After Chasing The Villain With A Clueless System - Chapter 4

Only a handful of disciples remained in the dining hall by the time Song Qi arrived to get something to eat. There was not much food left either, but she was not picky. As long as it filled her stomach, she was satisfied.

She shoveled down her meal, her gaze slightly unfocused as her mind raced over how she could obtain that sword tassel, how she was supposed to survive in this world with such a clueless system, and how she could possibly change the villainous boss’s ending.

It was true that she liked Wen Wanxi, but actually changing her fate was an enormous problem.

Was she supposed to imitate Tang Sanzang and endlessly lecture Wen Wanxi into becoming good?

The image alone was ridiculous.

Song Qi felt that if she actually tried it, she probably would not survive past the first episode.

That aside, the food in the Divine Sword Sect’s dining hall was surprisingly good.

The novel had once described it as exceptionally delicious, but after being thoroughly traumatized by university cafeteria food, Song Qi had refused to believe it. At first, she had assumed food only needed to keep a person alive.

She had never expected the meals here to be genuinely tasty.

The dining hall’s food owed much of its quality to the head cook, a middle-aged woman who had left a deep impression on Song Qi.

Many disciples privately called her the Tigress. Everyone in the Divine Sword Sect treated her with a healthy measure of respect, even the sect leader.

The dining hall kitchen was open, so anyone who looked over could see the cook wielding her razor-sharp cleaver as she chopped ingredients and prepared meals. The aroma of food spread in every direction, awakening the greedy little worm inside everyone’s stomach.

That was why, no matter how explosive the cook’s temper was, disciples continued streaming into the dining hall, and the place maintained an excellent reputation.

Song Qi was not a picky eater. After clearing everything in her bowl, she let out a satisfied burp.

Burp—

Perfect.

Now that she was full, it was time to think about what came next.

Assuming Song Tianxing truly managed to take her to the Young Heroes’ Assembly, how was she supposed to approach Wen Wanxi? More importantly, how could she obtain the sword tassel?

She remembered that a red tassel did indeed hang from Wen Wanxi’s sword.

Its weave was distinctive, resembling both a flower and a butterfly. Nothing like it could be found on the market, so it likely held some special significance for Wen Wanxi.

The grudge between Song Tianxing and Wen Wanxi began at the Young Heroes’ Assembly.

Wucheng’s representative disciple was Wen Wanxi’s junior brother, Xiao Sheng. His martial arts were not weak, but in the end, he was still defeated by the protagonist.

From that moment onward, Wen Wanxi took notice of Song Tianxing and concluded that he would become an obstacle on her future path.

The facts later proved her right.

Song Tianxing would ultimately kill her and earn the admiration of countless people.

“Well, well. Isn’t this Senior Brother Song’s little sister?”

A mocking voice interrupted Song Qi’s thoughts.

She looked up, wanting to see which fool had chosen to provoke her, only to realize it was Chang Yueyue, the granddaughter of an elder who had always been at odds with her.

Like Song Qi, Chang Yueyue was a Grade-B disciple. However, because she was Elder Chang Wu’s granddaughter, she behaved arrogantly and domineeringly, with the spoiled temperament of a pampered young lady.

Many Grade-B disciples had suffered under her bullying.

Song Qi, however, was an exception.

In martial arts, Chang Yueyue could not defeat her.

In an argument, Song Qi was practically an undefeated champion!

No matter what happened, she absolutely could not lose.

“Oh? Senior Sister Chang. What wicked wind blew you all the way over to me?”

Song Qi even smiled as she spoke.

This was somewhat different from the original character.

The original Song Qi had indeed been the queen of arguments, but she was accustomed to confronting people head-on. She rarely used this kind of sarcastic, roundabout mockery against her enemies and was rather straightforward in that regard.

Then again, the original Song Qi was not truly foolish.

She simply knew the other person could not beat her, so she could not be bothered to play mind games. If a real fight broke out, she always had some way to escape.

The original Song Qi had been capable of enduring in silence for her brother and surrendering all her glory to him. She simply had no desire to become deeply involved in the affairs of the martial world and wanted only to remain untouched by them.

But to remain untouched by trouble, one naturally needed the strength to do so.

“What? Could it be that Junior Sister Song doesn’t welcome me?”

Chang Yueyue looked Song Qi over and gave a disdainful snort.

“I heard Senior Sister Bai knocked you flat again. You knew you couldn’t defeat her, yet you still charged forward. Junior Sister, you’re truly courageous.”

At the time, only Song Qi, Meng Tian, and Bai Luoyin had been present at the training ground.

