Chapter 9: The Butterfly Effect
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In the Cold Wind Cave,
Lin Nan slowly opened her eyes as her consciousness returned to her body.
Wei Wenxuan’s character card had been switched to a system-managed state, meaning she didn’t have to worry for now—no strong enemies lurking around and all that jazz.
Honestly, she had gained a lot from this little adventure.
Sure, there were plenty of restrictions using the character card, but it was way safer than slogging it out herself in the wild, fighting monsters and gaining experience.
Wei Wenxuan was quite the capable lad himself, and with the magical boost from the Cold Moon Witch’s power, his sword skills went from “not bad” to “where did that come from?”
Defeating enemies with a character card not only granted Lin Nan experience points, but to her surprise, the Cold Value System opened its doors to character cards as well.
This basically made character cards invaluable.
So when Wei Wenxuan trounced An Luo and she received the first Cold Value notification from An Luo, she pondered how to maximize the use of character cards to rake in more of that sweet, sweet Cold Value.
After all, this stuff just became a lot more significant.
Being a couch potato like before? Definitely not the way to go.
So when Enforcer An Luo asked about Wei Wenxuan’s origins, Lin Nan had a lightbulb moment and decided to test her new idea.
Maybe this would lead to a big payday.
I mean, one little guy standing in front of a massive organization? That’s a recipe for being totally ignored.
Instead of telling An Luo he was a lone wolf, how about spinning a tale about a mighty mysterious sect? That way, she could redirect Tianjian Sect’s interest away from the Cold Moon Witch while racking up tons of Cold Value in the process.
Two birds, one stone—easy peasy!
Just as Lin Nan suspected, the moment An Luo heard the name “Extermination of Immortals,” his expression changed like he’d seen a ghost. It was as if those two words held the power to destroy the world.
He practically gifted Lin Nan over three hundred Cold Value points just by letting that slip!
After dealing with Zi Yi and Qing Yi, she duplicated her strategy and reaped similar rewards.
It appeared that any organization that crossed paths with “Extermination of Immortals” was thoroughly terrified of it.
This further cemented Lin Nan’s resolve to keep using “Extermination of Immortals” as her ticket to riches.
She was in dire need of Cold Value, after all—why refuse a delivery right to her doorstep?
But in order to expand the influence of “Extermination of Immortals,” relying solely on Wei Wenxuan wouldn’t cut it. She needed more character cards.
Otherwise, if her bluff was called out, she’d be the first to hear the snickers.
But no matter what, this character card venture was off to a flying start.
With no specific targets thereafter, all she had to do was let Wei Wenxuan roam the countryside like a player slaying monsters for levels.
Coupled with her passive “5% experience boost every 24 hours,” she’d be leveling up to 20 while lounging around like a pro.
At that point, she’d unlock the next level of lottery draws.
Indeed, playing it safe was the wisest choice since she stepped into this game!
Only by ramping up her power before anyone else caught wind of her presence could she hope to survive the high-stakes mess that awaited her.
……
Near the Flower Valley,
Si Yan found the still-unconscious Li Xiaocong at the location Wei Wenxuan had mentioned.
“Li Lang, Li Lang!”
As Li Xiaocong stirred awake, the first thing he saw was Si Yan’s tearful face, and he immediately panicked.
“Si Yan, are you okay?”
“I’m fine!”
Li Xiaocong sat up straight and started scanning the area anxiously.
“Where are those dark-clothed guys?”
“They left. A hero saved us.”
Li Xiaocong finally sighed in relief. “So where do we go now? Should we head straight back to Sky Sword City? Those thieves wouldn’t dare make a move there!”
Si Yan didn’t respond, instead lowering her head nervously.
“Did you catch a glimpse of my true form, Li Lang?”
Li Xiaocong, now fully aware of her worries, understood perfectly well. After all, the tale of Lady White Snake drinking yellow rice wine only to scare Xu Xian to d*ath was a classic!
It just demonstrated how foolish and oblivious those ancient scholars were.
What a powerful wife, capable of changing form—where on earth would one find such a gem in reality?
Next time, let’s see if she can just sprout two ears… heh heh…
Li Xiaocong fell into his fantasies.
When Si Yan noticed his prolonged silence, she couldn’t help but shed a tear.
But why not?
Whenever people saw a monster race, who would dare have any other thoughts?
They’d be using curses before they could blink!
She really was being too ambitious.
But in the next moment, Li Xiaocong’s actions startled her out of her blues, her tears quaking on her eyelashes, almost ready to drop.
He wrapped his arms around Si Yan tightly, his broad chest enveloping her with such warmth and safety.
With that feeling, Si Yan couldn’t hold back any longer. She burst into tears like all the years of pent-up frustration found their outlet at that moment.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I acted rashly… Si Yan, please stop crying!”
Li Xiaocong hurriedly released her, thinking he might have overstepped and violated all sorts of girl codes.
But then, to his surprise, Si Yan embraced him tighter and whispered in his ear, “In this life, I’ll never part from you, Li Lang.”
【Ding! You’ve unlocked the NPC’s favorability achievement surpassing 200%. Unlocks intimate poses like hugging and kissing.
Please note, using these poses in public could get you banned immediately.】
In that instant, upon hearing the system’s notification, Li Xiaocong felt like he was soaring on cloud nine.
You bet, he’d just drop a few grand more on game credits to thank the developers.
“Li Lang, my sisters are still suffering in torment, trapped day and night. I want to rescue them.
Of course, if you don’t agree, I’ll follow your wishes.”
Li Xiaocong chuckled, “Why would I disagree? I’ve been worrying about where to go anyway. Let’s follow what you say!”
Si Yan nodded, “But before that, we need to find someone first.”
“Who?”
“The hero who saved us. Only by finding him can we connect with the sect behind him.
Without their help, it’ll be tough for us to reach our goals.”
“Sure, I’ll do whatever you say, my lady.”
Li Xiaocong’s sudden choice of words startled Si Yan, but it soon painted her face a lovely shade of pink, like the sunset—breathtaking.
……
Meanwhile, Lin Nan was totally clueless that Wei Wenxuan’s appearance was like a butterfly flapping its wings, changing countless unknown destinies.
Originally, Si Yan would have been satisfied leaving Yihong Courtyard with Li Xiaocong.
Yet, having survived a life-threatening escape and seen Wei Wenxuan’s might, she couldn’t help but become curious about the sect behind him.
Why did the Extermination of Immortals send someone to rescue her?
Wei Wenxuan never divulged the details.
But since he clearly knew Ru Yu’s name, it meant Extermination of Immortals was fully aware of the happenings in the Yihong Courtyard, possibly even touching on the secrets of the higher-level “Ji Shen.”
And he’d saved Li Xiaocong from the clutches of Tianjian Sect.
An organization bold enough to stand against both Tianjian Sect and “Ji Shen”? Their prowess was beyond imagination.
Thus, Si Yan found herself itching to draw closer to “Extermination of Immortals.”
Maybe only then could she save her kin who were trapped under Ji Shen’s control, pulling them out of the depths of despair.
