Fate Trading System – Chapter 263

Plan A

Furnace 14

[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]

Su Mini Super-Cute Xin was hugging her arms, sulking.

She usually seemed like such a nice person, so why was she being so sneakily mean right now?

Su Xin bit down on Jing Yueru’s finger, but Jing Yueru clearly didn’t feel any pain. She even cheerfully poked her finger further into Su Xin’s mouth. Su Xin spat it out in disgust.

“If you mess with me again, I’ll get angry.”

Su Xin mentally noted this down in her little book of grudges. I’ll let you be smug for now, but you’ll pay for this later!

Jing Yueru also knew the principle of stopping before going too far. She gave Su Xin one more pat before reluctantly letting go.

“I’ll make you a little bed.”

Jing Yueru normally didn’t need to sleep and would just meditate, but the thought of Su Xin lying obediently on the bed, so tiny, made her thoughts race.

“Oh.”

Su Xin replied very coldly and lay down on her egg.

The egg was a little bigger than her. She lay on it, feeling its coolness.

After lying there for a while, it got a bit cold, so Su Xin prepared to stand up.

Just then, the little bed Jing Yueru was making for her was ready. It was very intricate, woven from bamboo leaves, showing she was quite skilled with her hands.

“Here, lie down in it.”

Jing Yueru had also cut a piece of silk to put inside the bamboo leaves as a mattress, and another piece as a blanket.

Jing Yueru carefully picked Su Xin up and placed her inside.

“How about I make you some clothes too?”

Otherwise, going around naked, what would that look like? Jing Yueru thought to herself, though she also found it rather cute. Like this, Su Xin resembled an exquisite little pastry, just waiting to be eaten in one bite.

“Whatever you want.”

Jing Yueru used her fingers to estimate Su Xin’s current height, then took a piece of fabric from her own new clothes and started making clothes for Su Xin.

The clever and skillful Miss Jing quickly finished the little clothes, and they fit Su Xin perfectly when she put them on.

This wife material, not bad, so virtuous!

“Hurry up and go cultivate. Don’t worry about me. Go back and meditate.”

Jing Yueru’s cave residence had a Spirit Gathering Array¹ set up, which could promote her cultivation speed better and faster than meditating here, allowing her to enter a trance² more quickly.

“I’ll just stay here with you.”

“There are no bad guys here, you don’t need to stay with me. Hurry back and cultivate. If you want to protect me, you should cultivate even more.”

Su Xin knew exactly what Jing Yueru was thinking. She didn’t know what difficulties she herself would face in the future, and having a powerful helper by her side would surely allow her to achieve twice the result with half the effort. She had to make her lover stronger.

Lover… Thinking this, Su Xin suddenly hesitated.

She was now quite certain that the current Jing Yueru had fallen for her. But the current Jing Yueru wasn’t her complete self. Jing Yueru had sealed away all her memories. Having forgotten the past, her present self and her past self could almost be described as two different personalities. Once whatever was sealed within her body was released and her memories restored, would things between them still be like this?

Su Xin didn’t dare to make any assumptions. So, even though she now understood Jing Yueru’s feelings, she wouldn’t confess anything to Jing Yueru.

“But I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

Of course, Jing Yueru understood Su Xin’s reasoning, but she was just a little reluctant. She wanted to keep Su Xin where she could see her, where she could see her just by opening her eyes and touch her just by reaching out her hand.

“Then why don’t you just take me with you? You can meditate and enter your trance there, and I can sleep nearby,” Su Xin said.

“Okay.”

“Put the egg away.”

“Okay.”

This was the first time Su Xin had seen Jing Yueru’s cave residence. It was very clean, without any superfluous items, only a meditation cushion placed there.

Jing Yueru placed Su Xin on a stone table and then sat on the meditation cushion to meditate and enter her trance.

When cultivating, one must have a clear mind, be free of external distractions, and have a relaxed mood. Jing Yueru was in a very good mood, and her cultivation speed increased even more.

Once Jing Yueru entered her trance, she remained in it for two days.

Su Xin didn’t feel bored lying on the bed by herself. She spent two days watching TV dramas with Fourteen, eagerly trying to figure out who the murderer was.

Su Xin felt that those high-IQ criminal murderers were much more complex than them, but also much more interesting.

