KyokaSuigetsu
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Chapter 13: A New Persecution Target
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 07:18:45 +0000 UTCThe person Solon ran into near the mahjong table—of course—was none other than Qingque, the master of slacking off and playing Imperial Jade of Dihuan, often dubbed the "Lazy Sparrow."
Unfortunately, it was a one-sided recognition. Solon knew her… but she didn't know him.
Driven by curiosity for in-game characters, Solon stepped closer to take a look.
One of the players who had just lost let out a sigh and pulled out his jade token to settle the score.
"Qingque, your luck is insane today."
Qingque raised her chin proudly, hands on her hips.
"Of course! I cast a fortune reading before leaving today. The hexagram clearly said: 'A day of great fortune awaits!'"
Another player teased:
"Using divination for gambling, aren't you worried Lady Fu Xuan from the Divination Commission will come after you?"
Qingque waved her hand nonchalantly.
"Lady Fu is way too busy to care about us playing Imperial Jade."
Seeing the unlucky player begin to pack up, Qingque quickly tried to stop him.
"Why are you heading out so early today?"
The player spread his hands, looking dejected.
"I already lost everything I brought. Any longer and I'll be betting my underwear."
"Ehh~ Fine. See you tomorrow then."
Qingque was clever enough to know that sustainable profit mattered more than bleeding people dry all at once.
So the player left in a hurry like he was fleeing a disaster.
"It's still early. Want to keep going?"
Qingque looked at the remaining two players.
"I've got soup stewing at home. Let's continue another day, yeah?"
"My aunt's husband's brother-in-law's wife is giving birth. I gotta get to the Alchemy Commission."
Realizing how hot Qingque's luck was today, the other two players scrambled to find excuses and vanished from the scene.
"Hey! Don't all run off!"
The table dispersed instantly, leaving a frustrated Qingque behind.
That's when she noticed Solon watching nearby. Her eyes lit up.
"Hey, mister! Fancy a round of Imperial Jade?"
Solon quickly waved his hand, declining without hesitation.
"Sorry, not a fan of gambling."
Before transmigrating, Solon had watched a relative destroy his life through gambling—bankrupted his family, ruined his marriage. Since then, he'd steered clear of anything that even smelled like a bet.
Seeing Solon's firm attitude, Qingque didn't push it. She immediately bounced off to find new partners—after all, in a place like Changle Heaven, where leisure was everywhere, there was always someone willing to play.
Solon had only come over because he was curious about Qingque, but seeing her so addicted to gambling quickly soured the mood.
Watching others gamble? Not nearly as fun as running a simulation.
Solon turned and left.
Back at home, he sprawled into a comfy position and opened the simulation system again.
Because he was stuck on Jingliu's intermediate-difficulty scenario, he had no choice but to start a brand new one.
Once again, that familiar gacha-style animation played—a card dropped into his hand.
A girl in green robes. A bright and youthful smile. One hand held high with an Imperial Jade tile in it…
Solon raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Well, isn't that convenient~"
That's right—his second bond character turned out to be none other than Qingque, whom he had just met.
Compared to Jingliu's legendary resume, Qingque's background was much simpler.
In short, she was a rather ordinary diviner at the Divination Commission aboard the Xianzhou Luofu—fond of slacking off and playing games.
At least, that's what most people thought.
In truth, she was a prodigy in the art of divination, highly regarded by none other than Fu Xuan herself. If nothing unexpected happened, Qingque was basically her chosen successor.
But just as Jing Yuan liked to "temper" Fu Xuan by tossing her busywork, Fu Xuan often dumped heavy responsibilities onto Qingque under the same pretense.
[Would you like to begin simulation with this scenario? (Difficulty: Beginner)]
Solon didn't hesitate and selected Yes.
Same as before, a system window popped up.
[Select two starting Traits. One of them will be retained for free upon simulation completion.]
This time, however, Solon already had a Trait. He wasn't starting from scratch.
Soon, the system presented several options:
God of Gambling (Gold): Your gambling skills are godlike. Whether it's poker, mahjong, dice, or any other game of chance, they're like toys in your hands. At the table, you are invincible. (Includes a special BGM.) (This Trait is a beginner-mode benefit. Cannot be selected after simulation ends.)
Natural Villain (Green): Slightly increases your success rate when doing evil deeds.
Lush Drinker (White): You love drinking and hold your liquor well. Synergizes with the "Drunken" series of Traits for minor boosts.
Handsome Appearance (White): You're strikingly good-looking, which makes it easier to win others' favor.
Focus (White): You can focus intensely on any task you commit to.
The gold God of Gambling Trait was mandatory, so Solon turned his attention to the others.
The moment he saw Natural Villain, his scalp tingled.
This system clearly hadn't given up on turning him into a scumbag.
He quickly skimmed over the next option.
The "Drunken" Trait sounded normal at first—until he saw the details. It referred to styles like Drunken Fist, Drunken Spear, Drunken Sword—basically martial arts gimmicks.
Interesting, sure. But martial arts only worked on regular people. In the world of the Astral Express, Paths were what truly mattered. Everything else was fringe tricks.
Understanding that, Solon mentally tossed the trait aside.
He moved to the fourth option.
No matter the world, being good-looking was a universal advantage. But Solon was already handsome enough. A white Trait wouldn't boost his charm by much—so he passed on that too.
Then came the final option.
Focus.
After reading the description, Solon hesitated.
If it weren't for "Natural Villain" being in the pool, he would've chosen "Focus" in a heartbeat.
But knowing this cursed system…
After a long internal struggle, Solon finally chose Natural Villain.
As for the other mandatory Trait, though he had no interest in gambling, Solon accepted God of Gambling (Gold) without hesitation.
After two simulations with Jingliu, he had a solid theory—these beginner-scenario gold Traits were custom-tailored for each arc and massively reduced difficulty.
Early on, with nothing to his name, clearing the scenario smoothly basically required these beginner perks.
With everything selected, Solon couldn't help but grumble.
Damn system. You're setting me up again…
Well, guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and be a villain this time.
As he grumbled, the simulation began once more.
