In the outer room, the four elders of the Su family sat cross-legged on the ground, their expressions solemn as they stared at Su Ning. The silver-haired chief elder spoke up, asking, “Are you certain that what appeared just now was a hand holding a hammer out of thin air?”
“Not just that! Dad, let me tell you, those hands were beautiful.”
Su Ning seemed completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere in the room. Not only did he calmly sit among the elders, but he also thoughtfully placed a cushion under himself and enthusiastically shared his observations: “I’ve spent years collecting hand molds and could be considered an expert in all things hand-related. Yet no hands I’ve ever seen can compare to these. I’m certain that the owner of those hands must be an unparalleled beauty!”
The faces of the four old men darkened at these words.
The black-haired fourth elder growled angrily, “All you think about is your weird obsession. Just tell us what else you saw, and make it clear this time!”
Su Ning rubbed his ears, seemingly helpless, and said, “Fourth Uncle, no need to lose your temper like that. Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. I didn’t see anything else, but when those hands appeared, I caught a terrifying aura. In short… think about it: you guys have lived for nearly a century and at most can work together to cast a spell, but this person, young as they are, can tear through space effortlessly and even fight all four of you single-handedly. Isn’t it obvious? They’re definitely a supreme powerhouse!”
With his youthful, handsome face, Su Ning earnestly advised the four elders, whose faces were covered in wrinkles: “In any case, this person is someone our family absolutely cannot provoke. I say we admit defeat early.”
Although Su Ning’s words might have seemed irreverent, few would hold it against him. After all, he wasn’t just the only child of the chief elder but also an exceptionally rare genius of the Su family’s generation. Apart from his lack of seriousness, he had no other flaws. Barring any surprises, the future responsibility of the Su family in the capital would undoubtedly fall on his shoulders.
At this moment, as Su Ning spoke, the elders exchanged glances, their expressions growing even more serious.
“Crude words, but the reasoning isn’t wrong. Su Ning does have a point.”
“But if we admit defeat, where will the Su family’s dignity go?”
“If we truly can’t win, the question will shift to where our lives will go.”
“Besides, our family is different from others. Other families might have their ancestral prayers work one out of ten times, but ours has never worked…”
The elders debated noisily among themselves.
Meanwhile, in the inner room, Su Ping was still vomiting uncontrollably, weakly calling out to them, “Elders… elders, stop discussing and save me… save me… I can’t keep vomiting… ugh—”
The third elder, annoyed, waved his hand dismissively without even turning around, saying, “Stop making noise, stop making noise. Vomit a bit more; we’ll figure this out.”
Su Ping’s vision darkened. You’ve got to be kidding me…!
The most hot-tempered fourth elder glanced disdainfully at the pregnant man in the inner room, his face growing darker the more he looked. “No, absolutely not. Under no circumstances can the Su family allow men to give birth!”
Su Ning was puzzled. “For the sake of dignity? That seems a bit much.”
“You don’t understand! The Su family must never allow men to give birth!” the fourth elder shouted angrily.
When the topic of men giving birth was brought up, the other elders’ expressions turned increasingly grave. Ultimately, the chief elder made the final decision: “In short, we don’t necessarily have to become enemies with the spellcaster, but Su Ping absolutely cannot give birth to this child. Su Ning, since you witnessed the entire process, Su Ping is now your responsibility. You must interrogate him thoroughly to uncover the full story and identify the spellcaster.”
“Oh, alright,” Su Ning agreed readily. He stroked his chin, thoughtfully observing the four elders. However… why was the idea of men giving birth such a serious matter to them? It was understandable for Fourth Uncle to have objections, but even Third Uncle, who usually favored tactical surrender, was uncharacteristically firm on this issue. It didn’t add up.
There must be some hidden secret here that he wasn’t aware of. Interesting.
The four elders, unwilling to look at the vomiting man any longer, quickly handed the matter over to Su Ning and made their escape.
Su Ping, still vomiting uncontrollably, suddenly felt a shadow looming over him. Cursing inwardly, he slowly raised his head, only to meet the smiling yet chillingly cold face of his cousin, Su Ning. Though Su Ning was smiling, his demeanor was icy.
Su Ping shivered violently in fear.
“Come on, spill it. Who exactly did you provoke out there?”
Su Ning casually placed his hand on Su Ping’s swollen belly, ignoring his struggles, and pressed down inch by inch. He coldly admired the young man’s twisted expression and said, “Ping, you should know that being stubborn won’t help. After all, your dear cousin excels at extracting confessions through harsh methods.”
