctance to part. But she didn’t expect her to be so decisive, letting her leave without trying to make her stay.

“Don’t you have your own things to do? Looking forward to our reunion, where are you going?”

“The Sky-reaching Tower.”

“What a coincidence, I’ll be going there too in the future. I need to find someone.”

“Who are you looking for? I can help you.”

“My mother, she…”

Su Xin’s voice trailed off because she discovered something very perplexing: she couldn’t remember her mother’s name.

To be precise, it wasn’t that she couldn’t remember, but that the original owner of the body couldn’t remember.

She had always thought she knew, but when she tried to search her memories, she found that the existence was so blurry, she couldn’t remember anything clearly, not even her mother’s appearance.

It was as if something was stealing her memories bit by bit. Su Xin rubbed her head, realizing this wasn’t her problem, nor was it a problem with the original owner’s memories. Someone must have tampered with them.

Nan Cheng was waiting for Su Xin to continue, but found there was no follow-up.

“Let’s sign a magic contract, okay?”

Nan Cheng looked at Su Xin, holding both her hands. She knelt up straight, making eye contact with Su Xin. If they didn’t have something to connect them, not only would Su Xin be unable to find her, but she would also be unable to find Su Xin.

“Why? This is too unfair for you.”

The magic contracts signed with mythical beast were never equal; it was a master-servant relationship.

“I don’t mind, okay? This way, we’ll know when either of us is in danger.”

“Alright.”

The last sentence was the reason Su Xin agreed. What she feared most was that Little One might get hurt without her knowing, and she would be none the wiser. That feeling was truly awful.

The signing of the magic contract was simple. One only needed to draw a specialized magic circle, then the mage who would be the master would drip their blood onto the mythical beast’s brow, and begin the incantation.

“Accept me as your master, be at my command.”

Nan Cheng transformed back into her cat form, her body floating in mid-air.

“Meow meow meow meow.”

Accept you as my master, be at your command.

A drop of blood fell into the red mark on Little One’s brow, and Little One closed its eyes.

The magic circle activated, and flames surrounded the human and the beast.

Su Xin touched a spot three inches from her wrist, where there was now a miniature cat mark, like a tattoo.

“Are you leaving now?”

Su Xin looked at Nan Cheng, and Nan Cheng looked back at her, blinking her eyes.

“What’s the matter?”

“Stay with me for two more days, please.”

“Alright.”

On the day Nan Cheng was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something.

“I know now, what I smelled that day.”

“What was it?”

“It’s something that makes mythical beast go berserk. It’s very rare, I forget what it’s called. The higher-end the mythical beast, the harder it is to influence them.”

Little One had smelled that scent when she first saw Yu Man. It was very faint, so faint that she didn’t pay attention to it. But at that time, she was at a critical moment of recovery, and after smelling it for a while, she suddenly became muddleheaded.

The running afterwards wasn’t because of that strange fragrance, but because of the turbulent magical elements in her body. What should have been a smooth transition was disrupted.

“I see.”

Su Xin, as usual, ruffled Nan Cheng’s hair, watching her leave.

But suddenly, the young girl returned with the speed of a feline.

Su Xin only felt a soft touch on her lips, and then the person in front of her vanished.

Su Xin touched her lips lightly, not thinking much of it. Nan Cheng probably hadn’t fully adjusted from her cat form yet, she thought. Little One liked to lick her, and several times had accidentally licked the corners of her mouth and her lips. Su Xin hadn’t minded, even playing “kissy” games with Little One.

After all, it was just a cat, and that kind of affection was truly touching.

Su Xin descended the mountain, walking towards the academy.

Nan Cheng, who had run far away, touched her own lips, her face slightly flushed.

She didn’t know why she had done that, but she had done it anyway.

Much, much later, she would understand the meaning of that moment.

Before she even knew what love was, she had already fallen deeply in love.

Before she even understood what a partner was, someone had forcefully taken residence in her heart.

Su Xin returned, facing the reproachful gazes of her classmates, senior fellow disciples, and teachers.

No one believed that Su Xin had ordered her cat to do it, but the fact remained that Su Xin hadn’t properly controlled her cat.

The first time, no one saw it, but the second time happened in broad daylight for everyone to see.

