Chapter 82
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Although the plot involved an assassination in the mountains and forests, as long as the assassination was successful, both options would be achievable.
Only when the plot was unlocked could he have a chance to use new information to break the deadlock. Chu Xie was well aware of this, but now, with the sharp sword at the man’s chest, he found himself unable to make the fatal strike.
He opened the system and confirmed once again, “As long as I assassinate Jiang Yanchi, this plot will be considered complete, right?”
The system took a few seconds to understand the situation and immediately transformed into a cheering chicken: “Host, you’re awesome! Hurry, give him a slash! Sob, sob, sob, go for it, Host!”
“It’s okay if I don’t really kill him, right?”
“Of course! The mountain forest assassination plot never involved really killing him. He’s the protagonist, how could he be killed? Just injure him a bit!”
Chu Xie closed the system, making a firm decision.
The sharp tip of the knife pressed against Jiang Yanchi’s chest again, tearing through the thin layer of silk.
But his hand inexplicably started trembling.
Chu Xie looked at his right hand with a hint of confusion in his eyes, as if he couldn’t understand why it was shaking so violently.
He forcefully pressed down the trembling of his right hand with his left hand.
He raised the dagger high.
Jiang Yanchi was sleeping soundly.
The flickering candlelight reflected on his high nose, and under his long eyelashes, his eyes were closed, hiding the occasionally bright and sometimes gloomy gaze.
Wait, wait a moment.
Chu Xie inexplicably felt a moment of panic again. It shouldn’t be fatal if he stabbed from this angle, right? If not, then the abdominal area… No, let’s go lower… Puncturing the pancreas would be fatal for sure…
Then, then…
His right hand started trembling more violently.
Taking a deep breath.
It’s okay; Jiang Yanchi is the protagonist, and he won’t die.
“Don’t blame me… I also have no other choice… I, I…”
The words swirling in his mind slipped out without thinking. Realizing that he couldn’t hear him anyway, Chu Xie breathed a sigh of relief and continued murmuring the remaining words, not knowing who he was addressing, “Who told you to keep… keep causing trouble for me. If you let me go, none of us would have reached this point.”
Suddenly, the knife stabbed down fiercely, but then abruptly stopped in mid-air.
It seems.
There’s something strange.
Chu Xie touched his face, feeling a slightly rough wetness.
Strange, why cry.
But after a moment of contemplation, he hesitated and finally pressed the knife against the man’s side. There were no vital organs there, and it wouldn’t split the bones. Jiang Yanchi had practiced martial arts for years, and this little trick wouldn’t take his life.
He wanted to unlock the plot. If possible, he just wanted to die sooner.
He wanted… to go back and save Little Yin.
Jiang Yanchi, don’t hate me.
It’s because you insist on entangling me, because you insist on disrupting my pace, because you disturb me again and again, messing up my storyline.
The same goes for Jiang Jingan that time. If you hadn’t let me shoot that arrow, I wouldn’t have to stab you now.
You can’t blame me for this.
It’s you meddling, it’s you being self-righteous.
Chu Xie’s brows unconsciously furrowed.
“Host, what’s wrong?” The system saw him hesitate for a long time and asked weakly, “There’s not much emotional fluctuation, and no empathy. Host, are we… not following this plot anymore?”
“Of course we are!” Chu Xie’s palms sweated, feeling like he couldn’t grip the knife handle.
“Host, did you… cry?”
“Huh?”
Chu Xie lowered his head and found two dark spots on the bedding underneath him. Even on Jiang Yanchi’s back of the hand, there was a bit of dampness.
Touching his face again, he shook his head blankly, “No… I think.”
“…” The system fell silent.
“Host, do you not want to harm him?”
“Not wanting doesn’t change anything.” Chu Xie didn’t deny, but spoke casually and rationally, “There’s no other way now. This is the last plot besides my death. I have to go through it to completely remove the killing intent on Xu Chunmu. Although he’s innocent, but…”
The system seemed to have some speculation.
“Host doesn’t want to kill him just because he’s innocent?”
“Yeah. He’s still young, logically…”
“But in your eyes, who in this world is not innocent to the host? None of them are the ones you hate. Those are the ones Chu Xie wants to kill… When you acted, you didn’t cry either.”
“They all deserved to die.”
The system was a little confused, “But what Jiang Yanchi did, it’s not excessive for him to take this blade. He’s not a good person.”
The system has no emotions. Its repeated questions made Chu Xie feel annoyed.
But monitoring the host’s psychological state is one of the system’s duties.
However, he knew what the system was really worried about.
When he first arrived in this world, the system warned him not to develop too much emotion towards the characters. Many hosts failed their missions because they became too emotional.
Because the tasker and the original host have a certain degree of compatibility.