Su Ping wailed and begged for mercy, “Cousin, stop! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”
“Not long ago, I just couldn’t stand that little celebrity flaunting their lineage as a descendant of the High Priest, so I arranged…”
Due to their less-than-impressive great-grandson being utterly broke, they decided to stay at the company dormitory for a week-long vacation. Although Su Weisheng himself had nearly a million in hand, it seemed unnecessary to rent a place or book a hotel for just one week, especially since it would involve paying to house the money-wasting great-grandson together. It simply wasn’t appropriate.
The next day, nearing noon, the group returned home. The house, untouched for over a month, was permeated with a damp atmosphere. Under the great-grandfather’s directive, the great-grandson diligently cleaned the room alongside Xiao Bai. At the same time, Su Weisheng remained in the bedroom, attempting unsuccessfully to strengthen the abilities of the small hammer due to insufficient spiritual energy.
He glanced back at the paper doll flipping through historical records on the desk, tapped on the book with his fingers, and said, “Wake up. You’re the spirit of the Underworld App, not a bookworm. Your job is to help me develop new features and assign tasks. So, do I have any recent commissions that could help enhance my cultivation?”
Bug sluggishly put the book down, adjusted its glasses, and replied, “You haven’t hosted a live stream on the Underworld for nearly a week. Under these circumstances, do you think new tasks are likely to trigger?”
Ah, he’d forgotten to go live.
Su Weisheng didn’t feel particularly guilty about it. Eyeing the paper doll still brimming with unresolved black resentment, he raised an eyebrow slightly and remarked, “Reading those history books won’t help you. Most of them are just wild guesses and fabrications by later generations. If you want to know about your past, you should just ask me directly.”
Bug responded flatly, “I’m a tool spirit, not the reincarnation of a human. Your claim is a serious defamation.”
Su Weisheng reminded it, “If there’s anything you want to ask, now’s the time. Once this opportunity’s gone, it won’t come back.”
Bug’s expression froze for a moment, but his body was quick to react as he asked, “Records from palace servants state that a mysterious man frequently appeared by your side, and his presence caused intense hostility from Yuan Le, even leading to multiple attempts to eliminate him. Is this true?”
Su Weisheng chuckled lightly. “It’s true. There was indeed such a person.”
“Who was he?”
Su Weisheng replied lazily, “You’re not Yuan Le, so why do you care about this?”
Bug: “…”
The tool spirit slowly furrowed its brows, torn between principles and curiosity. It was caught in an intense internal struggle. After a brief pause…
【New App Mission Released: Share your past with the app to facilitate mutual understanding and better collaboration with the tool spirit. Mission Reward: One pass to experience the pathway to the Underworld.】
Su Weisheng could summon ghosts from the Underworld to the human realm, but as a living person, he couldn’t enter the Underworld himself. Yet his unique constitution made cultivation in the Underworld highly effective. Bug’s actions were clearly an attempt to curry favor with him.
Hearing the notification, a faint smile appeared in Su Weisheng’s eyes as he deliberately asked, “Wouldn’t this count as abusing your authority for personal gain?”
Bug cleared his throat awkwardly, striving to maintain his integrity as the app, and replied solemnly, “This mission is within my permissions and can be released.”
“Alright, then I accept this mission.”
Su Weisheng accepted Bug’s attempt to curry favor with a cheerful smile. He adjusted his posture, leaning back lazily. As memories began to surface in his mind, he started recounting, “The person Yuan Le probably hated the most was Si Ming. That’s because Si Ming was my promotion task examiner at the time and frequently appeared around me. Yuan Le didn’t know his identity, but he knew we often spent long nights talking. Back then, Yuan Le was young and, frankly, absurdly jealous—he even wanted to lead troops to eliminate the Underworld’s Si Ming.”
At this point, Su Weisheng chuckled softly and remarked, “That little hothead didn’t use his brain much and only became smarter after suffering quite a few setbacks.”
Bug responded, “I’ve heard of Si Ming, but since my creation, I’ve never met him.”
“That’s odd,” Su Weisheng replied, surprised. “Even if you were personally crafted by the Lord of the Underworld, Si Ming’s meticulous and rule-abiding nature would’ve certainly compelled him to personally assess your safety and other qualifications. He’s always so attentive to matters of the Underworld. There’s no way he’d ignore us and let us run wild.”
Looking at the paper doll with its solemnly serious little face, Su Weisheng mused thoughtfully, “Come to think of it, Yuan Le always regarded Si Ming as a romantic rival. Could it be that he thought I liked Si Ming’s type? So, he intentionally erased his own memories and reshaped himself into a personality similar to Si Ming’s to get closer to me?”
