Chapter 4

Shen Qingqiu knew exactly what was going through that boy’s head. Hearing Ning Yingying call Luo Binghe so affectionately must have made that detestable Junior Brother seem even more of an eyesore.

Ning Yingying, however, was still a child at heart, completely oblivious to reading the room. She tilted her head and asked, “What fun thing do you have, Senior Brother? Show me quickly!”

Ming Fan’s expression instantly brightened. He untied a pale green jade pendant from his waist and held it out to her. “Junior Sister, my family came to visit recently and brought me all sorts of fine, interesting trinkets. I saw this one and thought it especially beautiful. It’s for you.”

Ning Yingying took it, holding it up to the sunlight filtering through the leaves. Ming Fan asked eagerly, “Well? Do you like it?”

Watching from the shadows, Shen Qingqiu finally remembered. This scene!

Oh no. He shouldn’t have come here. This was dangerous!

But he couldn’t be blamed for forgetting. How could anyone who’d spent days cursing the stupid author and his stupid story be expected to remember the earliest, most ancient plot points of a novel that had been serialized for four years and spanned two centuries? It had taken him twenty days just to finish reading it! He’d long since forgotten the early, misery-for-misery’s-sake melodrama of the introductory arc!

Ning Yingying couldn’t tell good jade from bad. After a cursory glance, she tossed the pendant back. Ming Fan’s smile froze on his face. She wrinkled her nose and said dismissively, “What is this? The color’s awful. It’s not even as nice as Alo’s.”

This time, not only did Ming Fan’s expression darken, but even Luo Binghe, who had been doing his utmost to remain invisible, gave a slight jolt and abruptly opened his eyes.

Ming Fan ground out the words between his teeth, “…Junior Brother wears such things too?”

Luo Binghe hesitated, but before he could answer, Ning Yingying cut in. “Of course he does! He wears it close to his heart every single day, treasures it like anything. He wouldn’t even let me have a look.”

Despite Luo Binghe’s usual composure, his face paled. His hand flew instinctively to the jade Guanyin pendant hidden beneath his robes.

Oh, the double-whammy of low EQ and IQ, young lady! The male lead was truly an innocent casualty here!

Ning Yingying hadn’t considered the consequences when she spoke. She’d only ever seen Luo Binghe wear that jade Guanyin close to his skin, never taking it off. A girl always wants to get her hands on the cherished possession of the boy she likes, to feel that her “status is special.” The fact that Luo Binghe refused to let her see it had left her feeling resentful, so she’d brought it up now, half-coquettish, half-bratty.

Of course he wouldn’t give it to her!!! That pendant was a consecrated treasure his washerwoman mother had scrimped and saved for half a lifetime to buy for her son. It was the one spot of warmth that had accompanied Luo Binghe through his dark world, the one thing that could still tug at the remnants of his humanity even at the peak of his later corruption. He would never just hand it over to anyone!

Furious and jealous, Ming Fan took a step forward, his voice sharp. “Junior Brother Luo certainly puts on lofty airs, refusing even Junior Sister Ning Yingying a look at your pendant. At this rate, if we face a powerful enemy in the future, will you also refuse to lend a hand?!”

Young man! What kind of logic connects those two sentences?!

Ning Yingying hadn’t expected things to escalate like this either. Stamping her foot in distress, she cried, “If he doesn’t want to, then forget it! Senior Brother, don’t bully him!”

How could Luo Binghe, as he was now, hope to contend with Ming Fan? With a group of lower-ranking disciples, ever eager to curry Ming Fan’s favor, surrounding him, it wasn’t long before the jade Guanyin was torn from his neck and landed in Ming Fan’s hand. The older boy held it up, examined it for a moment, and suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Ning Yingying asked, puzzled, “What… what are you laughing at?”

Ming Fan tossed the pendant into Ning Yingying’s hands, a smug look on his face. “And here I thought it was some priceless treasure, the way he was guarding it. Guess what, Junior Sister? It’s a fake! Hahahaha…”

Ning Yingying looked bewildered. “A fake? What’s that?”

Luo Binghe’s fists slowly clenched. A dark current swirled in the depths of his eyes as he bit out each word. “Give. It. Back.”

Shen Qingqiu’s fingers twitched involuntarily.

He, of course, also knew the jade Guanyin was a counterfeit. And he knew it was one of Luo Binghe’s greatest triggers.

Back then, Luo Binghe’s mother had scrimped and saved, but due to her limited experience, she’d been swindled into buying the fake at a high price. Heartbroken, her health had declined steadily afterwards. It was undoubtedly a pain Luo Binghe could never resolve in his lifetime. This was the one thing he could never tolerate!

