Fate Trading System – Chapter 273

Plan A

Furnace 24

[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]

Things went smoothly after that.

Jing Yueru summoned her life-bound artifact, taking her coolness to another level.

Su Xin went with her to the place she used to live. What remained were crumbling walls and ruins; many things had been buried in the annals of time.

During another difficult lightning tribulation, Jing Yueru reached the Nascent Soul Stage.

Her memories had basically finished fusing. From Su Xin’s perspective, it seemed like there was no difference.

The one who knew how to act spoiled was Jing Yueru, and the one who would care for others with a cold face was also Jing Yueru.

Their long time together had dispelled Su Xin’s sense of unfamiliarity, and she gradually became more at ease.

Jing Yueru had no target for revenge. She profoundly realized her own insignificance against the Heavenly Dao.

During that lightning tribulation for the Divine Transformation Stage, she had truly been on the verge of death, almost becoming one of the Destroyed One. It was Su Xin and Xuan Yi who exhausted all their efforts to pull her back.

Cultivation was inherently like this: competing with heaven and earth for spiritual energy, and snatching life and death from ghosts and gods.

Some people could have a smooth journey, while others were not tolerated.

Because some people ascending to the supreme position would bring prosperity, while others would only bring destruction.

Jing Yueru had always believed that the Heavenly Dao was wrong. On what basis did it make such judgments? And then so easily destroy.

But the further she progressed, the clearer Jing Yueru understood.

Only a child’s world has right and wrong; an adult’s world only has pros and cons.

Jing Yueru wasn’t resigning herself to fate; that would be too pessimistic to say.

She intentionally suppressed her cultivation, not letting herself break through so quickly, but that day would inevitably come.

Between Jing Yueru’s ascension from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Divine Transformation Stage, Su Xin had already become a Grand Pill Master.

Everything she crafted was of high quality, and some of her medicinal pills were hard to obtain even for a thousand gold pieces, selling for sky-high prices at trading houses. This allowed Su Xin to experience firsthand the importance of mastering a skill.

Su Xin achieved her influence through unorthodox means; Fourteen said this could be judged a success.

The Wei family wanted Su Xin to return, but Su Xin refused.

“Never forget how you sold me. Now you have the face to hope I’ll go back? Impossible.”

Su Xin wore a scornful expression, not giving Elder Wei any face at all.

What else was there to say between them? Su Xin never had that familial affection to begin with, but she was thoroughly disgusted by their actions and even more speechless that they dared to show up at her door.

Never had she seen such a shameless person. Could their skin be any thicker?

She didn’t know how they had the face to ask her to return. Had they forgotten how they sold their daughter back then?

Su Xin felt that parents should raise the children they give birth to. If they didn’t raise them, that was one thing, but they shouldn’t push them into a fiery pit, and certainly not come knocking afterward to ask for benefits.

Su Xin’s cultivation was more stable than others, but her lightning tribulations for advancing realms were lighter than others’.

Su Xin found it strange but couldn’t figure out why.

Currently, Su Xin and Jing Yueru were living harmoniously. Jing Yueru began to neglect her cultivation. If her power increased, she would definitely try her best to compress it. She really didn’t want to advance her cultivation further, nor did she want to face another tribulation. If she faced another one, perhaps no one could save her.

She was reluctant to leave; she hadn’t seen enough of this world’s beauty, and there was someone by her side she hadn’t spent enough time with.

Moreover, her person—Su Xin—was still in danger.

Shang Huai was always watching from the shadows, waiting for the day Su Xin had enough strength to produce what he wanted. Then, he would appear.

Jing Yueru was very conflicted. She wanted to challenge herself and try to strive harder, but Su Xin stopped her.

“Sit down for me. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Jing Yueru obediently sat on the bed, looking at Su Xin like a good student.

“Are you trying to break through to a new realm again? Have you forgotten how you looked like you were about to die? You clearly don’t have to continue! If you try that again, I won’t save you! I won’t care about you anymore!”

Su Xin’s face was cold. Ha, she really knew how to cause trouble. Last time, she truly was almost beyond saving. What garbage Heavenly Dao, garbage rules.

“I mean what I say. If you continue to cultivate, I’ll leave. Don’t even think about finding me.”

“Don’t… I was just…”

Hearing Su Xin say she would leave, Jing Yueru quickly grabbed her sleeve and shook her head.

“Shang Huai, is it? I can handle him myself. I don’t need you to smooth everything out for me. You’ve done a lot for me, and I thank you, I’m very grateful, and I’ll like you even more for it. But there are many things I have to do myself.”

Su Xin pinched Jing Yueru’s face, kneading that beautiful face until it was distorted.

“Doing this isn’t protecting me, it’s hurting me. If you really like me, then trust me. When I say I can do it, I’m not just being stubborn. Do you think I like seeing you half-dead trying to get stronger for me? If you show up in front of me looking like death again, get lost immediately.”

Su Xin’s face was cold. Cajoling depended on the situation; right now, she was just short of rolling up her sleeves to hit someone. Advise? A direct threat was enough.

“I was wrong. I won’t continue cultivating. But if I can’t protect you, I’ll be very sad.”

Jing Yueru’s restrictions had already been lifted. Her strength was far beyond this. It was also because the restrictions were gone that her cultivation speed was like a rocket, too easy to lose control of.

