Chapter 112: Hah, System
Chapter 112: Hah, System
Fang Cun had successfully forged the Life-Death Sigil. The next step was naturally to rule the martial world. However, having already mastered such a treasure, Fang Cun was in no hurry to act. Instead, he pondered.
He considered what consequences ruling the martial world might bring him! Primarily, he thought about the Celestial Merit Record. If he stepped into this world, he would inevitably get entangled in karma and sins. How much of the evil committed by those martial figures would be attributed to him? Conversely, how much Merit would their good deeds earn him? If he didn’t calculate this carefully, recklessly diving into the martial world would surely bring misfortune.
Recently, the Celestial Merit Record had been silent, lifeless. Even when he had unleashed fierce slaughter in Willow Lake City, killed numerous spies, and even executed a General Lord from Phoenix City, it hadn’t granted him Merit or Sin. He wondered—was it angry at him for cursing it last time and now on strike? Or did it consider such matters beyond the realm of good and evil?
Fang Cun was genuinely intrigued by the Celestial Merit Record now. How did this thing even work? Was it based on scientific principles or mystical ones? So far, he could only feel that the Record seemed intelligent yet not truly sentient, all-knowing yet not omniscient. It issued tasks and bestowed Merit or Sin according to its own mysterious algorithm, but that algorithm seemed… imprecise.
To describe it, Fang Cun felt the Celestial Merit Record was like an eye gazing down from the heavens! Cold, detached, emotionless, just watching his every move…
“How can this be?”
“Did I cross worlds only to become its puppet?”
Disdain filled Fang Cun’s heart, and he began scheming.
What should one do when constantly monitored?
Simple—PUA it!
The first step was to figure out its task-assignment pattern.
The Celestial Merit Record granted Merit in two ways. First, it actively issued explicit tasks for people to complete. Second, it allowed individuals to act freely, calculating and granting Merit based on their deeds afterward. So, what determined when it assigned tasks?
With this in mind, Fang Cun boarded his carriage and leisurely strolled to the southern district of the city.
In Willow Lake City, each quarter housed different kinds of people. The north was where City Guards, Qi Refiners, and their families gathered. The west was home to Academy Instructors, the city’s established families, and the like. The east was populated by minor wealthy landlords and more respectable common folk.
The south, however, was the city’s most chaotic area.
Fang Cun arrived at the southern district and sat in a teahouse. Before he’d even finished half a pot of tea, he witnessed several conflicts. First, a group of men in black robes pulled out knives and attacked men dressed in gray short tunics. Then, later, another group of men in gray tunics cornered two or three black-robed men in an alley, hacking at them with iron hooks and fish spears.
Every time a fight broke out, the scene became chaotic—chickens scattering, dogs barking. Shops and stalls were overturned. Ordinary people kept their distance to avoid harm, muttering angrily under their breath.
Xiao Qingliu said with a chuckle, “Young Master, the men in black robes belong to the Old Knives Gang. They usually take money to kill. The gray-clothed men are from the Muddy Legs Gang, working on the docks. These two are now the city’s strongest gangs. When the Devouring Sea Gang ruled, they were nobodies who only paid tribute. But now that the Devouring Sea Gang is gone, both want to crush the other and become the Chief of Willow Lake.”
Fang Cun found this unsurprising.
Ever since Black Water Fort fell, the martial world of Willow Lake had vanished. Yet such worlds never truly disappeared—a new one was brewing. Simply put, the vacuum left by the Devouring Sea Gang meant highly lucrative opportunities were up for grabs. Who wouldn’t want that wealth?
Put more complexly, commanding hundreds of followers and wielding power…
It was quite a temptation.
Thinking this, Fang Cun watched the constant gang battles play out. He waited, quietly drinking tea until he’d refilled the pot. Still, the Celestial Merit Record showed no sign of life, as if dead…
“Are you still angry at me? Or do these scuffles not impress you?”
Fang Cun pondered this, then boarded his carriage again. Slowly roaming the streets, he soon spotted a village woman. She wore a floral headscarf, carried a basket on her arm, and was dressed in a red padded jacket—typical attire for a woman selling eggs in the city. Her figure was attractive, with a mature, almost ripe-peach-like charm. Quickly, two ruffians loitering nearby noticed her.
They approached and teased her verbally. Seeing her shy and meek, they roughly dragged her into an alley, even in broad daylight.
Fang Cun waited a moment, then got off the carriage. Holding an umbrella, he and Xiao Qingliu peered into the alley.
Inside they found the two ruffians, lying naked atop each other, staring blankly. One twitched.
The other moved.
“Oh dear…” Fang Cun covered his eyes, sighing. “Cruel!”