As a bystander, Shen Qingqiu desperately wanted to step in, give Ming Fan a good thrashing, snatch the pendant back, and toss it to Luo Binghe.

Besides, if he did that, maybe Ming Fan wouldn’t completely offend Luo Binghe and could keep his pathetic little life in the future.

The System: 【OOC.】

Shen Qingqiu: “Thanks. Shut up.”

Ming Fan plucked the pendant back from Ning Yingying’s hand, feigning disgust. “Fine, I’ll give it back. Who knows what cheap market stall it came from? I wouldn’t want it dirtying Junior Sister’s hands.” Despite his words, he made no move to return it.

Luo Binghe’s face tightened. Suddenly, he threw out both fists, striking the low-ranking disciples holding him.

When enraged, a person’s movements lose all discipline, driven solely by a surge of fury. His initial flurry momentarily intimidated the disciples, but they quickly realized the boy was weak—all bluster and no substance. Ming Fan barked from the sidelines, “What are you waiting for? He dares raise a hand against his Senior Brother? Teach him the meaning of respect for elders!” Emboldened, they swarmed Luo Binghe again, raining down blows.

Ning Yingying stared in shock. Her poor brain still couldn’t process how things had escalated to this point. “Senior Brother!” she shrieked. “How can you do this? Tell them to stop right now, or… or I’ll never speak to you again!”

Ming Fan panicked. “Junior Sister, don’t be angry, I’ll tell them to stop hitting him…” Before he could finish, Luo Binghe, in a moment of inattention, broke free from the grasping hands and lunged forward, landing a solid punch right on Ming Fan’s nose.

With a loud “Ow!”, two streams of blood immediately gushed from Ming Fan’s nostrils.

Ning Yingying, whose eyes had been welling with tears, took one look and couldn’t help but let out a sudden, snorting laugh.

Shen Qingqiu: …Little sister, are you trying to help Luo Binghe or get him killed?!

Originally, Ming Fan might have let Luo Binghe off. But now, humiliated in front of the girl he liked, there was no way he could let this slide!

The two boys grappled, a tangle of limbs. No matter how naturally talented Luo Binghe was, he was still young and hadn’t formally studied any proper cultivation manuals. He was mostly on the receiving end of a beating, yet he gritted his teeth, not letting out a single cry. Shen Qingqiu’s instinct was to intervene.

But the System erupted with a soul-shredding alarm: 【SEVERE OOC! SEVERE OOC! SEVERE OOC! Important things must be said three times! ‘Shen Qingqiu’ should, in this situation, choose to: Smile faintly! Stand idly by! Or take action himself!】

Forcing him to stand by and watch a child get abused was too inhumane… But Shen Qingqiu couldn’t recklessly take the risk. Just as his anxiety peaked, a compromise occurred to him.

The Cang Qiong Mountain Sect had a minor technique called “Plucking Leaves, Sending Flowers.” On the surface, it seemed rather useless, just pretty and amusing. The original novel had described Luo Binghe using it with effortless grace to win the heart of some minor female character. During his recent cram sessions with various manuals, Shen Qingqiu had come across a record of this very technique.

He plucked a leaf at random, channeled a thread of spiritual power into it. The first time, he used too much; the leaf couldn’t withstand it and instantly disintegrated. The second attempt succeeded. Pinching the leaf between his fingers, he gave it an almost imperceptible blow and released it. The leaf shot toward Ming Fan like a flying dagger!

Hearing Ming Fan’s long, pained shriek, Shen Qingqiu shook out his hand, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

No wonder they said a true master could turn even a flower or leaf into a weapon. That hit shouldn’t have been enough to kill Ming Fan… right?

Luo Binghe, having endured several more punches and kicks, suddenly felt Ming Fan stagger back. He looked up, blood from a cut on his forehead trickling into his eye. To his surprise, he saw Ming Fan clutching his hand, which was also covered in blood.

Ming Fan stared in disbelief. “You dare use a blade on me?!”

Ning Yingying, who had been too afraid to approach during the fight, now rushed between them. “No, no! Alo didn’t use a blade. He didn’t hurt you!”

Luo Binghe didn’t understand what had happened either. He pressed his lips tightly together, wiping the blood from his face. A bloody streak showed through the back of Ming Fan’s robes, as if sliced by a sword’s edge. Ming Fan turned on the other disciples. “Did any of you see clearly? Did he pull a blade?”

The disciples exchanged glances. Some shook their heads, others nodded—a complete mess.

Ming Fan, a young master raised in comfort, had never suffered such physical injury before. Staring at his own blood-covered hands, a wave of panic washed over him. But the puzzling thing was, no weapon could be seen on the ground or on Luo Binghe’s thin frame. It couldn’t have just vanished into thin air.