Bug, still caught up pondering matters related to Si Ming, was suddenly jolted by Su Weisheng’s words. His pupils constricted in disbelief as he exclaimed, “The past me loved you so humbly that I even went to the extent of becoming a substitute for a romantic rival just to please you?”
He was so shaken by the revelation that he even forgot to refute the idea that he wasn’t Yuan Le, clearly indicating how deeply it impacted him.
Su Weisheng kindly reassured him, “It’s definitely not about loving humbly. With your venomous personality, you were probably trying to disguise yourself as Si Ming to win my affection deceitfully!”
The “malicious” Bug was left speechless: “…” He felt a little personally attacked.
Sighing helplessly, he couldn’t resist asking Su Weisheng, “And what about Yuan Le? Do you like him at all?”
Without even blinking, Su Weisheng replied, “I do.”
“How much?” The paper doll’s dark red eyes bore into him, persistently digging for answers.
Su Weisheng extended his fingers, calculating thoughtfully as his voice softened, “In my heart, my greatest love is undoubtedly my collection, followed by the flourishing beauty of the human world. Then, Yuan Le, my brother, Su Laijin, Su Laiyin, Si Ming, and now you…”
Upon hearing that the collection and worldly splendor ranked first and second respectively, the paper doll’s face darkened. Yet when he heard his past self ranked third, he couldn’t help but feel a flutter of shock—could he really rank higher than Su Weisheng’s family?
The very next moment, Su Weisheng added, “I meant you’re all tied for third.”
Bug: …?
What on earth?
Collection > Human World > Yuan Le, your brother, your two sons, Si Ming, Bug > Everyone else.
Wasn’t this ranking a bit outrageous?
Noticing Bug’s condemning gaze, Su Weisheng uncharacteristically reflected for a moment before amending, “If you think there are too many tied for third place, then let’s revise it. You, my brother, and Si Ming can share third place; Su Laijin can take fourth; Su Laiyin, fifth; and Zhaocai, Xiaobai, Jiang Yimian, and everyone else can be tied for sixth.”
Bug couldn’t help but ask, “Why is your older son ranked ahead of your younger son?”
Su Weisheng replied, “Because I exploited a loophole to snatch the two of them from my brother and forcibly claim them as my own. The purpose was to ensure the continuation of my branch of the bloodline. Although Su Laijin is a bit of a freeloader, at least he carried on the lineage. Su Laiyin, on the other hand, is useless—he ran off to pursue relationships and probably hasn’t left anything behind. Taking him in was a waste.”
He emphasized “probably hasn’t left anything” instead of being absolutely certain because Su Laiyin’s family tree had no further pages, and Su Weisheng couldn’t summon his spirit. It was likely that Su Laiyin had already been reincarnated.
Bug stared at him speechlessly.
Su Weisheng tapped the table and reminded him, “Le’er, the task is complete. Where’s my reward?”
The paper doll looked at this quirky human, sighing before saying, “… You’d better just call me Bug.” He suddenly decided he liked the name “Bug” better and, thinking this, finally issued the reward.
Su Weisheng received the “Underworld Experience Card x1” but didn’t rush to use it. Lounging in his chair with his legs crossed, he was just about to summon some spirits to inquire about the Su family’s situation in the capital when he heard a commotion outside. Amid the clamor, it seemed like Bai Songyin was shouting, “Brother Ran, Brother Ran, there are photos of Lu Huanjin here!”
Huh? Weren’t they sworn enemies? Why would there still be photos of him?
Su Weisheng stepped out and found Bai Songyin sitting on the floor while cleaning. Beside him was an old box, compressed by years of neglect. A pile of photos was scattered on the ground, and among them, the most important one was being raised triumphantly by Xiao Bai, who was waving it around excitedly.
A hand reached out and snatched the photo away. Bai Songyin looked up. “Great-grandfather…”
Su Weisheng studied the photo in his hand with great interest. It was a group photo of ten young men, each smiling radiantly for the camera. A youthful Su Ran stood confidently in the center, his right arm casually draped over the shoulders of the boy next to him, exuding the look of close friends.
The boy beside Su Ran was equally handsome, with a refined and elegant demeanor. While he wore a gentle smile befitting a gentleman, his gaze wasn’t fixed on the camera but instead focused intently on Su Ran.
Bai Songyin stood up and leaned closer to Su Weisheng, pointing at the remarkable boy in the photo as he explained, “This is Lu Huanjin, a guest from the neighboring courtyard group. He’s Brother Ran’s least favorite person. There’s a good chance they’ll end up clashing in the second round of the guest shuffle.”
