Chapter 9: Birth (Part 4)

Xu Qianyu lay back down on the bed, refusing to get up. After waiting for a while, Guan Niang came into the room. She gently urged Xu Qianyu to get up, finally convincing her to accept that all the servants in the room would be changed to young boys starting today.

“This is the master’s wish,” Guan Niang said. “Do you dislike it?”

Xu Qianyu didn’t have any strong notions about gender separation and was not very familiar with societal norms. However, because she didn’t understand them well, she didn’t dare to judge; she just replied unhappily, “Is it really necessary?”

Thinking of the old, stooped figure of Shui Rushan, Guan Niang hardened her resolve. “Over time, you’ll get used to it.”

Xu Qianyu silently stroked the canopy hat in her hands. Since the last time Guan Niang had blocked the doctor with a curtain, she had learned from the maid that once she turned fourteen at the end of the month, she would need to wear a canopy hat when going out to meet people.

So it seemed that the big changes in her boudoir were also due to her coming of age.

The cost of growing up appeared to be heavy.

Guan Niang’s persuasion worked; she pulled aside the curtain. “Look at them. Are there any that you find pleasing? Call a couple to serve you closely; the others can wait outside and play with you. If you don’t find anyone suitable, I can find better ones.”

Xu Qianyu reluctantly scanned the faces of the various young boys.

These boys were of similar height, build, and age, each with their unique appearance—some were as handsome as a sword drawn from its sheath, while others had the soft beauty of sheep-fat jade, but they were all quite presentable.

They had their chins slightly tucked and their eyes fixed on the ground. When asked to be appraised and selected, they seemed shy and nervous, glancing at each other, their expressions lacking ease. Among them was one boy whose long eyelashes drooped lazily; he seemed to blend in but appeared lost in thought.

Xu Qianyu lifted her sleeve and pointed. “Him.”

The boy looked up in surprise, unsure whether she was pointing at him. After looking around, seeing it was indeed himself, he couldn’t help but smile, his rosy lips curling up. He was handsome and charming, and with that smile, his expression came to life.

But Guan Niang said, “Choose another.”

Xu Qianyu shook her head in distress.

She truly couldn’t find anyone else.

However, Guan Niang decisively pointed to someone else for her before stepping out.

The two boys squatted down, one on each side, helping her put on her shoes. The one on her right lowered his head, appearing sleepy and distracted. When he lifted his head to look at her, he seemed attentive and affectionate. Xu Qianyu suddenly realized that the boy she had just picked resembled Xie Yuzhen.

Thinking of Xie Yuzhen made her feel a wave of discomfort.

“Go away; bring someone else,” she said abruptly, lifting her delicate foot and lightly kicking the boy on the shoulder to dismiss him. But she knew she was unjustly venting her anger, so she randomly grabbed a handful of rewards from the pouch hanging at the head of the bed and tossed them to him.

The boy had been focused on helping Xu Qianyu put on her shoes. He didn’t seem very adept at fastening the jade clasps on the shoes, and his gaze briefly wandered to another boy who was studying them. Suddenly kicked, he was taken aback but showed no sign of surprise.

In the next moment, something rolled down from the young lady’s skirt, clinking to a stop before him—it was a shiny, cold gold ingot.

“…”

Thanks to the strict training in the Shui residence, he released the embroidered shoe, paused for a moment, and picked up the gold ingot, gripping it in his hand. With his head lowered and eyes downcast, he politely stepped back from her line of sight. “I’ll go wash my hands and bring water for the young lady.”

Xu Qianyu lazily replied, putting on her shoes herself. As her eyes casually glanced over, she caught sight of another boy Guan Niang had pointed out earlier, who was now looking up at her with a grateful smile, as if he had just survived a disaster.

Xu Qianyu took another look at him; his appearance really did not appeal to her. She would rather have Xiao Dong come instead.

But today she was supposed to have dinner with her grandfather, and if she continued to be so picky, she would surely be late.

Xu Qianyu hesitated for a moment, remembering Guan Niang’s advice. She put on the canopy hat indoors, covering her eyes, and fell silent.

Before long, the boy who had been sent away returned, saying, “Miss, please rinse your mouth.”

Xu Qianyu lowered her eyes, and a glass cup appeared in her vision beneath the white veil.

As she reached for it, lifting her veil to drink, suddenly, the glass cup shook in her hand and spoke: “Character [Xu Qianyu], congratulations on entering the text-repair world [The Reversal of the Little Junior Sister]. I am the system for this mission…”

“Crash—” Xu Qianyu threw both the cup and water out of her hands.

The glass cup shattered, startling everyone. They thought it was an accident and quickly gathered around the bed curtain. Someone had already brought a new cup: “Miss, you’ve been startled. Please don’t get up; be careful of the shards. Here’s a new one, half-warm and sweetened with honey.”

Xu Qianyu widened her eyes and stared at the glass cup for a long time before tentatively accepting it.

“I am the system for this mission. I will assist you. I hope you cooperate…”

“Crash—”

“Did you hear that sound?” Xu Qianyu asked amidst the terrified silence of the young servants.

Having smashed two cups for no reason, the group of young boys was so frightened that they dared not move, standing frozen in place, no one willing to respond.

Then, Xu Qianyu heard the voice clearly coming from the round pillow behind her. Unlike the previous flat and emotionless tones, this voice now carried a hint of exasperation: “Can you let me finish my sentence? Huh? [Xu Qianyu], you…”

Before it could finish, Xu Qianyu stomped on the round pillow a few times and then forcefully shoved it into the basin, splashing water everywhere. She darted to the corner of the bed, clutching her veil, her back against the wall, trembling as she said, “Quick, tell the matron there’s a ghost.”

