Chapter 117: Truly Disliking Oneself

Evening passed, and the pitch-black night spread across the sky like pixelated oil in an anime. Stars multiplied, and the moon grew increasingly bright, though its light had a faint red tint, seeming to deepen with each passing moment...

At the Qian residence, where Jiang Lin lived, since Qian Xiaopang had decided to cultivate immortality, Jiang Lin, as his master, could not simply stand by.

Although he was only at the Observation Sea realm...

Still, no matter what, Jiang Lin was at least a mid-level Fifth Stage cultivator.

He brought Qian Xiaopang back to his courtyard. Though he had no idea where Jiujiu had gone since the afternoon, it didn't matter; he didn’t need any assistance anyway.

The first thing Jiang Lin did was to assess Qian Xiaopang’s innate talent.

The heavier the innate talent, the better.

But Jiang Lin was not skilled in this...

Still, that didn’t matter; he had purchased a “Cultivation Analyzer” from the system.

It wasn’t expensive—only 2,000 notoriety points.

In this world, cultivators came in countless varieties, perfectly embodying the saying “All roads lead to Rome.” There were cultivators of every kind.

Yet, the most mainstream were still the schools of the Hundred Philosophers.

Thus, this “Cultivation Analyzer” could effectively determine which path was best suited for Xiaopang’s cultivation.

“Come, Xiaopang, answer these questions,” Jiang Lin said, placing the tablet-like analyzer in front of him. It displayed 100 multiple-choice questions and 100 short-answer questions.

It resembled a questionnaire.

The questions were wildly diverse, such as:

“If you were betrayed, what would you choose? A. Kill your wife to attain enlightenment. B. Of course, forgive her. C....”

“If your mother and your Dao partner both fell into a river and couldn’t swim or use magic, and you had only a rope, who would you save?”

“A wolf falls in love with a sheep. Why does this wolf love so madly?”

In short, the questions were strange and baffling. If Jiang Lin hadn’t trusted the system’s products, he might have thought this analyzer was just a cheap gimmick.

After half an hour, Xiaopang finished the questions. Following the analyzer’s instructions, Jiang Lin placed it above Xiaopang’s head. It floated up, activated a light like a UFO’s halo, enveloping Xiaopang.

After a while, the analyzer produced results, and the system’s voice echoed in Jiang Lin’s mind:

“Ding...
Test subject: Qian Zhenduo
Spiritual root condition: Average, somewhat poor (cultivation not highly recommended).
Recommended path: Painter Cultivator.”

“Painter?”

Jiang Lin was taken aback.

“Damn it! System, are you sure this isn’t a mistake? Just from those strange questions and some scanning for a short while? And what does ‘somewhat poor roots’ mean? This is my first disciple! System, is this Cultivation Analyzer some sort of substandard product?”

“Please do not doubt the credibility of products produced by this system. We guarantee quality, with seven-day unconditional returns and three-year warranties. However, given the host’s integrity, you may enjoy the warranty but cannot request a refund.

Furthermore, the Cultivation Analyzer is for reference only. The Dao is vast and unpredictable; all depends on actual circumstances.”

Jiang Lin frowned slightly. For some reason, he felt as if he had been hoodwinked by a fortune teller—and had paid for it.

“Master, am I really not suited for cultivation...?” Xiaopang’s expression fell as he saw the complicated look on his teacher’s face.

That’s what he thought—cultivating immortality wasn’t so easy… perhaps he was truly unfit.

“No, Xiaopang!” Jiang Lin slammed the analyzer down and patted his stout shoulder firmly. “You are very suitable for cultivation! Especially as a painter cultivator! Your future is limitless!”

“Really?” Qian Zhenduo’s eyes lit up. “Master, you’re not lying?”

“Of course not! I guarantee it with my integrity! If you fail to achieve greatness on the Dao, that idiot system will self-destruct!”

Tears welled up in Qian Zhenduo’s eyes. “Although I don’t fully understand what you mean, Master, you’re the first person to encourage me! All my previous teachers only scolded me, calling me stupid! Master! Please accept my bow!”

Qian Zhenduo knelt before Jiang Lin and kowtowed three times.

Looking at the stout boy, Jiang Lin felt a complex mix of emotions.

But he believed there was no student who couldn’t learn! Diligence could make up for lack of talent!

If someone like him, who spent most days slacking off, could reach the Cave Abode realm, why couldn’t Xiaopang?

