Picked up by the Protagonist of a Tormented! MC Novel Volume 1 Chapter 9

Zeno is awash in melancholy. He can't believe that the protagonist of his story looks so pleased to be called a father. Look at the whole body of x literature, and not once will you see a protagonist become a father before he even accomplishes anything!

Only some cannon fodder or a younger brother will have this magical set of children ah. Cannon fodder children are the stepping stone to domination used by the protagonist, and the younger brother’s child is used to develop the main character's responsibility and power. The protagonist having a child, do you think this is a farming show? Go away, wrong channel!

Zeno stares desperately at Xi Wei's eyes, hoping he will deny these a.s.sumptions. Firstly, the protagonist is supposed to be cool and handsome, what daddy, it does not sound cool or handsome at all!

Secondly, the role that the scar-faced man plays in the harem is still a long ways off. However, when it comes to his daughter, if she thinks the protagonist started his family when he was only eleven, she will certainly think he's unreliable, nothing but slag.

Love between childhood sweet hearts. If his protagonist is with this sort of pure and kind sister, it means he will be far away from the spicy hot femme fatale type. With a conscientious lover, the protagonist will not have the sense of being betrayed by the world and ultimately he would not choose to commit suicide. This is for peace in the world ah, protagonist, please be sure to deny this crazy misunderstanding!

The protagonist loves looking at me! (t/n: There's no good context for this sentence. But there it is)

Xi Wei sees non-stop blinking from the baby, but cannot garner any meaning. When he finally seems to have gathered some courage, he looks at the scar faced man, then strenuously speaks, “How can you…still…remember me? ”

Xi Lun smiles, “You're finally willing to talk to me. This is your child so it will, of course, be returned to you. In Fenhong Street, who does not know Xi Lun? Although I deal in the pleasures of the flesh, I would never force you to give this little one up to me.”¹

Xi Wei tilts back his head in a flash and looks up at this man who is a few feet taller. His expression is neither agitated nor overwhelmed, as always, he appears indifferent.

Xi Lun looks a little bored, but still pa.s.ses Zeno over to Xi Wei. Xi Wei struggles to hold him and his waist bends with the effort. Despite this he labours to secure the little baby to his chest once again.

Zeno still has the mouldy piece of bread in his mouth. He begins choking on it when the protagonist fails to deny the scar-faced man's words, and his cute little face turns a deep red. Xi Wei immediately moves to use his finger to pull the bread out of Zeno's mouth, but he hesitates when he sees that his outstretched finger is very dirty.

He carefully crouches down and, just like with his face, uses the snow to wipe is fingers clean. That accomplished, he pulls out the dangerous piece of bread and tosses it.

Xi Lun quietly watches him finish all of that. Finally, he could not help but open his mouth, “The child has a fever, and he can die without xu nue.”

Zeno feels Xi Wei's hand on his back clench briefly. Indeed, although he has improved with the Elf Queen's blessing, she did say that she could only ensure three days respite from danger. However, all are aware of the consequence when three days have pa.s.sed.

Seeing that he finally got a reaction from him, Xi Lun could feel the stirrings of guilt in his heart. From the first time he'd seen Xi Wei, who was delivering rice to Jasmine, he began to notice him. The child was silent, cold, vigilant, and it seemed that he had no interest in anything. He was completely different from other seven or eight year old children—he was familiar with the rules of the underground world, and quite good at camouflage.

Xi Lun feels intuitively that this taciturn child will not just be a sewer rat that lives in Ye Sa City for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, before he came to a decision about how best to use him, Jasmine died.

Without the springboard of Jasmine, Xi Wei alone could never accept the olive branch² from Xi Lun because he believed no one on earth gave goodwill without reason. After letting go of his concern for Xi Wei, he did not expect to meet again in this way, but it did please him that it happened.

Xi Lun contemplates the situation a moment, then says bluntly, “Although xue nu is precious, it's a piece of cake to get it with just the money I make on Fenhong Street. However, everyone knows that Xi Lun doesn't take a loss in any exchange. So kid, what have you got to trade me? ”

What can Xi Wei come up with? The most valuable thing on his person is that jade pendant he dares not sell, and nothing else.

Zeno looks back and forth from the scar-faced man to the protagonist, his heart in disarray. Although the protagonist will one day dominate the continent, right now he is just a dilapidated, poor, starving boy. Xue nu is obviously a common medicine easily accessible in other places, but in Hong Yue continent it is so scarce that it cannot meet the needs of the people.

It is not scientific.

Once again, Zeno fell into a deep self-aversion towards his previous disregard for the protagonist's past.

# Protagonist, I’m sorry #

The fact of the matter is the protagonist's halo hasn't quite activated. To the curiosity of those present, Xi Wei reaches into Zeno's neck. In short order he pulls out the sleeping Elf Queen, and then calmly tries to sell her.

“I … do not know … what this … but … I'm sure … rare.”³

Xi Lun and his followers: “…”

Zeno: “…” The Queen wakes up, and then goes right back to sleep.

It is not so easy to just sell the Queen of the Elves, and that's not only because she must stay near the ring that cannot be taken back from the protagonist. If he lifts the seal on the Elf queen’s revenge personality, never mind 18 years later, if she finds out the protagonist is trying to sell her to the boss of the red light district, his life will be directly strangled in the cradle ah!

Perhaps she had pain in her wings, or perhaps too many burning eyes were pressuring her, but at this time the elf rubs her sleepy eyes, and wakes up.

