"System, is there any way to resolve the petrification of the Merfolk?"
When in doubt, just ask the system!
"Yes."
The system replied without hesitation. Nowadays, it answered for free, no longer demanding points from Jiang Che—because asking was pointless anyway. That guy would never pay up.
"There are 23 methods to resolve petrification. Which one do you need?"
Jiang Che skimmed through the solutions provided by the system.
"Celestial Spirit Water: Purges all negative effects on oneself, including poisoning, curses, petrification, supernatural afflictions, and misfortune... Price: 1 million points per drop."
"Human Bloodline Replacement: The host can switch to a non-human bloodline, rendering the ancestral curse of the Merfolk null and void."
"Merfolk Bloodline Upgrade: The host can purchase a higher-tier imperial bloodline for the Merfolk, overwriting their original lineage and nullifying the ancestral curse."
Jiang Che flipped through the lengthy list, his lips twitching.
Seriously? It wants me to ditch my human bloodline?
What the hell?
So I’m just supposed to stop being human?
Absolutely not!
Jiang Che kept scrolling, searching for a method that didn’t cost points.
Well, well—look what he found!
His eyes instantly lit up.
"Lover’s Sacrifice: When the Merfolk ancestors cast the curse, they left a loophole. If a human is willing to sacrifice themselves for their beloved, drawing a drop of heart’s blood at midnight and noon each day and applying it to the petrified area, the petrification can be temporarily halted. However, the agony of heart-piercing at these hours is unbearable for ordinary people."
Damn, sis, how romantic is this? "Heart-piercing agony"?
Seems the Merfolk ancestors weren’t completely ruthless—they left a sliver of hope.
For most cultivators, enduring heart-rending pain twice daily would make love seem trivial.
But our Young Master Jiang is different. Heart’s blood?
How about I drain a whole bucket for you right now?
And if I throw in a little melodrama in front of Jia Ling'er, wouldn’t that girl be utterly smitten?
[Ding! Host successfully tricked Jia Ling'er, earning 5 million "Scoundrel Points."]
Screw you! How is this a trick? This is pure love!
You clueless little system!
...
Night deepened, but Jia Ling'er couldn’t sleep.
She could only curl up in Jiang Che’s arms until dawn.
"Jiang... Jiang Che!"
Jia Ling'er had dressed, using her wide sleeves to hide her petrified pinky finger. She didn’t want him to know about her condition—not yet.
"Yaaawn... What’s up, Ling'er? Why so gloomy?"
Jiang Che smirked as he asked.
"Oh... It’s nothing! I’m just a little hungry!" Jia Ling'er’s heart was in turmoil.
Memories of last night flooded her mind—her petrification was accelerating. Could it be... she was subconsciously falling for this guy?
And his sleep-talking... Did he really love her too? Even consider her irreplaceable?
At her age, with her heart just awakening to love, she couldn’t help but overthink. And the result? Her petrification sped up, her entire pinky now nearly stone.
"Alright, sweetheart. Your hubby will cook for you right away. What do you fancy? Some celestial fruits? I’ll pick a few for you!"
Gone was his usual playboy demeanor—now he was the epitome of tenderness.
"I..."
Jia Ling'er lowered her head. "Some congee will do."
"Got it. Today, you’re the princess. Your wish is my command, alright?"
Jiang Che took her hand, kissed it, and bowed slightly like a perfect gentleman.
Everything was going exactly as Young Master Jiang had planned.
Half an hour later...
"Here, try my congee. My cooking skills are god-tier."
Jiang Che brought a steaming bowl to Jia Ling'er.
The warmth made her freeze for a fleeting moment.
[Why? Why are you suddenly so gentle, you bastard? I can’t even bring myself to hate you anymore! I should kill you!]
Jia Ling'er was fuming inside.
Her subconscious had already developed feelings for Jiang Che, but this affection was lethal poison. She had to crush it before it took root!
Last night, she’d replayed all his sins and cruelties in her mind, trying to convince herself not to sink deeper.
But today, he’d transformed into someone entirely different—lavishing her with affection?
Watching Jia Ling'er sip the congee delicately, Jiang Che smirked inwardly.
Got you right where I want you, little miss.
A flirtatious rogue? Easy. A devoted lover? Piece of cake.
"Why... are you suddenly so nice to me?" Jia Ling'er whispered.
Jiang Che rested his chin on his hand, smiling at her.
"I had a dream last night."
"What dream?" Jia Ling'er tensed. Had her mother’s dream magic pulled him in too? That’d be disastrous!
"In the dream, I saw you turn into a stone statue because you fell in love with me. I... crossed mountains and rivers, endured countless hardships. You know what they say—'play with fire, get burned.' By the time you turned to stone, I was powerless to stop it."
"It scared me awake. So, well..."
Jiang Che’s gaze softened. "But I’m probably overthinking it, right? The Jia Lan Clan wouldn’t actually have some petrification curse, would they?"
Jia Ling'er’s heart pounded in terror.
His dream... It had to be influenced by her mother’s dream magic. Otherwise, how could it be so accurate?
"Ling'er? Why so quiet? Don’t tell me it’s true?" Jiang Che teased.
"N-no! Of course not! Our Jia Lan Clan is invincible! How could we turn to stone? I’m the princess of the clan—who could petrify me?"
Jia Ling'er crossed her arms defiantly, but her panic was obvious.
"Good. Otherwise, if you turned to stone... I’d be heartbroken."
Jiang Che pulled her close, his words like needles piercing her heart.
Crack—
In her panic, Jia Ling'er realized with horror—her pinky had turned completely to stone.
"Get lost! I’ll never turn to stone! Don’t you dare jinx me! I... I’m already unlucky enough to be stuck with you! Just wait till my mother descends—she’ll beat you senseless!"
"Ha! Jiang Che fears nothing. I answer for my actions—but first, get past the Jiang Family!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