But watching was just watching; Su Xin had no intention of learning from it. If something could be solved with one shot or one stab, why bother with so many complicated things?

The advantage of being a professional assassin was not having to worry about being found out, because the police would only start eliminating suspects based on social connections, which didn’t concern them.

Jing Yueru finally woke up from her state because of a voice transmission from Xuan Yi: the secret realm was about to open.

After opening her eyes, she hurriedly looked for Su Xin. Seeing the little pink bundle still lying on the small bed she had made, she felt relieved.

Thinking about how she had neglected Su Xin for two days, Jing Yueru felt a little guilty.

“How was it? Were you bored?”

There were no books to read these past two days, and due to her physical condition, she couldn’t just run around. It must have been very boring.

“No.”

Su Xin shook her head. She was doing great.

“Master informed me it’s time to set off. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Su Xin climbed onto Jing Yueru’s hand and was placed inside her lapel.

Su Xin lay at the edge of the clothing, looking out at the world.

“What’s that you have on you?”

Xuan Yi asked curiously when he saw Jing Yueru, as he sensed another person’s presence.

“A little spirit beast I’m raising. Master, I’m off now.”

Jing Yueru didn’t want Xuan Yi to find out she was taking Su Xin in, to avoid a lecture, so she quickly mounted her sword and hurried away.

“Getting up to some mischief?”

Xuan Yi muttered, shook his head, and didn’t bother with it anymore.

“Snuggle in. The wind might be a bit strong later, don’t catch a chill.”

“Okay.”

Su Xin obediently stayed inside Jing Yueru’s clothes, filled with anticipation for what was to come.

The secret realm opened at a specific location and time, but entry wasn’t simultaneous for everyone.

Before arriving, Jing Yueru put Su Xin into a spirit beast bag to avoid arousing suspicion.

At the entrance, Jing Yueru happened to bump into Xiu Yan and Zhuo Nan.

“Where’s Wei Shuangling? Why didn’t she come with you?”

Zhuo Nan looked around curiously a few times, grinning inwardly. There’s definitely a good show to watch! Seeing Xiu Yan’s eager look, he must still have ideas about her. I can’t wait to see what happens when he finds out the truth. Zhuo Nan decided that for this reason alone, he would stick firmly by Xiu Yan’s side to watch the drama unfold.

“She’s waiting for me inside. I’m going in first.”

Jing Yueru had no intention of delaying, so after a quick greeting to the two, she entered the secret realm.

Xiu Yan had to swallow the words he was about to say. He quickly followed Jing Yueru, and Zhuo Nan also slipped in, following Xiu Yan.

Jing Yueru only wanted some private time with Su Xin; how could she let others follow? In just a few moves, she shook off the “tails” behind her.

“How did she improve so quickly?”

Xiu Yan mused thoughtfully. He had reached Foundation Establishment earlier than Jing Yueru, so his cultivation level was also a bit higher. But he hadn’t expected Jing Yueru’s cultivation to advance so rapidly, already matching his and perhaps even surpassing it.

“Who knows?”

Zhuo Nan chimed in from the side. Anyway, he didn’t know how Jing Yueru’s cultivation was, and it had nothing to do with him.

“Looks like I can’t catch up. Forget it, we’ll meet eventually.”

Xiu Yan sighed, planning to search for his own opportunities.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Zhuo Nan continued to chime in, beaming.

Xiu Yan gave Zhuo Nan a puzzled look, wondering what was wrong with him. Hadn’t Zhuo Nan always disliked him? There was no friendship between them.

Xiu Yan took two steps eastward and found that Zhuo Nan had also taken two steps, following him.

“Why are you following me?”

Xiu Yan eyed Zhuo Nan. Has this guy lost his mind?

“Not at all, just heading the same way. Otherwise, let’s go together, how about it? Share any good stuff we find, okay?”

Zhuo Nan was really dying to watch the show. To achieve this goal, he could be incredibly persistent.

“I’m not willing.”

Xiu Yan looked indifferent. So annoying. I couldn’t catch up to Jing Yueru, and now this guy is here bothering me.

Zhuo Nan didn’t care about Xiu Yan’s opinion; it wasn’t important.

Jing Yueru didn’t know what was happening behind her. She didn’t go looking for opportunities or any heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Instead, she first found a safe place to rest and recuperate. All activities would wait until Su Xin grew bigger.

