Chapter 175 – Protagonist (13)

Over the past two years, Xiao Shou had dreamed countless times of Gongxi Yue’s face.

Cold and indifferent, cruel and heartless.

The scar that would never fade from his face, the voice that would never recover, the pain etched into every inch of his body—all of it was inseparable from that beautiful face.

Yet no matter how furious or unwilling he felt, he couldn’t vent the slightest bit of it on that lofty, untouchable Gongxi Yue. Worse still, he had to live like a rat in the shadows, dodging Gongxi Yue’s gaze just to scrape by.

It wasn’t until he realized he was being watched that Xiao Shou finally figured out why Gongxi Yue had targeted him from the very beginning. It had to be the influence of another System Host, stealing the “female lead” who was supposed to belong to him!

And now that damned rival stood right before his eyes—bearing a face uncannily similar to Gongxi Yue’s, the face that had haunted his nightmares time and again.

Xiao Shou instinctively scanned the surroundings for any sign of Gongxi Yue. Only when he was sure Gongxi Yue wasn’t there did he breathe a little easier. Even so, under Gongxi Jianchen’s gaze, he quickly lowered his head, concealing the malice in his eyes, lest it be noticed.

“You trying to snatch the lantern from me?” Gongxi Jianchen raised a brow and asked with open hostility.

As a notorious young master, Gongxi Jianchen was used to getting his way in Gongxi City. Whatever he wanted, no one dared contest him.

Moreover, the shifty, sneaky man in front of him stirred a nameless dislike in his heart. Gongxi Jianchen had no intention of giving way, so he wore a look of disdain and dominance without hesitation.

Xiao Shou, already worried that Gongxi Yue might be nearby, was about to back off. But glancing at the woman beside him, he did a quick calculation in his mind and opened his mouth to say, “Just now, I promised to give this young lady a lantern. I was in the middle of choosing one.”

Gongxi Jianchen snorted. “Since you haven’t paid yet, I’ll take it. It’s mine now.”

With one arm holding his niece and the other flicking his folding fan toward a nearby stand, he said, “There are plenty of other lanterns over there. Go pick one of those.”

The veiled woman at Xiao Shou’s side frowned, her gaze falling on Gongxi Jianchen and the child in his arms with undisguised displeasure.

Xiao Shou put on a look of suffering and endurance. “There’s a principle of first come, first served. Seeing as Young Master comes from a distinguished family, why make things difficult for a lowly Rogue Cultivator like me?”

The way he said it made Gongxi Jianchen’s side look even more like the villain.

And Gongxi Jianchen fully embraced that villain role without a shred of guilt. “Your voice is grating enough to ruin the mood. Shut up and get lost, or I’ll make sure you can’t stay in Gongxi City another day.”

The veiled woman’s dislike and aversion to Gongxi Jianchen all but overflowed from her eyes. She tugged lightly at Xiao Shou’s sleeve, as though soothing his anger.

“A-Shou, let’s go. Forget the lantern.”

She didn’t want Xiao Shou getting into an argument on her behalf. More importantly, she’d recognized the jade pendant on Gongxi Jianchen, symbol of the Gongxi Family. If things escalated here, her identity risked exposure. Should that happen, pursuers would come, and both she and A-Shou would be in danger.

Seeing Xiao Shou back down and lead the veiled woman into the dark, Gongxi Jianchen gave a cold laugh and waved his fan. “These, and those, all the lanterns on this street—take them all down for me.”

Qian blinked her eyes, watching her little uncle’s string of tyrannical behavior. She leaned close to his ear and asked, “Uncle, were you fighting with that man?”

Gongxi Jianchen’s expression immediately softened. Smiling, he pinched her cheek. “That sneaky rat of a man? Just looking at him makes me sick. He’s not even worthy of arguing with me.”

Then, with a sudden change of tone, he warned, “Qian, when you grow up, you’d better keep your eyes sharp. Never, ever fall for that kind of man.”

Qian bumped her head gently against her uncle’s shoulder, lowering her voice to whisper, “That man had a red ball floating over his head just now. It could fly and talk.”

Gongxi Jianchen blinked. “What ball? How come I didn’t see it?”

Qian giggled. “Only I could see it! You all couldn’t. I also have a blue ball like that—it’s with Mother.”

Gongxi Jianchen had originally planned to leave it at that and let the man go. But hearing this, curiosity got the better of him, and he started following in the direction where Xiao Shou and the woman had disappeared.

