Chapter 296: Xie Xinsu

Chapter 296: Xie Xinsu

Wang Shiqiao spoke, pulling out her phone.

“Take a look for yourselves. How disgusting this person is.

I reported him, but the authorities didn’t do anything.

And he still has a bunch of followers!”

Wang Shiqiao showed the homepage of the person she had been arguing with to everyone present.

“Just look… isn’t it sickening? Utterly inhumane!”

Wang Shiqiao was seething with rage.

The others watched the video, their expressions shifting—some grimaced, others felt nauseated, clearly disturbed by the scenes playing out before them.

Gongxing had never been a peaceful era.

Wars erupted at every moment.

But within the Qin Yuan Kingdom, times were relatively peaceful.

These wealthy heirs were physically repulsed by the footage.

In the video, a soldier from the Guiran Nation stormed into a civilian’s modest home.

What happened in between was not recorded.

At the end of the video lay a row of corpses.

Two elders, three adults, two children.

This family of seven, their clothes tattered, still bore traces of blood—a testament to the humiliation they had endured.

A line of text was plastered over the video:

“To disrespect the Lord is the greatest evil!”

The heirs present, who had barely lifted a finger in their lives, could hardly contain their fury at such a sight.

“What a bastard!”

“Don’t insult dogs by comparing them!”

“Damn it, what’s the king thinking? If I were him, I’d have sent troops long ago to wipe out the Guiran Nation!

Trash like Guiran—one combined regiment could flatten them!”

The Qin Yuan Kingdom’s combined regiment bore some resemblance to the combined brigades of a certain superpower on Blue Star from a past life.

Beyond the modern military structure, the Qin Yuan combined regiment also included gene warriors, mechanical armies, and other components.

In short, a single combined regiment could steamroll the Wugui Nation.

“But behind Wugui stands the Ancient Wu Nation—how can we step in directly?”

“Wugui is also deeply entangled with Gudu and Canxing…”

At the mention of this, a student’s eyes betrayed a flicker of fear.

Anyone in Qin Yuan who had been to school had studied that tragic chapter of history.

Canxing had propped up certain nations, sparking a world war.

That war had been brutal.

“In my opinion, we should just destroy Wugui. Even if it means war with Ancient Wu, so what? Their military strength is about equal to ours—who knows who’d win or lose!”

“War would be good. Our country is too stagnant. People like us have no chance to cross class lines!”

“Better not fight. In war, the bottom suffers the most. People like us would probably be fattened up for slaughter!”

The students argued among themselves, divided on whether to go to war.

“Qi Yuan, what about you? Do you want war?” Wang Shiqiao turned to Qi Yuan.

“Hmm… better not. If war breaks out, the martial arts tournament won’t happen. How would I win the championship?”

If Qin Yuan entered a state of war, events like the martial arts tournament would certainly be suspended.

Qi Yuan’s main mission was to become the Supreme Martial God.

He had to participate in the tournament.

“Still dreaming of your championship?” Wang Shiqiao rolled her eyes at Qi Yuan. “Practice for another seven or eight years, then talk about winning!”

To be honest, they all saw how hard Qi Yuan worked.

Maybe after a few years of honing, he really could make it to the finals of the martial arts tournament.

Of course… champion was a bit of a stretch.

“I think the international situation is getting more tense by the day. I have a feeling that in a few years, a real war might break out.

So Qi Yuan probably won’t even get to win before the tournament gets canceled,” said a burly male student.

Whether the tournament was canceled or not didn’t matter much to him.

He didn’t rely on it for a living.

“Qi Yuan, don’t you have a driver girlfriend? Why are you still thinking about making money in the martial arts tournament?

If she took you to some dating show, with your looks you’d blow up overnight. Why go the long way and join a martial arts tournament?” Xing Yu said with a bright smile, teasing him.

The big star Wu Qi driving Qi Yuan home had caused quite a stir among the student circle.

Especially since they learned that Qi Yuan and Wu Qi were high school classmates, and Wu Qi was his senior.

Among these idle second-generation heirs, a brainless romantic soap opera had taken shape.

Clearly, they were childhood sweethearts.

Wu Qi had made it big but hadn’t forgotten her little boyfriend.

Qi Yuan, in turn, naturally played the role of the kept man.

To this, Qi Yuan insisted that he and Wu Qi were innocent—she was just his driver.

The students naturally didn’t buy that story.

Why would a big star willingly be a driver for an ordinary person?

And pick him up every day?

From then on, Qi Yuan gained the nickname “Driver Bro,” and Wu Qi became “Driver Girlfriend.”

