Chapter Sixteen: Old Wei’s Protection

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When other people bind themselves to systems, they either breeze through check-ins and collect rewards, or connect to countless worlds where even a wild mustard green can be traded for gold.

But the system she ended up bound to did nothing except drag her down and suppress her.

“Do you believe I’ll smash my head against a wall and die, just to make you start over?”

The system turned red with rage.

The entire light screen glowed so red it seemed to smoke.

“If you have the nerve, go ahead. This system has plenty of time. I’m certainly not afraid to wear you down.”

“...”

Hurting each other like this probably was not the answer.

“Go on, then. Smash your head, hang yourself, drink poison—take your pick.”

“Get lost! All of you, get lost, go on~”

A娇喝 rang out from afar, interrupting Bai Mianmian’s thoughts and making the system temporarily rein itself in.

Following the sound, she saw a girl in red riding down the street, cracking a whip.

Every passerby hurriedly dodged out of her way.

“Fourth Young Miss!”

The city guard beside Bai Mianmian cried out, then exchanged a glance with his companion.

The moment he shouted, the leader had already rushed forward.

“Come here.”

One guard ran after the girl, while the other seized Bai Mianmian by the arm and dragged her aside.

Bai Mianmian had not actually wanted to run.

The meat she had painstakingly carried into the city was still lying by the gates.

However she looked at it, she had to retrieve it and sell it.

With such an opportunity placed right before her, not running would feel like letting herself down... More importantly, she could not be certain that once she entered the magistrate’s office, she would not end up taking the blame for someone else.

The system could not kill her outright, but it could certainly make her suffer.

“Off you go!”

As luck would have it, a carriage was stopped right in front of them.

With a fling and a shove, she sent the city guard staggering into the carriage. It was not a large one, and it nearly toppled over beneath his weight.

By then, the girl in red had already been forced to stop.

If Bai Mianmian did not create some commotion, she would truly end up in the magistrate’s office.

“Stop!” the city guard shouted as he turned around.

Bai Mianmian darted away and slipped into a small shop.

When she emerged onto the street again, she had transformed into a short, plump girl.

Nearly every scrap of silver in her pocket had gone toward the disguise.

“The system has detected a sudden surge in the emotional value generated by the host’s younger siblings. Time will be reset in three seconds.”

The system’s sudden announcement left Bai Mianmian stunned.

Then time was reset once more.

She returned to the moment shortly before, when she had been fleeing with all her might.

She had been running too quickly. When her consciousness abruptly shifted, the coordination between her limbs and brain was severed.

“Thud!”

She went straight down in a spectacular faceplant.

Her forehead struck the ground first, followed by the tip of her nose.

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“Mm!”

She let out a muffled groan.

Suppressing the pain in her palms and knees, she hurriedly climbed back to her feet and continued running.

Her sudden fall gave the startled onlookers quite a fright. They stood there open-mouthed, watching her retreating figure.

“Girl, did you see a girl about this tall run past?” the pursuing city guard asked, panting for breath.

The passerby instinctively raised a hand and pointed in the direction where Bai Mianmian had disappeared.

The city guard hurried after her.

Perhaps their usual training had been inadequate. Perhaps he had simply eaten too much breakfast.

Bent over at the waist, he chased her as best he could, but eventually lost all sense of direction.

“Explain yourself.”

Once she had reached a safe distance again, she questioned the system before she had even caught her breath.

The system had been waiting for her.

“Unable to detect the cause of the plot alteration. The host must seek the answer independently.”

Bai Mianmian laughed.

When a person was utterly speechless, they really did laugh.

It was confirmed. This system existed purely to make fun of her.

“You’re truly something else!”

“The host is advised to view plot alterations rationally.” With that, the system vanished.

It gave her the distinct impression that it was simply too lazy to argue with her.

“Inhale... exhale...”

After taking several controlled breaths, she wiped away the blood smeared across her forehead and mouth.

Then she turned and headed toward Scholarly Fragrance Hall.

When Bai Mianmian emerged from the deserted alley and circled back to the bustling street lined with shops, the blood covering her face and hair proved especially conspicuous.

