Chasing the Villain with a Confused System (GL) - Chapter 7

Who would have thought that the system wasn’t just “confused” (Hu Tu), but actually a scammer—a total scammer!!

It was now the dead of night. In the Divine Sword Sect, aside from the patrolling disciples, all was silent. It should have been time for everyone to rest, yet Song Qi was still in the back mountains digging in the dirt.

“Hu Tu, if you were a human, I would definitely strangle you!”

Song Qi gritted her teeth in hatred, but she didn’t dare speak too loudly for fear of being heard by the night patrol.

[This is just how side quests are. What can I do? I’m in despair too!]

Song Qi took a deep breath and decided not to argue with this muddled system. However, she had been digging for an hour and hadn’t seen a trace of any jade pendant. she was starting to wonder if Hu Tu had given her the wrong location.

This side quest was a real pain. Once accepted, it couldn’t be canceled, and if it wasn’t completed, it would even deduct a point of Luck. Making someone dig in the back mountains for a jade pendant in the middle of the night—if she were caught, they’d definitely think she was insane.

“By the way, Hu Tu, what exactly is ‘Luck’?”

Song Qi had meant to ask this before, but she’d actually forgotten about it. It had taken half a month for the question to resurface in her mind.

[It works like a currency. When you accumulate 100 Luck points, it can negate one fatal injury—this is a passive trigger. There are also items like martial arts manuals, clues, and inner qi techniques that can be purchased.]

Hearing this, Song Qi suddenly felt energized. She hadn’t expected such a perk. She immediately said, “Can I see what’s in the shop?”

[Not right now. After all, you have zero Luck points.]

After hearing that, Song Qi felt that this digging mission was definitely a loss. Besides the fifty taels of silver, the system really ought to reward some virtual currency like Luck!

“Hu Tu, besides the fifty taels, you should give me some Luck points too, right? Think of it as a ‘newbie benefit’.”

Hu Tu didn’t respond immediately. Song Qi thought it was playing dead again and was about to curse the system out when Hu Tu’s voice returned: [Fine, I’ll give you two points of Luck.]

“That little?”

[Take it or leave it.]

“I’ll take it, I’ll take it!”

Song Qi felt her existence was far too humble. Now, she wasn’t just scraping by for her life, but scraping for Luck points too. With a system this unreliable, she worried about when she might actually be “scammed” to death by it.

As she dug and pondered, her finger hit something hard. She thought it was a rock, but looking closely, she saw a green “stone.” She joyfully unearthed the pendant. “Hu Tu, Hu Tu! Is it this one?!”

[Let me scan it.]

It was a square jade pendant, pale green and very translucent. A Qilin was carved on the front, and the character for “Show” (秀 – Xiu) was carved on the back.

[That’s the one. Congratulations, the mission is complete!]

Song Qi blew the dust off the pendant and brushed away the remaining dirt. “What is this jade used for?”

[Uh, not sure. The higher-ups said it’s a quest item for later.]

Song Qi: “…”

Fine, I surrender. It seemed Hu Tu’s bosses were also “confused” bugs, always speaking in riddles and pretending to be profound when, in reality, even they hadn’t figured out what the item was for!

While complaining internally, Song Qi brushed the dirt off her clothes. “Going back, going back. If I don’t sleep now, I won’t be able to wake up for morning lessons.”

This was something Song Qi had found very difficult to adjust to since coming here. As a struggling nocturnal author, she had never woken up this early. The second thing she couldn’t get used to was the lack of electronic products; for a shut-in girl, it was unbearable, leaving her tossing and turning on her bed every night.

Now that she had finally adjusted to this rhythm of life, she didn’t want to disrupt it again.

Just as Song Qi stood up to leave, her ears twitched. In a flash, she ducked behind a tree trunk.

“I see you.”

That voice…

Song Qi hung her head and slowly walked out from behind the tree, looking guiltily at the white-clad figure in the distance. “Senior Sister Bai, you couldn’t sleep either? Out for a stroll?”

She followed this with a few dry laughs. The laughter was as awkward as could be—she certainly couldn’t say she was out here to dig holes!

“I am in charge of patrolling the mountain tonight.”

Bai Luoyin didn’t waste words. For safety reasons, she had to clarify why Song Qi was wandering the back mountains.

“Speak the truth. What are you doing here?”

Bai Luoyin went straight to the point, leaving Song Qi no room to maneuver.

“I came here to practice.”

Song Qi sighed, only to hear Bai Luoyin say: “Then what’s the deal with those holes in the ground?”

“…I was seeing if there were any lost martial arts manuals left here.”

Having said that, Song Qi immediately activated her “complaining” skill. “You know my martial arts aren’t great and my talent isn’t high. I have to try everything. Don’t laugh at my wishful thinking; I just don’t want to fall too far behind our peers.”

Song Qi spoke with such emotion, yet in the darkness, she heard Bai Luoyin let out a light chuckle. The laugh clearly said: Do you really think I believe you?

[Even I want to laugh at that excuse.]

Song Qi wanted to let out a dragon’s roar: [This is all your fault!]

Bai Luoyin said nothing but slowly approached. By the moonlight, Song Qi could vaguely make out her features and figure.

