Su Mu licked her parched lips, eyeing the liquor in the bowl with some longing.
Seeing the eager look in Silly Shizun’s eyes, Chen Qing stared at her with a teasing gaze.
“Want some?”
“No!”
But Su Mu’s firm refusal caught Chen Qing off guard.
Su Mu shot Chen Qing a smug look. Did this person really think she was that gullible?
As if this trick could force her to drink liquor stronger than her own blood pressure.
If she got drunk, she’d be totally at the mercy of this Detestable Villain.
Sure, this Detestable Villain always called her silly, but she was actually clever as could be.
Seeing Su Mu’s smug little eyes, Chen Qing didn’t show the disappointment Su Mu expected. Instead, she gazed at her with laughter sparkling in her eyes.
But that laughter sent a bad premonition through Su Mu.
Sure enough, Chen Qing set the bowl of liquor right in front of her.
“Drink it yourself, or should I feed you?”
Faced with the utterly unreasonable Chen Qing, Su Mu’s smug little expression deflated in an instant.
She’d forgotten—with her status around the Villain, if she wanted to bully her, why bother finding excuses?
“Ca-can I skip it?”
Su Mu put on a pitiful act, staring up at Chen Qing with her clear, innocent eyes.
Hoping to awaken some shred of humanity in this Detestable Villain.
“It’s cold in the mountains. Better for Venerable Master to drink some and warm up.”
The moment Su Mu heard “Venerable Master,” she knew she was doomed.
Ever since failing to trick Chen Qing that morning, any time those four words came from Chen Qing’s mouth, the wicked girl was guaranteed not to let her off easy.
Staring at the bowl of liquor before her, the panicked Su Mu suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She eagerly asked the playing-dead System.
“System, aren’t I a Second-Rate Warrior? Can’t I use Internal Energy to force the alcohol out?”
Su Mu recalled the scenes from the Jin Yong Wuxia Novels she’d read as a kid—those wuxia experts forcing booze out of their systems with ease.
Now that she was a warrior too, she ought to manage it.
【In theory, yes, it’s feasible for the Host.】
Hearing that, the formerly panicked Su Mu brimmed with confidence.
Eyeing Chen Qing, who was pressuring her to drink, Su Mu’s little mind whirred, hatching a plan to turn the tables.
The System spotted the shift in its Host’s expression and instantly guessed her scheme.
But why would the Scamming System tip off the Host who’d cursed it? It was all but grabbing melon seeds to munch while spectating the drama.
“Ahem, drinking alone’s kinda dull. How about a drinking contest between us? Loser—the one who gets drunk first—has to grant the winner one request!”
Even the System could see through it, so Chen Qing, who knew Silly Shizun best, spotted it instantly.
But she didn’t call out the little ploy. Silly Shizun’s tolerance was tinier than a kitten’s—one second her eyes screamed panic, the next she was boldly challenging her to a booze-off. Another scheme brewing, no doubt.
Time to bully her some more and remind her of a disciple’s dignity.
“Last time we played chess, you still haven’t made good on that promise you owed me.”
Chen Qing didn’t agree right away, instead bringing up the favor Su Mu still owed.
“That doesn’t count! Halfway through, you wouldn’t let me finish the game.”
Faced with Silly Shizun’s brazen righteousness, Chen Qing nearly laughed from sheer exasperation.
At her constant chess reneging, beating her would’ve taken forever.
But Chen Qing let it slide, only plotting inwardly to go even harder on bullying Silly Shizun later.
Seeing no outright refusal from Chen Qing, Su Mu pressed on provocatively.
“Scared? I can go easy on you.”
Silly Shizun’s arrogant expression didn’t anger Chen Qing—instead, it sparked a peculiar urge.
Every time Silly Shizun got cocky like this, Chen Qing itched to pin her down and bully her till she sobbed.
Since she was offering herself up again, tonight’s bedsheets were in for another wash.
“Fine. First to pass out loses. You proposed it, so you start.”
“I’ll drink if I have to.”
With Chen Qing hooked, Su Mu struggled to hide her triumphant grin.
She wouldn’t actually go toe-to-toe on tolerance with the Villain, of course. Later, when it was the Villain’s turn, she’d use her superior strength as an excuse to pour her extra bowls.
A few rounds in, no way the Villain’s head stayed clear.
“Promise no cheating first.”
Su Mu eyed Chen Qing warily. If she pulled Internal Energy to expel the booze, this flawless plan went up in smoke.
“Deal.”
But from Su Mu’s words and her shifty little eyes, Chen Qing knew Silly Shizun was gearing up to cheat.
To sabotage her, Silly Shizun sure cooked up plenty of quirky schemes.
Unaware Chen Qing had seen right through her, Su Mu relaxed upon hearing the agreement and raised her bowl confidently.
Deep down, the Villain looked down on her and wouldn’t stoop to tricks in a contest like this.
Today, she’d school her in the perils of hubris.
Su Mu pressed the bowl to her soft lips. The acrid liquor fumes made her wrinkle her nose.
But visions of flipping the script on Chen Qing and getting sweet revenge fueled her—she gulped it down.
“Cough! Cough cough!”
The single swig choked tears from Su Mu’s eyes.
The strong liquor hit fast; her head already swam dizzily.
“System, how do I force it out?”
【No clue.】
The System’s blunt trio of words left dizzy Su Mu dumbfounded.
【Host, I only said it’s theoretically possible. Figuring out how is on you. With that gulp down, good luck.】
The System’s schadenfreude fueled Su Mu’s impulse to drown it with her entire bowl.
But buzzed as she was, even unleashing her forum-grade wrath on the System proved beyond her foggy brain.
Seeing Su Mu’s cheeks faintly flushed and eyes glazing over, Chen Qing’s mind pinged with a huge question mark.
Was Silly Shizun seriously this naive, trying to outdrink her straight-up?
Before she could dwell, Su Mu slammed another mouthful down.
“Hehe, tastes awful.”
Mouth claiming it sucked, her hazy self lined up for more.
Luckily, Chen Qing snatched the bowl fast.
At the theft, Su Mu’s bleary eyes flared with fury.
Mumbling incoherently, she lurched to grab it, nearly tumbling. Sighing, Chen Qing chucked the bowl aside and hauled Su Mu into her arms.
Her body heating up, Su Mu melted into Chen Qing’s embrace—and started pawing at her clothes.