“Where is that place?”

“In the deep zone.”

This secret realm was divided into a deep zone and a shallow zone. The good stuff was all in the deep zone. The shallow zone also had some, but it wasn’t worth mentioning compared to the deep zone. However, the danger level in the deep zone was extremely high, far beyond what the shallow zone could compare to.

With Jing Yueru’s current strength, entering the deep zone was no different from seeking death.

But Jing Yueru didn’t seem afraid, just nodded calmly.

“You don’t need to wait for me to get bigger. I might be a burden then. It’s better to take me in this form; it might save some trouble.”

“Okay.”

Jing Yueru nodded, having no objections.

“I’ll tell you how to go. Be careful.”

“Okay.”

Su Xin knew Jing Yueru wouldn’t get into trouble.

Jing Yueru also knew she wouldn’t get into trouble.

It was a deep-seated confidence. Jing Yueru knew her strength was far greater than this; her true power was still dormant.

The path Su Xin indicated was very safe and remote. They avoided various formations and demonic beasts along the way, reaching the intersection of the shallow and deep zones.

Stepping inside here was like entering another world.

Without the slightest fear, Jing Yueru stepped in with Su Xin.

It wasn’t convenient to travel by sword-riding within the secret realm. Not impossible, just inconvenient.

Because there were no open spaces here, only tall, dense forests, and some areas had strange miasma. No one could directly ride their sword out; they would be struck down by a barrier.

It was deathly quiet all around, with no sound of movement, but in reality, dangers lurked everywhere.

On the map in Su Xin’s mind, there were sparse red dots. Although they seemed fewer in number compared to the shallow zone, they were actually much more dangerous.

The deep zone was populated by high-level demonic beasts, far more formidable than those in the shallow zone.

Su Xin continued to guide the way, and Jing Yueru’s figure drifted through these places like a phantom, without alerting any demonic beasts.

They reached their destination from the entrance unimpeded. It was a pool of black spring water, yet it emitted a pleasant fragrance.

“This is the place.”

Su Xin spoke from inside Jing Yueru’s clothes. Jing Yueru nodded, indicating she understood.

The two of them camped here, waiting for the effects of the medicinal herb on Su Xin to wear off.

【Host, there’s a guardian demonic beast in this spring, a seventh-level snake. It’s the most powerful demonic beast here.】

The most powerful things, of course, must be guarded by the strongest demonic beasts.

“There’s a seventh-level snake in there. Can you handle it?”

Su Xin now felt unsure. A seventh-level beast would require at least a mid to late Golden Core stage cultivator to contend with.

“I don’t know.”

Jing Yueru said very honestly. She also didn’t know if she could handle it. They’d see when the time came.

Anyway, no matter what, she had to obtain this thing. This should be their only hope at present. If she missed this chance… Jing Yueru thought of that man, and her eyes darkened.

The feeling of being controlled by others was truly awful.

Jing Yueru sat cross-legged on the ground, holding Su Xin tenderly in her palm.

She didn’t know what had happened to the snake; perhaps it had fallen into hibernation. Otherwise, why would it show no movement with two living people sitting right here?

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

Jing Yueru placed Su Xin in her lapel, grabbed her sword, and stood up.

The spring water stirred.

The pool of black water began to bubble, as if it were boiling.

A streak of black light lunged at Jing Yueru. Jing Yueru used a movement technique³, causing it to hit nothing.

It was a black snake, more slender than an ordinary snake. Coiled on the ground, it didn’t look very threatening.

It was entirely jet-black, its snake pupils an eerie red. Flicking its forked tongue, it stared intently at the intruder, releasing the imposing aura of a high-level demonic beast.

Jing Yueru felt no discomfort and calmly met the snake’s gaze.

Su Xin had expected some kind of giant python, but she hadn’t thought a seventh-level demonic beast would be such a small snake. However, Su Xin didn’t lower her guard; in fact, she felt it was even more troublesome.

This snake looked highly venomous. If bitten, she’d probably be done for immediately.

Moreover, its small size allowed for more agile movement and made it harder to hit. The speed at which it had just lunged out was terrifying.

Jing Yueru had a strange feeling, as if she had been here before and had fought this demonic beast. But back then, the beast clearly hadn’t looked like this.

