Think about it! Taking the position of peak lord meant enjoying assistance from the Demon Realm, which meant acquiring Mobei-Jun as boss, which would lead to the end result: getting thrown away by said boss as soon as he’d lived out his use. He wouldn’t even get a clean death.
It went without saying: not worth it.
If Shang Qinghua could have done as he wished, he would have stripped off his sect robes and rolled up his bedding, rushed down Cang Qiong Mountain, escaped the cultivation world, and fled toward a free life as a poor commoner. If he relied on all the research he had done to write a transmigration stallion novel in his past life—such as how to create soap, glass, the abacus, etc.—he believed he could live freely and easily, ha ha ha ha ha!
But as soon as this sort of thought appeared in his head—
【 Rule violation, point deduction. 】
So, he’d transmigrated into his own stallion novel. Why hadn’t he been assigned to the protagonist? And okay, so what if he wasn’t the protagonist. What was up with this damned System?!
It was all that OP’s fault. If he hadn’t started that fight, Shang Qinghua wouldn’t have suffered the brunt of it. And then there was that Peerless Cucumber! Curse him! May he never get a chance to use that cucumber for the rest of his life!
Shang Qinghua moved box after box of heavy books from the ship onto a flatbed cart. As he hitched up the horse, he continued to endlessly stew over his grudges.
Cultivation novels usually handwaved inconsequential things like how goods were shipped. In the end, Shang Qinghua had only himself to blame. Damn it—why had he written a low-fantasy setting where all the hard labor had to be done by hand? He’d only managed to screw himself over.
Okay, in fact, what he really wanted to say was: Qing Jing Peak really fucking knows how to use people for all they’re worth!
They were the ones who made all the trouble! If you were helping Xian Shu Peak’s female immortals and fairy maidens transport cosmetics, hair pins, new clothes, and whatnot, even if it was tiring, at least you felt light in your heart. Though it was hard for the body, it was sweet to the soul.
But when you had to act as a porter for Qing Jing Peak—what was up with that? Every time they made a purchase, it was hundreds and hundreds of kilograms of books. Then they would make An Ding Peak’s people huff and puff their way down the mountain to fetch them, then huff and puff their way back up to the peak. Meanwhile, they’d be living the high life—their butts stuck to their seats and their fingers stuck to their instruments. They’d just sit and wait for the goods to be delivered to their door.
To hell with that aloof demeanor! If you have the legs, then come down and get your stuff yourself!
The other outer disciples were also complaining.
“It’s obvious those Qing Jing Peak disciples look down on our An Ding Peak, but time and again we have to work like beasts of burden for them.”
“Especially that Shen Qingqiu,” one person said indignantly. “He’s way too full of himself. His nose is stuck straight up into the air.”
“So what if that Xiu Ya has a bit of a name for itself—he’s far too arrogant.”
“Hah, he even dares to provoke Bai Zhan Peak’s head disciple, Liu Qingge. How would he ever care about nameless foot soldiers like us?”
“Given Bai Zhan Peak’s temper—given Liu Qingge’s temper—how has he not gotten himself killed yet?”
“How could he? You think Yue-shixiong would just stand by and watch? So long as he’s around, Liu Qingge can’t kill Shen Qingqiu no matter what.”
“What I don’t know is how Shen Qingqiu got chosen as head disciple after starting cultivation so late,” said another outer disciple who’d joined Cang Qiong Mountain at an older age, his expression sour. “They say he had a good relationship with Yue-shixiong, but I’ve never seen him go to Qiong Ding Peak. And even when he does see Yue-shixiong, he keeps up that damn fake expression, all aloof and whatever. But if you said they weren’t friendly, that wouldn’t seem right either.”
Shang Qinghua kept his silence, choking down his words.
Ay! How I long to gossip—how I yearn to take up the backstory I outlined but ended up killing in the cradle to toss it in your face! No one’s got a clearer sense of those old affairs of years long past than this great master, your omnipotent creator!
Shrouded in resentment, the whole party muttered their grievances like a broken record, getting angrier and angrier, their envy and hatred mixing together. But who could say who they were trying to argue with?
Shang Qinghua drove the cart, shoulders hunched. Whenever someone addressed him, he brushed them aside with a laugh, being very careful not to add anything. Sure, they were enthusiastically proclaiming their sufferings now, but you never knew when, some day in the future, they’d covertly go and tattle on the very people who’d complained today. Running your mouth was fun in the moment, but once someone reported you and you caught the attention of the other peaks’ disciples, you’d be in serious hot water. Human hearts were treacherous. You couldn’t forget to guard against them, ah!
The road after rain was full of potholes. As the wheels rolled over them, the cart pitched left and right. During one such pitch, the System sent Shang Qinghua a notification with a ding.
【 Upcoming mission; be prepared. 】
When Shang Qinghua heard this, his face creased like a chrysanthemum. He smiled obsequiously. “System-dage, aren’t you skimping a bit, being so brief with these messages? Couldn’t you tell me what mission this is? What preparations? Prepare for what? At least give me a tip, okay?”
【 You will see, 】 the System said vaguely.
Shang Qinghua was silent. No, this esteemed one sees nothing!
Then, with a crack, the flatbed cart suddenly stopped moving, seemingly stuck on something on the ground.
The outer disciple shixiong, whether on the cart or following along behind, jolted along with it and fell all over the place. They were already steaming with anger, and they summarily began to smack the rails and curse with rage.
“You moron, can’t even properly drive a cart! Go already. What are you stopping for?!”
Shang Qinghua didn’t know why the cart had suddenly gotten stuck either. Puzzled, he jumped off. After a single look, his soul flew off in a fright.
The reason why the wheels couldn’t move was because the water in the hole they were stuck in had iced over, freezing the wooden wheels solid.
All around them, a formless cold in the air weighed oppressively down. Winter was cold, but Shang Qinghua’s heart was even colder. Shaking uncontrollably, he lifted his gaze.
A shadow draped in a black cloak slowly walked toward them, straight and tall. One could vaguely make out the figure of a youth.
For once, the System said a few more words:
【 Current opponent’s anger points: 1,000. 】
【 Mission objective: Survive. 】
【 Tip complete. We wish you the best of luck. 】
“Great Master” Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky had a bad habit. That was, he cut plot points.
Before he officially set pen to paper on future chapters, he would first plant little sprouts in his novel. Then he would watch how the winds were blowing in the comments section. Using this information, he would decide which plotlines to follow from his overall outline.
For instance, the Shen Qingqiu who had been called a “cheap villain with no justification” ten thousand times was a tragic product of plot cuts.
Oh, and then there was Bing-ge’s dad. His plot had been cut even more viciously, to the point that in the end, he hadn’t even appeared.
The benefit of this method was that he could cater to the readers. It at least guaranteed that his subscription count wouldn’t take a huge dive and crash to its death in the pool at rock bottom.
The consequence was that buried foreshadowing went to waste and there were gaps all over the ground, leaving it bumpy and full of p(l)otholes. Any readers who had some standards, or who had a bit more taste and weren’t as easy to fool, would rain curses on the author without restraint.