What the hell was this? Were they bullying him for being a newbie actor? Even the minor villain wasn’t following the script?!
Yan Zhen was seething with rage. He stormed up and kicked Ao Ge to the ground, then stomped a few large footprints onto his face before letting him off.
Ao Ge groaned in pain as he took the beating, not daring to fight back. He obediently lay on the ground playing dead, just like his two lackey guards.
“Cousin, don’t be mad. It’s not worth it for a guy like him.”
“Yeah.”
The two women comforted him one after another, but they had no idea that Yan Zhen’s anger stemmed from something entirely different.
【Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve completed the key plot ‘Testing the Waters’ by successfully putting the bully Ao Ge under your foot. You may claim your reward from the interface at your leisure.】
“…”
Did that count as complete? Well, he had stomped on Ao Ge a few times.
Still, if the plot was done, there was no point staying mad.
He suddenly felt a bit sorry for Ao Ge. Should he wipe those footprints off his face? Ahaha~
Yan Zhen quietly claimed the plot completion reward. Another Special Trump Card appeared, this one named “Intelligence Demolition Strike.” When activated, it would cause the target’s intelligence to plummet whenever facing Yan Zhen—hence its nickname, the “Big Brain card.”
It worked regardless of the target’s cultivation realm, making it pretty powerful.
—By the way, System, didn’t you give me the reward for the apprenticeship plot?
Yan Zhen suddenly remembered.
【Rewards are available for claiming after plot completion. Due to being enchanted last night by Master Chen Xi’s white hair and bountiful bosom, Host forgot to collect it.】
“/(//o/ω/o//)/”
Yan Zhen felt embarrassed by the System’s bluntness. He quickly dismissed the System Interface, thinking he’d claim it later.
The conflict between Yan Zhen and Ao Ge had drawn attention from those around them. More and more people gathered, so to avoid trouble, the trio hurried into the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce.
Even as just a branch store, the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce outshone the surrounding buildings in splendor—not only in its exterior but also its interior decor.
The store had a vast interior space, packed with bustling crowds that made it feel lively and vibrant.
The three headed straight for the women’s clothing section, where they found the new skirt styles that had been mentioned.
There were two styles: one called Peach Red Spring Reflection, which was a bit more revealing and open; the other, Bamboo Grove Graceful Shadow, covered up completely but featured a cinched waist that accentuated the body’s curves to the maximum.
Yan Meng’er immediately took a liking to the peach-red one, while Huangfu Wenqing picked the blue-green skirt.
When the two women checked the price, it turned out to be over ten thousand crystal coins each.
The skirts were embroidered with golden silk runes, making them warm in winter and cool in summer while also capable of blocking a certain amount of mystic power attacks. They were top-tier among First-Tier Mystic Artifacts.
“This one’s a bit pricey.”
Yan Meng’er didn’t have that kind of money on her right now.
Huangfu Wenqing had it, but she hadn’t brought any with her. Back in the Royal Capital, whenever she wanted something, servants would handle the purchase.
“If you like it, just buy it. I’ll cover you both.” Yan Zhen smiled and jingled the pouch of money he’d just withdrawn from the System. “I’ve got plenty.”
“Really? Thanks, Cousin! Meng’er loves you the most~”
In her excitement, Yan Meng’er planted a smacking kiss on Yan Zhen’s cheek right there in front of everyone, leaving his face a bit flushed.
“This Yan Meng’er…”
Huangfu Wenqing had planned to act more reserved in public, but seeing how shameless Yan Meng’er was being, she had no choice but to grit her teeth, mimic her, and peck Yan Zhen’s other cheek. She murmured a quiet word of thanks.
Suddenly, Yan Zhen found himself being ogled enviously by every man in the store. He hurriedly dragged the two women to the checkout counter and paid up to make a quick exit.
However, something unexpected happened at the cashier.
“—Are you Young City Lord Yan Zhen? All your purchases in this store are complimentary. No need to pay.”
The pretty auntie handling the checkout smiled as she spoke.
Yan Zhen scratched his head, utterly baffled.
“Why’s that?”
The cashier auntie said she had no idea; she was just following orders from above.
A certain suspicion flashed through Yan Meng’er and Huangfu Wenqing’s minds simultaneously, though they found it hard to believe.
Yan Zhen, on the other hand, recalled a plot point from the mid-to-late stages of the story.
By then, he and the Chief Manager of the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce were as close as siblings bound by deep affection. Any purchase he made there was free—except for the store’s signature treasures, which he could take whatever he wanted.
But that was mid-to-late game plot! He hadn’t even met that Good Big Sister, the Fair Rich Beauty, yet. How did he already have this privilege?
To test if the perk was real, Yan Zhen dashed to the herb section and bought the medicinal ingredients that Beautiful Female Master had told him to prepare.
At checkout, another big-sister cashier confirmed, “All your purchases in this store are complimentary.”
It was a good deal, but Yan Zhen couldn’t figure out why.
Puzzled, Yan Zhen left the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce with Yan Meng’er and Huangfu Wenqing. After grabbing a meal at a nearby restaurant, they returned to the City Lord Mansion.
Along the way, Yan Meng’er clutched the package containing her skirt tightly, as if it held some priceless treasure.
It was just a pretty dress—nothing that important, really. Her mindset was no longer that of a bashful young girl. But this was a gift from Yan Zhen, the first in over a decade with real special meaning.
In her previous life, she never imagined receiving something like this from him.
Huangfu Wenqing felt the same.
The only gift she’d ever gotten from Yan Zhen in her previous life was an opportunity to cultivate wind attribute mystic power—which, to be precise, he’d given her out of deference to her master.
She wouldn’t have dared dream of something as intimate as a skirt, the kind only close loved ones exchanged.
“Then, Yan Zhen, I’ll head back to my room first. See you later.”
“Cousin, I’ll come find you tonight.”
The two women bid him a joyful farewell. Yan Zhen returned to his courtyard, drew a large tub of water into his room, and immediately shut the door.
Everything was ready. It was time to enter the Crystal Stone Space again and meet Beautiful Female Master!
Wait—the System reward for the apprenticeship plot! Better claim it now before forgetting again.
Yan Zhen summoned the System Interface, navigated to the previous key plot, and clicked to claim the reward.
【Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained ‘Special Trump Card: Ride Master Scorn Ancestor’ ×1】
“What the heck?!” Yan Zhen stared at the description and read it aloud: “A card usable only by the protagonist. When activated, it allows you to push down Beautiful Female Master or other beautiful elders and do whatever you please?”
This…
“What’s the point of this?”
【Host is so dumb. Obviously, it’s for riding your master and scorning your ancestors.】
“Get outta here!”
As a righteous protagonist, how could he possibly commit such an unethical act?
But the System wouldn’t give out a useless reward, right?
That’s right! Yan Zhen remembered something else: In the late stages of the story, Beautiful Female Master’s friend—a certain beautiful martial aunt—had been stuck at a cultivation bottleneck for years. She targeted Yan Zhen’s prized physique for dual cultivation. When he refused, she tried to force herself on him, but Master Chen Xi arrived just in time to protect his innocence.
This Special Trump Card was probably for situations like that—to prevent some lecherous senior from stealing his Primal Yang and ensure this power fantasy world stayed “no female leads.”
With that figured out, Yan Zhen stowed the card, calmed his emotions, and finally activated the “Star Shifting Fire Seal” on his palm.
Whoosh! Yan Zhen vanished from the spot, leaving only a crystal-clear, glass-like Crystal Stone Orb hovering silently in midair.