Jing Yueru dismissed the thoughts from her mind. The sword in her hand danced, creating a spiritual glow, and a dense net of sword light shot towards the snake.

The snake moved quickly, vanishing from its spot in an instant, trying to coil around Jing Yueru’s calf. How could Jing Yueru let it succeed? She used her movement technique again to evade.

If anyone else had been present, they would have been extremely surprised, because this was simply not the speed a Foundation Establishment cultivator could achieve.

The snake was very surprised, seemingly wondering why Jing Yueru could dodge its attacks twice.

After all this time, still no improvement at all.

Jing Yueru heard the voice in her heart and narrowed her eyes. She had indeed been here before. That voice was like a subconscious lament, fleeting and gone in an instant.

Su Xin sized up this snake they were facing. She (Jing Yueru) probably can’t beat it. Constantly dodging isn’t a solution, but the snake is too fast, and she (Jing Yueru) has no way to harm it in the slightest. Plus, she (Jing Yueru) has to protect her whole body and not give this snake any openings.

The demonic beast wanted a quick battle. Its body, like a streak of black light, lunged at Jing Yueru.

Jing Yueru dodged back and forth, pondering a way to deal with the snake.

Just then, Su Xin thought, Oh no! F#ck, I’m about to transform!

“Jing Yueru, throw me out!”

Jing Yueru heard her and subconsciously placed Su Xin on the ground, while her other hand used the sword to block the snake’s attack.

Su Xin transformed, but at this very moment, she didn’t want to.

Her original clothes turned into tiny fragments. Jing Yueru quickly pulled out an outer robe and covered Su Xin with it. By this time, the black snake had already coiled around her sword.

The black snake was wrapped around the silver-white sword, baring its venomous fangs.

It moved extremely fast, striking towards Jing Yueru’s hand. Jing Yueru immediately abandoned her sword and pulled her hand back.

Su Xin hastily draped the outer robe over herself, not bothering to tie it.

Troublesome. She really didn’t want to be a burden.

But she couldn’t just rush into the spring either; who knew what might happen?

At this moment, the black snake darted over.

Su Xin only saw a blur. Subconsciously, she took off the loosely worn robe, turned sideways, and swept it forward, then fiercely threw the robe in her hand onto a nearby tree.

All of this was just a subconscious, instinctive bodily reaction, the quickest emergency measure she could take. Su Xin acted without even having time to think.

Su Xin was once again in a state of wearing not a single thread. She herself didn’t care, but Jing Yueru wouldn’t allow it.

But time was too pressing; there was simply no time.

The black snake seemed enraged. It slithered out from the clothes, only to be precisely pinned to the ground by Jing Yueru.

To hit a snake, strike its seven-inch point⁴. For Jing Yueru to pin the black snake, which moved so quickly, was quite remarkable.

But how could a seventh-level demonic beast be subdued so easily? Jing Yueru’s sword wasn’t some divine weapon⁵; it was just an ordinary mid-to-high grade spirit sword.

Su Xin watched helplessly as the sword was flung away and fell to the ground. The black snake, dripping blood, entered a berserk state.

One with cultivation and one without, who was also unclothed—even a beast would know which to choose.

Su Xin cursed her untimely transformation inwardly. She quickly grabbed Jing Yueru’s hand. Jing Yueru moved onto a tree branch, placed Su Xin there, stuffed a protective magical artifact into Su Xin’s hands, and immediately went back to retrieve her sword.

The black snake darted up the tree, but Jing Yueru used an ice-sealing technique on it, hindering its movements.

The black snake recoiled in displeasure, but this time it didn’t spring towards Jing Yueru; instead, it returned to the black spring water.

Su Xin and Jing Yueru exchanged a glance, not knowing what it intended to do.

The hissing sounds were particularly chilling in the dark night. Su Xin had a bad feeling. She looked at the map in her mind and saw that their surroundings were now densely covered with red dots.

Snakes, so many snakes.

They crawled out from who knows where, quickly crowding together.

Su Xin glanced at the tree next to her; it was entirely covered with coiled snakes.

Jing Yueru had frozen this tree, so those snakes couldn’t climb up the trunk to reach Su Xin. But Su Xin didn’t overlook the fact that these large trees grew very lushly, their branches intermingling. The snakes could reach her through these connected branches!

Even though they were all low-level demonic beast snakes, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

Some of them looked highly venomous. Su Xin could fully imagine the burning pain of being bitten by them.