The system: “…”

*

“Ahem, ahem…” Later, the matron held Xu Qianyu by the bedside, patting her back with concern. Another maid knelt by the bed, holding a copper basin. Xu Qianyu’s long hair was disheveled, and she coughed dryly into the basin for a while, her cheeks flushing red, but nothing came out.

“Forget it, this time I was too hasty and scared the miss.” The matron said anxiously, “I’ve sent them all away; for now, let us serve you. Please don’t be afraid.”

She tucked Xu Qianyu’s hair behind her, looking worried. “It’s just that things outside have been unstable recently; otherwise, I would have called a shaman to perform a ritual. All the teacups and bedding in the room, anything that could be replaced, I’ve had replaced with new ones.”

Xu Qianyu shook her head, barely able to speak. “No need.”

“The ghost has already entered my body.” She stubbornly grasped the edge of the copper basin, trying to expel it.

This was, of course, a trick of the “system.”

It had initially wanted to communicate with the “host” through an object, but Xu Qianyu had thrown and smashed it, causing chaos, and the subsequent voice chose to manifest inside Xu Qianyu’s mind.

At least Xu Qianyu couldn’t throw her mind away.

After Xu Qianyu coughed until exhausted, the matron wiped the sweat from her forehead, soothing her to sleep while she kept watch outside.

Once the matron left, Xu Qianyu suddenly opened her eyes and knocked three times on the headboard.

A strange fragrance wafted through, and a fox appeared at the bedside, lifting the curtain with its front paw and whispering, “Miss, there’s no need to be afraid; it’s just a wild ghost.”

“A wild ghost? Can you drive it away?” Xu Qianyu asked, feeling somewhat relieved.

The fox’s eyes darted: “I’m not skilled in magic, but my sister, Sanniang, is very powerful and can catch monsters and drive away ghosts. If you agree to be a temple lady for one night in five days, she will owe you a favor. The fox clan values gratitude; she will surely help you.”

The voice in her head couldn’t take it anymore and blurted out: “Xu Qianyu, don’t listen to its nonsense; listen to me. I am a deity.”

Xu Qianyu responded, “It says it’s a deity.”

The fox retorted, “It’s talking nonsense!”

The system: “…”

The system: “Look at its sly appearance; you can tell it’s untrustworthy!”

Xu Qianyu said, “It says you look sly and untrustworthy.”

The fox squinted its eyes, glaring like a knife: “I might be sly, but at least I have an appearance. That thing doesn’t even have a proper form; who knows what it is.”

Xu Qianyu chuckled, waving her fan with excitement, eager for them to fight so she could enjoy the show.

The system was furious. It had never imagined that one day it would need to prove itself in front of a creature with no name, feeling deeply humiliated. It spoke rapidly, “Xu Qianyu, I really am not a bad person; I know many of your secrets! For instance, the mother you have locked away in the west wing…”

“…” Xu Qianyu’s smile froze on her face, her expression darkening.

She didn’t translate this to the fox but lay back on the bed, playing with her fan leisurely as she said, “You can go. I’ll think about what you said.”

The fox replied with a flattering tone, spat toward the unseen “ghost” floating somewhere in the air, and then vanished in a puff of smoke.

Now, she finally found herself alone.

The system hurriedly began to explain everything it needed to convey to Xu Qianyu in rapid succession.

According to it, the world Xu Qianyu inhabited was the setting of a book called “Demon Punishment.”

The heroine of this book was the little junior sister, Lu You, who appeared out of nowhere in her dream. She was lazy by nature but possessed a lucky fate like a koi fish; her fortune was akin to that of a favored daughter of heaven. No matter what happened, she could turn misfortune into fortune. Moreover, anyone who treated her well would share in her luck, while those who crossed her would end up unlucky for life.

Thus, she inadvertently formed good karma, vanquished evildoers, and transformed from an ordinary nobody into the renowned White-Gowned Fairy of the Kyushu.

As for Xu Qianyu’s master, senior brothers, junior brothers, and the one she loved but could not have—they were all Lu You’s targets in the story, and one by one, she would successfully win them over.

Therefore, Xu Qianyu’s misfortune was not without reason; it was simply because she was the female supporting character in that book—she was the foil to the koi fish, representing misfortune to highlight luck and a symbol of rejection amidst favoritism.

“You don’t understand,” the system said, seeing her doubtful gaze. It steeled itself and continued, “This is called a ‘satisfaction point.’ If you were Lu You, wouldn’t you feel exhilarated and happy reading this story?”

The system also told her that since she opened her eyes, time had rewound, and the story had started anew for the second time. In other words, what she saw in her dreams had actually happened before, not just a fleeting dream. However, since it was a rewind, everyone in the story would also return to their original positions, back to before their encounters, back to the starting point of their destinies.

And she just happened to hit the jackpot, getting a chance to glimpse the future and change the fate of her past life.

After it finished speaking, Xu Qianyu remained silent for a while.

Her fan came to a halt, her expression calm, and her breathing steady, as if she were about to fall asleep.

The system hurriedly called to wake her: “Autumn is the season for selecting disciples of the Xianmen. We’ve already missed out on several years; the start is too unfavorable. It’s still not too late to prepare from this moment.”

“Prepare for what?” Xu Qianyu suddenly spoke, her delicate brows furrowed. It turned out she hadn’t fallen asleep; she was just deep in thought.

“Ah? To return to Penglai,” the system replied, feeling it was unbelievable. “Living again is such an exhilarating start—turn the tables, reclaim what you lost, win back the one you love, step on the heroine, and rise to the peak of life?”

Then, it heard the girl decisively pour cold water on the idea: “I’m not going.”