Chapter 75: Changing the Plot
The original world line followed the perspective of the main characters, so their situations were described in more detail.
The male protagonist, Feng Zaiyin, along with his grandfather, Ninth Uncle, and others, entered the Chi Heng Tomb but soon got separated.
All the exorcists who entered the tomb were trapped there.
In the tomb, Feng Zaiyin encountered the female protagonist, Jiang Mang, who was also alone. The two of them joined forces, supporting each other as their feelings deepened in the face of danger. They also had an extraordinary adventure and acquired treasures from the tomb.
Due to an unexpected event, they shared an intimate moment, and Jiang Mang became secretly pregnant.
After being trapped for several days, the exorcists finally emerged, but several of them had died. Some were killed by the tomb’s traps, while others were possessed by the spirits in the tomb and died, with the Feng family head suffering the most tragic fate.
He was originally the strongest among them, but inside the tomb, his mind was corrupted. In his desire to seize the illusory treasures, he tried to attack the others. After being fully consumed by the evil, everyone joined forces to kill him.
He had a unique trait—his injuries would heal rapidly—so to ensure he was truly dead, the exorcists had to mutilate his body until it was unrecognizable.
Another casualty in the tomb was Ming Tang, the spiritual demon from the Ming family, who had also gotten separated from the main group early on.
After he chased a spirit within the tomb, he reappeared in everyone’s view as an empty corpse hanging on a rack.
The power within his body condensed into a spiritual shell, which was sorrowfully retrieved by the Ming family members who had accompanied him.
As for Feng Xuexiang, who was another spirit demon in that tomb exploration, he was controlled by the Feng family head through a blood curse before the head died.
After the Feng family head’s death, Feng Xuexiang regained his senses, leading the others to kill the malicious spirits in the tomb, successfully escaping, and earning the admiration and gratitude of many.
Feng Zaiyin, whom Feng Xuexiang had rescued, was initially grateful to him until Jiang Mang’s child was born.
The child, conceived in the tomb, had a unique origin and constitution, being naturally able to control the ancestral objects of the four great families.
The child, conceived in the tomb, had a unique origin and constitution, being naturally able to control the ancestral objects of the four great families.
Feng Xuexiang developed a murderous intent toward the child, possibly driven by greed as well… As the villain, his attempts to harm the protagonist naturally failed.
His malice towards the child aroused the suspicions of Feng Zaiyin and Jiang Mang, leading them to become cautious and test him.
Later, Feng Zaiyin uncovered the truth about the Feng family head’s death and exposed Feng Xuexiang’s true nature.
Only then did everyone realize that the deaths of Feng Houzhan and Ming Tang were all connected to Feng Xuexiang.
With his conspiracy exposed, Feng Xuexiang tried to kill everyone to silence them, but the child was able to restrain him, ultimately extracting the ancestral object, the Mirror of Illusions, from him at the last moment.
In the end, the powerless Feng Xuexiang was killed by the two protagonists.
With no one left to suppress Feng Zaiyin, and with a son who possessed unique abilities, he firmly secured his position as the head of the Feng family.
His wife, Jiang Mang, was from the Xue family, and the spirit demons of the Ming and Mei families had not yet matured, leading to a subtle sign that the once equally powerful four great families might soon fall under the control of the Feng family.
For the protagonist’s family, this was certainly a perfect ending.
Yu Shi reflected on the plot of the original world line provided by the system.
The system had assigned him the task of ensuring that Feng Xuexiang’s danger value did not exceed a safe threshold before he reached his destined end.
If it exceeded the threshold, the protagonist would not be able to deal with him later, and no one else could restrain him, which would lead to unimaginable consequences.
Therefore, the time limit for his task was until after Feng Xuexiang’s death.
As the villain, his employer’s future was already predestined.
However…
A warm, soft hand quietly held Yu Shi’s hand. The man, who was slightly taller than him, tilted his head close to Yu Shi and whispered, “If you like plum blossom branches, I’ll trick a couple more for you later.”
The child, Mei Yeyao, who was about to be tricked, happily skipped ahead.
Yu Shi said, “Don’t trick the kid. One plum blossom branch is enough for me.”
Feng Xuexiang, hearing this, looked disappointed and held Yu Shi’s hand even tighter. “Then what do you like? It seems like you don’t really like anything.”
Yu Shi replied, “I quite like cooking. What would you like for dinner?”
…
Later that evening, with Mei Yeyao joining them, the dinner table became much more lively. When the food was served, he started off sitting down, but soon he was standing on his chair, with rice scattered everywhere and food spilled across the table.
