Chapter 6: The String-Puller_1

"What is this, a Tokyo film set?"

Looking at that embarrassing pose, Fang Yang was utterly bewildered and felt even more that his Golden Finger was a bit off.

He walked up to the two figures.

Only then did he realize that these two silhouettes were also statues.

Just like his, they were incredibly lifelike.

It was almost as if their souls had left their bodies.

Apart from being somewhat hollow, they were identical to their real bodies.

[The place is dark and deserted, and you see two stunning women kneeling before you. A thought crosses your mind, not wanting to miss this opportunity, so you grip the rope tighter...]

Fang Yang blocked out this messy narration in his mind.

He simply reached out, curiously tapping on Ye Qinghong's statue.

Buzz!

Ripples spread across the water!

[Bonding target: Ye Qinghong]

[Realm: Great Grandmaster]

[Physique: Glass Sword Body (With a heart like glass, dedicated to the jade sword! Training in sword techniques will have speed increased tenfold, power doubled)]

[Affection: -30 (Hate to the bone)]

(Note: Increase affection by frequent interaction to gain Bonding Points! Bonding Points can be used for system prize draws, store exchanges, and there's a chance to obtain the bonding target's skills! Note: These skills are those the bonding target considers proficient and often uses.)

Bonding target, are they bonding with Old Man Yue's red strings? But which Old Man Yue still plays with bondage and kneeling?

Isn't this red string a bit too indecent?

Fang Yang couldn't help but criticize, then tapped his finger on the statue of the Princess of Zhen Nan.

[Bonding target: Han Lingxuan]

[Realm: None]

[Physique: Bridal Divine Body (After dual cultivation, the cultivation power will be transferred equally to the partner, aiding their cultivation)]

[Affection: -30 (Hate to the bone)]

Well, both of them have their affection meters cranked directly into the negative.

I really don't know what sort of appalling things that devil did to make them so angry.

Fang Yang shook his head helplessly.

He now had a basic understanding of the Golden Finger.

In simple terms, this Golden Finger was like Old Man Yue's red string, forcibly binding the three of them together.

He could gain Bonding Points through these two people and use them to enter prize draws!

As for what other functions these red strings might have, that would require further exploration.

Maybe...

He could free his hands?

He shook his head and quickly dismissed this shameful thought.

He decided to go for a prize draw first.

[Ding!]

[The treasure chest has been opened, consuming one Bonding Point, obtaining the Cultivation Technique "Mysterious Heaven Strategy"]

"I won a prize straight away? Could this be a newbie gift pack?"

Fang Yang's eyes lit up, not expecting the chances of winning to be so high, and continued with the prize draw.

[Ding!]

[The treasure chest has been opened, consuming one Bonding Point, obtaining the skill of the bonding target Han Lingxuan, 'Underwear Washing — Advanced'!]

"???"

He drew three question marks, utterly confused and muddled in an instant.

He knew the system store would draw skills from the bonding targets, but he didn't expect to draw one so soon, and one that belonged to the Princess of Zhen Nan at that.

But!

Why were the skills drawn not the princess's arts like music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, or perhaps the art of managing subordinates?

Instead, it was washing underwear?

And there were levels like advanced, intermediate, and beginner?

What kind of messy turn of events was this?

According to the introduction of the red strings of Old Man Yue, the skills he drew were those that the bonding targets often performed and considered themselves quite skilled at.

So the princess had been here for three years, washing underwear every day?

And she thought it was her unique talent?

For a moment, Fang Yang felt that the plump and graceful woman took on a somewhat strange image in his mind.

Opening the skill card, he saw the detailed introduction right away.

[Skill Card: The Princess's Advanced Lingerie Washing Technique, capable of thoroughly cleaning any stains from underwear while preserving the Princess's unique scent. Who knows the troubles of the night?] (Usage Count: 1)

"What use do I have for this skill?"

With a full head of black lines, he exited the mental space.

A jade slip appeared in his hand.

It was the "Xuan Tian Strategy"!

"Xuan Tian Strategy (Incomplete)": An upper-class heaven-grade cultivation technique that can conceal a cultivator's aura and shield from all divination techniques. Every word and every action contains the profound mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, which is unpredictable. When the cultivator makes a move, there's a chance to evoke phenomena such as heavenly thunder and rosy clouds.

Swish!

Upon reading this detailed introduction, Fang Yang was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed beyond measure.

He even felt that a mysterious force was aiding him.

There was no helping it; the Xuan Tian Strategy was simply tailor-made for him. It could not only conceal his aura but also block divination.

Most crucially, the mention of phenomena like heavenly marvels sounded extremely intimidating.

It was perfect for bluffing.

"With this, my disguise will become even more perfect, more successful. I might even be able to deter my enemies, reducing the number of assassinations drastically."

"Besides, I'll be able to devote more time to cultivation, to face the Demon Sect's banquet."

He murmured in his heart, without any hesitation, and with a crack, crushed the jade slip into powder.

The moment he crushed the slip, a warm current flowed into his mind, causing him to groan and shut his eyes.

…

The night falls like a curtain!

In a quiet courtyard at the back of the Demon Snow Palace.

"Mew, mew... Meow!"

Cries of a cat in heat resonated.

Full of grievances and longing, desolate and melancholic.

"Xiao Xue, stop crying."

A girl wearing a bright yellow long dress, still chubby with some baby fat, was squatting on the ground washing clothes.

Next to her, the plaintive wails of the White Snow Lion Cat, Xiao Xue, made her put down the clothes with a troubled look.

She rubbed her head and was somewhat puzzled.

She was a palace servant to the Princess.

Ling'er!

Having followed the Princess of Zhengnan since childhood, attending to her, she was captured alongside the Princess by a demon three years ago.

From then on, the two of them and a cat leaned on each other for survival.

Although Xiao Xue, the White Snow Lion Cat, usually liked to cry out, never had it sounded so full of sorrow as today.

It was as if it had suffered some unspeakable grievance…

She had asked the Princess about it, who spoke evasively and couldn't explain clearly. Then, with red cheeks, she held her change of underwear and hurried to the hot spring at the back hill to bathe.

Indeed, for the past three years, the Princess's clothes were mostly washed by her, except for the Princess's underwear.

The Princess was usually approachable but would never allow her to touch the underwear, not even to look at it.

She would always wash it herself.

And she did it secretly, behind everyone's back.

It was normal for the Princess to wash her own underwear, but it was abnormal to do so at this time.

After all, although the Princess often went to the hot spring behind the hill to bathe, that was usually late at night, or in the morning after getting up, rarely during broad daylight.

Not to mention in the current rush as she was now.

Out of concern, she sneaked a peek.

She saw that the Princess's hem was in disarray, and even deeper within the folds of her dress, there were water stains!

As if someone had deliberately splashed it on her.

This filled her with anger.

Who could be so vile as to bully even the Princess?

To actually splash dirty water deliberately on the Princess's body.

If she found out who did it,

she would ride them and give them a good beating!

Ling'er's heart pounded, and her face swelled up like a steamed bun.

At that moment…

Knock knock knock, there was a knocking at the door.