“So? Then can I also appear half-dead in front of you next time?”

Su Xin gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, looking incredibly fierce.

“Eat this. It should be able to temporarily suppress your cultivation speed.”

“You were in seclusion for so long before, exchanging all those things, just to refine this?”

“If you know, then shut up and eat.”

Jing Yueru rarely saw Su Xin this angry, and she was the one who made Su Xin angry. She tried all sorts of ways to act cute.

In the sunny spring month of March, the little snake became a big snake.

Over the years, Su Xin had fed Xilou countless things. Each time Xilou finished swallowing, she would sleep for a very long time. Her size hadn’t changed year after year, so when it finally did, it was absolutely shocking.

Su Xin stared, somewhat dumbfounded, at the enormous serpent coiling within the entire cave dwelling.

Where was the little cutie coiled around her wrist yesterday?

Today, it had suddenly turned into a super-duper giant, packing the space full and creating a strong visual impact.

“It’s very normal. The Heaven-Swallowing Python’s body is naturally enormous. This should only be about a third of her original form.”

One-third! Holy sh#t! Terrifying!

Ancient books recorded that if a Heaven-Swallowing Python were to crawl from one end to another, its body could cover a hill.

“I still like you when you’re small and cute.”

Su Xin swallowed. A python like this really wasn’t cute at all.

Xilou looked very energetic and wanted to bend down to lick Su Xin with her forked tongue, but Jing Yueru stopped her.

The impact of that bloody, gaping maw—she really didn’t want to be licked by it.

Jing Yueru, on the other hand, was thinking: How could her own wifey be licked by someone else? A small one was fine, but such a big one? Better not.

Xilou lowered her head, aggrieved. She had grown bigger, become very powerful. Why did her master still dislike her?

“She’s almost fully grown. She’ll be able to take human form in her mid-stage.”

Jing Yueru said, piquing Su Xin’s interest.

She can turn into a human? How cute is that?

“Xilou, can you become small again?”

The giant python reverted to a slender little silver snake. Su Xin stroked her head, remembering how her ‘little egg’ had just looked.

Although it was very majestic and cool, it was indeed a bit scary.

“Go ahead and lick.”

Su Xin extended her hand. Xilou happily licked it once, then coiled back around her wrist.

Some years later, Xilou transformed into a human.

She was a young woman of seventeen or eighteen, dressed in silver-white clothes, with eyebrows like distant mountains and an icy temperament.

That kind of deadpan expression was a bit like Jing Yueru’s, but it carried the unique damp coldness of a reptilian creature.

She still habitually coiled around Su Xin, her body soft, always managing to stick to Su Xin’s side in all sorts of strange postures, wishing she could just nestle in her arms forever.

This infuriated Jing Yueru to no end. She would always pick Xilou up and throw her out. Xilou wouldn’t resist, each time being lifted and thrown out with a blank expression, only to pat off the dust and continue sticking to Su Xin next time.

“Don’t you think she’s very cute?”

Su Xin pinched Xilou’s hand. Xilou was very light; she barely added any weight when clinging to her.

“Not at all.”

One could say she was extremely an eyesore.

“She’s very well-behaved, like raising a daughter.”

“Unacceptable.”

It was unacceptable for her daughter to suddenly be seventeen or eighteen years old. Although she was obedient, her constant clinging to her wifey was truly an eyesore.

Although Xilou could turn into a human, she mostly appeared in her snake form. Moreover, she had never spoken a word in her human form, only occasionally uttering monosyllabic interjections.

Until one day, Xilou finally spoke a complete sentence in front of Su Xin.

“Ah Mu, can I bring someone home?”

???

What the heck?

Bring someone home? And “Ah Mu”?

I’m not your old mother, thank you very much.

But Su Xin felt that her current mood was quite similar to that of an old mother.

“She’s about to reach adulthood. She needs to find a partner. When she comes of age, she’ll bring a gift back for you.”

Jing Yueru, as the other “old mother,” was very welcoming of Xilou finding a partner. Just as long as she stopped clinging so stickily to her wifey!

“Then go ahead. Be careful, and remember to bring your partner back for me to see.”

Please don’t let it be some seductive vixen; her ‘little egg’ was so pure, obedient, and awesome.

Right, finding a partner, it should be of the same kind, right?

Would she bring another snake back?

Su Xin felt a slight worry and a little bit of sadness seeing Xilou leave.

“Jingyue, I have this feeling of a grown daughter who can’t be kept at home for long.”

“Is that so?”

She didn’t feel that way.

When Su Xin reached the late stage of the Void Refining Realm, she would be able to refine that medicinal pill.

And at this moment, she was already in the mid-stage of the Void Refining Realm.

Su Xin was already planning how to get rid of Shang Huai, but before she could make a move, Xilou brought her an unexpected surprise.

An unconscious Shang Huai.

“Ah Mu, he’s been poisoned by me. You can dispose of him as you wish.”

Su Xin was very gratified. After raising this “daughter” for so long, her golden finger finally played its part!

And seriously, couldn’t she just call her Master? Why “Ah Mu”!

“Ah Mu, this is my partner.”

Xilou pulled a young woman out from behind her. She was alluring and vibrant, with a snake-like seductive charm.

At this moment, the stunningly beautiful young woman obediently greeted Su Xin, her expression somewhat shy.

“Hello, Ah Mu.”

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