"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!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
