Don't Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin Chapter 167 - System vs. System (17): Touch porcelain, taking advantage, and a sea of beatings

Chapter 167 - System vs. System (17): Touch porcelain, taking advantage, and a sea of beatings

Translator: kiribold

editor: sarah

In recent months, Duan Shujue has received more importance. He often went out for a few days. After returning to the mountain, he spent most of the time in Huishou Peak, which was relatively peaceful and self-contained.

The white deer in the mountain sipped the moon in the water. After a few mouthfuls, he tilted his head curiously to look at the high ponytailed youth treading on the lake, whirling around, and dancing gracefully with his sword. Time pa.s.sed silently in the mist rising from his sword.

Apart from practicing swordsmans.h.i.+p, Duan Shujue had no special hobbies in the past. After re-living this life, he started trying to discover them.

He had been fond of reading recently, but the books weren’t anything serious, merely folk stories bought from a small stall at the foot of the mountain. It was full of tragic love stories about young people who sought but couldn’t have love and had deep sadom.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic relations.h.i.+ps.

Duan Shujue liked to sit by the lake, helping s.h.i.+zun smooth his fur while reading these idle books.

Chi Xiaochi didn’t put his energy into reading books. He was used to seeing all kinds of nasty things in real life, so he developed an impenetrable heart. He was no longer the child who would cry uncontrollably when he saw his favorite character die.

He handed his right hand back to Duan Shujue, slowly turning the book while his other hand stroked the fur on top of his s.h.i.+fu’s head, who was sleeping on his lap. He enjoyed feeling the silky satin touch.

Chi Xiaochi groomed the cat while communicating with 061, “The child’s Laos.h.i.+, why do I feel that the child’s growth isn’t quite in the right direction?”

The tone was like the worry of an old father in a single-parent family.

061 coughed lightly. “Then, can the child’s father come to the office alone after school? Let’s have a good talk.”

…Chi Xiaochi felt that the direction of this cosplay might sound a little strange, but he didn’t think much about it.

The fluffy kitten ball under his palm moved, opened its watery blue eyes, took the initiative to arch himself towards his palm, squinted his eyes, and fell asleep again.

Chi Xiaochi had taken care of s.h.i.+fu for so long, and by now, he broadly understood his s.h.i.+fu’s temperament: not easily annoyed and had some cat-like habits.

He put down the book, taking advantage of s.h.i.+fu’s sleep. He held him up and disgracefully inhaled, then quickly picked up the book, pretending to read.

His s.h.i.+fu woke up in a daze, looked around, and couldn’t find the culprit. Then he bent down, licked the fluff of his abdomen before he coiled his tail, and fell asleep again on his merman disciple.

Chi Xiaochi and 061 discussed this repeatedly, but they couldn’t figure out why Duan Shujue was so addicted to abusive writing. He simply gave up thinking about it and closed his eyes, wanting to rest and recuperate.

After he fell asleep, Duan Shujue was still flipping through the book.

Duan Shujue was less experienced in worldly affairs. A few months of trials and tribulations had let him grow up quickly, giving birth to new thoughts and ideas.

He read those poignant and sentimental words that he had never read before, trying to get immersed in them.

Finally, after reading a ghost story about a fox fairy, his heartstrings were pulled, and he was touched. Tears filled his eyelashes and fell, immediately turning into bright pearls.

After two or three tears fell, Duan Shujue picked up the precious pearls one by one and dipped them in the lake to wash them. After was.h.i.+ng away the surface dust, he tucked them into his sleeves and continued reading.

Witnessing the whole process, 061 smiled gently and pretended not to know.

These days, Duan Shujue has been actively going out to subdue demons. It was for the public and his personal gain.

He was a true gentleman but wasn’t ignorant of the world’s fireworks nor an old-fas.h.i.+oned elm knot.

Demon subduing brought an excellent reputation to Jingxu Peak, which was directly reflected in the “incense” and “favor.” The more incense, the more favor, and the more believers. In recent months, Duan Shujue had gained a lot of benefits from it and had friends.h.i.+ps with the new generation of leaders in three or four immortal mountains. Chi Yunzi even praised this child’s promising future. He tried his best to skew the resources of the mountains to him, and good things would be sent to him to choose from. Duan Shujue had already acc.u.mulated a considerable amount of spiritual pills, immortal elixir, and heavenly and earthly treasures. If he said it out loud, he was afraid he would be the envy of his peers.