When Xiaopang looked up again, Jiang Lin had removed his mask, revealing his original face.

“Master… you…”

“Since you sincerely accepted me as your teacher, I cannot face my first disciple with a false visage,” Jiang Lin said, helping him to his feet.

“Xiaopang, from today onward, you are my disciple.”

“Master…” Tears streamed down Xiaopang’s face.

Though he still thought the masked version of his master looked cooler, he was deeply moved.

“Enough crying,” Jiang Lin said, pulling out a stack of anime character drawings he had made.

Then, spending 5,000 notoriety points, he bought a set of painting tools from the system, and for 4,000 more points, he purchased a heavily discounted—only ten percent of the original price—grade “N” manual titled *Painter Cultivator: From Beginner to Grave*.

It was the first time Jiang Lin had seen the system offer a discount. At one-tenth the price, he suspected a bug in the system.

Initially, Jiang Lin wanted to buy a higher-grade cultivation manual for Xiaopang, but this was already the most expensive “N” grade manual offered.

Anything more expensive would be “R” grade, and even the cheapest “R” grade manual cost over a hundred thousand notoriety points.

Jiang Lin had less than forty thousand notoriety points remaining.

Now he truly understood how impressive “I am Sword Bone” was.

Of course, this only fueled his desire to draw the “???”-grade Divided Sword.

But that thought was better left unpursued; the system’s designers were as unreliable as ever.

“Xiaopang, these are all the things I can give you. Keep them well, especially *Painter Cultivator: From Beginner to Grave*. Don’t let anyone else see it.”

“Master, are you leaving?”

“Yes. To be honest, I came to Donglin City to slay demons.”

“It was difficult to find, but surprisingly, I encountered a demon at your Qian residence.”

“Your third mother is a fox spirit who absorbs men’s essence. Tonight, I will exorcise her!”

Jiang Lin clenched his left fist before him, his face radiating righteousness.

“Sorry, Xiaopang, you must be very sad.”

“Sad? Not at all,” Xiaopang waved his hand.

“Third mother has only been with our family for three months, and I’ve barely seen her. I have no real feelings for her, though it is a pity. Father hasn’t remarried for a long time…”

He sighed. “So it wasn’t that Father found true love again, but was bewitched by the fox. No wonder Father insisted on marrying her three months ago, and since then his health has declined. It was fox charm! Master, is my father going to be alright?”

“Don’t worry. For the sake of running the Qian household, your father won’t be harmed. After I eliminate that fox demon, he’ll recover in a couple of months. Then I’ll give him a tonic to replenish his kidney essence.”

Jiang Lin patted Xiaopang’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I have some skill in replenishing kidney essence.”

He glanced up at the reddening moon. For some unknown reason, Jiang Lin felt uneasy, and his eyelid kept twitching.

“There might be some commotion soon. You take my dog and go to your courtyard to stay with Miss Hu Shuang. Don’t run around.”

“Also, although your third mother often drains others’ essence recklessly, don’t generalize. She has already fallen into demonic cultivation, but most fox demons are more restrained in absorbing essence.”

“In your future cultivation, be careful. Though I’m somewhat skilled at painting and often create fan art for myself or for sale, I’m not truly a painter cultivator.”

“Taking you to our family sect isn’t impossible, but honestly, their paintings aren’t better than mine. After this matter is settled, I’ll ask around for some reliable painter cultivator sects.”

In truth, Jiang Lin avoided introducing Xiaopang to demonic sects, fearing they might corrupt him.

Plus, the Sun and Moon Sect was a demonic cult, and its members were notorious tricksters who loved digging up dirt. What if Xiaopang’s image of his master was ruined?

“Master, why do I feel like you’re giving a farewell speech...?”

“You silly kid, what are you saying!”

Jiang Lin smacked the back of Xiaopang’s head.

“I have a noble spirit; why fear a mere fox demon? Let her suck away! My kidney essence is endless. Can she really drain it all?”

“Alright, I’m off now.”

Jiang Lin waved and put his mask back on, then walked toward the front courtyard.

…

Outside Donglin City, aside from the bustling central marketplace, the lights of ten thousand homes slowly went out. The dog lying in the yard yawned.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Jiang Lin straightened his collar and knocked on a door.

“Who is it?”

A soft, delicate voice answered, sending shivers down Jiang Lin’s spine and causing his heart to race.