Xiao Qingliu chuckled. “Young Master, that woman was probably Hongtao from the former Devouring Sea Gang—also known as Lady Hongtao the Beautiful Snake. She’s ruthless! They say she’s skilled in the Soul Captivation Art. Somehow she escaped when the gang fell. Now she’s back, likely eyeing the Chief’s seat too. Strangely, when Devouring Sea was around, such abductions didn’t happen openly in alleys. She must be venting her anger deliberately…”
“Beautiful Snake? Truly a snake’s heart…”
Fang Cun sighed. “If others saw this, how could these ruffians ever show their faces?”
Xiao Qingliu grinned. “Luckily this alley’s remote. No one else entered…”
Fang Cun walked out, still holding the umbrella. “Well… then yell for the crowd?”
Xiao Qingliu stared, then laughed. “…Young Master, brilliant!”
Soon, the alley was packed with people, all gaping at the spectacle… But the Celestial Merit Record remained unmoved.
Undaunted, Fang Cun continued wandering the city.
Arriving at the north district, he saw a finely built courtyard. Before it stood a man in a green robe and straw hat, respectfully presenting a chest to someone at the gate. The chest was carried inside, and the man waited obediently.
He waited a long time. Only an old servant eventually emerged, murmured a few words, and the man departed dejectedly.
Xiao Qingliu commented, “Young Master, that’s a private residence secretly owned by Xu Wenshu from the City Guard Office. The man giving the chest? That’s Lin Jiyi, the former deputy chief of the Devouring Sea Gang—another survivor. He returned earlier than Lady Hongtao. These days, he’s sent many gifts here, but Xu Wenshu hasn’t appeared to meet him…”
“It seems not all martial figures are fools…” Fang Cun smiled. “Some think they can just fight their way to the top. Others, smarter, understand they need backing—either from the City Governor or the Academy. Lin Jiyi chose wisely… Sadly, he doesn’t realize how obedient the City Guard and Academy have become.”
Xiao Qingliu chuckled. “The man seems sincere. He keeps sending jewels and gold though getting no answer…”
Fang Cun raised an eyebrow. “Where’s his money coming from?”
Xiao Qingliu winked. “A few wealthy houses were recently robbed…”
Fang Cun showed no reaction. “Let’s observe further.”
They spent the day idling around the city. Soon, three or five old beggars passed through a sparsely inhabited street, pausing by the chubby young boy playing outside one home without actually begging.
Then at night, they saw an old man without shelter crouching under a bridge, slowly eating meat and wine by moonlight. Suddenly, demonic energy surged toward him! Instantly, the old man was swallowed. When it dissipated, he had vanished. Only his untouched food and drink remained—quickly snatched by passing dogs.
Standing beneath a nearby tree holding his umbrella, Fang Cun watched silently.
The old man might have seemed a common beggar, but he was an informant for a vicious beggar gang. They noted which houses had clever, playful children, which had charming wives, which walls had holes near them, especially when men weren’t home. Many unsolved cases in the city started with him scouting and then colluding with others. Such people didn’t deserve to live; Fang Cun had come merely to witness this demon feeding.
As the demonic energy fully faded, Fang Cun asked, “What was his background?”
Xiao Qingliu replied, “He was a demonic cultivator from elsewhere—known as the Old Fiend of Pot Mountain. The fiend came to Willow Lake for the Human Elixir business. Then it was banned by the Academy, taken away by the County Sect… But he stayed, apparently drawn to the chaos left by the Devouring Sea Gang, hoping to establish a foothold here…”
“At least seven or eight out of ten demonic cultivators practice forbidden arts. This one did too. They say he had to consume a living person’s heart and liver every three days. Yet interestingly, he had rules—he took the whole body but never left heartless corpses behind. Why? Because corpses would attract the Demon Capture Bureau!”
“Many similar fiends linger in Willow Lake City now, fighting over what the Devouring Sea Gang abandoned…”
“….”
“….”
Fang Cun sighed quietly. “Since Old Chao died, Willow Lake has only grown noisier…”
Xiao Qingliu nodded. “Yes, demons outnumber before.”
Fang Cun frowned. “Is tragedy more frequent now?”
“Much more,” Xiao Qingliu confirmed.
“How pitiable the people of Willow Lake are…”
“They are terribly pitiable…”
Ding…
Fang Cun’s thoughts paused. Before him, the silent shadow of the Celestial Merit Record flickered into view:
Demonic evil lurks; dark currents surge. The martial world quarrels and brings suffering to the people. Sweep away this chaos! Restore peace and justice!
Grant Merit: 7,000.
“………”
Fang Cun’s lips slowly curved into a cold sneer.
“Hah… ‘system’…”