Duan Shujue collected these treasures one by one but didn’t use them without permission. He only stored away these things, not knowing what he intended to do with them.

Later, he simply s.h.i.+fted the idea to himself.

According to the market price, a high-quality mermaid pearl was worth a hundred gold.

An onion could make Duan Shujue millions in a day.

To put it bluntly, Duan Shujue was a walking money printing machine with an automatic defense against robbery, which could be described as economical.

Under the stimulation of these abusive writings, Duan Shujue has already acc.u.mulated a box full of mermaid pearls. 061 suspected that if it wasn’t for Duan Shujue’s gentle and considerate nature and unwillingness to tire Chi Xiaochi while he was resting, 061 was afraid that he would secretly be weaving mermaid silk to sell.

061 didn’t know why Duan Shujue acted like a little squirrel burrowing away pine cones. He could only understand it as he had suffered too much in the past and had no sense of security, so he was h.o.a.rding treasures. He just wanted to find some spiritual support, similar in purpose to Chi Xiaochi’s collecting addiction.

Duan Shujue did it secretly because he probably didn’t want others to know about it. 061 didn’t need to expose it. He pretended to be deaf and dumb, letting it go undiscovered.

Since entering this world, Chi Xiaochi was slightly surprised by his Buddhist mentality.

In the past, 061 would always rush him, asking him when he planned to make a move, when to brush up on regret value, what the plan was, and seemed to worry endlessly. But this time, he wasn’t anxious or in a rush. He spent every day with Chi Xiaochi doing sword practice, and after each sweaty training, he helped him balance the excessive lactic acid secreted in the body. He was gentle and patient, really in full nanny mode.

One day, Chi Xiaochi was ordered by Chi Yunzi to slay a river demon that exclusively ate children. He saved the lives of seven children from the demon’s mouth.

By the time the children were sent home, it was already dark.

This time, s.h.i.+fu could not go with him because his third s.h.i.+xiong, Ren Tingfeng, called him to play chess.

This meant he had to walk alone on the road back to the mountain.

The dark clouds covered the moon tonight, and the road up the mountain was pitch black. Chi Xiaochi was discouraged and wanted to stay overnight at the foot of the mountain. But when he rummaged through his pockets, he couldn’t find a single penny. It was as clean as a face.

With no other way, he had to return to the mountain obediently.

The rule about getting off your sword when entering the mountain was right there, and Huaishou Peak was devoid of human traces, so no lights illuminated the road. Chi Xiaochi, afraid of the dark, had to use a blue cloth to cage a handful of fireflies as a light source, but it still didn’t change his cowardice. On the way up the mountain, he jumped up two steps and one step at a time, like a giant rabbit, which made 061 amused and distressed, “Slow down, be careful not to trip.”

The chess game between Wen Yujing and Ren Tingfeng was currently in a stalemate. Ren Tingfeng loved chess and refused to let him go. Wen Yujing really couldn’t get away. Otherwise, he would have long gone down the mountain to pick up Chi Xiaochi and save him from such fear.

As Chi Xiaochi ran home, he said, “Liu-laos.h.i.+, why aren’t you in a hurry this time?”

To his question, 061 was a bit inexplicable. “What am I in a hurry for?”

Chi Xiaochi took a breath and looked towards the rambling mountain road where he couldn’t even see the end. “It’s unlike you, you don’t even rush me anymore.”

061 finally understood what he meant.

He smiled and explained, “There are still three missions left, and then we’ll be separated. I came across such a good partner, so of course I want to stay with him a little longer.”

Chi Xiaochi sighed in his heart. “Liu-laos.h.i.+, I don’t….”

His refusal, which was about to be spoken, was suddenly interrupted by a faint male voice behind him.

“…. s.h.i.+di, didn’t you see s.h.i.+xiong.”