Su Xin didn’t send the cat back to be punished, so she had to take its place.

Mythical beast weren’t particularly precious things. Originally, the punishment for Little One was to hand it over to Yu Man.

When Su Xin heard this, she sneered coldly. Huh, hand it over to Yu Man? That person who clearly had hostility towards cats and might even have a penchant for abusing them? Would Little One even survive?

Since Su Xin was taking the punishment, the previous one for the cat no longer applied. Thirty lashes, three days of confinement, that was it.

The person carrying out the punishment didn’t go easy on her. She saw Su Xin, tied to the pillar, purse her lips.

“You’re the first person I’ve seen come in here for this kind of reason. Taking punishment for a mythical beast? How interesting. Those people outside must have rocks in their heads, sending all sorts of people to the punishment hall. Do they think I have nothing better to do?”

Despite saying that, the person quickly finished administering the thirty lashes.

Su Xin was in pain, but she could endure it. It didn’t damage her tendons or bones, and the force was moderate. After all, she was a delicate and gentle mage. This moderate force was actually quite light for Su Xin. Having fought so many close-combat battles, her body’s pain tolerance had long since improved, and she wasn’t as weak as she appeared.

But she didn’t show that it didn’t hurt much. She kept her head down, neither crying nor shouting, so the person wouldn’t notice.

If they knew she wasn’t in much pain, they would definitely increase the force of the lashes. Su Xin wasn’t eager to be beaten, so she pretended to be in pain but silent.

“You can go now.”

The person hung up the whip and yawned.

Su Xin walked out, not seriously injured but looking miserable on the surface.

As she left, she saw the victim, Yu Man. Yu Man flashed her a smug smile, her face already fully recovered.

Su Xin made a sound, thinking how much she wanted to go over and beat that face until even her mother wouldn’t recognize her.

Su Xin had always been one to seek revenge. She walked over, and Yu Man instinctively flinched, then realizing there was no need to dodge, straightened up and watched Su Xin approach.

“This time your cat is safe, but it’s best not to let it appear on campus again, otherwise… hmph.”

Yu Man let out a cold snort.

“Let’s have a fight,” Su Xin said.

“What? What are you trying to do? Want to get revenge on me?”

“It wasn’t my cat’s doing before. You have something on you that makes mythical beast go berserk. I don’t know if it was intentional, but if it had been another teacher with their precious snake that day, I hope you’d still be as lively and energetic as you are now. To harm my cat, you really went all out.”

Su Xin spoke coldly, her words carrying a tone of judgment.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Yu Man was somewhat irritated. Although the woman before her was covered in wounds, her clothes tattered from the whipping, that calm demeanor hiding killing intent hadn’t diminished at all. Yu Man absolutely refused to admit that she was a bit scared.

“Let’s have a match on the arena.”

“Why should I agree to that?”

Yu Man didn’t know Su Xin’s true capabilities, so she dared not rashly agree. Moreover, Yu Man thought of Yu Si by Su Xin’s side, which made her even more wary.

Yu Si’s terrifying nature was something known to all in the Yu family. She wasn’t just a person, but a monster.

When Yu Si was born, she had silver hair. Such a unique hair color caught the attention of the family members, but they didn’t pay too much heed, thinking it might just be an unusual phenomenon.

But gradually, everyone began to notice something off about Yu Si. As an infant, she rarely cried or fussed, being unnaturally well-behaved. This wasn’t too concerning, but as she grew older, she could go entire days without speaking, sitting in her room like a quiet puppet.

She ignored her peers when they spoke to her, only reading books every day. When teachers taught her, she would listen without speaking, barely interacting with her own parents, earning her the title of eccentric.

After her magical talent was tested, she was crowned with the title of genius.

That year, someone angered her for some reason, and she directly killed them. Her every movement carried a sense of indifference, as if she hadn’t just ended a life, but merely stepped on an ant commonly seen by the roadside, sending chills down people’s spines.

Killing a fellow clan member was a sin. The elders wanted to punish Yu Si, but they always favored her, so she was only confined for a few days before the matter was settled.

This also told everyone in the Yu family that Yu Si was not to be trifled with. Fortunately, Yu Si wasn’t one to cause trouble; she could stay in one place without moving for long periods.