He had to see for himself what kind of flying red ball this was.

Xiao Shou and the veiled woman had stopped in a deserted alleyway. Xiao Shou looked at her apologetically. “Xun Zhen, I failed to get the Glazed Orchid for you. This is my fault.”

Wen Xunzhen immediately grabbed his hand anxiously to comfort him. “It’s not your fault. It’s that unreasonable man from earlier.”

The moment she touched him, Xiao Shou’s hand twitched ever so slightly, suppressing the instinctive disgust that made him want to pull away. His eyes were filled only with sorrow and guilt, looking heartbreakingly tender.

“Xun Zhen, don’t worry. Even if we missed this Glazed Orchid, I’ll find another for you. I’ll make sure to help you fulfill your wish.”

Wen Xunzhen’s cheeks flushed faintly, her peach blossom eyes shimmering like waves. Tall and slender, she leaned gently toward Xiao Shou.

“I believe you. Thank you, A-Shou.”

Breathing in the faint fragrance from the woman before him, Xiao Shou’s emotions grew complicated. Though a small, selfish satisfaction stirred inside him, recalling Wen Xunzhen’s physical condition left him uncomfortable with being too close to her.

Wen Xunzhen was a healer from Medicine Valley, with a complicated background and extraordinary medical skill. Even in terms of beauty, she could hold her own against Gongxi Yue. She was a rare four-star capture target, and he’d spent no small effort to win her heart and coax her out of Medicine Valley.

Ever since gaining Wen Xunzhen’s love and help, Xiao Shou’s cultivation had soared, already breaking through to Golden Core. Even his voice—ruined by Gongxi Yue—had regained the ability to speak.

If he could fully capture her heart, his appearance could recover too, and his cultivation would rise even further. More than anything, he coveted Wen Xunzhen’s body—flesh and blood as nourishing as a spiritual elixir.

At the thought, Xiao Shou’s gaze toward Wen Xunzhen grew even more tender. He rested one hand on her shoulder, drawing her into his embrace.

“Xun Zhen, I heard there’s an auction tonight with Silver Frost Fruit up for bidding. Let’s go. This time, I’ll make sure you get it.”

Wen Xunzhen nodded meekly, tilting her head up to him with a trusting, bashful smile.

As Xiao Shou led her away, he let out a seemingly casual sigh. “If not for that man just now, we would’ve had the Glazed Orchid by now.”

At the mention, Wen Xunzhen frowned. “He’s likely a scion of the Gongxi Family. I heard the Gongxi Family has protected this region for a thousand years, praised far and wide for their upright and generous character. But seeing him today… just more empty rumors. They’re rotten at the core.”

Xiao Shou put on a worried face. “To offend such a young master… I wonder if he’ll target us again.”

Wen Xunzhen said softly, “Don’t worry, A-Shou. If he really dares lay a hand on us, I’ll make him see the methods of Medicine Valley firsthand.”

Satisfaction flickered in Xiao Shou’s eyes, but it wasn’t without a trace of discontent.

Gongxi Jianchen wasn’t the one he wanted to deal with. His true target was that child—the one whose face was a mirror image of Gongxi Yue’s.

If he could kill that brat with the System, sever her influence, perhaps, just perhaps, he might still stand a chance with Gongxi Yue in the future.

And if he could devour her System… his own System might even level up.

As things stood, without being able to conquer any target characters, the System was growing more and more useless to him.

Gongxi Jianchen, with Qian in his arms, caught up just in time to see Xiao Shou and Wen Xunzhen entering the Golden Splendor Tower.

Gongxi Jianchen had heard of this auction house before but had never bothered to visit. The scale was too small, the goods too unremarkable, and a by-the-book auction lacked any real entertainment value.

Still cradling Qian, he swaggered inside.

Who in the city didn’t recognize the most generous young master of the Gongxi Family? The steward of the tower came rushing over at once, personally arranging the finest private box on the upper floor.

Qian wriggled out of her uncle’s arms and climbed the stairs on her own. The staircase here was unique, built from Raindrop Stone that let out soft pattering sounds with each step, like falling rain.

Qian hopped and skipped up the steps, and Gongxi Jianchen strolled leisurely alongside, indulging her play.

“Do you like these stairs, Qian? When we get home, Uncle will pave your whole courtyard with Raindrop Stone.”

Once upstairs, Qian ran over to the balcony, stepping onto a cushion so she could peer down over the railing.

