8: Chapter 8 Purple Talent, Strong Luck
In the corner of the woodshed.
[Do you wish to start the second life simulation?]
"Before starting the second simulation, I must draw traits first!"
The ball of light spun again.
White, white, white, white, white.
Chu Sheng's face darkened.
"...Do I have to be this unlucky?"
The odds are abysmal.
He refused to accept this.
His primary goal now is to pull a good trait to lay a better foundation for this simulation!
Without hesitation, he spent 50 simulation points.
[50 simulation points consumed, trait refresh function activated. Five initial traits will be regenerated under the original random drawing rules.]
The ball of light spun.
White, white, white, white...
This time, a final gleam of purple light, like starlight, slowly lit up.
[Refresh result: Obtained purple epic-tier trait — "Strong Luck"!]
[Effect: Luck will be significantly increased, making it easier to turn misfortune into fortune at critical moments, and increasing the probability of encountering opportunities.]
[Note: Luck is not omnipotent, and overly Strong Luck may attract unnecessary attention.]
"Purple! Epic! Strong Luck!"
He didn't even look at the four other potential white traits; a single purple epic trait was absolutely worth far more than a pile of white ones!
"Not bad, not bad! Very good! This simulation is in the bag!"
He looked at his trait configuration.
[Locked and carried: Trash (black), Many Children, Many Blessings (seven-colored)]
[Carried in this simulation: Strong Luck (purple)]
"Although Trash is still locked, with the support of Strong Luck, it might greatly compensate for my innate deficiencies and make it easier to encounter turning points!"
"Combined with the long-term benefits of Many Children, Many Blessings... this simulation has great potential!"
"Start the second simulation!"
[Second life simulation starting...]
[Loading traits: Trash (black), Many Children, Many Blessings (seven-colored), Strong Luck (purple)]
[Chu Sheng finds himself still in the Lin Mansion, still the same eighteen-year-old servant.]
[A sixth-grade martial artist, already top-tier among these mortal servants.]
[Because of this strength, his days quietly became smoother.]
[Because the efficiency of chopping wood and boiling water increased every day, the steward didn't pick any fights when passing by.]
"Is this Strong Luck?"
"It's not that pies are falling from the sky, but rather that the probability of unlucky things that might have happened has subtly decreased."
[After a while, Chu Sheng was transferred to the West Courtyard to help.]
[With this transfer, he ran into the furious Young Master Lin Hao again.]
[This illegitimate young master had been gloomy for days, scolding everyone he saw.]
[The warm jade ruyi bestowed by his father was lost.]
[That was not only a valuable item but also a symbol of his status in the Lin family.]
[This matter is 99% likely to be an inner-household struggle.]
[Sure enough, Chu Sheng was sent to clean the backyard warehouse. Just as he approached, low voices came from behind the rockery.]
[A shrill voice said: "...It's hidden tightly; no matter how he searches, he won't find it."]
[Another hoarse voice sneered: "The Second Madame's move is clever. Doesn't that brat from the Third Branch usually flaunt that crappy ruyi? Let's see how he holds his head high now!"]
["I just didn't expect it to cause such a big stir..."]
["What are you afraid of? Just keep your hands clean. Keep your mouth shut, that's all."]
[The voices faded, and the two hurried away.]
"It really is the Second Branch Family."
"This jade ruyi has become a pawn in the inner-household struggle. As a servant, if I'm not careful, I'll be crushed."
Seeing this, Chu Sheng couldn't help but analyze.
"The water in the Lin family is deep enough. The family head, Lin Tiannan, is at least at the high stage of Qi Induction, perhaps even at the half-step of Condensing True Essence; he is a hegemon in this Qingshi Town."
"The First Branch holds real power, the Second Branch Family is favored but ambitious, and the Third Branch only has Lin Hao left as the sole seedling, with an awkward status. Losing the jade ruyi means losing more than just face."
[After some more days, Chu Sheng, relying on Strong Luck, found things going increasingly smoothly.]
[That night, it was his turn to patrol. Passing by the abandoned rice warehouse in the East Courtyard, his foot was suddenly tripped by something.]
