NOVEL NEXT chapter 6 - The First World (6)
Yun Mingchen only said that one sentence, then set the little cat down and turned to go into the bathroom to shower.
The protagonist stared blankly at his retreating figure, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
The system, feeling confused, asked, [Why do I feel like something’s off?]
“It’s off. The toxic, childish persona was all just an act. We were completely wrong earlier. The real Yun Mingchen is the one coldly commanding monsters at dawn.”
[Huh?]
“Yun Mingchen said there are eyes everywhere in the house. He already knew there were cameras. That pathetic, mentally broken act was all for Mr. Wen, who was watching from behind the cameras.”
The protagonist furrowed his brows and looked toward the bathroom.
Perhaps because it wasn’t the right time to kill the cat, after receiving instructions from Mr. Wen, the butler didn’t harm the little tabby cat.
Instead, he replaced all the broken cameras in the bedroom and left directly.
The protagonist hid in the corner, spying on him.
He watched as the butler went back and forth, retrieving seven or eight cameras from the bedroom. Nearly every place had one, except for the bathroom.
The protagonist was momentarily speechless.
These people clearly could have placed cameras in the bathroom too, but they still left Yun Mingchen with a small space of privacy.
How kind of them. He was so moved.
At the moment the butler left, the protagonist saw a new message pop up on the butler's unlocked phone screen.
Master: [What does Yun Mingchen think of the two young ladies of the Wen family? Have they contacted him again after the last gathering?]
The protagonist couldn’t see the butler’s reply.
Fortunately, he vaguely remembered that the original text mentioned Miss Wen.
The original text was long, so the system used a full-text search to pull out all sections related to Miss Wen. It went out to pick up a delivery, leaving the protagonist alone to study the novel.
According to the setting of this urban cultivation novel, cultivators go through four stages: Body Refining, Tranquil Mind, Spirit Consolidation, and Ascension.
Body Refining consists of ten layers, and the other stages are divided into early, mid, and late periods.
Yun Mingchen’s current cultivation level is in the early stage of Tranquil Mind.
With the development of technology, machines have drastically altered the landscape, severely damaging the feng shui.
As a result, the world has exhausted its spiritual energy, no longer suitable for cultivation. Although cultivators still exist, it’s been five to six hundred years since anyone ascended to immortality.
No sect’s mountain can withstand large-scale bombings. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) The cultivation world is rapidly declining, at a terrifying speed.
If it weren’t for the occasional emergence of monsters and supernatural beings in the empire, cultivators' status would be even lower.
In the original text, there are three ancient cultivation families: the Yun family, the Su family, and the Wen family.
The three families form a cultivation alliance responsible for managing the cultivation academy, handling cultivators in the empire, and dealing with non-scientific events.
The villain, Yun Mingchen, is the heir to the Yun family, while the male protagonist, Su Feng, is a lost branch of the Su family, later found and adopted back into the family, becoming Su Shaoye (Young Master Su).
The Wen family is the only one of the three families with no sons, only daughters.
The twin sisters, Wen Xiaoqian and Wen Yingying, are the jewels of the Wen family and both fall in love with Su Feng, joining his harem.
The Wen family and the Su family then form an alliance to bring down the Yun family.
The original text describes the two young ladies in detail. The protagonist crouches by the bathroom door, paws tucked, and tilts his head to read relevant sections.
Su Feng’s sword tip accidentally tore Wen Xiaoqian’s clothes, almost causing her to expose herself. From that moment on, she constantly tries to make things difficult for him.
One day, Wen Xiaoqian goes to a bar to find Su Feng. There, she’s drugged with spiked alcohol by a random thug. Su Feng arrives just in time to save her, taking her to a nearby inn for care.
The next morning, though Wen Xiaoqian curses Su Feng for being shameless, she begins to secretly develop feelings for him, impressed by his integrity and not taking advantage of her vulnerable state.
The protagonist flicks his tail in quiet amazement.
Even a small-time thug in a bar can drug the most promising young talents in the cultivation world.
It’s over, the cultivation world is finished.
After reading about Wen Xiaoqian, the protagonist moves on to Wen Yingying.
Unlike her twin sister, Wen Yingying is a silly beauty, completely useless except for her cuteness.
She’s pure and innocent, doesn’t wear makeup, and enjoys doing housework. After Su Feng wins the sword competition, she starts to secretly admire him.
She follows him around, delivering handmade snacks and small gifts. Su Feng, touched by her innocence and kindness, develops feelings for her as well.
The protagonist slowly forms a little question mark in his mind.
Wasn’t the male protagonist just the one who tore Wen Xiaoqian’s clothes during the competition?
How can this flimsy little cotton jacket have its elbows out?
Wait, if he remembers correctly, Su Feng was supposed to be dating Yun Mingchen’s sister right now.
He has a girlfriend, but he’s still receiving handmade chocolates from other girls?
Ugh, what a scumbag.
Yun Mingchen hasn’t finished his shower, and the system still hasn’t returned.
Feeling bored, the protagonist glances over at the other female characters in the novel.