The situation is clearly very shocking to Hua Li, who is struggling again. Her five-year-old mind is terrified; her magic is not enough to protect the bearer of the ring or herself. Xi Wei feels a pinch and sting to the fingers holding her, involuntarily releasing his hold and allowing her to fly away in the blink of an eye.

Xi Lun watches this play out with a complicated expression, “Kid, where did you catch that elf?”

Xi Wei stares at his empty fingers and pauses, hesitating for a moment, “It just … appeared.”

Xi Lun does not ask again. With her easy escape from Xi Wei's grasp, it is clear he has no control over her. The scar-faced man gloats, “Boy, your elf ran away, now what will you trade for the xue nu?”

It is impossible that Xi Lun does not covet the tiny elf, having owners.h.i.+p of her could make him the overlord of the entire Fenhong street and district. Although he can be a good man, he knows that sometimes he will have to have to take what he can from life and run with it.

Xi Wei bows his head, seeming to have suffered a great blow. Looking closely, he can actually see the panic in the eyes of Zeno. Presumably this little baby is also worried for their future.

Xi Wei closes his eyes, clears his mind, and immediately whispers, “He is … beautiful … ”

Xi Lun grows even more curious, and he looks forward to a more astounding move by this distinctive little beggar, asking, “Oh, are you going to sell your son to me?”

Xi Wei thinks of the words left him by Zeno's mother. She wasn't looking for extravagance, and even if he becomes a beggar it does not matter, at least let him live. Thinking of today’s bad situation, his arms tighten around the baby before he says, “He … is sick, too … not enough to eat.”

This proposal is very excellent, this child is so beautiful and he will not grow worse after all. From any point of view, there is no reason not to agree, but Xi Lun denies this attractive proposal.

He sneers, “Boy, your idea is good. You can choose not to raise this child, but if I take him now I'll have to treat his illness. That leaves me at a loss since first of all, that medicine costs a lot of money, and second, when he grows up for many years, who knows what he will look like? Can you promise that he will earn me the same value of money spent on him in the future?"

Xi Wei does not refute his words since Xi Lun spoke the truth. That being so, the only thing left to exchange is the jade pendant. However, with that he risks exposing Zeno's ident.i.ty. Even though the storm has calmed, so little time has pa.s.sed and revealing themselves would be a huge gamble.

Xi Wei is left with no choices. Either he gives up the jade pendant, or he will have to watch the baby die.

“Well, boy, I know you sewer rats will not have anything of value, and you really do look like Jasmine. I have a job here, if you can finish it well, I can give you the xue nu.”

The desperate youngster stares at him in a straightforward manner, and Xi Lun feels an inexplicable pressure, finally saying, “I have a daughter, you know?"

Seeing Xi Wei acquiesce, the scar-faced man continues speaking, but with obvious weariness, “Xiao Wu⁴ is also ten years old, but she just spends her day reading hero epics. She is developing an inappropriate sense of justice, even though I expect her to inherit Fenhong Street in the future. She is not allowed to have this type of character. However, no matter how many times I tell her that she just ignores me. If you can change her mind, I'll give you as much xue nu as you want.”

It goes without saying that, of course, Xi Wei agrees.

As they move along Fenhong Street, Zeno feels numb. This is just too much, already pulling them into the storyline of one of the future sisters, it really is x point of the story, not wavering to draw the sister to the center.

Give the plot a little praise.

Not forced to separate from the protagonist, Zenno finally feels like he can breathe. Although being with the protagonist has brought him hunger, dirty bread, and illness with no medicine, these things are nothing compared to separating from the protagonist. No matter what happens now, the protagonist will be a domineering existence in the future. Being with him is 10,000 times better than being sold into the red light district.

The only questionable point now is Zeno's ident.i.ty as the protagonist's so-called child. It seems that when people transmigrate into the villain or younger brother they need to cultivate favour with the protagonist to avoid becoming cannon fodder. He will need to take advantage of the protagonist's halo⁵.

Once there was a sister who wrote a lengthy comment in the comments section to the author of “Curse” because the abused reader could not withstand the temptation of rage. She ominously warned the author to be conscientious, citing many different examples of stories where the author was pulled into the story and forced to go through what the protagonist had experienced. Zeno read a few of the linked stories out of curiosity, and most of the protagonists are overwhelming characters in the end. Although these novels had a strange feel to them, the main purpose was clear.

However, Chino did not feel the need to worry. If he isn't abandoned to die by the protagonist in his most difficult years, then he should be ok.

My dad is Li Gang⁶, and my dad is the protagonist too!

Lately I have been obsessed with listening to the shamisen and Waggaki Band.

1. I needed so much help with this one. Basically he's a pimp and he says something to the tune of I would never force someone to buy. He specifically mentions dealing flesh so spiced it up a bit. And I felt like his a.s.suring line made no sense in the context so I changed it. I don't know any Chinese whatsoever rip
2. If you're not familiar with the term it's an offer of peace/goodwill
3. I purposely leave his dialogue missing words etc because I feel like it fits best. I'm not sure if that was the author's original intention or MTL.
4. 小舞 - Xiao Wu - means small dance. Probably. Xi Lun's daughter
5. Protagonist halo - in case you somehow haven't come across this term, basically it's something like plot armour? Good things always happen to them. If you're unsatisfied with this pathetic explanation best look to google. I'm too lazy
6. My dad is Li Gang - a Chinese meme that refers to avoiding responsibility, actually has a super sad backstory.