The system seemed to have mentioned that he had a very high compatibility with the original host. So, for the past year, it had been constantly reminding him not to invest too much emotion in people and things around him.
But later, the system found out that it was overly concerned.
It seems that Chu Xie didn’t really have much empathy for the original host, and he wouldn’t linger for anyone.
But now, he seemed to be hesitating.
“Host?”
“You once said that my compatibility with the original host is high. What is this compatibility based on?” Chu Xie suddenly asked.
“Uh, it’s based on experiences, mentality, beliefs, ideals, personality, intelligence, appearance… a variety of criteria like that, all combined data…”
What kind of nonsense is this?
He and the original host, whether in experiences, personality, or whatever weird ideals, basically have no intersection.
“Your compatibility with Chu Xie is a rare 85%. Very high, usually having 50% is already good… Do you want to look at the detailed data?”
“Look!”
Huh? The host wasn’t interested in these things before.
The system pulled up the data and exclaimed, “Huh,” then shouted.
“Except for low compatibility in personality, appearance, intelligence, experiences… all other data is surprisingly high!”
High compatibility in appearance is probably because he has a traditionally beautiful face in the current world. Intelligence… the original host seemed foolish, seeking immediate gain and bringing about his own destruction, but it was also because he was blinded by hatred and didn’t think about living well—so, similar intelligence is possible.
But beliefs and experiences, what’s going on?
“Host, according to our data here,” the system added, “you and Chu Xie have a 100% match in one aspect.”
“What is it?”
“Determination.”
Determination. Do I have determination?
I’ve been able to do the tasks well until now, relying on the fact that I have no determination, can adapt and be flexible.
“Host, about this plot, are we going or not?”
Chu Xie remained silent for too long, and the system urged indirectly, “Tell me, will Jiang Yanchi really kill Xu Chunmu tomorrow?”
Chu Xie couldn’t predict.
He couldn’t anticipate Jiang Yanchi’s actions.
“Then… should we go or not?” The system asked again tentatively.
Being interrupted like this, he seemed to be even less inclined to stab the knife.
“No, let’s not go.”
Chu Xie put away the knife, and when he said this, it was as if a string deep in his heart had suddenly loosened.
Surprisingly refreshing.
“Host…”
“I’ll figure out a way to get Xu Chunmu out of the capital. I’ve said it before, this kind of plot, we don’t have to follow.”
Chu Xie put away the small knife but found himself unable to fall asleep.
The cold wind blew a bit cold. He wanted to lie down, but felt like he tripped on something and fell onto the bed, stretching out his hand to the edge of the bed and letting out a low exclamation.
Subconsciously, he was afraid of disturbing the little emperor.
He glanced over at that end.
But then thought better of it.
He lifted the blanket and laid back down.
Right beside Jiang Yanchi.
Despite having engaged in more intimate actions before, Chu Xie still wasn’t accustomed to sleeping next to him.
The warmth inside the quilt was much warmer than he had imagined. He laid flat, and the person beside him suddenly turned over, circling his waist as countless times before.
Chu Xie froze, hearing the breathing so close, brushing against his ear and temples.
At this moment, he suddenly thought in his heart that Jiang Yanchi probably couldn’t imagine that the person sharing the bed with him would get up in the middle of the night to give him a stab.
He didn’t know how he had teetered between life and death just now.
Even in the unconscious dream, he still relied on and trusted himself like this.
Feeling restless in his heart, he couldn’t sleep and tossed and turned.
Unable to sleep, he turned over, facing away from the person.
Originally, he had no drowsiness, but the person behind him seemed to have had a dream, holding him tighter and tighter. He felt a warmth like a furnace against his back.
Chu Xie felt agitated, kicked the person’s knee joint. It might have hurt a bit, and the person became more honest after being kicked.
He began to ponder how to send Xu Chunmu away. Stuck in this stalemate for a long time, finally, due to physical exhaustion, a bit of drowsiness emerged in the quietness.
Little did he know that in the dim candlelight, the person behind him slowly opened a pair of pitch-black eyes.
Staring without blinking, at the top of that person’s head.
His gaze moved down, looking at the slender and fair neck, as if quenching thirst, his gaze intertwined with light and darkness.
The hands resting on the waist moved upward, reaching into the person’s collar and groping.
Chu Xie’s slight drowsiness vanished instantly.
Jiang Yanchi woke up.
Did the drug wear off so quickly?
Chu Xie, feeling guilty like a thief, closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. However, that hand was causing chaos on his body, making it impossible for him to endure.
He twisted his neck.
“You…”
“Where’s the blade.”
Jiang Yanchi leaned over, moved up and down again, touched everything he shouldn’t have touched, and then asked, “Where did you hide it.”
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