Crazy-Gossiping-c1

Chapter 1

Before dawn, Ning Xu was enthusiastically dragged out of bed by her senior sister.

“Junior Ning, it’s time for the early class at the end of the Yin hour today. The Sect Leader will be giving the lecture, and he’s extremely strict. Since it’s your first early class, make sure you don’t be late.”

Just a moment ago, Ning Xu had been staying up late to finish her paper, and now… was this… a transmigration?

Without giving her time to think, before she could even process what was happening, her senior sister had already pulled her out the door. Fortunately, cultivators usually sleep fully dressed, so she didn’t need to change. Stepping outside, Ning Xu realized that the stars were still scattered across the sky, and the moon hung high, its faint light casting a shadow on her as it illuminated her body.

Based on her experience with staying up late, it was probably only around three or four in the morning. So, had she transmigrated into the cultivation world in the middle of the night? Honestly, the world of cultivation at this hour was as quiet as her old world. There were no sounds of insects or animals—so quiet it was almost eerie.

Walking along a dark mountain path, Ning Xu rubbed her arms and carefully asked, “Senior sister, how do we get there?”

Her senior sister explained, “There’s a teleportation array. It’s free of charge. I’ll show you the way today, but from tomorrow onward, you’ll have to go on your own.”

When Ning Xu followed her senior sister to the teleportation array, a few cultivators had already gathered. Upon arriving at the place for the early class, Ning Xu realized that she was not early at all—many cultivators had already begun meditating.

The early class was held in a spacious open area, big enough to accommodate nearly a thousand people at a glance. This confirmed that she was now in a large sect with a large number of disciples. What her senior sister said next further verified her guess.

“Starting today, all the new outer and inner disciples will begin learning the basics of cultivation.”

If there were this many new disciples, how many older disciples must there be?

Then, her senior sister, as if remembering something, looked at Ning Xu with confusion and asked, “Junior Ning, aren’t you going to take your Pill of Avoidance yet?”

Ning Xu paused for a moment, then casually replied, “I was so excited for my first early class that I forgot.”

Saying that, she rummaged through the loose pocket of her sect disciple robes and, as expected, pulled out a bottle of the Pill of Avoidance. She took one and swallowed it.

Once she did, the feeling of hunger disappeared completely.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, the entire field was almost completely filled.

Her senior sister glanced at the sky and said, “Junior Ning, it’s about time. I need to go now.”

Ning Xu replied, “Thank you, senior sister. If it weren’t for your help, I’d probably be lost and not know what to do.”

From their previous conversation, Ning Xu learned that this senior sister was from the same sect as her three hundred years ago. Despite their distant blood relation, her senior sister had been very attentive to her, almost as if she were her close kin.

With a deep and serious tone, her senior sister patted Ning Xu’s shoulder. “Junior Ning, you have three spirit roots. It’s not an extraordinary talent, so unless you’re lucky and get noticed by a real master, you’ll likely remain an outer disciple your whole life.”

As for becoming a personal disciple or inner sect disciple, don’t even think about it.

Even cultivators with dual spirit roots couldn’t become personal disciples of elders, let alone Ning Xu with her three spirit roots. The cultivation world was a cruel and realistic place, where people were judged based on cultivation, talent, and luck. Three spirit roots couldn’t compare to the single spirit roots of geniuses.

Her senior sister smiled warmly, “Though you can only be an outer disciple, you’re already ahead of many who don’t even have spirit roots.”

“Just focus on the early classes. Do your best!”

For outer disciples, this was the only opportunity to have close contact with inner disciples and receive lessons together.

The early class would last an entire year. After a year, the fate of outer and inner disciples would diverge.

Inner disciples would receive more advanced and detailed courses, while outer disciples would begin taking on sect responsibilities.

—

Not long after her senior sister left, the stern Sect Leader arrived. The moment he stepped onto the field, the previously noisy square instantly fell silent.

The Sect Leader looked very young, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old at most. His exact age was impossible to determine, but he was quite handsome, wearing the robes of a peak master with his hands clasped behind his back, giving off an air of a world-weary immortal—except for the seriousness on his face.

He wasted no time and immediately started the lecture.

Normally, the fact that the Sect Leader himself was giving the lecture would indicate the sect’s emphasis on the outer and inner disciples. In previous years, some outer disciples had made a name for themselves during the early classes and managed to enter the inner sect.

But Ning Xu thought she probably wouldn’t be able to seize such an opportunity.

Because while she could understand the Sect Leader’s words individually, when he put them together, it was all incomprehensible to her.

Too profound!

Too convoluted!

Too hard to understand!

It was almost as if he was intentionally trying to make it difficult for her!