[Chu Sheng's heart leaped, he looked around to see no one, then crouched down to lightly brush away the dirt.]
[It was exactly that warm jade ruyi that had been missing for months!]
[Chu Sheng stood in the shadows, his heart beating like a drum.]
[Critical choice triggered]
[1. Immediately offer it to Lin Hao, gambling that he will reward the service.]
[2. Secretly trade with the Second Branch Family, exchanging this item for benefits.]
[3. Quietly put it back elsewhere, guiding others to discover it by chance.]
[4. Temporarily hide it, waiting for an opportunity to probe for more inside information.]
Chu Sheng calculated quickly.
"Giving it directly to Lin Hao might earn a reward, but it will completely offend the Second Branch Family."
"That Madame from the Second Branch Family is no pushover. Trading with the Second Branch Family? That's like asking a tiger for its skin; crushing a servant is child's play for them."
"Quietly putting it back is the safest, but it offers me no benefits at all..."
Looking at himself in the simulation holding the ruyi, he suddenly smiled.
The me in the simulation would probably choose 1.
Why?
Because although Lin Hao is eccentric and has shown some strength, he already looks at me with a bit of special regard.
This jade ruyi is of extraordinary significance to him; offering it now is like sending charcoal in snowy weather, perhaps it can truly earn his trust.
"More importantly."
Chu Sheng's eyes brightened slightly.
"With the [Strong Luck] trait on me, choosing this path might have the greatest potential return. Time to gamble!"
[Chu Sheng found a moment when Lin Hao was alone, avoided others, and presented the jade ruyi.]
[Lin Hao was stunned at first, then snatched the ruyi, his eyes fierce.]
[He looked up sharply: "Have you told anyone else?"]
["No. After I obtained the item, I headed straight to Young Master's place, and didn't meet anyone on the way."]
[Chu Sheng lowered his head, his tone respectful.]
[Lin Hao suddenly sneered: "Good... very good. Heh, I know who did this."]
[He put away the ruyi and took out a silver ingot from his bosom: "This is your reward. Thirty taels. Starting tomorrow, you are transferred to work in my courtyard."]
[After a pause, he added: "Keep your mouth shut. If any extra words spread..."]
[Chu Sheng quickly bowed: "This servant understands."]
[After being transferred to the courtyard, his life didn't immediately turn upside down. It was just that being closer to Lin Hao, he could often hear Lin Hao's angry outbursts.]
[Lin Hao began to secretly collect evidence of the Second Branch Family's dirty hands, and Chu Sheng was occasionally sent to run errands.]
[After another period, perhaps because he was in a good mood, Lin Hao casually pulled out a tattered booklet and threw it to Chu Sheng, who was sweeping.]
["This thing is for you. I got it years ago from a destitute martial artist who was poor as a church mouse; it's called... Pig Head Gong?"]
["They say once you master it, you'll have the strength of a pig, and you'll be able to take a beating. You have some foundation of strength, take it and fiddle with it."]
[Chu Sheng opened it; inside were some human figures, not a method for Qi Induction, but rather a remnant of an ancient method for tempering the physical body.]
[Special inheritance item detected...]
[Name: "Nine Zhu Gong" (Remnant)]
[Grade: Unknown (Ancient Body Tempering Secret Technique Remnant)]
[Effect: Uses "Zhu" as a unit of strength to temper the physical body and condense explosive force. Each "Zhu" mastered leads to a leap in physical strength. The remnant only contains the training method for the first three Zhu.]
The Chu Sheng in the simulation couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
Nine Zhu Gong?
Zhu... isn't that just a pig?
This name is simple enough.
But to be specifically labeled by the simulator as a body tempering secret technique, it definitely isn't simple.
The path of a martial artist: training strength, training Qi, training breath.
In the end, it's all about tempering the physical body.
This technique is probably an unorthodox but powerful path."
He looked at the simulation screen, his eyes flashing with unprecedented light.
Sure enough, where Strong Luck goes, opportunities follow.
This miscellaneous book bestowed so casually might just be the key to breaking the limits of a martial artist.