Chi Xiaochi had no psychological preparation for this fright. He was calm on the surface, but inwardly his raw terror exploded into a sharp hedgehog-tipped ball.

He exploded internally, vocalizing a 30-second-long non-repet.i.tive personal attack on Yan Jinhua.

After 061 coaxed him for a long time, Chi Xiaochi could barely calm down.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Can I raise a pitbull terrier in the mountains next time?”

061 used his words to soothe him, “Yes, raise it.”

Yan Jinhua had been waiting for Duan Shujue for almost a whole day on the mountain road.

He had finally waited for Duan Shujue’s figure to appear, but he seemed not even to see him in the dark shadow of the tree. He had to run three steps forward and two steps back up.

If he hadn’t called out for him to stop, he was afraid that he would’ve left empty-handed again tonight.

In the few short months that he hadn’t seen him, Duan Shujue had grown a lot taller. He was dressed in high boots and st.u.r.dy clothing. He had obviously just returned from an errand, and one foot was still straddling the upper steps. His waist appeared thin, his legs long, his black hair combed into a neat high ponytail, and he wore a sapphire jade hair crown with intricate patterns. The end result was a handsome and graceful immortal cultivator.

Yan Jinhua looked at him from the bottom-up, and his heart was full of bitterness.

He forcibly suppressed the sourness that spilled into his throat. “s.h.i.+di, how have you been doing recently?”

Above him, Duan Shujue bowed coldly. “Thanks to s.h.i.+xiong’s blessing, very well.”

Yan Jinhua walked forward two steps with a sincere look. “Indeed, looks good. Taller and stronger, but now Duan-s.h.i.+di can’t see s.h.i.+xiong in his eyes now. It really hurts s.h.i.+xiong’s heart.”

After saying that, he faked two cries, very aggrieved.

In the past, Duan Shujue fell for this trick the most because he couldn’t tell the difference between his eyebrow height. Whenever he deliberately pretended to be wronged, Duan Shujue would rush forward to coax him, his heart and eyes on him, making him feel great.

But Yan Jinhua found that this trick seemed to be ineffective.

Duan Shujue stood on the steps from afar, looking down at him and quietly watching his performance. “s.h.i.+xiong, don’t be too concerned.”

Yan Jinhua snorted.

It doesn’t work anymore.

But, his trip wasn’t aimed at Duan Shujue either. The plan was already half-successful as long as he could strike up a conversation with him.

He consciously took the initiative to find himself a step down. “s.h.i.+xiong is joking with you. Having gone so long without seeing you, s.h.i.+xiong really misses you, so he came here without notice. Did he cause you any trouble?”

Duan Shujue said gently, “Yes.”

Yan Jinhua: “…”

Duan Shujue gave a winning-hand smile, his eyebrows like petals, and his original words were returned, “s.h.i.+di is joking.”

Yan Jinhua was hung up for a while, and it was difficult to distinguish whether these were good words, so he could only force a smile. “s.h.i.+di…you really know how to joke.”

“s.h.i.+xiong is very good at teaching. Shujue is only now sparing no effort to learn.” Duan Shujue flattered him and then said gently, “s.h.i.+xiong, do you want to go up and sit a while?”

…unable to beg for it enough.

This time, Yan Jinhua was no longer polite to Duan Shujue for fear that he was too sincere and took his politeness as a blessing, and hurriedly responded, “I have been in the mountains for so many years, but I have never been to the residence of the little s.h.i.+shu. Now, I’ll trouble Duan-s.h.i.+di to lead the way.”

Duan Shujue smiled and turned his back. The smile on his face instantly dissipated.

Chi Xiaochi’s occasional episodes of childishness made 061 both fond and helpless. “Not angry anymore, huh?”

Chi Xiaochi smiled but said, “I’m not angry, ha.”

061 couldn’t help but think, how cute.

When he walked up the mountain with Yan Jinhua, he kept silent the whole time, as he always did. Yan Jinhua couldn’t sense the suffocating aura of the person in front of him and was still trying to talk to him, “Duan-s.h.i.+di, which do you think is better? Yuguang Pool or Huishou Peak?”

Chi Xiaochi lied without blinking. “Of course it is Yuguang Pool.”