Wang Shiqiao then teased, “Your driver girlfriend is probably waiting for you downstairs right now.”

It was nearly evening, and the day’s training at the martial arts hall was about to end.

It was time for Qi Yuan and the others to head home.

Meanwhile, on the road outside the martial arts hall, Wu Qi was on the phone, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

“My dear aunt, that Qi Yuan is probably just a con artist who fooled the Carnival Viscount. In reality, where is he a noble?

You’ve been acting as his servant for days, not doing your job—what have you gained?”

Over the phone, the agent's grating voice came through.

During this time, the agent had also done a bit of digging on Qi Yuan.

They discovered that Qi Yuan's identity was quite ordinary—a mentally ill orphan of a martyr.

And there seemed to be some deal with Baron Carnival.

According to what the agent had learned through discreet inquiries, Qi Yuan was a con artist, having tricked Baron Carnival with some nonsensical immortal technique.

Wu Qi gripped her phone, listening to the endless chatter on the line. Irritated, she thought of Qi Yuan and said in a low voice, "He's not a con artist. He's special."

When she was with Qi Yuan, she could feel his uniqueness, completely unlike anyone else.

Even other nobles didn't give her the same oppressive feeling, not even a fraction of what Qi Yuan did.

"He certainly is special—what mentally ill person isn't?" The agent's words carried a hint of mockery.

"If you keep talking like that, there's no need for us to continue working together." Wu Qi's tone turned firm.

She and the agent were partners.

Hearing Wu Qi's words, the agent fell silent for a long moment before saying, "Hanging around him like this... it's not proper.

If you really want to latch onto him and your charm isn't enough, you could drug him. After all, he's a man—men don't lose out in such things, right?"

"What era are we in, still talking like that? You old fossil." Seeing the agent's tone soften, Wu Qi's own tone eased as well.

"By the way, Xiao Qi, Master Fang of the Fang-Zheng Group wants to meet you and invite you to a gathering.

Last time you went on the cruise, you kind of... entered their circle's line of sight." The agent's voice grew hesitant. "I heard Master Fang and Baron Carnival don't seem to get along."

"No." Hearing this, Wu Qi refused outright.

Clearly, this was some dirty business from the upper circles.

Since she had chosen to align herself with Qi Yuan, she naturally wouldn't seek another master.

Even if she were to be a dog, she'd pick a handsome master, wouldn't she?

About a few minutes later, a smile appeared in Wu Qi's eyes.

The rear door opened, and Qi Yuan sat in the back seat.

"Mr. Qi, how about we eat out tonight before heading back? My treat!" After hearing the agent's words, Wu Qi decided to be more proactive, creating opportunities to get closer to Qi Yuan.

"No thanks, my robot can cook." Qi Yuan refused without a second thought.

Eating out? How expensive would that be?

He only had a hundred million; he had to spend carefully.

After all, people were anxious these days—war could break out at any time.

If war came, supplies would surely skyrocket.

"Robot-cooked meals are hard to swallow—how can they compare to... a chef outside?" Wu Qi couldn't help saying.

Generally speaking, robot-cooked meals were not only simple but also used pre-made meal kits.

Wu Qi had eaten them before, and after becoming wealthy, she never touched robot-cooked food again.

"My Ling Yi is different. It cooks delicious food." Mentioning Ling Yi, a hint of pride flickered in Qi Yuan's eyes.

Over the past month, besides cultivating—advancing in both martial and immortal arts—he had also been modifying the robot at home.

On Ling Yi's body, he had fused advanced puppet techniques.

Combining modern technology with advanced puppet arts, Ling Yi was no longer an ordinary robot.

The only regret was that Qi Yuan's current strength was too weak to directly awaken Ling Yi's intelligence.

Otherwise, Ling Yi would have already awakened self-awareness, akin to the existence of a spirit of a magical artifact.

Of course, even without awakening, Ling Yi's spirituality was slowly growing, and its consciousness was gradually increasing.

As for how long that growth would take, Qi Yuan didn't know.

To speed up the process was actually simple—just imitate the method of walking a cleaver on Seven Colors Peak.

Take Ling Yi, the robot, out like a pet, walk it dozens of times, and it would surely gain intelligence, becoming smarter than a cleaver.

Now, Ling Yi was something of an anomaly—not only could it cook, but it could even perform simple alchemy.

Qi Yuan had even entertained the idea of building a factory to scale up alchemy into a streamlined process.

Of course, he was just thinking about it.

"Can a robot really cook well?" Wu Qi drove, surprised. "How about I come and taste it?"

"Don't think about mooching a free meal!" Qi Yuan refused.

Late at night, a man and a woman alone—it would leave a bad impression.