Damn…

For some reason, Jiang Lin felt an inexplicable excitement, vaguely understanding how Ximen Qing must have felt back then.

“Madam, it’s me, Snake~~~~”

With a loud bang, the door opened immediately, as if the occupant was even more eager than Jiang Lin.

“So it’s Young Master Si.”

The lightly dressed Madam Qian appeared before him.

A faint scent lingered on her—like dried squid.

Had she just eaten squid?

“Visiting so late, please do not mind, Madam Qian.”

“Nonsense. Our Confucian ancestors said study knows no day or night. So long as you do not mind the trouble, please come in.”

Jiang Lin smiled slightly (thinking fervently, “I am wholeheartedly devoted to Kato Megumi”), and cupped his hands in salute.

“Then I shall trouble you.”

…

Atop the tall tower in the city center, a woman in white stood beside another in black.

The woman in white still wore a veil, her silver-white eyes more beautiful than the stars above.

The woman in black wore subtle red makeup to mask her pale face; her gauzy skirt fluttered in the air. Her black eyes seemed to take one last look at the mortal world.

“Jiu Yi, do I look good tonight?”

The leader of the Dugu Demonic Sect, who had just broken through the Blood Name Array, smiled at the woman beside her.

The white-veiled woman gently stroked her cheek. “You look good—better than even me.”

“I’m still somewhat modest. But since the Sovereign of the White Empire says so, tonight I shall be the most beautiful woman under the heavens.”

The white-veiled woman shook her head. “I’m not the most beautiful woman.”

“Oh? Then who? Lin Qingwan? Xiao Xueli? Or the Sun and Moon Sect’s Twin Peaks leader, Jiang Yuni?”

The veiled woman smiled faintly. “If you want to ask, ask him. What use is asking me? Help me ask who is truly the most beautiful.”

“Tch, the one I like isn’t named Jiang Lin. Why should I ask him? What if he says I’m the most beautiful? Won’t you be jealous?”

“Jealous? Xiaoye, what exactly does jealousy feel like?”

The woman called Xiaoye rolled her eyes. “It’s hard to explain. If you get the chance, you’ll understand for yourself.”

Hearing her friend’s words, the woman in white said nothing, instead gazing at the twinkling lights of Donglin City.

After a long moment, the nine-tailed celestial fox in white finally asked softly, “Are you really going to do this, just to find him?”

“Mm,” the woman in black nodded. “By dawn, Donglin City will be a city of death.”

The woman in white lowered her gaze gently. “But you will vanish from this world, perhaps forever barred from reincarnation.”

“Isn’t that better?”

Looking at the veiled girl’s indescribable beauty, the woman in black tilted her head with a smile.

“Enough sadness. You’re already at the Immortal realm. Why pity a little Nascent Soul cultivator like me?”

The woman in white smiled softly and brushed away her small paw. “No one pities you—it’s your own doing.”

“That’s more like it. That’s the Jiu Yi I know,” the woman in black said, turning to look toward the Qian residence. “Besides, aren’t you about to undergo a tribulation of love? Tonight, a Nascent Soul fox will give her life for a man. Isn’t that a perfect example for your Dao observation?”

The woman in white remained silent, gazing toward the Qian residence, lost in thought.

“Jiu Yi.”

“Hm?”

“My people have already gone to the Qian residence. If you go now, you’ll still make it. Otherwise, he will truly die.”

The woman in white shook her head calmly.

“Jiu Yi, I have a question. Of course, you may choose not to answer.”

“If you want to ask, then ask.”

“Why did you let Xiao Xueli and Lin Qingwan go?”

“Xiao Xueli has a ten-thousand-year sword spirit at the Jade Pureness realm following her. If she wanted to escape, I couldn’t stop her. As for Lin Qingwan, her constitution is special. Though she’s Nascent Soul, her strength rivals early Jade Pureness realm. I made a careless mistake and let her escape.”

The woman in black turned her head. “Just a sword spirit and a mistake?”

The woman in white chose not to reply, instead staring into the distance.

Was it really just a sword spirit and a mistake?

For a perfect Immortal-realm nine-tailed celestial fox, was that an excuse?

A flicker passed through her silver-white eyes—the first time since birth that she did not want to admit her own heart.

She was afraid.

Afraid that if she truly did something to those two women...

He...

Would truly hate her...

The End