The moment she stepped into Scholarly Fragrance Hall, the proprietress of the neighboring shop followed close behind to see what had happened.

“Auntie Wei, what happened?” the young woman asked with concern.

Old Madam Wei, who was minding the shop, smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know either.”

“That girl looks pale and thin, though she isn’t bad-looking. Perhaps she suffered at someone’s hands.”

Old Madam Wei did not respond.

The young woman craned her neck to peer into the inner courtyard, then leaned closer.

“Auntie, you probably haven’t heard. A major incident occurred in our city a few days ago. It involved a great many people.

“First, a group of human traffickers turned on one another over the spoils. In the ensuing chaos, the children they had imprisoned escaped and reported the matter to the authorities, leading to the rescue of more than a hundred boys and girls.

“Later, people began saying that it was actually a dispute between the official traffickers and the criminal ones...”

The young woman continued chattering excitedly, recounting the great scandal that had shaken the city.

Old Madam Wei offered an occasional murmur of agreement, providing just enough response to keep her spirits high.

The two women were thoroughly absorbed in their conversation.

In the study in the inner courtyard, Bai Mianmian received help from the two siblings to wash the blood from her injuries as best they could. Then she picked up her brush and began sketching.

Wei Qing watched her calm, composed manner, his gaze deep and unreadable.

“A few days ago, a major incident occurred in the city. A violent criminal murdered six people before fleeing. The authorities have been hunting him ever since, but they have found no trace.”

“I happened to see him a few times. And I must say, you bear an extraordinary resemblance to that criminal.”

Though Bai Mianmian knew how capable this man was, hearing him ask such a question so bluntly still caught her off guard.

Her hand paused, leaving a conspicuous blot of ink on the paper.

“Those who do good all resemble one another; those who do evil take a thousand forms. I am rather pleased to resemble a good person.”

“...The mighty rivers surge onward with the waves. Our generation is deeply comforted.”

“How do you find my younger siblings, Old Master Wei?”

Since he was already going to shelter her, why should she stand on ceremony?

Bai Mianmian genuinely had no idea how to be tactful.

One sentence rendered Wei Qing speechless.

He stared at her for quite some time before finally asking, “How do I find them in what way?”

“Are they suited to become gentlemen accomplished in all Six Arts? Are they fit to be young ladies gifted with seven orifices of exquisite understanding?”

“...On the strength of this?”

His gaze shifted toward the painting.

The meaning was obvious.

Did she really think this single painting would be enough to buy her protection?

Bai Mianmian smiled confidently and pulled a sheet of writing paper toward herself.

Using her brush, she wrote down a formula for a dark purple dye.

Wei Qing’s brother-in-law was an imperial textile official in Jiangnan. If the formula reached his hands, it could substantially reduce the court’s expenses on royal fabrics.

Besides, it was not as though she could sell the formula for money.

She had finally understood what the system meant.

As a supporting female character like her, even if the system secretly gave her advantages, the laws of this world would never allow her an easy life.

“Must I draw up a deed of gift?” Bai Mianmian asked.

Wei Qing studied her gravely for a while before nodding.

Once Bai Mianmian had finished writing the deed, he considerately brought her an ink pad as well.

But when he attempted to write a guarantee of his own, she refused him without hesitation.

“There’s no need.”

His guarantee was unnecessary.

Yet he had asked for her deed of gift.

“If I don’t know you, how could I dare send my younger siblings to your door?”

Wei Qing was thoroughly crushed.

He felt as though he had stripped naked and run through the streets.

The worst part was that, apart from learning a few basic facts about her, he had obtained no useful information at all.

“I am curious. Why did you choose this particular method to portray...”

Since he could not see through her, he decided to set that matter aside for the moment.

With admirable decisiveness, he shifted his attention to the painting.

This time, Bai Mianmian had painted the scenery and people of Hexi Village. If one looked closely enough, one would discover traces of the Bai sisters’ past everywhere within the scene.

Foreshadowing had to begin early.

She did not want to spend several years worrying about how to persuade Brother Tiezhu and his sister to help her.

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