What he coveted was only the blood inside Wu Qi's body, not her body itself.

Thinking of something, Qi Yuan's expression turned serious. "Wu Qi, you've been driving me for so long now. Should we talk about some real business?"

Hearing the gravity in Qi Yuan's tone, Wu Qi's heart suddenly raced, and she nodded cautiously.

Her heart was full of anticipation.

Could it be that her sincerity had moved Mr. Qi?

"I ride in your car every day—can I get a discount?"

Qi Yuan spoke, his attitude sincere, even with a hint of pleading.

As the saying goes, when shopping at a store, buying more items gets you a discount.

Staying at a hotel for a month straight also lowers the price.

Wu Qi drove him every day—over a month now—shouldn't the per-ride price be reduced?

Hearing this, Wu Qi's expression froze. Qi Yuan's words caught her off guard. She forced a smile uglier than tears. "Okay."

"In that case, how about twenty-five yuan per ride?"

"Okay." Wu Qi nodded, a thousand alpacas stampeding in her heart.

Of course, even if she had objections, she dared not voice them.

Doubt crept into her mind—could it be that her persistence... was wrong?

But she had persisted for so long, with such high sunk costs, that giving up was absolutely out of the question.

The car sped along and soon reached Qi Yuan's neighborhood.

Qi Yuan got out of the car, took out twenty-five yuan, and prepared to hand it to Wu Qi.

But then, thinking of something, he moved his hand lightly.

A paper banknote transformed into the shape of a little bird.

"Your blood remains inside your body—consider this as interest for you."

This little bird was something he had casually made, imbued with a certain power.

For instance, protection, or tracking.

The reason he gave Wu Qi the paper bird was that, as his strength grew, he became more curious about her blood.

Hanging someone like this, not using her blood, keeping her blood in her body for so long—Qi Yuan felt embarrassed.

Wu Qi took the paper bird, a look of surprise in her eyes: "Your skill is this good? How did you fold it? Can you teach me?"

She had seen with her own eyes that Qi Yuan folded this paper money bird in less than twenty seconds.

It was completely different from traditional origami cranes and other paper folding, much more lifelike.

"You can't learn it. To fold this, you need to cultivate immortality," Qi Yuan was always honest. "Back then, Carnival gave me ninety million before I agreed to teach him immortality."

"Cultivate immortality?" Wu Qi's eyes widened, her heart full of confusion.

In this world, does immortality really exist?

At the time, her agent had told her that Qi Yuan's transaction with Viscount Carnival was related to immortality.

She didn't believe any of it.

But now, hearing it directly from Qi Yuan, she was shocked and bewildered, frozen in place.

By the time she came to her senses, Qi Yuan had already disappeared.

She stood there dazed, her mind in a haze.

"A joke... or the truth?"

If it were true, wouldn't all these years of worldview come crashing down?

She clutched the paper money bird tightly, countless thoughts flashing through her mind.

If what Mr. Qi said were true... that would be wonderful.

...

"Oh no, I'm stuck in the manhole cover!"

In Jun'an Residential Area, Xie Xinsu let out a miserable cry.

At that moment, her heart was filled with panic.

Because her head was stuck in the sewer, pitch black inside with a nauseating sour stench.

Her lower body and buttocks were stuck outside the manhole cover.

She was like an upside-down scallion, a pitiful sight.

Her whole body looked tattered, covered with food scraps, utterly wretched.

"Oh no, what if a man comes from behind? What do I do?"

Thinking of something, Xie Xinsu was suddenly startled.

She had no ability to resist now. If she encountered a pervert...

The thought was terrifying.

"No, I'm a cat now. What if I encounter a tomcat in heat?"

At this thought, Xie Xinsu was filled with indignation.

Compared to a tomcat, she could better accept a man.

"Wuwu, I, the esteemed fairy of Xuantian Sect, burdened with the great task of revitalizing the sect.

Such bad luck! After three years of lurking in Canxing and obtaining secret intelligence, the world resets and I'm back ten years ago."

"Going back ten years is one thing, but turning into a cat!"

"Turning into a cat is one thing, but... my mind isn't sharp either!"

"And now... I'm stuck here!"

Xie Xinsu had grievances she couldn't voice.

When others' worlds reset, they return to the original timeline.

But she... became a cat.

The sect members must be worried, finding her missing.

Meow meow meow!

Xie Xinsu let out a pitiful cry.

She grew weaker and weaker, her consciousness fading.

"Someone come save this fairy! I'll teach you... the method of immortality, the art of eternal life!"

With that thought, she finally fell unconscious.

(End of chapter)