Chapter 9: Slacking Off, Day Nine
Since the other party had already spoken, Wen Ying, as promised, didn’t pursue the matter further.
As for who the other party was, why they were imprisoned, and how long they had been there, Wen Ying didn’t ask a single question.
Though curious, Wen Ying understood the danger of speaking too much.
Someone who wrapped themselves up like that must have secrets.
Before that, Wen Ying needed to confirm something.
【System?】
Wen Ying tried calling out in her mind.
After a while, the system’s whimpering voice echoed in her mind.
【Humph, Host, what do you want?】
The system’s voice was thick with nasal congestion and muffled sobs.
It sounded like they had been crying this whole time?
…They’re quite the crier.
Wen Ying offered this assessment.
【Check out the guy next door. Do you recognize him?】
Wen Ying gestured towards the black-robed man still huddled in the corner.
【Waa, Host, please wait, identifying… Sorry, no matching results.】
【Host, he’s probably just a background character or someone you won’t know in your plot. Don’t worry about it.】
The system was clearly lying.
But this was the answer Wen Ying wanted to hear.
The system didn’t recognize him, meaning he wasn’t the new male lead in the fifty-second story.
【Then tell me, what kind of female second lead am I in the fifty-second story?】
【Okay. Host, you’re the “Female Second Lead in a Harem Intrigue Novel”. The female lead, He Lan Ya, is a concubine daughter of the He Lan family, and you, as the legitimate daughter, constantly fight with her, setting traps for her.】
Wen Ying: “…”
Sometimes, the system’s bugs were truly incredible, able to insert harem intrigue into a cultivation world.
But this implied the fifty-second story and this person were unrelated.
This person was a new character unlocked because of her slacking off!
【Okay, I understand.】
Seeing Wen Ying’s actions, the black-robed man seemed to glance in her direction but remained motionless, saying nothing more.
…
Wen Ying decided to wait and observe Xiao Hei (Little Black) for a while.
In other words, she planned to continue her prison stay as usual.
Wen Ying wasn’t doing this simply because she had prepared food and drink and wanted to enjoy them!
Wen Ying took out a small table from her sleeve, placing it on the ground. Then she took out plates, flower rolls, steamed buns, a few small buns, a sealed cup of milk, and a novel from the bookshelf in her cave.
Entertainment, food, and drinks—all set.
Wen Ying was satisfied with the neat arrangement on the small table.
A meal without entertainment is soulless and incomplete.
This was true blissful enjoyment!
Cultivation had its perks; food could be preserved indefinitely without spoiling. Unfortunately, in her last cycle, she had focused solely on the mission, and after achieving spiritual immortality, she rarely bought ingredients; otherwise, she wouldn’t have only been able to fry chili peppers that morning.
Luckily, in the last cycle, anticipating another mission failure, Wen Ying had prepared entertainment for this slacking-off period—she had bought all the novels she could find in this world, hoarding three entire cabinets full in her cave.
In a world without computers, phones, or television, novels were a precious source of entertainment.
Wen Ying ate the flower rolls, drank the milk, and read the novel.
Time slipped away, and Wen Ying vaguely returned to her college days, eating instant noodles and watching dramas in the dorm.
She hadn’t thought much about this world while focusing on missions. Now, thinking carefully, it was indeed peculiar.
Not just because of the plot contrivances caused by the bugs.
But also the background settings—
For instance, the novels she bought.
The novel she was currently reading was titled—
《Crossing Over: I Am My Master’s Heartthrob》.
The title was cheesy; the plot was even cheesier, with a strange incompatibility with this era.
But this didn’t stop Wen Ying from enjoying it.
She loved this kind of old-fashioned, cliché story!
However, as Wen Ying reached the point where the male and female leads were about to meet, a rustling and squeaking sound interrupted her.
Wen Ying looked towards the source of the sound with displeasure—
Outside her barrier, she saw several small animals gathered.
They stared at Wen Ying with large, watery eyes, looking pitiful and pleading… at the flower rolls and milk in front of her, occasionally scratching at the barrier or chirping in unison.
The barrier could stop them from entering, but not the aroma, nor their hearts longing for the source of the scent.
Especially the food made by someone with maxed-out cooking skills.
Wen Ying’s hand holding the flower roll stopped.
She didn’t like being watched while eating, let alone being watched by… these animals.
At the same time, Wen Ying thought of Little Black.
Wen Ying turned to look; indeed, Little Black’s cell was next to hers, and therefore affected.
Although the cell environment had always been poor, with animals passing through, the animals lingering in such numbers was unusual.
Through the cell bars, Wen Ying could see that Little Black was still leaning against the wall, but he was even more huddled, as if trying to embed himself in the wall.
Perhaps he had remained motionless because of these animals?
The situation was clearly caused by her barrier.
Wen Ying now understood why the barrier allowed the animals to pass through; it wasn’t just compassion.
Sometimes, the harder you try to stop something, the less you can.
Ah, the master who had set up the barrier a hundred years ago—she, Wen Ying, finally understood.
Wen Ying wanted to slack off, but she didn’t want to affect others—or be watched while eating by these animals.
Since it was her fault, she would solve it!
Wen Ying stood up abruptly, her eyes filled with determination and resolve!
She waved her hand, sealing the items on the table again, along with the table, plates, and cushion, and putting them back in her sleeve.
After doing this, Wen Ying turned around and took a deep breath.
The next moment, qi flowed around Wen Ying’s body. With the surge of spiritual energy, her hair fluttered, and her clothes rustled.
Seeing this movement, even Little Black, who was trying to embed himself in the wall, couldn’t help but raise his head slightly and look at Wen Ying.
Wen Ying’s hands moved rapidly, apparently forming a spell. Wen Ying opened her eyes sharply, her palms suddenly separating, then swiftly striking the ground—
“Break!” Wen Ying shouted sharply. A wave of pressure spread out from Wen Ying’s palms, turning any creature it touched into dust.
Then, Wen Ying poked with two fingers, and the barrier she had set up expanded, almost encompassing the entire dungeon, before Wen Ying withdrew her qi and patted her hands with satisfaction.
“Annihilation Spirit Array…” Little Black finally murmured his third sentence.
“Mmm.” Hearing Little Black correctly name her spell, Wen Ying nodded.
Wen Ying had thought that Little Black’s motionless posture was due to coldness, gloominess, or mystery.
But now it seemed…
The reason he was huddled in the corner, only able to use his shadow, was simply because—he was surrounded by animals and couldn’t move.
“Are you afraid of those…” Wen Ying hadn’t finished her sentence when Little Black interrupted.
“No.” This was the loudest Wen Ying had heard Little Black speak, but it was still just a normal volume. “Not afraid, just don’t want to touch them. Not even with demonic energy.”
Author’s Note:
I won’t set a fixed time anymore, hhh, but I’ll update before 6 PM, so you can check after 6 PM~
I suddenly think Little Black is so cute, hhh
Thank you to the little angels who gave me rewards or poured nutrient solution between 2022-04-08 14:42:54 and 2022-04-09 13:26:02!
Thank you for the nutrient solution: Xiao Jing 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!