Yu Man had two reasons for not agreeing to the arena fight. One was fear of losing, and the other was fear of antagonizing Su Xin too much, lest Yu Si intervene. After all, Yu Si’s attitude had been clear before – she stood on Su Xin’s side.

“So you admit that you staged it all?”

“What staging? What does this have to do with us fighting in the arena?”

Yu Man was irritated by Su Xin’s words.

“You hate cats, so you went to great lengths to try to get rid of my cat. You deliberately obtained a cat or something else to damage your own face. You were fearless because you could heal it. You also put something on yourself that could make mythical beast go berserk, brought many people to question me and my cat, thereby provoking my cat to go wild on the spot. This way, you could legitimately eliminate my cat or have me punished.”

This sounded plausible, but was actually full of holes. Su Xin knew this wasn’t the truth, but she deliberately said it to see Yu Man’s reaction.

“Are you sick in the head? Yes, I hate cats, and I really want to kill that cat, but why would I need to harm myself after several months? If I wanted to kill your cat, wouldn’t I do something else instead of ruining my face? I’m not immune to pain!”

Yu Man glared at Su Xin with an expression of utter disbelief. Su Xin had been observing her the whole time, and her demeanor didn’t seem to be feigned.

This indeed sounded quite sick.

Yu Man was very angry. She did hate cats, hated them to the point of wanting to skin and dismember every cat she saw. Even when she saw tigers or leopards, she had the urge to kill them.

The reason she hated cats so much was because she had once watched helplessly as cats ate her own flesh.

She didn’t know who she had offended, but she was framed and thrown into a pit, severely injured. She thought the torment would end when she was already at death’s door, but two hungry cats were released into the trap.

She was still breathing but had no strength to move.

She watched helplessly as her flesh was torn apart, the cats’ whiskers, eyes, and claws symbolizing demons to her.

In the end, she didn’t die. Her brother came looking for her and saved her. She fell gravely ill and took a long time to recover.

However, she was left with severe aftereffects. During that period, she would uncontrollably shiver and convulse at the sight of cats, even to the point of fainting.

Later, the aftereffects slowly disappeared, but by then she had developed a thorough hatred for cats. She had lost her composure because of cats more than once, but she was unwilling to tell others about her past, preferring to be seen as a weirdo instead.

It’s true that she hated cats, but not to the extent of ruining her own face to deal with them.

She despised cats, but she feared Yu Si even more.

“Then why were you so insistent that it was my cat?”

“Who else could it be if not your cat? No one else in this school keeps a cat, let alone a fire-attribute one. This happened in my dormitory, and I didn’t go out. Besides, your cat is known for biting people.”

Yu Man felt her analysis was very reasonable, each word spoken through gritted teeth.

“And that thing you mentioned that makes mythical beast go berserk, don’t tell me you made that up yourself? How could I possibly obtain such a thing? Do I think my life is too long?”

“Oh, so it’s quite strange. Anyway, it wasn’t my cat before. You’d better pay attention to your surroundings. So, are we going to fight or not?”

“Huh?”

“The arena.”

Su Xin hadn’t forgotten her initial purpose.

“…You’re injured. I won’t take advantage of someone in a weakened state.”

She still hadn’t forgotten… She didn’t want to fight…

“Coward.”

Su Xin glanced at her. It wasn’t that she wanted to cause trouble; she just couldn’t let it go.

Originally, Little One could have peacefully recovered its memories and turned into a human, but if it weren’t for this mishap, the little one wouldn’t have suffered so much.

There must be someone behind this incident. If Yu Man wasn’t the originator of the evil deed, then someone must be targeting her, or perhaps killing two birds with one stone.

“If it’s just an arena fight, then let’s do it. You’re the one who wants to fight while injured, so don’t blame me for winning unfairly.”

“You’re talking as if you could actually beat me.”

“Don’t make empty boasts.”

“Oh.”

The academy had two types of arenas in total, divided into the big arena and the small arena.

Their meanings were very easy to understand: one was for battles with spectators, and the other was for battles without spectators.

They went to the small arena, with one round to determine the winner.

The method to decide the victor was also very simple: whoever left the arena first would lose.