Below, the hall was already crowded. Xiao Shou and Wen Xunzhen had chosen an inconspicuous corner in the crowd, trying to avoid attention.

Gongxi Jianchen lounged by the railing, lazily fanning himself.

The auction began. On stage, a jade box was brought out containing a damaged jade slip—a fragment of an unknown Sword Manual.

Gongxi Jianchen idly tapped the little bell at his side with his fan to place a bid.

His eldest sister back home was a Sword Cultivator. Whenever he came across a Sword Manual, no matter how good or bad, he’d buy it and send it to her.

Not here for serious bidding anyway, Gongxi Jianchen amused himself, casually ringing the bell and picking up a few random lots.

Qian noticed and came running over, grabbing the bell and giving it an enthusiastic shake.

Each ring meant an extra hundred spirit stones. Gongxi Jianchen didn’t stop her—he just laughed and watched his niece play.

Then came the next lot.

“The next item up for bid—Silver Frost Fruit!”

A rare spiritual fruit, highly prized but with limited uses. Most people couldn’t make practical use of it and only bought it for the novelty.

Xiao Shou had been certain he’d win this one. But to his shock, from an upstairs box, the bell rang again and again, driving the price higher and higher until it reached a figure far beyond what he could afford.

Beaming, the steward personally delivered the winning items to the box. Gongxi Jianchen placed the Silver Frost Fruit right in front of Qian, letting her play with it as she pleased.

Qian caught a whiff of its sweet fragrance. She opened the jade box, revealing a single fruit, its skin dusted with a delicate frost-like layer.

“Where are those two sitting? I don’t see them. Could it be they ran off the moment they saw me?” Gongxi Jianchen parted the curtain and glanced over the hall below.

Just then, he heard a couple of sharp, spluttering noises behind him. Turning around, he found Qian with a scrunched-up face, having taken a big bite out of the Silver Frost Fruit, exposing its snow-white, juicy flesh.

“Hahaha! That’s awful, isn’t it? Sour enough to rot your teeth!” Gongxi Jianchen burst into laughter, slouching against the railing.

Qian clutched the fruit, her mouth twisted in bitter agony. Watching her uncle laugh till he nearly doubled over, she shoved the remaining fruit straight into his mouth.

“Mmph! Cough cough!” Gongxi Jianchen choked.

“Qian, Uncle spoils you so much, and you dare ambush me like this!” He wiped his mouth, but no matter what he did, the sour taste lingered stubbornly.

Down below, in the corner of the hall, Xiao Shou had seen the curtain fall and caught a glimpse of Gongxi Jianchen’s fleeting face. His expression darkened.

“It’s that Gongxi Family young master from earlier… Could it be that the Silver Frost Fruit was bought just to spite us?” Xiao Shou muttered to Wen Xunzhen.

“This is too much… absolutely intolerable!”

Wen Xunzhen was known for her gentle temperament, but after being provoked again and again, seeing her beloved so angry, she too began to seethe.

Xiao Shou seized the moment to suggest, “I don’t see any guards with him. Why don’t we find a way to take the Silver Frost Fruit from him?”

Wen Xunzhen hesitated, but Xiao Shou pressed on, “Don’t worry, we’ll just teach him a small lesson. No one will get seriously hurt. Once we get the item, we’ll leave immediately.”

Her heart softened—after all, it was for her sake. Under Xiao Shou’s steady gaze, Wen Xunzhen, slightly dazed, agreed, “…Alright, I’ll use a Medicine Worm to knock him out.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Xiao Shou’s lips.

As Qian drew closer to Xiao Shou, far away in her secluded chamber, Gongxi Yue sat deep in Closed-door Cultivation when System alerts began to sound in her mind, choppy and relentless.

[Conquest System detected… competing… target…]

[Conquerable target: “Wen Xunzhen”…]

On and on it chimed.

Gongxi Yue opened her eyes, pressing her fingers to her temples in irritation.

Too noisy.

Qian had run into Xiao Shou.

There was no way Xiao Shou would dare make trouble inside Gongxi Family grounds. He must have crossed paths with her outside. Gongxi Yue didn’t need to guess—she knew at once that her pair of disobedient younger siblings had taken Qian out to play, ignoring her warnings.

No way she could continue her Closed-door Cultivation now.

Fortunately, she’d just succeeded in advancing her realm. Ending her cultivation session early, Gongxi Yue rose from her meditation, stepped out of the cave, and soared on her sword straight toward Xiling and the Gongxi Family estate.