Yu Shi’s old habits from taking care of children resurfaced. He cleaned the table in front of Mei Yeyao, wiped his greasy little face and hands, and gave him a larger bowl and a more suitable spoon.
“Eat slowly, and chew the rice in your mouth before swallowing.”
“If the chair is too low, how about I raise it a bit for you? Standing up might get your clothes dirty.”
Yu Shi even helped him roll up his sleeves a bit to prevent them from getting dirty.
Mei Yeyao’s uncle stared in disbelief. The little troublemaker, who had caused chaos ever since being brought home, was now obediently listening to this young man and eating his meal quietly.
After dinner, he even saw the usually ill-tempered child happily following Yu Shi around.
“Brother, your cooking tastes like my mom’s,” Mei Yeyao said, clinging to Yu Shi’s side.
In truth, Mei Yeyao didn’t clearly remember what his mother’s cooking tasted like. After his mother died, he lived with his uncle, where he was often scolded during meals. His aunt would secretly hide the good dishes for his cousins, and he was always left hungry.
After being brought to the Mei family’s big house, they often told him he didn’t need to eat. Mei Yeyao thought they were all bad people—if he didn’t eat, he would starve! He had to cry and fuss to get food.
While eating earlier, the way Yu Shi spoke to him, wiped his face and hands, felt very familiar to Mei Yeyao.
When his mother was still alive, the food she made was just as delicious, and he enjoyed every bite.
“Brother, can you make small cakes? My mom used to make really tasty ones for me.”
“What kind of small cakes?” Yu Shi asked as he dried the pan in his hands and hung it up.
“The kind that’s in little paper cups…” Mei Yeyao excitedly gestured as he described them.
Seeing the hopeful look in his eyes, Yu Shi dried his hands and gently patted his head. “I’ll give it a try. Can you help me?”
Mei Yeyao nodded eagerly, remembering how he used to help his mom make the little cakes.
He excitedly washed his hands as Yu Shi instructed and began helping to prepare the ingredients.
Feng Xuexiang waited for a long time, expecting Yu Shi to come out and do the puzzle with him, but he eventually discovered that Yu Shi was in the kitchen, giving special attention to the child.
When Yu Shi looked up, he saw Feng Xuexiang standing at the kitchen door, his face half-hidden, looking rather forlorn.
“If you’re not busy, why not help out too?” Yu Shi suggested.
Although he was perfectly capable of doing everything himself, Yu Shi assigned tasks to both of them, allowing them to feel like they were part of the process.
Whether it was Feng Xuexiang volunteering to separate the egg yolks from the whites, only to break the yolks into the whites;
Or Mei Yeyao trying to sift flour and spilling it everywhere, then helping to whip the egg whites only for them to overflow the bowl, Yu Shi didn’t scold them.
He persevered and managed to finish making the cupcakes.
They were simple, unadorned cupcakes, nothing special—at least, in Mei Yeyao’s uncle’s eyes, they were much plainer than the cakes they usually bought for him.
But the little boy, who usually complained that everything was wrong, took just two bites of the cupcake before bursting into tears.
It wasn’t a loud, dramatic cry, but a soft, whimpering sob, like the sound of a little puppy, something his uncle had never seen from him before.
“Mom… wuu wuu,” the child mumbled, holding a cupcake in one hand while burying his face in Yu Shi’s leg, wiping his tears on Yu Shi’s pants. His sobs were muffled by the cake still in his mouth.
Yu Shi looked down helplessly at the child clinging to his leg. As he reached out to pat Mei Yeyao’s head, Feng Xuexiang caught his hand before it could land.
Feng Xuexiang pulled Mei Yeyao away with one hand, then grabbed Yu Shi by the waist, lifting him off the ground and tossing him over his shoulder. Without a word, he carried Yu Shi past Mei Yeyao and headed straight for the stairs.
As Yu Shi was carried back to the room, he could hear the sound of the child crying and screaming downstairs.
“…”
It took quite a while to soothe the child, and by the time Yu Shi went back upstairs to wash up and get ready for bed, it was already very late.
When Yu Shi came out of the bathroom, he saw Feng Xuexiang lying flat on his bed, occupying half of the space.
Yu Shi paused in the middle of drying his hair but then remembered that he had agreed to let Feng Xuexiang sleep in the bed, so he didn’t say anything and sat down on the other side.
He thought to himself that Feng Xuexiang was probably sulking again, likely planning to lie there all night without saying a word.
The thought made a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.
Suddenly, an arm snaked around his waist, pulling him closer.
He had overestimated him.
Yu Shi carefully peeled Feng Xuexiang’s fingers away one by one, set down his towel, and lay down on his side of the bed. Feng Xuexiang scooted closer, turning to face him.