Bai Luoyin was not someone who gossiped, so the only person who could have spread the news this quickly was Meng Tian.

Keeping a green-tea bitch like that close was practically the same as raising a tiger that would eventually turn on her.

“That’s right. Still better than certain people who pretend to be sick and withdraw every year whenever they encounter a stronger opponent during the disciple assessment.”

Chang Yueyue was arrogant and could not tolerate losing.

Whenever she faced an opponent she could not beat, she would pretend to be ill and withdraw, faithfully adhering to the absurd belief that if she did not fight, it did not count as a defeat.

Everyone saw what she was doing, but no one dared say much for fear of offending Elder Chang Wu.

Bang!

Chang Yueyue sprang to her feet and slapped the table like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Furious and humiliated, she pointed at Song Qi.

“What do you mean by that?”

She carried herself exactly like an entitled young lady, which Song Qi naturally found unbearable.

Yet Song Qi did not become angry. She simply crossed her arms and smiled.

“Why are you so agitated, Senior Sister? Could it be that you’ve done something like that before?”

Song Qi had not named anyone just now. Since someone had voluntarily taken the accusation personally, she was naturally going to seize the opportunity and leave this spoiled young lady with nowhere to hide.

“I only heard that someone did such a thing. Could that person really have been you, Senior Sister?”

Song Qi put on an expression of sudden realization.

However, the smile tugging at her lips was plainly mocking.

Chang Yueyue might not have been especially clever, but she was not blind. Naturally, she could see it.

“You… you! What nonsense are you talking about? I never did that!”

Chang Yueyue’s eyes reddened with rage.

As she noticed the surrounding gazes turning toward her, her face burned even hotter.

As an elder’s granddaughter, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

“You’re lying! I challenge you to a match!”

“Huh?”

Song Qi laughed and rose to her feet.

Chang Yueyue thought she was going to accept, but Song Qi suddenly clutched her stomach and put on a pained expression.

“Ah—oh dear, Senior Sister. I must have eaten something bad. My stomach hurts terribly, so I’m truly unable to compete.”

The moment Song Qi said this, Chang Yueyue’s face turned even redder.

Those were the exact words Chang Yueyue had spoken to the instructors during the previous disciple assessment, with the sole exception of the words “Senior Sister.”

Every other word was identical.

Chang Yueyue flew into a rage from embarrassment and moved to overturn the table.

However, Song Qi pressed one hand against it.

The force was so great that Chang Yueyue could not move the table even slightly.

“Senior Sister.”

Song Qi smiled in an infuriatingly smug manner.

“Let me remind you that the cook has a terrible temper. If this table is damaged, even Elder Chang Wu probably won’t escape a scolding.”

Song Qi turned and walked away.

There was no point wasting time entangling herself with this kind of minor cannon-fodder character.

She needed to train properly. Even if she did not participate in the assembly, she should at least preserve enough ability to protect herself and continue surviving.

Chang Yueyue had wanted to say more, but her hand was trembling slightly from exertion.

She had just tried to overturn the wooden table with all her strength. Yet when Song Qi pressed down with one palm, it remained completely motionless.

Chang Yueyue had even used her internal force, but she still could not shake it by so much as a fraction.

This was not a contest of physical strength.

It was a contest of internal force—and Song Qi had suppressed her absolutely.

When had Song Qi’s internal force become so powerful and domineering?

Chang Yueyue stared at Song Qi’s retreating back and wondered inwardly:

Was that an illusion?

How could she possibly be this strong?

Impossible.

It had to be an illusion!

Elsewhere, Song Qi went to the training ground to practice her swordsmanship.

The technique she practiced was A Light Boat Passes Ten Thousand Mountains.

In truth, she had already mastered this move thoroughly. She had only continued practicing it because she needed to maintain the appearance of an incompetent disciple.

After finishing, Song Qi did not immediately follow her senior and junior sisters to the bathhouse.

Instead, she went to the woods at the foot of the mountain, where her master was waiting for her.

Master and disciple had agreed to meet in the forest every three days. The Drunken Sword Immortal, Cheng Ying, would inspect the results of Song Qi’s training.

Song Qi arrived as promised.

Cheng Ying was already drunk, sleeping on a tree branch and snoring loudly.

This was completely normal.

After receiving the original Song Qi’s memories, Song Qi now knew that her master rarely spoke seriously and was, quite frankly, an absolute clown.

“Disciple, you’re here!”

Cheng Ying’s tongue was already slightly tangled from drinking, yet the movement he used to flip down from the branch was extraordinarily graceful.

Even Yu Mingshun, the sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect, could not compare.

