Volume 3, Chapter 342 – Under House Arrest

Early morning.

Lu Zhuxin woke from sleep.

She pressed a hand to her forehead, brows drawing together slightly.

“Strange… why does my eyelid keep twitching?”

[Host, a twitching left eye brings fortune, a twitching right eye brings disaster.]

System 03’s voice sounded in Lu Zhuxin’s mind right on cue.

Lu Zhuxin raised a brow. “That’s just a baseless saying.”

“You’re a system. You actually believe that?”

Whether a twitching right eye truly brought disaster, Lu Zhuxin had no idea.

But hearing this system’s voice first thing in the morning was grating enough on its own.

Lu Zhuxin shook her still-drowsy head and ignored the unwelcome voice for the time being.

She climbed out of bed and stretched lazily.

“Shuang’er, help me wash my face.”

No response.

Lu Zhuxin smacked herself on the head.

She had forgotten. Bu Lianshuang, that poor little puppy, was still locked up in the back courtyard.

After everything that had happened yesterday, the Chi family would likely be putting the entire estate on full alert.

Which meant Bu Lianshuang was probably going to be stuck in that abandoned wing for a while longer.

“Well. That’s not the worst thing. Less trouble for her. Let her sit still and behave for a few days.”

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Lu Zhuxin got out of bed and carelessly pulled a robe around her shoulders.

She walked to the bronze mirror and glanced at her reflection.

The girl in the mirror was delicate and pretty. Her long black hair had been fixed into two small pointed horns on top of her head.

Like little cat ears. Cute as could be.

Lu Zhuxin didn’t know the first thing about styling hair or putting herself together. The hairstyle was held in place by a spell she had set on herself, so it wouldn’t come undone even in her sleep.

It was the clumsy trick Chi Xiyan had taught her.

Lu Zhuxin’s brows drew together faintly.

The girl in the mirror, who should have looked carefree and innocent, had something dark and heavy settling between her brows.

Lu Zhuxin reached up and nudged the loose wisps of hair framing her forehead. A few strands fell across the corners of her eyes, and paired with those slightly downcast lashes, the overall effect was something soft and forlorn, almost painfully fragile.

“Perfect. Today’s look is absolutely flawless.”

Lu Zhuxin was very pleased with what she saw.

She really did want to make Chi Xiyan, that woman who forgot all decency the moment she lifted her skirts, take a good long look.

And ask herself whether she truly had no conscience left at all.

Lu Zhuxin walked out of her room in good spirits.

Only to find that the guards stationed outside had doubled in number since before.

The Chi estate really had been put on lockdown.

Her small courtyard, modest as it was, had received particular attention from Chi Jingwen.

Though whether Chi Jingwen had arranged this to protect her or to keep watch over her, she couldn’t say.

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Not that it mattered either way. Lu Zhuxin didn’t particularly care.

Senior Brother Lu was dead. The biggest bomb had already gone off.

Lingxiao Sword Sect was not known for its patience. As the head of the Seven Sword Sects, they had always been accustomed to getting their way.

Senior Brother Lu was the top senior disciple of the Sect Master’s own line. His standing within Lingxiao Sword Sect surpassed even that of many elders.

Having a disciple like that killed in broad daylight in the middle of the street was tantamount to grinding Lingxiao Sword Sect’s face into the dirt.

They would not let this go. Especially not after losing Immortal Venerable Qingzhi. They could even less afford to let anyone trample over their dignity.

So Lu Zhuxin had nothing to do right now but wait. Wait for the bomb to fully detonate. Wait for Lingxiao Sword Sect and the Chi family to fall completely apart.

The Chi family’s commerce association was one of the Heaven-Mandated Male Lead Song Shixuan’s greatest sources of power and resources in the days to come.

Its significance was far beyond anything that little Song Shiyuan could compare to.

Severing the bond between the Chi family and Lingxiao Sword Sect meant cutting off one of the Heaven-Mandated Male Lead’s arms.

She had already won over Song Shiyuan first, shattering Song Shixuan’s invincible golden body that nothing could touch.

Lu Zhuxin found herself curious. If she managed to cut off this arm of his as well, just how much weaker would Song Shixuan become?

The thought put her in a cheerful enough mood that she found herself teasing the system in her head.

“System, if I successfully win over Chi Xiyan and sever the connection between Lingxiao Sword Sect and the Chi family, will I have a shot at killing Song Shixuan?”

[That question falls outside 03’s ability to answer.]

Oh, that line. She knew it well.

Lu Zhuxin laughed softly. “Is this another ‘explore it yourself’ situation, where the final interpretation belongs to the Heavenly Dao of this world?”

She had heard that excuse from Ming Zhaoxi more times than she could count.

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[Host has misunderstood.]

[The Heaven-Mandated Male Lead carries the fortune of Heaven. This heaven-given fortune aids his growth and protects his safety.]

[However, this protection does have limits. It is not unbreakable.]

Lu Zhuxin listened, frowning. “So?”

[As the Heaven-Mandated Male Lead’s fortune weakens, the host’s fortune grows.]

[When the difference between the two reaches a certain threshold, the host will have the ability to break through the Heaven-Mandated Male Lead’s destiny.]

[The exact location of that threshold, however, 03 cannot determine.]

[Additionally, this is also connected to the host’s own capabilities. The stronger the host’s power, the more it can influence where that threshold lies.]

“Oh?” Lu Zhuxin gave a cold laugh. “I’m already a cultivator of the Eighth Realm. In this small world, the only ones above me are those at the Venerable Saint level.”

“My cultivation is so much higher than Song Shixuan’s. So why don’t I feel like I can influence that threshold at all?”

[Host, heavenly fortune is something intangible and elusive. The ‘capabilities’ 03 is referring to do not include your cultivation level.]

“Hm? Not cultivation?” Lu Zhuxin’s eyes narrowed. “Then what exactly is the standard for measuring capability?”

[Host, that question exceeds 03’s authorized scope to answer.]

“Well. What a shame.”

Lu Zhuxin let out a quiet laugh.

The chill settled back into her eyes.

She had been so close to finishing off the Chi family storyline, and this system had to go and throw cold water on her.

It felt exactly like running to the end of a long and grueling quest chain, only to have the game master pop up a new window and split that nearly-completed chain into several more.

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Absolutely maddening.

What kind of terrible game was this.

Her good mood was completely ruined.

Lu Zhuxin’s expression went flat, the shadow between her brows darkening further.

She made up her mind to go for a walk and clear her head.

“Second Miss.” A swordsman stepped into her path, blade at his hip. “The Head of the family has given orders that you are not to move about freely.”

Lu Zhuxin’s brow furrowed.

I’m under house arrest?

“I’m just taking a short walk. I won’t leave the estate.”

“The Chi estate has a formation protecting it. Nothing will go wrong.”

The guard shook his head. “Second Miss, the Head of the family said that a traitor has recently been found within the estate. Even with the formation in place, safety cannot be guaranteed at a hundred percent.”

“For your protection, please remain within your courtyard.”

“The Head of the family has set a special formation around your courtyard. This area is the safest place for you.”

The corner of Lu Zhuxin’s eye twitched.

I really am under house arrest.

Chi Jingwen, you coward.

I wasn’t even planning to do anything.