Shen Qingqiu held his breath. Suddenly, his vision tinged red, and a line of massive, floating text appeared before his eyes, a shocking blood-red.

【Violation: OOC. Coolness Points -10. Current Coolness Points: 90.】

Shen Qingqiu let out a sigh of relief. He’d originally estimated a deduction of around 50 points, or maybe all of them. Losing only 10 was better than he’d hoped. He could earn them back later. But his relief was short-lived.

Ming Fan pointed at Luo Binghe and shouted, “Get him!”

Shen Qingqiu nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood on the spot.

Several disciples obeyed, pouncing forward. Instinctively, Shen Qingqiu grabbed a handful of leaves and sent them whistling through the air.

He regretted it the moment he made his move.

What the hell was I thinking? Luo Binghe is the damn protagonist! He’s been ganged up on before. It’s not like they could beat him to death!

Why the hell did I bother?!

The first time could have been written off as a fluke, but this? No one could possibly miss that something was wrong now!

Several disciples were now nursing cuts and scrapes. Too wary to keep surrounding Luo Binghe, they instead clustered around Ming Fan in confusion. “Senior Brother! What just happened?” “Senior Brother, I think I got cut by something too!”

Ming Fan’s face cycled through shades of green and white before he finally spat out a single word: “Go!” Then, leading a procession of followers clutching their backsides or cradling their arms, he beat a hasty retreat. They had arrived like a storm and left just as quickly. Left behind, Ning Yingying stood dumbly for a moment before calling out, “Alo, was that you? Did you chase them off?”

Luo Binghe shook his head, his expression dark.

He straightened up with effort, but tension still radiated from him. Bending low, he began searching the ground, turning over every fallen leaf, dry twig, and patch of spring mud.

Shen Qingqiu knew what he was looking for: the pendant lost in the scuffle.

He’d seen it clearly. Before the fight started, Ming Fan had flung out his arm in a careless gesture, and the red cord had snagged on a high branch overhead. But he couldn’t point it out. Besides, the moment that handful of leaves had left his fingers, he’d heard the system’s soul-crushing chime: 【Violation: OOC. Coolness Points -10×6. Current Coolness Points: 30.】

Instantly plummeting below the passing grade!

So each leaf was worth ten points? What kind of crude, brute-force arithmetic was this?!

Ning Yingying didn’t dare speak. After all, she’d been the one to stir up this mess. If she hadn’t run her mouth, Luo Binghe wouldn’t have lost his pendant and gotten beaten up for no reason. She started helping him search.

But as the sky gradually darkened, they found nothing, of course.

Luo Binghe stood motionless amidst the churned-up earth, staring at the devastation. They had turned over a huge patch of ground, and still it was gone.

Seeing him so despondent, Ning Yingying grew frightened. She took his hand. “Alo, if we can’t find it, just forget it. I’m sorry. I’ll buy you a new one later, okay?”

Luo Binghe ignored her. Slowly, he pulled his hand back and, head bowed, began walking out of the woods. Ning Yingying hurried after him.

Shen Qingqiu had to admire his own stamina. These two kids had searched all afternoon, and he had just… watched them the whole time. What other explanation was there besides having nothing better to do?

Only after they were long gone did he emerge from his hiding place. He glanced up, tapped a foot lightly against the ground—marveling briefly at the sensation of being ‘light as a swallow’—and effortlessly plucked the pendant from the high branch.

Shen Qingqiu would have liked to sneak it back to Luo Binghe, but by now he was familiar with the system’s temperament. That would definitely count as another violation. He had no spare Coolness Points left to squander.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Qingqiu decided to keep it for now.

Maybe this pendant would prove useful later. Like a bargaining chip to save his own skin in a moment of crisis? Shen Qingqiu seriously considered the possibility.

Just then, a line of vivid, three-dimensional green characters materialized before his eyes.

"Congratulations! Obtained Key Item: Fake Jade Guanyin ×1. Plot altered. 'Shen Qingqiu' Intelligence +100. Current Coolness Points: 130. Keep up the good work!"

Not only had the deducted points been restored, they’d increased!

And given its significance to Luo Binghe, this jade Guanyin was absolutely a high-tier item—a life-saving charm!

What an unexpected windfall!

A wave of pure satisfaction washed over Shen Qingqiu. The frustration of squatting in a gloomy spot all afternoon vanished, and even the system’s infuriating, Google-Translate-esque voice now sounded like sweet music!

Outside the woods, Luo Binghe, who had already left the back mountains, slowly unclenched his fist.

Resting in his palm were several intact green leaves. Their edges were sharp, stained with blood.