There are many female characters: the sweet neighborhood girl, the rich girl, the female cop, the kindergarten teacher…
Each character has a different appearance, personality, and profession, but they have a lot in common too.
For example, they all have petite figures, stunning bodies, frequently encounter gross perverts, and aren’t bothered by the male protagonist’s crude jokes.
When the system finally returns, the protagonist is still contemplating life.
It sets down the delivery box and curiously asks, [Little Yu, what are you thinking about?]
The protagonist enters the system’s space and recounts the plot he’s been reading.
Both fall into silence.
The system deeply exhales a puff of smoke, [You were a beauty, but now you're blind.]
The protagonist thinks that maybe the harem in the original novel wasn’t blind after all.
The villain, Yun Mingchen, has three faces and eight hundred tricks up his sleeve. Even if the female characters fall under his spell, their families wouldn’t all be idiots. How could they let their precious daughters join the male protagonist’s harem?
The protagonist wants to ask the system if something’s wrong with the plot or if there’s hidden content in the novel.
But 8102 is too focused on the new delivery to discuss the story.
It interrupts the protagonist and excitedly unpacks the box, explaining as it goes.
“I bought three items in total. This one is called ‘Dream Lover X.’ Using it, you can enter the villain’s dreams and say or do whatever you want.”
“But there are restrictions. It can only be used when the villain is asleep, and once a night. Also, your appearance in the dream depends on the villain’s impression of you.”
The protagonist takes the little hat from the system and asks, “Why’s it called ‘Lover X’?”
“Because it’s a permanent item. Since you're a cat in this world, it’s called ‘Dream Lover Cat.’ If the next world has you as a chicken, it’ll be ‘Dream Lover Chicken.’”
The protagonist:…
“So you mean I won’t be human in the next world either?”
“Nope, I was just guessing.”
Before the protagonist can ask more, the system starts introducing the second item.
“This one’s called ‘Couple Resemblance.’ Have you heard of the saying that couples who spend a lot of time together start to look alike? After using this item, you’ll start resembling the villain more and more.”
“I’ve heard of it, but we’re not a couple.”
“There’s no ‘Master-Pet Resemblance’ item in the store. Most of our clients are human. It doesn’t matter much. You can just make do with this one.”
The protagonist really wants to ask why he became a pet, but the system isn’t interested in that conversation.
Before he can say anything, the system continues with the third item.
“This one’s called ‘Heartfelt Connection.’ You can use it to meow or make little movements to convey your meaning to the villain. Of course, the effect is mutual. When the villain has strong emotional fluctuations, you’ll also sense a little bit.”
The protagonist wants to comment on how this sounds unrelated to the power dynamics, but the system doesn’t give him the chance to speak.
“It’s a subtle and mysterious feeling. The villain won’t realize it’s external influence. So, how’s it? The items I picked for you, aren’t they great? They’re all permanent, so they won’t disappear even if we change worlds or become any kind of animal.”
As the system speaks, it pushes the small orb-shaped item into the protagonist’s soul.
The protagonist feels a slight addition to his soul, an odd sensation.
He looks at the system thoughtfully.
‘Dream Lover X’ refers to fantasies about a lover. ‘Couple Resemblance’ represents a couple, and ‘Heartfelt Connection’ is for lovers.
The protagonist can’t help but ask: “Little Eight, why are all the items you bought related to love? I don’t remember our contract requiring the host to fall in love with the villain.”
The system looks at him sideways and throws its phone in front of him.
On the phone screen, there’s a live-streamed shopping event. A red orb and a host in red clothing are shouting at the audience.
“End-of-year sale at the Love Strategy Mall, buy two get one free! Mary Sue halo, charming body fragrance, flower market constitution—everything’s half price! Buying now means profit!”
The protagonist:…
The system’s world is so lively.
Seeing the system’s order history in the shopping cart, the protagonist’s doubts dissipate.
It seems 8102 is a thrifty, homebody system, just buying these weird items because they had a big discount.
The bathroom didn’t have cameras, and Yun Mingchen lay back in the bathtub, feeling incredibly relaxed.
Through the frosted glass door, he could see a small figure crouching at the bathroom door.
Yun Mingchen stared for a while, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
He didn’t like being watched. Even if it was just a little cat staring at him, it made him uncomfortable.
His nerves tensed again, and he lost interest in his bath.
He hastily finished his shower, dried himself off, and changed into his pajamas before stepping out of the bathroom.
As soon as he opened the bathroom door, the little cat, waiting at the door, immediately stood up, rubbing against his ankle and meowing.
The soft, warm body brushed against his skin, and Yun Mingchen’s icy face slowly softened.
He used his toes to kick the little cat, “You’ve rubbed cat fur all over me. Get lost, dirty thing.”
The protagonist clung to his calf with both paws and softly meowed, “Don’t speak, I’m covered in your stench, ugh, unlucky!”
Yun Mingchen’s steps halted.
For some reason, even though the little cat looked very cute and its meows were pleasant, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the little cat had just cursed him out for his foul mouth.