Cheng Ying’s face was covered in stubble and flushed red, clearly indicating that he had drunk quite a lot again.

He was of average height and thin build, dressed carelessly and without concern for appearances.

A sword wrapped in cloth was strapped to his back, and he never drew it from its sheath.

Although Cheng Ying looked thoroughly unkempt, Song Qi could still tell that he was an older handsome man. With proper grooming, he would probably be quite attractive.

“You reek of alcohol. Don’t come near me.”

Song Qi covered her nose in disgust and held out one hand to stop Cheng Ying from approaching.

“You should drink less. Be careful you don’t end up with cirrhosis.”

“Cir… what?”

Cheng Ying’s eyes were already unfocused. He clearly did not understand what Song Qi was saying.

Song Qi did not repeat herself.

“Old man, should I begin?”

“Go on, hurry. Let me see how much you’ve improved.”

Song Qi demonstrated the Seven Forms of the Wine Immortal.

It was Cheng Ying’s unique sword art. Every move was unpredictable and ever-changing, with each form linked seamlessly to the next.

It was a sword technique that left opponents unable to understand or counter it.

Song Qi drew her longsword and began with the first form, Raising Wine to Toast the East Wind.

The sword technique was fierce and sharp. The initial strike was forceful and unyielding, while the withdrawal turned soft and fluid, shifting with extraordinary speed.

Its rhythm was impossible to predict.

Song Qi had initially worried she would not be able to perform it, but every muscle and meridian in her body seemed to remember the technique.

The sword forms flowed out naturally.

Song Qi had never imagined she could move with such flexibility and grace.

The second form was Peach Blossoms, Plum Blossoms, Spring Wind, and a Cup of Wine.

The third was The Drunkard’s Intention Lies Not in the Wine.

The fourth was Laughing Through an Entire Cup of Wine.

The fifth was Drawing Back the Curtain, Raising Wine to Invite the Bright Moon.

The sixth was While There Is Wine in Life, One Must Get Drunk.

The seventh was Life Is Nothing More Than One Great Drunken Dream.

It had to be said that the names of the Seven Forms of the Wine Immortal were both tongue-twisting and remarkably cultured.

Without the original character’s memories, Song Qi probably would not have been able to recall them all so quickly.

Cheng Ying watched from the side, nodding repeatedly.

Only after Song Qi completed the final movement did he speak.

“Mm, not bad. You have the form, but the intent is still lacking. Your mastery has not yet matured, though it is already sufficient for facing enemies.”

Cheng Ying dropped down onto the ground and leaned against the tree trunk without the slightest concern for his image.

Half-dazed, he lifted his wine gourd and took several noisy gulps.

Then he said, “Still, you’re clearly distracted today. What is it? Has your heart been stirred by love?”

“Stirred your sister.”

“Hahahahaha! If I had a younger sister, I would definitely promise her to you!”

Song Qi froze.

I treat you as my master, yet you want me to become your sister’s wife?

More importantly, were people in this world really this progressive?

Could two girls simply be promised to each other so casually?

“Fortunately, you didn’t say you’d promise yourself to me. Hard pass. I’m not blind.”

“In your dreams!”

Cheng Ying even responded with disgust.

“You may be pretty, but I still wouldn’t want you.”

“You say that as though I’d want you.”

Song Qi rolled her eyes.

When it came to vanity, her master was truly unparalleled. His entire being constantly radiated a mysterious and inexplicable confidence.

“I want to go watch the Young Heroes’ Assembly. I’m not planning to compete.”

Song Qi sat down beside Cheng Ying.

Despite how much she complained about him, she still liked being close to him.

She trusted Cheng Ying, just as Cheng Ying trusted her.

“The Young Heroes’ Assembly? What is there to see? The only attraction is the most beautiful woman in the martial world.”

The most beautiful woman in the martial world was Bing Xian—the female lead.

That was how the novel introduced her.

However, the novel had also mentioned several times that Wen Wanxi and Bing Xian were equally beautiful, with no clear winner between them.

Bing Xian had only received that celebrated title because Wen Wanxi’s terrifying reputation left a stronger impression than her beauty.

“Isn’t Wen Wanxi, the greatest martial artist under heaven, also worth seeing?”

The moment Cheng Ying heard this, he abruptly turned toward Song Qi.

The smile vanished from his face, and his voice became grave.

“If you want to die, then go provoke her.”

Song Qi’s face immediately collapsed into a deeply miserable expression.

I know it’s dangerous too!

But what choice do I have?

I have to risk my life if I want to survive!

I’m desperate too!