Even without looking at him, Yu Shi could feel the intensity of Feng Xuexiang’s gaze.
With a quiet sigh in his heart, Yu Shi took the initiative to ask, “In a few days, you’re heading back to that tomb again?”
“Mm.” Feng Xuexiang’s head slid down from the pillow, bringing him even closer.
“Do you need me to go with you this time?” Yu Shi finally voiced the question he had been holding back.
But contrary to his earlier insistence, Feng Xuexiang replied, “The tomb is really boring. You had fun today, right? On that day, you should go out and have fun again. I just want you to be happy.”
“Okay,” Yu Shi replied, closing his eyes. “Just make sure you stay safe.”
Feng Xuexiang chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be perfectly safe.”
His smooth, cool hair brushed against Yu Shi’s arm.
…
The next day, the head of the Feng family arrived and met briefly with Feng Xuexiang. Their conversation was uneventful, and after exchanging just a few words, Feng Houzhan took Feng Zaiyin and left.
Aside from the head of the Feng family, many others who initially hadn’t planned to come also showed up, making Chuncheng even more bustling.
They held discussions with the Crisis Bureau and decided to continue excavating Chi Heng’s Tomb the next day. The tomb was vast and had a unique structure, so they agreed that families from the southern regions, along with the Crisis Bureau and some renowned exorcists from the north, would send people down together.
The Crisis Bureau hoped that two spirit demons would accompany the group, but since the Ming family’s spirit demon, Ming Tang, had fallen into a coma after the last expedition and had yet to wake up, they eventually decided that only Feng Xuexiang would accompany them into the tomb, following a strong request from the head of the Feng family.
Xue Xiu from the Xue family and the young spirit demon, Mei Yeyao, who was still too inexperienced to be of much use, would remain above with the other exorcists as a precaution.
The day before the tomb expedition, while they were discussing who would go in, Yu Shi went to find Jiang Mang.
“My Aunt Ruoyao might be going down there too. I’m not sure yet if she’ll take me along,” Jiang Mang said, clearly uncertain. “I’m not very skilled right now, so I’d probably just be a burden, but I’m kind of curious and want to see it for myself.”
Yu Shi handed her some snacks he had brought. “This kind of large tomb won’t be explored just once. There will definitely be a second and third group later on. The first group is the most dangerous, so I think it’s better if you don’t go.”
“If you really want to go, wait until the danger has decreased. That way, your aunt won’t have to worry about looking after you and can focus on keeping herself safe. It’ll be much safer for everyone.”
Jiang Mang, who had been wavering, found Yu Shi’s reasoning sound. He was always attentive and reliable.
“Alright, I won’t go then!” she decided.
…
The next day, the weather wasn’t very good; it was overcast.
Before Feng Xuexiang left, Yu Shi checked the data above his head and was surprised to find that one of the values had changed significantly compared to two days earlier.
[Current Pollution Level: 80/100]
Quietly, Feng Xuexiang’s pollution level had soared to 80. Yu Shi thought back, but couldn’t figure out when this change had occurred or notice any visible differences.
With such a high pollution level, everyone around Feng Xuexiang should have been affected or seen illusions, yet the person who came to pick him up showed no abnormal reactions.
In the brief two minutes it took for Yu Shi to see him off, the pollution level above his head even increased by one more point.
Yu Shi stopped following him and stood at the door, watching as Feng Xuexiang got into the Feng family’s car.
In the yard, a pond of purple water lilies bloomed quietly and beautifully.
…
Around noon, dozens of exorcists entered Chi Heng’s Tomb together.
Feng Houzhan and two exorcists from the Crisis Bureau led the way, with Feng Xuexiang standing behind Feng Houzhan, and Feng Zaiyin in the middle, alongside the other members of the four great families.
Their figures disappeared into the entrance of the tomb as a layer of clouds churned in the sky, yet no rain fell.
Chuncheng had a scenic spot called Jade Lake, with a long road built along the lake. At that moment, Yu Shi and Jiang Mang each rode a rented electric scooter, touring around Jade Lake.
Without the sun, it wasn’t hot, and the breeze blowing from the lake was refreshingly cool. There were few people on the road, allowing them to ride freely and enjoy the view of the peculiarly shaped Longzhou Mountain across the lake.
When they got tired, they could stop and sit on the railing by the lake, taking out the lemon honey tea and snacks that Yu Shi had prepared to have a picnic while admiring the lake and mountain scenery.
It was very relaxing.
Jiang Mang thought to herself, luckily she didn’t go to the big tomb to watch the fun; it would have been crowded, hot, and stifling. Staying at home would have been boring too—going out with Yu Shi was definitely the right choice!
