NOVEL NEXT Chapter Forty-Three: Run, Hammer, Accepted!
Once outside, Young Master Sang didn’t rush back to Shi Qingyan’s cell to find Zhang Xiaoying.
He swayed back and forth, calling out softly in his mind:
“Hey~ System~”
“Are you there~”
“Don’t play dead, it won’t work. I know you’re listening.”
“You think I’ll just pretend I don’t know and stop asking?”
“Come on out, since I’ve found you, you owe me an explanation.”
“What on earth are you hiding from me?”
After what felt like ages, the system finally responded.
[What does the host want to inquire about?]
“Finally spoke up.”
Sang Zhe grinned: “I knew you old hack had some intelligence. Otherwise, who would bother setting up a system like this?”
“Spill it. About Si Jingzhu, why were you trying to keep me from checking?”
“What are you hiding?”
Once again, the system fell into silence.
It was still struggling, but Sang Zhe already had a hunch.
This system might avoid answering some vague questions, but when it came to specific inquiries, it had no choice but to respond.
After all, he was its host.
And he already got the key to the question.
“Let me rephrase that.”
Sang Zhe’s expression turned serious: “What exactly is the Original Immortal?”
【……】
In a daze, Sang Zhe thought he heard the system sigh in defeat.
【Since ancient times, there has existed a treasure known as ‘Heavenly Treasure Original Immortal,’ possessing powers beyond this world, coveted by both immortals and mortals alike.】
【The Original Immortal is one of these treasures. It can revive the dead and restore flesh and bones, making it a universal miracle cure.】
Sang Zhe nodded thoughtfully but turned around and asked:
“No matter how precious this treasure is, what does it have to do with you? Why are you keeping this information hidden?”
“Are you saying you’re not done? Does this Heavenly Treasure Original Immortal have something to do with the system?”
【Host authority insufficient, further information will be available after completing the Si Jingzhu quest.】
Oh, playing mysterious, huh?
Let’s put the riddler to rest.
Sang Zhe simmered with frustration, but he knew the system couldn’t lie to him.
Since it said that, it seemed he’d truly hit a wall.
But he had enough information.
Even though the system was evasive, just from its dodgy attitude, Sang Zhe could guess.
This Heavenly Treasure Original Immortal definitely had connections to the system.
So, once he completed the Si Jingzhu quest, it would no longer have a reason to hide things from him.
Knowing this, he didn’t need to rush.
Currently, he couldn’t hurry the Si Jingzhu quest anyway; he could let it be for now, and he would eventually find out.
Of course, what felt best was that he’d finally ripped the veil off his laid-back system.
You should have mentioned your intelligence earlier.
All this time pretending to be just another ordinary system, who were you fooling?
I mean, I only crossed over once and got a system; how could I not have any useful features, just a search engine?
And you hid it from me… ha.
Just wait.
I’ll peel back each layer of your veil, exposing everything you desperately want to hide in my sight…
Hehehe.
Sang Zhe couldn’t help but show a creepy smile.
【……You fool.】
Sang Zhe: “?”
“Did you just call me an idiot?”
Then the system went silent again.
Sang Zhe huffed, thinking that one day, this slacker system would humbly call him master.
——
——
Just a couple of steps down the road from work, Sang Zhe coincidentally spotted Tang Yubbing, who was also leaving.
“Yo, Leader Sister, how’s the frontline war? Still pretending to act?”
“The people below are still acting.” Tang Yubbing sighed wearily, “But there have been some movements above as well.”
“Earlier this afternoon, I don’t know why, Master Yu Xia suddenly stepped up to challenge.”
“Luckily, the Sect Leader had finished buying comics and went out to duel her.”
Sang Zhe perked up: “Who won?”
“How would I know?”
Tang Yubbing yawned: “The Cross-Tribulation Stage cultivators are off to fight in some uninhabited realm. And it won’t end quickly, anyway.”
“I guess the Sect Leader will be at it for at least a day or so.”
She patted Sang Zhe’s shoulder: “Go wash up and get some sleep; see if it’s over by morning.”
…You really don’t worry at all, huh? Sang Zhe was speechless.
You could say these demon cultivators have hearts way too big.
Someone like him, who fears for their life, just doesn’t fit in.
After bidding farewell to Tang Yubbing, Sang Zhe initially planned to head back, wash up, and rest.
But before he reached the jail entrance, the system’s voice finally spoke again.
[Temporary task issued. Does the host accept?]
Oh.
Now that his secret was exposed, it was chatty again.
Sang Zhe chuckled, teasing: “You better tell me the details first. Otherwise, how do I know if you’re trying to set me up?”
[Temporary task: Survive in the hands of Master Crystal. Rewards based on completion status.]
Master Crystal?
Sang Zhe froze for a moment.
Who the heck is that?
Why suddenly throwing me a task with no context?
But the next moment, the system kindly presented an image before him:
The scene showed the boundary of a formation halfway up the demon pathway.
A scruffy-looking old man with a particularly prominent nose was poking and prodding at the formation on the ground.
After a while, it seemed he actually pried open a small opening.
“Phew~ Quite a hassle.”
The old man wiped his sweat, mumbling, “Gotta go back and negotiate with Master Yu Xia for a better deal.”
After saying this, he hummed a tune and swaggered up the mountain.
Sang Zhe stared at the old man for a long time before he could finally swallow hard.
“He called Yu Xia… ‘Sister’?”
“System, confess honestly, what kind of cultivation level does this old man have?”
[Master Crystal, Cross-Tribulation Stage, Senior Elder of Water Moon Sect.]
“Are you kidding me? You’re sending me to die against a Cross-Tribulation Stage boss? You really have no conscience!”
Sang Zhe wasn’t stupid.
The most powerful feature the system could offer him was a mask mode, which could be exchanged for points.
But whether that mask mode would work on Cross-Tribulation Stage cultivators was another matter; he would be an absolute fool to take such a risky gamble.
“Not accepting, bye.”
[Master Crystal’s target is to rescue Si Jingzhu; data analysis shows a 96% likelihood of conveniently slaughtering nearby demon cultivators.]
Sang Zhe’s face turned as red as liver.
…Going to Si Jingzhu’s cell means he would definitely pass by Shi Qingyan’s room.
Not to mention that he would have nowhere to hide, Little Ying could also be in danger.
“Oh, so you knew all along I might end up dead today, huh?”
[The host now has a 3.6% survival probability if escaping with Zhang Xiaoying. Recommended route…]
“Run, hammer, accepted.”
A fierce glint flashed in Sang Zhe’s eyes.
In any case, if the demon cultivators are done for, he would be hunted down and killed by Master Yu Xia even if he fled to the ends of the earth.
“I don’t believe it; we’re all born of the same parents.”
“If I can trick those haughty immortals, how could I not handle this old man?”
He turned with determination: “Tell me all about this old man’s details.”
“We’re going to meet this old coot.”