In terms of advantages, Yu Man should have had the upper hand over Su Xin, after all, her water-based magic was supposed to counter Su Xin’s.

Yu Man was well aware of this point. Not only did she have the advantage, but her opponent was also injured. However, there was a frightening aura about Su Xin. Her carefree and composed appearance, as if victory was certain, made Yu Man both irritated and conflicted.

The result, of course, was Su Xin’s victory. The defeat came so quickly that Yu Man was left somewhat stunned.

She sat at the bottom of the private small arena, her expression still a bit dazed.

In just three moves, she had been kicked off the arena.

This stark difference in skill left Yu Man deeply shocked.

Su Xin’s goal was merely to teach her a lesson. Upon realizing that Yu Man might not be the real culprit behind the incident, she no longer had the desire to torment her.

Little One had already left.

Su Xin rubbed her brow, deciding to first identify the mastermind behind the scenes, then quickly grow stronger, go to the Sky-reaching Tower to meet Little One, and then find her mother to fulfill the original host’s wish.

There was still a very long time left for the mission, over 180 years.

Su Xin returned to the room, only to see the anxious Little One, looking a bit dazed.

“Didn’t you leave? Why are you back again?”

“How did you get hurt? I sensed that you were injured, so I came back.”

Nan Cheng looked at the wounds on her body, wondering how Su Xin ended up like this in such a short time after she left.

At this moment, only the two of them were in the dormitory. Li Xiuxiu had gone out to purchase supplies, stocking up on food for the next few days, and wouldn’t be back for a while.

Yu Si had gone to the Library of Ancient Books, and given her level of obsession, she would probably sleep there for a few days.

“It’s nothing serious, don’t worry. In the future, if you find out I’m not severely injured, you don’t need to rush back to check on me. Take care of your own business first. If you need my help, I’ll do my best. Is the situation on your side dangerous? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Su Xin knew that her current abilities might still be a bit precarious to enter the Sky-reaching Tower. However, since Nan Cheng had been framed and ended up in that state, returning would surely be fraught with danger.

“Don’t worry, I can handle everything on my side. First, let me take a look at your wounds.”

Nan Cheng started to remove Su Xin’s clothes without allowing her to refuse. Su Xin felt somewhat helpless.

“You can’t possibly not know my abilities. I survived when I was half-dead and half-alive back then, so how can these few whip wounds count for anything?”

Su Xin waved her hand dismissively. Back when she had chunks of flesh bitten off, she could continue fighting with a straight face. How could she be dramatically affected by these few whip wounds? She was never a delicate little princess to begin with.

“I know you’re very capable, but seeing you injured makes me very uncomfortable.”

The mythical beast expressed her thoughts straightforwardly. She actually wanted to stay here a little longer, just a bit longer, because she might have to stay with her clan for a very long time, until everything was sorted out, or until she came to see her.

Only, who knows if that span of time would be more than ten years.

“Let me apply medicine for you, okay? After I finish applying the medicine, I’ll leave. I’m at the seventh level of the Sky-reaching Tower.”

For an ordinary magician to enter the seventh level of the Sky-reaching Tower was almost an unbelievable feat. After all, the continent’s exploration of the Sky-reaching Tower had only reached three to four-tenths of its entirety. So, Nan Cheng was truly extraordinary.

“When we meet again, it might take ten years, twenty years, or even longer. Furan, don’t forget me.”

This was the first time Nan Cheng called out Su Xin’s name, and it made her chest feel hot.

Su Xin silently took off her clothes and lay face down on the bed, handing a box of ointment to Nan Cheng behind her.

Nan Cheng opened the medicine box and carefully applied the ointment to Su Xin’s wounds, bit by bit, with utmost caution. Her fingertips glided over the smooth back, bringing a slight shiver.

“How could I possibly forget? Don’t we still have the master-servant magic contract connection between us?”

Su Xin raised her arm, where the white cat mark was conspicuous.

All the wounds had been treated, yet Nan Cheng’s fingers still lingered on the butterfly bones, reluctant to leave.

“Have a smooth journey.

Su Xin sat up and hugged Nan Cheng.

Nan Cheng felt that in this moment, Su Xin was more beautiful than all things in the world.

---

---