Yan Jinhua was immediately encouraged again. He continued his efforts to evoke Duan Shujue’s fond memories of the past. “How is it better?”

Chi Xiaochi’s face was pensive, and he said to 061 in his heart, “It’s good, good as your grandma’s leg.”

061 almost collapsed in laughter, and he calmed down with a cough.

Chi Xiaochi was very conscious of him. “I know what you’re going to say: you can’t say this, it’s a dirty word.”

061 was finally provoked into laughter by him, and his low and gentle laughing voice made hearts tremble, which also slightly improved Chi Xiaochi’s mood.

The dark clouds had already dispersed while the two of them chatted to the top of the mountain.

A full moon came out behind the clouds, and the clear snow glow and starlight shone down.

Chi Xiaochi caught a ray of moonlight in his palm and created a key on the spot with a twist of his hand. He sent it to a particular place in the void, and the world instantly transformed.

…Yan Jinhua finally knew why his previous visits were repeatedly in vain.

The scenery that suddenly appeared before him shook his eyes into a daze.

The sea of stars was above. The clear lake was below. The starlight entered the water, and the water reflected the starlight. There were two more galaxies between heaven and earth complementing each other spectacularly.

Yan Jinhua, chasing after Duan Shujue and thinking about the beauty of Yuguang Pool, only felt a slight burning pain on his cheeks.

As long as you have a little judgment, you can see which of the two places was better.

Wen Yujing, who had quickly finished his chess game with Ren Tingfeng, had already changed form and returned to his residence.

When Yan Jinhua entered, Wen Yujing was sitting in front of the house and playing the flute. He was in a loose robe, his long hair uncombed, and he was sloppy and idle in his laziness.

Sensing the door open, he opened his eyes slightly. “A guest?”

Before Duan Shujue could introduce him, Yan Jinhua greeted him warmly and gave a big salute. “s.h.i.+shu, it’s been a long time. I have taken the liberty to disturb you today. I am really rash, I hope s.h.i.+shu will understand.”

Wen Yujing put the long flute on his lap. “It’s okay.”

Yan Jinhua looked around, unable to hide his envy. “I often hear my s.h.i.+fu say that this is the blessed land of the immortal mountains. Today, I’ve seen it and it is true.”

Wen Yujing replied, “You’re right. Yuguang Pool is also a famous blessed land.”

Yan Jinhua spared no effort to tout. “If you practice there, your cultivation base will definitely grow rapidly. No wonder s.h.i.+di is so excellent now.”

Wen Yujing said coldly, “Shujue’s excellence has nothing to do with the environment. Eldest s.h.i.+xiong once said that the cultivation base is all in ones heart, not the environment.”

Yan Jinhua: “…”

He suspected that this Wen-s.h.i.+shu wasn’t very good at talking. Didn’t he want to hear good things?

And what kind of ivory could that pedantic old man spit out? He had already listened to all those lectures himself, but all that was left were three axes: indecent, lazy, and without great use.

Whenever he thought about this, Yan Jinhua found it very difficult to be at peace.

His excellent plan was forced to be sc.r.a.pped because of a d.a.m.n coincidence. Otherwise, that nagging old man would be his s...o...b..ring dog in the end.

Speaking of which, his own main system was just as useless!

The main appeal of this book-transmigration system was to complete the worldline of those books that weren’t poorly written and had given birth to a certain spirituality but were ultimately unfinished. The “progress value” earned would be converted into proportional energy, which maintained the power required for the system to operate and help the system to develop continuously, healthy and green.

Being accidentally chosen by this system was a great thing for Yan Jinhua!

He wasn’t bad with women in real life. But because of his lazy personality, lack of pursuit, and mediocre career, he was eventually reduced to one of the mediocre people.

Yan Jinhua was pretentious and always felt unwilling. He wanted to be the main character. He wanted to enjoy the feeling of everyone revolving around him.

This book-transmigration system greatly satisfied his needs.

But there was still a fly in the ointment.

Just like how all the ways of making a lot of money quickly were written in the criminal law, his dream of being the protagonist wasn’t recognized by the main system.