More importantly, Su Xin had nothing for protection.

Just thinking about this scene was “touching.” Hiss…

Jing Yueru also noticed the surrounding swarm of snakes. She returned to Su Xin’s side. With a raise of her hand, she sliced through a large patch of writhing snakes; an ice blade shot out, and another patch fell.

But their numbers were simply too great. The ground was completely obscured by the squirming mass of snakes; it was utterly disgusting.

Su Xin realized they couldn’t find the black snake anymore.

She didn’t know if that snake had come out of the spring, or if it was mixed in with these.

Although the snake swarm was multicolored, there were also many black ones. Moreover, with a group of snakes squeezed together, it was impossible to distinguish them.

Jing Yueru hovered in mid-air on her sword, one arm around Su Xin to prevent her from falling. Falling from here was no joke; Su Xin could say goodbye to this world directly.

Jing Yueru continued to use her ice-based spells, freezing large swathes and slicing through others.

“Jingyue, stop for a moment! Have you noticed that not only are these snakes not decreasing, but they’re actually increasing in number?”

What the f#ck, this is such a trap! Are these actually earthworms and not snakes? What the hell is this!

Those snakes whose bodies were slashed by Jing Yueru actually split into two halves and continued to writhe in the swarm, hissing. They had blocked all escape routes. Su Xin and Jing Yueru couldn’t fly up, nor could they charge out.

No wonder this snake was the boss here. What kind of subordinates were these? One could be entangled to death by them.

Jing Yueru noticed and stopped her attacks. The situation reached a stalemate.

Those snakes couldn’t fly, so they couldn’t bite them. But they were entrenched on the ground and in the trees, and they could regenerate. Su Xin and Jing Yueru had no way to deal with this.

Unless Jing Yueru’s cultivation reached the late Golden Core stage or the Nascent Soul stage, allowing her to use a powerful ice-sealing technique to freeze everything here.

But improving one’s cultivation was hardly an easy matter. If it were that easy to cultivate well, who knows how many people on the continent would have ascended. However, records showed that those who could ascend were very few, because the lightning tribulations were incredibly difficult to overcome.

But life is never just bad; it only gets worse.

The spring water boiled even more violently. An enormous snake head emerged from it, striking directly at Jing Yueru and Su Xin’s position.

This snake was too large, making the space feel cramped.

Su Xin looked on, stunned. She was afraid she was going to meet her end here today. But Jing Yueru probably wouldn’t, right? After all, she held the protagonist’s script.

Sis, are you really not considering breaking the seal inside your body? If this goes on, we’re both going to die here!

Su Xin looked conflicted. The situation was too critical for her to even turn back and see Jing Yueru’s expression.

I have to think of a way, Su Xin clenched her teeth. Time to risk it all. This will test just how much Jing Yueru cares about me.

Su Xin hadn’t wanted to use Jing Yueru, but at this moment, she had no choice.

Jing Yueru still had stamina, but her spiritual energy was gradually being depleted. She could only use freezing methods to restrict the snakes’ movements, but the ice would melt away after a short while, which was very strange.

The sword Jing Yueru was riding tilted precariously. Su Xin knew the time had come. She forcefully pried open Jing Yueru’s hand that was around her waist and jumped towards the bubbling spring.

“Jing Yueru, go quickly!”

Jing Yueru was horrified. Heedless of the fact she was still on her sword, she plunged downwards, trying to grab Su Xin, but was knocked aside by the giant snake head and slammed against a tree.

The tree was covered in densely packed snakes. Seeing their chance, they immediately swarmed towards her. The protective magical artifact on Jing Yueru activated, preventing her from being gnawed.

The black snake sensed something fall into its spring but paid it no mind—just a weak human with no power at all, nothing to fear. Falling in meant death; there was no other way.

Su Xin knew this spring must be very deep; otherwise, how could it accommodate the black snake’s enlarged body? She held her breath tightly and tried her best to sink.

The spring water was entirely black; she couldn’t see anything.

Whether she would die or not now depended on Jing Yueru.

If Jing Yueru didn’t come to save her, she wouldn’t let her off even as a ghost! Aaaaaah!

The time to test their tacit understanding had arrived. Please, whatever you do, don’t let my expectations be shattered—save me first!

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