“Then why is there a group photo of them?” Su Weisheng asked curiously.
Bai Songyin turned to look at Su Ran.
Su Ran remained utterly unbothered. “Ruby was originally a ten-member boy band, but only four of us were official members. The remaining six were trainees, and he was one of them.”
“Why didn’t he stay?” Su Weisheng pressed further.
Su Ran raised an eyebrow smugly and replied, “Because the guy was tone-deaf and couldn’t sing on pitch. I, as the team captain, kicked him out. He had no choice but to switch careers in the end.”
Su Weisheng seemed to ponder this. “I recall he even said on Weibo that he liked you.”
“That malicious guy is just trying to disgust me!” Su Ran vented his frustration at the photo with a stream of curses, still unable to calm down.
Xiao Bai quietly explained from the side, “The two of them used to be so close that it was like they were inseparable, but then they had a falling out over some issues. Now, whenever Brother Ran mentions him, he gets this crazed.”
Su Ran glared at Bai Songyin before turning to Su Weisheng and asking, “Great-grandfather, is there any way to guarantee I won’t be grouped with him in the second round? Like maybe a counter-opponent charm or something? With him around, I can’t even keep up the pretense of fake camaraderie.”
Su Weisheng shook his head. “There’s no such charm.”
The great-grandson was utterly disappointed.
Su Weisheng added, “But there is a way to ensure he’s plagued by bad luck recently. The catch is that you’ll also suffer misfortune.”
Upon hearing this, Su Ran’s eyes lit up, completely disregarding the latter part of the statement. “Quick, quick, Great-grandfather, tell me how! I want to use it right now!”
Ah, my great-grandson is still as foolish as ever.
Su Weisheng shook his head but agreed nonetheless. He went into the room, casually wrote a charm on a piece of paper, and handed it to his great-grandson, saying, “Tie this together with Lu Huanjin’s photo. Whatever you do to the photo will simultaneously rebound onto both you and Lu Huanjin.”
Harm the enemy by 1000, harm yourself by 1000.
He wasn’t worried that his great-grandson would go as far as killing anyone. He was simply curious to see how far his hatred for Lu Huanjin would drive him.
Su Ran reverently accepted the charm paper with both hands. Using scissors, he carefully cut out Lu Huanjin’s photo, tied it together with the charm, and ran out excitedly.
Watching his confident demeanor, Su Weisheng couldn’t help but feel curious. Casually chatting with the paper doll, he asked, “What do you think Su Zhaocai will do? Tickle the photo? Or draw a turtle on the face?”
Bug thought seriously for a moment and replied, “Given your great-grandson’s intelligence and thought process, I think he’ll do something completely unexpected.”
Intriguing.
Su Weisheng’s curiosity grew. He stepped outside just in time to see his great-grandson rushing out, his nose stuffed with two paper balls. As Su Ran approached, Su Weisheng was hit by an overwhelming stench that made him feel suffocated.
Ugh—
The smell was like chemical oxygen. Bai Songyin, overwhelmed by the stench, fled to the bathroom to vomit uncontrollably, as if suffering from pregnancy sickness like Su Ping.
Su Weisheng’s expression darkened instantly. Struggling to endure the suffocating odor, he gritted his teeth and asked Su Ran, “What… did you do?”
The stench emanated from Su Ran, seemingly ingrained in his very soul and impossible to dispel. Yet he remained completely unfazed, laughing maniacally. “Lu Huanjin, you bastard! You like showing off, huh? Hahaha, this time I’ll make sure you can’t leave your house for a week!”
Su Weisheng hurried into the kitchen, only to find Lu Huanjin’s photo soaking in a stainless steel basin filled with stinky tofu, canned herring, and snail noodles.
No wonder Su Ran smelled so awful… the stench had clearly seeped into his very soul!
The charm paper’s effect was supposed to harm the enemy by 1000 and oneself by 1000. Su Weisheng hadn’t anticipated his great-grandson’s extreme creativity, inventing a new use for the charm: harm the enemy by 1000 and oneself by 3000—since both great-grandfather and Xiao Bai were also affected, each taking 1000 of the backlash!
For the first time, Su Weisheng’s face turned completely dark.
He stormed out, filled with murderous intent, and saw Su Ran still dancing around in crazed joy. Without hesitation, he brought down a hammer on him.
Prepare to meet your end, Su Zhaocai!
Is Su Ning Su Laiyin’s reincarnation? (๑•ᴗ•๑)♡
They believe so
I almost forgot Si Ming. If Yuan Le/ML really became the new lord of underworld, where did Si Ming go, then?