The main system’s charter clearly stipulated that various means could be used when carrying out tasks. But everyone’s sole purpose was to a.s.sist the protagonist in filling the plotline so that the story’s logic was self-consistent. In principle, it was necessary to comply with the established moral code and not do anything unscrupulous.

——After all, most of the systems and hosts selected by the book-transmigration system were also human. Advocating an anti-human approach to replenishment could easily lead to instability, which wasn’t conducive to the operation and long-term development of the system.

Fortunately, this main system gave the hosts a high degree of freedom and rarely asked about their progress.

Each person’s progress bar was different. Some were dedicated to correcting the villain, and the progress bar was linked to “justice.” Some were dedicated to the protagonist, and the progress bar was linked to “favorability.” Some were committed to being the little brother, holding the protagonist’s thigh tightly, and finis.h.i.+ng the story safe and sound. Their progress value was linked to the “protagonist’s luck value.”

After careful research, Yan Jinhua reached an agreement with his system:

He took the dark line of “stealing the protagonist’s luck,” which led to the connection between the “protagonist’s negative luck” and the “progress value.”

Relying on this skill, Yan Jinhua became prosperous in two worlds and ate well, but he was defeated here by Duan Shujue.

He worked hard for several years, but now he was back to his former life. His progress bar was not only zero, but he also lost a lot of treasures. In addition, he was now being pressured by an “external intrusion” system and felt dismayed. It wasn’t easy to go back and ask the main system for help, but the main system didn’t care about him.

Yan Jinhua felt bitter.

He couldn’t tell the main system about his sleazy operation. In desperation, he came up with another good idea.

Didn’t the main system say that this “invasion system” didn’t affect his mission progress so it wouldn’t interfere?

Then he would think of a way to make the system have to care.

After all, he had been in this world for so many years. The skinny camel was bigger than the horse, and he had saved a lot of good things on hand.

Thinking of this, Yan Jinhua smiled slightly. “Little s.h.i.+shu, this disciple often hears my s.h.i.+fu’s praise of your sword, physique, music, and alchemy, all of which are excellent. This disciple is a mediocre swordsman and in satisfactory physique. I don’t know if today, I can have the chance to get some pointers from s.h.i.+shu today?”

“You’re kind.” Wen Yujing indeed fell for his scheme. He put down the flute, stood up, loosely tied his hair with a hand band, and walked in front of Yan Jinhua. With a single palm spread out flat, it was a very polite and courteous gesture. “A simple sparring session, just to the point.”

Although his demeanor and words were mild, there was a sense of civilized violence.

Seeing that these two exchanged a few pleasantries and were about to spar, Chi Xiaochi was not interested in watching any further. He got up and said, “s.h.i.+fu, s.h.i.+xiong, I will prepare some snow ear soup for you.”

…just what I wanted.

Yan Jinhua showed a smile, rolled up his sleeves, and posed the starting stance of the Jingxu palm technique.

He wasn’t proficient at this. If he hadn’t endured the pain of using the most precious qi pills acc.u.mulated in the previous world, which forcibly improved his cultivation and comprehension in a short period, then he and Wen Yujing probably wouldn’t be able to spar.

However, now, he was in his range.

The two moved their palms and went back and forth with each other. Yan Jinhua could clearly feel Wen Yujing sounding him out from the beginning. From his slight surprise to his then seriousness, there was a hint of pleasure in his heart.

He needed to wait for an opportunity, and this opportunity could only be achieved by close contact with Wen Yujing.

Soon, the opportunity he wanted came.

Wen Yujing pushed out a palm, Yan Jinhua received it with his palm, and while dissipating the strength of the palm, he also quietly pushed an object into Wen Yujing’s body along the qi channel.

The silk poison gu could cause paralysis, but it would never kill a person.

Wen Yujing wasn’t stupid, but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes, “You…”

Yan Jinhua wasn’t surprised.

With Wen Yujing’s cultivation level, how could he not be aware of his tampering?

But what he wanted was for Wen Yujing to notice.

According to his character design, Wen Yujing was a gentleman of the light breeze and clear moon, and now someone was plotting against him like this. How could he not be angry?

Yan Jinhua would have ample room to play as long as he was annoyed.