Beautiful as a cold, bright moon; serene as a passing breeze. That was the novel’s description of Bai Luoyin, and Song Qi realized it was spot on.

“As long as you are not doing anything harmful or immoral, I will not hold you accountable. However, rules are rules. It is time for rest. Return to your room immediately.”

“You got it!”

Song Qi felt like she’d been granted a pardon and turned to leave, but Bai Luoyin called her back.

“Song Qi.”

“What? Buying me a drink?”

Song Qi acted casual, but her heart was racing. She had no idea what Bai Luoyin would say; she felt those penetrating eyes had already seen through far too much.

“You truly are very special.”

“No, no, no. Two eyes, one nose, one mouth—nothing special. I’m not some alien from outer space.”

Song Qi deflected the comment and sauntered away from the back mountains without another word.

Bai Luoyin watched her back as she left, her brow furrowed slightly as if troubled by an unsolvable thought.

The day of the Young Heroes Tournament soon arrived. The Divine Sword Sect group arrived at the Tianshan Mountains three days early.

Gloomy mist and cold air freeze for ten thousand miles; icy cliffs and precipices stand thousands of feet high.

The Tianshan of the book world was just as impressive as the real one. Miles of cold clouds, sheer cliffs of ice—the snow didn’t completely hide the mountain range’s beauty; emerald green still peaked through, making it look even more majestic.

“A-choo!”

It was beautiful, but it was also freezing. The tournament was held at the very peak. Without inner qi to protect the body, it would be lethal. She had only stepped into the courtyard to look at the scenery when she sneezed.

“Here.”

Hearing her sneeze, Song Tianxing moved to untie his fur cloak to give it to her, but Song Qi stopped him.

“Brother, you have to compete. You need to take care of your health more than I do.”

If you lose the championship because of this, I might as well go up there myself—at least I’d catch Wen Wanxi’s eye!

Song Tianxing hesitated, not immediately accepting her refusal. Song Qi simply reached out to fasten his cloak for him. “I’m really fine. I won’t get sick, trust me.”

[I remember a saying from your human world: ‘Idiots don’t catch colds.’ Are they talking about you?]

Song Qi: [Shut up. Don’t learn the bad stuff!]

Song Tianxing looked blankly at her for a moment, then reached out to pat her head. “Mm.”

“If you feel cold, go back inside to rest.”

Song Tianxing cautioned her gently. Song Qi nodded in agreement but had no intention of going back inside just yet. She circulated her inner qi to protect herself, and it felt much warmer. It was rare to be at the peak of Tianshan; she wanted to wander and see the sights.

It was strange—she used to be a total shut-in, but now she wanted to roam around. It seemed that after coming here, she had changed not just her habits, but some of her latent personality traits as well.

However, Song Qi didn’t dare wander too far. Song Tianxing followed her, though she wasn’t sure if it was out of concern or fear that she’d cause trouble again—likely both.

“Hey, Brother, where is the Taixu Sect staying?”

Xu Yan wasn’t strong in martial arts; he just had a face that people adored. But Song Qi didn’t care for it at all—in fact, she wanted to punch him. Now that she knew where Taixu Sect was staying, she could plan how to give Xu Yan a good beating.

“Supposedly in the eastern courtyard. Why?”

Song Tianxing was curious. Song Qi had never had any dealings with the Taixu Sect; why did she suddenly care about their location?

“Nothing, just curious.”

Nothing, I just want to beat up a scumbag until even his own mother won’t recognize his proud face!

“Could it be to see that Xu Yan who is said to be as handsome as Pan An?”

Xu Yan wasn’t powerful, but he was famous. Years ago, his relationship with Wen Wanxi was considered a beautiful tale in the martial world. But after Wen Wanxi “turned evil” and killed her master, people said it was a good thing they broke up so the Taixu Sect’s reputation remained intact.

A good thing indeed, Song Qi thought, but it was good for Wen Wanxi—so she didn’t waste the rest of her life on a scumbag.

“Do you want to see? Together?”

Song Tianxing had no interest, but seeing Song Qi’s enthusiasm, he agreed. The two walked side-by-side toward the eastern courtyard. Disciples from various sects passed by, nodding in greeting even if they didn’t know each other.

Song Qi was feeling the “Jianghu” atmosphere more and more—that world of clear-cut loves and hates. While at the Divine Sword Sect, she felt like she was playing a life-simulation game, just attending classes and practicing. Now that she was here among all sorts of martial artists, she finally felt the true flavor of the martial world.

“Look, that should be them.”

The Taixu disciples wore black-and-white Daoist robes with clean hair and makeup; they were easy to spot from a distance. Among the four disciples, a handsome man in a black-and-white robe with a dark wood plaque stood talking to his peers.

Graceful and elegant, as handsome as Pan An. The book hadn’t lied, but even so, Xu Yan only filled Song Qi with disgust.

Xu Yan was twenty-eight, so he wasn’t here to compete; he was accompanying an elder to lead the younger disciples. Knowing he would be here, many had speculated if he still had feelings for Wen Wanxi and had come specifically to see her.

Yes, he had come to see her, but Wen Wanxi never gave him a second glance from beginning to end.

Exactly how a scumbag should be treated!