Ning Xu didn’t want to admit it, but the Sect Leader’s lecture was so hypnotic that she couldn’t help but feel drowsy. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out.

【Welcome to the Melon-Eating System, where you get to eat N melons a day, and sleepy thoughts will be far from you!】

Ning Xu jolted awake, her senses completely alert now.

Who was speaking?

【It’s me, your new friend—the Melon-Eating System.】

Having transmigrated, another golden finger wouldn’t be too much, right?

Not at all!

Ning Xu accepted the reality of having a Melon-Eating System with ease, without any hesitation. She didn’t realize that while she was conversing with the system, the Sect Leader, who had been lecturing in mid-air, subtly paused. Her fellow disciples, too, unknowingly shared a collective feeling of “bewilderment.”

The Melon-Eating System?

What was that? Why could they hear these two voices when no one else had spoken except the Sect Leader? Where did these voices come from?

Ning Xu, a veteran of countless novels, immediately understood what the Melon-Eating System was for, without needing it to introduce itself.

Though a Melon-Eating System might seem a bit useless in a cultivation world like this, it was still better than nothing, right? After all, cultivation was so boring, and a few big melons would definitely help keep her awake!

Ning Xu smiled slightly, “If that’s the case, I’m not sleepy at all.”

Not only was she not sleepy, but she was also very excited now. Since she couldn’t understand the Sect Leader’s lecture anyway, she might as well use the Melon-Eating System to pass the time.

“Hey, my melon buddy, do you have any melons to share right now?”

Without hesitation, the Melon-Eating System replied, 【Yes.】

Ning Xu couldn’t wait, “Come on, let me hear it.”

As soon as she said that, the Sect Leader, floating in mid-air, slightly furrowed his brows. He locked his gaze on Ning Xu, as he had pinpointed her as the source of the voice in the crowd.

However, he had no idea what the so-called Melon-Eating System was.

Such a mysterious thing—could it bring misfortune to the sect? And what was the background of Ning Xu, who possessed such an extraordinary thing?

All of this remained unknown.

The Melon-Eating System excitedly continued, 【The big melon for today is about the Sect Leader’s “cheap son”—raised by him for 800 years. He thought the child was his biological son, but little did he know, it was just a trick by his sworn enemy. For 800 years, he provided the best resources, care, and protection, thinking he was being a good father, but in reality, he was just a pitiful fool who had been deceived.】

Ning Xu looked at the seemingly immortal Sect Leader in shock. She couldn’t believe it—the stern and upright Sect Leader was actually such a gullible fool!

She gasped, “Is there really such a miserable person in the world?”

【Of course! Actually, the Sect Leader’s “cheap son” already knew his true origins. He had secretly been in contact with the Sect Leader’s sworn enemy for years.】

Ning Xu clicked her tongue, “And the Sect Leader never realized?”

【How could he? He’s been kept in the dark the whole time. It’s not that he’s stupid, but his enemy was just too clever. When the “cheap son” was found, his bloodline was tested, but his enemy used a trick to cover it up. After that, he was deceived for 800 years!】

Ning Xu gasped, “How tragic! 800 years of unrequited effort—800 years of meticulous care, and all for this kind of ending!” Who wouldn’t say it’s tragic?

What Ning Xu didn’t realize was that while she was chatting with the system, the previously calm Sect Leader’s expression had changed drastically. As she was enjoying the gossip, the Sect Leader’s face darkened, like a storm cloud had gathered over him. Without waiting for the disciples to react, he turned and left swiftly on the wind.

After the strange and difficult classical texts stopped, Ning Xu looked up in surprise, only to realize that the Sect Leader who had been lecturing was nowhere to be seen. She could faintly see his hurried back as he left.

She looked around, startled. Her fellow disciples were all silently sitting in meditation, not daring to make a sound or even look around.

Ning Xu, undisturbed by the silence, turned to her system and asked, “Did the Sect Leader go to pee or something?”

The other disciples, hearing this mental thought: Did she really just ask that?

—-

Note:
“Eating melon” (吃瓜, chī guā) is a Chinese internet slang term that means watching drama or gossip unfold as a bystander. It originated from the phrase “吃瓜群众” (chī guā qún zhòng), which literally translates to “melon-eating onlookers” but figuratively refers to spectators who are just there for entertainment without directly participating in the events.

Context and Usage:

It’s often used to describe people who passively observe scandals, controversies, or dramatic situations—whether online or in real life—while enjoying the “show.”

Similar phrases in English include “grabbing popcorn” or “watching the drama unfold.”

Example:

Online Post: Did you hear about the celebrity breakup?

Response: Really? Let me grab my melon and watch the drama.

In the story above, the character uses a “melon-eating system” to stay updated on gossip, treating the unfolding events as entertainment.