He abruptly withdrew his palm, waiting for Wen Yujing to hit him with a blow. He naturally wouldn’t avoid or block it, allowing his palm strength to back up and then spit blood and fall to the ground.

Silk Poison Gu was fragile and would be destroyed at once, leaving no trace. Even if there was an investigation, they wouldn’t be able to find a reason.

Without evidence of his use of the Gu, a s.h.i.+shu and junior sparring, how could he strike him to the point of vomiting blood? There would be no way to explain this.

In this way, he also had a ready-made excuse on the system side.

This “invasive system” blatantly interfered with his ability to complete the task. Even deliberately targetting him and wanting to kill him. His heart must be punished!

In this way, it would be inappropriate for the main system not to take care of it.

If his luck were a little better, the main system would directly put this “invasive system” of unknown origin that actively harmed its employees back to the furnace and reformat it.

Yan Jinhua was fully prepared.

If his acting skills weren’t enough, the pose would come together. Whoever fell first would be right.

As he expected, after Wen Yujing came into contact with the poisonous Gu, he eliminated it with the pure spiritual power in his body. He immediately made a decisive strike, hitting Yan Jinhua’s chest horizontally with a palm.

Yan Jinhua stood up straight and took the blow firmly.

…It was done!

However, who would have thought that Wen Yujing wouldn’t stop. After his palm landed on his chest, he hooked his wrist with a back foot toe twist, lifting his body in the air, turning his palm into a fist, and punched Yan Jinhua in the face!

Yan Jinhua cried out in pain, only to feel his nose breaking, tears streaming down his cheeks, and the secret smile at the corner of his mouth was instantly distorted.

…why didn’t he stop?!

He fell to the ground. He was dizzy when he was slapped repeatedly three or four times on the face, so much that even his sideburns were crooked. He instinctively waved his hands to resist, but his forearm was grasped. He was pulled up from the ground, his hands behind his back, and suddenly twisted. Yan Jinhua screamed again in pain, his face turning blue.

His hand—

Before the pain spread, Yan Jinhua took another kick, his body collapsing uncontrollably. Only to then be forcibly pulled up and thrown to the ground.

A sea of beatings could accurately summarize Yan Jinhua’s experience in the next five minutes.

Wen Yujing’s strikes were steady and accurate. His white clothes blew like flowing water. There were no superfluous movements—elbows, palms, and legs- all of which were at their peak performance. The m.u.f.fled sound of flesh and blood was crisp and clear endlessly.

The one-sided beating was already over when Chi Xiaochi returned, holding the snow fungus soup.

Seeing Yan Jinhua bruised and swollen on the ground, Chi Xiaochi was stunned for a few seconds before remembering to call for 061 and excitedly asked for gossip, “Liu-laos.h.i.+, Liu-laos.h.i.+, what’s going on?”

061 said mildly, “Looks like he was too in need of a beating and was beaten.”

Wen Yujing, standing by Yan Jinhua’s side, had his long hair loose. He took out a hair tie and lightly wiped his fingertips. His words couldn’t hide his contempt, “I hate people who cheat the most in my life. In a small compet.i.tion, he actually played the Gu technique. When I go see my s.h.i.+xiong later, I’ll ask senior brother for an explanation. I’ll ask him how he taught his disciple to be like this.”

Chi Xiaochi thought, playing with Gu in front of Wen Yujing, what kind of stupid operation was this.

On the other hand, Yan Jinhua endured the pain of several broken bones and grimaced while screaming in his heart.

He didn’t expect that Wen Yujing, who looked so gentle, would deal such a deadly attack!

If he was only beaten to the point of vomiting blood, he could still defend one or two things in front of Chi Yunzi, saying that his s.h.i.+shu had misunderstood. But it turned out that this surnamed Wen didn’t f.u.c.king play by the rules, seriously beating him to near death. Then, he dragged him out and said that he practiced filthy methods in a spar so that no one would believe he didn’t use a Gu.

However, Yan Jinhua still managed to pull out a smile amid the severe pain.

..It seemed that this would be impossible to explain before his s.h.i.+fu.

However, his appearance was more than enough to go to the main system and file a complaint.